Chapter 19: Ace up the Sleeve
July 10, 2227.
Jordan had forgotten how much he hated ice planets. And just the name 'Hoth' mocked his English mind even more as he had to keep the environmental systems of the armor shut inside Echo Base in order to preserve the batteries and the chilly air reached his skin.
He probably had not much to complain about, even. There was somebody next to him that suffered the cold much more because of her biology.
"You okay, Vetra?" he asked as he pulled his head out of the Mako's hatch. They were putting on the final seals that would allow it to operate in the snow.
Vetra was next to the engine, injecting anti-freezing liquid inside with her omni-tool.
She sighed, letting out a visible, condensed breadth. "Like I'm into the worst Turian afterlife."
"You can go back to the ship, if you want." he offered.
"It's not that bad, boss. Also, this baby is the only vehicle that can operate at night on this wasteland, so we better adapt it quickly." the Lieutenant replied.
Jordan looked around. Indeed, Echo Base had not a great choice of vehicles: the temperatures were too low even for the more advanced fighters to operate, and there wasn't much room to host them in the hangar anyway. All the major ships and best means of the Republic only transited over Hoth before reaching the rally point, where at least the strike fleet was almost at full force. Edrix was expected to arrive in a week, and the UACT had decided to grant him the command of the naval operations for the offensive on Sullust.
Right now, the only aircraft available for local patrols were 20 old T-47 airspeeders that were still being repurposed to fly in that environment. Aside from them, there was the Falcon, which, in a recent mission, broke a transmission down and Chewbacca was working nonstop on it.The Mako was the only moving thing available in the base in case there was need to venture out in the snowstorm.
It took a little longer, but the two eventually finished the job, and just in time to hear a Tauntaun screeching as it ran through the main gate, and riding that native animal was Han.
Jordan remembered that the former smuggler and Luke were out on patrol. A meteor shower had occurred that morning and someone had to assert if it had caused any damage.
"Hey, Han." the Legionnaire greeted.
"Boss man." Han greeted back as the guards helped him dismount from the Tauntaun.
"Found anything?"
"What was I supposed to find? There is nothing on this ice cube." the smuggler replied exhausted. "I can't wait for us to leave."
"Soon, my friend. Soon...you know where Luke is?"
"He said another meteor fell down while we were out, he's looking out for it."
"Fair enough."
Han removed the heavy coat and leaned it on his arm before heading for the Falcon and talking loudly to reach Chewbacca.
"Hey Chewie! How's that coming?"
The Wookiee stopped welding, removed the goggles on his eyes and angrily roared for Han to come up and help him.
Han extended his hands in a gesture of conciliation. "All right, all right, don't lose your temper. I'll go report to the General and then I'll come help you, okay?"
Chewbacca grunted in frustration but conceded.
Han then turned toward the Legionnaire. "Hey, if you see Luke before me, can you tell him to find me? I need to talk about something."
"Sure."
The two separated and while Han headed for the control room, Jordan and Vetra took a minute to relax and went into the tunnels, heading for the small recreational room that had been built inside the base.
"I can't wait to go back to the ship." Vetra sighed, savoring already the stable warm temperature inside the Constantinople.
"Tell me about it. I don't remember a cold like this since…"
Vetra shushed him, put a hand on his shoulder to stop him and went full alert. Jordan took only a second more to notice that there was a strange noise that seemed to come from the ice wall on their right. They both materialized their helmets and activated thermal vision to see if there was anything weird, and it didn't take long before they noticed that, behind that thick, cold ice, there was a source of heat gradually approaching.
"Spirit to Control, possible threat in Corridor 2B. Security at my coordinates, now." Jordan said in the comlink of his helmet.
Meanwhile, the sound of cracking ice became more evident, along with a roar.
"Great. Seems like we are meeting another local." Vetra commented as she prepared her SMG.
Jordan unfolded his Mattock rifle and aimed in the direction of the sound. They backed away from the wall and spread a little. The roaring became more intense and the heat source approached.
Suddenly, the ice was pierced open, sending a few blocks toward the soldiers. What seemed like a large arm with a thick, white fur and very sharp and large claws, smashed through and waved around in the air. Another second later, the wall came down completely, revealing a creature that resembled a little bit like a Wookiee, but even larger, with horns and clearly set on sinking its fangs on the two beings in front of it.
"Fire!" Jordan ordered.
The two pulled their triggers. Repeatedly in the case of Jordan, since his weapon was a semi. It soon became clear that Vetra's shots could only get through the fur but stopped into the skin of the beast, causing only marginal wounds. The shots of the Mattock were much more effective, and that was probably the reason why the beast lunged straight toward Jordan.
The Legionnaire kept firing, but the beast kept coming and eventually threw a slap that Jordan barely avoided and at the cost of getting disarmed. The animal rose its hands, preparing to smash the Human.
