Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Note: Hope you all had a great holiday and wonderful New Year celebrations. Scary how fast the time goes! A big thank you goes out to all of my wonderful reviewers, readers and subscribers. And, as always, a big thank you to Liisiko who puts so much time and effort into helping me make this story the best it can be. Also, as a sort of heads up, this story has become a lot longer than I had initially planned. I set out to write about 20 chapters and ended up writing quite a bit more than that. As an estimate, I would guess this fic to last about 40 chapters, give or take. It's perhaps longer than I would have liked but I couldn't seem to plan it any shorter without cutting out vast amounts of detail.
CHAPTER 21 - Trust
Location: Besbrillmir / The Armistice
The Apprentice woke to the sound of persistent buzzing and half expected that he'd open his eyes to find himself in the ruins of the XF-32 again.
He was lying on the ground, his body stiff with terrible, terrible pain and – when he dared to open an eye – his vision swam horrendously. The strength in his limbs had all but dissipated and when he tried to move, it caused so much hurt that after a moment he gave up and lay still. Unfortunately the pain didn't ebb as much as he had hoped.
Apparently he had also cried out in pain because suddenly someone was calling to him.
"Oi! You there, boy. You alive?"
The clone made no attempt at a response but apparently the stranger was convinced of his health enough to declare it to…well, he wasn't sure who to. Another in close proximity, anyway.
"Told you he was alive, didn't I? Bah. When we get out of here, you owe me two hundred credits. I'm going to write it here so I don't forget, see?"
Someone else responded to that irritating voice in a low, guttural dialect that the clone didn't understand. And then an awful scratching sound grated the sensitive bones in his ears and he tried to draw his arms up to cover his head. This time his limbs acquiesced, though not without some degree of pain and the sound muffled into the background.
It was a good half an hour before he dared to open his eyes again, peering past the dark line of his shielding arm to see a shimmering curtain of blue light. Then, carefully, he lifted his arm away and blinked slowly in an attempt to bring his world back into focus.
"Welcome back!" The irritating voice from before interrupted.
He let lose a frustrated burst of anger: "Just shut up before I make you."
A laugh, somewhat hysterical, replied: "I'd like to see you try."
With a roar of anger, the clone put all his energy into pushing himself up off of the floor. The world lurched sickeningly and his body protested, but after a few agonizing moments he managed to prop himself up adequately enough. "Where are you? Show yourself!"
"Over here!"
Through the bleary fog still shrouding his thoughts he saw a waving motion beyond that blue curtain. Something pale and humanoid in appearance.
Pushing up from the floor he staggered on his feet and almost ended right back where he started.
"Careful! Don't touch that blue light. You're in a Force cage."
The clone's eyes snapped up.
"Electrical burns, you know? Nasty, painful things, and they won't give you any bacta down here. Not to their slaves."
"SHUT UP!"
"Okay, okay. Someone's touchy. Guess I'll just go back to talking to Nawaraac, hm?"
A low, mournful sound echoed from further away.
"Don't be like that. You know I don't—"
"—I am not a slave." The Apprentice growled, sinking back to his knees and closing his eyes to shut out the room, which was still spinning around him. He felt so weak. So angry. So…pathetic. He felt so drained that it was an effort even to lift his head. He allowed it to hang low; face buried in the palms of his hands.
"Prisoner, then. Whoever you are, you're important enough to keep alive."
A fragment of a memory came back to haunt him: 'Vader wishes him to be transported back in one piece.' And he recoiled in on himself, fearing that very possibility. He could not return to Vader without completing his mission. To do so would be to go to his death and he couldn't die. Not yet. Not before that other clone had met his end.
"Hm, you bled all over your cell, boy."
"Don't call me that." He hissed through clenched teeth.
"Oh, okay, what should I call you then?"
Silence.
"A name? You have a name?"
The clone thought of the injustice of his situation and the anger gripped him fiercely. He was Vader's apprentice. He was powerful and strong. He had cast aside his lesser emotions and those distracting memories for something far greater. Yet, here he was, trapped and weak whilst the inferior one walked free. This was not how it should be.
"Hello?" The other prisoner called out, not knowing when to give up.
His eyes flared open. "I am… I am superior."
"Superior? That's not a name."
