StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Million to one chances always come through for the heroes. It's practically a universal law. Even Han Solo had to admit that the destruction of the Death Star was one in a million, and he won a battered old freighter in a card game, so he should know a thing or two about odds.

There are roughly a hundred billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and that leaves a lot of places to hide. In exchange for services rendered, Nom Anor gave Garak the means to produce the coral ships and skippers used. He chose out of the way places, unsettled systems across the galaxy, on moons or lifeless worlds. All told, he selected close to fifty places to grow his ships. Of course, the Imperials were interested in hunting down Garak's group, which was why Garak insisted those worlds never be ones where a base would be even considered. If the Empire stumbled across one by accident, they would know what was going on and devote more resources to the search. They devoted thousands of probe droids to search for the bases of Cardassians, Hirogen, Section 31, and the holograms, choosing likely systems for all those groups. But the odds of randomly selecting one of Garak's systems works out to, believe it or not, a million to one. Somehow, the Empire didn't beat the odds.

Garak made a few coralships, but the real prize for him were the coralskippers. He operated as a terrorist because he lacked large numbers, but he knew that the Vong could control these ships with their yammosk. With time, he knew they could develop a computer that could likely do the same thing, so he had grown thousands of the fighter-like craft on his various worlds. The progress was stymied by his incarceration, but the ships were there. The Oracle's plan had counted on them, and he started to wonder if her suggestion that he ask for them was in anticipation of this very situation. Whatever the case, she was right that the Vong were destroying the Empire, and helping them would help themselves in the long run.

Hundreds of transport ships dropped out of hyperspace simultaneously across thousands of parsecs. The targets were chosen based upon the data gathered by Ben Skywalker's Sith forces to cause a maximum amount of chaos, and they did. The transports dropped countless numbers of coralships into space before vanishing. There were no pilots, but there didn't need to be. There was a war coordinator on hand... not a yammosk, but in some ways, it was something better.

No one could have imagined how surprised Nom Anor would be when the Hive informed him of Garak's plan. The Oracle had apparently informed one of the duplicates deliberately that Garak would do this months before, back when everyone assumed the Cardassian was going to be executed. It was disconcerting that Garak's witch could be so accurate, but he was willing to go along with her plan, as it was going to work much better than what he had originally planned for this scenario. Still, he wasn't entirely certain of its success until the Hive informed him that the coralskippers had been deployed and it had assumed control.

No one had been prepared for this. The security breach was known, of course, but the anticipation was for terrorist attacks or perhaps a squad of Hirogens. Instead hundreds of coralskippers descended on unprepared targets, ranging from military installations to civilian infrastructure to space stations. Planetary defenses consisted of outdated defense platforms, sometimes some fighter squadrons, but they were no match for the numbers involved, not to mention the fact that there was no concern for personal safety among the Vong ships because they were unmanned. Left unchecked, they would cause widespread chaos throughout several sectors.

And in the middle of it all was Kolyet and its star destroyer blockade.

There were thirty Imperator-class Star Destroyers on hand, and one Eclipse, the Shade. If any left, it would increase the Vong's chances of lowering the shield and making a successful escape. The Senate was scheduled to vote on the deployment of its superlaser that day, but it would come too late to do any good. Captain Dorrin wrung his hands as reports came in of the attacks. As captain of the most powerful ship in the blockade, he did have the authority to send the rest of the fleet out to quell the attacks. This was an obvious diversion effort, which could have catastrophic consequences if he played into it. On the other hand, letting the Vong wreak unchecked havoc across Imperial worlds while the fleet did nothing would only further the cause of separation. Dorrin knew the Empire could stand or fall based on his decision, and it wasn't one he had woken up that morning prepared to make.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the viewpoint, the decision was taken out of his hands. Admiral Yunar appeared across the blockade, hiding under his desk as his base was shaken by coralskipper bombardments. On his authority, he ordered the fleet to deploy whatever ships were necessary to stop the Vong attacks.

"And what of Kolyet?" Dorrin asked quickly.

"It'll still be there whe-" The signal was cut off, although it was obviously because of a loss of the transmitter than the admiral's untimely demise. Dorrin leaned wearily on the wall, still looking at the blank picture.

Dorrin's executive officer cleared his throat. "Orders, sir?"

Dorrin shook his head a little. "This is exactly what the Vong want us to do."

"Yes, sir. But the admiral's orders were clear, sir."

"He wasn't in a position to look at the larger picture," Dorrin said in a voice only the two of them could hear. "It's a bad decision."

The XO was noncommittal. "But it was his decision to make, sir." Dorrin said nothing, he just turned it over and over in his mind. "Sir?" Still nothing. "They're running out of time, sir."

Dorrin gave a small nod. "Against my objection," he said in a loud voice, "we are deploying the fleet. Transmit the orders."

