CHAPTER SIX
Coruscant
Isard stared at the large hologram of Myrra that was being projected from her desk. The Satrap’s Palace was ablaze as a trio of Star Destroyers hovered above the city. Numerous rebel fighters were spotted dogfighting with Imperial TIEs. Although there was no indication that the rebels were responsible for what had happened to the Satrap’s Palace, it was the narrative that local Imperial media was running with, with hardly a mention of the identities of the three Star Destroyers spotted over the planet.
But Isard had eyes everywhere, including on worlds deep within the territories of her rivals. She knew that two of the vessels belonged to would-be warlords Valco Pandion and Jylia Shale, while the third belonged to Admiral Sloane… who, as far as Isard knew, was still loyal to her and the greater Empire. But that apparently was no longer the case if she was conspiring with the likes of Pandion and Shale, and had gone to Akiva without Isard’s own authorization.
It was a shame, Isard lamented. Sloane had been an effective officer, having climbed through the ranks despite the obstacles that many women faced in the Empire’s command structure. They were struggles that Isard had dealt with herself, only made somewhat easier by the fact that her father had been Director of Imperial Intelligence. But if Sloane had decided to make the foolish mistake of deserting… then Isard would make sure she paid the price for her decision.
She pressed a panel on her desk and the hologram dissolved, plunging her office back into darkness save for the slim traces of light that escaped through the blinds. She did not raise them just yet, instead taking a moment to compose herself and figure out her next move. Closing her eyes, she went over the reports she had received in the past several hours and checked off everything that still posed a threat to her rule.
Grand Admiral Makati had recently reported that Scardia Station had been successfully destroyed, eliminating the Prophets of the Dark Side that resided on it, his accomplice—the rogue Prophet Azrakel—had indicated to him that many of the Prophets had in fact been impostors, with the true Prophets having retreated to some distant world. Isard had foreseen such a predicament; she was aware of reports that indicated Pestage’s authorization of clones that would impersonate the Prophets as a way to mock them as well as to manipulate the public with a so-called Church of the Dark Side. The false Prophets had been useful in diminishing Trioculus’s power, and their elimination now that their purpose had been served was just as necessary as the elimination of the true Prophets.
Although Makati was no doubt miffed at the fact that he had been deprived the chance of killing the true Kadann himself, his personal vendettas were of no concern to Isard. She had tasked Lumiya with tracking down the Prophets anyway and had enough confidence in the self-proclaimed Dark Lady that she would get the job done.
After the Prophets were taken care off, there would be the various warlords that continued to challenge her. After them, she would look to get rid of the darksiders that still remained in the Empire, such as the Inquisitors and the Emperor’s remaining Hands. She hoped by that point that Skywalker would have been dealt with and she would no longer have to worry about the Jedi. And then of course there were the Grand Admirals who still harbored ambitions of their own, including the ever-elusive Thrawn….
The thought of the blue-skinned humanoid reminded Isard of the agreement she had made with him not too long ago. She had yet to hear any progress on the capture of Baron Fel. Knowing Thrawn, which wasn’t saying much, she probably wouldn’t hear anything until Fel was right at her doorstep, bound and gagged. Until then, the Rogues would continue to pose a thorn in her side with two of Corellia’s best leading the tide against the Empire.
She opened her eyes as a chime sounded from her desk, indicating an incoming transmission. She answered it and the holographic image of an officer materialized before her.
“What is it?” she asked, her tone harsh and cold.
“Madam Director, we are receiving reports from Naboo.” The officer’s expression was pained, as if it hurt him to even speak the words. “They say that the planet is under attack.”
Isard’s eyebrows shot up. “Rebels?” she inquired, not believing it herself. It wasn’t their style, she knew; as pathetic as they were, they were not the sort to outright assault a planet, especially one with as heavy an Imperial presence as Naboo.
The officer shook his head, his anguish becoming more apparent by the minute. “No, Director. It is our own forces, led by the Torment.”
