Prologue: Lining Up
January 2, 2228.
Ezra woke up as he felt a tingle through the Force, a message that he needed to be outside. The clock indicated that it was very early in the morning. He looked on his side and saw Sabine sleeping peacefully, her belly sticking from beneath the sheets. After giving her a smile and a gentle caress on her shoulder, he gently slipped out of the bed and put on his clothes.
He went straight for the landing pads, and it didn't take long before he spotted Luke, preparing his X-Wing with the help of R2.
"Going without even saying goodbye?" he quipped.
Luke turned around half-surprised, then he felt reassured as he saw his former Master.
"Oh, Ezra. You're quite early."
"A little bird told me that one of my best friends was heading straight into trouble."
Luke chuckled. "I didn't want to disturb you. You have a long day at the Academy."
"Yup." Ezra sighed, then crossed his arms and went on with the conversation. "So I suppose Lando reached you?"
"Yes. He infiltrated Jabba's palace. I'm going to Tatooine to meet up with Leia and Chewie. From there, we get on with the plan."
"How does it feel to go back there?"
"It's...weird, actually. I thought I would never go back there, and now I return as a completely different person."
Luke had said with a tranquil tone, but Ezra knew him well enough to know that the young Knight was bottling up a lot beneath that surface.
"What's bothering you?" he asked without preambles.
Luke hesitated, then sighed. "I'm just...I'm not so sure my idea will work. And this time I wouldn't be the only one in danger. Lando, Chewie...and my sister."
Ezra thus couldn't avoid remembering that this was essentially the first time that Luke took such a dangerous initiative by himself, as the effective leader of the endeavor. And what an endeavor! Trying to either negotiate Han's release or breaking him out of Jabba's personal palace didn't seem like something that only four people and two droids could hope of attaining.
That was, unless one of them was a Jedi.
Ezra stepped forward and put a hand on Luke's shoulder, who turned around to listen attentively.
"Luke. When I met you, you were just a farmer with little to no knowledge of what there was outside of his small region. Since then, you have grown at an astonishing pace, and the fact that you're second guessing your ability is a great proof of maturity. You have faced trials given by this war that even I had more time to prepare for, and you still retained your compassion and sense of justice. You're by far the one that will one day be the beacon of the Jedi. Just trust in the Force, and it will get you and the others out all in one piece."
Hearing those words clearly had an effect on the young Skywalker, who at first looked with wide eyes, then he turned away to hide his face, but Ezra could clearly feel that he was mellowing out and regaining a lot of confidence.
"Sometimes I wonder if you ever lose your temper. I'm sure I haven't always been a good student." Luke finally replied.
"Oh, believe me, it wasn't too long ago that I had very little patience for everything. Besides, if Kanan was here, he would probably said that I had it easy with a Padawan like you. Because you know your limits and you know what you can do.
"Trust me, the plan you came up with his solid, even the backup one. But even if they don't go as planned, you are more than qualified to face anything that Jabba might throw at you."
Luke smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Ezra. Still...I'm a little worried about the consequences: are you sure we want to risk a war with the Hutts?"
Indeed, that had been the point of a very long debate among the Masters, in the last few days. Sending Luke alone was mostly an attempt to avoid any escalation with the Hutts if Jabba ended up offended in any way: the Jedi could at least try to pretend that Luke had acted on his own and inflict him a fake punishment.
"True, it might be complicate things even further." Ezra admitted. "But we owe a lot to Han, and none of us here has any sympathy for the Hutts. Let's just hope they're too busy fighting against Zann to consider getting back at us. But even if they do, we're ready for them."
Luke nodded a few times. Then R2 beeped that all systems were clear. The Knight turned again toward his friend and mentor.
"Then may the Force be with me." he quipped.
Ezra huffed amused. "We're all gonna need it."
After that, Luke materialized his orange pilot jumpsuit and mounted on the stepladder that brought him into the cockpit of the vehicle. Ezra then removed the ladder and waved goodbye to Luke, who returned the gesture as the X-Wings fired up the engines. The fighter then quickly sped up toward the sky, starting its quite long journey toward Tatooine.
