Chapter 25

The ground battles on Hapes ended shortly after the Jedi joined the fight. Saba's team was at the Palace infirmary when Eriana's team arrived. Morg Treal was delusional and missing an arm, which was likely the one that Tesar was carrying. Dot Polf had a blaster bolt through her right leg and was wailing loudly as a maddeningly patient 2-1B attended her. Both reptilian Jedi were uninjured.

"Done?" Eriana asked.

"Done," Saba replied sadly. "All the Mandoz on Hapes are dead, dying, or captive."

"I still don't get why they used such a small occupying force," Jacen mused. "Why try to take one city? It wouldn't take long to get reinforcements from neighbouring cities, and even two hundred Mandalorians couldn't hold a city like this for long."

"The entire cluster follows this city," Tenel Ka said. "Political changes here are followed by the entire Consortium. It is simply how Hapes operates. They depended on the Sith removing me and taking control. The ground assault was only meant to keep the militia busy long enough for the Sith to complete their task."

"Might want to beef up your defences then," Eriana commented, "And hardwire some communication systems. Wireless is great, but limited."

"This is a fact."

"How're your apprentices?" Jacen asked Saba. Tesar was still talking to a medical droid, hissing himself silly with laughter. Barabels, who could regenerate their limbs, found it amusing that humans could not.

"Recklessss," Saba looked as dejected as she sounded, a considerable feat for a being with scales. "Dot jumped into a blazter bolt when she tried leaving the bunker, and Morg forgot to charge his lightzaber. Three secondz into the fight, the blade diez, and the Mando cutz hiz arm off! Luckily, the Hapanz saved him. Your people are very skilled with a blade, Queen Tenel Ka."

Tenel Ka nodded her thanks. "Any news of the space battle?"

"Stalemate," Saba said. "The Hapanz are holding the Sith off, but the Sith will not tuck their tailz and leave."

"Reinforcements may be en-route. Fleet losses?"

"Three battle dragonz, a nova classss, and about one hundred fighterz. Nearly a third of the shipz are out of the battle with damage," Saba said. "The Mandalorians lost two mid-sized cruiserz, and about fifty fighterz. Again, a third is not fighting. A Hapan fighter shipyard on the coast was also badly hit a few moments ago. Almost half a million casualties. All civilians."

Jacen winced at the news, and took a moment to compose himself. Tenel Ka's face turned white and she sat down on a nearby crate.

"So it'll be a matter of whose reinforcements arrive first. And with ours six hours out, we could be in big trouble." Jacen said. "Has anyone seen Womprat?"

"No."

"He'll turn up," Jacen said pulling a data card from his sleeve. "Tenel Ka, can we try to find Jaina on my ship? I have the codes here."

"This way," Tenel Ka got up and started her way out of the room.

"Eriana, stay here," Jacen ordered. "If Womprat shows up, get that chip out of him. You know the one. I don't want him running around with it. Use the Force if you have to."

Jacen jogged out of the Infirmary to catch up with Tenel Ka and was nearly tackled with a bear hug when he turned the corner.

"I missed you," Tenel Ka whispered in his ear.

"I missed you, too." Jacen responded, squeezing her a bit tighter. His journey had been a long, lonely one, not only for himself but for his close friends as well. He held her close for another minute, enjoying the warmth and presence of his friend before finally letting go.

"We should find out what's going on above," Jacen said, regretfully.

"It would be the responsible thing to do," Tenel Ka agreed. Why does it take a war to bring you back to me?

"Yeah," Jacen continued to stare into her eyes until a bark startled them. Astro was at their feet lying on his back expecting his belly rubbed, and was getting impatient.

"Oh my!" Tenel Ka exclaimed, hand moving towards her lightsaber. "Jacen, is that a Vornskr?"

"Yeah, that's Astro." Jacen crouched down and scratched the Vornskr's side. "Fiercest beast this side of the Core."

"Don't they hunt Jedi?" Tenel Ka asked wearily.