Then a jet of fire lit up its back. The large chimp roared in pain and Jordan noticed that Vetra was using the omni-tool as a flamethrower. He immediately copied the idea and the animal was soon engulfed by flamed, fell on the ground as it tried to put down the flames, but the soldiers insisted. Clearly, that thing had no resistance to fire, which on that planet had to be a very rare phenomena. In the span of a dozen seconds, the creature screeched one last time then fell silent, right in time for the security team to arrive.
All the republicans saw was the charred carcass still smoking and partially on fire.
"What's happened? What is that thing?" the team leader asked.
"I don't know, Sergeant. All I can say for sure, is that those lovely Tauntauns are not the only chaps living in this area."
They were interrupted by another series of roars coming from the breach.
"I don't think his friends appreciate this smell." Vetra commented seriously as she finally took her Phaeston rifle that was stored in the omni-tool.
"Switch to incendiary." Jordan instructed.
Both him and Vetra could use the omni-tool to transform the usual plasma fields of their bullets into flaming bullets. Since that seemed the only element to stop those furry gorillas. However, the security team only had blasters, so it was uncertain whether they would be as effective.
Seemingly out of nowhere, three other creatures emerged from the breach and the soldiers opened fire. It quickly became apparent that, while the incendiary rounds did make a certain degree of effect on them, the blaster bolts dispersed against the fur, limiting their effectiveness. And the creatures approached quickly.
"Fall back! We need to seal the corridor!" Jordan yelled.
Seeing that the onslaught wasn't stopping, with only a stun shot from Vetra pushing back the first creature, the soldiers seemed to agree and quickly rushed back to the entrance. The Legionnaire and the Turian followed and managed to escape by a hair's breadth. Once they were out, they could finally breathe.
"What were those?" another soldier asked.
"Call them however you want, chap." Jordan replied. "But inform whoever is on the other end of the corridor to seal the doors immediately. We can't have those things roaming free."
"You heard him, Private. Get on it." the Sergeant ordered.
"Yes, sir." the young man replied after a moment to recollect his thoughts.
"It really was a stroke of luck that you were around, Captain Bridger."
"Or perhaps it was the will of the Force." Jordan said as a joke to lighten the mood. Though, to be honest, by now he was very much convinced that the Force was real.
The Fifth Squadron of the 20th Fleet had been assembled. With a total of 8 cruisers, 6 frigates, 3 heavy cruisers and twelve corvettes, the Amerigo and the Normandy were ready to lead the attack against the pirate shipyard.
Gathered at the second Mass Relay of the Minos Wasteland, the one destined to bring them inside the Ismar Frontier, the ships would then have to make a two-hour jump from the Aquila system to the recently discovered system of Morus.
"We're going forth to scout that asteroid." Jane explained to her officers in the conference room. "Take a clear picture of how many ships they have, their defenses, and whether we can sabotage them or not."
"So...the usual." Garrus quipped.
"Most importantly, we know that Balak is on the station, right now." Liara added.
"Of course. But he's up against the entire Shepard family. How can he survive that?" Tali came down with another joke.
"Well said, aunt Tali." Scott agreed.
"Don't underestimate people like Balak, son." Wilhelm moderated. "When you deal with slimy bastards like this one, you have to make sure they have absolutely no way out of the trap you set for them."
"Precisely." Jane concluded. "We need to make sure he won't escape this time. Remember: he's trying to provoke a galactic war here in the Milky Way. As soldiers of the Federation, it is our duty to stop him."
The mood was clear, and the directives, too. The Normandy received an all-clear and let the relay throw her into the Ismar Frontier. Mazak then set the course for the Morus System and preparations all aboard the ship took place. The Marines and Chief checked their gear, Jane also put on her armor in case she had to use it, Garrus made the final calibrations to the main cannon and Tali made sure that the engine was at peak condition.
Finally, the frigate reached the outer edge of the system and engaged the cloaking as she approached the asteroid belt at full speed. Calculating the last point they saw the pirates and the revolution arc of that belt, EDI calculated where the base was supposed to be...and it was.
The first patrol ships appeared on the screens, though not the base, at first. After tagging and slipping past them, the Normandy navigated through the large orbiting rocks until she spotted the major base.
"It' funny, I dare say." Wilhelm commented from the side.
"What?" Jane asked.
"Your father first fought Balak on an asteroid. And we're going to finish him on another flying rock. History sometimes does repeat itself." the Major replied a little fascinated by this strange rhyme of destiny.
The asteroid in front of them, however, was much bigger than X57 back in the day. This one was probably as big as half of Earth's moon. Finding Balak was not going to be a piece of cake.
Still, the Normandy spent the following hour doing what she had been ordered to while the fleet was en route. And just a few minutes before the estimated arrival, Mazak and EDI noticed a hole in the asteroid that could be exploited by a small team to bypass the outer shield and storm the inside, giving a chance to clear the path for the Marines.