But he was not talking to the stranger. "I am superior. I am superior! They think they can trap me here in a cage like some pathetic animal? I'll show them. They'll all be dead and they'll die slow and painful. Then we'll see who's weak." His eyes snapped in the direction of the voice and he was surprised to see how much his head had cleared. Anger was good. Anger made him stronger. "And you will join them. Perhaps you'll even thank me for ending this pitiful life you lead."
The alien, Nawaraac, bellowed mournfully and he realized, then, that it was the brutish voice of a Wookiee.
"Even the beast welcomes death."
"That's not what he said!" The voice responded, somewhat angrily. "A life is better than no life, no matter how one lives it."
"Filthy animals like you wouldn't know any better."
"Filthy animals?" The man got to his feet and the clone narrowed his eyes in an attempt to focus in on him. "I'm a scientist! A Cerean! I possess an intelligence you could never hope to wield."
"We'll see how good intelligence is at defending you when my blade cuts your throat."
That silenced him.
Smirking, he turned away from the Cerean scientist and stalked back to the very edge of his prison, attempting to gain his bearings. The room was large, containing around twenty cages of variable size. Some – such as the one that housed the scientist – were only big enough to sit or stand in. Others – like the one he was in – were meant for more than one prisoner. In the cell that housed Nawaraac, he could see the dark shapes of others. Many others; all crammed together.
On the far side was a vivid, angry red light that indicated the entrance door was locked. There seemed to be only one way in and out of the room.
Suddenly, there was a loud, intermittent blip and the Wookiees in their cell stirred fearfully. The red light above that door turned green and it snapped open abruptly to allow a small troupe of stormtroopers and their commander to march inside. Walking with them were more haggard looking prisoners, shackled and weary. Most of them were Wookiees, though there were some other races amongst their number.
The commander, dressed in his pristine uniform, ordered the returning workforce back into their cells and locked them away with no trouble at all.
The Sith sneered in disgust at their lack of fight. Did they have no pride or self-respect? If they were willing to submit so easily than they deserved all that they got.
And then the troupe moved onwards, passing close to the Sith's cell. He sneered at them as they passed and took delight in the way the commander struggled to keep his eyes ahead.
"You think if you ignore me everything will be alright? Put me in a cage and hope I'll submit like all of those animals?"
The commander drew to a halt outside of Nawaraac's cell and ordered the cage to be powered down.
"I will not be ignored."
The force shield of the Wookiee cell disappeared and the stormtroopers hustled around the aliens, shepherding them up onto their feet. Some gave mournful cries, but any that put up resistance were met with cruelty until they trudged, one by one, back towards the door.
"Weak-minded fools." The Sith hissed. "You should run before I escape. If you're here when I do, you'll be slaughtered along with the rest."
The commander paused by his cell and peered in at him. "You are in no position to make threats. You are our prisoner and there is no escape." Then, with a cruel smile of his own, he raised a hand and pressed a small switch on the cell's suspended panel.
The Apprentice's body erupted with pain as an electrical surge swept through him.
It felt like a lifetime ago since they had last been on the docking bay of the Armistice and not the few days it had been in reality. This time the arrival brought a sense of emptiness and the pain of remembering that Kota was no longer with them.
Juno's legs felt oddly shaky as she left the Rogue Shadow behind her, PROXY leading the way with Galen trailing behind. She looked back to check on him. The only sign of his nervousness and reluctance was the speed of his step. Otherwise his dark eyes looked confident; his head was up, his shoulders squared. She paused to let him draw parallel with her and then they continued on together in silence.
Juno, at least, felt somewhat refreshed; dressed in a clean uniform, her hair tied neatly back in its ponytail, a fan of gold falling down across an eye.
They were greeted by an equally well-dressed woman with mousey-colored hair cut into a neat bob. She eyed them sternly for a moment before stepping aside and gesturing for them to follow her. Her walk was surprisingly brisk.
"I'm Lieutenant Hayes."
Juno recognized the voice for the woman she had spoken to previously when trying to contact Viedas. The unhelpful woman who refused to break even the tiniest of protocols to speed things along.
Juno opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off again.
"I already know who you are. Follow me, please. The senators are scheduled to arrive within the next three standard hours. I've been given orders to show you to the waiting lounge."
Juno and Galen shared a skeptical look.
