Some catching up in this chapter as the events of Rogue One and New Hope draw ever closer. At the same time, other things are coming to a head – or will be very soon.
Chapter 17: Mousetrap
Traveling in hyperspace after Battle of Atollon, 1 BBY 2 months, 28 days
As Corvala Dawn made the jump, with the shattered remains of Imperial Star Destroyer Hammer raining debris in all directions, Master Ahsoka Tano was still in the pilot's seat, with her adoptive mother, Grand Master Shaak Ti in the co-pilot's "right seat." Directly behind them sat newly promoted Padawans of the Order, Hedala Fardi and Frehya Lumoxa. They were abuzz with chatter about what just went down.
"Master! Did you two just cause that Star Destroyer to be blown up completely?!" Hedala exclaimed, while waving her hands in the air with excitement.
Ahsoka turned and smiled. "It would appear so, my apprentice." She laughed.
Shaak put a finger to her lips. "Let's try to contain ourselves. Many people just died there. But this is the nature of war. We cannot hide from it, but we only celebrate when it advances our cause. And, safe to say, I think it reasonable to believe this one did."
Ahsoka then asked, with a more composed look, "Master, what exactly did we do there? This was not something we had talked about much."
Shaak replied, "It's a variation of mine on an old Force concept called Circle of Light. But in this case, the Light becomes pure energy and can pass through any solid barrier. We simply direct it, after getting the reaction started."
"Any reason why it seemed a pale blue in color?"
"Simply the traditional hue for Circle of Light. You may wish to add your own signature to it in the future, now that you are becoming familiar with how it works."
Ahsoka tilted her head and put a finger to her upper lip for a second, then spoke in a low tone. "Mother, is this something we can repeat against other Imperial ships? We could make a real dent in their forces."
"My child, it is a power to be used only when they least expect it. At the current time, however, they scarcely know what hit them. I suspect they will try to cover it up, claiming safety procedures were not followed amid a general move to cover their asses. But Admiral Thrawn won't be fooled. He will work diligently to get closer to the truth."
Ahsoka nodded and smiled. "Well, Mother, I'm going aft. I need to meditate on this. We have a seven-hour journey before we reach Yavin."
"I will join you, dear."
Ahsoka patted Hedala on the shoulder. "You two think we can rest with you in charge?" She laughed.
"We got this, Master!" She gave a quick nod.
As the Togruta both went to the Master stateroom for rest, Frehya and Hedala kept talking.
"Dala, what happens next? This is our first time going to Yavin. I'm getting excited. We are really in the middle of it now."
The younger Padawan looked her friend in the eye and nodded some more. "You bet we are, Freh. And I couldn't be happier. We just kicked some major Imperial butt back there and it feels good."
"Well, the Masters did the heavy lifting. But it sure felt good plugging those TIE's." Frehya laughed heartily.
"Lights out, baby, yeah!" Hedala pumped her fist in the air.
"We've come a long way since Tatooine, haven't we?"
Atollon, orbital space and surface, 1 BBY 2 months, 28 days
Back in the Atollon system, Grand Admiral Thrawn was pulling himself together. He turned to his subordinates.
"We have to know what just happened there. How does a one-month old, newly commissioned Star Destroyer just explode?" He said with a controlled rage. "Are there any survivors?"
Captain Rack Ingersoll responded. "Sir, the commanding officers seem to have perished with the ship. Maybe some NCOs or enlisted troops made it off. We took in a few escape pods and a couple of shuttles. I'm afraid that's about it. Just a terrible day for the Empire."
Thrawn shook his head. "There's something I'm not seeing – we're not seeing. Perhaps the rebels …"
Ingersoll disagreed. "I can't see how they had anything like that kind of firepower available. We had destroyed almost everything left on the surface of the planet. The rest they took with them. At best they had some proton torpedoes and ion cannon. Hardly enough to do that kind of damage."
Thrawn thought some more. "We will have to report it as crew malfeasance. There were reports of major radiation leaks coming from the ship. Procedures weren't followed. Standard CYA."
"Some of that is likely true, sir. They might choose to believe it."
"However, Lord Vader may take a very different view."
The captain nodded slowly. "No doubt he will … once he learns of this. The Battle of Atollon was a very expensive victory."
Coruscant, Imperial Palace, 1 BBY 2 months, 27 days
Back on Coruscant, Emperor Sheev Palpatine had different things to think about. He had not yet learned of what happened over Atollon, but he unmistakably felt another Force disturbance, one he was able to detect coming from the general direction of Corellia. Darth Vader had returned from Scarif and the Death Star, but had no new information. But the Emperor had the feeling his apprentice wasn't telling him everything. Palpatine called him back to the palace.
