Star Wars Infinities: The Master

Chapter 14

By: Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: All of the characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by LucasFilm Ltd. They are used here without permission for fan-related entertainment purposes only. This original story is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine.

General-Baron Soontir Fel looked at the tactical screen and shook his head, not believing the size of the strike force that was now under his command. It had started with the ship of his personal armada, a four-ship fleet that was meant to engage in special military operations. In plain-speak that meant the dirty jobs the intelligence corps would normally handle, but weren't meant to be secret. For example, General Xizor could handle the destruction of an Imperial weapons depot discreetly for psychological effect against the enemy. Fel could also destroy it in a public display for propaganda.

When he and his comrades had hatched the plan to try and liberate Corellia, he had expected maybe a few fighters and a couple of merchant ships from the Chandrillan reserves, but the sheer size of what he now commanded awed him. That was saying a lot for a man who was once responsible for the most notorious fighter squadron in the Empire.

For a few brief moments he remembered those days, back when he was a simple pilot with simple needs. A TIE fighter, a good supply officer, a trusted wingman and a loving wife. The Empire had taken all of that away. No, he corrected himself, not the Empire. Grand Moff Tarkin had taken away his fighters and his squadron. Darth Deceptra had taken away his wife and for that she needed to pay. The New Republic was never going to do that it seemed. The same cancer that had rotted the Old Republic had already started killing the newer galactic democracy.

Fel had seen what had happened to Corellia first hand and he wanted to save the planet his wife had loved so much. He also knew that only in a Corellian court was there a chance of his wife getting any justice. Now was the time to strike and now he had the weapon in which to do it.

He looked down into the pit and saw the men and women busying themselves with coordinating the hyperspace jump for the various vessels. "Quite a spread isn't it? A four course meal of liberation for our people," Wedge said as he stepped up behind his brother-in-law. Fel turned to see the other general clad in his X-Wing flight suit. Rogue Squadron was onboard but there was a chance that some of the other squadrons stationed on Tatooine proper might come after them if they ever figured out what was going on.

Outside their vessel, almost fifty capital class warships were assembled. Many were Corellian vessels that had abandoned their posts throughout the New Republic. There were also several Chandrillan ships and even a few Sullustian privateers. The word had been put out and the universe had responded.

But that wasn't all that they had either as Wedge was quick to point out. "We've got several cargo haulers that have already taken up position near Commenor. They're all under various governmental identities." He took a quick glance at the communications station. Several auxiliary lines were strung from the console; a spider web of deception as technicians fielded calls for clarification of orders from Fleet Command.

Fel pointed to the giant tactical map at three silver dots. "Those are MC-80 cruisers under Ackbar's cousin's command and he isn't too damn happy. I tried to pull rank on him and he's been on the horn to old fish-head himself." Fel shook his head. He did not relish a confrontation with the New Republic forces.

It wasn't that he was particularly loyal to the New Republic, but he had learned to respect many of the officers that served in its military. It was the politicians he had disagreement with. As he often said, you can't prosecute a successful war with a pacifist in charge. The Mon Calamarians, the aliens that controlled the massive MC class star cruisers, were not disinclined to fighting and they could be a real pain when they wanted.

"I'd be more worried about the rest of the fleet; there's a strike force only a jump away," Wedge reminded him. "Have you seen Garm?"

Fel tapped the screen on a dot designated Alpha Primary. It was Garm Bel Iblis' personal shuttle. The senator from Corellia was flying up from the surface of the tropical planet with several A-Wing fighters as escorts. Fel wondered if his chosen leader had told Chief of State Organa of his intentions to break away from the Republic. He doubted it, as it would serve no real purpose,

Still, someone down on the planet had to know what was going on. "I don't like this," Wedge said, rubbing his chin. "It's like we're getting away with something…"

"And we shouldn't be?" Fel finished. He nodded his agreement and accepted a report that several of the smaller vessels had jumped into hyperspace per the plan. Most of those vessels were only supposed to be passing through anyway according to their forged flight plans. "It's the Chandrillans I'm most worried about. Most of them are supposed to be stationed at jump point Omega." Omega was the code name given to a secret rallying point that the New Republic kept for a small strike force of cruisers and frigates. From that point, the strike force could hit Imperial Center within ten standard minutes.

