Wellaz92
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Star Wars Episode VII: A New Order
Chapter I
Flaring star lines shrank back into stars as the shuttle Valorum, exited hyperspace.
“Well here we are, Malastare... Zillo Beasts and pod racing a specialty” exclaimed Ben, slumping back into the pilot’s seat with a less than enthusiastic tone.
“I’m guessing by that comment you studied the files Uncle Luke and mother gave us” said Rey, sitting in co-pilots seat next to her brother, and checking the shuttles systems one final time before beginning their descent into Malastare’s atmosphere.
“Well… sort of” replied Ben with a coy smile, drawing his sister’s attention to his comment, rather than the consoles over her head and meeting his gaze with a less than friendly look.
“Ben tell me you didn’t ignore them again?” asked Rey, shocked in disbelief that her brother had once again completely disregarded all the records and materials that had put together in order to ensure this mission had a successful outcome.
“Relax sis, it will be fine” casually remarked her brother, his usual care free demeanour and blasé attitude towards such diplomatic issues was becoming less than helpful.
“No Ben! That’s not the point, we’ve been given a task by master Luke himself to see this mission through to its conclusion, I do not want to be picking up the pieces once again like I had too on Naboo and Agamar for that matter, so I suggest you let me do all the talking!” demanded Rey, her demeanour when agitated reminded Ben of his mother back home, having Rey around was a helpful reminder of what his mother would say and do in times such as now, he missed her.
“Okay… I’m sorry sis, it’s just frustrating, we are both training to be Jedi, not negotiators, not glorified bodyguards to senators and definitely not local security officers, and I understand master Luke wants us to learn through experience and not in a classroom, but all these trade negotiations and peace keeping talks are getting out of hand if you ask me, the senate was created to handle such matters, not the Jedi Order” stated Ben.
Even with her annoyance towards her brother’s lack of will and effort with such missions, Rey could more than understand his frustration towards what she had also come to view as boring and repetitive tasks. She also agreed with Ben, the New Republic Senate and the Inner Council had placed more and more red tape on Grand Master Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order since its creation two decades ago. Part of her could hardly blame them; after all it had been a so called ‘Jedi Rebellion’ that had felled the Old Republic and given rise to Palpatine’s New Order. His own Galactic Empire ‘For a safer and secure society’, had been created to deal with infighting of the senate and the narrow minded and dogmatic views of the Jedi, according to the Imperial Archives deep within the bowels Imperial Palace on Coruscant.
“I understand your frustrations Ben, but you know how Uncle Luke feels about these things, if the senate wants the Order to be its lap dog for the time being then so be it, at least it allows us to make contact with those who view the Jedi as a threat, and perhaps change the views they have of us” replied Rey, trying to assure Ben that they were here doing the right thing.
“Check all systems we are entering the atmosphere, let’s see what this relic can do” said Ben, deflecting the comment made by his sister and taking manual control over the shuttle, tapping the console in front of him to adjust the power to the engines, the shuttle began buffeting as the atmospheric drag and the planets gravitational pull began to take effect on the old Lambda-class shuttle once used by the empire, and now repurposed for official use by the Senate Office as an ambassadorial transport. Ben adjusted the positioning of the lower wings, and reduced his speed accordingly, slowly the buffeting ceased and the shuttle began to fly smoothly again. In the eyes of many he had become a far better pilot than that of his Uncle Luke, and it had become where he felt at his most comfortable. In the eyes of his father however, Ben’s piloting skills resembled little more than Coruscanti taxi pilot darting through the skylines above the metropolis.
“All systems are green, Doge Palace Security have given us permission to land, And Ben… please remember to let me do the talking, dealing with Gungan chiefs was one thing, Dugs are another story entirely” sighed Rey, Ben could feel her anxiety and tensions towards the matter and decided not press the issue and gripe his sister further, he looked over his shoulder to see her staring back at him from the co-pilots seat and smiled at her reassuringly.
“I promise Rey, you can take the lead on this one” Ben tried his best to reassure her, and he could feel that it had worked, the tension Rey had given off in the force began to dissipate, and was replaced by the usual calm demeanour she gave off.
“Thanks Ben” Rey’s smile beamed from ear to ear, barely able to contain her excitement at being able to take a lead on such a venture. Just like the Jedi of old, she felt that she could make a real difference here on behalf of the New Republic, for the oppressed natives of Malastare. As the Valorum exited the densely grey clouds that shrouded the view of their destination, Ben looked on mystified by what appeared to resemble an insect hive than a so called palace. The large conical structure lay overlooking the open plain where what Ben assumed to large fuel pipelines lay across the landscape. Ben noticed the large grey landing platform a top one of the many large rocky outcrops protruding from the palace, and waiting for them was their host, the Great Doge Ghrahka Urus himself and his entourage.
Ghrahka Urus stood on the landing platform flanked by his Doge Guards clad in traditional ornate armour, and clasping the ceremonial blasters used by the Dugs of old. As well as his accompanying guards, Ghrahka brought along his most trusted aide Vashtu and several of his favoured courtesans in show of strength for the arriving New Republic representatives. Vashtu looked up at the evening sky as the delegation came into land. The sight of an Imperial Shuttle on Malastare had previously inspired fear and oppression in its population, in particular that of the Dugs. Ghrahka’s people had been a minority on their own homeworld for over 1000 years. In that millennia, his people had suffered numerous humiliations at the hands of the Gran Protectorate, Ghrahka’s own great grandfather had once been an ‘indentured servant’ in service to one of Malastare’s non-native oppressors. For all the Gran had done by far the worst act had been the lack of representation on behalf of the Dug’s in the senate, their cries and pleas for help had fallen on deaf ears at the hands of both the old Galactic Republic and the Palpatine’s new order alike. But the emergence of the New Republic had brought a new sense of hope for him and his people.
