Chapter 15- The Bothans
Note: Most of the characters is this chapter are borrowed from Legends, but I have changed their storylines to suit my purposes. Most of my characters are from Legends or from Disney. Namah Agati, the Torrent children, the Bridger children, the five Clones, the three littlest Bothans and the Malreoux children are my main OCs. I hope you enjoy my Bothans as much as I do! Thanks for reading and God bless you!
High Grand Admiral Nek Bwua'tu, commander of the Space Navy of the Galactic Alliance Republic, stood facing the window of his study on his home planet of Ruwelyn. Outside the widow, a rock lined walkway, bordered with colorful flowers, wound down a gentle slope, away from the sprawling home's front door. Between scattered flowers, the lavender grass glistened in the late afternoon sun. Farther away, a forest crowned higher hills, resplendent in deep greens, soft blues and the occasional pale yellow. A pair of love-finches preened each other just outside the window and a stately stag stood grazing at the far end of the grounds. Framed in the opposite window, great mountains rose into the sky with rocky cliffs and crags set amid dark, towering forests. A silver waterfall cascaded down the highest cliffside into a deep, shimmering lake.
But Nek Bwua'tu was not gazing at colorful flowers or forest-crowned hills. His attention was on a large display screen a few paces in front of him. The picturesque study had become the temporary headquarters of the Space Navy after Nek had refused to support the Emergency Quorum and Namah Agati in their unprincipled attempt to take over both the government and the military.
"Grendyl, has Captain Lorric checked in yet?" the Bothan addressed his aide.
"I finally reached him, sir."
"Is he with us?"
In answer, the woman flipped a switch, activating a recording. The clipped voice of the New Day's captain floated from a speaker.
"Tell Bwua'tu that I will have no part of his insurrection. And it's no use his trying to win over my pilots. Their loyalty is to the Republic."
"Turn it off," the Admiral waved a furred hand towards the speaker. "I feared as much. Lorric owes his command partly to Agati, according to Bothan intelligence."
"Over half the fleet captains have refused to join." Nek's uncle, Eramuth Bwua'tu shook his maned head as he looked at a piece of flimsy.
"At least they haven't all joined Senator Agati," Grendyl pointed out, cheerfully. "Many of them are simply staying at their assigned posts, hoping to ride out the storm."
"And a not insignificant number of fighter pilots have defected from the traitor captains," added the holographic image of Fionn Chui'lan, the Bothan first mate of Nek's flagship, a star defender called the Lion Rampant.
Nek nodded. "Our situation could be much worse. If we act quickly, we can keep the overall damage to a minimum."
"Our Bothan spies should be checking in soon," the Admiral's nephew, Captain Wurf'al, stepped from a computer console to join the conversation. "Perhaps they will have the information you need, Uncle."
On the far side of the office, a door slid open. A slender, copper-haired, green-eyed woman entered with a fluffy, chubby baby bound snuggly to her chest in a shawl.
"Natasi! Come in, Heart's Dearest. It is time you were in on our counsels." Nek held out his arms and his wife hurried into his embrace.
"I've missed you today," she murmured as he stroked the shimmering hair that flowed down to her hips.
"And I've missed you. Are the boys with you?"
"Here we are, Da!" Three smaller copies of the Admiral appeared in the doorway. Nek Bwua'tu's three young sons, Yantahar, Eramuth, and Niasi, bounced into the room, peering up at the screens.
"There's going to be a battle, isn't there, Da?" Yantahar, the oldest, looked from his father to a holomap. "I can see it in the Force."
Nek winced inwardly when Natasi's body tensed in his arms at their son's mention of the Force. He didn't need the Force to sense her fear.
"Nek, will you be able to join us for supper?" Natasi quickly changed the subject.
"I'm afraid I do not have an answer for either question at the moment." Nek pulled Natasi closer and his little daughter mewled in protest at being squished.
"I'll hold Naala for you, Dearest," Yantahar offered, using the name he had called her since he had first learned to talk. His father had always called her endearments such as "my Dearest" and "Heart's Dearest", so the little boy had decided that he should call her "Dearest", too.
Yantahar raised his hands and his sister floated to him. Natasi shivered in the Admiral's arms and shut her eyes. Attempting to distract her and sincerely wanting her input, Nek turned her towards the holodisplays. "I'd like your thoughts on our situation. You always have a unique perspective."
