Chapter 12
"I don't like your plan," Rex says again.
Hera focuses on examining the supplies, "I'm just going speak with them."
"You said you were just going to look at the compound. 'Pure recon.'"
Hera sighs, "It was the right call."
"No, it wasn't. Instead of waiting for reinforcements, you assaulted and got captured."
"I know that!" Hera snaps. "I took a necessary risk. It didn't work, and people died."
"Every soldier knows the next mission may be his last," Rex argues. "That's not my point. You're more important than any soldier. The Alliance needs you as a leader, general."
"Behold, the value of a soldier," Hera whispers thoughtfully.
"You're not listening, Hera—wait, that's what HE said." Rex folds his arms. "You reminded command that he wasn't in the compound too. You let him get in your head."
"No-maybe. We don't know anything about him. We don't even know his name!"
Rex looks down suddenly. Hera spots it, eyes narrowing, "Rex? Spill! Spill Rex!"
He begins slowly, "On your way back, I asked rebel intel about him. They said that they're too busy. I pressed with your authority. They replied, and I quote: 'We have better things to do than investigate some stormtrooper.' Do you know anything else, anything at all?"
"You listened and overheard everything I have…but, the thing about Kalee sounded personal," Hera recalls. "Both sides have a say, remember?"
"I overlooked that." Rex's eyes grow distant. After a minute, Hera calls his name, then again before he shakes it off. Will I share his fate in twenty years, Hera wonders, reliving battles and suffering the same trauma again and again? Rex wipes his hand across his face.
"Sorry," he mutters. "Kalee is the homeworld of the Kaleesh. You probably haven't heard of it, but every clone has. It's the home of General Grievous."
"He's not a clone, so what does a Separatist General have to do with the commander?"
"It's not about Grievous or the Clone Wars," Rex shakes his head. "The Kaleesh were overwhelmed by Jedi before the war but continued fighting the Republic during the Clone Wars. Afterward, they fought the Empire. They're fierce and relentless but what you need to know is: their final defeat was delivered by the Empire, under Grand Admiral Thrawn."
The name unleashes a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, fear, grief, and uncertainty swirl through her until she stumbles into the crates. The name thunders: THRAWN! Suddenly, she's sitting on the floor, and Rex kneels beside her.
"I wondered if I'd suffer trauma after the war. I guess I have my answer."
"Focus, general," Rex says sadly. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
She forces herself to stand, a little shaky at first, but she recovers. "I won't order someone to do what I can't or won't do. This is a risky negotiation, and I have the most experience. Who else could I send? The Heroes of Yavin already left; the pathfinder's captain died in the compound. The Ewoks hate and distrust the Duloks, and I'll bet the feeling is mutual. I need you here because you're the only other person who can run a joint-operational command."
"I agree," Rex thinks for a moment. "Intel dismissed Endor and stormtroopers, but Kallus might know more. I'll send him a message, but we can't wait or depend on a reply. The commander's timeline is forty-eight hours, and three hours have passed."
"That means I'm late. I have to go, Rex."
"Not without an escort," Rex insists, stepping out of the shuttle and waving. "I picked two troopers with training in executive protection, and Chief Chirpa sent two Ewoks as well."
Hera joins him at the bottom of the ramp, spotting a pair of Ewoks with Chief Chirpa and the protocol droid. A dark-furred Ewok argues furiously, shaking his fist, "Is that them?"
"No, the dark one is Chief Miski of the Lightfoot tribe. They're demanding we do more after the death of their former chief, Kusti. I don't know the other Ewok, but he's a shaman."
Two Ewoks and two rebels emerge from a tent near her command, a burly Human and a reedy Sullustan. A coppery protocol droid follows them. She motions them on board when they arrive. Then, she waves goodbye to Rex. "No time for introductions. Let's go!"
"Hey," Rex calls. "May the force be with you."
She smiles, closing the ramp and swiftly moving to the pilot seat. Next to her, the Sullustan sits in the co-pilot chair. The other soldier sits behind her, and the Ewoks stand. The protocol droid takes the last chair. She launches the shuttle, rocketing to the Dulok village.
"Shouldn't we land the ship a little further away, ma'am?" The human asks.
"No," she replies, landing the ship at the edge of the hamlet. "We're running out of time; we have less than an hour before the commander arrives. The Duloks would hear us land unless we parked far away and carried the supplies. That's time we don't have. I don't want to risk having the Dulok's play us off each other, or worse, helping the Empire to spite the Ewoks."