Ghrahka shifted his weight from side to side as did the rest of his entourage in anticipation as the shuttle came into land, its lower wings rose into its iconic landing configuration and with a creak of its outdated landing gear it came to a halt on the wind swept platform. Slowly the shuttles ramp lowered with a hiss of hydraulics, and what appeared to be descending down it were not the diplomats that Ghrahka had requested, but Jedi.
“Jedi? They sent you Jedi” whispered Ghrahka’s aide into his ear as his Doge Guards came to attention. Ghrahka looked upon the in confusion, why in the galaxy had the New Republic sent Jedi to aide them in a time for diplomacy. Not only was this an insult to his cause Ghrahka’s cause, but their youthful experience suggested they were little more than children, and not the guardians of peace and justice during his upbringing in the palace, nor the battle hardened warriors he had witnessed leading the Republic’s troopers on Malastare during the Clone Wars in his young adulthood, an encounter that had soured his father’s opinion of the Jedi for the remainder of his life.
“Silence Vashtu, and do your job” hissed Ghrahka gesturing to his guards to stand at ease.
Rey looked out towards the plains that lay in the distance, she wondered how the Dug’s could live in such a barren place for all these years, even the evening sky above seemed to be made up of dark clouds more than it was of a sunset. As she and her brother approached their welcoming reception, both of them removed the hood their cloaks almost in unison. Rey bowed before the Doge and his entourage, but before she could introduce the pair of them to their reception the Doge’s aide stepped in front of Ghrahka before she could say a word.
“The great Doge Ghrahka Urus, leader of the Dug High council, and leader of the Dugs for democracy movement, welcomes you to his palace, home to the Doge and his fam-“ Ghrahka cut off his aide, glancing a look of menace his way that suggested Vashtu step out of his way and remember his place by his side.
“Jedi? The New Republic has sent me Jedi? I demanded trained diplomats to be sent, not infantile Jedi fresh from their mothers dinner table” barked Ghrahka, almost snarling at each of them in turn like an animal.
“M-my sincerest apologies your honour, I hope that me and my brother here can prove just as helpful to your cause, we have taken part in several of such negotiations before” Rey was equally confused by Ghrahka’s response to their presence at his palace as he was to herself and Ben’s.
“And were you successful in these several negotiations you claimed to have taken part in?” asked Ghrahka, cocking his head to the side.
“For the most part, successful your honour” replied Rey, a snort of derision was the only reply she received, as the Doge and his entourage turned to walk back inside the relative warmth of the palace. The only member of the Doge’s entourage that had remained was his aide, who with a more than apologetic look on his face bowed to the pair of them, finishing his greeting that had been so rudely interrupted. Both Rey and Ben returned the gesture and proceeded to follow them in.
“So much for the warm welcome” Ben muttered under his breath, drawing a laugh from Rey. As they walked down the walk way towards the main hall, Ben couldn’t help but stare at the comical appearance his hosts, the evolutionary path the Dugs had found themselves on had led to an unusually slender but powerful build, but the most curious thing about them was the unique way they moved. Their primary means of locomotion were a pair of what most humanoids would regard to be their arms, and what were used as hand were more analogous to feet. The bizarre sight of the Doge’s Guards using what was essentially their feet to hold their blasters amused Ben highly, it wasn’t hard for him see why the Gran Protectorate had never taken the Dugs claims for equality and representation seriously.
“The palace of the doge was built just before the Gran arrived on our planet, to this day, it signifies our strength and resolve as a people and hopefully now with your help Jedi our planet will be ours once again” said Vashtu, as the three of them entered the main hall a wave of comforting warmth engulfed Ben as he found himself awe struck at the sight that greeted him. The artwork and decoration that spanned the hall was not what he had expected at all, the floor and walls of the expansive domed room was made of a jet black stone Ben had never seen, as he moved, each piece seemed to flicker with golden flecks embedded into the stone itself. At the far end of the room sat the Doge himself on what appeared to be his throne made of the same materials, such a size was the room that Ben had only just noticed the Dugs sat at series of round tables arranged around the room, each one lit by a lantern of orange light that gave the room a relaxing glow and in the centre a table set out for he assumed would be his and Rey’s.
“Please, your cloaks sir and madam” asked one of the Dug servants attending to the festivities, and showed both Ben and Rey to their seats. Before Ben had even settled down, Vashtu had stepped onto a podium a next to the Doge’s table and the room fell silent in anticipation of his speech as he simultaneously cleared his throat.
“Esteemed colleagues of the Dug High Council, I would like you to raise your glasses and welcome our guests of the New Republic, for too long our people have been left in the shadows, too long have we been outcasts on our own homeworld… we are a proud people, a strong people and with the help of the dip-… forgive me Jedi our new allies in the New Republic, we shall at last-” Vashtu was interrupted by the smashing of glass, Ben looked to see the Doge scowling directly at the table he and Rey were sat, his hand that had once contained the glass was now clenched into a fist and bleeding heavily.
“Once again my people are forgotten by our supposed saviours, I told my father back in the Clone Wars not to trust your kind, that you were only here to use Malastare for its resources, and all I received for my warning was banishment to the frontlines. I was there when your bombs woke the Zillo beast below and still you didn’t listen to us when we told you it needed to die, for the sake of us and your troops. And all we received for our troubles in your war was to process the fuel you all so desperately needed. Nothing good has ever come from you and your kind, you meddle and interfere where none is needed. It is insulting that this New Republic would deem it acceptable to send two Jedi given our past with them!” bellowed Ghrahka, silence fell across the hall as Rey sensed the nerves and embarrassment the crowd felt as she swallowed deeply to clear the lump in throat and stepped away to reply to the unnecessary outburst that had greeted her.
