Chapter 6: The Ultimatum
April 8, 2225.
Inside the HQ of Lantillies, the crew of the Admonitor had gathered and organized a party to celebrate the glorious victory at the Roche Belt. With music from the stereos, some extra food and beer, the 101st was enjoying a deserved moment of peace.
But before they began, Iulius took the center of the room, dragging Pauly with him as they both held a glass of liquid happiness.
"Everyone! May I have your attention?" he said loudly, and soon enough the entire room fell into an attentive silence.
"Today we celebrate a victory that will no doubt remain forever in the history books. We have faced odds of 10 to 1 and we came out on top. Words cannot describe the pride I am feeling for all of you. My crew, my fleet...and my second family. I am proud of you all."
A loud and brief cheer boomed before Iulius resumed. "However, today we celebrate those who made this plan possible." he made a few steps back and put his arm around Pauly. "Starting with Ensign Lavinia Pauly. This plan was a brainchild of hers." As he said that last sentence, the crowd had already started clapping and whistling.
Then Iulius turned toward the other heroes. "And then...to our brave pilots. Mister Nembrek described you in his article as 'miraculous' and I couldn't agree more."
Another round of cheers followed.
At this point, Iulius assumed a more modest tone. It still underlined a certain positivity despite what he was about to say. "And just like you, all your comrades who, unfortunately, are not here with us, today."
The mood for a second shifted from feast to a brief but heartfelt mourning.
"In this battle, we lost many valiant friends. However, it is also thanks to their sacrifice that we achieved our triumph." he then rose his glass for all to see. "A toast, then. To the victorious dead." the rest of the crowd rose their glasses, too. "May their spirits guide us through our next challenges. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" the whole crowd replied before taking a sip. Then, finally, the party actually started. After all, death was a common presence in the lives of every soldier, especially in this war. Grieving for too much, especially with such a victory on your tab, would be a waste of energies.
It soon descended into contests of drinking, dancing, arm-wrestling and even singing. Most of the participants were in civilian outfits, reminding themselves that they were still normal people. Iulius was pretty much the only one wearing his high uniform, as protocol dictated that the commander always maintained a standard and reminded everybody to behave to a certain extent.
But it wasn't like the people of the 101st didn't know where the limits were, so Iulius took it quite easily, especially because he had something else entirely on his mind.
"Hey, boss, why the long face?"
It was Octis, who had spotted his friend isolating himself on the balcony of the palace they were being hosted in. He arrived wearing a casual white jacket and holding a glass of a local cocktail.
"Hey, Vin." Iulius greeted, trying to sound cheery. "Enjoying the party?"
"I should be asking that question. Come on, what's on your mind?"
Iulius hesitated, then sighed and replied. "I sent a request for additional supplies, yesterday. Minister Herbos replied that the Emperor is extremely pleased with our victory at Roche, but unfortunately there is a project that requires most of the supplies."
Vinicio at first was just staggered, then he just sighed and slumped on the handrail, too. "You know what? I'm not even going to complain."
The two sighed. Iulius hadn't expected much, but that he wasn't given anything after the impossible result he had achieved? That was basically the Government telling him to just keep going until he died. As a soldier, he certainly wasn't afraid to give up his life if it meant protecting his beloved ones and his country, but now he was being asked to die out of pure spite.
"Whatever." Octis suddenly blurted out optimistically, surprising the Lord-Protector. "I heard that we're receiving several 'donations' and that a few convoys have been 'misdirected' toward us. One way or another, I know you'll see us through this."
Iulius chuckled weakly. "I don't know if that's enough."
"Sir, you're Iulius Tanis, and this is the 101st." Vinicio insisted. "When the Federation first invaded and they were already aiming for the Core, you were the ones who beat them back to Lianna. You are the one who reshaped our Navy and Army to have a fighting chance. You are the one who defended the very world we're standing on right now and saved the Empire. And now, you have written a page of military textbook by scoring a victory that none of us could envision until a few rotations ago.
"So I'm pretty damn sure that it will take more than a few grumpy bureaucrats on Coruscant to take you down. Remember, sir: the people and the soldiers are with you. We know that you will get us through this, no matter the cost."
