Force Exile VI: Prodigal/Part 3

5
“You know there’s no way I should be meeting you right now.”

“Thank you for coming anyway,” Cassi replied, looking up from perusing the menu as she noticed the man lurking in the shadows.

She was in a restaurant, a small dive near the Jedi Temple, dubbed Fistri’s Flatbread. It was a dingy affair, serving sandwiches piled high with toppings squeezed between two flimsy piece of flatbread. The décor was an odd assortment of old speeder parts and sports memorabilia—apparently the establishment catered to sports enthusiasts and speeder crash survivors. There were few patrons at this early hour, and Cassi had quietly taken her seat as instructed by Tyria, waiting for her contact to arrive, keeping an eye alternately on her chrono and the door.

Surprisingly, he hadn’t arrived through the main entrance, but rather from the back. Apparently, he’d been keeping a surreptitious eye on her. As he crossed the restaurant, his black boots striding across the scuffed, abraded floor, Cassi fought the urge to stand and greet him.

He slid into the other side of the booth across the table from her. He appeared much as she remembered him from twenty years ago: good-looking, bald, with a goatee. His features were schooled into professional inquisitiveness, but Cassi knew that the man was a talented actor and intelligence agent.

“It’s been a long time since Hosk Station,” he said, giving her a hard, evaluating stare. “I’m not used to having my favors hang around unpaid for quite this long.”

“Yet here you are,” Cassi answered simply, calling his bluff. “I’m here for the one you owe us. I need your help.”

“I was afraid of that,” he replied. “An old acquaintance pops up twenty-eight years after the fact and I’m telling myself there’s just no way she’s found a vast sum of treasure and wants to share it with her old friend.”

“Let me get to the point, General Loran,” she told him. “I need your help. I’ve been looking into the death of Dmelte Volyken and the publicly available information has been. . . less than helpful. Some friends of mine told me it’s likely the case was intentionally obscured.”

Cassi was well-aware that Loran knew of Volyken. When they had first met, Loran’s organization had been helping Volyken defect when they had stumbled into Sarth and Cassi’s room on Hosk Station in the midst of a chase. The two Force exiles had helped Loran and his friends, and the intelligence officer had owed them a favor since then. “Are those the same friends who told you my name and rank?” Garik “Face” Loran asked sharply. “Because neither of those made it into the conversation the last time we met.”

Cassi gave him a disarming smile.

“General, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important,” she said. “I know you have no reason to believe me, so let me just tell you what I know and why I’m asking about Doctor Volyken so you don’t have to try to tease it out of me.”

“Honesty. An interesting approach,” Loran answered noncommittally.

“General, three months ago, Doctor Dmelte Volyken was murdered. The murder weapon was a metallic projectile made of a tungsten-durasteel alloy. The killer has yet to be found and no description has been released. This is all public record.”

The intelligence officer gave her an impassive stare, waiting expectantly.

“I believe that this murder may be connected with a renegade Force-sensitive named Ariada Cerulaen.”

To his credit, Loran didn’t stiffen or otherwise betray his familiarity with the name through his body-language. Cassi expected no less of a veteran intelligence officer, particularly one with the famed Lorrdian heritage that gave him such exquisite control over his nonverbal cues. However, through the Force, Cassi detected a small adrenaline spike and his awareness increase.

“Keep going,” he told her blandly.

“Any information about Volyken’s case may help my friends and I track down Ariada,” Cassi told him. “Which is undoubtedly a priority for the Galactic Alliance.”

“Why do you believe that Ariada is connected to the death of Volyken?” Loran asked.

“Because of this,” Cassi said, laying a single tungsten-durasteel slug chambered for an S-5S sidearm on the table between them.

“Not much of a toothpick,” Loran replied, picking up the round. “Where did you get this? Not exactly a weapon for a nice lady such as yourself.”

“Let’s just say I know the manufacturer personally,” Cassi answered. “I know where Ariada got this weapon from.”

“Oh?”

“She stole it,” Cassi said. “Or possibly made copies of it from the ones she stole after she escaped.”

“You sound like you’re more familiar with her than you’re letting on,” Loran probed.

“I used to know her,” Cassi replied sadly. “A long time ago. . . but a lot of things have changed since then.”

“Such as a newfound affinity for mass murder and terrorism?” Loran replied sardonically.

“Such as the dark side,” Cassi answered. “She must be stopped.”

Loran held up a hand.

“I’m familiar with the importance of stopping rogue darksiders,” he said. “And of the importance of letting silly Jedi types satisfy their self-consuming obligation to handle that particular chore.”

“Then you’ll help us?” Cassi asked.

“Maybe,” Loran told her. “Let’s make some reasonable assumptions and say that it’s likely that Galactic Alliance Intelligence and probably even the Jedi Order are already looking for Ariada Cerulaen with their own considerable resources. Why should we help you?”

Cassi smiled inwardly—this was the question she had been waiting for. Leaning forward to look directly in his dark eyes, she found her next words emerged with surprising conviction.

“Because we know Ariada and we can help you find her. If we cooperate, we might be able to find and stop her before she kills more people.”

“Fair enough,” Loran said. “My superiors, naturally, would not approve of this—sharing classified data with members of a rival intelligence agency is strongly discouraged.”

“Oh, I’m not an intelligence agent,” Cassi told him. “I never was.”

Loran was flabbergasted.

“Then, what are you?”

“I used to be a teacher, and then I ran a refugee aid organization,” Cassi answered. “But mostly I’m retired now.”

Loran shook his head, considering her words.

“All right,” he said. “You helped us out a long time ago, and Tyria said you could help us again.”

He slid a datacard across the table.

“This is what we know about the Volyken case,” he told her. “The short version is that he was killed by a single assailant in his home, execution style—one round in the back of the head. All of his computers and datapads were wiped completely—we don’t know what was on them.”

“He wasn’t working for you?”

“No,” Loran answered, shaking his head. “He was supposed to be just like you—retired.”

“Was it more cloaking technology?” Cassi asked, recalling the doctor’s specialty.

“We actually don’t know,” Loran told her, frowning with suspicion. “That’s the truth.”

“All right,” Cassi said, accepting his words at face value and collecting the datacard. “I’ll make sure this gets in the right hands.”

“And whose might those be?” Loran asked.

“Ask Jan Ors,” she said. “Ask her about Rishi.”

“And who should I tell her sent me?” Loran pressed. “When I asked Tyria, she didn’t mention your name.”

Cassi gave him a wry smile.

“You’re the intelligence agent, General Loran,” she said. “I’m sure you have your sources.”

“Those sources would be better spent looking for our renegade darksider,” Loran countered. “I thought we were partners? I don’t feel very trusted thus far.”

Cassi knew he was playing for sympathy, trying to make her feel guilty, but she only partially accommodated him, per Milya’s instructions.

“I trust you more than you might think,” she said, retrieving a datacard of her own and sliding it across the table towards him. “In case you need to reach me, either contact Tyria, or call this frequency.”

“So, your name is Sue Donnam,” Loran said in disbelief, reading the card. “Cute. In the old days, we tried to make our aliases less obvious.”

“Don’t assign more value to a name than it deserves, General,” she said. “Just syllables on a screen.”

He nodded and rose to leave.

“Thank you for coming—and for your help,” Cassi told him.

“Had nothing better to do,” Loran quipped. “All in the interests of galactic security.

“We’ll inform you if we find anything of interest,” Cassi assured him. “I’ll pass any messages through Tyria.”

“Of course,” Loran said glibly. “Try the nuna melt—it’s pretty good.”

With that, the intelligence agent was gone, vanishing towards the back entrance from whence he’d come.


 * Yanibar

Sarth Kraen looked out through the expansive window that dominated the far wall of his office. Once upon a time, he would have reflected gladly on the natural beauty of the towering mountains that surrounded and encased the Tusloni Basin where the Force exiles had made their refuge. Now he gazed up at them and hoped they didn’t rain down an avalanche in reply.

