Star Wars Legacy: Family Ties
A/N: Star Wars is not owned by me. It belongs to George Lucas.
A/N: Please give reviews. They are much appreciated. For more reading on Legacy (which this is based off) head over to TFN's JCC or Wookiepedia.
Chapter 2
"Clear," Deliah announced, as Cade and Jariah dragged the two bounties into a waiting hovercar.
"Syn, you frakkin' di'kut! Why were you going to shoot the Jedi," Cade demanded, "you know the bounty's better if they are alive."
"Dead they can't put those mind control whammies on you. They're freaks man! Control your mind, make you do what they want, even kill yourself! Can't do it dead," Jariah reasoned, "And they've only gotten sneakier in the past seven years since the Empire took over. The survivors blend in real good now, can't hardly tell them apart from normal folk anymore."
"Oooh, big scary Jedi," Cade taunted, joking at the same time, as he relaxed in the back of the hovercar, "What, you're too much of a gullipud to take one alive?
"Everyone knowns you just have to whisper Jedi, and Syn gets wobbly kneed!" Deliah added.
"Enough," Jariah grumbled, "We got this one alive, don't we. End it!" Naxy Screeger begged, "Cade! Buddy! Look what this ishere, this is a mistake is what it is I was trying to raise the creds to pay back Rav, honest.
"Stow it Naxy, You can explain it all to Rav. I really don't care," Cade was in no mood to argue or even bargain.
Hosk awoke, finding himself alive, and bound, he knew he was in trouble. He could accept his death, but he must not give up the secret of the Great River. "Please," he asked, "I have done you no harm, I cannot match the bounty you may earn but, the Jedi were once a force for good in this galaxy, and I still strive to live by that, to help where I can! Please let me go." He began to close the areas of his memory that were to do with Brogar and the Great River. He wiped those areas of his memory clean, hoping he had done a good enough job, that the Sith would not be able to recover the memories if they were gone. It was too dangerous. That was what they had told him to do if he was ever taken by the Sith or bounty hunters. To wipe his own memory. They had even taught him the technique.
"Man your Jedi sense must be seriously wracked if you're asking Cade for mercy," Jariah ridiculed, "Him and me served together on Rav's ship when Rav was a pirate. I tell you no one was colder than Cade!"
"Why didn't you use your lightsaber back in the cantina, Jedi? I thought all Jedi had lightsaber," Deliah asked.
"Mine was lost in an explosion that I myself barely survived. In any case, my talent is more as a healer more than a warrior," Hosk replied. He tried to search his memory for what happened next. Nothing. Good at least they aren't compromised. Still he didn't want to be handed over to the Sith, they would turn him into one of them. "Please. I do not fear death. Death is the least of what the Sith can do to one like me. There are reasons the Sith like to take us alive," he begged, "in doing this you serve the Sith! I don't deserve what will happen to me after you turn me in for the bounty. No sentient does! Please…" It's a hard galaxy came the reply from Cade, in a tone that brooked no argument. Hosk gave up; obviously this bounty hunter wouldn't let him go. Perhaps the pirate Rav would be more susceptible.
The Jedi Temple on Coruscant had once been a symbol of good, but now it housed the Sith. The Sith had corrupted the temple and now it was a symbol of evil. Within Darth Krayt, Darth Ruyn and Talon stood. "Darth Ruyn," Darth Krayt asked, "is her training complete.
"Yes Master," the reply came, from Darth Ruyn, solemn-toned.
"Apprentice, has Darth Ruyn been a good teacher?" Darth Krayt asked the red coloured Twi'lek with elaborate Sith tattoos all over her body, Talon who stood before him
"He is the only teacher, I have known Lord," she replied.
"Do you respect him? Do you care about him?" he questioned
"Yes, Master," her reply came, straight to the point.
"Kill him," Krayt ordered. Talon drew her red lightsaber and complied. Ruyn's cloak covered him as he fell to the ground, dead. "Apprentice, do you know why your master had to die?" he asked
"Because, you ordered it, Master," Talon replied.