There was something in the way he had made that speech that Iulius found most compelling. Deep down, he knew that Octis wasn't exaggerating: the loyalty of every soldier and officer of the 101st certainly wasn't up to discussion.
Finally, the Grand Admiral chuckled. "Thanks, Vin. I really needed that."
The Captain smiled. "It's an honor to kick your butt back into gear, sir."
Iulius then sighed. "You know...the problem that is irritating me the most is actually another one: since they won't give me the supplies, I asked at least to see my wife, but they refused. They say she's involved in an important project and she can't be reached." then he clicked his tongue in a disgusted voice. "As if I didn't know that she's only a hostage on Coruscant."
Octis clicked his tongue in complete disapproval of the Government's behavior.
"Honestly, sir, why don't we just raid Coruscant and take her back?" he eventually suggested. "You deserve to have her around and she certainly did not deserve such a treatment."
"I'm not too worried about her safety." Iulius responded calmly. "She has Qathora with her, and Moff Gideon is keeping an eye out. What angers me is that, no matter how sincere my service to the Empire is, those walking Loth-rats can only think about punishing me."
"Then why don't we…" Octis replied out frustration, but then he halted all of a sudden, knowing that he would have said something extremely dangerous.
"Patience, my friend. In a few months, this problem will solve itself." Iulius replied firmly.
"Uh?" Octis asked at first, then he realized. "You really think the Emperor will lose at Endor?"
"The simple fact that he believes another Death Star will work is a sign of pure blindness. He is only thinking of his own strength, but if you ask me he is completely ignoring the fact that the Jedi have become much more powerful. The Bridgers themselves have matured significantly since the battle at Yavin and they will stop at nothing to kill him. I saw their determination on Ringo Vinda and trust me: unless the Emperor suddenly wakes up, he is heading straight into his demise."
Octis was honestly stunned by the coldness with which the Lord-Protector had made that assessment. If there had been anyone nearby who wasn't loyal to him, he would have been immediately reported.
"And what will happen once he is defeated?" the Captain finally asked with caution.
"Who knows. If things go like last time, the Empire's upper echelons will be mostly wiped out. There will be chaos. Otherwise...only time will tell."
There was nothing more to say, at least that's how they felt as they took a moment to look at the landscape.
"Hey, is everything all right?" a voice suddenly came from behind.
It was Yagler. Iulius had not seen her in particular at the start of the party, but she was wearing a dark-red dress that left her arms uncovered and the skirt was inflated, but it still fit with her skin color extremely well.
"Oh, you know, just enjoying the view." Octis quickly shielded.
"Really?" she replied, clearly not believing him, but knowing better than to pry into the mind of those two during a party. "I hope you're not finding an excuse to back out."
"Back out?" Vinicio asked perplexed.
"Did you really forget?" Cordelia replied annoyed. "You promised me a dance, had we won the battle. You have to do better than this if you want to find a girl."
Octis suddenly remembered. He then chuckled and replied "I'm really sorry, milady. Allow me."
He went and gently accompanied Yagler back inside. Iulius was left briefly stunned by that scene, then huffed amused, gave another look outside and finally went back.
April 12, 2228.
At the Academy, the news of the defeat at Roche had preoccupied the Jedi for a moment. The sentiment had then subsided a bit when they learned that the Ghost and its crew were still alive and well, but Ezra and Jaral were now worried that the Coalition might delay the attack on Endor.
For the moment, though, they had to focus on their training with Luke. And most of that training included that they all rotated in a 2v1, so that all of them would be prepared in case they were left alone against Vader and Palpatine at the same time.
Meanwhile, Sabine and the rest of the Ghost crew, who had been granted a short leave to recover and repair the freighter on the planet, were spectating and caring for the children, with other younglings looking with stupor at the skill of their Masters and the best Knight of the Order.
Right then, it was Jaral against the two men, and they were putting her in quite the difficult spot. She was being forced to fight with Ezra being the most insistent one, exploiting his strength and speed, while Luke attempted to strike at her back and used several Force abilities to try and destabilize her balance.
