Star Wars - The New Jedi Order - Force Heretic I - Remnant - Book 17

by Sean Williams

  "Gron Marrab?" Mara interrupted. "Surely there must be someone better for the job than that."

  "Well, he's a Mon Cal, so he's local," Omas said, unable to help feeling defensive. "And besides, it's not as if I have much choice. That's my point, really. I don't have any choices. The intelligence community was routed when Coruscant fell, just like the Senate. All we have in its place is a lot of fine effort, but nothing coordinated. There are at least six chains of command out there, all feeding through to different people by different means. They don't talk to each other; I'd be surprised if there aren't still more that won't talk to me.

  "And that's when they can talk," he went on. "There are parts of this galaxy as big as the Core that we haven't heard from for months. We don't know if this silence is self-imposed or due to infrastructure collapse. We don't know if it's a technical problem or deliberate sabotage. All we do know is that the communications we once took for granted have fallen into disrepair along with everything else."

  "And in the absence of communications," Luke put in, "ferment breeds."

  "Precisely," Omas said. "It's pointless to win a war only to watch the Galactic Alliance fall apart around us afterward."

  "Then what is it you want, exactly?" Mara asked. "I presume it has something to do with us, otherwise we wouldn't be here."

  "I need a group of people committed to bringing things back together," Omas said passionately. "A mobile task force traveling from place to place-reconnecting the dots, if you like. Familiar, trustworthy faces, symbols of peace and prosperity. That kind of thing. I thought of Master Skywalker first, of course. And Leia, too. A New Republic presence will certainly help things along." "That's 'Galactic Alliance' now, Cal," Leia said. "Yes, of course. That's going to take some getting used to." He continued "The task force doesn't need specialist technical expertise to repair the networks where they're down; you can call for that sort of help if needed, when the problem has been isolated. Just in case it's a military problem, I'll provide a squadron or two for protection- but you shouldn't need anything more than that. You're not there to intimidate, but to communicate. Open up the black spots, whatever it takes, and bring them back into the fold. At least let them know we're paying attention, anyway."

  He paused to allow others to comment. When no one did, he said, "Well, what do you think?"

  Leia was the first to respond, nodding slowly and thoughtfully. "In principle, I think it's a good idea," she said. "And I'm sure Han will agree, too."

  Omas offered a faint smile in appreciation. "I was hoping this would be the case," he said. "The Falcon would make a great support vessel."

  "And you don't really have many to spare," Leia said. "I understand."

  Omas glanced at Luke and was surprised to see the Jedi Master frowning. That threw the Chief of State for a moment. What wasn't there to like about his plan? It gave the Jedi a chance to reestablish their peacekeeping role in the galaxy while at the same time tying them ever closer to the Galactic Alliance. If the mission was a success-and there was no reason Omas could see why it wouldn't be-then no one in the Senate would be able to argue about the worth of the Jedi again.

  "Luke?" Mara prompted, also catching her husband's frown.

  The Jedi Master remained silent for a while longer, as though mulling over everything Omas had just said. When he did speak, it was slowly, choosing each word with care.

  "This would solve only half the problem," he said. "No matter how well we did our job, it would still leave rhe Yuuzhan Vong. That's a problem that isn't going to go away, no matter how much you stifle the agitators. But what if I told you I could solve your military problem and the moral problem in one operation?"

  "I'd be interested, naturally," Omas said, then lifted his thin shoulders and spread his arms in a supplicating gesture. "But^ow?"

  "The Imperial Remnant," Sow said, answering for the Jedi Master.

  Luke looked at the Supreme Commander, nodding. "The Empire."

  "They turned us down," Leia said. "Pellaeon said that he had no interest in joining forces. As far as they're concerned, they've been holding their own perfectly well against the Yuuzhan Vong."

  "And at that point, we weren't," Luke said. "But now that we're starting to hit back, they might change their mind."

  "Well, it would certainly solve the military problem," Omas said. "It would also legitimize the name of our new government."

  "The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances," A'Kla said. "Exactly. There's not much meaning to it if entire chunks of the galaxy won't join."

  Omas folded his hands before him, returning his attention to Luke. "You're proposing a diplomatic mission, Master Sky walker?"

