STAR WARS ENDGAME
Episode VI: The Lifted Veil
Timeline: 40 ABY (several hours after Episode V)
CHAPTER ONE
Lieutenant Arek Cobalt took a deep breath as he loaded up his blaster rifle. It wasn't that he was nervous about shooting people-- far from it, in fact. No, he was nervous because it would be Imperials he would be fighting today.
The things he had went through during the Glorian War were still fresh in his mind: the abduction of Kaal, the Battle of Coruscant... he was not looking forward to another conflict.
As he donned his helmet, he heard Commander Zanab's voice speak into his ear. "Rancors, report in."
"Rancor Two, copying," Arek said.
"Rancor Three, locked and loaded," growled Sirul Rosk.
Reeda and Arila copied right after him, then silence. The troopers turned to their Kel Dor comrade, who was shivering head to toe.
Zanab sighed. "Six, report in."
"H-here," Yin Zarn said quietly.
Arek saw the others shake their helmeted heads. "Right," the commander said. "Let's get down to the hangar bay."
* * *
The steel floor vibrated beneath Admiral Kre'fey's feet as the Ralroost went through hyperspace. Like many others on the ship, he was not looking forward to reaching their destination: Bastion, capital of the Imperial Remnant.
The Chief of State had dispatched the Ralroost to Imperial space in order to retrieve the nine hostages the Imperials had taken: one senator, three Jedi, four guards, and the captain of their ship. While the Moffs convened with the Chief in regards to their demands, the Ralroost was to stay in a far orbit of Bastion, in case the Imperials refused to release the hostages if the Alliance complied with the demands.
The fate of galactic peace was relying on a bunch of "ifs." This did little to assuage Kre'fey's worried feelings.
"Sir," an officer on the bridge said, "we're approaching the Bastion system."
"Good. Bring us out of hyperspace."
Shortly, after he spoke, the Ralroost came out of lightspeed and was brought up before the orange world of Bastion. Kre'fey quietly sighed as he folded his arms.
"Before anyone else says it, allow me be the first to say: I have a bad feeling about this."
* * *
"Sir, we've detected an Alliance ship."
Admiral Kel-Raa looked down at the Imperial officer who had spoken, stationed in the bridge's pit. "Model?"
"A Bothan Assault Cruiser, sir. I think it's the Ralroost, Admiral Kre'fey's--"
"I don't want assumptions, officer," the Cerean Imperial chided him. "Just patch me through to it."
The officer nodded and sent a hailing frequency to the Alliance ship. In moments, the holographic image of a Bothan male appeared before the admiral.
"This is Admiral Kel-Raa of the Sentinel, Carrion Sector Fleet," the Cerean said. "Please identify yourself and state your business."
"Admiral Traest Kre'fey of the Ralroost," the Bothan replied. "We are here to retrieve nine hostages when the negotiations between our two governments go through."
Kel-Raa cleared his throat. "Unless I was misinformed, we would be sending the hostages to you... if the negotiations go through."
Kre'fey shrugged. "I was around the sector, so I was sent to save you the trouble."
Although Kel-Raa was not Force-sensitive, his analytical mind allowed him to see through Kre'fey's lies. Regardless, his response was the same.
"That is not necessary. Please leave Imperial space now."
Kre'fey frowned. "As an Alliance officer, I have every right to be here. The Imperial Remnant is still an affiliate with the Galactic Alliance."
Kel-Raa bit his lip. Seeing no way out of this, he nodded in renouncement. "Very well. You may stay exactly where you are until then negotiations are complete."
The Bothan nodded back. "Thank you, admiral." With that, the hologram fizzled out.
Kel-Raa stared out towards the Ralroost through the viewport before turning to his human captain. "Command things from here while I speak with Moff Teron."
* * *
Summon us, brother. Take us to Mother.
Jaden Korr clutched his head as he leaned against a wall. The clones' voices were growing more and more insistent as time passed. He couldn't even sleep or meditate without hearing them.
Sitting across the cell, next to a meditating Taana Di, Natia Dorn frowned. "Are they still bothering you?"
"Uh-huh," Jaden grunted.
"Why don't you go ahead and summon them? Maybe they can free us."
"Unless they're trying to pull something." Jaden then sighed. "I suppose it's worth a shot, though."
Opening his mind up to the clones, he sent out a single word: Come.
At first, nothing happened. Then, alarms began to blare. Footsteps rushed past their cell. Blaster shots rang down the hall. Voices cried out. Then, the door to the cell opened, revealing the visage of Jedi Master Kyle Katarn-- or rather, his clone.
"Come, brother," he growled. "Let us take our freedom."
* * *
"--Breakout on Detention Block 1119, cell 17--"
"--Alliance ship in Imperial space--"
The reports had come in almost simultaneously, almost as if some freak coincidence had occurred, or as if they were somehow related. Either way, Moff Teron was concerned.
The negotiations were still underway, primarily handled by Moffs Sarreti, Lecersen, and Sorik. Tonith and the others were busy with covering up Verradun's death and finding a temporary replacement for him. Thus, things fell to Teron to handle.
With great reluctance, he contacted the leader of the Imperial Knights. He trusted the Knights as far as he could throw them (and he thought the same of the Jedi), but he was left with no other choice.
"Tares Mal," Teron muttered, "the Jedi have broken out."
The Imperial Knight did not require any further instruction; he knew what needed to be done. He signed off with an acknowledgment while Teron leaned back in his seat, anxious to see how things would play out.
No comments:
Post a Comment