StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Part XXXI

There was almost total silence everywhere in the Sith compound. No one made the slightest sound; even Annika, in her cell, curled up on her cot and tried not to breathe. Because the only sound that there was came from the Oracle's lab. From that room came the sound of energy discharging, and bones snapping, and flesh tearing, and vicious tools, and Ben Skywalker's screams.

It was true that Force users couldn't use organic limb replacements, but there were many black arts in the chronicles of the Sith and over time the Oracle had learned a great deal of them. But they were not simple, and they were not subtle, and they certainly weren't pleasant. There was another sound of a bone cracking and a scream, and Molly O'Brien covered her ears and screwed her eyes shut.

The hours dragged on, and the Sith moved about the compound with steps that would make a cat sound like an elephant. Eventually, there was silence, then a final, massive discharge and scream. A few seconds later, the lab door opened, and Ben's unconscious body was shoved through it, tumbling down the stairs and landing in a heap on the cave floor. Molly slipped in, then looked carefully between Ben and the door to the Oracle's lab. Fear froze her lungs, but she crept across the cave towards him. She reached out to pick him up-

Thunder erupted from the Oracle's lab, and Molly shrunk back in terror. It came again and again, and the shriek of wind, and the walls that had been designed to withstand hurricanes rattled like a scrap metal lean-to. Above it was the sound of the Oracle screaming things in a language Molly couldn't understand... and was grateful for that fact. She lunged, picked up Ben, and half-carried, half-dragged him back to his room and deposited him on the bed. She left him, returned to her room, and sat in the corner and covered her ears again.

Eventually Ben awoke and looked down and flexed his hands. They were real, and he had paid for every ounce with pain. Sebastian couldn't pull that same trick again. Of course, that didn't matter; not really. The fight had come and gone; nothing more remained for the two of them.

Ben had come to realize a horrible truth... he had beaten Sebastian. It wasn't the way he'd wanted to, but by killing those around him, Ben had taken away what Sebastian had and wanted, and taught him that at any time, Ben could find someone he cared for and kill them, and nothing he could do could ever stop it. And so Sebastian chose to do the only thing left, and accept that. He accepted that as much as the crippled leg Ben had left him with, that it was simply a part of his life and would never change. Ben could do it too, kill any of them at any time, but what would be the point? He'd hurt Sebastian, punish him, but it wouldn't break him, because that had already happened. It would be no different than slaughtering stormtroopers, it would have no meaning. Ben had taken all he could from Sebastian already, and that was why the victory was so hollow.

There he was, on the holonet, his popularity growing every day, his influence expanding across both galaxies. The rumors, the prophecy, looked to be true... Sebastian would take the Emperor's place. He'd have the galaxy -both galaxies, Ben corrected- before this war ended. And it wasn't worth a damn to him. Sebastian was broken, and yet he would achieve more in defeat... because of defeat, than Ben had achieved at the height of his power. All that Ben schemed for barely qualified as a consolation prize. If Ben could somehow undo what he'd done at the Wormhole, he knew Sebastian wouldn't think twice about handing all that power over to him... just to have his wife back.

Ben never had a wife. He'd had many women he'd indulged with over the years, like Molly, but that was simply satisfying his human needs, nothing more. His father had never been there, his mother- was a topic Ben didn't like to think about. He'd had no brothers or sisters, his relatives were distant, his few friends had latched to him like a remora and wouldn't remain loyal. No one ever told him he was going to inherit anything. Sebastian had everything that should have been Ben's, his life! So Ben took pleasure in stripping him of all that. Now Ben watched Sebastian hobble on his cane. That was all he'd done. He'd wanted to destroy him, physically and emotionally, but all he'd done is wounded him. Permanent wounds, but all the same, nothing mortal.

Ben had looked up at Sebastian on Vidik when he lowered the saber, and Ben knew that he himself was just as wounded, just as broken. With the exception of power, Sebastian had always had far, far more than Ben ever had, and Ben had taken it all away. It had to have been worse than never having it, because Ben knew how terrible it was to have had galactic power and lose it all. But despite that, Sebastian could stand there, stripped of everything that meant anything to him, and look at him with murder in his eyes, and still not give in. There was... is... nothing left for Ben to live for. It was Ben's last chance to take something away from him, to truly destroy him, but Sebastian, as much as the hate filled him, wouldn't surrender to it. Killing Ben wasn't worth it... Ben wasn't worth it... Ben wasn't worth anything...

You should be trying to hunt down and kill that freak! Ben hung his head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the motivation. Sebastian was right. Even if he did it, and won, it wouldn't change anything. Sebastian had fought him because of his hatred, but with that bested, what kind of challenge would he prove to be? Would he even bother to ignite his lightsaber the next time, and just let Ben give him the same escape he'd refused to provide on Vidik? No, there's nothing Ben could gain by such a fight, and nothing that Sebastian could lose that the Jedi actually valued, not even his own life. And there were no other enemies left for Ben to fight... not like this, not personal. The only one that came close was his own master, and that was an exercise in futility. Attack her, and she wouldn't even put him out of his misery... she'd already proven that.

Ben Skywalker flexed his human hands. He had no use for them any more. There was nothing left for him to live for; his enemies were either already beaten, or beyond his ability to defeat. He would never reclaim even a fraction of the power that he'd lost, no matter how much he devoted himself to it. He had no freedom to even indulge in whatever struck his fancies, because his master wouldn't tolerate it. He had no reason to stay alive, and only one reason not to kill himself. He was afraid. He wished he were dead, but couldn't find the courage to kill himself. The experience of being dead filled him with too much fear to finish it, but he wished someone else would do it. He was half-tempted to ask Molly to do it, but was worried the Oracle would undo it, and then he'd have to live with the looks of the Sith students after that...

