Dawn of Forever, Part XXXI-XLIX

[Star Empire]

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

I definitely believe the latter. Going on missions where the greatest threat to him are old men spoting him grave digging is just so far beneath where he ever thought he could end up.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXIV


Sebastian wasn't in the kind of condition to run, but he did the best that the cane and the sands of the desert allowed. He almost fell over as he drew to a halt a few meters away, then walked up slowly. Mrs. Sunspring was there, and she turned and hugged Sebastian tight enough to nearly bruise a rib. "Gavin tried to stop them," she lamented.

Sebastian just shook his head and squeezed back. "This is my fault, Jenna," he said. "They did this to get to me. I'm so sorry."

"Just make them pay, Bastian," Mrs. Sunspring said. She had murder in her eyes. "Make them pay!" She turned and embraced her husband, who led her away.

Sebastian looked into the empty hole. Janet stood respectfully back, as did General Marnisch, who had insisted on coming personally in case any Sith had remained behind, even though there were a number of guards around the area. The Klingon views of the dead probably made this an alien experience, but he must have understood the depravity of this act. Sebastian walked up to the gravestone, read his wife's name, and wept. It's not enough that they took you away from me, he thought, they had to defile your grave. I'm so sorry sweetie... I'm so sorry that they keep using you to get to me. "We're sure the Sith were responsible?" Sebastian asked.

Janet nodded. "The Sunsprings said they had lightsabers; I can't imagine any Jedi doing this."

"No." Sebastian rubbed the gravestone delicately, his hand trembling as he did so. He snatched it away and pulled out his commlink and contacted the Borg Queen. "The production data the Imperials provided, did it include the blueprints for the Arakyd Viper probe droid?"

"Yes," the Queen answered.

"I want us to convert a factory over for manufacture, right now. I want them in hyperspace saturating the Delta Quadrant."

"It will take several weeks-"

"Not weeks," Sebastian said. "Days, you hear me? I don't care what it takes, do it!" He thumbed the commlink off and jammed it back into his pocket. "The Oracle thinks she can play mind games with me?” he asked, pointing at Janet. “She thinks she can fuck with me and get away with it?! With me?! This is it, Janet, this is the last kriffing straw! We're gonna melt the planet out from under her!"

"Prefect-" Marnisch said.

"She has no idea what she's in for!" Sebastian said.

"Prefect!" Marnisch said, grabbing him by both shoulders and holding him steady. "Listen to me!" Sebastian halted his rant for the moment. "I understand the righteous anger that burns in you! And I swear to you that we will find the woman who would dishonor your wife's memory and kill her for this outrage!" He looked into Sebastian's eyes and nodded slowly. "But that is not for today, prefect. Today you said you would lead us in battle against the Vong. You will right this wrong another day, I promise you, but today save your hatred for the Vong... let the Oracle witness the punishment that comes to those who earn your ire... let her quake in anticipation of your vengeance!"

Sebastian took a deep breath through his teeth, then nodded. "You're right, of course. Later... she'll be dealt with later."

"And harshly," Marnisch added.

"General."

"Yes, prefect," Marnisch said.

Sebastian looked up at the Klingon with hatred on his every feature. "Today is a good day for Vong to die."

Marnisch gave that sinister, toothy grin the Klingons were famous for. "As you command, prefect."
--------------------------------------------------------------

The door to Annika's cell opened; a Sith waited for her. "Come," she said, and Annika obeyed, because there was nothing to be gained by resisting. The Oracle had been paying little attention to her lately, which was good in some ways, bad in others. If her attentions were elsewhere, she was probably fixated on a problem, and bringing Annika meant she'd likely reached a point where a Borg's skill could come in handy. Saying no to her now, after the fury of Ben's defeat, was probably going to be very unpleasant if not fatal. Annika would just have to remain resolute; with the pendulum swinging back their way, any edge she gave the Oracle could be a catastrophe for the galaxies, possibly the universe itself.

She was brought to the Oracle's lab, where most of the other Sith stood gathered in silence. The Oracle herself was fussing over her equipment and didn't even bother speaking to anyone. Annika crossed her arms and stood silently; no sense speeding things up. However, if she'd been so inclined, the sight that soon followed would have stricken her silent anyway.

Ben Skywalker pushed a familiar coffin through the doorway of the room. It was black, its highly-polished surface now scuffed dull by sand and time, the crimson Imperial symbol faded almost orange. Ben adjusted the repulsorlift and the coffin was cropped in a mostly standing position against the wall. "Open it," the Oracle ordered. Ben visibly swallowed, then threw the lid opened. Annika turned and threw up, partly from the smell, mostly from the sight of what greeted her. Even the Sith were shuffling uncomfortably.

The Oracle, or course, was all business. She activated some equipment, and a low hum began, shifting into a dull whine. Then came the sound of crackling energy and discharges, and then a sizzling sound. Annika snuck a glance and saw what she'd expected... the cadaver was becoming less and less decayed as the seconds passed. The soupy substance in the bottom of the casket began absorbing into the body. Openings in the flesh sealed. As it neared the finish, there was absolutely no doubt left as to who this was - Jorielle Sunspring Skywalker.

The machine died down, and the process ceased. She still looked dead, but freshly dead, just like Ben had been after the duel, and it was obvious what that meant. Annika was heavily conflicted. On the one hand, she knew the Oracle would never do this for any reason unless it somehow furthered her cause, and that meant it was bad for the galaxies. But on the other, Jorri was Seven's daughter-in-law, which as far as Annika was concerned made her the daughter she'd never had. She'd always found the girl to be a good friend for her son, and when he had asked her to be more than that, Annika had been thrilled. She had never bothered hiding her affection for Jorri, especially after Annika was hospitalized and she was the only family that could visit, and to have her back was almost as much a boon for herself as it would be for her son.

