He sits on the clouds and looks down on his greening kingdom. The clouds below and around him are a deep red, and they shake as he moves on them. He wonders why he didn't come up with the idea of building a throne at such lofty heights sooner. It is dark and musty in the Hall of Convergence, but up here there is a mild breeze and above it stretches the new ring that spans what is now the capital planet of the Yuuzhan Vong. This ring is as multi-colored as the rainbows that radiate from his cloud throne in oblique, upward-sloping curves and reach it again, overlapping, at another point - like colorful petals around a pistil. Yes, he will continue to shape the fortunes of the Yuuzhan Vong - putting his own personal stamp on them. Why not? At his back, the new sun of Yuuzhan'tar laughs from the sky, which, apart from the red cloud throne, is completely blue and pure.
Actually, it should always be so quiet and so peaceful. Or has it always been like this and I just never saw it?
It occurs to him that it was a good idea of Onimi's to concentrate the clouds so that he can sit on them... and that they are as red as the old hau polyp throne down in the Great Assembly Hall. It will only be difficult for his subjects to visit their overlord here at this lofty height. But Onimi will take care of that too. He will instruct the Dovin Basals to manipulate gravity accordingly.
His followers will walk across a rainbow to reach their sovereign. One by one they will crawl up the multi-colored arch with sweat and effort and, having reached the zenith, slide down the other side - right in front of his bare feet. He will then carefully observe who makes a good, respectable figure when landing and who lands rather clumsily and embarrassingly on his butt. Onimi will make a sharp joke about these gross motor skills and then, if they are guilty of really serious crimes, the Overlord will punish them properly.
"Lord Shimrra?"
The voice clearly belongs to a human. Who could that be? He squints to get a better picture of the newcomer. The man is clearly younger than Thrackan Sal-Solo, the first human ever he welcomed into his audience chamber almost two years ago. The Corellian had bowed far too narrowly at the time, but Nom Anor reacted immediately and pushed the infidel into the dust where he belonged. But this one doesn't even hint at a bow. How did he even get up here? Where is Nom Anor to teach these people some manners too? And where is...? He remembers that he sent Onimi to Bastion to restrain Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. He's all alone on his red cloud throne now, so he'll have to finish this completely unannounced audience alone until Onimi...
His blinking eyes see that the infidel is carrying a weapon, a shiny silver cylinder. Why did these dumb idiots of Slayer Guards let a Jeedai into his inner sanctum!? And that when Onimi isn't there!
༺༻
Luke Skywalker watches as Shimrra slowly awakens. The noise of battle outside the citadel ship has died down and Luke feels the confidence of Kyp Durron, Kubariet and Jorallen. He feels Jacen and Kenth Hamner are a little off. These two deal with any sorties by Shimrra's troops, but the Jedi spirit doesn't show much excitement. But suddenly the Jedi's constant, strong network of power takes a downward turn.
A fright in the Force!
This final emotion comes from his niece Jaina. So nothing has been decided yet. Luke attempts to contact the Warmaster using the comlink, but Tsavong Lah does not respond. It had been quite a challenge for the Yuuzhan Vong to now be walking around with such a technical communicator. Could it be that this was too technical? Has Tsavong Lah switched sides again? Or has something happened to him? Luke searches the Force, but of course he can't find an answer about it about a Yuuzhan Vong. So he radios his niece Jaina.
Jaina Solo has full control over the Force melt with which the Jedi Kenth Hamner, Kyp Durron, Kubariet, Jorallen and her brother Jacen coordinate the pilots' attacks on enemy military positions. Then she receives a call from Luke Skywalker and goes to her comlink.
"Tsavong Lah is not responding via comlink. Can you please check on him?" she hears Luke's voice.
Jaina knows where her lover's troops are and is heading towards that Damutek of the Shapers with the radiating outcrops. Remnants of black smoke billow toward her as she emerges from her X-wing. A rather buxom shaper with a green tentacle headdress comes running towards them.
"Infidels!" shouts the woman. "I just saw you on the Holonet the other day together with Tsavong Lah!"