Ben got up, and went to the fresher to clean himself up. If he wasn't going to kill himself, then it was time to go about the tired business of being alive.
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A fleet of Borg Tactical Cubes appeared over Corellia, but they'd been expected, so things were merely tense. Jaina and Anakin Solo beamed on board the cube; the Borg Queen awaited them. "Greetings," she said. "Sebastian is expecting you."

"Where is he?" Jaina asked. She knew that with Borg you got straight to the point.

"He is... thinking," the Queen said. "This one will take you to him," she added as a woman walked up alongside her.

"Janet Fields," she said with a nod. "I'm Mr. Skywalker's assistant. If you'll follow me please, I'll take you to him." She quickly led the way out of the room and into the corridors of the ship until they came to a massive open space that combined agoraphobia with vertigo for a stomach twisting experience. She stood aside and let the Jedi approach alone.

Sebastian was standing on the platform up against the rail, watching the Borg drones performing their various tasks all around. There were thousands... tens of thousands, all following their instructions with the peak of efficiency and perfection. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was blaring as Sebastian gestured subtly with his cane, as if conducting this massive orchestra that was the Borg. "Bastian?" Jaina said.

Sebastian stopped gesturing and turned back, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Welcome," he said as the music stopped. "Sorry, had a lot on my mind." He gestured towards the drones with his head. "It's quite tranquil, believe it or not, like watching a very large clock." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I missed the wedding, Anakin, and I'd like to take the time to catch up, but these are pressing days. The Academy was destroyed, obviously; what are you planning now?"

"We're going to have to establish it elsewhere," Anakin said. "It's still needed... probably more now than ever."

"Good," Sebastian said. "Unfortunately, there's the issue of the Death Star to factor in."

"Well, until we know for sure who has it, we can't really factor it in," Anakin said.

"I disagree. The Empire would never have slit its own throat like that, and no one else could have constructed one. The only possible person who could be behind that Death Star is the Oracle," Sebastian said, limping up to Anakin. "She may not have her finger on the trigger, but she can control who does. Any planet you choose to house the Jedi Academy will face the threat of annihilation."

"That's the whole thing about a Death Star," Jaina said. "Where can you be safe with one of those flying about?"

"That's why we've got to think like our opponents think," Sebastian said. "I've been thinking and re-thinking this," he said as he hobbled back to the railing and looked out at the horde of drones milling about. "It's a gamble, I must admit, but I believe that it is the safest course of action for the galaxy, although the risk to innocent life is great."

"We can't risk innocent people," Anakin said flatly. "That goes against the Jedi way."

"If I'm wrong, there will be no more Jedi, so the point will be moot."

"Sebastian," Anakin said sharply, "you've been pushing the boundaries way too much lately. I saw how you looked on Vidik... you were going to kill that Sith."

Sebastian turned back and gave him a dark look. "Can you honestly stand there and tell me that if Ben had done to Laudica what he did to Jorri that you wouldn't be tempted? That you wouldn't have wanted to make him pay for taking her away from you, and all the pain he caused you?"

"We're Jedi," Anakin said. "We're supposed to be better than that."

Sebastian gave a small, dismissive laugh. "I think you've spent too much time in your temple and not enough out there in the universe."

"And you've spent too much time playing messiah and not enough looking at how to live like one," Anakin shot back.

"Anakin," Jaina said, and the younger Jedi backed off. "We're not talking about temptation, Bastian. We're talking about how close you came to crossing that line... you know it'll only get easier."

"And do you see me rushing off to fight anyone?" Sebastian asked. "I'm not leading this war from the front, Jaina, not trying to take out my anger on Sith and Vong. You want the truth? Yeah, I would have done it, would've killed him in a heartbeat. I hate him; it's a perfectly human reaction and I feel no need to apologize for it."

"Then you're not really a Jedi," Anakin said.

Sebastian shrugged. "Go ahead, take that away too if you like."

"We just are concerned about the example you set for the students," Jaina said.

"Noted," Sebastian said. "But I've got enough piled on me right now that worrying about that just isn't important."

"So let them see that the teachings of the Jedi apply only when it's convenient," Anakin said.

"Sithspawn, you've got your head in the sand!" Sebastian said. "Do you have any idea what the Vong are capable of? You know why I'm working so hard to get this alliance growing? Because the entire might of the Borg fleet isn't going to be enough, do you understand? The most powerful force left isn't strong enough! And every day, the Vong get stronger, and soon, even the combined might of the galaxies won't be enough to hold them back. I've got to think about the people first."

"And what kind of people will they be when you're finished?" Anakin demanded.

"Alive, you kriffing idiot!"

"That's enough," Jaina said sharply. "Now look, I realize what your point is, Bastian, and you're right, you need to do what you're doing to unite the people. But you cannot handle the Oracle; you're too close to the edge, and you're too emotionally invested in it. You leave her and the Sith up to us."

Sebastian took a deep breath through his nose. "Fair enough. But when it comes to the Vong, you clear it with me first, understood. If we're going to operate like this then you focus on your job, not meddling in mine - and that includes denouncing my actions as a Jedi. Maybe you don't think I'm one, but I need to maintain that image in order to convince people to rally to our cause. If you start second-guessing me, then this alliance can fall apart, and I guarantee the Vong will win."

"You don't know for sure," Jaina said.

Sebastian pointed at the Borg drones. "You want to tell them there's an error with their math?"

"The Borg aren't perfect," Jaina said.

"But they're not normally wrong," Sebastian said. "You willing to gamble with the lives of two galaxies to find out?"

"No," Anakin said. "Like I said, Jedi don't gamble with innocent lives."

"Ah," Sebastian clapped a little while he smiled humorlessly, "very good. Brought it all around in a circle. Would you like to actually listen to my idea or throw some more doctrine at me."

"Tell us," Jaina said before Anakin could speak.

"Set up the Academy on Earth."

"Earth?" Anakin said. "That's the Milky Way; back end of space."