As the X-Wing disappeared, Ezra turned away and returned on the grounds of the Academy. It was still quite early, to the point where the dormitories of the orphans living there were still completely shut down.
His eyes then shifted quickly toward the direction of Atin. The mandalorian colony had grown so much that the outskirts were clearly visible from there. Tristan was pouring many energies into attracting the large mandalorian diaspora around the galaxy, but he was getting results: nearly 200.000 people had answered the call of the Mand'alor and joined the preparations for the Returning Crusade, as the upcoming endeavor had been nicknamed.
Of course, only a small percentage of them were warriors. There were still many civilians among the diaspora, but nearly every adult had accepted to take part in the Crusade one way or the other. Training to become a warrior, becoming part of the crew of a ship, a mechanic or just working in the logistics and preparing to resettle their old worlds. By all means, Tristan understood that the main pillar of his people could not be only war: martial and civilian ethos had to learn to coexist just like in every other functioning society of the galaxy.
There wasn't a date for the actual start of the crusade: Tristan had just managed to sway MandalMotors to supply the growing army, but the mandalorians still lacked a proper fleet to fight the one that the Consortium surely had.
But out of all this, the thought occupying Ezra's mind was that his wife would join the Crusade. After all, she was expected to give birth in a couple months, and the preparations would be far from complete by that point.
He knew he had no right to stop her, even if he certainly would have wanted to, but being a mandalorian was still at the core of Sabine's personality, and nothing would stop her from reclaiming her homeworld alongside her kin, especially now that she had two children about to come into existence.
Just as he reached the front of his home, he saw his sister come out from the next one.
"Hey, Ez." she greeted.
"Morning, sis."
"Where did you go so early?" she asked curious.
"Luke was trying to sneak away, but I let him go."
Jaral chuckled, but she was quite worried, too. "Let's hope the Hutts don't take this personally."
"As long as they don't kill Jabba, we should be able to talk our way out of this. And if not...I can always pretend to be him."
Now Jaral burst out laughing. "I forgot about that." she added between the laughs. Ezra also started laughing.
But even if they managed to take it more lightheartedly, the two Jedi Masters were well aware that they were playing with fire. Now they had to see if the match would fall on the fuel or not.
"Hey, news from Darvos?" he asked, trying to disperse the feeling of uneasiness around them.
Jaral shrugged. "Hera confirmed they arrived safe and sound on Lianna. Now, I can only pray that he won't suffer any real consequence."
With four guards around his seat, Darvos had no rush to get into that room.
"Just show them the facts you gathered, Darv, and it will be all right." Hera tried to encourage from the seat next to him.
"I guess I should be grateful that they still haven't kicked me out, or worse."
"You haven't done anything wrong, General. They have nothing to kick you out for." Kallus, now Major Kallus of the ICO, said from the seat on the other side of the corridor.
Finally, an attendant called him and Darvos went in, always accompanied by the guards.
He thus found himself on the grounds of the Senate. It had been renewed and enlarged since the last time he saw it, but it still had the shape inspired by the Parliament of Earth: all the senators sat on a semi-circular group of tables while Mon Mothma and her government had their seating on the opposite side and on an elevated group of tables, with the President having the highest one.
Darvos entered with a calm pace, went in the space between the assembly and the government, turned toward the President and her Ministers and made the salute.
After a few seconds, Mothma nodded and Darvos assumed the rest pose while Kallus and Hera stood behind him.
"Let's begin today's session." the President announced. "We are to discuss, for the last time hopefully, the situation of General Darvos Tanis, who has been accused of connivance with an imperial officer." then she pulled out a datapad and waved to the entire assembly. "As you know, the trial found no evidence of his betrayal, yet some argue that he should be removed from his post as Director of the ICO. Who wants to speak first?"
A Senator rose his hand and Mothma gave him the ground. Darvos turned around and noticed that it was Ranji, representative of the Jospro Sector.
