Chapter 49

Yuuzhan Vong

RAXUS

Temple Asimov, Vanguard War Camp

Ahkilleon walked up the steps of the Temple, he was exhausted from the mission before and as he headed through the doors he walked in on Rex, Hera, Kanan, Ezra and Chopper discussing something, he paid them no mind "Wait." Hera said not in a questioning way but a command, "Are you really going to stand by and let this happen, Ahkilleon?" Hera asked him.

"Let what happen, Hera?" Ahkilleon asked.

"You don't think we didn't hear the screams, Asimov is torturing Yuralen." Kanan told him, Ahkilleon turned his head slowly "And?"
"And? Ahkilleon we're supposed to be better than this?" Ezra asked him as the rebels approached him, Ahkilleon saw the look on their faces, "What do you think Rex?" Ahkilleon asked.

Rex had his arms folded "I served with Yuralen, fought with him, he chose the Empire but we're supposed to be different from the Empire."

Ahkilleon paused and thought on what they said, "He's a fascist, he gets what he deserves." Ahkilleon said ignoring their concern, "But Asimov is-" "BUT NOTHING HERA!" Ahkilleon shouted at him, holding his helmet up at her accusingly "We offered them peace, they killed their own men, we fight corrupt syndicates like the Hutt's and they hire them, they took your world and heritage no more. Lord Asimov is my Master, he may not be a good man but he is the man I will follow into hell."

Ahkilleon lowered his arm and sighed, "I… I'm exhausted, I'm hungry and I need a shower."

He left the rebels in the room, "You said he was facing a choice, Kanan has he made it?" Ezra asked.

"I think so, come on, we should get back to Chopper Base." Kanan said, putting his hand on Hera's shoulder.

LATER

Ahkilleon was sitting in the Temple garden, he had left his armor in his room and was only wearing the sleeveless robe and boots, B2 rolled up to him and noticed Ahkilleon was only wearing his robe, pants and boots. He had Militia Codex in his hands and was sifting through the chapters, "Hey Beetoo, just catching up on some reading." Ahkilleon said as he looked at one passage.

"The Militia Codes of War." Lord Asimov stood behind him, looking over his shoulder Ahkilleon saw him.

Ahkilleon looked down at it, "Figured I should I take a look at this, not seeing any mention of torture?" Ahkilleon asked him, "Is he still alive?"
"For the moment, I've extracted some information we've sent to the Hexagon for verification, I will continue later." Lord Asimov said as he felt Ahkilleon looking at the Militia Hex, "You disapprove?"

The young jedi was quiet, "Kanan, Hera and Ezra think we need to be better than the Empire Master."
"And what does Ahkilleon think?" Lord Asimov asked him as he joined him on the bench.

"I think… I think we've liberated more worlds than the Rebellion ever dreamed possible, I think we stopped Jerec from awakening the valley of the Jedi, I think the Militia is the best hope the Galaxy has of freedom, but I don't know at what price?" Ahkilleon asked him.

Asimov sighed "You're conviction, do you credit, padawan, in the last war a bounty hunter kidnapped younglings… Do you know this story?" Asimov asked.

"I do, one of my mother and father's first adventures was a bedtime story." Ahkilleon said, smiling at the memory.

"Did they tell you the part where Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi interrogated Cad Bane the way I'm interrogating Yuralen to find a missing holocron?" Lord Asimov asked, hands clasped together, Ahkilelon tensed up "... No, they left that part out, my mother only told me her Master figured it out."
"Figured it out, by prying it out of Cad Bane's twisted mind." Asimov said standing up and pacing "Without that information the Jedi would never have recovered the holocron, or saved the children."

Ahkilleon set the codex down, "Are you saying that the ends justify the means?"
"... Yes, I am, still not convinced?" Lord Asimov asked him, Ahkilelon looked at him "Teach me than?" Ahkilleon asked.

