Chapter 19: Business as usual
June 25.
Another report on his desk notified Iulius that the final sorting of the capsules was over. Among the rescued colonists there were both imperial and republic citizens, meaning that the latter had been loaded on the Liberator, but not freed yet. Since neither wanted hundreds of new mouths to feed while in deep space, the colonists would be woken up once they were returned to their worlds.
The Primus had taken what was left of the Kett forces and disappeared from the Haleus sector, finally freeing the Angara from the war, allowing them to finally start rebuild their civilization and for the joint fleet to start the journey to the respective homes.
Before that, however, there was something else they all needed to attend: the opening of Meridian.
The door of his office slid open, leaving Qathora to lean in and say loudly "Hey, it's time."
He put down the datapad and quickly stood up, heading back to the bridge in time to see the singular spectacle. And there it was again: the huge artificial planet that had been at the center of the entire conundrum happening in Haeleus. He had to admit, though, that the structure in itself was extremely fascinating and left many questions lying around.
For now, he observed as the Normandy approached the entry point, now with the necessary codes to open it without triggering the defense bots. Captain Shepard reported the success of the first phase, and while the Admonitor, the Chimaera, the Constantinopleand the Liberator waited pretty much in front of the entrance, the Normandy accelerated and went inside the planet.
Around twenty minutes passed before Shepard contacted the capital ships.
"Cortana and EDI found out the location of a control room. Maybe we will be able to open the external shell, but the bots here are still sometime hostile. We need reinforcements."
"I'll send you a fire team." Iulius said. "Transmit the coordinates." and while Darvos also announced he was shipping Rex with a squad, the Grand Admiral took his personal comlink and talked to the person he intended to send down. "Kryze, is your clan ready?"
"Awaiting your instruction, sir." Korkie replied dutifully.
"Shepard is sending us her coordinates. She needs some help with the Remnant bots defending the central control, so go out there and assist."
"Understood. We won't let you down."
Operations went on for almost two hours. The bots were probably controlled by something in the central room of Meridian, so they kept attacking the intruders, but the bots acted through predetermined schematics and the veterans of the joint force knew how to safely deal with them by now. With no casualties, the strike team finally reached the core of Meridian and Cortana, being the most advanced of the AIs, managed to finally take control, deactivating the defenses, which included the external shell.
Iulius and the rest of his crew were staggered to see what lied under it: a planet with a huge variety of ecosystems, all separated by polymer walls.
"Thrawn, are you seeing this?" Iulius asked in the comlink.
"I am. It's actually remarkable. I believe these landscapes serve as a blueprint by which Meridian orders the various vaults how to rebuild the worlds."
Once again, Iulius couldn't help but be taken a bit off-guard by the speed at which his mentor could reach such a reasonable conclusion, but he still replied "We'll let the Angara find out its true nature. We're only here to make sure it's safe and take a deserved look."
"On that, we agree."
The Chiss clearly omitted to say that they both hoped the Angara would share their newfound knowledge with the rest of the galaxy later down the line.
Still, the view was incredible: the surface of the artificial planet was basically a very orderly biology lab. Each ecosystem had a singular structure of clear Remnant design that reminded the monoliths seen in the other planets up until now.
Then they were notified that the surface was safe, so Iulius designated the flatland area as the landing zone for him. Then he called the Liberator.
"Colonel Tanis...would you like to join?"
"Yeah...sure."
Even if they didn't show their emotions, pretty much everybody listening could notice the pause the brothers did.
At the point they were, their minds had secretly hoped that this moment would have never come, but now its specter loomed larger as Iulius walked to the hangar, took a shuttle and reached the surface of Meridian. Ironically, the U-Wing carrying his brother landed at the same time.
The two crossed their eyes for a moment, standing where they were, then the atmosphere clearly became too heavy and they both went on, heading for the strange tower of that region. Also they couldn't help but admire how fascinating the landscape was: despite some Remnant constructions that could be seen in the distance, the green was genuine. Iulius even knelt down and grabbed a handful of grass and dirt that soiled his white glove.