"General Tanis." Ranji said, standing over his seating. "The fact that you had a secret way to reach the top commander of the Empire is in itself, at best, a very ambiguous thing. Do you seriously want us to believe that you have no further connection with your brother?"
Darvos, who had turned around to face the accusation, replied firmly.
"I do not expect to dispel any of your doubts. I was completely aware of the implications, and that's why I was never the one to use that channel, instead my brother reached out to me so we could free the children on Myrkr."
"Don't use the facts to get you out of this, General!" the Senator replied angered. "Do you think it's acceptable that you have basically the dial number of an imperial commander, yes or no?!"
As expected, the Senate was representing the current dilemma that the operation on Myrkr had stoked in the public opinion of the New Republic. Between those who had welcomed the truce in order to rescue the kids, and an ever-growing part of hardliners who advocated the complete destruction of the Empire. The latter had called Darvos a traitor for collaborating with the imperials even if it was for a good cause.
That had been the reason why he had been put on house arrest on Lothal and suspended from service while a committee investigated his ties with Iulius.
Luckily for him, another Senator, Bejeesh, stood up and replied to his colleague.
"You seem to forget, honorable, that this operation had been supervised by the Jedi. By the Yavin Convention, the General has acted in a completely legal manner and most importantly, he closed a nightmarish facility of a criminal organization."
"And who's to say that he's not plotting something else? Or that he's being manipulated?"
"My allegiance is to the Republic, Senator!" Darvos said proudly. "I left my home when I was barely more than a kid to join the Rebellion. The fact that I still respect my brother does not influence my loyalty to the State."
Another Senator rose up. "There can be no respect for the imperial butchers! You may not be a traitor, now, but what about tomorrow?!"
That accusation was so straightforward that caught Darvos by surprise. He checked again and he saw that that person was Dobras, a Cathar and representative of the Quelii Sector.
But this had to be expected: the entire Myrkr affair had brought to light a visible fracture in the public opinion of the Republic: on one side, there were those who agreed with the Jedi and wanted to simply take the Sith out of the picture in order to make peace with the Empire.
On the other hand, among a few Senators had emerged a group that called themselves 'Unionists' and proclaimed to be the voice of a small but ever increasing part of the population that wanted the complete destruction of the Empire and everything that it represented.
In any case, that phrase provoked indignation among the moderates who still recognized Darvos' value to the Republic and it didn't take long before the air became volatile. Mothma recalled everyone to calm and only at that point did another Senator rise up.
He was quite young, probably just as much as Darvos, but while the General already had a few wrinkles given by his stressful lifestyle, that man had a smooth skin, his hair arrived to the shoulders and were also gathered in an elaborate bun behind the head. He was wearing a white dress made of what looked like some extremely expensive fabric.
Darvos recognized Senator Bhe-Jie, the representative of the Outer Cluster (formerly known as Corporate Sectors), the financial heart of the Republic.
"Esteemed colleagues." the man started with a harmonious voice that didn't hide his young age, yet exuded a long training and preparation in the art of dialectics. "I understand your concerns. After all, who wouldn't be, considering that we're about to enter into a decisive phase of our long struggle for freedom?"
He then turned his gaze on Darvos. "General Tanis' dedication to bring his brother to our side is laudable, and indeed, the Grand Admiral in question has proven to be a man of honor. In a war that has already split uncountable families, the fact that these two can hold up such a bond is certainly material for a novel. However, we shouldn't lose sight of our real goal: to put an end to the tyranny of the Empire, and despite whatever familial dynamic is at play here, the General has proven himself to be absolutely loyal to the Republic. Only a paranoid would keep this proceeding up while we have many compelling matters to discuss."
The Senators looked around, nodded or grunted, but in the end they all agreed with that statement: the official investigation found nothing, so wasting any more time on the matter right when the greatest allied offensive of the war was about to begin would only be detrimental.
When silence finally returned and it became clear that everyone was in agreement, Mothma pronounced the decisive verdict.