“Your honour, if this is how you truly feel about mine and my brother’s presence at your palace then we shall leave, I hope you expect my most humble of apologies and I shall inform my superiors of their mistake in sending ‘Jedi’ to your halls” replied Rey, attempting to keep her voice in the neutralist tone possible so as not to incite the Doge further who’s attention clearly was no longer interested in Rey, but with the new glass of his favoured wine a servant had brought him. Rey felt that neither party had anything more to say to each and grabbed her cloak and prepared to leave.
“You should follow your sister whelp, or do you have more to say and displease me with” Rey heard Ghrahka say, a sudden chill ran down Rey’s spine as she looked back to see Ben stood with both his fists clenched so tightly they trembled with anger. Reaching out with the force Rey attempted to calm her brother’s temper but it was no good, Ben’s mind was too far gone to be pulled back to a calmed state.
“Oh I have far more to say to you your so called honour, from the moment me and my sister have arrived your attitude towards the pair of us has been pitiable, and not one of you have even asked for our names.” Said Ben, for a few tense seconds, the whole room froze in anticipation of the Doge’s reply as he stood up once more.
“I do not need to know your names, your demeanour in particular has suggested that of a mewling child since you arrived, and at least the Jedi of old did not cry at a few barbs thrown their way whelp” hissed Ghrahka who now was stood on the black stone table itself rather than his chair.
“And in that last statement is where your problem lays Ghrahka, you have judged me and my sister before we even spoke and compared us to little more than children and to that of the Jedi Order that came before us. I have news for you your honour, I and my sister are not children and we are most definitely not the Jedi of old, we are the first of the new. And we shall not waste any more time helping a piece of sarlacc fodder like you!” Shouted Ben across the hall and pointed at Ghrahka as he did so.
“Seize them!” bellowed Ghrahka, as the Doge’s Guard leapt across tables from all sides of the room and surrounded Ben and Rey. There once comical and ornate blasters now charged and aimed directly at the two of them.
“You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut Ben!” said Rey the pair of them now back to back.
“You weren’t holding your own”.
“All you had to do was walk away… what do you mean I wasn’t holding my own?”
“It means, never mind you got a plan?” asked Ben.
“No I’m leaving that to you!” replied Rey.
“I do, follow my lead” using the force and with a swift motion of his hand, Ben pulled the cloth from the table they had been seated on and enveloped the guards in front of him. Without warning the remainder of the guards now open fire on the pair of them just as Rey had ignited her lightsaber, using its blue blade she was able to deflect the shots safely away from the pair of them and the crowd that had begun to panic at the commotion that was unfolding.
“Look out!” shouted Ben, who leapt to his sisters side and deflected the blasts of several more of the Doge’s Guards that had entered the hall. A large and very audible crack of stone echoed around the hall, Ben looked up in shock as the deflected blaster bolts had damaged the ancient architecture on the ceiling. Ben noted the irony of deflecting the bolts to save lives, only for everyone in the hall to be crushed as a result.
“Run sis!” shouted Ben, who began to run for the landing platform. Rey looked up to see what had caused Ben’s panic as large chunks of the black stone began to fall from the ceiling, using the force to predict where the falling masonry would land. More and more larger pieces of stone began to fall on the crowd, Rey desperately made a break for the exit and just managed to dash out of the way of another and then another and another, before finally arriving in the door way to the landing pad where Ben stood.
“Come on we gotta go!” shouted Ben now running full tilt to the shuttle, before Rey could respond she felt a disturbance in the force, one she couldn’t ignore. Back in the laying trapped was Vashtu, without a second thought Rey ran back into find him. All that now lay around her was fallen debris and destroyed tables with their contents scattered across the floor, but still no sign of Vashtu. Rey clambered over a larger piece of rock near where Vashtu’s podium had once stood but still no sign of him, then all of a sudden a faint whimper came from behind her and there with his leg stuck laid Vashtu in considerable pain.
“Please help!” whimpered Vashtu, extending his arm towards her. Rey looked around for anyone who could help, but everyone who had been enjoying the festivities had fled.
“Hold on, can you move?” Asked Rey.
“No… no my leg is stuck, please help I can’t move”.
“Ok, I can help you but I don’t think can save your leg”.
“Please just get me out!” shouted Vashtu, squirming with agony and desperately clutching at his trapped leg.
“Hold on, I can numb the pain before I attempt to move you” said Rey, she rested her hand gently on Vashtu’s leg and slowly but surely Vashtu stopped writhing around and his breathing slowly settled back into a normal rhythm.
“Better?” asked Rey.
“Yes, thank you… now please just get me out” begged Vashtu once more. It dawned on Rey the rock was far too large for her to move via her force telekinesis, but maybe she could use her lightsaber to create a hole large enough for Vashtu to escape, drawing her lightsaber from her belt she placed her hand on Vashtu’s shoulder to reassure him that everything would be alright.
“Please don’t move, I’d hate to catch you while I try cut through” placing both hands on the hilt, Rey plunged her saber into the rock as deeply as she could and began working her way around his trapped leg. All of a sudden from behind came a loud animal like scream, Rey looked over her shoulder just in time to see one of the Doge’s Guard lunge at her from a top a broken table with his dagger in hand poised to strike, but before her target could land a killing blow, the Dug was cut clean in half in the middle of the air by a lightsaber.