"Captain," Annika said, "please." All eyes, including the Oracle's, turned to her. "Leave her alone. Let her rest."

The Oracle strode, silent except for her footsteps, which seemed to echo like the hoofbeats of a coming apocalypse. She stopped, inches from where Annika stood. "What will you do for me in return?"

"I can't help you," Annika said. "I can't. Just, please, for whatever friendship we might have once had, please don't do this. That poor girl has had to suffer enough."

The Oracle's voice was almost like an escape of pressurized steam. "I disagree." She leaned in closer. "There's much more suffering to come if any choose to oppose me."

"Kathryn, please," Annika said. "I'm begging you-"

"No you're not," the Oracle said.

Annika paused, then got down on her knees, bowing her head. "You have the power," she admitted. "You can do this terrible thing to her, and I can't stop you... no one can. Please, Kathryn, please! Don't do it! Let her have the peace she's found!"

"Then join with me, Annika," the Oracle said.

Annika shook her head. "I can't do that!"

The Oracle grabbed Annika's throat and pulled her to her feet until their eyes were even. "Then it's all just words," she rumbled. "And while the sight of you on your knees may be amusing, Seven, entertainment isn't going to conquer the galaxy in the name of the Sith." She pushed Annika away and stormed towards the corpse. Her hand reached out and a hypospray flew into it from off the bench, and she put it to her own throat. A hiss, and the hypospray dropped from her shaking fingers. The Oracle's whole body began to tremble, and then came the burst, same as before, light and energy and wind and screams oh the screams and Annika could only lean against the wall in helplessness as the dark Force magics were unleashed. And then, just as quickly, the storm ended, and they all stared at Jorri.

But Jorri never moved.

The Oracle seemed puzzled, then reached out and tried to take a pulse on the wrist, then on the neck. She glowered at the corpse, as if it were Jorri's fault that she hadn't come back to life. "You shot her with a starship cannon," she said to Ben, eyes never leaving the cadaver.

"Yes, master," Ben said.

"Nothing else. You didn't do anything to her before or after... nothing with the Force."

"I shot her, that's all," Ben said.

"Perhaps it's because she was embalmed," Molly said. "That's standard-"

"No, you twit!" the Oracle said. "Her body has been restored to physical condition before she suffered her fatal injuries. It's pristine. All that's required is the infusion of life into it..."

"Have you-"

"Be silent!" the Oracle said, and the Sith unconsciously all took a step away from her. "You," she said, pointing a gnarled digit at Annika, "come here." Annika did so, but when she got within reach, the Oracle grabbed her by the throat and began crushing her windpipe. Annika resisted, but the grip was superhuman. Spots began to appear before her eyes, but then she was tossed to the floor. "No," the Oracle said, "no, you're an anomaly. That would prove nothing." She turned instead and her arm flashed out, grabbing Triss. "But you're about the same age. You'll do just fine." She gave a twist and the Sith's neck snapped, and she dropped lifelessly to the floor.

"Ben," she said, and the mere mention of his name caused him to flinch. "Get Skywalker's corpse out and put it on the bench over there. Di'Bol, Mareth, put our Mystral in the coffin and close it, then place it on the floor." No one thought to disobey or question what had happened; they had enough of a sense of self-preservation to know better. When they were done, a sheet was placed over the coffin, then the Oracle went to work at her equipment. Annika slipped over to where Jorri's body lay. She had been too sick to attend the funeral... she hadn't had a chance to say goodbye. She put her hand on the swell of the girl's belly and cried quietly for mother and daughter.

Annika turned her attention back for a moment as energy crackled, and the coffin vanished from sight. The Oracle gave some orders to the Sith, but Annika wasn't listening; her attention was again on the fallen girl, so much so that she jerked up in surprise when the Oracle stepped to the other side of the bench. There was hatred in those sunken eyes. "Did you interfere?" the Oracle demanded.

"If I could interfere, I wouldn't have been on my knees," Annika said.

The Oracle seemed less than convinced. "If I find out that you did," she warned, "and you don't tell me.... I'll torture her to death in front of you again and again. I don't have time for meddling!" Annika said nothing, and the Oracle grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the lab.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Han Solo walked down the ramp of the Falcon, closely followed by Kilana and Roger, then paused. He'd never seen the inside of a Borg ship in person, and even with all that had changed he was less than thrilled at the sight of it. The massive docking facility where he'd landed the Falcon was swarming -and Han felt that was a perfect word for the situation- with Borg drones. The sheer number of tasks were staggering, and they went about it with slow, deliberate motions, including the work they were doing on the troop carriers being prepped. "I will never get used to this," he said under his breath. "Even having stormtroopers around I could learn to tolerate, but this..."

"I've never actually seen one in person," Roger remarked. "I wonder if they have an extensible limb as well." Han turned and gave him a look that Roger no doubt had become used to. "They embrace the advantages of mechanics," was all he offered.

"You stay here," Han said. "Get the ship taken care."

"The drones-" Roger began.

"I'm not letting those damn things anywhere near my ship," Han said sharply. "Just get her refueled so we can get out of here."

"Why do I have to do it?" Roger said. "It's because I'm a droid, isn't it? How typical."

"Sebastian's an old friend," Kilana explained. "I just wanted to check up on him. And Han's the point man on this, so he needs to speak to Sebastian in person. Don't take this the wrong way."

"Hmph," Roger said, which was odd sounding because he actually pronounced it. "Just run along and do your humanoid things without me then. I'll toil away down here with the cyborgs."

