Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars...
Note: Thanks to all my readers/reviewers/subscribers etc...! Enjoy! Thanks, also goes to my beta Liisiko!
Replies to reviewers:
Sandd - Glad you've been enjoying it so far, and don't worry! Action is definitely the main focus of the next chapter!
Liisiko - Thanks for your review and your help as always!
Cstan - Thanks for your review, and yep you are right. It's hard to keep someone like him a secret for long. And yes, I was sad to see Boba Fett go, too. I may write a one-shot involving him at some point since his parts of the story were really enjoyable for me to put together. Thanks for your review!
CHAPTER 8 - Mutiny
Location: The Armistice
There was a long moment of stunned silence, the Rodian staring in disbelief at Garm's holographic image. To his left, Juno sat deathly still; her face pale and drawn. And to her left, Galen seemed intent on tearing a chunk out of the table, his features displaying nothing but barely restrained rage. Opposite him Kota seemed to have physically deflated; his head and shoulders bowed.
"If this rebellion is to stay alive." Garm continued. "We need to finalize preparations to move from our base. It will only be a matter of time before they descend on us."
Kota nodded reluctantly. "Very well, Senator."
"No!" Galen snapped.
Garm's expression hardened and Kota leapt from his chair, shooting Galen a warning glare.
Galen chose to ignore it: "We can't let this chance slip by! Don't you see? They still think that we're on our way. They still think we're falling into their trap. We can turn this to our advantage. General. He'll be there. I know he will."
Kota opened his mouth to respond.
Garm cut him off. "Who's that with you? General?"
Fuming, Galen stormed around the table and up next to the Rodian, leaning in close. "You listen to me, Senator, that Starkiller who helped Vader escape was not me. Do you understand that? He's an imposter."
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Take a good look and ask yourself; how can I be in two places at once? That…that thing that helped Vader escape. It wasn't me."
"Calm down, boy." Kota warned.
"You knew about this all along, General?" Garm hissed. "All of you? You knew Starkiller was alive? That there might have been an attack on our base?"
There was another brief silence.
"We didn't know everything, Senator. If we had, we wouldn't have left." Kota reasoned.
"You've not heard the last of this. I suggest you all return here at once. You have a lot of explaining to do. Do you hear me? Return to base." The image flicked off and Galen's angry gaze lashed across the room.
"So…" Viedas murmured. "What happens next?"
Kota groaned, rubbing at his temples. "I'm too old for all this."
"How could this have happened?" Galen hissed at Kota. "Did you know about this?"
"Of course not. I was certain they were all killed."
Galen's hands slammed down against the table. "We need to continue the mission, General." He raged. "If we let this chance go, we won't find them again until they're attacking and by then it'll be too late. If we go back now, what do you think is going to happen? You think they'll hear me out? Trust me?" He turned and paced. "Why didn't I see this coming? I should have seen this coming."
"Boy, calm down."
"This is my fault! I can't just stand by and let it happen again." He headed for the door, turning to look between them all. "You can go back if you want but I won't be going with you."
"I'm with you, Master." PROXY replied almost instantly, moving across to the doorway.
Galen's eyes grazed across Juno's face. She still sat silently, staring at where Garm's holographic image had just been. An indescribable pain flared in his chest and, clutching at it – as if a physical wound – he departed.
Only when he was gone did Juno snap from her stupor. Her expression was deeply pained and she sought some comfort from the old Jedi's face. She found little there.
"What shall we do, Kota?" Her voice was strangely hoarse.
"For all that he's being a fool, he's right. That apprentice of Vader's will most likely be waiting there for him. If we want to end this, we need to head to that ship. Besides, I don't see how we can change his mind, and in truth, the thought of going back now doesn't sit well with me."
She gave a short sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear you say that."
"So we're still going ahead, then?" Viedas asked.
"Yes." Kota stood. "If you'd prefer to be left out of this, Commodore, you can leave your men here."
"No. Take them with you. They've already been given their orders anyhow."
Kota bowed his head with thanks. "I'll go make the preparations, then." He swept from the room, leaving Juno behind.
The Rodian moved to set a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" He asked gently. "Those Jedi are risking a lot by continuing on after being told to stand down. You must understand, Juno, that if they do this. If they ignore orders…it's unlikely they'll be called upon again by the Alliance."
"If the Rebels can't see what they're trying to do." Juno replied sadly. "Then perhaps they no longer deserve their aid. Those Jedi…they've given everything for this Alliance." She gave Viedas a sad smile. "If we do this and succeed, perhaps it'll gain Ga—Starkiller the trust he deserves. It's a risk I'm willing to take."
She stood and turned to face him. "Besides, you've committed men to this cause. Aren't you worried the Senators will see that as mutiny?"
The Rodian gave a short sound of amusement. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."
She gave him a slight smile.
Then another transmission came through.
"Probably Garm." She replied quietly. "I'll…leave you to it."
She turned to leave and was almost to the door when Viedas accepted the link.
"Princess Organa." He greeted with some surprise. "This is…unexpected."
Juno paused.
"Are you alone, Commodore?" Leia's calm voice was strangely soothing.
"Not quite."
"Kota?"
"It's Juno, Princess." The blonde-haired pilot turned back. "I was just leaving."
"I'd rather you stayed, if you don't mind. It was you I wanted to speak with."
A flood of guilt ran cold through Juno's veins. No doubt this would be about her misleading debrief and how she'd purposely left out important details on the mission. "Of…of course." She moved back around the table, coming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Viedas.
