Almost two months later on Coruscant, which is now called Yuuzhan'tar, like the legendary home planet of the Yuuzhan Vong - in front of the former Senate building
Finally!
The recently planted hedges line the avenue that leads to the shaft of the world brain in an exemplary manner. A wide staircase ends the path of the boulevard. From a distance it looks as if the stairs lead to the blue sky, but once you climb them like Jacen Solo and his captured fellow Jedi Ganner Rhysode, you can see the unnatural valley behind it, from which a huge, mossy mushroom rises. Around the mushroom, Yuuzhan Vong priests in colorful robes populate the square, flanked by warriors of their people... well, the trained eye can also spot some intendants in their civilian robes in muted colors from beige to dark brown.
The leader of the intendant caste, however, wears a dark green robe and stands a few stairs below Jacen Solo. Everything has gone according to plan so far and Yoog Skell silently prays that it will continue to work. Never before has a person not only voluntarily joined the Yuuzhan Vong like these wretched peace brigadists for example, but also voluntarily confessed to the True Way.
"Tschurokk*!" Jacen Solo's voice booms across the square. "Behold me, the avatar of the god Yun-Yammka, the Slayer."
Yoog Skell looks at the former Jedi from the Solo Clan disparagingly. The human looks quite thin, but also sinewy and tough - like many Yuuzhan Vong warriors. And the fire that glows in his sunken, dark eyes rivals the Warmaster's zeal for these things. What a contrast to his fellow species, whom Jacen Solo is about to offer up as a sacrifice. Ganner Rhysode stands next to Jacen like a limp doll. His blue eyes look dull and his once muscular arms hang down from his body as if they were just glued on without having any real function.
And that's supposed to be a Jedi?
Nevertheless, the fact that Jacen Solo truly managed to capture a former colleague for such a noble sacrifice is another point High Prefect Skell will praise in his report to Overlord Shimrra about that memorable day.
Jacen Solo spreads his arms. "Dear believers, let me now pay homage to the One who made this transformation of a once hideous, technology-infested world possible. It won't take long."
Jacen Solo disappears into the horizon beyond the stairs and no one dares to stop or even question the god's avatar. A mumble of astonishment begins among the ranks of warriors and priests, which grows into an increasingly ominous murmur with every second that Jacen is absent. Yoog Skell sees his subordinate, the Executor Nom Anor, frantically conversing with this purple bird creature commonly known as Vergere. Vergere says something and Nom Anor stops gesticulating, but the High Prefect's trained eye detects resignation, not reassurance.
Despite Nom Anor's contradictory claims, Yoog Skell is firmly convinced that it was this Vergere who captured Jacen Solo, because without this bird at his side, Nom Anor has not yet brought a single Jedi to the Warmaster - not during the entire invasion!
Jacen Solo remains missing even after five minutes and now Yoog Skell hears Nom Anor screaming at Vergere: "He's at the World Brain and no one knows what he's doing there!"
The bird creature raises its two four-fingered hands. "Then let's find out."
Nom Anor's actually yellow face turns bluish. "And you're only just now remembering that!" shouts the Executor at the feathered creature that barely reaches his waist.
Yoog Skell can't understand what Vergere is saying now, but apparently it's enough to silence the startled Nom Anor. But instead of heading up the stairs, Nom Anor takes a different route and disappears with Vergere into the throng of warriors and priests.
The High Prefect and rushes after the two. Now things are getting interesting.
There are those who claim that Nom Anor is only interested in his own fortune, that this intendant would even betray the Warmaster if he ever got the chance. But Yoog Skell can't imagine that. Nom Anor is certainly only traveling with Vergere to prevent something worse from happening. Yoog Skell has wondered several times whether it might be Vergere who is betraying the Yuuzhan Vong, but this creature has been with the Yuuzhan Vong for fifty years... and so far none of her kind has been discovered anywhere in the new galaxy. So Vergere is all alone; she would have no reason to betray the people who had once welcomed her so hospitably. The High Prefect would have loved to know how Vergere actually came to be among the Yuuzhan Vong, but not even Nom Anor, who knows this galaxy like the back of his hand, knows anything about it.
