Loss.
That was the word that Theon could most accurately use to describe the state of the city this night, as he saw the smoke rise from multiple buildings and streets where deadly firefights between thugs and the city's police forces had taken place. The smell of carbon scoring and blood was heavy in the air, punctured only by the wailing of ambulance sirens and the weeping of family members over the broken bodies of their loved ones.
For some reason, he had elected to tour the reception hall, which had been closed off the Ministry of Intelligence and the Lanopolis Constable Department as part of their ongoing investigation and documentation of the massacre that had taken place there, though the perpetrators and motives were, by now, known to the surviving members of the government.
There weren't many who did survive, he came to learn as he walked his way through the blood-and-bile soaked hall.
All around him, laying on tables, sitting in chairs, or sprawled on the floor were the bodies of the nobles, generals, and councilors who had attended the feast, their corpses twisted and pierced by blades and bolts, expressions of shock and terror permanently etched onto their faces. There were also the still forms of the thugs Ramsay had hired, many of whom were sporting blaster wounds or lightsaber slashes.
He breathed. Thank the Drowned God that Ezra and Sabine had come prepared, elsewise this could have been a lot worse.
He wished he could say the same thing for King Lysandus, though.
He looked around, noting the Patriarch weeping silently in the corner as the police and agents went about their grim business of removing the bodies, collecting the evidence, and documenting the scene…a scene that reminded him far too much of another event he had heard about, long ago in the distant past.
Speaking of which, Robb had chosen to head directly to the palace, ostensibly to check on Ezra, Sabine, and the remaining royal family, though Theon deep down knew the true reason- he did not want to visit something that would trigger horrible memories of the original Red Wedding. He could hardly blame him for it, however. Some things were far too traumatic for one to revisit- it was one reason why he had steered clear of the Dreadfort's former site when they had visited Valyros.
He sighed and turned to get out of the building, wanting to make his way to the palace. He keyed Fenn, waiting for the Mandalorian to pick up the comms.
"Rau here," came the familiar voice a few seconds later.
"Rau," Theon responded, "I need a lift to the palace. I want to be present at this war council the Prince…the King is holding," he corrected himself.
"Understood, Theon," Rau replied. "I'll be there in ten mikes. Rau out."
He terminated the transmission and waited… for both Rau and the storm that was coming in less than six hours.
They needed to be ready.
The atmosphere in the council chambers was grim, to say the very least.
So far, Theon had counted Robb, Sabine, Ezra, Ignatius, Lund, Rau, Theodora, and the now-King Alexios as those in attendance. Solomon was most likely resting or mourning what had happened alongside Michael, and Irene…
Irene was in her chambers, refusing to come out for anyone.
He grimaced. Her best friend had betrayed her, and she had just witnessed her father and many people she knew from a young age get slaughtered like cattle.
"How, exactly, did those assassins get past our security measures?" Alexios asked through gritted teeth, his fists clenched so hard the knuckles were turning white.
Lund sighed. "Well, from the weaponry…your grace…" he began, seemingly almost-forgetful that Alexios was king, now., "we found that the daggers and crossbow bolts were made from almost-exclusively organic materials designed to defeat our metal detectors and other sensors. Nerf bone, wood, leather, hide. As for how the assassins themselves, well, we can thank your uncle, here, for his great vetting." Lund spat.
"Pardon me?" Ignatius shot back. "I'm not the one who checked into 'dear, sweet Moreena's' background and gave her the go-ahead to be my niece's friend and advisor! So take your snark and shove it up to your gods-damned arse, you fat fucking pig!"
"Tough words coming from a drunk fucking oaf!" Lund seethed.
"ENOUGH!" Alexios yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "My father is dead. Most of my councilors and generals are dead. Our long-range communications are down, an Imperial task force will be here in less than a day, and two of my surviving advisors can do nothing but blame each other for Moreena's treason?" he snapped. "We are all at fault, my lords, and not only we have paid the price, but our kingdom as well." He waved his hand. "Enough of this. Has the Hutt been captured?"
