Previously on Star Wars: Exile's Journey
The planet Caamas burns!
Shortly after leaving her shipmates to chase down a rogue Jedi clone gone mad, Ahsoka Tano and Jedi Master Ylenic It'kla encounter none other than Master Yoda on the planet Dagobah. Together, the three Jedi bring an end to the mad clone, and Yoda gives Ahsoka an official Jedi trial. Shortly after celebrating her ascension to the rank of Jedi Knight, Ahsoka is awakened by a disturbance in the Force.
The disturbance has hit Master It'kla far harder than it has hit her, and while trying to use the Force to calm his mind, she discovers why. His home planet of Caamas was the source of the disturbance. High above the innocent people, and acting on the orders of the Emperor himself, Admiral Tarkin has led a strike force of disguised warships to destroy the planet.
Meanwhile, back on the freighter Red Drexl, where Ahsoka left two young Jedi Padawans in the charge of her friends Jyssa Motla and a former Clone Trooper, Bryn Arc, the two Padawans have felt the disturbance as well.
And on the surface of Coruscant, Darth Vader's meditations have been interrupted by the disturbance in the Force.
Chapter 77
Burning
"By the Force," Jyssa said, scanning the news broadcasts. "The kids were right. Look at this."
Arc looked over her shoulder. "That doesn't make sense. Why would splinter Separatist terrorist groups attack Caamas?"
"Some of the reports are saying that it was an accidental discharge." Jyssa pointed to another headline on the monitor. "Warheads meant for disposal. They're all conflicting. There's no straight answer."
"There's no way Caamas would have agreed to be used as a dumping ground for old warheads. I don't know much about Ylenic's people, but I know that."
Jyssa shook her head. "Yeah, you're right. They'd be the site for a peace negotiation, not weapons disposal. They've always been about peaceful resolution."
"Maybe it was a splinter Separatist group. They might blame the Caamasi for helping negotiations that ended the war," Arc said.
"Possible, but... who in their right mind would attack Caamas? That would turn the entire galaxy against you and your cause." Jyssa tapped a few buttons on the console. "Whatever happened there, we're only an hour away from Rudrig. Once we dump this load in my cargo bay... and maybe clean the atmo scrubbers. They said the manure was sealed. Kriffing..."
"Yeah, I know. I can smell it too," Arc interjected.
"Anyway. I just sent a message to the port that we're capable of running relief supplies if necessary. Knowing Ahsoka and Ylenic, we just might meet them there."
"Good call," Arc said. "But there will likely be Imperials around there. Will it be safe for me and the Padawans?"
"I don't know," Jyssa admitted. "But we have to do something, right?"
"It's worth the risk," came a voice from the cockpit door.
"Grife, don't sneak up on us like that," Jyssa said.
"I heard him," Arc said.
"Well I didn't. Look, if it looks like there's a big Imperial response to the attack, we may have to leave you and Mirian on Rudrig. Her brother is there, I'm sure he'll find a place to stash you two."
"I'm a Jedi," Nat said. "My place is there."
Jyssa may not have been able to sense Nat's emotions in the Force, but she could tell that there would be no arguing with the kid. "You're almost as bad as Ahsoka," she said. "We'll probably find her waiting for us there anyway. Look, I promised her I'd look out for you, but this ship isn't exactly fast enough to outrun some of the newer Imperial cruisers. If we get boarded, I won't be able to protect you two."
"No, but there is a section of redundant air supply vents running to the hull. If we have to, Mirian and I can crawl in there and seal it off. It's shielded by the hull, so they won't be able to pick us up with sensors. And it'll be air tight, so they won't pick us up with chemical or DNA sniffers."
"And it's connected to the air supply, so you won't run out of oxygen. All right, fine." Jyssa started to turn the captain's chair back around towards the console, then spun it back. "You know, I am the Captain here. I make the rules. Just for the record."
Nat crossed his arms and tried to look tough, but on his young face, it didn't really work all that well. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Still. It's the right thing to do."
"Which is why I'm doing it," Jyssa said.
"It is done," Admiral Tarkin said. "Prepare to return to the rendezvous point. If you will lend me one of your pilots, my assistant and I will take a shuttle to return to the Vigilance. Have your space troopers remove the camouflage from the hull as quickly as possible, and return to your normal patrol route. I want this ship looking like the pristine example of the Imperial Navy that it was before the camouflage was added within the hour."
"Yes sir," the captain of the Exemplar saluted.
Tarkin returned the salute, then took the turbolift down to the hangar. As he entered the turbolift, he could hear Captain Linn barking orders. The man was efficient. The turbolift opened into one of the small private hangers, where Tarkin's shuttle, and his aide, Ensign Dailey awaited.
"Sir," Dailey said, "the rescue crew is waiting for us. The moment we join them, they are ready to set out for Caamas."
"Good. Is our pilot here yet?"
The pneumatic sound of another turbolift door could be heard from across the hangar.
