Chapter 23: Opening Gambits
Grand Inquisitor Kael watched with a smile as his final Super battlecruiser the Darkness launched from its spacedock. Its crew was ordered to deliver the deadly ship to its new captain, Admiral Nevar, with Kael's compliments. He had delivered the Shadow to Vice Admiral Thrawn a few days earlier.
He had heard rumors of Grant attacking a Kentarian world, and sighed. He would have to inform the Emperor that attacking the Kentarians in a ground based war was suicide. While studying their vessel, he had discovered that while Kentarian ships were heavily dependant on heavy armor, their lack of shields could be considered a weakness… secretly, he admired the Kentarians, and would not want to face one in battle.
Then he felt it. His Force perceptions warned him of an approaching threat…. One that was so incredibly deadly that even he was threatened.
He turned, now on edge. His hands grabbed his twin lightsabers, Ebony and Ivory. All he saw was a few stormtroopers approaching him. He quickly called upon the Force, attempting to get an answer.
Suddenly the stormtroopers all knelt twenty feet away, raised their weapons, and opened fire upon him.
Two lightsabers sprang upward of their own violition, one blade was as white as pure light, while the other was as black as space. He instinctively blocked the incoming blaster bolts, sending them back towards these foolish stormtroopers.
There were screams of pain as several troops fell to their own fire. Kael couldn't believe this. Why would Stormtroopers attempt to kill him?
He saw more stormtroopers enter the main observation deck. Didn't the fools know better than to fire in this of all places? One wrong shot could hit a glass partition and send them all out into…
He wondered if this was what the Jedi had felt during the Clone Wars when their own forces turned against them.
Then he knew. This was what they had been created for. He felt an odd feeling in the Force. These Stormtroopers were different than all the others. As he slashed and cut his way through white plated soldiers, he used the Force to snatch off one of their helmets…. He had to see.
Staring back at him was the face of Grand Admiral Zaarin… all of the clone troopers here were of Grand Admiral Zaarin.
He had been expecting Grand Admiral Grant.
More and more stormtroopers stormed into the chamber, each trying to kill the Grand Inquisitor. He leapt forward to get to the doorway, his blades slashing through armor and weapons with a skill that nearly defied description. Kael knew that calling for help was useless, because whoever had done this had probably had his own guards replaced with more clones.
Then he felt the approach of something that felt ominous in the Force. He looked up from slaying the clone troopers to see one of Moc's Dark Troopers approaching. He took a combat stance, his twin lightsabers twirling around him in a dazzling display.
The Dark Trooper raised its autocannon, and didn't aim at him…
It aimed at the observation dome.
"WAIT!" Kael cried.
But the Dark Trooper fired anyway.
Air, glass, and stormtroopers were quickly sucked out into the blackness of space.
And so was Grand Inquisitor Kael.
----
Aboard the new Super-battlecruiser Shadow, Vice Admiral Thrawn smiled one of his rare personal smiles as he watched his crew finish building his personal holo-chamber beneath the bridge. He had received the Shadow with a message from his friend Kael saying to enjoy his time with his new command.
Thrawn realized that he had not relaxed since he had joined the Empire and had met some of the Grand Admirals. He was always tense, and only constant travels to the Finders Keepers space station, to see the Catharian masseuse Jade helped him to get his back muscles to relax enough so that he could sleep.
He realized then that he would like to see Jade now. After last nights news that Grand Admiral Grant had invaded the colony world of Var, he knew that battle with the Kentarians was inevitable.
Thrawn liked the Kentarians, they were honorable, kind and very protective of those they considered friends. And their ships were formidable. In studying their ships and art, he had discovered a way to counter their most powerful weapon, the magnetic accelerator cannon, by using tractor beams and turbolasers… but had been reluctant to deliver that information to the other Grand Admirals.
He could feel the tension in the air. Something was going to happen soon. The Rebels, joining with the Kentarians was a sign of things to come.
He turned to face his ships captain Niriz. "What do you think, Captain? Can you get used to your new station?'
Captain Niriz smiled as he looked around. "Its big, and still smells like cleaner chemicals… but I think I can learn to like it here."
Thrawn nodded. "This ship feels right to me. It will serve us well… in whatever position we take." He added.
"You know the crew is loyal to you, sir. We will go where you send us." Captain Niriz said with a salute.
Thrawn nodded. "Of course." He looked up to the sound of someone screaming in fear. "Ovruk, let the messenger through, and stop scaring them!" Thrawn said with a small chuckle. Ovruk loved scaring people… its what he lived for.
Ovruk, Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard, entered the room with a terrified looking adjutant. "Sorry, sir." Ovruk said in his gravely voice. "The man ran into the room… I stopped him."
Captain Niriz shivered at that. Usually when Ovruk said stopped he usually meant leapt on top of brandishing those lethal knives of his.
"What is it, Adjutant Talis?" Thrawn asked.
Adjutant Talis shivered in fear as he took a step away from Ovruk. "S..s..Sir, we are receiving reports from several Imperial spacedocks. From Kuat, Corellia, and Fondor, they are under attack by unknown forces wearing Stormtrooper armor! Several of our own vessels have opened fire upon our ships!"
Thrawn immediately moved towards his command chair. "Prepare to move out! Set your course for Kuat! I want an immediate Imperial ship layout in that sector! Prepare all fighter crews to prepare to launch the moment we emerge from hyperspace! Have the rest of the fleet follow us in an arrowhead vector!"
Captain Niriz moved to carry out the Vice Admiral's orders. He had never heard Thrawn so…upset before.
The mere thought of Thrawn upset terrified him.
----
Emperor Palpatine sat in his throne-room overlooking Capital city. He didn't even turn his chair around as the twin huge doors opened behind him and dozens of Stormtroopers charged into the room.
He knew their intentions. They meant to kill him.
His loyal Royal Guards quickly reacted and charged into their midst. Vibro-staves hummed and crackled with energy as they met and cleaved through stormtrooper armor.
Blaster bolts spanged off of Royal Guard armor where it was thickest and yet penetrated in some of the weakest spots. Royal Guards and Stormtroopers died not ten feet from Emperor Palpatine.
One Royal Guard in particular, didn't though. He watched from a safe distance, waiting for his moment to strike.
While people screamed and died behind him, Emperor Palpatine calmly reached over to his nearby desk, and pulled over a tall pitcher of clear water. He poured himself a drink, and took a satisfying sip.
'Ah." He said softly. Everything was proceeding exactly as he had foreseen it.
----
Darth Vader meditated while the Executor approached the huge spacedock in orbit of Coruscant. He would soon report to his master, and he would have to explain why he had allowed JAG Micah to be killed, for his death was inevitable.
Behind him, Chi'anna turned with a peculiar expression. "Fa…. Vader… listen!"
Vader turned slowly. He could hear blasterfire echo through the halls of the Executor. Then the doors to his private chamber opened and dozens of Stormtroopers charged forward, blasters firing non-stop.
Chi'anna screamed with exultation at this chance to vent her frustrations. Orange lightsaber blades snapped from her wrists as she leaped forward into combat. Behind her, Vader's own crimson lightsaber sprang into life, and he joined her in battle.
There would be no survivors of these betrayers this day.