"Darvos Tanis, in light of your service record and given the lack of any evidence, you're free of any charge of treason. You may resume your duties and leave your house arrest."
Darvos simply made the salute again and turned toward the door. Followed by his two comrades he finally walked out and drew a sigh of relief.
"About time it was over." he commented.
"Good thing somebody saw the pointlessness in persisting." Hera added.
"Yeah...it's just weird who it came from." Kallus said instead.
"What do you mean?" Darvos asked.
"Bhe-Jie comes from the main family of the TechGear conglomerate, one of the major weapons suppliers of the UACT, and he is a declared Unionist."
That news left both Darvos and Hera dumbfounded for a moment, however none of them actually wanted to think about it any more.
They were about to leave when an assistant of Mon Mothma took them aside and asked them to stick around the capital, for Mon Mothma wanted to talk with Darvos in her office once the current session of the Senate would be over.
The group briefly returned to the Ghost, if anything to give Zeb reinforcements against the combined forces of Jacen and Chopper, who were thrashing everything they could find on the ship.
It took a few hours, that the crew used to make a stroll around the capital and eat something at a restaurant for once. Finally, in the middle of the afternoon, Darvos was recalled and he immediately took a cab to the Senate, where he reached the presidential office.
"Madame President." he saluted.
"At ease, General. It's good to finally have you back." Mothma replied cordially, pointing her hand to the chairs in front of him.
Darvos took one as he kept talking. "I don't blame the Senators for doubting me, though I have a feeling like there have been less trouble after my escapade in the Haeleus Sector."
"You must understand that the times were significantly different. This time, we are committing nearly every resource we have toward this offensive. There is much at stake."
"I know. But I assume you called me here for another reason than telling me the obvious."
Mothma put her hands on the table, intertwining the fingers and assumed a much more serious attitude. "Indeed. We looked into the intel your brother passed on to you and...it checks. Sources on Coruscant found out that the Emperor is preparing to transfer his entire governmental staff on the new Death Star."
The news made Darvos feel both surprised and relieved. Until that point, he wasn't completely sure whether Iulius was saying the truth, or what he considered to be the truth, or luring him into a trap.
Yet, knowing that his brother was still sincere with him melted his face slightly into a smirk.
"So we only need to wait until he gets onboard and then we blow up the station."
"That's the general idea, yes. But destroying the Death Star will be impossible without a crucial piece."
"An accurate mapping of the station." Darvos quickly caught.
"Correct. I already discussed it with our allies. The Andromeda Task Force of the Federation has come precisely to help us with that. In the meantime, we need to make the Emperor believe that he still has the upper hand."
"I don't think that will be much of a problem. He always thinks that."
"I'm glad you're so optimistic. If we could defeat him before the elections, it would be a massive boost to public morale."
Mothma had just so casually dropped it there, but Darvos almost jumped on the chair. "The elections! I completely forgot!"
Mothma was amused by that sudden reaction. "I don't blame you. We haven't exactly put it among the priorities on the HoloNet, but this will be the fourth year since the proclamation of the New Republic, and it's time we give the people their chance to elect their leaders."
"Well...I heard the Commonwealth will hold them in a couple weeks. I suppose we can't lag behind."
"Their system is made so that they elect their Consuls every two years, but yes, as the major nation of the galaxy, we can't just ignore our founding principles. In ten months, there will be the elections, so it's imperative that the people gains faith in the final victory."
It might have been a gentle way to say that she wanted a victory so she could get reelected, but Darvos didn't mind that.
"Then, since the plan to take out Palpatine relies mostly on the Jedi, Madame President, I have a suggestion to make."
"Speak your mind."
January 3, 2227.
"I received at least three reports in the last hour." Krybos said, not hiding a hint of preoccupation. "There's no doubt: the rebels are preparing a massive offensive along all the Trailing Sectors. They'll most likely focus on Eriadu, but there are many other worlds that we can hardly defend without reinforcements."
"If Eriadu falls, the rebels will have free hands all over the Trailing Sectors. Naboo itself might be in danger." Bolo noted.
