13: GEMINI
The Gemini
Hali Pavan entered the hangar bay of the starboard component of the Gemini, en route to one of the Lambda-class shuttles stationed there. Am had given her the mission of assassinating Princess Leia Organa, but Hali had no intention of fulfilling that order. She was going to take a shuttle and get as far away from here as possible. If the New Republic were really on their way as she hoped, then Am would not have time to realize Hali’s desertion before she had to deal with the Republic’s forces.
Hali would find some world in the Outer Rim to hide on, get her face restored to the way it was, and wait the whole thing out until she could return to her old life. Or maybe start it anew. She was still young and had a whole life ahead of her. No one would recognize her save for Am, Karre, and the people on this ship.
When the Children of Vader had acquired the two Star Destroyers required for the Gemini, they had also been able to recruit each of their crews in order to maintain the ships as well as the fighters and shuttles they carried. While Am had executed the captains in order to prevent word of their operations from getting back to the Imperial Remnant, the lower-ranking officers and pilots had so far remained loyal to the cause, although Hali figured it was more out of fear than genuine devotion.
It was those crew members that Hali saw as she walked towards the awaiting shuttle. Several of them were gathered around some sort of escape pod that they had apparently recovered with the tractor beam, peering through the tiny transparisteel window to see who or what was inside.
They weren’t there for long when the pod suddenly burst open, knocking several of the workers off their feet. A small yet athletic figure jumped out of the escape pod, flipping over the heads of those still left standing. Clothed in a black jumpsuit, she landed nimbly on her feet and drew the violet blade of a lightsaber, raising it in a defensive stance as she turned around and pushed the remaining workers back with an invisible hand.
Hali’s heart pounded against her chest. Her hand instinctively went for the lightsaber hooked to her belt, but she knew it would be no use in a fight. She didn’t even want to fight. She should just get on the shuttle and get out of here.
However, fear rooted her in place and the woman turned around to face her… only to then share the same expression of abject horror.
“Mom?” she murmured.
Hali realized then and there who she was dealing with. She had of course heard stories of Jaina Solo—not just because she was the daughter of Princess Leia and Han Solo but also because of her feats during the Imperial Sith War. She knew that Ryara even had a celebrity crush on her and had written a song that was secretly about how much she admired Jaina. Hali felt her eyes well up at the memory of her friend that she had left to die. Unable to think straight, she unhooked the lightsaber from her belt and ignited its synthetic red blade. Her whole body was trembling.
“I don’t want to fight you.” Her voice was shaky as she spoke. “I didn’t think it would ever come to this.”
Jaina narrowed her eyes at her. “You’re the one in the videos, aren’t you? The one who defamed and tarnished my mother’s image.”
“I’m sorry!” Hali snapped. “I—I thought we were just sending a message! I didn’t think people would die!”
“Was New Alderaan not a big enough hint?” Jaina’s tone was short and sharp, showing no sympathy.
Hali knew she didn’t deserve it. Jaina was right; she should have left when she had the chance. After New Alderaan, she should have just taken the money and left. Take her bandmates somewhere they could safely hide until the whole thing was over. Maybe even tip off the New Republic to what was happening and who was behind it.
But she didn’t do any of that. She didn’t do it because she was selfish. She did as the cult asked in exchange for monetary compensation so she could restart her life after all of this was done. She didn’t care about helping others, only herself.
Her bandmates—her friends—were dead because of her. Many people were dead because of her. Lives had been ruined because of her.
Tears streaming down her face, she looked pleadingly into Jaina’s eyes. “Please,” she croaked. “Kill me.”
Jaina frowned as she stared back at the other woman. Her expression seemed to change, perhaps sensing Hali’s regret through the Force. After a moment, she shut off her lightsaber and shook her head.
“No,” she said quietly. “I won’t.”
“I’m scum. I don’t deserve to live!”
“Don’t say that. You can still make things right. You can still—”
“There’s nothing left for me!” Hali shouted desperately. “I’ve thrown away my entire life for this!” She gestured widely to her face—the face that was no longer hers. “I’m not even me anymore!”
“That can be changed,” Jaina said calmly. “You don’t need to give up. There’s still time to turn things back around. Just… turn off the lightsaber.”
Hali shook her head. “No.”
Despite her earlier intentions on coming here, she realized that there was no turning back. She was foolish to even think she had a second chance at life. The road ended here.