Below them, the Duloks grab their younglings, driving them into huts and burrows. Warriors gather spears and spiked clubs. The snaggletoothed and gangly beings are tall, taller than Hera anyway, and covered in fur. The village encompasses hundreds of them and thrives by drawing water from a nearby lake. The tree canopy makes it impossible for her to land within the camp except at the enormous arena. She can't ignore it, not because it's almost equal to the village but because of the massive doors on one side.
A huge Dulok pushes through the crowd as they exit the shuttle. The creature glares threateningly at Hera, but its red eyes turn hateful once it spots the Ewoks. The brutish creature wears a boney spine on his head and two large tortoise shells on his shoulders. It thumps a huge spiked club on the ground before roaring a few words in its guttural language.
The rest of his tribe watches them closely, weapons ready. Hera pulls the protocol droid closer, "Oh! Oh, yes, he says we're trespassing. He says leave now."
"My name is Hera, and I wish to trade for what you took from the Empire."
The protocol droid's voice changes dramatically, barking in their crude language of snarls and grunts. The leader replies, and she interprets, "His name is King Gorneesh, and he leads all Duloks. He will trade, but the sneaky Ewoks will not come into his village."
Hera orders, "Guard the shuttle until we return. Keep a close watch; I don't trust them."
The protocol droid tells them, and the Ewoks glare at the Duloks. One spits on the ground, purposefully insulting the beings. Once the Ewoks leave, Gorneesh motions, leading them further in and through a second gate. They enter the mott of the mott and bailey design of the village. The huts are larger, elaborately decorated with hides and bones. Along the way, a young blurrg blocks their path. The Duloks beat it until it flees back to its pen. The display sickens Hera, but she remains silent. The negotiations come first, in spite of her revulsion.
Two Duloks guard the largest hut. One pulls aside a flap made of animal hide, allowing the king to enter. Thick clouds of smoke emerge from the hut. A female goes next, along with a pack of larger males. Another group of armed males remains behind her team, but Hera expected that. They don't trust us, and they think they have the advantage.
She doesn't like the Duloks, but not because of their primitive nature. Hera has worked with hundreds of species, even Wookies. Her problem is the Duloks remind her of Weequay. The sly looks passing among them, mixed with their thuggish nature. It tenses her and feeds her fears.
The Ewoks warned that the Duloks constantly harass and despoil their lands. She believes it wholeheartedly, now. She gives her escort a warning look; both the Human and the Sullustan nod before Hera leads them inside the foul-smelling and stuffy chamber.
The Duloks fill the room with their warriors until Hera and her team have nowhere to move. The press of unwashed bodies, musky wet fur, and smoke creates a toxic atmosphere. Even shifting her weight from foot to foot risks bumping the creatures, but it also reveals a lot about them. They intend an ambush, or they're terrified, but Hera believes it's the first.
King Gorneesh stands on a platform in front of his bed. The female stands next to him, watching Hera closely. Two thick guards stand in front of Hera, stopping her a few steps away.
"Great King Gorneesh," Hera begins politely, "Thank you for inviting me into your village and welcoming me into your home."
The protocol droid translates, and he retorts, "You came to trade. What you have?"
Hera points in the direction of their shuttle. "We have food, medicine, and supplies for winter. We brought a variety of fruits and exotic foods from beyond Endor. What do you want?"
King Gorneesh leans forward, "Do you have…soap?"
Hera blinks. She looks at the protocol droid and asks, "Really?"
"Yes, he is quite serious," the robot replies. The Human beside her is placid as still water, but the Sullustan smirks.
Hera changes her tone, "That would be difficult, but for you great king, we could arrange it. Naturally, we would only exchange the soap for something of equal value."
"You want the magic spear from the white shells," The king speaks, and the droid continues. "It doesn't work. It won't light or make a magic wall."
The vane. The shield emitter, Hera, realizes. To the ignorant Duloks, it may look like a magic spear because they don't understand the engineering behind it. Hera folds her arms, "Good, then you will trade it cheaply, but I have another offer. Banish the white shells from your lands and your village. If you refuse to trade with them, I will give you a mound of soap."
Excited whispers race through the chamber until The king thumps his club. His female whispers frantically to him, obviously arguing with him and throwing dark looks at Hera.
"Let me see soap," King Gorneesh demands.
"I'm no fool, good king," Hera doesn't have any, even on the shuttle. "I won't bring it until we make an agreement. Let me see the spear."