"Come to me," Krayt ordered. He raised his left hand, and called the Dark Side to him. As she approached he shot her with Force Lightning, "I am your life. I am your death," he chanted. "You have passed the final test without flinching. I name you Darth Talon and you will not be one of my hands. My own personal assassin. Henceforth, you will take orders only from me, report only to me.
"I am honoured, master," the newly minted Darth Talon replied.
"This is your first mission," he continued, "For the past seven years, the former Emperor Roan Fel has been a thorn in my side, he strikes from nowhere and then hides, like the rebel fighters of old. He has gathered a small group of loyalists about him. All attempts to find him thus far have failed."
Darth Talon twisted around to avoid Elke Vetter's silver lightsaber, bringing her red lightsaber out from the right in a sweeping stroke, chopping off the Imperial Knight's hand. She stabbed low, through the knee, and then kicked out, disarming her opponent, now clearly beaten. She switched her lightsaber off.
"Kill me if you will, Sith! The Princess has escaped," the dying Imperial Knight taunted.
"Yes, she is with Astraal Vao. The Local Missionary. The Plan was for them to escape," Darth Talon said, as she intruded into the dying Elke's mind. It was easy, Vetter was a weak knight. "Marasiah by herself is of little value. But now I will drive her to her father, or he will come to save her. Then I will kill them both," she shot Force lightning, killing Elke, "You have no further purpose."
Princess Marasiah Fel and Missionary Vao climbed through the rubble, "Princess Marasiah, are you all right," Astraal asked as she saw the Princess stumble. "She's dead, Astraal," the Princess replied, "the Sith killed Elke. I felt her die in the Force! Felt her anguish and despair. I'm going back! The Sith needs killing." Astraal saw that the Princess was losing control of her emotions.
"No princess, she gave her life so you could escape! Returning would only dishonour her sacrifice!" Astraal pleaded. So what they said has begun at last. All Force Users that are not Sith, even the Princess of the Empire are going to be overtly targeted for extermination.
"Elke wasn't just my bodyguard, Astraal! She was my teacher, my friend. Her killer must die," Princess Sia replied.
"Princess, Elke lived her life in the service of others. As do we! We are bound by those duties. Our personal desires are nothing. Your duty now is to survive." Astraal argued as she dragged the Princess away.
"You sound like her, Astraal Vao. Like my father. Always what duty requires," the Princess replied, "Let's go then, as duty demands before the Sith can follow." Deep down inside she was still angry, sad and shocked. But the logical part of her knew that this Sith was dangerous. If she had been able to kill Elke, Marasiah herself could not fare much better.
The Crimson Axe, sits high above the black sands of the Killee Wasteland on the plaent Socorro. This was the base of the once feared space pirate Rav. The one who had angered them and would find out in due course the consequences. However, that was in the future. Now, Rav lead a more legal existanceproviding bail bonds and the Axe had began to become a station for bounty hunters.
Jedi Hosk Trey'lis had tried to escape the bounty hunters holding him many times, but had failed so far. Yet the Force was with him, and that gave him a certain advantage. This time he used a force-backed kick to send Deliah and then Jariah flying. The bleating of Naxy didn't help any though. Hosk began to run away again, as Jariah readied his blaster to shoot. Cade stood in the way, as he chased Hosk.
"We're going to lose," Jariah shouted as Cade ran after Hosk. Cade crash tackled Hosk, sending them both flying into the sewer. "Give it up Jedi," Cade snarled, "Keep fighting and you're dead. Then you really got no hope!"
"The Force," Hosk felt it, suddenly, as their descent into the sewer smoothened, "It's very strong in you! Not Sith! Jedi?" They crashed into the sewer water sending a torrent of sewerage up into the air. Cade dragged the unconscious Hosk out of the sewer. "Hey Rav, brought you a bonus along with the skip, a Jedi," he said, "Rav you even ask for proof, and you'll be kissing the business end of my blaster.
