On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CXXVII

The good news was that Artoo had what they needed and was likely halfway to the rendezvous.

The bad news was that someone had apparently tipped the Imps off. It was the only explanation Luke had for walking back into the ballroom to find the sickly eyes of one of Palpatine's Hands zeroing in on him with no Luna in sight.

Blasted Skywalker Luck.

And, to make it worse, the exits had slammed shut about the moment he'd notice the danger and there was a crowd of nobles to contend with who had not yet figured out how much danger they were in. As Irene would say, they were a bunch of di'kuts.

Now was not the time to think about the Mandalorian though. There were bigger problems, namely the fact that Luke was realizing that there were more than a few Emperor's Hands in the room, all zeroing in on him.

Where was Luna when Luke needed her?!

Question for another time.

Luke drew his emerald blade just in time to block a strike from the nearest enemy; the clashing of the two sabers successfully drew enough attention from the crowd to cause screams and prompt the orchestra to stop.

Also probably prompted a stampede to the locked exits, but that was not his problem. The four hands that had surrounded the Jedi, on the other hand, were.

But that four was cut down to two by a spinning flash of white as something bright blue seemingly dropped from the ceiling on the other side of the room, allowing Luke the chance to disarm and stun his remaining enemies. Not that it gave him much of a break considering more Hands appeared to take the place of their fallen brethren.

However, now he had a location for Luna as well a reason to disregard any safety checks when it came to Force usage since the Sith clearly already knew they were there. He gathered himself and used the Force to part the crowd from where he was standing to the wall on the other side and throw the Hands off balance, racing forward to the center of the room where Luna was quick meet him on her way from the other side, lightsaber a surprisingly stable shade of purple, even as it grew in length and bent into a lightwhip. Because apparently that existed.

Again, not a good time for questions.

"Plan?!" Luke half asked and half shouted as the two went back to back, once again fighting off the Sith agents. Which considering the number of lightsabers attacking him at once, was rather difficult.

Luna, however, didn't seem to be having a problem with it—dual wielding with her strange sword and ever changing purple lightwhatever like some war goddess of light—though she was his Father's Shadow. There's a point you just stop asking questions when it came to Vader and Luna.

"Follow me!"

~*~

"That's Eclipse?" Trios asked, playing ignorant as she watched a holo of the girl in question and her companion retreat down a familiar hallway. The stranger was odd in the way he fought, disarming or dismembering those that went after him rather than simply killing them as Eclipse did. The Sith Shadow's way was better as far as the Queen was concerned, injuries did not halt the Emperor's Hands in the way it would normal soldiers. As it was, Eclipse seemed to have to clean up after her companion to ensure the downed enemies were in fact down for good.

"I am positive, Your Majesty," the Imperial Captain, in theory the only person on Shu-Torun loyal to the Empire, answered. He was new, recently traded out with the old one that had been stationed on the planet by Vader. The Queen wasn't all that fond of her new overseer, but knew it was better to get along with him. They were in the throne room now, as Trios's guards had insisted on securing her safety in the more heavily fortified room. Under other circumstances, she would have argued, but the Queen was no fool.

And only a fool would partake in this fight.

"And you didn't think to inform me before notifying the Empire?" Trios questioned, the displeasure in her voice clear. "The royal guards could have assisted in the attack and the nobles could have cleared out."

Not that she would have wasted perfectly competent guards on the ridiculous endeavor that was trying to kill Eclipse of all people—Trios's own father had wasted enough resources attempting that. But the disaster this incident would cause in Shu-Torun's aristocracy was going to be a headache, especially if any permanent injuries had been sustained by those of higher rank. They would expect her to make a statement or take a stance against the Empire's actions considering the Rebels hadn't hurt them—hell the boy had tried to defend a few of those caught in the crossfire while Eclipse had Force shoved others into the wall and out of the paths of the Emperor's Hands.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I thought it prudent to keep my knowledge a secret to increase the chances of success."

By which he meant that he wasn't certain of Trios's loyalty.

That made two of them.

The Queen had been questioning the Empire in her own mind since the news of Vader and Eclipse's defection had been made public to some degree considering how impossible it had sounded. She had learned before many others, as Shu-Torun had been considered "close" to the two Sith. It had taken months to dissuade the sector governor that neither Trios or anyone else on the planet were true allies of the Emperor's former enforcers. She'd been given a holo of Eclipse's true face around that time too, in order to better identify her and prove the planet's loyalty. The Queen had hardly bothered looking at it, certain that she'd never deal with the Shadow or her Master again.

Until she'd shown up. Of all the celebrations to attend, why did it have to be one Trios hadn't invited her to?

And why was Eclipse here? What could have possibly brought her to Shu-Torun masquerading as a noble?

And how could so many of the Emperor's servants suddenly appear to crash the party? There were no Imperial bases on the planet, and the Queen would have been informed if a ship carrying the Hands had landed.

She was clearly missing a piece of the puzzle. And whatever that piece was, it was more likely than not connected to Eclipse's presence on Trios's planet.

"I wonder how so many of His Imperial Majesty's Hands managed to come to your call so quickly," she commented aloud, watching the Imperial Captain's reaction out of the corner of her eye. He looked slightly uncomfortable at the words, and Trios had to hide a smile.

So, that's why the location of Rubix's destroyed citadel had been marked off limits due to instability a few months ago. The Queen hadn't been blind to the strange shipping activities on her planet that were under the Empire's name, though she'd acted like she had been to maintain her appearance as a loyal vassal. Trios didn't have the ability to ask after such things the way she used to back when she enjoyed the stability that came about from Eclipse's support.

That said, the Queen did not like the fact the Empire had sanctioned her planet for a secret base and built it without permission. It was infuriating. Trios hated being so powerless on her own planet. Some may say she was a ruthless ruler, but if she didn't rule with a strong hand, it would be the Empire who would be ruling her people directly soon enough. Trios couldn't let that happen, so she had made sacrifice after sacrifice to keep Shu-Torun safe and standing, ensuring that regardless of what happened in the future it would outlast the Empire just as it had outlasted the Republic. But to not even inform her when she'd been nothing but cooperative....

Her mind wandered back to Eclipse's words on the balcony. Vader's Shadow had sounded so certain in her words, and there had never been a time the girl had led Trios wrong. Eclipse, and in extension her Master, must believe that the Empire would fall. That they, by choosing the Rebellion, were choosing the winning side. It sounded impossible.

On the holo, Eclipse led her companion as well as all of the Emperor's Hands into the tunnels below the palace. The very same tunnels Trios had led her to the first time the Shadow had visited Shu-Torun.

An idea came to her mind, and this time she did smile.

The Queen had placed her bets on Vader and Eclipse before.

She was willing to do it again.