"Aye sir," the XO said, and went off to coordinate with the other captains. Dorrin looked up and saw Kolyet through the window. On that world was a force that could bring the Empire to its knees, and here he sat with the capability of eliminating that threat with a single stroke. The capability, but not the power. On one hand was decades of training and service telling him to follow orders, and on the other the knowledge that those orders prevented him from delivering a crippling blow to their mortal enemy. He had been told what felt like a thousand times that the superlaser was not under his control. He didn't make the decision to fire it, he was just the hand that pulled the trigger when the brain decided it was time. It was training and conditioning that had held him back, and it was simple common sense for him to move forward. The more he thought about it, the more insane it all became. You are the protector of the Empire. We place our lives in your hands. Here is a weapon that will obliterate our enemies; don't fire it. Stand by and do nothing, because you are our protector. It was governmental schizophrenia.

Dorrin knew what he needed to do, but he had to find a way to justify it in his mind. It was a technicality, he reminded himself. The minister, the military leadership, everyone wanted this planet destroyed, it was just a matter of political maneuvering that had delayed it. It's not disobeying orders, he told himself, it's merely taking the initiative. Thin stuff, but if they took his commission over it, so be it. "Lieutenant," he said, standing up properly and straightening out his uniform. "Prepare a firing solution."

"Aye, sir," the lieutenant said without batting an eye. He obviously knew the protocol, but he also knew the obvious decision under the circumstances. Moral dilemmas were something that happened to senior officers.

As expected the XO was at his side in a flash. "Sir," he said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "we can't fire without authorization."

"We can," Dorrin said back in the same tone. "We just shouldn't."

"Captain, the protocols are explicit," the XO said. "No one on this ship, not even you, has the authority to use that weapon."

Dorrin had expected this kind of resistance. The XO's training had hammered into him that even if he objected, he was still responsible for not stopping a rogue captain from firing the superlaser. "I was just following orders" doesn't cut it when you've blown up a planet. "Protocols exist, commander, so that you don't break them without thinking things through."

"Sir," the XO said with just the slightest edge in his voice, "please don't make me countermand your orders."

Dorrin was silent. "You would mutiny?"

"I have no choice, sir," the XO said. "I have my orders too."

"The men would follow me, you know," Dorrin said. "This is the only rational course of action."

"Perhaps," the XO said, "but we don't have that luxury." It wasn't a blaster bolt; the sound was all wrong. A kind of deep energetic whistle, like a morose party favor, accompanied by a blue ring. The stun blast struck Dorrin's solar plexus before he even realized his XO was holding the pistol. He was unconscious before he hit the floor. "I'm assuming command," the XO said loudly. "Stand down firing solution, prepare to engage the Vong. We'll not let them escape without a fight." There was some uncertainty amongst the men. "You can't fire the superlaser without the command codes," the XO pointed out. "Watch for the Vong's launch vector and move us to intercept. All gunner crews are permitted to fire when they have a target."

The rest of the fleet was already gone. Nom Anor's coral ships had been located across the planet's surface, ensuring that no one ship could stop them all. Together they might have a chance against the Eclipse, but one Imperial ship, no matter its size, was worth risking the Hive. The shield fell, and they made a break for it. The Shade blew away three coralships immediately, and caught another two attempting to flee, but it was a small percentage of the Hive, and Nom Anor himself managed to escape on a single coralskipper. He'd reasoned that they wouldn't waste their efforts on one small ship given the choice of targets, and it was important that he escape as well. Without him, the Hive would lack direction, and could even become a threat to the Vong.

The Shade tried to follow the escaping fleet, but the Vong forces quickly scattered. Eventually, their forces were lost in hyperspace, and the Shade had to give up the hunt. Captain Dorrin had recovered by then and had his XO thrown in the brig for mutiny. As for the rest of their fleet, the Vong coralskippers had been destroyed or driven off with little further loss to the Empire. It was a rather small victory compared to what Dorrin knew would come of the Vong's escape.
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Alema Rar, like many of the students, didn't get on too well with Jacen Solo, but when he told her they were going on special assignment into Vong territory, refusing wasn't even considered. The Twi'lek girl had a score to settle with the Vong, and while vengeance was not an idea the Jedi believed in, there was nothing wrong with striking a blow against their enemy to further the war effort. Still, she wasn't particularly happy with the company she was keeping, and she barely said three words the entire trip into Vong space. Things all changed once they exited hyperspace. Jacen flipped on the ship's cloaking device, causing all the sensors to go dead and plunging them into darkness. He explained to her what he was doing, how the Force was guiding him so that he wouldn't fly into anything. With it, you didn't need eyes or sensors, just your instincts. She understood, but she was glad she wasn't the once at the controls; she had accepted a lot, but landing blind was something she'd rather wait on until she had more experience.