With an anguished cry, she lunged at Jaina and swung her saber at her. The young Jedi quickly reignited her blade and easily deflected the attack. Hali swung the blade again in a wide, horizontal arc. The hilt felt heavy in her hands, feeling more like a club than a sword. Jaina avoided the attack by taking a step back.
Scowling, Hali moved the blade in an upward, vertical motion. Not only did Jaina also dodge this attack, but she managed to swing her lightsaber in a way that avoid Hali’s hands while cutting through the emitter of her opponent’s weapon. The piece fell to the floor, clattering against the durasteel.
Lowering her blade, Jaina sighed heavily. “It’s over. Stand down. Please.”
Throwing down the useless weapon, Hali reached over and grabbed Jaina’s arm. Caught off-guard, the younger woman was unable to stop Hali as she threw herself onto the violet blade of her lightsaber. Hali looked into Jaina’s eyes and felt her mouth tug up into a sick smile. A part of her—the twisted and perverse part of her that had willfully participated in the cult’s plans and exposed herself for the sake of ruining another woman’s reputation—took a certain kind of pleasure in watching the horror and pain fill up those brown eyes.
She did not break eye contact as she felt her life force fade away, making sure that the last thing she saw was the grief of a woman who watched as someone with the face of her mother died right in front of her.
* * *
Jacen felt his sister’s anguish through the bond they shared as twin siblings. He could not dwell on the matter too much however as he allowed himself to be escorted through the corridors of the port-side Star Destroyer by a pair of stormtroopers, a pair of stuncuffs binding his hands together.
Just as he and Jaina had planned, their escape pods had been picked up by the conjoined Star Destroyers, with Jaina’s pod being pulled into the starboard one and him the other. As they had planned, Jacen had allowed himself to be captured while Jaina would fight her way to the bridge of one Star Destroyer. If they could disable the controls of at least one of the ships, it would at the very least disrupt the controls of the others. Meanwhile, he would find a way to whoever was in control of the vessel, and the best way he figured he could accomplish that was allowing his capture.
So far, the plan seemed to be working, as he had overheard his captors mention bringing him to someone named “Master Karre.” He had expected them to take him to the bridge, but instead they took him through another set of corridors and turbolifts that, by Jacen’s estimations, led to where the central superweapon was located. Even better, he thought.
As they entered the room that Jacen could only assume was the control room for the weapon, he saw that it was occupied by a figure clad in black armor and a black cape, wearing a mask evocative of Darth Vader. They somewhat resembled the masked figure that had appeared in the first of the Children of Vader’s broadcasts, although there were enough minute differences that indicated they were a separate individual. The most noticeable difference were the two white strips running down the upper chest of their armor, breaking up the black-and-red armor.
The stormtroopers pushed Jacen forwards as one of them spoke to the armored figure. “We found him in an escape pod that our tractor beam picked up, Master Karre. There was another one as well that the other hangar bay retrieved.”
The one called Karre tilted his head as he regarded Jacen. “You didn’t come alone.” It wasn’t a question so much as stating an obvious fact.
Jacen smirked. “Don’t be surprised if you start hearing some alarms.”
The two stormtroopers tensed while Karre did not move. “You are the Princess’ son,” he said instead. “The grandson of Lord Vader.”
“Of Anakin Skywalker,” Jacen corrected him. “I have no interest in joining your little cult. Neither does my sister.”
Right on cue, sirens began to blare from outside the control room—not from the direction Jacen had come in, but from the other side, the one leading to the other Star Destroyer. The stormtroopers instantly raised their blasters at Jacen’s head, although he could sense their confusion, unsure of whether he was to blame for the alarms or not.
“Shall I call in for reinforcements, Master Karre?” one of the white-armored soldiers asked.
Karre responded by raising both of his hands and freezing the stormtroopers with the Force. He then ignited a blue lightsaber blade and struck down the pair with two swift strokes, narrowly missing Jacen each time. He then waved a hand to remove the stuncuffs from the other man’s wrists.
Jacen eyed Karre warily as he rubbed his hands and summoned his lightsaber from one of the troopers’ bodies. “I take it you’re not the one behind all of this?”
“Only ostensibly,” Karre replied. “My sister is the one who is truly in command. She is certainly the most… devoted out of all of us.”
“And you’re not?” Jacen asked.
“I used to be. But now, I’m not so sure.” Tossing aside his lightsaber, Karre raised a hand and removed his helmet. Jacen tried not to show his surprise when he saw a youthful face that instantly made him think of his uncle Luke. Karre’s blue eyes were filled with regret as he dropped the helmet before removing his cape and outer layers of armor.
