Chapter Two
A Struggling Stalemate
It was no use. They'd held out hope for years, but no help was coming. They were going to lose this fight. This war. This planet.
Der'tuam'namandra fell back with her squadron as the enemy approached. They shot at the advancing foes, to no avail. Even the blasts that hit only inconvenienced them as they fell back and rose again, looking even more black and deformed than before. She privately wondered if ripping their limbs apart would stop them. Probably not.
The Chiss Ascendancy had tried everything. They'd tried defeating them in a direct battle, only to lose soldiers needlessly. They'd tried quarantining the enemy camps away from their villages, only to watch as the enemies found escapes from their prisons. They'd even tried freezing them out on the ice of Csilla, only to realize that their enemy was resistant to such tricks. With everything so far failing, Der'tuam'namandra wasn't optimistic about their newest plan in the slightest. Especially considering the role she was supposed to play in it.
Still, none of them had been caught yet, which was the closest to victory one could hope for. If one were caught by the enemy, they had no chance of survival. The Chiss had learned that the hard way.
Just the thought of being caught made the soldier's feet run faster. She didn't want to be around when the enemy got close. Scared as she was, she didn't even look to see if they were giving chase, despite the plan relying on just such a thing.
Their predetermined line was in sight. Once the squadron made it past that line, it would be over.
Der'tuam'namandra was almost there. Taking a chance, she took a look back.
It was a mistake.
A rotting hand. Once blue, now covered in black. The stench of sweet rot assaulted her senses. She threw her weight forward, trying to throw it off. Trying to dislodge its grip.
It worked, but to no effect. Escape was not an option. Not now that she'd been touched.
One touch was all the enemy needed to take you. If you didn't die now, you would die later of its slow, painful infection. All you could do was kill yourself now in the hopes you took no one else with you.
So the soldier made the sacrifice, grabbing her attacker and throwing the two of them into the snow.
As Der'tuam'namandra fell, she looked up to the Csillan sky. She couldn't pass the line now. Not with what she would become later on.
Ascendancy ships circled high above, almost out of sight. Their flight had been dead silent, hidden in the clouds for most of their trip. She only knew their ships were there from being told earlier.
Above even them, a ship she'd never seen. Something black and large. It was nothing a Chiss would ever be found or seen on.
Der'tuam'namandra felt her lips move, asking a question she didn't know the answer to. Beside her, her attacker grunted, trying to gain the upper hand against her.
The soldier struggled to keep it from overtaking her out of instinct, knowing in her head that it no longer mattered. She cringed as the black covered her hands, too thick to feel like blood.
Above her, the cold turned to heat. Der'tuam'namandra looked up, wanting to see for herself. Would the plan the Aristocra had made bring fruition this time? Or were her people doomed for yet another failure?
Whatever the result, the Chiss female knew she would not live to see it. So she fell back on top of the enemy. The one that had marked her for death.
Explosions rang out all around her. As the winter turned to hellscape, she couldn't help but smile.
And with that smile, she felt a delusional euphoria. A dying delirium as the sky rained fire.
After a few false starts, the Eclipse was finally in sight of the planet Csilla, home of the Chiss and origin of Grand Admiral Thrawn. And despite her best assurances, Sloane was beginning to have second thoughts.
They were going to send down a communication before landing, but what if the ship was received poorly? As Graven has so eloquently pointed out, these people hadn't been warned of their coming. The plan to land here had been created on the ship, not laid out for them like fleeing to the Eclipse had been.
But they could only follow orders for so long before their trail of clues ended. If the Empire was to survive, they needed a living, breathing emperor to guide them, not the ghost of Palpatine. And as far as Sloane was concerned, she was the best suited individual to act as that leader.
"That's it, correct? The icy one ahead?"
Graven shrugged. "If our accounts are correct? Probably."
"The Chiss as a people don't know our language, right? The translator droids aren't versed in it, as far as I know."
"Thrawn himself had an interpreter. How are we to communicate with them?" Imperials on the ship asked. Based on the way they were dressed, it could be assumed they had been wealthy merchants once. Or perhaps bankers.
