Legend of the Harp
By Hemaccabe
Episode III: The Crucible
Chapter 22: This is What It Means to Be Young
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
*** Jedi Knight Furin Kazan, Baetar, Gift of Peace, Main Plaza ***
Six months had gone by since the Battle of Baetar.
I was sitting in the VIP guest section of the main plaza, in the old city area of Baetar's capital, Gift of Peace. In the center of the plaza, upon the dais sat Jors, Admiral Spruance, Colonel Bayonet, Major Bradley, Major Jackson and Major Chamberlain. They were about to receive the highest award granted by Baetar to a non-citizen, the Righteous Among the Galaxy Medal. Prime Minister Baru Zak was giving remarks proceeding the award.
Even though we had to land Revenge at the spaceport near Watchtower of Spring, Sky had graciously agreed to join me at this ceremony. She kept her general appearance as a female human of my particular sub-type but was dressed in a Harp Fleet Captain's uniform. Shield hovered carefully above keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. I had been seated next to our kind host, the charming and urbane Chief of Staff Mal Basyah.
It was strange, considering the long relationship I had cultivated with Baetar, but this was the first time I had actually been to the planet or this close to Prime Minister Baru Zak and Chief of Staff Mal Basyah.
As pleasant as the scene was, and as nice as what the Prime Minister had to say was, my mind drifted back to recent events.
After waiting two more days on the relay station, I was minutes away from collapse when Sky raced in and found me. She placed Jiru in a stateroom aboard Revenge. Then she carefully collected me and my things up.
Sky put me in a chair on Revenge where she nursed me carefully. Still, I could feel she was angry with me. I wasn't supposed to let myself be hurt so badly. I wasn't supposed to scare her that she might be alone again. I could feel her anger was the dual edged blade that was also anger with herself. I knew she would have a hard time forgiving me as that would require forgiving herself first.
Sky and I had considered the possibility of being so injured in the past. Sky "fed" me carbon we kept aboard for just such occasions. This was a change of materials. Sky's civilization had used metals to make their nano cells, with an emphasis on titanium and mercury. Very resilient and effective, and the fact that my body had used the super-strong metal alloy, known as Beskar, from my Mandalorian breast plate in my formation had made me extra-resilient. But now Sky had the entire Known Galaxy's resources to look through, and by her standards, lots of free time to do it in. Sky had looked for better materials to use for our nano cells and found aggregated carbon crystal nanorods seemed very promising. Aggregated carbon crystal nanorods were incredibly strong and resilient. Several orders of magnitude better than the metals Sky's home civilization had used to make nano cells. On top of their other advantages, aggregated carbon crystal nanorods, when doped with Nitrogen became even harder and more resilient. When doped with Boron, the nanorods became super conducting which allowed for the transmission of thought. Still, as we both looked into this promising new possibility, there seemed like a, literally, infinite number of options for chemical composition. For example, adding other materials, like osmium, rhenium and tungsten seemed to have advantages. Rhenium particularly added a great deal of heat tolerance which would be critical for resisting blaster fire. However, we were stymied by the almost literally infinite number of combinations. Each combination, while promising, often had fatal flaws as well. A spectacular new material always seemed to be close, but just out of reach.
It was actually once again our research into the Zillo beast that had finally provided a solution. We found the composition of the Zillo beast's energy distributing armor cells was actually also a form of aggregated carbon crystal nanorods. Clearly millions of years of evolution had brought the Zillo beast to a nearly perfect solution. The fabled beast's trick first included having found a very stable structure and chemical composition for the aggregated carbon crystal nanorods. Beyond that, the aggregated carbon crystal nanorod nano cells were wreathed in chains of spherical C60 molecules, adding another layer of resilience. Also, when properly arranged, the C60 molecules also became superconducting, allowed for a second channel of superconductive energy transmission.
Building the aggregated carbon crystal nanorods with the nano tools in our materials lab on the New Temple, we were able to minimize micro cracks allowing substantial grain boundary strengthening, increasing hardness by almost a factor of seven.
In total, we expected dramatic improvements across the board, faster processing of data, better production and transmission of energy, greater speed, lower weight but mostly, just much tougher.