"It's hard to imagine how any civilization could build such a thing." Yagler, who was part of his bodyguards, commented with a mixture of amazement and also fear.
Iulius grubbed away some of the dirt with his fingers and stood back up. "Yet here we are. On the relic of an ancient people who were able to shape worlds the way they wanted."
"Sir, are you really sure you want to leave all of this in the hands of somebody else?" the ISB agent said with a little more restraint in her tone.
"If we keep our friendship with the Angara, they will most likely never use it against us. If we come over and simply take the place of the Kett, they will certainly make sure to use it, or worse, give it to the rebels."
"I agree. We should try to be gentle, for once." Qathora said, both as a joke and as her real opinion.
As she said that, a group of Angara small ships appeared behind them in the distant skies, which retained an azure firmament given the fact that the planet had an atmosphere. The rebel delegation and the imperial one approached each other and waited until the dropships landed in front of them. One of them was the ship of the Resistance, from which got down Evfra, Moshae Sjefa and Jaal, who had rejoined his kin. The other ship was that of the Roekaar, from which Akksul and some of his lieutenants came down.
The Angara too couldn't help but be amazed by the nature of the planet, especially the Moshae.
"I've studied the Remnants for most of my life." the woman said. "Yet, I could have never imagined this."
"You'll have plenty of time to uncover the secrets of this place." Darvos said. "Though, I'm not sure even an entire Angara lifespan might be enough."
The Moshae chuckled. "You are probably right."
"Still, what you've done for us, is something we won't be able to repay so easily." Jaal said.
"For once, I agree with Jaal." Evfra added. "At first, I couldn't believe that there were aliens we could trust. But I am glad you proved me wrong."
"I will believe that you are here to help us only when you will have left with no other pretenses." Akksul barged in.
"Akksul!" Sjefa intervened.
Iulius, however, raised a hand to calm them. "We promised you to defeat the Kett in two weeks and we did it even earlier. We promised to leave once Meridian was in your hands and here we are. Just give us the time to recall the garrisons we stationed on your worlds and we will leave the Haeleus Sector in the hands of your people."
"Of course, the Republic and the Empire recognize this region as your sovereign territory. And the Angara as a free and equal people in the galactic community. We hope to establish friendly relations with your people." Darvos added in a diplomatic tone.
"Trust me, Tanis brothers," said Jaal. "we will be more than happy to finally have friends in the universe. And if the Grysks, or the Kett, should give you any problem, I know that many in the Resistance are ready to fight at your side once again."
"Thank you, Commander Jaal." Iulius concluded with a small bow.
The pleasantries were done. The Angara said goodbye and left the two officers standing around in the middle of the plains, their respective escorts and shuttles waiting at a distance, each knowing full well that they needed a moment.
The air was nothing short of uncomfortable, none of them had the courage to look the other in the eyes.
At one point, Iulius tried to raise his chin and say something, but as he opened his mouth, the words died in his throat. He softly clenched his fist in frustration and made a silent grunt as he turned his head away once again.
"It's okay." Darvos said with a melancholic voice, yet trying to sound cheerful. "We both knew this couldn't last."
Iulius sighed, more for the fact that it had been the Darvos, the little brother, to show the greater maturity. "I know." he said, then raised his head and turned it toward his brother. "Remember what I told you on Atollon?"
Darvos chuckled and finally met his brother's eyes. "That we could've done great things." then turned his head to the landscape. "And look. We saved an entire species and discovered a marvel. I'd say you were right."
Iulius smiled faintly. "When haven't I?" he joked and they both laughed.
"Of course. But alas, there is a young girl on Lothal that has already waited too long to meet her father." Darvos said.
"Right. And she couldn't be luckier to have such a parent." Iulius said in a hushed and extremely sincere tone.
But all good things come to an end. Realizing that they couldn't wait anymore, the Tanis turned toward each other entirely.
The urge would have been for them to hug and wish farewell, but that would have been impossible to justify to the rest of the testimonies. So, after staring at each other for a couple of seconds, Iulius simply extended a hand to shake. Darvos tried to look as convincing as he could, and overall he gave the correct impression.
