Chapter 17
"All pilots report to the ready room," a voice called over the base speakers.
Within fifteen minutes, all of the pilots were gathered in the base's makeshift briefing center, either freezing in chairs or huddling together in clumps.
"Ayy!" greeted Andover, trotting in through the side door. Instead of the cold flight suits, he was wearing a green, puffy jacket.
"Why aren't you in uniform?" Dak questioned. His teeth were chattering.
"I like this jacket much more. I think I'll sew my name on here in white, or maybe gold..."
"Well go, put on your flight gear!" one of the men ordered.
"Naw, I'm sitting this one out. You guys are going to have the greatest time, though."
"Talk to Mothma," one of them said. "She can make an executive order to put you in."
Andover smirked. "It was my executive order that exempted me from this mission."
"Executive order?" Leia exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Miss Organa," he announced cordially, "I would like you to meet the new Commander in Chief of the Rebel Alliance."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Right-o. Now, I drew up plans for a strike on a tibanna refinement facility. We must act quickly while the Imperials are still spread out..."
Leia's jaw dropped.
"Do please close your mouth," Andover jested. "No need to tease the children." He gestured to the pilots.
"You're younger than everyone here," Luke pointed out.
His friend grinned. "And I have so much more energy. And ideas. Oh, the plans. I can't wait!" He grinned excitedly at the crowd.
"Where do I resign?" Han whispered.
(Later)
One by one, every activated Rebel fighter flew back into the hangar. The refinement facility had been unguarded; it was a perfect mission for the Rouges. There had been no casualties, and enough tibanna gas had been captured that the entire Alliance could function for the next four months.
Talk about an excellent track record.
He whistled softly, rearranging the papers on his desk. Lights out had been two hours ago and the base was now silent.
It had been an overwhelmingly-successful first day. He had already left his mark in the history books, but he wasn't satisfied yet. He had six months to blow the living daylights out of the Galactic Empire.
Six months and counting, he reminded himself.
The chrono on his desk dinged, indicating that it was 2:08 in the morning. One day was gone, but he still had half a year left to work with.
Luke groggily stumbled into Andover's office. He had no idea why he was summoned in the middle of the night. Mara was already there, asleep on a chair in front of his desk. Luke tapped her on the shoulder; she awoke with a start.
"Force, what time is it?" she groaned.
"Time for some real fun!" Andover exclaimed brightly, jogging into his office with a small metal box. He threw it under his desk and jumped into his (spinning) chair.
"Why did you call us in at two thirty in the morning?" Luke groaned.
"Come on, this is awesome!" Andover remarked brightly. "My first conference as Commander in Chief. Isn't this exciting?!" He was shaking with excitement. (Or was it caffeine?)
"How many cups of caf have you had?" Mara asked bluntly.
"Oh, none. Can't stand caf. Had like twelve cups of ice tea and I'm fine, really." He spoke the last half of the sentence all in one word. "AnywayIdecidedthatthroughmyexecutivepower…"
"Please talk slowerrrr." Mara complained.
"I am elevating you both to the rank of Admiral. Tomorrow you are to assume a task force of seventeen ships each. Also, I have arranged for specialized versions of my fighter designs into limited production. Each of you will be able to pick your command staff and any personnel you ask for shall be assigned to your fleet. Your orders will come from me and me alone. Any questions?"
"Um, no...sir."
"Look at that," Andover shot back, sounding like normal again. "I'm in control of a huge military and I look like I'm hopped up on drugs. I'm already a 'sir'? That was fast."
"Can we go back to sleep now?" Mara asked, caustic as usual.
Andover scratched his head. "No," he responded simply. "First of all, Luke. Commander Antilles will assume your position as Rogue Leader. And Mara, your position will be filled by someone from the Renegade Squadron fiasco. You will both be able to begin immediately."
"Anything else?" Mara said, somewhat sharply.
Andover opened his mouth to say something, but closed it soon after. He brought out the box, and opened it for Luke and Mara. The inside of the box was filled with about a dozen glass containers containing an incredibly fine white powder.
"What are those?" Luke asked.
"They are ground-up Adegan crystals. A task force recently attacked an Imperial supply vessel. These had been confiscated from an old Separatist facility where a few Clone-Wars-era Jedi were held. One must have been taking these back to Coruscant. Any crystals found were ground up or destroyed. This is the best we can do in terms of lightsaber crystals-"
"Why would we need lightsaber crystals?" Luke asked. "I have my father's. You have that Emperor's hand's, Vess Kogo's. And Mara is perfectly fine without a lightsaber-"
"Don't speak for me," she interrupted. "But yes, I am."
