Pillio, Core Worlds...
Shaak Ti led a squad of Rebel Commandos as they fought their way passed the Imperial Defenders until they found what they were looking for.
The Emperor's Vault.
One of them anyway she conceded as she used the force to push the door open, revealing the small warehouse inside. The commandos moved in and carefully checked it for any automated defences and thankfully there were none. She walked in after them and saw crates piled all around with monitoring equipment and as she went through the crates she discovered art works that had been missing for decades, Sith relics and much more. Palpatine was a notorious hoarder she thought with disgust at how much he had stolen, one piece in particular she knew called the Crystal of the Stars, a crystal sculpture made of many coloured crystals which had a spectacular effect of different colours. It had been the prize of many galleries across the galaxy for years until just before the Clone Wars when in an extremely bloody heist that had left seventy three people dead it had been stolen. Either Palpatine had bought it on the black market or she tended to believe he had been the one behind the theft itself.
Much of this collection likely had similar bloody stories she thought with sadness at all of the lives lost solely to one man's greed.
After the attack on the wedding at Yavin 4 the Skywalkers had been working hard to try and take some kind of penance from the Emperor. The various powers of the galaxy were all pressing harder on the Empire than they ever had before, the Mandalorians certainly had as the Ordos were as furious as the Skywalkers and with all of their combined efforts the Empire had all but been pushed out of the Outer Rim and the Mid Rim, only a few small isolated bastions of Imperial Control still lingered there and it was only a matter of time before they lost them too. Eyes were turning towards the Core Worlds but they were still too heavily reinforced to even try and make a move towards Coruscant where the old decaying Sith Lord had holed up. Occasional missions like this one were possible but dangerous in small groups. The Ordos had even done their best to stop the flow of the special spice from the Pasdishah Imperium to the Emperor, denying him one of his few advantages and vices.
The Skywalkers though had found another way to get at the Emperor, they had already found one of his storehouses and vaults on Wayland earlier which had given them clues to several other locations with time, this one in particular she thought as she found an old Jedi Star Compass in one of the crates which made her blink in surprise, the Jedi Order had thought all of them destroyed or lost when worlds like Ossus had been devastated...they hadn't even had one in the Great Temple on Coruscant when it had still belonged to them and yet some how Palpatine had found one she thought in amazement.
She smiled, knowing the Jedi were going to be extremely happy to have this back and wondered if any more might exist across the galaxy somewhere? She would like to examine that and maybe delve deep into Jedi lore when the war was over...if she survived it she thought morbidly to herself.
She had always liked the idea of pursuing more scholarly work, investigating the past and uncovering answers to long held questions thrilled her although her duties as a Jedi had often kept her from enjoying such activities. In the long years she and the other Jedi who had left the temple with her had been hiding on Yavin 4 they had ventured to all of the different temples and palaces on the jungle moon. There had been many discoveries to make there and she had been genuinely enjoying herself in such work.
Alas it was now back to the sort of missions that she had undertaken during the Clone Wars for the Republic only now it was for the Rebellion to make sure that the galaxy would not remain under the boot heel of the Empire, she thought with some sadness. She knew it was important and necessary work but still it made her yearn for the days when she was able to pursue a more gentle and less destructive kind of work.
"General." One of her Rebel Commandos said, making her give them her attention. "The computer system has been breached, we have the database."
"Good, load up as much of this collection as we can carry. Some of it needs to be returned to its rightful owners and other pieces might be useful." She told them, not really comfortable commanding soldiers again but they did obey her orders and began to take both the crates and the database back to their ship. It would no doubt lead them to other vaults or observatories and they in turn would lead them to more. But the more they took from him the less he had which Shaak Ti thought was an appropriate punishment for one that took so much from everyone around the galaxy.
She just hoped that Master Jyl Somtay on Jakku was having as much favour from the force as she was having here. The other Jedi Master having gone to clear out another observatory that they had managed to discover the location of.