The Torment. That was Moff Panaka’s flagship. Every file she had on him indicated he was a loyal Imperial, dedicated to both the Emperor and the New Order. He was the last person Isard expected to make a move such as to defect to the Rebels or strike out on his own. Plus, Naboo was his homeworld and he was just as loyal to it as he was to the Empire. Why would he attack it… unless he had not been the one to give the order. Had the Rebels killed him and taken his ship? Had there been a mutiny?
Before she could say anything, the officer spoke up again. “We’re getting more reports in. Similar incidents are occurring across the galaxy. Imperial ships are bombarding worlds such as Burnin Konn, Candovant, Vardos—”
Vardos! That was in the Core, not far from Imperial Center. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest as she tried to maintain her composure. “Get me through to Moff Panaka, now.”
“We’ve already tried making contact, Madam Director, but they are not answering our communications. Admiral Versio is not responding either.”
Gritting her teeth, Isard slammed her fist on the desk, causing the transmission to cut out and the officer’s image to dissolve. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes again and went through a mental list of anyone she could trust to handle a situation of this caliber. The list wasn’t very long, and all of the names were of people who were either preoccupied with other matters or were the two men that she had just lost to this madness. She rolled her hands into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms and drawing blood.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard the chime again. She pressed it, and the voice on the other end did not even wait for her to acknowledge it. “Incoming transmission. Priority channel one.”
Of course. She accepted it and she could feel the blue light of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s hologram wash over her. She forced herself to look up to meet the alien’s gaze.
“It would appear you have quite the predicament, Director,” Thrawn said coolly.
“News travels fast where you are, I take it?” Isard snapped back, her heterochromatic eyes ablaze.
Thrawn’s lips pressed into a thin smirk. “I have my connections. Just as you do, Director.”
“Do your connections provide any indication on what is happening? Is this your doing, perhaps?”
“Rest assured, Director, that I have no involvement in the current… madness that is unfolding before our very eyes. No, this to me has the markings of a man who is far less methodical and far more reckless than someone such as myself.”
“And yet he has somehow managed to convert loyal men such as Panaka and Versio to his cause.”
Thrawn raised an eyebrow. “Has he? Or has he simply usurped their commands in order to perform his actions?”
Isard scowled. “I don’t have times for riddles. Tell me what you know now or suffer the consequences!”
“I doubt you are in much of a position to make such threats to me, Director. As it stands, your Empire is falling apart as more and more officers disobey your command in order to follow this new leader that they have found. By my calculations, a good fifty percent of those still loyal to the greater Empire have taken part in this operation.”
Isard clenched her mouth shut, unable to form a rebuttal without sounding like she had lost control. Thrawn seemed to realize this as his smirk turned into a far more obvious smile.
“If you wish for me to help you address this situation, then I have a simple condition that I want met in exchange for my service.”
“And that is?” Isard asked, realizing she had lost.
“I want you to place me in full command of the Imperial Military—whatever is left of it at this point. I would also like for the Chimaera to be assigned as my flagship.”
Isard was somewhat taken aback by the latter request. She had expected Thrawn to ask for a Super Star Destroyer or a similar larger vessel to serve as his flagship. Still, the Chimaera was an effective Star Destroyer, being efficiently run by its captain. “Done. Will that be all?”
“I believe that will be quite sufficient, yes,” Thrawn said. “And don’t worry, Director. I have not forgotten our previous agreement. Baron Fel will be succinctly dealt with as well.”
Fel was the last thing on Isard’s mind at this point but she nonetheless nodded. “Good. I look forward to hearing your progress, Grand Admiral.”
“Thank you, Director. And I assure you that order will be restored to the Empire in no time.”
And with that, Thrawn’s image dissolved away, leaving Isard once more in darkness.
The Lodestar
“Well, I’d say that was a job well done.”
Wedge offered Hera a smile as he sat opposite her in the latter’s office. Sitting next to him was Sabine, who had her Mandalorian helmet in her lap, exposing her violet-dyed hair. Outside the viewport, the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace rushed by as the Lodestar made its way back to the rendezvous point in the Pandem Nai system.
“I would say so,” he replied. “I can’t thank you enough for your help in this, General.”
Hera smiled as she raised a hand. “Please. I know how important family is. I’ve been fighting for mine for over a decade now.”
Sabine looked over at Wedge with a quizzical look. “Shouldn’t you be with your sister right now?”