"Why do we need so much Adegan powder? There are only three of us that are force-sensitive in the entire base."
"We are going to find my sister," Andover reminded them in a low, dangerous tone. "Four."
"Five," Mara said. "Princess Organa is extremely force-sensitive. Almost as much as you, Luke."
"Huh?" he asked. "But I've always found her easy to read through the force."
Mara shook her head. "I can't pick up on her at all. Her mental shields must be at least twice as good as mine, and I've been training for years."
"Even so," Luke said, trying to go back on topic, "there are only five of us. Why would we need so many crystals?"
"That's one of the reasons I promoted you both. Once we win this war, and I firmly believe that we can and we will, the Rebel Alliance will undergo the monumental task of rebuilding the Galactic Republic. In my opinion, it is likely that any such transition will occur relatively easily and painlessly. I am proud that so many of the galaxy's best thinkers, speakers, and fighters have devoted themselves to the cause of freedom. Once we are in power again, almost all of the others that have been too scared to join us will. The only thing that would stand in our way is the fact that we have no Jedi Order. And I am entrusting that task to all three of us. It's time for a New Jedi Order to be created, isn't it?" he asked quietly.
Andover sat back again and pulled a flimsiplast out of his desk. It was completely clear, barring the text, so it was of very high quality.
"If you sign this document, you declare yourself a Jedi Knight," he explained. "The choice is yours."
Is he doing what I think he's doing? Mara asked Luke through their Force-bond.
I think so, he responded.
"Do any of you disagree?" he prompted, even quieter.
"No," Luke consented.
Mara frowned, deep in thought. Being with the Rebels had opened her eyes to how inhumane the Empire actually was. The Rebels had to win, and she would do her part. She would probably never fully get over the sense of betrayal she now felt towards the Emperor. She was not the Emperor's Hand. She was one of many, just another of the resources the Empire was abusing.
She knew she would probably regret signing the document somehow, someday. But she was better off a Jedi than an Emperor's Hand.
"Of course not," Mara spoke up. "We've come too far not to. We're fighting a war. Sometimes, drastic action is the way to go."
"Thank you," Andover whispered. "You guys are the best." He took the flimsy and delicately scribbled his name in the open space at the bottom. He then slid the sheet across his glass desktop for Luke and Mara to peruse.
Luke didn't need to read any further. He grabbed a pen and signed directly to the right of Andover.
"With you two..." Mara began, "Force, I'm gonna regret this..."
She signed her name in the bottom-right corner. Looking into her colleagues' eyes, she could only sense one thing.
An extreme amount of gratitude.
"Luke, may I have your lightsaber, please?"
He took it off his belt and handed it to his friend.
"This was Anakin Skywalker's once," Andover said, thinking out loud. "It's great that this is here for this." He activated it. "This is how they knighted Jedi in the Old Order," he informed Mara.
"The force is clearly with all of us. The Old Jedi Order was in place to prevent injustice in the galaxy. We are all here because we believe in everything they have stood for and because we refuse to see the rights all sentients should have be infringed, and we have risked our lives because of this."
Andover stopped, leaning over his desk. "See, Luke?" he muttered. "I can sound like an old hermit."They chuckled slightly.
He resumed his speech, swinging the lightsaber around Luke's head. "By the power invested in me by...me, I declare you a Jedi Knight of the Alliance to Restore the Republic."
He turned to Mara. "By the same executive power, Mara, you too are now a Jedi." He moved the lightsaber dangerously close to her neck. He snipped off a small strand of her hair in the process.
Using the force, he then shakily lifted back to his head. "And, me. I'll let the voices in my head finish the ceremony," he joked. "They've been with me for so long, it's only fair."
The lightsaber then shut off, and Andover set it down on the table. He got up from his seat and moved around the table to shake their hands. "Congratulations, Knights Skywalker and Jade."
Luke grinned from ear to ear. "Ben would be proud, Knight Casimir."
"He would," Andover agreed.
"I never thought I would associate myself with you like this, but now I'm glad I did," Mara said.
"You enjoyed the slave costume that much?" he jested. Luke snickered, and she turned to leave.
"Wait, Mara," Andover called. He picked up one of her severed strands of hair.
"You were right all along," he conceded. "It is your natural hair color."
Whew! Sorry about how it took so long. Anyway, happy new year, everybody! 2014 is finally here. One less year until somebody actually invents a working lightsaber.
(Don't worry, I'm on it.)
Thanks, and REVIEW!
-ClaptonJr.