But then she thought back on the Ordos and felt a familiar worry rising up inside her as she knew that now the Mandalorians had conquered five hundred more star systems and were refusing to leave many of them like Rodia or Mirial. She knew getting them to leave those worlds without an extremely bloody fight was going to be nearly impossible, she thought back to her galactic history lessons and shuddered as she remembered just how bad some of those ancient wars with the Mandalorians had gotten. Until Revan had defeated and shattered them as a people they had been a near unstoppable force of conquest and destruction across the galaxy, for thousands of years they had remained broken and gotten weaker and weaker, devoid of a leader that could change this.
But now she thought with fear however much she tried to suppressed it but it lingered despite her efforts, they were unified again under a leader strong enough to hold them together and had rebuilt their fleet and army but worse than that they had the force on their side now...she thought with dread that they had so much power. That had always been the one real advantage the Jedi had over them but now it was within them as well, they even had lightsabers and the knowledge of how to use them.
If they truly did return to their old ways of conquest, what would be the cost of stopping them this time she thought with dread.
Shu-Torun, Mid Rim...
A large rebel taskforce was attacking Shu-Torun, a resource rich if largely volcanic world. The royal family there had once risen up against the Empire and nearly all of them had been killed for it except for the youngest daughter who now ruled as a puppet queen for the Empire. While you could be sympathetic to the young woman for losing her whole family, several opportunities to take her revenge had come and gone, in fact she had handed over rebel members who had come to negotiate with her to the Empire which had earned them a long and painful torture and then death.
She should have just sent them away because that had brought the wrath of the Rebellion down upon her and the Ore-Dukes were all too eager to get rid of the Empire for their own enrichment as without them they would rule the planet. In truth the Rebels weren't sure they would be a good group of people to run this planet but it was the best of a bad situation.
The Rebel Fleet had wasted no time in punching through whatever orbital defences that were there, made easy by the Empire ironically they all thought with a laugh as they had mandated that no station or ships or satellites could be used on Shu-Torun as a safeguard that it won't rise up against them again. That left only a few Imperial ships to defend the planet and make sure that the people below remembered just who they served.
With control of the space around the planet established the landing forces could move in, drop-ships moved towards the surface with fighter escort to make sure they made it down. The royal palace was firmly in their sights.
The garrison on the surface and the royal guards all took up positions to defend the palace while Queen Trios stood there, her face filled with dread at the coming attack. She watched as the rebel fighters began to strafe the ground, clearing a landing zone for their ships to land while walkers and whatever anti-air positions they had available fired back, the walkers were too slow and struggled to keep up with fighters that moved faster than they could dream of. The anti-air missiles were more effective, they hit one or two of them but that revealed their positions to the fighters who swiftly took them out. This allowed their ships to land and start unloading troops and vehicles.
She heard the heavy footsteps of her benefactor coming up next to her and his presence made her shudder with the intense cold it brought with it. She knew she owed him everything, her survival when her family had died, her position as queen, her control of the Ore-Dukes...everything. His faith and belief in her had been the only thing that had kept her alive but that did not mean that she didn't feel fear with every single second that she was in his intimidating presence.
"There is a Jedi leading the assault. That is my fight." Lord Fear said with disgust at the mere thought of a Jedi. No-one knew his real name, only that he was one of the Emperor's Dark Disciples and was a master at encouraging terror in the hearts of planets that dared to rise against the Empire.
"What about the rest?" Trios asked desperately as she saw that her people and the garrison were being pushed back but Lord Fear just told her with a stern harshness as he gripped her shoulder very tightly.
"Stand and fight, do your duty to the Empire." He said and she winced at the pressure he was applying so she quickly spoke to make him stop.
"Long Live the Empire." She said with a trembling in her voice from the pain in her shoulder and he replied before releasing his grip.
"Long Live the Empire." Lord Fear told her and he left to find his Jedi while she watched him go, her body nearly shaking but she managed to turn back to the glass and press her hand against it, feeling like a bird in a gilded cage, a performing animal for the Empire. Her father had been brave she thought with depression, he had been strong and so had the rest of her family as they had been prepared to fight and die for what they had believed in.