When the New Republic had been established it was decided by the member states that the recapture of Coruscant/Imperial Center was to be of the highest priority. Unfortunately for the former Rebel Alliance that was more of a dream than a reality. Lord Ravage was no fool and he had kept a huge portion of the Imperial fleet stationed around the crown jewel of the New Order, preventing any worthwhile attack.

The New Republic had been too busy fighting against the Confederacy, to be sure, in the outlying regions of the galaxy. The liberal-minded sensibilities of most of the Republic Senate pushed the military arm to try and liberate planets that were full of the "meek and defenseless" while strategic worlds such as Mon Calamari and Corellia were left to rot under the control of power mad dictators. It had created a lethargy in the military and had also created the dividing line between the hawks and doves in the Republic.

Straddling the fence were the Mon Cals and their giant warships. They wanted to liberate their planet but they also refused to turn their backs on any in need. If push came to shove out here, Fel knew the Mon Cals would not hesitate to try and stop him.

And that brought up the question of the legality of such a move. Could a government that was formed based upon rebellion suppress one of its own? Fel had pondered that question several times in the past five years since he had thrown his lot in with the rebels. Wedge seemed to sense what he was thinking and smiled. "They will come after us."

Fel shook his head. "If we can get out of here, then there is really nothing they can do. Nobody knows where the Death Star is and they can't afford to let their guard down. Besides, they still have plenty of other ships."

Wedge gave him a frown and went to reply when one of the technicians yelled out. "General, we have a problem!"

Fel and Wedge quickly moved over to the mess that was the comms station and stepped up to the tech. He was a young man but it was obvious by the serious look in his eyes and the blaster strapped to his side he was Corellian through and through. "It's the Remembrance of Chandrilla, sir; it's a frigate that was supposed to meet up with Ackbar's fleet at Kasshyk. Apparently the admiral is contacting the vessel personally and he ain't too happy."

The technician moved over to the console and pushed a button to allow the transmission to come over the speaker embedded there. There was some static and then the voice of Admiral Ackbar could be heard. By his tone it was obvious that he was upset. "…do not care about your need for leave and relaxation, commander; I want you to make stars to the rally point immediately!"

The voice that responded was cool and calm. "With all due respect, Admiral, this is my ship and it flies under the flag of Chandrilla. I serve the New Republic out of respect for the ideals of our dead president but that does not mean you are over me."

There was a small choking sound before the Mon Calamarian responded. "I do not have time for this ridiculous debate! The status of all vessels and forces under the banner of Chandrilla was decided by the senate two years ago…"

"And who represented Chandrilla in those talks, Admiral?"

Fel muted the speaker and thanked the tech. He and Wedge moved out of earshot. "I didn't realize that the anger of the Chandrillans ran so deep. I knew they were upset…"

"They wanted the New Republic to go after the Death Star and drag Tarkin into a court; we want to free our home system. I understand them," Wedge replied.

"We've got movement on those star cruisers," the weapons officer called out and both Fel and Wedge turned to the tactical screen.

"They've been ordered to take the Remembrance of Chandrilla under tow," the tech they had spoken with added.

"Where is Senator Bil Iblis at?" Fel asked.

Wedge slapped him on the shoulder as someone checked. The dots were now converging together as ships moved into tighter formation and they couldn't see the shuttle. "I'm going out there; something tells me that its about to get dicey around here."

"Mon Cal ships are launching B-Wings with orders to disable the Remembrance and the Mon Mothma!"

"We've picked up an Interdictor Cruiser leaving its docking point at Golan 12!"

"Beige and Purple Squadrons have been activated from the southern pole of the planet!"

"Ion cannons powering up in the eastern quadrant!"

Fel listened to it all and realized what was going on. Ackbar had guessed what was happening. One ship captain being disorderly was bad, two was mutiny. Obviously he had contacted the Mon Mothma, another frigate under Chandrillan control and had been rebuked. "General Fel, General Xizor is on line to speak with you."

"General, Fleet Command wants to speak with you!"