“I said we have to go!” Shouted Ben, who grabbed his blade clean out the air with one hand whilst grabbing Rey by the elbow with the other.
“No Ben, I can’t leave him” replied Rey, who in turn pushed Ben away from her to finish her work.
“Hurry up”.
“Almost there” replied Rey who with one final intricate flick of her blade managed to free Vashtu’s leg. Just in time for the Doge’s Guards to begin flooding the room in search of the two Jedi.
“No time to stand on ceremony, come on!” shouted Ben, hauling Rey to her feet as he deflected the volley of incoming blaster fire.
The pair clambered once again over debris, and made for the landing platform where the Valorum stood waiting. As Ben clambered over the last piece of debris he leapt through the air and rolled onto the durasteel walkway that connected the platform to the building and entered a full sprint towards the Valorum in attempt to fire up the engines before his pursuers had a chance to catch up. Finally Ben had made it to the shuttles lowered ramp, and felt the breeze of his sister run past him as the pair of them clambered into their seats.
“Fire up those engines, forget the pre-flight checks let’s just get out of here” ordered Ben as he took controls of the Valorum as quickly as he could. Ben looked out of the cockpit window back at the palace, only to see a Dug throw themselves head first into the window, in an attempt to break the glass and prevent them from leaving.
“They really don’t want us to leave do they” said Rey.
“No they really don’t” who pulled back hard on the Valorum’s controls and took off with all the thrust the old shuttle gave him. Tapping the console in front of him, Ben transferred all power to the engines and lowered the shuttles wings into its iconic inverted Y lay out, and with another moment to spare he took off into the atmosphere, and watching the Dug slowly slide off the cockpit window and down to what he could only imagine would be a rough landing.
“Well, that was fun” gasped Ben who relaxed into his chair before looking over at his sister, Rey’s stern demeanour soon softened at her brothers comment and upon looking back at her brother soon turned into laughter. Ben peered back out as the clouds dissipated and what appeared the empty void of space, his smiling expression soon soured. He knew that upon hearing what had transpired down there in the Doge’s Palace, both his mother and Grand Master Luke Skywalker would not describe anything about the events as Ben had called ‘fun’.
Chapter II
Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker leaned on the duracrete wall that formed his personal quarter’s balcony at the Jedi Temple, having not long since woken he found himself day dreaming about how the Coruscant sunrise painted the metropolis below and beyond with a plethora of tones that involved an all manner of yellows, reds and oranges streaking across the high rise of buildings that lay on the horizon. All of this was a kind reminder too him of the twin suns of his adoptive home planet of Tatooine, where various gorges, sands and mesas of the Dune Sea had also been enlightened by the comforting warmth of the early morning sunlight at his Uncle Owen’s and Aunt Beru’s homestead. But perhaps the place he missed most of all however, was the home of old Ben out beyond the Dune Sea itself. Never had Luke dreamed that so much of his life would change from such a fateful encounter, it seemed that in the blink of an eye he had transitioned from a simple farm hand, to that of rebel leader and then into his final transformation too that of Grand Master of the Jedi Order, an order that he alone had formed right here in the now refurbished Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
“Thank you, Ben” he said to himself, taking a sip of his traditional morning cup of caf as he continued to peer out over his balcony noting that the contents had gone cold.
“ Back to work I suppose” Luke said as he poured the remaining and watched as it dispersed in the wind, turning back Luke head towards the door of his living quarters and as glass door parted he was greeted by a series of friendly beeps.
“Good morning R2” replied Luke, the droid again began chirping in what this time appeared to a quip aimed at his appearance.
“Hey! You’d be old and grey as well if you had to endure my usual day here to old friend” he responded, cracking a smile at R2, who in turn responded yet again.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten… You know me best buddy, I wouldn’t be up at such a time otherwise” said Luke as he sat in his chair in the corner of the room and peered at the book shelf that fixed above the head of his bead, selecting a volume of forgotten lore regarding the origins of the Republic, slowly the book glided through the air and opened up directly in front of him. Luke stroked his greying beard while he read each page in turn, taking extra care to read each word meticulously and take in every piece of knowledge that each page contained.
“You’re wearing the same robes again to the hearing?” Inquired an all too familiar voice to Luke from the door to his quarters, standing in the doorway was none other than his sister Leia. Luke looked down at his robes in confusion at his sister comment.
“Why what’s wrong with them? I’m still dressed better than half the senate” said Luke looking down at his slightly faded traditional Jedi robes as he adjusted his belt.
“They’re clearly not new Luke, if you’re going to be dressing in such a lazy way is not going to help your cause, and the senate will believe you don’t care” said Leia as she walked over to her brother and placed the levitating book on Luke’s bedside table, she had always loved visiting he brother at his quarters in the temple. The room bore such a simplistic but cosy nature, apart from the bed and the table next to it the room bore little else, anyone entering the apartment was greeted by deep red painted walls bearing handmade mosaics of the Jedi of old, however the most beautiful aspect of the room was its flooring, the entire apartment was made of a highly polished black stone that when bathed in sun light revealed an intricate patterning of deep red. Leia had always believed that in the sun she feel the force ebbing and flowing through her and the stone in what she could best describe as comforting.
“So you want me to try and impress the very people who despise me” said Luke sullenly as he tilted his chin upwards to allow his sister to adjust his collar for him, it had been hard to see not only her brother but also her children reduced to private security and not the proud Jedi Knights of the New Jedi Order they should be. She could sense Luke had virtually all the fight left kicked out of him, he had fought hard to keep his pride and joy out of the limelight that was politics of the New Republic, but sadly had failed to succeed.