"Information about the Chiss and their language was being uploaded into the Imperial database as soon as Thrawn became an admiral and colonization was greenlighted as a possibility. However, much of the information was taken from Thrawn himself, and the man stayed busy. The information in the archive is marked as incomplete." One of the Imperial scientists Sloane didn't know the name of responded. "Our protocol droid does know some of their language, but only the simplest of phrases. Anything we wish to say must be watered down, and I doubt the translations will be perfect."
"It's better than going in with nothing. If Thrawn was a typical example of his kind, the Chiss are great warriors. Clever, resourceful, proud. Intensely loyal to one another. The kind of peoples the Empire would have been proud to accept in their ranks, if only we'd had less prejudice."
That wasn't received well. Even among the last of the Empire, old habits were proving hard to let go of. Sloane waited for the murmurs to die down before she continued. "I have no concerns about setting up a meeting with them. Our ship needs to refuel before it makes any more hyperspace jumps."
No one disagreed with her last statement. Constant restarts had used up more fuel than the remnants had accounted for, and though it was announced as a precautionary measure, the first round of rationing hadn't exactly gone flawlessly. Sloane was so used to dealing with military individuals and leaders that she had forgotten the ease of life and lack of discipline so commonly possessed by civilians, as at least half the ship's inhabitants were. When one woman had announced her pregnancy, Sloane had to resist ordering her court marshalled. Why would anyone have a child in these conditions?
The grand admiral waited for the deck to clear of non-essential personnel before turning to the resident protocol droid. It was an RA-7 model, and an unpleasant one at that. More than usual, even. Sloane detested its attitude from the moment she'd boarded. "AP-9. We are sending out a comm link to the planet surface now. Be ready to deliver the prepared message."
"I have it. It's short enough, so don't repeat it. But… to string together a more eloquent message, I can switch to Sy Bisti. That is the trade language that Eli Vanto used when he encountered the late grand admiral. The Chiss would understand it fine, and I wouldn't have to speak like a simpleton."
"...No. I don't want to assume too much. The Empire, as it stands, has encountered very few of this people, and only been well acquainted with one. It is better, I believe, to address them in the language we are sure they speak."
A sigh. "Very well, Grand Admiral. I will recite when prompted."
Not wanting to engage AP-9 further, Sloane turned to Graven's co-pilot, Marawan. "Open the comm channel and attempt to contact the surface."
"Yes, Grand Admiral."
She couldn't imagine their communication technology was all that different from the Empire's. After all, how many different ways could one transmit a radio signal?
Sloane watched as Marawan fiddled with the equipment, waiting in silence to hear something on the other end of the line.
Nothing. There was no indication that their signal was even reaching the surface. However, there was also nothing suggesting it was being blocked, even though interference was abundant. It seemed there was some sort of commotion happening on the planet surface. A battle of some kind?
"Get closer to the planet's surface. I want to see what's going on."
"Yes, Grand Admiral."
As the Eclipse inched closer to the planet and its atmosphere, their scanners and observation deck were able to make out other ships hovering over the planet, raining bombs down onto the ground below. Sloane's suspicions were confirmed when the area was scanned for lifeforms.
It was a battle. A battle Sloane knew nothing about, and something she had no desire to enter the fray of anytime soon.
"It seems we've arrived at a bad time," Graven noted. "Should we turn back and look for fuel elsewhere?"
"Where else will we go? Where else do we know much of anything about the lifeforms and their capabilities but this planet? Even our limited knowledge of the Chiss is more than we have on most of this region of space."
"But Grand Admiral! We can't involve ourselves in their war. The peoplewho were brought to us are weary from fighting our own battles. They will not be eager to intervene in a foreign conflict." Moden Canady, the closest she had to a second in command, spoke out.
He wasn't wrong, but Sloane wasn't about to admit it. They needed a way in if their ship was to last much longer. "However… if we were to enter the fray on the side of the Chiss, swaying the battle in their favor, they would be in our debt. They might give us more than fuel if we were their cause for victory."
"We know nothing about this dispute! For all we know, the Chiss are on the brink of extinction by a much stronger enemy. If we were to anger whoever they are fighting, we would become their target. I am not convinced we are prepared to deal with such an eventuality."