Then they detached and turned their backs on each other, leaving a huge deal of unspoken things that they might never have the chance to discuss ever again. But that was their destiny, and each of them, even if painfully, had accepted it.
As Iulius walked past his escort, Qathora tried to extend a hand on his shoulder, but he dodged it with a slight movement of the arm, unwilling to talk or express anything else. All he wanted to do was to leave that place and return back home. Back to the business of war.
June 28.
The journey back to the greater Andromeda had been much easier, with the hyperspace route clear of major dangers. Just as Iulius had promised, the few imperial patrols they met on the journey back to the UACT space didn't fire on the three Coalition ships returning from Haeleus, and soon enough the Liberator, the Constantinople and the Normandy were traveling toward Lianna by the Northern Fringe.
Scott was still a bit weakened by the rude treatment he had received aboard the Verakan, but overall he was fine and much ready to get back into the fight. With her heart at ease, Jane could now make her long-awaited report to Benedetta directly, whose hologram was now standing into the holo-projector of the comm room.
"It's good to see you made it all out alive. So, what is your opinion up to this point?"
"Honestly? Your plan may only work if we first kill the Emperor and Vader." Jane said bluntly. "Iulius has a moral standard that one can only admire, but he's also a patriot through and through. He would rather get himself unjustly accused of treason rather than throw the Empire into a civil war."
Benedetta put a hand on her mouth in a thoughtful gesture. "I see. That means we must strengthen our cooperation with the Jedi, since their declared objective is to take out those two."
"Master Gozo is of the same opinion."
The Empress then put her hands back along her flanks. "That said, I am afraid I need you back in the Milky Way, Jane."
Shepard was taken by surprise. "Really? What's happening?"
"The Tambaran have recently increased their incursions against our allies on the western border. They're getting dangerously closer and closer to Ilium. I sent several Spectres to investigate, but I suspect they are being driven by some other power. If they start a war on our border, we will have to pull some of our forces away from Andromeda."
"And what about your project here in this galaxy?"
"As you said, it seems impossible to make it true until we defeat the Sith. But you're right, we need to keep the pressure up, and support the Jedi Order."
"In that case, how about you make Jordan Bridger a Spectre?"
Benedetta mumbled in thought. "You think he's up to the task?"
"Absolutely. He's a great soldier, and besides, he is the father of the two leaders of the Jedi. I can't think of a better candidate to continue this task."
The Empress immediately recognized the validity of that idea, her eyes clearly wondering why she hadn't come up with that herself. She nodded and replied. "Yes. If we invite his family at the ceremony, I will be able to discuss with the Jedi directly. I will send the proposal to him right away. Meanwhile, youprepare a letter of recommendation to submit to the Council."
"Of course."
"Anything else you'd like to report?"
Jane shook her head. "Nothing, for now."
"Then make preparations to return to the Milky Way. I'll brief you in my office when you arrive."
"Yes, ma'am."
"See you soon, my friend. Benedetta, out." and the hologram disappeared.
Her task now clear, Jane made a stop in the cockpit to inform Mazak and EDI of their new pattern among the hyperspace lanes, then took the lift to Deck 3 to check on Scott, but she only found Wilhelm talking with Garrus.
"Guys, have you seen Scott?"
"Him and Sara are in the hangar to spar a little." Garrus replied.
"The boy just can't stand still." Wilhelm commented, not masking a hint of pride.
Jane sighed. "I'll go check on them." and took the lift again, descending on Deck 5.
As the door opened, she found most of the personnel gathered at the entrance, as the shooting range had been activated, with Scott making some marksmanship. It became quickly clear that he was back to top shape as he scored shots after shots as his usual.
"Captain on deck!" Johnson yelled as he was the first to notice who had arrived and the marines quickly stood at attention, opening a way toward the range.
Sara and Scott also put down the weapons and stood at attention, just like the towering Chief did, next to them.
"At ease, guys. You deserve it." Jane said with a relaxed attitude. "Listen up, we got new orders from Her Majesty. Apparently, the Tambaran are causing quite the trouble back home. We have been recalled to the Milky Way to deal with them. So cheer up, boys, we're going back home for a break."