"Aye, your grace," Ignatius said. "the chief of police for the city reports that he is being held in a jail cell in their headquarters, along with two smugglers we caught in the Blood Gulch during the chaos."
"Good," Alexios exclaimed. "He will inform us of the reason for his father's treachery, and then we will decide what to do with him. In the meantime," he turned to Lund. "Do you have intelligence on the makeup and size of this fleet?"
"Always, my king," was Lund's reply. "Before this shindig ever began, my agents began to send me reports about a large Imperial force gather on or near Vandor. Until a few hours ago, we did not know its purpose, but a day or so ago we did finally get an accurate estimate of its size and composition," he reported, laying out a holopad. "Three hundred Imperial-class Star Destroyers make up the core of this fleet, both Mark One and Mark Two variety. These are supported by approximately six Immobilizer-class interdictors, four hundred Arquitens -class light cruisers, one hundred Lancer-class anti-fighter frigates, innumerable fighters, bombers, and gunships, and if we assume that every destroyer is carrying a full legion of stormies, that's nearly four million troops and their various equipment and ground vehicles to carry out a space-born assault on our world."
Everyone at the table went silent.
"Three hundred Star Destroyers…" Sabine whispered, "Twelve entire Sector Groups. It's nearly a fifth of their entire strength in the Outer Rim."
"Seems they're going all out on this," Ezra agreed. "I've got a very bad feeling about who's leading them."
"Care to elaborate?" Rau asked the Lothal orphan.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn," Sabine answered for him. "He's the only logical choice for an operation of this kind. He's not your average Imperial officer. As a matter of fact, he's leagues beyond any other Imp admiral or general I've come across." She stared at all the Arcadians present. "He's likely analyzed everything about Arcadia. History, philosophy, art, battle tactics, to name a very few. Your greatest strengths will be turned into your greatest weaknesses."
"Are you saying that it's impossible to defeat him?" Ignatius asked.
"Nothing is impossible," Robb murmured. Suddenly, all eyes were on him, and Theon saw the light of recognition beam on Sabine and Ezra's faces. The Grey-Wolf looked around, confusion on his face. "What?"
"Robb…" Sabine began, "didn't you mention that you were a general before you joined our crew?" she asked in front of the entire group, omitting certain…details.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with…" Robb began to ask before he stopped, apparently realizing what Sabine was truly asking him. "You want me to take command of this battle."
"You and Theon are the only ones that Thrawn hasn't studied in detail," Sabine pointed out. "You were a commander of great renown on your home planet, and you have never lost a battle, not even against other great commanders, beloved by your men and respected by other lords and generals."
Robb sucked in a deep breath. "Sabine…I haven't led an army into battle in nearly thirteen years… not since… well, the incident," he protested.
"Robb, we have confidence in ya, brother." Ezra encouraged.
"You outsmarted Tywin until the end," Theon added. "You'll do fine, Robb."
"From what I've seen from you, the results speak for themselves," Lund offered. "You were my most effective agent for years, and you came close to nabbing that psychotic dog, Ramsay. You have my vote of confidence."
"And mine," Rau affirmed.
"Thrawn knows only the Grey Wolf," Sabine countered, smiling all the while. "He doesn't know Robb Stark. Let's show him just who you exactly are."
Robb shuddered, and after what seemed like a long moment of internal debate, nodded at long last.
All eyes turned then towards King Alexios, who was drumming his fingers together in thought. A tense, silent moment passed before the new king burst the pregnant pause with his words.
"I will grant Robb Stark the overall command for the duration of this battle," Alexios confirmed. "You may use any resource and strategy you see fit. Just be sure to bring us victory against these traitors," he commanded. "Now, what is your plan, Stark?"
Robb appeared to think for a moment, before deigning to answer.
"Arcadia's military strength lies in defense. Long-range firepower, snub fighters, state-of-the-art tanks, expertise in trench and siege warfare. Thrawn is acutely aware of these facts, hence your orbital defense network has been shut down as well as your interstellar communications. Therefore, I want to make the first move; knock him off balance and even the odds, potentially, before he has a chance to bring his full force to bear on the planet."