Still, Jaral held her own for several minutes, but she could never find a chance to counterattack, which was the point of the entire exercise, until Luke managed to sneak past her and deliver a blow with to her helmet, which concluded the training.
Jaral grunted in frustration. "Damn it."
"Hey, it's not like we did any better." Luke tried to console.
"That's not something to be proud of, Luke." Ezra said calmly. "If we can't defeat each other, what chance do we have against Palpatine and Vader?"
Luke felt that and made a contrived face.
"All right, it doesn't matter, now." the voice of Mira broke in. "I think you should focus on the fact that even two of you make a formidable team, and that one of you is clearly able to hold on until the others can come to the rescue."
The three looked at each other. Maybe it was an optimistic assessment, but it wasn't to be underestimated.
They smiled at her, then Ezra and Jaral felt a strange feeling coming from the main entrance of the Academy. And indeed, just a second later the guard contacted them on the comlink.
"Master Bridger, there is a man saying that he has a message from...well, from the Hutts."
"Let him in." Ezra replied calmly, then turned toward the other adults. "Guys, get the younglings in the mess hall and stay there. Don't get out until we say otherwise...it's the Hutts."
Those last three words immediately chased away any idea from Mira, Sabine, Hera or Zeb to protest and to just comply with the order. As the children were immediately transferred inside the fortified common building, the three Jedi waited on the training ground before the guards brought in front of them a humanoid alien with purple skin and long hair of the same color. They didn't know the species, and honestly he looked like a human with just that unusual skin color.
Except that the Bridgers knew that man, and as soon as she saw him, Jaral's blood froze in fear for a moment.
Ezra's, instead, started boiling with rage.
"He has no weapons, sir." the guard reported.
"He wouldn't have been wise to do the opposite." Ezra replied as he kept his stare on the man, who was sporting a devilishly smirk on his face. "Thank you, Corporal. Return to your post."
"Yes, sir." the Peacekeeper replied before him and his colleague went back to the checkpoint.
That left the alien to finally speak up. "It's been a while, you little fugitives."
"Melvek." Ezra said coldly, standing in front of his sister to reassure her. "I see you haven't given up on being a slimo."
"Hey, business is business. And the Hutts pay better than anyone else, if you can satisfy them."
"So now you sell slaves to them?"
The alien tilted his head. "Among other things. As of now, I am here to deliver a request from the Cartel: hand over your friend over there, so he can be judged for his crimes against the Hutts."
Straight and without any fear whatsoever. Melvek clearly imagined that the Jedi wouldn't kill him in cold blood or do anything to escalate the situation.
"I suppose you mean the death of Jabba." Ezra replied.
"There are testimonies that he is the mind behind his assassination. The Hutts, in their infinite benevolence, have decided to only pass their judgment onto him, and leave his other accomplices go." Melvek proclaimed with a certain amusement.
"Jabba had been offered the chance to negotiate. Not only he refused, he tried to kill Luke." Ezra replied firmly, then indicated Luke with a hand. "He had every right to defend himself. Had Jabba been more reasonable, he would still live...and I would still have my favorite alias."
The last, improvised phrase, actually managed to make Luke and even Jaral chuckle while Melvek was thrown off a little.
"I don't know what you're muttering about." he finally replied. "But this isn't up to debate. The Hutts want him, so surrender now or you will not have much left to live."
"Look, isn't there a way to simply make amend?" Luke intervened in a diplomatic way. "None of us has anything to gain from this conflict."
"I'm afraid that the Hutt's reputation is on the line, here." Melvek said. "You see, they just broke free from the clutches of the Consortium, and while they're trying to restore their prestige, you suddenly show up and kill their most powerful member. That's a big no-no, my boy. So: no. There is no alternative. So be a good sport and turn yourself over."
"If that is your best effort, Melvek, then you can keep dreaming." the voice of Jaral suddenly replied sternly as she went standing at the front.
For a moment, Ezra worried that she had snapped, but her mind was actually very calm and focused on the gravity of that conversation.
"Ah, little Jaral." Melvek said almost nostalgically, though in a malicious tone. "Had I known you could use the Force, you would have become my golden terka. You know what? I think we can broker another deal? You give yourself up as a slave for the Hutts, I get paid a lot of money, and your friend can walk free. Isn't it the greatest deal ever?"