"Thanks for the astrography lesson."

"There's nine billion people on Earth," Jaina said. "That's a lot of lives to put at risk if the Death Star comes."

"I don't think it will," Sebastian said. "You ever read Kathryn Janeway's file?"

"A little," Jaina said. "She was the one who first made contact with the Empire."

"In her final effort to get her crew back to their home planet," Sebastian said. "Earth. It was all she thought about for years, so much so that she never even thought about the consequences of dealing with someone as powerful as the Empire, of handing over volumes of Starfleet information to them without really looking at what she was getting involved in. Earth... over the years she became obsessed with the planet, took risks and broke regulations to get to it."

"You think it's going to matter to someone as evil as the Oracle?" Anakin said.

"No matter how much has changed," Sebastian said, "I don't think that Janeway, no matter what she calls herself, could ever intentionally destroy Earth. I think she imagines herself when this is all over setting up the Federation capital again and ruling from her home planet... of taking that planet in the back end of space and turning it into a center of power once again."

"And if you're wrong, nine billion people pay the price," Anakin said.

"Hey, it's my ancestors' planet," Sebastian said. "I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't believe that she wouldn't cross that line. I can't believe that she'd destroy Earth just to eliminate a few Jedi."

"Yeah, but still... Earth." Anakin shrugged a little. "It's just so far from everything."

"It's far from the Death Star," Sebastian pointed out, tapping his cane on the railing.

"Good selling point," Anakin admitted.

"We'll have to meditate on this, Bastian," Jaina said.

"I understand," Sebastian said. "But I wouldn't drag your feet on this." He turned back and watched the drones. "Nice seeing you again," and the two Jedi were transported off the ship. He was quiet for a while. “Canon in D, string quartet.” His hand began moving slowly with the music. “They played this at my wedding to Jorri,” Sebastian said.

“It’s beautiful,” Janet offered.

His hand never missed a beat. “It doesn’t work as a solo, not really.” He closed his eyes and held his arms out. He seemed to be literally breathing the music in as it swelled around them. “You can try, but you can feel something is missing...” He held the cane aloft. “It’s as if they’re singing along... about something so wonderful, you can’t express it as a word, just a feeling.” He lowered the cane, and the music died. "What do you think of the meeting, Janet?"

"The affairs of the Jedi are beyond the scope of my experience, sir." The silence waited, and inevitably Janet filled it. "But I don't believe they're right at all. They spend too much time hidden away and not enough time out doing good work; they're not reliable."

"I agree with the first, but not the second," Sebastian said. He sighed. "And I hate to admit it, but they're right in some ways. I'm not a good Jedi, not really."

"Your skill on Vidik-"

"My opponent underestimated me," Sebastian said. "And that's not what I'm talking about." He looked down; it was about a kilometer and a half drop, but heights didn't bother him any more. "The Emperor was right; I can't do this without them. Maybe I can hold the galaxies together, but I can't do that and hold myself together at the same time. She's too strong for me, Janet. She knew all my weaknesses and how best to exploit them. She came within a hair's breadth of getting me on Vidik. I try going against her and she'll turn me, I can feel it."

"So you'll leave her to the Jedi?"

"I have no choice, Janet. I just don't have the time and energy to prepare myself for such a confrontation. Hopefully they can come down from their ivory tower long enough to handle that for me, so I can face the minor problem of uniting countless civilizations against our mortal enemy." He tapped the railing with the cane. “Play it again,” he ordered, and music filled the halls of the cube.

Yar, this first post be ours!

Pain for Ben, good. Lack of death for Janeway, bad. Idea of Jedi taking out Oracle, laughable. Story, as always, superb.

So Sebastian managed to get the Empire to rally around him? Neato.

Fantastic aftermath of both Ben and 'Bastion's thoughts on their battle and the upcoming struggles.

great chapter..... perfect read to wake up to this morning

Very good chapter. I particularly liked how Sebastian was playing at conductor; a nice analogy to how he's beginning to dictate the symphony.

Nice to read another chapter. I can't imagine what they're going to try against the Oracle. You know the only problem with each chapter is that it puts us one step closer to the end. I'm going to love reading the conclusion of this, but am really going to miss having another chapter to read. You've got me hooked.

How the hell are the namby-pamby Jedi of this era going to take on a Sith who makes Darth Sidious in his prime look like an amateur?

Anyway, awesome chapter as always.

Part XXXII


Lando was down in the bowels of the station giving orders when Garak arrived. "What's the situation," the Cardassian demanded.

"We've got cracks along the inner and outer areas of the reactor," Lando said, "failures in both the power regulators, a number of faults in the power distribution system, the-"

"Bottom line, Calrissian," Garak interrupted.

"It's broken."

"Let's try next to bottom line," Garak replied.

"Decades of neglect on a machine that wasn't built for anything more than testing the effectiveness of a superlaser has turned your new toy into scrap," Lando said, exhaustion getting the better of him. "We were lucky we didn't blow ourselves up when we fired."

"How long will it take to fix it?" Garak asked.

"A couple years, maybe."

"Unacceptable," Garak said. He grabbed Lando's shoulder and pulled him back when Lando had started to walk away. "We need this station operational, and quickly."

"We," Lando thought. Again, Garak was laying this on his head as much as his own. "We are going to have to essentially rebuild the hypermatter reactor," Lando explained aloud. "Do you realize the scope of that?"

"I do," Garak said. "Now, do you realize the situation you and I are in? With the Oracle?"

"She can push all she likes," Lando said, "I can't do the impo-"

"I'm not talking about that," Garak said. "She knew this was going to happen, that we'd only have one shot before it failed. She wanted us to topple the Empire -no argument here- but now we've done our job and she's going to have us quietly eliminated. We're too great a threat now."

"What threat?" Lando said. "All I want to do is run my company, that witch can do whatever she likes."