We had the new materials ready but hadn't used them. Making the change to the new materials would require switching over one's entire body, which didn't seem worthwhile as it would take at least several weeks of being an invalid. I had speculated that if one of us became severely injured, it would be an ideal moment to make the change.
I remembered explaining this idea to Sky in an intellectual and hypothetical way to which she replied, "Don't you dare let yourself become so injured."
Under normal circumstances our bodies could harvest sufficient material from our environment to replace individual cells as they aged into non-usefulness. However, I had lost too much. I needed the help. Still, with so little of me left I had very little of me left to apply to producing new me. I remained in jeopardy. Still this was an ideal opportunity to make the change to the new material and Sky was doing her best to help me accomplish it.
Sky nursed me with energy from her own body which allowed me to direct more effort into building new cells. After 24 hours I was still very weak, but past the point of danger.
I was still weak as I sat with Sky there in the plaza. It was taking much longer to assemble the aggregated carbon crystal nanorods into cells in my body than expected. Still, I was convalescing nicely.
Once I was out of immediate danger, we had taken former Jedi Master Sa Tasta Burana, now bounty hunter Mahe Jiru to Elysia. I found a four-square kilometer piece of land closer to the beach and a resort city and much larger than the piece he had been considering, and therefore much more desirable and expensive. I purchased it. The site was also on the other side of the planet from the Harp's direct holdings. I had a permacrete road drilled in through the jungle to a building site near the center of the piece of land. I had the construction company then lay in a permacrete foundation large enough for a speeder shed, a landing pad for his ship and a nice cottage. I then ordered a one-bedroom cottage be built, larger and better appointed than the one Jiru had planned for himself. The cottage had a nice food prep area, lav and a separate sleeping area. I had utilities brought in, so he would have water, power and holonets, then paid for them to be delivered in perpetuity. I also arranged for regular food deliveries. Everything I could think someone would need to live quietly in that cottage. I even added a small per diem, so he would never need for money. Of course, I let him keep the Credits he had already accumulated. Sky had towed along his ship and speeder and, after they were fully maintenanced, they were placed there for him on his property.
I left him sitting there, in a comfortable chair, looking, but not paying attention to a large holovid display screen.
When I explained how I had chosen to deal with Jiru, Fio had piped up, "Why were you so merciful? He almost killed you!"
Jojo had answered, as was appropriate since he was her Master, "I can think of no worse punishment for him. Can you?"
Fio thought about it for a while and said, still sounding a bit confused, "I guess not."
*** Jedi Padawan Fio Brown, on Dandoran, New Korpluck Town ***
Sei and I took a few days to "convalesce." We had begun to take large picnic baskets out to remote spots just so we would could have some privacy.
After a few days, I asked Sei, feeling far more fear in my stomach than I should have, "Do you know what you want to do yet?"
Sei looked at me seriously with his beautiful blue eyes and finally said, "I think I should join up with this Harp Militia. That way I could stay close to you."
I felt my insides melt at his answer all over again.
We signed Sei up. There would be a new basic class starting in four days which gave us just a little while longer.
I placed a thousand Credits on a chip for him, so he wouldn't have to worry much about money. We went and drew equipment together. Sei had none and most of mine had been ruined on Castanea. I basically replaced what I had lost. He picked out a corresponding set of guy gear, including self-heating/cooling canteen.
There were some differences. Sei didn't opt for a pistol. He picked a barrel for his B-300 that was shorter and heavier facilitating shooting more rapidly and with higher power. I generally chose a barrel that was longer and lighter to facilitate better accuracy at range and a lighter load out. He picked a pack that was a little larger proportionally, which, since he was much bigger than me, was substantially larger.
I modified his pack like my Mom had modified mine to have a padded pocket with individual, elastic sleeves for the drink capsules. I also made him a nice big batch of homemade oaf bird with noodles and dumplings soup capsules to get started.
*** Jedi Knight Jors Zaemon, Baetar, Gift of Peace, Main Plaza, on the Dais ***
This was my second time visiting this plaza. Getting this medal was nice and all, but I would have much preferred to be getting another of those sandwiches and watching kids play again. Can't always have what you want.
This ceremony Baetar was doing for us reminded me all too clearly and uncomfortably of another ceremony we had just concluded not too long before.