  "To the Imperial Remnant-and to the Chiss, too," he replied. "They're the ones who refined the toxin developed by Scaur's scientists-the Alpha Red bioweapons. That project is still hanging over us. We mustn't forget that.""

  "No. Admiral Kre'fey isn't letting me." "I thought the project was on hold," A'Kla said, the purple fur above her eyes ruffling slightly beneath a frown. " 'On hold' in military terms simply means that you're set on stun," the Supreme Commander said. "The blaster, however, is still powered and aimed."

  "Or it would be, given just a few weeks' development time." Omas himself was deeply conflicted over the Chiss plan to use biological warfare to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong. On the one hand, he could see the military sense in wiping out the enemy with one strike-a strike that would cost nothing in terms of troops or fleet resources. But it smacked of using the enemy's own tactics against them. The Yuuzhan Vong had employed biological warfare on Ithor-whose native bafforr trees, ironicallly, were the very source of the Alpha Red toxin-and many other worlds, destroying whole biospheres in the process. It was a dirty, demeaning tactic, and it could so easily be used against the wielder. In his nightmares he saw system after system falling to a gray plague while, at the same time, the Yuuzhan Vong were wiped out by the Chiss bioweapon. The end result would be a lifeless, sterile galaxy.

  He didn't want that to be what his administration was remembered for-even if there was no one left to remember it.

  "Destroying the research," Sow said, "would meet with the strongest resistance from some under my command. I cannot guarantee that they wouldn't take independent action to stop you."

  Luke nodded. "I'm aware of that, Commander. That's why I wouldn't be going to the Chiss to propose or attempt such a move. That's their decision, and I'll leave it up to them. I would only be extending the hand of peace."

  "People will automatically assume a hidden agenda." Sow turned to Omas. "If you're going to allow this, Cal, I'd advise that it be an informal mission. Unofficially sanctioned, top secret, hidden agenda-whatever you want to call it. The fewer people who know about it, the better."

  "If it's not official," Omas said, "I'm not sure how much support I could lend it."

  "That's okay," Luke said. "We'll have Jade Shadow and my X-wing, and we might even be able to call in a few favors on top of that. The only support I really want is an assurance that you won't try to stop us, and that you'll hold the warmongers back while we're gone."

  "Thar shouldn't be a problem," Omas said. "There's plenty to keep people busy." He leaned back into his chair, sensing more to Luke's request than appeared on the surface. "However, I doubt that the Yuuzhan Vong will make it as easy for us as Senator Niuv would have us

  believe."

  "It's a long way to travel, isn't it?" Sow asked. "I mean, I appreciate you going to such lengths to bring the Empire into the fold, but I'd have thought you'd be more needed here. Isn't there someone else you can send? Kenth, here, for instance, would be perfectly competent. The Empire and the Chiss would respect his background."

  "You make a good point, Sien." Luke briefly exchanged a look with Mara and Leia that Omas couldn't interpret. "But those very same abilities you mention make him perfect for the job of keeping things calm here. Neither the Empire nor the Chiss will resolve the Yuuzhan Vong problem alone, even in a military
sense. To be honest, they are only secondary objectives. There's something else I need to do while I'm gone."

  "Ah." Omas pushed himself forward as the missing piece slowly became clear. "The Empire and the Chiss- both lie in or near the Unknown Regions."

  A faint smile appeared at the edges of Luke's mouth.

  "That's true."

  "What is it you're looking for, Master Skywalker?"

  "If I told you, Cal, you wouldn't believe me."

  "The moral solution to the war?"

  "Perhaps. An alternative, anyway."

  Luke raised a hand as Omas began to ask another question.

  The Chief of State rested back into his chair again with a wry smile. "I guess I can't force you to tell me," he said. He glanced at Sow. It was obvious that his Supreme Commander knew as little about Skywalker's plans as he did. "You've offered enough for me to give you my private assurance that I won't do anything to hinder your plans. Having the Empire and the Chiss aboard won't guarantee the security of the Galactic Alliance, but it'll help. If you think you can give me a long-term resolution to the war as well, then I shall do what I can to assist."

