Prologue
In the uncertain light of the dim lit corridor everything seemed to have a gray-blue touch. Shadows played in every empty doorway, and the sounds of running feet were muffled by a thin, formerly black carpet that by now was only a dull gray shade of itself and partially gone. The air had a taste of metal, as if life support had been compromised, and come to think of it, this was most likely the case. The whole atmosphere of this place had a feeling of decay.
Not exactly knowing where she was, the woman in dark green clothes running down this corridor didn’t bother to check the doorways, she knew no one else but her and her pursuer were on this level, and the booby traps around here were limited to a few laser barriers and electric shock devices, something both her scanning devices and her Force intensified sense for danger would detect easily.
The man following her was still in a fair distance, but considering the fact that he was only here since several hours while she herself had been fighting for her survival in this place since almost 3 days, he was at a considerable advantage. She had no idea how much more people her unseen adversaries would send after her or who her pursuer was or about his exact strength, but she could feel he was strong enough in the Force to cause her a few problems if she wasn’t careful – and if he was trained properly, of which she had no doubt.
The corridor ended in a crossing, wider corridor as dimly lit as the one she was in. Stopping at the corner, throwing her blue colored hair back, the woman with the cold face tried to breath calm, and more importantly, think calm. Her thoughts kept running on their own lately, something she could not afford to happen. She did not get to be what she was by undisciplined thoughts. She did not get... Her eyes widened. How did she even get here...?
Chapter 1
The ship dropped put of hyperspace close to Aurora Prime’s system, turning over and over again, an obvious sign of heavy damage. It was a Correllian Corvette whose systems were fluctuating, and would it have been possible for sound to carry in space, the sounds of the explosions caused by the extensive damage would have been impressive. Due to the vacuum of space, there was also no fire on board – the ship was torn open as if a giant rancor had put it’s claws in it. How it had managed to make the flight was a riddle that would have to be solved.
A single capsule ejected from the corvette even before Aurora Prime’s forces could intercept the ship, and just moments later another, much bigger explosion followed, tearing the ship apart. A squadron of TIE interceptors turned away in time, passing through the wreckage afterwards to make sure no threat was coming from hidden devices.
From the bridge of the Carrack Light Cruiser Advocate Captain Arvan watched the retrieval of the rescue capsule with a curious expression. The arrival of the Correllian Corvette Tharvian Eagle she had just seen exploding had been scheduled several hours ago, and someone on Aurora obviously had a rather big interest in the now dead ship, because a few minutes ago she had received order to investigate at the ship’s last known location. Since the ship itself had not been owned by the Emperor’s Hammer, this was rather unusual in the current situation. Whatever it was whoever it was was interested in would most likely be destroyed now in any case. Except...
“Captain, we have the capsule safely on board. Lt. Reverick reports one survivor, a woman...“
Turning around, Arvan nodded and tried to relax. Whatever had happened, the destruction of the ship could not be blamed on her, unlike other events in the past that had lead to her being stuck in this command and doing all kinds of odd jobs for whoever needed it. „Is the person able to answer questions?“
“The medics say she will be when she wakes up. She wears the robes of a Dark Brotherhood member, Ma’am.“
Of course, this was the kind of information competent staff personnel would have mentioned first. “I’ll be right there. I am sure I will get a lot of questions myself, and I do not intend to take the blame this time.“
***
“The Tharvian Eagle has been completely destroyed.“
“I have felt it.“ Krath High Priest Arania Lawakiro got up from her seat in her office, looking more than just a bit distracted. “But I am sure Omana is still alive.
“What about the children?“ Her Praetor Trevarus Caerick would not have needed to ask, he had felt the absence of the young ones himself. Nervosity of a kind he had not felt since a long while made him talk too much, and it was his luck that, as usual, his superior was more tolerant towards him than to most other people.
“I will worry about Omana first. If she will survive, she will tell us everything. Get my shuttle ready.“
Trevarus hurried to comply, his thoughts more on Omana than on anything else. For that, he criticized himself, but he could not help it. Omana was more than just a good friend, even if he tried to pretend otherwise. They had been through too much together to deny it. He wondered if Arania knew, and came to the conclusion that the answer was yes. He had hardly seen anything Arania was not informed about, especially when it concerned her close staff.