Over two hundred Harp Militia troops, of the sort made of flesh and blood, were laid to rest in our cemetery near New Korpluck Town. Many had empty coffin funerals as their bodies had been disintegrated or could not otherwise be recovered.
During the same ceremony, we also added over a hundred serial numbers to the memorial set aside for droids that could not be returned to service as the damage they had suffered was too extreme.
We also unveiled a special monument for Ball-72, the Ball droid who had sacrificed itself to save us on Doram.
I had spoken, "While we would never ask, much less order a droid, or any trooper, to take such action. Ball-72's actions saved a platoon of it's fellow troops and my life. Ball-72's actions may well have saved Doram Station and the lives of every living thing on Baetar. Ball-72 gave the last full measure of it's devotion to the cause of life, and all those left alive will never forget it's heroic actions."
I would happily trade this medal for those lives back, but, of course, it never worked that way. I grimaced inside thinking about the reorganization that awaited me back on Dandoran as I tried to fit back together pieces that didn't really go together so I could rebuild our three broken battalions. At least we had a lot of new recruits.
I looked down from the dais at my Padawan, who was sitting with that young man she had found, Sei I think his name was. He filled out his Harp Militia uniform pretty nicely. Clearly, she was very fond of Sei, which I had misgivings about. Having such relationships was not the Path. Still, it would be hard to sanction her when sitting quite close by was Furry with that strange, but very female, Sky. Really though, I kept thinking the Force would give me some apprehension about Fio being with that boy, but it didn't. In fact, the Force seemed to feel very peaceful about their liaison. It was not unknown for other Jedi to have formed strong bonds with non-Jedi that had served them and the Order well. Maybe this relationship would be like that.
I had thought for a moment that I had lost Fio. I didn't want to think how much that had hurt. My paternal feelings for Fio were probably not perfectly within the Path either.
I remembered how I had flashed to Fio's danger. The Force was telling me, in no uncertain terms, that Fio was suffering and in immediate mortal peril. I immediately went and considered a star chart. I noticed that while we were on the wrong side of the galaxy, Castanea was actually not that far from Respublica.
I put a call through to "Androccoles of Respublica" and was relieved when Tuck had popped up on the screen.
"What do you need now?" He had asked, a bit annoyed.
"I need a big favor." I replied.
"That's interesting. So do I. What do you need?" He replied.
"My Padawan is on Castanea. She is in imminent danger. Can you help her?" I asked, feeling that he would definitely answer in the negative.
"Certainly, I'll do that regardless. However, I need something as well." He answered to my surprised relief.
"What do you need?" I asked off balance because of his unexpected answer.
"My position here on Respublica has been deteriorating since I let a certain group of ship designers escape along with a large terrorist attack on a hotel. I need a new place to stay." Tuck explained.
"That's fine. The offer we made to you may have sounded jocular, but it was sincere. If you're ready to resume your duties in the Order, you're welcome. If you're not, still come and we'll do our best to keep you safe." I offered hopefully.
"I'm glad you said that, Furry agrees?" He asked.
"Of course, he wants you more than me." I answered.
Tuck laughed, "He probably does. He was always so serious. I thought I was doing well when I found this place after the Order fell, but I have missed being a Jedi. I'm very eager to return to my duties."
"Then you are very welcome. Please come to us." I invited.
When Fio came down the ramp of Tuck's flamboyant ship, I was more happy and relieved than was probably proper for a Jedi, more like, I suspect, a Father would feel. Then that boy came out. I could clearly feel their emotional connection. I had bristled in a way that I suspect also had more in common with the way a Father feels.
Tuck had also brought the Dorsaix. The Harp had been trying to get the Dorsaix to work with us for years. Apparently the Dorsaix were picky about who they would deal with and that did not include criminal enterprises, which the Harp was clearly perceived as.
When Tuck brought the Dorsaix to Dandoran we were able to show them around. Apparently, another problem we had been having with the Dorsaix was that their leadership had not wanted to pick a fight with the Empire so directly. Seeing that we weren't really a criminal conspiracy, combined with the Empire starting to lean on the Dorsaix homeworld of Formalhaut, meant the Dorsaix weren't so opposed to dealing with us anymore.