"There will be no more companies once the Oracle takes over," Garak said. "Not in the sense you understand them. They'll all be under the central control of the government, her government, Calrissian. You'll oppose her takeover, and that makes you a threat, just like me. She's going to kill us before we get the chance."

"Then it doesn't really matter," Lando said. At the moment, with the destruction of Chandrilla still fresh in his mind, it was hard to argue that he didn't deserve to die. "She'll know we're plotting something."

"I've taken a precaution," Garak said.

"What kind of precaution could you possibly take?" Lando demanded. "I understand Taar took precautions too, and look how much good they did him?"

"He didn't take the right ones," Garak said. "He didn't understand the enemy like I do."

"What have you got in mind," Lando said.

"I can't be specific," Garak said. "She's far too clever, I'm still not certain I've been subtle enough in my actions, but it's the only chance we have of not only surviving, but saving what we both care about. All I ever wanted was to have my Cardassia back; it was the Oracle that dragged me back into this. She's going to wait until you and I have the Death Star fixed, then she'll kill us and seize it as part of her plot."

"Which, naturally, explains why you want it done sooner," Lando said.

"She's going to try to kill us," Garak said. "We flounder her plans at a critical junction, destroy the Sith planet, and then deal with the Vong and go our separate ways. Not the most attractive of plans, I admit, but still a preferable alternative to dying in the pursuit of her vision."

"And you keep the Death Star, I assume," Lando said.

"Let's hope we're both still alive to hash that out, Calrissian," Garak said. "In the meantime, have your people work as fast as they can, no matter what it takes."

"You're still looking at a very long time, Garak," Lando said.

"Just keep things moving," Garak said. "We can't afford to wait too long, or the Oracle might discover my plans." Lando threw himself into his work as Garak left, although it had nothing to do with what the Cardassian had said. Work meant not thinking, and while he wasn't thinking, the image of that exploding planet was wiped from his mind's eye.
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Time passed as the forces of the galaxy shifted under the new influences. Small mini-nations emerged in Imperial space, held together by remnants of the Imperial military. Some of the Imperials, however, stayed at their posts against the Vong, coordinating with Borda and his rebel forces. Eventually, with the growth of the Alliance, both joined up. The necessary supplies began trickling in once again, and the Vong found their brief attempt at expansion halted by the defenders.

The Borg, however, were still the main force of the Alliance, and contributed the majority of ships to the front lines in the Milky Way. At the moment, the Vong territory had been surrounded, but they were too well entrenched for an attack until Alliance strength grew. And so an arms race began as the Borg began strip-mining uninhabited planets and moons for raw materials to keep up with the Vong's own expansion. But no matter the force of arms, the Borg still followed Sebastian, and Sebastian insisted that they weren't going to win this without both galaxies firmly behind them.

Cube Prime had taken three months to build, and it was a rather impressive ship to view. Over two hundred cubic kilometers in volume, with a myriad number of docking bays and pylons for anyone who wished to board. On it were ambassadors from all the powers that had joined the Alliance, so that matters could quickly be resolved between them. Of course, they usually were quickly resolved, because the Alliance Prefect was a rather persuasive man when he wanted to be.

At the moment, Cube Prime emerged from hyperspace over the Klingon homeworld of Qo'nos. It had an escort of three of the new model tactical cubes. It would offend the Klingons to not assume they were dangerous, even though one tactical cube could handle the entire Klingon fleet alone. The Prefect's shuttle emerged from Cube Prime, flanked by a squadron of H-Wings down to the landing pad near the Klingon capital. Sebastian had preferred watching the planet through the window over beaming down, so it had become a habit. He was escorted by an "honor guard" of eight drones armed with plasma guns. Janet was with him as well. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Skywalker," she said as they walked down the ramp.

"The Klingons are good friends and dangerous enemies," Sebastian said. "And they tend to see things in that kind of binary language."

"They're also rather brutish," Janet pointed out. "And I don't think they'll listen to anything less than violence."

"Noted," Sebastian said. "Fortunately, Jaina and Anakin haven't denounced me, so I'm still a Jedi, and Jedi equals warrior to the Klingons." The Borg stopped outside the entrance of the building. No bodyguards were allowed in the presence of the High Council; it would be seen as a sign of cowardice and doom the meeting from the beginning.

The members of the Council stood, waiting. Sebastian could sense their distrust, but they weren't closed-minded. He limped into their midst as the Chancellor arose and met him amidst them. "So, Prefect Skywalker, you come in person to talk with us."

"I felt sending a dignitary would be an insult," Sebastian said. "I'm here before you as a Jedi, fighting a war against the Vong."

"You will find no love for the Vong here, Jedi," the Chancellor said. "Many noble Klingons were lost because of their duplicates in our midst. But that does not mean that we will align ourselves with you. We have not done well allying ourselves with outsiders."

"Respectfully, Chancellor, it was because the Klingons were alone that the Empire overwhelmed you." Sebastian hit a nerve, and knew it, but it was all part of the plan.

"And now the Empire is gone," the Chancellor said darkly. "But the Klingon Empire lives on. And so long as we live, we will fight."

"Good, then join me in my fight with the Vong," Sebastian said. "You know the size of their forces, the might of their ships, the deadliness of their weapons. It would be a glorious tale, wouldn't it?"

"It would," the Chancellor said. "But why share that glory with the Alliance?"

"Because we both know that neither the Alliance nor the Klingon Empire can triumph alone," Sebastian said. "What good is an epic battle if none live to sing about it? Join with me, Chancellor, and I promise you there will be much to sing about."

"Why should we follow you?" Sebastian turned and looked at K'lon. He was a hard-liner, and one they'd figured was going to be hard to win over. He'd been vocal that the Klingons should have fought the Empire to the end, even if it led to extinction, rather than surrendering. "You are no warrior any more."

"Is that a challenge?" Sebastian asked.

