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It was dark time for the Rebellion.
Not since the destruction of the Caamasi, a race who was a staunch ally of the fledgling movement had the Rebel Alliance suffered such a paralyzing blow to its morale. Across the galaxy, in every rebel stronghold and enclave of pro-resistance forces, the shock and horror was carried like a disease from one person to the other. No one could quite believe it at first but eventually their denial was eroded way and replaced with the unassailable truth that it left its mark upon all those who heard the news. When the reality set into them, it felt as if the strength had been drawn from them like a breath exhaled. The ripples of shock did not merely extend to the rebels but also to the forming alleigances with worlds that had been prepared to join but were now reluctant because the Alliance had shown itself to be weak and vulnerable enough to be penetrated on such a devastating level.
There seemed no end to the ramifications caused by the capture of Mary Travis.
He had not expected to hear anything so far away from the galactic centre. Hidden away in isolation, he had thought himself beyond the reach of galactic events, especially in the middle of the Dune Sea. When he had first visited Tatooine so many years ago, he had not thought much of the place. A dry dust ball on the edge of Republic space, overrun by Hutts and villainy, Tatooine did not have much to recommend itself. However, even news such as the one that was presently being applauded and celebrated over every band of the galactic communications network was capable of penetrating even Tatooine's disinterested populace. He had a few neighbors who considered him something of an eccentric and tended to stay away. Thus he had to content himself with gaining news beyond Tatooine via a small communications console he had tucked away in the small dwelling that had become his home these past three years. It was through this he heard the news of Mary Travis and pondered what to do about it.
In truth, it was not his problem really. He was just a man rapidly gaining reputation as an eccentric and reclusive hermit in the Dune Sea. It was a far cry from the old days when people had called him General Obi-Wan Kenobi though he was never was comfortable with the military appellation. However, the Clone Wars had required the Jedi to choose sides and for once, the Order who had always tried to remain neutral in territorial conflicts found itself joining the throng to fight a battle that would have seen the birth of a new galactic order. In the face of such calamity, the Jedi had no choice but to fight. If only the Jedi had known that they were still on the verge of a new order when it was all said and done, that the danger would not come from the Clone Army but rather closer to home and would them destroyed with almost total efficiency.
He shook such thoughts out of his head because he would only get angry and that rage would twist his insides as it had done Anakin Skywalker. If he were smart, he would remain on Tatooine, maintaining his role as protector of the boy who was now noticing the strange man who sometimes watched him from a distance. Ben's half brother, Owen Lars had told him about it and advised that perhaps it was time Ben decided whether or not he wished to be in Luke's life or retreat even further into the shadows. Despite the fact that he saw so much of Anakin in Luke, Ben knew that the boy's safety depended on his anonymity and though he was acting as guardiann to the young boy, Ben was also his greatest liability. Anyone who came in search of Ben would find Luke and so it was probably a good idea if he distanced himself from the child. Ben had considered leaving Tatooine for a trip, perhaps journey to Alderaan and see how the Anakin's daughter was fairing.
However, now that he had learnt the news about Mary Travis, Ben wondered if it was best served if he went instead to see his old friend Chris Larabee. Ben had been aware just how devastated Chris had been when his wife and child had been taken from him. Ben knew all too well what it was to lose a woman who meant everything. He tried not thinking about Padme in that way but invariably he always did and wished he could forget the sorrow her leaving this world had wrought upon him. However, their relationship had always been distant, more romantic musing wrapped up in years of friendship. It was not a true bonding as Chris' marriage to Sarah had been. Ben had met Sarah and when he saw her and Chris together, it made him sad and envious because that was something he would never have. He accepted that this was destiny, that a higher purpose had been left to him and there were sacrifices that needed making for all to transpire as it should. Nevertheless, he was still happy for Chris.
When Sarah and the child Adam was killed, promise ended before it had a chance to flower, it was as if Chris' soul had been ripped away. Ben noticed it as did every Jedi who happened upon him. The gapping wound of a heart cleaved into two cried out its agony from every corner of the man's psyche and there were moments where Ben had entertained real fears that Chris might give in those agonies and succumb to the power of the dark side. Fortunately, that had not happened. Chris had found himself a new fellowship in the circle of seven and had saved himself as Ben had hoped he would. However, that recovery had also been aided by the presence of Mary Travis. The last time Chris had come to see him, Ben had been able to sense clearly the passionate emotions the Jedi had for the leader of the Territory's rebel cell. Ben had made no mention of it but was secretly pleased that Chris had started to move on with his life. Second chances were a rare thing and he was glad that Chris had sense enough to grab with both hands once it came along.
That is why Ben was almost certain that the capture of Mary would have nothing less than devastated Chris. Could a man survive a love being stolen from him twice? Even Ben could not answer that question and in a universe where the Jedi were quickly becoming extinct, some in the physical sense and others choosing to follow a darker path, Ben could not afford to take the chance. Chris was his friend and these days, Ben simply did not have that many left to squander them. He did not want to face the day when he, Yoda and that child out there on Owen Lar's moisture farm became the last of the Jedi. Even Ben was not jaded enough to bear that. Mary had to be saved, not simply for Chris but also for the Rebellion. Luke could not hope to destroy the Emperor and Vader on his own. The support mechanism had to be there for him to do what was needed and Ben was depending on the Rebellion being that support.
The Rebellion would not survive if it were allowed to lose its members. For the conflict ahead, they would have to endure for years, until they became strong enough to challenge Palpatine's dark regime. Ben had not intended to venture forth from Tatooine on such a dangerous undertaking, not with his young charge still requiring protection. However, fate had taught him one thing after all these years and that was destiny could not be altered even with eternal vigilance. Vader had no idea where his son was and it was highly likely that the dark lord would be searching for his child, not when the Empire was preparing to try Mary Travis for crimes of sedition. The exercise was purely for propaganda value, a show trial that would prove the Empire's invincibility by the death of its enemy's most respected commander. It would demoralize the Rebellion while at the same time convince those who might seek to throw their lot in with the Alliance to think twice.
As it was, ever since Mary's capture, the news reported nothing else but the career and eventual downfall of the rebel hero. They described her victories at Jofa and then the effect of post combat stress that had addled her mind enough to commit treason against the Empire she once staunchly defended. No one who knew what the Empire was capable of believed the stories but the masses that went about their lives on a daily basis, unconcerned with the Empire and its policies, believed and began to be moved by the falsehoods. Inwardly, Ben Kenobi felt something changing in the galaxy. People were forgetting the Old Republic, they were forgetting the ideals for which it had been built and lapsing into a state of indifference where co-existence and mutual need was eroded away for selfish opportunism.
Palpatine had spread this cancer through the galaxy, tainting the Force with its violence and making every Jedi whom still remembered the age of elegance weep for what once was. It would not come again, Ben realised sadly. Not in his lifetime. He had seen his destiny and he knew that he would die before the age of new Jedi Order was born. He could accept it because he knew that his part in making it so, would be pivotal. The saving of Mary Travis was apart of that destiny and Ben knew that he alone could make it happen.
Without even seeing what was transpiring within the walls of the Alliance, he could guess the point currently being argued. It was the same with every politician that he had ever met. They were most likely deciding what was to be done about Mary Travis. They would measure her life in cold statistics and decide that a rescue was too dangerous, that they would risk more than they would gain in her return and therefore deem any plan to do so a less than viable proposition. In an organization composed of former Republic Senators and military officers, the decision by one would push the other to the brink of revolt and with that the Rebellion would crumble.
Palpatine would win without even firing a shot.
Ben had to admire the man's ingenuity. Palpatine had sent out a previously unknown Grand Admiral, whose only failing was that he happened to believe in order above all else and thus had thrown his lot with the Empire. The Grand Admiral had taken Mary completely by surprise because she had not known the caliber of enemy she had been fighting. She surrendered herself it appeared but very little detail was given on how that had come about, only that she had been taken following a devastating attack on the rebel enclave in Wild Space. No doubt the reason for the highly publicized trial on Coruscant was to rub salt in the Alliance's wounds, deepening the rift Ben was certain was almost at critical point.
He did not know whether or not his voice could have any weight behind it to make a difference but he had to try. For the sake of the future, Mary had to be saved.
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The wind howled its icy gale on the barren ice planet of Hoth.
Beyond the walls of the base sometimes used by smugglers as a haven against Imperial ships who might board them and impound their cargo, there was a storm brewing. Subzero temperatures continued their downward spiral, causing a shudder in those who were unaccustomed to its icy breath, each time it dropped another degree. Hoth was possibly one of the most inhospitable planets in the galaxy. Human life could only survive here with a great deal of technology and without it, one would die it the open in less than an hour if not first beset by the large behemoths known as wampas that were known to exist in the arctic landscape. It was with a sense of irony that those who were presently occupying the base were of the opinion that the outside terrain of Hoth was still a great deal more hospitable then the atmosphere within.
It was the single largest gathering of rebels in one place since its formation. The attendees came from all corners the galaxy, representing a dozen races that were usually united in all things regarding the Alliance until now. Leaders present included the original senators who had broken away and during the collapse of the Republic. Mon Mothma, Bel Iblis, Josiah Sanchez and even Bail Organa, the unspoken leader of the Rebel Alliance were present for the meeting. They made up the Alliance Council among others and with them were numerous military commanders from differing departments and a large body of personnel from the rebel cell that was formerly situated in the Siraj system. They had all congregated in this most unwelcoming place in order to discuss the only subject of importance at present; the situation regarding Mary Travis.
Alexandra Styles climbed out of her ship within the hangar bay of the Hoth facility and felt glad that she was wearing a flight suit over her clothes. Despite the climate controls within the base, there was more than enough nip in the air to make her grateful for the extra layers when she pulled back the cockpit canopy and emerged from her ship. Stepping onto the deck, she noted that the hangar was filled to capacity with ships bearing the insignia of virtually every rebel cell in the Alliance. They had come from far and wide to discuss the crisis the Rebel Alliance was presently facing and Alex supposed that she should not be surprised considering her own motives for being here were more or less the same. It had almost been a week now since Mary had been captured and so far nothing had been done. Alex had been under cover in Ryloth when she learnt about Mary's capture and had immediately left her post in order to take part in the rescue operations.
Unfortunately, it was not long after she arrived at the rebel enclave in Ryloth did she hear that there was talk that a rescue might not be possible, that some factions considered that Mary was expendable and not worth the manpower and risk it would take to retrieve her. Alex had ignored such preposterous statements, telling herself that no one could possibly consider letting the Empire have Mary as a good idea. Certainly not the rebels that she had spoke to anyway. In fact a growing number of them, including command level officers had stated their dislike regarding the notion of leaving Mary to the Empire. The sentiment had grown, the closer she neared to Hoth until it appeared the large number of voices who were in favor of the rescue made it appear ridiculous that Alex could have heard anything contrary.
Part of Alex's being here was that she intended to take part in any rescue operation being mounted on Mary's behalf. Mary was her best friend, not to mention the widow of her half brother Stephen. They had been friends since the Academy and weathered professional and personal storms, while managing somehow to maintain that friendship and to some extent, strengthening it. There was nothing Alex would not do for Mary and if that included storming the gates of hell, or in this case Coruscant, then it was a sacrifice Alex would gladly undertake for her friend. Neither she nor the greater majority of the military personnel in the Rebel Alliance was going to allow the Empire to torture, try and then execute their greatest hero.
Not while there was breath in her body.
"Alex!" Vin Tanner called out as Alex made her way out of the hangar deck.
Alex smiled, feeling the first trace of warmth in her body since arriving on Hoth. She hastened her pace to the Jedi apprentice who was the love of her life and met him in a warm embrace that culminated in a passionate kiss. For a few seconds as their bodies intertwined, her arms around his neck, his around her waist and their mouths ravenously exploring each other, it felt as if the universe had paused for a moment to let them enjoy each other briefly. Alex held him close even after they had broken their kiss, feeling each other's warmth in a world whose heart was stone cold. It felt like forever since they had seen each other, not weeks.
