Chapter 9: Turn of the Tide
All was quiet in the space in between Onderon and Dxun. Though Dxun was a moon of Onderon the two practically shared the same atmosphere. Mandalorian vessels went on their usual patrols around the area as the fleet remained stationary in orbit. Then, just as the day appeared to be the same as always, an enormous fleet of Republic warships fell out of hyperspace and launched a vicious attack on the Mandalorian forces. General Horn stood on the bridge of the Republic flagship, Bloodfin, with Admiral Pallaeon watching the firefight begin. Even after four years of war, Valin was nowhere near the skill of Ben and the admiral in space combat so waited patiently while Pallaeon barked out orders to the crew..
By the time the Mandalorians began to return fire, the plan was working beautifully. The Jedi shuffled his feet as the ship lurched to the left as cannon-fire collided with the Bloodfin's shields. The ship righted itself at the head of the fleet in formation behind it. Now Valin's smaller but mostly Jedi concentrated fleet were barring the smaller large portion of the Mandalorian fleet over Dxun from assisting the vessels stationed over Onderon.
Valin looked at the sensors and saw the full might of the Republic fleet drop out of hyperspace. He accessed the comm and patched himself through to Vestara. "General Khai, you are all clear. May the Force keep you strong."
It was only after those words came out that he realized how far from Jedi-like they were. He then realized that he didn't care what the Jedi would say. Everywhere he looked during this war he didn't see Jedi but Revanchists willingly doing what the Jedi could not: fighting the Mandalorian clans with the same ferocity that Mandalore was using to attack the Republic. He didn't have time to ponder this further as both fleets willingly advanced on the other and began a deadly firefight.
Ben Skywalker looked on at the asteroid belt before him. It had long been abandoned and forgotten by the mining corporation that once claimed it millenia ago. It was here near Bimmiel, a planet that fell to the Yuuzhan Vong in the galaxy's previous war, in the star system designated MZX32905 that an asteroid rested called The Home. It was once the lair of an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vectivus. Vectivus, unlike most Sith Lords, did not crave galactic dominance and the destruction of the Jedi but rather sought knowledge and understanding while maintaining his morality. It truly was a remarkable feat. But Ben was still skeptical because the Sith also lived in isolation without the temptation to rule.
Ben slowed the freighter down until the ship came to rest on the asteroid. He brought up a secure link to Lumiya and waited until a miniature hologram of her appeared before him. "Are you certain your associate will be here?" he asked.
Lumiya did not hesitate with her answer, "I have no doubts. And another thing . . . the presence of Vectivus still lingers deep in the mines. I saw him once and learned how to manifest phantoms of myself but he quickly left as though I was unworthy of such knowledge."
Ben thought about this information. It would be an interesting confrontation if he met this Dark Lord but he was here for one thing only. It wasn't unheard of for the presence of a Sith to linger in that place after death but there was little more to it. "I hope so for your sake, Skywalker out."
The Jedi walked down the lowered ramp and made the short trek to the mansion of Vectivus. He entered cautiously ready to fight if need be but there was nothing but darkness surrounding him. Slowly he maneuvered himself into a hangar that housed a sleek vessel that could only belong to his target. He continued a few steps until his danger sense went on full alert. He could feel another presence in the hangar very close by. "I know you are there . . . you who were once Alema Rar."
A shadow slowly moved a few paces to his right and the Twi'lek appeared shortly after lightsaber in hand and a murderous scowl on her face. She was wearing a skin tight bodysuit as was her custom after joining with the Gorog. He gazed at the missing left arm and the stump of her severed right lek that was the pride of a Twi'lek. She hissed at him, "Lumiya has betrayed us. You could have been great with us, Ben Skywalker, but your parents took you from us. Now you must die!"
She began to advance on him but Ben did not waver. "I am not here to fight you nor did Lumiya betray you."
Alema stopped but did not lower her guard. "Then why would she send you here?"
Ben watched her body tense ready to spring at him should his answer fail to satisfy her. "Lumiya is my servant." Ben stopped to see her amusing expression. Her mouth was hanging open in shock and her yellow tinted eyes blinked for the first time showing just how large her pupils had dilated. "She has spoken highly of you and I have need of a person with a particular set of skills, though I am uncertain if you would meet those standards."
That last part angered her just as Ben had hoped. Alema put her lightsaber back on her belt and came face to face with the Jedi. Her voice raised with a confident, seductive purr, "Our expertise is surveillance and assassination. We aren't an amateur."
Ben smirked in triumph. He had her now and he reveled in his victory. "I have use of you and your skills."
Alema, however, wasn't sold. "We want revenge on her in return. She took everything from us. We're alone. She's made us solitary."