K'lon scoffed; even as far as Klingons went, it was a good scoff. "I will not demean myself by challenging some cripple."

Sebastian stormed up to him. "What did you call me?"

K'lon grinned, showing an awful lot of teeth. "Cripple," he said, letting the word ooze out of his mouth. There were a few quiet chuckles from the other Klingons present.

"Heh," Sebastian gave a short laugh with him as he jerked the cane up, grasping it in the middle to better show to K'lon. "But I've got this to get me around, to make up for that."

Now K'lon didn't even bother hiding his pitying contempt. "Then hobble off against the Vong, little Jedi, and leave us warriors to our own affairs."

"But it's a great equalizer," Sebastian explained. "You see, I can still walk, and-" He swung the cane's handle around in the blink of an eye, so that the solid metal connected with the side of K'lon's knee with a sickening crack. The Klingon collapsed sideways with a bellow of rage and pain. "Well, you can fill in the rest," Sebastian said, tossing the cane aside. "Now, as one cripple to another, there's no shame in us fighting, is there?"

K'lon let out a roar of anger and lunged at Sebastian, knocking him over. His knee was broken, but he still tried to stomp Sebastian's face in with the leg, which was a seriously foolish mistake. Sebastian caught the foot in a Borg-enhanced grip and held it just long enough for K'lon to realize his error, then gave it a twist. K'lon bellowed in pain but refused to relent, so Sebastian reached up and Force-blasted him off his feet. Using his arms and his one good leg he easily hopped back into a standing position, keeping his weight on the artificial limb. K'lon got back up to his feet despite the damage he'd suffered; maybe he'd destroy his body in the process but he seemed intent to fight Sebastian to the bitter end, which was obviously what had been expected. No one interfered or even thought of interfering; this fight was as natural here as debate had been in the Senate. He snarled at Sebastian, then spun and reversed to sweep his legs out, but even with only one limb Sebastian jumped over the leg as it came by, dropped down with perfect balance, leapt again and snap kicked K'lon in the face with it. Sebastian dropped on his back, but quickly arched it and got back into a standing position, and put the palm of his hand into K'lon's cheek, sending him spinning backwards and onto the floor. Not missing a moment, Sebastian dropped and drove his elbow into the Klingon's back, then leaned forward and grabbed a handful of hair. Three times he slammed K'lon's face into the floor, then pulled back his fist and hit the base of the skull, leaving K'lon sprawled in an unconscious heap.

Sebastian pulled himself to his feet. "It's not over," the Chancellor said. "As a matter of honor, you have to finish this battle." He gestured towards K'lon with his head. "Kill him."

Sebastian dusted himself off. "No, I will not."

"You want to be a warrior?" the Chancellor asked. "Prove it. We all saw what you did on Vidik, how you spared your mortal enemy and let him escape. It was shameful."

"Jedi don't execute their prisoners," Sebastian said.

"He is not your prisoner," the Chancellor said, pointing to K'lon. "He is your enemy! And so long as he lives he is a threat to you. Kill him, now, and we will follow you against the Vong."

Sebastian held out his hand, and the cane flew into his grip. "No. It's not my way."

"But it is our way! This is our world! You stand in our Great Hall, and you refuse to follow the teachings of Kah'less!"

"That's right," Sebastian said. "Because I'm not a Klingon."

"You insult our ways, and by that, you insult us," the Chancellor said.

"I'm not insulting anyone," Sebastian said sharply, in a voice that was equal parts rebuke and command. "I came to you as a Jedi, not some diplomat to win you over with kisses and flowers. I'm not here to woo you into joining me in battle. I came because when I was still young I fought at the side of a Klingon." Sebastian shook his head as a grin crossed his face. "And let me tell you, that man would have charged into the maw of hell itself for a fight, would never shirk a battle, who stood his ground against a Sith who butchered the Emperor's personal guard before delivering the killing stroke to the ruler of the Empire." Sebastian chuckled a little at the memory. "Now he was a warrior." The smile vanished. "I would be proud to fight by the side of the Klingons, but I will not lie to you to make it happen, either by my words or by my actions. I would never kill a helpless opponent, and to do so now would be a greater insult than you might think this is, because all I would be doing is trying to trick you into thinking I'm something other than what I am. If I as a Jedi am unfit to fight at your side, then I will accept that. But I will not try to deceive you, because if I did, then I would be a truly unworthy ally." He walked face to face with the Chancellor. "And if you would make me deny my nature, then you are not worthy to be mine."

The Chancellor grinned, equal parts humor and aggression. "I am unsure whether it would be more glorious to have you as an ally or as an enemy, Skywalker."

"Would you wish to be the enemy of a man who would not kill you if you were vanquished? I know you're too proud a warrior for that."

The Chancellor looked surprised, then laughed and clapped a meaty hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "You are no diplomat, Jedi, and you must know our people's ways better than I thought if you knew not to send one." Sebastian nodded respectfully. "Brothers! I say we join this warrior in his fight, and share in the glory of this epic battle. Is there any who opposes?" There was a chorus of no's, and the Chancellor laughed as he led Sebastian by the shoulder out of the room to work out the details over dinner. Janet rushed to keep up with Sebastian as the Klingons followed as well. No one seemed interested in K'lon.
--------------------------------------------------------------

For the Sith, it had been months of tiptoeing around the base, and the occasional errand off planet. The Oracle had been a fuming presence, rarely speaking to anyone, and constantly in her laboratory. No one dared to ask what she was up to; the noises and smells that escaped it were frightening enough. But all good things end, and Ben and Molly were summoned to the Oracle’s lab. “I have an assignment for the two of you,” she said, never pausing in her work with the equipment. “It’s important that you avoid attracting attention to yourself.”

“Yes, master,” Ben said, because it was expected of him.

“You’re going to Tatooine,” she said. “There’s something I need you to retrieve.”