“Shall we just get today out of the way and see where things stand, I will fight for you and your people’s rights to remain autonomous if you continue to fight for it too” said Leia placing her hand on her brothers cheek and tried her best to reassure her with a smile.
“Thank you Leia”.
“Don’t thank me yet, thank me after today… Come on, R2 is waiting for us” replied Leia. Both of them made for the door and entered one of the main maze like corridors that made up the Jedi Temple, even though the Empire had long gone, the Temple still bore the blight of Imperial iconography under its days as the Imperial Palace. Luke had often wondered if the senate’s stigma towards his new had its seeds sown because of his decision to base his order within the confines of the old Imperial Palace, despite him using the building for its originally intended purpose.
“I hope this isn’t another waste of our time Leia, all the politics and infighting are beginning to bore me” said Luke as they entered a turbolift to the temple’s hangar bay complex.
“I know Luke but think of it this way, we could be still be fighting for all of this still” said Leia, finally managing to get what resembled a laugh from him.
“Very true, you don’t think Borsk is going to be there again do you?” replied Luke.
“Isn’t he always” said Leia. The Botha had been a thorn in Luke’s side since the formation of his Order and had been more than vocal about the return of the Jedi going unchecked by the Republic. Some within the Jedi Order believed that Palpatine’s sphere of influence still clouded the senate’s mind in its views of the Jedi and the power of the force at large, Luke however in his studies on the matter had developed a different view and was becoming more certain the more he attended these meetings that it was less to do with Palpatine’s doctrines and views on the Jedi and more to do with a lack of understanding and teaching on the senate’s part. After all it had been over 50 years since anyone had seen a Jedi in the flesh and even fewer senators had been alive at the during the early days of Palpatine’s reign. For an entire order to be rebuilt and take its place inside the Imperial Palace which had once been the Jedi Temple itself, must have been a cause for concern on the newly fledged Republic’s part. Among the upper echelons of the Senate and even on seats of the Inner Council members such as the Bothan Borsk Fey’lya viewed Luke’s order as little more than a religious cult whose agenda had cost the Old Republic dearly.
The turbolift doors swiftly parted as Luke and Leia departed into one of the temples numerous hangar bays and we greeted by the distinct smell of engine lubricants, fuel and numerous other sights, sounds and smells that accompanied the usual comings and goings of a starship hangar bay. Up ahead near the hangar’s cave like exit stood Leia’s personal X-Type 3811 Nubian transport, although much smaller than most of its predecessors the sleekly designed ship still bore the traditional characteristics of those designed by the Nubian Stardrive shipwrights, including the highly polished chrome that seemed to have been forged and shaped by a single piece of metal along its teardrop shaped hull as well the pair of sweeping wings that protruded from the underside of the vessel.
“How come you get a brand new ship and I have to break into the treasury using my lightsaber every time I need new belt for my robes?” ask Luke humorously, although Leia could more than sense the jealousy on her brother’s part.
“For a start you have to be sociable with the right people” Leia replied. “Sociable huh? I guess that rules me out for one of these” said Luke as they both entered the starship via its portside ramp and into the highly stylized and decorated domed interior, Luke looked on in amazement at his surroundings. Crisp white panels made up the majority of the interiors walls steadily arcing into centre to form the roof of the dome, the very same panels formed the floor bar the black Alderaanian silk carpet that ran the length of the room stretching from the flight decks doors to the living accommodations to the rear of the ship. Luke ran his hand across one of the cream leather chairs that sat in the centre of the room, he noted their cuboid appearance was of stark contrast to the rest of the smooth and curving design the interior had.
“A ship fit for a princess” Luke muttered under his breath, just as another series of beeps welcomed him from the flight deck. R2 shook excitedly as he announced that they were ready for take-off, the plucky droid plugged his scomp link into the ships main navigational computer port. Luke joined him and his sister and took a seat at one of the vacant chairs used by a navigator on long distance journeys.
“Good morning Master Luke, I trust you are ready for today?” asked Vas, Leia’s personal pilot and bodyguard. Luke had always had a special place in his heart for the Duros as he had been ever present by her side since the fall of the Empire.
“As ready as I can be for today Vas” replied Luke, the Duros casually saluted him before turning to face the console in front of him and began to flight sequence, displays and holographic projections rose from the various surrounding instruments that littered the primary flight display around him. Luke noted that Vas worked in such a fluid motion that it was simply an instinct and his body’s muscle memory to act and react what he felt and saw through the ships data streams, the star faring nature of his species had produced some of the finest pilots the galaxy had ever seen and Vas was no exception to this rule. The ship began to hum and vibrate as its engines roared into life and with sudden motion raced out of the entrance to the hangar bay, the force of which jerked Luke back into his seat as well as being temporarily blinded by the light streaming in via the various view ports that littered the flight deck. As the glass began to compensate for the sudden change in brightness and slowly Luke’s vision returned to a state of normality.
“Luke no matter what happens today, everything is going to be fine” said Leia one last time in an attempt to comfort him, he wished he shared her optimism as he felt his waning by the moment. Everything he had worked so hard to build, everything he had strived for was about to be taken away from him in the blink of an eye, never to be his again. As the senate building came into view, Luke felt all of the optimism that remained had vanished from his being all together he doubted that everything was going to be fine.
Chapter III
“And now to our next agenda The immediate and complete prohibition of the New Jedi Order to act as an independent entity or without prior consent of the senate and now to speak on behalf of the New Jedi Order I present Grand Master Luke Skywalker”.. ” said Mon Mothma as she stood upon her chancellors podium looking out at the many thousands of senators gazing back at her, the grand convocation chamber had undergone a series of drastic design overhauls since the foundation of the New Republic. Gone were the sloping walls of the funnel shaped room as well the individual repulsor pods used to sit each senator and their various followers and aides. In its place was now a large amphitheatre stretching back as far as the eye could see, the pods replaced with individual booths all of which the chancellors podium faced directly, this allowed the speaker to address their case to those who had gathered face to face, behind her lay a booth specifically for those who had been invited to speak on behalf of those they represented and overlooking the entirety of the amphitheatre stood a large mural of both the New Republic’s and New Jedi Order’s respective insignia.
