Chapter 32: Dreadnought
September 23, 2227.
While the atmosphere aboard theSilver Bullet was certainly one of feast and relief, the man who had caused all that was nowhere to be seen. As the navicomputer signaled that they were closing in on Lothal, The siblings looked at each other and Ezra decided to go speak with Tristan while the rest of the crew was just chilling and already talking about how the resurgence of their people was at hand.
Ezra reached the cabin they had given to Tristan and knocked on it.
"Come in." the Duke said from inside.
The Jedi entered, finding his brother-in-law sitting on the edge of his bunk bed, holding and inspecting the saber in his hands.
Ezra closed the door behind him. "What's with the existential crisis?" he quipped.
Tristan made a faint smirk, but the joke wasn't enough to distract him from his thoughts. "Maybe you can help shed some light on it."
Ezra took the chair in the room and rolled it in front of the Duke, sitting on it with a calm and relaxed pose. "Are you wondering whether Iulius let you take it?"
Tristan didn't seem so surprised that Ezra understood that right away. He simply made a few doubtful nods.
"Look, me and Jaral both agree that he was trying his hardest to kill you. So, if you are afraid that your claim to the saber is false, you can get out of your head."
Tristan looked up with hopeful eyes. "You really think so?"
Ezra made a firm nod. "Absolutely. We could both feel it: yours was a real duel." he paused for a second. "That said, it's true that setting up a duel like that in the first place is very strange. Iulius is a man of honor, but he is not a romantic. He clearly wanted you to take that sword from him."
The Duke mumbled in thought, looking at the Darksaber. "Yeah, that's what has been bothering me. Why did he do this? What does he expect me to do with this?"
"I don't know." Ezra admitted. "But we're getting close to Lothal. Perhaps we can ask Darvos what he thinks about this. In the meantime, I believe that saber is now entirely yours, until someone takes it from you. What you decide to do with this power, it's entirely your decision. But rest assured: the Jedi Order is on your side."
Tristan looked reinvigorated by those words. "Thanks, Ezra."
The Jedi Master smiled, then nodded toward the door. "Come on. I'm sure you want to see your family, too."
"You can bet on that one."
The two left the cabin again, leaving Tristan to deal a little more with his enthusiastic followers. After the Bullet was allowed to enter the orbit of Lothal, Ezra decided to land directly over Atin, in the central square, so that everyone could immediately see their Duke returning with the Darksaber. In fact, a large crowd was gathering, if nothing else, to welcome back their brethren from the war.
The Jedi convinced Tristan to open the group. He descended halfway down the gangplank of the Gauntlet, halted and then ignited the Darksaber over his head, so that everyone could see.
To say that the crowd was shocked would be an understatement. More than two years ago, every one of them had seen the images of the imperial Grand Admiral in possession of that sacred weapon. That alone had broken the spirit of the mandalorian resistance on their homeworld. Now, the young leader who had built a new home for them, had not only returned alive from a battlefront that everybody knew being a living hell, he had also recovered the greatest symbol of their strength. Some of the older warriors had their knees quiver and fall instantly, a giant wowing came from the crowd.
Then Paz stepped forward and patted loudly the shoulder of the Duke before putting his helmet's speakers to maximum power.
"Listen up, everyone! The Duke has recovered the Darksaber in a most honorable and glorious duel with the man who usurped it. And then he left him alive so he could bear the shame of defeat for the rest of his days!"
Of course, that wasn't the case, but clearly Paz had been inebriated by this collective ecstasy, too.
Paz then walked down the gangplank and turned around, raising his fist with a powerful gesture. "All hail the Mand'alor!"
"Mand'alor! Mand'alor! Mand'alor!" the crowd started chanting, imitating the gesture.
Tristan stood there for a minute. If anything, restoring hope and pride to his people was something that he felt immense joy for. Then he deactivated the saber, going into the crowd that was still acclaiming. Between handshakes and smiles, Tristan was however clearly focused on reaching his home and see his pregnant wife. But before he reached halfway, there was someone else that he couldn't ignore.
"Tristan!"
"Father!" the Duke said merrily, reaching his parent.
Alrich laughed openly as he hugged his son. "My boy, am I proud of you!" he said, clearly taken by the general euphoria.
He then spotted the siblings and turned to one of them. "Oh, Ezra! Perfect timing!" he yelled, trying to overcome the crowd's noise. "Sabine is at our house, right now!"
"Thanks!" Ezra replied, very invigorated by this news.
Jaral had no intention of screaming over, so she left a mental message. "I'm going to the Academy and inform the others."
They then heard Alrich talk to someone. "Prepare the cauldrons and crack open the good ones. We'll have a feast for our warriors, tonight!"
Those close enough to hear yelled in approval.
"Better not miss this one." Ezra told her.
"I'll make sure to open up a spot."
"Oh, and if Darvos happens to be around, ask him to come over. We need to discuss a few things."
Jaral left, leaving Ezra to follow the Wrens to their home, which still sat on the slope of a hill, making it quite visible for the entire town and marking the fact that they were still in charge. The major difference was that the house had a modest design and wasn't bigger than the others.