But she...just couldn't Trios thought with great emptiness. She didn't have it in her to resist as they had done, she just hadn't the courage to even try. So she just stared at the fight outside and hoped that the rebels would fall and leave this world, that way the Empire would not punish her again she thought with terror at being in the dudgeons of her own castle again and being subjected to the methods of Lord Fear for a second time.
- x -
The fighting was intense as the rebels soldiers pressed against the defenders, all around them soldiers were dying as the fight pressed on. T2-B Light tanks and T4-B Heavy Tanks clashed with the AT-ST and AT-AT walkers as the infantries on both sides met in a fierce exchange of laser, grenade and rocket fire.
Vel and Cassian were in the heart of the fighting, the noise was deafening as the battle raged on but they fought onward. Vel and Cassian with their blaster rifles in hand, doing their best to stay alive as fire from both enemy and ally alike flew only a very short distance above their heads while they added to it whenever they could get a shot. At their side was the hulking form of K-2SO, Cassian's reprogrammed Imperial Security Droid that he had acquired on his missions.
"I calculate our odds of survival are..." K-2SO started saying before Cassian cut him off.
"Shut up K-2."
"Suit yourself." K-2SO said and used his droid reflexes to down another two stormtroopers and a royal guard while Vel gritted her teeth at the annoying droid.
"Why did you program him to say things like that? Its a hard enough situation as it is." Vel asked him with anger and he just told her with a shrug.
"I didn't, that's just him."
Vel shook her head with exasperation before continuing with the fight, shooting down some more royal guards before thankfully the deadlock was broken by a flight of Y-Wings doing a bombing run and clearing out most of the forces in their direct path, this was accompanied by a LAATi gunship dropping someone by them, the yellow lightsaber acting as a beacon for their troops as a Jedi led them into battle.
Given how little the Jedi had been seen prior to the Clone Wars and even during they had an almost mystical aura around them and when one appeared it was always a sight to see. Their great deeds during the war had only fed this and made them seem even more impressive in the eyes of the people and the rebels that they fought alongside. Each telling seemed only to make it more impressive and while at their heart all of the rebels knew that Jedi were only mortal and could be killed, but it seemed like they could never lose with one at their side.
Vel and Cassian with this added boost to morale managed to get out of the trench they had become stuck in and press the attack, now reaching the gates of the palace where they finally came face to face with the Jedi.
Allara, former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker himself and had been a leading figure in the war in her own right, not counting the stature brought by being the student of the Jedi's greatest knight.
Her yellow lightsaber plunged into the closed doors and began to cut through the thick durasteel, it started to heat up before their eyes as she pressed her lightsaber to break the door lock. Eventually she pulled her saber out and then as they thought she was giving up she threw out her hands in a force push, the doors began to move and then opened wide enough for the rebels to enter the palace.
There at the top of the stairs was a bunch of stormtroopers and a tall figure in bile yellow and black robes, he had a lightsaber and they all felt a strange and bone deep chill from nowhere.
"You deal with the stormtroopers, this is my fight." Allara told them as she tightened her grip on her lightsaber and the others nodded, aware they were about to witness a rare event, a lightsaber duel.
"Fear, it is within all of us. Where does it hide in you?" The mysterious figure said before igniting a green coloured lightsaber and leaping into the fight. While the rebels and stormtroopers exchanged fire, their lightsabers met in a shower of sparks. Allara fell into her rapid and aggressive form 4 training, moving around the enemy like a blur that he was able to keep up with but as he held her in a saber lock he asked her.
"Why can't I sense your fear? You cannot hide fear and yet I can't feel it." He demanded with gritted teeth, he had always been able to sense the fears of others, pull them out into the open and use them against his opponents but in this woman he could feel nothing.
"Afraid of you? I have been within saber distance of Vader and lived, what are you compared to him?" Allara jeered at him before using a form 5 move she had learned from her master to gain greater leverage. "Besides, my master taught me to face my fears, there is nothing for you to latch onto here." She taunted him before she angled her lightsaber and cut off his hand on the wrist.
Lord Fear looked at the stump where his hand had once been and his saber still in his severed hand feel to the ground. Allara slashed him hard across the chest and ended his life with a single stroke.