“We don’t have much time,” the young man then said. “Once the Gemini is in range, my sister won’t hesitate to activate the weapon, and even I don’t have clearance to override her command. I will try to find a way to sabotage the weapon.” He gestured to his discarded armor. “Take my armor and make your way to the command bridge. In case your sister fails to stop mine, you will need to disable this Destroyer’s controls. It will at the very least offset the Gemini’s balance and knock it out of range of Delaya.”
“What will happen if your sister tries to fire the weapon after it’s been sabotaged?” Jacen asked.
Karre grimaced. “I would hope you’re not here when that happens.”
Understanding the urgency of the situation, Jacen quickly put on the armor that Karre had given him. As he prepared to put on the helmet, he gave one last look to the younger man. “I will come back for you. You have a Jedi’s promise on that.”
Karre’s smile did not carry any mirth. “I wish I had your optimism.”
* * *
The Best Chance had only just completed its first lap around the Gemini when New Republic ships began dropping out of hyperspace.
A Strident-class Star Defender, the Jan Dodonna was named in memory of the famed Rebel general who had commanded the Alliance’s forces during the decisive Battle of Yavin twenty-eight years ago. Commissioned shortly after the veteran’s passing two years ago, it had been placed under the command of the promising Vurk captain Vral Chaar, whose family’s legacy was said to stretch as far back as the Mandalorian Wars. As the Star Defender approached its target, it was accompanied by two flights of starfighters.
It wasn’t long before the Jan Dodonna spotted and hailed the Best Chance, and Anakin waited no time in answering the call.
“Captain Chaar, this is Anakin Solo. My brother and sister are on that ship.”
“I see,” came back the gruff voice of Captain Chaar. “What do you recommend we do, then? I can see that it’s already angling towards Delaya and… yes, my sensors operator just confirmed that they are deploying TIE fighters.”
“Do whatever you think is best,” Anakin replied. “Just try not to destroy the Star Destroyer… Star Destroyers… until my siblings have gotten off it. We’re standing by to pick them up.”
“I’ll have two E-wings escort you when that time comes. Until then, stay outside of the battle perimeter.”
“Will do.”
As he ended the call, Anakin leaned back in his seat as the New Republic ships pressed ahead. Indeed, he could see two flights of TIE fighters swarming out from the Gemini’s hangar bays, moving in to confront their enemies.
He glanced over at Chance and saw that the pilot had a death grip on the controls.
“Easy,” he said gently. “We’ll get through this. We’ve been through worse situations.”
“That’s what they all say,” Chance muttered. “Try being someone who hasn’t.”
* * *
Jaina did everything she could to push back the storm of emotions she was feeling after killing someone with the face of her mother. She would have to sort that out after all of this was over.
She did not run into as many opposition on the way to the bridge as she had expected, other than a few squads of stormtroopers whom she took care of with ease. This, to her, indicated that the Children of Vader were not fully backed—if at all—by the remnant Imperial state. Otherwise, they would have been fully staffed with stormtroopers and officers throughout the vessel. Either they hadn’t been expecting anyone to sneak onto the ship, or they simply hadn’t been able to recruit enough people to their cause.
After wading her way through stormtroopers and security droids, the sound of blaster fire and her lightsaber blade intermixing with the wails of the alarms, she made her way to the turbolift and took it all the way up to the command bridge.
As the doors opened, she was surprised to not find any sort of guards or troopers waiting for her. Instead, a single figure in black armor stood at the far end of the bridge, facing the viewport. Beyond them, Jaina could see a New Republic warship approaching the Gemini along with several starfighters, preparing to engage the Star Destroyers and their TIE fighters in battle.
Lightsaber at the ready, Jaina slowly stepped onto the bridge, mindful of her surroundings in case anyone jumped out of the shadows to attack her. None did and she proceeded her way towards the armored figure.
She was within seven feet when the tall woman finally spoke. “And so the Princess’ daughter has come to challenge me.”
Jaina narrowed her eyes at her opponent. “Who are you?”
“My name is Am.” She turned around, a hand on her hip as she regarded Jaina through the opaque eyes of her mask. “Although I take it you have killed Hali Pavan already?”
Figuring she was referring to the woman who had ran herself through her lightsaber, Jaina simply said, “Yes.”
“Then perhaps I may claim the title I had bestowed upon her.” Am reached behind her back and drew a pair of lightsabers, igniting their scarlet blades. “You may call me Lady Vader.”
“I don’t think so.”
