Chapter 8: Returning Crusade
May 28, 2227.
After nearly two weeks of navigation and after refueling at the New Republic stations over Phindar, the Mandalorian fleet found itself gathered at Alba-16, an empty waypoint along the Salin Corridor, but a perfect springboard to jump back into the Mandalore Sector.
"Intel suggest that most of the Consortium fleet is concentrated on Concord Dawn, at the moment." Asha said at the meeting of the clan heads. "It appears like they expect us to advance in that direction."
"Well, it is the quickest way to Mandalore. Not to mention to many of the main planets." Boba commented.
"What do you make of this, Fett?" Tristan asked as he calmly observed the map and the numbers of the enemy strength. "What would their strategy be?"
"Depends on who is commanding them." the former bounty hunter replied. "Most commanders of the Consortium are not encouraged to take the initiative, because Zann likes to micro-manage everything. There are only a handful of individuals among his ranks that he would trust enough to grant strategic autonomy, like Urai Fen."
"Ah, that green bird." Sabine remembered. "Is he strong?"
"You know me. I don't back down from a fight. Yet, I met him a couple times and I would have gladly avoided any confrontation with him."
"A strong warrior." Tristan replied. "However, for the brief period of time when Zann was locked away on Kessel, he didn't manage to hold much of the Consortium together. I don't want to assume, but it doesn't look like he has much eye for big pictures."
"He might leave the strategies to his boss, but when he has an objective, he is not to be underestimated, as a commander."
"Okay, but we still don't know who we are actually facing." Sabine interjected. Until we find that info, we need to move with caution."
"The only thing we can do, is to simply move forward and test their mettle. Only by then will we realize the strength of our foe." the Armorer said.
Tristan pondered. In the end, he was the Duke and the wielder of the Darksaber. It was up to him to decide what course would earn them victory. The assembly waited in silence until he reached his verdict. "The Battle Fleet will proceed to attack Concord Dawn. If anything, we will tie their forces there. At the same time, a smaller force will attack Zanbar and reclaim it. It's a garden world, and it would be most suited as a base of operation, we might even start calling some colonist brave enough to create the first settlements."
"You want to bring in colonists already? Wouldn't it be better to secure a few planets more?" Asha questioned.
"Logic would dictate so. But not only it would be a moral victory to bring some of our people back to the home space: we would be able to establish a more solid foothold to gather supplies and reinforcements. Should the fight drag on for too long, we are going to need a solid base. Even the rebels couldn't do much against the Empire when they only had wandering fleets."
"On that, I have to agree." Sabine intervened. "Keeping all our supplies on transports following the fleet in battle puts the entire expedition in great danger. A solid ground base is imperative to give our warriors a place to recover and reorganize."
The other looked around and eventually decided that it was indeed a valid strategy, even if some still thought they should focus on reaching Mandalore with one, strong push.
"Then it's settled. I will take the fleet and engage the enemy one at Concord Dawn. Sabine, I trust the attack on Zanbar to you." Tristan finally decreed.
"We will assist." the Armored added. "Our tribe's firepower isn't that much consistent for the fleet, anyway."
That much was true. The Children of the Watch had long lived in the shadows and mostly moved around with private freighters. They had only been given a Crusader-class to assist the fighters, but they wouldn't do much in a real space battle.
"I'll come, too." Moreena added.
"Very well." Tristan replied. "It will be a solid test for you, Mo. Henceforth, we will make the jump in a couple hours. Given the fact that Zanbar is closer, you wait for ten hours. By that point, the Consortium will notice our approach and should focus their attention on Concord."
He then closed his eyes and made a silent sigh before assuming a more aggressive tone. "Brothers and sisters! This is it! The battle to reclaim our homeworld begins here. For the honor of our ancestors and for the future of our children, we will not stop. Oya! Oya!" he finally yelled, throwing his punch to the sky two times.
The rest of the assembly replied in kind. "OYA! OYA!"
As the group dismantled and everyone headed back to their posts on the fleet, Tristan and Sabine exchanged their goodbyes.
"This is it, uh? A Crusade, in our day and age." the woman replied, sounding both skeptical and pumped up.