"There are no autographs," Jaina hisses, "and no interviews either. And why are you Yuuzhan Vong even watching Holonet? This is lifeless technology. Are you even allowed to do that?"
"What a stupid question, pilot! You'd better ask me where Tsavong Lah is now."
Jaina touches her head. "Do you know?"
"Yes," replies Qelah Kwaad. "He's lying in there in the Damutek, unconscious because of the black smoke Nom Anor and his beloved left there so they could escape unmolested."
"And you're only telling me that now?!" Jaina snaps at the shaper and runs inside.
The Yuuzhan Vong warriors awaken from their sleep. Tsavong Lah rubs his black eyes and leans on one elbow, looking around. He sees Jaina walking towards him and his scarred expression brightens.
"I'm okay," he says to his lover. "But the priest Harrar in there needs to be helped."
They go to Nen Yim's lab and find Harrar tied up on the floor. The priest is awake, but cannot break the bonds that the fugitive shaper has placed on him.
"Why did this happen, my friend?" asks Tsavong Lah.
"There's no time for that," Harrar replies, still dazed. "We'd better face Shimrra."
Tsavong Lah releases Harrar's bonds and they leave the Shaper's house along with Tsavong Lah's warriors, who have also regained consciousness. As they step outside, Jaina sees her X-wing flying away. Her comlink buzzes and she realizes the caller is in her X-Wing. "You stole my ship over Myrkr back then, Jaina Solo," she hears Nom Anor's mocking voice. "And now we're stealing yours."
Jaina angrily switches off her communicator. "Well, since he's right, he's right. But it might be a little tight for two Yuuzhan Vong in there."
"At least he took his lover with him and didn't abandon her," says Harrar. "And – with all due respect - there aren't many Yuuzhan Vong who can fly an X-Wing."
"Now there are," says Tsavong Lah, hugging Jaina's waist.
༺༻
"So you want a duel with me, Skywalker," Shimrra's deep voice pulls Luke out of his cloudy thoughts. "Don't get your hopes up, because I've studied all of your Jeedai tactics in lightsaber combat and I'm fully prepared for it."
"First of all, you should stand up and prepare your weapons," Luke says. "But even all the preparations could be of no use to you, because I am full of surprises."
"Yes, one can see it on your artificial hand," Shimrra mutters.
Luke remembers his duel with Vader in Cloud City and a shudder runs through him, then he conquers that emotion and controls it, transforming it into courage. "Stand up, Overlord! Face your fate!"
Shimrra's eyes turn green. "You want to be my fate, Jeedai? I don't even know you at all!"
Luke is taken aback by this announcement for just a moment. "That should make it easier, shouldn't it?"
"And if so," replies Shimrra, strangely tired. "I have never hurt anyone. Why start now?"
"You gave the orders! You started this invasion!" Luke booms. "And now you will pay for it!" The Jedi points to the pulsating main polyp throne. "Or who owns this throne?"
A dark rumble fills the room and Luke realizes that Shimrra is laughing. Vader never laughed, but how well did he even know his father to know for sure?
Shimrra smiles mischievously. "Well, okay, it could have worked." He lifts his scarred head and leans on one elbow before the other follows in slow motion.
"This is really the toughest showdown I've ever experienced," sighs Luke.
Shimrra rises to his full majestic height. His eye color changes from green over yellow to glowing red and Luke suddenly feels dizzy. He also fights this weakness and tries to ignore Shimrra's eye color, which is now changing to purple; he struggles to blend out his eyes in general. But that's difficult.
"You want to know why we launched this invasion?" booms Shimrra. "We have a lot of people, but no planets like we used to have in our galaxy. You would never have given us land willingly."
"Yes, we could have talked about it," Luke objects. "We definitely would have found a few planets."
"Oh yeah?" Shimrra's index finger points at Luke's chest like a curved dagger. "Just like you gave the Vagaari a planet after Steward Bearsh asked you - yes, you – do you remember it?"
Luke's blue eyes widen. "You know about this thing?"
"The Vagaari were just a test balloon to find out your intentions, good or bad, towards a nation without a country. But you haven't found any planets for this people!" says Shimrra reproachfully.