In response, Jaral moved two fingers, and a moment later Melvek went from laughing to kissing the ground and being unable to stand up again.
As the alien grunted on the ground, being able to barely raise his head, Jaral walked in front of him and then knelt down.
"Now listen carefully: as we said, Luke had the right to defend himself. So now you go back and suggest to your owners that they forget about this incident and just resolve the matter of Jabba's inheritance by themselves. We will pretend this conversation never happened, but remember: if the Hutts want to go to war with the Jedi, then it will be the last mistake they ever do. We will erase that disgusting civilization of criminals and slavers from the face of the galaxy. Is that clear?"
Melvek grunted angrily once again before Jaral released him from her grip. The slaver then backed off and shouted "You will regret this, Jedi!" as he headed out.
"We already did." Jaral replied defiantly.
After finishing that, the group went to reassure the others at the mess hall that they could come out. The adults, who had watched the whole scene thanks to a security drone hiding on the ground, complimented the Jedi, but Mira had one question in mind.
"Guys, how did that guy know you?"
The siblings hesitated. Ezra at first looked at his sister, and when she only managed to lower her gaze and hug herself as if she was shivering from cold, he put a hand on her shoulder and decided to speak up on her behalf.
"It was a month or so before the Ghost found us. Jari was looking for any work available and she got lured in by Melvek. Long story short, she was locked away for a week and was about to be sold as a sex slave, but I managed to make her escape at the last moment. We never saw him again, though, and I honestly hoped he got himself killed horribly somewhere."
The adults were suddenly shocked by that revelation.
"You...never talked about this." Sabine commented.
"I...It's not something I remember gladly." Jaral replied.
Mira instead walked straight to her and hugged her. "It's okay, honey. You don't have to say it, if you don't want to."
Jaral returned the hug fondly, while Zeb spoke to Ezra.
"But does it mean we are at war with the Hutt, now?"
"I doubt they will let this slight pass." the Master replied calmly. "And we can't ask for help to the UACT, given how busy they are with the war. But if I think I know who can help us."
April 13, 2228.
"I must tell you, Your Majesty, that the Unionists are furious at our change of strategy." Mothma's hologram said. "They think that we're damaging the image and prestige of the UACT, other than giving Iulius the time to find new resources."
"Sounds to me like they are simply talking at the belly of the people. Or they have no idea how to wage a war." Francesco replied, a little bothered by that news.
"I agree with you, in general, but their rhetoric is indeed going somewhere. The public opinion on the HoloNet yearns revenge for the defeat at Roche, and learning that we have decided to avoid Iulius and attack where he isn't...I'm not saying everyone is taking this under warrior-like perspectives, but most of the people fear that we simply don't have a real fighting chance."
"We have to recognize it, though: we're not giving the impression of being strong." Claudio intervened. "And I'd argue that the greatest fear of the Andromedans is that they might get once again beneath the Imperial boot.
"That is very correct, Prince Claudio." the President replied. "While a small percentage of the population shares the basic ideology of the Unionists, everyone wants the Empire gone, or at least severely weakened. And I apologize for saying what will sound like blackmailing: but the New Republic is going to have its first real elections by the end of this year. Unless you want an ally set on total war, we need a victory."
Francesco hummed in thought. That was indeed a problem, because a New Republic falling into the hands of what were essentially nationalists set on the complete destruction of their enemy wasn't going to do the Federation any good, both in terms of public image and toward establishing a peaceful Andromeda.
"The only real victory we can hope to achieve at the moment will be at Endor." the Emperor said in the end. "Our forces are still bogged down on Eriadu, and until we take that planet, we don't have many options to advance in the Trailing Sectors. Maybe we should focus our efforts on the Hydian Way, then again on the Perlimian Route if the Lord-Protector gets out of there."
"But we would have to invade Lantillies. Last time it didn't go very well." Claudio reminded. "Maybe if we attack the planets on the side of the Route, another opportunity will arise."
"We can't afford to spread our forces too much: when we attack Endor, we will have to use all the strength we can spare, because we will likely find all the ships of the Core." the Emperor reasoned.
