Thump. Thump.
The walls of the throne room were tremoring wildly from the weight of the drexl beast thrashing itself against the grand doorway, which was locked and sealed as tightly as possible. Several guards were scattered across the room, looking frightened and weary.
Talia stood in the center, unable to do anything but wait. She clutched her vibroblade tightly in her left hand.
Thump. Thump.
Her mind wandered over the sudden events of the past few days. In the immediate aftermath of Tobin's attack on Auren Vale, Vaklu summoned an emergency Council of Lords, without Talia's permission or approval. He told the group that Talia was guilty of treason, actively working with the Republic and even a Jedi in order to instigate a civil war. The vast majority of the council members gave him permission to begin a full-fledged assault on the Palace. The very thought of such an act made the Queen's blood boil, but she could not do anything about it now.
Thump. Thump.
She and Kavar had worked frantically to mobilize her army, to prepare for the upcoming Sith invasion. Kavar had even sent an urgent message to Auren Vale, asking her to join them in the fight for Iziz. But to Talia's knowledge, the exiled Jedi had not responded to the distress call. And as they had expected, all their preparations were not enough to successfully battle Vaklu's Sith allies. The fighting raged through Iziz for two whole weeks, burning through the city like fire as Vaklu's combined forces pushed their way to the Palace, seizing control of every sector in the city. And now, after days of fighting through the last ranks of her soldiers, they were laying siege on the inner sanctum of her world.
I could die today, Talia thought. She was surprised by how calm she felt about the possibility of her death. It was the fate of her Jedi advisor that concerned her most.
Kavar had been personally supervising the battle in the rest of the Palace. She had tried to come with him, but Kavar had pleaded that she stay inside the safety of the throne room. Consequently, Talia had not seen him since early that morning, and it was now late afternoon. All she could hear were the echoes of blasters and shouts in the hallways outside, and the ever constant rhythm of the drexl beast's pounding. It was like the beating of a great drum, churning her insides with fear at first. After so many hours of waiting, it was as familiar to her as her own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She worried that Kavar was already lying dead somewhere in the marble corridors, stabbed through the heart by a Sith or shot by Vaklu's treacherous band.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The pounding was growing louder and faster, and the chandeliers on the high ceiling above threatened to crash onto the floor.
Thump. Thump. BOOM.
Before she could realize what had happened, the doors to the throne room burst open, and Vaklu's soldiers stood in the open doorway.
"Move into the throne room, you idiots! The Queen must not survive!" shouted Colonel Tobin as he moved back to fight the drexl beast, which now appeared to be breaking away from the control of its masters.
Vaklu's rebels poured into the room, but Talia's guards ran to meet them. The clashing of swords and shots of blaster fire ricocheted throughout the room, and Talia stood with her vibroblade out, prepared to fight. A few soldiers broke away from the fighting and approached her, but were gunned down mercilessly by her personal guard, standing around her in the center.
There was a commotion near the front of the room. Talia looked towards the doors for a moment to see General Vaklu arrive, his sword glinting. He cut through several of her soldiers, making his way with dark determination towards the throne where she stood. Pulling out a blaster rifle, he shot down most of her personal guard as they tried to protect their Queen. Vaklu's eyes met hers, and she watched as he lifted his gun slowly, aiming at her. Her heart flared with sudden fear before instinct kicked in.
"Vaklu, you coward! Why don't you fight me like a man, sword to sword? Or do you plan to shoot me down like the spineless traitor you are?" she shouted out at him, hoping beyond hope that he would put down the gun. Vaklu paused, clearly struck by her words. Holstering his gun in his belt, he walked towards her with his vibroblade extended, his lips curled in a taunting sneer.
"Insults, Talia? Let's see if the speed of your blade can match your wit," he said. Lunging forward, Talia easily blocked his first strikes with deft parries. They circled around each other at the base of the throne ramp, as Talia lightly batted off his initial attempts to break through. Eventually, Vaklu became frustrated, throwing his weight into his sword. There was a harsh clashing sound as Talia met him, pushing back on her blade with all her might. They whirled around in a deathly dance, meeting metal on metal. Talia could see nothing but the blur of their swords. She heard shouting and what could have been the buzz of a lightsaber, but somehow they sounded very far away.
"Your time is at an end, Talia. Your people have abandoned you, and now your life is forfeit," Vaklu said menacingly as they moved.
"You would destroy everything just for your ambition, Vaklu. The Republic, Iziz….everything," Talia said forcefully, spinning around him.
