Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars movies, shows, books, comics or games. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not for sale, or rent. The Mobile Armors, and later Mobile Suits mentioned in the story are inspired by the various Gundam shows. They obviously belong to their respective creators, and, or copyright owners.
Chapter 8
=FG=
Part 7
=FG=
Gollan II defense station 21
high orbit above Coruscant
Coruscant system
For the third time, Luke let go of the Force. This time, he couldn't keep a tired groan from escaping his lips. The contradiction that was Anakin Skywalker's presence was more than distracting; it was draining. Every passing moment with that mass of conflicting energies glowering right beside him pushed against Luke's mind. It brought up questions that disturbed the young Jedi. The situation also brought up baggage he hoped he had left behind on Endor.
It didn't help that the older man appeared perfectly relaxed and composed, as if the conflict that was his very being didn't bother Anakin. That was what Luke had the most trouble getting his mind around. From everything he knew and sensed, Anakin shouldn't have been so calm and adjusted, even if it was all a mask.
Speaking about the older man, he opened his eyes, which made Luke feel like looking into a mirror. A blond eyebrow rose his way in silent question.
"Your presence is odd. Distracting," Luke did his best to stay polite instead of blurting out one of the thousand questions running through his mind.
"I've heard my Force Signature is an acquired taste," The other Skywalker admitted.
That was an understatement if Luke had ever heard one. He couldn't entirely suppress a snort at those words. Sadly, this wasn't the time and place to compare notes about the Jedi or ask questions about whom Anakin Skywalker used to be. Instead, he looked at the station's crew.
"Is there anything out of the ordinary you can detect? How do you reliably find contraband or spoiled goods anyway?" Luke wanted to kick himself for not asking more questions in that vein earlier.
"We don't. We rely on random inspections if the scanners don't find anything out of the ordinary. There is too much traffic needed to keep things planetside running ever to hope to check more than a tiny fraction. So it's either luck, tips from law enforcement, or the sensors picking up something out of the ordinary."
For a moment, Luke felt a spike of anger, trying to shred his composure due to the uncaring attitude. Then he remembered what was happening outside and that they were in no position to properly vet everything the new Imperials were bringing in, much less the regular traffic that was supposed to be coming or going to Coruscant. The sheer scale of shipping was something he might have known intellectually but had yet to really sink in properly.
"So we just keep going like this?" Luke asked.
"Unless your space magic points us in the right direction, yes," One of the crew shot back.
Luke grimaced and nodded. He braced and carefully drew on the Force, submerging himself into its currents. At the same time, Luke did his best to ignore Anakin doing the same and the clashing forces that blazed in his face. A flare of cold rage sent ripples through the Force, altering its currents. It forcefully got Luke's attention. It didn't help that he was familiar with the signature enveloped by the waves of blistering fury. It was Leia!
That realization shattered his composure and shoved him out of the embrace of the Force. Luke found himself stumbling and reeling as if physically pushed by the still-burning flare of pain, betrayal, rage, and… It suddenly cut off as if sliced with a lightsabre.
"What was that?!" Luke rasped in confusion.
"How much training does your sister have?" Anakin demanded. The older man was suddenly beside him, and the expression on his face said volumes about how he felt about this.
=FG=
Star Road Spaceport
Coruscant
As far as spaceports on Coruscant went, this one was on the smaller scale. That, combined with its location, made it an ideal distribution point for aid shipments. Its size meant it was relatively straightforward to secure. The proximity of one of the larger medical centers on the planet was another desirable feature. Finally, the Star Road facility was in a region of Coruscant that was firmly in New Republic hands, which offered increased security for deployed Imperial personnel.
For the time being, this spaceport was one of only two locations on Coruscant that Ahsoka had to worry about. The other one was the nearby hospital, due to the deployment of the medical and security personnel there alongside sorely needed medical supplies and fresh food.