"Juno…"
"Don't say anything, Princess. I…I could apologize but I wouldn't mean a word of it. I was going to tell you everything as soon as we had reason to believe you would have trusted him."
"The clones on Kamino were Starkiller's."
"Yes."
"And the one who is with you now? He's a clone, too?"
"We don't…" She bit back the uncertainty. They would probably never be completely certain, but in all likelihood… "Yes. Yes he is."
"How many more clones are there?"
"Until just a moment ago, we believed there was only the one. The one with us. Now…I couldn't say."
"Juno…" The young woman's face softened with sad understanding. "I know how hard this must be for you. I know how you feel for him."
"I love him." Juno confirmed without hesitation, taking a sharp breath that had her shoulders drawing up.
"But you have to understand. I don't mean to be cruel, but that clone is not the man you once loved. Going down that path will only bring you greater heartache."
"Then what do you suggest I do? Abandon him? He is the Starkiller who turned to the light. He is the Starkiller who risked his life to protect your father and the others."
"He died to protect them." Leia reminded softly.
"And now he's back."
"Juno…"
"We're not returning to base, Princess. Not yet, anyway."
"Do you understand what this means, Juno?"
"Yes."
"Do you really? I'm not just talking about going against the Senators. This path could put you all in very grave danger. If I can't persuade you, please, just keep a close eye on him. He could be more dangerous than you think."
"We're going ahead to the XF-32, Princess. We'll make sure the clone that attacked the base is brought to justice."
"And then?"
"I think that's up to you and the Senators."
Leia's face was stoic.
"Goodbye, Leia."
And with tears burning in her eyes, Juno hastened from the room, pausing in the corridor to gather her wits about her. The last thing she wanted was for Galen to pick up on her emotions, especially when he was probably feeling vulnerable himself.
She stepped back onto the docking bay to find Kota speaking with a group of armed soldiers, armor emblazoned with the sign of the Alliance. The ship they were to take sat just beyond them, its engines whirring with life.
PROXY, who was standing at Kota's side, was demonstrating his ability to disguise himself to the small group.
Galen was nowhere in sight.
Steeling herself, she crossed the open expanse of the deck, her feet ringing against the metal grid as she made for the Rogue Shadow. She found him – as she knew she would – standing in the training room as if he wasn't quite sure why he was there. She crossed the room and, without a word, folded her arms around his slim waist, hugging herself up against the curve of his back, her head resting between his shoulder blades. She felt a shudder run through him and tightened her arms a little more.
"Why didn't I foresee this?" He asked.
"You can't predict everything. No one could have suspected this."
"What? That Vader would lie? He always lies. He told me there had been no successful clones. He told me they all went mad."
Juno loosened her arms and turned him to face her. His brown eyes were troubled and darkened with emotion. With one hand, she reached up to stroke his cheek. "We've made the right decision to carry out this mission."
"But what about you?" His voice was soft.
"Me?"
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"One hundred percent."
"But…what if nothing comes of this? What if the Senators decide I'm not worth the risk to be considered an ally?" He lowered his voice further and said, softly: "What if I have you leaving another life behind?"
She blinked back a sudden burst of tears, shaking her head in an attempt to dispel them. "The only life I want is one that has you in it."
He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers; rekindling the sweet memory of their miraculous reunion on Kamino.
"Sorry to interrupt, Master, but General Kota is ready to set off. He's quite eager." PROXY announced from the doorway. "Am I still to go with him?"
"That's right." Galen lifted his head to look across at the droid. "Keep him safe, PROXY."
"Master?"
"Don't ask questions. Just do it. He'll need you watching his back."
"Very well." The droid exited the room and Galen, taking Juno by the hand, led them back out onto the docking bay. His grip on her fingers was tight, as if he were worried she might escape him.
"We're ready to go." Kota informed, reaching out to clap Galen on the shoulder. "How about you, boy?"
"We'll be right behind you."
"Good. And don't do anything foolish, do you hear? We need this to succeed. If not, we'll be going back to the Alliance empty-handed and I'm telling you now; that will not go down well."
"I'll play my part."
"Just make sure you do."
"Take care, General." Juno smiled, briefly grasping the gruff man by the elbow. He gave her a coarse smile and waved her away.
"Off with you. The Rogue Shadow won't prepare herself."
She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Safe flying."
Galen turned to follow her but the General halted him with a hand on his shoulder. His face was solemn. "Whatever you saw in that vision of yours, boy, don't let it cloud your judgment."
"I know what I'm doing." He replied sternly, freeing himself and moving back towards the ship.
"I hope so." Kota growled, watching the younger man trudge off. "I damn well hope so."
"What are your next orders, my Master?" The Apprentice bowed low before Vader; arm resting across a bent knee, head lowered and eyes closed.
The damage on Vader's suit was extensive but nothing that he couldn't put up with for a time. He sat back in his chair, his arms stretched across the rests. "The plan has not changed. The General and the failed clone are moving into our trap as we speak. You must ensure that you are there to deal with them. Failure in this is not an option."
"Understood, my Master."
"Leave no one there alive."
"Yes, Master." The Sith complied. "It is as good as done." He moved to stand but halted half-way as his master spoke again.
"And one last thing. Once you have completed your task, ensure that the bounty hunter returns here to me. I will need information on the Rebel base before he receives his payment."
Bowing in acknowledgment of his orders, the Apprentice rose to full height and took his leave.
To be continued...