New Jedi Order Force Heretic I Remnant

PART FOUR CONSCRIPTION

It was amazing, Jaina, thought, just how quickly governments could jump.
when they wanted to.
Within five hours of the destruction of the two slaveships, not only was the.
link to the nearest deep space transceiver open again, allowing information to.
once more flow freely into Galantos from the local subspace network, but.
Councilor Jobath had emerged from his pressing business on the far side of the.
planet, professing his deep and undying loyalty to the Galactic Alliance.
Jaina could imagine her father's reaction to that. Her mother would have no.
doubt shared his sentiments, too, but hid her feelings beneath a more gracious.
and temperate response. Her parents worked well that way, maintaining a.
pretense guaranteed on the one hand to intimidate the most ingratiating of local.
governors, but at the same time capable of wooing them without actually using.
force.
Jaina hadn't seen the exchange, though. After docking with Pride of Selonia.
and having a few minor bruises treated, she had retired to one of the frigate's.
berths and slept solidly for almost five hours. It had been cramped and.
uncomfortable, but it was better than trying to sleep upright in her X-wing—.
even though she'd had hundreds of hours practice doing just that over the years.
In her deep sleep she had dreamed fitfully of Anakin's last mission to the.
worldship around Myrkr to destroy the voxyn queen, as well as the cold fury she.
had felt upon his death that had turned her, for a time, to the dark side. While her.
body rested, her mind relived the fear that Jacen, too, had died, and the aftertaste.
of that awful grief she would carry with her for the rest of her life, she was sure.
But even as she was dreaming, she found herself wondering: Why now? Why.
here? What is the dream trying to tell—?
She woke with a start, sucking air in sharply as a hand gripped her shoulder.
and shook.
"What—?" She rolled over, eyes blinking open to peer up at the dark blur.
leaning over her.
"Relax, Jaina, it's just me." Through the haze of sleep she recognized Jag's.
solid, calming presence as he sat down on the edge of the narrow bunk beside.
her.
"Jag?" She sat up, brushing loose strands of hair back from her face. She.
yawned, knuckling her eyes. "You want to be careful, you know. People will.
talk.".
"Let them," he said. "Besides, you do know where you are, don't you?".
It sank in then that she wasn't in her quarters on Mon Calamari, but instead.
tucked into a space in a communal bunkroom, with little more than a flimsy.
curtain separating her bunk from the fifteen other identical beds. She had a better.
chance of finding a Kowakian monkey-lizard at the helm of a starship than of.
getting any privacy here.
"Why are you waking me up?" she asked after orienting herself. "Has.
anything happened?".
"No," he said, laughing. "You requested a standard field nap, and I.
volunteered to do the dirty work when time came to wake you up. It was my.
opinion that the duty officer should be spared the grisly business." He smiled. "I.
don't see why he should get to have all the fun.".
Her mouth half opened to snap a retort, but the unexpected compliment threw.
her for a second. Then she shook her head and smiled also. "What do you really.
want, Jag? If it's a rematch on the dueling mat, then you're going to have to at.
least give me a minute or two to wake up properly.".
He laughed again. "Actually, I came to bring you some news," he said.
"About Jacen.".
"Jacen?" The last vestiges of sleep vanished; she sat up fully, alarm spiking at.
the back of her brain. Was this why those memories had surfaced? "Tell me,".
she grated.
Jag did tell her. She learned of Councilor Jobath's turn-around and the.
reopening of communications. Although she was relieved that the situation on.
Galantos had been so easily rectified, that was nothing compared to the news.
that had been relayed from Mon Calamari, once they had regained contact. The.
Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the Empire had been successfully resisted. After the.
destruction of Bastion, Imperial forces had successfully turned the invaders back.
at Borosk and were at the moment forcing them to fight a rearguard action as.
they retreated. Mara and Luke's mission had been instrumental in the victory,.
supplying tactics and pivotal aid where required. Rumor had it that they may.
even have saved Grand Admiral Pellaeon's life in the process.
And Jacen was fine. A moment's examination of the part of her that resonated.
with her twin would have told her that there was nothing wrong with him. No.
matter how far apart they were—and at that moment there was more than half a.
galaxy between them—she would always know if he was in trouble.
She nudged Jag off the bunk, and he turned his back to her as she slid out.
from under the covers. Jaina quickly slipped her flight uniform on over her.
underclothes, silently promising herself a serious shower at the earliest.
opportunity. "You can turn around now.".
"Where are you planning to go?" he asked. "You're still off duty, remember?
Your parents are asleep. Your fighter is being repaired.".
She faced him, hands on hips. "Then why wake me in the first place? Couldn't.
that news have waited until I had woken up by myself?".
"Well, I just thought—" He fell silent, clearly embarrassed.
"Maybe you really did want that rematch," she said lightly. Then she took his.
arm and led him out of the crew quarters. "For now, though, let's just walk,.
okay? Even if it's only as far as the mess. I've a feeling I'm going to be ravenous.
once all of me wakes up.".
She was right; barely had they entered the cramped main access corridor.
running along the spine of the frigate when her stomach began to rumble and she.
had a terrible craving for one of the altha protein drinks Lando Calrissian had.
taught her to enjoy when she was younger. Pride of Selonia's cook droid had a.
limited repertoire, however and she had to settle for a bowl of bland, glutinous.
nutrient soup and a glass of flavored water.
Jag, sipping from a steaming mug, filled in some of the blanks while she ate.