Mutters followed, some relieved, some confused, others finding this strange, since they expected the mission to last much longer than this, but nobody questioned the orders, since everyone was overall happy to go back to the Milky Way after six months into the unknown.
The group slowly melted, and the twins also dismantled the shooting range before receiving their mother.
"I see you haven't lost time in whipping yourself into shape." Jane said.
"I'm fine, mum." Scott replied a bit annoyed that they were actually having this conversation. "You heard the doc, all the pieces of my body are where they are supposed to, and working as intended. I just want to make sure not to lose the good hold habits."
"Like keeping our reflexes sharp." Sara intervened to support her twin.
"Sure, but you're not getting back on the field anytime soon, Scott. I want you to be sure that you feel completely fine not just physically. Being captured and kept hostage by the likes of the Kett must have left an impression on you."
"Seriously? Now you think something like that can scar me?!"
"Mental traumas don't necessarily show up immediately. You might freeze during a mission and that's not an ideal perspective. So, once we stop on Earth, you're going to the psychologist. That's an order."
Scott seemed about to burst out, but instead, he made sound nasal exhalation and seemed to calm his mind down. He then quickly rubbed his nose.
"All right. Maybe you're right." he conceded.
"Glad that you agree." Jane concluded, then remembered something and turned toward the Legionnaire next to them. "Oh, Chief, the Empress didn't say anything about you. Have you received any order?"
He shook his head once. "I have not."
"Then I guess you'll be our guests for a little longer."
"Neat. Me and EDI still have a lot to discuss." Cortana commented from Chief's armor.
"Really?" smiled Jane. "Like what?"
"I'm learning a lot about electronic warfare from her, based on her records of the Reaper War."
"Can't she just transfer you that data? You are AIs." Sara asked curious.
"Yes, but EDI prefers to talk about it whenever she can. She insists it gives 'personality' to the data, whatever she means."
"I think I know what she means." Shepard said. "Anyway, you'll have all the time to discuss. The journey back to Earth should take nine days from now, according to Mazak."
Everything was settled, for the moment, so Jane decided to call it a day and go catch some sleep herself.
July 1.
The Constantinople was still crossing the Salin Corridor and Lianna was still three days of navigation away, but at least the route was safe and, after so long, Jordan and Darvos were clear to call Lothal again. The Liberator had been dismissed and tasked to stay at Yavin, now the rally point for the ships in service of the ICO, while the Colonel was being brought back to Lianna to make his report to Mothma and her government.
"Can you imagine?" said Jordan happily as he kept his arm around his son-in-law. "You're finally going to see your daughter."
Darvos smiled while they kept walking toward the comm room, in where they keyed the number and made the call for the Bridger Complex.
Just a few moments later, it was Mira who picked the call, to Jordan's greatest joy.
"Guys! Oh, goodness, it's so good to see you again." she said with a huge relief expressed by her expression and her body in general.
"Hi, darling." said the Captain. "Just wanted to say that we're finally coming back home. Also, I need to discuss a thing with the kids, are they around?"
"Luckily for you, yes. Just give me a minute." the woman replied before disappearing.
Even less than a minute later, Ezra was the first to appear.
"Dad, Darvos. Did you finally kick those guys back in the deepest dark space?"
"You bet on it, son." said Jordan. "We also managed to rescue some of the colonists. Where's your sister?"
"Oh, you know her, she can't resist giving out a good surprise."
Ezra's gaze then turned to his left and he then gestured for someone to step in his place and take a spot inside the projector. Both men on the other side of the call knew exactly who was about to arrive and neither of them could hide the sheer hype.
And finally there it was. Jaral entered into the hologram, smiling widely and holding in her arms a small child, dressed in a little pajama as she looked around her with apparent confusion and curiosity.
Darvos just couldn't take it and he started weeping as he looked at his daughter. Jordan put an arm around his shoulders and looked with an immense delight as the child tried to extend a hand in the direction where she was seeing the holograms on her own hand.
