TFB Part 2: Ben and Kodachi
Ben Skywalker deftly navigated his X-Wing to the near center of the Alderaanian asteroid field. Five Alliance squadrons, including his own, had teamed up and transformed a few pieces of the destroyed planet into more than fifty living quarters.
"Dagger One to Dagger Two." When the Yuuzhan Vong concentrated their energies on capturing Ben Skywalker, the boy faded into anonymity and became one of the co-founders of the Dagger Squadron. Only Uncle Han, Aunt Leia, and the rest of the Dagger Squadron knew of Ben's identity. The other pilots just knew Dagger Two as a grandson of an Old Republic Jedi.
"This is Dagger Two." Ben replied over the comlink.
"Need you to open up our hangar, Flames. Seems that we're the first ones here and Sleepyhead's at the controls." When the Daggers first met to decide on nicknames, Flames was instantly chosen for Ben's fiery hair.
"Sure." He said to the squadron leader. Sighing, the pilot turned to his astromech. "Order that hangar open, will you?"
Each squadron had one astromech equipped with the code required to open the hangar from the outside, and Ben's droid held the copy for the Daggers.
As soon as all of the Dagger Squadron was docked, Ben headed for the mess hall, where he could eat and watch the latest news on the war. A smile appeared on his face as the HoloNet showed some images from the sensors of a battleship. The Dagger Squadron was seen doing heaping amounts of help to the Galactic Alliance, but no identities were revealed. Their hit-and-run tactic was perfect. The teenage pilots stayed unidentified, the Alderaanian hideout remained secret, and the Yuuzhan Vong were frustrated with the constant losses caused by the squadron.
The HoloNet program faded into a brown mist for an instant and the powerful Force-sensitive understood the signal. The leaders and second-in-commands of the five squadrons are to show up in the conference room to decide on the next target for their lasers.
Ben switched off the HoloNet display and headed for the conference room. The sixteen-year-old boy had gut feelings about certain worlds to express and more than half of the pilots' targets were decided by what the Force told Ben.
-scene change-
Kodachi Cha mused over her reflection. Not satisfied with the appearance of scars and tattoos on her face, the warmistress reached for one of her pets. She quickly fed the animal some of the black powder used for making tattoo ink and allowed the pet to wash down the food by drinking from a sack full of glistening oil. She waited fifteen breaths before the pet excreted her desired liquid.
The Yuuzhan Vong dipped a long, thin animal into the liquid and carefully painted it over her scars and tattoos. Kodachi was satisfied with her reflection. The glistening patterns on her face and her jet-black lip implants would attract almost all males into submission. The warmistress then picked up a worm that had several lambents attached to it and used the creature to pull her dark hair into a sideways ponytail.
Just as the woman fitted a vonduun crab armor over her shirt, another entered the room. The warrior grabbed her amphistaff and spun around to strike down the intruder. The head of her eldest daughter's mating partner landed squarely at her feet.
"That one wished to steal a member from our domain, Kodachi." A female voice said to the warmistress.
"Ona Cha," The warmistress replied after recognizing her sixteen-year-old daughter as the speaker. This girl would be a dangerous threat to me if she matures. I can't let her get away with using me like this."Only the foolish warrior does not kill for herself. I won't have any one of my own acting as un-warrior-like as you! That is to be expected of an intendant. For this, I shall send you back to the gods once you give birth."
After making the death promise to her daughter, Kodachi Cha brought herself up to the bridge of her flagship, which was orbiting Yuuzhan'tar at the time.
"Report." The Yuuzhan Vong ordered her subordinates in a cold tone. "Who is cutting through this fleet like an infidel tailor trimming cloth?"
"We do not know. So far, we have lost almost a fourth of our skips because of these hits."
"Fool." Hissed the warmistress. "You think I do not know the damage they are doing? I want the identities of the pilots and I want them killed, removed, or even better, enslaved. What of all the Jeedai twins and their families?"
"My Hapan agent tells me that their queen and their eldest princess are meeting Jacen Solo and Jaina Solo Fel." Reported the chief of Kodachi's spies.
"These twins have plagued us for too long. Their location?"
"They are with the High Council. No locations available. Should I dispatch agents to follow the queen?"
"Do so quickly. I have no patience and no time." The warmistress ordered he spy. "And Ben Skywalker, the son of Leia Organa Solo's dead twin? Verify the rumors about Jaina Solo Fel having twin children and those of Jacen Solo having a second daughter with the Hapan Queen."
"Mistress Cha, we have not had information on Skywalker since he disappeared. Solo Fel will be followed by this." The spy presented the warmistress with a viewbug, the nearly microscopic cousin to the viewspider.
"Have your agents follow her as well once she is located." The warmistress ordered. I will not be as pathetic as Choka. I will have all the descendants of Leia Organa Solo and the son of her dead twin captured. "Prove to me that your spying will make Nom Anor proud or I'll behead you. Dismissed."
Kodachi Cha then turned to her villips and activated the one belonging to Prefect Nom Anor.