"I missed you," Vin responded as he gazed into her soft brown eyes and felt as his soul melting with heat once more.
"I missed you more," she responded.
"Always got to have the last word don't you?" He gave her a look.
"You wouldn't have me any other way," she winked.
Both of them laughed and embraced once more before Vin answered. "No I wouldn't."
Unfortunately, the tender moment could not last because Alex had come here for a reason and Vin would not delay her from it when he knew how important it was to her. As a matter of fact, it was important to all of them.
"You're just in time," Vin said as they both started walking towards the center of the base where the concentration of activity was currently taking place. "They're starting up the meeting. Almost everyone is here."
"Any idea what they're going to do?" Alex asked as she linked her arm through his as they walked through the corridors.
"No," Vin shook his head unhappily. "I get the sense that most of them are still pretty damn shocked by the fact that Mary was captured at all."
Alex let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe it myself."
"I know," Vin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly as he lowered his lips to kiss her hair. "It's been hell on Chris."
Alex could not imagine what it must be like for the Jedi Knight whose love for Mary was so obvious that one had to be blind not to see it. The two were made for each other and Alex knew that Mary's feelings for Chris were just as passionate. Alex was furious at Mary for sacrificing herself as she had but she could also understand what led Mary to do it. In the same position, Alex was uncertain she would not do the same for Vin. She loved him just as much as Mary probably loved Chris and thus the heart sometimes made choices for the body the mind was not entirely in agreement with.
"How is he doing?" Alex asked quietly.
"Not good." Vin responded honestly. She was the first person in whom he could truly confide how fearful he was for his master's well being and his response was an understatement. Chris Larabee's demeanor the past week had been stormy to say the least. Vin was doing everything he could to ensure that Chris did not do something foolish like attempting to rescue Mary on his own. This was hard enough to do considering how the Jedi felt about the lady but it was exacerbated by the fact that there was an open debate being argued between the Alliance Council on whether or not she ought to be rescued. "He's climbing the walls as it is. The only thing that's holding him back from Coruscant is the fact that he's been hurt bad and he knows he can't do anything until he gets better."
In truth, that did not offer Vin much comfort either. When Mary had shot Chris to make good her surrender to the Imperials, it was the only means of being able to do the deed without Chris stopping her. If not for the Jedi healing trance, he would have died from his injuries and even now, the process of recuperating was slow, even with the aid of modern technology. It would be a number of days before Chris would even be fit to leave his bed, let alone take part in any rescue.
"He loves her Vin," Alex met his gaze because that ought to be explanation enough. "He doesn't see anything beyond that."
"I know," Vin agreed, unable to deny that in Chris' position he would have acted any differently but as his friend, Vin had to do what was necessary to save Chris from himself. "I just can't believe they're arguing about the feasibility of whether or not we ought to get her back!" He shook his head in frustration still unable to comprehend that such matter should be debated when their course was so obvious.
"It never fails," Alex growled. "Give bureaucrats a little power and they start doing the military's work for them. It's all politics." The disgust in her voice was clear and without any effort on her part to disguise it.
"If they vote no to saving her," Vin sighed. "I won't be able to stop Chris and I don't think I should."
"It won't come to that," Alex answered, her voice full of steel as she strode forward, eyes front as if she were preparing to engage an enemy from which there would be no retreat until she had come away as the victor. "I won't let it."
The mood in the conference room was decidedly ugly.
Across the length of the table, the voices who spoke for the Rebel Alliance, continued to argue, each word creating more and more emotional ripples from the crowd who had assembled to watch the proceedings. Those presiding over the discussions were members of the Alliance Council, most of which were former Republic senators who had been the instigators in the creation of the Rebellion they were now apart. Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Bel Iblis, Josiah Sanchez and so many others, some who were not represented on the Council because they had not survived the Emperor's butchery to be counted. Their unity and their courage had given birth to hope in the midst of Palpatine's darkness and would be a beacon against oppression for as long as it existed.
Unfortunately, at this precise moment, unity seemed to be a distant memory.
The room had been split into two factions; one side was for the rescue of Mary Travis and the other was against it. The difficulty arising from both points of opposing view was that they were both correct. The military and a good portion of Mary's own personnel were screaming for a rescue mission to be mounted, that the hero of Jofa should not be forced to attend a mock trial whose only outcome could be her execution. The politicians and the bureaucracy were claiming that such an attack would only end in failure owing to Mary's location during her incarceration being no less than Coruscant, Palpatine's bastion of power. To breach the planetary defenses of Coruscant would mean extreme losses, certainly not enough to justify the rescue of one person.
Josiah Sanchez was of the belief that Mary should be rescued, not simply from a military standpoint but from a point of morale. The consequences of Mary's capture could be evidenced from the sharp drop in worlds joining the Rebellion. Her capture had proved how vulnerable they could all be in the face of the Imperial war machine. To the Council, he had argued all these points most empathetically except the one which held most truth for him; that he could not allow her, the woman who was like a daughter to him and might have been in another life, die at the hands of the Empire. He had known her all her life and at this moment, she was the heart of rebel pride. Each victory she secured in battle, had been one more triumph that a rag tag fleet of ships from worlds suffering under the yoke of tyranny, could dare to reach for freedom. Josiah did not want to see that precious young woman die. He could not imagine it. He had promised her father a long time ago that he would protect her and he had, long after the man himself had shed the mortal cloak.
Now they were debating whether or not she should be sacrificed and it was all Josiah could do from screaming out in fury, waving his first and telling that that this was wrong, in every conscionable way. They could not let her be sacrificed for anything. Unfortunately, he was bound by his oath to act as a member of a Council to be at least civil in his manner while debating so emotional a subject. He tried to be the voice of reason among the growing unrest in the military and like the others, Bail Organa in particular, he could see that it would only take a match to ignite an already incendiary issue.
"It is madness!" Councilor Feylar of the Bothans declared passionately, his fur twitching on his face.
A roar filled the room that eclipsed all the angry voice who reacted to that statement. The growl came from Tula, a wookie who had been rescued by Mary Travis in the Corporate Sector and now owed a life debt to the rebel leader. Tula who stood well above any human bared her teeth in fury, voicing her outrage most articulately even it if escaped her in a furious roar. It was a sentiment shared by all those present. Feylar seemed to cringe in his seat as the Wookie rumbled in annoyance at his statement.
"We cannot simply let them have her!" Nathan spoke up, patting the large female's fur covered russet arm, attempting to calm her lest she did anything to Feylar that would require his head being detached from his body. "She's our leader! She's come through for us on more occasions than we can count! Plus, she knows this Alliance intimately! The information she could provide....."
"Has been made useless," Mon Mothma, an elegant human female remarked. Although she was relatively young when she was made a senator, Mon Mothma had shown her mettle by standing firm against the Emperor. While she was at heart a politician, she showed remarkable compassion in these proceedings even if she stood opposed to a rescue mission. "Mary knew the risks, as do all of us. Capture is always a possibility. As soon as we learnt of her capture, we moved to minimise the danger by removing all our operatives who might be compromised by Mary's knowledge. At the moment, there is very little the Empire can garner from Mary that will be a danger to us."
"So we're going to leave her to dry!" Someone shouted.
"We have no choice!" Feylar cried out. "You are speaking about mounting an assault on Coruscant! We are not prepared for that! It will be years before we can even consider such a move and we would cripple ourselves attempting it!"
"We have to try something!" Buck Wilmington cried out. "Goddamn it! She's one of us! We can't let them have her! If Mary can be taken, what does it say for the rest of us?"
"Its says that we think with our heads and not our hearts." Bel Iblis, the intelligence commander of the Rebellion answered. "Captain," Iblis said with a sigh. "Mary is more than just one of us, she is my friend as well and I despise the notion of sacrificing her as much as you do, but rescuing her is impossible. She is being held on Coruscant. Even if we manage to produce a fleet capable of engaging the defenses around the planet, we would never be able to land. The planetary defense grid will be activated the minute we are detected."
"What about a covert entry?" This came from Rayne. The handmaiden and bodyguard of Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan had taken the opportunity to see Nathan Jackson by acting as Bail's protector during this conference. Considering the ill feeling presently in the room, Rayne was glad she had decided to come and keep watch on the Alderaanian leader. The tension was almost reaching boiling point and she could sense that things were fast coming to a head.
"Impossible," Feylar retorted. "The moment any attempt is made to breach the walls of the facility that Travis is currently imprisoned, all stations would be alerted to your presence and the planetary defenses will fall into place. The entire planet will be secured with no ships being allowed to depart and any who attempt to escape would be shot out of the sky."
"What if we disabled the grid?" Casey Wells asked and immediately drew the attention of everyone to the young girl who was now somewhat concerned that voicing her opinion might not have been as wise an idea as initially thought. Casey's eyes met Josiah nervously, apologizing with her frightened gaze that she had spoken out of no disrespect to him but rather a genuine need to help.
"You are dreaming," Feylar declared glaring at the young woman. "And you are a child. We are talking about one of the most impregnable computer mainframes in the galaxy."
"Councilor," Josiah turned his eyes at Feylar with a look of warning about directing any further condescending remarks at his niece. "Let us hear what she has to say before we dismiss her." Josiah threw a brief glimpse at Casey who was beaming at him at standing up for her.
"I agree," Bail Organa answered coolly. The Alderaanian leader had known enough young women who had shown their mettle in his lifetime to know that they should never be brushed aside. "Go on."
"Well," Casey swallowed thickly, clad that JD was by her side as felt the eyes of so many boring into her, waiting for her response. "The planetary defenses are safeguarded by computer controls using a sophisticated encryption program. Now the program is formidable and it is capable of fending off any slicer intrusions but it was created using the base configuration for all Imperial codes. I think that once we break into this base, it will be a simple matter of worming our way through the rest of the system."
"Have you actually succeeded in doing this?" Feylar asked skeptically.
"Not exactly," Casey answered. "I have been able to break other Imperial codes using this method. I think I will be able to do the same for Coruscant's planetary defenses."
"You think?" Feylar gloated scornfully. "Are we to risk lives on your speculation? This becomes more pointless as the discussion continues," Feylar looked to the others present. "I admire and respect Commander Travis as much as any person in this room but I think we must face facts that she is lost to us. We cannot rescue her when all we have is blustering military ignorance and half thought speculations from children!"
"Feylar that is enough!" Mon Mothma snapped angrily because the proceedings were already at a crisis point without Feylar's thoughtlessness making things worse. Unfortunately, it was too late. The floor broke into a loud noise of protest and anger at the man's worse and Mon Mothma wondered if the Bothans would ever cease to be a source of consternation for the Council. If not for the fact that they were the best intelligence gatherers in the galaxy, Mon Mothma would have advocated their removal from the Council since they seemed to relish confrontation. "Please calm down!" She tried vainly to bring order to the room and found herself about to give up in sheer frustration.
It took a few seconds before some semblance of order was brought to bear and for a few awkward senses, a pause moved through the room as opposing factions considered how they might try to solve the impasse they had reached.
"This is completely unacceptable!" Alexandra Styles cried out, unable to remain silent in the face of what she had just heard a moment ago. "Are you telling me that we're just going to give up on Mary because the Council is too spineless to take a few risks?"
"Alex, it's not that simple," Josiah argued, appreciating how Alex felt about the matter since she was the closest thing Mary had to family at this time. "The risks are great. I want Mary back too but we have to consider what we want is even possible."
"How can you do that?" Alex stared at him and the member behind the table with challenge. "You haven't even thought about it! All I hear is how impossible it is! We are aware of how difficult it would be, that was never in doubt but you won't even try to see a possible solution. You're so bogged down by statistics and the almighty risk factor that nothing else has been given consideration. Half of you are worried about morale and the other half about how badly we're going to be down on resources if we fail! Well the only thing we care about is Mary!"
"That's not fair," Josiah retorted. "You know that is not my view." Unfortunately, his words gave her much proof that it was.