Ten years ago, the Yuuzhan Vong had discovered Yanibar thanks to the treachery of Ariada. Instead of an invasion army, they had sent one ship with a terrifying weapon: a gravity-manipulating dovin basal. Planted on the surface of Yanibar, it had altered the orbit of one of Yanibar’s moons before being destroyed. While the moon wasn’t going to collide with Yanibar as had happened to so many other worlds during the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, the altered orbit had destabilized the once-sheltered world. Groundquakes now occurred with frightening regularity and the increased tides had forced the evacuation of one of Yanibar’s major cities, Saqua, and the surrounding coastlines. Only vast permacrete retaining walls and shield barriers kept the rampaging waves from deluging Kraechar Industries and its vital work.

It was that vital work which now kept Sarth here, instead of on Coruscant with his wife, brother, and other family members. As the head of Kraechar Industries, it was his job to facilitate the evacuation of Yanibar—a monumental task.

The door slid open, admitting a man in his mid-forties, his blond hair just beginning to show signs of gray around the temples. Sarth turned to recognize his son as he approached.

“Hello, Akleyn,” he said.

“Dad,” Akleyn answered. “Any word from. . . the others?”

Sarth’s position as the head of Kraechar Arms and the man most responsible for the Yanibar refuge’s technological emergence from a hardscrabble colony afforded him unique capabilities and privileges—one of which was his own secure interstellar comm channel. He’d been using it to communicate with Selu and the others on Coruscant discreetly.

“Not in the last three days,” Sarth said worriedly. “I hope they’re all right.”

“If anything happened to them—we’d know, right?” Akleyn asked.

“I’d probably know if anything happened to Cassi or Selu,” Sarth said. “Just like you’d probably know if anything happened to Qedai. But I’m sure they’re fine.”

“But if something did happen,” Akleyn pressed. “What’s our contingency plan?”

Sarth grunted, having wrestled with this very conundrum himself over the past week.

“There’s not much we can do,” he admitted to his son. “The Council is watching me like a hawk—probably you too. But even if we could get offworld, I don’t know how much help we’d be to a party that includes Yanibar’s best. Obtaining other help might be difficult—the Council wouldn’t stand for an official rescue party.”

“Even for some of its founders?” Akleyn asked in surprise.

Sarth was silent for a moment.

“Your Uncle Selu and Aunt Milya made themselves very unpopular in the last war,” he said. “There’s a sizable faction in the Council that’s been pushing for their retirement ever since then.”

“Because of what the Yuuzhan Vong did.”

“Exactly. They place the blame for the Yuuzhan Vong attack on Selu and Milya, because if the fleet and many of the Force-users that went to Rishi to defend it had been here—they might have stopped Ariada from escaping. They would have certainly defeated the Yuuzhan Vong before they could have planted their dovin basal.”

Akleyn sighed.

“I wish Qedai was here. How she can be so hopeful even in the midst of a dire situation like this—well it’s beyond me, but it’s nice to have.”

Sarth smiled at his son.

“We both miss our wives. No shame in that,” he said, squeezing Akleyn’s shoulder.

There was a distant rumble that shook the building and both men retreated to the massive granite desk that occupied the central place in the room, gripping it firmly.

“That’s the third one in twelve hours,” Akleyn remarked.

“They’re getting worse,” Sarth said. “Even with the bulk of the fleet using their tractor beams to try and stabilize the moon’s orbit, it’s not enough.”

“How are the evacuation efforts?” Akleyn asked.

“Slow,” Sarth admitted. “There are lots of technical and logistical setbacks.”

“Such as?”

“Such as how to build ships large enough to carry nearly a million people and their cargo across interstellar space with our limited funds and resources. Such as how to build engines large enough to get those ships in orbit once they are constructed. Such as how to do all this on a deadline,” Sarth said.

Realizing how forceful he’d just been, he apologized to Akleyn.

“I’m sorry, son. It’s not your fault, or your problem. Didn’t mean to vent on you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Akleyn said. “Sounds like you have enough to handle already.”

“We’ve had to redesign the engine inlets for the fifth time,” Sarth said. “All eight of the large evacuation ships have to halt construction until we can get those inlets complete—but simulations of the required thrust numbers for the engines aren’t conclusive. There’s a lot of variables involved.”

“Why didn’t you build the ships in orbit?” Akleyn asked.

“The shipyards aren’t big enough to handle ships of this size,” Sarth told him. “They’ve also been busy with the Yanibar Guard fleet upgrades. Besides, we don’t have enough transport capability or time to ferry all those people and their cargo from the surface to a ship in orbit. The ships will have to get off the ground somehow. That’s the biggest how I’m working on at the moment.”

“What about supplementary boosters?” Akleyn inquired. “You could some kind of repulsorlift or engine to help get into orbit, then detach it once you’re clear.”

“That’d be a pretty big repulsorlift,” Sarth mused, scratching his chin as he considered the thought. “But it might be enough to help get us off the ground. I’ll look into it—thanks for the idea.”

“No problem, Dad,” Akleyn told him. “I’ll leave you to it—just let me know if—,”

“If we hear from the others,” Sarth finished. “I will, I promise.”


 * Coruscant

Dawn rose on Coruscant, the sun peeking through the monolithic labyrinth of starscrapers. Its rays glinted off the metallic surfaces, the rays reflecting off of the endless streams of airspeeder traffic. As the first sunbeams peeked through the cityscape, Selu Kraen strode towards the docking bay where he and the others had left the Hawk-bat. Colonel Dristaff had told him that Cresh Squad had seized the ship, securing it and leaving a pair of guards there. Those guards had failed to make their last check-in.

Selu’s face was haggard but purposeful. Though his side still pained him and the wound was far from healed, he would not allow that to interfere now. Milya and Morgedh followed behind him, along with a contingent of Yanibar Guard commandos. Milya had been reluctant to allow the Yanibar Guard escort, but Selu had silenced her protestations by reminding her that they had lost two of their own.

“How do you know that they are lost?” she’d demanded.

A simple look was all the response she’d received.

Selu left the airspeeder behind as he and the others descended the staircase leading from the rooftop down into the cavernous structure where they’d left the Hawk-bat. As he descended, Selu recalled the last time he’d seen the ship in such a structure—fifty years ago, when Sarth had introduced him to the original captain of the Hawk-bat, R’hask Sei’lar, and obtained a job that him off of Coruscant during the Jedi Purge. A shiver ran down his spine as he descended the stairwell.

Glancing around, Selu found the building was utterly deserted, with nobody around to look askance at three aged warriors entering the building with six fully armed and armored commandos at their back. It was quiet, too quiet, and Selu knew that did not bode well. Wordlessly, he signaled the others to stay back as he reached the door into the Hawk-bat’s berth. Selu stretched out with the Force, searching for the tendrils of danger he detected, hoping to trace them back to their source, but to no avail. With no other option, he swiped the passcard and the door slid open.

Selu nodded fractionally and they entered the vast chamber. It was dimly-lit, and Selu immediately noted that the ponderous doors leading to the airspace were open, allowing cyclonic currents of wind to howl and whistle through the chamber. The wind caught his cloak, playing with it as he advanced on the ship. To his relief it was still there, resting placidly on its landing skids. Selu gestured at the glowpanel controls and they came to life slowly, bathing the landing bay in flickering luminescence. That was when he saw them.

A row of silhouettes stood at the far end of the docking bay near the lip, standing amongst two or three YGA supply crates. Selu could not detect them in the Force, which did not bode well.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Master Kraen,” a cold female voice rang out across the docking bay.

Selu froze, signaling the others to halt as well. He knew that voice.

“Ariada,” he said, his hand sliding towards his lightsaber hilt. “What have you done?”

“What is necessary,” she replied. “What must be done to show the people of this galaxy the danger of their complacency.”

“It’s enough,” he told her remorsefully. “Let it go. You can still stop this.”

Her mocking laughter told him that his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“That’s right, Master Kraen. I’m in control now,” she said. “I dictate what happens next.”

