Chapter 9: Invisible Enemies
April 18, 2227.
"There is no doubt, General: this is a stealth cruiser specifically created for the purpose of recon and electronic warfare." the technician explained to Darvos. "And judging by the wearing of some of the instruments, this one has been in service for at least half-a-year."
That was indeed bad news. "So, for what we know, the Empire has been watching us for weeks without us noticing it?"
The other man made a timid nod.
Darvos sighed. "All right, transfer this ship to Lianna, I want a thorough investigation of her capabilities and of her database."
"Yes, sir."
Left alone with his thoughts, Darvos headed back to the command room of Alpha Base, the first of the secret bases set up by the New Republic as they prepared an offensive against the Empire. But now, with the discovery of the Empire's latest recon technology, the secrecy of Ajan Kloss was seriously put into question, and the General needed to find out what the Empire knew about it as soon as possible.
He compiled a quick report where he warned HQ of the discovery and that he was sending the captured vessel for a more in-depth analysis.
He had just sent the report when Captain Glisti, the responsible of electronic surveillance, ran into his office in a rush.
"General. An imperial fleet has just sailed from Ord Mantell."
Darvos was puzzled. "What's the problem? We were expecting them to do so."
"Yes, but they are not going up the Entralla Route. They took the Celanon Spur, heading for Ithor!" the officer replied hastily.
Darvos' eyes dilated and he quickly jumped out of his seat. The two hurried back to the command room. Rex and other officers of the 82nd were gathered around the holomap of the Northern Fringe, where three red triangles indicating the size of an imperial fleet were faring along the Spur.
"How large is it?" Darvos asked, having already returned to a calmer state.
"Very. At least six Star Destroyers with their escort squadrons. Plus several transport cruisers that could carry at least two armies. This has to be their main thrust." one of the officers said.
"We have the 312th Division stationed on Korvaii, but they won't last long without support." Rex pointed out. "And after that, the Empire will have the way paved for Ithor."
"Contact them, now!" the General ordered.
The comm officer complied. The comlink beeped for a few seconds before it was picked up.
However, what came through were statics, between which appeared a stuttering hologram of an officer of the 312th clearly yelling, but the transmission was so disturbed that the sounds came through without a real logic. Then the sound of an explosion was heard and the signal was lost.
A sepulchral silence fell on the officers. Every bits of information and preparations they had done indicated that the imperials intended to strike toward Mygeeto, thus taking the Entralla Route, where the Republicans had put three layers of defenses, each more intense the more they approached to the final objective.
The force put on Korvaii was large, and mostly intended to push the imperials toward attacking the less defended Route. All of a sudden, the existence of the imperial stealth cruiser made much more sense, and Darvos realized that the imperial commander had used it to uncover his trick without the General noticing.
"They will be slaughtered without comms." a Colonel said. "We must send reinforcements."
"No. Their fleet is much stronger. Going on the offensive is almost a suicide. We should get to Ithor immediately and prepare a stronger defense while the 312 buys us time." someone else said.
"Are you suggesting that we abandon them?!"
"Yes. It's hard to say it, but if we lose Ithor, too, the imperials will reach Agamar. And if they take Agamar, we will be cut off from our territory."
That was a much valid point. One that Darvos was inclined to agree with. This unexpected imperial thrust threatened to cut off the 82nd and its attached forces entirely. Either they would stop the Empire from regaining control of the Spur, or they would have to retreat to avoid being isolated.
In but a few seconds, Darvos took his decision. "Rex, take the 501st and head immediately for Ithor. Commodore Karstan, take the fleet and go with them. I will take my Task Force and try to extract every soldier we can from Korvaii."
The other officers seemed worried that Darvos was once again gambling his life like that, but they had come to respect him enough to trust his judgment.
As the officer corp scrambled to their duties, Darvos issued an emergency call to UACT Command.
"This is General Tanis. We have an emergency. Come in, over." he said with a hurried but composed tone.
A few moments later, to his surprise, it was Grand Marshall Ackbar who answered.
"This is HQ, General Tanis. We read you."
"Marshall, the Empire is launching a major offensive toward Ithor, possibly Agamar. My forces are too spread to gather quickly enough. We need backup."
Ackbar seemed to ponder for a second. "I was afraid they might try that. General, I am coming around with my fleet, but you have to keep Agamar at all costs."
"We already know what is at stake, sir. We'll defend ourselves till the last man."
The Calamari nodded and then Darvos closed the transmission. He turned toward his staff and ordered his U-Wing to be prepared immediately to bring him on the Liberator. Meanwhile, he ordered Red Squadron to take off the carrier along two additional X-Wing squadrons and one of Y-Wings, and they were given the order to jump toward Korvaii and assess the situation before the arrival of the major vessels.