Still, Alema couldn't argue with Jacen; the ship settled down gently on the planet's surface. He powered down the ship and they could see again. Together the two started unloading the equipment. It was one thing to say they were going to poison the planet, it was another to have to do it. Even at low concentrations it was requiring dozens of tanks of compressed chemicals to get the job done. "Start bringing the equipment to that forest," Jacen said, pointing to the treeline some twenty meters away. "The foliage should keep it out of sight from Vong patrols."

"Will the trees absorb the chemical?" Alema asked.

"Some, that's why we've got the dispenser. We'll bury the pipe connecting it to the pump so the rest will be in cover. The only way the Vong would find it is if they tripped over it."

Alema nodded and loaded the repulsor-sled while Jacen continued to unload the equipment. She was only a few meters from the tree when she felt the presence, and she froze. A woman was standing in the shadows, waiting. When Alema stopped she stepped into view, and she recognized the woman: Molly O'Brien, the one who’d helped kill the Emperor. Alema nervously grabbed her lightsaber; Molly already had hers out and switched it on. Alema had done some sparring, but she was out of her league and knew it. She blocked Molly's initial attack, but she was immediately on the defensive. Her blue blade clashed against Molly's red on instinct, but the hatred coming from her was something Alema hadn't been prepared for. It was disconcerting, and in that moment she knew that despite what she liked to think, she wasn't ready for this.

Molly suddenly whirled, her lightsaber catching Jacen's just as he swung. Alema tried to strike while she was distracted, but Molly stuck out her foot, catching the Twi'lek in the chest and knocking her over backwards. Even that didn't stop her from holding Jacen back, and Alema decided to stay back and let her teacher handle this.

Sabers clashed and Molly called on her hatred. She had years of training behind her and a merciless instructor. But Jacen had a lifetime of experience. Her strikes were easily blocked, and his own advances were barely caught. There was no need to treat this as a life or death match, so Jacen patiently waited for the opening. It came soon enough; Molly went for a decapitation, but Jacen ducked it and touched the tip of his saber to her forearm, searing her flesh and causing the weapon to drop from her grip. She backed away carefully, holding her wound while he approached, saber pointed directly at her. "Ben?" she said nervously. "Ben?"

"All part of the lesson," a voice said, and Jacen turned and saw the crowd gathered on the small rise nearby. He glanced between Molly and them; they'd hidden themselves rather well for the moment, but now he could sense the dark side in them. Their leader stepped forward, and Jacen recognized the picture Anakin had shown him. Black cloak, the mask of Revan, and the unmistakable feel of dark side power. This was the Sith, without a doubt. "As you can see, a Jedi 'Padawan' is poorly trained and easy prey. The fully trained Jedi, however, is a more dangerous adversary." He pulled his lightsaber from his belt. "But not for a Sith Lord."

That kicked unbelievable ammounts of ass.

NEXT CHAPTER NOW!!

NEXT CHAPTER NOW!!

So says the Great almighty Keeng Prawn

F**king A that was good.

drphlox

The best thing about this fic is that Chuck cranks it out so fast we wont have long to wait till the next bout of ass kciking!

What makes you say that?

Blood of Heroes, Part XX

Provag, a Vong planet, is important because of its support to their war effort. Their ships, coral ships and coralskippers, were grown on worlds like this one and had allowed the nearly vanquished foe to bounce back. Yet, at this moment, all of that was incidental. No Vong participated in the conflict that occurred on their planet, and while it might seem minor, the two sides involved were both working to shape the face of this galaxy. Whichever one won here today would be at the advantage. Jacen, Jedi Knight, knew this, and took this responsibility seriously. Their enemies, the Sith, had them easily outnumbered, and if Molly O’Brien was any indication, they had potential. If they all attacked, Jacen could probably handle the lesser trained ones, but the Sith Lord was going to be the problem. However, he could sense that this wasn’t an ambush, but rather a duel. That improved the odds, but not by much.

The Sith Lord - Ben - removed the mask and handed it to one of the others that stood with him. It was just like Anakin said: eerily close, but not quite right for Sebastian's face. Still, it was easy to see how it could fool people from far away. "I'll handle this," he told Alema, shrugging off his robe. The Sith kept it on; a sign of his overconfidence? It fit with the overall feeling he was getting from him: contempt mixed with anger, and he practically glowed with dark side power. If Alema were better trained, he'd ask for the help in a heartbeat.

"Watch and learn," Ben said to the other Sith in a voice that was all business. Jacen steeled himself for the onslaught, but Ben walked towards him. He was casual, as if he were merely enjoying the afternoon rather than about to start a battle that would likely end in death. A few meters away he lit his lightsaber, but Jacen still waited with a Jedi's patience. When he was within range Ben made a few strikes, but they seemed half-hearted, almost like a child with a stick. Jacen easily blocked the simple attacks and then moved on the offensive, but the Sith resisted. He held the lightsaber one handed, mostly just rotating his wrist to block Jacen's strikes; pure showmanship, except that Jacen couldn't pierce his defenses! Still, the Sith's toying was his weakness, and Jacen knew it was his best chance of besting him. He increased the speed of the strikes, his opponent still maintaining the same aloof manner, but it was setting up. He made a feint and reversed it, coming around too fast for the Sith to catch with his clumsy technique.