Willing herself to stop trembling, Natasi turned her attention to the displays. Nek watched her as she studied the screens, a familiar pain heavy in his heart. He knew he was right to encourage his son to use his abilities, yet her fear tore at him like a vibroblade.
Yantahar had been three years old when he had first found his connection to the Force. His favorite storybook had been on the top shelf and his mother had fallen asleep on the couch nearby. Somehow, the little boy realized he could obtain the book without waking her. All he had to do was think of the book coming to him, and it would come.
"Once Upon a Time book, come here."
The soft whisper triggered maternal instincts and Natasi awoke. "Dearest will get your book for you, Sweetheart."
Her gaze fell on the book as it floated down towards her son's outstretched hands.
"NO!"
Natasi's scream reached Nek, who had just returned home. Rushing to the room, he had found his wife sobbing in terror, shaking uncontrollably.
"My son cannot be a Force user!"
Yantahar had cried too, unable to grasp why his perfectly natural action had so frightened "Dearest". Nek had tried to balance comforting Natasi with supporting his son. It had not been easy.
A week later, Yantahar and baby Eramuth were playing in the garden with their mother. With the speed of a curious infant, little Eramuth had popped a small rock into his mouth. Natasi had moved quickly, but Yantahar had been quicker. Stretching out his hand, he called the rock from his brother's mouth.
"Yanti, no. Please, no!" Frantically, the young mother gathered both her sons in her arms. "Darling, don't!"
Anger flared inside Yantahar, a cold rage that shook his little body and stood his fur on end. The Force is good! Why is she afraid? A white-hot passion overcame the boy's reason and he yielded to it. Drawing back his hand, he slapped his mother's face then pushed her away from him, using the force to enhance his strength.
The moment of anger passed. Horrified by what he had done, little Yantahar stood frozen in place, staring at his mother. The blood drained from his furred face and his lips turned pale. "Dearest," he managed to whimper.
"Yantahar." Nek's voice had been deathly calm. The little boy trembled. "Go to your room, son."
Natasi had cried in his arms for an hour, but at length he had convinced her that their son needed guidance beyond what they could give. After administering appropriate discipline, he had commed Luke Skywalker, who had been more than happy to begin training sessions with Yantahar. Nek was immensely proud of his son. Natasi, however, was still terrified of her beloved child's growing abilities.
"Will she ever forget?" Yantahar's earnest green eyes peered up at Nek over Naala's fuzzy head.
Nek squeezed his son's shoulder. "Son, you know Dearest's fears are not your fault. She feared the Force long before you were even born. Even before she was my wife."
Natasi had once been part of the Imperial forces and during that time she had known many dark side force users, including Darth Vader and the Emperor himself. The terrors she had experienced at their hands had left deep wounds on her mind and soul that had yet to heal. It was a battle he knew she must win - a battle that he must help her win.
"Nek," Natasi looked up from the holos. "I think you should send all the captains and commanders who are thinking about joining Senator Agati to posts in the Outer Rim or at least away from Galactic Center. I'm noticing a pattern that…" Natasi broke off with a gasp. "They've come! They're here for Yanti."
Stepping to a console, Nek consulted the scanners. He had long ago learned to trust Natasi's strange premonitions. Two ships had indeed entered the planet's atmosphere almost directly above the house, traveling at such an astonishing velocity that he was unable to determine their make. Natasi peeked around him, her eyes lighting on the only information the scanners seemed able to provide.
"No lifeforms aboard," she read in a hushed whisper.
"Agati's droids!" Nek turned to the little group gathered behind him, then reached down and caught up his youngest son. "They'll be here before we can evacuate. We'll have to fight our way through. Grendyl, pack the secure comms for the Spynet and the old Alliance. Destroy everything else." He pulled three encrypted data cards from the comm console.
Uncle Eramuth keyed in the code to the weapons locker and began to pass out blasters while Grendyl and her Sullastan assistant, Alinab, dismantled the consoles. A low rumbling filled the air as the ships drew nearer.
"Here you are, my Dear," Eramuth handed Natasi a small old Alliance-style blaster. She took it with a shaky breath.
"Don't be afraid, Dearest," Yantahar stood on tiptoe to kiss his mother's cheek. "The Force is with us."
"They've come to take you, Yanti. I know they have." She stroked his soft mane of chocolate brown hair. "But I won't let them."