Janet exited the turbolift as Han and Kilana started walking over. "Mr. Solo, Ms. Kilana, the prefect's been expecting you. Please follow me." She led them into the turbolift. "The Alliance is preparing for a major incursion against the Vong," she explained, "so I'm afraid Mr. Skywalker won't have a great deal of time."

"How is Sebastian doing?" Kilana asked.

Janet seemed uncomfortable, but knew about Solo and Kilana. "He's been under a great deal of pressure, and the news about his wife's grave hasn't helped matters. But, he's a professional, he's going to go ahead with his duty as Alliance Prefect regardless of his personal feelings."

"I'd imagine he's pretty angry right now," Han said.

"He has a lot to be angry about, Mr. Solo." The turbolift opened and she led them out and down the hall, which was good because the layout made the place look like a labyrinth. They passed through a dozen doors until they had no chance of finding their way back, until finally Sebastian was revealed, looking over several holograms. He turned, smiled and hugged them both.

"Glad to see you," Sebastian said. "It's been too long."

"There's a lot of things that need doing," Han said. "And not all of them can be done with patrols and sensors and politics."

"True," Sebastian said. "Things are really busy so I don't have much time; are you sure you can't stay-"

"We've got to get moving while our leads are hot," Han interrupted.

"You still believe the Imperials were behind the Death Star?" Sebastian said. "I really don't think they'd do something this foolish."

"Kid, I've learned one thing: assuming someone won't do something foolish is a quick way to a quicker death."

Sebastian gave a dismissive shrug. "If that's what you feel, I'll help however I can."

"We have a lead taking us to Danoob," Kilana said. "But we haven't been able to follow up."

"Ah, the Core," Sebastian said. "Probably under control of one of the remnants."

"Yeah," Han said. "It's way outside Borda's influence. We were hoping maybe you could do something."

Sebastian limped over to the table and picked up a datapad. "Gorren and I uncovered a mole on Danoob a few years back; he gave us a pile of useful intel on Alexis' organization in exchange for his freedom. Last I heard he's still there, and I'm sure the Imperial ruler wouldn't be happy knowing a traitor was in their midst. You can probably get him to help you in return for silence."

"What's his name?" Han asked.

"Bohls, Den Bohls," Sebastian said, passing the datapad over. "Also, do you know Frin Dade? Corulag?"

"Dade, Dade," Han snapped his fingers. "Smuggler, right?"

"He owes me a favor," Sebastian said. "He can sneak you into Imperial space without a problem. One of the best I've ever seen."

Han slipped the datapad into his vest pocket. "Thanks, kid." Sebastian laughed a little. "What?"

"Family," Sebastian said. "It doesn't matter if you command the most powerful army in the galaxy, you're still just that runny-nosed toddler."

Han looked down a little embarrassed. "Sorry, got my mind a thousand light-years away. You've done good k- Sebastian. Your old man would be proud." They embraced again. "Sorry we've got to run, but we know you're busy and we've got our own missions to take care of." Kilana and Sebastian exchanged a few words, then they said their goodbyes, and Janet led them back to the turbolift. They took it down alone. "I'm worried about him," Han confessed.

"He's holding up fine," Kilana said.

"He's going to snap," Han said. "I've seen it before. He's trying to carry the weight of the galaxy."

"He's got to unite us," Kilana said. "He knows that, that's why he has to do it."

Han held up a finger. "Remember what Kalib said about prophecies. Sebastian's going to unite us, that's what they say."

"Yeah? So?"

There was a glimmer of fear in his eyes. "What if it's because we're united against him?"

Kilana's breath froze for a moment. "He wouldn't do that," she said finally.

"He's a good kid," Han said. "But he's been pushed to the edge, and now he's got the responsibility of running all this, and Jaina says that he admits he's approaching darkness."

"I won't accept that," Kilana said sharply. "He's a good man, he won't cross that line. Just like with the Borg... maybe for a while he gave in, but it didn't last. Maybe he picked up a few things from his mother with them, but obviously he's much more like his father."

Han looked down, showing the weariness of his age. "That's what I'm afraid of."

[Star Empire]

First Post!!

Edit: Thanks for the chapter again. I wonder why the Oracle couldn't bring Jori back. I am scared of what she plans on doing with her. We finally got past the part where Sebestan was supposed to turn, and everything worked out great there. Instead of feeling that he is now safe from the Dark Side though, I feel more worried than ever.

[Crazedwraith]

Chillin' thought. Though Six chapters might be to short a time to pull off everyone uniting against Seb and bring in to a satifactory conclusion.

[Dalton]

Chillin' thought. Though Six chapters might be to short a time to pull off everyone uniting against Seb and bring in to a satifactory conclusion.

I get the feeling that chapter XL of this story will be humongous. Don't worry, Chuck can pull it off.

[consequences]

"Janeway's plan it didn't work doo-dah, doodah
Psycho-bitch just went berzerk, oh the doo-dah-day"

Come on, that was the perfect opportunity for her to just drop dead from an aneurysm, and you missed it.

[Sonnenburg]

"Janeway's plan it didn't work doo-dah, doodah
Psycho-bitch just went berzerk, oh the doo-dah-day"

Come on, that was the perfect opportunity for her to just drop dead from an aneurysm, and you missed it.

She should stamp her foot and crack the ground ala Rumpelstilskin.

[Sonnenburg]

Chillin' thought. Though Six chapters might be to short a time to pull off everyone uniting against Seb and bring in to a satifactory conclusion.

I get the feeling that chapter XL of this story will be humongous. Don't worry, Chuck can pull it off.

