CHAPTER TEN
“Wraith Five to Fulcrum! The star yacht is taking flight! We— yes, you heard me! General Antilles and Captain Solo are trapped inside, along with Commander Dameron’s team. We’re going to take pursuit.”
As Jesmin Tainer spoke into her comlink, she, Trey, Jagged, and Chewbacca rushed onto the Millennium Falcon. While Chewie took Han’s seat at the controls, Jagged replaced him in the co-pilot’s seat, pausing briefly to grimace at the loose Wookiee fur on the chair.
“Do you want the other two to take the guns?” Jagged asked once he had situated himself.
While he did not fully understand Shyriiwook, Chewbacca’s accompanying nod gave him the answer he needed. After shouting to Jesmin and Trey to man the ship’s turrets, he returned his attention upfront as the Falcon began to take off and shoot off towards the First Light, which was quickly making its ascent through the clouds of Corellia.
“What exactly is the plan here?” Jagged asked. “We can’t shoot them down with everyone on board. Can we disable it while still keeping it airborne?”
Chewbacca said nothing, flipping switches and buttons in an order that he could tell was rehearsed. Realizing that he was not going to get a response, Jagged decided to focus on keeping the Falcon steady as it closed in on the moving Kalevalan star yacht.
The First Light
The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
Sal Tyrius relaxed in one of the conform loungers, seemingly unconcerned by what was presently transpiring as the star yacht cleared Corellia’s atmosphere. Poe Dameron was pacing around the room, desperately trying to think of a plan for them to get out of their current predicament. Kyla Kishanti was mimicking him, looking through Tyrius’ collection of antiques as if expecting to find something there.
Toah Jarsan knew there was little point in doing any of those things. In his opinion, it was better to wait things out and allow things to unfold as they would.
His apprentice, on the other hand, did not seem to share this view.
“Are there any escape pods on this ship?” Rey asked Tyrius, standing in front of him with arms akimbo.
“I’d imagine so,” Tyrius replied nonchalantly. “The wonderful people of Kalevala would surely have the foresight to install such a feature, seeing as their consumers would most likely be the target of pirates and bandits.”
“Where are they then?”
The Arkanian raised a finger. “However,” he stressed, “I strongly believe that Queen Kestora has already disabled such features through whatever remote control she has on this vessel. You see, she doesn’t just want this yacht; she wants me. Therefore, she wouldn’t want me trying to make a getaway.”
“That’s too bad, because we could sure use a getaway,” said Poe. “Is there any chance this Kestora would let us go once we made the case that we weren’t working with you?”
“It depends on her mood. Considering the exchange I just had with her, I doubt she is in a good one right now. The most likely scenario for you and your friends is that she will put anyone who is female to work on her crew, while everyone else is thrown out the airlock.”
Valrisa raised an eyebrow. “She doesn’t let men work for her?”
“Beyond menial labor? Not really. And even then, she would most rather seek out a female Wookiee or Gigoran to do any heavy lifting that needs to be done. It is called the Veiled Sorority for a reason, you know.”
Poe huffed. “So, we’re screwed then.”
Tyrius shrugged but said nothing further.
While it was impossible to see out side due to the window being shielded by a blast door, Toah could sense that the yacht had made it out into space, as the vessel was beginning to slow to a stop. Rey gave him a questioning look but still he said nothing. He needed to teach his apprentice the value of patience and the best way of doing that was to exude it even when all others failed to utilize it.
Mere moments after the yacht had finally reached a halt, it started to shudder as if something was connecting to it; most likely a docking beam of some sort.
“Sounds like we’re being boarded,” Kyla muttered. She looked over to Toah, Rey, and Zarin. “I don’t suppose you Jedi have any ideas.”
“At the moment, I believe it is wise to wait until we can meet with this Queen Kestora in person before making any rash decisions,” said Toah.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” said Bedo. “That way, we can give these pirates enough time to think of fifty different ways to kill us instead of giving them zero by making our escape. A most wise decision, Master Jedi. No disagreements from me.”
Toah frowned at the Ortolan but decided it was not worth the time to argue with him. Hopefully his actions alone would be enough to convince Bedo and the others that he knew what he was doing.
Maybe I’ll even convince myself in the process, he thought.
* * *
“Wedge to Wraith Five, do you copy? Wedge to Wraith Five, do you copy?”
Wedge cursed under his breath as his comlink clicked with static. Clearly whoever was pulling in and boarding the First Light had also decided it would be a good idea to block communications. Whoever was out there really did not want them getting away.
He and Han continued to make their way through the winding corridors of the star yacht, dragging a protesting Thrackan along with them. The Corellian head of state had reluctantly given them the directions to the turbolift that would take them back up to his office. As they closed in on their destination, the yacht shuddered as it reached an abrupt halt.