Ben's smirk faded and he gently inquired, "Who did?"
"Leia Solo. She took our lekku, and so we can't communicate fully with others. She caused the destruction of our nest, too. And she took what attracted others to us, our beauty. We're lonely, and we can never touch the world properly again."
He could hear the agony in her voice and he inwardly cringed. He had no intention of letting the former Jedi turned Joiner kill his aunt but Rar, like Lumiya, was too valuable an asset to terminate. The galaxy needed stability after the war and only Ben knew how soon that would be. He needed Rar to complete this task to begin achieving that goal. Ben had influence over many different civilizations including political and military focal points. With the Sith still out there he had to ready the galaxy for their coming and it seemed more likely everyday that he would have to oust the Chief of State and take over the Republic which is far easier said than done. But he was willing to go even as far as starting a second galactic civil war if it meant the galaxy was secure.
A sudden thought crept into his head and a dark hope began to swell within him. He knew he would be backed by many influential figures and organizations but he needed more support. He looked straight into Alema's eyes and said, "I can give much more than that, Night Herald."
Valin was still trying to piece together everything that happened in the last few hours. The fleet led by Pallaeon was able to break through the blockade of Onderon and were now landing troops on the surface. Every warship in the Mandalorian fleet was destroyed but casualties were mounting on Dxun. Reports kept coming in detailing how many men being lost. Though it wasn't the most sound strategy, the Republic had elected to begin landing troops even while the space battle above was raging. Because of their numbers they had hoped to overwhelm the enemy but the Mandalorians were deeply entrenched. It seemed that ten Republic soldiers were killed to every one Mandalorian.
But that was anticipated. Unknown to the rest of the Republic including Vestara Khai, Ben and Valin had already met and planned the outcome of the battle to their specific needs. Valin knew that something was troubling Ben beyond reason but he agreed that the Republic would need to be strong in the future to prevent this kind of catastrophe from ever occurring again. That was why he was currently leaving the fight to head back to Corellian space to complete phase two of the plan. While Valin supported all this he was not blind. He knew that Ben had ulterior motives. Just what those motives were he didn't know but he was confident that Ben knew what he was doing.
Thoughts very unbecoming of a Jedi started rattling through his mind. He had learned so much about politics over the course of the war and came to the conclusion that the Republic was in need of a regime change or maybe even a reformation. The corruption was so strong that it would need to be rooted out from the entire system. Every single politician would need to be investigated and judged according to their deeds. And he and Ben were just the people to do it. Then suddenly a new thought crossed his mind: Ben would make a great leader for not just the Republic but the galaxy at large. He even thought how well he would do with so much power himself. He quickly cut that line of thought. Such thoughts and ambitions were of the dark side but was the dark side so bad? Was there even a dark side of the Force? Of course there was but the further he got drawn in the more the line blurred between light and dark. He had long ago made the decision that the emotions the Jedi considered of the dark side could be used without falling. But the more fought and the more people he killed the less he thought about their lives, how they were living things. There were truths to the Jedi Code but it was far to late to go back to those pacifistic ways. Little did Valin know how far he had fallen and how far Ben's ambitions extended to.
The caverns got darker and gloomier the farther he descended into the mines. Ben had remained on the surface until Alema Rar took off and then quickly made his way to the mines. Lumiya had told him that an ancient Sith Lord's spirit resided there. Ben wanted to see this dark place in the mines and understand why it drew Vectivus there. It was getting more difficult to find his way now as it was nearly pitch black so he lit a glow rod and found himself near the center of the asteroid. He could feel its dark power all around him. Ben slowly opened himself to it but he did not revel in it. This was not at all like Malachor V but Ben knew what the dark side could do. Malachor nearly killed him and he drew on its dark energies to survive but he knew that you could only go so far until you reached the end of the line between balance and insanity.
The dark side flowed through him and he felt on odd sensation running through him. It was as if the dark side was trying to manifest itself. Then all of a sudden he felt a presence behind him and he ignited his lightsaber and whirled around to see a cloaked figure behind him with a blood red lightsaber ready to strike. Ben quickly brought up his saber to parry the first blow. His blade connected with his attacker and sizzled as the blades locked together. Ben disengaged and swung fast and furiously at the dark being who blocked with ease. Ben was fighting like an amateur to gauge his opponent's weaknesses. He soon discovered that the man was powerful but not a fighter though fairly skilled.