"I know that you are torn Josiah," Alex said softly. "I know that you wish to help Mary as much as we do but you're bound by politics and words and we can't afford to rely on you to do what's right."
"Alex," Vin started to speak in Josiah's defense because the senator's face was etched in visible sorrow at the truth of her words. However, Alex ignored him because she was far from through with the Alliance Council.
"So this is how it is," Alex stared at the Council, taking a step forward and making certain that there would be no mistaking what she was preparing to do. "We will not allow the Empire to execute Mary Travis. We won't rush blindly into a rescue mission and we will think carefully about how we are going to do it before hand. However, we expect the Council's full backing on this."
"On whose authority Commander?" Feylar reacted predictably.
"On the authority of every soldier in this Rebellion who will stand with me in this mission." Alex returned, having faced far more terrors in her life to ever be intimidated by someone like Feylar. "If you do not agree to do this, we will carry on without you. We will not stand by and let them slaughter one of our very best without lifting a finger to help her."
"That is mutiny!" Feylar declared as the rest of the room began shouting their approval of Alex's stance.
"Maybe it is!" Alex shouted back and brought silence to crowd. "But we are the ones out there Councilor. We are the ones whose blood is spilled. We do so because we think that we are fighting for the ideals of the Republic and for a future where all of us can live in harmony. We say we are better than the Empire, that what we stand for will paved a future of peace in the galaxy. We are willing to die for this but if we see this Alliance sacrificing lives for the good of the state then what we fight for is meaningless. We won't have to fight the Empire, we ought to be joining them because we'll be no different!"
"Hear hear!" Buck Wilmington shouted in agreement and behind him were even more voices that soon filled the room until there was nothing but a loud roar that that drowned out all other sound. The Council members exchanged anxious glasses, aware that their people had spoken and in some ways the words of the Commander had sunk in deeper than it should.
"What do you think will happen?" JD Dunne, who was standing next to Casey and Ezra Standish, asked the newly appointed commander of Mary's rebel cell.
"I think they have a great deal of thinking too," Ezra shouted back. "They risk the Rebellion splintering over this issue."
"There is a way through Coruscant's defenses!" Casey declared. "I know there is."
"I tend to agree but it would require much more planning than anyone has so far given thought," Ezra responded. "Of that Commander Styles is quite correct. The Council has been so preoccupied by whether or not a rescue mission ought to be launched, they have not considered whether or not it could."
"They seem to think it's impossible." JD's voice lowered as the roar began to dissipate.
"It requires a little sleight of hand and a good deal of luck," Ezra responded. He had been thinking about a rescue plan ever since he had time to settle into the seat of Mary's command. Although he had spent the last week directing the establishment of the rebel base in Jofa, Ezra had spent some time to thinking up a possible scenario mostly because it helped keep up his own hopes that Mary was not lost forever. His plan had the merit of never being tried as well as being more than a little audacious. He never considered that that it would ever see light of day since he was also certain in his belief that the Rebellion would never abandon Mary Travis to the Emperor. However, it was now becoming increasingly apparent that no one had given the matter serious thought and considering the time factor involved, any attempt to rescue Mary would have to take place soon.
"Alex is stirring up a rancor's nest," Nathan Jackson declared coming next to his friend.
"It requires stirring my friend," Ezra replied. "She has merely voiced the opinion of most of us and those in the Council who presume to give us the orders ought to know; that there are people under their command who will not follow bad leadership as those in Palpatine's regime have done. We did not join the Rebellion risking our lives and our families for an organization that is no better that the Empire. The Alliance's strength has always been its people and without a unified voice willing to fight together and if necessary die together, there is no point to the exercise."
"I guess so," Nathan nodded, agreeing with Ezra even though he felt comfortable about being party to challenging the Council in this manner.
"May I speak?" Someone spoke up with enough clarity to slice through the rumble of voices echoing throughout the room.
Immediately, everyone turned their attention to the mysterious figure whom had appeared amongst them and was clearing a path to the Council table as he moved through the crowd. Vin Tanner broke through the crowd, sensing the man's presence a good deal longer than his first appearance and paused when he and the stranger came into eye contact. Everyone watched transfixed as the Jedi apprentice nodded slightly in the direction of the cloaked figure, almost as if Vin was acknowledging him in a greeting. Still hidden by the hood of his cloak, the man assumed so because of his voice, continued through the wall of bodies that were giving way for him. Vin fell behind him, remaining just out of reach of the cloak trailing the floor as he reached the Council member's and lowered his hood.
Bail Organa stood up first. "Ben?" The man's face was almost a grin.
"General Kenobi." Mon Mothma exclaimed with just as much shock.
The name of Obi Wan Kenobi moved through the crowd like wildfire and those who did not know him were soon filled in by those who did. The man's reputation alone was enough to command absolute silence in the conference room. Bail Organa seemed inordinately pleased to see the Jedi Master and his pleasure showed in his face. There was an atmosphere of awe throughout the room that seemed to quell the heated emotions that had inspired such fierce debate a short time ago. Vin found himself wondering why Ben was here although he supposed there would be time to talk to the man about it when he was done with the Council. Inwardly, he was also somewhat grateful that Ben was here because Ben could help him deal with an increasingly hostile Chris Larabee.
"Its good to see you again Bail," Ben said with genuine pleasure.
"Likewise General," Bail answered, a little more composed after his initial surprise at seeing his old friend again. "What can brings you here?"
Bail's question was taut and those who did not understand the secret shared between a select few would have wondered at its intensity considering a moment ago Bail had treated the Jedi Master like an old friend. However, Vin knew that Bail's anxiety had to do with any possible threat to the Skywalker twins. Bail's beloved daughter, Leia was Anakin Skywalker's child. At the moment, Darth Vader combed the galaxy searching for a son, with no knowledge that he had been father to twins and also had a daughter.
"I came because of Mary Travis." Ben said after a moment, giving the audience who was listening to his every word with charged anticipation. "I was going to offer my assistance in her rescue. I had assumed that there would be one." He released a disappointed sigh. "I am grieved to see that I was wrong."
"We were weighing the risks," Feylar spoke, taking a somewhat respectful tone that was a far cry from his earlier arrogance.
"The Councilor was of the opinion that one woman was not worth the sacrifice." Vin could not resist adding and took a great deal of pleasure in seeing Feylar's furry ears flatten with embarrassment.
"Truly?" Ben turned a cold eye towards the man. "Perhaps you would not be so quick to make that statement if it were your life that hung in the balance. Had it occurred to you that perhaps the rescue of Mary Travis from Coruscant would show the galaxy that you are a force to be reckoned with and that the Emperor is not so powerful that he cannot be defied?"
"No," Josiah admitted, having never met General Kenobi even though he knew the legendary Jedi master by reputation. He could see the changing opinions of the Council members with the man's presence and was thankful that something had tipped the balance in favor of a rescue. It was more than he had been able to do. "We feared that there would be too many risks."
"There was a time when the Jedi was willing to sacrifice one of us who fell to the dark side." Ben said softly. "We could not help him and we should have. We gave up on him and he became lost to us far worse than any one of us has been lost in a thousand years. The result was the destruction of the Jedi and the end of the Old Republic. Do not ever be foolish enough to think that one person may not be important enough to risk everything. The result may have consequences you may not be able to live with."
Bail's eyes grew dark and Vin knew that he understood Ben was referring to Anakin.
"Yes," Bail nodded. "You are right of course Ben. She must be saved."
Vin let out a sigh of relief that was shared with everyone who had fought for Mary's survival. For the first time in days, he finally had some good news to bring to Chris Larabee.
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Chris Larabee did not know how long he could endure being trapped to this infernal bed but he knew it would not be for very much longer. His patience had been eroding away steadily during the last week and despite Vin Tanner's valiant efforts to keep him in place, Chris knew that he was fighting a losing battle with his instincts. Each moment that passed was another second closer to his worse nightmare unfolding; that Mary Travis would die with the mental connection between them still intact, giving Chris an excruciating view into the last moments of her life when she was finally executed. Chris lived in fear of that and its intensity was growing because inside him, he could feel every Mary's feelings even if they were distant inside his mind. He knew that wherever she was, she was terribly afraid and though they could not communicate, he was able to sense something of what was happening to her at this time.
What he did not voice to Vin, what he could not tell anyone because it would only worsen the situation and probably give them reason to keep him under guard out of fear of what he might do; was that he could sense Mary under torture. He could feel her agonies in his mind and it tore at the fabric of him. It was all he could do from leaving his bed in order to go to her rescue but Vin had been right unfortunately; he was in no position to attempt anything as ambitious as a rescue plan, not in his present condition. If he were to do that, the end result would be his own death and while that was not a consequence that worried him terribly, the fact that he would be unable to help Mary because of it, did. Therefore, Chris has come to the begrudging realization that no matter how difficult it was, he had to endure because in her private hell she was doing the same.
He had been languishing on board the Angel of Mercy for the last week, ever since Vin had brought him here for treatment. Ezra had been using the ship as his primary mode of transport since being given Mary's command. Chris was certain that part of the reason Ezra had used this ship to make the rendezvous on Coruscant was to allow him the chance to remain close to the proceedings deciding Mary's fate instead of being left behind on Jofa. Chris was grateful to commander's efforts and also somewhat pleased that Ezra had taken his new posting as a means to further protect the people Mary had sacrificed her life for. Command suited Ezra well and the ability that Chris always thought him capable was now a beacon of reassurance in the wake of Thrawn's devastating attack and Mary's loss. If Chris were not feeling such personal anguish, he would have been singularly proud of Ezra.
However for the moment, his thoughts were focussed on a familiar presence in the vicinity. At first Chris could not believe it and thought he might have been mistaken but there were some things which could not be anything else other than what it was and the presence of his old friend was one of those. He had never thought he would see Ben Kenobi again after his last visit to Tatooine because Ben had more or less stated he would remain at the side of Anakin's child, protecting the boy. It perplexed Chris why Ben had made the trip here but he could not deny that it would be good to see the Jedi Master once more. Perhaps, Ben could give him the focus needed to rescue Mary for his emotions were too heated at the moment and as much as he feared losing her to the Empire, he also feared failing her when it counted the most.
He sensed both Ben and Vin the moment they returned to the Angel of Mercy, following their attendance at the conference below. Chris was not concerned about what the outcome would be regarding the decision to save or abandon Mary Travis. It did not concern him because no matter how things were decided, he was still going to save Mary, with or without the support of the Rebellion. Fortunately, he sensed that things had not gone that way and that Ben's presence would change things significantly. Chris was hardly surprised; General Obi-Wan did not come out of obscurity for any trifling matter. He was one who had the power to shape the future of the galaxy and someone like Bail Organa recognized that. They were each the contemporary of one another. Bail like Ben, had a sacred duty and that was the protection of the Skywalker twins.
Inwardly, Chris was grateful to his old friend for coming all this way and lending his voice to the proceedings. Although Chris would have rescued Mary without the Rebellion's help if the vote had fallen that way, he preferred to have their resources because it would ensure his success. No matter how determined he was to save Mary, he had to acknowledge that freeing her would not be easy, not when she was being held in the highest security prison in Coruscant known rather appropriately as the Fortress. He also knew that Ezra had something of a plan in mind. During the occasions when Ezra had drawn breath enough to gain some time from his duties and visit him, Chris had been able to sense Ezra's thoughts and the genuine desire to help. The plan; which Chris did not know the complete specifics of because he would not intrude entirely upon Ezra's thought, seemed to be a work in progress. Perhaps now that a decision was made to save Mary, they would learn what it entailed exactly.
If it came from Ezra, it was bound to be something of a gamble.
Chris did not have long to wait before he felt Ben's presence enter the room he was presently occupying. Vin came with him and for the first time in a week, did Chris feel something remotely resembling hope again. Chris sat up in his in anticipation of their arrival, being able to feel their approach the moment they boarded the ship. As Ben stepped into the room, Chris noted that he seemed older. Although his beard made him look further along his years than he was, the age was mostly telling in his eyes. Chris supposed that Ben had known heartache almost as much as he did and that kind of pain left its mark upon the psyche, despite the best attempts of hope to stave it back.