In just twenty minutes, Darvos was aboard his flagship and the Task Force had been assembled. It was made up of the Liberator, the MC-75 cruiser 'Nautolan', the MC-80 cruiser 'Freedom Pole', plus three assault frigates Mk., and MC-30 frigate and a quite large variety of ships from other states of the UACT.
As they headed outside the gravity well of Ajan Kloss to reach Korvaii, Darvos felt his chest tightening for the tension. This was it: this was going to be his first real test as a commander on large-scale battles. The simple thought of it was freezing the blood in his veins.
The victory of the moderates and the birth of a new princess had been a big motive of rejoice among the entire Federation and even the crew of the Normandy. Especially for Jane, who had been asked to be the godmother for the child by the Emperor a few months before. It was a pity, Jane thought, that she didn't have the time to go back to Earth and meet the family again.
Right now, there was a new crisis at hand: an army of uncertain affiliation had started raiding the outer systems of the Rannoch Concordat, which was a Sister-Nation of the Federation. The Emperor had ordered a small but decently sized fleet to be dispatched to Rannoch to help their Quarian and Geth allies, using the 'Perseus Relay', a relay built decades before by the Guardians for the exact purpose of connecting the federal territory to the isolated Concordat.
It was believed that the army was being armed and supported by a species known as Magonid, a species of reptilians whose home system had been discovered only a decade ago and it sat between the Phoenix Massing and the Far Rim. They were also known for being a Corporate Authority, where there was no real government as their society was controlled by a huge mega-corporation and they were anarcho-capitalist in nature.
In short, they were the perfect allies for the group that sought to ignite a war between the Federation and the Commune. As the new government announced that they wanted to initiate peace talks with the Tambaran, it was way too weird that another minor species would try to attack the Federation on another front: the Magonid had to know full well that, as a Sister-Nation, the Concordat was under the military protection of the Earth, so if they were helping an army of mercenaries to attack the Geth and the Quarian, they had to have a really strong motivation.
"Captain, we're approaching the Rannoch relay." Mazak informed Jane, who was in the cockpit with Tali.
"Tali, any news from the fleet on the other side?"
"The Geth patrols have engaged a hostile fleet, but we have limited intel." the Quarian Admiral replied.
After all, that was the reason why both species were gathering their major warships around the relay. But along the Normandy, there was another ship, very different from the others for it wasn't from the Milky Way, that was ready to jump through the relay and provide additional firepower to the Normandy.
"Shepard to Iron Heart, do you copy?" Jane asked as the Normandy got in position next to the Munificent-classfrigate.
Quickly, the voice of a droid replied. "This is Kalani. We are ready to make the jump on your mark, Captain Shepard."
"Good. Get me Admiral Gerrel." Jane replied, nodding to Mazak and EDI.
"It's amazing how your people accepted another type of sentient machines with you, Tali." EDI commented as she prepared the ship for the passage into the relay.
"They only wanted a place to call home, and they are happy of having a purpose again. Which is, fight who they perceive as the bad guys." Tali replied as she opened the channel with the flagship of the Quarian squadron. "Admiral Tali'Zorah to Admiral Gerrel. Come in, please."
On the video feed appeared the Quarian with his red suit.
"We read you, Admiral." he first said, then turned toward Jane. "Captain Shepard. It's an honor. After all these years, to work with the daughter of the Human who gave us back our planet."
"The honor is mine, Admiral. With your permission, we will cross the relay."
"Permission granted. Let's make those bosh'tets pay."
Tali chuckled. "Angry that they stopped your retirement?"
"You bet. I was supposed to be already in my comfortable civilian suit." Gerrel replied in tone.
"Then let's get started, so we can finish this quickly." Jane added. "Mazak, get us through. Iron Heart, we're moving in."
"Understood." Kalani replied.
The Normandy moved toward the relay, aligning herself with the two long dents that indicated the direction, then the link was established and the ship was enveloped by the mass effect field, quickly accelerated and was then shot toward the Far Rim.
It took only moments before they found themselves in the Dholen system, where the local relay was and the same system where the ancient Quarian colony of Haestrom was. That planet was still mined by the Geth, who were the only machines advanced enough to sustain the solar radiations that the planet's atmosphere was unable to stop.
And it was in that system that the battle between the Geth and the raiders was going on, as the Normandy immediately found herself in front of a large crossfire between the two fleets and swarms of fighters.
After seeing the Iron Heart landing right next to her ship, Jane opened the comm with the Geth. "Normandy to Geth patrol unit. Do you read us?"
"Codes and voices authenticated." a robotic voice replied. "Welcome, Shepard Captain. Your arrival is appreciated."
"Our pleasure. The heavy fleet is incoming. Can we assist you?"