"That's not true!" Luke defends himself vigorously. "Steward Bearsh had not been satisfied with any of the planets he had been offered, no matter how hard I searched. One planet was too cold for him, another too hot... and on a third he didn't like the native species. And I strongly suspect that this was exactly what you had planned in order to have a handle later - for this very invasion of yours! But enough of that. No more excuses!"
The Overlord extends his hand and a red amphistaff emerges from the grooves of the hau polyp throne of the same color to jump into Shimrra's hand. Luke wonders how he could have missed that. And also: Is the amphistaff just a well-trained snake that ended up in the Overlord's hand so quickly, or - and the Jedi Master now finds this really scary - did Shimrra just use the Force? Until now everyone thought...
Luke pushes these thoughts away and begins to circle his opponent - just like he circles him. Shimrra lunges forward, but Luke ducks under him and rolls across the floor. Suddenly the Jedi jumps back to his feet and extends his blade to catch Shimrra from behind, severing his knee, injuring his foot - tricks that are best used by a much smaller and slimmer man, around a Titan like Shimrra to falter. But the foot, a barefoot foot with five claws only slightly shorter than the Overlord's long fingernails, passes over him. The claw of the big toe passes within millimeters of Luke's eyes and another shudder runs through the Jedi Master at the sharp, shiny sickle that swipes along directly in front of his field of vision.
༺༻
Tsavong Lah, Jaina and Harrar enter the throne room where Shimrra and Luke are fighting. The trio has barely crossed the organic door membrane when Shimrra suddenly throws his amphistaff into the corner and falls limply to the floor.
Luke pauses, puzzled. "Are you tired again?"
"Tsavong Lah, help me!" Luke hears the Supreme Overlord whimper.
Anger rises within the Jedi. "Hey, that's actually my way!"
"As I said, I have studied all of your Jeedai combat tactics closely," Shimrra says.
"Then someone would have to come and save you like my father did with me on the Second Death Star, but who would save you?" Luke sneers.
"Tsavong Lah, come and strike me down!", Shimrra coaxes his former underling. "Then you will be the new overlord of our people."
"Don't go, Tsavong Lah!" Luke shouts to the Warmaster. "This is definitely a trap!"
Tsavong Lah looks at Jaina.
"Why not?" Jaina whispers to him. "Do it. With this you could bring peace to your people and to the entire galaxy." She laughs and stretches out her delicate hands towards Shimrra. "And if the Overlord insists on this defensive role, then I'll provide the Force Lightning for free!"
Luke's blue eyes fill with horror. "But Jaina!"
"But Uncle Luke, you said at the council meeting yourself that you give all Jedi the blessing to fight if military objectives are involved. Tsavong Lah himself told me this; He was there as a council member!" the young woman is holding her stance. "And who would be a more military target than Overlord Shimrra!"
Tsavong Lah pulls up his frayed upper lip. "Technically, Shimrra is an intendant, like most of his domain Jamaane."
Jaina punches Tsavong in the side. "What? Are you chickening out?"
"Well, that was supposed to be my fateful fight, my contribution to our victory," Luke intervenes again.
"I think it is precisely this strife that Shimrra wants to sow between us," Harrar says slowly. "So we better be on the…"
"Uncle Luke!"
Jaina's bright voice echoes off the walls due to the excellent acoustics of the room and is still more than easy to understand.
The thud bug comes from behind and approaches Luke's neck with deadly precision. Jaina throws her lightsaber to catch the living missile behind her uncle, but the brown beetle with the gear-like spikes hisses over the purple plasma blade and the lightsaber flies in a wide arc back to Jaina without achieving anything.
Shimrra sees his well-aimed impact beetle pass through Luke Skywalker's neck, leaving no wound. The Jedi Master briefly touches his neck as if he were swatting away an annoying fly, then he grins at the Overlord with boyish mischief.
"Kyp Durron was wrong," says the Grand Master of the Jedi Order solemnly. Shimrra opens his mouth and Luke realizes that he is about to ask who Kyp Durron actually is, but he rigorously chokes off these words from his opponent, who is no longer one. "I will not be the last Jedi to kill a Yuuzhan Vong of high rank in a duel."