She learned about the proposed next stop to Bakura, and the mysterious source.
of that information. The source was a completely unknown quantity, and it.
concerned her that her parents were taking such a decision on faith. Their.
experiences with the Ryn called Droma and his family weren't enough to ease.
her mind regarding the trustworthiness of the entire species. Given that the.
mysterious stranger wasn't Droma—and Tahiri assured them that he wasn't—.
there was still a big question mark over his motivation. If it was a genuine lead,.
then acting on it quickly could save a great many lives. And if it was a trap, at.
least they wouldn't be going in blind. She couldn't really imagine the Bakurans.
allying themselves with the Yuuzhan Vong or the Peace Brigade, though; not.
given all they owed to the New Republic and the Jedi.
"What about Syrtik?" she asked when Jag had finished updating her. "What's.
happened to him?".
Jag's pale green eyes seemed to glint with amusement. "Would you believe.
he's been nominated for a military honor? Jobath has been really on the spot.
Syrtik's a national hero, the people love him, but at the end of the day he did.
disobey orders not to get involved. Jobath has to go along with it to save face,.
but he certainly doesn't like it." He shrugged. "So everything turned out for the.
best in the end, eh?".
"Not for the Yevetha, it didn't," she said, distractedly scooping some of the.
soup onto her spoon.
His expression sobered. "I know; I'm sorry. I read your report. It's brief but to.
the point.".
Jaina vividly remembered the last words of the Yevethan pilot before he blew.
up his ship, preferring death—not only for himself, but for his species—rather.
than be rescued by aliens and become contaminated.
Run from them if you like, he had said about the Yuuzhan Vong, the destroyers.
of his civilization, but it will do you no good. There is no safety anywhere.
Even though the tide had turned for the Galactic Alliance, the war had been so.
long and they had lost so much that she sometimes found it easy to believe that.
the galaxy would never know peace again. And even if it did, it was unlikely that.
life in it would ever be the same, no matter what the outcome.
"I'm sorry about Miza," she said, regretting her snap assessment of the Chiss.
pilot's shortcomings. What had she known about him, really? Nothing, except.
that he'd flown well and occasionally irritated her. She didn't know how old he.
was, if he had family back home, or whether he had someone special who would.
mourn him. She didn't even know if he and Jag had been friends, but she felt the.
urge to tell him she was sorry anyway, because she was sorry.
"It wasn't your fault, Jaina," Jag said. His hand came over the top of hers in a.
gesture of reassurance.
"Falling afoul of an ambush while simply trying to help someone," she said,.
shaking her head sadly. "It seems like such an inglorious way to die.".
"I don't think there are necessarily any good ways to die, Jaina.".
"He'll be missed, won't he?" she asked.
"Of course," he said. "For his good points as well as his bad.".
Jaina nodded. "And now the squad is one short.".
"After only our first mission, too," he said somberly. "Not a good start, is it?".
She turned her hand beneath his, locking their fingers together and squeezing.
He squeezed back, but with obvious reservations. She sighed, feeling guilty for.
having ruined the good mood he'd been in.
"I'm sure everything will be okay, Jag," she said. "I know this is a strange.
way to run a squadron, but once we've ironed out the bugs—".
"That's not what concerns me, Jaina," he said. "I actually think we work well.
together. But if what your mother says is true, if the Vong have been reopening.
old wounds in order to exploit the aftereffects ..." He trailed off uncomfortably.
"What, Jag?".
"Well ..." He shrugged and pulled his hand away from hers. There was.
something on his mind; she didn't need the Force to see that. "It may be nothing,.
but the New Republic and the Chiss haven't always been on the best of terms.
After Thrawn—".
"Thrawn was an Imperial. We know the difference.".
"But to us he was a Chiss, Jaina. The Expansionary Defense Fleet has been.
struggling for decades to protect our borders. Using the Empire as a tool,.
Thrawn made more progress in a few years than all the others combined. Yes, he.
may have overreached at the end, but still, when the New Republic finally.
defeated him, there were many among us who mourned. That's partly why we.
tend to side with the Empire. It's not just because we're closer to them than we.
are to you along most of our borders. There's still resentment.".
"You're telling me the Chiss might work with the Yuuzhan Vong against us?".
Jag shrugged. "No, I'm not saying that. There will always be some who would.
rather hear a convincing lie than an uncomfortable truth. The right words in the.
wrong ears might have repercussions for the Galactic Alliance.".
"Great." She pushed her bowl of soup aside, her appetite suddenly spoiled.
"And that's Uncle Luke's next stop, after the Empire.".
"I'm sorry," he said, looking down awkwardly at his hands. "It's probably.
nothing. I didn't really want to worry you about it.".
There was something in the way he said this that made her study him more.
closely. "But there's something I should be worried about, isn't there?".
He glanced up, and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. Without saying a.
word, he removed something from his pocket and placed it on the table between.
them.
Jaina felt her stomach frost the moment she looked down and saw it. The last.
time she had seen anything like this had been on the worldship around Myrkr,.
before Anakin had died. There had been Yuuzhan Vong temples there, some.
larger than most cities; each had featured gruesome effigies to their cruel and.
insatiable gods. One in particular stood out. In her worst nightmares, like the one.
she'd recently awakened from, she saw a particular face looming at her out of.
the dark, graven from coral slabs that rose scores of meters high into the air.
The fact that this particular image was made from a silvery bonelike substance.
and was barely larger than her thumb didn't matter. The face was the same: it.
was Yun-Yammka, the Slayer.
Jaina looked up at Jag; he was watching her closely.
"Where did you get this?" she asked, unable to keep the anger and disgust.
from her voice. It took all of her effort to resist snatching the thing from the table.
and throwing it down a garbage chute. It was an abomination, an incitement to.
horror. As far as she was concerned, no sane individual would ever want to own.
such a thing. "Where did it come from?".