It was likely out of curiosity, but the girl was clearly pointing at Darvos, who made a step forward, extending a hand himself toward the image of his prole.
"Hi, little star." he said with a knot making his voice hoarse but undeniably happy beyond any measure.
"Look Samira, it's Dad!" Jaral said to the baby with the same amount of excitement. Then she turned the baby toward Jordan. "And look! There's granddad!"
Jordan showed his teeth with a smile that he simply wasn't able to control.
After the general daze caused by the kid subsided, the two officers on the Constantinople could bring the conversation forward.
"Anything we should be aware before coming back to Lothal?" Darvos asked.
"Only that we recently helped Sabine and Ketsu recover a very important mandalorian artifact and we are having droves of exiled warriors joining our ranks." Ezra replied quite proudly. "Ah, also we should warn you that the Sith have sent in a couple of twins equipped with a cheap version of a lightsaber and with incredibly advanced cybernetic implants. They are from the Astarte family."
"Twins? Have they just decided to deal with you two like that?" Jordan asked quite amazed at the similarity that was way too obvious.
"Actually, Cal has investigated on them and found out that the twins, Morin and Aiolin, have been given in service of the Emperor since the end of the Clone Wars, since the family had sided with the Separatists and had to make publicly amend. Still, we haven't had a chance to fight them for real yet. All we know is that they are participating in the gathering of ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts."
"And I bet it's not just for Palpatine's private gallery." Jordan commented. "However, I need to inform you that I just received a mail from the Citadel Council. They asked me to organize a meeting between them and you two on the Citadel."
"A meeting about what?" Jaral asked surprised.
"Don't know. The message didn't go into details, but if you want some help to chase down the Astartes, then having the support of the Empress and her governing body can't hurt."
"Point taken. Besides, I have been wanting to see the Milky Way for a while, now." Ezra said with a certain enthusiasm.
"Good. I'll schedule the meeting once we return from Lianna. You guys stay alive until then." Jordan recommended.
"We have no rush to die, if that's what you mean." Ezra joked.
After exchanging a short banter, the transmission was closed and the two officers walked back into the strategic room as Jordan had a question for MI6.
"Colonel, officers. Can you tell us what happened on the front during these months?"
"Not much, actually." Undir said, pushing a button on his keyboard. "Both sides have been focused on rebuilding after the battle of Lantillies, and on the Perlimian Trade Route, the border is now the Roche belt, very hard to cross.
"What is worth noting is that Admiral Edrix was found not guilty by the court martial on Palaven and he has returned to command the federal forces in Andromeda."
"Ah, now that's a good news." Darvos said.
"Yes. Putting a new commander with little experience of Andromeda would have been detrimental. However, the decision was probably influenced by the situation developing in the Milky Way, for the Tambaran have recently started attacks on Ilium and forced the Federation to intervene."
Jordan and Darvos looked at each other a bit perplexed. The latter knew nothing about the Tambaran and the former had only heard that they existed, but never had the time to actually study their history with the Federation.
"May we ask for a quick recap about these lads?"
"Commander Trebis." Undir calmly passed the word to the turian female officer at the table.
"The Federation made contact with the Tambaran around twenty years ago. In fact, shortly after you disappeared into that black hole, Captain Bridger. Their home planet is in the Eagle Nebula and they had just discovered space faring, despite being territorial and divided in tribes. Unfortunately for us, they are as aggressive as a Yagh and attacked the first contact squads. We tried a diplomatic solution, they agreed only so we could help them find the local mass relay, then they attacked us again. Of course, the Federation beat them easily and forced them to stay in their local cluster, but just so you can have a clearer picture…" the turian pushed a few buttons and a small map of the Milky Way appeared, focusing on the Eagle Nebula, right at the border with the Federation.
"They're right next to Ilium!" Jordan noted.
"Correct." said Trebis. "Ilium is an independent republic, but is very friendly to the Federation and is the main trade hub between us and the Terminus Systems. Of course, many local powers in the Terminus resent them for this and would jump at any opportunity to weaken us."
"You think somebody is arming the Tambaran?" Darvos asked.