When Omana had left with 17 children 5 days ago, 16 of them from the Dark Brotherhood’s Shadow Academy and one her own toddler son, no one had anticipated any trouble. It was one of the routine Academy flights to teach the youngest students something more than force powers. After all, a thoroughly done education was more than important for any service to the Empire. The trip had taken them to several worlds of the Emperor’s Hammer, among those a few unpopulated ones with interesting features. The flight had, as all the others of this kind before, been unknown to most others except the parents and a few Shadow Academy teachers. Omana had volunteered to take the children this time, mainly because she saw a chance to spend a bit more time with her own son, since there was no reason why he should stay behind. Trevarus had been somewhat happy she got this chance, and had asked Arania about it himself. Now, a faint hint of guilt crept up from his stomach, something he would not want Arania to see no matter what. For some reason, he had the feeling Arania never felt any kind of remorse at anything since she took over the Krath High Priest’s office. One day he would be able to match her...
While he was going to look after the preparations, the woman with the blue hair had a sad smile on her lips. Had she listened to her own feelings before, she would most likely have known this flight would end in a disaster. She had had a bad feeling about it but due to too much work in the Dark Council and in the Krath archives she simply had not recognized what it was she had felt bad about. But this was not the time for remorse... it was time to get active. Her adoptive daughter and the boy Arania was about to adopt had been on the Tharvian Eagle. And she would not rest before the children were found.
***
Arvan looked down on the med bed the supposedly Dark Jedi woman was lying on. They had not been able to identify her yet, or to wake her, despite of the fact that her injuries were far less serious than it had seemed at first, and news had just arrived that the darned Krath High Priest herself was on her way to this place from Eos. Arvan didn’t like Jedi in any form, which was, she supposed, one reason she was still stuck on the Advocate. Too many people throughout the Emperor’s Hammer did know how to use the Force. And they felt her antipathy clearly, she was sure of that. Not much you could hide from any Jedi.
The droid standing beside the bed made some apologizing moves indicating that he was again not able to wake the woman, and Arvan begun to fear that they had overseen some hidden injury, and that the woman might die before this Krath High Priest arrived. The sound of the door sliding open and a woman with glowering eyes striding in with quick steps cut off that train of thought though – obviously her personnel had again not thought of informing her that the expected visitor had arrived. Arvan silently counted to 3 while the woman in the black robes went straight to the injured woman’s side, and promised herself to have a little talk with several people on her ship.
“Leave us alone.”
Arvan turned to the door, facing a solemn looking man also in black robes. An adjutant to the woman, or whatever it was called among Dark Jedi, Arvan suspected. Whatever he was, the way the pair of them had treated her, or rather not treated her, made he blood boiling despite her intentions not to set a foot wrong with someone as powerful as Lawakiro. To be told off not even by the woman herself but by some kind of servant was just not tolerable.
However, before she could even open her mouth, the unknown man lifted his hands, and she felt an unseen power pushing her out of the room. “If you want to keep your life a little longer, you will from now on follow orders immediately.” Without any further comment, she was out of the door and watched it close in front of her nose. The captain’s furious mind begun to cool down, and she realized that she had almost brought an end to herself. She needed to be more careful. Turning towards the lift, she decided to talk to a few of her crew right now. Maybe that would help to calm her down again.
Inside the room, Arania had her hand saurprisingly soft on Omana’s forehead. “She’s in a healing trance and should wake up soon. I’ve aided her a little.”
Trevarus nodded silently. The little confrontation with the foolish captain had for some reason put him back in control of himself. To know that Omana would live did a lot to make him keep his calm as well. “Reports are in from the science crew checking the wreckage,” he said, flashing a look at the silent alarm of his comm unit. “There were several small bombs on the Tharvian Eagle, or so it is believed at the moment.“
“Do not touch them... no, do not take him. I will...“ The woman on the bed opened her eyes, seemingly confused as to her whereabouts, then her eyes settled on Arania, and seconds later on Trev. “I have made it. The children. We have to get them back!“
“And we will.“ Arania again checked the vital functions of the other woman. Trevarus noticed just now that the droid who had been close to the bed was nothing more than a molten pile of rubbish now. Obviously he had tried to stop the High Priest from interfering with his patient. Arania sat down on the bed, while Omana was sitting up, her racing thoughts not only clearly visible in her face – they also came through by means of the Force, as if she wanted to tell them everything at once. „From the beginning, Omana,“ Arania reminded her, earning an impatient and defiant look from the young Protector. „I do not want to have to do a lot of cross questioning.“
Omana opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it again and, taking a deep breath, begun to talk. Trevarus chewed his lower lip while listening, trying to both understand the events leading to this and to evaluate Omana’s state of mind. “We were on our way back from Slasth..“
