Star Wars Infinities: The Warrior

By Christopher W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2002 by George Lucas and are used herein without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.

CHAPTER 9

"Captain Fel, please have a seat," Thrawn said as the pilot entered his ready room. "Welcome to the Death Star."

Fel accepted the offered hand and gave it a firm grip. Unlike many of his fellow officers, Fel had no non-human biases. He saw all beings as being able to contribute something to the Empire and he abhorred wasteful attitudes that were characterized by xenophobia. "I have to say it was quite a surprise to receive my orders. The Knights weren't due to rotate off of Imperial Center for another two years."

The two men sat down and Thrawn waited until the serving droid had given them both drinks before continuing. "Some very unusual events have occurred in the last week and I suggested to Moff Tarkin," he smiled as Fel indicated he noted the his superior had left off the Grand, "that it would be prudent to station an elite squadron on board."

"I was under the impression that the Death Star is fully functional," Fel remarked as he studied the various pieces of artwork in the room. He recognized some as being from the Core Worlds, but there were also several pieces that he could not imagine were painted or sculpted by human hands.

Thrawn shrugged. "It is, but not fully manned. A planet-destroying laser isn't quite the weapon I would use against starfighters. The truth is that we are only at 30% personnel capacity. We have the technical personnel but not the warrior-types. Not people like you, Captain."

"Thank you, Admiral, sir," Fel said slightly embarrassed. He was actually a great admirer of Thrawn's work on tactics. "I take it then that you still plan to leave?"

The blue-skinned man nodded and his red eyes got a faraway look as if he were trying to peer into the future. "I was supposed to take command of the Unknown Regions Task Force, but a situation has developed at the Dathomir Penal Colony."

"A situation?" Fel asked. He knew that Admiral Zsinj basically ruled that sector of space in the Emperor's name. Zsinj was an old ally of Palpatine and was granted, it seemed at times, the same powers as Tarkin when it came to making decisions.

"Yes, it appears that Admiral Zsinj went insane, killed one of his crewmembers and then fell over dead himself." Thrawn shook his head. "His fleet is currently under the command of a man named Palleon."

Fel hadn't heard of the officer and offered no comment. Thrawn continued. "Tarkin is happy to see me go and I have to confess that the prospect of being a planetary warden holds more enjoyment for me than being his attaché."

"It is a waste of your abilities, sir," Fel stated. "You would be better suited hunting down Garm Bel Iblis and his renegade fleet!" The sting of having such a well-known personality from his home world leading the rebellion still hurt. Though he had not entirely agreed with Bel Iblis's politics, he still understood that he was powerful man and worthy of some respect. That was, at least, until he decided to betray the Emperor.

"Ah, but not a waste of your talents, Captain Fel. The Emperor has directed Tarkin to use this battle station to hunt down and destroy the Rebel Alliance, as it refers to itself now." He steeped his fingers under his chin. "Darth Deceptra was going to be arriving here at the dedication ceremonies, but she has been sent away on a mission."

"Oh?" Fel asked, somewhat surprised. Ever since his confrontation with Luke Skywalker, he found that he could not get the mother of the Emperor's Fist out of his mind. Yes, he was attracted to her, physically, despite the mechanical components of her body. He didn't understand the attraction completely, but found that it was not entirely unpleasant.

In fact, when he had learned that he was to be posted to the Death Star, he had secretly hoped to meet with her again on a more personal level. "Do not play coy with me, Captain," Thrawn said with a smile. "There is something…alluring about her." It was quite a confession because Fel had no idea that Thrawn was even interested in human women. "She asked me to send you her regards."

"I did not know you two were so close," Fel said, suddenly slightly jealous. Why hadn't she sent her regards in person?

As if he had read his mind, Thrawn responded in a voice that carried a bit of mirth in it. "I have known her since she was a young senator from Naboo; I was there when her husband, Lord Vader, died and her son was born. 

"She is not much older than you, Baron; she was still nothing more than a child when Darth Vader was murdered. Behind her Force, and I assure you such a thing does exist, there beats the heart of a very passionate woman. A woman who will not be denied. A woman who knows when she is being lied to."

Fel got the distinct impression he was being threatened, perhaps warned, but did not let on with his feelings. "I appreciate the attention the Dark Lady pays to me and I assure you admiral that my intentions, if I have any, are true…not politically motivated."