"Relax boy, droid caught it all on holovid," the Feeorin pirate known as Rav replied. Naxy began to bleat again, begging to be shown mercy. "Take them away lads." His own security personnel took Naxy and Hosk. Little did he know that an NRA agent was watching all of this through her macrobinoculars. Lieutenant Ella Falyn lay still on a nearby cliff. There he is, just as High Command said. She called a small remote to her, and began to hack into the Axe looking for the pick up date by the Sith, if any was stored. Reinforcements would have to be bought in. Too bad Rav had gotten in the way of the wrong people. She would enjoy this mission. Too long in her opinion had the NRA just hidden, gathering their forces, but now, they were ready. The real work would begin, her work would begin. Her fun would begin.
"Let's see what I owe you. Deducting what you owe me…parts, docking, tibanna gas," Rav said as he calculated in his head, "should just leave ya with enough to refuel the Mynocki and buy a few rounds in my cantina, if ya keep to the House brands." He held up three small tubes, Death Sticks, "And just for you Cade, a bonus. A few deathsticks for a job well done," he snickered.
"Can't afford those," Cade replied, looking suspiciously at Rav.
"I know you're good for it," Rav replied, smarmy, as he handed them over.
"Cade," Deliah protested. "All that work and this is all we get for it? This life stinks and hitting yourself up with those things just makes it worse!" Jariah added as they left Rav behind, who was laughing to himself at another extortion well done. Too bad he didn't know that his comeuppance would come soon.
"It's my life, and my ship and I don't need your permission ro approval for anything. You don't like it. Find another ship," Cade snarled, angry at being challenged. He needed those death sticks, otherwise he would be there in his dreams around him all the time.
Rav approached Jariah, "ever tire of the freelance life lad you can always comeback and crew for me again," he offered, slimy undertones in his voice. Jariah knew that was a bad decision, "Your generosity's killing me, Rav! Only reason you keep runnin' a tab on Cade's bad habits is to keep the leash tight."
"Of course I do, I like you owing me. It reminds me of the good old days," Rav stated, crossing his arms, baiting
"Your, good old days, not mine. Me and Cade earned our freedom, you owe us Rav," Jariah pointed out.
"No I don't. I owed your dead father. You were the one who convinced me to pick Cade out of the debris after Ossus. I would'a left him floating. All debts were paid. I owe you nothing."
"If you had your father's brains you'd have found another ship, another captain. All those years abroad the Axe apprentice, and you still don't get it. The only true loyalty is to yourself. All other loyalties are for rent or sale. That's why you'll always be owned. Syn," Rav sniggered, as he said it
Syn just stalked away, as he caught up with Deliah, "Rav's not wrong. Cade used to be the best bounty hunter around. But he's lost his edge."
"Not Cade's fault, Syn" Deliah replied, "Something in him is just broken." Yet broken things may be fixed, and Cade was undoubtedly broken, but with the Force, anything is possible, that was one lesson that many had forgotten under the Sith Empire.
The planet Bastion, was the home to the Imeprial Remnant and capital world of the New Empire, before it was moved to Coruscant after the Imperial-Sith Alliance had triumphed. A shuttle landed on the spaceport pad. Roan Fel emerged from the shuttle, flanked by three Imperial knights, all Knight Masters. They were met by two stormtroopers and an officer. The officer spoke, "Roan Fel, former Emperor. I'm Lieutenant Kiefer of the Imperial Army, Bastion. The true Emperor Darth Krayt has ordered your arrest. Surrender!"
"Oh!, I'm not here to surrender," Roan replied, staring the officer directly in the face, "I am here to take possession of Bastion in the name of the Imperial Throne. My throne," his face hardened. "I am by right, of birth and choice your true Emperor. Not that Sith usurper Krayt! It is to me that you all rightfully owe your allegiance. I call upon you, my loyal stormtroopers, to join with me and take back out Empire which you have so long and faithfully served." All the legions of gathered stormtroopers bent their knee.
The Sith officer sputtered, "What are you doing! Stand! And do your duty! We owe our loyalty to a throne, not a man!" He drew his blaster, "Well I know my duty and I will execute it," he pointed the blaster at Roan Fel.
Bam, the officer was hit straight in the chest. One of the stormtroopers stood, a smoking blaster in his hand. "General Oron Jaegar, 501st commander on Bastion. Welcome back sire. Welcome home," a black-skinned human greeted
"Thank you general, this is Master Antares Draco, Leader of my Imperial Knights," Roan Fel answered, as he introduced the Knight Master next to him. "Tell me have all the troops made it back here as planned?" he asked.