"It's not too far."
"Are we able to speak with the—"
"—Unfortunately." Lieutenant Hayes interrupted swiftly, much like an affronted teacher. "The Commodore is not able to see you at this time. Any questions you have are to be directed to me, though I cannot promise you I will answer them."
Juno drew herself up. "May I remind you of your rank, Lieutenant?"
"There is no need, Captain. I am well aware of my position within the Alliance. Just as I am aware of rules and regulations." She jibed.
"And how many battles do you think the Rebels have won, so far, where a rule has not been broken, Lieutenant?" Juno replied and though she'd meant it to be rhetorical, the woman saw fit to respond anyway.
"I do not deny the fact that rules have been broken before and will continue to be broken, Captain. However, it does not make the matter any less serious for being one of many."
"I think you've made your view clear, Hayes." Galen interrupted firmly; a hand closing over Juno's shoulder. "Now, remember your place."
The woman gave him a haughty look and strode ahead.
PROXY, dropping back, lifted a hand to shield his 'mouth' and said quietly: "Would you like me to file a report, Master?"
His attempt at helping managed to briefly bring smiles to their faces as Galen, a moment later, declined the generous offer.
"You have a death wish, eh, Superior?"
The dark clone laughed despite the pain. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."
"You know, I'm certain that the Jedi were never as bloodthirsty as all that."
"Jedi?" The dark clone pushed himself up onto his knees despite it being an agonizing action. "Don't mistake me for those pathetic creatures. They are dead. Forgotten. The Sith have destroyed them. Now, the future belongs to us. Our actions will remain strong in the memories of all."
"Unless you kill everyone you come across. If all those you meet die, there will be no one left to remember."
The clone seethed, hissing angrily between gritted teeth.
"But if you are a Sith, why are you here?" The Cerean continued. "A failure, are you?"
The apprentice would have struck out at him if he could. The anger growing within him refused to be contained. He slammed his fist against the floor and imagined it was the scientist's face caving beneath his knuckles. The pain sharpened his wit enough for him to regain control.
"You, Cerean, are not very smart for a scientist." His voice was low and dark. "Angering me is the last mistake you'll ever make."
"You aren't getting out of that cell."
"Yes I am. And you: you're going to help me."
The imprisoned scientist gave a bark of wild laughter. "How did you come to that conclusion? I may be a prisoner but I'm not suicidal. I have something to live for you know." A sigh. "My family. If I show any resistance they'll—"
But the dark clone was no longer listening. He was staring at the blood against the broken floor, tilting his hand so he could see the damage to his closed fist. He was not in a good shape but that, in a way, was a sign of his strength. A lesser being would have died long ago and yet here he was, still very much alive. Hot rage flowing through his veins.
Possibilities of escape began to flow through his head, flickering across his mind as he sought the best path. The manic chaos, surprisingly, brought forth snippets of ideas and he quickly began to lock them together. Droids. Scientist. Anarchy.
The corners of his mouth curled into an unpleasant smile and, slowly, he lifted his head to focus on the pale-skinned scientist.
"You are going to help undo this...this dishonor." He sat back more comfortably now, crossing his legs. "And I will set your family free."
Galen paced the lounge like a caged kath hound; growing more and more agitated with every passing moment. Juno, on the other hand, had settled next to a small viewport, staring out into empty, cold darkness. She looked calm on the outside, but her head was spinning with turmoil. She wished she could say that the meeting would go smoothly, but deep down she knew that it would be a wasted wish. Try as she might, she could not make herself believe that this would go well for them.
"How long now, PROXY?"
"Fifteen minutes since you last asked me, Captain."
She sighed.
"This is ridiculous." Galen snapped, drawing to a sudden halt. "For all we know, they're already here and they're just letting us stew."
She wanted to disagree with him. She really did. But what if he was right? What if they had already come to a decision and refused to be swayed?
"Forget this. I'm not waiting around for—"
He had been heading for the door when it had suddenly swished open, Lieutenant Hayes standing there, stern and proper. Her accusing gaze went, first, to Galen though it was quickly redirected at Juno. Apparently she wasn't brave enough to start picking fights with the loose-cannon Force-user – not yet, anyway.