  The Jedi Master kept his expression carefully composed, but the way his wife touched his arm suggested that she was happy with the outcome of the meeting. Like her husband, though, her face revealed nothing.

  "What about you, Leia?" Omas asked. "Will you still do what I've asked of you?"

  She nodded. "Of course," she said. "You can count on both Han and me to do whatever we can to help."

  The Chief of State nodded in return. "I'm grateful," he said. "Make a time with Sien to discuss the logistics. We'll see what special operations can lend you. I know you have some connections down there." He stood with a smile, knowing perfectly well that Jaina Solo's Twin Suns Squadron was a sure bet for the mission-and if she was involved, Jag Pel wouldn't be far away. Together they would keep the military side of the mission covered, and possibly more than that he was sure Sien Sow wouldn't mind applying a little force to some of the more unruly sectors of the galaxy.

  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a line of beings wanting to see me."

  "We thank you for your time," Luke said, taking his wife's hand as she rose from the chair. "As well as your cooperation. May the Force guide us all."

  "To peace," Releqy A'Kla said, standing with the others.

  "To peace," Omas echoed wholeheartedly as they filed out of the room. He knew that only time would blunt the teeth of the Corellian sand panthers in the ranks of the Senate, the Defense Force, and the Jedi. Whatever Luke Skywalker had up his sleeve, Omas only hoped he could give him enough time to bring it into effect before those sand panthers gathered outside his office door, hungry for his blood.

  From space, the ocean world Mon Calamari shone a brilliant, peaceful blue. Under a sky that glinted like ice, curving cloud patterns traced words only stars could understand. All but the keenest of eyes would fail to see the coral outcrops, marshy islands, and floating cities that were scattered across the planet's often turbulent seas. But they were there the provisional capital of the newly formed Galactic Alliance and birthplace of two intelligent species was called home by more than twenty-seven billion people, including the legendary Admiral Ackbar and Jedi Master Cilghal. From up on high it was impossible to appreciate the hard times Mon Calamari had seen under the resurrected clone of Emperor Palpa-tine and the renegade Admiral Daala-hard times that the inhabitants of the planet could well see again before this war with the Yuuzhan Vong was over.

  That's the beauty of an ocean world, Jaina Solo thought as she guided her X-wing down to the port city Hikahi. If shows no scars.

  "XJ-Three-Twenty-three, you're clear to dock," came the distinctive Mon Calamari voice. "Proceed to Bay DA-Forty-two."

  She gritted her teeth as blast scoring on the fuselage of her X-wing caught the atmosphere on reentry, provoking a violent shudder that made her R2 unit squawk in alarm.

  Moments later, as the X-wing glided in toward the docking bays, the droid tootled a short series of beeps and blips. She glanced at her craft's transl ator and smiled at her R2's message.

  "No, I'm sure Mon Cal's high salinity levels won't be too good for your electronics," she said. "But it really shouldn't be too much of a problem, Cappie. I didn't bring you here to go swimming."

  Kyp Durron met her when she landed. Her former squadron leader looked tired and drawn, seemingly much older than when she'd last seen him a couple of weeks earlier.

  "Nice to see you, Colonel," he said. "Sorry I'm late," she said, tugging off her flight helmet and slipping it under an arm. "There were delays making sure Twin Suns was adequately berthed. Did I miss the meeting?"

  "Afraid so," he said as they walked together from the docking bays. "But that's okay. I get the feeling that everything's being decided behind the scenes. Gathering us together was just a formality-a way of reminding us that there's a bigger picture. You know?" Jaina nodded absently, only half listening. "Is Tahiri here?" she asked after a few paces. Kyp looked at her, his brow wrinkling. "No. Why?" She shrugged as she continued walking, not meeting his eyes. She didn't want him to see how deep her concern ran. "It's probably nothing," she lied. "She left a message for me for when I docked at Ralroost. She said she wanted to talk to me as soon as I arrived. She sounded..."

  Kyp waited for her to continue, but when she didn't he asked, "What, Jaina? What did she say?"

  Jaina struggled to remember just how the girl had sounded. "I don't know, Kyp," she said. "It wasn't so much what she said as the way she said it. I just got the impression that something was wrong."