"The Force is with you Chris." Ben spoke first.
"And with you Ben." Chris answered neutrally. "You're a long way from Tatooine."
"I thought I'd take a little trip," Ben said with a smile. "See what's happening in the rest of the universe."
"It s a good thing he did," Vin added. "Things were about to get pretty ugly at the Council until he stepped in and spoke up for Mary."
"The bureaucratic mentality never ceases to surprise me," Chris grumbled, aware of what would have been transpiring.
"That's what Alex said," Vin remarked with a slight smile, realizing that he was a novice when it came to the world of politics and after what he had been forced to sit through the past few days, he would prefer if it continued to remain a mystery to him.
"They are mostly afraid." Ben said to the younger man. "Afraid of losing more to the Empire then they already have."
"Unfortunately, their fear almost cost them Mary." Chris returned bitterly, having no sympathies for anyone who was prepared to abandon her to the Empire. He supposed his perception was biased for he knew Josiah Sanchez had much difficulty in remaining neutral in this debate since he wanted Mary saved just as much as the rest of the seven.
"The decision has been made however," Ben stated. "Now they are debating on how it is to be done exactly."
"Ezra knows how." Chris responded without thinking twice. "I've seen it inside his head. He has been thinking up a plan since he took command and I think it will work."
"You sure?" Vin stared at his master. Ezra's thoughts were hard for him to discern because the man was always so guarded. Vin had thought that it was a by-product of being such a superb sabaac player but once Vin had become more familiar with the man, he realized that it was not the reason at all. His solitary nature had to do with the personality at the core of him. Ezra had spent his whole life protecting himself from those who thought less of him that his thoughts had been formed in much the same way. Vin, who knew a little about solitude and the masks one wore, could empathize with him and thus made no attempt to intrude on the privacy of his thoughts.
"Ezra is." Chris said confidently even though he did not know the specifics of the plan that Ezra had conjured secretly inside his mind.
Ben did not comment, instead his eyes met Chris and he brought to light an even bigger difficulty. "We have another problem if we are to attempt to breach Coruscant."
Chris knew precisely what he meant and it was something the Alliance had not considered and it was just as well for it would only panic them further to be faced with this on top of the already Herculean task of attempting to rescue Mary from Coruscant. However, as Jedis, there was no escaping it. "Vader." Chris declared.
Vin's eyes shot up immediately and he stiffened involuntarily as tendrils of fear ran up his spine at the invocation of the Sith Lord's name. "Vader?"
"He stays close to the Emperor when he isn't doing Palpatine's dirty work," Ben spoke with more than a hint of bitterness in his voice. There would be a part of the Jedi Master that would always think that he had failed his apprentice, especially when he was forced to speak the name of Vader, the name Anakin had taken for himself when he became Palpatine's creature. Taking on the persona had destroyed everything than Anakin Skywalker had stood for and all he had meant to Obi-Wan Kenobi. "If we attempt to land on Coruscant, Vader will almost certainly detect us."
"It will complicate any rescue attempt, that's for certain." Chris agreed with Ben's grim assessment of the situation.
"Well can't we get him off planet?" Vin suggested. "I mean the man is absolutely fanatical about finding his son. Can't we use that? I mean obviously we do not give him any information about where Luke really is but just a hint of something that will send him on a wild goose chase that will allow us the opening we need to get into Coruscant without his detecting us."
"It's a risk," Ben remarked, unable to deny that he was apprehensive about any plan that required Luke being used as bait for his father but he supposed that as a ploy to lure Vader away from Coruscant, it had a good chance of succeeding. Besides, Ben intended to see that any information slipped to Vader would be as far removed from Tatooine as possible. He did not want Vader stumbling blindly into his son's life by sheer accident.
"But it's worth a try." Chris replied, aware that Ben had an idea of his own on how to keep Vader occupied while they penetrated Coruscant and Chris was unwilling to let the venerated Jedi Master to attempt such a dangerous undertaking. As much as it was necessary for Vader to be dealt with, not even for Mary was Chris willing to let Obi-Wan make that kind of sacrifice.
"Well if we leave it to the Council, nothing will ever get down and we don't have a great deal of time." Chris retorted. He paused a moment, daring to confide in the two men what he did not want to tell anyone else even though he suspected on some level they must have known that it was possible. "They're torturing her."
"Bastards." Vin hissed under his breath while Ben's expression seemed to get darker. "I'm sorry Chris." The apprentice spoke after a moment, unable to imagine what else to say in the face of that revelation. If it were Alex, he would be tearing the ship apart right not out of sheer helplessness. As it was Vin was rather amazed by Chris' restraint. It was more than he thought the Jedi capable in the face of such news. "How bad is it?" He ventured to ask.
"I don't know," Chris responded, his gaze unable to meet their because if he did, they would know just how much this was tearing him inside. "I can feel her pain. It screams out at me but I know she's holding firm. I can sense the determination in her not to give in. I know her," he swallowed, feeling his voice fracture as he said the words that seemed so unimaginable escaped his lips. "She won't break. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction and they'll damn near kill her trying to get what she knows."
"She'll survive Chris," Ben patted him on the shoulder. "She's a strong woman."
"I know," Chris sighed, crushing all that emotion into a tight bowl and secreting it somewhere deep inside his mind so that he was able to function and be of some help to her. If he allowed the horror of what was happening to her into his heart, he would lose all coherence and that was the last thing Mary needed right now. To help her, he had to harden his heart. "I'm just afraid that they'll kill her if they can't break her."
"We've got time," Vin spoke quickly, not wishing to give Chris reason to lose hope. "They need her for their show trial and that's not scheduled to take place for a few days more. They have to keep her alive for that much longer."
Chris absorbed all this, feeling stronger because of Vin's support and also by Ben's presence here. He knew what he had to do and brooding about how things had come to this point was not productive. If he wanted to ever know Mary's touch in his arms again, he would have to stop thinking like her lover and start being the Jedi Knight she had fallen in love with in the first place. He had waited for the Council to make a choice for her life and though they had finally reach the decision he needed them to make, it had only come after Ben Kenobi's timely intervention. He would wait for them no more on this matter. If Mary were to be saved, then he would have to set the machinery for her freedom in motion himself. He was not fully recovered yet but he was better than he had been and if he meditated and took care, he would be healed enough to be do what was needed.
"Vin," Chris sat up straighter in his bed and faced his friend with a new resolve. "I want you to get everyone together. Bring them here. We need to show the Council that we have a way of breaching Coruscant and retrieving Mary. They won't make a move unless someone has a suggestion that won't cost more lives than necessary. So we're going to need to hear Ezra's plan before we can bring them something tangible."
"I'm on it," Vin responded and he was smiling. Despite the fact that Mary's life still hung in the balance and Chris' emotions were still intensely troubled concerning her fate, the Jedi was pulling himself together. However, it was more than just recovering from her loss and being invigorated by the task to retrieve her but rather the fact that he was focussed and in control of himself. This was the Chris Larabee that Vin Tanner knew, the man Vin would follow into hell itself if required. In this case, hell was Coruscant and it seems they were about to storm its gates.
What the hell, Vin thought to himself. You got to die sometime.
It was the first time in a week that all seven had been together since the attack on the Siraj base. The fallout from the attack had scattered them in all directions as they all scrambled to be of assistance in the aftermath of the destruction. Vin had spent most of his time ensuring that Chris remained at his bedside and not be any more cause of trouble to the already beleaguered medical staff on board the Angel of Mercy. Buck had also remained on the ship, wanting to remain close to Louisa Perkins while she was recovering from her own injuries sustained during the attack. He and Vin alternated their bedside vigil with running brief errands for the establishment of the new undersea base in Jofa. Meanwhile Josiah was spending most of his time communicating with the Jofan tribes he had managed to contact. Although the Jofans agreed to allow the rebels the use of their platforms and eventually one of their damaged oceanic pavilions, they were still somewhat cautious of the new arrivals. Considering their previous experiences, it was to be expected. Josiah continued to act as liaison, aiding both parties through the difficult process of learning to trust one another.
JD Dunne had also been just as busy but his involvement was acting mostly as pilot. In the past week, JD estimated he had acquired a great deal more flying experience then he had in a months, ferrying supplies back and forth, transporting personnel and ships to the platform that would be their temporary base before the pavilions were repaired and ready for use. Through all the chaos that had been created in the wake of Mary's loss and Thrawn's devastating attack, the one stabilizing factor that brought some semblance of order to the proceedings was Ezra Standish. With Nathan Jackson at his side, Ezra showed everyone that he was more than just a dilettante commander of some forgotten outpost, who spent the majority of his time taking the locals for everything they had in his masterfully played sabaac games.
Now they were all gathered here, their best hope for rescuing Mary fell once again at Ezra's feet though at the moment he was unaware of the fact. Among the gathering of seven were a few other faces, who were as trusted as the fellowship and considered friends. Alexandra Styles, Inez Recillos, Casey Wells, Rayne, the Wookie Tula and not to mention, Ben Kenobi. As Chris saw them all before him, he knew that however this plan went, those in the room would play the greatest part in its undertaking.
"What's up Chris?" Buck inquired, pleased to see his old friend in better shape than he was a week ago.
Although Chris had made his apologies to Buck about his behavior when Buck had tried to stop Chris from leaving his sick bed, the Jedi Knight still felt ashamed of himself. Buck had taken his apologies as he always did, with a shrug and so much understanding that Chris often wondered why Buck was not Jedi. He certainly had more empathy than most beings Chris had come across in his travels. "I hear the Council has relented to allowing an escape plan to be mounted."
"Yes," Alex said sourly. "After things almost reached breaking point." She tried not to look at Josiah as she said that but could feel the senator stiffening uncomfortably.
"Chris you know that the Council has to be ruthless to be effective sometimes," Josiah spoke up for himself and his fellow Councilors. "I want Mary back as much as you do."
"Of course you do," Alex responded. "I'm sorry Josiah, I didn't mean to infer that you didn't." She offered him a look of apology at her rash words, an action for which Vin rewarded her by affectionately encircling her shoulder with his arm.
"I know," Josiah replied, appreciating all to well the heated emotions that were going through everyone at this time. "I don't feel any different."
"The reason I brought you all here," Chris announced after the duo had come to their mutual understanding, "is because Ezra has a plan to get Mary out."
All eyes turned to the startled commander of the Jofan rebel cell and for a minute Ezra seemed genuinely off balanced, something he was not accustomed to being. It took him merely a second to compose himself again but in Ezra time, that was an eternity. Staring at Chris, the commander sucked in his breath before speaking. "I hate mindreaders," he grumbled.
"I didn't mind read," Chris said with a little smile. "I just got the impression you had a plan in your head that might just work."
"Do you?" Nathan stared at his best friend. "Do you have an idea on how we could get to her?"
Ezra shrugged uncomfortably because he had been merely composing the scheme inside his head the way one would toy with a pet theory. However, this was not some pleasurable past time, this was danger on a scale that was difficult to measure and the lives that would be lost if he were wrong were his closet friends. He would have balked at the suggestion of allowing anyone to hear it if was for not only tiny, middling detail that he simply could not ignore and that was the fact that he knew it could work.
"I have an idea," he glared a little at Chris for forcing to bring this theory of his into the open, "of how we could breach Coruscant's aerial defenses."
"How?" Buck asked, perfectly aware of how many ship they were taking about here. This included a phalanx of star destroyers, not to mention Vader's own ship, the Avenger. There were air borne batteries that would shoot down any ship attempting to invade Coruscant's air space if in the rare event there were no warships in the vicinity.
Ezra swallowed hard and told them.
"By the Force!" Alex exclaimed.
"You're insane!" Nathan found himself saying because the whole idea was beyond lunacy.
"But it could work." Buck replied, grinning. "Damn it Nathan it could work!" The pilot cried out enthusiastically while the rest of Ezra's audience was still reeling from the possibilities.