After we negotiated a bit, we were able to come to an arrangement with Dorsaix High Command. The platoon of Dorsaix that came with Tuck would stay with Tuck. The Dorsaix would also provide a company of advisors who would help train our troops. Further, when our troops were deployed, the advisors would deploy with and fight alongside our troops. Bayo and I knew a thing or two about training soldiers. Bayo and I had spent our lives in one form of training or another, broken only by the practical application of said training. Still, the Dorsaix had been training pike and crossbowmen for over a thousand years. They knew things about training troops and assembling units that only comes from having done it, extremely successfully, for generations.
Even if the Dorsaix advisors were only as good as we were, or even a bit worse, they were a multiple. Bayo and I can't be every place all the time. Those advisors could be in a lot of places. The part where they would fight alongside, that was precious. I knew the difference between a platoon that stands and fights and a platoon that panics and folds can easily be one good person. After spending a bit of time with the Dorsaix, I KNEW they were solid. It was a big add.
We had also arranged for training exchanges with Baetar. Our troops would come to Baetar and get experience in Baetar's heavier gravity and desert conditions. Baetari troops would come to Dandoran and get to train in green forests and hills. Expertise would be shared, deepen and grow.
*** Jedi Knight Furin Kazan, Baetar, Gift of Peace, Main Plaza ***
I looked up at the sky as the Prime Minister's remarks continued. Was that a glint I saw?
It was full daylight, but it was possible.
Since the battle, there had been a lot to clean up on Baetar.
There had been well funded efforts in galactic news holonets and opinion sites to somehow spin the attack on Baetar as somehow being Baetar's fault. Unfortunately for the well-funded effort, a well-known team of documentarists had covered the whole event. Also, a large trove of the enemy coalition's internal propaganda, intended for only internal audiences, not made in Galactic Common, had fallen into the documentarist's hands and been translated showing incontestably that they had intended genocide.
Even the most shameless Senators ran for cover after that. At least for a while, it would be harder to rally condemnation for Baetar.
Gi Ora had come to the Rock with twenty-three fellow senior and very skilled Baetari pilots. They would help train Harp pilots. Despite the fact that we had an agreement, of course it wasn't that simple. Baetar didn't like the X-Wing. I had to admit, the Nesher II that was just entering production was a better ship. Unfortunately, Baetar and BSI, Baetar Spaceship Industries, built the Neshers like custom racers. Each ship was hand built with the best technology Baetar had. This production method insured each craft would be the best ship it could be. Unfortunately, this production method was also painfully slow and would require a long time to replace the substantial losses Baetar had suffered in the most recent battle. It was also not a method of production that could be easily increased, even with the application of massed Credits. The slow rate of production was why Baetar had kept the older, less capable, Kfirs and Lavis in service.
So, I couldn't buy Nesher IIs and they didn't like the X-Wing. After a bit of discussion, we determined that they might be willing to accept the X-Wings if they had better avionics.
Currently, we had two squadrons of X-Wings which were attached to the Corellian Patriotic Fleet. We had two more X-Wing squadrons that were completely Harp fleet. Lastly, we had two squadrons that were not yet manned. One of the reasons I needed the Baetar pilots. That didn't include the squadron's worth of X-Wings I had provided to the so called "Rebel Alliance" and the other X-Wings I had given to clients like Saw Gerrera. Also, I had no intention of stopping at four squadrons.
We worked out a deal that BSI would provide upgraded avionics suites for the Harp specific X-Wings. I had to admit, compared to the Nesher targeting systems and the systems on Revenge, the stock avionics on the X-Wings were clearly more about price than quality and a bit rudimentary. I made sure we would keep the simple pilot interface, but the clunky targeting computer was going to be replaced with a HUD based system that should be far faster and more accurate.
This agreement finally allowed Gi Ora and associates to make their way to Dandoran. I greeted them personally when they arrived.
I knew that all pilots were taking a break to watch the proceedings, but since their arrival, the Baetari pilots had been working hard to bring our green pilots up to speed. We also wanted to start another class to start filling the empty squadron's seats and be ready when more ships came online. It would also be good to have more than one pilot per craft.
