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Part 29

"Well that was short." Ben commented as he spotted an immense crowd of rioting heretics by a place that seemed to be built from bones.

"Turn on your light swords and call attention." Suggested the young Yuuzhan Vong at Ben's side.

"Guide me to this palace so I don't look like a total fool, will you?" Ben asked. When the massive Hul Rapuung nodded, Ben's two half sabers came to life with a snap-hiss. When everyone turned and murmured Jeedai, Ben addressed the crowd. "I hate to say this, but when you thought you were following a prophet, Nom Anor was leading you to the butcher's block. If you'd like, I can take you to Shimrra's citadel. My cousin Jacen's going to be there to take care of your Supreme Overlord once and for all."

Volunteers piled up at Ben's feet and cheers rose up in both Yuuzhan Vong and Basic, but the Jedi silenced them. "Do you have Nom Anor?"

"Jeedai, we tried to tie him, but he is nowhere to be found." One apparently prominent woman emerged from the crowd and reported with a sullen face.

"Stang! I don't want to keep Sil waiting, so let's go. When we get there, find a good place to hide and come out when I wave my lightsaber." Ben flourished with one of his cobalt blades before killing the weapons and returning them to his sides. From the reactions he got from the people around him, Ben knew that Nom Anor was a notorious villain, but it did not seem wise to deviate from his current course to chase after one person. He would just have to report the prefect's presence on the planet to any high-up person who would listen and let the search parties take care of the fugitive.

Ben nodded to the two warriors at his side, and Hul Rapuung immediately began to lead the way. There seemed to be no warriors within sight, but Ben had the feeling that the smooth adherence to Jysella's plan would end soon. He looked to the Force for predictions, but found none. His last vision, one of Crest, Sil, and Jysella imprisoned in a Yuuzhan Vong prison, had passed and its replacement was unusually slow in coming.

-scene change-

"There, I don't think there's any more knots in your hair, Sil." Jysella grinned as she handed Sil a Yuuzhan Vong cloak.

"Whoa, what the?" Sil screamed as a giant, altered bat swooped down from nowhere and carried her off.

"Take care of that Supreme Overlord and don't get yourself killed! My friend will take you to his palace." The older girl almost winked before turning her attention to the frozen Crest.

Sil closed her eyes and sighed, despite the wind. She didn't like giant, Vongformed bats, but anything's better than another hour in Jysella's speeder. At last, she was alone, even if she was alone in some creature's claws.

-scene change-

"Dread Lord, what is your command?" Kodachi Cha grudgingly bowed when the Supreme Overlord's face appeared on a display. Of all possible times, that Shimrra had to contact her when her warriors were in the middle of their biggest battle and when she was trying out armor implants.

A face that defined ugly deformity appeared beside the Supreme Overlord and Kodachi Cha groaned.

"In strides the warrior proud and tall.
Isn't she the most gruesome of us all?"

The warmistress did not know if she would have grinned or choked that Shamed One to death had she actually been in Shimrra's audience chamber. She liked being described as gruesome, but that voice was driving her insane.

"That is enough. I am most displeased, Kodachi Cha." Shimrra cut off his jester. Before the woman could stammer an apology, the Supreme Overlord continued. "Your captive Jeedai have escaped from their cells and I have at least three of these vile creatures loose on my holy planet!"

"My most humble apologies, Dread Lord."

"Because of this, I now have at least two hundred heretics roaming unchecked on my planet!" The large leader boomed.

"Then I will eliminate them, if that is your wish."

"No, leave them be. Only execute the Jeedai and the one named Hul Rapuung. There shall be no survivors from the vile stories."

"If that is what you desire, Dread Lord."

"Report to me when you receive news from Domain Lah. I want a good explanation for why their worldship failed."

"Your wish is my command, milord." The woman closed her eyes to avoid the ominous, crimson glare of the maa'it implants. The display reverted to its natural form and Kodachi Cha returned to her pile of weapons and implants. Shimrra was acting rather strange, but he was Supreme Overlord and his orders must be obeyed. The warmistress popped a slug implant onto her left eyebrow and reached for the villip of one of her commanders.

-scene change-

So what do I do? Sheng Lah wondered as he sorted through his maelstrom of emotions. He was on a speeder, so unleashing his anger was not a safe option and he was nowhere near suicidal. That left idleness and feeling sorry for himself on the list of options and Sheng Lah liked neither. The Yuuzhan Vong glanced at his lightsaber stud. His predecessor never had dilemmas like the one he faced, according to the stories.

Sheng Lah knew that the chances of meeting a ghost were slim, but he reached into the Force anyway. The Yuuzhan Vong Jedi grinned as a vision took hold of his eyes again. Reading things through the Force was a productive way to pass his time.

In the vision, there were two almost identical, Yuuzhan Vong girls who appeared to be a few years younger than Sheng Lah. The one on the cot was pale, sickly, and terribly thin, as if there was nothing between her skin and bones. The other one was large and sturdier than the average female warrior.

"Kadde, let us duel to the death." The pale, thin Yuuzhan Vong girl offered her healthy-looking counterpart as she struggled for her amphistaff.

"But you are my twin, Ralte. We are the only set of twins in this galaxy and I want it to stay that way. I cannot kill you and I have no wish to end my pain now." Protested Kadde.

"I am a warrior born of warriors and I would much rather die in combat than of this vile disease that the shapers can't cure. Besides, I'm too weak to kill you."

"In this case, I'll do you the favor." Kadde wrapped her fingers around her amphistaff. The two serpentine creatures clashed repeatedly until the weak and thin Ralte collapsed onto her sister's weapon from exhaustion.

"Thank you, sister, for letting me die with honor." Ralte managed weakly before the blood-soaked end of her sister's weapon emerged from her back.

"Kadde, you have defeated your own image in combat! No Yuuzhan Vong had done that before! Greatness will come upon this girl!" Heralded a bystander, apparently the head of Kadde and Ralte's domain.

Sheng Lah jerked awake as he felt a tap on his shoulder. That must have been the first of those so-called twin sacrifices! If that vision was true, then Yuuzhan Vong society had deviated too much from its foundation and needed some heavy reform. He knew he had to defeat Kodachi Cha and somehow ban the unhealthy sacrifices that appeared too often in religious rituals. So the Force was teaching him history through all of those visions! The dark blue Jedi growled. That honorable Ralte did not deserve for her name to mean defeat in modern Yuuzhan Vong.

"Can you tell us if those black dots are Vong? I mean Yuuzhan Vong?" The soldier who flew Sheng Lah's speeder asked. The Jedi Knight immediately opened his violet eyes and searched through his Vongsense. Kodachi Cha's command tower was in sight, but there were warriors marching out to greet the group of Jedi and soldiers.