That dealt with Allara joined the rebel soldiers in their fight, pressing forward it was a bloody struggle but they managed despite considerable losses reached the throne room and saw when they forced the door open that they were too late.
Queen Trios, last of the Shu-Torun royal family sat on her throne with a blaster burn at the side of the head while a single blaster pistol laying on the ground nearby.
Vel blinked and walked over, carefully checking for any traps before seeing that it was exactly what it appeared to be.
"She feared the Empire more than she feared death." Vel said with dismay at someone being driven to this, maybe if they had managed to capture her they might have been able to help her but she had killed herself rather than face the Empire's disappointment. This did mean that the planet would join the rebellion but it was a bitter sweet ending.
- x -
While other Alliance representatives were in discussions with the Ore-Dukes Cassian and Vel decided to take their leave, despite Vel being much better these days they just wanted some more autonomy after all of the battles they had been in...some freedom to do their own missions for awhile.
So they sneaked into the planet's impound yard and found just the ship for them.
"Hurry K-2." Cassian urged him as they wanted to get away before anyone could stop them. The YT-2400 light freighter was a perfect ship for them and they needed the freedom it would bring.
"If you would like to take a go yourself at overriding the security system, be my guest." K-2 said as he managed to unlock the ship's computer and they all rushed to board, Vel closing the ramp as the three of them rushed inside. Cassian and K-2 went to the cockpit and started the ship up and took off as quickly as possible. Vel joined them in the cockpit just in time to see them leave the atmosphere.
"So, where do we go?" Vel asked him and Cassian thought for a moment as they had the entire galaxy out there and they could literally go anywhere that they wanted. He then suggested.
"I heard there's some trouble on Roxuli."
"Then let's go." Vel said with a smile as Cassian smiled too, K-2 programmed the destination and pulled the lever, sending the ship into hyperspace.
Reijar, Ordo System...
"Clans." Ara asked intently as she looked at Leia who was frowning with intense recall.
"Wren, Pypus, Hy...Garn." Leia said with some struggle as she was drawing a blank. Ara glared at her.
"Of the ones you mentioned, one serves House Farr and the other two don't exist. Try again." She said with the sternness of a school master. Leia who was fed up stood and told her.
"This is impossible! How can you know all the names of all the clans!" She said and Ara whose glare was far stronger than hers just stared into her eyes and told her.
"It is not only possible but important as a Duchess that you do know all of the clans under you and what problems they face so you can address it." Ara told her without blinking, Leia was a little unnerved and sat back down before Ara sighed as this was getting them nowhere.
- x -
"The girl is intelligent. Why can't she remember?" Ara asked Haron as they got ready for bed and Haron smiled at her obvious annoyance.
"I suspect Leia is the sort of girl that learns more through doing than sitting in a classroom and with all due respect you are extremely dominating. It probably unnerves her." Haron offered and Ara was immediately offended.
"I am not dominating! I don't scare people." She said indignantly.
Haron just stared and she lasted all of five seconds before admitting it.
"Okay I scare people. But that doesn't make my points about Leia any less valid. The girl needs to know these things." Ara said and Haron nodded, he pondered the problem which was a bit distracting from the fact that the Empire had moved the Second Death Star before he and his people could attack and destroy it. He had their intelligence service working on it but so far they had no idea just where the blasted thing was now. Somewhere closer to the core but that was all they knew at the moment.
He managed to refocus though on the matter at hand and remembered that he had not really understood all of the different sects of Mandalorian culture either before his journey to meet all of the different houses, this led to an idea springing to mind that might be helpful to get Leia to understand the clans, learn by doing.
- x -
"Your mother is impossible" Leia said with an angry tone as she sat on the bed as Markus got undressed. "I can't learn it all in a day."
"My mother is a very demanding woman, her standards when me and the others were growing up were exactly the same. But I know she only pushes you if she knows you can achieve it." Markus said but added. "I will speak to her about it though. You're new to this, its not right to expect you to know it all straight away."