The Sith swung high and Ben ducked under and took advantage of his position. As the crimson blade came toward him on the back-swing, Ben stood up with his blade straight in the air. He intercepted it and pushed out forcing away then spun around catching the thrust at his back and reversed his blade's direction as he now faced his enemy and sliced through the exposed hilt of the dark man's lightsaber causing it to disappear. Ben was surprised at this and then he looked up and realized who he had been fighting: Darth Vectivus himself.
"Another has come to visit me here at my home, my tomb," Vectivus said. He was a tall man with dark hair and more or less obese. "Not many visit this place, far fewer leave. My last visitor was a human female. She survived but she was unworthy of my vast knowledge. She was persistent though so I gave her information on how to create Force Phantoms. But you . . . you are . . . different."
He came closer and stood looking into Ben's eyes. "You follow a path not many dare to tread. Few have tried, none have succeeded. The Jedi believe such things as heresy. Believing you have fallen and become a dark Jedi while the Sith would consider you a blight, an unworthy member of their order and a weakling. Strength that is untouched by ruthlessness is touchingly irresponsible. The woman was ruthless but she lacked the proper use of her strength. But you have ruthless strength and a hunger to learn much as I had. You have a destiny that I cannot fathom but be warned. If you continue terrible darkness and great evil await you. With such things there is nothing but fire and death."
Ben thought for a moment. Fear started to creep into his mind but he forced it out. He had gone too far to stop now and one thing he did agree with his father's teachings was that the future was always in motion. The risk was worth it. "I have come too far and with too great a purpose to turn back now."
Vectivus frowned as if in disappointment. "I cannot stop you but I ask now that you strike me down and end me. I grow . . . tired of this place. The longer I stay the more lives may be destroyed by my knowledge. You are not a Jedi or at least not fully. Surely you can understand that one life must be sacrificed for the good of the billions of others out there."
While Ben agreed that for the good of the galaxy Vectivus was right that his knowledge could threaten the galaxy, he was not willing to walk away so easily. Lumiya had learned the Force Phantom technique and the Sith said that she was unworthy. There was no telling how much more he could learn from him. "I will kill you. But only once you have taught me everything you know."
A mixture of joy and sadness played across Vectivus' face. He sighed heavily knowing full well that he had been maneuvered into a corner. "Very well. You are the most worthy being that has crossed my path. You shall be my successor, the inheritor of all my knowledge."
After teaching Ben all he knew, Vectivus was ready to go. "You gave me your word. Now honor it," he said softly but still very much threatening.
Ben smirked beneath his mask. "If there is one thing that I always do, Lord Vectivus, I always honor my word."
And with that he lit his saber and slashed through the Sith and his body disappeared. Darth Vectivus was no more. And now there were only two living beings who knew how to create Force Phantoms. Ben, who had effectively become the apprentice of Darth Vectivus in their short time together, and Lumiya who was already loyal to him. He had been thinking that she would likely prove her worth to him if he were to fight the Republic or even usurp Omas. Her training at the hands of Palpatine and Vader was serving her well and like the Sith before her she would become completely subservient to him or die. It was only a matter of time and he would see to it that it was the former.
The battle had progressively gone from bad to worse within a few hours. The Republic was overwhelmed by the Mandalorian forces and were now trying to halt the Mandalorians from landing their transports on the surface of Hapes. Even with the Hapan Consortium's fleet aiding they were losing the fight. More and more landing craft were making their way toward the surface as Jaina Solo blasted through another basilisk war droid. It was a mass of chaos above Hapes. Mandalorian ships were in dogfights with Republic star-fighters and the warships were engaged in deadly combat.
Jaina got another Mando in her sights and blasted him away. She was in her Jedi StealthX fighter soaring through the atmosphere seeking her next prey. She was delving deep into the battle meld that many of her fellow Jedi were using to communicate and orchestrate their movements. A burst of comm chatter came over her headset and she quickly put her full attention on the broadcast after registering who the voice belonged to. Zekk.
Zekk had drifted away from Jaina after she married Jagged Fel. Jaina knew her friend had loved her but she had not felt the same way and when her engagement was announced, he had broken down and left the order for a time. After he returned, Zekk stayed away from the Solos and Jaina. But deep down Jaina knew that despite all the anger he displayed, he still cared for her. "They're all over me. I can't shake them."
Jaina spoke into her headset. "Zekk, where are you?" No answer. "Zekk?"
Suddenly, a static filled channel opened to her comm system. " . . . cruiser . . ahead . . . meters from your position."
Jaina kicked her fighter's engines into overdrive as she sped ahead toward a looming Republic cruiser. She allowed her conscious mind to enter the meld and felt a familiar presence touch her mind. What iz it, Tesar Sebatyne sent her through the meld. Tesar, son of Master Saba Sebatyne, was one of the original members of the Myrkr strike team. He had been there when all there fellow Jedi died and they had returned to find that Anakin had miraculously survived.