Reasonable as his argument may have seemed, Sloane would not concede. She felt she had no other options to explore. At least, none that were safe. "You're right when you say we know nothing about this situation. But whoever those ships belong to, they must use some form of fuel to run them. They have what we need, and we have to find a way to get it."
"So what are you proposing?"
The admiral thought about it for a second, noticing how all eyes were on her. "We need information about what's happening on the ground. We send a team of soldiers down with the droid and have them report back."
"Down into a battle? I don't operate in those conditions!" AP-9 protested.
"Shut him off until landing if you have to. But we need to not draw the attention of whoever it is the Chiss are fighting. I am prepared to approve a single squadron of fully trained troops for a reconnaissance mission. Do we have any probe droids that could assist the effort?"
"No, Grand Admiral."
"Very well. We will have to ensure our communications between the ground and the ship remain open at all times."
"Who will you send to lead them, Grand Admiral?"
Sloane looked Canady in the eye. "You're the one who arrived with almost two hundred men, Captain. Who do you recommend?"
He was silent for a minute, giving the question a considerable amount of thought. "Send Lieutenant Kalvnik down with a half dozen men. He's done similar missions in the past, and is better than most at working with local forces."
Sloane nodded, accepting his assessment. "Let them know their mission, then send them down in an escape pod. Make sure they understand that they are to report back on everything."
"Yes, Grand Admiral."
"And take the droid with you."
"Understood, Grand Admiral."
"Take! Pah. I will walk on my own, if you agree to leave my power on."
Sloane watched as the two exited the deck, wishing she knew more about what she was getting them all into. At the same time, she also hesitated to seek the truth.
What lay at the heart of this dispute, and where did that leave the Empire and their plans? If the Empire were standing in all its former glory, Sloane would not have been so tentative. She would have had confidence in their ability to face down any enemy.
But here, in this position of weakness, that confidence was shattered. Healing their wounds would not only deal with external damage.
Sloane snapped herself out of it. They hadn't fled to the Unknown Regions to mourn losses, or lick their wounds.
They'd come here for revival. To become bigger and stronger than ever before. To finally be an unmovable force not a force in the galaxy could deny.
And it would begin here. On this planet, with this crew.
Of that, she was sure.
Lieutenant Chris Kalvnik stood at attention as Vice Admiral Canady relayed his orders, wondering how long it would be before he could get on with the mission already. It was a simple job, one that didn't require this much explanation. They could have been done with this whole thing in half the time.
Not that he would say that, of course.
"The grand admiral thinks six men plus you and the droid will be appropriate for the job. You may choose who goes on your mission with you from all adult soldiers on this ship. Your orders are solely to observe and make contact with the Chiss to learn of their situation. You are not authorized to participate in any battle that may be raging on the planet surface. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I get it." The vice admiral raised an eyebrow at his tone, forcing Kalvnik to correct himself. "Yessir. You... don't have to specify adults, sir. I wasn't gonna nab on of Hux's brats."
Canady had to put effort into maintaining a neutral expression."I... didn't imagine you would. Just make sure you're in contact with the ship at all times, and be careful out there. Our attempts to call ahead haven't been successful, and the Chiss appear to be in a war of some kind. We don't know how who's fighting whom, or how they might react to seeing you."
"Thrawn was a Chiss, right?" Kalvnik had never met or served under the guy, but he was well known throughout the Imperial military. "Would it be helpful to mention him?"
"Perhaps. You can even show them his image, if you'd like." The vice admiral tossed him a few comm links, then a holo-projector. "Do not lose these."
"Can we take blasters?"
Canady thought about it for a minute. "Your orders are to not fight, but I won't stop you. We don't know what's down there, and we'd be worse off for losing you." He paused, as if trying to remember something. "Don't forget to take the appropriate attire, as well. Our scans suggest Csilla is a cold, icy planet."
"Yessir. I take my leave at your command."
Canady nodded. "Gather your men and get on with it."
Kalvnik saluted, then waltzed out the door. He drove a hand over his messy blonde hair, then scowled at the stubble collecting on his chin. He was letting himself go.