Tristan chuckled. "Yeah. Who would've thought? But we came all the way here, and we will reclaim the homeworld. Let's do this for Caleb, Ursa and Adevaar, too." he added with a firm determination.
Sabine smirked. "Right. We're fighting for our future. Literally."
Then they vigorously grabbed their wrists and went on with the preparations.
May 29, 2228.
While the Silver Bullet kept flying toward its destination, Ezra and Jaral were in the comm room, speaking with the holograms of Darvos, Jai and Zare.
"The Hutts are staying away from Eriadu, but our convoys have suffered multiple attacks. The White Cross itself suffered losses among its volunteers." Zare reported.
"They say they will not send personnel until we can guarantee their safety." Jai added. "And we can't exactly blame them: they do this essentially for free. We can't ask them to risk their lives against those brutes."
"Can we get any help from the UACT?" Jaral asked.
"They are already sending everything they can, but with the offensive in full swing, we can't ask them to divert forces from the front." Darvos replied.
"Then avoid the lanes near Hutt Space. It doesn't matter if the supplies take longer to arrive, at least they should be able to arrive." Ezra decided.
"We'll do our best, Ezra. But whatever you are planning to do to force them to stop, I suggest you do it quickly." Zare countered.
"Rest assured, boys: the Hutts will soon be just a bad memory for the galaxy." Jaral said calmly.
"Uh-uh." Darvos replied a little worried. "Be careful, guys: many have tried to take down the Hutts. It never ended well."
"We know, but we have no other choice." Ezra concluded. "May the Force be with us all."
The transmission was closed and the siblings went back to the cockpit, where Luke was waiting for them at the controls.
"Hey. Just in time. Look out there." he said.
They were closing in to a group of ships. Small ships, but armed to the teeth and two of them were even carrying boarding parties.
"Hail them. Though I see the Dawn emblem on them." Jaral said to her brother as he sat at the pilot's chair.
"Yeah." Ezra replied before locking on the main ship of that small flotilla and requesting a line. It was soon given to them and a familiar voice replied.
"Nice to see you, Bullet."
"Likewise, Qi'ra." the brother replied. "I see you boys are ready and eager."
"Who doesn't like to be part of history?"
"Whether we're going to make history or become a footnote with this endeavor is still to be seen." Jaral said to invite caution. "Is the convoy coming or not?"
"Don't worry. The Hutts hate when their profits are late. We detect it's five minutes from leaving hyperspace, so shut down your engines and join us."
The Jedi looked at each other. After this, there was no turning back. The Hutts had declared their war on them based on selfish reasons, but now the Jedi were going to end that conflict and the Hutt's reign of terror with their own two hands.
Ezra powered down the Bullet, leaving only the vital systems on, and they waited until the ships they had been waiting arrived into the system: a Hutt convoy transporting the riches of Kelba The Hutt, one of the members of the Cartel. The convoy was well-guarded, but the vessels were quite old and obsolete compared to the technology that Qi'ra's ships were sporting.
The ambush sprang in when the Hutt convoy was way too close for their sensors not to pick the attackers up. The Silver Bullet sprang forward and immediately took out five escort fighters before they could realize what was going on. Meanwhile, the Crimson Dawn immediately fired on smaller vessels, leaving the galleon to be stormed for last.
The skirmish was brief and brutally one-sided. Crimson Dawn had clearly prepared for a while and their ships sported some advanced barriers from the Milky Way, other than the cannons. Only the galleon seemed to inflict some damage on its aggressors, but with the precise fire of the Dawn's ships quickly taking out its turrets, the ship was soon left without defenses and then sank without mercy.
And before any response from the Hutt could be mustered, the raiding party quickly approached the edge of the system and then jumped toward a safe area that the agents of Qi'ra had prepared in advance. It was nothing more than an artificial habitat onto a toxic planet, but the radiations of said planet hindered most long-range scanners. It was a good hiding place, if given the proper precautions.
Inside the habitat, the Jedi met up with the crime lady and her most trusted henchmen.