There was no escaping the accusation in her tone.
"It came from Tahiri," he said with some apology. "She dropped it when she.
collapsed on Galantos.".
The frost quickly spread to Jaina's heart, and for the longest time she didn't.
know what to say.
The coufee came up so quickly that Shoon-mi didn't even have a chance to.
see it. With the blade across his throat, he was dragged back into the crack.
leading from the anonymous sub-basement to the access tunnel that led deeper.
into the underground.
"Who has betrayed us?" hissed a voice in his ear. "Who sent the warriors to.
kill I'pan and Niiriit?".
Shoon-mi flailed wildly but was unable to break free. The blade of the coufee.
was so sharp he didn't even realize it had cut him until he felt the blood trickling.
down his chest. He stopped wriggling, then, panting heavily and fearfully.
"Kunra!" he called out, but the word came out as barely more than a gasp.
The shamed warrior stood nearby in the center of the basement, unmoved by.
Shoon-mi's plea for assistance. Instead of coming to his help, Kunra merely.
folded his arms across his chest to watch coldly.
"Who has betrayed us?" Shoon-mi's attacker repeated, allowing the coufee to.
bite a little deeper into the flesh.
"It wasn't me!" Shoon-mi cried desperately, realizing that no one would be.
coming to his aid. "I swear it wasn't!".
In an instant the coufee was gone, and a knee in his back pushed him.
sprawling to the ground. He pressed at the cut on his throat with his hand, fearful.
that his lifeblood was flowing away.
"You'll live," growled the one who had cut him. The figure stepped from the.
shadows to loom over him. The coufee was held menacingly by his side, its.
blade darkened with Shoon-mi's blood. "And you will tell me what you know.".
Shoon-mi stared up into the horrible, one-eyed visage. "Amorrn?" His voice.
trembled.
Nom Anor nodded slowly, pinching the coufee blade between two fingers and.
wiping the blood from it. "But this is no time for reacquainting ourselves," he.
said. "You have ten seconds to tell me what I want to hear, or this blade will.
open your veins and drink from your filthy—".
"It wasn't me, I swear!" the Shamed One repeated frantically. "It wasn't any.
of us! The warriors weren't looking for Niiriit or the others. They were looking.
for thieves! Supplies had gone missing and they guessed that one of the.
underground groups was responsible. Yours was the third they hit that night.
They wiped all of them out. Not just you; not just Niiriit. We didn't know in.
advance so we couldn't warn you. It happened too quickly." Shoon-mi scrabbled.
desperately backward in the dirt as Nom Anor loomed over him. "I'm telling you.
the truth! Please ...".
"We're making too much noise," said Kunra, who still hadn't moved.
Nom Anor ignored him. "Just thieves?" he hissed. "Nothing to do with the.
heresy? Nothing to do with me?".
"No, just thieves." Shoon-mi continued to back away from Nom Anor. "I.
wouldn't lie to you, Amorrn. I'm telling the truth!".
The coufee disappeared as Nom Anor fixed the whimpering Shamed One with.
a look of distaste. "Do not ever call me that again," he said. "It is a name that.
belongs to someone else.".
Weak with relief, Shoon-mi slumped against a wall while his attacker moved.
away to think.
Not the heresy. Not me ... Nom Anor's mind spun. All through their long.
ascent to the basement levels, he had felt safe assuming that the attack had been.
politically motivated—if not against him then certainly against the ideas I'pan.
was propagating. Kunra had set up the meeting with Shoon-mi as a first attempt.
to find out who had betrayed them. And when they knew who it was, Nom Anor.
would have killed without hesitation.
But if he hadn't been betrayed, if the attack had simply been a case of bad.
luck, then that changed everything. Neither the heresy nor he was being actively.
hunted. He could breathe easier for a while, could stop imagining regiments of.
warriors at every turn, waiting to ambush him. He could pause long enough to.
think and decide what needed to be done next.
He almost chuckled aloud at the irony. The warriors might not have been.
hunting him specifically, but it was still he who had brought death to Niiriit and.
the others. He and I'pan had been stealing with some regularity from the upper.
levels, using access codes he remembered from his years as an executor. The.
thefts, clearly, had not gone unnoticed, and the killing party had been sent in to.
the underground to mop up anyone likely to be responsible. He had brought.
death down upon those who had saved his life just as surely as the warriors who.
had actually wielded the amphistaffs.
He looked at Kunra. Through the gloom he could see the ex-warrior's stoic.
expression, and wondered if behind that impassive stare he wasn't coming to the.
same conclusions.
Nom Anor stepped forward and extended a hand to Shoon-mi, who eyed it.
uncertainly for a moment before nervously taking it and allowing himself to be.
helped to his feet. Resisting the powerful urge to stab Shoon-mi through the.
heart, then dispatch Kunra just as quickly, Nom Anor manufactured an.
expression of relief and let it wash over him.
"We are safe, then," he said, speaking as much to Kunra as to Shoon-mi. "If.
what you say is true, then the warriors won't be hunting us. As long as the thefts.
cease, we should be able to live unharmed. Yes?".
"There have been no more thefts," said Shoon-mi, nodding. "The way of the.
Jeedai is safe. No one has betrayed us—and no one will! You have seen yourself.
the way we spread the message. You know that we are careful who we choose to.
hear it. The word is safe.".
The Message. Nom Anor paced across the room, conscious of Kunra's eyes.
tracking him every step of the way. He had heard the Jedi heresy referred to as.
the message on occasions before and thought it a suitable euphemism.