"I suppose that answers that question," Admiral Tarkin said. "Captain Linn appears to be another rising star in the Imperial Navy. He has done his job admirably. If he is as capable as I suspect he is, I have no doubt he will have this ship returned to its regular patrol route with no sign that it had ever been missing."
"I agree, sir. He strikes me as being quite efficient."
Daily followed Tarkin to the shuttle ramp. The pilot saluted when he saw the Admiral's rank.
The seals around the base of the black helmet hissed, and the heads up displays in the eyepieces lit up. Through the mechanically enhanced audio receptors, Vader heard the hum of servos as the machine that replaced his helmet slid upward, out of sight.
He stood, and the oxygen levels in the small hyperbaric chamber returned to normal. The door opened, and he marched out. His hyperbaric chamber had been installed into the top floor of the new Imperial garrison that had been built next to the Emperor's new palace. The palace was still under construction, but the scaffolding that showed just how high it would be towered above the garrison. What had been the Presidential Palace was still visible under the scaffolding, although parts of it had been torn down to make room for the improvements that the Emperor had planned.
It was daytime on this part of Coruscant. At least, it was daytime on the surface. Down below, where those who couldn't afford to live on the surface dwelled, it was always the middle of the day, and the middle of the night. There really wasn't any difference.
Vader stepped out onto a wide balcony. A trooper saluted, his white armor nearly gleaming in the sun. "Trooper," Vader said, his voice resonating deeply through the vocoder built into the helmet, "I need a speeder. Now."
"Yes, m'lord." The trooper was obedient. Through the Force, Vader could sense that his mind was as shiny and new as his armor. This must be one of the newly created clones from Centax-2. Grown over the span of only two years, these clones didn't have the years of growth and training of the original Kaminoan clones. And, with the genetic material of Jango Fett no longer available, a few had shown signs of genetic degradation.
But the war was over. The best quality troops were needed to win a war. Now sheer numbers would cover the galaxy to keep the peace.
The trooper seemed to be speaking into his radio. Vader couldn't hear him. He didn't care, either.
He marched forward, towards the line of speeders parked on the balcony. A trooper, perhaps the same one, ran up and handed him the keycard to one of them.
Vader didn't bother to take the keycard. These shiny new Centax-2 clone troops learned quickly, he'd been told. They needed to learn now that he was a Sith Lord. He didn't need to abide by the same rules as normal men.
With a gesture of his hand, the door to the speeder opened, and the ignition activated. He sat down in the speeder, and the engine roared as his cybernetic foot nearly put the acceleration pedal through the floor.
That was actually an accident. He hadn't meant to push so hard. But it wouldn't do to show weakness in front of his troops. The speeder soared off the edge of the balcony and into the air.
The skyways were running slow, but Vader wasn't planning on driving through traffic. He took his own path, weaving through buildings, and occasionally crossing over other busy skyways. He depended on the Force to guide his reflexes, just like he had so many years ago on pod-racing tracks of the arid world of his birth.
On the world where his mother had died. The world where he'd been a slave.
The Force freed him, just as the code of the Sith promised. But he wasn't strong enough to save her. He wasn't strong enough to save Shmi Skywalker. When he was betrayed by Obi-Wan, he wasn't strong enough to save Padme Amidala from the visions of her death that the Force itself had given him.
The Force freed him from a life of slavery, a life of hot suns and dry sand. But it doomed everyone he loved, and it doomed him to a life of servitude to the Emperor. The Emperor who, he was sure, had caused the disturbance in the Force that had interrupted his meditation.
The Sith Rule of Two meant that there were only two Sith. A Master, and an Apprentice. Vader wanted to know what his Master was planning. One day, when the Apprentice surpassed the Master, then Vader would take his rightful place at the head of the galaxy. He would need to find his own Apprentice then. The Force-strong young boy he'd found during the pacifism of the Wookies on Kashyyk would take years to train. Especially since he could only train the boy in secret, which would limit the time he could spend with him.
For now, Darth Vader simply wanted to know and understand his Master's plans.
If the answers weren't satisfactory, and his new Master turned out to be merely a power-mad schemer with the Force on his side, then Vader may have to start searching for a new apprentice sooner than expected.
Author's note: I had no clue that the Tarkin novel was being published and released days after I wrote this chapter. This may be the first test as to whether I'm going to be able to keep my fan fic within the boundaries of both Legends and new canon or not. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, although somebody mentioned that they did change the location of the ImperialPalace to be where the old JediTemple was, rather than just building over the old Presidential Palace. But that's minor enough that if I have to, I can just go back and edit stuff if I have to.
I also have to admit that I haven't gotten around to watching Rebellion yet. I keep meaning to, but I just haven't had time.
Also, apologies for the late posting. I work retail, and I'm trying to do NaNoWriMo this year, so I've been crazy busy this week. I meant to post this right after I got out of work on Wednesday, like I usually do. Around 1 in the morning when I was falling asleep I realized that I forgot. And I didn't want to post on Thanksgiving, since most of my audience would probably be too stuffed with (and ironically, like) turkey to be around. So I'm posting it today. :)