  "Well, if she is here on Mon Cal," he said, "she didn't come to the meeting."

  An upwelling of concern for the girl-no, young woman, Jaina corrected herself; Tahiri was a Jedi Knight now-rushed through her. Tahiri had been close to Anakin. If dealing with his loss had been half as hard for Tahiri as it had been for Jaina, then she could certainly understand the odd note of grief that had been evident in her voice. But why now? Why did Tahiri want to speak to her?

  "Jag's here," Kyp said, and the feeling those simple words inspired surprised her.

  "Really? Where?" She kept her gaze ahead as they continued through the maze of corridors, hopeful that this would be enough to prevent him seeing how her cheeks had flushed at the mention of Jag's name.

  "Right now he's in a meeting with your parents, actually," Kyp said. "They're hatching some sort of scheme." He stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "There's talk of winning this thing, Jaina," he said. "A lot of talk. It's almost hysterical. Before Ebaq Nine we were all but beaten; now you'd think we, already had the Yuuzhan

  Vong on the run."

  Jaina nodded. She understood perfectly what he was trying to tell her, and why. The politicians had no real idea what it was like on the battlefield. They were insulated by layers of command from the action, from how things really were. For all the losses they'd suffered, she'd always tried to maintain a sense of optimism, but even though they had recently made considerable headway, she knew they still had a long way to go. There were no certainties. There never was with war.

  But she could sympathize with the politicians wanting to believe that victory was imminent. This war had been hard on everyone. Years of defeats, inexorable advances by the enemies, losses in every quarter-it had all taken its toll. She could see it in Kyp's eyes and in the way he seemed to have aged. She could feel it in herself, the grief for Chewbacca and Anakin still strong, her descent into the dark side painfully recent...

  "I'll be careful," she said, vanquishing the memory with a firm nod. People would be taking sides everywhere in the makeshift capital. She wasn't going to commit to anything without first learning something of what was going on "behind the scenes," as Kyp had put it.

  Kyp resumed their walk, moving confidently through the warren of tunnels. He had obviously been on Mon Cal long enough to familiarize himself with the city. The deeper into the city they went, the more crowded
the corridors became, and the more hurried the activities of the people became. Jaina saw beings of varied species, sexes, and sizes going about all manner of duties. Technicians rubbed shoulders with bureaucrats while armed soldiers bumped into secretaries, and through it all trundled myriad droids. The air rang with industry and purpose, which was more than a little overwhelming for Jaina after the confines of her X-wing and only her R2 unit for conversation.

  "I'm sorry," Kyp said, recognizing her discomfort. "Perhaps we should have taken a tunnel cab. I just thought you would have had enough of being cooped up in small spaces."

  "No, that's okay," she said. "I did need to stretch my legs a little."

  It wasn't just the exercise she was grateful for, though. It also gave her the opportunity to ground herself. Had she stepped off her X-wing and walked straight into a meeting, she would never have gained a feeling for the place. There was a vitality here that she found invigorating. Out of the chaos, some sense of order was returning, even if people couldn't agree on what to do with it. This was what she was fighting for; the future of her civilization was being decided in these halls as much as it was in the vast battlefields of space.

  Finally the corridors widened and the crowds thinned slightly. There was space to walk abreast, and the noise level dropped enough for them to talk about the finer points of squadron command without having to shout to be heard. Kyp seemed to find a measure of comfort in relatively mundane talk of promising new tactics and pilots. Their ships, like the staff that flew them and maintained them, were showing signs of fatigue. Little repairs had to be constantly performed to ensure they didn't escalate into something more catastrophic fatigue was insidious, be it metal or mental. The principle was the same, she supposed, at all levels of the resistance.

  They eventually came to a door guarded by two Mon Calamari security staff. The guards brought their coral pikes up in a brief salute before guiding them through, Inside, leaning over a wide screen displaying dozens of detailed maps and charts, were Jaina's parents, Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. Standing between them was a tall, dark-complexioned woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Jaina recognized her as a former New Republic Intelligence officer. Also there, just as Kyp had said he would be, was Jag Pel. All looked up when they entered, but it was to Jag that Jaina's attention was drawn.