Herding Nexu
By Andrew J Talon
10 ABY, Tao
This is a sequel to A New Hope Will Emerge, set after the original Thrawn Trilogy, and right after Grogu goes off with the Mandalorian. It's a strange mesh of canons, but it's been working pretty well so far.
This also uses my story "The Lady Pellaeon" for canon.
Orinda, Outer Rim Territories
Ardus Kaine had done everything he could to maintain the Empire. Orinda had become the new capital, thanks to all the Moffs and other Imperial officials fleeing to it. The Rebels had thrown everything they could at it, but thanks to Pellaeon's tireless efforts, they had held it. More and more Imperial Warlords had fallen, would be successors to the Emperor, and as they did, their forces came to join his.
They'd lost much of those though, just holding onto Orinda. There was little choice though: Orinda was a key point on the Entralla Hyperspace Route. Losing this would lose all the trade between Ord Mantell and Muunilist. That would leave the Empire as little more than a rump state, at best.
He sat in his office in the government building overlooking Orinda's capital, Starfall. It was a bustling metropolis, with the flags of the Empire still waving and even under martial law, plenty of civilians going about their business. Underneath the blue sky, it almost seemed normal. As though the Emperor still held power in distant Coruscant.
It was a pleasant illusion... But nothing more. Kaine sighed, running his hands through his swiftly graying hair. He turned back from the window to his desk, a pile of reports and proposals from the Imperial Council awaiting his signature. Especially so after Thrawn was lost.
"Sir, Admiral Pellaeon is here to see you," his secretary piped through the speaker. Kaine nodded.
"Send him in," he ordered.
Pellaeon entered, his hair and mustache both much grayer than last he'd seen him. Alongside, looking no older than last time, was his wife: Lady Barriss, notable for being a Miralian. In the old days, this had been quite a scandal and had held Pellaeon back from promotion many times. Yet Kaine could not fault the man for finding love, if the woman was willing to put up with Imperial anti-alien attitudes for her husband's sake.
Kaine himself had never had any issues with aliens. Prejudice was not a luxury they could afford, and it had been biting them on the backside ever since Endor.
"Gil, Barriss," Kaine said, managing a tired smile, "what's the occasion?"
"We heard about the former Emperor's Hand who tried to kill you," Gilad said gravely. Kaine gaped in astonishment.
"How did you-?!"
"We have our sources, sir," Barriss said gently, "needless to say... She was stopped."
Kaine sank in his chair, and kept sinking. He sighed heavily. He looked up at his old friend Gil, who looked anxious.
"She was," Kaine said, "but we don't know how. She had a light whip, command of the Force... She had me cornered, and... And she ran off! As though there was something else to deal with!"
"Rendered you utterly helpless, huh?" Gil asked. Kaine scoffed, unable to see the humor.
"There's... Just not much we can do about Force users," Kaine admitted, "I've been trying to pull together the resources needed to counter them... But then some Darksider gets wind of it, and ruins the entire thing!"
"We know that too," Gilad said, "and... We have a possible solution. The same one as before."
"What is it?" Kaine asked urgently.
Gilad looked over at his wife, concerned. She gave him an encouraging smile, and squeezed his hand. He relaxed, just a bit, and for a moment Kaine envied their easy familiarity. The depth of their bond.
Gilad cleared his throat.
"While the Grand Admiral made use of the mad Jedi during his campaign... He was not the only Force user we worked with," he began carefully, "this one... Was not a Darksider. She was a former Jedi, who, for her own reasons, was loyal to us... And most importantly, sane."
Kaine leaned forward.
"How has she survived all this time?" Kaine asked.
"By falling in love with, and marrying, an Imperial officer," Barriss stated softly. Kaine stared, unable to comprehend what she was saying. She held out her hand... And the datapads and flimsies rose, arranging themselves on the table. Kaine gaped in astonishment, and looked up at Bariss in shock.
"... You?" He whispered. Gilad stood at attention, as Barriss gave the Grand Moff a small smile.
"Yes," Barriss said, "I couldn't kill that Darksider, but I drove her off... With some help. Now, many Imperial Warlords have tried to ally themselves with Darksiders. This has always ended badly. And while the New Jedi Order isn't as closely tied to the New Republic-Excuse me, to the Rebels, as it was to the Old Republic, it is still aligned with them in most ways. What we need... Is our own Jedi Order."
Kaine tried to get his jaw to work again. It had fallen, and would have gone all the way to the planet's core had it not been connected to his head.
"You... Do realize the enormity of what you ask, yes?" Kaine asked quietly. Barriss nodded.