“And what is that, master?” She told him, and Ben stiffened. “Are you serious?”

Now she looked at him, and he wished she hadn’t. “Have I given you the impression that I am ever anything less than serious? If so, then let me make it clear: my orders are always serious, and the only things more serious are the consequences of failing to carry them out, do you understand?”

“Yes, my master,” Ben said, bowing slightly. “I apologize.”

“Save your apologies and go,” the Oracle said. “And don’t waste time; just because I am its master doesn’t mean you may squander it.” Ben and Molly bowed and left, leaving her to whatever grisly task she was up to and grateful they didn’t actually know what it was.

YAY!

Great scene with the Klingons. I wonder how Garek's plan will turn out. While I doubt it will be entirely sucessful, I could see him end up being a distraction a particurally bad time for the Oracle. It's funny how I can see him as a more dangerous enemy than the entire Jedi Order minus Sebastian (although I do think, they might surprise us in the end).

Lovely work. As I've been saying for more than half a decade now, MORE!!!

Hooah! Excellant chapter. Garak's plan will probably horrendously backfire on him though I'd like to see Calrissian redeem himself before this is over.

OK, I can only think of one thing that the Oracle could potentially want from Tatooine, and the possibility doesn't exactly comfort me...

LordShaithis wrote:As I've been saying for more than half a decade now, MORE!!!

I will try, but there's not much more left.

I will try, but there's not much more left.

I guessing you're not going to break the trend of 40 chapters, but maybe you could start doing half chapters (I guess that would probably cut the material in half too though, sigh). Oh well, I'll look forward to reading chapter 32 and a half next week anyway .

I'll say it again: In the private domain of my mind, Chuck is the EU. Except this EU has both the balls to kill off Luke Skywalker, and the quality to not ruin things in the process. And it lacks "pay me please" filler like Dark Journey. And it put that little twerp Jacen Solo out of my misery.

Part XXXIII


Ben Skywalker sighed loudly. "I once had the entire galaxy at my feet," he lamented quietly. "My enemies were dead, or hiding in terror that I might finish them as well. Absolute power was within my grasp. And now look at me..." He glanced at the three locals pressed into service by the Sith. "Grave robbing. I should just climb in that hole when they're done and have them fill it in over me."

Molly said nothing. When Ben got into a funk, that was the best thing to do these days. He didn't want to feel better, he wanted to lash out at something, and to open her mouth would have been to become a target. "Dig faster," she ordered. "I don't want to be out here all night."

"It's not as if there's anything better to do," Ben remarked.

"Better than slaughtering Tusken Raiders," Molly said.

Ben shrugged. "If not, it would just be someone else. The Oracle hasn't made a move against the Jedi since they moved to Earth... now would be the chance to catch them off guard. But, obviously it's more important to be digging up graves on this miser-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a shape in the night demanded.

"Go home, old man," Molly said. "This doesn't concern you."

"That's my daughters grave your kriffing with!" he said harshly. He tried to rush in, but Ben easily caught him and tossed him back onto the ground. "What's the matter with you people?!"

"Go home," Ben repeated.

"What kind of monsters are you?!" the man lamented. "She was my only child, taken from me in the prime of life, and you can't even let her rest in peace?!"

A lightsaber cast a red hue over the darkness. "You want to be in this grave, old man?" Ben asked. There was tangible terror in the air. "Go home."

"Wait, Ben," Molly said, "you've tipped him off. You can't let him go."

"Killing some helpless old man?" Ben said. "No, thank you, I think I've degraded myself enough for one day."

"But the Jedi will find out-"

"The Jedi will find out anyway," Ben said. "Go home, go to bed, and thank whatever you believe in that you caught me in the right mood. Off." The old man hesitated, but then trudged off into the darkness. "And you three, put your backs into in. I want to get off this miserable rock."

"I thought you weren't in a hurry," Molly said.

"Changed my mind," Ben said. "I don't like this place... not a bit."
--------------------------------------------------------------

The conference room on board Cube Prime was currently being used for the first major military meeting. Sebastian had dealt with a lot of the powers that made up the Alliance individually, assigning ships and soldiers where they were needed, organizing supplies and such. But now things were moving into a larger scale, and he needed to work with the leaders directly to make this happen.

Sebastian had combat experience, and leadership skills, not to mention all the data the Borg had ever collected from assimilated species on military tactics and techniques, but at the end of the day, he wasn't experienced in waging war, and it would be foolish of him to think otherwise. The plan for invading the Vong had been a collaborative effort with Admiral Cirule, one of the few high-ranking officers selected by the late General Taar that survived the purge by the Sith. He'd stood his ground against the Vong and had been handling all fleet matters in the war ever since the Empire collapsed, and was the one who accepted the invitation to join the Alliance. He was tactically gifted and his opinions were invaluable to Sebastian. At the moment, he was present by hologram, preferring to remain on his flagship after the experience with the Sith.

Cirule wasn't the only one to appear by hologram, or a familiar adversary of the Vong. Borda was there on behalf of the "Rebels," even though his group had essentially been given control of thousands of worlds after the fall of the Empire. Borda had been quick to join the Alliance simply because handling political matters was something he was completely clueless on.

General Marnisch was there in the flesh, however, and that was hard to hide when you're a Klingon. The Klingons had devoted tens of millions of soldiers to the cause, and Marnisch was in command of them all, and fortunately was up to the task. Sebastian had read everyone's files in detail, so he knew that Marnisch was an old school Klingon with real world understandings. He would probably be very useful, if he could be kept under control.

Then there were dozens of others from throughout the larger militaries of the Alliance. Not every power needed representation here, just those that were going to be involved in the overall campaign, and it was going to be involved. "Here's how I see the situation," Sebastian said as holograms of the galaxies came up. Colored areas showed Alliance territory, Vong territory, Imperial remnants, and independent systems. "The Vong here," he indicated the faction the Imperials had been fighting, "have the stronger ships and equipment, but are lacking in numbers. The Milky Way faction may not be as strong individually, but we've seen what they can do together."