Wedge shook his head. “There’ll be time for that reunion later. There is… a lot for us to catch up on and talk about. She’s with Fel right now. I’m not sure he even knew that she was pregnant….”
Sabine nodded, an understanding smile crossing her face. “It’s nice being close to your loved ones, especially in these stressful times. It gives us something to fight for; reminds us why we keep fighting….”
She trailed off and Wedge saw her face fall somewhat. He glanced at Hera and the Twi’lek general seemed to pick up on what was going through Sabine’s mind. Sighing, Hera turned her emerald gaze back to Wedge.
“Wedge, have I ever told you about what happened at Lothal?”
Wedge pondered the question. He knew that Lothal had been where Hera and her rebel cell had been operating during the early days of the Rebellion, and that they had liberated it from Imperial rule shortly before the Battle of Yavin. But as he thought about it, he had never read or heard the full report of what had gone down there, despite having worked briefly with the Spectres during that time.
“I don’t believe you have, no,” he finally said.
“We lost… a lot of good people.” Hera cast her gaze downward, staring at her desk. “People we were close to. My partner, Kanan Jarrus, was one of them.”
Wedge frowned. “I had heard about that. He was the father of your son, wasn’t he?”
Hera smiled sadly. “Yes, he was. I also lost my other son at that battle, as well.”
“I didn’t know you had another son.”
“She means Ezra,” Sabine murmured, not meeting anyone’s gaze.
“Ah.” Wedge had only met the young man known as Ezra Bridger once, briefly, during his mission on Montross. Only two years his junior, about the same as Luke, he had been the latest to join the Spectres, having been picked up by them when they began operating on Lothal. Wedge had never gotten the chance to know him very well, but he could tell from their interactions that Ezra was close with the rest of Hera’s crew. They really were like one big happy family, and Wedge had envied them for that, having lost his own family to the Empire.
Clearing his throat, Wedge kept his tone polite and somber. “I’m sorry for your loss. I wish I could—”
“He’s still out there,” Sabine said abruptly.
Wedge looked at her. “What?”
Hera sighed. “Sabine, we’ve talked about this—”
“No.” Sabine shot up from her seat, storming over to the viewport and pointing out at the tunnel of hyperspace. “He’s still out there. Somewhere. We just need to find him!”
Wedge looked between her and Hera. “I’m… not sure I follow.”
Hera shook her head. “Ezra didn’t just fall in battle. He… he infiltrated a Star Destroyer and—”
“He used the Force to go into hyperspace,” Sabine interjected.
Wedge’s eyes went wide. “The Force? He was a Jedi? You never told me that.”
“Because I knew you would tell Luke and that would give him the idea to go looking for him and the New Republic can’t afford to lose its only Jedi.” Hera shook her head again, her green lekku waving. “I’m sorry, Sabine, but Ezra is gone for good. He told us not to follow him and we should honor that.”
“It’s been nearly six years, Hera! If there’s any good a time to find him, it’s now so he can help rebuild the Jedi!”
“Even so, we don’t have the resources to even begin a search like that. Our forces are spread thin dealing with the Empire and its warlords. We haven’t even retaken Coruscant yet. The fighting isn’t over yet, Sabine.”
Sabine huffed in frustration as she collapsed back down into her seat, defeated. Wedge looked at her sympathetically but struggled to find any words that wouldn’t sound hollow and full of platitudes. He realized that he, and by extension Fel, were quite fortunate to have been able to find Syal safe and well when so many of his comrades could not say the same. So many of them had lost loved ones in the war with the Empire, and even if they managed to defeat the Empire fully, it would not bring any of those loved ones back.
He was about to dismiss himself from the room when the doors opened behind him and Sabine and a Sullustan officer rushed into the room, an urgent look on her face.
“General, you’re needed on the bridge.”
Hera rose from her seat. “What is it?”
“Admiral Ackbar is sending a transmission to the entire fleet. He says that the Empire has launched simultaneous assaults on numerous planets. Naboo, Abednedo, Vardos. I believe even Mandalore has sent out a distress call—”
“Mandalore?!” Sabine jumped up to her feet. “That’s not far from here. Hera, we need to—”
“Quiet, Sabine.” Hera raised a hand as she took a deep breath, composing herself as she processed the Sullustan officer’s words. “Put me through to Admiral Ackbar directly. Now.”