"Hostiles are using a heavy cruiser to launch fighters. They are standing behind the hostile fleet for cover. The Normandy is adequate to go behind the enemy line and provide an accurate line of fire."
"Copy. Kalani, you got that?"
"Affirmative. Our dorsal cannon should be effective enough. We will flank the enemy fleet. You will provide an accurate firing solution."
"You heard him, folks. Mazak, engage the cloaking and take us in. EDI, transmit the all-clear to the Quarian fleet."
The Normandy engaged the cloaking and sprinted toward the back of the raider formation while the Iron Heart did the same, although in plain sight.
Which was how Jane, and most likely Kalani, intended: the droid frigate could not hide from enemy sensors, but she packed a lot of firepower for a ship of her class. Since the pirate fleet was mostly tied down fighting against the Geth, they only sent a few small ships to intercept the Iron Heart. Kalani sent also his contingent of Vulture Droids, which he had been allowed to build by the Rannoch's government as the droids were now employed by the Defense. With them, Kalani had no problem whatsoever maneuvering his droids to obtain a total destruction of the enemies in front of him.
And all the while, the Normandy had approached the major vessel of the pirates. It was indeed a heavy cruisers refitted to be a carrier. A makeshift job, but that thing still carried several dozens of piloted crafts and also attack drones that were proving quite the nuisance.
EDI then linked with the droids and provided them the most effective firing solution. The Iron Heart had already disposed of her opponents, so she had a clear approach. The dorsal cannon fired two massive blaster bolts that hit the improvised carrier right into one of the hangars that was open in order to let the crafts take off.
The second bolt also caught a nearby depot of ammo and fuel, so the ship cracked in two immediately, leaving the pirates with no support for their small crafts.
Two minutes later, Gerrel's fleet came out of the relay and moved to wipe out the pirates, who tried desperately to flee the battlefield, getting mostly destroyed or immobilized and captured.
By evening, the Normandy had returned to Rannoch, where Jane and her crew were welcomed as heroes by the civilian government, the Conclave. Same was for Gerrel and Kalani. After the organics had spent some time chatting and eating, the crew of the Normandy went back to the ship, in time for Jane to receive a call in the comm room.
She was quite surprised to see Federico.
"Shepard." he greeted formally.
"Your Highness. Or should I call you in other ways?" she asked a bit confused by the spur of the moment.
"I renounced my titles, but not my family and friends. Just call me by name."
"All right. So, how's it going over there?"
"Not as well as I would like. One of our members recently suffered an incursion, and I suspect it came from the same group of pirates you blasted today."
"And that isn't good?"
"It would, if they weren't part of a much bigger threat. I have been investigating on my own, as well as meditating to seek answers in the Flux. What came out so far...is not good."
Jane never knew how to handle the prophecies of the psionics, but if Federico reassured that he had made more down-to-earth investigations, she was willing to give it a shot. "What did you find out?"
"The pigs who are trying to put us against each other are establishing their operations in the Attican Traverse. The Magonid are just one of the many small states in that region, as you know, but they are all perfect ground for the corpos. What's worse, is that they attacked us while using federal equipment. Clearly, they are trying to sow dissent among the public opinion."
"So we need to snuff them out before they can do more harm. Any idea where they could be?"
"Our network has found the bases from which both assaults departed. We are about to take our revenge, you can take yours in the home cluster of the Magonid. The planet is Cerrine."
"Understood. Feels good to see that you guys are working hard to preserve peace between us." Shepard commented at the end.
"We already lost much trying to create this nation. Going against the Federation would be a suicide."
"And that would mean going against your family."
Federico sighed. "I can't deny that."
"I'll ask the Quarian and the Geth to give me a hand in cleaning up Cerrine. Good luck, Federico."
"You too, Jane."
April 19, 2227.
It all just felt incredibly exotic. The Chiss were unlike anything Iulius had seen while faring the galaxy back and forth. Thrawn was already unique, yet Iulius always thought that he had to be fairly abnormal if he had earned himself an exile, so he wasn't really sure what to expect from the rest of his people.
As it turned out, Thrawn wasn't abnormal at all: Ar'alani had the same glacial approach with everyone. She only seemed to show an ounce of friendship toward Vanto and a young female Lieutenant called Vah'nya.
After the representatives for both the Angara and the Carunoan State had arrived at the meeting, the Steadfast had brought all of them to the nearest Chiss star cluster, known in Basic as 'the Redoubt'. There, they had landed onto a colony that was barely inhabited by Chiss citizens. Thus, in the middle of nowhere, the Ascendancy had set up a base where the talks were about to begin.
"I must say, this base is quite big." Iulius commented after they had to cross the large empty space that was still paved and the fences were hundreds of meters away.