"Follow." Lord Asimov led Ahkilleon back into the temple to the communication tower, there Lord Asimov reached into his armor and pulled out a holodrive, he slipped it into the tower's holotable, and the Militia Hex appeared with the words 'Top Secret', "Years ago, before the Militia was what it was today, before we built Bastion Temple, before Trench's mind began to go, before Turok began spying for us on the Rebellion, and before we had men and women brave enough to answer the call, there were the Holdouts." Lord Asimov said as the hologram appeared showing a handful of people, General Freeman, as a younger man still older as a clone but with greying hair, Steela Gererra, Jaybo Hood, Trench, K'Kruhk, Turok, Kleeve, even a younger Petro no Asimov, and the padawan pack. "The Empire has been hunting us for months, we'd manage to steal Separatist Dreadnought before it could be decommissioned and fled into wild space, there we found what would become Arcadia." Lord Asimov showed a Separatist Dreadnought landing and on a wild untamed world of green and blue.

A younger Asimov, he wore a colorless mask with slits for eyes, metal like his helmet but still marked with teal and yellow "This is you, Master?" Ahkilleon asked.

"Happier days." Asimov said as he ran his fingers through the tholothian hologram, "We began laying the groundwork for the Militia, Kleeve and Trench's droids worked tirelessly to build us a home, and in doing so we saw their worth." The holograms showed the holdouts and the droid building structures, clearing forests "Industry, innovation, and resources combined we began to rebuild the droid army and with it more people to our cause." more droids began to appear, Zatt and a younger Kazdan Paratus with Jaybo hood worked on the first B5 battle droid, and even people "What does this have to do with Yuralen's torture?"
The images changed, and it showed a B5 battle droid squad on patrol, suddenly it was attacked by something, a warrior in dark spiky armor appeared wielding a whip, no a staff, now it was like a red snake like dragon attacking the droids before disappearing howling a war cry "What was that?"

"That was the Militia's first test." Lord Asimov reversed the image to show the attacker, it was a warrior but not like any Ahkilleon had seen it wore strange carapace like armor, spikey, bladed and black as ore, it's skin was muscled a pale bone white with piercings and pointed ears, ridges covered it's forehead and fangs "What… who is that?"
"I never got his name." the hologram changed to show a jedi with a blue lightsaber, Petro bleeding and scared standing over the dead warrior, "But we soon learned they were called the Yuuzhan Vong, a species alien to even our galaxy they have no technology everything from their armor, their weapons and their ships are organic to them technology was a sin against nature." Lord Asimov said.

Ahkilleon looked at the creature, "Why are you showing me this."
"One of their scout ships had arrived on Arcadia, from where we did not know. We tried to reason with them, Master's K'Kruhk, Saa and Tholme ventured out and made contact, they disappeared and the Vong returned with an army to crush us."

The holograms showed a small Militia town under siege by the creatures called the Vong, Ahkilleon saw the droid army holding fast to the Vong, a padawan pack and the jedi survivors old enough to fighting for their lives. "Wave after wave the Vong attacked us, and repulse after repulse the droid army held firm with us at its side many died, till it was decided we had to rescue Tholme, K'Kruhk and Saa and find out where the Vong were coming from."
Lord Asimov showed another image, it was a younger Asimov, Steela, Turok, Kleeve, Katooni, Zatt and Byph with a handful of men and women in prototype Militia armor, "The first recruits we had were from Steela's own efforts, Onderonian freedom fighters, Umbaran soldiers, Geonosian exiles. There were over five hundred of us on this strike team, we had no way of reverse engineering their technology to find out where they had come from, but we did have a prisoner."

The hologram changed to show a lone Vong warrior chained like an animal, the image showed Petro, standing over him with a familiar golden face, Caliban stood over him and two 'jedi' held their hands out and started to use the force to tear out his thoughts, Ahkilleon watched the Vong scream and his eyes, nose and ears bleed before the Vong fell forward lobotomised. "K'Kruhk and Saa are alive, and Saa told me Tholme died an old man so you succeed, because of torture."