"I think your friend is right," Ben Kenobi added staring at Ezra with a little smile of confidence because he was the strongest Jedi in the room and he could sense the anxiety coming from the man better than even Chris or Vin.
"About Ezra being insane or that it could work?" Vin asked with a completely straight face.
"Both." Ben chuckled. "It will require Alliance co-operation." Ben glanced at Josiah in particular, attempting to gauge what the Council might think of Ezra's plan from Josiah's reaction to it.
"It is risky," Josiah drawled in response a moment later. "However, it also has the merit of never being tried before. The Council might go for it but its going to take a lot of execution and resources."
"Not necessarily," Alex spoke up. "Sluis Van is one of our supporters. I'm sure they could spare a few old cruisers. Remember, these ships only need to be space worthy enough to get to Coruscant by hyperspace."
"That doesn't explain how we're going to get to the surface." Nathan pointed out. As much confidence as he had in Ezra, his suggestion reeked of insanity. Nathan was not even sure Mary would even consider such a thing if their roles were reversed. "Ezra's idea will keep them distracted but not enough for us to pass the planetary defenses undetected."
"I can do that!" Casey spoke up exuberantly. "I know I can. I just need to work on it."
"Casey you need to be very sure," Chris gave the girl a look, knowing that she truly believed what she said but even belief could not alter a fact if it were untrue. "Us getting to Mary alive depends on it."
"I would not suggest it if I wasn't sure Chris," Casey responded and shifted her gaze at Josiah. "Honest Uncle Josiah," she implored him to support her in this.
"If Casey says she can manage this," Josiah finally answered a few minutes, "I believe her."
"Okay," Chris smiled at her, showing Casey his faith in her. "However, we should make an attempt to lower the grid momentarily before the actual rescue attempt to see if it was possible. We don't want to get everyone in place and find out that it doesn't work."
"Absolutely not!" Josiah's reaction was almost immediate. Agreeing to Casey's ability was one thing but allowing her to go Coruscant was something else entirely.
"Uncle Josiah!" Casey cried out in exasperation. "I have to go to Coruscant to lower the defense grid, it can't be done any other way!"
"No," Josiah was already shaking her head. "You have no idea how dangerous this is."
"Casey I gotta agree with Josiah on this," JD spoke up, taking unexpected sides with Josiah on this matter. He cared about Casey a great deal and had no wish to see her in such a dangerous place where she would be beyond help if captured.
"I know the both of you care," Casey said firmly as she looked hard at both JD and Josiah with a voice not quite her own as she stated her case before them. "I do know the risks and I'm willing to take them. I'm not a child any more and both of you can't keep protecting me. I am a member of the Rebel Alliance and in becoming a member I have to deal with dangers the same as anyone else."
"Casey...." JD started to protest.
"JD she's right," Josiah found himself saying and hoped he was not making a terrible mistake. "She's not a child any more and I most of all, have to let her go. Alright Casey, I appreciate you have to go to Coruscant but it may not be possible to smuggle you through Imperial checkpoints." He met his niece's eyes so that she would see that his statement was not borne out of some attempt to protect her but rather genuine knowledge of the facts.
"I can get her though," Alex stated firmly. "I have the freedom to move about Coruscant without suspicion."
"Even now?" Vin looked at her with concern. "With Mary on Coruscant, they would have tightened up security."
"They would," Alex nodded in agreement. "But I have clearances that will get us past all that. Not enough to breach the facility where Mary is held but enough to let us move around the city without drawing attention."
"You will need assistance," Rayne responded. "I also have a certain amount of immunity playing the part of Senator Organa's bodyguard. If something were to go wrong, then we will need an alternate means of escape. I have diplomatic clearance as member of House Organa. Even Imperial troops will be reluctant to search my ship if I attempted to leave Coruscant."
"Rayne are you sure about this?" Nathan asked, not liking the idea of Rayne risking her life but then he supposed they all were and she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
"Mary Travis saved the Princess when we were in trouble Nathan Jackson," Rayne returned smoothly. "I will repay that debt."
Tula let out a string of low pitched growls, the Wookie equivalent of language. Josiah listened to her carefully before turning his gaze to Alex. "It looks like you might have another passenger."
"That would work," Alex agreed with it readily enough. If they were to get into trouble, a Wookie was a formidable ally to have. "Unfortunately, Wookies are now considered slave material. We would have to produce false papers but it can be managed. Besides," Alex gave Tula a grateful nod. "I know that Tula feels she has a life debt to pay to Mary for saving her and her people from Black Sun."
"Which leaves us," Chris stated.
"Any ideas on how we are getting in?" Vin inquired. It was one thing for Alex and Rayne to slip Casey into Coruscant. Casey was not as marked for capture as they were. There was no way they could remain at large on Coruscant for any period of time. No doubt, the Empire would be expecting them to make an attempt at rescue and the local authorities would no doubt know their faces.
"I have no idea." Chris responded unhappily but added with determination in his voice. "For the moment."
He did not intend for the answer to remain elusive for too long. For Mary's sake, he would not let it.
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Water.
She could hear its trickling sound gaining momentum around her and wondered for a second where she was and how she had come to be here. Her memory on this point was rather foggy and as she searched for some recollection beyond the moment, she was rewarded with images that surfaced in her mind in brief flashes. Images of her life filled her, dark times and good ones intermingling in the paradoxical blend that was her existence. She saw her son and she saw the husband she had conceived him with die, she watched new friends replacing the old, and she saw death on a scale that was immeasurable and the life of her child in her arms. They swirled in on her with such speed and intensity that for a second; everything else was driven from a mind as she struggled to put form to all the images she was seeing. However, the ability to do so eluded her and soon they all drained away into oblivion like the water she could hear behind her.
Mary Travis blinked and found herself standing on the floor of a courtyard. She looked around and knew immediately where she was. Her heart started pounding as the familiar surroundings of the Central Pavilion began to take shape. Mary felt sweat starting to glisten on her skin as her frightened eyes swept across the place. It appeared as it had years ago, when the Jofan society was at the height of its civilization. She remembered how beautiful it had been before the Massacre, a shining example of coexistence and galactic unity. Knowing that she had been a party to its destruction had changed her whole life. After that, she had joined the Rebel Alliance and despite all the good she had tried to accomplish, despite all the lives she attempted to save, none of that had been able to wash from her hands the blood that had been spilled at Jofa.
She looked around and saw that she was alone in the city. There was no one else about and that made her panic increase all the more. She did not want to be here! However, there was little time to ponder the situation because she heroth and bubbles, swirling around her legs and covering the floor within seconds of the first drop touching the paved floor of the courtyard she was standing within. At first, she did not know how this could be but the danger was real even if she knew she was not present when the Pavilion had been destroyed. Her terrified mind tried to tell herself that this could not possibly be real because when the Empire destroyed the Central Pavilion of Jofa, she had been recovering from her injuries on Coruscant. Howroth and bubbles, swirling around her legs and covering the floor within seconds of the first drop touching the paved floor of the courtyard she was standing within. At first, she did not know how this could be but the danger was real even if she knew she was not present when the Pavilion had been destroyed. Her terrified mind tried to tell herself that this could not possibly be real because when the Empire destroyed the Central Pavilion of Jofa, she had been recovering from her injuries on Coruscant. However, if this was real, where then were all the Jofans? Why was she alone? The notion that she might drown alone in this doomed city seized her and Mary started running, trying to escape the flood.
The water was soon past her waist as she waded through the doomed city, its icy temperature sending chills up her spine that was due to more than just the cold. She saw the ocean seeping into open shop fronts, causing various articles of furniture and other items were joining the growing flotilla to drift into the waterlogged streets. She wanted to cry out but there was no one to hear her. She was completely alone. A feeling of intense terror snared her heart and she thought she might start screaming any minute. She had been like this once before and even now, years after the events she knew she woke up screaming from the nightmares of that memory. Above her head, water was pouring down in a thick, frothing column. Its roar filled her ears and drowned out all other sounds.
Mary waded through the rising water, pushing aside the unfamiliar items like food wrappers, pieces of broken plastic, debris from destroyed buildings and other objects floating past him. She saw a woman's purse among the refuse, a child's toy, a man's shoe and someone's helmet. She studied them for a moment and then realized that they were native to Jofa. Evidence of the people who were once inhabitants of the domed city that were now gone forever.
"Where am I?" She screamed, her panic reaching breaking point. Her voice crumbled into loud sobs of fear as she struggled to move against the rising tide of water. There was no answer. Why should there be?
There was no one left in the city to hear.
Almost in response to this understanding, the bodies began to surface.
The first one drifted past her casually, oblivious to the growing horror its appearance was causing to the rebel commander. The corpse, which Mary discerned to be human, was bloated and bloody. The woman who once lived in this shell was gone but on her cold skin were the telltale signs of her departure. Her eyes were bloody sockets of ruptured flesh. Mary could see bubbles under her skin where the ocean depths had caused her veins and arteries to explode. She turned away from the body sickened, feeling her stomach hollow. However, she could not escape the grisly scene that easily. There were other bodies rising from beneath the depths, bobbing gruesomely on the surface of the water, their dead faces staring at her almost in accusation, holding her responsible.
Mary forced herself to look beyond them before she lost her reason completely. Where was Chris? Why wasn't he here? He should be her! He would know what to do! He would make these terrible images go away!
"Why aren't you here?" She screamed to no one in particular and her voice echoed through the empty city despite the roar of the ocean pouring through the dome.
Then she remembered. He could not be here because she had shot him.
She sobbed out loud and resolved herself to dying here alone. Mary gazed up at the sky, tears intermingling with salt water on her face and saw the skyline of tall buildings. She saw the reason of the rising deluge beyond the large hole gapping at her through the shattered dome. Just beneath the glass, gliding through the skyscrapers with ease, was the obvious cause of the breach, an Imperial TIE fighter. It flew past the buildings, preparing to enter what she knew to be a classic maneuver for a strafing run. The TIE swooped down over her head before, releasing a volley of energy bolts that struck a white building directly in front of him.
The plasma obliterated the side of the coral structure, raining debris all over the floor. Mary shrank back to avoid being hit by flying bit of shrapnel. She could hear screaming and feel blind terror attacking her in a hundred places. She wondered how this could be when the people were already dead but when she looked down, the bodies were gone, just the water rising up around her. The fear gripped her heart with a cold hand. People who were dead only moments ago began to appear and suddenly, Mary found herself trapped in the same nightmare the people of Jofa had found themselves on the day of the Massacre. They were crying to her because she had been partially responsible for their suffering. She had been an Imperial when this was done to them. She had defended the Empire against insurrectionists who were freedom fighters. She had fought in the cause of tyranny and had forever branded herself with their evil.
The hero of Jofa.
Mary fled from them; it was all she could do to avoid the scene of death she was being confronted with at every turn. She saw them fall, she saw them drown. She saw them scream as gallons of seawater consumed them with little warning. Men, women and children, it did not matter what species they were, all had died in the same way, gasping for breath as the water pressure crushed them when the drowning did not. The water began to rise faster as the TIE continued its relentless attack on the city. More holes appeared in the dome and the invading water poured through with more rage. Mary was soon treading water, barely keeping afloat from all the water that was coming through. When she had rested her legs and allowed herself to sink a little, she saw the ocean beneath her to be full of dead bodies. Their corpses covered the ground until he could not tell where they ended and where the floor began.
Mary closed his eyes and tried to block out the image but she could not. Their deaths demanded justice and she had been party to the instrument of their destruction. Mary had awoke in that medical center on Coruscant screaming, aware that she had dreamed their deaths because the force of so much terror and fear could not be silenced for too long. Her guilt had drawn their terror to her and she was now forced to live with the knowledge of her accountability and doomed to spend her life righting that terrible mistake. Their deaths clawed at her. They tugged at her guilty soul and in their final moments of existence, she imagined that they begged for mercy. They begged to be saved, they begged to be helped and no one had heard or cared. Mary. had sworn that day, she would do that. She would always care
She cared so much that even now she felt each life die, felt each person at the moment of greatest fear and anguish and she knew for as long as she lived, she would never forget any of them. Mary tried to swim away from the bodies and escape the echoes of their dying spirit but the water had overtaken her ability to stay afloat. She tasted the seawater in her mouth, felt the pressure building in her ears and her eyes stinging from its salty content. Mary looked up and could no longer see the city skyline or the TIE fighter that had wrought all this destruction.