Jane looked at the clock: 45 minutes until the fleet arrived. There was enough time for her and her children to get on a shuttle, land in the blind spot and sow chaos among the terrorists. Which was exactly what she did.
Just as Jane, Scott and Sara took over the control center of the outer defenses, the task force left sub-space speed and approached the base, with the Amerigo staying back, since she was too big to maneuver inside that belt.
"Godspeed, people." Jane murmured as she observed the ships of the Federation entering a clash against the mercenaries. Then she turned toward her children and nodded on the side. As she started walking toward the next room, she reached her helmet's side with a finger. "Shepard to Normandy, the defenses are down. Marines, get in here."
"Copy that, Captain. Sending in the boys." Mazak replied.
The Shepards then rushed to the nearby hangar, of which they had already deactivated the ray field, and engaged the soldiers present there, allowing the two Kodiaks to deploy Chief, Johnson, Wilhelm and all thirty Marines of the Normandy. The mercenaries were quickly overrun and destroyed.
"Did you get a plan of this place?" Wilhelm asked his ex-wife when they regrouped.
"Who do you think we are?" Jane quipped as she lit her omni-tool and brought up a holomap of the facility.
"There seems to be some huge construction inside this rock." Jane said. "We better assume it won't be easy to get in there. Let's secure this hangar for reinforcements and go take a look. But don't push too far if we see we're going straight into a trap."
"I thought we were used to running straight into traps." Scott commented.
"But as she said, we better be careful, given who we are dealing with." Garrus intervened.
"I can analyze the map and find some weak spots, if you allow me." Cortana offered.
"Be my guest." Jane replied, and sent the projection to Chief, who could then pass it to his AI.
"Woah. This is quite big. Just give me a minute."
"All right. Let's move out."
According to the map, they would gain access to the inner structure only through one of the doors around them: the bigger one. After Tali sliced it like it was nothing, they entered, only to be left amazed at the staggering difference of materials between the hangar and these new corridors, made of some alloy that the squad actually couldn't point out.
Actually, two of them seemed to recognize it, and their jaws fell.
"Javik…" Liara said stunned. "isn't this…?"
The Prothean rushed a hand on the nearest wall, and a few moments later, he gasped. "It can't be…" he murmured in shock.
"What?" Jane asked.
He turned his head toward her. "This is a Prothean battleship."
The rest of the group froze in place.
"Uh?" Johnson said.
"Come again?" Garrus doubled down, but all of their questions would have to wait, because two individuals appeared from behind a hallway further down.
And said individuals were two Prothean.
They had probably come to see what was going on, but when they saw one of their own, wearing a battle armor while they had only their suits, they stopped in their tracks as well.
And after getting over the moment of stupor, Jane realized that the two Prothean each had a slave collar attached to their necks.
There was no time to try a discussion, however, because then a team of guards rushed into the corridor from a further hallway. The two Protheans looked at both sides, as if they were trying to decide.
Javik extended a hand and yelled something in his Prothean language that the translator didn't pick up, but it was safe to assume he was urging his kin to come over.
Eventually, the two aliens agreed and made a run for it. The guards opened fire, and one of the workers was hit in the back just as Sara and Scott rushed forward with Chief to create a multi-layered omni-tool barrier.
The surviving Prothean managed to run through and past the Marines. Javik dashed to rescue the second one, but it was quickly clear that the shot had hit him in the heart, and his body was already lifeless.
"Fall back!" Jane ordered, and the team followed. As a firefight ensued, with the Alliance Marines using the cover of the twins and the Legionnaire, Jane, Wilhelm and the crew of the Normandy made sure to secure the new Prothean, with Tali quickly managing to free him from the collar.
Then an alarm resonated, and it became quickly clear to Jane what was happening: the battleship was being either built or repaired inside that asteroid, and now that they had been found, Balak and his army were going to leave. But that most likely meant cracking the asteroid open.
"Everyone, get to the shuttles! We're leaving."
As the squad complied, Jane urgently called the Amerigo.
"This is Captain Shepard. We have an emergency, come in!"
Catching the urgency in her tone, John was the one who replied promptly.
"Jane, what's happening?"
"Balak has a battleship inside this rock and it's about to burst it in the open. We're leaving, and I suggest a rapid retreat."
"Retreat? Hold on, first let's…"
The asteroid started shaking. The people who were still not on the shuttles rushed in.
"What was that?"
"The battleship is probably ready. We are getting out of here."
She then jumped on the shuttle next to her. "Get us back to the Normandy. Go! Go!"
The pilot didn't need to hear it twice and both Kodiaks hurried out of there as the hangar started to collapse and, when they reached the space outside, they made just in time to witness the asteroid exploding from the inside, crack in two and sending small parts of itself all around, creating a very dangerous mass of projectiles.