Outside of security concerns, focusing on a single distribution point for the flow of supplies from the fleet slowed things down significantly. However, for better or worse, no one was ready to give the Federated Empire free access to Coruscant. From where Ahsoka stood, that made her mission somewhat tenable. She had a battalion of heavy infantry deployed to the spaceport and a company on detached duty trying to keep the medics safe at the hospital. The rest of her command was in orbit, ready to deploy at the first sign of trouble. That, in practice, meant that local forces were responsible for securing the spaceport area, and New Republic soldiers were crawling all over on top of the facility's regular personnel and private security.
Unsurprisingly, many Republic soldiers were more interested in closely observing what Ahsoka's people were doing and their equipment than providing any security to the spaceport.
To make things more interesting, because they weren't already, Coruscant security was busy deploying anti-riot units outside, which arrived just before crowds of civilians began gathering in earnest nearby. Light freighters and shuttles kept streaming down from orbit, unloading their cargo as soon as possible, then racing back to the safety of the fleet above. Meanwhile, all kinds of transport vehicles loaded assorted supplies and ran toward the medical centers that needed them most. That was only possible due to the extraordinary efforts of a makeshift logistics staff containing people from Coruscant, Ahsoka's command, and the Republic detachment deployed to keep them honest. Their CO, a Major almost as young as Ahsoka, was currently in the manager's office, doing his best to coordinate that particular circus.
To her utter lack of surprise, the plan went to hell soon after things began running somewhat smoothly ground side. What blindsided Ahsoka was the source. The problems started with something other than an accident on the ground or even among the racing vessels delivering the supplies. Instead, it came in the form of a flare-up in the Force carrying the unmistakable acquired taste of the Dark Side all over it.
=FG=
At the same time in orbit, Aria felt the disturbance and scrunched her nose in distaste. She knew that kind of signature well enough. It had the distinct feeling of a Skywalker on it, of trouble. No surprise there. Aria was glad she didn't take her Master's bet that a Skywalker would once again cause trouble!
=FG=
Part 8
=FG=
Bridge
CIS Redeemer
Lutrillia
Probe droids and wings of reconnaissance Vulture droids confirmed the same incredible news. The Confederate fleet was in orbit of a world that was supposed to be on the other side of the galaxy, defended by Imperial naval elements.
"It appears nothing of note has changed here," The Senate's envoy looked over the data with shrewd eyes. He was an exceptionally tall Muun wearing an expensive yet understated suit.
"Despite its location on a hyperlane, this world has little of value to offer," The Admiral's mechanical voice carried through the bridge buried deep within the superstructure of the brand-new Providence class battleship.
If the diplomat was disturbed that a cyborg led the CIS military again, he showed no trace of it. Instead, the Muun looked at one of the nearby tactical displays projected around the cradle holding Admiral Trench's alloy bulk. In retrospect, it was a minor miracle that the Confederacy's finest military mind survived the final conflagration of the war, and it was a close thing. Rumor had it that the Admiral was more machine these days than the infamous Grievous was during his reign of terror.
When they arrived, the only military presence in the system was a small assortment of corvette-sized patrol vessels meant to dissuade pirate raids. They were all secondhand and wouldn't have been out of place in any system defense force from before the Clone Wars. Yet, here they were, decades into an odd future, politely holding back like a flock of scared birds above the planet's northern pole.
"This is our gateway to the new galaxy," Trench pointed out the obvious."It would be nice if the locals could be persuaded to join us peacefully. If not," The Admiral sighed, "we will have to see how long it would take them to change their stances while they are cut off from imports."
That would require the Confederate propaganda machine to work overtime to justify. Then again, it did manage to sell to trillions that a potential future alliance with the Hutts of all beings against the Federated Empire might be the lesser evil, among other things. Fortunately, the High Ambassador had subordinates to deal with the locals, who lacked a unified planetary government. Instead, they had over a hundred crawling abominations masking as moving cities that would make a Techno-Union cyborg proud. Perhaps sending some of those with spare parts would soothe the egos of the locals in the future? At any rate, considering the strategic importance of this system for the Confederacy, its fate was sealed the moment they found it.