Instead, she felt a hard bump on her head and felt her body pressed up against something smooth and hard. Her cheek was forced against the cold surface and through the corner of her eye, she could see the ocean beyond the barrier. Mary was trapped against the dome, like an insect on a screen. Panic gripped him with unbelievable ferocity. She slammed her fist against the glass and opened his mouth to scream but no sound could escape her because water rushed down her throat. She gagged and tried to cough but the water filled her lungs and stole that from her too. Mary began to pound against the glass desperately as she felt her mind becoming overwhelmed with horror. She could feel floating bodies bumping against her and dared not turn to look, but one of them drifted straight into her and Mary could do nothing but turn to shove it away.
It was Billy.
Mary's eyes widened as she saw her son floating before her, his eyes were open staring at her lifelessly and his cherubic face was almost blue. His hair floated lightly above his head and his body outstretched as if waiting for her to embrace him.
Not Billy! Not Billy.
Mary started to scream and she did not stop.
"The drugs seemed to be working," Julia Pemberton remarked as she stood next to Vader and watched Mary Travis screaming hysterically within the interrogation cubicle.
"Not well enough," the dark lord responded with sigh resonating through the mask he wore. "We may have to increase the dosage."
Ever since Mary had been brought to Coruscant, Vader had been taking charge of her interrogation personally. The request had come from the Emperor himself because as coldly efficient as Thrawn was about acquiring the rebel leader, the man had a streak of nobility in him that made him a poor interrogator. The Emperor also suspected that Thrawn had a latent admiration for the rebel leader that would compromise the interrogation process. Personally, Vader did not think that anything could get in the way of Thrawn's goals if the man set his mind to it, least of all overt sentimentality. It was highly unlikely that Thrawn would allow any emotions for Mary Travis get in the way of what he wanted however, the Emperor had made his decision and Vader was not about to question his master's bidding.
"I thought the mind probe was always effective in these cases," Julia stared at Mary, watching the woman screaming at the terrors placed inside her mind thanks to drugs administered by the mind probe.
Vader did not answer immediately as he watched Mary suffering before him. He had sensed her thoughts when she had first been presented to the Emperor and knew what she was to Chris Larabee. He supposed he could use that to his advantage but at the moment the Emperor was more concerned with the Rebel Alliance than Anakin Skywalker's child. Mary was possibly the most decorated commander in the Alliance and her capture would only be a severe blow to the organization but also a source of information to the Empire. The Emperor wanted very iota of useful knowledge extracted from Mary Travis before she stood trial for crimes of sedition. Unfortunately, that directive was not without it problems. A show trial would require Mary to be in relatively good health. This eliminated the instruments of torture to be employed in gaining what they needed.
Of course the Empire had methods of engendering pain that did not leave any bruises behind and a great number of them had been employed on Mary since her arrival on Coruscant. However, physical pain seemed to intensify her determination to resist and after days of excruciating agony, Imperial interrogators were forced to admit that the breaking of Mary Travis would fall to more skillful hands than they were capable. It was at this point that Palpatine took a direct interest and assigned Vader to the task. At the time that he was given the order, Julia Pemberton had been delivering her report on Ezra Standish. Vader had to confess that he felt some measure of satisfaction that he had been correct in questioning Ezra's loyalties. However, the substance of Julia's report indicated that while they might have solved one problem in the capture of Mary Travis, it appeared they had another in Ezra Standish.
"Resistance to the probe's effects is not impossible," Vader answered Julia's query after a pause. "The mind involved in these rare cases is unusually strong as the leader of any resistance movement is liable to be. Do not allow the complacency of imprisonment to mislead you in how dangerous she is. Within these walls she is quite helpless but beyond it, she has caused the deaths of thousands of Imperial troops."
Julia studied Mary Travis once more, finding her unimpressive when she was screaming at her torture to stop but supposed Vader was probably right. This was the woman with whom Ezra Standish had allied himself. To Julia, she did not appear to be anything extraordinary and the Emperor's agent could not understand how her capture could be such a blow to morale of the Rebel Alliance. Julia supposed that her ambivalence to Mary's abilities had to do with a little kernel of jealousy that Ezra had been willing to become a traitor in order to help this woman and her rebel friends. It still stung that Ezra had managed to elude her at what should have been her greatest moment of triumph, after keeping him under observation so closely the last few months. He and his whore had eluded her and now Julia was left with the stung of defeat, even though she had proven his guilt. Vader had not rebuked her for letting him go but she sensed his disapproval and felt herself simmer in hatred from the traitor.
"I think we should return to more brutal methods." Julia suggested. "We need to provoke a response soon. When the trial begins, we will be placed under too deep scrutiny to work effectively."
"I agree," Vader nodded. "However, I do not believe that brutality will provide us the effect we desire. If anything it will only make her more stubborn and resistant. You must learn to deal with heroes, they are easily manipulated but extremely stubborn."
"Yes Lord Vader," Julia responded, thinking to herself that Mary Travis was no hero. She was a rebel terrorist and ought to be treated accordingly. Anyone who dared to challenge the Empire deserved a terrible death indeed.
"I sense that you are bored with this particular assignment," Vader rumbled next to her and Julia turned to the Dark Lord, swallowing thickly because his statement was not far from the truth.
"I am not bored with any task that places me in the service of the Emperor," Julia answered smoothly, wondering how long Vader had been reading her thoughts. She was not offended. She could not be. Being one of the Emperor's hands required her mind to be open to the probing of those who were Force adept. However, she did wish she had warning that he was studying her that closely because she would have made some effort to be more guarded in her thoughts. "I was merely eager to get back to the task of hunting down Ezra Standish."
"You would find that rather difficult to manage," Vader returned smoothly. "Standish is most likely with the Alliance by now and at the moment, I require you here."
Julia stiffened slightly but it was enough for Vader to notice, if her emotions did not tell him most of what he already suspected was on her mind. "You disagree Lieutenant?" The metallic voiced in question.
"Of course not Lord Vader," Julia swallowed, feeling tendrils of anxiety at being caught out again. Her nervousness made her careless and left an opening in her mind as wide as the Maw that Vader could use to read her easily. "I just wondered what use I could be when you seemed to be more adept at interrogation than I."
"The Emperor suspects the Alliance will make a move to retrieve Commander Travis," Vader responded without hesitation.
Julia saw Mary's reflection on the polished surface of his black helmet and immediately turned to the lady herself. Mary was oblivious to their conversation as she was gripped in the illusions bombarding her mind thanks to the drugs introduced into her system. The drugs would find her fears and use it against the rebel commander and reach the end that physical torture could not. Her own psyche would be her greatest enemy. The ruthlessness and cold efficiency was almost elegant in its own way.
"You think they would attack Coruscant?" Julia stared at Vader, not at all bothering to mask her incredulity.
"The Emperor suspects they might," Vader answered but he did not seem entirely sure though it was difficult to tell for certain. The man was imperceptible as the armor he wore around his body.
"They would be mad!" Julia exclaimed, almost laughing at the absurdity. "Coruscant is the most heavily guarded planet in the known galaxy! They do not have the expertise or the arsenal to penetrate the home fleet let alone penetrate the defenses of the planetary grid!"
"I would agree," Vader said coolly. "However, great storms often announce themselves with the coming of a breeze." He pointed out, tilting his helmet slightly as he glanced at her. "The Emperor wants nothing to interfere with the trial of this prisoner. She is to be our greatest triumph over the Rebel Alliance and a warning to the world who might think twice about obeying Imperial law."
"I see," Julia nodded, accepting her situation since there was no way around it. "I would like to submit my request however, that when this trial is done that I am allowed to resume my search for Ezra Standish."
"Request is granted," he answered. "Grand Admiral Thrawn may have think he has netted himself the Alliance's greatest commander but I know for a fact that he has not. I have seen Ezra Standish' destiny and the Force tells me that he needs to be dealt with quickly."
"My Lord," Julia found herself speaking out of turn and hoped she did not regret her impertinence. "I have serve under him. He is crafty but he does not strike me as one who could cause us a great deal of trouble. I have perused his records and he has spent most of his career in less than stellar assignments. The general consensus of most of his previous superior officers seem to indicate that he prefers to indulge in sabaac games rather than pay any real attention to his military career."
"That may be so," Vader declared and suddenly his voice lowered into a hiss that made Julia's skin crawl. "However, when I was in his presence I had a sense of him, a sense of what he could do. I should have had him killed them but the future is always clouded by emotions and so it was difficult to interpret what I sensed of him."
By now Julia's curiosity was well and truly piqued. "What did you sense my Lord?"
Vader did not respond for a few seconds and Julia wondered if he was debating whether or not to take her into his confidence. If he did bestow her with his inner thoughts, Julia swore that she would never betray the honor.
Finally Vader responded and his words escaped him like toxic gas poisoning fresh air, "that he would make Coruscant's sky burn."
Why couldn't they just kill her?
This was a question Mary Travis had asked over and over again as she lay sobbing on the bunk within her cell. Her whole body shuddering as the pain of her torture left its tender hooks inside her mind. She closed her eyes and wept, hoping the darkness would end the agony of what she had seen but it did not. Her mind was her enemy here. The drugs administered to her by the mind probe worked exceedingly well. The noxious substance wormed its way through her veins, moving through her body, searching for the weakness it could exploit to its own ends. It found that weakness in the depths of her mind, in that hidden corner of herself where she had hidden all guilt and regret from a life full of choices, some good and some bad.
The tortures to her body had been excruciating and there was a time when Mary actually feared it would escalate into a physical violation but it appeared that there were even some things the Empire would not stoop to. Besides, why need was there for rape when the mind probe could implant something as equally terrifying in one's psyche? So far she had managed to resist the horrifying images that were conjured up from the deepest, darkest corners of her fears. She had not thought she could withstand the horror filled visions but she had managed because she was determined and because in some part, she could still feel Chris within her soul.
His essence was weak but he was there and in being there, she circled her heart around him and clung on tight, using him to give her strength when the nightmares came to plague her when the interrogation sessions began once more. However, it was becoming harder and harder to keep him close because the nightmares tore at her, pulling her away from him until she could feel herself fighting to remain with him. She tried to deny that he was starting to appear farther and farther away and that she was becoming so very tired of trying to hold on. Mary just knew that if she let him go, that if she could not feel even the slightest part of him in her heart, she would crumble and they would have everything they wanted from her.
When she had seen Billy in her nightmares, in the one place that she could not bear herself to be in again, she felt that link between them starting to dissolve permanently. At that moment, she started to feel Chris disappear and that feeling that had kept her strong for so many days was weakened. She knew that they were plying her with more and more drugs and the further into a state of near catatonic delirium they could send her, the less and less she would feel him. Jofa was the one place she could not fight against, the one memory that seared into her consciousness and had changed her life forever. It was a change borne of a great deal of sorrow and shame, an act for which she would never feel truly cleansed.
The drugs knew what to use against her now and Mary suspected they would use it as often as they could, now that they knew it was the weakness they had been searching for. Mary knew nothing inside of her that could stand up to that memory. Except Chris. Chris was the impetus for her healing, just as she had been for him. Together, they soothed each others wound and made one another a whole person. In the universe where billions of beings wandered all their lives alone, searching for something intangible, she had found Chris and gave each other's existence substance.
Somehow she had to hang onto him because if she did not; it was over.
She would be over.
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Ezra's suggestion raised eyebrows to say the least.