However, nothing could beat the sudden sense of dread that soared in the hearts of the group as they witnessed an abnormally large ship emerging from the rock.
"All ships, leave the area immediately!" John's voice resonated on the general channel, now that he had seen the problem himself and realized the Task Force was no match for that.
For a minute, Jane thought that it was all over. Even from that distance, it was possible to recognize a lot of large cannons on that ship. Cannons that could wipe out every Alliance ship and soldier in that system easily. For the first time, she understood why ships like that had the word 'Dread' in their classification.
However, the ship didn't fire. On the contrary, she turned away and instead aimed straight toward empty space and away from the local star. She was also incredibly fast, so much that the ships of the Alliance barely had the time to realize she was actually running from the fight that she was already out of the asteroid belt.
As Jane reentered the Normandy's deck, she could only observe with confusion as the dreadnought made an FTL jump and left the system.
Even Mazak and EDI were left speechless until the Captain snapped out and brought them back to ground. "Status Report."
EDI replied shortly after reconnecting with the allied forces. "Our forces had already captured or destroyed several pirate ships. Most of Balak's fleet has been neutralized."
"As if he needs other ships, now." Jane groaned, then reached the comlink. "Javik, how is our guest?"
"She's a little shaken, but I think she will be ready to talk shortly."
"She?"
"Her name is Davsha. I already used our sensorial ability to transmit her the knowledge of your peoples and of the English language."
"Good work. Make sure she's comfortable. We need her to tell everything she can about that ship."
"It will be done, Captain."
Jane was mostly surprised at how Javik had taken this news without fainting. For sure, he had to be in some kind of shock knowing that he wasn't the only member of his species anymore.
But where did those Prothean come from? How did they become slaves to the Batarian nationalists? She would have to discuss this matter with her father...and then go straight to the Emperor.
July 11, 2227.
As night fell over Echo Base, something was terribly wrong. And it wasn't just the fact that a marginal hallway in the facility was infested by aggressive native creatures.
"Still nothing from Luke?" Jordan asked to Han, who was alternatively working on the Falcon and then looking outside the main gate in search for his friend.
"No." he replied bitterly. "And I'm really starting to get worried. Something must have happened."
"I'm afraid so, too." a voice startled them as they turned around.
There stood Leia, her arms folded in an anxious pose. "I think Luke is in danger."
Han hummed. "If even your woman's intuition is saying that, we need to get out and find him." he said seriously.
Jordan wondered for a moment. Of course, Han was aware of the fact that Leia and Luke were twins, but it seemed like he didn't understood that Leia was Force-sensitive just like her brother. His comment sounded perhaps a bit naive, or perhaps he had some suspicions.
Nonetheless, this wasn't the time to stare around. If Leia felt that Luke was in danger, then he definitely was!
"Let's get the Mako. We can't bring the Tauntauns out in the night storm." he immediately proposed.
"Lead the way, Captain." Han replied.
Jordan rushed to the vehicle. Han stopped for a second to reassure Leia, grabbed his heavy coat and ran to the Mako while Jordan had fired up the engine and was giving it the time to heat up a bit.
Han crawled through the lower access hatch and closed it behind him. Feeling the pleasant warm temperature inside the armored car, he huffed in relief. "Why I didn't know how cozy it is, in here?"
"Wait to say that until we get into bumpy roads." Jordan quipped, then materialized his helmet and carefully moved forward.
Leia gestured them that she had already informed the guards and that they had the way clear for the gate, and so Jordan brought the Mako with the necessary caution outside, and past the gate he pushed on the accelerator. A snowstorm was quickly forming up and even the gate of Echo Base quickly disappeared behind the two as they rushed toward Luke's last known position.
That meant 5 km away from the base in air, but on land, that took almost an hour, as they had to go down the Nev Ice Flow until they find a suitable climbing spot, then head toward the Cirque Glacier, where Luke's transponder was last registered.
When they got there, they did find some gear, but also some blood trail, the only visible sign of Luke or his Tauntaun.
"Blast. Now I'm getting anxious." Han commented with a clear nervousness in his voice.
"Calm down. Let's follow the trail. Jinx, focus all your power into the scanner, find me any possible living thing on this ice cube." Jordan said in return.
"Enhancing." the AI replied.
By now, the sun had almost completely disappeared, both from the storm and because it was almost time for the night cycle of that part of the planet, which was going to last 15 hours. They needed to find Luke, and fast!
"I'm detecting a life form. Parameters suggest it could be Human." Jinx announced.
Eyes fixed on the thermal scanners, Jordan followed the indicator given by Jinx, and as they approached, the AI could pinpoint the signal better. They kept going, until finally a white silhouette appeared on the scanners, and it was definitely the shape of a human.