"This cluster is supposed to be our last refuge in case the core worlds of the Ascendancy fall." Ar'alani replied coldly. "But we intend to make sure that it won't be the case."
Iulius thought that any comment to lift morale would be out of place, especially because, as the Admiral had made clear, she wasn't the one who needed convincing that an alliance with the Empire and its vassals might be the only way to save the Ascendancy.
Luckily, when they reached the room designated for the conference, the Aristocra were already there. The Lord-Protector had been already brought up to speed with the basics of Chiss politics: the society was divided mostly among families, and the most powerful and big were known as Ruling Families. Thrawn himself had been adopted into the Mitth when he was a young cadet, which gave him the first part of his long Chiss name.
The Chiss in that room were the members of the Syndicure, where the Nine Ruling Families gathered to discuss their matters and decide a common course of action.
It was necessary for Iulius to convince all of those guys, and judging by the mostly suspicious looks they threw in his and Thrawn's direction, this wasn't going to be easy.
The families all had one Patriarch, but those would never leave the homeworld of Csilla just to meet an alien. Nonetheless, the elegant politicians in that room were all Speakers, the representatives of each family in the Syndicure. They were basically the seconds in their families, which probably made a lot of sense given Iulius' own position in the Empire.
Iulius quickly noticed that every Speaker and their staffs bore their family crests on their clothes. He quickly recapped them in his mind:
Ufsa Family.
Irizi Family, the one Ar'alani came from, but to which she had renounced upon becoming Admiral of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, for it was a rule of the fleet.
Dasklo Family.
Clarr Family.
Chaf Family.
Pikh Family.
Boadil Family.
Obbic Family.
And finally, the Mitth family, Thrawn's adoptive family. It was the only family whose Patriarch was there, speaking for them. And the guy was looking at Thrawn with a mix of disgust and anxiety.
Iulius had been informed by Ar'alani and Vanto that the Patriarch was Mitth'urf'ianico, core name Thurfian, and he was the one who pushed the most for Thrawn's exile all those years ago. The motives were obscure to them, but Thurfian was probably going to be the most staunch opposition to overcome in order to start this alliance.
"Noble members of the Syndicure." Ar'alani started speaking in Sy Bisti as a courtesy to their guest. "Allow me to introduce you Grand Admiral and Lord-Protector of the Galactic Empire Iulius Tanis."
The Speakers and the Patriarch formed a sort of line and Thurfian himself spoke up. "Lord-Protector, the Ascendancy salutes you." he said in a completely emotionless voice, yet he put his hand on the chest in what looked like a cordial gesture.
"Thank you, Noble ones." he replied, returning the gesture with a small bow. "Allow me to present you Ambassador Tergret of the Carunoan State and Communicator Pjefa of the Angara Community.
I hope for this talk to prove productive."
"So do we. Please, make yourself comfortable." the Ufsa Speaker interjected.
They all sat. The table was in the shape of a straight angle, with Iulius and the two diplomats sitting alone on the line, while the Chiss all sat around the arch. A disposition, Iulius understood, aimed at giving the impression that the families were all united and that he was alone against their resolve.
But if they thought that they could play him as they wanted, they were in for a rough awake.
Ar'alani also went to sit with the Aristocra, being the representative of the Defense Council. Vanto stood next to her as her attendant, while Thrawn did the same with Iulius.
"Let's be frank, Aristocra, you know exactly why I am here. The Grysk have invaded the worlds of the Ascendancy, and the Empire doesn't want them to succeed. I am here to propose a cooperation."
The wording was extremely important. Iulius had been informed that the Ascendancy was extremely proud and had a 'stand alone' mentality. Had he said that he was 'offering help', the Aristocra might have already be tempted to reject any offer.
"The Ascendancy prefers to rely on its own strength." the Irizi Speaker said. "However, the Grysks are a much stronger threat than the ones we have faced until now. Depending on your offer, we might be willing to consider it."
That, too, was how the Grand Admiral expected the conversation to go: the Chiss would never admit that they were between a rock and a hard place.
But after all, he wasn't there to infringe on their independence: all he wanted to do was to give them advanced weapons and gear, even combat units from the Invisible Hand, as many on the 101st had nicknamed the imperial protectorate ran by Thrawn in the Unknown Regions.
He only had one condition that he had to convince the proud Aristocra to swallow.
"It's simple." he replied. "The imperial forces stationed at Carunoia will move into the space of the Ascendancy to provide support. Our Angara and Carunoan allies have also been recently victims of the Grysks' machinations, and would be very willing to return the favor."
"The Grand Admiral speaks the truth." Pjefa added. "In the last decade, my people have waged a war against a species called Kett. Only last year, with the help of Lord Tanis, we defeated them and their puppeteers."