Yoog Skell sees Nom Anor walking faster, almost running. Vergere appears to have no trouble keeping up with the much larger man's pace. But there's a wall over there - they can't go any further. So the High Prefect stops and, hidden behind two warriors, watching what happens next.
Nom Anor touches the rock and it gapes. Yoog Skell's dark eyes widen. He didn't know about this secret entrance to the former Senate building and now Nom Anor and Vergere have disappeared behind it - certainly a useful shortcut to surprise Jacen Solo and to suss him out.
The hole closes again as if it had never been there. A commotion rises behind the High Prefect. When he turns, he sees Ganner Rhysode still standing alone at the crest of the wide staircase. But what a Ganner Rhysode this is! The Jedi being sacrificed is no longer the exhausted, hopeless bundle of a human he saw next to Jacen Solo just five minutes ago. The Jedi proudly stretches his medium-sized human figure into the air.
"No one can get past me!" Yoog Skell Ganner hears Rhysode's voice thunder across the square, then he sees a flash of green blade.
What idiot gave Ganner Rhysode a lightsaber?!
Warriors push towards Ganner Rhysode, fall, new warriors rush towards the Jedi. The silhouette of Ganner Rhysode stands out into the blue horizon. The Jedi rises higher and higher over the crest of the stairs - and in proportion to this the mountain of corpses beneath him rises, which the following warriors must climb in order to reach an honorable duel.
Why isn't anyone doing anything?
Yoog Skell sees the commander who commands the warriors looking fascinated at this never-ending series of duels. He understands that the warrior is afraid to intervene in this chain of duels for reasons of honor. He doesn't even care about the world brain, which is certainly where Jacen is now. What is certain is that Nom Anor and Vergere will take care of it. And just as surely, the High Prefect knows that he has no combat experience and is therefore condemned to continue watching.
The fighting falls silent. The mountain of corpses is almost as high as the stairs below are long and Yoog Skell starts moving. His gaunt legs overcome steps, corpses, the sloping terrain afterwards - the official entrance to the world brain that is responsible for the transformation of this planet.
Yoog Skell enters the hall with the sulphurous-yellow pond in which the black creature lives. Yellow stalked eyes look at the High Prefect. His own eyes dart frantically over the tentacle creature, which is as high as three Yuuzhan Vong. He cannot see any injuries and the large, round eyes of the World Brain indicate no conflict, no excitement as a result of previous events... and this is exactly what makes Yun-Harla's servant deeply suspicious.
"Here!" he hears a desperate voice.
Yoog Skell turns away from the world brain and goes in the direction from where the call comes. He sees Nom Anor lying on the ground, bound with cables of the infidels that may be decades old.
How unworthy!
"What happened here?" Yoog Skell asks his subordinate.
"It would be better if you asked me that after you have freed me," Nom Anor replies bitterly.
Yoog Skell suppresses a sigh. "All right."
His Yorik coral knife cuts the plastic cables and Nom Anor stands up. Wounded pride and disappointment gleam in the Executor's blue eye as he draws himself to his full height.
"They fled," explains Nom Anor dejectedly. "Vergere hid a ship here and escaped with Jacen. I wanted to stop her, but... Vergere wields the Force like Jacen Solo. She tied me up while Jacen got the ship ready to go."
Yoog Skell's voice drips with outrage. "A technical ship – down here in the old Senate? That's impossible!"
"I thought that too. But it was one of our ships."
"And it was you who first paved the way for Vergere here. I saw it."
"I thought Vergere wanted to capture Jacen again, like she's done so many times before..."
"You thought…"
"No one knew Vergere was a Jedi, not even the Warmaster, whom she counseled for such a long time!" shouts Nom Anor. "So how could I…?"
"Save these words for your report to me," Yoog Skell says calmly. "I will countersign it this evening before I give it to Overlord Shimrra."
Nom Anor's good eye looks down. "Oh yes, the report."
"And Shimrra will have double-checked and countersigned my report by tomorrow morning at the latest."