Thrawn's features softened somewhat. "Excellent, Captain. I have more than a healthy respect for Lady Deceptra's abilities; she is our best defense against the Jedi."

Fel suppressed a laugh. "The Jedi are extinct, sir; their flame burned out long ago in the galaxy." At least that was what he had always been led to believe. Very shortly after taking the throne as Emperor, Palpatine had initiated several programs meant to purge the galaxy of the Jedi and their supporters. The Jedi had been corrupt, evil creatures that lived through chaos and disorder. They had tried to raise an army to subjugate the Old Republic. They had kidnapped children in the night and who knew what horrors awaited those innocents inside their temples?

Fel had been nothing more than a child at the time and he had no memories of the Jedi himself. In fact, Correllian Jedi were extremely rare to begin with, so many of the purges bypassed his planet during his youth. Thrawn, on the other hand, in his climb up the military ladder to Grand Admiral, had participated in many routings of the hated Jedi. Personally, he had killed two Jedi in combat, two wounded and very tired Jedi. Those personal battles had each nearly cost him his life and when he saw how easily Deceptra dispatched the Force-wielders, he knew that she was an asset that the New order could ill afford to lose.

Thrawn had no illusions of grandeur, of one-day becoming master of the Empire; he instead enjoyed his role as a follower, as a tool being wielded against the forces of chaos and corruption. It allowed him a certain amount of freedom that he was sure that the Emperor could ill afford.

"Do not believe what the propaganda machines have been putting out, Captain; you know as well as I do how certain truths can become distorted when needed. If the public were to know that there were possibly other Jedi out there, it could cause a panic." Thrawn stood up. "Not that I know of any specifically, but I would not be surprised to find at least one or two that have managed to elude us."

Fel stood up and Thrawn again extended his hand. "I digress, though, Captain. I merely wanted to test for myself your loyalties. There may be some changes occurring in the structure of the Empire with Zsinj's death and I wanted to ensure my trust in you was warranted."

"I hope I have not disappointed you," Fel responded with honesty.

"Indeed you have. Rest assured I will send a most favorable report to the Emperor and to Darth Deceptra concerning this meeting." Thrawn then saw Fel out the door and when the pilot was in the hallway, he started to try and dissect the meeting.

After a few moments of contemplation he realized that he had been tested to see if he had any rebel sympathies. No direct questions, just a friendly discussion where Thrawn, the master of reading body language, watched him intently under the microscopic vision of those blood-red eyes. Thrawn knew of the friendliness between Fel and Deceptra and that most likely meant the Emperor knew.

Thrawn was merely making sure that Fel was not an assassin trying to get to the Emperor through the Dark Apprentice. Since he was still alive, Fel figured that he also had the de facto blessing of Palpatine to pursue Deceptra.

The thought made Fel smile as he had been a lonely man since his wife had died. She had been pregnant with their first child when it happened and Imperial science, luckily, had saved the boy. His son was now in the care of nannies specially picked by Emperor Palpatine himself. It was obvious that the Emperor was placing a lot of faith on Fel and that made his heart swell with pride.

He hadn't really wanted to join the Imperial navy, but circumstances at home put him in a situation where he had to leave quickly. The fastest and safest way was the Academy. There he had excelled in piloting and leadership and came under the watchful eye of several important Imperial officers, most notable a certain alien admiral named Thrawn. Thrawn had seen unlimited potential in Fel and had convinced the Emperor to take a special interest in him.

The Empire needed heroes. In a government run by a single individual, it was sometimes hard to forget that everyone's obedience was needed to ensure that order was maintained. By promoting heroes, the Empire gave examples for the everyday citizen to emulate. It was an honor that Fel took seriously. Maybe he hadn't wanted to be an officer at first, but now he was and by the Force he was going to be the best damn officer the Empire had!

It was a lonely existence, though; dedication to duty was not a romantic quality, despite what the holodramas said and Soontir Fel had assumed that he would never marry. His wife had been an actress, someone used to being on the go and being away from loved ones. They were a perfect match, complementing each other. Her death had been more than devastating, it had been galaxy crushing.

She had been murdered and the killer had gotten away. The Emperor had even gone so far as to order Darth Deceptra to look into the matter and it was there that the two of them began to speak to each other on a different level. Having lost her husband to the Jedi, Deceptra had been somewhat sympathetic. He began to see another side to her, a side she kept locked away from the public. The Empire needed Darth Deceptra, but Fel soon discovered that he needed Padme Amidala.