"And how do you propose to do that?" Lund asked him.
Robb then looked at Theon. "Theon, you remember what Tyrion did at the Battle of the Blackwater?"
"Aye," he responded, seeing where his friend was getting at.
Robb nodded. "Then we'll do something similar, just on a bigger scale," he proclaimed, turning back to the rest of the group to clarify. "Thrawn will be expecting conventional military force. Therefore, I propose we do something unconventional. Are there any decommissioned tanker ships that are in working order?"
"There is one," Ignatius stated. "The Argos. It was decommissioned just a week prior. What do you plan to do with it, though?"
"Simple," Robb answered. "We load the tanker up with as much combustible material as we can. Better yet, we load it up with something that will really pack a punch, so to speak. Something like…"
"Rhydonium?" Lund guessed.
Robb nodded. "Preciously. It's volatile, unstable, and very, very explosive, which makes it perfect for a ship-sized IED."
Lund rubbed his chin. "Yes…yes, it could very well work."
"Thrawn probably won't fall for such a plan." Sabine pointed out.
"But one of his minions might," Ezra countered. "Konstantine in particular."
Sabine smirked. "Right. Almost did forget that numbskull was under Thrawn's command."
"Even if we manage to destroy a sizable portion of his fleet, we'd still be outnumbered by a significant margin. I have one million troops in total on-planet and a hundred ships in orbit- the rest of my fleets and armies are posted across Hutt Space," Alexios spoke up, "and I have no way to contact at them."
"That's where those two smugglers you captured in the Blood Gulch will come in handy," Robb responded. "I take it these two are the same ones Theon, Rau, and I met weeks back down there?"
"Are their names Han Solo and Chewbacca?" Lund asked.
"Yep," was Theon's response.
"Then yes. The exact same scalawags you lot contacted," the Duke confirmed.
"I have a mind to execute those two for smuggling in weapons and credits for Ramsay and his thugs," Alexios uttered darkly, "though I take it you have something in mind for those two."
"Indeed, your grace," was Robb's even reply. "Those two will slip through the Imperial blockade while they are amid the chaos caused by the explosion of the rhydonium. After, they will jump into hyperspace and head towards the nearest Arcadian force."
"That would be at Sakifwanna." Lund clarified. "It's the location of both the Second Fleet and the First Army Group. Major training base for our forces there as well. Years ago, it was a contingency plan for the Hutts to make their fallback if Nal Hutta ever fell, though that's off the table, now, for obvious reasons."
"How far away is it?" Theon asked.
"About an hour away, if you go with a standard hyperdrive. Two if you're in some rust bucket," Lund answered.
"Did Solo say how fast his ship was?" Robb asked.
"No, though I'd imagine if he were a smuggler, we'd have to assume it's got a very fast hyperdrive," Ignatius reasoned.
"Then we hold out for two hours," Robb declared, "though we need assurance that Solo won't betray us."
"I can spare a few of my guards to accompany him," Alexios stated. "Mandalorians do have the effect of making men honest if I'm not mistaken."
Sabine smirked. "Always, your grace."
Robb nodded. "Alright, we've got the first part nailed down, then. Now, to where Thrawn will most likely land his troops, and where his true target is."
"The capital is an obvious target," Rau pointed out.
"Too obvious a target. He'll likely make a push for the city, yes, but it won't be his real goal," Robb countered. "He knows it's well-defended and well-supplied, and that many of his men will die trying to breach the walls. No, the city will be a secondary or even a tertiary goal of his. His primary target, I reckon, will be the shield generator at Mount Theron."
"There isn't only the planetary shield generator there," Lund added. "It's also home to our military research and development laboratories, not to mention it's considered the most sacred mountain in our culture. I don't think I need to state the obvious implications of losing it."
"Which is why it needs to be defended by the best of the best," Robb reasoned. "Is the 5th Tagmata Division still planetside?"