"I do... But the alternative is to face the Rebellion without Force users. And this is a critical weakness we cannot afford," Barriss stated. She leaned forward. "Once, the Jedi Order did mean hope, peace and justice for the galaxy. They lost their way during the Clone Wars. But we could make a new Jedi Order... One to create the peace of the Empire. To enforce true justice. Not the Sith's tyrrany and terror."
Kaine stared intensely at Barriss. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. It felt far too large, all of a sudden.
"Do you have... Candidates for this new Order?" He asked.
"Our son is Force sensitive," Gilad said, "and our daughter most likely is, too. There are a few other candidates we will be checking in with."
Kaine managed a slow nod.
"Well... I suppose that's a start," he said, "I will talk to the Imperial Council. It's going to be a hard sell... But after that Lumiya lunatic tried to murder us all? It may not be as difficult as it seems."
"Thank you, Grand Moff," Gilad said, smiling through his mustache. Barriss smiled as well, a bit of tension leaving the room. Kaine was more than glad for it.
It was going to be hard enough to sell the council on this idea. He didn't need the weight of his friends' marriage problems on his conscience, too...
Major Pepise Slamen had been a first lieutenant in the Stormtrooper Corps when Endor had gone down. Four years later, he was in command of the garrison for Starfall, the capital of Orinda and the Empire.
He once might have thought it was because of his skill. But in all honesty, it was because he had been sensible enough to pay attention to his training and not throw his life away pointlessly. Too many stormtroopers had been taught they were disposable, that their deaths were in service to an Empire with unlimited resources.
Well, now the Empire had been reduced to a fraction of its original size. Loyal, competent soldiers were now a highly valued resource, not disposable cannon fodder. It was amazing what happened when you weren't on top any more.
Nevertheless, Pepise did his job, and the government paid him well. He took care of his troops, because they were just as valuable to the rank and file as he was. The only thing standing between them and the ever growing Rebellion.
Not to mention other threats...
Like the one holed up in this mansion on the outskirts of Starfall. It's architecture was like most Ordinan-style: Round and flowing, as though to match the rolling green hills and be part of the land.
It was a very nice house: Shame they might have to destroy it.
His troopers had the house surrounded, with a few armored speeders with heavy laser cannons at the ready. The owners of the home, two older looking humans, were weeping nearby as a female medic talked with them near an ambulance speeder. Neither were hurt... They were just scared.
Better than the crowd of onlookers already watching from behind the droid barriers. Bunch of vultures.
Slamen held up a receiver, and spoke, his words amplified by the speeder's loudspeakers.
"There's no way out of here, Amykya! Give it up! Nobody has to get hurt!"
A holoprojection emerged from the house. It was enlarged, to tower over the troopers. It was of a teenaged girl wearing white makeup all over her face, with dark red marks over her eyebrows and underneath her eyes. She glared angrily out at them, adjusting the dark hood she wore over her head.
"That's not my name anymore! That is my slave name!" She cried, "an oppressive mundane name applied to me by my mundane parents in service to a mundane hierarcy! No, I am Darth Bloodgush now! And you will bow to me, your Empress!"
"That's not gonna happen, Amykya," Slamen stated calmly, "this doesn't have to end in violence. Just come out. All we want to do is talk."
Amykya scoffed.
"You would do better to serve me, worms! For I am a Dark Lady of the Sith! Serve me well, and the galaxy will be yours! Resist me, and I shall destroy you all!"
The hologram cut off.
Slamen sighed. He looked over at the other troopers. Encounters with Darksiders rarely ended well, and after the last Inquisitor had tried to murder Grand Moff Kaine, lethal force was authorized for any similar situations.
It was either kill this deluded, power hungry girl... Or let her run amok and cause more deaths.
It wasn't a fun job... But someone had to do it.
"All right," he said, turning off the speaker first, "we'll go in. Harkins, Rinzlo, you hit the back. Yung, Targul, take the roof. We'll get in there and-"
"Excuse me," said a calm female voice. Slamen swung around, blaster at the ready. He stared dumbly into the unimpressed blue eyes of a beautiful Miralian woman in a black dress and cloak. Accompanying her was a tall Miralian boy, dressed in the uniform of an Imperial officer, over which he wore a long coat. The woman was collected, while the young lieutenant looked a bit anxious.
"Ah, ma'am, Lieutenant," Slamen said, lowering his weapon, "this is a dangerous situation, you should really go back behind the police barrier-"
The woman held out a holocomm, and projected an authorization license.