There's a lot that's going to happen before the end of the story, I promise. There's much that needs to be resolved. It's going to be capping the story, the trilogy, and the saga, so there's a lot that'll be in there.

[LordShaithis]

It's going to be capping the story, the trilogy, and the saga, so if you thought character shields were null and void before, whoa, look the fuck out!

Fixed it for you.

[Sonnenburg]

I think I'll title the chapter "There Is No Tomorrow."

[Chris OFarrell]

I have ten bucks that the last line of this saga will be:

"And they all died. Of Gangreen".

[CERC]

I have ten bucks that the last line of this saga will be:

"And they all died. Of Gangreen".

bwahahaha

[phongn]

I have ten bucks that the last line of this saga will be:

"And they all died. Of Gangreen".

Lies. Chuck can spell Gangrene, for one

[Sonnenburg]

I will add, though, that the last sentence of the series does indeed consist of only two words. Whether or not it's those two words I won't say.

[CERC]

I will add, though, that the last sentence of the series does indeed consist of only two words. Whether or not it's those two words I won't say.

as long as it isn't: happily ever-after

CERC

[darthdavid]

I'm going to go with "Cheese Weasel" as the last two words. Either that or "Pickled Orangutan".

[Crazedwraith]

"the end" would be my guess but thats rather boring.

[Star Empire]

I will add, though, that the last sentence of the series does indeed consist of only two words. Whether or not it's those two words I won't say.

as long as it isn't: happily ever-after

CERC

That would be such a contrast though. I guess it wouldn't fit, but I do hope it is a happy ending.

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXV


It had taken the Alliance a month to prepare for this day. Fleets and armies were re-assigned from across a hundred thousand light-years to prepare for this final strike against the primary Vong invasion force, the one that had first seized control of this area of space more than a decade ago. At the moment, five armadas prepared to move in along various vectors around the Vong territory, slice it to pieces, and then kill what was left. It was being coordinated from Cube Prime itself, which was kept a safe distance from the front lines to protect the many non-combatants that were aboard. Some of the commanders, such as General Marnisch, took advantage of the facilities for this purpose, while others like Admiral Cirule preferred to use their command ships. It was all fine with Sebastian, so long as they stuck with the plans and didn't try seizing an opportunity for personal success over the needs of the Alliance.

Sebastian himself was in a sealed room in the heart of Cube Prime. The room was spherical, with the gravity adjusted so that he could walk around its surface like an insect. Images and holograms from all over the fleets and systems were projected, keyed to his thoughts so that he could see and hear anything he needed to with just a thought. The systems were also set to respond to his voice, so that he could issue commands as quickly as they were needed. When it came to the Borg, things were always swift, but filtering through the humanoid chain of command often took time, so a speedy system had been essential. It had been given a shakedown cruise two months ago when the Alliance eliminated the militant Hirogen raiders, and the improvements made since would hopefully give the Alliance the advantage.

For years, the yammosk had kept the Vong working as if they were one; now it was the Alliance's chance to turn the tables.

"All commands," Sebasian said. "Execute."

The fleets advanced into hyperspace as Sebastian checked his timepiece, then began looking at the long-range scans and probe data. He didn't have to familiarize himself with what was coming next; even if he didn't have an eidetic memory, he'd read through the plan countless times to check for errors. As expected, Fleet Gamma was the first to drop out of hyperspace, near the planet Gidalt. Gidalt was uninhabited and terraformed to produce ships for the Vong. The Vong put a great deal into defending the world to discourage Imperial attack, but they weren't going to matter this time out.

There were dozens of Vong coralships around the world against a hundred star destroyers and as many Borg cubes. Both sides knew the Vong couldn't win, and both sides knew the Vong would still do their best to take as many Alliance ships down with them as possible. That was why instead of engaging the Vong, the star destroyers advanced towards Gidalt itself while the Borg ran cover. These were the old-style cubes, unarmored with weaker weapons, and they didn't stand a chance against the Vong coralships. But they didn't have to beat the Vong, or stop them, just buy the fleet a minute. With a minute, a star destroyer fleet like this could reduce a planet's surface to slag, which is exactly what happened. Two of the star destroyers were lost during the bombardment -one to a suicide run by a coralship- but the rest finished the job and vanished into hyperspace for the next target. The Borg quickly followed; their casualties had been far greater, and most of the ships leaving the battle showed signs of the devastation they'd suffered. Still, they flew and regenerated and prepared for the next engagement, without concern over the loss and damage except in the matter of improving for the next time.

Tinal-Geen was the next planet, reached by Fleet Alpha. It was a heavily populated world and the Vong had strongly reinforced it. This time things were direct; the Borg and Imperials quickly struck the Vong defenders while the Rebel capships hung back; the landing armies were mostly centered there to help preserve them, given the strength of the coralships. It proved prudent; the Vong weren't pulling punches and they hadn't skimped on planetary defenses either, given the probe data Sebastian had seen. However, their numbers still weren't sufficient to hold back the Alliance, and soon the Rebel capships were advancing to drop the transports and covering fighters to take the battle to the planet themselves.

"There's a problem with the sensors over the capital," Marnisch commented as he looked over the information coming in from his troops on the transports.

Sebastian examined the garbled data and nodded. He'd expected they might try this. "They're jamming us all right."

"I was not told they possessed such an ability," Marnisch said curtly.

"They don't," Sebastian said. "They're using our technology."

"I thought the Vong despise our technology? That it was blasphemous?"

"The Klingons talk of honor in battle, yet have cloaking devices," Sebastian said. "Why?"

Marnisch nodded slowly, a knowing look on his face. "Because nothing washes away dishonor as well as victory. We'll have to go in blind."