"But we don't have enough ship for a battle of attrition." Sloane reminded. "Not to mention, we're already stretched thin."
"That might not be much of a problem." Iulius intervened calmly. "The notification should arrive any moment, Sloane, but the Northern Fringe will not be under your jurisdiction anymore."
The holograms of the Admirals all turned toward the Lord-Protector and were flabbergasted.
"What? What do you mean, sir?"
Iulius sighed and replied "The Fringe is about to be transformed into the personal Dominion of Grand Admiral Rax, who will administer, defend and possibly expand it."
The Admirals were even more jaw-dropping. "But the Fringe has nearly a fifth of our autonomous industry!" Bolo exclaimed.
"I pointed that out to Coruscant. You want to try it, too, and see what happens?" Iulius replied with a hopelessly frustrated tone.
His subordinates clearly wanted to hiss, or express their disappointment in some way, but knowing that the communication was recorded and that the government was looking for any sign of treason from them, they could only rub their eyes.
"So what do we do?" Sloane eventually asked.
"For now, recall your forces from the Fringe, so we can use them as reserves. As for a real plan...I still need to think about it."
With that quite discouraging note, the meeting soon came to an end and Iulius decided to call it a day. He left the base's premises and went back home.
He regretted it instantly, because he found it deserted, reminding him that his wife had been taken away by Rax so she could be a hostage on Coruscant. After all, the supervisor of Kuat Shipyards was mainly supposed to be on the planet and be an intermediary between the real facilities and the central government.
"Welcome home, Lord-Protector." the voice of STEVE, who had a processor installed in the house, greeted. "You have one missed call."
"A missed call?" Iulius asked, for a moment he hoped that it might have been Namedra.
He looked the name. It was encoded, but he recognized it. And while he was a little let down, he was still quite happy to see who that was.
"Seal the shutters and call back." he instructed.
The AI quickly lowered the sealers on the windows, making the house fall into complete darkness while the transmitter beeped.
Then, a few moments later, the hologram of a humanoid with the same Grand Admiral uniform appeared in the center of the living room. Iulius smiled widely and the Chiss did the same.
"Thrawn! It's so good to finally see your face again." he greeted happily.
The Chiss kept smiling as he made a small bow. "Your enthusiasm humbles me, Lord Tanis."
"So, are you calling me because you defeated the Grysks and you're ready to come and help?" Iulius joked, mostly.
"I'm afraid that will take longer...but not too much." the Chiss replied.
That earned Iulius' attention. "What do you mean?"
"Since the last time we talked, many things have changed. For once, we have managed to reach an accord with the Kett Empire against the Grysks."
"The Kett? Really? I thought they were mad at us."
"They were, but now that they are the target of our common enemy, even they need to join forces with us. Furthermore, the Carunoan geneticists have offered to work on a cure for the sterility of the Kett."
"Hm. Smart move. Did they have any useful intel?"
"Indeed. Thanks to their star charts and their previous encounters with the Grysks, I believe that we are close to finding out the borders of the Grysk state."
That was genuinely interesting. "Uh. I almost forgot that their greatest strength is that we don't know where they come from."
"Indeed. If we find their homeworld, if we can finally have a real idea of their strength, then I can find a strategy to make sure they won't be a threat, anymore."
"I wish things were looking so optimistic over here, too." Iulius replied fatalistically as he sat on the couch.
"Governor Pryce updated me on the recent events...I'm sorry for your wife."
"Thanks." Iulius murmured as he slumped on the back of the couch.
"Are you all right?"
The Lord-Protector sighed, took a moment to remember that the call was actually safe from external ears and then replied.
"No. I'm not fine." and sat back in a straight manner. "You know, when the Empire didn't know what to do against the invasion, they asked me to do what nobody else seemed capable of doing. And I did it, without asking for nothing. When it looked like everything could fall apart, I did my duty and stopped the enemy at Lantillies, and again, I didn't ask for anything because it was my duty."