"But still, we can't just sit around. Not to mention the fact that we still don't have the plans for the new Death Star. I say we keep pushing into the Trailing Sectors, toward Wild Space. It won't be much, but that region is under the control of Coruscant. We have a much better chance to score a victory over there than insisting against the Mid Rim."
"You make a fair point: we still need to acquire the plans of the Death Star. We know that they have a planetary shield defending it, but we can't hope to destroy it without a valid schematic of the station." Mothma added.
The Emperor hummed in thought again. "Are the Bothan anyway near to find a clue?"
"They say they feel confident. But they refuse to disclose details, for the moment."
"Then I say we keep pushing in the Trailing Sectors. Once they find a clue, we will focus our agents on that matter, but we also need to wait until the Emperor will be aboard."
Mothma nodded. "Very well. I'll try to keep our heads together, in the meantime."
"Thank you, Madame President."
April 16, 2228.
Despite being the final stop of the Perlimian Trade Route and a passage with the Overic Griplink, the planet of Quermia was quite empty, with only a handful of settlements and only a spaceport at the largest town.
The Ghost had landed exactly into that spaceport, and had loaned a hangar for a couple of hours, which was expected to be enough for the three Jedi to meet their contact.
They arrived in front of a warehouse near the spaceport. There a guard only needed to glimpse under their cloaks and see their lightsabers to let them go inside. They found a group of people busy with moving around crates of goods of very dubious legality, but nothing like illegal weapons or drugs, at the very least.
"Welcome, Masters." a voice that the Bridgers hadn't heard in a while greeted them. They removed their cloaks and put them away in their omni-tools before Qi'ra emerged from one of the thinly illuminated rooms of that building and invited them inside what looked like the planning room of that small operation.
"Qi'ra." Jaral greeted cordially. "I hope business are going well."
"I don't really have a reason to complain. Rather, how's your hunt for the Sith going?"
"Heading straight for the final confrontation." Luke replied. "But the next move is not up to us."
"I see." she said, then looking at Luke with a certain interest. "So this is your Padawan, Ezra?"
"He's a Knight now. But yes, this is Luke Skywalker."
"Hello." the Knight said cordially.
"I understand you worked with Han for a lot of time." Qi'ra said nonchalantly.
Luke was taken off-guard for a moment. "You...you know Han?"
Qi'ra made a nostalgic smile. "We go back...a long while. But this ain't the moment. What brings you all here?"
"We're here to cash in on those favors we did you. Though I will admit this is quite a big repayment, we're asking." Jaral started.
Qi'ra seemed to already suspect something, but she still said "Go ahead, then. Let's see what you're up to."
"The request is as straight as it sounds impossible." Ezra replied. "We want to take down the Hutt Cartel."
Qi'ra couldn't help but to make a quick laugh. "You know, I knew you were coming to tell that, but your frankness always manages to get me. Look: I owe you quite the debt, but I'm afraid something like that is out of my range. I think it's out of anyone's range."
"I know it's crazy, but we do have a plan." Ezra replied with calm and decision.
Qi'ra stared at him for a while, as if to test his determination, but the Jedi Master clearly wasn't going to budge. Thus, she sighed and leaned her back against the edge of a table.
"I figured all of this was going to haunt me. All right, do your worst, Jedi." she quipped.
"Trust me. Once we're done, the criminal empire of the Hutt will collapse on itself. For people like you, this will be a huge opportunity, and the galaxy will certainly be a better place." Ezra replied.
Sure, he was willingly exaggerating, but in all their long history, the Hutts have been responsible for actual genocides, reducing entire species into a state of permanent slavery, wars...and there had never been a single occasion in which they tried to live peacefully with their neighbors, unless these were stronger than them.
The Hutts had been a plague on the galaxy, with their culture of submission, depravity and opulence. If anything, the galaxy was going to be a much better place if they lost their standing and the Cartel was destroyed.
So, the Masters started laying out their plan, and as they went on, Qi'ra became increasingly intrigued.
It really sounded like a delirium, but it was coming from people who had made achieving the impossible their core brand.