"They have been beating their chest for years," said Lieutenant Matsui, the third and last officer of MI6 serving on the Constantinople. "however, they have never actively threatened our sphere of influence until after Lantillies. The news of our defeat must have emboldened them, but yes, Colonel, we do suspect that they are being supplied by some states in the Terminus who would like to expand at our expense."
"Two wars at the same time." Jordan said in a grim statement.
"Correct." said Undir. "The war with the Empire is already draining most of our resources. It's possible that the Normandy has been recalled to the Milky Way to assist against the Tambaran."
"Wait a moment…" said Darvos, thinking. "Could the Empress have asked a meeting with Ezra and Jaral to ask the Jedi for help, as well?"
"It's very much a possibility." Undir said. "Even if the Tambaran have limited strength, we need to be extremely cautious. An excessive response might trigger an intervention of the Terminus nations, and at that point we would be forced to recall most of our fleets from Andromeda."
"Great…"
"Just for curiosity," Jordan intervened to distract his in-law from the terrible prospect. "do we have a picture of these guys?"
"Sure." said Trebis.
After a quick research into the database, she brought on the holo-table the image of a huge primate with a thick fur. It resembled the Wookiee, except that it was shorter and larger, the teeth were much more pronounced and it had red eyes where the iris was barely distinguishable.
"Gods. I wouldn't like to meet that thing in a back alley." the Legionnaire commented.
"For good reasons." said Matsui. "In the previous war, they have proven to be extremely dangerous in melee, even for the Aquilae. Our greatest advantage against them is the technological gap, but if somebody is helping them to close it…"
"Then we might witness a new kind of Krogan rebellion." Jordan completed the sentence.
The atmosphere was grim in the room, and for good reasons: for the federals, knowing that their nation might be attacked on a second front was a huge risk per se.
For Darvos it meant that, soon, the Federation might be unable to commit its forces to help the New Republic. And while the latter was growing by the day, its military was still way too small to protect its borders and its allies if the Empire was to attack with its full potential.
All the officers could hope, was that the politicians would be able to handle the situation correctly.
July 5.
The colonists had been returned to their worlds, and soon enough, Iulius would be allowed to return to his own residence on Naboo, to retake his role as Lord-Protector of the Mid Rim. But before he could do that, a stop on Coruscant for him and Thrawn were mandatory, as the Emperor wanted a full report in person.
The surprise was quite big, however, when in the throne room they also met Darth Vader, who was standing next to the throne. Still, the white-dressed Admirals followed protocol and went to knee in front of the Emperor.
"Rise, you two." Palpatine said after a couple seconds.
The officers complied and stood in the rest pose.
"First, I suppose congratulations are in order for your success in the Haeleus Sector. But tell me, Lord-Protector: do you really think that letting that Grysk agent flee was the best choice?" the Emperor asked with a not subtle suspicion in his voice.
"If you allow me, Your Majesty, I would like to put your concerns at ease."
"Go on."
"In the first place, the rescue of the colonists will show our citizens that the Empire is strong enough to protect them even in the middle of a war that is requiring our full effort. Second, the person known as Cadmis has seen the Primus, and thus the Kett, revolt against the Grysk. Now they will be at each other's throat, which gives us more time to fortify our border with the Unknown Regions."
A brief silence followed. The Emperor hummed in thought, but eventually it was Vader who spoke up. "Yet, the Grysks have already proven to be incapable to resist the Empire's might. You should have pursued and crushed them entirely."
"We don't even have maps of the region, Lord Vader. Jumping blindly would have only meant making them a favor." Iulius defended himself with no hesitation.
"At ease, my friend." the Emperor said to his right arm. "We couldn't expect the Lord-Protector to stay away any longer, not when our enemies are preparing their next move.
"But before that...Moff Gideon mentioned a project of yours?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty. I suggest we send Grand Admiral Thrawn to supervise an expansion of the imperial influence in the direction of the Unknown Regions." he said as he stepped slightly aside to put the Chiss in greater evidence.
"How would that benefit the Empire? We don't have many resources to spare." asked Palpatine.