They went in, and reached the main hall, where Ezra felt his heart leap the moment he spotted Sabine. Her belly had consistently grown as she approached her last trimester, but to Ezra there couldn't have been a more perfect sight after the horrors of Ringo Vinda. Without hesitation, as he looked at her smile, he walked with long paces until he could reach and hug her, accompanying the gesture with a most passionate kiss.
When he let her breathe, she said "I already hate that beard." as she scratched her face, then they both laughed wholeheartedly. "I missed you, too."
They both turned their heads, to see Tristan hugging his own wife, as well.
"How are you two doing?" the Duke asked to both his wife and his sister.
"Eh." Asha huffed. "It's getting tough, but I can't wait for the moment to come."
"We did have some help, other than each other." Sabine said, then turned behind her. "Isn't that right, Mo?"
Ezra looked with surprise toward the rest of the room and, among the female bodyguards who regularly assisted the two pregnant women, there was also Moreena.
"Don't even mention it." the red-haired woman replied.
"Mo!" Ezra greeted. "Sorry, I didn't see you."
She smiled gently. "Can't blame you. I suppose you couldn't wait to see Sabine again."
Walking next to his wife, Ezra went in front of Moreena and asked with more caution. "How are you feeling?"
Surprisingly, Moreena replied with serenity and maturity. "I won't lie. I still can't believe Farrol is gone...but hanging out with these guys...helped me give a new focus."
Ezra found himself wondering. "In what way?"
It was Sabine who replied. "Moreena has started studying Mandalorian customs and arts, and she's also teaching our younglings about galactic society. She's on her way to become the first outsider in centuries to join a clan."
Ezra barred his eyes pleasantly surprised. "Mo, that's great!"
She smirked, but also shook his hand in the air. "I still haven't decided if I want to don an armor. But I do have decided that I want to work with the Protectors and the Jedi Order in the peacekeeping efforts."
"Still great! You're welcome whenever you feel ready."
"Speaking of which, where is your sister?" Sabine asked with curiosity.
"She went back to the Academy to see if she could find Darvos, we need his opinion on a certain matter."
"Oh, then she's wasting time." Moreena explained. "Darvos and nearly all the other Knights have left with the 501st Division just yesterday for another one of their quests. They said they would be back in a week or so."
"Oh." Ezra mumbled. "Well, I guess she'll find out soon, anyway. Now, all I want to sit down and enjoy some peace and quiet."
"That makes two of us, Ezra." Tristan added after hearing that. "But don't you dare miss the party, tonight."
Ezra smiled. "As if I'd leave all the glory to you."
September 28, 2227.
Atriox's fleet had actually gathered at the rendezvous with the Coalition, which, on its part, had gathered ships from all the species and nations of the UACT: from the Tau to the Mirialan, from the Commonwealth to the Commune and even Rannoch.
And leading them was none other than the massive INS Sentinel, the flagship of the imperial family and the original ship upon which the Protector had been built. Compared to all that, even the only warship of the Tambaran looked like a model toy.
Still, when Federico reached out and asked Atriox to meet them on the Normandy, the chief accepted, since having the meeting on a small ship was a sign that the Federation had no intention to intimidate the Tambaran or to make it look like they were the inferior ones.
After avoiding any incident in the hangar, the security team led Atriox to the conference room. He was accompanied by two guards and what looked to be an elder warrior of the Tambaran.
Leading the conference were Francesco, Federico and John, with Anastasia mediating and Jane waiting around only because she was the Captain of the ship, but this was a meeting that had to be handled by the real diplomats.
"Chief Atriox." Federico started. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. May I introduce you to my brother? Emperor Francesco I dei Vignoli."
Atriox grumbled a bit, but nodded. "Your Majesty."
Francesco returned with a small bow. "Greetings, Chief Atriox. I had hoped we would meet to discuss peace, but I guess fate is unpredictable." he said cordially, in order to make his intentions clear.
"We can discuss that once I kill the usurper." Atriox replied ominously, then he showed his companion with a gesture of the hand. "This is Escharum, my trusted second."
The three nodded to each other, and then they all gathered around the room's table.
"So, what are we up against, aside from Balak?" Francesco asked.
"The one who revolted is called Tartarus." the Chief explained. "A hot-headed gharjak who thinks the Tambaran should conquer the whole galaxy."
"I'm sorry, a what?" John asked since nobody's translators had picked up that word.
"It's a term we use to indicate a youngster with his head over reality." Escharum precised. "Tartarus is just one like many, but unfortunately he had that Batarian backing him with a battleship."
"Do we know how many ships do they have?" Federico asked.
"40 ships were missing when we accounted who was left." said Atriox. "I doubt their numbers will be a problem. The main problem is that the battleship can decimate ours very quickly. We saw it tear our cruisers apart with a single shot."
"The Sentinel should offer enough of a challenge for the Apex. But we need to remember that there are at least a hundred enslaved Protheans still aboard." the Emperor commented.
"Its hangars are quite large, though." Jane intervened. "I'm pretty sure the Normandy can easily land into one of those and extract the slaves before we blow up the ship."
"A good suggestion, Captain." Federico said. "But I'm afraid you might bee too packed on the Normandy. I suggest you rather get inside and see if you can conquer the bridge, directly. Once you take control of the ship, we can send more boarding parties and vessels to get the hostages out."
