Honoghr - Village of the Clan Kihm'bar
For just a moment, Leia stood there in shock, staring at the maitrakh, but then the distant sound of space craft repulsers brought her back to life. "We've got to get out of here." she said, "Chewie-"
"There's no time;" said Khabarakh as he s sprinted over from the other room, the Wookiee on his heels. "The shuttle must already be in sight beneath the clouds."
The dukha had no way of escape other than the main door and no cover except the tiny booth that faced the genealogy chart. "Are you certain he's coming here - to the dukha, I mean?" she asked, knowing that it was a foolish question.
"Where else would he come?" countered Khabarakh darkly, "Perhaps he was not fooled, as we thought."
With another cursory look around the dukha and calculated that there would be a few seconds before the Imperials entered when the rear of the building was out of their view. It would be an easy thing to cut a way of escape with her lightsaber but the problem was hiding the hole afterward. Chewie rumbled a question that was right along her line of thought. "Yes, but cutting the hole is not problem. It's how to seal it up afterward."
The Wookiee pointed to the booth. "The hole will be hidden from view at least. It's better than noting. Maitrakh-"
"If it must be don, then do so," snapped the Noghri harshly. "You must not be found here."
It was clear that she was still gathering herself from being in shock. The look on her face was quite clear and familiar now. It was the same as Khabarak had shown during the trip from Endor - regret at bringing her to Honoghr.
Pulling her lightsaber from her belt, she assured, "We'll be as neat as possible. And as soon as Thrawn is gone, Khabarak can get his ship back and take us away-"
Chewie cut her off with a snarl. Faintly in the distance, they heard an all-too-familiar whine that accompanied the roar of the shuttle. "Scimitar assault bombers;" said Leia, knowing that her plan had just been crushed.
With air cover, trying to flea out into the open would get them caught all the same. "We'll have to hide in the booth."
As they hurried to it, See-threepio called, "Will you want me in there as well, your Highness?"
Leia skidded to a stop and cursed. The maitrakh hissed. " There will not be room. Your presence here has betrayed us, Lady Vader-"
"Quiet!" snapped Leia as scanned the building yet again.
Suddenly, she saw the star dish handing from the middle of the room. "Chewie, we'll have to put him up there. Do you think-"
She didn't even finish her query before the Wookiee snatched up the droid and scrambled up one of the tree-trunk pillars, carrying the protesting Threepio over his shoulder. Reaching out with the force, Leia switched the noisy protocol droid off as Chewie dumped him unceremoniously into the dish. Leia was already looking in the booth. It was going to be a tight fit but they would make it work. With a thud, Chewbacca was on the floor and, in a few quick strides, they were both inside. Chewie was facing forward, his head jammed up against the sloping ceiling and Leia was force to slid in behind him and sit down in the narrow gap between his legs. The booth's door slid shut just as the double doors to the dukha opened. Taking several calming breaths, Leia used the force to enhance her hearing . Immediately, Chewie's breathing became a loud rasp that she consciously tuned out, along with the hardness of the bench and the weight of the two living beings within her. Through the wall of the dukha, she could hear the rhythmic steps of booted feet and the odd clack of blaster rifles against armor. Finally, from the inside of the dukha, she could hear voices.
"Good morning, maitrakh;" said a cool, modulated voice.
Leia's heart began to beat just a little harder. That voice was the voice of Imperial command with the full weight that authority held - or at least held at a point in time not too long ago in the galaxy. But the authority in this cool, cultured voice was easily beyond that of even Grand Moff Tarkin aboard the Death Star as he commanded her world's destruction. This being could only be Grand Admiral Thrawn.
"I greet you, my lord;" mewed the maitrakh, her tone under rigid control. "We are honored by your visit."
"Thank you;" the Thrawn politely replied, but with an unmistakable edge of steel just beneath the surface.
"And you, Khabarak clan Kihm'Bar. Are you also pleased at my presence here?"
Leia quietly tried to ease her head to one side or the other to get a look at the Grand Admiral. After hearing her husband, her sister-in-law and those who had once been a part of the Lothol rebel cell, she was curious to see him. But it was no good. They were still by the doors and out of her line of sight. Soon enough, however, he strode in to the center of the room and fully into view. Thrawn looked exactly as described - tall, with blue skin and glowing red eyes in the dazzling white uniform of an Imperial Grand Admiral. Despite the words and casual dismissals of doubters like Fey'lya that it was simply a moff or fleet admiral using a name to stake a claim to Imperial power, she had never doubted Han, Mara or the others but even so, hearing about this Grand Admiral Thrawn was one thing. To see him in reality, in the flesh and in the white uniform, was something wholly different.