"The senators are ready to see you now." She paused, glancing distrustfully at the gangly droid standing by the door, his yellow photoreceptors watching her carefully.
"About time." Galen muttered audibly.
"They have also requested that your droid is in attendance."
Which meant that one of the senators had not been able to come in person. Maybe Garm, who had been involved in the evacuation of Dantooine. Either way, they knew better than to ask, knowing that the woman would refuse to answer. Instead, they followed in silence, side by side.
Juno's fingertips brushed briefly against the back of Galen's hand as they went. It was a subtle touch but even that brief contact seemed to help ease the painful hammering of her heart.
"Wait here." Hayes drew to a halt by a large doorway and activated her com-link device. "Captain Eclipse is here to see you now, Senators."
"Send them through." The voice was that of Mon Mothma.
On an Imperial ship, the conference rooms would have been given a touch of luxury to represent the rank of those who met within its walls. Here on a Rebel ship, however, there were neither the funds nor the time to think on such details. The room was unwelcoming, cold and bare of everything except the essentials; namely a large, oval table surrounded by high-backed chairs.
Sitting in two of those chairs were Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis.
Juno felt strangely relieved that Bail and Leia were missing. Since her last conversation with the young senator-in-the-making she'd been more than a little apprehensive about facing her again so soon after its occurrence.
Mon Mothma stood as they entered looking the same as always; elegant and stern, dressed in white. At her side, Garm was slow to stand, though Juno guessed it was due to hesitancy rather than any injury. His eyes were fixed on Galen – who stood just behind her – and she noticed the senator's knuckles pale as his hands clenched into fists.
She felt her hope begin to shrivel.
"Thank you for coming." Mon Mothma greeted. "Senator Organa, unfortunately, cannot attend in person but we are hoping PROXY can stand in for her. Duty has called her away unexpectedly."
"Her?"
"Yes. Bail Organa has retired as Senator of Alderaan and officially handed that title over to his daughter."
Juno wasn't sure how to respond, so she chose to remain silent, realizing that this had probably been the case for a while – perhaps shortly before they had come to speak on Kamino. And hadn't Mon Mothma called her Senator Leia Organa in their previous meeting? She cursed herself for not paying more attention.
"PROXY? If you please?"
"Of course, Senator." The droid responded as the advanced hologram technology shifted his form to that of Leia Organa; the very same image he had projected on Kamino.
"Patch Senator Organa through and let us begin." Mon Mothma seated herself again. "This has gone on long enough already. Take a seat, please."
Juno and Galen did so and Leia-PROXY moved around to sit beside Garm. No sooner had he done so, than Leia's voice came through; crisp and sharp.
"My apologies that I cannot be there with you in person today." And she did sound sorry. "I can also appreciate that this is a difficult time for the both of you with everything that has happened. Unfortunately this is a situation that cannot be put on hold. Time, currently, is of the essence."
Mon Mothma nodded gravely. "Indeed. What happened on Selonia is of great concern to us all."
Garm's hand came up to silence any rebuke either Juno or Galen may have made. "I can understand your reasoning for doing what you did. I saw, first hand, the destruction this dark clone wrought upon the Rebel base. He is a dangerous enemy."
"Too dangerous." Mon Mothma added gravely. "To go chasing after him alone without reinforcements."
Galen gritted his teeth and Juno stepped in to pick up the thread before he could get a word in: "Our failure was purely circumstantial. We could not have predicted the events that occurred after the confrontation."
"But you should have, Captain. You were all aware that you were walking into a trap when you disregarded orders to return to Dantooine. You could not have known what to expect and that should have been enough to convince you that it was a mistake."
"So you would have had us ignore this threat?" Galen replied, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"The immediate threat had passed." Mon Mothma was hasty to point out. "Vader's new apprentice could have done us no harm if we had refused to fall into their trap."
"And then what? He'd have just given up? It gave us a strategic advantage to make that move and you know it."
"I would not have had you down as a renowned strategist."
The remark had Galen back on his feet, hands planted against the table as if he meant to crush it, his teeth gritted in a poor attempt to keep his outrage at bay. Leia-PROXY, too, immediately jumped up, gesturing for calm. "Please, everyone, we need to look forward, not back. What is done is done and there was sense in both paths, of that we can all agree. What we need to focus on now is how we can move forward together for the benefit of the Alliance. I would ask you not to forget why we're here and to put our differences aside."