It wasn't hard to find out her true history; as a Hero of the Empire, Fel had access to libraries and records many scholars thought lost during the Jedi purges. He knew about her struggle against the corruption of the Old Republic senate and how she eventually turned to Palpatine's camp to bring about the New Order.

They were kindred spirits and while there was the need to maintain military decorum and discipline, he could not deny that his attraction to her was becoming overwhelming. It wasn't one-sided either because many times he had looked at her without permission or received no reprimand. Even with the coldness of her mechanical eye, he could see there was some small spark of warmth deep in her soul.

The Rebel Alliance called her evil, but to Fel she was misunderstood. No doubt, he thought, that with the exception of Garm Bel Iblis (his blood boiled at the thought), the rebellion was made up of young people too young to know what life was like under the Old Republic. They could not know how easily the Jedi dominated the senators. They could not see that extreme measures had to be taken to ensure peace in the galaxy.

Padme Amidala had been like them, a pacifist who had to stand by and watch as her home planet was invaded. Then she witnessed the greatest treachery when the Jedi agreed to train Anakin Skywalker and then backed out of their promise, leaving the boy to fend for himself.

She now understood the sacrifices that had to be made and Fel admired that. He had wanted to leave the Imperial military after his wife's death, wanted to hunt down the murderer or murderers himself, but he was compelled to remain true to his oath to the Emperor. Now, perhaps in some strange twist of fate, his decision to stay was bearing fruit.

That Darth Deceptra had asked Thrawn to give him the message only made the intrigue greater. In fact, despite Luke Skywalker's attitude, he was enjoying this little game. It made him feel young…or at least younger.

"You may remain at attention, Captain Fel," Tarkin said without bothering to look up from his desk. He was busy going through several datapads of information. For several minutes there was no sound except the tapping of Tarkin's finger on the pads. Finally, he looked up and regarded the TIE Fighter pilot.

Never had two individuals contrasted so sharply. Tarkin was perhaps one of the most powerful people in the universe, yet Fel was adored by the masses. Tarkin was thin, gaunt, pale whereas Fel was youthful and muscular, his face full of life and color. From the moment Tarkin had learned of the transfer he had decided he hated Fel.

"So, the Emperor has decided that we need a Hero among us," Tarkin said in a bored tone.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Fel requested.

"Denied, Captain," was the reply. Tarkin stood up and pulled his olive-drab tunic down. "On this battle station, I am the Emperor's chosen. Unlike many others in the Empire, I will not tolerate things such as going over my head. Is that clear, Captain?"

Fel remained silent. Tarkin smiled grimly. "Your duties and mine will hopefully keep us from ever coming into contact, Captain, but rest assured you will be watched. I have full military authority on the Death Star and even your status as a Hero of the Empire cannot help you, nor can the fact that the Emperor's Fist is part of your squadron. The only thing that impresses me, Captain, is myself."

Fel did not find that hard to believe and now his little talk with Thrawn made all the more sense. There were political factions being created in the New Order. On one side were those loyal to the Emperor beyond a fault; on the other were powerful, resourceful individuals that were needed to keep the government working. With Thrawn gone, the Emperor wanted someone here to keep an eye on Tarkin.

"You are dismissed, Captain," Tarkin said as he turned back to his desk.

Fel snapped a salute, did an about-face and exited the office, moving past two stormtroopers.

Once in the passageway, an aide came up and directed him to the personnel section for his squadron and he was happy to see that the support personnel had everything up and running. He ran a tight ship, but Tarkin's way of management was borderline psychotic. He wondered if he ever had served in any real military capacity.

"This sucks," one crewman said and Fel turned to regard him. When he asked what the problem was, the crewman shook his head. "I don't mean to complain, sir, but you would not believe everything we have to do just to get a message out to Imperial Center. Tarkin has his own censors looking over even the most highly sensitive stuff. It will take weeks to get all of our spare parts orders out."

"I thought the Death Star had a fully functional supply system," Fel said.

"Not for the TIE Interceptors we're being assigned," the crewman responded. Fel nodded; the Interceptor was a new design, barely out of the prototype stage. The Knights were the only squadron to be equipped with them right now. The fighter was based upon Luke Skywalker's personal fighter. "It's like Tarkin has created his own little Empire here."

Fel looked down at the crewman and reminded him the punishment for treasonous words. The crewman gulped, nodded and went back to work. Fel, though, could not have agreed more with the enlisted man's observations.