Once the Mako was a few meters away, with the powerful lights aimed at the figure, the two opened and slipped through the hatch. Jordan's armor advised that the storm was a Level 3 environmental hazard, so his temperature system could go at full force for around an hour, but he hoped it would take much less than that out in the open.
"Luke!" Han shouted first as they approached the body and now it became evident that it was Luke, between the clothing and the lightsaber hanging at the belt. He was laying on the ground, face deep into the snow, which wasn't a good thing at all.
Jordan quickly turned him around and scanned him. He was still alive, but barely. His face was a mixture of purple and red. There was blood on his jacket and he was groaning weakly.
"Come on, help me load him up." Jordan said as he was already holding Luke under his arms.
Han quickly went and grabbed the knee pits.
"Got it?" Jordan asked.
"Got him."
"One. Two. Three!"
They lifted the Jedi without much difficulty, and also heard him murmur "Ben...Ezra…?"
He was clearly having hallucinations for the fever and the exhaustion, but still, Jordan tried to lighten the mood.
"Close enough, chap. Come on, let's get out of here."
They had left the hatch open. Moving backward, Jordan put a foot on the small stair and pushed himself and Luke's upper part inside the vehicle, where the air conditioning was still buzzing quite evidently for all the work it had to do. With a little bit of squeezing in, they managed to get Luke inside and lean him on one of the two small bench-like seating in the back of the car.
"Get the medical IV and follow its instructions." Jordan ordered, pointing at the small terminal.
"Leave it to me." Han replied promptly. He already knew how to use that tech.
Jordan instead closed the hatch and crawled back into the driver seat. "Jinx, backtrack us to the base."
On the way back, the IV determined that Luke was undergoing hypothermia, had several cuts and bruises, mostly due to the extreme cold, but there were also signs of a hit that seemed to correspond the paws of the same creatures that were roaming in corridor 2B.
"Seems like he had a bad encounter." Han commented. "We're gonna need a bacta tank."
"Try to raise Echo Base and alert the med bay." the Legionnaire replied.
The Mako had a radio station that was much more powerful than the personal comlinks. As soon as they reached the Ice Flow, Han called in.
After a couple of attempts, he managed to reach them. He informed Echo Base that they had found the Jedi and that he needed a bacta tank immediately. The Mako arrived in front of the gate, finding it closed but only because the guards couldn't keep it open at that hour, lest the inside of the base froze completely.
The gate was quickly and only partially open as soon as the rescue team was recognized and Jordan pushed the Mako inside. As soon as the tail was in, the guards immediately closed the gate again. A team from the med bay had prepared the bed and was ready to pick Luke up, with Leia waiting in clear anxiety. And as soon as she saw her brother, she gasped.
"What happened?!" she demanded to know.
"I think he ran into one of those things in 2B." Jordan replied as he and Han helped loading Luke on the medical bed for delivery to the med bay.
"Come on, kid. Time for a good bacta bath." Han instead said to a Luke that was still barely conscious.
Jaral nudged her brother's shoulder. He had been staring in the void for a while. "Hey, are you all right?"
Ezra shook his head to regain his footing, then massaged his eyes. "It's just...I felt like Luke was in danger, but not anymore."
She knew the feeling, but she also knew something else. "He's with Dad. I'm sure that's the reason why he's out of danger."
Ezra seemed a little heartened. "Perhaps. I'll see if I can reach him, later. For now, let's see if our guest is finally willing to open up."
They had returned from their mission on Chamble four rotations before, and locked Shira Brie up in a cell at Camp Garibaldi. While an investigation already confirmed that she was the one who tipped the UACT about the imperial facility on Chamble, but aside from that, she didn't seem much eager to share more intel, when it was clear that she knew much more about the new Death Star that she wanted them to believe.
If she was really a deserter, why would she hold back like that?
"Hey, guys."
They turned around and saw the person they had asked for help: Moreena.
"Hey, Mo." Jaral greeted.
"Are you okay?" Ezra asked kindly.
After news about her boyfriend's death had arrived, Captain Kenev had given Moreena an administrative leave so she could take some time to elaborate the grief and take her mind off for a while. However, when she heard that the Jedi had a prisoner who wasn't cooperating much, she had offered to counsel.
For sure, having someone with a spy training and two years of experience as a detective to help in the interrogation was something they could use, but they were afraid that she might put a strain on herself.
Moreena waved a hand. "I can handle this much. After all, I'll just be watching and giving you some tips." she said.
"Still, we really appreciate your help." Ezra added.
"Don't mention it. It's always a pleasure be with you guys. So, how about you let me see who we are dealing with?"
The prisoner had already been put inside the interrogation room, so the Jedi and the detective entered into the spy room next to it, letting Moreena analyze her.
Shira was sitting rigidly on the chair, clearly a heritage of some strict upbringing, but looked a little paranoid, as if somebody was waiting in the dark to kill her.
