Part 9
"Ah, good, you have the princess." Nom Anor said through his villip.
"Exellencies, I learned that Sheng Lah is our Jeedai traitor. He is the one some heretics called 'incarnation of a unknown god' and 'son of Yun-Shuno'." The spy informed Nom Anor over the villip.
For a few seconds, Nom Anor doubted his ears. While Sheng was a common name amongst priests and shapers, warriors never dared use such a sanctified name. If Sheng Lah was a Jeedai, then he must not be allowed on Coruscant. Yu'Shaa had lost power when Jysella Horn entered the core system, and the Jeedai's capture was his opportunity to 'return from the dead'. The Shamed Ones must follow Nom Anor and only Nom Anor to their deaths. They were good tools to use against the rivals of Nom Anor.
"We will meet on the planet. Dismissed." Nom Anor's villip reverted to its natural form. He then proceeded to contact Shimrra while the opportunity still existed, for he knew that his spy was speaking with the warmistress as well as himself. If anybody was to claim the credit for exposing the traitor Sheng Lah, that person would be the one-eyed Nom Anor.
Kodachi vented her frustration on various warriors and objects as the princess refused to wake for the fiftieth hour in a row.
"YOU! You said this princess would answer our questions once she is here!" The violent warmistress shouted at Nom Anor's agent.
"Your fierceness, I gave her the amount used to sedate human adults for fifteen hours."
"Fool, this princess has two years before she reaches sixteen! Get out of my sight! If you weren't one of Nom Anor's people, you'd be dead." The intimidated intendant stumbled backwards, but he picked himself up and sprinted out of the damutek to avoid the woman's wrath.
"Warmistress." The heavily tattooed Yuuzhan Vong turned to find the Master Shaper she had summoned. Kodachi reached for her amphistaff, but her hand stopped when she realized that the intruder was the Master Shaper.
"Greetings, Master Shaper. Thank you for blessing me with your time and presence." Technically, the Shapers held higher ranks than the warriors, but the warmistress knew of the Master Shaper's fear and gave him a nearly poisonous stare.
"Warmistress, this is Adept Koruuv, the one who took this piece of information from the one named Isolder." The Master Shaper from Domain Kwaad gestured at the adept, who used an insect-like creature to remove a data card from the folds of his robes. The shaper then continued. "I have brought this creature to decipher all infidel encryptions."
Flashback
"Tsavong Lah's gone insane! He can't possibly be broadcasting over that infidel Holo-something."
"But we heard it from Wypruuk himself!" The teenaged Kodachi shot back at the other girl.
End of Flashback
The armored woman stood surprised for a second. She had nearly forgotten her days as a child living with the other daughters of her domain. Why had I forgotten Tsavong Lah's offer?
"Does this intercept their HoloNet?" Kodachi asked.
"Yes, but warmistress, you must know that the princess of Domain Djo has…" The shaper lowered his voice slightly.
-scene change-
As the famed library world came into view, Leia felt a Force-presence she had not felt in a standard year. It was faint and the feeling left as quickly as it came, but she knew her impulsive nephew was somewhere in the system.
Flashback
"Aunt Leia, that fifty billion credits on my head's getting people killed. I can only do something good for the Alliance if I play dead and let Flames fly off. I'm sorry, Aunt Leia, but I have to go."
End of flashback
Leia had tried to stop Ben, but the shockwaves he had faked through the Force had given him enough time to pretend to get hacked to pieces and fly off.
Through the Falcon's viewport, Leia watched as something gray sliced through the Yuuzhan Vong fleet at a speed too fast for the sensors to follow. Then, all but two of the group who had cut through the Yuuzhan Vong defenses jumped to hyperspace. The bait of a false battle at Obroa was intended for the Yuuzhan Vong, not the mysterious benefactors.
As the unknown allies disappeared into hyperspace one by one, Jaina's X-Wing appeared just at the edge of the system.
A few starfighters orbited the desert planet Dathomir as many more landed. Ben allowed himself to relax, knowing that he no longer had to shield from General Jaina or Aunt Leia. Oh well, at least Jacen wasn't there. Ben knew that his incomplete Jedi training meant that there was no avoiding mind-melds coordinated by his powerful, experienced cousin.
Ben sighed and sank into his seat. He fell for the bait of a false battle and his own aunt and cousin had been behind it! The young man was about to allow his eyelids to drop when his astromech beeped and suddenly projected a hologram. The dazzling but heavily scarred face looked familiar to Ben Skywalker, but he could not pinpoint her identity.
"Hello. Hapes, I have your princess. Bring me Ben Skywalker, who happens to be her father's cousin, I and you shall have your princess back. Hapes does not wish to continue without an heir, does it?" The hologram of the Yuuzhan Vong woman flickered, and suddenly, in its place was that of the young princess, serene and unconscious.
And I thought fifty billion credits was a lot. Ben thought as he recognized his distant relative. I hope Hapes doesn't decide to hate me; I think I got enough enemies from that Ni'Kor-something.
"I knew it! Our Queen's had an affair with Jacen Solo! That girl looks nothing like her!"
That's no affair. Ben thought. He's been her consort for as long as I remember.
"Hey watch it! You're talking about our princess! Let's go rescue this hottie and get our hands on some big money!"
"You're way over your head, you big-time flirt. We're gonna either get killed or get the princess killed if we try to get her out."
"Aw come on! If our princess is a Solo and we get her out, then we're the richest pilots from the whole Consortium. It's worth the risk." As Ben listened to the conversation between the Hapan boys in his squadron, a cold realization dawned upon him and a chill went down his spine. Sithspit! That warmaster knows who my cousin really is!
"No…" Ben managed to whisper. If that evil villain knew who Sil was, then his other hidden relatives were in danger of being exposed as children of the twins. Even worse, those Yuuzhan Vong might search through the remains of Alderaan, however unlikely it would be for that kid to know that he was even alive. Emperor's black bones! You're going to owe me for getting you out of this, cousin.
"I'm all for the princess rescue. Nine chances out of ten she's on Coruscant right now." Ben voiced his opinion over the comlink. Ben smiled slightly as he found his twin sabers in their usual positions at his thighs. Should it ever be necessary, Ben Skywalker was prepared for close combat.
"Whoa, wait a minute, Flames, Coruscant? You want us to fly into those monster dovin basals and get ourselves killed?"
"Seven, you forget, we chose Alderaan because it's next to Coruscant and we'd win back our capital sooner or later." Ben said to his friend.
"I'm not doing anything 'til the girls are back."