Garm was staring almost warily at Galen as Juno reached up, hooking her fingers through one of the loops on his belt. The connection stilled his anger but she could see it brewing; waiting on a chance to lash out again.
"Can we move forward from all that has happened?" Garm asked seriously.
Mon Mothma fixed her eyes on Juno. "You, Captain, have a track record of going against our wishes and though I do not doubt you do so with the best of intentions, the issue still remains. Our differences will clash again and when they do, what choice will you make?"
"The right one."
The woman's eyebrows lifted. "And yet two of those choices in the past have proved that your perceived 'best choice' is sometimes not the right choice. They put many lives at risk."
Juno thought bitterly of all the times she'd helped Kota on his missions. All the times the senators would never know about because they had succeeded without a hitch.
"A battle cannot be won without risk." Galen replied, still seething, refusing to sit again. "This is war. People die."
"But it is better they die to aid the cause." Mothma argued.
"What are you saying? That Kota died for nothing?"
Juno startled at the unbridled anger in Galen's tone.
"Kota died for what he believed in." Leia-PROXY intervened promptly. "That is far from nothing."
"He saved innocent LIVES!" Galen insisted.
"Lives that were put at risk by your actions." Mon Mothma pointed out.
"Your inaction has put more lives at risk than us going to Selonia ever did! Kota gave everything for your cause! Does that not matter to you at all?"
Juno, afraid at how quickly this meeting was falling apart, tried to grab at his arm. But he would not be calmed and he knocked her hand away; his furious eyes holding fast onto Mon Mothma's.
"You will not win this war if you refuse to see reason." Is this what his original had given his life for? Had it really been worth it in the end?
"Were your reasons for going after Vader's new apprentice really as selfless as you make them out to be? We cannot forget that you were created in the very same fashion." Mon Mothma challenged.
Juno felt a spike of anger drive through her chest at that. Were they purposely testing him? Seeing how far they could push him before his anger overwhelmed his self-control? Were they looking for an excuse to end their alliance? She snapped to her feet to defend him. "How can we work together now? There's no trust left between us. You've made your judgment already."
"Trust can be regained. It can be earned." Garm replied. "You can earn it back. We must listen to our peers and accept that not everything can play out in the manner that we want. The Senators have always had conflicted ideals but we still manage to work together. There is no reason that we cannot."
"Does this mean that we are to remain allies?" Juno wasn't sure whether she wanted to earn that trust. Wasn't sure if that's what any of them wanted.
"Whatever you believe, we do want this to work. Whether it does or not, is up to you." Mon Mothma replied seriously.
"So you'll put all the responsibility on us so that you can deny any wrongdoing if something else doesn't go the way you wanted it to?" Galen was clearly unable to settle now that he was fired up.
"Enough!" Garm ordered with surprising vehemence.
"Starkiller, if you are not going to calm down and take a seat we will have to delay this meeting until you comply." Mon Mothma warned.
Galen fell silent but he did not sit and Juno was almost certain she had seen a blue flicker of Force Lightning crackling at his fingertips.
Mon Mothma continued firmly. "There will be terms for this alliance between us. Terms that we must all agree to."
"What sort of terms?" Juno asked, feeling nervous again.
"I will read the terms of our agreement to you now." Mon Mothma replied; leaning forwards to steeple her fingers against the table. "You are welcome and encouraged to give your views and recommendations. However, if – following further investigation – we decide to decline them, we expect you to accept that decision. We cannot have anymore sedition from either of you, or others may begin to question our authority. If we discover you have been carrying out covert missions without our consent, there will be no more chances. Is that clear?"
Silence.
"Is that clear?"
"Clear." Juno replied begrudgingly. Galen, remained deathly silent, too angry to trust himself to word his response. Thankfully they did not press him for an answer.
"Secondly, Captain Eclipse, you agree to remain as pilot and captain of the Rogue Shadow." A demotion then, but not worded as such. No crew to be responsible of, other than Galen, of course. She was strangely relieved to hear that. Her time on the Salvation had not been a particularly happy one.
"Understood."
"And this lead you spoke of before. You will not pursue it."
Juno could almost feel Galen's rage coming off of him in waves, threatening to erupt.