Whichever word was being obscured—Jedi, insurrection, hope—the nature of it.
was the same. The message was anathema to Shimrra, and that was all that.
mattered to Nom Anor.
But it was becoming increasingly clear to him that at this rate the message.
would never reach Shimrra directly. It had been irrelevant to the warriors who.
had attacked the communities in the underworld of Yuuzhan'tar; heretics, if the.
warriors even knew they existed, ranked lower than thieves in terms of priorities.
For the message—as well as Nom Anor—to reach Shimrra, it would have to.
break out of the underground, and it would have to do it soon.
"Perhaps we are too careful," he said, thinking aloud and testing their.
responses as he spoke. "We hold our revelations close to our chests, much like.
the priests guard their secrets. We hide the light under cloaks of fear and timidity.
so that no one else may see it. As long as we continue preaching to the.
converted, we will never grow, never be strong like the Jedi are strong. The.
millions like us who deserve to know that there is a better way to live, a freedom.
that counters everything we have ever been taught—they will remain forever in.
the darkness. Perhaps the time has come, my friends, to shine our light into the.
darkness.".
Shoon-mi looked even more nervous than before. "But if we speak openly.
about the Jeedai, we will be killed!".
"You're right, Shoon-mi," Nom Anor said, turning to face him in the.
shadows. "We would be killed. Therefore we must find new ways to spread the.
message, to recruit new followers. But we must expand only through the ranks.
of the Shamed Ones before we dare take our message higher up. As we stand.
now, we are weak and poorly organized; we will never make a difference like.
this. We must find strength and take our fate into our own hands—and when we.
are strong, then we may break free." He came to stand in front of Shoon-mi and.
placed his hands on his shoulders. The Shamed One continued to tremble.
beneath his grip. "To gain everything, my friend, we must risk everything." His.
one eye bored deep into Shoon-mi's own eyes until the Shamed One had to turn.
away in discomfort. "Are you with me?" Nom Anor whispered close to Shoonmi's ear.
The Shamed One nodded uneasily. "I-I shall do what I can, of course," he.
said. "I don't know how to fight, but I do know lots of people.".
"Good," Nom Anor said, nodding and smiling his pleasure at the Shamed.
One's response. "That is indeed good. Word of mouth is our greatest weapon.
right now." He turned to face Kunra. "And what of yourself? Are you with us,.
too?".
The ex-warrior's eyes glistened in the gloom. This was the crucial moment,.
Nom Anor knew. If Kunra defied him, he would have to kill both of them and.
start again from scratch, finding and infiltrating another cell of heretics to turn to.
his vengeful cause. He might never find one so perfectly primed for the task.
The ex-warrior hesitated, shuffling uncertainly from foot to foot.
"Decide," Nom Anor prompted as he placed a hand inside his robes. Almost.
eagerly, the pommel of the coufee found his fingers.
Kunra's gaze fell to the robe as he nodded slowly. "I am with you," he said.
"For Niiriit and I'pan, and for all of those who have died, I am with you.".
But not for me, Nom Anor thought. It didn't matter, though. The ex-warrior's.
compliance would be enough for now. The task ahead of him would be difficult,.
and he needed all the help he could get, in whatever spirit it was offered. The.
heresy as it presently existed was disorganized and internally inconsistent, and.
would never get any farther than the Shamed Ones. He would need to give it.
momentum if it was to serve his purposes. Several circular references had.
developed through numerous retellings; some stories took place on different.
planets, with different names, at different times. He would need to refine the tale.
so it suited his needs best, and spread it efficiently enough so it would eradicate.
the other versions, if only by sheer volume.
It was a long shot, he knew, but it was the only one he had. Nom Anor had.
dealt with religious fervor before, on Rhommamool, and he knew how to turn a.
smoldering thought into flames of resistance. But did he dare do it among the.
Yuuzhan Vong, his own species? This was rank heresy, after all. The Jedi, no.
matter what good they might do for the Shamed Ones, were still machine users.
His conscience—atrophied though it had been by years of treachery—continued.
to nag at him.
But not for long. He had tried unsuccessfully to climb the social ladder.
imposed by Shimrra, despite being resourceful and intelligent. If he was ever to.
succeed, he would have to find another way to climb that same ladder that had.
refused to let him ascend.
Shoon-mi began to say something, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Amorrn.
—".
"I told you not to call me that!" he snapped. He had told Kunra that a time.
would come when he would need to choose a new name; perhaps that time had.
come now. He needed one to carry him in this new direction.
Shoon-mi took an anxious step back. "Then—then what should we call you?".
Nom Anor thought about this for a moment. What name should he choose?
Certainly one that would symbolize the work he needed to do in order to ensure.
his survival, and one that Shimrra would recognize also.
He smiled, then, at a thought. There was a word from an ancient tongue, rarely.
spoken except in the older worldships. It had connotations for all castes, no.
matter which god they worshiped. Its meaning was an unmistakable stab at.
Shimrra, and would be recognized as such by the Shamed Ones he would have.
to rely on to make the dream possible.
"From now on," he said to his first two disciples, "you shall call me.
Yu'Shaa.".
There was a moment's silence; then Shoon-mi stepped forward a pace, his.
face creased in consternation.
"Yu'Shaa?" he echoed. "The prophet?".
Nom Anor smiled, nodding. "The Prophet.".
When Grand Admiral Pellaeon convened a brief meeting on the bridge of the.