It had been a completely unexpected attack. Taken from hyperspace by a gravity wall created by a small fleet of unknown, middle-sized ship types, the Tharvian Eagle had been seized by several tractor beams, not very strong on their own, but in working together able to keep the corvette where it was. All or almost all of the crews of the unknown ships had been force sensitive – worse, Omana was sure that they were trained Jedi – and there had been no chance for her. The strangers had not bothered with any messages or with a normal boarding party – they had sliced the ship’s flank open with some kind of energy beam. The children had all been in one room on the other side of the ship, and it seemed that the attackers knew about this. Their only goal had been to steal the children, or so it seemed. When Omana arrived close to where the children where sopposed to be, she had seen them taking the last of them, including her sleeping toddler son. The cent of gas had been in the air, so it was to assume they had put all the children to sleep. They did not seem to belong to any special race, she had even seen a Mon Calamari among them, and all were Force users. She had attacked and killed two of them, before they realized she was upon them, but there were many left, and not all of them were much weaker than her. In the end, she had been overpowered. She had even been ready to surrender, to go with them to be with her son, but the kidnappers were not interested in her. One of them had knocked her out, and when she came to, she found the ship ready for the last jump to hyperspace, though how that was possible with all the damage that had occured was something Omana could not understand, except if her attackers had deliberately left the hyperdrive undamaged. Sublight was not working, several fires were on board, and life support was failing. What was left of the systems to be checked revealed several time bombs timed to set off when exiting hyperspace, and since there was no way to stop the tampered with leftover of the main computer from entering hyperspace, all she could do was to set the coordinates of the jump back to where they had been before – the strangers had not bothered to wipe this information out of the nav computer. Knowing about the bombs, the woman made it to one of the few working escape capsules, managing to set the system to an automated eject despite the fact that she lost consciousness several times. By the time she was done, the ship was about ready to emerge, and she just made it into the capsule before losing consciousness again. Next she knew was the shockwave of the explosion and another passing out until she woke up on board of this ship.
While she had been talking, Trev had come up to the bed and taken her hand, a gesture Arania smiled at, though it was a bitter smile in the light of the happenings. Arania’s thoughts whirled. Whoever those unknown raiders had been – they must be stopped before something like this could happen again. But knowing the ways of the Brotherhood lately, this would not be a main priority in the Dark Council to anyone else but her. Knowing the way things were, Grand Master Chi Long would not allow her to go anywhere. Too much things to be done, too much problems to fix... the issue of a few children, no matter whose children, would be unimportant in comparison.
A look at Trev’s face made her realize he knew it, too. Trev on the other hand saw Arania’s determination – the Brotherhood could and would survive without her, those children would not be rescued if she did not take matters in her own hand. “Chi Long will not have it,“ Arania said calmly. “I will have to go against his direct orders. Or resign.“
“Resign!“ Trev’s voice trembled only the slightest, and to Arania’s surprise she did not see the eagerness to step in her shoes she would have expected to see. There was only determination to follow her. And Omana. It was absolutely clear that no power in the whole wide galaxy would have been able to stop Omana from chasing those strangers short of her death. “The Brotherhood,“ she said in an icy voice, “needs a Krath High Priest. I have been training you all along...“
“I will not rest until this mission is over. If you want me to stay behind, you will have to kill me.“ Trevarus dropped to one knee. “Milady,“ he added.
Omana had been following the mostly silent exchange between them, only partly understanding. Now she realized the meaning of this. “Then.. who is to lead the Krath... Milady?“
Trev shot a look at her that would most likely have intimidated anyone else but those two women. Had there been a hint of sarcasm in the way she pronounced „Milady?“ Was she trying to mock him for his dedication? He had no time to think about it. Arania motioned him to rise and sighed in a way Trev had not heard before. „It is time for plan B, I suppose. And I am not sure if to be happy or sad about it.“
***
“Leaving? In times like these?“ Grand Master Chi Long’s face looked down at her from the viewscreen. Obviously he was not understanding. “Didn’t I make myself clear that the complete check on all Houses‘ archives needs to be done by this weekend? The other Order leaders are certainly keeping the schedule.“
“I am aware that this would cause problems, Milord.“ Unlike her usual custom, Arania was kneeling in front of the viewscreen. She had known the current Grand Master since a long time, they had been through various situations together, and normally she would be ok with a bow, But the situation was out of the ordinary, and both of them were very well aware of that. „I offer my resignation. But I have to go on this mission.“