"Yes, but we can probably take out the jamming suite without trouble. The Vong will only give it a token defense... even though they need it, they still hate it. And they'll have left it in place; they neither understand nor trust it well enough to try to set it up elsewhere. The data on the city's layout should hold true at least on that score."

"If not, we'll be diverting our forces on a pointless errand," Marnisch pointed out.

"I know the Vong playbook," Sebastian said. "Trust me on this one."

Marnisch activated the commlink. "Captain Korris, have your men identify and eliminate the building housing the jamming suite, per your map."

"Aye, general."

"Major Navander," Sebastian said. "We're diverting the landing of Transport 127 to new coordinates. Have your men maintain cover and standing by for infantry support."

"Yes, prefect," came the reply.

Sebastian turned his attention to the other scenes of the battle. This was where things balanced on the razors edge. You had to put competent people in charge down the chain of command, to deal with the details of things. Second guess them, and you not only undermine their authority, you diminish their ability to make independent decisions and potentially make things worse. At the same time, opportunities had to be exploited, and weaknesses shorn up. Micromanaging this battle wouldn't win it, but neither would standing aside and doing nothing.

The choice was made for him when it came to Dantooine. "What's the story, admiral?" Sebastian asked as Fleet Beta chewed through the Vong coralships.

"They've got a shield up over the capital, as expected," Cirule said. "But they must have known we were coming; they've drawn their armies back in Matale."

Kriff. "How many civilians in Matale?"

"Half a million," Cirule said.

Sebastian ran his hand down his face. "We don't have the spare manpower needed to liberate the city, admiral."

"I agree."

"It's not shielded, is it?"

"No, prefect."

Sebastian ticked over on the display and a hologram of the Borg Queen appeared. "Yes, Sebastian?"

"The city of Matale has five hundred thousand people," he said. "We need to get them out so that we can bombard the city without killing civilians."

"My ships can transport them all off the world in minutes, Sebastian," the Queen said. "We can deposit them elsewhere on Dantooine once the world is liberated."

"Hurry," Sebastian said. "Once the Vong realize what's happening, they may start killing the locals out of spite." The Queen nodded and Sebastian flipped back to Admiral Cirule. "The Borg are beginning an evacuation. As soon as they're done, wipe out the Vong forces at Matale from orbit."

"Yes, prefect." Sebastian ticked over and saw the advance forces heading into the Dantooine capital. Legions of stormtroopers confronted the Vong on the streets while TIEs buzzed overhead, maintaining air superiority and eliminating key targets behind the lines. Things were going well there, but Matale would be the question mark. The Vong knew about transporters, but maybe they didn't know just how powerful they truly were. The Borg assimilated whole planets in the bad old days, so one small city was a piece of cake for them.

Sebastian switched back to Tinal-Geen. The sensors were still down at the capital, but the advances on Tiban and Fon City were going splendidly. Klingons were rappelling down their lines from an AT-HT within Tiban before blasting away at the Vong. Sebastian shook his head. Imperials and Klingons literally fighting side by side, he thought. If you were here to see this, Gorren, what would you think? Would you still want to stab them in the back, or would you see that maybe we're all on the same side after all?
--------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere on Tinal-Geen, Captain Korris and his men pushed through the Vong forces until they caught sight of the communication tower that also served as the source of the jamming. Korris examined it through his electrobinoculars while his men secured the area. It was close to civilian homes, and with the heavy jamming there was no way to tell whether or not they were occupied, hence the need for the surgical strike. He barked a few quick orders, and they began shining a pulse beam on the side of the building. "Squad 127-Bravo requesting aerial strike, marked coordinates, Grid A19."

On board the orbiting star destroyer, Major Navander was passed the request. He didn't care much for the Klingons; the Empire had been doing just fine without their smelly, hairy presence, but there was no need to undermine the war effort because of it. He approved the request and it was quickly sent down to the men in the cockpits. "Squad 127-Bravo, this is Grey 3, closing on Grid A19. Stand by for lock."

"Roger, Grey 3," Korris said, then covered his commlink. "I detest these protocols," he spat the final word. "Let us hope these Imperials can provide half the success their arrogance suggests."

The TIE Bomber, flanked by its supporting Interceptors, came around for its run. The jamming field was playing havoc, but the pulse beam was capable of getting through at up to ten miles. "I have tone," he announced, and released the missile. "Maintain marking until impact, Squad 127-Bravo." The missile dove, following the pulse beam without wavering. The Vong hadn't deployed any defenses, so nothing was able to stop it from striking its target, its hardened nose puncturing the exterior to allow the missile to explode inside, demolishing the structure. Sensors immediately came back to full resolution. They also showed that the Vong had, in fact, kept the people locked away inside their homes. By doing it this way rather than dropping a heavier bomb, the Alliance had saved hundreds of lives.
--------------------------------------------------------------

"HA!" Sebastian yelled with triumph from Cube Prime. "Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!"

"I'm re-assigning our forces there, prefect," Marnisch said, ignoring Sebastian's odd outburst. "Anything you wish to add?"

"Just to keep up the excellent work," Sebastian said. He was grinning despite himself. The Alliance was performing quite well, the mixed forces shoring up each other's weaknesses. Hopefully they would all start to realize how well they work together. Alloys, right Morgan? Alloys are stronger.

The jubilation was cut short, however. A transmission was being sent out from Matale, Dantooine; the Vong had turned the hated technology on so the Alliance could see what was happening. As he'd feared, they'd turned on the locals. Bodies piled in the streets as they went about their massacre. Those who begged for mercy found none. Those who fought were quickly and unceremoniously cut down. Mothers and fathers who pleaded for their children's lives were forced to watch as-

Sebastian cut the feed; he was breathing heavy. You did what you could for them, he reminded himself. You're saving as many as you can. The Vong are just doing this to goad you, to make you lose your resolve and stop the advance. They can't hold you back with weapons, so they're going to attack your humanity. You can't let them win.