"I guess today was a start." Ezra began. "But are you sure that this single attack will put the Hutts on high alert?"
"Sure." Qi'ra replied without any concern. "Not much because we stormed a convoy, but because we took out the treasure of a member of the Cartel while inside the territory of another member."
The Jedi hummed in thought, not entirely sure. "How does that help us?" Luke asked.
"The Hutt Cartel operates on a few, unbreakable tenets." one of the Crimson Dawn officers explained. "One of them is that, inside Hutt Space, each member of the Cartel has an obligation to defend the merchandise of any of its peers going through its territory."
"Right now, we attacked a galleon of Kelba." Qi'ra added. "But we were in the territory of Vairo the Hutt. After this incident, Kelba will most likely accuse Vairo of allowing his resources to be destroyed."
Now the Jedi started to see the plan better. "I see." said Jaral. "So we make sure to raise tensions among the Hutts. Once they feel threatened enough, they will convene a reunion of the Cartel."
"Precisely. But the Cartel only meets in person if they believe that even their transmissions are not safe anymore. That's why we need to keep pressing them. Make them feel unsafe. Even try an assassination attempt or two.
"Only when they will feel cornered will you get the chance you want to kill them all in one sweep."
The three Jedi nodded. They knew this task was going to take most of their next month or two, but if the plan was a success, they would put an end to the Hutt as a major power of the galaxy.
"We're reaching Zanbar." the navigator announced. "Time until we leave hyperspace: three minutes."
Standing inside the cockpit of one of the Kom'rk freighters transporting the first landing parties, Sabine waited patiently and checked the other ships on her wrist-pad. The small group of fighters and freighters were all accounted for, ready to gain a foothold for the larger transports to move inside the system and establish a forward operative base.
Moreena stepped inside the cockpit to give a report. "The landing parties are geared up and eager to fight."
"Good to hear. And what about you?" Sabine asked one last time. "Are you ready to risk your life for this?"
"Totally." Moreena replied without hesitation. "You know, at first I joined the Rebellion because I wanted to simply liberate my planet. I always envied Farrol a bit because he actually believed in the cause."
"Really? So that's why you enlisted in the Lothal police?" Sabine asked a little surprised.
Moreena nodded. "All I wanted was to make my homeworld and family safe. But staying with you guys, I understood that there is much more to do. The galaxy is still a dangerous place for billions of people. I believe that the mandalorians have much to give in order to make it safer, and I want to be there to see it."
Sabine pondered on those words. It had always amazed her how Moreena found a new purpose in her life by joining the mandalorian culture, but it certainly made her feel good. "Then let's get to work."
A minute later, they left hyperspace in front of the main planet of Zanbar, a green-looking orb with oceans and optimal parameters to sustain life.
"Scan the surface." Sabine ordered. "Any sign of enemy facilities?"
After making the scan, the navigator reported "Found it. On top of a mountain, southern hemisphere. If we approach directly, they'll easily detect us."
Sabine pondered. "We'll have to get down from this point and then fly low until we reach the fortress."
"It might spare us the walk, but we would still have to attack from a disadvantageous position. Don't we have any other option?" Moreena said.
"If I may, Lady Wren." the voice of Fett broke in from the Intercom. "I might have a gift for them that will throw them in disarray long enough for a first team to drop undisturbed."
"What would that be?"
"Seismic charges. One of the Fett's signature tricks."
"A seismic charge? On the surface?" the navigator asked a little alarmed.
"As long as we stay in the sky, it won't be a problem." the bounty hunter replied unfazed.
Clearly, it was still a risk: if they were to quickly climb the mountain while on the fly, there was still the risk of being forced to dodge a large quantity of rocks and rubble. Still, Sabine said "All right. Take the point, Fett."
Boba's Firespray gunship, the Slave-I, eagerly moved forward while Sabine sent the order for all the fighters and freighters to assemble behind it, while the transports awaited in orbit with a small escort.
The mandalorian strike force descended on the planet, staying outside the range of the Consortium's radar before starting a low-altitude flight that brought them to make nearly 500 km in twenty minutes. At that altitude, the radar of the mountain base was unable to detect them, and eventually they reached it from an angle that wouldn't allow the sentinels to see the ships through visual contact. Then the Slave-I sprinted forward and started to climb.