Nom Anor's good eye blinks, but the Executor doesn't say a word, so Yoog Skell continues: "And the Overlord will certainly send a copy of my report to the Warmaster to triple-check and countersign it as well."
"Sure enough," Nom Anor repeats. "Now that you say it, High Prefect, something important occurs to me."
"Don't restrain yourself, Nom Anor."
"Certainly not."
Nom Anor silently reaches into his pocket, pulls out a yellow chunk of Blorash jelly, and throws it at Yoog Skell's feet. The yellow jelly binds the High Prefect's feet and he waves his arms excitedly.
"What are you doing, Nom Anor?"
Nom Anor's yellow face is cheerless as the Executor raises his amphistaff.
"Attention, High Prefect, it's about to get a little itchy," announces Nom Anor in a calm voice.
Yoog Skell clearly recognizes the black tattoos that wind their way across Nom Anor's forehead, ending in two neat curlicues on the Executor's brow... High Prefect Yoog Skell has always liked looking at these tattoos. And now it dawns on him: They are the last thing he will see.
And then the thick end of the amphistaff comes flying down onto his head.
After all ... It could have been worse.
༺༻
A few days later on the Domain Dal's worldship
Warmaster Tsavong Lah is once again undergoing a rather lengthy treatment by the shaper Ghithra Dal, because his latest implant, a radank leg that is intended to replace his sacrificed right forearm and hand, does not really want to attach. To make matters worse, Jacen Solo has also escaped with Vergere, making the idea of a twin sacrifice a thing of the past.
At least he is now alone with the priest Harrar in the command center of the world ship and can speak openly with his friend about everything that concerns him.
"I wish Nom Anor and Vergere had also sworn a blood oath to me so that I could hold them accountable for Jacen's escape as they deserve."
Harrar folds his hands in front of his chest. "Sometimes it is better to let the wrong people live than to execute the wrong people. Your son's actions at least meant that at least the Hapes Consortium didn't turn against us."
"Which was largely your doing, I suppose."
"I would never have succeeded without Khalee Lah," Harrar modestly passes on the praise.
Tsavong Lah clenches his Radank claw - more bad than good, because the intended fist remains half open. "But the twin sacrifice!"
"Perhaps the gods don't want this twin sacrifice at all," Priest Harrar ventures.
Tsavong Lah clenches his other, natural hand into a fist. Just three months ago, Nom Anor persuaded him that this twin sacrifice was incredibly important for the Yuuzhan Vong, and now the Executor has embarrassed himself again with one of his failed plans. Harrar might be right, but the Warmaster doesn't really believe it yet. He wants to be convinced.
"And how do you justify that?"
"Well, Jacen Solo escaped. We couldn't catch Jaina either. And if the two really and truly are the incarnations of the gods Yun-Yammka and Yun-Harla, then it would also be inappropriate to keep them with us. After all, we strive for the goodwill of the gods, not the other way around."
"What will Shimrra say to that?" the Warmaster utters another doubt.
"True leaders do not need anyone else's permission to do what is right, Mighty Lord!"
Tsavong Lah thinks about it. It is an absolute honor for him that his friend called him that. Priests rarely show such respect to warriors. So Harrar thinks this is really important. "Does that mean I should follow the Jeedai from now on?"
"What else do you have to do?," says Harrar imploringly. "After the conquest of Coruscant, the Overlord humiliated you in front of all the assembled dignitaries. He needs someone to blame when something goes wrong." The priest's voice becomes sympathetic. "Yesterday it was Ch'Gang Hool who was executed because the transformation of Yuuzhan'tar is not going as desired. Tomorrow it can be you."
"Then should we really defect? With all the troops I command?"
Harrar smiles. "If you were to bring something, someone, to the New Republic besides your troops, it would greatly underline the sincerity of your intentions and motivation, especially towards the Jeedai."
"But I have to go to the shaper Ghithra Dal once every week so that he can inspect my radank arm," the warmaster objects.
"Didn't Ghithra Dal himself recently say that your problematic limb is more a matter for the gods than for shapers?"