Sebastian covered his eyes with his hands, but the images wouldn't go away. You knew this was going to happen, he reminded himself. You knew that this is what came with the job. You knew that war meant people, innocent people, dying. You knew that by taking charge, you would directly and indirectly cause death and pain. So why does it suddenly bother you so much?

Because he needed to ask his father about how one copes when one’s actions lead others to die. Because he needed his mother to point out that he isn't responsible for the evils of others. Because he needed his best friend to explain to him the regrettable necessities of being a warrior. Because he needed his grandfather to remind him that redemption sometimes hurts. Because he needed his wife to hold onto him and tell him that he was doing the right thing even when it all felt wrong and that she'd never pass judgment on him and always always love him. Because he needed to face this without knowing that however many troops he commanded and worlds he controlled, he was still completely alone. And in his exhaustion of mind and body, watching innocent people die reminded him of how many times he'd witnessed it, felt it.... reminded him of the price it demanded of the soul.

Don't hate, Sebastian reminded himself. Don't hate them... don't hate them... just... just...

Just destroy them!

"Admiral," Sebastian said. "Has the populace been removed from Matale?"

"Yes, prefect," Cirule said.

"Blast it into oblivion," he ordered.

"Yes, prefect."

"Admiral," he added eventually. "Did you see the transmission?"

"Yes," Cirule said darkly.

"What's your opinion?"

Cirule looked down for a moment as he thought, then up into Sebastian's face. "They're little more than animals, prefect."

"I agree. No mercy, admiral. This isn't war any more, it's extermination, and we do not stop until that work is done."

Cirule smiled just a little and nodded. "As you command, prefect."
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Oracle turned the monitor off and reflected on what she had just witnessed, ignoring the sounds of the Sith at work outside the lab. She tapped her lips as she thought, then turned to the corpse on the table. "Perhaps your services won't be required after all," she remarked. "Perhaps matters haven't been prevented so much as delayed." She looked at the other monitors as the Alliance fleet continued its relentless advance across the shrinking area that once was Vong space. This was the end for them, the Oracle had foreseen it and shed no tears over it. But perhaps they could serve her one last time before dying out... perhaps they could finish what Ben Skywalker had unwittingly begun.

[Dalton]

Mmm, I can see the allegory. Sebastian is forming Unity within the alliance, but he still needs to form it in himself.

[Star Empire]

Thanks again. I loved the chapter and can't wait to see where Sebestain is going to end up. It's nice to see the unity emerging between the galaxies and the Vong approaching their end.

[Chris OFarrell]

Mmm, I can see the allegory. Sebastian is forming Unity within the alliance, but he still needs to form it in himself.

You know, I can see Yoda and Sisko watching on from their ethereal home, looking at Sebastian.

"Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now twenty bucks you owe to me".

[Sonnenburg]

Thanks guys!

You know, I can see Yoda and Sisko watching on from their ethereal home, looking at Sebastian.

"Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now twenty bucks you owe to me".

"I left my wallet in my other body."

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXXVI


It's been stated that wars are long periods of inactivity punctuated with moments of excitement. The war with the Vong was no different. After so much planning and preparing things were happening rapidly. For Han, Kilana, and Roger, this included their arrival on Danoob. They'd arrived under a cover that even an old smuggler like Han could appreciate, and were given enough cover to pass amongst the locals for a little while. But there wasn't much time these days, so they got to their rendezvous as quickly as possible.

"Solo?" the man in the alley asked.

Han paused and looked him over. Enough meetings like this trained the eyes, although these eyes had seen better days. "You Den Bohls?"

"Yes," Bohls said, coming out into the slightly less dark. "I understand you need my help."

"There's construction going on on the dark side of the planet," Han said. "Exotic parts were being shipped here for a while last year. I want to see what the Imps are up to."

Bohls shook his head a little. "Not wise to mess with the Imps around here," he said. "Corbin's a mean one; he'll torture and kill you if you're caught."

"Then we'd best not get caught," Han said.

Bohls scowled. "I don't see why I should stick my neck out for the Alliance. What they ever do for me?"

"It's what they won't do," Han said. "Namely tipping off Corbin to your questionable associates."

"That was strictly business," Bohls said. "I've got no love for anti-tech nutjobs, but their money spends same as anyone's."

"I don't think that's gonna set Corbin's mind at ease," Han said in his low, syrupy tones. "Now let's just do this thing, all right?"

"Listen, I'll do my part," Bohls said. "But you tell Sebastian when you see him that this is the last-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Time?"

"Twelve point two minutes, sir."

Lando looked at the readouts on his datapad. "I think it's holding. "Charge it up another ten percent." He watched the readings.

"Fifteen minutes."

"Power down, power down!" Lando said, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "That looks good, real good. Everybody take twenty and we're back here for the secondary relay."

Garak was standing nearby, watching without comment. He detached himself from the wall as the room cleared out and slithered over. "I take it that was progress?"

"Yes it was, Garak, yes it was." Lando's eyes never left the datapad. "We're almost operational."

"What's 'almost' when translated into real time units?"

"Days. Just a few more tests to run," Lando said, looking things over. "Have to be careful... one small error and bang-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"This place blows."

"Thanks for that assessment," Han said.

"I'm only stating what I know everyone's thinking," Roger said. "What an abysmal place."

"Perfect for hiding something," Kilana pointed out.