"They're here to kill all of us for standing in himself's way," Grendyl observed. "And likely using the little fellow as an excuse."
"The Rehabilitation Act authorizes whatever force is necessary, doesn't it?" Natasi looked from Grendyl to Nek and Eramuth.
"I'm afraid so," Eramuth confirmed.
"All ready, sir." Grendyl handed the Admiral a small knapsack with an encrypted communication device, then gave one to Eramuth and slipped the third over her own shoulder.
Outside, the rumbling reached a crescendo and stopped. With Natasi's hand in his and their children close behind, Nek led the way to the hangar at the back of the house. Shaped to the contours of the hill it was built on, the house meandered in typical secretive Ruwelyn fashion. As they rounded the final corner and descended a short flight of stairs, a deep mechanical voice boomed through the wall.
"We have come to take Yantahar Bwua'tu into protective custody for rehabilitation. According to the Senate's records, he has Force sensitivity and must be turned over for evaluation and treatment in a secure facility."
The droids had moved into position with alarming speed. Nek hoped that the spynet would have some useful information on them. He activated a scanner built into the wall and saw that the droids had taken the hanger. Wordlessly, he motioned for everyone to take cover behind the rows of storage shelves that serviced the hangar. He gave a silent count of three on his fingers, then palmed open the door.
The door slid aside and Nek fired his blaster, hitting the lead droid square in the main processor unit. The energy crackled over him without leaving so much as a small dent. Five shots followed his, and the hangar filled with blaster bolts. Nek soon discovered that a sufficient quantity of blaster bolts in rapid successions could breach the shields on most of the droids. Many droids fell with a satisfying thunk, but their comrades still fought on.
Nek snapped a fresh power pack into his blaster and quickly assessed the situation. Twenty droids lay on the floor. Two dozen more remained on their feet and at least twice that many were stationed around the house, according to his wall scanners. The Bwua'tus and their friends were at a disadvantage, firing from the narrow hallway into the large hangar. They needed to turn the tables.
Raising his blaster, he shot the control panel and the door slid closed. "That will hold them for a few minutes. We must find a better position."
The little group hurried back down the hall. Sounds of grinding, sparking and popping floated down the hall after them as the droids attempted to breach the door. In the receiving room, Nek paused and caught Natasi's eye, nodding towards a small hall that led to a blast proof shelter. Signalling her understanding with her own nod, Natasi took Naala from Yantahar and herded her children to safety.
The droids swarmed down the hall after their quarry, but found themselves caught in a bottleneck due to the receiving room's narrow doorway. The three Bothans easily picked off ten more, while Grendyl and Alinab took down five. The droids kept coming, reinforcements from the guard around the house.
"Was that a transport or a factory?" grumbled Eramuth as he crouched behind a chair. A droid aimed its blaster at the Bothan and the chair exploded. Eramuth returned fire until the droid fell. Another droid swung around, levelling its blaster at him. He fired swiftly and hurried to find more cover.
From his own spot by the wall, Nek fired on his uncle's attacker. Its shields deflected the blast but it turned its attention on Nek giving Eramuth a chance to duck behind a durasteel shelf and continue firing. As the droid advanced on the Admiral, the Bothan's gaze fell on a gleaming sword hanging on the wall. Although its main purpose was decorative, its blade was as hard as a Naboean diamond and sharper than a Mandalorian dagger. Tugging the sword from its mounting hooks, Nek swung it at the approaching droid with his left hand.
"Deflect this." The blade swept cleanly through the droid's metal torso on its first pass and cleaved its head in two on its second. Nek chuckled, then swapped the sword and his blaster. With the sword in his right hand and the blaster in his left, he felled fifteen more droids.
Thirty droids remained when Nek saw movement from the direction of the safe room. Before his father could reach him, Yantahar stepped from the hall and spread his arms wide. The droids toppled like nine pins.
"Yanti!" Natasi hurried into the room after her son. He slumped to the floor and she caught him. "Oh, Sweetheart."
Nek tucked the blaster into his belt and sliced the nearest droid in two for good measure. Crossing the room, he knelt by Natasi and took Yantahar into his arms. Carefully, he assessed his son's condition.
"He will be all right when wakes, Heart's Dearest." He stood and lifted the boy. "Bring the other children. Agati will not give up easily. We need to leave."