"Of course, my lord," Khabarakh answered. "Why should I not be?"
"Do you speak to you lord the Grand Admiral in such a tone?" demanded an unfamiliar Noghri voice.
"I apologize;" said Khabarakh, perhaps a touch too quickly, "I did not mean disrespect."
Leia winced. Perhaps the young warrior hadn't meant it but the damage was already done. She had only a little time to learn some of the idiosyncrasies of Noghri speech but even so, the words had been to defensive and quick. To this Grand Admiral, who knew the Noghri race far better and had a pension for understanding races and warriors with great clarity...
"What then did you mean?" he asked coolly as he turned to face both Khabarakh and the maitrakh.
"I-" and he floundered slightly for an answer as the Grand Admiral looked on. "I am sorry, my lord. I was overawed by your visit to our simple village."
"An obvious excuse;" said the Grand Admiral, "possibly even a believable one... except you weren't overawed by my visit last night."
One blue-black eyebrow was lifted. "Or is it that you didn't expect to face me again so soon?"
"My lord-"
"What is the Noghri penalty for lying to the lord of you overclan?" demanded Thrawn, his voice suddenly cold and harsh. Is it death, as it was in the old days? Or do the Noghri no longer prize such outdated concepts as honor?"
"My lord has no right to bring such accusations against a son of the clan Kihm'bar;" said the maitrakh stiffly.
The Grand Admiral shifted his hard gaze to her. "You would be well advised to keep your counsel to yourself, maitrakh. This particular son of the clan Kihm'bar has lied to me, and I do not take such matters lightly."
Turning back to face the Noghri warrior, Thrawn commanded, "Tell me, Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar, about your imprisonment on Kashyyyk."
Leia squeezed her lightsaber, the temptation to ignite it and jump out to assist but all that would do was bring even worse and more severe trouble down on the Noghri. Guilt began to creep up her spine. It was on Kashyyyk that they had convinced Khabarakh to let her try and help and now, he and his people were in danger because of it.
"I do not understand;" Khabarakh said, breaking into her thoughts.
"Really?" countered Thrawn. "Then allow me to refresh your memory. You didn't escape form Kashyyyk as you stated in your report and repeated last night to my presence and in the presence of your family and your clan dynast. You were, in fact, captured by the Wookiees after the failure of your mission. And you wpent that missing month not meditating, but undergoing interrogation in a Wookiee prison. Does that help you memory any?"
Leia managed to carefully control her breathing, unable to believe what she was hearing. No matter how it was that the Grand Admiral had learned about Khabarakh's capture, he'd taken that fact and tun in exactly the wrong direction with it. They'd been given a reprieve, brief though it may be. Now if the young commando could just keep his whits about him-
The maitrakh didn't seem to trust his stamina either. "My thirdson would not lie about such matters, my lord;" she said before he could reply, "he has always understood the duties and requirements of honor."
"Has he now?" demanded Thrawn in reply. "A Noghri commando, captured by the enemy for interrogation - and still alive? Is this the duty and requirement of honor?"
"I was not captured, my lord;" insisted Khabarakh stiffly, "my escape from Kashyyyk was as I said."
For a half a dozen heartbeats, the Grand Admiral gazed in his direction in silence. Finally, he intoned, "And I say that you lie, Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar. But not matter. With or without your cooperation, I will have the truth about your missing month... and whatever the price was you paid for your freedom. Rukh?"
"My lord," the third Noghri voice said.
"Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar is hereby placed under Imperial arrest. You and Squad Two will escort him aboard the troop shuttle and take him back to the Chimaera for interrogation."
There was a sharp hiss and the maitrakh tried to protest. "My lord, this is a violation-"
"You will be silent, maitrakh;" Thrawn snapped, cutting her off, "or you will share in his imprisonment."
"I will not be silent;" snarled the maitrakh, and Leia could not help but admire her courage in the face of obvious danger. "A Noghri accused of treason to the overclan must be given over to the clan dynasts for the ancient rules of discovery and judgement. It is the law."
"I am not bound by Noghri law," Thrawn said, his voice deadly cold as steel. "Khabarakh has been a traitor to the Empire. By Imperial Rules he will be judged and condemned."