Jojo, Fio, Sky and I had also taken some time to train with Gi Ora's pilots. They were good. We had all learned a lot.
In the sky over Baetar now flew the former Akiva, renamed the Sa'ar, under the control of the newly formed Baetar Space Navy. The Sa'ar oversaw the new shipyard Baetar had received from the Harp as a gift. A new Lola Sayu class ship took shape in that yard. The still available parts from Corellia already having arrived. The others would be acquired elsewhere or fabbed here in Baetar space. BSI, and their chosen Chief Engineer, Shim Shon, was spearheading getting that shipyard running. Corbeen, Jotun, my ship designers and consultants from Zerpen, among others, had already been here to help. The yard and Sa'ar's sister were coming along nicely.
That had been a discussion with Jojo.
"You know we already have missions planned for Akiva?" Jojo announced.
"I know." I replied.
"So?" Jojo added when I didn't speak right up.
"Think about who is manning that ship? We'll have another ship being crewed by top flight Baetaris who will be loyal allies. When the Empire thinks about pushing here again, they'll think twice.
"That one ship will be like a seed, with the shipyard, it will become many ships much faster and better than we could build them.
"Yes, we will suffer delay. We'll have to build Akiva again from the keel up, but it's worth it."
Jojo nodded. He knew I was right.
Watchtower Space Port also now had an orbital transfer station being supported by two grav tugs, once again courtesy of the Harp. This would change the economy of Baetar, hopefully for the better.
Trade had been a problem for Baetar due to her political isolation, remote location and rough neighborhood. I had helped a lot by bringing them in shipments of fuel which had previously been a real chronic issue for them. Previously, Baetar had been prevented from making long term purchasing agreements with Mining Guild members which was the typical way civilizations purchased fuel and allowed for the best prices. Baetar had been forced onto the galactic spot market for fuel, which meant purchasing the fuel had required the Baetari to pay exorbitant prices. After the recent battle The Harp had formalized our fuel arrangement with Baetar, meaning Hope Fleet would continue to import and sell Baetar fuel at fair prices. We would also sell them other resources like durasteel, grav plate and medical supplies among other things. It wasn't really charity. I had developed a stable of fuel suppliers, Quadria, Bespin and Sylapse, among others. I needed to keep buying from them. Every cargo purchased from a non-Mining Guild supplier weakened the Mining Guild which remained a strategic target. I had also built a collection of material suppliers on Mustelidae, Sultoon and other places. I needed markets for their product. It was excellent business on both sides.
I had also been providing a number of big ticket gifts to Baetar. Now, with the station, they were able to export many more products. Baetar had a number of cutting edge tech industries whose export prospects had been undercut by the high cost of shipping their products, with the station, they were no longer so undercut. Supporting Baetar's high tech exports hurt the Techno Union, another strategic target.
Baetar also produced food, particularly fruit, oil and wine, which had been unprofitable to export in mass without the station and tugs, but which were now making a name for themselves on the galactic luxury market. Hope Shipping would be the preferred shipper for the port, putting another needle into the Trade Federation.
It was early days, but Baetar was experiencing an economic boom. They would definitely be able to pay for what they needed.
Since the Harp would benefit a great deal economically from this deal, I know there are those who will think I made these choices for Credits. We'll need to earn a lot of Credits before we pay for the shipyard, spaceport and tugs. Years' worth. Not a great choice from a purely business perspective. However, every step taken to economically strengthen an ally like Baetar served my war. Every step taken to mitigate the damage to the Harp's balance sheet meant there would be more resources later when I had no doubt they would be needed.
I also had Zerpen deep in the corporate sector. They now also had a spaceport, grav tugs and a shipyard. Lola Sayu had a sister being constructed there as well. The first sister would come to us. After that, some ships would be sold to Corporate Sector navies and some to us. All would be pointed squarely at an Empire that grew less popular by the day. Zerpen was also racing to build up the fabs which would give us better production for shields, conduit and other shipboard systems so we would have options other than the ever more restricted Corellian market.