The Ravager, Vulpinus Nebula
Admiral Sloane felt as if she had just been taken prisoner.
She was flanked by Yupe Tashu and his Messenger droid as she was led onto the bridge of the Ravager. The Super Star Destroyer was located deep within the Vulpinus Nebula, which Tashu had directed the Vigilance and the other Star Destroyers to after departing from Akiva. Other Star Destroyers had also joined the hidden fleet, including the Recrimination which Sloane knew belonged to Moff Nil Nihan. She had no idea what any of these ships were doing here but she knew that voicing her questions would be a waste of breath, as neither Tashu nor his mechanical companion seemed open to offering answers.
At the end of the bridge stood a tall man dressed in a white officer’s tunic and a long scarlet cape, matching the drapes worn by the Messenger droid. Joining him was a bald man in black and red, a thin band covering the space where his eyes should have been, as well as Grand Moff Nihan himself. Lurking in the shadows just off to the side was a figure dressed in a black cloak that concealed their entire body. Their appearance hearkened back to images of Emperor Palpatine himself, although Sloane knew it couldn’t have been him… could it?
The man in the red cloak turned to Sloane and offered a broad smile, a chilling thing on his pale gaunt face. “Ah, Admiral Sloane. I am glad you could join us for this momentous occasion.”
Sloane eyed the man warily. “Who are you?”
“Ah, where are my manners?” The man placed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly. “I am Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, commander of the Ravager. Although you might know me better as the Operator.”
Sloane took in a sharp breath. “So it was you who instructed me to arrange for the summit on Akiva. Did you intend for the deaths of Pandion and Shale?”
Rax nodded. “I am afraid so. They would have posed too much of a threat to our operations.”
“And what exactly is this operation of yours?” Sloane gestured at the Messenger droid. “Does this droid truly speak for the Emperor… or for you?”
Rax smiled at her and Sloane resisted the impulse to shudder. “You are just as perceptive as I had hoped you would be, Admiral. In a way, they speak for both, for I am an extension of the Emperor’s will… just as we all are. As the Emperor’s Voice, I shall carry out his last orders as the Empire is remade anew.”
Something about Rax’s tone made Sloane wonder if the man had gone mad. She glanced at Moff Nihan to see if he shared her feelings or would offer any sort of clarification. But the broad-shouldered man remained stoic and silent.
Rax continued speaking, oblivious to Sloane’s concerns. “Operation: Cinder is already well under way, even if the Rebels have managed to repel our assault on Naboo. Whether they succeed in preventing the other disasters is irrelevant, as the operation has already served its purpose in providing us with a distraction.”
“A distraction for what?” Sloane asked.
Rax opened his mouth but seemed to stop himself, as if he was reconsidering whether to answer her question. For the briefest of moments, his eyes flickered over to the cloaked figure standing in the shadows, but his gaze quickly returned to Sloane and he spoke before she could dwell on that fact.
“All in due time, Admiral. Right now, we have other things to attend to. The Shadow Council is being assembled and roles need to be assigned. In particular, I need someone to help command the fleet that I have amassed… and I think you would do nicely in that role.”
Sloane blinked. “Me?”
“Of course you. Unless you had someone else in mind?” Rax chuckled before gesturing to Tashu. “Advisor Tashu here shall lead you to your personal quarters. There you will find a Grand Admiral uniform tailored specifically for you.”
Sloane’s mouth fell open as she stared at Rax in astonishment. “Grand Admiral…? Are you even authorized to make such a promotion?”
“The Emperor is, and I speak for the Emperor. Besides, given some of our recent losses, we are in need of a few new Grand Admirals.” Rax flicked his hand in a motion of dismissal and Tashu placed a hand on Sloane’s back to guide her back to the turbolift.
As she departed from the bridge, Sloane wondered whether she had made the right choice in deserting from the greater Empire in favor of a warlord who seemed quite certain in his delusions. She supposed she would find out soon enough… and pay whatever price that came with it.
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