Silence followed those words. Chi Long touched his forehead as if to think about this. He had expected a short discussion about it until he could have made the woman see reason, but he had not been prepared for this. „Resignation? There isn’t anyone I would like to lead the Krath right now – including your Praetor, Arania – and I just fail to believe you would betray the Order in favor of a few children!“
„It is more than just a few children, Milord. And my Praetor will follow me.“
This matter-of-factly presented made the Grand Master’s eyes flash, and for a moment Arania wondered if she had been to direct. „I will not allow you to jeopardize the Order, Arania. By no means. You will stay and...“
Never before had Arania dared to interrupt Chi Long, no matter on what occassion. But she did now. „Milord, the way I am distracted right now, I would be of no help to the Order. We do not need a Krath High Priest who has her thoughts on other matters. Please, allow me to leave. I have thought of a replacement...“
“So you have, I see.“ Chi Long got up from his seat in the throne room he had occupied, and suddenly appeared in the small room on the Advocate Arania was using. He took her by the arms and rather roughly pulled her to her feet. “You have never interrupted me before. And you have never ever said please.“ He seemed to be much more shocked by the latter, to the woman’s surprise. “So who is this replacement you have come up with? I only accept the best of the best. and I don’t see any...“ His eyes lit up. “Unless you would consider Pontifex Voranyen.“
“You have read my thoughts.“ Arania stated. “I know he’s been underestimated and the Empire never really gave him a chance. But he could...“
“No need to talk further,“ Chi Long snapped. “I have been talking with Astatine about possible replacements before. Voranyen’s name has come up, but of course we never thought... whatever. We’ll contact him. Now! I believe he has been an inofficial staff member of yours?“
“Indeed he has. And a very valuable one. You do not often find people who work just for the welfare of the Order without having an official position.“
Within seconds, the picture of Pontifex Voranyen replaced the now empty throne room. He looked a bit confused, and from the disarray of his hair he had been sleeping. Of course, it would be night now where he was. “Milord, Milady.. how may I assist?“
Chi Long went right to the point. “I am sorry you won’t get Headmaster of the Shadow Academy. But we have some other position for you.“ Arania frowned. She had not been aware Voranyen had tried to become headmaster. “Arania here is retiring from her position as Krath High Priest. We want you to replace her.“
To his credit, he kept his surprise hidden enough. “I will be honored, Milord. I have waited for this chance since years...“ Dropping to one knee, he shot a quick look at Arania – “what happened“ - before he got up again on a sign from the Grand Master.
“You will get explanations later. Arania will transfer all necessary files for you you might not yet have. I believe you are, all in all, well aware of what happened in the Krath High Priest’s office.“ Chi Long nodded to Arania, who, without thinking, keyed some codes into a keyboard close to her. “The full transistion will be made when Arania has returned from her mission.“ For some reason, the words “if she returns“ seemed to hang in the air, and Vor realized that as well, again shooting a look in the woman’s direction. “You will have to work it out with her staff if you are going to keep them or not.“
“I will keep them – for now. We have been a good team...“ Another look in Arania’s direction, and Arania nodded slightly. Of course she would help him in any way possible if he wanted her to – after this was done with.
“Very well. I expect a report from both of you before Arania leaves.“ He cut the conntection of, and before returning to his throne room the way he came, he turned once more to face the woman. “I hope your mission will be a success. And Arania...“ With a sudden movement of his hand he flung the woman against the wall, and it was all she could do not to fall. “Never interrupt me again.“
***
In another Corellian Corvette, a good distance away from Aurora Prime, Fleet Admiral of the reserves Kessler had his feet on an old and worn table in the so-called mess room, the name obviously coming from the mess someone had made of it more than from it’s purposes. The dark blue coverall Kessler wore had several holes in it, and it was not exactly the cleanest piece of clothing either. The man had a cigar between his lips that had stopped burning a while ago, and was staring into the pages of an old magazine with several alien recipies. It was not that he was very much interested in them, but what he was definitely less interested in was a discussion with the slimy owner of this ship, an Rodian who could not seem to stop talking.
Right now, the Rodian was busy repairing the recycling unit, what didn’t stop him from checking in every once in a while, attempting to raise a discussion. Grimacing, Kessler wished this flight would be over already. Leaning back on the equally old, squeaking chair he tried to concentrate on a point between his eyes, a vain attempt to stop the headache that was creeping up in the back of his head.
He should not have agreed on this mission – no, wrong, he should not have agreed on a bet that he was sure to lose. Maybe a part of him had wanted to lose it. It had been a while since he had been out and about. Still, he should have known better. Routine missions like this were known to be boring, main reason why those who lost a bet were often required to do them. Lately, such bets involved more and more people of the reserves. Grimacing again, he finally put the magazine away. If he wanted do to any missions, he could still manage to get them through official channels, but that would not be half as much fun.