Am lunged and swung her dual sabers. Jaina moved her saber to block her attacks, grateful for the lessons Kam Solusar had given her on fighting opponents practicing Jar’Kai. She proceeded to parry the attacks, although Am effortlessly blocked her strikes before moving in for the kill again.
This pattern went on for some time, with Jaina unable to get a hit on her opponent due to the dual sabers, and Am being unable to deal a blow to her due to her swift responses. After a moment, the two broke off from their fight and Jaina took several steps back to refocus herself.
“You’re a Sith, aren’t you?” Jaina asked. She was aware that a good number of Sith from Darth Vorath’s Order had survived the war, although most of them had retreated to the depths of the Esstran sector.
“In a sense,” Am replied, twirling her two blades. “But not from an order you have encountered before. I follow the Rule of Two, the same legacy that the Dark Father had been a part of.”
Jaina frowned, recognizing the term from Ingo Wavlud’s little group of cultists on Vjun. “You do know that Vader ended the Rule of Two, right? By killing the Emperor?”
Am scoffed. “Jedi lies. I’ve heard it all before. The Dark Lord lives on. I have heard his voice, and he has named me his heir. His Shadow Hand! Once I am finished here, I shall become the new Dark Lady of the Sith!”
The moniker sounded familiar to Jaina. She recalled stories her parents and Uncle Luke had told her about a woman named Lumiya, a former apprentice of Vader who had took on the mantle of Dark Lady shortly after the Battle of Endor. She wondered if there was perhaps a connection between the two, but she doubted she would get any answers if she pressed the matter.
“We’ll see about that,” she remarked as she moved in to engage Am in battle again.
She moved in low, crouching down to slice at Am’s waist. The other woman angled her two blades to meet hers before pushing it back. Am then countered the move by twirling her sabers and spinning her body, striking out with one blade and then the next. Jaina deflected each one but had been pushed back several feet due to the advance. Realizing that her opponent was trying to corner her, she jumped down into one of the crewpits, both of which were unoccupied. She then ran down the length of the pit with her arm outstretched, sling through the computer stations with her saber. Am cried out in anger as she moved to stop her but was unable to reach her in time. Jaina then jumped back out onto the bridge, landing in the spot where Am had been at the start of their duel.
Taking advantage of Am’s disorientation, Jaina lunged and swiped her blade at Am’s head. The other woman barely managed to defend herself in time and succeeded only in redirecting the purple blade so that it grazed against her mask, slicing it off. The pieces fell to the floor and Am proceeded to take off the rest of the helmet, discarding it as a curtain of blonde hair cascaded out from the back of her head.
Jaina was caught off-guard by how young the woman looked. She had to have been the same age as Jaina, maybe a year older. Am’s blue eyes looked almost violet as they glowered with rage and she oriented her blades in an attack position. As Jaina readied herself for another clash of lightsabers, she noticed movement from behind Am’s back. Her opponent’s cape than billowed out as four mechanical appendages extended from Am’s back, each one carrying a lightsaber that ignited a red blade.
Jaina’s eyes widened as she marveled at the sheer incredulous sight of a human wielding six lightsabers. A wicked grin crossed Am’s face as she moved in to attack once more.
* * *
Karre let out his breath as he crawled out from beneath the super-cannon’s primary mechanism. The sabotage was complete. If Am tried to fire it now, at best it would simply fail to fire at all. At worse, it would cause the whole ship to explode, killing everyone on board but no more than that.
He had no means of contacting Jacen Solo to tell him that the sabotage had been done, nor did he have the means of telling Karre that he had disabled the Star Destroyer’s controls. He thought about taking the lift to the bridge to tell him, but he knew that Am would be firing the weapon at any moment. He would simply have to leave the Solo twins to find their own way off the Gemini.
As he made his way to the hangar, he felt the ship shudder. No doubt the New Republic’s forces had arrive to engage the Gemini in battle. Even if he did manage to get off the ship, it would be difficult wading through the various starfighters outside without getting shot down.
The hangar bay had been more or less deserted, with all of the pilots out in space and the workers trying to multitask in other parts of the ship. Scanning the mostly empty hangar, he spotted his personal starfighter and was surprised to see his astromech R-DUO already in the socket. Perhaps the droid had been expecting him to take part in the battle outside. There was no sign of B-20N, and as much as Karre was grateful for the nineteen years the protocol droid had spent caring for and raising him and his sister, there was unfortunately no time to seek him out.