"I would like it noted that I believe that to be a mistake." Juno responded quickly, her eyes darting nervously across to him.
Mon Mothma nodded. "Of course."
And then Galen reacted: "You all seem to forget what happened on Dantooine." His dark eyes were fixed on Garm. "He is too dangerous to be allowed to walk free. There is no telling what he might target next, but whatever that next move is; it will not be good news for anyone." And with barely a pause for breath, he continued. "I will not 'comply' with this and you can delay this meeting for as long as you want; it won't make any difference. Before this is done, you will be pleading with me to deal with him, because whatever he has planned, it won't be good. And like it or not, I'm the only one who stands a chance against him. There is no one else." He turned to leave.
"Starkiller. Wait!" Juno's protest stumbled over the use of his old codename, but it would not have made any difference. He was gone and perhaps it was better that he had. He was in no mood to listen. Maybe he never would be.
Even still, as the door shut behind him and she was left alone to face the music, she couldn't help but feel a horrible sense of helplessness and fear. Hesitantly she turned back to face the senators and dropped into her seat; exhausted.
"Juno." It was Leia-PROXY who spoke first. "Can you see why we have concerns about him? We want this to work but this alliance...it could do more harm than good."
"That anger could drive him back to the path that the original Starkiller once walked." Garm stated. "If that were to happen..."
"No." Juno's reaction was instinctive. "He would never!"
"Can you honestly say that?" Leia-PROXY pressed.
"Yes. Yes, I can. He just needs time to adjust to everything that has happened. He's grieving, perhaps for the first time in his life. This is too much too soon. You can't judge him as he currently is. Give me a chance to talk to him once he has calmed down. He...may see things clearer then."
"You are that confident in your influence?"
"Yes, but you need to understand something, too. He blames himself for what happened on Selonia - the clone's escape, Kota's death - and everything in him is screaming that he should rectify it. He won't be able to find peace with himself until he does. He's feeling helpless and vulnerable right now and all he sees is opposing forces, trying to stop him from what his heart is telling him is right."
"Your relationship with him puts you in a difficult position, Captain." Garm pointed out.
"Yes. There is an obvious conflict of interest." Mon Mothma replied with waning patience. "You need to think carefully about this, Juno. If you accept responsibility over him - and you are perhaps the only one who can - is this a burden you can carry alone?"
Juno paused only a moment before giving her answer: "Yes. But I won't give you false hope. I'm not even sure I can sway him if there are no steps taken to locate the dark clone."
"And what I said before was misunderstood. I said that you would not be able to pursue the lead. This matter will not be put to the back of our minds but neither can it be a priority." Senator Mothma continued, glancing at her colleagues to seek their agreement. "Without any real viable intel, there is no telling what we might find at the end of this lead. Another trap, perhaps. The clone may not even have reached its destination."
"We would be interested in hearing any information you have on this apprentice, however." Leia-PROXY added. "Powers. Motives. Any small piece of information you have might prove vital in this instance."
"I will record it all in the report." Juno replied wearily. "But you do understand what it may mean if we do not go after him now?"
"We understand that this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but we will do all that we can." Leia-PROXY continued regretfully. "After seeing how angry Starkiller is, we're hesitant to allow him anywhere close to this dark apprentice without assurance that Vader isn't there, too. If he faces the Dark Lord again, there is no Kota to stop him from falling this time. With all the strength you have, it may not be enough to keep him from turning to the dark side if another encounter were to occur."
Juno didn't even want to think about the possibility of Galen returning to that life and the horror of it must have shown - just briefly - on her face because the senators regarded her with much more gentle expressions.
"I believe that this hunt for the clone is more to do with personal vengeance than in supporting the Rebel effort." Mon Mothma replied after a moment.
"A bit of both, I think." Leia-PROXY interrupted carefully. "But nevertheless, we cannot risk fleets and armies against this foe. Not at this critical time and not without enough solid, supporting evidence. There is much going on in the background that you are not aware of, Captain. It may look like we are not making much progress on the surface, but every day we gain ground, even if it is only a little."
"All I ask is that you look into the lead." Juno insisted.
"I do not think it wise to ignore him completely." Garm agreed after a moment's thought. "The clone will return when Vader wishes it. That is inevitable."