"Thanks." Leia said without enthusiasm before sighing as she got into bed. While being around Markus more openly and having more time together was amazing, but the pressure of trying to learn another culture was daunting to say the least. There was so much to learn she thought and wondered how long it would take her to get it all down.
"You will get this. I know its a lot but you will." Markus said as he put his arm around her and then added. "I will spend some time helping you." He said with a smile pressing his lips to her forehead and feeling his confidence in her and his willingness to help her was a great relief to Leia who snuggled into him.
- x -
The following morning Markus and Leia came down for breakfast, Ara was already there and waited for Haron who was attending to some business before he came into join them. He was smiling at the young couple and Ara then decided to speak.
"Your father and I have been talking. Since Leia has been struggling to learn the traditional way, perhaps something new is needed." Ara said with a stiff voice as she was still annoyed.
"What new approach?" Markus asked, wondering just what they had in mind before Haron told them.
"We are giving you the Star Chaser, as a sort of belated honeymoon you will visit each of the clans in turn and learn about them first hand. Maybe you might be able to find things we missed and better take it all in by seeing them with your own eyes." Haron explained.
The newly weds were surprised but both were extremely happy as it was great news, some time to themselves and for Leia especially it was a chance to travel and she had always learned more by doing than studying. Some time to just be a new married couple too wouldn't hurt.
Haron was happy they were happy, he just hoped that his sisters were having a good time on their mission in Wild Space. She had been reluctant to leave her work analysing the weather control technology, Metal-Crystal Phase Shifter and other innovations that they had discovered at the Maw Installation but he could only trust a mission as important as this one to their own family.
Recently Charted Planet, Wild Space...
The Empire's missions into Wild Space had revealed a number of new species that promised to potentially become major players in the wider galaxy some day.
Recently before their routes into Wild Space had been cut off they had encountered a race of warriors that might even give the Mandalorians a run for their money, one that fought against them with an unending determination. Their focus on the ways of war might have been limiting for them as a species but they had discovered another species nearby that was as interested in science and technology as they were in battles. An alliance had been struck and it had endured for generations, even leading to some cross breeding between the two and sharing a very rich territory.
Having cut the Imperial Expeditionary Force off from any potential reinforcements the Mandalorians had themselves encountered these two new species while chasing down the Imperials. Despite initial language barriers they had at least not started shooting at each other and after enough language translation programs had been run, they had come to an accord.
The last Imperial Forces in Wild Space had been forced to this moon and surrounded, now the fight was on to end the invasion once and for all before any kind of diplomatic efforts began.
Luxan ships where fighting alongside Mandalorian ones, using pulsed lasers that carried charged particles along the beam for extra damage, agile and flown with a great amount of skill. It was rare but the Mandalorians in space were impressed.
On the ground the story was no different as the Luxan warriors moved with incredible speed and agility for their size, being on average six to seven feet tall. They had pronounced ridges on their foreheads with long chins and tendrils that they named tenkas along with long thick beards.
They wore red and crimson leather like armour but what this lacked in protection it made up for in freedom of movement and the Luxans used this to the full. They had their ranks tattooed onto their exposed chest and necks and wielded heavy weapons like they weighed nothing.
Deera, Vysa and Lelia were all on the ground fighting while Zara kept a close eye on things in space and they were deeply impressed at how well the Luxans fought, they had no fear or hesitation, not a wasted movement or pointless banter. Their attention was completely on the battle and their marksmanship was on par with the Mandarlorians own.
Deera and Lelia used the force to lift a boulder to throw it at a walker and in doing so saved a group of Luxan warriors who looked over and cheered as best as they could understand it.
Vysa meanwhile was manning the heavy blaster turret on a damaged heavy tank while a group of Luxans defended her. She took a moment to look at the blades and gauntlets of the Luxans and saw to her surprise the familiar sheen of beskar! Somehow the Luxans had discovered the great potential of the ore as well and managed to figure out how to make it into weapons and gauntlets for their warriors.