"That is not the lesson here." Asimov said the hologram continued, Ahkilleon watched a recording of a battle the strike team engaging the Vong on a world that was so alien to Ahkilleon he had no words to describe it, nature had been warped and mutated, spores and fungus over rode forests and jungles, gas and fumes were everywhere it all looked sick "The Vong had found a world, they had organic technology that could terraform it into a monstrous version of their own worlds, we were able to free the three. Not only were they torturing the others for information about us, but how to get to the core and start their invasion."
"Invasion?" Ahkilleon asked.

Asimov nodded, "The Vong weren't going to just be satisfied with one world, they wanted our entire galaxy, maybe the Empire could have stopped them, maybe… but that would justified a fascist regime, who's to say."
Ahkilleon leaned on the table, "This was… this was the war that Steela was talking about, why the Mavericks and the Vanguard don't get along."
The hologram showed another battle, Asimov, Caliban, Turok and Steela were fighting their way through the Vong to a ship, "You said your mother told you of her adventures, did she ever tell you of her time on Naboo, with a Doctor Vindi."

"The mad scientist, he tried to recreate the blue Shadow Virus?" Ahkilleon asked him, Asimov nodded "How?" Asimov asked him, as if he didn't already know the answer.

Ahkilleon looked at the fighting, "He turned it from a liquid into a gas, so it would spread… through the air… Master no?" Ahkilleon asked.

Lord Asimov fast forwarded to show the Militia by a ship setting up a device, a series of canisters, "Five hundred of us went." Ahkilleon saw it was just Asimov, Caliban, Turok and Steela, "Four of you left…" Ahkilleon whispered. The recording ended with the four of them putting on masks and a blue cloud of death covering everything.

"What happened to the rest of your men?" Ahkilleon asked.

"The Vong had to think this was a vanguard for a full scale invasion, we sent Steela's recruits on an assault to the main base on the Vong's world, we told them and Steela it was a fueling station nothing more, not the main Vong army." Ahkilleon felt his legs get weak and he leaned on the table, "That's why she doesn't trust you, you sent her men to their deaths all for…" "Say it." Lord Asimov told him the hologram resumed showing millions of dead Vong, the demonic looking warriors dead, shriveled up and rotting.

"Genocide." Ahkilleon said with disgust, "How… HOW COULD YOU!" Ahkilelon ripped his lightsaber from his belt and turned it on, "Tell me it's not true, tell me this is all some lie, TELL ME!"

Asimov reached up and removed his helmet so he could look Ahkilleon in the eye, "It's true."
Ahkilleon raised his lightsaber "I should kill you, I should leave I… I-" "Chose to become my apprentice, I have never lied to you about what we we're doing, I have never been anything what the galaxy made me into and instead of running from these horrors I embrace them."

"Embrace them, you killed an entire world-" "To save an entire Galaxy." Asimov said in a hushed tone.

Ahkilleon's lightsaber hand trembled, "That… that-" "Is the reality of war, ideals like honor and justice are what chained the Jedi of old to inaction, if you are to be Jedi King one day you can be the good man who does nothing, or you can bare the weight of these choices and lead us to a better tomorrow."
"I… I can't- I won't Master, I won't be the Jedi King of this is what it leads to." Ahkilleon snapped.

"Yes you can, you must only lead us." Asimov argued "No, no I-" "Will be better than me!" Lord Asimov shouted.

Ahkilleon went rigid, lowering his arm, "Look at me Ahkilleon, look at my face, my body, I cannot be king, the Vanguard follows me like any of the armies would their warlord. But the Militia loves you, you won the trust of the Devils, the Respect of the Mavericks and Steela, the people from here to Coruscant know your name. Great men are not chosen to lead, they are called to it."

"But Kenobi, he's a better choice he's-" "Not here, you are." Lord Asimov said to him, "You have fought the Empire, you've made the sacrifice, you saved our men time and time again, not Kenobi."
Ahkilleon turned the lightsaber off, he sighed "The Vong, there really wasn't any other way?"