He grunted, and his tone became more aggressive. "Now, all I wanted was a little bit of happiness, and they just take it from me with no reason. Why?"
He could feel rage, frustration and resentment piling up all at once. He actually knew the reason, he just found it completely false, and thus the injustice stung even more.
Or was it false? Didn't he reveal to his brother, a rebel officer, when the Emperor would be vulnerable? Wasn't that to be considered treason? Yet, he felt like he was doing the Empire a favor by giving that opportunity to the rebels.
"Unfortunately, we know that the Empire doesn't always reward success." Thrawn commented calmly.
"And if that wasn't enough, they take even more resources from me right when the enemy is preparing an offensive the likes of which the Empire has never faced." Iulius added in frustration. "I mean, what they expect to gain if we lose?!"
There was a brief silence, then Thrawn spoke again after Iulius had calmed down. "Iulius, as you said, and as I witnessed when you were just a Captain, you did the impossible before, and I know you can do it again. You know why?"
"If you're about to say that I'm brilliant or something, then there is no amount of wit that can close the gap for the upcoming battle." Iulius shot down.
"Maybe. But one thing that I noticed about you, is that you're never alone. You have reached the hearts of millions, your crew is ready to follow you into a suicide mission, if you ask them, and so are your soldiers. My time here on Carunoia taught me something valuable: the rebels in the past defeated us because the two of us used to think that we were the only ones able to think. Instead, they fought while they had complete and utter faith in each other.
"Preparations, logistics and plans are fundamental, sure, but so is the bond between a commander and the warriors serving under him. If you want to find a solution, try to discuss it with your subordinates, because they see the universe in a way that neither I nor you, perhaps, would ever think of."
That speech indeed sparked something in Iulius' head. Up until now, he had relied on a handful of military men, even creative ones like Octis, but if he wanted to pass the incoming storm, he needed a fresh view on the universe. Perhaps, a solution was hiding among his rank and file, and it might even be extremely silly, but what else did he have to lose?
"I...never thought about it." he confessed, then spoke with increased confidence. "You're right! I was so worried about Namedra, that I forgot the greatest lesson she taught me: there is no shame in asking for help from the people you trust."
Thrawn smirked. Iulius smiled and stood up. "Thank you, my friend."
"It was a pleasure. Now, I should get back to work. The sooner we defeat the Grysks, the sooner we can come back to help you."
"Please, make haste. Good luck, Thrawn."
"May the path of the warrior guide your hand, Iulius." then the hologram disappeared.
January 4, 2227.
It took quite a few days, but it seemed like the Star Destroyer had made it to Coruscant. From the window in her quarters, Namedra looked at the ecumenopolis in front of the ship and silently sighed. On one side, she was still terrified at the idea of being in a place where she could be executed at any moment, on the other hand, she wasn't going to stay still and be used as leverage against her husband.
"I forgot just how imposing this planet looks." she commented.
"Have you ever been here?" Qathora asked, sitting on the other bed of the quarters.
"A couple times. My uncle still has a considerable position, but I stayed only for a few rotations."
"Well, I have been here for a while, when Iulius was grounded. We'll be fine."
Namedra smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Qath."
The Togruta smiled to reassure her friend, then someone banged on the door. Without waiting for a reply, the door opened and ISB agent Tumfell entered.
"The shuttle is ready, Lady Heike. Please, take your belongings." he said coldly.
Namedra hummed a positive, even if it was a pure formality. Then she and Qathora grabbed the three cases they had brought with them, thinking that they would be provided with other clothes anyway. They found two stormtroopers waiting outside who then started walking in front of them toward the hangar while Tumfell stood behind them, clearly making sure they wouldn't escape.
As they passed through a few corridors and then the hangar, the women couldn't help but notice just how different the atmosphere aboard that Star Destroyer was so different from any ship of the 101st: the crew was silent, focused solely on their tasks, never speaking with their peers, but only to the officers. It was the style that reigned supreme before Iulius' reforms, and that went such a long way to make the Imperial Navy a slow and inefficient machine against the Coalition.