The battle was fierce and difficult, the Imperials fought with the determination of knowing that since they weren't going to get out of this alive they might as well take as many people with them as possible. This made the battle drag on to the last man, many were laying dead by the end of the day but as the Mandalorians stood opposite the Luxans, a tense moment following as they had both proven their metal today but while some wondered if another fight was going to break out between the two equally proud warrior peoples, a Luxan warrior stepped towards Deera, her people raised their weapons thinking she was in danger but she gestured for them to lower their blasters, she didn't sense any ill intent and the Luxan which towered over her looked down at her before chuckling and holding out his arm with his open fist, Deera nodded before doing the same and clasping his hand as he clasped hers. The warriors on both sides cheered as the gesture while simple was telling.
They had earned each others respect, leaving the door open for them to become allies.
The Continental, Sundari, Mandalore...
The newest branch of the Continental, the Sundari branch was a marvel of elegance and Mandalorian styles. It was much like all branches of the Continental a place for various people connected to the Underworld to stay and rest while in complete safety. It also had the most advanced technology of any branch of the hotel and easily the best weapons.
Since Winston was the CEO of the Continental chain it was the best place for him to go while he taught young Nila Ordo to manage the affairs of her new world.
"So by both pressing their blood and finger print or other identifiable appendage onto the marker they seal the contract. Breaking it would be grounds for excommunication and not only would they be barred from ever using one of the Continental's branches ever again but also anywhere that the High Table holds sway. More than that every outlaw affiliated with both would be obliged to kill them." Winston told her firmly. "Rules even in the Underworld must be obeyed or we would have complete chaos, we would be like animals, so these agreements are never made lightly." Winston told her as Nila was to learn the secrets of the High Table, she would as the new leader of Phripalmur have a seat at that particular table one day, as many High Table meetings would be held there.
So it was critical that Nila knew the rules inside and out.
"Is there no way to break such an agreement?" Nila asked him and he shook his head although credited her for trying to find loopholes so that she was aware of them.
"No, once it is sealed it cannot ever be broken and must be seen to completion. Even I have to hold to the rules, if managers break them they are marked for death and their branches razed. That is the way it has always been." He said smiling at his eager student as they continued the lesson.
Ringo Vinda Shipyards, Mid Rim...
The large circular shipyard that encircled Ringo Vinda had been converted to build Star Destroyers and recently Super Star Destroyers as well given the rising threat posed by all of the forces that now were pressing at the Empire. With the loss of other shipyards closer to the front the workforce here was being pressed to full capacity to manage the intense work schedule that was being enforced on them.
The amount of construction and maintenance required vast amounts of resources to be shipped to the facility constantly, the existing support fleet was not capable of maintaining this constant movement of materials alongside keeping the vast Imperial Fleet fuelled, provisioned and equipped. Hiring out to private firms had been the only answer and many of them were actually not able to keep up with demand and were grabbing ships wherever they could to meet the Empire's requirements.
Some of them were fortunate enough to have a few Lucrehulks that had been salvaged after the Clone Wars and pressed into civilian service, given the sheer size of these vessels and their enormous internal space they were an absolute godsend for the fleet and without them they would have needed a dozen other smaller vessels just to get things done.
One such Lucrehulk dropped out of hyperspace, it had all of the right security codes and arrived on time as a delivery of fresh materials was about to come in. It came in to dock but outer panels on the hull slid away and allowed tens of thousands of Buzz droids which leapt from the docked ship onto the space station before scuttling their way along it.
The doors to the cargo port opened and the automated area did not receive the ores that they were expecting, instead it contained nearly three hundred thousand battle droids and a dozen figures with robes on that in places were covered by metal armour. They ignited lightsabers and led the droids as they charged forward, taking the few droids or personnel here by surprise as they rushed forward and seized the hover trains that carried the materials away from the docking port. Some of them going on one train in one direction while the other group with the lightsaber wielders went the other.
The Buzz droids began to either enter the facility through the exhaust ports or directly started sabotaging the station's systems from the outside. Lights began to flicker, the security system started going offline, defence computers crashed and fuel delivery systems began to back up and leak.
The first group of battle droids leapt off the train at random intervals and began shooting and blowing up everything that they could find, attacking fuel lines so the liquid tibanna exploded causing the most amount of damage possible while the second group arrived at their destination.