In the span of a few seconds the Firespray flew past the top and over the base, releasing its deadly cargo. Then, as the gunship sprinted away, first a blue explosion and then a shockwave of huge magnitude rocked the Consortium's base and the mountain itself, turning the immediate vicinity into pebbles and creating a huge landslide that fell down while covering the air with dust.
As Sabine's freighter passed over the facility, its roof had been completely removed and most of the outer structure had been turned to rubble and warped durasteel. Any anti-air defense had been thrown around and the shocked mercenaries were still trying to figure out what just happened. And just as they emerged from the wreckage, the Kom'rk started firing with its heavy repeating blasters.
"Time to go!" Sabine ordered and she rushed to the launch rack alongside Moreena. There, a team made up mostly of Children of the Watch, including Din and Paz, were waiting the signal. Sabine gave it and the hatch below was opened. The mandalorians jumped down and ignited their jetpacks, including Moreena.
When the mandalorians appeared in the skies, some of the guards still standing started firing up, but achieved nothing before the attackers literally landed on them with the speed of an astro-car. The first team basically occupied the first level of the base without casualties and then Sabine gathered them and started advancing in deep.
It soon became apparent that the base was built mostly inside the mountain, and while the seismic charge had wrecked havoc even on the level below, there were dozens of mercenaries rushing to the surface, meaning that the bulk of the garrison was hiding down there.
At first, the landing party had to fight off a wave of the mercenaries until two freighters had unloaded their cargo of warriors, at which point the mandalorians had enough firepower to repel the Consortium forces back into the tunnels.
"Looks like we'll have to flush them out. Like rats." Paz commented with an excited tone.
"Pretty much." Sabine replied. "Paz, Din and Moreena, you and I are heading straight for their command center. All other squads, spread out and clear out every last one of this filth."
The warriors promptly and eagerly obeyed and Sabine's team started following every ramp of stairs they found, fighting some mercenaries foolish enough to get in their way. They also managed to download a map of the complex that confirmed where the main headquarters were.
Before the local commander could escape, Sabine intended to capture him in order to try and get a better picture of the Consortium forces in the Sector.
Exploiting the growing panic among the mercenaries, the mandalorian assault proceeded with little significant resistance and finally reached the control room. There, Sabine and her squad were greeted by a concerted fire of disruptor rifles that forced them to take cover and halt.
Moreena then had the readiness to throw a stun grenade inside the room and when it detonated, blinding and deafening the mercenaries for a few seconds, the mandalorians jumped in, with the two women diving and firing, taking out the guards in the span of a couple seconds. Then Moreena, with the experience given after years in the police, rushed toward the commander and threw him on the floor.
The man in red armor struggled, but Moreena exploited his last moments of dizziness from the grenade and managed to restrain him until Din could get there and help her subjugating the criminal for good.
"Good work." Sabine complimented while her two companions forced the corrupter to turn around. She knelt down and spoke calmly, but ominously. "Who is in charge of this Sector?"
The corrupter kept his head down and didn't reply. All the mandalorians heard was that he suddenly cracked something with his teeth.
After a moment of confusion, Sabine had a horrible doubt and grabbed his head, forcing him to look at her. The mercenary was smiling deviously as he started gurgling.
"Long live...the Zann Consortium." he said before his eyes rolled up and foam started getting out of his mouth.
Surprised and confused, Din and Moreena let their grip go and the man simply fell on his side, drooling the foam on the floor and making the final gasping before his heart stopped working.
"Did he...actually kill himself? For a crime lord?" Moreena asked a little shocked.
"It goes to show just how dangerous Zann really is." Sabine said grimly.
With nothing left to do, the group headed back to the landing zone. All the other teams were finishing the sweep of the facility. Two warriors had been killed in the fight while the mercenaries had all fought to the death.
"I heard tales about the Consortium." Moreena commented. "That its members tended to view Zann as a mystical figure to obey without second thoughts. But I didn't imagine they were this convinced."