"Normally, but Astro's smarter than the average Vornskr," Jacen explained. "I've trained him in a few Force-based acrobatics and combat techniques. I kind of had to enhance his intelligence by imposing more human-like thought patterns into his brain to do that, but the end result of my tampering is that he can control his urges to eat anything Force sensitive. And he is a great conversationalist."

Astro whined in response to either the comment or the scratching.

"Ah," Tenel Ka said. "I did not realize you were restarting your menagerie."

"Oh, no, I'm not," Jacen responded. "No more crystal snakes for me. Astro's more of a friend than a pet. We should get going."

"Indeed."

The two Jedi made their way to the comm room with Astro happily following, leading, or running around them frantically for no apparent reason. When they reached the comm room, Astro made to walk through the door, but there was no automatic sensor installed. After his head hit the door with a loud "thunk," Astro sat and stared at it with a confused expression.

"Sometimes," Jacen said conversationally, "I swear he thinks he's human."

Tenel Ka pressed a button on the door and Jacen went into the room and sat at a console. After a few moments his sister's face appeared on a holodisplay.

"Jaina, how's my ship doing up there?" Jacen asked once the comm channel was opened.

"I'm doing great, thanks for your concern," Jaina replied. "Oh, and I blew your ship up. Sorry."

"Cute," Jacen said. The encryption routine he used was hardwired into the Solo Quest's memory core and not removable. It was highly unlikely that any other ship could answer his hails. "I take it all is well?"

"As well as can be expected," Jaina replied. "The Mandos have pulled back and seem to be regrouping. We're doing the same, conducting emergency repairs and trying to get everything working again. In terms of the Quest, a couple power couplings in the shield system blew when the Mandos blew the shipyard and I kinda got in the way, so Karth and I are taking care of that. Also, the starboard torpedo launcher is damaged. I can fix it, though. Dad's doing his usual on-the-fly repairs with Mom flying, and the rest of the fleet is doing what they can. Some of the surviving crewmembers and parts from the crippled ships are being transported to other ships. Any news on the Republic?"

Jacen checked his chronometer. "By Uncle Luke's estimate, they should be arriving in about six hours, as well as a flight of Jedi starfighters. He didn't say how many. Some defences had to stay behind to protect Ossus should the Sith decide to attack."

"Wonderful," Jaina said bitterly.

"Exactly," Jacen responded. "Hate to say it, but Hapes was a rich target from the start. Manufacturing facilities, culture, and limited defences."

Something struck Jacen's mind.

"Tenel Ka, that's not the entire Hapan fleet up there, is it?"

"Indeed not. The rest of the fleet is defending the other sixty-two planets. Hapes receives the largest fleet, but the other planets are granted a fleet detail as well," Upon seeing Jacen's grin, she cautiously added: "A detail they will not easily give up with a Mandalorian fleet around Hapes."

"How many ships are we talking about?" Jaina asked.

"During the Yuuzhan Vong war, we increased ship production for defence purposes," Tenel Ka explained. "We now have at least three Nova-Class destroyers, and three Battle Dragons at each planet, plus support craft."

" 'At least' you say." Jaina said. "That means there are planets with more than that?"

"Affirmative," Tenel Ka said, a warrior's grin growing on her face.

"Jaina, get down here," Jacen returned her smile. "The Queen needs a chariot to gather her fleet."

-! #$%^&*()

"Luke!" Mara jumped without thinking, igniting her lightsaber before hitting the ground. Cilghal pulled the last two children into the Jade Shadow, and Lowbacca accelerated skyward. Kyp's squadron formed up in a defensive escort pattern around the Shadow.

Mara sprinted after Luke, who was already at the far end of the courtyard reducing the AA guns to scrap. One was made operational, and an X-wing was shot down before Luke could reach it. Mara met the Sith in a blur of motion and used her fury to strike at the Sith. Blue lightsaber and lightning reduced a handful of Sith to a smoking pile of bodies in seconds, and Mara continued her sprint towards Luke.

"I told you to go!" Luke yelled at Mara when she finally reached him.

"And leave you behind?" Mara yelled back. "Not on your life, Farmboy!"