The Council was silent for a few seconds after Ezra Standish had outlined his plan for penetrating the formidable defenses at Coruscant. Unlike the last time the Council members had gathered, on this occasion the proceedings were open only to those who would be actively taking part in the operation of rescuing Mary Travis. It was a sizeable gathering with all of the seven present as well as Mary's friends. Unlike the earlier meeting, this time Josiah Sanchez found himself on the other side of the Council table because in the privacy of the closed proceedings, he could finally shed his veneer of neutrality and make known his personal feelings were on the matter. Josiah wanted Mary back just as badly as the others and finally he had the liberty to say so.
It was a formidable group that awaited the Council's decision regarding Ezra's proposal once it had been outlined. What ever the decision reached by the Council, each and every one of them were resolved to undertake the mission even if they did not gain its support no matter what complications that would engender. Although it had seemed that the arrival of Ben Kenobi might have shifted the balance in their favor, every one was still ill at ease until they heard for themselves, the Council's decision. Fortunately, Bail Organa's reaction to Ben's arrival would influence the others to vote in accordance with his wishes. Naturally, Councilor Feylar would be the one voice against but that was more or less expected.
However, Ezra's plan did involve a number of risks, first and foremost to those taking part in it and the scale of the operation proposed invited careful consideration despite emotions involved. Still Ezra could not believe that there would be anyone in the Rebel Alliance who would not risk themselves to rescue Mary if given the opportunity and so he rolled the dice on his gambit, hoping it would pass its first hurdle to fruition. He did so hope that they were given Council endorsement because they needed the support of the Alliance and despite their determination to continue without it, Ezra could not be as certain that they might succeed in rescuing Mary.
"You are insane." Feylar exclaimed, his whiskers twitching in what almost appeared to be indignant outrage. "You surely do not expect the Council to agree to this?" The Bothan glared at him; ears pinned back as he made that demand of Ezra.
"There are risks of course," Ezra agreed with Feylar's anxiety on the subject but he was more than prepared to have his scheme questioned since he had done so himself. Feylar's arguments were no different than any Ezra has debated privately when concocting this entire scheme. "However, I think we are capable of managing this successfully with the right amount of coordination. This rescue hinges on providing the distraction needed to confront the Imperial fleet and what I propose would give us a fighting chance of defending itself at Coruscant."
"Are there enough resources at Sluis Van for this?" Mon Mothma looked to Bel Iblis who was keeper of such statistical information. Ezra could see in her eyes that she was frightened of the consequences if the fleet could not hold its own against the Empire but at the same time, wanted badly to latch onto any plan that might see Mary's return to them.
The Corellian general stared at Ezra, wearing the expression of someone whom more than used to gambling himself and had the impenetrable mask to do it well. He seemed to be studying Ezra, as if he had studying some fascinating specimen that had suddenly revealed itself to be more interesting than previously imagined. Until now, Bel Iblis had not thought much of the new commander of the Jofan rebel cell but the last few minutes had changed that perception radically and the military giant was seeing Ezra as an entirely different creature than.
"Yes," he responded after a brief pause. "I think there is more than adequate resources, particularly in view of what Commander Standish would need."
"It is barbaric!" Feylar snapped vehemently, trying to draw the others into seeing his point of view by using a humanitarian point of debate. He stared at Iblis as if the general had suddenly gone mad for supporting this insane plan "We would be no better than the Empire."
"With all due respect Councilor," Ezra retorted disliking the comparison intensely, however there were a few home truths he would make known to the overbearing Bothan. "We are talking about a regime that has no difficulty murdering civilians in order to achieve its goals. We are doing what must be done even though we know the tasks weigh heavily on our conscience. Yes, we represent the ideals of the Old Republic but we are also at war and in war, people die, those are the rules. We cannot escape that and if we attempt to fight our battles by according to some high minded morality we cannot afford to display that our enemies are not limited to; this Rebellion will never survive a long term conflict. As unpalatable as that might seem to some of us in this room, that is the reality of a guerilla war. To fight the Empire we must be prepared to soil our hands.
All that we can do to remain true to ourselves as best as conscience and the rules of warfare will allow us is how we regard each other. Mary Travis cannot be sacrificed and we must be prepared to spill blood to protect our own. How can we expect to garner support from the rest of the galaxy if we are not prepared to risk everything to protect those who stand with us? All we will accomplish if we let Mary stand trial is show that we do not have the stomach for what must be done. If that is the case, then we have no business attempting overthrow the Empire. We breed false hope in those who depend on us to stand up for them because it is they who will ultimately pay for our weaknesses."
"You talk of spilling innocent blood!" Feylar spat at him with undisguised contempt.
"I speak of the reality of our situation," Ezra returned sharply. He held his head high and proud as he spoke the truth they needed to hear, not simply for Mary but because it was a truth that a bunch of politicians shrouded for two long within the rules of diplomacy needed to hear. "Innocent blood will be spilled. You created an Alliance against the most ruthless military regime that had surfaced in the galaxy in the last five thousand years! You cannot fight that with speeches and high-minded ideals. You need to fight it with force that is tempered with heart. You sacrifice Mary and others like her and you will lose the heart of this Alliance and then Councilor Feylar would be right, we would be no better than the Empire."
The commander of the Jofan base looked over his shoulder and saw his friends staring at him in something akin to awe. Ezra swallowed, never realising that he could reach people on such a level and felt a little odd when he realised that they were mesmerized by what he had said. Ezra saw no great feat in what he had just done, other than to voice the truth that none of the Councilors were prepared to face. However, he did not expect his friends to look at him with admiration for speaking so eloquently for them and for Mary. Nathan was grinning that damnable smile he got whenever Ezra rose to the occasion. Nathan had spent much of his adult life doing that for Ezra since Ezra himself never took any stock in his own abilities. Inez too was looking at him. Her eyes filled with so much warmth and wonder that for a moment, it felt as if his heart would stop in his chest and he wished that it was just the two of them in this room so that she could tell him just how much she cared.
However, it was Chris Larabee that surprised Ezra most. Chris was nodding at him in approval, grateful that he had made his case so eloquently, acknowledging that he had complete faith in Ezra to speak for him and in her absence, speak for Mary. Ezra knew the Jedi had been reluctant to take a stand in the matter mostly because his personal feelings for Mary might become a liability. He did not wish to harm their cause by speaking out since he was so emotionally involved. He also knew that he could not speak with impartiality and he did not wish the Council to fall under the impression that he was willing to risk anyone in order to regain his lover. Fortunately, Ezra's speech had succeeded in convincing the Council; Chris could see it in the eyes of all those behind the table, excepting Feylar of course but there were enough hearts touched by the commander's words to make a difference. Silently, Chris made a note to tell Ezra how much he was keeping Mary's spirit alive among them as well as
providing leadership and hope not only to his immediate friends but also to all the rebels of Jofa, especially when things were so grim. Chris wondered if Ezra was finally overcoming his insecurities to recognize the potential he had within him once he stopped doubting himself. There was something great inside Ezra Standish that had waited all his life for expression and not it appear its time had come.
Feylar opened his mouth to speak but it was Bail Organa's voice that was heard instead of the Bothan's. His expression was grim and resigned, however Chris sensed that he was convinced when Ben had appeared before him and it had taken Ezra's speech to verbalise his decision. He appeared weary as all men weighted with responsibility often were but Chris could tell by the shadows in his eyes that he understood what Ezra had been trying to say all too well. The Jedi were more than familiar with the personal triumphs and sorrows of Bail Organa and he sat at the Council's head at great personal cost.
"You are right Commander," Bail spoke in his soft and sympathetic voice. "We cannot sacrifice our hearts if we wish to keep the body of what we are healthy. You are all willing to risk your lives for Mary Travis and there are others who are just as willing to commit themselves to your cause. We will not force anyone to join your operation who is unwilling but I doubt that you will have any lack of volunteers. We have to better than the Empire," Bail met his gaze. "But we also have to be prepared to fight fire with fire. You have my endorsement to go ahead with your plan," he said finally. "I hope my fellow Councilors will stand by my decision."
He gazed long and hard at them and Chris could see them capitulate by that haunted request in his eyes. Bail Organa was a man to be respected. Of all of them, he walked on the periphery of disaster, playing leader of the Rebel Alliance while at the same time, pretending to be a member of Palpatine's Imperial Senate. And there was also the little matter of the fact that Bail was guardian and surrogate father of one of the galaxy's greatest secrets; the daughter that Anakin Skywalker did not know he had. Princess Leia would grow up in the anonymity of the name provided to her by Bail Organa, having no reason to suspect that she was ever the child of Darth Vader. From her, a new Jedi Order would come and the future would be decided.
Mon Mothma seemed uncertain but she voted with Bail as anticipated. Bel Iblis did not appear doubtful since his agreement was laced with strong approval after hearing Ezra's plan, which he thought to be daring with a stroke of genius, despite the danger, involved. Feylar voted against to but was outnumbered by the rest of the table and spent the last few minutes of the meeting sulking at the outcome. Although the Council did not hide its anxiety at the success of the plan or the casualties it was likely to incur in the process, they were offered Ezra their support and wished them well. Despite his success at convincing them to allow him to go ahead with his plan, Ezra hoped he was not making a terrible mistake that would get them all killed. In war, people died. Those were the rules, he had said it himself. Ironically, those words returned to haunt him when he looked at the faces pleased at the outcome of the meeting even tho ugh they were all to aware of what it was they risked.
However, it was not as if there was any choice in the matter. Just like Chris Larabee himself, none of the seven or their friends was willing to let the Empire have Mary Travis. Each were more than willing to die to keep that from happening and in this rescue mission, they would be proving just how much.
Once the mission was given leave to commence, the first order of business was the gathering of resources and the allocation of duties to prepare for the eventual assault on Coruscant. Each and every member of the rebel group tried not to think of the Herculean task that they had set themselves. Following the adjournment of the meeting, Ezra had taken a moment with Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma to discuss the resources that would be required from the Sluis Van shipyards. While the Council members would be the ones to approach the contacts at Sluis Van, Ezra would have to journey there himself to take care of the finer details of his requests. He did not envision the Sluis Van looking upon him or his plan with much confidence, as there was a certain element of insanity to it. Ezra did not care. He knew inside of him that this could work.
It just had to.
Not long after the meeting, the seven and those involved in the rescue operation found themselves mapping out their battle plan within the confines of the Rogue, the one place where they could all be assured of complete privacy. There was a great deal to do and time was against them. Everyone had readily decided that there was no delaying their preparations now that they were given permission to begin and the air inside the main passenger cabin of the Rogue was charged with anticipation. The space was a little cramped inside the belly of the freighter but no one seemed to mind since the urgency of the situation drove such considerations away.
"So what's the plan Ezra?" Vin Tanner asked once they were all settled in the passenger compartment.
Ezra took a deep breath, realizing they would be looking to him for direction since this was his plan. Even though he had been sitting in command of the rebels since his arrival less than a week ago, he still felt apprehensive of being in command when so much depended on him and the stakes were so high. These were his friends, the people in his life he had always wanted, who relied upon him for leadership. For completely different reasons, Ezra wanted Mary back almost as much as Chris. He did not want the responsibility for his friends' lives because he could not live with the guilt if he failed them.
Deep inside, what Ezra feared most was that his lack of ability would bring them harm. He glanced at Inez and saw the sultry beauty offering a little smile and was pleasantly surprised how much that helped him. Ezra saw encouragement mostly in Chris and was gratified that the Jedi trusted him enough to bring Mary back to them. It was good to know that Chris' belief in Ezra was enough to quell the Jedi's desire to rush to Coruscant in a desperate bid to save his lover. An endeavor which could only result in there being one less Jedi in a galaxy that sorely needed as many as it could get. Of course the presence of Ben Kenobi combined with Vin's unfailing support, was doing a great deal for the Jedi's disposition which had been anything but pleasant since Mary was taken.