"They're like piranha," remarked Marnisch. "Each is weak, but together they easily overwhelm larger, stronger fish."

"Exactly," Sebastian said. "And they have a war coordinator, one we can't find to eliminate. And with their ability to produce these bioships at such alarming rates, and without the need to crew them, I don't think we can hope to oppose them until we can bring all our forces against them together. Anything less, and I don't believe it will be enough."

"Agreed," Cirule said. There were a few murmurs of agreement. "I assume you’re confirming we’re going after our Vong first?"

"I don't see any other choice," Sebastian said. "They're beaten, and they know it, yet at every opportunity they've tried to push out of their territory. Until they are completely broken, they're not going to stop harassing us."

"The Vong will not surrender," Marnisch said. "These are warriors, far from home and here for the single purpose of conquest. The only thing they fear to lose is this war, so you will not stop them until they are all dead."

Cirule looked uncomfortable but nodded. "That has been our assessment as well."

"[And ours,]" Borda said. "[Not one Vong has surrendered to us, even in the face of certain death.]"

"I understand," Sebastian said. "We're going to have to be ready for that kind of warfare, but let’s see if we can avoid it. The Alliance will maintain their positions around the Milky Way Vong faction to keep them contained, but I've drawn as much of our forces as we can spare here to deal with these Vong once and for all. Once they’re in position, we advance."

"[The plan seems rather ambitious,]" Borda remarked.

"The prefect and I formulated it based upon the way the Vong have been handling incursions by both us and your Rebel forces," Cirule said. "The Vong have lost too many of their coralskippers without a war coordinator to control them; we'll easily have air superiority in every engagement. It'll give us a key advantage."

"[The Vong are using humanoid shields,]" Borda pointed out.

"Our infantry is up to the challenge," Marnisch said. "And I assume the Imperials' are as well."

"Yes," Cirule said, a tone of irritation in his voice.

"It's a new turn on the old blitzkrieg idea," Sebastian said. "We move, wipe out the Vong, and move on. We leave them off balance, we leave them with no place to withdraw too, no place for a final stand. Advance, advance, advance, until they’re cut off from each other and surrounded."

"And then on to the Milky Way," Marnisch said.

Sebastian hesitated. "No." He limped around the map. "Mr. Terraine," he said. "I have a few old friends on some of the worlds of the Imperial remnants here. They tell me the control isn't supported by the populace, only by the threat of military reprisal."

"That's correct," Volgo Terraine said. He had come to the Alliance some months ago, along with a good portion of the ISB spy network. "There has been a great deal of civil unrest on those worlds. If the Imperial military government is removed, it would be liberation, not conquest."

"Wait, wait," Cirule said. "Now I can't speak for the other former Imperials, but when I joined the Alliance, I did so with the understanding that we would be fighting the Vong, not our former comrades in arms."

"It's not a position I've adopted lightly, admiral," Sebastian said. "And not just because they were once your friends. Even divided, the Imperial remnants have powerful military support... and that's precisely why we can't allow them to remain. When we go after the Milky Way Vong, we're going to have to devote virtually all of our resources. If we do that, the remnants will more than likely take it as an opportunity to annex Alliance territory, and I cannot allow that."

Cirule opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself. "I know," he said finally. "But you're asking us to face off against men and women we've trained and trained under, fought side by side with in the worst of conditions. And it will be us you send, right?"

Sebastian's eyes were downcast, but he nodded. "No one else can," he said. "The new tactical cubes are the only ships the rest of the Alliance has that can go toe-to-toe with an Imperator, and we only have a few hundred of them. That just leaves the former Imperial fleet, admiral. I'm sorry, but I don't see an alternative, do you?"

"I can have my people attempt to undermine the military command," Terraine said. "This must cut both ways."

"Yes, and perhaps the sight of us finishing off the Vong while they're forced to sit on the sidelines solely because of some admiral or general's ambition will make them reconsider as well."

"I'd like the chance to talk with some of them first," Cirule said. "Some of them are overly-ambitious, but others were just doing what they thought they had to, what was necessary to preserve the Empire."

"That would give up the element of surprise," Marnisch said.

"That's worth the risk," Sebastian said. "If you're convinced that we can bring even one of the remnants over admiral, I'll back you on this."

"I am," Cirule said.

"It's tactically unsound," Marnisch insisted.

"I'm willing to take that risk," Sebastian said. "A battle avoided cannot be lost."

"A battle avoided is a sign of cowardice."

"I don't agree."

"Then maybe this was a mistake after all," Marnisch said, getting up. "I will inform the Chancellor, and he will-"

"Sit - down," Sebastian said firmly.

Marnisch stared at him. "Are you challenging me, prefect?"

"No, I'm giving you an order," Sebastian said. "The question is are you challenging me?" Marnisch grinned and turned to walk away. "Sit down!"

"I will ask the Chancellor," Marnisch said. He took one more step before Sebastian's cane hit him in the back. He turned back and glared at Sebastian.

"Don't test me, general," Sebastian said. "I don't like it. There's too much real work to do."

"Let him go," said Admiral T'nil of the Romulans. "We'll be better off." Sebastian glared at him. "The Klingons-"

"Save it," Sebastian said. "Now, we are here to work out a strategy to deal with the threats against the Alliance, which your governments are now members of." He held out his hand and the cane flew into it. "We will formulate such a strategy together," he began limping around the table, "but someone has got to have the final say on this or we'll never get anything done."

