Ch. 4 Disaster
"So…Commander Thrawn," began Obi-Wan, "have you ever been to Mon Calamari?" Thrawn shook his head and asked, "Do either of you like art?" Obi-Wan and Siri both shook their heads. Suddenly, the pilot's voice crackled over the ship's comm and said, "We are on final approach to Kamino." Obi-Wan, Siri, Thrawn and another soldier named Gilad Pellaeon sat back in their chairs and buckled up for the emergence from hyperspace.
They heard a beep and they emerged from hyperspace at Kamino. The Jedi, Thrawn, and Pellaeon rushed to the front of the ship and watched as the Vong ships around Kamino immediately attacked them.
Thrawn sat down in an empty seat that had been reserved for him and immediately began giving orders. Obi-Wan had to admit, he was good. Eventually, his strategy allowed them to reach a point on the planet's watery surface where a distress signal had been coming from. A console in the ship identified the floating city as Harlan City.
***
The door opened briskly and Thrawn, Obi-Wan, Siri, and Pellaeon marched into the sterile white corridors. They were greeted by a tall Kaminoan. "Good day to you, representatives of the Republic. The Prime Minister is waiting to see you. This way, please." The Kaminoan led them into a room, pressed a control panel, and the door slid open. They marched in.
And Obi-Wan gasped when the Prime Minister's seat turned around to face them.
"Greetings. So nice to see you again, Master Kenobi, Master Tachi," said Prime Minister Taun We.
Obi-Wan gasped, "T-Taun We? What happened to Lama Su?" Taun We sadly bowed her head and replied, "He was killed during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of Tipoca City. Now, our capital city is covered with yorik coral. The Yuuzhan Vong have shaped the entire city and cloning facility in order to create something, but we don't know what. As Lama Su's second-in-command, it was only logical for me to succeed him."
Thrawn cleared his throat and asked, "We are here to reclaim the cloning facilities for you." Taun We shook her head and replied, "That is not possible. Our intelligence indicates that the Yuuzhan Vong have already gotten rid of Jango Fett's genetic material and killed all the developing clones and are preparing to use the facilities for their own purposes.
"Iktanos!" muttered Thrawn, cursing in his native language of Chiss. Pellaeon scratched his gray hair nervously. Obi-Wan groaned. It would be a long battle.
***
Anakin slashed at the Yuuzhan Vong from behind as he raced through the halls of Theed Palace. The Vong had entered the capital city and Anakin, Padme, and the Republic troops were trying their best to hold them off. Anakin had just received word over his comlink that Otoh Gunga, capital city of the Gungans, had been destroyed.
The Vong jumped in surprise before turning around to face him. But it was too late. Anakin shoved his lightsaber blade up the Vong's eye socket and out the other side of its head before it could do anything else. Then Anakin hurried down the hall, slashing at some battle droids as he ran. It had been a shock to him that the Yuuzhan Vong, who seemed to hate all machines, especially droids, had joined forces with the Separatists, whose army was almost completely made up of droids.
I guess that just goes to show how much they want the Republic out of the picture, he thought, as he hurried towards the Queen's throne room.
Only to find Queen Jamillia lying dead on the floor, a Yuuzhan Vong warrior slowly pulling his amphistaff from her body. Her bodyguards and handmaidens were also dead. Anakin roared in anger and rushed into the room, surprising the warrior. But this one was good. He started throwing bugs off a gondolier on his belt. Anakin dodged them and watched as they exploded on the wall behind the spot where he'd been standing a moment earlier.
Anakin used his Jedi Force skills to speed up his movements and dodge more thud bugs. The Vong finished pulling his amphistaff and managed to block Anakin's blade just in time to save his life and throw Anakin off his balance. This one's good, thought Anakin. The warrior was dressed in full vonduun crab armor that seemed to be growing from his own skin. He was heavily scarred and tattooed. He had two villips strapped to his shoulders. He also wore a full length black cape, also made of living material. Anakin finally recognized him from a picture he'd seen in a report from Senate Bureau of Intelligence Head Armand Isard.
It was the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster, Czulkang Lah.