Mothma stepped away from the Chancellors podium and gestured for Luke to take her place on the podium, with a deep breath Luke rose from his seat and stood to his full height to suggest a demeanour of false confidence. Smiling at the Chancellor as he walked past her he could see the two terms she had led the New Republic had not been kind to his old friend, her once flaming auburn hair was now greying at the temples and wrinkles around her eyes had become far more prominent, as well as the sickeningly dark circles that now sat under her eyes were made even more prominent by her pale and ashen complexion. Despite the 10 years of relative peace under her stewardship, Mothma’s support had dwindled in favour of the more militaristic views of the group of senators known as the radicals, in particular the popularity of the Bothan Borsk Fey’lya had flourished in recent times, his wiliness and policies regarding the Jedi and the New Republic Military had made him in the eyes of many as the front runner to replace her. Luke stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat looking down he could see the Bothan sat in the front row, his smug facial expression suggested he knew what Luke had already concluded in his own mind that this entire endeavour would prove fruitless.
“My dear friends, senators and acquaintances” the last word of that opening statement was directed at Borsk himself, it did little in Luke’s eyes other than gain him a small victory over the Bothan and serve as a boost to his personal self-esteem.
“I stand before you today, with no speech prepared and no notes to refer too. In truth, politics of any kind bore me for I am no politician, I am the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, the very same Jedi Order that had protected the principles of the Republic since its creation millennia ago and therefore we should be able to act as such without hindrance or questioning as to the reasons for their actions… yet here I am today seeking your approval for my people to act on this Republic’s best interests, your best interests as the guardians of peace and justice. I understand if you have reservations and I understand your concerns, considering all that apparently happened in the rise of the empire in those waning months of the Clone Wars” Luke held his hands out to the side, in a gesture of peace and sorrow for those that came before.
“But the power I possess in the force is driven by a desire to wield it for good, not for evil as Palpatine had. And if we are still shackled by the lingering views of a cruel and manipulative man who ruled this very senate and the galaxy at large with an iron fist then this Republic we have built shall not prosper. The Emperor has gone as are his beliefs and more to the point. If it had not been for the intervention of the Jedi since the Empire’s demise then the evacuation of Ohma D’un and the civil war on Dac would have ended under very different circumstances as well as countless other incidents and events throughout the galaxy”
“Very differently indeed! How many lives would have been saved on Dac if you and your Jedi had never intervened! If you had sought to carry out the negotiations this senate had agreed upon, the peace have been achieved before the war had even begun! Instead your Jedi’s arrogance and belligerence cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of our noble Mon Calamari military forces as well as countless other personnel deployed” Luke looked out to see who had so rudely interrupted him, his first guess turned out to be the correct one and staring back at him with his finger extended in Luke’s direction was the Bothan Borsk Fey’lya. His ears had flattened to the sides of his head while his dark brown fur rippled almost continuously, signalling a state of anger at the statement Luke had just made, the fact that his voice had been heard across the vast amphitheatre meant that the snarling Bothan had turned on his booths audio amplifier disk before Luke had begun his speech, suggesting he had waited for the perfect opportunity to interrupt him. The moans and general chatter had reached a low din among the senate, Mon Mothma now moved to bring the room back to a state of calm.
“Order! I shall have no further outbursts at this hearing senator!” bellowed Mon Mothma, Luke noted the room had begun to settle back in line with the Chancellor’s demands for calm, however Borsk still stood a loft at his gazing back at his chosen target in Luke.
“Its fine chancellor, let him speak” whispered Luke into her ear.
“Once again Senator Fey’lya you appear to lead the opposition against me, and once again you fail not to stand on this podium and speak your opinion to the senate, instead choosing to interrupt and belittle my case in front those gathered” replied Luke.
“I object to such a statement, never once have I intended to belittle a man of your stature” said Borsk, placing his hand on his chest, feigning the supposed pain Luke’s response had caused him.
“Never the less, we find ourselves butting heads for all to see, in response to your earlier claims that our actions on Dac had facilitated the onset of civil war are absolutely false, you and I are more than aware the Quarren Isolation League had no intentions of peace and were using the peace talks as little more than a cover to strike at the ruling Mon Calamari monarch, King Lee-Char who sits among us today” said Luke, his attention drawn to the male Twi’lek naval officer who had rushed to Mon Mothma’s side with a brisk pace, trying not to draw attention to himself or the information he delivered, Luke could tell by the worrying expression she gave him that whatever it was had not been good news, yet she seemed to recompose herself and nodding at him and then dismissing him as quickly as he had arrived.
“So you say Jedi, but not one report have seen reference to the Quarren attempting to assassinate Lee-Char, in fact the only report on the matter was filed by the Quarren themselves, reporting an unwarranted attack by the Jedi you had sent to act on your behalf, the one they call Ben Solo. The very same Jedi I have heard has also disrupted numerous discussions as we attempt to reconnect with those worlds we lost, including the most recent talks on Malastare this week!” hissed Borsk catching Luke completely off guard regarding his nephews actions on Malastare, how had the Bothan known that Ben and Rey’s attempts had failed before even he did. Neither was the information false, Luke felt only sincerity within Borsk’s words.