“Sounds like we’re being boarded,” Han muttered. To Thrackan, he said, “Any idea who want to come after you so bad?”
Thrackan shook his head. “I don’t think they’re here for me,” he murmured. “They’re here for the Curator.”
Neither Wedge nor Han knew who that was, but they both knew there was no time to ask questions. They continued to rush their way through the maze of the First Light’s interior until they finally reached the turbolift. Han then nudged his cousin forward and ordered him to input the command to open it.
“And don’t pull anything funny,” Han added, his DL-44 already out and pointed at Thrackan’s back.
Thrackan glared at him as he accessed the control panel. “Some family reunion this is….”
As Thrackan started to put in a security code, Wedge heard the distant sound of footsteps, growing louder as they fast approached their direction. He exchanged a look with Han before turning to face the hallway behind them, raising his blaster as he braced himself for what or whoever would appear from around the corner.
A minute or two passed. The footsteps were getting louder. The turbolift doors remained closed.
Scowling, Han shot a look at his cousin. “Sometime today would be nice.”
“It’s not responding,” Thrackan replied. “It won’t accept any of my security codes.”
“A president locked out of his own office.” Han shook his head. “That would be hilarious if it wasn’t the one place we needed to be right now.”
Shadows suddenly appeared at the end of the hall. Mere moments later, an entourage of assorted beings — all female and of varying species — appeared from around the corner and started to march their way down to the turbolift. In the lead was a furry Holwuff, who immediately raised her blaster rifle at the three Corellians.
“Put down your weapons and raise your hands where I can see them,” she growled.
“And if we don’t?” Han asked.
“Then we kill all three of you. Simple as that.”
“I suggest you do as she says,” Thrackan whispered. “I’m no good to you dead.”
“You’re hardly any good for us alive,” Han snapped back.
“If they kill us, you won’t be able to solve the mystery of the Cabal and what their plans are. That is why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Wedge looked to Han. “He’s got a point, as much as I hate to admit it. There’s only two of us and a-lot-more-than-two of them, plus we’re in a tight corridor. We’d be dead in a matter of seconds.”
Han looked as if he wanted to protest out of typical stubbornness but stopped himself. His face twisted into a nasty scowl as he slowly lowered his blaster-holding arm, moving it as if it weighed a ton. “Fine,” he grunted as he knelt down to place the pistol on the floor. “We’ll play their game.”
Wedge followed suit before both Corellians held their hands up. The Holwuff seemed satisfied with this and beckoned two other pirates — a Nautolan and a Devaronian — to retrieve the discarded blasters. Holstering her own weapon, she stormed towards the three Corellians, the equivalent of a sadistic smirk crossing her muzzle face.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll be going to the President’s ‘office’ anyway. It’ll just be as our prisoners rather than on your own accord.”
Han rolled his eyes. “Great. That’s good to know.”
* * *
“Fulcrum? This is Wraith Five again. Do you copy?”
“I copy, Wraith Five,” Iella Wessiri replied, leaning over the comm unit situated inside the Resistance’s makeshift base. “Just barely though; something appears to be interfering with communications. Better make this call quick.
“We’ve followed the First Light out into Corellia’s orbit; it’s being boarded by a Hammerhead corvette. I don’t know if they somehow have it caught in a tractor beam or something, but the yacht has stopped moving.”
Iella frowned. “Wonderful. Looks like the Cabal has gotten wind of our operations. Where are you and the others right now?”
“We’re keeping our distance from both ships. I don’t think they’ve spotted us yet.”
“Try and keep it that way for now. We’re heading out now to join you; maybe we can make contact with this corvette and find out what they’re here for.”
“I mean, it’s pretty obvious that it’s the Cabal, isn’t it?” Wraith Five asked. “Why else would they be here?”
“This mission is already dangerous as it is,” Iella replied. “I’m not going to risk it further by jumping to conclusions or making assumptions. Just hang tight and await further instructions.”
“You’ve got it.”
Once the call had ended, Iella stepped away from the comm unit and turned to face Wallen, Piggy, and the others, all waiting anxiously nearby.
“Pack your bags,” she said. “We’re leaving.”
“Do we have a plan for when we fail to make contact with the Hammerhead?” Wallen asked. “Or for when they don’t take kindly to our presence? We’ve only got so many X-wings, one Corellian freighter that’s seen better days, and a shuttle. Whoever these guys are, they’ve got a Hammerhead corvette. I’ve seen what those ships can do; we wouldn’t stand a chance against them.”
“Don’t say that, captain,” Iella said. “Defeatist attitudes never get us anywhere. If the Rebellion had been run on pessimism, it never would have gotten anywhere.”
Wallen held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just being a realist. Someone has to be when in a situation like this.”
“In any case, we should get moving as soon as possible,” suggested Piggy. “I’ll call up Sharr and tell him and his Wraiths to meet up with us.”