As Sebastian reached Marnisch the Klingon moved like the strike of a scorpion. It was expected; if a Klingon felt his superior was a coward avoiding battle, it was his duty to remove him. His dagger flashed, and passed through Sebastian's free hand up to the hilt. Despite the blade, Sebastian closed the fist around Marnisch's own, until there was the sound of bones cracking, but it seemed the more pressure applied, the greater the Klingon's smile grew. "Enough," he said finally. He laughed a little. "You are unbelievably frustrating, prefect, but it is so hard not to like you." Sebastian let go and the dagger was pulled free and sheathed. Despite having a broken hand, Marnisch took his seat.

"I understand your concerns, general," Sebastian said as he limped back to his position. "But the admiral's point is a valid one. It's worse than a Civil War, it's asking the army to fight itself. I won’t ask that of them if I don’t have to. And besides, I'd rather save our strength for the Vong than waste it fighting a pointless battle."

Marnisch nodded. "I accept your decision."

"Good. Now, back to the immediate. Any further comments on the plan against the Vong?" Sebastian waited, but there were none. "Then I'll leave it to you to make the final preparations." He limped out and down towards his quarters, Janet close behind. A drone was waiting, and Sebastian's hand was quickly replaced with a fully-functional one. He dropped into an overstuffed chair and let out a weary sigh.

Janet began rubbing his shoulders, and Sebastian moaned a little; he'd been pushing rather hard to get this campaign ready. "Perhaps the Romulan general was correct," she said. "The Klingons are a source of trouble."

"They're also just what we need against the Vong," Sebastian said. "When two sides go against each other, fear is always going to be present. Even the Vong are descended from those ancestors that ran away from danger instead of staring at it like idiots. But in combat, fear can get you pinned down, letting a small force control and wipe out a larger one. That's why the stormtroopers do so much better against the Vong than Borda's people, because the troopers are conditioned to manage their fear. The Klingon soldiers are the same, conditioned to control it. Wookiees too, for that matter. And, of course, any soldier can be taught the importance of that; it's not a genetic thing. But in this case, the cultural influence and the military pressure is going to keep them hard in the fight. They'll make a good addition to the Imperial infantry."

"So they're that essential?"

"Look, we need ever soldier we can get our hands on," Sebastian said. "This is just a bonus."

"But they seem to switch over to those big swords in the middle of fights-"

"The Klingons learned just like everybody else when the Empire showed up just how essential organized combined arms tactics are. Things'll work out fine," he slurred.

"You put that general in his place well enough," Janet remarked. "Showed him who's boss."

"Had to," Sebastian said. "Can't let the Alliance fall apart... have to make certain they'll listen to me since they won't listen to each other." His eyes opened as he felt Janet's lips on the back of his neck. "What are you doing?"

"You're very tense," Janet said.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I like the massage," Sebastian said.

She brushed some hair aside and put her lips up to his ear. "Anywhere else you’d like a massage?"

Sebastian turned around and looked up at her incredulously. "What?"

"Come on, Sebastian," she said. "Relax a little." She read his expression. "I'm not under any delusions," she added. "It’s just sex. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"You'd demean yourself like that?" Sebastian said.

Janet laughed a little. "You're not even thirty and you're the most powerful man in the galaxy. I don't think it's all that demeaning to make the mattress springs squeak with a modern day Alexander."

"And what happened to his empire?" Sebastian asked.

"What does that have to do with this?" Janet said.

"Answer the question."

"It collapsed after he died," Janet said. "Is this some kind of metaphor?"

"Very funny."

"Look, just forget I said anything," Janet said sharply. "I just thought maybe you could use a chance to let off some steam."

Things ticked into place. "Ah, Romal," Sebastian said with a nod. "This was his idea wasn't it."

Janet looked a little uncomfortable. "I'm excellent at what I do," she said. "I'm organized, alert-"

"Yes, you are," Sebastian said. "I've got no problem with what you've done. But I don't need a concubine, Janet."

Janet licked her lips nervously. "Romal told me that you were very lonely." Her eyes were downcast. "He was right."

Sebastian nodded a little. "Yes he is," he said quietly.

“You don’t have to be alone.”

“You said yourself: it won’t mean anything.”

“I mean it doesn’t have to if you don’t want to,” Janet said with mild exasperation. “If you want someone to be a soulmate, I can do that. If you just need to relieve the stress, well, I’m open to that too.”

Sebastian couldn’t look at her. "I know you two were only doing this with my best interests, so I'm not going to hold this against you.... and thank you, that’s a very flattering offer."

Janet knelt down so she could look him in the face. "Sebastian... how long has it been? I know how much you love her, but she's gone. Do you think she'd want you to be so unhappy?"

Sebastian let out a troubled breath. "It was the last thing we shared," he confided. "Before she left to fly that mission. And now, just thinking about it just reminds me of her... of that day."

"You didn't answer my question," Janet said. "Sebastian, not everything in the universe has to be about your wife." There was a chime, and she got up to check the commlink while Sebastian rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes. "Yes? What? You can't be serious. No, I- Yes, I'll tell him."

"What was that about?"

Janet shook her head. "It's about your wife."

Janeway scares the crap out of me in this fic....which is REALLY saying something about how good you are Chuck.

Thanks, I may have mentioned before, but one of the challenges I put before myself was to try and turn Janeway into at least a marginally interesting character. I'm glad to hear she seems to be working out.

Thanks for the chapter. After a day of nonstop physics and chemistry, I needed it. You definitely turned Janeway into more than a mariginally interesting character. I could read a hundred fanfics and novels and I'd be shocked if found even one where she was anywhere near as interesting.

Oh shit, I was totally wrong.

The Klingons continue to entertain. It's always been enjoyable to watch Jedi and Klingons interact. I've missed Gorren...

Great work! Can't wait for more.

Ben seems to be either gaining a conscience or lacking any motivation at all nowadays. Poor chap, no wonder he's so whiney...

Crazedwraith wrote:Ben seems to be either gaining a conscience or lacking any motivation at all nowadays. Poor chap, no wonder he's so whiney...

Dem Skywalker genes, dontcha know.