Zekk is in trouble, she sent to the barabel Jedi Knight. Jaina quickly outlined her plan and the two StealthX fighters zoomed toward their target. Once they neared the cruiser, they saw a lone Jedi fighter trying desperately to outmaneuver four Mandalorian ships on its tail. Jaina gave Tesar the go signal and he peeled off to fulfill his part of the plan. Jaina meanwhile swept ahead of Zekk and waited for the barabel. After waiting a few moments of watching Zekk's fighter growing larger in her viewport, she saw explosive flashes engulf his pursuers. Tesar had just accomplished his part of the mission destroying two of Mandalorian craft during his strafing run. Now it was up to Jaina.
She sped toward Zekk head on at full speed rapidly closing the gap between them. Zekk was now desperately trying to dodge and weave through the laser blasts being shot from behind him but he finally ran out of luck. A blast hit his rear engine and it exploded in a ball of fire. "I'm hit! I'm hit!" he cried over the comm. Panic filled Jaina. She no longer cared about making it out alive. Suicidal thoughts came and went as she pushed her already exhausted engines well beyond their limit as she continued on her collision course.
"Jaina, what in blazes are you doing!" Zekk shouted but received no answer.
He entered the meld and Jaina told him what to do. Shock radiated through him but he accepted her instructions. Jaina felt a sharp pain on Zekk's part of the meld and their connection broke. She looked out to see his right wing had been clipped by another shot. Was Zekk alright? Her mental pleas went unanswered and she reconsidered her strategy. If she fired Zekk may not be able to get out of the way but she had no choice. The Jedi launched two torpedoes at the incoming fighters.
Pull up, Zekk. Pull up! At the last second Zekk's StealthX just managed to pull up enough for the torpedoes to get through. The first one smashed into the first Mandalorian's wing and the second finished the job, obliterating the ship. The resulting explosion left the remaining Mandalorian blinded and an easy target as Jaina poured fired everything she had at him leaving nothing but sparks of light flying in all directions. Jaina flipped her fighter and flew over toward the nearly lifeless ship containing her closest friend. Tesar was already on the right side of Zekk so Jaina sidled up to him on the left. The damage was extensive and she doubted Zekk could fly it without assistance.
"Zekk?" the female Jedi asked.
A pained chuckle sounded on the other end of the comm. "I'm okay, Jaina. I'm beat up real good but this thing won't get me very far."
"We'll take you in." Jaina and Tesar both steered Zekk back toward the Errant Venture.
There wasn't much combat going on that far into the Republic fleet at the time and they were able to dock in the Venture's hangar with ease. The Mandalorians had been unprepared for a Republic force waiting for them but quickly adjusted. After their initial ground units were on the surface, their fleet went into full attack mode instead of providing protection for the assault ships. Jaina opened her cockpit, jumped down and sprinted to Zekk's fighter. The hatch opened and smoke rose from within. Coughs sounded from inside and the smoke cleared to show the visage of Zekk sitting there bleeding and coughing hard. The entire cockpit was fired. A med team quickly made their way to them and placed Zekk on a stretcher and headed for the med bay.
Jaina made to follow but movement to the left caught her eye. Jacen and Tenel Ka were finishing loading supplies on a transport ship with several other Jedi and troopers. Jaina walked over to her brother and watched with dismay. His face was twisted into a snarl from his anger but his eyes showed determination. Jacen noticed his twin approaching and set the last container inside the assault craft, his features returning to normal. "You're going to the surface?" she asked. She knew the answer she would receive but Jaina had to hear it herself.
Jacen averted his eyes for a moment. "Yes. We're going down with the first wave."
Jaina looked at him with great concern. "Are you sure? The Mandalorians are already deeply entrenched. The first ships down there will be slaughtered. Are you even sure where the Queen Mother is?"
Jacen opened his mouth to answer but Tenel Ka appeared beside him and responded, "We have to make it. I may not be overly fond of my grandmother, but she is the leader of Hapes. Without her, the Consortium will fall apart without an heir."
That was a curious choice of words. During the Dark Nest Crisis Tenel Ka had been ruling Hapes, but after Master Skywalker spoke to the Jedi on Ossus concerning their future, she had been torn in two. She could either remain a Jedi but relinquish the title of queen or leave the order. She chose to leave and took her daughter with her. Shortly after her grandmother, Ta'a Chume, awoke from her coma and regained the throne. It was only much later that Tenel Ka learned that Jacen was the reason that Ta'a Chume went into the coma with a brain hemorrhage.