"Lord Vader … I sense there is something more you wanted to tell me."
"Yes, Master. I wasn't certain before but now I cannot find another explanation."
"Explanation … for what?"
"The Force presence. It is my former apprentice – Tano. She lives …"
"You are quite certain?"
"Yes, my master."
"You know what you must do, then … one more thing, Lord Vader …"
"What is it?"
"I received a strange transmission … it referred to the eyes of Sabla Mandu. Does this bring anything to mind?"
Vader paused for a moment. "No, my master, it does not."
Palpatine scowled at him. "Lord Vader … you lack an appreciation of history. This was an ancient Jedi prophet. One without eyes but she saw everything through the Force. You would do well to broaden your approach."
"Yes Master. There is always more to learn."
"One more thing. When you find Lady Tano, bring her to me. I sense her new power is great and she could be a powerful ally … for you … and the Empire."
"She will join us, my master."
"See to it."
Vader walked away, knowing he had his work cut out for him. It was one thing to detect Ahsoka Tano, quite another to find her. Even more to somehow subdue her and bring her to the Emperor. And what of this Sabla Mandu? It seemed like another riddle from His Majesty, meant to test the Apprentice yet again. But he had no doubt the transmission to the Palace was real. Was Tano sending this too? If so, her power must be greater than my own, he realized. How could this happen? No, there had to be another answer. He had to meditate on this and see what answers the Force had for him.
Yavin IV, Rebel base, 1 BBY 2 months, 27 days
As Corvala Dawn emerged from hyperspace and drew close to their destination, Hedala and Frehya were awestruck by the sheer mass of the planet Yavin – a world over 200,000 km in diameter, almost enough to be a star in its own right. Next to the gas giant, the fourth moon looked like a marble in comparison. But it was large enough to hold an abundance of life forms and served well as a location for the new Alliance base.
After they had landed and disembarked, Ahsoka proceeded to give her apprentices a short tour of the facilities, while Shaak contacted Garm Bel-Iblis. She informed him they would receive a debriefing of what had taken place on Atollon.
This meeting was held about two hours later, with just Shaak and the other three leaders – Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and Bel-Iblis. Shaak opened the discussion.
"Thank you for meeting with me today. I have some news that ought to be of interest. About 12 hours ago, rebel forces were successful in taking down the Imperial Star Destroyer Hammer and nearly everyone aboard. The decisive blow was struck as the ship's main reactor and hyperdrive were severely compromised. Although Grand Admiral Thrawn will likely describe it to the Imperial command as a victory, because he forced our retreat from the Atollon emplacement, we ensured that such a victory came at a high price."
Mothma was quick to praise Shaak. "This is very good news. Are you able to share with us how the crucial blow was delivered?"
"My lady, I will describe it in general terms. Master Tano and I teamed up to pinpoint our strikes at critical locations on the ship. We were aided by having accurate schematics of the ship's layout and power flow. Any ship of that size must contain a significant plant to generate the needed energy. Therefore we merely have to target what we refer to as 'shatter points' in the infrastructure."
Bel-Iblis then asked, "Grand Master Shaak, can you tell us whether this method can successfully be used on succeeding Imperial targets?"
"Senator, the answer to that is yes. But it will require careful planning. My preference is that we keep this capability in abeyance for the time being and use it sparingly. Our number one priority now should be gaining those plans for the Death Star."
Organa nodded. "Master Ti, is there any chance that the methods you and Master Tano employed against that Star Destroyer might be effective against the Death Star?"
"A most perceptive inquiry, Senator." Shaak nodded and smiled broadly. "In time, this might well prove to be a strategy worth exploring. I would caution, however, that we have not seen what that thing can do – or how it operates. But there is little doubt that however it functions, it will require massive amounts of energy. And thus lies the means of exploiting it."
Mothma then noted, "The Empire has invested countless resources and over twenty years in building it. They have been willing to exterminate an entire species of sentients. If we could somehow destroy it, we could set them back severely. This must be our highest priority. The stakes couldn't be higher."
Bel-Iblis nodded as well. "I think I speak for all of us, Mon, when I say we are in agreement with you on this. It won't be easy, but if we could do this, we will have a shot at winning this rebellion. At the very least, Palpatine will know he's in a struggle."
The meeting broke up with a shared intention to quickly review any and all material pertaining to Imperial capabilities. Shaak went looking for Ahsoka as she was desirous of returning to her home on Felucia. The other Togruta master was talking with her apprentices about the nature of war and its costs. Frehya was feeling a bit wistful over the large number that died on the Star Destroyer they had vanquished.