“For 24 years, your order has had completely free reign in its actions and mode of operations. Establishing academies and enclaves wherever you saw fit, all without consent of the senate or the inner council and thereby increasing your numbers and influence in the wider galaxy.” Said the Bothan, the chatter of the senate had slowly crept back into existence as senators both bemoaned and took delight at the clear spat the two had now fully committed themselves too, Luke turned to see Leia still sat perfectly still in the booth behind him with her hands placed gently in her lap, her feelings and thoughts now firmly on the wellbeing of her children and not at the present.
“And only in the last year did the senate vote to saddle your actions by making you the guards of the senate and the personal bodyguards of the members of the inner council as well send military detachments to all of your bases of operations. A move many have regarded simply as an act out of fear regarding your destructive past and supernatural abilities.” continued Borsk.
However it is a move I see as too little too late and clearly designed to do little more than appease those who dare speak out like myself, nevertheless clearly hampering your numbers as done little to dissuade you from your interfering and destructive nature, and I vote that the Jedi now not only guard the senate but to answer to us directly!” Borsk turned to face his audience directly, and was greeted by a chorus of cheers and applause by the vast majority.
Luke and Mon Mothma had appeared to have lost all control of the crowd, and the expression of dismay on Leia’s face did little to alleviate his concerns. The massed ranks of senator’s now reached fever pitch in their applause for Borsk, as the Chancellor stepped back up to the podium in what must have seemed as pointless attempt to appease the masses.
“I’m afraid the vote must be postponed until further notice” proclaimed the Chancellor, this only further antagonised the more raucous elements of the amphitheatre, however with her outstretched hands motioning downwards in motion called for calm amongst the outraged crowd that sat before her. And to Luke shock and delight, it had seemed to work, slowly the calming influence of presence on the podium filtered back to the very rear echelons of the senate amphitheatre.
“Approximately thirty six hours ago Galactic Standard time, New Republic Sector Command in the western reaches received a distress signal from the planet of Bakura on the edge of known space from a mining facility located on planet’s northern hemisphere, however the message received was little more than static” Mon Mothma said, pressing a panel located on her podium. The message filtered through the sound system all around the senate, Luke listened on to what appeared to be little more than static as Mon Mothma had said, however Luke believed he had heard the word ‘storm’ early on in the message, not wishing to alarm anyone he decided upon saving the information for a much more private location for the discussion of the subject.
“Sector Command at Tibrin dispatched the Nebulon-B class frigate the Raider to investigate and was due to arrive in system within twenty four hours, however that time has now long since passed with no communications from the Raider.” said Mon Mothma, trying to maintain a calming tone in her voice as she tried to not insinuate any further disruptions.
“I propose that until we know further information about the events that have taken place on Bakura that the vote be postponed indefinitely, an attack by an unknown force could be the first of a series of assaults on our worlds, such acts of aggression could be the opening salvo of something much larger, and as such this should be our primary focus for the foreseeable future, I will not let this Republic we have strived so hard to build to be torn apart again.” exclaimed Mon Mothma, the senate began to respond with a round of applause before falling silent again, only now had Leia chosen to stand speak feeling she could bring something value to the hearing.
“May I add Chancellor that my husband is in the area on our behalf already, I’m sure General Solo will be more than happy to oblige our request our request to investigate further.” added Leia.
“If we are under attack, surely a show of force should the best course of action?” said Borsk.
“I understand your view Borsk however Leia’s suggestion is the correct course of action, if we are under attack a single ship such as the Falcon should be able to slip in and out undetected, the deployment of a fleet my risk escalating the situation.” The Chancellor responded, Borsk could gain little from argue with the Chancellor herself, instead choosing to simply nod his head in agreement and skulk back to his seat in a state of annoyance at his recommendation being shot down.
“So it is settled, Senator Leia Solo will send word to her husband General Solo to investigate the incident at Bakura, until we know more this senate is dismissed and the inner council shall act upon any military matters we deem fit in the meantime, until then you are dismissed” finished Mon Mothma before vacating the podium and into the turbolift at the rear of amphitheatres elevated stage and signalled for Luke and Leia to follow her, slowly senators began gradually filtering out via the numerous exits and into the vast lounges and galleries that had been created for them to relax after a particularly intense hearing, Luke thought to himself a drink and seat to rest his old and weary self sounded perfect at this moment in time.
“I hope I’ve bought you enough time Luke” said Mon Mothma staring out at the remaining senators as the turbolift doors began to close.
“Thank you Chancellor, however I fear you have only prolonged the inevitable” replied Luke.
“Yes I fear that too, how soon can Han be at Bakura Leia?” she inquired, massaging one of her temples in an attempt to ease the headache that had been slowly increasing in its severity.
“Within the day Chancellor, assuming all is well” said Leia.
“Good, I fear something far worse lies on the horizon now for us all.”
Chapter IV
“I don’t see him Han, you sure this is the place” called a voice into Solo’s head. The communications bead sat in Han’s ear was perfect for this type of operation, no one sat around him was any the wiser of the discreetly sized black ball that sat comfortably inside his inner ear.
“Don’t worry he’ll be here, remember what I said kid” replied Han, who carefully placed the glass of Gulla beer to his lips in an effort to mask his speech from any keen lip reading patrons of an inquisitive disposition.
“Yeh I know, I’m in position… commencing radio silence from here on in, Dak over and out” replied the voice, Han resumed reading his data pad as if he was just like anyone else sat about the establishment who completely unaware of what was about to take place right under their noses.