Imperial Star Destroyer Right to Rule, twenty-four standard hours after the battle.
of Borosk, all the surviving Moffs attended, along with those navy admirals and.
senior officers not committed to the defense of the Empire from the retreating.
Yuuzhan Vong. Jacen agreed with Pellaeon that there would be a brief period.
after Vorrik's defeat during which it would be safe to tie up so many leaders.
from across the Imperial Remnant; not until the Yuuzhan Vong had regrouped.
and obtained new orders from Shimrra would there be any serious counterattack.
from the enemy. The strafing of Yaga Minor on their way out had been little.
more than an afterthought, easily repelled.
For those Moffs who disagreed, who thought that now was the perfect time to.
consolidate their strong-holds against both the Yuuzhan Vong and a Grand.
Admiral who would dare defy them, Pellaeon circulated a rumor that anyone not.
in attendance would forgo the right to navy defense. The Yuuzhan Vong was a.
problem the Empire had to confront as a whole, and the composition of that.
whole had to be determined as quickly as possible. No one was compelled to.
attend, but everyone knew the consequences if they didn't.
That there would be retaliation, Jacen didn't doubt. B'shith Vorrik had been.
humiliated in front of both his army and that of his enemy. Somehow, the.
Yuuzhan Vong commander would return. It was just a matter of how soon that.
would be, and how much of a force he would bring with him.
Jacen stood to one side with Luke, Mara, Saba, and Tekli, making their.
presence known but not contributing to the discussion. It was another calculated.
provocation engineered by Pellaeon. Luke had expressed reservations about.
flaunting the old enemy before so many Moffs, but through the Force Jacen.
could tell that the Jedi Master was secretly enjoying the situation.
When everyone was seated, Pellaeon rose from his chair and stood before.
those assembled.
"The reason I have brought you all here is quite simple," he said, forgoing the.
formalities of introduction. "I wish to share with you a realization I have come.
to, and to tell you what I intend to do about it.".
Pellaeon walked around the table with hands clasped behind his back. It was a.
simple psychological ploy, intended to intimidate those seated by forcing them.
to either crane their heads around to see him or stare dumbly forward at nothing.
as he talked. It was a cheap trick, but Jacen understood that the Grand Admiral.
needed every advantage he could get.
Gilad Pellaeon had donned his full battle uniform, and his general appearance.
had been cleaned up prior to the meeting, but there was no hiding either his age.
or the fact that he had recently been on the verge of death. He would carry a.
slight limp for as long he lived.
"In the last forty-eight standard hours, the Imperial Navy has fended off the.
greatest threat it has ever faced." He studied the Moffs before him with.
penetrating eyes. "You've seen the reports and studied the breakdowns, so I'm.
sure you can understand the significance of what happened at Bastion and,.
hopefully, will have some appreciation of the seriousness of the decisions we.
must now make." He paused further for effect. "Until we rebuild Bastion, the.
Empire is temporarily without a capital; the Moff Council has lost several of its.
most important members and, with them, I suspect, its short-term cohesion.
Many of our citizens have been enslaved by the Yuuzhan Vong, and our borders.
are no longer safe.
"But the threat we have repelled is not the Yuuzhan Vong. It is something far.
more insidious. Indeed, we didn't know we were facing it until the very last,.
when it was almost too late to fend it off. That threat can be summed up in one.
word. It is a word that has more fear for me than extinction. It is irrelevance.".
Jacen caught a flicker of annoyance as it passed across the jowled face of.
Moff Flennic. For a moment he thought Flennic might interrupt, but the Moff.
remained silent, brooding.
Pellaeon had completed a circuit of the table and returned to where he started.
He put his palms down on the table and leaned forward. "When we first heard.
about the Yuuzhan Vong," he said, "we blithely observed their passage through.
the galaxy and assumed that when they didn't attack us, they did so out of.
caution. We were too strong, too determined, too superior for them to risk a.
confrontation. We believed ourselves to be too formidable an opponent. But.
when we sent support to the Battle of Ithor, we saw just how strong the enemy's.
fleets really were. Afraid that we would be unable to defend ourselves, we pulled.
in our heads and dug in, waiting for an attack that never came.".
He straightened now, his expression briefly betraying his weariness. "And it.
never came," he said slowly, "because we simply didn't matter to the Yuuzhan.
Vong. We weren't considered a threat. We had demonstrated an unwillingness to.
become involved in someone else's fight, and a propensity for sitting back and.
watching our neighbors being destroyed. Why should they attack us? We.
weren't hurting them; if anything, we were making their job easier. In effect, we.
made ourselves irrelevant, and for that I feel the greatest shame of all.".
Pellaeon looked up and caught Jacen's eyes. An understanding passed.
between the two men that sent a shiver down Jacen's spine. Pellaeon was talking.
about war, but the same principle could be applied to all aspects of life. The.
greatest crime a being could commit, against itself and those around it, was to.
withdraw from the living. Jacen had seen this when his father had withdrawn.
from his mother after the death of Chewbacca; he had felt it in himself when he.
had retreated from battle to find an answer to his doubts; and he was seeing it.
now, on a much larger scale, in the actions of the Imperial Remnant. Life was.
involvement; being part of the Force meant participating in the evolution of the.
galaxy. It was not just sitting back and observing. The only question of.
importance that anyone truly intending to live needed to ask themselves was,.
how did one become a part of that process?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question still eluded him.
"Well," Pellaeon went on, "we've been attacked now. No one could've missed.
that. But does that mean we're relevant?" He shook his head. "No. It means that.
Supreme Overlord Shimrra took a moment to stamp out a potential threat.
lingering around his rear lines. A potential threat, mind you, not an actual threat.