Yet he had not assumed his trip to Phaeda and back would have to be as boring as this. Oh well, at least he had played his part as former smuggler well enough. When he got back he he would have to have a few words with Intel, though. A few parts of his decoy had been surprisingly thin, and while what he had done really wasn’t in any way vital to the EH, he would have assumed Intel would be a bit more interested in keeping it’s messengers. Especially when they knew who the messenger was.
The Rodian entered the mess hall, gesturing with one of his tools. “Im na da pakh, he?”
Surpressing a sigh, Kessler got up. “I am not smoking, see? The fire’s burned out.” Staring at the Rodian, the man wondered why in the galaxy the green alien was so much against smoking in his ship when this old bucket was so much in need of a clean up.
“Arrh... nighmak poocha pa ka.” With a gesture supposedly expressing resignation, the Rodian went towards the cockpit. Kessler wondered if the repairs were finished or if the captain had simply given up on trying. He assumed he would find out soon enough. Following him towards the cockpit, he wondered if they could finally leave the orbit if this pile of rubble they were circling around, or if they were supposed to wait a few days longer for a rendezvous that most likely was never going to happen. Either the partners of the smuggler had set him up, or one of the many patrols of the Emperor’s Hammer had prevented them from showing up. One possibility was as probable as the other.
Upon entering the cockpit, Kessler saw a medium sized frighter dropping out of hyperspace. Seemed that the people the captain had been waiting for so long finally arrived. Maybe they could be on their way now without further delay. Taking the cigar out of his mouth, pointing with it at the screen, he turned to the Rodian. Before he could open his mouth to comment on the situation, the pilot suddenly jerked the ship around and went to full speed away from the freighter.
The Rodian’s sense for imminent danger, something that obviously had helped him survive countless other situations like this, was all that had rescued their lives. Where they had bee just moments ago laser fire lit up in the darkness, and from all of his experience, Kessler knew that their adversaries at least used the firepower of a frigate. Without knowing he had slipped into the co-pilot’s seat, Kessler found himself in front of the controls, checking sensor readings. Something about those readings was wrong...
Whatever you could say about the Rodian, he certainly knew how to fly. That and the fact that whoever was aiming at them did a very bad job at it had prevented any hits on the corvette. The frighter picked up speed slowly, yet faster than it should have. It seemed the weaponry was not the only thing modified over there. “I suppose I should better go and return fire,” Kessler offered. “Maybe if we show them we can bite, too...”
“Gachika pensee fu,” mumbled the Rodian and shrugged his shoulders in an astonishingly human gesture. “Namika pa kuda.”
“Oh, great. So we are basically defenseless.” As much as Kessler tried to relax, his hands kept going for the piloting controls, and it was all he could do not to take over.
“Ichy. Aka naduu faku?” The first hit shook the old corvette. The shields were not very strong either, and it did not seem to be in the plans of their enemies to make prisoners. “Surprise? What kind of a surprise?”
“Baaba! Makucha!” The green alien hit a button right when the second hit took the aft shields out. Kessler’s eyes widened in surprise. From one of the modified cargo bays he had wondered about a bunch of mines escaped and got in the way of the freighter. Obviously the other pilot was as bad as their gunner, because he reacted way too slow to the new thread and hit almost all of the mines before he changed direction. Several small explosions damaged the hull of the ship, but it came back at them already. “They aren’t damaged as much as they should be, even taking into account that those mines werent exactly the most powerful... ah darn!” Kessler’s mouth dropped open.
The hull of the other ship seemed to split at the top. Slowly, it drifted apart and revealed a Lancer Class Frigate quickly picking up speed again.
While the Rodian was still stunned, Kessler took over the pilot’s controls and went into a dive towards the planet, turning this way and that constantly not to offer an easy target. “A surprise indeed,” he commented.
“Ardu makase pa.” The Rodian gestured widly. “Kai ede. Kai ede.”
“We aren’t dead yet, man. Besides, they are not interested in our surrender. Try to give up and we are dead as sure as you don’t like smoke.” Another hit and they would be fried anyway for all he knew. The frigate started to fire at them again. Neither an Emperor’s Hammer pilot, nor an Emperor’s Hammer gunner, Kessler decided. No one as incompetent would be allowed to serve under Ronin. Even taking into account the widely known failure rate of Lancer Class Friagte’s weaponry, the gunner should have been able to score a few hits. “Are you sure we can’t get our own weapons functioning?”