Iella nodded. “Good. Let’s just hope our visitors don’t try something funny in the meantime.”
The Night Buzzard
“Master, it is done.” Kylo Ren knelt in the middle of his private chambers, his head bowed before the ghostly image shimmering in front of him. “The heirloom has been retrieved.”
While he had not been expecting the Supreme Leader to react with joy or anything of the sort, he was nonetheless put off by the dissatisfied growl that rumbled from the golden-robed tyrant’s throat.
“Where is the Curator?” asked Snoke.
Kylo Ren shifted slightly. “He is still aboard the star yacht. I met with him as directed to by the individual who held the heirloom, but our meeting ended on a… sour note when the yacht was abducted by some pirate queen. I managed to escape along with my student and we were retrieved by my Knights.”
Snoke let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his throne, massaging his scarred and misshapen forehead. “Once again, my apprentice, you have allowed your feelings to cloud your vision and obfuscate your judgment.”
Kylo Ren’s head snapped up, his face twisting into a rictus of anger behind his mask. “I recovered the heirloom as you instructed. You said nothing of a Curator or anything of the sort.”
“I did not need to!” Snoke snapped. “The mayor of Kor Vella would have told you of him and you would have proceeded with the meeting as instructed!”
“Why keep such details from me? Why purposely misguide me—”
“The only one who is misguiding you is yourself!” Snoke roared, rising from his throne. “Must you require everything to be laid out in front of you to the last detail? If you are to surpass my expectations, you must be able to make decisions on your own, free of my guidance! Only then can you become a true master of the dark side!”
Kylo Ren balled his hands into fists, resisting the urge to rise from his kneeling position. “Perhaps if you did not insist on sending me on fool’s errands and gave me a task that was actually challenging, I would be able to prove myself to you.”
Snoke scoffed. “Clearly not, if you are able to foul up a task as simple as this one.”
“This task is beneath me!” Unable to fight it anymore, Kylo Ren shot up to his feet. “Retrieving frivolous artifacts is a job for some lowly agent, not for the Master of the Knights of Ren! Stop wasting my time and—”
“KNEEL BEFORE YOUR MASTER!” Snoke bellowed as he extended a hand. Despite them being light-years apart, Kylo felt the will of the Supreme Leader seize him and force him back onto his knees, his masked face nearly kissing the floor.
“I have been training you for nearly thirty-five years,” Snoke growled. “I have practically raised you as a son. And yet still you have not fully matured into the protege I had hoped you to be. Perhaps I was wrong about you. Perhaps you were not the prospective student I thought I had seen in you. Perhaps it is time for me to move on.”
Kylo felt his heart nearly stop, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of his master’s invisible grip or his own feelings. “No, master,” he breathed. “I will… I will not fail you. Forgive me for stepping out of line. I was—”
“Acting as petulant as ever,” Snoke said with a sneer. “I’ve heard it all before. What assurance have I that you will not give me more empty promises and continue to prove yourself to be a failure?”
“I have the heirloom,” Kylo Ren said hastily. “The Curator is still on the star yacht. I can still meet up with him and—”
“Oh, it is much too late for that, I’m afraid. By the sounds of it, the next phase of the plan has already begun.”
“Next phase…?”
“Granted, it has already been offset thanks to your actions,” Snoke went on. “But thankfully, it is still early enough for things to be salvageable.”
Kylo finally felt the Supreme Leader’s Force grip loosen, though he remained kneeling on the floor, not daring to look up at his master. “What is your will, master?”
“Rendezvous with the Veiled Sorority. The coordinates shall be transmitted to your ship’s computer. Once there, you will deliver the heirloom to Queen Kestora.”
“And then?”
Snoke’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You will know what to do from that point on. If you do not, and you repeat your failure here… then I may need to consider finding another apprentice.”
Before Kylo Ren could get another word in, Snoke’s image faded out of existence, leaving the Knight of Ren alone in his dark room. For a long moment he just stayed there, still kneeling in submission despite there being no one else in the room to kneel to.
The haunting silence was broken when a voice came through from the other side of the door. “Master?” said Vicrul. “We just received a transmission from the Supreme Leader. They appear to be coordinates to somewhere in the Mid Rim. Ord Mantell, I believe?”
“Tell Kuruk to plot a course,” Kylo Ren said, quickly rising to his feet. “We are heading there next.”
“Is everything all right in there? I thought I sensed—”
“You sensed nothing,” Kylo snapped. “I will join you at the helm shortly.”
He waited until he heard Vicrul’s footsteps receding away from the door, before inclining his head back towards the holoprojector, staring at the space where Snoke’s image had once stood.
“I will not fail you,” he muttered to himself as he turned away from the device and made a swift departure from his chamber.
END OF PART I
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