The force he sent wasn't sufficient to disable us, even with surprise on its side,.
but it was nothing compared to the resources he committed to Coruscant. B'shith.
Vorrik, furthermore, is no Tsavong Lah or Nas Choka. Had we really mattered to.
the overall war, Shimrra would have wiped us out years ago, not tried now as an.
afterthought.
"But we refused to roll over and be destroyed, even when we were grievously.
injured. We insulted the enemy as he retreated, and we liberated some of those.
taken captive. We showed them that we are not easy prey, and that we will not.
be so easily dismissed.
"If Shimrra didn't consider the Empire a threat before, he will now. How long.
he considers us a threat, however, is entirely up to us.".
"And why is that?" Moff Flennic asked, obviously unable to contain his.
disapproval of being lectured at any longer. Jacen could feel the resentment.
radiating from the man.
"Isn't that obvious, Kurlen?" Ephin Sarreti said from across the table. The.
Moff, recently released from a medical barge evacuated from Bastion, sported.
one arm in a sling and a dour expression. "If we sit here expecting to defend our.
territories indefinitely, we'll all be dead within months.".
Pellaeon nodded. "And giving Vorrik time to petition another strike force.
from Shimrra—fresher, larger, and certainly more eager for our blood—would.
be suicide. We remain a threat only so long as we remain alive.".
Flennic inclined his head slightly. "I can't help but feel apprehensive about.
the alternative you're about to propose.".
"It's the only alternative that I can see," Pellaeon said softly, regarding each.
of the Moffs around the table before continuing. "We must take the fight to the.
Yuuzhan Vong.".
A murmur of unrest immediately rippled around the room, but it was Moff.
Flennic again whose voice was heard. "You would have us leave our worlds.
behind?" he asked disbelievingly. "Undefended?".
"Not entirely," the Grand Admiral said. "Every planet would retain a token.
defense force—at least enough to repel the sort of attack Yaga Minor suffered.".
"But not enough to repel a serious invasion," came a woman's voice from the.
far end of the table.
Jacen recognized the woman as Moff Crowal from Valc VII, a system on the.
very edge of the Unknown Regions.
"If the Yuuzhan Vong are kept busy elsewhere, there won't be one," Sarreti.
pointed out.
"Can we be absolutely certain of that, though?" Flennic countered hotly. He.
faced Pellaeon. "Admiral, you are gambling with our very lives here!".
"Isn't that what all leaders must do in times of war?" he returned. "I'm.
offering you a chance of victory as opposed to the certainty of our destruction.
Mark my words: if we do nothing, we will be destroyed.".
"If, as you say, we can't beat the Yuuzhan Vong here," Moff Crowal said,.
"then how do you propose we beat them on their own territory?".
Pellaeon nodded. "A fair question," he said. "And one that has occupied my.
mind these last couple of days.".
"Go on then," Flennic said. "Give us your answer.".
"There is only one possible answer." The ageing Grand Admiral took a.
moment to look around him—a staged moment of reflection, Jacen knew, but.
effective. The man was clearly a veteran of these types of meetings, and could.
employ all manner of body language to strengthen his argument. "In order to.
survive intact, the Empire needs to see itself objectively; it needs to cultivate a.
certain distance from its immediate past and see itself in the context of the wider.
galaxy and its history. We are not alone here, as much as we might sometimes.
like to pretend we are. We cannot avoid what is happening outside, as the.
Yuuzhan Vong have so convincingly demonstrated. For too long have we kept to.
ourselves; for too long have we ignored what is going on out there in the wider.
galaxy. We have remained content to direct our attention inward, at our own.
navels.
"I do not exclude myself from this criticism, either," he went on. "There have.
been times I could have fought harder to do what my gut told me was right. That.
I didn't will be my undying shame, because it was almost our undoing. But I will.
not let it happen again.".
"You will not?" Moff Flennic mocked. "Grand Admiral, I trust we are coming.
to some sort of point here. If you have gathered us together to dictate your terms,.
then please get on with it so that we can vote on your dismissal and put this.
behind us forever.".
Pellaeon smiled, and held the smile a moment longer than was comfortable.
There was something in the silence around the table and the way the Moffs.
glanced at one another that told Jacen that Pellaeon had taken the gloves off.
Now was the moment to deliver the message he'd gathered them all to hear.
Mara must have felt it too, for he heard her take in a deep breath in anticipation.
and hold it.
"As Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy," Pellaeon said, "I am formally.
advising the Moff Council that at our earliest possible convenience we must.
strike a formal agreement with the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances to share.
military resources in order to repel the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong from the.
galaxy." He had to raise his voice to be heard above the hubbub that.
immediately filled the room. "Furthermore, I advise that this agreement be.
ongoing after the immediate threat has passed. The only way to survive in the.
future is to turn our back on the past. As much as some of you may dislike to.
hear it, it is time for us to make peace with one another.".
Flennic was the first to his feet. "Join the Galactic Alliance? Have you gone.
mad? You can't believe that any of us would ever agree to this!".
"I don't need your agreement, Kurlen." Pellaeon spoke softly, but his voice.
carried over the howls of dissent. "When I say that I am advising the council, I.
am only following a formality. This is the way it will be, because this is the way.
it has to be. I am simply saving you the need to think it through for yourselves.".
"This is treason!" another Moff gasped.
"It's common sense," Ephin Sarreti countered.
The Grand Admiral nodded his thanks to Sarreti for the support the Moff was.
giving him. "My loyalty to the Empire is as strong as it has ever been," he said.
"I will do what I must to ensure its survival.".