"I agree." John said. "It will also give us the chance to finally take Balak out. Any idea where we will find Tartarus?" he then asked to the Tambaran.
Atriox hummed in thought with his deep voice. "Either in the capital, or aboard the Apex, like the puppet he is."
"Speaking of which, we will also need to send a ground team to suppress the revolt and protect the population." Federico added.
"We already discussed it." Escharum said firmly. "We are willing to accept the soldiers of the Commune on Doisac, but no one else."
The officers and the Emperor of the Federation looked at each other. It was quite a sudden, but in the end understandable, request. Besides, this would limit the loss of life for the Alliance, so Francesco replied "It's your planet, we will honor your wish."
"Good." the Chief said. "Escharum will lead the ground assault, but I intend to board that ship. If Tartarus is there, I will teach him a lesson. If not, I want Balak's head."
"Yeah, get in line." John said abruptly with a menacing tone and all the gazes shifted to him.
Jane could see in his eyes a burning vengeance. This entire matter was bringing out a side of her father that she had never seen before.
"What did you say?" Atriox asked with a grumble, shifting his weight toward the Admiral.
"I've been chasing Balak before your people discovered star travel. He's mine."
"Admiral, stand down." Francesco said firmly. "I know your history with this terrorist, but if personal vengeance takes precedence in your heart, then you will sit this one out."
John complied.
"Our priority is to free the hostages, then to eliminate Balak and neutralize the Penumbra Apex, no matter what it takes." the Emperor finally decreed. "Are we in agreement?"
"Hang on just a second." Escharum objected. "Why do we have to destroy that ship?"
"What do you mean, why?" Jane asked.
"The Apex alone can shift the balance of power in the galaxy. My people already lost much of its fleet." Atriox said frankly. "We want that dreadnought for us."
"Is this a joke?" John hissed. "You needed outside help just to build your own battleships. Even if we agree, how do you intend to maintain a ship three times bigger and made with a technology that not even us can comprehend in its entirety?"
"We will find a way. But I will not leave my people defenseless once this battle is over."
The Vignoli brothers looked at each other, and the Shepards waited for them to make a deliberation. Though Jane was honestly amazed by the fact that all they did was make a few nods before Federico extended his hands in a gesture of moderation and then came up with a proposition.
"How about this? We promise to make everything we can to capture that ship, but keep in mind that we might have to destroy its main cannons. Once all of this is over, and you decide to sign a peace treaty with the Federation, all of us will be happy to help you figure out how to restore that ship."
Escharum looked at his Chief, waiting for his decision. Atriox hummed for a few seconds, then he said "Good enough. I will prepare my personal guard." he concluded before he and his people left the conference room.
Left alone, the Humans thus started to debate on what the two leaders had just promised.
"Is it really a good idea to leave the Apex to them?" Jane asked.
"I mean, we wouldn't be able to activate it. They would need decades at least to do that, too." Francesco replied calmly.
"And by then, hopefully they will realize that there's enough room in the galaxy for everyone to prosper in peace." Federico added.
Eventually, the two officers found themselves in agreement with the royals, so they decided to dismiss that reunion and everyone returned to their ships, leaving Jane simply waiting for orders, though she knew that they would most likely order the Normandy to scout ahead just before the fleet used the mass relay of the Doisac cluster.
That left her alone with her thoughts. After sending a dispatch to the entire crew, ordering them to be ready to leave on a moment's notice, she returned to her cabin.
She was reading a report recently submitted by Javik about all the specifics of the Apex that he could find through their artifacts. She had already studied it, of course, but she needed anything to get the stress out of her system.
This battle wasn't particularly against the odds, but it was still extremely dangerous, and its success could define the end of a war and the start of another era of peace in the Milky Way. While it was part of the job description for a Spectre, she had never felt the pressure of it like in that moment.
Drowned in all these thoughts, she almost didn't notice that someone walked through the door, though there were only a handful of people who had the access codes to her lock, and indeed it was Wilhelm who emerged into the living room.
"Hey." she greeted.
"Hey." he replied, unable to hide a hint of nervousness. "It's not your style to just submit a memo with the directives. I thought I would check on you."
Jane chuckled. "You know me too well." then she slid on the side of the couch and patted the place next to her. The man didn't waste time in obliging.
"I mean, how could I have married you if I didn't know you?" he said more confidently, but still in a soft voice.
Jane put down the datapad. "I might have just picked you because you were loyal." she teased.
"Nah, that's just part of the game. Besides, I don't remember you getting tired of me, despite everything."
Jane sighed. She always enjoyed their conversations. "Wil, you know why we had to divorce. Mixing personal life with work can compromise our impartiality during a mission."
"Yeah, I'm going forward and calling bullshit on that." Wilhelm interrupted with a decisive voice that surprised the Spectre. "We saw the Jedi can make it work. Garrus and Tali can make it work. People who have much more responsibility than us make it work. I stayed silent because I was still close to you and the kids, but no more."
He reached for her hand and she let him took it. She couldn't deny the feelings that her loud heartbeat was expressing loud and clear.