"After seeing what they did on Myrkr, I honestly am not surprised." Sabine replied, then shifted to something less dark. "Also, you did great today."
"Oh. Thanks." Moreena said humbly.
"No, seriously." Sabine insisted. "Even when we were taken by surprise or we risked doing something stupid, you managed to do the right thing before we acted. That's the instinct of a true warrior. I'll personally speak to Tristan about the chance of getting you into the clan."
Moreena took down the bandana on her face and showed a smile. "It would be my honor, Lady Wren."
Sabine took off her helmet and returned the smile, before an old acquaintance spoke up.
"There you are." none other than Ketsu Onyo said as she walked up to Sabine.
"Ketsu." she greeted. "How's the situation up here?"
"Ah, these small fries are all taken care of. We can start calling in the colonists, if you wish so."
"Do it. This victory will show the galaxy that we can do this." the sister of the Duke replied firmly.
"I knew you'd say that. That's why I already said to give the signal." Ketsu quipped, then turned serious again. "More importantly, we just received a communication from the Duke: the enemy fleet is on the defensive. It's only a matter of time before the orbit is ours."
"Excellent. Then let's make sure the base here will be ready when they return victorious." Sabine concluded optimistically.
The terminal started beeping exactly at the hour Iulius expected. He answered and the holograms of the Astartes, Starkiller and Octis appeared in front of his desk.
"Gentlemen. Report." he begun.
"As you asked, Grand Admiral, we sabotaged the Consortium's network inside the Concord Dawn System. I'm not saying they weren't prepared for battle, but they sure are having a hard time coordinating against the mandos." Morit reported first.
"It also appears like they have stormed and occupied Zanbar. The mandalorians are setting up a base large enough you could call it a colonial outpost." Aiolin added.
Iulius nodded and turned toward the other two.
"The intel came through." Octis reported. "We intercepted the Hutt's slaver party and destroyed them as they were raiding our people at Daalang."
"Excellent." Iulius said. "I will have my mother send an ultimatum to return every Imperial citizen suffering slavery in the Hutt Space."
"Do you really think they will abide?" Starkiller asked. "The Hutts are not people to admit defeat."
"That's what I'm counting on. What's important is that they feel threatened. Combine our actions with those of the Jedi and soon enough they will have to make a move."
"Speaking of which, are you sure you haven't made a mistake assigning the missions?" Galen asked a little puzzled. "I can hide my signature, but I can't assure the Bridgers won't feel that I'm basically helping them."
"No mistakes, my friend. Besides, it's true that we're helping them and the mandalorians. Let them speculate." Iulius replied with no concern at all. "Now, it's time I give you the details on the next phase of the operation."
June 9, 2228.
Another month, another ball that Namedra would have avoided gladly if it wasn't for the fact that she needed intel and contacts with the people that would be there.
As usual, the lavish parties at the Imperial Palace and the people populating them seemed like a smack in the face to the billions of people suffering among the multiple theaters of the war. And as always, it was almost comical that the first person to find her was Besher.
"Lady Heike. Always a pleasure to see you."
"Mister Besher." Namedra greeted as cordially as she could manage. "I see you never miss a chance to evade from your work."
Besher made a stifled laugh. "Didn't you hear? Now I'm basically unemployed."
That caught both Namedra and Qathora by surprise. "I beg your pardon?"
Besher then took a long sip from his glass before replying. "Yup. As of this morning, the Kuat Shipyards have been entirely nationalized. Only the most trusted Imperial officers will be put in charge of it, and if you wish to keep working for it, well...be prepared to become a slave."
Namedra stopped and quickly pondered over it. Was this all a trick? Was Besher actually desperate or was this a trick? For how annoying he was, he still had a ton of connections with the richest and influential people of the Core. If she could win him over…
"I'm sorry to hear that." she said genuinely. "I know what it feels like to have the work of a lifetime suddenly taken away."
"Yeah…" Besher, already a little buzzed, moaned, then he apparently regained some lucidity. "But you should say that to my father."
"If I see him, I'll be sure to." Namedra said, with the intention of getting away, yet Besher gently insisted.