Canady hadn't been a vice admiral when their crew had arrived on the Eclipse, but he'd quickly made himself into one. Best the lieutenant understood matters, he and the grand admiral knew each other from somewhere. The grand admiral was a cautious, callous woman, but she trusted Canady, as did most who knew him.
Kalvnik didn't know much about either person, but he had no choice but to go with what other people were saying. Most people seemed to be here on reputation, anyways, and all he had left to vouch for him were his men.
He burst into the mess hall, gesturing at his five cadets and their corporal to gather before him. Kalvnik was one of the lucky soldiers in that he hadn't lost all his men in the Empire's fall. Just a good number of them.
They'd been serving out on Ryloth when it happened. Everything had been going relatively well until the battle of Endor. Then a few months later, the Twi'leks decided they were gonna have an uprising. He and the other soldiers had held out for as long as they could, but it was no use. Day after day, they became more and more desperate to keep order… until one day, he snapped.
Kalvnik saw the writing on the wall in the nick of time. And when all he'd foreseen came to pass, any kindness Kalvnik had shown the Twi'leks previously in his time there became meaningless, and they slaughtered his company in the dark of the night as revenge for everything the Empire had done to them. It had been a humiliating retreat, one they'd barely lived to see the end of.
They'd joined up with Kanady on his ship after fleeing the system, only running into him by chance. For them, their choice was between going off into the Unknown Regions with a bunch of delusional fools who thought the Empire would rise again... or be put on trial by the New Republic for war crimes, a trial they would undoubtedly lose. To the seven of them, the choice had been clear.
"Come on, men. We've been assigned our first mission."
"Yes, finally!" Kevin Gordon, the youngest of the group, cheered. "We getting off the ship?"
Kalvnik nodded, sharply and only once. "We've been assigned a recon mission on Csilla's surface. They've observed a battle going on, and want us to figure out exactly what's going on down there. We're to look around, talk to some Chiss, and report back."
"That's it?"
"That's all. No fighting. The orders are from the grand admiral herself."
Viveen Grey, the corporal and second in command, rolled her eyes. "Grand admiral. She was a vice admiral before Endor's Death Star blew up, and just played politics from there. She was elevated too far too fast, and her leadership shows it."
Kalvnik didn't want to hear it again. "Regardless, I was instructed to get six more men for the job. That's enough for all of us to go together. Then we meet up with the protocol droid, get our equipment, and head down to the surface." He pulled the comm links out of his pocket, counting them for the first time. Sure enough, there were enough that everyone got one. "Put these on, and don't lose or remove them under any circumstances."
"Yes, Lieutenant."
It was at that moment Kalvnik realized they were being watched. Mostly by other soldiers in the mess hall, but a few civilians were scattered in there as well. He grunted in their direction, encouraging them to get back to their own business.
It wasn't that he didn't know anyone else on this ship, but ever since Ryloth, he'd been jumpy. He was careful not to reveal much to anyone else, and his men all knew to do the same.
So it was with a cautious eye that each left the mess hall. Irrational as it was, Kalvnik wanted no one following them when they entered the armory.
He didn't want to be betrayed again.
A/N's: Yay, second chapter is out! Even with my reduced goal, I'm still roughly a thousand words behind. Whoops.
But this is the beginning of the Chiss arc. Because I plan to have this story cover a lot of ground and don't want to be writing it until I'm thirty, I plan to organize the grand story into arcs, each of which will likely be five-ten chapters long, with perhaps seven arcs in total before the grand finale. Still a long ass story, but far more manageable for me personally.
Also, though most of the characters introduced in this chapter are OCs, Canady actually isn't. He's the commander of the Dreadnought in TLJ, an old Imperial who dislikes his crew for being young, inexperienced, and arrogant. He gets to have a much larger role in this story, as do characters who only appeared in the comics or books. The reason I'm sticking so much to Sloane for now is because I have to get other character more established first. She probably won't be in every arc, despite being an important character.
Regardless, hope you're enjoying so far! Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave your thoughts below, and I'll see you on the far side!