“And if what you have planned next is more destruction and suffering, then you know we’ll stop you,” Milya spoke up.

Ariada was nonplussed at the sight of the three people most responsible for her training.

“Just like these two, right?” she asked sarcastically, gesturing to one side.

Selu saw that two Yanibar Guardsmen were strung up, suspended from the ceiling. Their armor’s outer shell was missing and Selu saw their mouths had been tapped shut. They were still alive, but the pall of the dark side surrounding Ariada and her companions suffocated his ability to sense them.

“They tried to stop me. They failed,” she enunciated icily.

“The only person who has failed is you,” Morgedh told her. “You have failed your upbringing, your teachers, and your ideals, trading them in for the hollow promise of the dark side’s power.”

“Your lies and deception are empty, Master Kel’nerh,” Ariada said. “We know what you are, and we know how to beat you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Milya shot back.

“I guess we will,” Ariada said. “But they won’t.”

She gave a quick signal and two muted whirr-chirps resounded, cutting through the wind to reach the others. The two guardsmens’ heads lolled and then hung limply as their skulls were pierced by the tungsten-durasteel slugs.

“No!” Selu screamed, but it was too late.

There was half a hangar between him and Ariada and even the power of the Force would not get him there in time.

“Tying up loose ends, Master Kraen,” she told him coolly. “I figured you’d appreciate that.”

“They did not have to die!” Selu shouted at her. “Nobody else has to die! End this, Ariada!”

“On the contrary, Master Kraen,” Ariada replied in the same icy tone. “I’ve just begun.”

“And that is why this ends now,” Morgedh answered, igniting his lightsaber and springing forward.

Selu and Milya followed suit, drawing their own weapons. However, alarm bells were ringing in Selu’s mind—there was no way that Ariada would be so overconfident as to attempt to duel three of Yanibar’s foremost, her companions notwithstanding.

Ariada stood her ground as the three Force-sensitives approached, gauging the distance. When she saw them reach an invisible line nearly twenty meters away, she held up a fist to the others around her with weapons at the ready. In unison, the seven figures all dove backwards, leaping off the edge of the hangar into open space. Selu, Milya and Morgedh raced to pursue, but suddenly the deck erupted around them in bright fiery explosions. The three were hurled to the ground by the blast waves, burned by the fireballs and lashed by hot shrapnel. The mouth of the hangar was engulfed in flame as the three Force-wielders collapsed. Selu slowly staggered to his feet, caught off guard by the powerful explosions. The hangar was now a hellish landscape, with choking fumes and flame burning amidst a scarred and torn metal.

There was a rumbling sound from above, indicating further danger. He looked up to see a black metallic canister hurtling down towards him and the prone form of Milya. Recognizing the danger, Selu reached down to grab Milya and then leapt away just in time as the metallic case smashed into the ground where he’d been a second before. Three more cases slammed into place around them, then burst open. One of the flying metal pieces crashed into Selu, bulling him and Milya to the shredded and burning deck. If they had been alone, they would instantly died, as the cases had split open to reveal four metallic bipeds bristling with armament. Assassin droids.

Their angled photoreceptors glowed an angry red and each had three arms, two in the normal position for a humanoid and a third extending from the nape of the neck to undulate above the head like a menacing serpent. There was a metallic phring sound as vibroblades extended from their wrists. Unlike the hulking monstrosities favored by the Separatists in the Clone Wars, these droids were lean and limber, hunched over like killer predators. They trained weapons on Selu and Milya, only to be caught by a hail of blaster fire.

The commandos of Cresh Squad were well-trained and had been far enough from the blasts to only be knocked on their backs. Rising quickly, they had their weapons trained on the droids by the time they’d emerged from their casings. A furious volley of well-aimed blaster fire hit the droids, only to glance off of hazy energy fields. However, the momentary distraction was enough for Morgedh clan Kel’nerh to recover.

Leaping up and summoning the Force, he landed on one knee in the midst of the droids, unleashing the stored-up energy in a catastrophic blast that hurled them away. However, the droids were made of sturdier stuff. Springing to their metallic feet, two of them opened fire with repeating blasters on Morgedh, while two more went after the commandos.

Flanked, all Morgedh could do was evade and duck the streams of blaster fire, batting it back to the sources as best as possible. He heard the cough of a grenade launcher and leapt aside just the ground where he’d been standing exploded, blaster bolts still tracking him. While in mid-air, batting away energy blasts, he made a quick evaluation of the droid’s capabilities. In addition to the arm-mounted repeating blasters and additional beamlaser in the third arm, one arm sported a grenade launcher while the other mounted what looked to be the type of magnetically-accelerated slugthrower favored by the Yanibar Guard. A pair of slugs smashing into the wall just over his head confirmed the suspicion. Morgedh charged one of the droids, hoping to even the odds even as he battled through sprays of blasterfire. His rush was slowed by the need to track the other droid fighting him. He prepared for one final spring to close the gap when smoke trails began to ignite from the nearest droid’s shoulders. His eyes widened as the cluster rockets streaked towards him and the leap that should have carried him right onto the droid instead was redirected to the side to avoid the smattering of explosions.

He alighted with his lightsaber already up, deflecting away blaster bolts as the two droids he was facing circled him, maintaining separation. The steely Noghri could make no headway against either droid and the exertion he was putting out through the Force could not be sustained indefinitely. The droids showed no signs of tiring. He finally ducked under the blasts, closing nearly within saber range when his danger sense sent him an urgent warning. He leapt back just as the third arm unleashed a cryogenic spray that nearly doused him with supercooled vapor. It hit the deck instead, hissing and crackling as it steamed.

Morgedh raised his lightsaber in defense once more as the two droids worked to keep him flanked, moving quickly for their size. A blaster bolt slipped through his guard to sear his forearm and he grimaced. They were wearing him out and the bolts he deflected back to their source were having no impact on the energy shields. Furthermore, they seemed to also be equipped with an ion blaster and sonic weapon, and the latter two weapons could not be reflected with the lightsaber, forcing Morgedh to constantly evade the weapons. He was about to make one last desperate charge when a piece of metal rose from the ground to slam into one of the droids, knocking it aside and stopping its weapons’ fire momentarily. Morgedh saw Selu now standing out of the corner of his eye and sprang into action, diving onto the other droid.

It moved quickly for a construct and its vibroblades caught his first blow as he leapt onto it from above. He landed behind the droid as it spun around, third arm firing ineffectually at him. Morgedh lunged under another burst of the cryospray, stabbing at the droid’s backside. To his disappointment, the golden lightsaber only ablated some of its armor instead of piercing through.

Undeterred, Morgedh jumped to the side to avoid the counterblow from both vibroblades and fought on, hacking away against the two vibroblades while avoiding the blasts and cryospray from the third arm. The droid was well-programmed in hand-to-hand combat, and while its movements lacked the fluidity of a trained Force-user, it had the advantage of being able to largely shrug off Morgedh’s lightsaber and force him to take less than optimal slashes due to the need to defend against the third arm. Whoever had designed the weapons had done a thorough job.

He saw that the other two droids had reached the commandos and were cutting through their ranks, unaffected by the blasterfire. Then suddenly, there was a tremendous clang as those two droids were slammed together at near-supersonic speeds. Morgedh was spurred on to see those two out of the fight and vaulted up to curl around his opponent’s armor, stabbing in at its neck with his lightsaber. This time, his blade hit a weakened part and sheared through. The droid’s shield burst and flickered. Its chest began to glow red and Morgedh recognized his danger just in time. Bending his knees to bounce off the droid, he leapt away just as it toppled him over and exploded, battering him with the concussion wave and more shrapnel. He hit the deck and flipped over several times, losing his lightsaber in the process. Morgedh looked up, dizzied, to see the last droid bringing one of its arms to bear on the defenseless Noghri. He raised one hand as if to ward off the blast when a small gray blur slammed into the droid, staggering it. The blaster rounds intended for his head sprayed awry instead. A second blur, which Morgedh’s concussed mind now recognized as a sniper round from the last standing commando, crashed into the droid, punching through its armor and spraying hydraulic fluid. As the droid tried to steady itself, it was hoisted into the air by an invisible fist. To Morgedh’s relief, the droid began to implode as if being crushed by that fist. He turned to see Selu on his feet, a wrathful expression on his face as he called upon his mastery of telekinesis to reduce the droid to a hunk of scrap. It finally triggered its self-destruct with its last vestiges of cognitive awareness, the explosion contained within the Force bubble that Selu had encased it within.