The Harp had rescued a group of Spires citizens because it was the right thing to do. That action, less than a year past, seemed like the other side of a lifetime now. I would be lying if I didn't admit I was also hoping for more as well. Spires is one of the great production centers in the galaxy for speeder craft. As the Harp militia grew, the need for vehicles grew as well. It would be nice if we could add some armor and artillery. In the short run, we really wanted a lorry that could be used as a mobile dock for the Ball Droids. A single lorry with landing spaces for twenty and the ability to do simultaneous refueling would dramatically improve our capabilities. It would be great for the lorry to also have a shop capable of doing minor repairs as well.
Working with some Spires experts we had rescued, our ship design team and the ability to buy ruggedized lorry hover platforms on the galactic market, and since I was the Harp, at cost, that production line should have the first production model of the Ball Droid Service lorry rolling off right now.
Sultoon was a bottomless well of personnel for our fleet. As the message that the Harp platform existed circulated through the vast depths of the Sultoon system and was available for trade, an endless stream of second children, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, streamed in to join the Harp Fleet. All of them the sort of people who were more familiar with living in and operating ships than living on the ground. Ideal for navy crew. We also got plenty of recruits from Corellia and Fresia at hiring fairs and the rest of the galaxy kept dribbling in as well.
The five thousand Spires rescues yielded quite a few individuals who wanted to join an active military cause against the Empire, but they were dwarfed by the vast numbers of Emberleneans. We were worried at first that the recruits from Emberlene were just looking for food and shelter. They were, but they were also very much looking for a chance to strike back at the Empire who had done this to them.
Soon we would be able to not only replace our losses, but we were anticipating adding three more battalions as well.
I had ship yards and training facilities across the galaxy and we were building.
*** Jedi Padawan Fio Brown, on Dandoran, New Korpluck Town ***
Sei picked a good time to go through Basic, if he was looking to be promoted. Freedom, Hero and Liberty had all suffered substantial casualties. Since Dodger and Bayo believed in leading from the front, casualties among higher ranking soldiers was always proportionally higher.
We were also getting in large numbers of recruits from the recently rescued Spires citizens, Emberlene and just dribbling in from all over the galaxy, especially Corellia. It wasn't yet clear how many battalions we would end up with, but Colonel Bayo was likely to be in for a promotion.
I realized this might be a problem, because we would likely only need two new Colonels and all three Majors seemed like excellent candidates.
It would also be a problem because while we might have a surplus of Colonel candidates, we were really short on everything from R2 to R5. Sei, due to his experience and being Sei was an R2 within a month of graduating Basic. Three months after that he was an R3. I had nothing to do with it. All we needed was for people to think I was showing favoritism. That was unpleasant, as it meant we had to keep our distance a lot.
*** Jedi Knight Furin Kazan, Baetar, Gift of Peace, Main Plaza ***
As we adjourned from the plaza, medals having been awarded, to a wonderful banquet of local delicacies I could not help but think back to another meal.
When Keely, Fio and I had recovered sufficiently, we sat down to a meal at the villa south east of New Korpluck Town. Whatever else we had suffered or lost, sitting at a dinner with four fellow Jedi again was something wonderful.
I had thought I would never see Keely again. To find her alive was a miracle of the Force.
Having Tuck return to the Path was almost as gratifying. That three of us from a single childhood group had survived was such an unexpected blessing. My happiness was tempered by the realization no other foursome was likely so intact.
Eventually Tuck, Keely and I would have a private moment for Posh. Posh was KIA from Order 66, there was clear holo footage of the event from several angles and her body had been recovered. We would all take a moment to cry over each other's shoulders, draw comfort and then let her go to the Force in peace, no doubt a blessing to all living things.
We took time and discussed what we all should be doing. Jojo and I would continue as we had been.
Tuck would join Jojo in security.
"I could use the help. Physical security I can handle, the more sophisticated stuff is a bit beyond me." Jojo explained.
"I wouldn't want to step on your toes, certainly you would remain the Order's acting Master of the Guard." Tuck ventured.
"We both know that your experience managing security on Respublica is exactly what we need here." Jojo answered.
With that Tuck had thrown himself into resolving our security issues. We found how Jiru had gotten into our communications. Tuck reinforced comm security and added substantially stronger encryption to all transmissions. It was annoying, but clearly quite necessary.