"The Grysks have also turned most of my people into monsters that almost destroyed all civilization on Carunoia." Tergret said. "And we don't want the real ones to become our new neighbors."
The Aristocra looked at each other. Heads were nodded or shaken as they murmured in Cheunh, which meant Iulius couldn't understand them. Still, he remained calm and gave no sign of impatience or further emotions.
After all, as Thrawn had told him:
"The Chiss must be approached from a position of strength and respect. One must have strength, for the Chiss will deal only with those capable of keeping their promises. One must have respect, for the Chiss must believe that those promises will be kept."
The Aristocra already knew about the strength of the Empire. The entire goal of this conversation was to earn their respect.
The moment came when Thurfian spoke again to him. "The Syndicure recognizes that our goal coincide and that a cooperation would be beneficial for the Ascendancy. However, how can we be sure that your weapons and ships will actually be capable of granting us victory?"
Iulius put his crossed hands on the table and spoke firmly. "Unfortunately, I don't have the time to call up the 7th Fleet to give you a demonstration. Which is why, I will ask you for your trust...with a trade."
He snapped his fingers visibly and Qathora walked on the free side of his chair, laying a device on the table that Iulius took with his right hand and made sure the aliens saw it well.
"This is an Artificial Intelligence. The machine contained into this small disc is capable of maneuvering a ship the size of the Steadfast and at the same time run all the vital support systems."
The Aristocra seemed to be caught a little off-guard. Whether because they were sincerely curious about the machine or they thought that Iulius was being too stupid by revealing such a precious resource to them, it mattered little: he had their undivided attention.
"Also, I am aware that traveling hyperspace into this part of the galaxy is...very tricky. By using long-range sensors, an AI can quickly correct any trajectory and respond to emergencies in a matter of moments. This alone will significantly increase your fleets' speed and efficiency."
After saying that, he slid it toward the nearest Aristocra, the Boadil Speaker. She examined it carefully and then passed it toward a colleague. "And you are willing to provide these to us?"
"They are quickly spreading throughout the rest of the galaxy. So, before the Grysks inevitably put their hands on them, I suggest you use them."
"This is...quite generous…" Thurfian said carefully, then staring at the Lord-Protector. "What do you ask in return?"
Iulius leaned back on the chair and replied with a neutral and relaxed tone. "You will lift the exile of Mitth'raw'nuruodo."
He was sure that the Aristocra expected it, yet he was internally surprised when they looked off-footed. Only Ar'alani retained her composure, though Iulius could swear that she was smirking faintly.
Even Thrawn bent down a little and his voice seemed a little alarmed. "Lord Tanis, I don't…"
Iulius simply raised a hand to interrupt him and the Chiss Grand Admiral obeyed, standing straight once again.
The Aristocra finally recovered their mindfulness and the Clarr Speaker explained. "Lord-Protector, I understand you're not familiar with our laws, but an exile from the Ascendancy is permanent. It is not a punishment administered often, but it is definitive."
"And why is that?" Iulius simply asked.
The Aristocra stayed silent.
"Is that for tradition?" the Lord-Protector now spoke to provoke. "Because you don't want to admit that you can't make perfect decisions? Well, I'll tell you what, I will not give you my resources unless I know they are in good hands."
"This is preposterous," Thurfian interjected, unable to stay emotionless anymore. "Mitth'raw'nuruodo was exiled because he broke our most important rule on foreign policy."
"Yes, and by doing that he delayed the Grysk invasion for two decades." Iulius said, increasing the volume of his voice. "You want more reasons? Here is the first and most practical: Thrawn knows the ship types and the doctrines of the Empire, the Carunoans and the Angara. And I'm confident that he will quickly grasp whatever has changed in the Chiss fleet since he was an officer here. He is the only one among us who can lead our combined forces into battle and use them perfectly.
"Second, I owe my career to Thrawn. I'm committing borderline treason myself just by showing you this little thing." he said as he shook the AI that had by now returned to him. "So, if you wish for my trust, then I want the guarantee that you will respect my most trusted collaborator."
The Aristocra looked at each other. Thurfian lowered his head, but he probably forgot that he had a hand still on the table an it clenched into a gripping fist. The tension clearly indicated that he was, indeed, swallowing his pride.
"What does the Defense Council think?" the Patriarch muttered, speaking with the bare minimum amount of voice.
Ar'alani replied with a clear tone. "The experience and skill of Mitth'raw'nuruodo are not up for discussion. If the Syndicure will find these conditions fitting, the Expansionary Defense Fleet will be more than willing to accept his command as an Imperial Grand Admiral."
The adjective was clear. Thrawn certainly wasn't going to be reinstated in the Chiss fleet, at least that much Iulius would tolerate and instead hope for: he still wanted Thrawn to remain part of the imperial navy and as his subordinate.