"By order of Grand Moff Kaine, I, Lady Barriss Pellaeon and my son, Lieutenant Mynar Pellaeon, are to resolve this incident," the Lady stated, still calm and even. Slamen shook his head.
"Is this a joke? My Lady, this is a dangerous situation with a potential Sith Lord! We can't allow you to-"
"You can, and you will," Barriss stated firmly. Slamen felt true weight behind those words. He sighed.
"Very well... What do you want us to do, My Lady?" He asked. Hopefully, she was just here to observe, or maybe negotiate-
"You will wait out here, while I go in and deal with this," Barriss stated. Slamen's jaw dropped behind his helmet.
"My Lady, you can't-!"
"I will," Barriss stated, and again, he felt power behind those words, "my son will stay as backup."
"If you're sure, Mother," Mynar said.
"I am," Barriss stated.
"My Lady, again, I must point out that this is a dangerous Force User!" Slamen stated urgently. Barriss nodded.
"I know... Don't worry, Major. I've got this."
She headed towards the mansion, walking up to the tall wall covered in laser turrets. They opened fire, even as Slamen shouted a warning...
A warning that died as he saw Lady Barriss ignite a lightsaber, and casually deflect the laser blasts right back at the turrets. They exploded, leaving behind smoking wrecks, as the Lady reached out her hand, and seemed to will the secured gates to open.
Slamen turned to stare at Mynar, who shrugged.
"She sometimes has to show off," he explained.
"I... Uh..." Slamen tried.
Barriss marched all the way to the mansion, again casually deflecting blaster bolts from security droids, before she opened the door and slipped inside. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed... Then Barriss emerged.
But not alone. Slamen's jaw dropped again. Some of his troops laughed in their helmets.
Lady Barriss Pellaeon marched out... Dragging "Darth Bloodshed" out by her ear.
"OW OW OW STOP IT OW OW OW IT HURTS OW OW OW!" The teenager shrieked, tears pouring down her cheeks, as Barriss tugged her out of the mansion grounds, all the way up to Amykya's parents. Barriss let go of the teenaged girl's ear, and glared sternly at her.
"Mister and Mrs. Gardiff, your daughter has a few things to say to you," Barriss said. Amykya looked down at the grass, then back up at her parents. She was still crying, her eyes red.
"I... I'm sorry, Mom and Dad," she whimpered, "for-for throwing you out of the house-And-and Force choking you-and-and everything!" She sobbed.
Her parents pulled her into a hug as the teenaged girl continued to cry miserably. Mr. Gardiff looked up to Lady Barriss.
"I... Thank you, my Lady," he said. Barriss nodded.
"That 'Sith pyramid decoration' was actually a Sith holocron," she said, "I've locked it down."
She rummaged in her cloak, and pulled out a small pyramid shaped object. It was wrapped up in plastoid, and she tossed it to Mynar. He caught it, and tucked it into a satchel at his side.
"Now, your daughter is actually Force sensitive, and she will need help with mastering her abilities," Barriss stated, "but she could stand to learn some discipline first. I suggest the Imperial Navy... Then she can join the Imperial Jedi Order."
She smiled gently at them.
"But for now...? I think you all need to talk."
"Thank you, my Lady, thank you," Mrs. Gardiff said gratefully. Barriss nodded, and walked over to Major Slamen and her son. She looked up at the Major.
"I think this wraps things up," Barriss stated.
"Er... Yes, My Lady," Slamen said, "thank you. I..." He tapped his helmet, and looked back up to his lady as he listened to the message. "My Lady, we have a report of another Darksider at the Granger Falls Shopping Center. Teenaged Twi'lek female."
"What's she calling herself?" Barriss asked.
Slamen asked, paused...
"'Darth Talon'."
"Got an image?" Barriss asked. Slamen held up his holocomm, and projected an image of a very well endowed, skimpily attired red Twi'lek girl cackling and swinging around a vibroblade. Barriss groaned.
"Not another one... Well! Come on Mynar, we have work to do."
"Yes Mother," Mynar agreed, staring intently at the holo. Barriss glared.
"And don't you stare!"
"I-I wasn't-"
"I'm your mother, I know."
Major Slamen watched them head back into their speeder, and take off. He sighed.
"We done here, Major?" His lieutenant asked.
"Yes," he stated, "we're going to the Starfall Cantina... And the first round is on me."
"Generous of you, sir."
"Well, I intend to drink so much I won't be bothered by cost."
"You and me both, sir..."
Because the idea of two competing Jedi Orders, one Imperial, one Republic, both having to deal with the issue of rogue Darksiders is too interesting to pass up.