There was a crash and a jarring sensation that nearly knocked Jacen's lightsaber out of his grip. A short lightsaber blade had caught the strike, and he could see Ben's look of smug superiority. I could have just killed you, he said in Jacen's mind, but that would have been too short a lesson. Instead he pushed aside Jacen's blade, and for a moment Jacen saw it wasn't a regular lightsaber, but a kind of merging of a lightsaber with a set of brass knuckles. It was only a moment, because they struck his face and knocked him a step backwards, then the hand open and Jacen was lifted off his feet and tossed backwards. He got back to his feet, but Ben had extinguished both of his weapons. Now he undid the robe and let it fall to the ground, reactivated the lightsaber, and gave it a few swings before taking it in both hands and adopting an imposing stance.

"To a skilled Sith," Ben said to his followers, "the Jedi is the closest thing to a worthy adversary." He leapt, arcing high through the air towards Jacen, shouting, "But it's still not enough!" His strike was sudden and violent, but Jacen was able to hold it back while the Sith landed, but after that was a descent into despair. If Jacen thought he had been pouring on the pressure before, he immediately learned how wrong he'd been. Compared to Ben's strikes, it was like he had been fighting in molasses, and it was all he could do to keep his lightsaber ahead of the whirling red storm. Sweat ran down his face, but he fought his fear and locked blades with the Sith, the air filling with the screams of protesting energy blades. Ben grinned at him, then winked, and with the slightest gesture Jacen's feet were pulled out from under him, dropping him on his backside. Still, he held his blade up in defiance, should Ben try to push the attack; but again, he didn't. He was toying with him, and the infuriating part was that he could! "See where the path of 'peace' leads you," he called to his followers. "Prone and helpless before superior strength."

Jacen hopped back to his feet. "That's a lie," he said. "There is nothing the dark gives you that the light can't as well, except the capacity for self-destruction." He followed it up with a quick strike at Ben's knees, but the Sith caught it with a twist of the blade and nearly bisected Jacen for the effort.

"Quicker, easier," Ben parroted. "I've heard it all before. Jedi propaganda, Jacen; you know it as much as I." He swung, and Jacen blocked, but the blow was so strong it forced him backwards. Ben did it a second time, then a third. "Do you think I was always a Sith?" he asked as he struck, causing Jacen's legs to quake slightly under the strain. "I learned the ways of the Jedi... but I also learned that they are tainted by lies." Jacen tried a counterattack, but it was blocked and the counterstrike barely missed his head, and it was back to the red storm for a moment until Ben relented. "Look at you," he said contemptuously, "so much focus required for survival you can't even spout their 'wisdom' at me."

Jacen was breathing heavy, his body screaming from the constant tension despite using the Force for strength. "You want... to talk... let's talk... not fight..." It was hard to get even that much out. Then Ben's attack stopped, but Jacen had to try to end this, so he went on the offensive for a moment, but Ben caught the strike. Still, the Sith seemed to have backed off for the moment. Apparently this was some kind of lesson for his "students," and his main concern was in making the points clear. Well, if it fell to him to defend their teachings, then so be it. "The Jedi use the Force for protection," Jacen said. "We use our power to protect the weak."

Ben caught the strike and ground the blades together. "And who will protect you?" he asked with a smirk. He let five quick blows make his point for him, forcing Jacen on the defensive again. Then, once again, he stopped. “That’s a question you had best answer,” he said, “because I have already killed one of your number.” He lashed out, just once. “And it won’t be the last.”

Jacen blocked and counterthrust. “We’ll see about that,” he said in a low voice.

Ben wore a lopsided grin. “Will you?” He launched another attack, then drew back. “More to the point, could you? Never for attack, Jacen, remember? Never for attack.”

“I’ll kill you,” Jacen said, “but only if I have to?”

“Will you?” Jacen swung at a brief opening. "I have vowed," Ben blocked the strike casually, "that so long as I have breath I will work to destroy the Jedi." His blade was everywhere Jacen tried to strike, but there was practically no movement on his part, as if the Sith wasn't even really trying. "That means, Jedi, that there is only one way to protect your beloved order." He blocked, stuck out his hand, and knocked Jacen backwards four meters. Jacen rolled back to his feet, ready for the inevitable attack, but it never came. Ben just stood there, hand still outreached, smiling. "You can't stop me otherwise," he said calmly. "No prison can hold me, even if you were to somehow catch me. Would you try to put me in some stasis field? Live out your days wondering if some saboteur, or power failure, or merely the power of a Sith could overcome it and release me to fulfill my vow? How much death could you stop by running me through, Jedi?"

"I've wondered that myself," Jacen said under his voice. He was rewarded by a look of satisfaction from Ben.