"Absolutely not!" shouts Shimrra. "You're just a mean illusion, Jeedai!" With these words, he rushes towards Luke. "You're not even here and I'll have to deal with your little niece too!"
Shimrra just walks right through Luke; He immediately reached the Jedi brat. A sharp pain shoots into his spine, sending the Overlord reeling. He looks down and sees the pointed tail of an amphistaff emerging from his chest - not just any amphistaff.
"But I'm completely genuine and real."
The Overlord recognizes Tsavong Lah's baritone voice and feels the Warmaster's hot breath on his neck. A second pain pierces Shimrra - from the front. Jaina's purple blade penetrates his body, touching the Warmaster's amphistaff. The crackle of the weapons sticking together eats into Shimrra's ears and the vibration that this glowing contact triggers goes through the Overlord's body in waves.
The ultimate pain – the end.
Tsavong Lah enjoys the mixed humming and hissing that comes from the rather wobbly but still standing Overlord in front of him. He had actually wanted to throw the amphistaff from behind like a spear - that would have been quicker and less risky, at least for him. But if his throw had been too powerful, then the amphistaff could have killed or at least seriously injured not only Shimrra, but also Jaina standing in front of him - a risk that Tsavong Lah definitely did not want to take.
Jaina holds her breath. It's a good thing Shimrra is so solidly built, otherwise she would have ended up hurting Tsavong. But the Warmaster, with all his scars, tattoos and implants, is a complete work of art that she doesn't want to add any more changes to. How much she would now like to use the Force to lovingly remove the one braided strand with the white pearls that hangs over his forehead into his scarred face - but she knows that's not possible - not with Yuuzhan Vong. But she'll do it right away, with her own hand.
The Yuuzhan Vong ruler reels again. Realizing his time is running out, Shimrra feels life flowing from his turbo-modified body as if it were volatile water.
His deep voice becomes a rattle. "Just like back then."
Shimrra falls to the ground and Tsavong Lah looms over him, amphistaff drawn from the corpse, while Jaina faces him with her purple blade still ignited.
"How dare you to attack Master Luke like that, Shimrra!" Tsavong Lah reprimands the dying Overlord.
But Shimrra no longer hears the words. His eyes turn white and go dark.
"What did he mean by 'Just like back then'?" Jaina asks her lover as she deactivates her lightsaber again.
"Fifty years ago, I and Shimrra tricked the then Overlord Quoreal with a similar trick," admits Tsavong Lah, curling the amphistaff around his waist.
He then steps over Shimrra's body and takes Jaina in his arms. Jaina raises her hand and finally brushes that one cheeky, braided strand of hair from Tsavong's face that disrupts the symmetry, then lets out a deep sigh and buries her head on the Warmaster's scaled chest.
"But what do we do now, darling?" Jaina whispers, sounding almost like a little child.
"What do you mean, my love?" Tsavong Lah asks, stroking her neck.
"We defeated Shimrra and so this war is over," she begins hesitantly, enjoying the embrace. "But I am the Sword of the Jedi. I am always at the forefront. Peace is not my thing. And neither does yours. So what do we do now?"
"Don't worry, my Jedi Sword," Tsavong Lah comforts his lover. "The rest of the empire is still there. Imagine if Pellaeon wanted to ally with Shimrra." He smiles. "Actually, he still wants to."
Something lights up in Jaina's brown eyes. "Is that true?"
"Me and Master Luke will bring this up within the High Council soon," the Warmaster promises.
"That's all well and good," Luke chimes in, "but first, let's go outside and announce Shimrra's death. Then this war will finally come to its well-deserved end."
With these words, Luke's image disappears, leaving Jaina, Tsavong Lah and the priest Harrar stunned.
"No, Shimrra couldn't possibly know that trick," Jaina says in a thick voice. "Even I don't know how to do this."
Tsavong Lah slaps her neck. "Woe betide you if you learn this from him and trick me with it!"
Jaina bats her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Would there be any reason for me to use it on you?"
Tsavong Lah shakes his head energetically so that his black mane flies around and Harrar and Jaina burst out into laughter.