"By forcing us to submit to them?" A finger stabbed at where the robed Jedi.
stood off to one side. "We have spent our lives fighting this scum, and now you.
wish us to—".
"Be mindful of your words, Moff Freyborn," Pellaeon interjected firmly.
"These 'scum,' as you call them, saved my life back at Bastion—as well as.
saving the Empire from an early grave.".
"A grave they dug for us in the first place," Flennic snarled. "At our peak we.
would never have fallen to the Yuuzhan Vong as they have. We would have sent.
them back from whence they came—impaled upon their own amphistaffs!".
"Do you really believe that, Kurlen? We weren't able to resist a handful of.
Rebels, so how would we have resisted the massed might of the Yuuzhan.
Vong?" Pellaeon's stare was cold and hard. Clearly visible behind the Grand.
Admiral's bluff, mustachioed appearance was the man who had faced down far.
worse threats than a hostile Moff Council. "Your reasoning is both faulty and.
circular—and it is precisely the kind of reasoning that has brought us to these.
straits. The Empire is foundering not from forces exterior to it, but as a result of.
its own internal weaknesses. Our current circumstances are our own fault; it is.
foolish to lay blame elsewhere for our own failings.".
"The Empire will never surrender to the Galactic Alliance, Admiral," Flennic.
said firmly. "And I cannot believe you would ever consider this after all your.
years resisting their insidious advance!".
Instead of responding angrily, Pellaeon just chuckled. "Like it or not, they.
have ruled the galaxy for almost as many decades as we did—and with less.
bloodshed and military expenditure, I might add. Right now, they are the one.
thing that stands between us and enslavement and death at the hands of the.
Yuuzhan Vong, and it is time we acknowledged that. And we need to do it now.
before we bury ourselves beneath old grudges and an inability to accept reality.".
"I refuse to accept defeat," Flennic said, still on his feet and regarding.
Pellaeon with undisguised contempt. "And I don't regard that inability as a.
disability, either. The Empire is strong; we proved that—you proved that—by.
repelling the invasion. Why, on a day when we should be celebrating our.
victory, are we contemplating the end of the Empire?".
"First," Pellaeon said, "allying ourselves with the Galactic Alliance isn't the.
same thing as dissolving the Empire. That should be obvious even to a child,.
Kurlen. They're not asking us to surrender our sovereignty; nor will we. We will.
simply combine forces to our mutual benefit. Second, as I said earlier, the.
Empire exists today only because of luck: luck that the Yuuzhan Vong didn't.
attack sooner, and luck that the emissaries from the Galactic Alliance came.
along when they did to show us how to fight effectively. Third, if we don't fight.
back now, the Yuuzhan Vong will return and strike us down without any mercy.
whatsoever. If we don't drive them back and join with our neighbors to keep.
them back, then no one will ever be safe again. And this Empire we hold so.
precious will completely cease to be. If you can't accept that argument, Kurlen,.
then you'll have to learn to accept your irrelevance to the council instead.".
Flennic's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?".
Pellaeon's response was almost shocking in its bluntness. "Yes, Kurlen, I.
am," he said. Then, eyeing each of the Moffs present, he added, "The council.
will unanimously accept my proposal, or I will take the entire fleet with me.
when I leave.".
The shock of his pronouncement provoked gasps of astonishment and dismay.
among those who had, perhaps, thought that Pellaeon could be talked around, or.
at least placated with a slightly softer alternative. No one had seriously.
considered that their Grand Admiral might gamble the Empire itself over.
something so outrageous as allying themselves with their old enemies.
Jacen felt a spike of animosity from Moff Flennic in the Force at the same.
time he saw the blaster come out of the fat man's robes. In an instant, everyone's.
attention in the room had gone from Pellaeon to the weapon aimed at him.
"This is treason of the worst kind, Admiral," Flennic said steadily.
Jacen was about to use the Force to whisk the blaster from Flennic's hand,.
when he felt Luke's hand touch his arm.
Pellaeon faced the blaster as calmly as he had faced Flennic's criticism. A.
dozen stormtroopers stationed at the exits rushed forward with their blasters.
raised to shoot Flennic down, but Pellaeon waved them back.
"How strong are your convictions, Kurlen?" he asked. "Are you prepared to.
die for them?".
"You can't threaten us, Admiral!" The Moff's voice was even and calm, but.
Jacen noted that the blaster in his hand had begun to waver. "We are the Council.
of Moffs; we appointed you. We can always appoint another Grand Admiral to.
take your place—one who won't lead us down such a treacherous path!".
"Another warlord choking on remembered glories, you mean? There aren't.
many left, Kurlen. Our numbers have dwindled in futile attempts to reclaim.
something that was taken from us long ago. The galaxy isn't ours by right; we.
have lost it. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can begin to understand.
what role exists for us now. And if that new role is to be part of the Galactic.
Alliance, then so be it. It has to be better than extinction. I for one am sick of.
fighting a war we can never win—and against the wrong enemy, what's more.".
For the first time, Pellaeon's reserve slipped. Jacen saw real passion warring.
below the surface, like the molten core spinning under the crust of a civilized.
planet. And it wasn't lost on Flennic, either.
"This is madness," the Moff said, appealing now to the rest of the council.
"Are you all just going to stand by and let him destroy everything we've.
managed to salvage?".
"It's better than being dead, Kurlen," Sarreti said.
"Or enslaved," Moff Crowal added.
Flennic winced as though he'd been mortally wounded. "You, Crowal?" he.
said. "You believe this nonsense?".
"It's not nonsense, Kurlen," she said. "I argued against joining the Galactic.