"No, seriously...he is over there. He could really use your encouragement."
He was pointing his glass toward a group of men talking next to one of the walls, and Namedra indeed recognized Gerbold Besher, the current President of Kuat Shipyards. Or maybe former might have been the correct adjective.
After exchanging a quick glance with Qathora, Namedra replied. "Please, would you introduce me?"
"Of course." Rorick replied with a groaning smile.
The two women were thus accompanied toward the group of men, at which point the one indicated as Gerbold Besher turned around and instantly recognized Namedra.
"Miss Heike. Good to see you. I hope the last month had been kind to you." he said with a cordial bow.
"I can't actually say it was stimulating." Namedra replied. "But I can't complain either. On the other hand, Rorick just informed me of your...change of situation."
Gerbold made a resigned grumble. "The Ministry of Industry has decided all of a sudden that Kuat Shipyards required a 'hand-on' approach on their part and gently dismissed me with a large sum of credits. When I think about it...damn it, I just don't understand why would they do this?! We always met the Empire's quotas with a surplus!"
Namedra didn't take long before realizing that the Emperor clearly needed every resource he could get to finish the Death Star as soon as possible. Yet, nationalizing the largest shipbuilding company of the galaxy sounded like the perfect way to piss off not only the Besher but also every other company around, as they were now aware that the business they had worked so hard for so long could be whisked away at any moment.
Lady Heike thus realized that this was a golden opportunity.
"Indeed. I would be inclined to believe they want to ensure the military production, but we all know that my husband has been all but abandoned by the central government." she said with a calm tone, and Gerbold certainly didn't miss the point of that observation.
"From what we heard, your honored husband hardly needs any more help to destroy the rebels." the old man replied, already hooked up.
"One would say he has done more for the Empire than anyone else." Rorick added through the fumes of the alcohol.
"For sure, I have wondered many times what would have been of us if he wasn't there." one of the men that were talking with Gerbold, who Namedra recognized as one of the directors of KS, commented.
"Unfortunately, His Majesty doesn't seem to think it that way." Namedra added.
They were interrupted as a loud thud coming from the balcony resonated and everyone turned around, expecting the Emperor one moment or another. For the moment, there was only Mas Amedda.
"Esteemed guests." the Chagrian started. "Welcome to the monthly ball. I know you expected to greet His Majesty, but today I am afraid that he is unavailable."
That news surprised everyone. Amedda let the murmur subside and then finished his speech. "The Emperor has decided to take the matters of the current war into his own, capable hands. He regrets not being able to participate in this joyous occasion, but he wishes you all a good time, and he promises that he will return once the rebels and the invaders will be dealt with once and for all."
Amedda had obviously made it look as if the Emperor was maybe at the Headquarters of the Armed Forces, but Namedra was still shocked: Amedda had just revealed that Palpatine had left the planet for the Death Star.
She gave another look: there was none of the Ministers, either. Were they gone, as well?
"So, please. Enjoy the party and raise your glasses for the final victory of the Empire."
The guests mildly rose their glasses and said 'cheers', while many were wondering where the Emperor could have possibly gone.
"His Majesty left the Palace?" Rorick asked.
"More like he left the planet." Qathora replied with a confident calm that attracted the gazes of the men around.
"What? How do you know?!" Gerbold asked.
"She is right, Mister Besher." Namedra intervened with firmness. "I can't go into details, but the Emperor has long been planning to meet the Jedi and their allies in a final battle. That's where he is heading to. That's why your company has been nationalized."
"Against the Jedi?!" one of Besher's companions asked shocked. "Can...can he really defeat them?"
"It's gonna be a battle to define our age, for sure." Namedra replied calmly. "But the outcome is far from certain. Either the Empire is heading toward its greatest triumph...or to its greatest catastrophe. And if catastrophe is our destiny, then the Empire will fall to chaos." she added more somberly.
Suddenly, an air of doom surrounded the industrialists.
"However, chaos can also be an opportunity to turn things for the better. If you gentlemen will be able to see where the winds will shift, then your future might be brighter than you think." she concluded before walking away.