Morgedh looked over to see the Jedi Master help Milya up, then walk back over to the commandos, all but one of whom were down. However, the Noghri could not help but look out the yawning mouth of the docking bay to the Coruscant night sky where Ariada and her companions had disappeared into.

“She’s still out there,” Morgedh said quietly. “She escaped.”

“She lured us here and fought us on her terms,” Milya told him as she walked stiffly over to him, clutching her chest. “We did well just to survive.”

“She has had us on her terms for far too long,” Morgedh declared firmly. “It is time to change that.”

“This isn’t your fault, Morgedh,” Milya said.

“She has eluded me three times now,” Morgedh answered icily. “Twice on Yanibar and now here. I should have stopped her when I had the chance.”

“You think you should have killed her after she was defeated those other two times?” Milya asked him. “Would that have made things right, Morgedh? To strike down an unarmed and defeated opponent?”

“We differ on that point, Master Kraen,” Morgedh said stolidly, gesturing around him. “She does not seem very defeated to me.”

6
The airspeeder swooped into the hangar easily, coming to rest in empty berths inside the Jedi Temple. This time, Selu was content to let Qedai pilot the craft while he and Milya took the backseat and Morgedh and Zeyn were in the middle row. The architecture of the structure was elegant and understated, embellished with crests and crenellations, but otherwise was largely smooth stone. As he climbed out of the airspeeder and looked around, Selu found that it lacked some of the grandeur of the temple he’d grown up in, but perhaps that was for the better. Perhaps the Jedi of old had been too preoccupied with their own affairs to see what was occurring in the greater galaxy.

He found several Jedi waiting for him—Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker, Tyria Sarkin Tainer, and an older human man dressed in Jedi robes. Selu recognized him as Master Kyle Katarn—they had met on Rishi during the Yuuzhan Vong War. As he approached, Kyle pointed him out to Luke.

“You,” he said as he too recognized Selu.

“Greetings, Master Katarn,” Selu told him evenly. “It’s been too long.”

Katarn turned back to Luke.

“Master Skywalker, you should have warned me about this,” he said. “This man is nothing but trouble.”

Luke smiled.

“Then you should feel right at home with him, Master Katarn,” he said.

Kyle Katarn snorted gently.

“I’m less secretive about my mayhem these days,” Katarn retorted.

“Good to see you too,” Selu said. “Sorry that we’re late for the meeting. We ran into. . . complications.”

“I sensed a disturbance,” Mara answered. “What was it?”

“We found her on our way back to our ship,” Selu said. “Or rather, Ariada found us.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up.

“And?”

“She had a trap ready,” Selu explained. “She got away.”

“She’s been busy then,” Mara replied. “But in the meantime, introductions are in order.”

“I suppose they are,” Selu said. “For those of you whom I haven’t already met, I’m Selusda Kraen. I’m a Jedi Master of the Old Republic and the Commander of the Yanibar Guard.”

Mara’s lip curled.

“You didn’t mention that last part when you were here earlier.”

“I’m mentioning it now,” Selu answered curtly, then indicated towards his companions. “This is Milya Tayrce Kraen, Director of Yanibar Guard Intelligence, and Morgedh clan Kel’nerh, Commander of the Elite Guardians. Those two over there are Zeyn Kraen and Qedai Kraen, both Elite Guardians. All of us are trained in the use of the Force, though saying we’re Jedi is, well. . . a bit of a stretch.”

“Quite a nice family affair you have going here,” Mara remarked drily.

“The Skywalkers and Solos aren’t the only Force-strong families out there,” Milya answered. “Some of us are just more discreet about it.”

“Well, somebody had to take a stand,” Mara retorted.

“I’m sure both of our families have done their part against evil over the years in their own way,” Luke put in diplomatically.

“And now we have a common threat,” Selu said. “Should we proceed?”

“You look like you’ve been through quite a fight,” Luke pointed out. “Maybe a visit to the infirmary might be better first?”

“Not right now,” Selu waved him off. “This is urgent; the infirmary can wait.”

Luke nodded, leading them through the corridors of the Jedi Temple to a conference room. They entered and he shut the door behind them. “Normally, a crisis of this magnitude would require a meeting of the Masters’ Council, but I wanted to make sure we have all the facts first,” Luke said.

The Jedi Master looked to Selu.

“Could you explain the situation at hand? From the beginning.”

Selu nodded and told in brief the narrative of how he had been raised as a Jedi Knight, fought in the Clone Wars, escaped the subsequent rise of the Empire and joined the crew of the Hawk-bat, until he was called to establish a hidden refuge of Force exiles on the remote world of Yanibar.

“How many of you are there on Yanibar?” Luke asked.

“People or trained Force-users?” Selu replied.

“Force-users, I suppose,” Luke answered.

“At the time of our inception, there were about fifty of us,” Selu said. “Now there’s over five hundred.”

Luke blinked in surprise.

“That’s over the size of the Jedi Order now. I’m amazed that you were able to hide that many people from the Empire for so long.”

“We have to be careful,” Selu told him. “The highest precept of our refuge is to protect its sanctity—coming here and telling you all of this was not a decision we made lightly, but it had to be done.”

“That’s also why we were not more involved in the war against the Empire,” Milya said. “We foresaw too much death and destruction if we revealed ourselves.”

“We all had to make choices,” Selu added. “Ours was to preserve the legacy and heritage of the Jedi, the Zeison Sha, the Matukai, the Jal Shey, and the Gray Paladins. Revealing ourselves could have resulted in our obliteration.”

Luke drummed his fingers on the table.

“That’s one possibility,” he said. “But we could have used you during the height of the Rebellion. Another hundred Force-users could have turned the tide.”

“Perhaps,” Selu answered. “But we had two reasons for not involving ourselves. The first was that we foresaw our own destruction if we did so. The second was because of you.”

“Me?” Luke asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“I knew of your lineage,” Selu told him. “I watched you become the wartime hero that your father was at the same age. I knew that the likelihood of you retreading his footsteps was high. I feared that you could not be trusted.”

“So instead of intervening to help, you left Luke on his own?” Mara asked.

“Guidance from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda is hardly what I would call being ‘on his own,’” Selu retorted mildly. “We were prepared to be patient, to wait until the chance of reclaiming the galaxy from the Sith was more. . . assured.”

Mara sniffed.

“I can’t say I agree with that decision.”

“Me neither,” Selu replied. “I’ve wrestled with that question for a long time, but in the end, there’s nothing we can do about it now. We have to focus on the problem at hand.”

“Besides, we took care of a lot of threats in Wild Space that the rest of the galaxy ignored, and a few others they didn’t,” Milya said.

She synopsized how the Force exile refuge had grown, creating a defense force that had struck against pirates and slavers in the surrounding sectors while providing aid to remote colonies. She revealed how they had been drawn into conflict with the notorious crime lord Tyber Zann and defeated his private fleet in a fierce battle at Yanibar. Then she told of how they began to train Elite Guardians in teams of four to accomplish discreet missions across the galaxy while bringing other Force-sensitives who showed potential for training to Yanibar.

“That was how I got there,” Tyria said.

“That’s right,” Selu told her. “My brother Sarth and his wife Cassi gave you a token that revealed coordinates to a rendezvous point. We monitored you for a while, and then sent in a ship to make contact. That ship brought you to Yanibar and you trained under one of our Jedi Masters for nearly three years.”