"Then make sure that you do," Ben said. He leapt, and Jacen brought his blade up to block the strike. He was quickly forced back, and Ben was swinging incredibly fast, Jacen's blade barely staying ahead of it. Through it all, the grin never left, an insufferable look of such superiority that Jacen was something to laugh at for trying. Jacen wanted to stick his fist into that face, but it was all he could do to hold back the attack. As he caught another blow Ben gestured and Jacen was flipped over backwards and landed face down on the ground. He rolled over and Ben's lightsaber was hovering an inch from his chest.

"You haven't killed, have you?" Ben asked. "Not like this, where you have a moment to know what you're about to do." The air sizzled around the end of the red beam, the smell of ozone filling Jacen's nostrils. "You look into the eyes of another being, and they know you have them at your mercy. Someone just like you who doesn't want to die. It's the simplest of gestures to finish them, the pulling of a trigger, the thrust of a blade... all that it takes to extinguish that tiny flame of life in them. And then you watch those eyes... the way they gloss over and show the moment that separated a living being from so much organic matter." The blade moved closer to Jacen's face. "Tell me, Jacen Solo... what part of your Jedi training ever prepared you for that moment?"

Jacen pried his eyes from the lightsaber to the man holding it. The smile was still there. "Nothing... because a Jedi would never do such a thing." He swung and knocked the blade away for the moment, rolling aside before it pierced the ground where his head had been. Arching his back, he flipped back to his feet and swung at the Sith's back, but Ben brought the blade back over his head to catch it, then twisted and swung horizontally into Jacen's own blade. It left an opening, so Jacen swung, and Ben had to leap back to get out of the way. Jacen got back into a defensive position, but Ben instead stopped, spinning his blade.

"I was twelve when I learned just how wrong you are," Ben said. "I was fighting a Vong warrior who had thought me easy prey, but even with their resistance and my youth he was no match for me." He gestured suddenly and a cloud of dust rose up into Jacen's eyes. Jacen coughed, but used his instincts to catch the swings, but he could sense that Ben was still just playing with him. "I had him down, unarmed and helpless, much like you were a moment ago," the Sith continued. "And I looked at him, and he looked back at me, and nothing had prepared me for that moment. The Jedi training had prepared me for every step before that, but not the last one. And he saw the fear in my eyes, and he laughed at me." There was a sudden flicker of rage at the memory. "At me! And in that moment I discovered how you can take that final step: you have to hate. You have to know that this is a life that deserves death. Anger, contempt, those are the only ways to finish this." Jacen was tossed back again; he really wished Ben would stop doing that. He managed to rub the dirt from his eyes, and he could see that Ben was actually speaking to Alema, not his followers. "That is why the dark side is the true path of the Force."

"No," Jacen said emphatically. "Only quicker."

"That is the lie," Ben said sharply. "For all your Jedi training, you are nothing compared to me, and you never will be. The dark side opens up powers you have never imagined, Jacen. Your ambitions know this, I can feel it within you. If you come with me, I can help you fulfill your thirst for power."

"You have no idea what I want," Jacen said, leaping at the Sith, swinging his blade. Ben blocked it and just as easily tossed Jacen aside.

"Don't think I'll be taken in by the lies you tell yourself," Ben said. "Look at them," he gestured to the gathered Sith. "Eager to learn, ready to follow the true path. By birthright you can stand at my side, Jacen over an army of Jedi. Isn't that what you've really been envisioning?"

"No," Jacen said, saber held out towards Ben as he got to his feet.

Ben shook his head. "If you could only know the power of the dark side." He turned off his lightsaber and tossed it to Molly. "Use your weapon, Jedi. I'm waiting... laughing at you. Let your hatred free you."

Jacen stepped closer, saber still pointed at Ben. Sith egotism... at least now he had the upper hand. "Come with me," he said. "We'll see you get a fair trial." Ben started laughing at him. "I will not kill you."

"Weak, pathetic, idiot," Ben said as he continued laughing. "What will you do then, if I refuse? Dismember me? Are you prepared to do that deed, just to bend me to your will? Of course not, that would require passion, convictions, qualities you sadly lack." Jacen took a step closer. "All your years of Jedi training, and none of it has prepared for you to deal with this moment. Can you find the part within you that can kill? If not, your empty threats are just a pitiful attempt to hold to the teachings of men long turned to dust." Ben held his arms wide and stepped closer, so that the blade was inches from his chest. "That is why the dark side is the one true path. Were I in your position, I would already be off this planet and heading for home."
Jacen thrust the blade. He didn't know what compelled him to do it, but something inside him told him he had no choice. Whether it was anger or fear or something else he couldn't have said, but he moved to kill.

Ben wasn't there.