Jaral and Ezra somehow felt that she was partially acting, so they wanted the opinion of an expert.
Moreena observed her behavior for a moment, then, with her eyes still focused on the prisoner, she asked "What do you know about her, so far?"
"She's from the Core; ISB; but have no way to analyze her track record. For all we know, this whole thing could be a ruse from the Emperor." Ezra listed.
"Which is the one point we need to focus on." Moreena understood. "All right, in cases like these, we tend to do like this..."
Moreena went on and explained them her tactic, so they could go in and keep that in mind once they started their conversation with Brie again. The reasoning seemed sound enough, so the Jedi quickly agreed on a plan of action and went in.
Shira only glanced at them as they took the seats on the opposite side of the table, with the spy mirror behind the Jedi.
"So, Shira." Jaral started with an accommodating tone. "Have you decided to give us something?"
Brie looked around, her eyes still looking for any possible threat. "I told you. I want an insurance on my life. If I talk..."
"We already told you: the ICO is pressuring us to turn you over to them. So, unless you give us a reason to show that you'd be more cooperative in our hands than in theirs, we may have no choice." Ezra calmly explained.
"Even if that means I will be killed?" she spat back.
"We don't want more death." Jaral calmly replied. "But we are a small organization, and you are a war prisoner. We can't keep you indefinitely, unless you give us something to work on."
Shira looked lowered her head. The siblings kept their mental focus on her, trying to grasp any possible hint of falsehood in her soul, but aside from a blurred mix of emotions, they couldn't find anything suggesting that Brie was just acting.
"What do you want to know?" she asked eventually.
The siblings quickly looked at each other, not showing any emotion, and they decided to make this gamble. Ezra leaned forward. "Why don't you start from a few more facilities that are working on the Death Star?"
Shira broke down and gave them the names of three planets: Lahsbane, Kooriva and Avedot. Three planets of the Core and Colonies that were significantly distant from each other, presumably confirming the theory of the siblings that the Empire had largely separated and compartmentalized the departments for the construction and betterment of this new battle station.
And the more she spoke, the more she seemed to ease up and get rid of any insecurity she had about spilling the beans.
"Okay, maybe you're going to like this." she said at one point with a mixture of heavy and quipping tone.
"We're listening." Jaral returned.
"Next week, a convoy will have to pass through the system of Sinta. It will have two Star Destroyers to defend it."
Ezra hummed in amusement. "That's a lot of punch for a simple convoy. What's on board?"
"All I know is that is connected to the construction of the Death Star. Nothing else." was Brie's response as she shrugged.
The siblings looked at each other. There was only one thing left to ask in order to know if she was being sincere.
"Say...the recent offensive on Ringo Vinda, is a way to distract the Coalition while the Empire finishes the Death Star? Is Grand Admiral Tanis on board, as well?"
Brie nodded. "Yes. He knows."
And that was the moment they understood.
"Thanks, Shira. You've been of great help." Jaral said cordially, then the Jedi left the room and reentered behind the mirror, where Moreena was waiting for them with an expression that clearly denoted she was on the same page as them.
"She's lying, isn't she?" Ezra asked rhetorically.
"Indeed. There is no way she would have such a spontaneous answer to that question." Moreena replied.
The Jedi already knew that the Mid Rim Forces were completely in the dark about the Death Star. First of all, Iulius was notoriously opposed to the first iteration of the super-weapon, and it seemed very unlikely that he would agree to another one, since he saw the battle station as a huge waste of resources. Secondly, Shira was assigned to the forces of the Core, and the fact that she had never brought up her Force presence meant that she was an agent of the Emperor.
If she really knew nothing about the Jedi, she should've been way more confused by the question; instead, she was clearly expecting it.
"So, what should we do?" Jaral asked. "That convoy is clearly a trap, but we could learn something more about the Death Star II, anyway."
"First of all, I really admire your originality, sis." Ezra said with a smirk and a joking tone. "Two, I do agree that it's best to let this trap spring and see where it leads us. Let's bring Lissia and Jaden with us."
"Right. Let's do this." his sister replied.
July 12, 2227
Constant tiredness. A new kind of burning smell each hour that invaded the nostrils. Sights of desolation and death wherever he looked and a constant exchange of blaster bolts and thermal detonators between their trench and the rebel one from just ten meters away.
"Sometimes I realize just how narrow my vision from the bridge of the Admonitor is." Iulius commented to Qathora and Starkiller as they sat a few meters behind the main imperial barricade.
"Your job is to command. It's normal that you don't usually expose yourself." the Sith assassin simply replied.
"That's not what he meant." Qathora returned a little frustrated. "He is saying that he couldn't understand how difficult it is for our men to advance in here if he hadn't seen it."
"What, you don't trust your men to do their job?" Galen insisted, yet, Iulius felt like his tone was quite monotonous, as if he was making that question out of some automatism.