"Jane, if you think that's the problem I will ask to be reassigned. Hell, I'll go to Andromeda and we see each other on shore leave, but I need a clear answer."
He hesitated, then went forward.
"I still love you. What about you?"
Jane's mind went on shutdown. She couldn't find the words, but the fact that he had even considered such an arrangement scared her to the core.
So she just threw herself at him, kissing him on the lips while the momentum made her push him slightly down on the couch. They kept pressing lips for a few seconds before Jane detached her face and looked at him with a dead serious face.
"I love you. Don't you dare run away." she said.
To hell with everything. She might have been stressed out, but those feelings were real and she had bottled them up for too long. Now she allowed the both of them to be swept away.
September 29, 2227.
As Iulius walked down the corridor everything seemed so surreal: two weeks before, he was still walking among thousands of screaming wounded and death all around him; now he was back on Naboo, enjoying some peace and quiet and, most importantly, with his future wife walking side-by-side and holding his hand.
"We're actually doing this." she said nervously.
"Well, the announcement will be in a couple of days anyway." Iulius said to encourage her.
She chuckled. "It better be. Your mother and my uncle had been working on this marriage since we told them."
Iulius laughed, too. "Yeah, we better speed it up, before her heart explodes."
The date for the ceremony had been scheduled two weeks from there. Heike and Sekta had been working tirelessly with the negotiations: after all, the Heike were one of the richest families in the galaxy and, while the Venerable cared for his niece very much, he wasn't going to pass up the political opportunities of this marriage.
The Tanis family's only source of prestige was Iulius: Chimbros had never shined, Darvos was a traitor and they were very obscure compared to the Heike to begin with, and the latter still wanted their patriarch to make sure that Namedra's marriage earned them something.
That something, per Iulius' instructions, was to be the contract to rebuild and partially manage the shipyards on Ringo Vinda for the war effort, thus expanding their wealth and influence. Something that was advantageous for both of them.
All the carefree thoughts, however, evaporated when they arrived in front of Iulius' office and they found an unexpected guest: Moff Gideon, waiting alongside Yagler and his own Death Troopers.
"Lord Tanis." he greeted cordially. "I apologize for the sudden visit, but I may ask a minute of your time?"
Iulius was both confused and alarmed by the sudden visit of the head of the ISB, but he couldn't just turn him down. "Of course, Moff Gideon. Just give me a moment." he then turned toward Namedra. "Just go to my mother's office, I'll be there quickly."
"All right." she replied, then Iulius leaned in and kissed her gently. She thus walked away with a smile on her face and Iulius invited Gideon to enter the room.
The two men walked in alone. After the door closed behind them, Gideon spoke up. "Congratulations on your engagement."
"Thanks. We were just about to make it public." Iulius replied as he walked around his desk to go sit on his chair. "So, what's so urgent that you would have to meet me in person?"
Gideon calmly looked around before sitting on a chair. "Just so you know, I asked Agent Yagler to deactivate all recording devices. This conversation is not actually happening."
That was quite the way to start a conversation.
"So, I assume this is just a polite visit?" Iulius replied, feigning ignorance.
"You could say that. I wanted to bring you some news from Coruscant." Gideon said.
Iulius, however, didn't need much to understand that Gideon was about to propose something very shady, so before they went on, he wanted to make sure that the Moff wasn't lying to him. That meant throwing him off guard, for which he actually had one card.
"Like the fact that a second Death Star is being built?"
Gideon was good, but even him could not hide a twitch on his face, a nervous one, that gave him away. Realizing that he had been caught, the Moff sighed in resignation. "I see you're already aware."
"It was actually the Jedi who told me. It's not a secret as well-guarded as you might think." Iulius coldly replied.
"That's exactly our thought at the ISB. Which brings me to my topic: following the fall of Sullust, the Emperor has ordered nearly half of the Core fleets to reach the site of construction of the Death Star."
"Does that mean that it's near Sullust? No, otherwise I would know."
"Indeed, it's in a classified system at the edge of known space, which is however linked to Sullust via a hyperspace lane that was discovered only a few years ago and is known only to a few."
"Did the rebels find it?"
"Not yet, it seems. And anyway, they only have a small fleet on Sullust, for now."
"Which is exactly what I don't understand." Iulius said. "Wouldn't it be better to focus on retaking Sullust before the Coalition manages to reinforce it?"
Gideon looked around again, as if he was worried to be in range of the wrong ears, and whispered "In all confidence...both me and the Commission believe that the Emperor has become...erratic, in his behavior."
"In what way?" Iulius calmly asked.
"This new Death Star has been in construction for a few years, actually, but it had to be heavily modified after we found out the weakness used by the rebels to destroy the first one. The Emperor seems convinced that this new station will force our enemies to surrender, as if they haven't proved to be extremely resilient and capable of adapting...In short, his strategic vision has become completely detached from reality."
Iulius shuffled his position on the chair. Whatever this was, it was huge. "And what do you propose? That we just go and...talk to his majesty?"
"I'm bringing a message from the Commission, Lord Tanis: we are with you. No matter what."