The Sith's move was impossibly fast, yet he somehow managed to twist to the side and move past the blade even as Jacen had struck. His hand dropped down on Jacen's, thumbing the off button on the saber. The blade extinguished, he moved forward, grabbing the hand with his remaining hand while giving himself leverage. In less than a second, Jacen was hunched over, the end of his lightsaber pressed against his solar plexus. "Did you feel the anger within you?" Ben whispered in his ear. Jacen said nothing. "You could have been at my side, cousin. Look at me." Jacen looked up into Ben's eyes. "Here is the power hate gives you." He thumbed the on switch, and the blade emerged from Jacen's back. Ben switched it off and pulled it away, letting Jacen's lifeless body fall to the ground.

Two bits of ass kciking ion one day! There is a god!

God you're like an kid with a magnifying glass tourturing ants...

Chuck, you still be the master. That was excellent

Chuck. I only saw this fic yesterday. I had been waiting for a sequal after Twilight for ages, only just realising you HAD been writing.

So I went back to find part 1 and just finished reading through.

All I can say is your still da man.

"Here is the power hate gives you." He thumbed the on switch, and the blade emerged from Jacen's back.

Pwned!

Man, that kicked all sorts of ass. More!

Thanks a lot guys, I'm glad you still like things. The second half will hopefully be even better.

Alema watched Jacen Solo's body hit the ground without even a flicker of life in his body. The Sith was still holding her teacher's lightsaber; he attached it to his belt. "Shall I deal with this one, master?" asked a Romulan woman with a smug expression, gesturing slightly towards Alema.

"Do you want a fight, little Jedi?" the Sith asked her. His look froze the air in her lungs with fear, a terror amplified by the knowledge that he could probably sense it. He removed all doubt. "Fear is good... it will empower even the coward to fight like a beast when cornered. You, child, are not cornered." He made a small gesture, and the tanks toppled off the repulsor-sled. Another, and it floated over to where Jacen's body lay. "Take this back to your Jedi Order," he said. "Let them see the power the dark side grants.” Alema jumped as the distributor crumpled next to her, and the Sith smirked at her before slipping his mask back on. "With proper training, you may learn the true power of the Force." His students disappeared over the hill, followed by Molly and the Sith himself, leaving Alema alone with Jacen. She vainly checked for a sign of life, but there was nothing. She pushed him onto the sled and brought him back to the ship.

Alema looked over the distributor; it was useless now, and without it she couldn't complete the mission. There had barely been enough room for the equipment they'd needed, so there was no spare, and she had no idea how to jury-rig one. She finally gave up and climbed back onboard the ship, strapping herself into the pilot's seat with uncertainty. It looked like she wasn't going to have time to learn before trying this. She flipped on the cloak and watched everything go dark. She had nothing but instincts now, but at least she knew that going up was safer than coming down. She eased the ship into the air and tried using her feelings. The images were vague and practically useless; eventually she decided to kick her speed up and hope her danger sense would kick in. After a few minutes she flipped the cloak off; she'd cleared the atmosphere, but two Vong coralskippers were nearby. As they began moving to intercept she tried to get the nav computer going while making some evasive maneuvers. It would be embarrassing to survive a group of Sith warriors only to die by a remote-piloted ship. Thankfully her danger sense kept her out of harms way long enough to punch the hyperdrive and vanish.
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Alema's return marked a change in the fledgling Jedi Academy. None of them had particularly cared for Jacen, but word of his death filled them with more grief than they would have expected. Grief, and despair, because if a Jedi like Jacen couldn't stand up to the Sith, what chance did any of them have?

The failure of their mission was of no concern to anyone, although Alema had been quite upset at her failure to at least finish what Jacen had died starting. It wasn't about revenge, which Jaina had taken as a good thing, probably the only good thing that had come out of this.

Jacen had been brought to the site of the Jedi Academy and laid out. They discussed briefly the traditional funeral rites, but all discussions stopped as Leia Organa Solo entered the chamber. They parted to allow her to see her son. She shed no tears at first, but the grief was almost a tangible thing for even the weakest Jedi as she slowly stroked his forehead. A line of blood slid down her chin as she bit into her lip, and the sadness found an exit as she bent over Jacen's body and wept. No one said anything, not even Jaina; it was a grief they knew they couldn't understand the depths of. She straightened up, wiping her eyes. "How did it happen?" she asked. Alema told her everything. "Jaina, your father can be here in a day and a half; put him in stasis, we'll have the funeral the day after tomorrow."

"What about Anakin?" she asked.

"He could be gone for a week or longer," Leia said. "And we can't contact him on Ilum." She shook her head, then walked out. Volgo Terraine found her on her way back to the palace.

"I heard what happened," he said, "and I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do-"

"Yes," she said sharply. "You find this Sith, and you tell me where he is, and I can kriffing stop him from MURDERING MY FAMILY!!!"

Terraine took a moment before replying. "Yes, minister." She was back on her way and he fell into step. "I would, however, like to point out that tracking the Sith is no easy task."