The ship shuddered again and he decided he simply had to take his chances. Retrieving the helmet of a TIE pilot, he climbed into his starfighter and started up its engines. Within moments, he was flying out of the hangar bay and into the fray beyond.
* * *
Jacen ran as fast as he could.
He had succeeded in disabling the controls to the leftmost Star Destroyer, setting it off-balance. Thanks to Karre’s armor, he had faced no opposition from the few officers and troopers he had encountered along the way, and the bridge itself had been unoccupied for whatever reason. Now, he just needed to get to Jaina. Through their bond, he could sense that she was still engaged in battle with whom he could only assume was the true leader of the Children of Vader.
He could also tell that the duel was only becoming more intense, and he wasn’t sure how long she could off on her own.
Retracing his steps, he made it back to the Gemini’s control center and took the corridors that would take him to the other Star Destroyer. He saw no sign of Karre, but he also didn’t stop to look for him.
Figuring that Jaina had already dealt with most of the stormtroopers on the other ship, Jacen discarded his armor along the way. He absently realized that he had not taken Karre’s lightsaber and wondered if the other man was using it to take care of the superweapon. He ended up perishing the thought as he made his way to the turbolift and took it all the way up to the bridge.
When the doors opened, he already had his lightsaber drawn. He stepped out to see Jaina backed into a corner by the leader of the Children of Vader. Said leader appeared to be wielding six lightsabers thanks to a set of four appendages attacked to her back, giving her an almost spider-like appearance.
Calling upon the Force, he sped towards them and swung his green lightsaber at the leader, cutting through two of the mechanical arms. Am turned around in surprise before scowling as she lunged at Jacen.
She spun her blades madly, creating a chaotic whirlwind of red light. Jacen centered himself to not be disoriented and he managed to deflect her first few wild attacks. By that time, Jaina had recovered and moved in to attack Am from behind, slicing off one of the remaining two appendages.
Down to three sabers, Am twirled around to focus her rage on Jaina, allowing Jacen to take out the last mechanical arm. Growling, Am leaped out from between the two twins and landed back on the bridge. Facing the viewport, she saw that the Gemini was starting to deviate from its angle towards Delaya and she shut off her lightsabers to access the controls.
“No!” she cried. “Karre, where the blazes are you?”
Before Jacen could stop her, Jaina charged back in to attack the cult leader. Sensing her approach, Am partially turned and reached out with her hand to seize Jaina with the Force, lifting her up in the air.
“You cannot stop this,” Am cackled, a crazed look in her eyes. “The Dark Lord’s will shall be fulfilled! Death to the New Republic! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!”
She pulled a switch and the Gemini shook violently. An explosion tore through the supercannon connecting the two Star Destroyers, bisecting the massive vessel in half and sending its two halves floating away from each other. The explosions continued to rupture each of the two Star Destroyers, and Jacen knew they only had so much time to escape.
All three of them had been knocked off their feet, but Jacen was quick to scramble back up and run over to Jaina, who had been released from Am’s hold. He pulled his sister back onto her feet and started to drag her back towards the turbolift, although she stopped to look back at Am, who was still laying on the floor.
“There’s no time,” Jacen said, tugging on her arm. “We have to go. Now.”
Jaina continued to regard Am for a few more seconds. When another explosion rocked the ship, she finally turned to follow Jacen back down the bridge. As they got to the turbolift, she gave her twin brother a concerned look as the Star Destroyer continued to tremble.
“Are you sure we’ll make it to the hangar in time for Chance and Anakin to pick us up?”
Jacen shook his head. “We’ll have to use the escape pods. There should be at least one since the ships are so understaffed.”
With that, he put in the command for the turbolift and the doors slammed shut in front of them. The last thing they saw before they did was Am stirring from where she laid, casting a baleful glare in their direction.
* * *
As soon as he saw the Gemini be torn in two by the destruction of its superweapon, Karre knew that his work was done. With both the New Republic and remaining Imperial ships distracted, he prepared his starfighter’s hyperdrive and set in the coordinates for the first planet he could think of where no one would think to look for him.
R-DUO chirped questioningly, his inquiry translated onto Karre’s dashboard. He bit his lip and sighed, thinking of his twin sister whom he was being forced to leave behind. He could sense that she was still alive, although he wasn’t sure how long that would be as explosions continued to rip apart the two Star Destroyers.
“I’ll explain later, Duo,” Karre replied. “Right now, we need to get away from here.”
The destination set, he pulled the hyperdrive lever and allowed the sublight engines of his starfighter to take him to the next part of his journey. To his destiny.
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