"No, they would have killed everything in their path, do you understand why we did what we did, why we will bare that sin for all our lives, a stain on the Militia forever." Lord Asimov said to him, Ahkilleon was silent for a really long time, he paced away as he absorbed the information. "I…" Ahkilleon looked out one of the windows and in the distance, he could feel the force wavering between him and far off on the world of Atollon, Kanan was meditating, Bendu was rousing from his sleep, and even in the far hidden bunkers of Mandalore Sabine felt something pass through her, as Ahkilleon said "... I understand."

"Yuralen, what did you learn?" he asked to change the subject.

"Enough, enough to know who the spy is." Lord Asimov said to him.

Ahkilleon turned to him, "Who?"
"Someone I once trusted with my life." Asimov said as he slipped his helmet on "Get your armor on, and meet me by the landing pad.

Later, Ahkilleon was walking out in his armor and boarded a transport for Raxulon, the ship flew over the planes and into the city toward the Union Hall, the Parliament building that stood for the Separatist leaders and now the Militia, a short walk through the corridors they entered into the mostly empty chamber, there General Freeman stood with his Azure guard, holograms of Steela, Caliban and Trench stood with the real bodies of Kleeve, the nemodian Lok Durd and Mar Tuuk stood. "Asimov, why have you called us all here after your little kidnapping, Yuralen should be secured under the Hexagon not in your private little city." Steela chastised as she stood on Geonosis surrounded by the Mavericks.

"For the sake of why I called you all here Warlords, because trust is in short supply."
"Ah yes, this business of the spy, I deduced as much." Tuuk said, scratching his oily frog like skin.

The Militia leaders looked at one another as General Freeman took a seat, "Well, I take it you have a lead?" the old clone asked, everyone murmured to themselves.

Asimov nodded "I do." Lord Asimov said as everyone went still.

"We first learned of this spy when an assassination attempt was made on my padawans life and his companion the Mandalorain Warrior Sabine Wren." Lord Asimov said putting his hand on Ahkilleon's shoulder, but it had been Sabine's, "Following suit, our strike against the Empire on Naboo was quickly countered by an Imperial force led by Vader." Lord Asimov said "One where I almost lost my own life."
The Warlords listened and Ahkilleon watched their faces, none seemed worried or showed any fear "Our forces were halted into a stalemate that has been draining us of men, droids and resources, but… who would have access to all our movements. As Individual Warlords our strategies are diverse and objectives general it would have to be someone who was interconnected to us all."
"Somone, who could go directly to Imperial intelligence to give them our movements before we made them." Lord Asimov continued.

"If that were true, they could easily give them the access codes to shut down our droid armies, the hyperspace route to Arcadia." Kleeve said to Asimov.

"Indeed, but we each have our individual codes for our droids, and Arcadia would be given to much for the Empire to keep needing them, this spy is playing the long game. Bleeding us dry until the Empire makes their way over against Raxus because as of now the Raxus guard is impregnable." Lord Asimov gestured out the window to the hundreds of dreadnoughts above the sky.

General Freeman leaned forward, "If you know who, then tell us Asimov."
There was a long pause, Ahkilleon felt the room go so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat, "It is with no pleasure I tell you this Warlords, comrades but our traitor is here." Lord Asimov slowly raised his arm and pointed in the direction of one of the holograms, "Caliban is the traitor."
Everyone snapped their heads to the golden masked Claiban who stood their in his holographic form, "Is this a joke Asimov?" Caliban asked.

"No joke traitor, you wouldn't be here if you weren't guilty." Asimov said as he lowered his arm, "This is preposterous." Caliban said hand up "You're only proof is your torture on Yuralen, that dog would say anything to save his own life."

"And so would you, you are the Warlord of Shadows, accessible to every strategy and movement of our fleets Caliban, you hide away on your Subjugator ship, an army of spies and assassins guarding you."