Ahsoka reflected that it seemed she had known war for most of her life. At times, it had become routine and it was all too easy to dismiss the real costs. Everyone who had died had family or someone they knew that would be affected – on both sides of the conflict. Frehya then asked her about the clone soldiers that she had served with.
Ahsoka sighed long and deep. "When I look back to those days, I will always have a fond remembrance. They were brave and so dedicated. Always putting the mission first and looking out for my safety. When I think about how many died fighting next to me I never fail to feel it. So many, who didn't know, would ask me if those guys were basically just manufactured fighters. I would always say – will always say – that they were just as real as anyone else. Someday I won't be around anymore, but when I leave I will take with me those precious memories."
Hedala joined the discussion. "Was there ever any kind of memorial built for them? It seems the galaxy ought to find a way to remember."
Ahsoka nodded solemnly. "You are so right, friend. There was something done on Coruscant a long time ago. A battle memorial built for those that died on Geonosis at the start of the war. But, you know, I think something more is needed to pay our respects. Master Shaak will likely agree. I will approach her on this."
At that point, Shaak came up to them and asked if they were about ready to leave. Ahsoka smiled. "Yes, Mother, I think we are done now."
Shaak smiled at the two apprentices. "What do you think of the base so far?"
"It looks serious." Frehya remarked.
"Like we've got a real military." Hedala chimed in.
The GM responded evenly. "It's a start. Now it is most important to conserve our resources and always be able to move quickly as needed. Revolutions are only as successful as their planning."
Ahsoka spoke up. "I suppose, if we were to destroy another Imperial ship, they will start putting it together."
Shaak scoffed. "Let them. It can be valuable for them to learn their weaknesses – to start doubting themselves."
Various Locations, 0 BBY 10 months, 0 days
Five months passed. The Empire had been able thus far to cover up the debacle of losing the Star Destroyer Hammer in what was supposed to be mopping-up operation on Atollon, where the bulk of the rebels squadron and materiel were able to get away to a new base – and Thrawn and company were so busy licking their wounds, that they barely had time to realize that now they had zero idea where that new base was and much time had been lost. Time that the Alliance would use to build up their forces as the shipyards of Corellia were covertly supplying more hardware to the rebel effort.
Darth Vader, now on the hunt for his onetime apprentice Ahsoka Tano, had yet to actually find her, nor had the Emperor made any headway at all in learning who had sent the mysterious transmission directly into the palace, or how it was done. The one thing they both could agree on was that someone else in the galaxy had rather significant Force abilities and they were unable thus far to do anything about it. Neither Vader, nor Palpatine, had learned the truth of the destruction of the Hammer, but also, neither Shaak nor Ahsoka had gone near the Death Star, nor had they visited any Core worlds, so they were laying low. The rebels continued to recruit more people and worlds to their cause, usually quietly, but the Death Star was becoming more and more of an open secret, especially now that it was testing its engines and hyperdrive capability. The planet-busting lasers were not yet ready, but Grand Moff Tarkin, now fully in charge of the station, was looking for suitable targets to provide a site for the first test.
The Almanians got a rare opportunity to use their new defense system as a medium-sized group of pirates ventured into their perimeter. When the warnings were ignored, the satellite system swung into action and soon dozens of droid-powered satellites wielding Kyber-based lasers made short work of the entire gang. At least ten ships were destroyed, with no survivors. Ahsoka was of course invited to another banquet and was accompanied by Chelli Aphra and her companion Sana Starros. She later brought Tri'ku Je'har with her to Felucia and formally introduced him to Shaak as her lover. Though the Grand Master was somewhat concerned that this affair might occupy too much of her daughter's attention, she also did not want to deny Ahsoka personal happiness. The two were spending much time together on Almania and Vaynai, and Tri'ku was seriously considering joining the Alliance in some capacity, which would entail his leaving his position as Commodore for the Almanian Self-Defense Force.
Chelli also worked with Ahsoka to outfit her ship Corvala Dawn with a smaller version of the satellite system, which would make the ship a lethal weapon for the Alliance. Shaak and Ahsoka were also enhancing a galactic intelligence network (that Shaak and her Order had started some ten years before) of transmission craft and probes. These could communicate with each other from various locations around the Galaxy and could also be controlled from various spots. These would then include Shaak's home base on Felucia, Ahsoka's home on Almania, and the rebel base on Yavin IV. Full deployment of this network would continue over the months still to come as the coming showdown with the Death Star slowly approached.