The mind of the Lord-Protector suddenly entered into a frenzy. Was Gideon honest? Were him and the Commission actually asking him to lead a coup against the Emperor? No, he trusted the Joint Chiefs because he had picked them personally, but the Director of the ISB was still too unpredictable. Was this a test of loyalty?
He wished he had placed Galen behind a cover so he could read the old man's mind, but Gideon's sudden appearance had caught him unprepared. He had to figure out what Gideon was actually up to.
"I disagree." he eventually replied with his usual cool.
Gideon seemed puzzled, or perhaps scared. It seemed like he wasn't expecting that answer.
Then he added "It is my opinion that the recent failures have been the result of a lack of proper intelligence to the Emperor. Clearly, there are too many people in the command chain who prefer to gloss over their mistakes and, thus, his majesty doesn't have the full picture.
"Therefore, I believe the construction of the new Death Star presents a singular opportunity: the station, once operational, can act as mobile command center for the Emperor himself. From there, he will have access to all data in real time, and thus his genius can be put to its full potential."
He had said that, surprising himself with the bronze face he had been able to sport. The two men in the room just stared at each other for a few seconds, with Iulius maintaining his composure and Gideon seemingly trying to stare into the Grand Admiral's soul.
That was, until Gideon exploded in a loud laugh, his mouth completely open, his head reclined and his eyes closed. For around five seconds he couldn't control himself, then he managed to regain some composure, and after the laughter died down, he spoke with a cheery tone. "It's a great suggestion, Lord Tanis. I will make sure to forward it to His Majesty. Thank you so much for your... enlightening opinion."
Iulius had been caught off-guard by the bursting of the Director. Then he had listened to it very carefully, trying to catch any glimpse that his speaker was bluffing, but it didn't seem like it. Could it be that Gideon actually agreed with him on this whole line?
The Director didn't make that point clear, instead he shifted onto another point. "Speaking of bad apples, I have to inform you of one thing regarding your engagement."
"What is it?" Iulius asked, his mind now slightly worried.
"Well...the grand families of Coruscant aren't happy at all with this."
Iulius clicked his tongue. "Are they ever with anything I do?"
"Fair point." the other conceded. "But the owners of major shipbuilding firms were hoping to absorb Fondor for a while. Surely you are aware that miss Heike received several propositions, before she came to Naboo."
"Yes, she told me. Now those families better put their minds at ease, because she has been out of the market for a while."
"The Bureau will make sure that none of them exaggerates with their pettiness, but you should expect a decreased collaboration from them."
Iulius sighed. "Copy that."
Gideon then stood up. "Very well, that is all I had to say. I should return to Coruscant and deliver your suggestion. Permission to leave the planet?"
"Permission granted."
Gideon turned around and started walking, then halfway to the door he stopped and turned his head around. "I, too, have no intention to let the Empire fall." he said before leaving.
A bit cryptic, but very clear sentence. Iulius was left alone with his thoughts, and just how very delicate the situation around him was. He would have to become much more careful of his surroundings. The loyalty of his closest subordinates was not in question, but if he wanted to avoid any problem from Coruscant, he needed to solidify the cohesion of the systems of the Mid Rim, both the governors and the generals.
But for now, he only wanted to enjoy the day, so he just left and went toward the breaking room.
The Normandy led the invasion fleet out of the mass relay, preparing to jump toward the Doisac system. Jane took at look at the aft view. The sight of the massive fleet of the Alliance, with the Sentinel covering the entire inferior section of the screen, was always something that made her feel confident, though she knew that they were about to fight a ship that was equal in power, or even more.
"Ma'am, orders coming from the Sentinel. We have orders to scout ahead and send the coordinates for an optimal deployment of the fleet." Mazak reported.
"Roger that. EDI, prepare a jump and keep the cloaking ready to activate."
"Yes, Shepard." the AI replied.
It didn't take long before they crossed Atriox's fleet stationed around Korlus and then proceeded to jump toward the nearby system of Doisac. With the hyperdrive going much faster than FTL, the Normandy reached its destination in less than five minutes, when in the days before the contact with Andromeda, it would take ten hours.
The frigate left hyperspace right outside the gravitational pull of Doisac, and just outside the enemy fleet's scanners, or at least those that EDI was able to track. Almost immediately, Jane spotted the Penumbra Apex with her own eyes, as she stood up against the planet in the background. Jane also spotted the fleet: it had actually been reinforced with what was left of Balak's group of fanatics, but the scanners still picked up a total of 58 vessels. The fleet of the Coalition still outnumbered them, but she didn't know if they outgunned them, too.
"Shepard, I mapped possible exit points." EDI reported after a few seconds.
"Send my father up." she calmly instructed.
"No need to. I'm here."
Jane turned around and found John entering the deck, his armor already donned, including the helmet.
"Admiral." she said, leaving him the spot.
John took then a brief look at the scans and the various exit points. Then he lit his omni-tool and opened up an interactive map. "The Sentinel will have to take the brunt of the fight. Let's have the Tau lead the flanking squadron." he said, clearly talking to his daughter.
She took place next to him. "Even the Normandy can't go past all those ships. Either we wait until the Apex's escort is shot down, or she gets out of formation."
"Then we will wait and see…" then he quickly dragged the models of the fleet on the multidimensional map and confirmed. "EDI, send the signal."