"Five hundred thousand credits," she said without missing a step. "Whoever finds out where the Sith is and can lead me to him. Put it out on the holonet. I want every ISB agent, every soldier, docking attendant, local policeman, bounty hunter, tracker, amateur astronomer looking for this man. He is not walking about my Empire unchecked any more."

Terraine nodded as he stayed in step with her. "Respectfully, minister, even if we find him, what do you plan on doing? So far he's eliminated two Jedi and fought his way through an army of royal guards."

"First find him," Leia said. "I'll deal with him in my own way."
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Han had found out what had happened as soon as Leia returned to the palace. Before the conversation even ended Leia's staff had leapt into action. It was rare that the minister threw her weight around, but this was an exception. The Millennium Falcon was moved to the head of the queue for refueling and launch. It was given permission to pass through the wormhole without bothering for code clearance. Its flight path was cleared. A docking bay on Chandrilla near the Jedi temple was set aside, even though it had been reserved for the Rodian diplomatic corps. The pressure of the Empire was getting to be too much; she needed some kind of closure on this, even if it meant ruffling a few feathers to expedite this. Jacen had died trying to protect this Empire, the least it could do was show a little appreciation.

Twenty-seven hours, including refueling; a record even for the fastest ship in the galaxy. Leia waited as the Falcon settled onto the pad, then came out even before the ramp was lowered. Han was soon down it; they embraced right there. They said nothing, because a husband and wife in a moment like this have ways of communicating that put even the Force to shame. The preparations were already in place; Jacen had been dressed in his ceremonial robe for this occasion. The gathered Jedi were similarly attired; for many this was their first time in this role. Terraine was there, Dr. Bashir, the Chancellor, a few representatives of the state. Most didn't know Jacen, and it bothered Leia for a little while. She understood now why Anakin wanted to keep Luke's funeral a private thing. Let this moment be for the people who care rather than the ones interested in making an impression. But it was too late now, and she didn't want to cause a scene.

Han had been allowed a few moments with Jacen; Leia was the only one in the room at the time. He didn't cry; Leia wondered if he ever did. He'd make a poor Jedi, she thought; he turns his pain into anger. He kissed Jacen on the cheek where he'd always kissed the child. No words of bravado or vengeance, just a kiss. It brought the tears back to Leia's eyes.

With the crowd assembled Jaina lit the pyre, and Jacen's remains soon turned to smoke and slipped away, much like his spirit that had become one with the Force. It brought her comfort for the moment, but his death was a wound that wouldn't heal easily. All this did was allow her to put the tragedy behind her.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Han stayed for a few days. No doubt he wanted to be here for his family now since he couldn't have been there for his son. Leia almost expected him to fly out to Ilum and bring Anakin back. Leia threw herself into her work, but the war with the Vong offered no real comfort. They were floundering in their efforts against a smaller, weaker enemy because they were being attacked from within. She ranted about it to Han one evening in their quarters.

"In many ways, it's like fighting the Empire again," she said. "The Vong aren't divided, they don't have to worry about their subjects being happy or rebellious. That's why they can afford to hit us with their worst and never worry about their own people sabotaging their efforts."

"It's the price we pay for being the good guys," Han said.

"Yeah, good guys with planet-destroying weaponry," Leia said, getting to her feet and passing during her tirade. "Morally reprehensible weaponry at our disposal, and the only thing worse than that is that we can't even use it when we need it!"

Han nodded a little. "Is it true what they say about the Shade? They tried to fire."

"Yes," Leia said. "Frankly, I wish they had."

"Almost did, according to rumor. There was a mutiny or something?" A sound of frustration. "I'll take that as a yes."

Leia shook her head in disbelief as she continued pacing. "Mutiny... on an Imperial star destroyer! Duplicity, undermining, okay, that comes with the territory, but blasters being used on the bridge?!"

"What's going to happen?" Han asked. "Court martial?"

Leia stopped. "We don't know," she said. "Both men were in the right, and in the wrong. We side with the captain, we're telling the captains and XO's to ignore everything we've taught them regarding the superlasers. We side with the XO-"

"And you set the precedent that it's okay to use force to relieve a captain of his command," Han finished. "I don't envy you this problem."

"But that's just a small part of the picture," Leia said. "Whether he was right or wrong, this captain is the first to disregard the civilian government's orders. This is exactly what I've wanted to avoid."

"You worried about a military coup?" Han asked.

"Maybe, or just disregarding our government altogether. The return of the Empire we both fought to overthrow."

Han came over and wrapped his arms around her; part of being a husband is knowing when that was necessary. "You'll get us through," he said.

"Not all of us," she said with a choke in her voice. He held her tighter; she reciprocated. "Ben had to have known," she said. "He had to know that if he died, Jacen would have to travel to that world and die. How could he let that happen?"

"Don't," Han said. "You start playing those games it's going to drive you insane."