"The clan dynasts will demand-"
"The clan dynasts are in no position to demand anything;" Thrawn said, raising his voice for the first time and touching the comlink cylinder in his breast pocket next to his rank insignia. "Do you want a reminder of what it means to defy the Empire?"
Leia was poised to end her sensory enhancement, but the maitrakh sighed in defeat. "No, my lord."
Thrawn seemed to study her before declaring coldly. "You shall have one anyway;" and he touched his comlink.
Immediately, Leia ended her sensory enhancement. She was not a moment too soon. There was a muted flash from the distance and then nothing for several long second. Then, in the distance, a rumble could be heard. It was long and low and angry, the sound of turbolaser fire from the orbiting Star Destroyer. Even though it was clearly quite the distance away, it was clear that it was close enough and intense enough that it got the Grand Admiral's point across. When the last rumble had faded, Thrawn spoke in a low, cold voice. "I am the law on Honoghr now, maitrakh. If I choose to follow the ancient laws, I will follow them. If I choose to ignore them, they will be ignored. Is that clear?"
Clearly frightened half out of her mind, the maitrakh answered in a quiet hiss, "yes, my lord."
"Good;" he rumbled.
A brittle silence filled the air until the Grand Admiral said, "For loyal servants of the Empire, however, I am prepared to make compromises. Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar will be interrogated aboard the Chimaera; but before that, I will allow the first stage of the ancient laws of discovery. Rukh;" and he turned towards the third Noghri, "you will remove Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar to the center of Nystao and present him to the clan dynasts. Perhaps three days of public shaming will serve to remind the Noghri people that we are still at war."
"Yes, my lord."
Leia heard the doors open and close and gritted her teeth angrily. From what she could read from Chewbacca, he was equally angered by this. The Rebel Alliance had unwittingly destroyed Honoghr once and now, it seemed that she would destroy Khabarakh.
In the center of the dukha, the Grand Admiral said, "You are very quiet, maitrakh."
"My lord ordered me to be silent;" she countered, just a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Of course;" Thrawn replied as he studied her. "Loyalty to one's clan and family is all well and good, maitrakh. But to extend that loyalty to a traitor would be foolish, as well at potentially disastrous yo you family and clan."
"I have not heard evidence that my thirdson is a traitor;" countered the maitrakh.
Thrawn's lip twitched upward slightly. "You will."
Finally, he turned and strode out the double doors. It was not until they had heard the repulserlifts from the shuttle fading into the background that they came out. They were alone, deep within Imperial territory without a ship or a way to communicate and their only ally was now being taken away. "I think, Chewie;" she said, "we're in trouble."
Coruscant - the Headquarters of the Jedi Order
Before the Ghost was even on the hanger floor, there was a small party waiting for them. Mara stood there, as did Shara, Ferroda's wife, and several of the Jedi Knights and students were with them. Luke hugged and kissed Mara while Ferroda did the same to Shara. Galen shook their hands and asked how the mission had gone. When Kanan and Hera came down with a hover pallet containing several storage crates and cylinders, his eyes widened. "Wow! Darth Diabolis doesn't seem to mind throwing away artifacts, does he?"
"Well as long as he keeps setting the stuff out there, we might as well take them off his hands;" chuckled Ferroda.
"Maybe;" said Luke. "I think he was expecting something different somehow. Anyhow, it's good to be back. Emma, Barabus! I didn't know you two were going to be back on Coruscant!"
Two of the younger students came over and hugged him. Neither of them was older than sixteen. The young man was a near-human who had stark-white dyed hair with a white and blue dyed face as well. his name was Barabus Gaul and he was born on the world of forest-covered Sarkai. The young woman was also human with rich brown hair and green eyes. Her name was Emma Illana and they had both been found on Naboo and also had a force bond very similar to that which Luke and Mara had.
They had been spending most of the time out on missions with Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn.
Barabas Gaul, the male, was smiling broadly. "We're back for a few weeks. I think Kyle just ran out of things for us to do out there so, here we are."
"We're looking forward to showing you what we've learned;" said Illana eagerly.
"And I'm looking forward to seeing it."