“Which doesn’t answer why she doesn’t remember that,” Mara put in.

“People are allowed to leave Yanibar’s refuge with the approval of the Ruling Council,” Selu said. “But if they are not on official business, they are not allowed to remember it. We have means of. . . altering memories.”

“That seems extreme,” Tyria replied.

“A lot of things seem extreme when annihilation is on the line,” Milya countered. “We had to protect ourselves.”

“If you would like to remember your time on Yanibar, the process is usually reversible,” Selu told her. “We can do so later.”

Tyria nodded.

“I’d like that. It feels strange, knowing that three years of my life are actually fabricated memories my brain created to replace the erased ones. I don’t like it—feels like living a lie.”

“I understand,” Selu told her. “And I know how it feels—my own daughter left the refuge and had her memory altered. She remembers us as her parents, but the memories of her childhood are vague.”

“That’s horrible,” Mara said, aghast.

“But it’s not our place to judge, nor do we have the time to do so,” Luke countered mildly. “Please continue.”

“It was sixteen years ago when you first encountered Ariada,” Selu said. “She was part of a team that participated in the Galactic Games.”

“I remember her,” Luke replied. “She helped save my sister’s life from an assassin.”

“She was a skilled Force-user,” Selu said. “We both helped train her, and she was one of our best. However, the Yuuzhan Vong War took its toll on her.”

“It did on a lot of people,” Mara reminded him. “You can’t blame yourself for the choices of others.”

“She wanted a more direct approach,” Selu explained. “She wanted to stop the Yuuzhan Vong and somewhere along the way, lost perspective of what means were allowable to accomplish that goal. She fell, and decided that she would steal what she wanted and strike out on her own.”

“We stopped her the first time—or so it seemed,” Milya put in. “She was imprisoned in our most secure facility, but she had anticipated this, and had already pre-arranged tools for her escape.”

“She has incredible foresight and she’s a brilliant planner,” Selu said. “The reason it seems like she’s been one step ahead of us thus far is because she’s already planned her next moves well in advance.”

“We didn’t expect her to betray Yanibar, but she did, and while most of our defense force was at Rishi fighting the Yuuzhan Vong. And when she returned, she brought her new allies with her: Dark Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong,” Selu said.

“She claimed she did so under duress,” Morgedh added. “And she had no knowledge of the Yuuzhan Vong.”

“Do you believe her?” Luke asked.

The Noghri warrior was silent for a moment.

“I do not know,” came his answer. “Ariada is a masterful deceiver. She seemed sincere, but at any rate it doesn’t matter.”

“The Yuuzhan Vong doomed our world with a dovin basal,” Selu continued. “We managed to stop it, but the moon’s orbit was altered enough that we’re in the final stages of an evacuation effort.”

“We’re leaving,” Milya said. “Going to a remote Force-strong planet called Atlaradis.”

“But before we do, we’re stopping Ariada,” Selu declared firmly. “We’ve been trying to track her over the last ten years, but she’s been very good at covering her trail.”

“We appreciate your candidness,” Luke told him. “I understand that coming here and doing this, revealing these things to us cannot be easy.”

Selu inclined his head slightly in agreement.

“It’s not easy watching one of your students fall to the dark side and rampage through the galaxy,” Luke added. “Trust me, I know.”

Selu sighed.

“She was not the first to fall, nor will she be the last.”

Luke leaned in closer over the table.

“What I don’t understand is why your people are departing for a remote world. You’ve isolated yourselves from the galaxy to protect yourselves for the last fifty years, and I understand that, but there’s no need to keep hiding. The galaxy could use your help.”

Selu started to answer, but Milya interrupted.

“A storm is coming, Master Skywalker,” she said. “War and conflict and strife and loss.”

Luke looked at her in alarm.

“You’ve sensed this?”

“Milya has a gift of foresight,” Selu told them. “Her skills have saved us more than once.”

“The dark side gathers, Master Skywalker,” Milya told him. “Ariada’s strikes are only the beginning.”

“Then help us stand against it,” Luke urged them. “You have a wealth of knowledge and experience and trained Force-users. Join with us; do what you couldn’t do forty years ago.”

“I’m sorry, Master Skywalker,” Selu answered sadly. “But our decision is made. Our people have suffered enough—to ask them to stay and sacrifice even more would be too much.”

“You’re helping us against Ariada,” Mara pointed out.

“Ariada is our responsibility,” Milya replied. “And we are accountable for stopping her reign of terror.”

“And we should focus on doing so,” Selu said. “Here’s what we know: she has launched biological attacks on Belsavis, Manaan, and possibly Coruscant, in addition to escaping Galactic Alliance custody. We believe she also was involved in attacking two Jedi pilots over Belsavis. Her resources are unknown, but include starfighters, assassin droids, several highly-trained operatives, at least one other Dark Jedi, and we believe a larger ship.”

“What we don’t know is what kind of biological weaponry she has,” Milya told them. “She has extensive training in medicine and genetics, so she’s capable of some serious virology, if it comes to that.”

“We can fill you in there,” Mara said, pulling up the holo from the convention center.

Selu, Morgedh, Milya, Zeyn, and Qedai watched aghast.

“That’s terrible, even for Ariada,” Zeyn said when it was finished.

“They’re called technobeasts,” Luke explained. “They’re an old Sith invention from the New Sith Wars two thousand years ago. The virus turns people into mindless cyborgs, half-machine, half-living flesh.”

“It’s nasty to the point where the inventor, a Sith Lord named Belia Darzu, was killed by other Sith Lords,” Mara said. “And anything that’s too much for the Sith. . . well. . .”

“Ariada must have discovered repositories of the virus or found a way to recreate it,” Morgedh remarked.

“Which is why it is imperative we stop her as soon as possible,” Selu declared. “Before she can inflict more harm.”

“We’ve been analyzing her targets, and we believe there’s a pattern,” Milya said. “Belsavis and Manaan both have associations with Force-users. Since she didn’t directly attack the Jedi Order on Coruscant, we suspect she’s not confident in her ability to pull off a successful attack. Instead, she’s sending messages—to the Jedi, saying she can strike at Force-users, and to the Galactic Alliance, saying she’s stronger than them by hitting their worlds, attacking their Chief of State, and escaping from their prison.”

“Then why hit the convention center?” Tyria asked. “It was a bunch of scientists, not Force-users or a Galactic Alliance event.”

“That’s where it gets interesting,” Milya said. “Three thousand of the galaxy’s foremost biology, virology, and genetics experts were there. If her campaign of terror relies on using a virus, then she targeted them to remove the people who could possibly stop her.”

“We need to identify further targets,” Selu added. “And then get to them before Ariada does.”

Suddenly, the door slid open, admitting a man in his early thirties. He was dressed as a Jedi and had an impatient look on his face. Trailing behind him was a tow-headed youth also wearing Jedi attire.

“Master Luke, I just received word about Jaina,” he said to Luke, ignoring the others.

“Sit down, Jacen,” Luke replied evenly. “You too, Ben.”

The two begrudgingly complied.

“Jacen, tell us what you found,” Mara told him.

“We received a message from Galactic Alliance Intelligence—apparently left behind by that woman before the prison break,” Jacen replied, then as if noticing the others for the first time, changed tack. “Who are they?”

“These are friends who are helping us track down that woman you mentioned,” Luke said. “Some of their pilots helped Zekk escaped the ambush that hit Jaina.”

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Jacen asked Morgedh.

“That’s right,” the Noghri answered evenly. “A long time ago.”

“The Galactic Games,” Jacen realized aloud.

“The message,” prompted Mara.

Jacen turned back to regard his aunt.

“The message said that Jaina was only fired upon out of self-defense and that Ariada has no quarrel with her. She’s been taken to a derelict Imperial cruiser in the Drexel system and we can pick her up there within two weeks before she runs out of air.”

“We didn’t receive this earlier?” Mara asked.