"How long are we to remain here?" The Ambassador asked. His eyes darted around the bridge, pausing on the various B series droids making much of the crew. Those things were cheap, mass-produced, and easy to dispatch – a selling pong after the horrors of the Black Rebellion. Still, the machines made him feel uneasy, despite the presence of soldiers in heavy power armor armed with enough Ion weaponry to quickly subdue every droid on board.
"Until we've established proper defenses and logistics," Trench immediately answered. "That said, while the bulk of the fleet will hold this gateway system, I will send scout detachments to find out the strategic situation in this galaxy. Ideally, we would be able to make contact with elements of this New Republic and show them the truth about the Federated Empire."
That truth was simple. The Core sold the Republic and the rest of the galaxy to the Sith and Mandalorians for more power. Now, the abomination that replaced the damned Republic was busy devouring everything it could get its tentacles on while rebuilding for the next war. Sadly, the same was true for the Confederacy these days. Another defeat was unacceptable, and in the end, the war ended with a defeat. No matter what the propagandists cried all day, every day. After years of rebuilding, their military and economy were a pale shadow of what the CIS enjoyed at its height during the Clone Wars. In contrast, due to its greater economic, industrial, and population base, the Federated Empire recovered faster for all its problems and oppressive leadership. They had to change that trend, find new allies, and tilt the balance of power against the Sith and their Mandalorian allies.
The alternative was guaranteed annihilation.
=FG=
The Empress' Office
Senate Building
Coruscant
Satine stared at Padme's grim face hanging in the air above her desk. The life-like hologram made it clear the younger woman was anything but pleased.
That was all right; the Empress wasn't pleased either.
"I thought we sent Veil to the other side of the galaxy," Satine said. "Because this sounds like something he would engineer or would happen around him. I did hear you correctly, right?"
"This is no jesting matter," Padme nodded firmly.
"I knew sending you all there was a mistake, but this?" The Empress groaned. "Your job was to make a point and secure a treaty that gives us proper, safe borders. Not whatever this is!" Satine waved a hand at her friend.
"Accepting more Imperial defectors from this side of the galaxy wasn't the plan. However, it wasn't like we could afford to squander such an opportunity," Padme reasonably pointed out.
"Their Pellaeon, his ships, and crews are one thing. The Republic defectors, on the other hand…." Satine looked pointedly at the Senator.
"It's all about the ongoing Skywalker issue," Padme admitted, and this time was unable to keep a wince off her face. She was a Skywalker now, too, for that matter.
"Yes, that," Satine shook her head. "There will be an accusation of nepotism, and then the Jedi issue will be a particular headache…."
"The General is going to be priceless from an intelligence standpoint. However, the Skywalker issue can endanger that…." Padme hedged.
"Yes, giving provisional alyssum to the woman who tried to choke him to death with the Force might not go down well, even if he is painfully familiar with real politics," Satine huffed. "Now explain to me how we got from Pellaeon's defection to our side and a working agreement to get supplies down to the other Coruscant to the ongoing madness?! Without Veil's direct involvement at that!"
"From what I gather, it all began with a disturbance in the Force…." Padme began.
"That would be their Leia's episode where he tried to kill our newest defector?" Satine asked for clarification.
"Yes. From what I gather, everyone thought there would be no issue to begin slowly training someone under incredible pressure in the Force without removing them from said pressure first. There is apparently a lot of unresolved trauma over the destruction of their Alderaan as well, making for an inevitable disaster…."
"I am yet to hear how that became our problem and how we might avoid a new war on multiple fronts we don't need now?" Satine demanded.
"It was unintentional, I assure you. For various reasons, Anakin was out of the question as an advisor over the issue. We thought that Veil's Apprentice might cause more trouble than its worth."
Satine nodded at that. It all sounded reasonable, though the outcome was anything but.
"We agreed to recall Ahsoka from the surface and sent her with Jedi Skywalker to evaluate the nature of the event. She was the closest thing we had to an acceptable neutral party and has experience with the Dark Side influencing her while under tremendous stress," Padme explained.
"While logical, I fail to see why we got involved in the first place," Satine pointed out.
"It sounded like a good idea at the time?"