"Aye," Ignatius confirmed, "and eager to avenge the death of their commander."
"Even better. Send word out immediately to their acting commander that he is to move his men to the mountain post haste," he commanded, then he looked at Sabine. "In the meantime, can you try to restore the long-range communications and orbital defenses?"
Sabine nodded. "I can, but it will take me several hours working on it by myself. Ten at the most. When I did a preliminary analysis on the terminals, it turns out that the Empire uploaded a virus in attention to using the shutdown codes dear, sweet Moreena gave them," she said, with more than a hint of sarcasm coming in on the last of her sentence.
"I…uh…" Theodora spoke for the first time since the meeting began, shocking everyone in the room. "I can help Lady Wren here fix the defense and communication networks. My father taught me a lot about working with computers." Her face then became hardened. "Also, if it means that the deaths of my father and my uncle will be avenged, then I'm more than eager to help."
Sabine looked shocked for a split second, then relented. "Alright, my queen. I'd advise that you get armored up after this meeting, though. We're most likely not going to get the thing fixed before the battle begins, and the Imperials could very well send forces our way to make sure we fail."
Theodora nodded, "I understand. I'm…not much of a fighter, so can you keep me covered if things go wrong?" she asked the Mandalorian woman opposite of her.
"You got it," Sabine affirmed.
"I'll be up there with the fighter wings," Rau offered. "Seen those new X-Wings you have, and I wanted to test one out, see how it compares to a Fang. Besides, I'll be much more useful up there than down here."
"Alright," Robb complied.
"Just watch out for Vul Skerris," Sabine warned. "He's Thrawn's top ace, and he'll likely be piloting the Grand Admiral's new TIE Defender."
"Speaking of Thrawn," Theon spoke up, "would it not be imperative that the Grand Admiral be captured or killed? Even if we beat him in this battle, that still means that we'd have to deal with him down the line."
"Theon's right," Ezra confirmed. "The Rebellion and Arcadia don't need that particular thorn in our side. I've seen just how ruthless and efficient he is myself."
"What are you proposing Theon?" Robb asked.
"During the chaos of battle, a crack team of commandos and I will board Thrawn's flagship. There, we'll fight our way up to the bridge, and either captures Thrawn or kill him."
"It's a good plan, however it comes with significant risks," Lund countered.
"All good plans are risky," Theon replied. "Plus, I have expertise in this arena. Daresay if we succeed in this…it could very well swing the course of the war in our favor."
"Let's hope," Robb cautioned. "I'll head with the 5th Tagmata to Mount Theron and keep in comms with all of you."
"Then I'll defend the city with the King," Ezra offered.
"Very well," Alexios nodded.
"If that's everything, ladies and gentlemen, then I'd say this meeting is adjourned and that we should get a move on," Robb confirmed, looking at all of them. "Good luck, and may the Force be with us all."
With that, everyone in that room began to move out one by one, each one preparing for the fight ahead…
Everyone except Robb and Theon, that was, who elected to hang by the door. It was then that Theon noticed that Robb's hands were shaking, the way they used to so long ago when they were both fresh-faced boys going to war for the first time. He was nervous, that much he could tell.
They both were.
"How're you holding up?" he asked his best friend.
"Not so bad," Robb joked. "First time commanding an army since the Red Wedding, but hey, that's life," he laughed a bit, then when quiet. "I really do hope we live this."
"You and me both," Theon confirmed. "I think Bran would start whacking us both upside the head if we died now."
Robb chuckled. "True. Our godly brother would be immensely disappointed." He then clasped Theon's arm. "Old gods bear steel with you, Theon."
"Drowned God fight with you, Robb," Theon bid back, and with that, the two Westerosi went their separate ways, waiting for the storm to come.
They would not have to wait long.
A/N: The battle you've all been waiting for is upon us at long last. Defense vs Offense. Rome vs Constantinople. The Grand Admiral vs the Grey Wolf. Who will triumph? Only one way to find out, and that is to tune into the next chapter.
Till next we meet.