"Chief of State Regis is waiting, sir!"

Fel clenched his teeth and turned to the commanding officer of the ship. "Get us out of here as soon as the senator is on board…"

"I'm already here," the baritone voice of Garm Bel Iblis announced as he entered the bridge. He was dressed in the flight suit of an A-Wing jockey. Apparently the shuttle had bee a ruse, as it still had not docked with the ship. "Give my attendants time to get aboard if you please, General," he said with a smile as he handed his helmet and gloves to a waiting yeoman.

Fel moved over and accepted a handshake. "It's bad, sir; we've been found out."

"Did Celchu come through with the battle droids?"

Fel nodded. "Yes and he's down in the secondary bridge using the encrypted line to speak with the freighters carrying them. I don't know how he did it…an Alderaanian having access to war materials?" He dropped his hand. "We owe him."

Bel Iblis gave the young general a look that made Fel think he had misspoken. "Perhaps…but we'll see," he replied as he turned to walk over to the comms station. He ordered the technicians to patch him into the general broadcast frequency. He waited patiently as they complied with his orders.

Outside the ship, several of the larger vessels were charging up their shields and ion cannons in preparation for the coming defensive move by the New Republic. Nobody wanted to shoot but if they had to, they wanted to disable, not kill. Fel wiped the sweat from his brow and was surprised to see how nervous he had become and how envious he was of his brother-in-law. Wedge was already out there in his fighter, taking his destiny in his own hands while Fel was relegated to playing attaché to Garm Bel Iblis.

Fel was a military man, though, and he understood that egos had no place in the upper echelons. Personality and charisma got you the job; the willingness to stand back and let others carry out your orders is what defined a true leader. Like it or not, the former Hero of the Empire was now one of the men he used to get mad at.

Someone in the background requested permission to launch the alert ten fighters just as Bel Iblis was given the thumb's up to proceed. The senator from Corellia, who had served in the congresses of the Old Republic, the Empire and the New Republic, cleared his throat.

"Citizens of the New Republic, brother and sister Corellians, trusted Chandrillan allies and to all other who can hear this message, let me first say that it is not our intention to wage war upon the government of the New Republic. We see the Republic as a future friend and a party in a peace that we hope will one day envelope the whole of the known galaxy.

"For five years the Republic flag has waved over the jungles of Tatooine. For five years we the displaced citizens of occupied Corellia have been asked to wait until the time is right to strike. For five years we have endured the horrible fears that permeate our minds as we imagine the fate of loved ones on our home planet. For five years, Corellia has suffered under the rule of the Tarkin Confederacy."

He paused and Fel noted how quiet the bridge had become. Even the pilots on patrol stopped broadcasting. "We were asked to wait and we did. We waited and the main threat was miraculously removed. The Death Star has left Corellia; the Tarkinists have made a fatal mistake and still we are asked to wait. Let me make one thing perfectly clear: we will wait no longer."

There was a cheer raised up by the crewmen and even Fel found himself wanting to pump a fist in the air. Bel Iblis continued without waiting for the shouting to die down. "We are not going to allow our destiny to be decided by pacifists. We are Corellians, we do not back down from a fight. We aided the New Republic when it asked and the New Republic turned its back on us in our time of need."

He paused and cleared his throat again, wanting to make sure his voice remained true and strong. "The free peoples of Corellia are therefore severing their ties with the New Republic as we go home to pursue the most noble of goals: freedom. And I ask you captains of the vessels now approaching the Corellian fleet; can you live with yourselves if you prevent us from freeing our people? I wonder what despots like Lord Ravage and Daala would think of your actions."

The Mon Calamari ships did not slow down but it was obvious that the Interdictor cruiser was pausing. The fleet wasted no time in putting more distance between themselves and the gravity well projectors on the other ship. Interdictor's were especially favored by the New Order because it normally allowed them to prevent the escape of vessels and allowed them to capture them intact.

Bel Iblis continued his speech, drawing references from several historical rebellions against oppression and Fel was surprised to see how well it was working. Then he thought about; maybe there were more people sympathetic to their cause in the New Republic than he had originally thought. Had he become so filled with hatred that he was becoming blind to the friends he could have had.