"All I need to start this project is my 7th Fleet and the help of the people of Carunoia. As for the benefits it would bring to the Empire, they may not be as immediate, but as we expand into the region we can draw other alien species to our cause. Even the Angara might provide us with resources that we can use against our more powerful enemies."
The debate lasted another half-an-hour, however, after a lot of explaining and reassuring, the Emperor finally gave his approval.
"Very well. You may proceed with your project, Lord-Protector, but don't forget that your priority is to crush the rebellion and retake the Outer Rim."
"It will be done, my Lord. I just want you to understand that, given the current situation, this task will take a lot of time."
"Oh, don't you worry, young Tanis. I am a patient man." the leader of the Empire concluded with a malevolent grin. "You may go."
The Grand Admirals made a bow and left with the speed dictated by the protocol, but really, Iulius wanted to get to the elevator and sigh of relief at the fact that he had managed to persuade the Emperor. "I dare to say the hardest part is passed." he commented.
A bit to his surprise, Thrawn huffed out a laugh. "Quite accurate."
Yes. By all accounts, the toughest part was to get permission to proceed, but now it also came an equally difficult part, at least for Iulius: saying goodbye to his mentor once again.
As they left the elevator and walked toward the landing pad, Iulius decided that he didn't want to express that feeling, but the Chiss decided otherwise after giving a look at him with his eyes able to catch the infrared.
"You seem abated, Iulius. Does something worry you?" he asked with a tone that hinted to a certain degree of care.
Iulius sighed in resignation and spoke up. "I am aware that you are the only one who can possibly complete this task in the Unknown. But I can't help to think that I could really use your help in the war against the rebels."
"I believe you will perform in a most satisfactory way. For you've become a finer soldier than what I saw on our first meeting." the Chiss reassured. "But I understand what you mean."
"You do?"
"Indeed. I will certainly miss our conversations." Thrawn said with a smile.
Iulius was actually surprised and returned the smile with an amused tone. "You did learn how human emotions work."
"I suppose my permanence on Earth has been constructive in several ways."
They both chuckled, then they saw that they had reached the landing pad, with their personal shuttles waiting to fly them to their separate ways.
"I'd offer you a drink to celebrate our most recent victory, but time is of the essence." Iulius commented, intending to close the conversation.
"Then we will save it for when the war is over." Thrawn joked, surprising the Lord-Protector even more.
"Eh. Sure."
The two turned toward each other.
"The path ahead is long and difficult. But I know you will be up to the task, Iulius."
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
Thrawn waited a moment before replying. "You know what I see in front of me, right now?"
Iulius slightly shook his head.
"I see a young and talented man. One that appear once in a generation. A great warrior who always manage to overcome the obstacles in front of him without sacrificing his values. A dreamer, who so far has turned the tides of history twice and whom the people around are ready to follow to the end. A brother who lost his sibling to the twists of fate, and yet he carries on."
"And at the cost of sounding redundant, I renew the only real advise I can give you: Trust in your abilities, Iulius Tanis. They are all you need."
Even if it was a very banal advise, hearing those words again made Iulius' heart swell with satisfaction and courage once again.
"But if you ever feel the need to talk or for advise, now all you have to do is pick up the comlink." the Chiss eventually added in a reassuring tone.
The Lord-Protector chuckled. "That is also true. Then farewell, my friend. And good luck."
"Fare thee well too...friend."
The Chiss immediately walked away after pronouncing that last word. Iulius couldn't tell exactly why, but right now, he didn't feel like worrying about it, as he was simply happy. He walked into his shuttle, where Qathora and Yagler were waiting for him.
"You seem much merrier." the Togruta joked.
"The Emperor has approved my idea. I think I can afford to be a little satisfied."
"We're all glad about it, sir," said Yagler instead. "however, I do need to tell you that the Director would like to speak with you, before we return to Naboo."
"I don't see a reason to turn the invitation down. Set a course for the ISB HQ."
"Actually, we're going another place...the Director likes his privacy." the agent said.
A bit baffled, Iulius still accepted the request.