"Deployment sent. Awaiting response."
It took around three minutes before the fleet sent back an affirmative, then another five for them to drop into the system through hyperspace. The Sentinel preceded all of them, just in time to give the other ships' AIs the time to calculate even the smallest deviation to avoid a collision with the super-dreadnought.
Those were the ships of the Systems Alliance and of the Rannoch Concordat who dropped first. The squadron of the New Republic and the Tambaran arrived thirty seconds later, and slightly on the right of their allies. The Tau and other minor allies of the UACT were preparing to drop on the side of the enemy formation once it was pinned down.
Immediately, the Sentinel opened fire with its energy weapons, the ones who would dissipate by the time they reached the atmosphere of the planet, while the first wave of vessels moved forward to further weaken the enemy fleet.
Fact was, even the Apex started firing, and she didn't have much regard whether the kinetic projectiles hit their mark right then or in ten thousand years. Seven frigates and corvettes were blown up before they met the enemy fleet, which, on its part, had already lost nine ships against the much more precise fire of the Sentinel's crew.
Luckily, it didn't take long before the Tambaran and the dreadnought sullied out of their position. The Apex clearly headed toward the Sentinel for an all-out confrontation.
Good thing the Normandy was there to prevent it.
"Shepard to fleet, we need a distraction." John said into the comlink.
"Roger that," the voice of Francesco replied. "Admiral, cover that ship with drones and fighters."
That was a smart move: throwing cheap drones to saturate its sensors while the fighters attempted to disable the shields of the hangars, something that they managed to do after eight minutes.
"This is Kerasa Squadron, we got you an opening, Normandy." an Asari pilot reported.
"Thank you. Mazak, get us in, quickly." Jane promptly instructed. "EDI, see if you can jam their redundant systems."
"Already on it." the AI replied confidently as the frigate sped toward the massive dreadnought, which covered the entire field of view even at several thousand kilometers.
"Enemy drones in coming. This will be a bumpy ride!" Mazak alerted.
Jane nodded to her father, who nodded back and headed toward the elevator while she gave the last instructions. "Avoid drawing their attention. If they see us, get the shuttle as close as possible, we will open a path from inside."
"Aye aye ma'am." the Zabrak replied.
Jane and John took the lift to the Hangar Bay, where the first shock team made up of the twins, Wilhelm and Chief were ready to disembark, with the whole Marine detachment of the Normandy behind them.
Except that they suddenly heard shots blowing on the shields of the frigate, and Mazak quickly announced that they were being chased by a swarm of drones.
"Plan B, people. Johnson get everyone back and wait for your next chance." Jane promptly ordered.
"You heard the lady! Get your asses back!" the Sergeant yelled while the team boarded on the Kodiak.
The ramp was opened, letting the crew see just outside the ship. They were quickly approaching the dreadnought, aiming to a hangar that was clearly more damaged than the rest. The shuttle launched and sprinted for the few hundred kilometers left while the Normandy veered away, drawing away the drones behind her.
The shuttle entered at full speed, challenging the fire of the soldiers inside and landing just before the crew of the dreadnought managed to raise the emergency bulkhead.
With Chief taking the front with his Revenant, the door was opened for the strike team to unleash a rain of bullets on the still reeling Batarian nationalists and Tambaran.
Wilhelm quickly provided a biotic barrier that allowed bullets to leave but not to enter, further extending the surprise effect against their foes, who saw their numbers quickly dwindling and the survivors ran inside the corridors of the ship.
"Cortana, scan for Prothean lifeforms!" Jane ordered once they secured the hangar.
"I detect some of them a deck below. But I need to point out that we are heavily outnumbered." the AI replied.
"We got worse." John said. "Jane, take your people and start rounding up the prisoners. Me and Chief will find a way to sabotage the defenses and open the path for the boarding parties."
"Just the two of you, sir?" Scott asked worried.
In response, Chief turned around with a loud thud of the foot that he used, towering over the young Shepard silently.
"Ok, point taken." he conceded.
"Lead the way, Legionnaire." John eventually said.
"Follow me. Sir."
Taking the nearest control room was basically no sweat. Soon enough, Cortana found a terminal and used it to deactivate half of the drones, restoring air superiority for the Coalition. And with the Apex increasingly battered, several landing parties launched from the various warships to storm the dreadnought, while a larger army was headed for the surface.
"Cortana, you have a map of the ship?" Chief asked.
"Affirmative. I'm sending it to all allied forces."
"Good work." John complimented. "Ask them to meet in the central section of the ship, then we can push toward the bridge."
"On it."
The assault progressed. The Alliance troops were led by none other than Prince Claudio himself, who was advancing with his escort of the Imperial Guard and more N7, supported by an entire Marine regiment at the upper decks.
The Tambaran were storming the lower ones, looting the weapon stacks they found, but also keeping the slavers and the rebels occupied so that Jane and her team could do their task of escorting unarmed civilians much more easily.
The Commune and the shock troopers of the Rannoch Concordat were instead advancing on the middle level. Overall, while meeting a heavy resistance, the defenders were severely outnumbered and outmatched, and they were being rapidly overrun or forced to surrender.