"The station's this way," Bohls said. "From here you can access the orbital systems and get a view, that's the only way you're going to see anything." He paused, then quickly gestured for everyone to get up against the wall. He pulled a vibro-blade from his belt and slipped around the corner. Han swore under his breath and followed him, only to catch the end of it. "We have stun weapons," Han said, "you didn't have to kill him."

"I'm not risking having myself identified," Bohls said, wiping the blood from the blade.

"He wasn't even a guard," Han said a bit louder than he should. "Just some shlub trying to get some fresh air."

"You want to do this without me, fine," Bohls said, "but with me, you do it my way."

Before Han could respond the door opened and a stormtrooper walked through. Everyone pulled their guns, even though a firefight was going to attract still more attention, but then Roger moved... sort of. His chest snapped open and a fist mounted on a long arm sprang out and hit the trooper in the middle of the back, knocking him so hard his helmet flew off. He hit the ground and stayed there. Everyone stared at Roger and the arm protruding from his chest. "It's my extensible limb," he explained. He looked from face to face. "What?"

"That's it?" Kilana asked.

"Yes. What did you think I meant?"

Han looked at Roger, then at the crumpled up stormtrooper, then shook his head. "He's out now," he said. "Probably gonna hurt like hell when he-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Comes to," Anakin looked over the numbers again, "quite a chunk of credits," he said, tossing the datapad on the desk. "Maybe setting up the Academy here was a mistake. We don't have the money for this."

"But this place is so beautiful," Laudica said from out on the balcony.

"And they charge you for the beauty," Anakin said. "I never realized how much we needed the Empire to foot the bill for everything... we're going to be living on the beach levitating rocks in the hopes people will throw coins in our hats."

"Anakin, stop with the number crunching and relax. Worse comes to worse, Sebastian will cover it."

"Oh sure, that's something I'm looking forward to doing," Anakin said. "Having to get a hand-out from him."

"This was his idea," Laudica reminded Anakin. "And you're acting rather childish. Maybe you two don't see eye-to-eye, but you’re both family. He's not going to make you grovel."

"No, but it would give the impression that the Jedi are indebted to him."

Laudica's eyes swiveled this way and that. "Well, that would be because we would." She gave a lopsided grin. "You don't like that thought, huh?"

"Sebastian has made some bad decisions," Anakin said tersely. "I don't want him interfering in the Academy."

"Anakin, come here."

"Listen, I've-"

"Come here," Laudica said, with no room for disagreement. Anakin got to his feet and came over. She put her arm around him and looked out of the ocean. "This isn't a failure," she said. "You and Jaina founded this Academy and have seen it through the worst catastrophes, but we're still here. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Then why does it feel that way?"

"Because you are a very prideful man," Laudica said with a smirk. "There's something you need to know."

"What?" A look of panic passed over his face. "Is it about the environmental impact, because I-"

"Anakin," Laudica said, "stop thinking about the Academy for three seconds, okay? There's something-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"I have to tell you," Han said, "this is one bad idea, and I've seen plenty."

"I told you," Bohls said, flipping switches on the control panel, "they'll shoot down any ship that tries to go over there. This is the only way you're going to get a chance to see what's there and live."

"I'm not too sure we're going to live anyway," Han said. "Someone's going to notice that guy hasn't reported back yet, and this place is gonna get swarmed."

"Stop distracting me and I'll get it done faster," Bohls said through his teeth. The monitor finally flickered and resolved into a cloudy darkness. "Let me try to clean it up," he said as he worked the controls.

"I still don't see anything," Kilana said.

"I do," Roger said. "It's a ship."

"You're not seeing a ship," Han said. "It's just resolving."

"I have top-level visual filters," Roger said. "It's not a battlestation."

"Just..." Han stopped as the picture cleared up. "Kriff..."

"That's not the Death Star," Kilana said. "What is that?"

"I know what that is," Han said grimly. "Terraine mentioned it. It's-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"An Eclipse?" Sebastian rubbed his brow. "Are we sure?"

"An Eclipse Mark II, prefect," Terraine said. "And yes, we're sure. It's very hard to mistake a ship like that for something else."

Sebastian gently tossed the datapad onto his desk. "Well that is exactly what we don't need," he said with exhaustion in his voice. "Who has it?"

"Corbin," Terraine said.

"Aw terrific," Sebastian said. "Corbin's arrogant, he'll use the damn thing."

"That's our assessment as well, prefect," Terraine said.

"Admiral," Sebastian said, turning to Cirule. "There's no chance you would ever convince him to coming over to our side, right?"

"He's at the bottom of the list, prefect," Cirule said.

"Then I don't see an alternative to declaring war on Corbin," Sebastian said. "Before he gets it in his head to use that thing."

"That will severely hinder our ability to draw other factions into the Alliance," Cirule warned.

"I understand that," Sebastian said. "But for now, we know where that ship is. In a week, who knows. It's bad enough that someone's running around with a Death Star somewhere, but letting an ambitious weasel like Corbin have his own personal superlaser is too much. We're going to have to move, and quickly, unless someone has a better idea."

"Prefect," Terraine said, "the ISB can get men onto that ship and sabotage it. We can very likely destroy it, with enough resources."

"Begging your pardon, Mr. Terraine, but that's one big ship," Sebastian said.

"I realize that," Terraine said. "But we have the advantage for the moment. The ship is understaffed in dry dock, and we have the schematics and intimate understanding of the security technology and the protocol. To put it bluntly, we know its weaknesses, and the weaknesses in the humanoid element. We can very likely blow that ship away without sending in a single warship."

Sebastian drummed his fingers on the desk. "How certain are you of this?" he asked.