The helpless look the smuggler threw at him was answer enough. “Well, I hope we can manage to outrun them. Watch this.” Holding towards the small planet’s moon, more of a large asteroid in fact, he wore a grim expression. All he counted on was his knowledge of the Lancer’s inbuild problems and the incompetence of the other pilot. If this wasn’t wroking, he would have no time to be sorry.
***
The dawn on the remote world of Hainan was always spectacular, no matter if the sky was clouded or not. Today, the sky way clear, and Supreme Lord Devanian Hasslar considered this a good omen for his impending discussions with the New Republic ambassadors, who were both standing besides him and admiring the view, twice as marvellous from the hillside the Lord’s villa was standing on. It was vital for his small Protectorate – the word was even too much in most people’s eyes – to be on the good side of both the New Republic and the remnants of the Empire. Of course, the New Republic recognized his difficulties with the leftovers of the once so powerful Empire and never pressured. Yet, they left no doubt about their intentions to include him in their schemes against what they called their “common enemy.”
The main problem in that was, of course, that hardly anyone in the New Republic really had an idea about the variaty of Imperial fractions looking for power. And the few who had generally made severe mistakes in evaluating those fractions. As well that they did, for Hasslar had no intention to submit to anyone, and until now, his plans had always worked out, none of the other parties realizing he was carefully manipulating them. And that included the New Republic. It especially included the New Republic, since their forces were definitely too far away to be of any use if any of the Imperial parties would decide to annex his Protectorate. Even if it was not much more but a former Imperial colony, it was a haven for many who did not want anything but peace and security – and had the money to pay for it.
Of course, he would not let a hint of it show to his guests. Turning to the Twi’lek and the Human making up the embassy, he smiled a broad smile, lifting his hand towards the impressing colors in the sky. “Wonderful, isn’t it? It is a symbol for all of us that peace comes to those who really try to achieve it.”
“Supreme Lord,” the Twi’lek begun while he was leading them back from the balcony they had been standing on into his living room. “I am sure you are aware that the peace you so strife for is somethign everyone, no matter their social status, would like to share. An important step towards this would be to allow the New Republic to have a constant base in your systems. The sooner this conflict is ended, the sooner everyone can return to their peaceful lives.”
Hesslar smiled his usual, teethless, pleasant smile. So they had finally learned he was not a man of a lot of useless words and now came straight to the point. That was an improvement, for his tight schedule as well as for his nerves. His patience was lately overstessed due to all the conflicts that seemed to explode right around his Protectorate. He wasn’t a young man anymore, and he could in fact have used more than just a long holiday. But of course any such ideas were out of the question. He had a responsibility towards those who made up the citizens of his little world and who paid him for protecting them – and most important, he would miss the little bit of power he now held soon after he would resign. Coming from a poor family, he enjoyed every bit of the wealth he had aquired, and he worried too much about losing it, too. What would most likely happen if he would allow anyone less skilled in the arts of diplomacy and political maneuvering to take his place. He would not risk it.
“It is always good to see others want peace as much as we do, Ambassador Ghen,” he replied smoothly. “But surely, risking the peace of this place is not necessary. I assure you we can supply you with all necessary information, and we do not really want any foreign forces in out area of influence. If the Empire finds out – any part of the Empire...” The Twi’lek flinched at those words. No one of the New Republic liked it when he talked as if the Empire was still united under one rule. “We would not last much longer. As I said before, your forces are too far away to offer protection, and we do not want to be reason for power fights in any case. However, I am sure we can work out a system that satisfies both sides...”
“I surely hope so.” The ambassador lifted the glas of wine the serving droid had just handed him in a weak salute. “The New Republic is looking forward to any form of cooperation.”
Hesslar smiled again, lifting his glas in return, carefully planning his next steps.
***
The second the corvette vanished out of the view of the Lancer, Kessler pulled off a roll, heading for the other end of the asteroid moon yet again. Ignoring the complaints from the ship’s owner and also ignoring the protesting sounds of a damaged engine, he prepared to catch speed and jump into hyperspace. The corvette had been hit two more times, and the engines would certainly not hold long anymore. The cent of burned isolation did not exactly add a positive note to the situation either. “Stop whining, prepare for a jump instead. Yes, yes, I know about the engines.”
Heading away from the asteroid again, he begun to realize that his plan had worked. The lancer had learned of his maneuver too late to follow him and had flown by the asteroid, just now turning to follow. Kessler intended to keep the mass of rock betwenn them as long as he could, and with luck, that would be until they could reach hyperspace. “No, I don’t care where we are going. Just get out out of here!”
The enemy ship came around the asteroid in an unsteady course. Anxiously watching the hyperspace indicator, the admiral tried to get as much speed out of the corvette as possible, and he could certainly have wished for more. The engines kept making noises that would normally indicate it would be better to shut them down immediately. “C’mon, I dont want to get my ass fried!”