Han drank down the last swig of his beer and looked up to see if there was any sight of his contact, but all he could see was patrons from a variety of different species, gender and ages enjoying the night the port of Latus had too offer. Following the collapse of the empire, Latus had become a haven for both smuggler and tax evader alike. Leading to an exotic blend of seedy behaviour and cunning intellect from both sides of the establishment, the Guilds of Latus as a result had become increasingly wealthy as the mutually beneficial agreement had brought prosperity for both parties and as long as the smugglers kept shipping goods to and from the world then the upper class would continue to provide them the know how to hide their money trails. The resulting partnerships had transformed usually degenerate establishments such as this, into modern bars and cantinas frequented by both smuggler and their banking leaders alike.
“Chewie, go grab us two more beers would ya?” said Han, and tossed his dear friend a couple of credits to pay for the tab they’d accumulated in the last hour.
“And get yourself something while you’re there!” shouted Han. Chewbacca gave him what past for a smile and shook his head before taking his place between a couple of Zabrak’s who had did not look too pleased at the wookiee’s interruption of their conversation. The pair turned their gaze to Han, almost as if suggesting he asked his friend to move politely.
“Well don’t look at me, tell him” suggested Han to the pair of them, and watched on as the larger of the two thought about telling Chewie to move before swiftly deciding it was not worth the trouble. Han smirked to himself as the pair skulked off to one of the free booths on the far side of the bar and noticed as he did so that his contact a blue skinned Twi’lek by the name of Aresh had arrived in fashionably late style, a common business tactic Han had become more than accustomed too, which had also been the reason why he had selected the darkest corner with the best view, he had seen all of the comings and goings since his arrival so as not to be caught off guard.
“How ya doing Solo?” asked Aresh.
“Not so bad, yourself?”
“Well this morning when I woke up I was in a particularly fine mood, then when my usual cup of morning caf was cold the day got a little worse, only for me to then discover from my first mate that our shipment to Kavaar had been scrubbed because of you republic scum were cracking down on smuggling operations in and out of wild space and then to top off my day I discover I have this meeting with the scoundrels responsible for my scrubbed shipment.. So now I’m in need of a new first mate as my previous one needs a new tongue and I’m probably about to find out another piece of information that I really don’t want to hear, so make it quick Han” snapped Aresh, his twin lekku flailing down his back, reflecting his agitated demeanour.
“Scoundrel? I’m almost hurt Aresh” feigned Han.
“Cut the bantha fodder and get to the point” hissed Aresh, baring his fangs in response to Han’s usual blasé attitude towards any perceived threat.
“Oh right relax… look I will be straight with you, the republic is in need of you and your guilds assistance, we’ve been struggling to get supplies in and out of the western reaches for some time now and I was wondering if you and the guilds are prepared to pick up the slack for us” asked Han, leaning in with one arm on the table and keeping his voice low as to not attract any unwanted attention.
“Why come to me? Why not just go straight to the top?” asked Aresh in response.
“I could’ve gone to the top, but I don’t know them… but you and I go way back”.
“That last statement does not help you” replied Aresh, taking Han’s glass and finding displeasure that none of its contents remained.
“Why do you need help so badly? You have the largest military in the galaxy and Imperial Remnant forces aren’t exactly operating out in that sector of space” Aresh continued, casually placing Han’s glass back on his side of the table, noticing that last comment of his had some truth in it judging by the look on Han’s face.
“Not exactly”.
“You have my attention”
“New Republic intelligence suggests the Remnant are on the move, we’ve seen an increase of fleet activity at border systems such as Generis, Bandomeer and Boz Pity on the borders of Hutt Space” said Han in as lower tone as possible.
“What are they up to?”
“We’re not sure but the Inner Council has pressed all available craft into nearby systems to be on the safe side, including all freighters and cargo ships to ferry troops and supplies to the front” stated Han.
“Very interesting” replied Aresh.
“That’s where you come in, we want your help to carry on the stream of supplies in and out of the core, food and clothing for refugee camps out of the core, and tibanna gas and ore deposits going back the other way, you’ll be paid handsomely by my employers of course” said Han, passing Aresh a note with the number of credits the New Republic offered to pay him for his services, Aresh looked at Han in disbelief at the number written down and slid the paper back across the table to Han.
“Nowhere near enough” said Aresh, catching Han completely off guard.
“Surely you can’t be serious; we could pay the Mon Cala shipyards for several new fleets for that price” stated Han, still in shock at the disbelief of Aresh’s refusal.
“Then why don’t you go ask them for a shiny new fleet?” suggested Aresh.
“That would take months, we don’t have months” replied Han.
“I’m sorry Solo, but there’s not much I can do under the situation we find ourselves in, your position as a member of the New Republic counts against you… the Guilds upper echelons simply will not trust you”.
“Oh come on Aresh”.
“I’m sorry Han, there’s nothing I can do for you at that price and it’s too bigger a risk for us at this moment in time” said Aresh as he stood to leave at what he perceived was the conclusion of this meeting.
“What do ya mean, to bigger a risk?” asked Han, stopping Aresh in his tracks.
“I’ve said too much already” said Aresh.
“Get back here slime ball!” shouted Han, pointing at the seat where Aresh had sat, the two Zabrak’s from before peered over at the commotion but went back to their drinks after realising it was nothing. Slowly Aresh moved back to his seat and placed his hands on the table.
“Speak” demanded Han.
“There’s not just the Republic that have been hounding us of late”.
“Keep talking”.
“The unknown regions, more and more of my people are going missing on the other side of the hyperspace anomaly” whispered Aresh in a bid to not attract any further attention to their conversation.
“Any idea who’s responsible?” asked Han.
“No idea, after all it is the great unknown… But I and my people learnt long
ago that unknown does not also mean empty, I bid you good day Solo”