All-in-all, it was simply surprising to see how the Core had not changed its ways, even when experience suggested otherwise, and it went to show that the Emperor saw Iulius as nothing but a guard dog against the rising tides of the New Republic and the Jedi. A tool to be thrown to his enemies and nothing more.
Deep down, though, that realization only strengthened their commitment to the plan.
They were then accompanied aboard, with no ceremony whatsoever, then the shuttle flew down toward Coruscant. Tumfell was simply staring in front of their seats, while the stormtroopers sat at their sides as if they wanted to box them in.
The flight was silent, with the two women only holding their close hands to encourage each other as their senses were on edge. Nonetheless, the shuttle landed in the capital district without incidents. There, a quite luxurious speeder was waiting for them, alongside a man with a richly decorated robe.
"Lady Heike. Who would've thought we would see each other again in this situation?" the man said amicably.
Namedra at first was surprised, then she took a better look at those short black hair and azure eyes, and then widened her own in surprise.
"Rorick Besher?" she asked surprised (but also starting to be really concerned).
"In the flesh." the man replied with a flamboyant bow as he lifted her hand gently to give her a courteous kiss.
Namedra let him do that and tried her best to show at least a formal smile. When he let her go, the woman turned quickly to present the person behind her. "This is Qathora, my personal assistant and bodyguard."
"Ah. Nice to meet you, madame. Actually, I think we met at one of the Emperor's monthly balls, some years ago." Besher said cordially.
"Could be. There were many faces to remember, that time." Qathora simply replied, showing the proper face of someone who took her job seriously.
"Of course. Well, as you probably guessed, Lady Heike, as I am the Delegate Director of the Kuat Shipyards here on Coruscant, well be working together, as long as you are here."
Namedra now saw her hope of being mistaken evaporate: this couldn't be a coincidence.
"That's...very nice of you. I'm looking forward to it." she said with a bit of improvised sincerity.
Besher renewed his smile, then stepped aside and showed the speeder. "You must be tired, after traveling for days on a military ship. Allow me to show you your new home."
The driver helped them load their luggage and the women stepped in, taking the seats aligned with the car while Besher took the one in front of them.
"It looks like war doesn't even exist, up here." Namedra commented as she looked outside the window.
"Of course we are aware of the war." Besher said with the tone of someone who was clearly trying to appear informed. "But we can't let fear take over our lives, can we? Besides, I'm sure your husband has everything under control."
The tone irritated Namedra extremely. That man, too, saw Iulius as an expendable somebody who was only expected to protect the rich people of Coruscant at the cost of his life.
Luckily, the trip was quite short. The two were brought to a terrace on the high level of a luxurious skyscraper which also acted as an entrance to the apartment.
Said apartment struck them because there was a huge open living room on the terrace.
"Not bad, uh?" Besher said. "The company acquired it specifically for high-ranking guests. I'll leave you to explore it, Lady Heike, tomorrow morning a speeder will come to pick you up."
"Thanks, Mister Besher. I'll see you around." Namedra dismissed.
The representative of Kuat Shipyards made an elegant bow and went back inside his speeder, which then brought him away. That left Namedra and Qathora to enter the premises of the apartment and realize just how big it was. Far bigger than anything they had ever seen even on Naboo.
"How many recording devices do you think there are in here?" Namedra said with a tone that was very much safe in its assumption.
"We're on Coruscant. It's useless to even count them." Qathora replied. "I'd say even the storage room would have two or three."
"I'm surprised they didn't leave an army of maids and butlers to report everything we say." Namedra said in a more hushed tone.
"They probably think we'll say something more if we feel safe."
"We'll see about that."
The two went to take a look around the house, they found out their respective rooms and then started to unpack. Namedra would have wanted to call Iulius, but her comlink had been confiscated, and it was likely that she wasn't going to be able to communicate with him for some time. The thought brought a strong sense of sadness, but she was determined not to let her captors have such an easy win.
After settling down, the women decided to use the few liberties they had been granted to their best extent, so they whipped out some comfortable outfits and went out to seek a decent restaurant.