“Apparently it was part of the wreckage when Ariada broke out of the prison,” Jacen said, then frowned. “It was addressed to me.”

“The prison break was several days ago. Even stretching her air, Jaina’s in danger of running out of time,” Ben said. “We need to get to her now.”

“Who else knows about this?” Mara asked.

“I told my parents,” Jacen said. “They deserved to know. Han’s already warming up the Falcon. I’m going with them.”

“I figured as much,” Luke answered.

“You know this is almost certainly a trap,” Selu observed.

Jacen scowled.

“I’m not leaving Jaina out there,” he said. “I can take care of myself—I know what I’m doing.”

Selu’s eyes glittered as he met Jacen’s gaze.

“I’m fully aware of your exploits, young Solo,” he replied. “I’m also aware of your dangerous philosophical contention that the dark side does not exist.”

“Spare me the diatribe,” Jacen said, rolling his eyes. “We can debate the wrongness of the Jedi orthodoxy later. I have to go rescue my sister.”

He turned back to Luke and Mara.

“The Falcon will be leaving in half an hour,” he told them. “I’m sure my parents would love to have you along, but if you can’t make it, I’m sure I can handle things. Come on, Ben.”

Beckoning the younger man with him, Jacen departed as abruptly as he had come. Selu sighed.

“I wasn’t kidding about the trap,” he said. “It’s more likely Ariada is attempting to lure Jacen there with some ulterior motive in mind.”

“Jacen’s usually able to take care of himself,” Luke pointed out.

“And you’re willing to risk your son on that?” Milya asked.

“You’ve already risked your son on that hunch, haven’t you?” Mara replied.

Milya started to reply, but Selu laid a hand on her arm to forestall whatever witty comeback she’d devised.

“We need to stay on focus,” he said. “Figuring out Ariada’s next target.”

“It’s clear that she’s planning on something in the Drexel system,” Luke pointed out. “Maybe we should surprise her there.”

Selu shook his head.

“If Drexel system is where she wants us to go, then that’s exactly where we shouldn’t be,” he said.

“Perhaps we can get the jump on her by arriving with more strength than she expects,” Mara suggested. “I’m with Jacen on this one; I don’t like leaving my niece in danger, especially if it is a trap.”

Luke nodded.

“We’ll follow the Falcon in a pair of StealthXes, see if we can get some naval backup to help us in case it is a trap.”

“If that is your decision, then watch your backs,” Selu said, too wise to voice his opinion that Luke and Mara were making a mistake. “And may the Force be with you.”

“And with you,” Luke replied. “If you’re going to hunt down Ariada’s other targets, then you could probably use some resources, as well as some Jedi from our end to help smooth things over with the Galactic Alliance.”

Milya started to voice her disagreement, but Selu spoke first.

“We’d be happy for any assistance you could lend.”

“Very well,” Luke answered. “Jedi Tainer, you and Master Katarn will work with Master Kraen until we return with Jaina.”

“Thank you so very much,” Katarn replied with considerable sarcasm from the corner of the room where he’d been sitting quietly.

“Knowing that you two have a working relationship made you a natural choice,” Luke replied with a smile. “Do you need a ship?”

Selu shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary,” he replied. “We have our own personal ship on Coruscant and the Yanibar Guard has a cloaked cruiser insystem.”

Luke was surprised by that latter announcement.

“I’d avoid mentioning that one to the Galactic Alliance,” he suggested. “That probably wouldn’t go over well.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Milya answered sarcastically.

Luke pivoted back to look at Selu.

“I know you said your mind is made up, but if you ever reconsider what’s next for you and your people, then know that my offer still stands. The Jedi Order and the galaxy could use you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Selu told him.

With that, Luke and Mara departed, leaving Tyria and Kyle with the Elite Guardians.

“All right, so back to Ariada’s next targets. Who would she go after?” Selu asked. “So far, she’s targeted government icons, locations associated with Force-sensitives, biology experts.”

“Judging from the hit on Doctor Volyken Cassi told us about, we’re likely dealing with two kinds of targets,” Milya pointed out. “There are targets she wants to hit to send a message, like Belsavis or Coruscant, and then there are targets she needs to hit to protect herself—like those biology experts or Volyken.”

“Who’s Volyken?” Kyle asked.

“A cloaking technology expert,” Tyria offered. “He defected to the New Republic years ago in a Wraith Squadron mission. He was supposed to be retired.”

“We know from Belsavis that Ariada’s using cloaking technology she obtained from the Yanibar Guard,” Selu said. “Assassinating a cloaking expert would make her job easier. We also know she’s using high-quality combat droids, so some kind of expert in combat droids would be a likely target.”

“Tendrando Arms,” Kyle suggested. “They make YVH droids—also top-of-the-line combat arms, and it’s no secret that Lando Calrissian is an ally of the Jedi.”

“Where are they headquartered?” Selu asked.

“They have offices on Almania,” Kyle replied. “That’s where they do a lot of work on the YVH series.”

“We’ll want to send someone there,” Selu said.

“I’ll do it,” Tyria volunteered. “Though I could use some backup.”

“I’ll go,” Milya said, to Selu’s surprise.

“Really?” Selu replied. “Why the sudden interest?”

“Her,” Milya answered, pointing to Tyria. “I can help her recover her memory while we’re on the way. She deserves it.”

“Thank you,” Tyria answered quietly.

“Besides,” Milya continued. “I already know that one of us is heading to Belsavis, and we’re the only ones here who can restore memories. And as much as I hate to admit it, you’re better on the bridge of the cruiser than I am, so I might as well go with her.”

“All right,” Selu said. “Let me know what you find.”

“I just thought of another target,” Zeyn realized aloud, turning to Milya. “Didn’t the New Republic have a Force-sensitive biology expert during the Yuuzhan Vong War that made most of their anti-Vong tech?”

“Danni Quee,” Milya replied. “YGI lost track of her after the Vong War.”

She turned to Kyle.

“Well?”

Kyle hesitated.

“Come on, Master Katarn,” Milya said. “We’re allies, just like last time.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Kyle muttered. “Fine. She’s on Zonama Sekot, the living planet—and its location is a closely-guarded secret.”

“Because you don’t want any fanatics going after the Yuuzhan Vong in exile there,” Selu guessed.

“Exactly,” Kyle affirmed.

“That makes it an even bigger target for Ariada,” Zeyn said. “She hates the Yuuzhan Vong, and knowing that there’s a scientist there who could derail her work is double reason to attack Zonama Sekot.”

“The planet is fairly capable of defending itself,” Kyle pointed out.

“We still should send someone,” Qedai argued. “We’ve learned not to underestimate Ariada. At the very least, they should be warned.”

“Good point,” Selu said. “Zeyn, it was your idea—take point on this one.”

“Understood, Master,” Zeyn replied.

“Milya’s right—one of us has to go to Beslavis, so that’s where I’m heading,” Selu said.

“And I’m coming with you,” Kyle interjected. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

“As you wish,” Selu answered placatingly. “It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve enjoyed the hospitality of the Yanibar Guard.”

“There’s one more possible target,” Milya said. “Shara.”

Selu paled.

“Kriff,” he swore. “She’s on Chalacta, visiting her family, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Milya confirmed.

“Who is Shara?” Tyria asked for her and Kyle Katarn’s sake.

“Shara is my son Ryion’s wife,” Selu answered.

“And. . . ?” Kyle replied.

“A little background, Master Jedi,” Qedai cut in. “Ariada used to serve with Ryion, Zeyn, and myself on the same team. But Ariada and Ryion were. . . closer.”

“Much closer,” Zeyn added. “Until she went rogue, and they broke it off—Ryion wouldn’t turn dark for her.”

“Great,” Kyle said with a grimace. “A jilted ex-lover on the loose. I get the holo. Stands to reason she’d go after the wife.”

“Exactly,” Selu answered.

“Do not worry,” a quiet gravelly voice broke in from the far end of the room. “I will safeguard the Lady Shara back to Yanibar.”