"The 908th has been delayed, but the others were slowly rotated in, as per your orders. The 501st my men were always loyal to you and are ready to serve," the General replied.
"Good, for the past seven years, we've been able to mount little more than hit and run guerrilla attacks on the Sith and their Empire," Roan said, "We need to do more. Too many younger officers like Kiefer have been brainwashed to do Krayt's bidding, time no longer favours us. With Bastion as our base, we can create a more potent threat.
"It also means that Krayt will now know where to find you sire," Knight Master Draco replied, as they walked through the halls of Bastion's palace into the atrium that had been started by Grand Admiral Paelleon which had been passed through all the leaders of the Imperial Remnant and the Empire.
"Let him come, Antares," Roan replied, "Bastion is the most heavily fortified military base in the known galaxy. Krayt's not a fool. It would cost so much to take Bastion, he would have nothing left with which to maintain Galactic Order. But he isn't yet aware we're here. The longer we maintain the secret, the better. Draw more strength to us, complete our hold."
They continued to walk through the garden. "Excellency," General Jaegar reported, "we've just received word from our contacts on Socorro. The Imperial Mission there is burning! The Princess is missing and her protector, Knight Vetter is dead.
"I'll take three knights with me, My Lord," Antares replied, "I can be ready to leave in ten minutes."
"No, you won't Antares, I forbid it," Emperor Fel answered. His thoughts went out to his daughter, but the Empire was too important, beating Krayt was too important.
"My Lord, we can't just let her die." Antares impassioned reply met with a cold wall. "Do you think this is esay for me to say. She's my daughter! But I sense Krayt's hand in this. He's trying to lure us into the open by putting Sia at risk, we cannot afford to let Krayt know we have taken Bastion! Not yet! Do you understand," no one could deny the strain that crossed Roan's voice.
"No sire," Antares replied, "but I will obey."
Meanwhile, on Socorro the Princess and Astraal ran, from the Sith known as Darth Talon. "Princess, please, we, I can't keep running, rest for a moment please," Astraal pleaded as she leaned against a rough duracrete wall, gasping for breath.
"A moment, Astraal, no more," the Princess replied, feeling that the Sith was close. She continued to run, the hood, drawn over her head flapping as she moved. "Did you contact your brother?" she asked as they stopped.
"Used the public holocomm…sent pre-arranged signal. He'll meet us on Vendaxa," Astraal replied, between deep breaths.
"Astraal, run," the Princess replied urgently, as she sensed the Sith.
A/N: Just trundling our way through now. Luke Skywalker will be making an appearance next chapter.
A/N2: The NRA/Neo Rebel Alliance
Founded on the principles of the First Rebel Alliance, led by Bail Organa, Garm Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma, the Neo-Rebel Alliance is the brainchild of those who knew that the Sith would inevitably betray Emperor Fel and take control of the galaxy.
The NRA officially formed at the end of the Imperial Sith War, seven years ago. Many of the NRA agents can trace their ancestral roots back to members of the first Rebellion, or the New Republic. The NRA's membership includes the Corellian Sector, the Sluissi Sector, Kashyyk, Sullust, Bothawui, Mon Calamari and the membership of Chiss, Ordoans, Fydirans and Sekotans through their ties as unofficial guardians of the Unknown Regions.
While the NRA has been hidden, quietly developing resources, rescuing fugitive Jedi, and building up their military and space navy (primarily in the Unknown Regions) away from the prying eyes of the Sith, they have allowed Admiral Gar Stazi to fight a losing false front under the Galactic Alliance Core Forces. The NRA's top agent within the GACF is General Mia Celchu, a descendant of Winter and Tycho Celchu who shares her ancestor's unique ability.
The NRA has been responsible for setting up the Second Great River, based off Luke Skywalker's organisation during the Yuuzhan Vong War, as a way of moving Jedi through the system. As has been revealed, Brogar is the owner of one of the safe houses that
is used by the River. The Great River is jointly headed by Jorj Karrde and Kadar Calrissian.