"That is a gross simplification, Talia. Change is a painful process. A price must be paid. But Onderon will have a new destiny, one larger than you could ever imagine," Vaklu shot back between thrusts and parries. He paused for a split second, breathing heavily, and Talia took the opportunity to hit him. He met her sword just before it moved to his throat, but the tip of her vibroblade scraped his cheek, slicing a red ribbon into his skin. Roaring with pain, Vaklu sprinted up the ramp to stand directly before the throne itself. Talia placed her hands on her hips, laughing.
"You're getting careless Vaklu," she said, taunting him. "One more mistake, and you're the one who will pay the price."
"Damn you!" he cried angrily, looking down at her. "Your skill with the blade won't save you from my men. Goodbye, Talia. Fire!"
Talia threw him a look of disgust, her heart seizing with fear for the second time. But she was surprised when the expected blaster fire didn't sound.
"Did I miss anything? So you must be General Vaklu," said a cool female voice from behind her. Talia spun around to see a beautiful woman with dark brown hair standing there, a silvery lightsaber in her hand. Two strange people were behind her, one an old woman in a brown cloak, the other a shifty young man with jet black hair.
That must be Auren Vale and her crew, she thought with a flood of relief, come at last.
Talia was filled with further joy as she noticed Master Kavar and her chief captains in the gathering crowd. The remaining soldiers from both sides were circled around, watching the scene with wonder.
Vaklu's face turned bright red, and he sputtered with choked rage.
"What? The Jedi lives? But how?" he said in bewilderment.
"Oh, I think you'll find that I'm full of surprises," Auren said lightly, a bemused expression on her delicate face.
"Kill her and the Queen, men!" Vaklu shouted, "Quickly! They must not be allowed to live!"
The sounds of battle resumed, but Talia barely had the chance to blink before the Exile leaped gracefully to where Vaklu stood, slashing him through the torso. Vaklu fell to his knees, moaning in agony. The fighting stopped as abruptly as it had started.
"You've won… this battle, Talia…" he coughed, the blood streaming through his fingers as he held his wounds. "But your reign won't be an easy one. The Republic is a sinking ship. And you're too attached to it."
The old woman who accompanied Auren suddenly spoke up, her voice surprisingly strong.
"He is too dangerous to leave alive. As distasteful as it is, it might be best to silence him forever. Until he's dead, all of Onderon is in peril."
Auren thought for a moment, scanning the scene. She finally rested her eyes on Talia.
"Although I respect your counsel, Kreia, the decision is the Queen's, not mine," she said smoothly.
Vaklu laughed harshly, his voice grating with pain.
"So what will it be, your majesty?" he asked mockingly. "Send me to your best detention cell. I will be free within the week."
"Are you so sure of my decision, Vaklu?" said Talia, her voice tremoring with anger. "I appreciate the Jedi's counsel. But as monarch, I decree you are guilty of treason. The punishment, as you well know, is death; to be carried out immediately." Turning to the Captain of the Guard, she said in a clear voice, "Captain Kadron?"
"Talia, you can't," Vaklu said desperately, "you're… you're too weak! What about my trial?"
Talia ignored him, signaling to Kadron. Before he could give the order to shoot, however, Auren interrupted.
"Excuse me, your majesty," she said carefully, "But I believe he may be right. If you kill him, you make him a martyr. Use the time you have to regain control of Iziz. Try to undo his lies and propaganda. Don't sink to his level by killing him."
All eyes in the room watched Talia as she struggled to decide.
What would Kavar do? She thought, trying to find a solution. The first line of his Jedi Code came to her, quite unexpectedly.
There is no emotion; there is peace.
Sighing with resignation, Talia spoke.
"I thought I could order this execution. But I can't," she announced. "It would only weigh on my conscience, to deny him the very rights I have worked so hard to preserve. You will stand trial, Vaklu. Take him out of my sight."
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kavar smile in approval of her decision. The surrounding guards dragged Vaklu along the floor and out of the room. Talia turned to Auren Vale.
"I cannot thank you enough for all you've done today. I don't think that your service can ever be repaid. I must go and speak with Captain Kadron, but I will be back shortly. The crisis is over thanks to you…" she said quietly. Throwing a smile at Kavar behind Auren's shoulder, she continued, "and Master Kavar. I have the feeling he'd like to speak with you. If you'll excuse me."
As she left the throne room to begin cleaning up the mess, Talia mused that she had never felt quite so glad to be alive.