Star Wars VIII: Stand of the Republic

13: The War at Home

Han dragged himself off the floor and reached the door controls to close the hatch. The floor lurched under him as the shuttle took off at a steep incline. Through the window beside the hatch, Han could see the blaster fire being exchanged by the final surviving member of his squad. Crouched behind a stone planter holding a tree, the soldier had a fair amount of cover, but Han counted at least fifty guards closing in. Turning away from the window, Han closed his eyes, grimacing in frustration as he slammed the side of his fist against the bulkhead.

TIE fighters pursued the shuttle, green lasers flashing past the hull, but when the shuttle reached space, the fighters had to break off their pursuit or be shot to pieces by the much more numerous Republic fighters orbiting the fleet.

Han pushed himself away from the wall and holstered his blaster. When the shuttle reached the landing bay, he opened the hatch and limped out. Rather than waste time hobbling to the bridge, Han took out his comlink again and contacted the command deck directly.

"Bridge, this is Solo. Call in the Fifth and Seventh fleets," Han instructed, remembering an earlier report he'd viewed on what forces were available in nearby systems. "Have them ready for battle as the First Order is already here. Navigation is to have coordinates ready for a jump to Coruscant if necessary."

The Fifth and Seventh Republic battle fleets had arrived by the time Han reached the bridge, and he could see them through the forward viewport. Orders passed between officers as the ship prepared to meet the First Order in battle.

"Report," Han commanded.

"First Order fleet emerging from behind one of Corellia's moons," the Mon Calamari captain informed him. "They are on an intercept course with us."

Han hobbled over to a sensor console and looked at the information displayed. The blue blips on the screen representing the First Order were outnumbered by the red blips of the Republic by an almost two to one margin.

"Why are they attacking?" Han muttered. The First Order didn't have enough ships to overpower the Republic fleet, but they were still charging into battle on full thrusters. As if to answer his question, a second group of ship dropped out of hyperspace, triggering warning alerts on the Republic ships. The new First Order fleet was massive, and now the Republic forces were outnumbered two to one. "Order all ships to retreat."

"We still have the Ninth fleet available," the Captain protested, the large eyes on the sides of his head blinking slowly.

"Retaking the surface would take time," Han countered. "We can't have too many of our fleets holding orbit and leaving other planets vulnerable to attack. Corellia is lost. Give the order to retreat."

The Captain nodded and did as instructed. The Republic forces jumped to hyperspace before the First Order could close in and force a decisive confrontation.

***

The orbit of Coruscant was a chaotic scene. Republic ships crowded together, many with blackened hulls from blaster fire, some with gaping holes that exposed multiple interior decks to space. Repair crews flew maintenance craft between the damaged vessels, trying to repair what they could as fast as possible.

Han watched from a window on the bridge of the ship Venture, wondering about the battles the other ships had been through and how many had been lost before they could escape to safety. He shook his head at the thought of the word safety. Because of the First Order, safe wasn't anything more than wishful thinking.

"General," the Captain called to him. "We have a transmission for you."

"Over here," Han instructed, pointing toward the console nearby. Although the medics had treated him during the journey through hyperspace, his leg was still bothering him a little. Han wasn't limping, but he winced slightly when he sat down at the computer station. He did his best to remove the pained expression before opening the communication channel.

"Hello, Han," his wife greeted him.

"Leia," Han said in return. "How goes the evacuation?"

"Not so good," Leia admitted. "The First Order seems to be everywhere. We're going to have to find out where they're getting so many ships and people if we want to stand any chance of victory."

"They took Corellia," Han reported. "The Quartermaster was a former Imperial, and he changed sides."

Leia sighed, closing her eyes as her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Clenching her jaw, she straightened up and fixed Han with a firm stare.

"I need you in the Senate chambers," Leia told him. "We have a high level meeting I want you to attend. After what happened on Corellia, I can see why the meeting was called."

"What do you mean?" Han questioned.

"Apparently this isn't the first instance of former Imperials turning against the Republic," Leia confessed. "There are some rather aggressive countermeasures being suggested. I'd go myself, but the evacuation fleet was severely mauled in our last confrontation with the First Order. I have to get replacement ships and personnel, and I'll probably be late for the meeting. Don't let them hold the vote until I get there."

"Don't you worry," Han assured her. "I'll keep things going. See you soon."

Leia smiled at him before ending the communication.

Han turned from the console and barked an order loud enough to be heard by everyone on the bridge. "Get me a shuttle, and find me a landing pad near the Senate!"

Without waiting for a response, Han marched as best he could from the bridge and headed to the hangar deck. He grimly thought how fighting a war was easier than the political battles in the Senate; at least in a war, you could shoot the enemy.