“Ru ma too naveda? Cha!”
“We can’t jump just yet. Not enough speed to...”
The Rodian’s right hand made a fist, and he brought it up to the panel above his head with a loud thud. The yellow light of the hyperspace indicator lit up, and Kessler’s face showed a flash of anger and irritation. “Couldn’t you have told me about that before, buddy? Ah well, let’s be off.” The world around them went into stripes as he activated the hyperdrive. “I’m afraid the engines won’t take us far, and I am not going to risk a burn out in hyperspace.”
Slowly counting to 10, the man surpressed his worries and appeared outwardly calm. The smuggler at his side let out a long sigh and a few curses Kessler did not understand. Then the admiral deactivated the hyperdrive again, and the world aroudn them went back to normal. Hopefulyl they had not been tracked, and hopefully the smuggler had thought of taking them to a populated area.
“Let’s hope we can land somewhere and hide for a while. Where have you taken us to?” The Rodian made a few apologetic noises. “You do not know? You just jumped like that?”
Again the Rodian shrugged. “Ma na ku tada, iko!”
“I see.” Well, any one of the smuggler’s stored coordinates was certainly better than a jump into the unknown. “There’s a planet ahead. Let’s find out where we are.”
Getting up, the Rodian patted his left shoulder in reassurance. “Nima na ku. Phak dada!”
“Good, so at least we aren’t lost. But what is here that you have this godforsaken place in your nav comp?” Kessler assumed it to be a meeting point of some sorts, what would not be all that helpful if they were in need of repairs they could not do themselves. And he was rather sure they would needed help with it.
“Ya na pakucha. Kag hini!” The green alien laughed more out of relief as for any other reason. “Kood frinds,” he said in a crude attempt of Basic. Without looking at his human passenger, he vanished out of the cockpit, definitely planning to check on the sh’s status. Due to this, he missed Kessler’s reaction.
Kessler’s mouth dropped again. A hidden base of rebels barely inside Emperor’s Hammer space was just not what he had expected. His day was just getting better.
***
“I appreciate it, Ciara.” Arania smiled at her Magistrate.... no, her former Magistrate, she corrected herself, trying to convince her to take her along. “But you will stay behind to aid the new Krath High Priest. If Kaiann would be around, I would take you along, but he isn’t, and so there won’t be any more of it.”
For a moment, a defiant look was in Ciara’s eyes, but she had always been reasonable enough not to insist. “As you wish, Milady. I promise you everything will run smoothly.”
“I expect nothing less. Be assured that the team I have asembled won’t fail me either. I intend to return. My work for the Order is far from done.”
Ciara nodded and accepted the dismissal. Arania felt the silent advice to be careful nonetheless, but of course Ciara would not dare to say it out loud. After the screen went black, she turned to Trevarus, working on another screen to make sure all preparations were done according to the plan and all members of Arania’s team had arrived and were ready.
It was not a big team. Until they were sure of who they were dealing with it was best to be as invisible as possible. While they believed the unknown kidnappers would not expect any pursuit, both because they assumed the Tharvian Eagle destroyed somewhere in space and certainly knew the Brotherhood still in turmoil from all the latest happenings, it never hurt to be too careful. While Trevarus insisted on a traitor from inside the Brotherhood, Arania rather believed that their unknown ememy had simply made use of widely available information and had had a spy at the right place at the right time. Despite the fact that excursions like of the Tharvian Eagle were confidential, it was not hard to find out about it if you had a clue what to look for.
The parents and other relatives of the missing children had been told the truth about the situation, but aside of that, the informations about the kidnapping were confidential. After all, their enemies were not supposed to know the Tharvian Eagle had managed to make it back.
Again she went over the list of volunteers insisting to be part of this mission. Everyone she had asked to participate had been more than ready to aid her. Of course, she knew them all well enough to know she could trust them, and in addition she had not been reluctant to screen their minds for any possible treachery. Not all of them were Krath, and all of them could pilot a ship. Aragorn, for example, she knew since ages. The same was true for ShadowHawk. And Keiran Idanian. Most of them had been in Aquillas. Others had proven reliable during her time in the Dark Council.
Keiran Idanian. Now there was a problem. She had not asked him to come along, not because she would not trust him but because of his duties in the Emperor’s Hammer. But he had somehow found out about this and insisted to come along. After he already had taken leave for this, she had decided to accepted his offer.