John and Chief arrived eventually at the central elevator, a large platform that would get them to the command bridge, except that they were then ambushed by another party of rebel Tambaran that jumped on them. For a moment, they risked being overwhelmed, as their weapons overheated and were forced to fight hand-to-hand. While Chief had no problem smashing their heads with punches, John was only on par with one of them, and his only real advantage was the omni-tool's blade, which penetrated their armors quite easily.
It is safe to assume that John had not felt so close to death for a long time, and he might have just succumbed if not for a column of Geth that stormed in with Federico throwing psionic bolts and accompanied by the two agents of the Commune: Xhanya and Tr'eluk.
The group cleared the room, just before the Tambaran and the Alliance troopers converged into that room, as well, so the various leaders gathered around to decide the next part of the plan.
"All hangars are secured and we're about to disable their guns." Claudio reported.
"We found all the Protheans being held here," Jane said. "they are safe on the shuttles."
"Good. Then let's go finish this." John declared. "Stay alert: I don't know what backup plan Balak might have, this time."
"First to get there, takes his head." Atriox simply replied, pulling his gravitational hammer on the shoulder and heading for the lift.
Claudio ordered his officers to spread out and secure the remaining positions on the ship, while he, the two Shepards, Atriox, Chief and Federico took the large lift and headed up, with the psionic prince taking precedence to put up a barrier in case they found themselves in front of a welcome party at the top.
And the party was there. A group of Tambaran led by a bulking warrior with another hammer that rivaled Atriox's.
"Tartarus." the Tambaran chief grumbled and walked out of the lift.
"Chief Atriox." the younger alien said loudly. "You have aligned yourself with out enemies. It is proof enough that you are not a suitable guide for the Tambaran. I challenge you, here and now."
"This isn't the time for…" John started, but Atriox lifted his free hand to ask silence.
"Looks like you will be the one taking Balak's head, Shepard. I will take care of this insubordinate pup. You go on."
The rest of the group quickly looked at each other, but there was little to hesitate. They sprinted forward, circling around the duelists and instead engaging the other Tambarans, quickly taking them out.
Then they finally reached the door of the command bridge. It was huge and made of a stone that wasn't in the database of anybody, a grandiose vestige of the ancient Prothean Empire, just like the entire architecture of that ship. Now, though, that power had to be stopped.
Cortana hacked the door and the team moved in.
Immediately, they were targeted by a concentrated fire of assault rifles, sub-machine guns and a couple of shotguns. By a hair's breadth, Federico managed to raise a psionic barrier and Chief his directional shield, to protect their companions as they split and found cover on different sides. The room was designed as a circle, with the command seat right at the center, put on top of three steps.
And it was behind that seat that John spotted Balak firing with his own rifle.
The firefight was chaotic but quick, with the attackers easily tearing through the defenders, thanks in no small part to Chief and the two Shepards. And that gave John an opportunity to enter in range of Balak. He rolled forward to reach the uncovered side of the Batarian, who hastily turned his rifle and shot, but missed.
John didn't make the same mistake.
Balak grunted and slammed on the seat, as he had been hit in the right shoulder. He was now alone and unarmed.
John suddenly felt a bottomless rage consuming his heart, mixed with an incredible sense of fulfillment and anticipation. He stood up and walked in front of Balak. The Batarian tried to reach his pistol, so John fired another shot into his belly. After a yell of pain, the four-eyed alien started coughing blood.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." he whispered menacingly to him.
The rest of the group stood around and did basically nothing. Nobody intended to let that terrorist live a moment more than necessary.
But then Balak started chuckling.
"What's so funny?" John asked.
"You think you got me...but you're actually coming with me…"
Then his head fell on his shoulder as he exhaled his last breath.
Just as the group was trying to figure out what he meant, Balak's omni-tool lit up on its own. A moment later, an alarm started blaring and all systems went red.
"What's happening?!" the voice of Atriox said all of a sudden. He entered the room covered in blood, including his hammer. It wasn't difficult to realize what had become of Tartarus.
"Balak set a self-destruction to go out the moment he died!" Cortana warned.
"Can you stop it?" Chief calmly asked.
"Even I would take too long to decipher this technology. We have to run."
"We won't make it anyway." Federico sentenced.
The Prince then walked in the middle of the room, closed his eyes and then a whirlwind of psionic power started flurrying around him. He concentrated most of that into his hands, then he assumed a firm position and extended his hands to his surroundings, suddenly covering all the walls.
"What are you doing?" Jane asked.
"I can keep the core from melting down, but not for long." he said, ignoring the fatigue that such a task was putting on his mind. "You have to go now!"
"Excuse me?!" Claudio snapped immediately. "Just walk with us, we are getting out!"
"I can't!" Federico yelled. "Also, in case you didn't notice, we're still above the planet! I will have to move this ship on another course!"
"He's right!" Cortana intervened. "If the ship explodes right now, huge debris and radioactive materials would fall right outside the capital. Doisac would go through a fallout!"
Silence fell, with only the alarms and the first rumbles in the distance.
Jane then took the initiative. "This is Captain Shepard to everyone on board. The ship is going to self-destruct, evac immediately!"
"Fede…" Claudio said, hoping to find any other possible solution.