Selu nodded to Morgedh.

“Thank you, my friend,” he said. “Safe journey.”

“What about me?” Qedai asked. “I’m going with Zeyn, right?”

“No,” Selu said, swiveling back to her. “I have another mission for you. I want you to take Cassi back to Yanibar. It’s not safe for her out here.”

Qedai made a face.

“Babysitting, Master? Really?”

“That’s my sister-in-law you’re talking about,” Selu answered mildly. “I’m trusting you with protecting her—I wouldn’t put it past Ariada to target her, and Cassi’s not the fighter you are.”

That silenced her protestations and the Twi’lek Zeison Sha inclined her head respectfully.

“I understand, Master.”

“You all have your assignments,” Selu said to the group. “We leave in four hours—grab your gear and we’ll take you back to the Yanibar Guard enclave.”

“That’s four hours after you leave the infirmary,” Milya countered to Selu. “At this rate, you’re going to bleed all over these people’s nice floor, and we can’t have that.”

Selu started to protest, but Milya brooked no argument.

“I know you can heal on the ship, but you won’t. The very least you can do is have that wound in your side closed up again.”

Selu sighed.

“Yes, dear,” he said heavily.

“That’s better,” Milya told them, then she turned to the group. “Dismissed. And may the Force be with you all.”

7
The backdraft from the shuttles stirred up massive currents, ruffling the hair and cloaks of the Jedi present. Four of the Yanibar Guard’s new Nimbus shuttles set down in front of the warehouse complex, doors sliding open. Armored soldiers moved pallets of equipment out of the warehouse onto a waiting Discblade transport. The Yanibar Guard was packing up their Coruscant enclave.

Outside, Selu and the others watched as the transports came to a rest, repulsorlifts winding down.

“I’m impressed that you were able to establish such a heavy military presence on Coruscant,” Tyria said.

“It’s not much of an army,” Selu replied, taking the jest in stride.

“No, I mean it,” Tyria replied. “You had what, three dozen personnel on the ground completely undetected, with heavy equipment and everything, able to execute missions. That’s an accomplishment.”

“Oh.”

He shrugged.

“We’ve specialized in doing things covertly for such a long time that it’s almost second nature for us.”

Colonel Dristaff approached Selu, throwing a salute. Selu admired the man’s tenacity. He’d broken an arm and been shot several times by Ariada’s assassin droids, but the man insisted on returning to his duties after some hasty ministrations from the medics.

“Report, Colonel,” Selu told him.

“Sir, we are in the final stages of evacuation. Last cargo pallets are being loaded as we speak and YGI is clearing the facility of forensic evidence.”

“Thank you,” Selu said. “Final casualty report?”

The man stiffened.

“Counting the Hawk-bat guards, Cresh Squad lost five men. I have another who is still in a bacta tank. Out of the other squads, another six sustained injuries during the assault on the warehouse.”

“Our assault?” Tyria asked.

At Selu’s nod, the man nodded a confirmation.

“That is correct, ma’am.”

“Can I ask something?” she addressed the soldier.

“Sir?” he looked to Selu.

“Answer the question,” Selu said.

“How did you capture three of your kind’s most formidable warriors and then hold off strike teams that included some of the New Jedi Order’s finest? I haven’t sensed any serious Force-users among your soldiers.”

There was a note of pride in the colonel’s voice.

“Our soldiers are trained for any eventuality, including fighting Force-users.”

“More specifically,” Selu elaborated. “They train with Force-repelling ysalamiri and know how to fight Force-users from special training sessions on Yanibar. Combine that with a well-prepared defense, minefields, and droideka droids, and you’ll find that the Yanibar Guard is no easy foe for a Force-user.”

His gaze turned sad for a moment.

“I never imagined they’d be used against us though.”

Selu turned back to the colonel.

“Colonel, did the soldier who shot me survive Ariada’s attack?”

“Sir, he did, sir. Corporal Hastai is in the bacta tank.”

“Wait, he’s still alive? How did he escape jumping off that ledge?” Tyria demanded.

“He jumped onto a waiting airspeeder that was hovering below,” Selu answered. “It’s an old YGI trick. Ariada and her companions used it to escape us earlier.”

“Master Kraen is correct.”

“And I’m glad to hear he’s alive,” Selu said. “I won’t take it personally, Colonel. I promise. I’m sorry to hear about your other men. When we find Ariada, we’ll see to it that she’s brought to justice.”

“Thank you, sir,” the colonel answered. “Shuttles are ready for boarding.”

“Understood,” Selu replied, gesturing the others onto the shuttle.

In no time, he, Morgedh, Milya, Zeyn, Cassi, Tyria, Qedai, and Kyle were inside one of the Nimbus shuttles as it lifted off from Coruscant. Several other armored commandos also occupied the interior of the shuttle along with a stack of cargo cylinders, making it quite the crowded ship. There was no conversation at first. The commandos showed no interest in talking with the others, and the Yanibar Force-users seemed preoccupied. Tyria and Kyle made a few remarks, but when they only received monosyllabic answers, they took the hint and kept quiet, surveying the interior of the shuttle.

As the mid-afternoon skyline of Coruscant gave way to inky black starfield, Cassi leaned over to speak to Zeyn.

“I spoke to your mother before we left.”

Zeyn stiffened and said nothing.

“She misses you, Zeyn,” Cassi told him.

He was silent for a long time, his normally affable countenance now darkened.

“I have nothing to say to her,” Zeyn answered at last.

“Zeyn, she’s your mother,” Cassi replied, disappointment evident in her voice. “You should have something to say to her.”

Barely-controlled fury crept into Zeyn’s voice.

“By biology alone,” he snapped. “She gave up that role when she evicted me from her house twenty-two years ago.”

“Zeyn, she was hurting and afraid for you. She’d already lost your father and your grandfather. She didn’t want to lose you. She made the choices she did to try to spare you from that same fate.”

“Are you going to defend her?” Zeyn asked darkly.

“No,” Cassi answered firmly. “I disagreed with her then and I still disagree with that decision now. She was trying to dissuade you from joining the Yanibar Guard when she delivered that ultimatum. She should have let you choose your own path."

“Do you believe that?” Zeyn asked.

“Of course.”

“Then stop trying to push me to speak with my mother if you’re willing to let me choose my own path,” Zeyn said.

He half-turned away from her, signaling an end to the conversation. Cassi was left disappointed, both by Zeyn’s surprising anger and by her own inability to persuade him. She had known how deep the hurt was on Ana’s part, but she hadn’t realized how much anger Zeyn had buried deep within himself. The encounter certainly explained why the mother and son had barely spoken in the last twenty years. However, she sensed that he wasn’t ready to discuss the matter further and that pushing him would only alienate him, so she let the matter rest for now.

Soon enough, the quartet of shuttles approached the rendezvous coordinates on the far end of the Coruscant system. Here, the space traffic was far lighter than in the crowded spacelanes outside of Coruscant’s mesosphere. While there were still far more ships in sensor range than a typical system’s, they were far enough away to escape notice. The shuttles swooped through a belt of comet fragments and tiny asteroids, crossing behind one large enough to be a small moon.

“Coming up on the rendezvous,” Colonel Dristaff informed Selu.

“Thank you, Colonel,” Selu said, rising from his chair and walking up to the cockpit to stand behind the pilot and co-pilot. “Transmit the coded signal.”

“Signal transmitted,” the pilot informed. “Cloak dropping in three. . . two. . . one.”

Suddenly, the ship materialized out from behind the sensor shadow of the moon, a metallic gray cruiser where there had only been black space a second earlier. The warship was nearly three hundred meters long and bristling with weapons. Tyria gasped from behind where she’d crept up behind Selu.

“How long has this been insystem?” she asked him.

Selu turned to Colonel Dristaff.

“Colonel?”

“Approximately a week,” he said. “We arrived here as soon as we received the signal from Elite Jutka.”

“Which explains how you found us,” Selu realized.

The colonel made no apologies.