"I devoted half my life to his vision of Unity," she continued. "And he destroyed my work and took my son for the trouble!" Han tried to comfort her, but there was nothing anyone could say or do; the exhaustion, the frustration, the grief, like an alchemical nightmare they mixed and bubbled and fused, until they produced an idea that was as horrible as anything, yet it was the only conclusion to reach. "I have to go," she said, pulling away.

Han knew the look, that was another part of being a husband. "Don't do anything foolish," he warned.

"I think it might be the first smart thing I've done," she said as she walked out. The door sealed without so much as a goodbye.

Han sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he said under his breath, then left for his ship.
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The Sith entourage exited the craft and immediately got to training under Molly's supervision. Ben Skywalker left them to it; he didn't need to hold their hands the entire way. The Oracle wasn't in the laboratory, but she had left a datapad out for him. He picked it up and flicked it on, his frown slipping into a grin of satisfaction. Half a million credits? At least they'd finally taken notice of him. This would probably light a fire under the Orion Syndicate, who no doubt assumed his local counterpart was him. It would be insulting under most normal circumstances, but this was rather abnormal all around.

Ben entered his quarters and pulled out his trophy. He placed the lightsaber up on the rack next to the one he'd taken from Luke Skywalker - the Luke Skywalker from this universe. That hadn't made much of a difference, he'd still proven a dangerous enemy, and his lightsaber was a worthy prize. Jacen was something of a disappointment, but he was rather young here, it was to be expected.

Two sabers... he had a rather impressive trophy room back on board his ship in his own realm, one he'd earned through years of stalking and defeating his former Jedi allies. He'd shown them the path of power, but not one had chosen to follow it, just like poor Jacen. Maybe these Jedi students would learn a thing or two and not make that same mistake.
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It was another emergency session of the Senate. There seemed to be a great deal of them lately, but given the number of emergencies across the Empire, it was expected. For Alixus, it was a sign that she and her Vong allies were having an impact. The funeral for Jacen Solo was proof that her Sith contact was having his own, although how he fit into all of this, and where he got his information from, was still an uncertainty. The contempt he showed towards the Vong was hardly promising; they weren't perfect, but they had the right idea. Get rid of technology, and let a human being stand on his or her own two feet for a change. The Vong were the wake up call humanity needed, while the Sith seemed interested only in his own agenda.

The Chancellor called the session to order and the noise died down. The monitor showed his discomfort in this affair, and Alixus wondered for a moment what had him so visibly agitated. She soon found out.

"Minister Solo has asked for this emergency session of the Senate to address you all about the state of affairs within the Empire. Because of the war she has had to leave Chandrilla for the moment to address some matters personally, but she has left a holographic recording that she has asked be played for you now."

The Chancellor stepped aside. Where he had stood now showed a holographic image of Leia Organa Solo, looking grimmer than usual. "Members of the Imperial Senate," she said in greeting. "I apologize that I cannot address this to you in person, as I'm sure you'll have a great deal of questions. However, the war against the Vong now requires my immediate attention, and I'm afraid I will not be in a position to address you remotely at this time.

"In a matter of a few days we have twice failed to deal serious blows against the Vong military, despite having the means to do so. The reason is simply that we have not been prepared to fight this enemy as the situation demands, or to deal with the insurgents that have aided them since before this war began. The price of defeat, senators, is not subjugation, but extermination. I'm afraid that, given the circumstances, we can ill-afford to continue fighting this war with one hand tied behind our backs.

"What I'm about to tell you is a decision I did not come to lightly. It's one I would have found abhorrent a week ago, but today I see as the only solution left that can save us from extinction. The Empire has been moving towards a weak central government, with power vested in the hands of the systems... towards the days of the Old Republic. It seems we will be following their example once again." She hesitated. "I've spoken with our military leadership and high ranking civilian authorities, and there has been almost universal agreement to this course of action. We need a central figure to hold us together for the duration of this war, someone to be the final authority. Because of my experience in these matters, it's been decided that someone will be me." She paused, no doubt in anticipation of the outburst that followed. "I assure you that this will only be for the duration of the war. For now, however, I have been given the position of 'Emperor' to carry out the duties formerly entrusted to Palpatine. When the war ends, I will lay down this authority, I swear it. In the meantime, the Senate is dismissed with the thanks of the Imperial government. And may the Force be with us all."

Sonnenburg wrote:snip

Thank god there's no Gungan to announce it... Very nice Chuck
*Hums Imperial March*

This can't end well...

fuck democracy

drphlox

Yeah! Empress Leia is taking the gloves off!

What goes around, comes around ....

So are we going to see Dark Side Leia or is she really going to give up her powers.

WOAH. Didn't expect THIS.

Where is the bit where she signs off and hundreds of Stormtroopers march into the chamber to 'escort the senators to saftey' ?

How about those hundreds of Storm Troppers roll thermal detonators into the senate building

Whoa. Empress Organa-Solo takes the helm.

Wow. All hail Empress Organa Solo.