The Aristocra eventually all nodded and said something in Cheunh, and it was clear that they were willing to accept that condition.
Thurfian was the last to say, with clenching teeth, that he also agreed.
April 20, 2227.
Cerrine was a garden-planet with considerable amounts of precious minerals. It was not surprising that the mercenaries that had attacked the Concordat had set up their base into an abandoned quarry. And with their fleet already being turned to dust, the forces of the Concordat were ready to strike back, with the Normandy leading the way.
Jane had divided her marines in two squads. Her own, which included Sara, would attack the quarry from the east side, where Kalani and his battle droids were also going to disembark, and they would be the main force that would attack alongside the Geth and the Quarian.
The second team was led by Wilhelm, and included Scott and Chief. They would strike from south-west once the mercs would be too busy repelling the massive droid assault. The fleet was already in orbit, visibly preparing for launch, while the Normandy had already slipped on the surface and dropped the marines, with Jane securing a landing zone for their allies.
After clearing the square of dirt that had been identified from orbit, Jane sent the signal and the Iron Heart quickly descended toward the low atmosphere, while the droid dropships started landing and a total of 200 B1 battle droids were eventually ready to attack. The Geth deployed 90 units accompanied by a Juggernaut and a Core to coordinate the unit, while the Quarian deployed a platoon of 40 marines with a vast assortment of weapons for fire support.
Kalani also had come down to oversee his droids and didn't waste time in sending the column along the dirt road leading toward the quarry. The marines and the Geth instead advanced through the forest on the two sides, being a smaller party and nimbler than the B1s. Soon, they entered in sight of the quarry and the mercs fired from their defensive positions.
"Return fire!" Jane ordered as she took aim with her Mantis rifle. She identified a gunner among the mercs and shot him in the head, killing him. Some droids and Geth were still hit by the rain of bolts before the droids opened fire and their formation turned out to be extremely effective in laying down an impressive barrage of bolts. Some mercs were hit, the rest needed to duck behind their covers in order to avoid the absurd volume of fire.
This allowed the Marines to enact their flanking maneuver relatively undisturbed.
"Bravo Team, move in!" Jane ordered as they prepared to storm the positions.
"Bravo, moving in." Wilhelm replied on the comlink.
The pirates moved some reserves to reinforce the east gate, making the battle much harder. Yet, when from the other entrance a series of fire and biotic explosions smashed the thinner defenses left there, the battle was basically over. Outnumbered and outmatched, most of the pirates were killed and only a handful surrendered when their captain fell on the ground.
As the troops finished to clean up, Jane and Wilhelm met at the center of the quarry to discuss the situation.
"Losses?" the Major asked.
"A couple Quarians got hit. So far I saw only Geth or droids being put out of commission."
"I hope they can repair them, then. How about we search for intel among their stuff?"
But just as they were about to do that, they were waved and called by Johnson. "Boss. Over here!" the Sergeant said as he stood next to a kneeling Marine inspecting a Batarian on the ground. The Marine had his omni-tool lit up and was administering some medi-gel to the alien.
The two Humans hurried and went next to them. "You might want to listen to this guy." Johnson said.
The Batarian growled. He had quite a hole in his armor over his heart and he was losing blood both from there and his mouth.
"Humans...you are only...delaying...your ruin…" he said as a way to spite them before death took him for good.
Jane stayed knelt and looked at the alien as she pondered on those words. Then she stood up and turned to the two Marines. "Run a scan on him and tell EDI to search in the database."
"Yes, ma'am." Johnson promptly replied and went to remove the helmet of the Batarian while Jane and Wilhelm walked away.
"He simply called us 'Humans'. What might that mean?" Wilhelm wondered.
"I don't know." Jane muttered. "But I feel like there's something more at stake, here."
The eerie prophecy accompanied their minds until they found the HQ of the mercenaries, where the twins and Chief were already investigating and the officers joined in.
April 23, 2227.
Ezra was waiting for the ramp of the GR-75 to open. Behind him, Dhara and Ganodi were checking again on the wounded alongside the medics. All soldiers of the New Republic that had been evacuated from Ithor by the initiative of the Jedi Order.
Particularly, these were soldiers who had received grave injuries and, after being stabilized in a hospital camp, they were now being escorted back to Agamar, where the Republic, the D'Astan and the Tau were shoring up defenses, since it was clear that Darvos' forces would not be able to preserve Ithor.
The wounded would then be taken by a hospital ship and brought back to Axxila or other major allied world so they could receive more adequate treatments. The Jedi and the Protectors were just shuttling back and forth between Ithor, where they would dare their lives rescuing the soldiers in the heat of battle or in the few quiet moments, and Agamar.