"Listen, you…" Qathora was about to reprimand, but Iulius lifted a hand to invite her to calm, and instead replied himself.
"I simply can't ask my men to do their duty, if I don't know exactly what they are up against. Also, I don't think it's fair for me to stay safely aboard the ship while I force you all to fight into this herd-hole."
Galen pondered on those words for a minute, then hummed in what seemed some kind of agreement.
The Lord-Protector was under the impression that the Sith assassin had radically changed since they met two years prior. The more time Marek spent with the 101st, the less he seemed inclined to recite the mantras of his masters about gaining power and using everyone as a pawn. Among the stormtroopers of the 212th he had become a respected comrade and, even if he didn't show it much, it was clear that he cared for the troops, too.
Also his eyes had changed: two years before, they were imbued with red, now they had returned to their original brown, and the glimmers were becoming ever rarer. It seemed like Galen was slowly regaining his humanity.
Nearly a minute later, a column of Army troopers arrived, marching in column toward the imperial barricade for the next assault.
Their Sergeant made the salute as they passed and quickly said "Lord Tanis."
Iulius made a quick gesture with his hand to return the greeting, but soon enough every soldier that passed smiled and greeted him. Until one of them even said "Happy birthday, Lord Tanis." with a cheery attitude, and the ones who followed also wished their best for him.
Iulius smiled, but inside, he had very little to be happy about. His 27th birthday would be spent by leading dozens of men who trusted him to their deaths.
"All right, let's gear up." he concluded with his companions.
Galen stood up without question and headed toward the bulk of troops. Iulius took instead a moment to take a small ring out of his pocket. The one he was supposed to wear the day when he and Namedra would finally bind their destinies.
"That's one reason more not to screw it up." Qathora quipped.
Iulius turned his head toward her, huffed in amusement and put away the ring. As they walked toward the starting position, he asked her "Are you entirely ok with this?"
"Absolutely." she replied serenely. "You are the chief I chose, I will follow you to the end of the universe. We may have had some fun time, but I don't like that kind of commitment."
"Or maybe you just didn't think I was the right one to commit to." Iulius suggested in a lighthearted tone. "Are you seeing somebody else?"
"Actually...yes."
That answer took Iulius by surprise, then he made a choked laugh. "Really?!"
"That's all you're gonna get out of me." she replied in a composed tone.
Since they were at the barricade, Iulius simply replied "We'll see." and turned toward the men. Cody was already in position with a Lieutenant of the Army.
"Grand Admiral." the old clone greeted.
"Commander. Lieutenant. Is the Inferno here?"
"It is now."
Iden, Hask and Meeko arrived from the trench, already geared and ready for the assault.
"We heard you needed the best, Lord Tanis." Hask commented.
"Indeed, I do." Iulius replied, then talked more loudly. "Everyone. Gather around."
Using a part of the barricade behind which the rebels couldn't shoot, despite being only a few meters away, a mixture of Army troopers, stormtroopers and even a small team of Dark Troopers gathered behind the only gate to the no-mans-land. There, Iulius took position in front of the door and then turned around to give a speech.
"As you know, we are currently pushing toward a section of this ring where the enemy has set up an orbital farm, which is vital for them to ignore the blockade we set in the entire system. Of course, we need to get there first. A team of snipers and our best marksmen will stay here to provide suppressive fire, while another team will storm the ramparts."
The soldiers had turned into a silent mob, clearly listening to him in search for any way to distract their minds from the fear that always assails whoever is about to risk their lives.
"The rebels will throw everything they have at us, so make sure you do the same. Force them to keep their heads low and don't give them the time to aim appropriately. Meeko, keep your scope on that turret and keep it silent."
Del nodded a positive.
Iulius then lit up the battery of his E-22 in a way that most could hear him. "I will always be in front of you." he declared in the end.
That alone was enough to move the troops from their numbness. They all took their rifles and lined up behind the gate: a damaged that had been closed on the side of the barricade, but was open on the other, leaving a hole from which the attackers could sortie.
A stormtrooper and a Regular were ready to drag the doors open at a signal. Iulius waited until all teams were in position and nodded to Cody.
The clone gestured and the team at the barricade opened up a loud symphony of blasters, repeaters and sniper bolts. It didn't take long before the rebels at the barricades returned the challenge.
"Now!" Cody then ordered to the doorkeepers, who both quickly slid the doors open and Iulius sprinted in.
Starkiller dashed and went in front of him, the rest of the soldiers followed.
As soon as they passed the opposite threshold, Iulius and his men were left completely in the open as they rushed to take the barricade's wall. It was a wall thick enough to not allow even the blades of the Sith to get completely through. The plan was another one.