It was one of the repair docks, one of the biggest on the station that was their target. Shin Hati ignited her orange red coloured lightsaber and leapt into battle with her fellow Separatist Jedi behind her, the battle droids which had been augmented for this mission and were improved versions of the Commando droids from the Clone Wars opened fire on the Stormtroopers and Imperial personnel that were present as the saber wielders cut a path for them. They managed to force their way forward, Shin was sweating as she pressed her attack, cutting down those that came across her path and her first taste of real action.
Her master had warned her, Shin thought with terror at the enemy seeming to be all around her! He had known the chaotic pace of battle, he had seen it all of the time during the Clone Wars and he had told her that she must control her fear or it would make her freeze and she was struggling to do as he had taught her, to stop herself from hesitating as it would be death if she did, a blaster bolt going straight past her head a mere second after she moved it. But like he had told her, the rush of battle also made you sharper and stronger and faster too. She had never felt more alive than she had in this moment but led her fellow Separatist Jedi and their droids onto the ship that would carry them away from this place. They cut through the crew as they went and soon all of them were onboard which was when they triggered their exit strategy.
The Lucrehulk that had brought them here was still docked to the station and its hypermatter reactor on cue detonated as did the explosives they had left aboard, blowing the ring apart at that section.
The droids still on the station also began to self-destruct, causing greatest amount of damage possible.
Even though they were a good distance away the party aboard the Imperial vessel felt the explosion and were nearly thrown to the floor. Shin managed to stay on her feet and pressed the attack, using the fact the Imperials were as unsettled as they were to overwhelm them and arrive on the bridge of the ship, the captain turned his blaster on her as she came in and started shooting but she marched forward, deflecting his shots with ease as the droids and other Separatist Jedi filed in after her.
It took only moments to clear the bridge and the droids as they were programmed took the bridge stations while she stood in front of the enormous window.
"Have the buzz droids break the connections and engage sublight engines, load in the calculations for hyperspace." Shin ordered and the droids did not hesitate responding.
"Yes mistress."
Shin looked to her fellows and they all looked as nervous as she was but she managed to keep her face looking calm and composed although she had no real idea of just how she had managed it.
The buzz droids deactivated the docking clamps before they carried out their sabotage and self-destruct programming and the sublight engines of the stolen ship roared to life.
The Super Star Destroyer Reaper moved into open space at an agonisingly slow pace but the Imperials on the station were in chaos and had no time to deal with the errant ship, allowing it time to get far enough away to make the jump to hyperspace.
- x -
Raxus Prime, Separatist Alliance Space...
San Hill toured the ship his people had managed to steal from right under the Empire's noses and smirked at the embarrassment and likely punishment for allowing it to happen faced by those in authority. But it had come at a very welcome time for him as it allowed him to prove the power and cunning of the Separatists to some new prospective allies.
"It is not my plan to use this gargantuan vessel as part of our own fleet, far too wasteful but we intend to dismantle the ship two construct two new vessels. A new and improved version of our Subjugator-class Heavy Cruisers, it will allow our forces to compete on even terms with that of the other space powers around us." San said proudly to his new allies, the enormous size of the Super Star Destroyer was wasteful but it would be useful in dismantling it to build two enormous ships of their own, ones that would allow the Separatist Navy to compete with not only the enemy but also they own allies who had Super Dreadnoughts like it.
"The new ships will not have the same design flaw that doomed the Malevolence?" One of the representatives asked and San just kept the smile that he always had as a business man to mask his own annoyance at being questioned over that.
"Indeed, many improvements have been made to the design and it will be an extreme sign of power to have them leading our fleet." San said and the representatives broke into a private conversation before finally turning to San who patiently waited, eager to get this meeting on course.
"It is in our best interests to join the Separatist Alliance, the decision was unanimous Prime Minister Hill." The Leader of the Dawferim Selfhood States said with a nod, San was glad as it was a wealthy collection of systems that had come together in the wake of the Imperial retreat from the Outer and Mid Rims to protect itself from another collection of systems who were in prime position to prey on their worlds, the Botor Enclave which had been a puppet state of the Empire. War with them was a real possibility and so these new ships they were building would be a great asset in the fight to come, not to mention the Jedi they had been training were more formidable than he had hoped and would be a key factor in the war to come.