The two transports had been offered by the Lothal militia, which was being equipped with materiel from the Milky Way and had many leftovers from the Rebellion and the Empire to give to the Order, including helmets, backpacks and other things. The order had decided to give their volunteers those uniforms, adopting the old color scheme of Kota's own militia, which fought back in the Clone Wars and against the Empire in its early years. That militia was particular because it was made up entirely of volunteers, both Humans and not, which seemed an appropriate motive for the new Order.
The medics had started to wear bands with the Red Sigil, and so far it seemed that the Imperials had implicitly decided to respect their neutrality, probably figuring that they already risked their lives enough without trying to fight greatly skilled warriors like the Jedi and the Mandalorians.
The transport finally landed and the ramp was open.
"Ok, let's go." Ezra instructed, going behind the first hovering barrow and starting to push. He was soon followed by the rest of the crew with the first batch of wounded.
From the other transport came down Sabine, Kota and Nost with their own share of wounded.
They were inside a natural crevasse next to the encampment that the UACT had given to the Jedi. It was in a strategically insignificant area that likely neither side would have bothered setting even an outpost. Mandalorian and Militia troopers came forward to help with the transfer of the patients.
As Ezra supervised the final phases of the operation, he was approached by Ahsoka, her Padawans Chuvi and Newak, and Katooni.
"Ezra, may we talk?" the Togruta kindly asked.
"Just a second…" Ezra said, as he was compiling a report on his omni-tool for the medical corp of the UACT. He needed a few more seconds to compile it, then turned around. "Tell me everything."
"Cal just contacted us from Lothal. He said that the Commonwealth has finally lifted the ban on us." Ahsoka said with great satisfaction.
"It seems like your father has severely crippled the Consortium's influence on them. Not everyone still wants us around, but the majority of their assembly and the people do." Katooni added.
"That's great." Ezra said happily. "Then we should prepare to set up a camp in their territory, as well."
"Yes. And while we are at it, my network found a lead that could lead us to an old friend of the Jedi. If it's okay with you, I would like to follow that trail." Ahsoka added.
Ezra was a little surprised and intrigued. "All right, but remember the rule: at least two Knights per mission. Katooni, would you be willing to follow her, please?"
The Tholothian woman nodded without hesitating. "You can count on us, Master Bridger."
"All right, then. May the Force be with You." Ezra said to dismiss them.
He then proceeded inside the base, which was built inside a natural trench in the glacier. The roof had been covered to give some cover against the cold and there were a couple of prefabs dug into the rocky walls where the wounded were gathered while they waited for another transport to bring them to the spaceport, where transports with much more range than the GR-75 shipped them off-world.
However, aside from the soldiers, there were also quite many civilians, mostly Ithorians who had just left their world and didn't know where to go. Ezra intended to ship them on a world more suited for them, but he was struggling to find the means.
"Ezra!" a familiar voice called among the crowd.
The Jedi Master looked in the direction the calling came from and quickly spotted a Human wearing a heavy coat.
"Jai. This is a surprise." he said merrily as his friend walked up and they shook hands. "Congratulations on winning the election."
"Truth be told, there wasn't much competition on Lothal." Jai said humbly. "But I'm here now."
"Right. I thought you would be on the Citadel, by now."
"I will, but first I wanted to take a look around and see how you guys are faring. I thought you might need a voice in the Federation."
Ezra nodded. "Yeah, we could use all the help we can get. Lothal gave us some ships and gear, but we still lack the people to use them. Even having some droids to pilot the transports would be enough."
"Then don't worry, I'll make sure to sway the people of the Milky Way." Jai reassured, then he waved two fingers toward him as he turned around. "Now come see this."
The new Congressman of Lothal led the Jedi through the crowd of civilians, which, Ezra noticed, had gathered around a single point. As people realized that it was Ezra, they made some way for him and allowed the two to reach the focal point of the crowd.
Ezra spotted several crates. There were three operators distributing some extra food that had arrived straight from Lothal.
But what surprised Ezra was that Tseebo was one of the operators.
The Jedi smiled and went straight for the Rodian. "Tseebo!"
Tseebo was startled a bit by the sudden call, but when he saw Ezra he attempted a timid smile. "Hello, Ezra Bridger."
Ezra went and patted his shoulder. "Goodness, where have you been all this time?" he asked jovially. Then he started handing out some food too. Jai did the same with the crate on the right so he wouldn't appear useless.
Tseebo clearly still felt some guilt toward the Bridgers, though Ezra had greeted him not even thinking about that old grudge.
"I stayed with the Rebellion. Hiding. Then I heard about Lothal and moved back there. I preferred to stay away from the capital...I didn't have the courage to face you."
Ezra immediately jumped in to reassure him. "Hey, the intel you gave us, brought my parents back. You have nothing to worry about."