Czulkang Lah grinned and said, in a halting accent, "You fight well, Jeedai." "Yeah, well I can't really say the same about you," replied Anakin smoothly, grinning sardonically. The Warmaster roared in rage at the insult and swung at Anakin with his amphistaff. Anakin blocked the blow, somersaulted to the other side of the room and beckoned, as if daring Czulkang Lah to come any closer. The mighty warrior gladly obliged.
He first threw a thud bug and a razor bug, a bug with durasteel-sharp wings, at Anakin. Anakin batted the thud bug out of the way with his lightsaber, but wasn't able to parry the razor bug. It hit him just above the knee. Anakin yelped in pain. Czulkang Lah grinned maliciously and leaped forward, brandishing his amphistaff. He then swung at Anakin.
The weapon's fangs sank into Anakin's right arm just below the elbow. Anakin moaned in agony and crumpled against the wall. The Warmaster grinned and moved closer, poising his amphistaff to deliver the killing blow. "Any last words, infidel?" asked Czulkang Lah.
With obvious effort, Anakin summoned his strength and replied, "Yeah: that amphistaff strike didn't hurt me! My right arm is robotic from the elbow down!" Then Anakin grinned and leapt up before the Warmaster could react and slashed off the Yuuzhan Vong's right arm.
Czulkang Lah roared furiously before demanding, "What is your name?!" Anakin grinned and dramatically pointed his lightsaber in the air before declaring, "I'm Anakin Skywalker." Then, he kicked Lah in the face and swung his blade downward to deliver the fatal blow.
But at that very moment, a small figure raced into the room screaming, "Father!" Anakin's blade sliced through the Yuuzhan Vong child's torso. The child collapsed onto the floor, his body in two pieces. "TSAVONG!!! MY SON!!!!!!!" shrieked Czulkang Lah. He ambled over and leaned down over the dying child's body. "F-father…" began the child, his blue-black blood flowing freely. He continued, "I-I sacrificed myself…to…to save you, Father." Czulkang Lah replied, his voice trembling, "You did well my son." "Thank you, Father." Then Tsavong Lah's body relaxed and closed his eyes.
"My son…my son! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" screamed Czulkang Lah. He turned on Anakin and shrieked, "JEEDAI!!!! Before this war is over, I will slaughter you with my bare hands!!!! I will tear the entrails from your body!!! I am the one who will show you this galaxy before we, the Yuuzhan Vong, tear it to pieces and remake it…as our own." He glared hatefully at Anakin. Anakin replied, "Well why don't you try, and we'll both see who gets torn to pieces." Then Anakin turned around and fled the scene. He'd just received the order over a comlink attached to his collar that Tarkin's defense of Naboo had failed and the Republic was now retreating. He just hoped Padme would manage to escape.
***
About an hour later, Czulkang Lah was sitting silently on his cognition throne, which was now positioned atop a balcony of the devastated Theed Palace. He watched in utter silence as huge fires engulfed the city of Theed, which was spread out on the plain before him. He would have felt great pride at having conquered the homeworld of Chancellor Palpatine of the infidel Republic.
He would have, if his beloved son Tsavong Lah were still alive. But even though Theed was being destroyed before his very eyes, all his hopes and dreams for his son's future had also been destroyed the moment the Jeedai Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber had ended his son's life. Finally, he barked, "Zitchta, bring me the oggzil villip!" His subaltern rushed onto the balcony gently carrying the organic device. It was a creature that was able to broadcast messages on infidel frequencies. Czulkang Lah muttered, "Open the villip to all Republic frequencies. I want all of the infidels to hear this message. Zitchta nervously obeyed, and Czulkang Lah leaned forward, gazing sullenly at the villip and said, "Infidels followers of the so-called Galactic Republic! I now bring you this message! I am Warmaster Czulkang Lah, leader of the warriors of the Great People, the Yuuzhan Vong! And I am offering great rewards to anyone of you who brings me the body of a member of the Jeedai Order! But in particular, I want one specific Jeedai more than the others! His name is Anakin Skywalker and I will reward anyone who brings him to me twice the amount I would reward someone who brings me any other Jeedai! But I want him alive, so that I may kill him myself!"
***
Palpatine sat in silence in his darkened office. Naboo had fallen, and Dooku had betrayed him and joined the Yuuzhan Vong. He silently acknowledged that the galaxy was about to face its darkest time. Yes, he thought. Dark times indeed.