Part 12: What happened to the minions?
"Prefect, you have done well. Bring this 'Sheng Lah' to me alive." The Supreme Overlord ordered, emphasizing the final word. The villip reverted, leaving Prefect Nom Anor free to return to his usual activities. Nom Anor was one of the few knowledgeable individuals who knew of the heresy that hid behind the imposing maa'it implants and perhaps the select one or two from whom Shimrra did not conceal the unorthodox nature.
-scene change-
Nom Anor listened from his hiding place as two Shamed Ones discussed an apparent plan in hushed voices.
"Surely she can't be captured." A feminine voice murmured.
"Even Jeedai are limited, Taan." An older, deeper voice almost sighed.
"But they are gods, incapable of error! I have spoken to Yun Ne'Shel in the form of Tahiri Veila!"
"And I have awakened amongst the dead!" Retorted the second speaker, apparently a male.
"I respect you, but what are you truly saying?" inquired the one called Taan.
"You're being fanatical. The Jeedai embody the gods, but they merely contain a portion of their powers. That is especially so with Domain Horn and we both know it. Jysella Horn's imperfection has undone her and I seek to revive." The sound of fingernails against coral accompanied the male's reply.
"Her holy weapon of light!" Nom Anor listened incredulously as Taan gasped. "You can't possibly…"
"She needs this back. Besides, I need something to fight with and we don't have enough amphistaffs to go around."
"But to charge into a fight like that is suicide!" protested the female.
"Do I look like that coward Kunra to you?" The prefect shifted slightly as he digested the unsurprising information. Most likely, at least Taan confronted the apparently unchanged Kunra about something and he fled a third fight. As he had always expected, Nom Anor could only depend on Nom Anor.
"Well, no." The woman admitted. "But there's a line between foolishness and bravery."
"Exactly." The male persisted. "I was foolish to order the attack on my brother, but I won't make that mistake again by letting our leader die."
"Then go and bring her back. Just don't go alone. I know you're a warrior, but we can't afford to lose you." The female finally gave in.
"As my brother has once said, a salute to the Jeedai, a salute of blood." Silence reigned until the sound of rapidly fading footsteps broke it. Nom Anor wondered if the warrior happened to be the famous Hul Rapuung. If that minion was indeed the crèche-brother of the famed Vua Rapuung, then Jysella Horn must have devised a brilliant tactic to keep his spies ignorant on the matter. Then again, what else should one expect from a student of the woman believed by so many to be the Trickster incarnate?
The prefect had little choice but to persist, for proving Rapuung to be one of Jysella Horn's minions would add to his advantage over the other leaders of his caste. If that radical Shimrra did not remove the rank of High Prefect, Nom Anor would have ruled over all intendants either before or immediately after he named that Lah traitor.
"Prefect." The one eyed intendant turned to see the agent who nabbed the princess.
"Lure Sheng Lah here." Nom Anor ordered his agent. Capturing a Yuuzhan Vong warrior fully trained in the ways of the Jeedai and armed with at least an amphistaff required a much different approach than the one used to nab an apparently unarmed girl.
"Is this all, prefect?"
"Yes. Now go." The lesser intendant obeyed, leaving Nom Anor to ponder on his secret identity. Now that both Hul Rapuung and Jysella Horn were out, perhaps it was time for Yu'Shaa to return with utmost care.
-scene change-
"Princess, where is Ben Skywalker?" Kodachi Cha stomped in frustration after a few seconds of silence from the Hapan brat. She could have sworn by all the creations of Yun-Yuuzhan that she has heard the child speak Basic over the HoloNet.
"Warmistress, perhaps I could persuade her." Offered the Adept who accompanied the leader of the Shaper caste.
"What are you thinking? Now is not the time of your Blessed Release!" Kwaad hissed as his fingers wrapped around the right arm of the other shaper.
"My hand might convince her, for every being in this galaxy knows the story of Mezhan Kwaad, Nen Yim, and Tahiri Veila." The Adept replied absently as he struggled against the Master Shaper's grip.
"They are heretics not to be spoken of!" Sa'eth Kwaad struggled to remain composed.
"Infidels don't know that. Jeedai just know to fear our hands." Kwaad's grip loosened at the Adept's argument.
Only twenty years old, and he's already a dupe of Yun-Harla. The Master Shaper thought disgustedly as the young Adept approached the warmistress and the princess.
"Pretty arrogant for someone like you! Fail, and you shall die, Adept." The young, tentacle-headed man found the narrow side of the woman's amphistaff mere nanometers from his unprotected neck. The young shaper swallowed his fear and proceeded. The tip of the finger that was used for cutting traced up the girl's chin, drawing a drop of blood as it went.