Tuck also unmasked three Imperial agents in New Korpluck town. One was killed when we tried to take her. The other two agreed to work with us. They became double agents and started sending back the kinds of reports we wanted.
In those reports, Korpluck Town was a dirty, underdeveloped mud hole. The Harp Militia was nothing more than a bunch of heavily armed goons and the whole place was nothing more than the fief of a money and power-hungry pirate chieftain.
"Why do you want those double agents giving reports like that?" Jojo asked.
"Yes, I know it's not very complimentary, but now we're not the sort of thing the overstretched Imperial Navy would want to waste much time on, particularly as it means they would have to stray here into Hutt space to do it. If they heard a well-financed, well equipped, streamlined and effective resistance army led by Jedi was being built here, how long do you think we'd have?" Tuck answered.
Jojo nodded.
Keely would retire to the New Temple.
"It seems your new Order has no librarian. Perhaps I can serve the Order in that way?" Keely offered.
Keely had been training in the Temple Library. When Order 66 had come down, she had been away on some remote planet doing research. Perhaps, one day, she would have replaced Mistress Jocasta-Nu, perhaps not. Now we would never know. However, I had those Holochrons bequeathed to me by Master Arunx as well as a wealth of other information that was just piling up. Further, it would be useful to have someone keeping an eye on things at the New Temple.
Sky had made some decisions about our specific future.
"From now on, Revenge and I will ALWAYS be with you. We will not separate for different missions. Further, Shield will no longer be your droid administrator, he will join us as well." Sky had informed me.
I had to admit, based on recent experience, that made some sense. "In my desire to get more things done faster, perhaps I had stretched resources a bit too thin?" I had thought to myself.
"Yes, much too thin." Sky chose to add.
Still, the new relay was up and working. We had excellent, secure comm to that new base the Alliance was building near Yavin.
"That makes sense, but I do have these other things that will only require us to split up for just a..." I started to say, only to see and feel Sky's reply.
"Maybe we can delay a few." I said feeling the better part of valor.
Keely would be able to take over the droid foundry supervision while she went through the mountain of docs we had retrieved from the Temple and acquired elsewhere.
I looked up and could see Shield maintaining security surveillance above us as we enjoyed the Baetari banquet. Yes, I couldn't really enjoy the food very much, but they did have an excellent symphony.
*** Admiral Scharn, Imperial Command, Eriadu ***
"The defeat of our allies at Baetar was unfortunate." The former Grand Admiral and newly minted Grand Moff Tarkin announced across the briefing table.
On his side of the table, the Moff had his operations officers flanking him at each elbow.
Across the table, with far fewer cohorts, was Admiral Scharn, presenting his report on Baetar in person.
"I take full responsibility." Admiral Scharn replied.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Grand Moff Tarkin asked.
"Yes, I put far too much faith in the credibility of our allies in this matter. I should have established my own independent ability to oversee the progress of the conflict earlier, probably from the very beginning. That way, when that allied fleet arrived to support the Baetari, I could have intervened as well." Admiral Scharn explained without pride.
Admiral Scharn's answer hung in the air for some time. It would not be unusual in the Imperial Fleet for an Admiral to be arrested and executed at this point. Finally, Grand Moff Tarkin replied, "Yes, you should have. Still it would have been hard to predict our allies would be so bent on their pride and deception that they would have followed it to suicide.
"You have served the Empire and me well up to this point Admiral. Also, you didn't panic at the end and forget my final orders on this matter. For these reasons, and the fact that you have not dissembled, as so many others in your position have, and presented pathetic excuses of unachievable objectives, or magic Jedi, to excuse your failure," and with this, Grand Moff Tarkin looked both ways at his staff officers who quickly put their heads down in shame, "I will forgive your failure this one time. Do not fail me again."
*** Jedi Knight Furin Kazan, Baetar, Gift of Peace, Main Plaza ***
I had ship yards and training facilities across the galaxy. I had allies who were getting stronger each day. Yes, a determined effort by the Empire could likely still wipe us out like an Imperial boot might crush a death stick. However, moment by moment, day by day, ship by ship, base by base, ally by ally, battalion by battalion and Jedi by Jedi, that was getting to be harder and harder. Eventually, it would be hard enough that it could not be done.
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