The oldest Solo child shook her head. A bad feeling was creeping up her spine and darkness was beginning to cloud the Force. She had grown up to trust it but now it seemed to be turning its back on her. "Be careful. We can't hold out forever without reinforcements and there is no Republic support nearby."
Jacen nodded his understanding. "Admiral Darklighter has already sent a distress signal. But the fleet is too far away and Corellia won't help us. We're on our own. May the Force be with you, Jai."
"And with you, Jace," she returned.
Jaina remained there for a few moments watching as the transports took off and began their descent. A familiar, shadowy presence came up beside her. Callista took a long breath and released it with a sigh. She didn't hate the Solo children, in fact she envied them. They had a loving family that Callista could never have. But that didn't come without much pain and sacrifice. "The Skywalkers and Solos understand better than anyone the difficulty of sacrifice. Is it not interesting how such a strong people can become so violent after years of rebuilding their society. The Mandalorians have always been warriors wanting to test their strength but never on a galactic scale before."
Jaina looked on the elder woman questioningly, "What are you trying to say, Callista?"
The unofficially exiled Jedi shrugged that off. Whether Jaina knew it or not she had called her by name instead of her former rank. Callista laughed softly to herself at the young councilor's naivety. Upon seeing Jaina's scowl, Callista said, "My dear Master Solo-Fel, there is a moment in all our lives that defines our actions and sets us on the path we are on. The Mandalorians had to have had such a moment to even consider attacking the Republic. Perhaps the Jedi have been fooled as well and are nothing more than pawns in a far greater game for galactic supremacy."
Jaina turned and stormed away, having heard enough of the old woman's berating of the Jedi. Looking back quickly, she noticed that the former Jedi had not even moved or acknowledged her departure. She kept marching away but the next words that she heard from Callista chilled her to her very core for the foreseeable future. "Even Palpatine was not always an evil Sith Lord until that moment came to him."
Luke and the other masters were currently in deep discussion over the Hapes Consortium attack. From reports that had been received from the battle, the Republic underestimated the size of the invasion force. Now Jedi and Republic personnel alike were fighting just to hold on. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew many masters were thinking the impossible: Ben had planned this to happen. It sounded absurd but pieces were coming in and out of the equation that never seemed to fit. The bickering continued until a burst of static came from the holo projector in the center of the chamber and the forms of Gavin Darklighter and Booster Terrik came in and out of focus.
"This is Admiral Darklighter, commander of the Republic defense force of Hapes, requesting immediate assistance. Does anyone copy?"
Luke began to reply, "This is Luke Skywalker. What is happening?"
"We're being overrun . . . taking too many losses . . . can't hold out much longer. We need reinforcements!"
Before Luke could utter a response, another figure appeared in holo form. "I believe I can help with that, Admiral."
In the battle torn orbit of Hapes Booster grinned at the holo of his grandson, "Valin!" he shouted with joy.
Valin form looked at him and smiled, "Yes sir, we're here to assist with regards from General Skywalker."
Darklighter frowned and questioned the obvious, "Who's we?"
Valin's grin only widened. "See for yourself."
Both ship commanders looked out of their view-ports and stared in awe at the sight. Just entering the battle was a fleet of Corellian warships targeting the overwhelmed Mandalorian vessels. It was a well known fact that Corellia was not the Republic's greatest supporter but it didn't matter how they got here or why. What did matter is that the battle began to truly kick into high gear and the moment had shifted to the Republic's favor.
Callista's eyes opened from her meditation with puzzlement. She had been wrapped in a vision after following the Force deeply within meditation. What she saw astonished her to no end. Curiosity began to rise within her until she felt the same presence she did in her vision at the very edge of her outstretched senses. "So my visions of the future have come to pass," she whispered to herself. "You have finally come."
Unbeknownst to all but one, a sleek vessel entered the system via hyperspace and stealthily weaved its way through the chaos throughout the system and descended toward the surface. All the combatants were to focused on the battle to notice and the Jedi's senses had been clouded by the growing darkness surrounding the Force. But one knew and began making preparations to follow the newcomer to Hapes not with the intention to kill. At least not yet. Questions that needed answering came first.
Author Note
I have finally returned after almost a year. I am sorry for the wait and the short chapter. I had actually been writing this last summer but my computer crashed and I lost everything and then I never had any time to write after that. The story will continue though it may be awhile until the next update. I can only write when I am able and summer is a busy time for me. I have also made certain changes such as Carth Onasi is now Lon Shevu and I tweeked Tenel Ka's backstory a little to match The Dark Nest Trilogy. This story is also up on the Jedi Council Forums. Thanks for for waiting for me and reviews are very appreciated as well as ideas to continue the story.