Tseebo made a faint nod, then returned to distribute food. "Anyway, I decided that I couldn't sit around no longer. When I heard that the Jedi were looking for volunteers to help refugees, I went."
"Then welcome to the Order, Tseebo." Ezra concluded in a friendly tone before deciding that he had to move on and oversee the loading of the wounded.
"So that was all." Jai said in the meantime. "And there are many from the old resistance on Lothal that would like to lend a hand, or just make a donation."
"Then keep at it." Ezra encouraged. "This war doesn't seem near to an end, and there is never enough food or medicine." he added in a grimmer tone.
"Don't worry: Ryder and Shweera are taking care of that. I'll go to the Milky Way and make sure that they give a hoot about all of this." Jai replied with a strong will.
"You're a real friend, Jai." Ezra quipped.
"I know. And I'm not even bragging about it." Jai replied in tone as he headed for his ship.
April 27, 2227.
The Admonitor appeared on the sensors of the Chimaera. In a few minutes, Iulius would be on his way back to the front.
While Thrawn would be leading the joint forces of the Empire, the Carunoan State, the Angara Community and the Chiss Ascendancy in a full-blown war against the Grysk Hegemony.
Iulius was waiting patiently at the window of the bridge, enjoying the starscape that Carunoia offered from orbit. Qathora was going through his mails, though so far there was nothing that required his immediate attention, and after the days of further, extenuating negotiations, he really needed a break.
"Lord Tanis." the voice of Thrawn arrived softly and calmly from the gangplank. "May I have word?"
Iulius turned around partially and looked at Qathora. The Togruta smiled subtly and headed to the command room, where most of the officers were gathered and busy, leaving the two Grand Admirals effectively alone.
Thrawn seemed about to start talking, but Iulius was surprised to see that the calm and methodical Chiss seemed at loss for words.
"Since its foundation, the Chiss Ascendancy has never, ever engaged in formal relations with other nations or species." he begun, then waited for a second. "And you changed that in a week." he then added with a smile, a mix of amusement and pride.
"Guess we can add that with the 'no-return exile'." Iulius joked back.
Thrawn made a small nod, still retaining that smile that was so unusual on him. "Indeed. But these are not the first traditions that you smash to bits."
"The universe is in constant change. Traditions can be a very dangerous burden that must be adapted or abandoned." the Lord-Protector replied pragmatically.
"I'm glad the Aristocra saw the truth in those words."
Another brief silence followed as Thrawn made an imperceptible sigh and spoke again with a calm voice. "When I was first banished from the Ascendancy, even if I knew it was part of a major plan...I was devastated. The thought that I might live the rest of my life fighting for my people without ever being allowed to return...while I had a purpose, I felt like I was lost.
"All those years rising through the ranks of the Empire, my duty and my wish for challenges were the only thing that helped me stay focused. The Chiss are not an...emotional people, but I still felt what you call 'home sickness'."
The Chiss Grand Admiral took another look outside, just before he put a hand on Iulius' shoulder and turned toward him.
"And then I met you."
Iulius was caught definitely wrong-footed, but he could sense that this was a huge moment for both of them.
"At first I was interested in your skills alone." the Chiss admitted, then his tone became much different. "But as we worked together, I saw you grow up. As a soldier, and as a person. You reminded me that there are more things in life than strategies and objectives to accomplish."
Iulius was entirely captivated by those words. His face became one of shocked wait.
Thrawn chuckled. "You know...Eli made a joke the other day, that I treat you as a son."
The heart of the Lord-Protector suddenly clenched by itself.
"As you know, I never considered engaging in familial policies. I know this, however: if I had a son, and he turned out to be like you...I would be very proud."
There. He had said it. Iulius had never dreamed that they would end up saying it openly to each other, but there they were.
After holding in the tears with every ounce of his willpower, Iulius made a smirk and replied. "And I wish I had a father who cared like you."
They stayed there for a few seconds, unable to say anything more. Luckily, they heard the sound emulators emit a hyperspace exit. They looked outside and saw the Admonitor as she entered the system.
The two sighed softly.
"All right...I better go." Iulius said and was already turning around.
"Iulius…" Thrawn said, clearly meaning it as the last thing for that day. "You freed me from my captivity, and now you gave me my people back. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to repay these debts, but remember this.
"You will have many other challenges to overcome on your path. If you ever feel like they are too much, I want you to know that I will always stand by your side. No matter what."
Iulius had the strange feeling that Thrawn was implying something sneaky, yet he couldn't bring himself to make negative thoughts after that conversation.
"Then I guess we'll see each other soon." he concluded with a smile.
Thrawn returned the expression. "I look forward to it."
Iulius resumed his walk, and this time he didn't stop until he and Qathora were aboard his Star Destroyer, ready to head back to Naboo.