She had delivered her speech of resignation only minutes ago, and her last report was sent to the Grand Master. The comm kept blinking from all those calls requesting why and what was going on. She ignored them for now. There was time for explanation when she was back. Until then, the recorded announcement would do.
“Everything is set,” Trevarus announced. “I believe we will leave as soon as possible.”
Arania nodded. “Voranyen is on his way to Eos. I will talk to him before we leave, though I cannot afford to wait for him.” She threw a quick look at her friend. “Alone.”
No sooner had the man disappeared than she made contact with Voranyen. The Twi’lek’s holographic figure appeared on Arania’s private holodisplay. Well, soon it would be his’. “You know how much I wanted this,” Vor started. “Yet, I do not like the circumstances any more than you do. But be assured the Order will be in good hands.”
“No doubt about that, old friend. Ciara will explain all current operations to you that you are not aware of yet. Oh, and I was supposed to have a meeting with Quaestor Tron tomorrow afternoon. I left the details in our special file.”
Vor nodded. “I would have liked to celebrate this occassion. I am not sure if such an act would be appropriate now...”
“Oh come on, Vor!” Arania actually laughed. “What better than a celebration to take people’s mind off serious matters. Just don’t expect me to leave much of that brandy behind...”
Vor’s wide grin and the frown he wore didn’t go completely together. “Come back, you hear? I don’t want to have to sort out all the erros you made without having you around to shout at. Besides, you do need to tell me where you got this brandy from.”
“Errors, uh?” Arania’s dry voice barely hid her amusement. “Well, let’s see. The most fatal error I made was to allow you to succeed me...”
Voranyen erupted in laughter. “And as usual, you regocnise your errors too late.” Getting serious again, he managed a short bow. “I am stopping you. Away with you now. The earlier you leave, the earlier you will be back. Take the Darkness with you.”
“I will. Darkness defend.” Deactivating the display, Arania turned to watch herself in the polished surface of the office table. She had changed into more practical clothes and cleaned up everything that was hers. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Only now she remembered she would have nowhere to go to when she returned – when, not if – because Aquillas had been dissolved by someone now a traitor to the Emperor’s Hammer, and she was no part of any other Clan, nor did she believe she could ever be part of only one Krath House again. Too long she had been a part of every one of them, and she knew she would always feel that way, no matter where she would go. Going rogue was no option for her either. Well, she would figure this out when all other matters were dealt with.
The door to the office opened. Turning around, she faced J’Lek, the newly appointed Headmaster of the Shadow Academy. “I cannot say I am happy about this,” he announced calmly. “But don’t think you can sneak out of all the work the Brotherhood still has for you.”
“That is not my intention.” Walking towards the door, she did not look back anymore. “I’ll be there when needed. I am just sorry that our time in the Dark Council together lasted only a day.”
The door closed behind them, and Arania found Trevarus gone. He would be readying the ship by now. Time to be on the way. “J’Lek, be sure to keep Mejas Doto. You can’t find anyone better to assist you.”
With an only half mocking bow J’Lek acknowledged the advice. “As you say, Milady.”
With a quick move, Arania punched him in the ribs. “Stop that. You are Dark Council now. I am not. You could order me around now. Not that I’d advise you to try.”
“Oh, how true. I didn’t even think of that yet.” Some mischief was certainly in the man’s mind, and Arania grinned wrily. “Just be sure you don’t have any more Apprentices killing themselves on their first day.” With that she turned and went down the corridor.
***
Watching the door close behind the two Republican ambassarors, Devanian Hasslar exhaled deeply. The more he had to get involved in all this, the more he hated it. “I believe we were successful,” he said loudly.
A door opened in the back of the room, and a man in dark brown robes entered, a hood pulled deep into his face. The bright midmorning light coming in through the high windows seemed not to touch him. Where he stood was only darkness. “I never had any doubt.” The rich, dark voice held more than a hint of mockery, it was obvious the man did not consider Hasslar his equal.
Hasslar moved a step back before catching himself. Once more he tried to keep in mind that the Force could not touch him, not with his current protection. Jedi or not, the other man would not be able to harm him. “when the other delegation arrives, I hope you can keep your side of the bargain, Sith. I risked quite a lot here.”
If that was possible, the darkness around the other man grew solid. “You will
call me by my name and title, Supreme Lord.” The voice wasn’t loud, but the
threat was clearly audible. “Because if you do not – remember there are more
things but a direct Force attack that could be harmful to you.” Again he took a
step closer, and then slowly pulled his hood away from his face. Hasslar
swallowed hard as eyes of the former Grand Master of the Dark Brotherhood Dek
met his own.
To be continued...