- x -
Baylan Skoll at the spaceport on Raxus Prime smiled as he saw his Jedi celebrating, they had worked hard to achieve their victory and he could see that one day they would be far more numerous than they were now and not all of them would be warriors. They would be many different things and serve not the Parliament of the Separatists but the force and themselves.
All that though he sensed hinged on the decision he was about to make.
It was time that he left, he could feel it in his bones but before he journeyed into Wild Space to seek out the vision that had been pulling at him for years but he did feel a deep sense of connection to his students, he felt responsible for them but he knew they must be allowed to make their own way in the galaxy and they were only going to make the right ones if he left the right person in charge.
He looked over several of them individually, seeing in the force that they were not the one that he could trust with their future. Finally he came to his first and brightest student who had led the raid on the shipyard so well. He had trained her to be more than a mere Jedi and here she was, ready to stand on her own. He had thought to take her with him but her path he could now see lay in another direction.
He smiled sadly as he knew it must be this way for the order that he had founded to survive and grow. They all noticed him and fell silent but he told them with a smile.
"Do not let me spoil your celebration, you earned yourself a great victory today. But I have another duty to do before I depart." Baylan said and the others all looked at him confused before Shin spoke up.
"You mean back to Gazian?" She asked but he told her with some sadness.
"No Shin, not this time. The time has come for me to leave and pass the torch to another." Baylan said and felt almost happy when they all started to say that he couldn't leave, they wanted him to stay but he held up his hand and silenced them. "This order will only thrive if I leave the right person in charge before I go. One who would honour the values that I have been trying to teach you for all this time. Shin, kneel." He commanded and the young woman suddenly realised that he was leaving her in charge! She almost stumbled as she knelt in front of him and all the others all fell silent.
Baylan ignited his lightsaber and held the blade close to her shoulders.
"By the rite of your achievements, by the will of the force and in light of your leadership and dedication I name you Shin Hati as the new leader of this new Order. May the force guide you in your new responsibilities and trust in yourself and it to find the path. You may rise." He said as he carefully moved the blade around her shoulders.
Deactivating his saber he allowed her to stand and she did so almost unsteadily given the bombshell that he had just dropped on her. He put his hand on her shoulder and told her.
"I know that I am leaving them in good hands. Farewell Shin." He said before leaving and after she had recovered her senses she called out to him.
"Safe journey...Master."
Baylan smiled sadly as he boarded his ship and left the planet, Shin was ready to lead them and they would do well under her. He would love to see that but his place was elsewhere, looking for the beginning, to end the cycle once and for all, he thought as he pointed his ship towards Wild Space and never looked back.
Coronet, Corellia...
"Remember, every decision you make in battle can mean the difference between life and death." Omega said as she looked down at their new recruits. "Turning right instead of left, ducking and rolling or veering to the side. Therefore you must train hard enough to know instinctively what to do in any given situation." Omega said to her students as they stood in front of her.
"Yes Commander." They replied and she sighed before telling them.
"Complete the course, in less than five minutes. Any longer...you have to start again and we are going to keep on doing it until you all do or quit. Get to it." She told them and they all jumped to obey her order.
She watched them leave with a frown, wondering just when she had become such a drill master, she was a commander in the Corellian Defence Force who had commanded missions that had the lives of hundreds if not thousands on her shoulders and these days she didn't have the guys with her. They were all still alive but they had mostly retired due to the advanced ageing they all had although they did still act as instructors at the academy.
Probably why she was here too she thought to herself.
But the reason for her change might be due to the fact that she had a lightsaber attached to her belt. Her high M-Count had been a surprise but with instruction from the Corellian Jedi she had eventually unlocked her abilities, it had been hard and taken a lot of effort but she had managed to learn how to use the force.
But for now she was not a Jedi, but an instructor and she watched as the students flailing about on the course she just shook her head as she knew they had a long way to go.