"By the way, I assume you know that gentleman?" Qathora asked as they strolled around the Imperial Plaza.
Namedra was not looking forward to that discussion. She sighed and replied "He is the prospect heir of Kuat Shipyards. A few years ago he courted me, but I managed to deflect him until I had to return to Fondor."
Qathora hummed in thought, then dismissed the problem with an optimistic thought. "Well, you're married now, he better respect your boundaries, or I'll make him."
"I appreciate the thought, Qath, but better keep your hands off him. I'll be fine."
"We're reaching the Eriadu System, Major." Mazak announced.
"Engineering, be ready with the cloaking device." Jane quickly ordered through the intercom.
"Copy that, Bridge." Tali replied.
"EDI, get a safe line with the Constantinople."
"Yes, Shepard."
The link was established just as the Normandy left hyperspace right outside the system. Eriadu was a forced passage to Sullust, and while the two frigates could easily bypass it, Command wanted them to take a few pictures before they reached the staging point of their real mission.
"This is the is the Constantinople." the voice of Jordan Bridger came from the comlink. "Go on, we're with you, Normandy."
"Constantinople, we're starting our recon of the ships around the main planet. Can you start gathering data of the surface?"
"Leave it to us."
It might have looked like a secondary task, but in actuality, the Constantinople had bigger and more powerful scanners that were more qualified to penetrate the harsh terrain of Eriadu and take a better look at possible hidden and underground fortresses.
The frigates thus moved in, toward the orbit of the planet, at the maximum possible speed that allowed them to retain the invisibility on. It took nearly half-an-hour to reach the proper planet of Eriadu. The celestial body at first looked like any other normal Earth-like planet, but looking at it a little bit closer, one could notice a black pall thinly covering the atmosphere and that only a third of the planet was made of plains. The rest was quite tall mountains and dense jungles, plus a relatively small desert.
"Hey, Spirit?" Jane asked cautiously. "How does it feel to be back here?"
"My time in prison was much worse." Jordan cut short.
"All right, Mazak, get us closer to their fleet, cautiously. EDI, give me a count and if there's any interesting person out there."
"Yes, ma'am." both pilot and AI replied in unison.
The ship moved in, with the quiet granted by empty space and the discretion of its optical camouflage. Soon enough, the Normandy sighted the fleet defending the orbit of Eriadu, but what surprised Jane was that the fleet was meager: only a Star Destroyer, which was docked at the main space station, and no more than 20 frigates and light cruisers.
"That's odd. The fleet was much bigger when we attacked Sullust." Jordan commented from the other end of the comlink.
"EDI, can you identify that Destroyer?" Jane asked.
"Searching." the AI replied, though it took only two seconds before she had an answer. "Ship identified as the Defiant. It's the flagship of Admiral Krybos, Quartermaster of the Trailing Sectors."
Jane and Wilhelm next to her were left astounded. "Krybos? One of Tanis' top commanders?" Klausewitz asked.
"Affirmative." EDI replied. "But it seems like the ship is loading some kind of cargo. They might be preparing to retreat."
"They're just...leaving?" Jane asked.
"Wouldn't be too weird." Jordan said. "The population down there is mostly loyal to the Empire and there are tons of fortifications, from what I'm seeing on my scanners."
"They want to make this place what Ringo Vinda has been for them." Wilhelm understood.
There was a little bit of silence as the ships finished their scans. It had become quite clear that the imperials were digging in and preparing for a grueling battle of attrition on the surface. Once reconnaissance was over, there was only a matter left to discuss.
"Guys, what do we do?" Wilhelm asked to the two Spectres. "Do we try to take out the Admiral, or we just go?"
Jane pondered for a second. Taking out one of the highest officers of the Mid Rim Forces would surely increase the chance for success, however…
"I don't think it's a good idea." Jordan replied quite promptly. "Our mission is much more important and this shot is way too risky to take."
Jane nodded. "I agree. Let's proceed to Sullust and deliver this intel to Command."