As the bolts of the rebels started turning toward them, Galen ignited his lightsabers and defended Iulius. The Lord-Protector himself kept running and firing, Cody and some others took cover behind a few crates that were aside the main corridor to provide more cover. The Dark Troopers instead arrived flying, firing at the enemies on top of the barricade, however many imperials were quickly cut down by the rain of blasters.
From behind the barricades, the imperials brought up a couple of rocket launchers and hit the wall. It wasn't enough to bring it down, but at least it did hit the repeating turret that was cutting through the shock troopers.
"Now, Galen!" Iulius ordered as he dived behind a crate on the side.
The Sith sprinted at the bottom of the wall and then made one his ridiculous jumps, arriving on top and taking the rebels completely off-guard. As he started to cut through them, the team of Dark Troopers also barged in and it didn't take long before they decimated the rebels, who started to retreat into the next room.
Then Iden and Hask brought a couple of breach charges, set them up and finally open two holes in the wall.
"Move! Don't let them reorganize!" Iulius instigated.
From the barricade, the reserves also joined the charge, and soon they were all in the next room.
Where they were welcomed by another large barricade in the middle and another wall of blaster bolts. More men were cut down and then Iulius himself was hit on the left shoulder, though his plate prevented any serious injury.
The imperials attempted again, but this time even Starkiller was hit in the abdomen and had to withdraw.
After seeing half of the attack force falling to the floor, Iulius ordered to stop and to dig into the room they had just taken. As soon as the last imperial trooper still standing retreated, Iden's droid sealed the doors.
Without the deafening noises of the battle, the room was soon filled with groans and screams from the wounded. The rebels in there were all dead, but after a count was made, 53 imperials were also dead and 47 were wounded.
Literally 100 men to take 10 meters, which only had to be added to the circa 220 men they had lost in the last five days in failed attacks. And from what little he had seen in the next room, Iulius knew that the toll was going to become increasingly harsher.
As Qathora rushed to medicated his wound, Iulius sat discouraged on a small pile of rubble. A fitting image, he thought.
Cody approached him, covered in dirt and cinder. "Seems like you got us through." he commented in a cynical way to process all of this.
"Yeah. Cheers for me." Iulius replied in the same way. "Make sure we can use this wall in case the rebels attempt a counterattack." he added more seriously.
"Yes, sir. And happy birthday." the old clone concluded before going away.
Qathora finished applying some bacta on his shoulder. "I'd better call a medic to see this."
"No rush. Let them care for those who are really in danger."
"I'm still going to ask for instructions." the Togruta sternly replied and went off to look for a medic.
Iulius just sat there and watched as the corpses of the fallen were being lined up and put into body bags.
"Living Protheans?!" Francesco understandably exclaimed.
"Yes, sir." Jane replied as John stood next to her in the comm room of the Normandy. "Davsha has revealed that she is part of a Prothean colony in a marginal system of the Shrike Abyssal."
"But...how is this possible?!"
"According to her, they are the descendants of what is probably the only Prothean sanctuary that escaped the Reapers at the end of their cycle. These Protheans refuted all technology and shut them off from the universe, and apparently, nobody else knew about them, since the Reapers never found them." Jane explained.
John then followed up. "She added that, a decade ago, Balak found them and enslaved the community on their planet. He forced them to look inside memory shards they still had in their villages and found out the ancient flagship of the Prothean Empire."
"The Penumbra Apex? But Javik said it was destroyed during the war."
"Apparently not." Jane replied. "It turns out, it was severely damaged, and her crew hid her where we found them, but apparently they didn't have the resources to repair her. I guess they kept her hidden in case they could find a way to use her again, but that opportunity never came."
"And now one of the most ruthless terrorists in our history has it." Francesco grunted in frustration.
"My Lord, I don't think all is over. Javik seems convinced that the Sentinel, supported by a few more dreadnoughts, can fight this ship. Also, the fact that they didn't fire on us is proof that the Apex is not fully operational." John reassured.
The Emperor was massaging his eyes as he tried to calm down. When he finally did it, he didn't take long before thinking a new plan of action. "Then we must make sure it never returns completely on. Jane, you and the Normandy find the Apex and keep track on her."
The Captain made the salute. "At once, sir."
"John, take Javik and Davsha. Find this hidden Prothean world and free its inhabitants. They might be able to tell us if there's a crack in the dreadnought's armor."
"As you wish, my Lord."
"Good. Keep me posted." the Emperor concluded and quickly closed the call. Undoubtedly, he now found himself with a lot more work on his hands.
The Shepards stayed silent for a moment. Both still hadn't processed the entire thing. John, in particular, was furious. Forty years ago, he had spared Balak twice, and now that decision had come to haunt him.
Jane gripped her father's hand. "Come on. The more we wait, the more Balak's seating in hell stays empty." she said.
John seemed to find some energy. "Damn straight." and turned around. "I'm returning to the Amerigo. Keep me updated." he said as he walked past the strategic room.