He considered Tycho Celchu. The man was from Alderaan but was willing to risk everything to help his people win back their freedom. Xizor, the Falleen general, could have found out what they were doing but he hadn't pushed the issue. Perhaps he understood that if there was ever going to be a true melding of the Corellian people into the New Republic, the Corellia had to be free.

"Captain, get us out of here now, he can't keep that up forever," Fel whispered.

The captain gave him a lopsided, cocky grin and Fel was suddenly reminded of an old friend, Han Solo. The man had been with him and Luke Skywalker on the Death Star when Tarkin had initially rebelled against the rule of the Emperor. Han had been a Corellian like him and he wondered what the spirited young officer would have thought of all of this. He had died helping Fel and Luke escape. "Don't worry, sir; by the time they get those projectors up we'll be long gone." He then nodded to Bel Iblis who was now practically in a lather as worked to rally the troops. "And don't worry about the senator, he can do that all day long if need be."

Fel noted the looks on the faces of the crewmen, technicians and officers. He thought that he could inspire! He was nothing compared to Bel Iblis and Fel remembered that it was the man's mastery of history and the truth that had caused him to follow his lead. He was about to agree when one of the techs monitoring the snubfighter communications stood up. "General, sir; we have a request coming in…I think."

Fel came over to where the tech was and picked up a spare set of headphones. Plugging them in he immediately heard Wedge arguing with another pilot.

"…Appreciate the offer, but really, we don't…"

"Help you...yub yub…me fight…cum chaka…we fight with you…yub!"

Fel looked down to see that the other signal was coming from the flight leader of Endor Flight One. He smiled as he considered the offer of aid. Endor was a planet where the second Death Star had been built. When it was destroyed, pieces of it fell onto one of its moons that was home to a semi-intelligent race of half-meter tall furballs called Ewoks.

The moon, also called Endor, was accepted into the New Republic only because the charter that had been approved allowed any group of people or planetary government join provided they could prove they had no ill-intentions towards the Republic. Considered something of a joke, both the Tarkin Confederation and the New Order had allowed the measure to go through even though the planet was too far out to be of any strategic value. Instead, the other governments had routinely, up until a year before, had sent small attack parties in to raid the moon.

This had caused the New Republic to divert much needed resources to the defense of a member state. Finally, Admiral Ackbar had decided it would be better to train the more intelligent Ewoks to defend themselves. Equipped with Y-Wing fighters and a variety of other craft, the Ewoks had created a semi-functional fighter force. Flight One had been on Tatooine to receive advanced bomber training.

The word was that they managed to destroy several brothels, supply depots and at least two herds of banthas before they were grounded. "No wonder they want to come with us."

The ship's captain came up behind him. "We can't take them on now, but if we give them the hyperspace coordinates, they can jump with us. One of the escort carriers can then accommodate them."

"Corellia One, this is Rogue One, please advise," Wedge asked. The Y-Wings were still approaching the fleet.

"Let them through, Rogue One," Fel replied with a grin. He could imagine his brother-in-law squirming in his cockpit.

"Repeat that last order? It sounded like you were talking out your…"

"Enough, Rogue One," Fel said as he cut the other general off. "You and the Rogues need to be watching out for the other forces."

"Corellia One, this is Rogue Four, they're not doing anything except flying in circles. Some have turned back to escort the MC's."

"Roger that. Just make sure you make your jump."

Fel put the headphones down and went back to the observation platform where he was joined by the captain. Bel Iblis was now practically singing the Corellian national anthem and when Fel looked at him, he got a wink in reply to his look. Bel Iblis was playing the entire situation up and enjoying every minute of it.

"Freedom without sacrifice is not freedom earned, it is freedom given and whatever is given can be taken away. We, the people of Corellia, we will earn our freedom through blood, sweat and toil." He paused one last time. "When next I speak to you, it will be from the surface of my home planet."

The bridge was suddenly alive with cheers, back slapping and promises of doom and punishment for the Tarkinists on Corellia. And for the first time in a long time, longer than he could ever remember, he honestly believed that they could pull it off.