Alliance when the enemy wasn't on our doorstep, thinking that if we didn't.
provoke the Yuuzhan Vong, they would leave us alone. But that proved to be a.
mistake.".
"No." Flennic's gaze swept the faces before him, assessing the expressions.
and weighing up what support remained with him. Pellaeon watched patiently as.
he came to the only possible conclusion. "No ...".
The Moff's certainty faltered, and the blaster dropped. He seemed on the.
verge of capitulating when a dangerous look came to his eyes and his fingers.
around the blaster's grip tightened.
"No!" he cried. "I will not submit!".
The blaster came back up.
He's going to do it, Jacen realized. He's going to shoot Pellaeon!
Ignoring the pressure of Luke's hand on his arm, he gathered the Force around.
him in order to act—but he was too late. The blaster cracked at the same time as.
he felt the flex of someone else's invisible will, and he saw the gun fly out of.
Flennic's hand and clatter across the floor. The blaster's bolt discharged.
harmlessly over Pellaeon's shoulder. The Grand Admiral hadn't even flinched.
Two stormtroopers were at Flennic's side in an instant, each taking an arm as.
they arrested him. He struggled in vain against them, staring wildly at the Jedi.
standing beside Pellaeon.
"You!" he yelled. "You and your vile mind tricks have poisoned us!".
"Nonsense," Mara said, stepping forward. "We use our powers to save lives,.
not waste them—unlike you, Moff Flennic.".
The dark tone to her voice made it clear who had saved Pellaeon.
"You are not the only one here who served under Palpatine," she continued. "I.
have changed, and so has the Grand Admiral. And I suspect that you must have,.
too, for our former master would never have tolerated such idiocy in one of his.
servants. What were you thinking? That Yaga Minor would become capital now.
that Bastion has fallen? That you would lead the council? Don't be a fool,.
Flennic.".
Flennic's glare at Mara was cold and piercing, but Jacen could tell by the way.
he relaxed in the grip of the guards that her words were getting through.
"Stand down, Kurlen," Pellaeon said quietly. "Stand down now and abide by.
the will of the council, and I swear that no action will be taken for what has.
happened here today.".
Flennic's face twisted as he gathered his injured pride and anger and.
swallowed them both. Jacen suspected that it wouldn't have tasted good at all,.
and would have burned going down.
The Moff looked from Pellaeon to Mara, then back again. "Very well," he.
said quietly. "I give my support to your proposal of allying ourselves with the.
Galactic Alliance. But I stand by my opinion, Admiral.".
"As it is yours to stand by," Pellaeon said, nodding sagely. Then he took a few.
steps toward Flennic, fixing the corpulent Moff of Yaga Minor with a steely.
gaze. "But hear this, Kurlen: you have pulled a weapon on me this day, an act of.
treason that under normal circumstances would be punishable by death. But.
these are not normal circumstances, and so I am prepared to overlook your.
insurrection. However, from this moment on you would be wise to be mindful of.
your actions. Because if you so much as breathe in a manner that I think is.
treacherous, then I will have your head. Is that understood?".
Moff Flennic swallowed thickly, but didn't speak. He could only nod mutely.
With a glance from the Grand Admiral, the stormtroopers released their grip.
on the Moff. Then Pellaeon returned to his place at the head of the table without.
another word.
Mara crossed the room and collected the discarded blaster, then stepped over.
to Moff Flennic and handed him the weapon. He accepted it with some surprise,.
his brow creased in puzzlement.
"Personally, Kurlen," she said, "I prefer my allies to be armed.".
With that she faced the Grand Admiral.
"If it's all the same to you, Admiral, I think we should take our leave now,".
she said. "I imagine there is still much that needs to be discussed here, and given.
the general feeling toward us in this room, it might be easier for you to do this.
without us here.".
The Grand Admiral acknowledged Mara with a curt bow. "Thank you," he.
said. Then, with a glance to the other Jedi standing there, added, "for.
everything.".
One by one the Jedi filed from the room—Luke, Mara, Saba, Tekli, and Jacen.
—leaving the Grand Admiral alone with the Moffs to go over the details of his.
plans. As the rest of the party continued to move down the corridor, Jacen.
paused outside to look back briefly into the room. Already the discussion was.
becoming heated again, with those gathered around the table gesticulating wildly.
as they raised their voices to make their opinions heard on the matter of the.
Empire's new allies.
The door hissed shut, muting the ongoing debate. Jacen turned to catch up.
with the others, only to find Mara still standing there waiting for him.
"You look worried," she said.
He swallowed a sound that might have been a laugh, but could just as easily.
have been an exclamation of annoyance. "Try as I—or Gilad—might," he said,.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone in that room will ever really regard us as.
allies. Despite everything we did for them, they still hold us in such mistrust.".
"Not all of them." She shrugged. "We've made a lot of progress today—".
"I know, I know, and we'll probably end up with some kind of shallow.
alliance in place before long. But ..." He gesticulated vaguely in lieu of actually.
finding words for what he wanted to say. "Is that enough?".
"Maybe," Mara said. "And maybe you're right. Maybe it won't come to.
anything more than pretty words from an ugly mouth. But when it comes to the.
fight against the Yuuzhan Vong, I'll happily take a shallow alliance over none at.
all.".
"True." He offered a half smile in the face of his aunt's optimism.
Mara chuckled at the effort. "That's just the way things are, Jacen," she said,.
putting an arm around his shoulder and guiding him with her to join the others.
He didn't resist her. "Sometimes it's harder to make a friend than it is to fight an.
enemy."