On Felucia, Shaak and Ahsoka continued to train their acolytes and two more of them were granted Padawan status, bringing that total to seven. These included Ahsoka's own apprentices, Frehya and Hedala, who were gaining more important skills. Frehya was spending much time learning to fly Starfighter craft and training with the rebel squadrons on Yavin IV, while Hedala was fast becoming one of the best young lightsabre users. Both of them had greatly expanded their Force perception and technique and Shaak had given her approval to Ahsoka for conducting knowledge sessions using selected Jedi holocrons. Only Ahsoka was permitted to accompany her mother in the secret underground vault, however, something even Maris had not been trained on.
On one such occurrence, Shaak played back a recording of a conversation at the Imperial Palace between Palpatine and Vader. In this one, Vader was telling the Emperor he believed Ahsoka was still alive and was also responsible for some unexplained phenomena involving the Force. Palpatine then speculated that perhaps she could be turned to the Dark Side and become an ally of the Empire. Ahsoka scoffed at that, but Shaak carefully noted her daughter's reactions. She then speculated whether their developing intelligence network might be of some use in tracking the Dark Lord's whereabouts.
Almania, Ahsoka's residence, 0 BBY 9 months, 27 days
The long Almanian winter was over and Frehya and Hedala were conducting a lightsabre training exercise outdoors behind Ahsoka's mansion. The younger Padawan was giving some tips to her companion as Ahsoka and Tri'ku looked on.
"They seem to be greatly improving, at least Miss Fardi," Tri'ku remarked.
Ahsoka nodded. "Fairly early on, I knew she was a natural. Miss Lumoxa is becoming a decent pilot, so much so, I've been giving her the left seat on Dawn from time to time."
"She once had a promising career in our navy. But for some reason she resigned her commission about five years ago."
"Did she give a reason?"
"Nothing much beyond a simple wish to retire. She was about 45 years old and figured her career wasn't going to advance beyond where it had gone."
Ahsoka looked away for a second, as Frehya was parrying Hedala's aggressive thrusts toward her. "What was her rank at the time?
"She'd made it to Second Lieutenant. She asked me for a commendation and if I would sponsor her promotion to Commander."
"Were you prepared to give it?"
"I had told her it was under consideration."
"And?"
"It was probably going to happen, but she had to wait."
"So she just decided to call it quits …" Ahsoka sighed. "Probably just as well. Otherwise I might never have had the chance to meet her and her new career would have never happened."
"She does seem happy," Tri'ku noted. "What are your plans for these two, ultimately?"
"They are going to be my personal guard, once they have become full Knights of the Order. But Shaak makes that very difficult. Her ideas about what a Knight should be go well beyond what a Jedi was expected to do. So they will still accompany me on most of my travels. We have bonded well together and have great cohesion. I've shown them how to reach out with the Force to gauge each other's feelings. Frehya was already good at that before we met."
Just then, Ahsoka received a call from the spaceport. Administrator Millsap was on the line.
"Doctor Tanner, a group of people have arrived here to see you from Corp-Sec. They claim to have some important info regarding a shipment of crystals you were inquiring about."
"Thank you, Shaw. Tell them I will be there in about thirty minutes."
"Very good, madam."
Ahsoka thought this over for a bit. She had indeed been asking around about Kyber crystals and whether there were possible buyers. Over the past few months, she had slowly amassed a good number of them from various Outer Rim worlds. The man she had met some time ago, Tolbert Nagupta, had not been able to find the buyers that he had earlier promised her, for reasons she was unable to determine. So maybe now there was finally a nibble? She had to find out. For Ahsoka, this was more than just a chance to make a few hundred thousand credits, it was a possible pipeline into the Imperial supply line for the super lasers on the Death Star.
She then motioned to her apprentices. "Girls, I need you both to come with me to the spaceport. Change into business attire. We have a meeting."
Frehya and Hedala looked at each other with blank expressions. "What do you suppose this is, Freh?"
"We'll just have to wait and see …"
Ahsoka and Tri'ku split up as he decided to head to Stonia and attend to naval affairs. Then she and the two apprentices, all wearing dark dresses, made their way to the spaceport. The representatives from Issagra were there to meet her and suggested they return to the Corp-Sec together. Ahsoka agreed but asked Frehya and Hedala to follow them in the Corvala Dawn. When they all got to Issagra, the meeting took place in an ordinary looking office building of about ten floors. Things proceeded without any unusual occurrences taking place. Frehya went with Ahsoka inside while Hedala stayed with the ship.
After the meeting had ended, one of the attendees had to make a call.
"Tell Lord Vader we may have found the Togruta he is looking for … Yes. My agents have installed the tracker on her ship which followed us over here."
To be continued …
