Ch. 5 Insurgence
Jacen looked around the Grand Convocation Chamber. It had been cleared of the yorik coral that had once encased it, but at the bottom of the huge room, a pool of pulsating red and yellow lights still supported the World Brain, put there by the Yuuzhan Vong. It was now used to maintain New Coruscant's budding ecology. Jacen had a very special connection to it and it would do whatever he wished if he asked, but Jacen kept this a very closely guarded secret. Jacen observed all the Galactic Alliance dignitaries gathered in the Chamber. There was Gilad Pellaeon, Assistant Chief of State, now in his third term. The man was ancient, but he was still quite energetic. Hikta the Great was eagerly licking the remains of a frog-like creature off of his pudgy fingers. Then there was Tahiri, who looked quite shaken. And Jaina, who often served as a liaison between the Jedi and the Defense Force, looked extremely nervous, her eyes darting back and forth.
The Senators finally quieted and Triebakk, from his floating platform, built to replace the dais that had been converted into the World Brain's nest, welcomed everyone with a growl. The platform was large enough to seat the entire Advisory Council, Admiral Wedge Antilles and his usual contingent of military experts, and Jacen. After a few minutes briefing on the crisis at hand, he gestured to Admiral Antilles, who then activated his microphone. "Good evening," said Wedge. "I'd like to begin by recommending that all Senators be escorted by bodyguards appointed by the Defense…"
Suddenly, the doors to the Chamber exploded and several cloaked figures rushed in and began releasing thud bugs and razor bugs. Senators began dropping dead left and right as they were hit by the deadly projectiles. Jacen immediately ignited his green lightsaber and leaped off the floating platform, using the Force to cushion his landing as he hit a staircase. He immediately began deflecting the menacing bugs away from as many Senators as he could. He sensed the other Jedi in the Chamber doing the same. Jacen looked up and saw the head of a serpent-like amphistaff diving towards him, fangs flashing. He dodged it and began attacking the figure holding it. The figure put up a pitched fight. Every time Jacen attempted to dismember one of his or her limbs, the figure blocked his lightsaber blade with gauntlets made of cortosis, a metal that lightsabers had a hard time penetrating. From the frustration he felt emanating in the Force, he could tell the other Jedi were facing similar difficulties. Jacen finally sliced the assailant's arms off and removed the hood from the cloak…only to be shocked.
The woman appeared to be a Twi'lek, but her face and headtails were scarified and tattooed like that of a Yuuzhan Vong. The Twi'lek, or Vong, or whatever she was, looked up at Jacen and sneered, "What's the matter, Master Jedi? Nexu got your tongue?" Jacen reeled in shock. What was she? Who were these attackers? And why did her voice sound so familiar? He quickly snapped back to himself as he heard a nearby Senator wailing in pain. As he stood up and began deflecting projectiles and attacking the strange assailants again, he noticed reporters and news probe droids diving out from their hiding places. Naturally, since this was supposed to be a private meeting, the media had bribed several officials into smuggling them into the Grand Convocation Chamber.
***
Jaina dived into a corner of the Chamber, a thud bug narrowly missing her head. She whipped out a comlink and activated it. "This wasn't supposed to happen, you idiot!" she hissed at her contact. The being on the other end of the comlink let out a derisive laugh. "Look, you made a commitment!" she said, her eyes and nostrils widening in fury. Her contact simply deactivated the comlink they had. Jaina muttered a curse under her breath.
***
Suddenly, a huge, black insect-like thing flew in through a hole in the wall that had once been a door. A grutchin. Jacen gasped as it began tearing Senators to shreds as if they were rag dolls. Grutchins were believed to have been completely wiped out; but then again, so were thud bugs, razor bugs, and amphistaffs. But a grutchin in here? This was too much. Jacen sighed with relief though, as a missile from a launcher held by Wedge Antilles, along with blasterfire from the other Defense Force representatives, killed the horrible thing.
As the battle wore on, the Senators finally managed to start exiting secret passageways that exited the Chamber. However, the attackers ignited something that only the Jedi should have: lightsabers. Blood-red lightsabers. And apparently, they were well-trained, noted Jacen as he fought one of them. Finally, Jacen took a thud bug to his left leg and collapsed to the floor. He lost consciousness and slipped into blackness.
***
After what could have been hours, Jacen woke up. He didn't actually open his eyes, but he was awake. Finally, he lifted his eyelids and took in his surroundings. He was in the medical wing of the Jedi Temple. He was lying on a bed with white sheets in a circular room. The ceiling was covered with a special moss that produced a therapeutic aroma that was beneficial to a human's healing rate, and the window had been opened to let in the fresh breeze of the New Coruscant night.
He heard footsteps and felt a familiar presence. The door opened and the Jedi Healer Cilghal strode into the room. "Good. You're awake," she said as she propped up his pillow and put a mug of bactade in his hand. "Here, drink this. It'll help heal your leg." she said warmly. Jacen groaned groggily. "My leg?" he asked. Then he remembered the attack on the Senate. He closed his eyes as he remembered the nature of the assassins. Something was terribly wrong.