They all headed into the facility. Since they had established the New Jedi Order, or at least had begun the work to do so, Luke and Mara had slowly been taking on new students. First, Mara had decided, after much internal struggle, that she wished to be a Jedi Knight like Luke while they were on a mission on Naboo. They had taught each other force skills that the other did not know and, after that mission was over, began gathering students. Wade Vox they had found on Tatooine while Kyle had been on the mission with them. Ferroda Grey and Keyan Farlander were integral members of the Rebel Alliance military and Leia, of course, was a member of the command structure. So Luke and Mara had begun with those five students - Kyle, Leia, Keyan, Ferroda and Wade. For some time, they worked closely with them, teaching them what they knew and also having them bring skills that they had to the floor in order to help teach their fellow students. Luke and Mara themselves had learned a thing or two from each of them.
During battles with the Zann Consortium and the Sith Lords Darth Diabolis and Darth Heluquin, Mara and Luke had both been captured, leaving their students largely leaderless. During that time, Kyle had disappeared and it wasn't until later they had found that he had managed to stop an Imperial warlord and Dark Jedi master from gaining enough knowledge and power to destroyer the Alliance of Free Planets, which was what the Rebel Alliance had become after the death of the Emperor over Endor.
Kyle had defeated him and his cadre of Dark Jedi and returned to them as fully fledged Jedi Knight. During the rescue mission to save Luke and Mara, they had discovered, much to their delight, that their were other Jedi out there as well. A secret task force sent into the Unknown Regions to lead away an army of Sith assassins had returned, along with Rahm Kota, who was now deceased, Galen Marek, Ezra Bridger and Maris Brood. During that mission, two Dark Jedi who had served under Heluquin and Diabolis were captured and redeemed and the Sith Lord Heluquin had been killed.
After a very difficult and trying time, Mara and Luke began to recover from their ordeal. Shortly after that, the Alliance had taken Coruscant and declared themselves the New Republic. It had, of course, been a rocky start - filled with treachery from supposed allies and attempts by new allies to garner more power than was their due. The Hapes Consortium, after a battle on the planet Dathomir, the loss of Maris Brood and Cariaga Sin, one of the two former Dark Jedi and the Prince of Hapes' attempt to marry Mara, finally became a part of the New Republic. After that, the Hapan man Kondor had been sent to begin Jedi training and two particularly power Dathomir witches Kirana Ti and Damaya had joined the Jedi order, going so far as to move their families from Dathomir to Coruscant.
Barabas and Emma had been found on Naboo shortly after that. It was right after Luke and Mara had left on their honeymoon that Wade Vox, Keyan Farlander and Nisotsa, the other of the two former Dark Jedi, had been sent on a fact finding mission to a reportedly abandoned Imperial research station. It had not been abandoned. What's more the nightmares that they found aboard still often caused the three Jedi to wake up in cold sweats at night. Regardless of the horror, they had been successful and had been given the rank of Jedi Knight for their success.
When the clone Imperial warlord X1 had began his assault on the New Republic, beginning with an attack on the Hapes Consortium to assure they couldn't assist the New Republic, he then quickly consolidated power by putting a base on Dathomir, taking the base on Vjun from another Imperial War lord and claiming the facilities on Mustafar and Saleucami as well. It had taken some time and many good men and women to dig him out. Master Rahm Kota had died and Ferroda, who had once been called X2, faced down his clone brother X1 and killed him. Ferroda was then elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight himself. This brought the number of fully fledged Jedi to ten. It also gained them two promising and already-powerful apprentices in the form of Xesh Dooku and Yirk Windu. They had been made by X1 but had surrendered on Vjun. Ferroda, being a clone himself, had taken them under his wing. Xesh was a handsome man with a curved-hilted green lightsaber and Yirk had dark skin and used an orange lightsaber.
Just over the past few months, a dozen new students from across the New Republic had appeared. The Jedi order was growing in size and, thanks to many different stores of knowledge that had been found, so was the knowledge of those Jedi. Obi-wan Kenobi had left journals for Luke in his hut on Tatooine. During the trap set to capture Mara and Luke, several holocrons, tomes and scrolls with valuable information had been found. During the raid on Darth Heluquin's fortress on Ambria, even more had been found. On Dathomir, a chest of training material had been recovered from the Witches of the Singing Mountain clan and now, a whole new wealth of knowledge had just been sent to them, courtesy of a failed trap of Darth Diabolis.
After greeting the students and Jedi Knights alike, Luke, Mara, Wade, Keyan, Ferroda, Kanan, Nisotsa and Galen went to the room that had been converted into an archive room. Every bit of recorded knowledge they had was kept there. There were several holocrons of different kinds, a sizable number of books, tomes and scrolls and a very large collection of data discs, cards, tapes, cylinders and pads. On one wall was a number of lightsabers they had recovered as well, set on shelves and labeled with who they had belonged to and where they were found, if the information could be obtained.