"We have agreed to your terms. All we ask is that you don't ignore the threat he poses." Juno urged. "If you discover any information about the apprentice we need to know about it."
"So you can break our agreement at the first given moment?" Mon Mothma argued. "I am not happy to rush into a decision like this." Mon Mothma voiced, ever cautious.
"Get your report sent through to us, Captain, and we will see what we can do." Leia-PROXY assured.
"Is that agreeable?" Mon Mothma intervened.
"It is. We will agree to your terms so long as you do not ignore the threat that Vader's apprentice poses. I will speak with Starkiller and explain to him the situation as soon as he is ready to listen."
"Very well. Arrangements have been made for you to travel to Corellia along with the Armistice to organize repairs for your ship. We expect your report to be in before your next assignment."
"Assignment?" Juno asked.
"That's correct. If the terms are agreed and Starkiller agrees to work with us, we have much work that needs to be done. As Leia said, the Rebels do not rest."
"We will let you know of our decision about Vader's apprentice before your assignment." Leia-PROXY continued.
Juno gave a stern nod and took a small step backwards.
Garm stood, his face concerned. "Be careful with that one, Juno."
"Yes. You would be wise to keep a close eye on him." Mothma added. "You may think you know him, but he is not the same man as the one who sacrificed himself for our cause."
Juno felt the instinct to defend him kick in with surprising strength and her eyes snapped across to Leia-PROXY's emotionless face. Thankfully, the young senator was silent and her face - of course - betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. But their words cut deep all the same.
"It's not him you need to be worried about." Juno warned quietly. "I'll have the report sent to you shortly." And then she was gone, suddenly wanting to put as much distance between them as possible.
"Can we really trust him?" Garm asked wearily, rubbing at his temples.
"Juno does." Leia-PROXY continued, seating herself again.
"Her opinion is marred by her emotions." Mothma reminded. "She cannot be trusted to give an unbiased view of his character."
"Is he so different from Kota? He pushed us to act when we had wanted to be cautious. He was defiant and brash and rebellious. Can we blame Starkiller for his actions when he has been mentored by a man such as that?" Leia-PROXY reminded.
"But he's not that Starkiller. He's a clone created by Vader to destroy everything that the original died to create." Mothma pointed out. "He was not created to serve the Alliance. He was created to destroy it. There is much we do not know about him."
"But we know of the destruction his counterpart wrought on Dantooine." Garm continued dolefully. "We cannot risk him turning on us. If he falls back to the dark side…"
"But neither can we have him intimidating us into making the decisions he wants. You saw his reaction when we denied him." Mon Mothma argued. "Powerful or not, he can only prove useful if he is cooperative and willing to work with us. I am not convinced he has the best interests of the galaxy in mind. If we find information on this dark clone, can we really expect Starkiller to just ignore it and continue in aiding us?" She didn't wait for an answer. "He will not. He will drop everything to go after this enemy; to snuff out the evidence that he, himself, is a clone. To destroy the Sith that stands as living proof of the darkness within him."
"But the dark clone will come for him." Leia-PROXY pointed out. "Whether we give Starkiller information or not."
Mon Mothma nodded. "It is the timing of this information that we must handle carefully. If we find anything - and we may not - to hand it over too soon could be disastrous, not without knowing his state of mind."
"So we're agreeing to follow up on the lead Captain Eclipse found?" Garm asked.
"Let's wait to see what it says in the report. If we have some spies available and on location, I think it would be wise to keep track of him." Leia-PROXY responded, seeking Mon Mothma's approval.
The elder woman gave a stiff nod. "Agreed."
"Before we conclude, may I request that I handle the report with Juno?" Leia-PROXY asked.
"What of your mission?"
"I think this should be prioritized. I'd like to find out all the details about these clones and their whereabouts."
"Leia probably does have the best chance at getting that information from them." Garm added.
"Very well." Mothma agreed. "Can we call this meeting to a close, then?"
"I think so."
"We'll contact you again when the report comes through, Leia."
"Thank you."
And as the image of the young senator fizzled out, replaced by the gangly droid, Mon Mothma gave a weary sigh and pushed herself up to her feet. "There are difficult times ahead."
Garm gave her a wry smile. "It never was going to be easy."
Nothing ever was.
To be continued...
Next update: 14th January