"Tandery, this is Bridger." said Ezra in the comlink of the Silver Bullet. "Atin gave you permission to land. Transmitting coordinates now." he said, though it was Sabine who sent them while he kept flying above the skies of Lothal.
The mandalorian freighter flying next to them, damaged but still able of flying veered as the pilot replied.
"Coordinates received. We are in your debt, Jedi. Be sure that we will return it."
"For now, settle down. That's all we need."
As the last batch of refugees headed for Atin, Ezra turned the ship to land at the Academy.
"Soon, Atin will become a city of its own. We probably need the help of the government to expand its infrastructure." Sabine commented.
"I'm sure Shweera will be glad to provide the materials, at the very least." Ezra reassured as he brought the Gauntlet on its final approach to the complex's landing pads, parking right next to Luke's X-Wing. At that moment, the Ghost was out as Hera was away supervising the construction of the new battleship for the Republic with Zeb and Kallus.
It was the middle of a Lothal's day, and the many Padawans and younglings were gathered around the long set of tables for lunch. By now, the number of aspiring Jedi had grown so much that the Academy had to contract a civilian company to provide food, which included all the meals for the orphans who didn't have a family in the capital and thus lived at the Academy, at a dormitory that had been recently built.
The greatest problem was the lack of trained Jedi: after the seven survivors of Order 66 found last year, neither the Order nor Ahsoka's network had any luck in finding others from the old Order. Now the Padawans who made some experience were also being called in to teach the basics of the Force, so the Knights and the Masters could focus on other duties. Only Master Yoda was dedicating every moment of his life to raising the younglings with incredible energy.
Ezra himself was now expected to go and hold a lesson on combat, but before that, he needed to make a stop at his sister's seat.
"Hey, guys." said Cal as he saw them. "Did you find the refugees?"
"Yup. They are landing at Atin as we speak." Sabine replied.
"Found any trouble?" asked Kyle.
"An imperial patrol tried to prevent them from escaping. Nothing we couldn't handle."
"Yeah, amazing, but how about you help me feed this little hurricane?" the voice of Jaral came over them.
Ezra saw her at the edge of the table, for at the head of it stood two flying cribs, holding the two youngest members of the house: Jacen and Samira.
The latter was crying, probably expecting her own lunch, but Jaral was having some trouble feeding Jacen first, who was playing with the food instead of eating it.
"Aw, look at them..." Ezra said in a mushed voice, but he quickly dematerialized his armor and went to give a hand. "Here comes uncle Ezra to the rescue."
First he reached for Samira and lifted her out of the crib. The kid seemed to calm down and instead laughed at him.
"Miss me, little one? Oh, and wait until you finally see your daddy. But first…" he then leaned toward his sister to hand over the baby. "To mommy you go."
Jaral couldn't hold back an amused expression as she witnessed Ezra putting so much effort into being an ideal uncle, as he took the spoon and took over the duty of making Jacen eat his soup with a series of funny faces and rumbles.
"I wonder who's the real baby between them." Sabine whispered to her sister-in-law.
Still, Ezra succeeded in the arduous task and the lunch came to an end with no further incidents. Jaral fed Samira while Cal coordinated the younglings into cleaning their dishes, which had been decided would be an important lesson in humility and hard work.
Just as they restarted the lessons, a skycar arrived from the main entrance, so the siblings went on to greet their guests.
To their surprise, two old acquaintances came out.
"Mo. Emissary T'Neri." Jaral greeted with a surprise. "Good to see you. What do we owe the visit?" she asked, yet she quickly noticed that the faces of the two women were pretty grim.
Raya was keeping her hands clasped in front of her, making her calm and elegant pose, but the tone that came after was enough to stress the mood of the situation.
"I wish it was under better circumstances, miss Bridger, but I'm afraid I have to deliver a bad news."
"What is it? Is it about the war?" Ezra asked, he himself getting a bit worried.
Yet, when Raya made a deep breath and pronounced her answer, it was something none of the siblings could have anticipated.
"Two hours ago, the New Republic has arrested Colonel Darvos Tanis on charges of treason."