"Very certain, prefect."

Sebastian looked around the table. "Any objections?" None of the other military leaders spoke up. "Then give it your best, Mr. Terraine. And may the Force be with you, because I have a feeling you're going to need it if you expect to actually-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Pull it off," the Oracle ordered. The tattered sheet was removed, revealing the black coffin. It was almost surreal as the Sith pulled it out of the cave floor and carried it back into the lab. As before, the coffin was propped up and opened, revealing the decayed corpse of Triss. Most of the Sith turned away; it wasn't a very pretty sight and the smell was even worse. Again, the Oracle used her machine to reverse the effects of decay so that the body was pristine. Then she channeled unholy Forces in the room as the ether howled in protest until the corpse spasmed and snapped her eyes open before screaming.

Silence came. "A successful test," the Oracle said. She took Triss' pulse, felt her forehead, then went off to her workbench without a second thought. Triss pulled out her saber and charged at the Oracle, but with a casual gesture she was tossed aside. "Don't waste my time, child," she said, still not looking up from her work. "I have work to do." Triss leapt up to try again, but the lightsaber flew from her grip into the Oracle's hand. "Don't do that again," she warned darkly.

The Sith took a step back as the Oracle left the workbench and went to where Jorri's body lay. She put her index fingers together and tapped her lips as she stared at the body. "The child shouldn't have anything to do with it," she mused aloud. "Still... anyone here pregnant?" she asked as she turned back to the Sith. There was a fervent shaking of heads, even by the males. "No one? What about you Molly? It's no secret about you and Ben."

"We are always careful, my master," Molly said, though there was a tremor of fear in her voice.

"Hm, pity." The Oracle considered the corpse again. "I don't suppose any of you know anyone who's-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Pregnant?" Anakin Skywalker said, a bit flabbergasted. "How?" Laudica gave him a look. "I mean, how could this have happened? Wait, I mean-"

"You're surprised," Laudica said. "And you're a Jedi so you're not used to dealing with being surprised, but please, love of my life, stop talking like an idiot." Anakin turned, slightly dazed, and looked out at the waves beating upon the Hawaiian shore. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Anakin said distantly, then snapped back and hugged his wife tightly. "Yeah, I am, sorry about that. It just really hit me hard... I'm going to be a father! I mean, that's just..." He shook his head. "I can't really wrap my mind around that."

"Well you better start, mister," Laudica said, offering a kiss. "Because no matter what the Jedi Academy may need, the baby's going to need you more."

Yes, it would, Anakin realized. And one thing it would need would be protection from those threatening to destroy the Jedi specifically and the galaxy as a whole. Suddenly, the work of getting the Academy set up seemed insignificant, that the only thing that mattered was stopping the evil while there was still some time. "I'll talk to Sebastian," Anakin said. "I'll swallow my pride and ask him, so that we can get down to business."

"Good," Laudica said. "But how about we stop thinking about the blasted Academy and start thinking about us?"

Anakin kissed her. "I'm sorry, you're right. It's just hard not to think about it with all that's happening."

"Well, if you could find time to squeeze us in, I'd certainly be obliged."

"It's just that there's so much going on in the universe right now," Anakin said. "I mean, I love you, and I'll love our baby, but... I hate to admit it, but I'm worried that-"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"This isn't a good time," Sebastian said. "I've got a meeting with delegates from the Breen and Tholians in three hours and I haven't had a chance to look over the briefing yet."

"I understand, Mr. Skywalker," Janet said, "but the Queen said it was urgent."

"And she doesn't use that term lightly," Sebastian admitted, following Janet out the door and hobbling up the corridor to the nearest operations center. "Tell me what I'm looking at," he said as he glanced up at the images and holograms being projected.

"Telemetry from one of the probe droids," the Borg Queen informed him.

"Did you find the Oracle?" Sebastian asked.

"No." The Borg had obviously missed the underlying tone of Sebastian's question, and the bland response was infuriating, but killing the messenger wouldn't serve any purpose. "Though this appears to be a significant discovery."

Sebastian looked at the readings and suddenly it hit him. "You found the Vong planet."

"It appears that way. We've encountered Vong occupied worlds, but this one is different. All our data indicates that this is where the war coordinator is controlling their forces."

"How certain are we of this?" Sebastian asked, afraid to hope that it could be true.

"Eighty-seven percent," the Queen said.

"I like those odds," Sebastian said. "It's just like the coralskippers. We take out the war coordinator and all those ships are reduced to the primitive brains the Vong gave them. We can end this war in a single stroke... we wouldn't even have to worry about the remnant, except for that Eclipse, of course." He turned to Janet. "This could finally be the end."

"Unfortunately, there is one obstacle to victory," the Queen said. "The Vong have created a very sophisticated planetary shield. They destroyed our probe droid before scanning was complete, but preliminary data indicates that it’s at least up to galactic standards in terms of defensive power. No bombardment will be able to penetrate if it's activated."

"Then we've got to get around it," Sebastian said. "Sooner or later we're going to have to, so it might as well be now. What about a cloaked fleet?"

"The probe droid was cloaked, yet they still found it," the Queen pointed out. "The Vong seem to have developed technology that can penetrate it."

Sebastian clicked his teeth a few times as he looked at the data. Eventually he pulled out a commlink. "Mr. Terraine."

"Yes, prefect?"

"Put the Eclipse project on hold for the moment, there may be a change to the mission."

"What kind of change?"

Sebastian looked at the shield emitters and ground his teeth. "We may have to steal it."

[consequences]

I'm sorry, I realise that the mid-sentence scene shifts are a neat stylistic device, but I couldn't help but have flashbacks to Austin Powers.