The Prince managed to turn his head slightly and offer his older brother a smile. "It's okay. This is my decision."
Claudio hesitated for another moment, but he knew just how much Federico had lived his life doing what he always wanted to do and nothing else. This decision was entirely his own.
"Get out if you can." he simply said in an empty hope, then started jogging away, along with the others.
John saw Atriox gazing one last time at the Prince, then he followed them, too.
"Shepard to Normandy, meet us at the nearest hangar!" Jane yelled into her comlink.
As they reached the lower level, explosions started to rock the corridors. Many systems were overheating or overloading. The ship was only being delayed its destruction. The gravity system also fell off right when they reached the hangar, but luckily the Normandy was already waiting for them with the ramp open. The group also realized that the Penumbra Apex was indeed already moving with the sheer force of Federico's powers.
They all jumped inside the Hangar Bay, among the Prothean prisoners and the Marines who had returned to the ship. As soon as all signals were aboard, Mazak and EDI veered away. Through the external projectors, the crew could see as the Apex steered away from Doisac, until she was pointed toward empty space.
Finally, the FTL engine sputtered, and catapulted the ship a few thousand km away, but the ride lasted only a couple seconds before she blew up, her debris dispersing into the void.
Silence fell among the crowd as they witnessed that gigantic spectacle, but for those who knew the truth, it was time to realize in full what had just happened.
Claudio's omni-tool beeped and he activated it. Soon the hologram of Francesco appeared in front of the whole team.
"Claudio, what just happened?" he asked in a rushed way.
"Balak had rigged the ship, but we made it out after killing him." the prince calmly reported.
Francesco, however, quickly realized something was wrong. Most likely, he had seen the psionic energy emanating from the dreadnought.
"Where is Fede?"
The question struck hard in the heart of the presents. Claudio replied with a broken voice and tears that stared to form in his eyes.
"We...we couldn't bring him home."
Francesco took the hit badly. He lowered his head in a grieving expression, and even though he held his posture, he wasn't hiding the pain, either.
October 1, 2227.
With the Liberator and her Task Force back for some R&R, Jaral too had had finally the chance to kiss her husband again, and with all the Knights and Padawans back, the training of the younglings could resume. For Ezra and Jaral, who had spent the last two months without their apprentices, it was a breath of fresh air to find out that they had also matured a lot in their skills and personalities.
Only Luke was still missing, but that was finally resolved as the Constantinople passed right over the Academy and, a few minutes later, he and Jordan returned home, to be welcomed with open arms by their friends and family.
However, they also brought a critical news.
"Wait, are you serious?" Ezra asked after he heard that.
"Indeed. Probes confirmed that there's a secret hyperspace route from Sullust to a system at the edge of the Outer Rim. It's most likely the Death Star is being built there." Jordan confirmed.
The siblings looked at each other briefly, then asked another question. "Is the New Republic planning anything?"
"Leia went to report this discovery to Lianna, but we don't even know what system the corridor brings to. It's too early to even think of attacking." Luke replied.
"True. But now it gives us an opportunity." Ezra reassured. "Now we know where the Emperor is hiding his greatest weapon. And if we go on the offensive, there is a chance we can draw him out for a final confrontation."
Those words stirred up many emotions, but most of them were a placid enthusiasm. Seeing that all the Padawans, who had fought and seen death in this war, react with much restraint, as they knew perfectly that this was going to be an extremely dangerous battle, reinforced the will of the two Masters, as they sought with their gazes Kota and Yoda, who also nodded a positive.
"Then I believe it is time." Jaral proclaimed. "Padawans, gather around."
The apprentices were a bit confused, but obeyed, and formed a compact group in front of the siblings. After that, Jaral stepped in front of them.
"Last year, you all took part in our assault against Project Necromancer. At that time, you behaved yourselves extraordinarily, and after all this time, me and Ezra have come to the conclusion that you are ready to make the next step."
By now, all of them realized where this was going, but maintained an ascetic calm.
"Lissia. You went through the lost of a very close friend, and reacted to it by strengthening your resolve to make this universe a better place." she said, then went in front of Jaden. "Jaden, Darvos told me how many times your foresight had saved your group from the tricks of Shira Brie and the imperial agents chasing you while we were on the frontline."
Finally, she arrived in front of Luke. "Luke. What can I say other than you faced Darth Vader on your own just to save your friends? And that you didn't let your defeat plunge you into desperation?"
She then turned again toward everyone. "You all are ready to join the ranks of the Knights."
Then, the siblings and Kota ignited their lightsabers and the Padawans immediately knelt.
Ezra went in front of Luke, as he was clearly the one who had stood out the most with his duel against Vader. He lifted his lightsaber and then made it pass over his shoulders and pronounced the new formula that the siblings had come up with.
"By the testimony of your peers. By the will of the Force. Luke Skywalker, you may rise."
Luke complied and stood up, not hiding a friendly smile to his mentor.
"Congratulations, Luke."
"I wouldn't have come here without your guide. And...I wanted to apologize. After what I saw on Sullust, I realized why you and Jaral want to limit the bloodshed."
"Glad to hear it. Now...I better get moving." he quipped, looking at how many people there were to knight.