“Take us in, pilot,” Selu ordered.

The shuttles cruised into the cruiser’s yawning hangar bay.

“What kind of ship is this?” Tyria asked as the shuttles set down in empty bays near the now-docked Discblade transport.

“It’s a Remembrance-class cruiser,” Selu told her. “One of several in the Yanibar Guard Fleet.”

“Does she have a name?” Kyle asked.

“She’s called the Daara’sherum,” Selu told him. “These ships are all named for Elite Guardsmen who have fallen in combat.”

“I remember her,” Kyle said. “She died on Rishi.”

He turned back to look at Qedai.

“She was your mother.”

Qedai nodded slowly.

“In naming the ship, we honor the legacy of the one who first bore this name,” Selu explained.

The ramp hissed and dropped open, and Selu wheeled to head back through the body of the Nimbus shuttle to debark. An honor guard of eight Yanibar Guard Marines was there, rifles at the ready. As Selu and his party descended, the squad sergeant bellowed out the formal pronouncement as she and her squad snapped to attention.

“Flag officer on deck!”

Selu returned the salute and strode past to where an aged officer was waiting for them.

“Admiral Arystek,” Selu greeted the human in an admiral’s uniform standing at the edge of the deck. “What brings a respected flag officer out so far from Yanibar?”

Arystek grinned.

“Chasing a renegade old crazy and his friends,” she said warmly. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”

“Likewise, Admiral,” Selu told her, handing her a datapad. “Here are the mission profiles. We’ll need ships ready to launch within the hour for Almania, Chalacta, Zonama Sekot, and Yanibar.”

“Aye, sir. Colonel Dristaff let us know in advance; your party’s ships were recovered and are in the forward bay. They’re being refueled and provisioned now.”

“Excellent,” Selu said. “Once they’re all away, Admiral, re-cloak us and set course for Belsavis.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Yes, Admiral. Have the crew ready at battle stations upon reversion.”


 * Cruiser Knightfall

Ariada strode onto the bridge of her ship.

“Captain Toscerra?” she called.

A burly Cathar in a dark uniform looked up at her.

“Aye, Mistress?” he replied.

“Did your sensors detect the Yanibar Guard ship?” she asked.

“Aye, they did,” he told her. “It appears to be a cruiser about our size.”

“So that’s all they brought,” she mused, then snapped back to reality. “Very well. Captain, set a course for Belsavis.”

“As you wish, Mistress,” the Cathar purred as she stalked off back to her sanctum.

Aspra Serpaddis was there waiting for her, as she expected. He betrayed nothing of his emotions, but Ariada knew him well enough to detect his disapproval.

“You did not approve of challenging Selu Kraen,” she said.

It was not a question.

“You already know my mind,” Aspra Serpaddis answered. “It was a foolhardy stunt, and you gained nothing from it. Your foes—the ones that matter—all live, and now they have recent injury to add to the old one. This will only stiffen their resolve against us.”

“I needed to let them know I can reach them,” Ariada said. “That I am still in control of the situation.”

Aspra Serpaddis slithered up silently.

“I hope it was worth losing four Mk XII droids and exposing the six to danger for which they are not prepared,” he said with as much regret as the Thisspiassian Dark Jedi ever displayed.

“Do you think me foolish?” Ariada asked him quietly.

He did not immediately answer.

“You are my closest advisor, and I even call you my friend,” Ariada told him. “You serve me, but I value you more for your wisdom. Speak your mind.”

“I worry that you are growing too bold,” Aspra Serpaddis answered at last. “Your first strike was true, but these secondary strikes are riskier. The wounded beast might fight the fiercer for its injuries.”

Ariada contemplated his words.

“You speak well,” she said. “It is likely that the Yanibar Guardsmen will also send forces to Belsavis. You would then choose to avoid them there.”

“We have not prepared the battlespace at Belsavis,” Aspra Serpaddis reminded her. “It would be an even fight.”

Ariada smiled cruelly.

“And we never pick even fights.”

“Precisely. We must strike wisely, where our venom will inflict lethal harm, if we are to have our revenge on the Jedi, and on those who call themselves guardians,” Aspra Serpaddis pronounced.

Ariada stopped, looking over her shoulder towards the serpentine alien.

“What was that you said?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Aspra Serpaddis paused, uncertain of the nature of her question. She pivoted back towards him sharply to give him an icy stare.

“Our mission, Aspra Serpaddis, is not about revenge,” she dictated firmly. “We are above such petty concepts.”

She began circling him like a predatory animal stalking its prey, her earlier congeniality banished.

“We strike at the Jedi and at the government to teach them two lessons. First, that peace is a lie created by those in power, and second, that mortal enemies do not deserve mercy. We will teach them that the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi Order are weak and cannot defend themselves. We will teach those from Yanibar about sacrifice, just as we learned.”

Aspra Serpaddis’s eyes glittered.

“That last line, about those from Yanibar—that’s new,” he said.

“As I said before, plans have changed,” Ariada informed him. “If they chase us, they will do so at their own peril.”

“But not at Belsavis?”

“No,” she replied, a modicum her amiability returning. “You spoke correctly earlier. It would be unwise to engage there. We shall retrieve Garnet and leave it a poisoned world.”

She stalked over towards the door.

“Come,” she told him. “I will speak to the six that are still here.”

She strode through a long hallway to a darkened meeting room. A round table was there with ten places, around which six women sat. They were adorned in form-fitting combat jumpsuits and battle harnesses loaded with equipment, yet their gear was not too much as to be cumbersome. They were sleek and deadly, her assassins. Ariada likened them to a set of custom-made knives, beautiful and lethal, honed to a razor-sharp edge. Their shapely Hapan features were offset by the intensity of their expressions and the array of weapons they were carrying. She had trained them well in the eight years she had known them, trained them well and equipped them better, both inside and out. They were utterly devoted to her, convinced that she was the last harbinger of the true path of the Force.

They stopped eating and turned to give her their attention as she entered, inclining their heads in a bow of respect.

“Greetings, Mother,” they said.

“Greetings, children,” she told them. “You have done very well on Coruscant. The corrupt Galactic Alliance and their Jedi puppet masters tremble from the strikes you have made against them. Their dark alliance will soon crumble, and I am very proud of you.”

“Mother, a question,” one of them spoke.

Ariada was unsurprised that it was Opal, the oldest of them.

“Speak, Opal,” she answered beneficently.

“Why did we not strike against the ruling Dark Jedi in their temple on Coruscant? Are they not the true enemy?”

“They are,” Ariada assured them. “But the corrupted Luke Skywalker and his followers are one of our deadliest foes. They’ve managed to hold nearly the entire galaxy under their sway since replacing the emperor, and we are not ready to confront them yet. First, we must strike at their other allies, their other strong places, before they are weakened enough to be brought to justice.”

Opal inclined her head again.

“You speak wisely, Mother,” she said.

“Your zeal is commendable,” Ariada told them. “Soon, I will have more missions for you—on many worlds, with many targets. But first, we must return to Belsavis and retrieve your sister, Garnet. Are you with me?”

“Our lives are yours, Mother. We shall die for you and the light side,” the six assassins intoned in unison obediently.

“I accept your devotion,” Ariada answered. “We must be careful from here on out—the sorcerers of Yanibar who once imprisoned me escaped our trap on Coruscant, and they will pursue us.”

“Mother,” spoke up Emerald, the smallest of the assassins, but with striking red hair. “Neither they nor the Dark Jedi on Coruscant shall stop us from our mission. We are with you and the Force is with us.”

“Your conviction encourages me, Emerald,” Ariada said. “So it shall be. I leave you to your well-deserved rest. Good night, children.”

“Good night, Mother,” they said.

She turned and left, a confident smile on her lips. Her assassins were well-trained and loyal. They had helped her escape from the Galactic Alliance prison. They had stood firm when confronted by the foremost warriors of Yanibar. She had no doubt that they would stand with her, and together they would see the galaxy burn for its sins.