Steela, Trench and the others backed away from Caliban who stood their, "That's your proof, suspicious hearsay and the words of an Imperial, where's your proof."
There was a loud whistle from the entrance and Turok walked in, holding a holo device "You rang?" he flung the device over to Lord Asimov who turned it on, and a holorecording of Yuralen and Caliban speaking appeared. "You're assassin failed, the girl and boy are still alive and now their heading for Naboo with the entire Vanguard, you need to move quickly."
"Naboo, they wouldn't dare." Colonel Yuralen said, "Asimov is coming, make no mistake, they've already left for Naboo, you must hurry if you wan't the Empire to save face."
Yuralen scratched his mustache, "Very well, we will-" Asimov cut the recording and tossed it to General Freeman who caught it, "That's a forgery, a lie. I would never serve the Empire I…" Caliban looked around and saw the writing was on the wall, he turned to Asimov "Do it." Caliban said.

Ahkilleon saw the air flicker above Asimov, "Master!" Ahkilleon leapt up drawing both his lightsabers slicing through the shimmer and the body of one of Caliban's black clad bird masked assassins hit the ground holding a vibrosword.

"Traitor!" Kleeve shouted as more assassins appeared from thin air, the Azure guard drew their blades and pistols, Trench deactivated his hologram and steela watched as one of the assassins swung at Kleeve, "Kleeve!" Steela shouted, the blade slashed Kleeve across the arm but he was able to shoot the assassin, "To arms!" Asimov shouted drawing his lightsaber as Turok opened fire from cover, suddenly another one of the assassins appeared behind him and slashed down on his mechano arm, cutting it off. "Turok!" Ahkilelon drew his hand back and blasted the assassin into the wall shattering his neck.

Asimov engaged three all at once severing ones head, kicking another away and impaling the third the Azure guard surrounded Fives who watched it all, as the assassins were cut down in seconds by Ahkilleon and Asimov, when the last one fell to Asimov's blade, all eyes went to the hologram of Caliban.

"I'll see you soon Asimov, very soon." and Caliban turned off the connection disappearing.

Ahkilleon ran over to Turok who got up, "I'm alright lad."

Kleeve got up holding his arm, "I never liked him anyway, that golden mask of his." Kleeve said as the doors burst open with Militia regulars who secured the room.

"Send word to all fleets, that Caliban is the traitor, scan the ship for all lifeforms for more of his birds." Lord Asimov told the others, "Caliban, after all these years how could you betray us." Steela said.

"His motives are hidden, but this attack confirms his guilt. He must be eliminated." Tuuk said in a cold calculated voice.

"But first we have to find him." General Freeman said as he looked over the dead assassins, "And even when we do, that Subjugator won't go down without a fight, it's Ion cannon will cripple any fleet we send against it, not to mention it will be crawling with his assassins." Fives said as he looked it over.

He turned to Lord Asimov, "I assume you already have a plan."
"I am General, but first we have to deal with his accomplice, Col Yuralen." Lord Asimov stated.

Fives stroked his mustache, "We still need information out of him."
"We can't risk him being rescued, we only know how deep Caliban's betrayal goes, he must be executed immediately, publiclay." Lord Asimov said.

Freeman turned, "No, send him to the Hexagon, my Azure Guard will take custody of him."

"... As you command General, but we must move quickly against Caliban. He won't stay in our reach for very long."
"But the only fleets we have on standby are the Devil's, the Free Company and the Vanguard." Steela said as she lookdd at Kleeve, who shook his head "My fleet is still suffering from our last defeat."

Tuuk cleared his throat, "The Free Company stands ready, our reinforcement of droids are more than a match for this traitor."
"And so is the Vanguard, they will want revenge for Naboo." Lord Asimov said.

"Very well, Tuuk, Durd, Asimov assemble your armada and hunt that traitor down, but take the Subjugator. I always wondered why he never allowed anyone to scan the ship to reproduce them now I know why." Freeman said as he turned to go "But bring him to me, alive."

"As you command General." Lord Asimov said.