"There's only one seat in the X-wing!" Luke shouted.

"Good thing we're married!"

They continued to strike down the Sith as a perfect fighting force. Two blades, two bodies, two minds, all one within the Force, and unstoppable. Until they stopped. It was just not the end of the Sith waves that ceased the perfect dance Luke and Mara were fighting. It was the end of the Force.

"Master Skywalker, I presume," An insidious voice came from nearby. It sounded Weequay. "What an honour it is to meet the son of the Chosen One!"

"Who?" Luke asked, facing a man wearing a dark cloak. His thoughts were elsewhere. What happened to the Force?

"Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One," The Weequay said. "The one who would 'bring balance' to the Force. You are his son, are you not? By the way, how is the Force?"

Luke continued to stare at the Sith Lord with lightsaber ablaze as the lower-ranked Sith made a circle around the two Jedi. "Its fine, last time I checked. Who are you?"

"Even with my little friend here?" An ysalamiri appeared in the man's hand, and Luke got the distinct impression he was smiling under his cloak. "I am the one who will bring an end to your reign, young Skywalker. Your end is near."

"I've heard those words before, from greater beings than you," Luke replied.

"Oh, no, young Skywalker. I assure you: You haven't."

Two blaster shots rang out and both Skywalkers hit the ground.

The Weequay twisted the ysalamiri's head, breaking its neck. He took a moment to enjoy feeling the Force flow through him again. "Collect the bodies. We have work to do."

-! #$%^&*()

The Jade Shadow and Kyp's squadron broke the atmosphere near the edge of the Mandalorian fleet. Turbolaser and laser cannon blasts wove intricate patterns of light around the escaping ships which were expertly dodged by the Jedi pilots. Being several kilometres away from the ships, it was difficult for the Mandalorians to target accurately.

"Lowie, head towards Mim," Kyp ordered. "We can use the moon to shelter us from the fleet as we make our escape to hyperspace."

Lowie grunted an acknowledgement and redirected the ship.

"Master, we have incoming," One of the Jedi in Kyp's squadron said. "One squadron of Mando fighters with a couple more behind them.

"Do we have any intel on the ships they're using?" Kyp asked.

[Negative,] Lowie barked. [But they are faster than us! Scans show missile signatures and light defences. Interceptor analogues. They will be in firing range in two minutes.]

"Understood," Kyp debated in his head for a moment before issuing orders. "Lowie, you're slower than us. Make a run for it. We'll take out the interceptors and regroup. We'll meet you on Coruscant."

Lowie barked his agreement and redirected forward shield power to engines as Kyp's squadron broke off. He started making the calculations for the jump to hyperspace, trusting the ship to its straight course.

"Okay, squad, we'll do this like the Rogues," Kyp said to his squadron. "Everyone pick a target and prime your warheads. Fire in three…two…one…mark!"

A dozen torpedoes and three times as many decoys raced towards the offending Mandalorians, who started firing immediately. Half of the torpedoes were destroyed before they hit their targets and the other half shredded six of the opponents. Kyp's squadron blew through the enemy formation and pulled around in a tight arc to fire at their engines. Before the Jedi could fire, the Mandalorians launched a volley of missiles towards the Jade Shadow and broke formation.

"Lowie, you have missiles incoming!" Kyp shouted, breaking off to follow a target. His squadron did likewise with an empathic order.

Out of the corner of Kyp's eye he saw the Shadow bank sharply and take several missile strikes. In the moment he took to lock his target and destroy it, the Jade Shadow disappeared in a fireball of exploding concussion missiles.

"Master Durron!" One of the Jedi exclaimed. "Half the Council was on that ship! Masters Luke, Tionne, Lowie, Cilghal, Tresina…"

"I know!" Kyp replied, checking his screens. An entire wing of starfighters was closing on their position and only one retreating interceptor remained from the original squad. Thankfully, no Jedi starfighters had been lost since Kam's was shot down on Ossus. "I know. Form up; we have to get to Coruscant. There's nothing left for us here."