Tsavong Lah raises his eyebrows. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
"On this journey you will see whether you really need Ghithra Dal's shaper advice or not. And if we do, we can always call Nen Yim."
Tsavong Lah thinks this is a good idea. The heretical shaper still owes him something and he will demand it if necessary.
༺༻
Two days later
Princess Leia and Han Solo are on a secret diplomatic mission. On the way, the Millennium Falcon is torn out of hyperspace by a Yuuzhan Vong fleet using its Dovin Basal mines. But suddenly a squadron of clawcrafts rushes to the scene and drives the enemies away. The leader of the Claw Hunters is a human named Jagged Fel, who as a reward is allowed to board the Falcon and be treated to a warm meal.
"How is Jaina Solo?" he asks the veteran couple.
"Jaina keeps watching that holo speech from Tsavong Lah on Duro," Leia begins. "I caught her doing it again the other day and she turned very red!"
"But why does Jaina do something like that?" wonders Jagged Fel.
"She's probably feeling insane glee when she thinks about how Jacen cut off the Warmaster's foot just before he gave his speech," Leia explains with a smile, using the carving knife to cut off a large piece of oven-roasted meat in the middle of the dining table.
Jagged Fel begins to gag but manages to keep his food down. "Where is Jaina now?"
Leia shrugs. "What do I know? Hopefully back home soon. How is the Remnant Empire doing?"
"Bad," Jagged Fel mutters. "Grand Admiral Pellaeon is considering allying with the Yuuzhan Vong against the New Republic."
"That's interesting," says Han. "We were also just about to talk to Pellaeon about an alliance between the Remnant Empire and the New Republic."
Fel smiles bitterly. "Well then, good luck."
Jagged Fel leaves the Millennium Falcon and Han tugs on his wife's sleeve. "But darling, why are you telling the young man something like that about Jaina and that stupid holovid?"
Leia frowns. "This young man is very nice and he has helped us now, but I just don't want our daughter to marry an Imperial!"
Han puts his arm around her shoulders. "Be careful what you wish for, Princess. It could come true."
Leia suddenly stops. "What's wrong, darling?" Han asks.
"Jacen," Leia breathes. "Jacen is alive!"
The Millennium Falcon lands on Bastion, where Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon gives them a grand welcome. Later, over dinner, the Solos become disillusioned.
"Personally, I would really like to ally myself with the New Republic," Pellaeon assures his guests, "but the Moff Council will be against it."
"Well, why is that?" asks Leia, uncomprehending.
"The Moff Council wants the Empire to enter into such an alliance from a position of strength", Pellaeon explains. "That requires a few planets that the New Republic will give up to us after a number of well-arranged skirmishes so that I could demonstrate to the Moff Council how strong our Empire is and that there is no need to fear the New Republic."
"We should give you our planets?" asks Han angrily. "There is no need for an alliance with you. Then just attack us and get them!"
Leia places a hand on Han's forearm. "Honey, he means planets that we will retake from the Yuuzhan Vong."
"These are our planets too," Han hisses.
"The New Republic has many more planets than the Empire," says Pellaeon accusingly.
"And it won't cost the Yuuzhan Vong anything if you form an alliance with them instead and not with us," Han says.
"The Empire? – An alliance with the Yuuzhan Vong?" Pellaeon laughs loudly and artificially. "How did you come up with this absurd idea?"
"Instead of planets, how about some technical information about the Yuuzhan Vong?" Leia makes another suggestion. "Yammosks, Dovin Basals, Ooglith masks – the full program! And in return you give us information about routes in and out of the deep core?"
Pellaeon's brown eyes shine. "My dear princess, why don't you say that only now? Yes, the Moff Council will certainly agree to such a deal. And that means our planet number will be correct again at some point."
Han doesn't particularly like the Grand Admiral's last sentence, but he ignores it and instead beams at his relieved, happy wife. "And Head of State Cal Omas will be happy about the routes in and out of the deep core."
Leia winks mischievously. "When this war is over, we will go on a second honeymoon in the Deep Core. There are supposed to be some cozy places."
Tschurokk means something like: "Look, be a witness" in the Yuuzhan Vong language.