The king's jaw juts out grumpily, tapping his club in thought. Suddenly, the flap opens, filling the hut with light. A Dulok looks directly at the king, smirking when he nods.
The king bursts out in laughter, suddenly roaring, "Stoopid off-worlders!"
"So, you speak galactic basic," Hera comments evenly, resisting the tension she feels.
The warriors join in his laughter as the king yells, "We took your shuttle and drove off the Ewoks! You come in our village. You come in my hut! We take your stuff, and now we have you too! Off-worlders pay for you! You want spear, dummy, but it's not here!"
"Choose wisely, King Gorneesh," Hera warns. "We have powerful friends, and the Alliance will come for us, dead or alive! They will not bring soap; they will bring fire."
Her words make Gorneesh hesitate. He licks his lips, then nods to his men. Before Hera can reach for her blaster, the Sullustan becomes a whirlwind of fists, kicks, and elbows. He dances with blinding speed around the Duloks, responding to each attack with a flurry of blows. While the Sullustan moves like water, the Human holds still like an ancient tree. He blocks and knocks aside attacks with his bare hands before clobbering the Duloks. With a single punch, he lays them out. Bone crunching, bloody, and harrowing strikes break their attackers.
Where did Rex find these guys? She wonders.
"General!" The human warns, lurching behind her and catching a spear in his abdomen. Hera gasps, but only a second passes before he snaps it and bodyslams his attacker.
The Duloks groan when their comrade hits the ground, shrinking away from the team. Hera uses the pause to make an offer, "My proposal still stands King Gorneesh. Nothing has happened that cannot be undone. Do you want the soap or not?"
King Gorneesh considers it seriously, but his wife screams, "No! The witch! The witch will not forgive us! Take her!"
His wife's warning steels the king's nerve, and he motions. The Duloks hesitantly attack with quick probing strikes, intended to wear them down. The pair counterattack viciously, but the sheer number of Duloks make it dangerous. The Human suggests, "Time to leave, ma'am."
"I'm not done," Hera snarls. She points at the king, and her men press forward. The Sullustan trips, throws, and pushes aside his opponents. The Human smashes them. Hera sprints through the opening they create. Both the king and his wife stumble backward in horror. Panicked, the king swings his massive club in an overhead arc, but Hera sidesteps. The club smashes through the platform, causing it to wobble precariously and leaving them off balance.
Hera adjusts to keep her feet before pressing her blaster into his chin. "Enough!"
"Go ahead," his wife insists. "Anything's better than facing the witch!"
"Shut up, Urgah!" King Gorneesh cries. "I'll take the deal!"
"That deal is lost," Hera hisses. "You don't have the spear. You're going to rebel command, and we're making a new deal. Got it?"
With a blaster pressed into his chin, he enthusiastically replies, "Yes! Yes! I agree!"
She grabs the king by his floppy ear, dragging him off the platform, as the Duloks form a path to the door. Hera looks at the Human, "Are you okay? That spear looked like it hurt."
"Yeah, fine, the cuirass took the worst of it," he answers as they emerge into the daylight.
Hera pushes the king in front of her, but he stops suddenly. She shoves him again, but he doesn't move, staring straight forward. Hera looks for help, but her team is dull-eyed and still.
Then, Hera stares too. A dozen steps away stands a woman breathtaking in her hideousness. Equal parts raven and human female create a wretched mashup of bird and woman. There's no reason or symmetrical design to the combination; instead, it appears as if the parts were chosen at random and held together by misfortune.
"Charal!" King Gorneesh cries. "It's not my fault! She tricked me!"
Hera struggles, fighting the urge to stand in awe of her. It's almost impossible, but Hera shakes off the daze. Her companions remain slackjawed and watch the witch mindlessly.
"You think these dull creatures with their low cunning decided to steal the vane?" The witch Charal asks in a screechy voice. "They couldn't even unscrew the bolts!"
"Charal!" Gorneesh calls. "I didn't-ugh!"
With a motion of her hand, an unseen force snatches up Gorneesh and drags him to the witch. "Your greed put MY plan at risk, you fool! When he arrives, you will send him to ME!"
"We can work this out," Hera begins diplomatically but keeps her blaster pointed at the witch. Suddenly, the same force seizes her, choking Hera. Instinctively, she claws at her throat.
The witch tosses Hera aside, "Let them perish in the arena but don't interfere with me again, or you and your people will suffer terribly, Gorneesh! Send him to ME!"