Going to a table, they looked over the new items. "Do you get an off feeling from any of them?" asked Mara, standing a little further back just in case.
Kanan shook his head. "No, I do not. They seem perfectly benign."
One item at a time, they went through it, identifying what each item was about. Just then, Galen's comlink chimed. "This is Galen;" he answered as he studied a tome.
"This is Chief Blake, Master Marek - Councilor Fey'lya is demanding entrance to the building."
Galen frowned. "Um... what's that now?"
"Councilor Fey'lya is demanding that we let him in to see the Jedi archives to ensure that none of the contents is harmful to the new Republic."
Mara snorted and said, "A great deal of this stuff would be harmful to the New Republic if it were in the wrong hands. Tell him to go inhale fumes."
Luke sighed and said, "I'll go take care of it. He won't take no for an answer unless a Jedi Knight or higher firmly gives him the proverbial boot."
Mara grinned wickedly. "If you'd like, I'd have no problem giving him the literal boot."
"No, Mara;" said Luke, sounding slightly like a father talking to an erstwhile teenager rather than his wife and fellow Jedi Knight. "Stay here and help out the masters."
"When did you stop being so fun;" muttered Mara as he headed out, causing him to chuckle and shake his head.
Councilor Fey'lya was standing with his hands behind his back with two of his aides and a protocol droid when Luke walked up. "Ah, Jedi Skywalker; are you here to escort me to your archives?"
"With all due respect, Councilor Fey'lya;" Luke said, trying to remain polite and sound reasonable, "the archives of the Jedi are not for public access. They are a private collection and this is private property, despite its use by the New Jedi Order as a living space, training facility and headquarters."
"According to the laws of the New Republic, you are a public organization;" stated Fey'lya, "much like the military or law enforcement."
Luke lifted one eyebrow. This aught to be interesting. "How so, councilor?"
"You are funded by the tax credits of the New Republic, for one thing;" stated Fey'lya. "For another, you are constantly called upon as either military leaders, law enforcement or diplomatic mediators and are dully compensated for your work. Therefore, you are a government asset, not a private organization by law."
"I'm afraid that you are mistaken, Councilor;" said Luke, taking private pleasure at the indignation and vexation the Bothan was clearly experiencing. "You see, we are a private organization. We have not received government funding since we split with the New Republic Military - unless we are called in to assist with military, law enforcement or diplomatic situations. Indeed, it would be far more accurate to state that we are private contractors who often work with the governing body. What's more, since well before the retaking of Coruscant and the reformation from the Alliance of Free Planets to the New Republic, it has been the policy of the Alliances and the New Republic that any and all items that originated with Jedi, Sith or affiliated groups are to be turned over to the New Jedi Order - with appropriate compensation of course. That makes this building, this organization and all the information therein absolutely private."
"During the days of the old Republic, politicians were often allowed to go into the archives to study events that were not well recorded by the senate archives;" countered the Bothan, his voice becoming angrier.
Luke's only became cooler. "You are not a politician of the old Republic, Councilor Fey'lya and this is not the Old Jedi Order - which is why we have not been flying from one end of the galaxy to the other stealing children from their parents. Time's change and we must as well. Now, is there anything in particular that you would like information on? Perhaps if I spoke to the masters about it, they would not mind looking into the event or even bringing out relevant materials for you to study."
"I want to ensure that any knowledge within there is not dangerous to the New Republic or any of its sectors, systems or worlds;" Fey'lya stated loftily.
Luke shook his head resolutely. "I can save you the trouble, councilor. There are many things that may be dangerous to the New Republic - in the hands of a mad force user or Dark Jedi. However, in the hands of the Jedi, it is safe and regulated. I'm afraid that is the best I can do for you right now."
Fey'lya's nostrils flared and his ears flattened. "I will return Skywalker, with an order from Mon Mothma herself, if needs be."
"That would be an illegal order;" stated Luke bluntly. "And if such an order were issued, the Jedi would consider relocating to a world not within the purview of the New Republic. Now, if you will excuse me, my wife is calling me."
Turning on his heel, Luke strode back to the turbo lifts, satisfied to sense Fey'lya and his team storming out the main entrance.