"Child, answer her! You don't want that amphistaff over there in your delicate little throat, do you? Or better, I can shape you into the one who will bring your sixty-three worlds into our service and rid the galaxy of the remaining Jeedai." The shaper Adept taunted. The girl flinched as the daggerlike nail reached the tip of her chin and then screamed something incomprehensible to Yuuzhan Vong ears.
The Adept prepared to embrace death at the hands of Kodachi Cha as the edge of the serpentine creature zoomed in toward his pale gray skin, but, much to the surprise of the Adept, the blow was halted.
"Get that filthy, eight-legged piece of slime off my armor, you fraud of a Master Shaper!" The warmistress snarled at the head of the Shaper caste as he struggled to delay the Blessed Release of the Adept.
"B-but the Master Shaper's hand is a holy tool of Yun Yuuzhan!" Stuttered an aghast priest who happened to witness the event. Kodachi Cha momentarily froze before directing her wrath at the priest.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Adept warned the heavily scarred woman. "When Shimrra finds out about this, he certainly won't be pleased with you. This priest is the responsibility of Harrar, who answers to Jakan, and I belong to the head of the holy Shaper caste. We are both borrowed from the heads of the holy castes."
The Master Shaper, whom the foul tempered warrior hurled to the floor as she pursued the priest, gave the bold Adept a murderous glare. When Sa'eth Kwaad finally understood the true intentions of the bold student, he added, "Warmistress, if you slay this Adept now, he will take our most valuable information with his to the gods."
Kodachi Cha spun her head to meet Kwaad's gaze, sending her long, dark hair swirling gracefully after the venomous eyes. She tore the amphistaff from the chest of the creature who dared to offend her before approaching the two shapers.
"What did the girl say?" Kodachi Cha inquired the Adept when her anger diffused.
"I don't know. It sounds a bit like Basic but I don't really understand what she said." Blood drained from the Adept's face as he responded.
"I know that much." Growled the woman. She then turned to one of her warriors. "Bring us tizoworms. We will understand every word she says!"
"Warmistress, Alpha Red destroyed our tizoworms before it was chased to that desert planet full of Jeedai and destroyed." Intervened Kwaad.
"Incompetent shapers." The woman muttered before barking an order at one of her warriors. "Bring me Nom Anor's Hapan agent!"
The Master Shaper glared at the princess as Kodachi Cha gave her orders to fetch the man who brought the princess to the system. This princess was either a brat who was showing the demanding side that never appeared on the HoloNet or playing the nearly deadly act of Princess Unpleasant. The shaper was sure of the latter, for he was certain that this child spoke to her father in Basic, but it did not matter. Out of desperation, the Yuuzhan Vong must make certain that this Hapan child would have no excuses, even if it meant appeasing this difficult brat.
-scene change-
Dagger paled as she viewed the holo-message from the Yuuzhan Vong. Outrage spread through her veins like wildfire at the sight of the princess. While she was only half-Hapan and had never met this girl in person, royals were especially important to her mother's clan. Lady Dagger was a refugee camp administrator under the reign of Teneniel Djo and later Tenel Ka. When the administrator's life ended in… Crest shook the thought off. There was always opposition to the refugees on her homeworld and Lady Dagger was lucky to survive as long as she had. All that mattered was that Crest and her brothers were pilots who fought the Yuuzhan Vong, like their father before them.
"My cousin must be devastated." Crestal Dagger heard someone mutter. She turned to see the leader of the group of desert-dwelling Jedi women.
"Your cousin?" One of the Twi'leks asked.
The woman hesitated before speaking. "Oh, never mind that. Here, travelers, take these and may the Force be with you."
"So you are a Jedi. Aren't you helping your fellow Jedi?" The Twi'lek woman's lekku twitched in curiosity as she and Crest accepted the supplies from the desert-dweller.
"I was knighted ten years ago and I'm stationed here to hide some of the children."
A nudge and a few glances from the other female pilots prompted Crestal to blurt, "We'd better go. I don't know when we'll be able to pay you back, thanks, Master Jedi Allya…"
"Just Allya, my friends." The young Jedi grinned. "I'll accept blown-up coralskippers, dovin basals or Coruscant and you don't have to deliver anything here." The response was understandable, for the planet had been considered enemy territory until Alpha Red was brought into the system.
-scene change-
"We must get the princess back to Hapes." Dagger voiced over the comm as the desert landscape zoomed out of view.
"Good to see you think that, too, Crest. The vote up here is six to one." Crest gazed upon the welcome sight of seven starcrafts and smiled. Everyone, including the two who remained near Obroa to collect spare parts, was in the same system at the same time.
"If both Flames and Crest are for it, then I am, too!" One of the other females chirped. The grin broadened as the girl heard the consensus from the remaining pilots. It was not planned, but there would be another fight in the capital system.
"Let's catch some light." Crest ordered her astromech. Another fight meant another bask in the sun thanks to the modifications Ben made to the starfighters. The girl pushed aside her long, rich hair and adjusted a few of her controls.