Ezra supposed that if it were Inez, he would be just as agitated. As it was, he was not entirely thrilled with the prospect of Inez joining the task force that would be journeying to Coruscant to rescue Mary but was not presumptuous enough to tell Inez she could not go. When she had mentioned it, Buck had been more than vocal enough for the both of them and Inez's reaction only proved that Ezra's instincts to remain silent had been correct. In any case, Inez had acquitted herself well enough during their escape from Cordoba to convince Ezra that she knew how to take care of herself. One did not become a Ground Pounder without a certain amount of ability and those who survived the Clone Wars were even more skilled than the average Imperial stormtrooper.
Besides, Mary was her friend too.
"Since we will have to move fast, I have opted that the best way for us to proceed would be a three pronged operation." Ezra spoke finally, responding to Vin's prompting to begin discussing their strategy. "Josiah, Nathan and I will have to travel to Sluis Van. From there, we will coordinate the attack fleet that will be engaging Imperial forces at Coruscant. I have received communication from Chano and Claire Moseley at Jofa. Chano is not entirely recovered but he will be capable of taking command of one of the ships when the times comes."
"I didn't think you were going to keep him out of this," Buck said with a little smile, knowing that as Mary's executive officer on board the Purgatory, it would take nothing less than a herd of wild banthas to keep Chano from offering his services.
"He mentioned something of that nature," Ezra remarked with a bemused expression on his face. "Buck I need you to organize as many of our pilots as you can. A lot of those ships will need fighter escort when we get to Coruscant."
"No problem," the star pilot retorted firmly. "I don't have to tell you how many want to get those bastards back for what happened at Siraj." As he said that, Buck found himself thinking about Audrey King, the leader of an X wing squadron who had been blown out of the sky a few seconds after she saved his life. It stung intensely that he had not been able to return the favor.
"Tell them that we expect to rendezvous with them within 72 hours of arriving at Sluis Van." Ezra regarded Buck once more. "Josiah, do we have a definitive date for Mary's trial?"
"Soon," Chris answered before the ex-senator could. "I can feel its going to be soon."
No one asked how he knew that so exactly because the haunted expression in Chris' eyes was answer enough. They all knew that he had a mental link with Mary and that he could tell what she was feeling even though there was so much distance between them. They understood that he could sense her fears and her pains even if he could not know what was in her mind exactly. Chris was their lifeline to Mary though none of them envied his ability to remain connected to her. None of them could imagine being tethered to someone they loved, feeling all their pains and anguish and being unable to lift a finger to help. It would be hellish to say the least.
"Within the next seven days the Council suspects," Josiah added somberly. "The Emperor is attempting to milk this as much as it can. Imperial sanctioned news bands are having a field day with this. Mary is being made an example of."
"It will not come to that," Ezra said with a confidence he did not feel but had to project. "Alex, you will be taking Casey to Coruscant?"
As he made that statement, Ezra saw both Josiah and JD flinch unhappily at that notion. He could not blame them since he was hardly comfortable with the young girl being in such a dangerous situation however; Casey was the only one who had a chance of lowering the planetary defense grid. Too much relied upon on Casey for her to train someone else to take her place. If anything were to go wrong, whoever was chosen could not adapt to the new circumstances the way Casey could. No matter how much Ezra had come at the problem for Josiah's sake, the fact remained that Casey had to go; no one else could manage.
"Yes," Alex nodded glancing briefly at Casey. "I'll take her, Tula and Inez to Coruscant."
At the mention of her name, Tula growled slightly, an indication that she was more than prepared to go. The Wookie stood impressively over all their heads and though female, appeared more than capable of protecting Casey and the initial insertion team.
"They will be travelling on my ship," Rayne added her voice to the discussions. "I have diplomatic clearance as a member of House Organa. It would be easy to pass Casey off as a member of House Organa with Tula as her pet and Commander Styles and Miss Inez as travelling companions. It is not uncommon for young women of royal standing to have a minor entourage when travelling. I have already made inquiries into obtaining false identification papers for everyone."
"Good," Ezra nodded. "You will have to go first." Once again, he met Inez's gaze and his worry showed through the professionalism in his eyes but forced it away because Inez could take care of herself. "I hope you are certain you can do this young lady," he turned to Casey.
"I would not have suggested it if I couldn't," Casey returned, sounding very much like the aristocrat that she was and drawing a proud smile from Josiah as she did so. "As soon as we arrive, I'll attempt to enter the system. I won't lower the grid but I will ensure that I can do it so if there is a problem, I will be able to give you sufficient warning."
"Its better than nothing," Vin pointed out. "At least we'll have time to abort that way."
"I am hoping it does not come to that," Ezra sighed. "It is a great deal of effort to come away with failure and if we do fail, we may never have another chance at this."
"Casey will do fine," Chris remarked, offering the girl a little smile, giving her some encouragement because he could sense just how fearful she was of letting them down. Until now, Casey's contribution to the Alliance had mostly involved the codes she was able to break for them. This was one hell of a mission for her to be involved in to get her feet wet. While Chris had no doubt she would rise to the occasion, like Josiah he felt some trepidation in having one as young as she in such a dangerous situation.
"Chris," Ezra looked at his direction. "We need to talk about Vader."
Everyone went silent at the mention of the Sith Lord's name. Of all of those present, Ezra had spent the most time in Vader's company to know that any attempt to retrieve Mary Travis would eventually see the involvement of the dark Jedi. When the rebel fleet engaged the Empire over the skies of Coruscant, it would be up to Chris, Vin and Ben to penetrate the Imperial prison where Mary was kept. From what limited experience Ezra had managed to garner about Darth Vader during the Sith Lord's visit to Cordoba, Vader would know when he was in the proximity of other Jedi which made the element of surprise being on their side somewhat problematic.
The three Jedi exchanged glances briefly before Chris responded. "We'll be taking care of that."
"How?" Nathan asked.
Chris was about to answer but a slight gesture from Ben kept him from speaking. Instead, it was Ben who responded to Nathan's question. "Vader has been attempting to find me for some time. I intend to have information leaked to him of my presence in a remote star cluster in the Corporate Sector. There is enough history between us to ensure that Vader will find it necessary to investigate the matter personally."
"You intend to use yourself as bait?" Josiah stared worriedly at Ben Kenobi. Josiah did not like the idea of having another Republic hero sacrifice themselves, not after Mary.
"My presence, yes." Ben said smoothly. "Myself no. I will be joining the extraction team on Coruscant. However, even with Vader gone from the planet, we can still be compromised."
"By whom?" Alex inquired, feeling a sliver of fear as she heard the Emperor's name mentioned in all this. Little was known about Palpatine since he had become Emperor. He surrounded himself by his Red Guards and the exclusive circle of the Security Elite.
"Palpatine." Ben replied bitterly, his lips twisting up in contempt as he said the name. "Palpatine is a Sith Lord, he will sense our presence the moment we arrive at Coruscant, perhaps even before."
"The Emperor is Force adept?" JD exclaimed.
"Yes," Rayne nodded. Like Ben, she knew the intimate details of Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker. As protector to one of the Skywalker twins, she had to be. "Palpatine corrupted Anakin and turned him into the creature we call Darth Vader."
"Then we're dead." Nathan retorted. "There is no way we can sneak up on Coruscant to get Mary. Its one thing to get Vader off the planet but the Emperor himself?"
"There is a way around it," Chris stated.
"Chris you can't be serious," Buck started to protest, perfectly aware of what he was referring to.
"It's the only way Buck," Chris continued. "We have to get to Coruscant without being detected, the only way to do that is to somehow mask our presence."
"You're talking about using the yslamiri." Alex guessed. She had been present when Buck Wilmington had brought back the odd creatures after being forced across the Maw by the machinations of Jabba the Hutt and Grand Admiral Thrawn and seen its effect on Chris and Vin. Like Buck, she did not much care for the idea herself.
"What are they?" Ben looked at Chris and Vin quizzically.
"We found them on Mykrr," Vin explained. "Apparently there was a marker there dating back to pre-Republic days, warning the Jedi not to approach the planet."
"I've never seen anything like it Ben," Chris took up the narration. "In the old days, I would have brought these creatures to the Jedi Council for study. They possess no midiclorions at all. In fact, they seemed to have the ability to create some kind of null field around the Force. When Buck was carrying them, I couldn't sense him at all. It was as if he no longer existed for me to sense."
"That's impossible," Ben declared, unafraid to show his astonishment. "The midiclorions are byproduct of the galactic formation, it is not possible for one creature to be singled out to be without it."
"I know," Chris agreed with all the arguments but there was still no denying that the yslamiri existed. "If we have these yslamiri when we go to Coruscant, neither Vader or the Emperor will be able to read us. Unless they are specifically seeking us out. By the time we breach the facility, the fleet would be attacking and the planetary grid will be down, there won't be need for subterfuge. We can get rid of the yslamiri then."
"You'll be defenseless," Josiah pointed out.
"A Jedi is still Jedi without the parlor tricks." Ben responded. "It would be uncomfortable but not debilitating. We simply have to rely on our conventional senses."
"I guess we're heading to Mykrr," Vin stated and saw the others agreeing with him.
"We're going to need your help JD," Chris turned to the younger man.
"My help?" JD stared back at Chris with a mystified expression on his face, unable to imagine of what use he could be to a trio of Jedis.
"Just a few of those yslamiri is enough to disorientate a Jedi substantially," Chris explained. "A planet full of them is going to be difficult to cope with. We need someone with us who isn't going to be affected by them."
"Will it be that bad?" Ben asked, feeling a little anxiety at the thought of being Force blind. As a Jedi Master, he was more in tune with the Force than anyone else in the room. He had never known a day in his life when it was not apart of him. The notion of being without it was a little disconcerting.
"Yes," Chris nodded somberly, having no wish to worry Ben in this matter but he had to prepare the Jedi Master for what they would face on the planet.
"Sure Chris," JD answered, feeling a swell of pride in his chest at the fact that Chris was asking for his help. "I'll do anything I can."
Chris nodded gratefully because before this was over with, JD would have to do that and more.
They all would.
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Chris had never been to Mykrr.
Indeed until Buck Wilmington had been forced to land there some months ago under the manipulations of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Chris had not even heard of the place. However when the Rogue slowed out of light speed, Chris was well aware that he was about to enter Mykrr space. The sensation that came upon the three Jedi within the hold of the ship was unlike anything they had experienced before even though Chris and Vin had been exposed to a minor fraction of the effect before this. On this occasion however, the feeling was far more powerful than any of them had imagine and it overwhelmed them easily, drowning their senses in a blanket of non-existence, the likes of which they had never imagined could be.
It was worst on Ben Kenobi who was a full Jedi Master and was more attuned to the Force than either Chris or Vin. Although the older man tried to hide his discomfiture, its effects upon him were undeniable. Chris himself was feeling the same uneasy sensation of being able to sense nothing beyond the physical world. It was as if all the color had disappeared from his vision and he could not be certain of anything on face value. He supposed there must have been a time when his perception was not so dependant on the Force but that time was so far back in his past that he no longer what it was like to be without the Force. It was a struggle for Chris and Ben in particular to keep from being disorientated although Vin was better able to cope since he had been a Jedi for only a matter of months and was still accustomed to using his other senses to see him through.
"I did not believe it," Ben remarked as the Rogue continued towards the planet. "Not until we jumped out of hyperspace."
"Buck said that there was some kind of a warning left behind," Vin answered as he felt the same uneasiness but was fortunately able to manage since he still remembered what it was like to rely on all his others senses. "Dated pre-Republic days."
"That probably explains why the Jedi Council never heard of the yslamiri." JD pointed out, glancing at Ben for confirmation on this fact.
"If there were records of Mykrr possessing such creatures, I don't think the Council was aware of it." Ben replied honestly. "Something like this would not be kept from us."
"How are you doing?" Chris asked Ben, aware that during the onset of their emergence from hyperspace Ben was rather unbalanced by the lack of prescience. Like the Jedi Master, Chris was feeling vulnerable and exposed and suspected that the effect might be worse on his old friend.
"I'll survive." Ben replied gratefully. "How many of these creatures do you think we will need?"
"A few of them," Chris answered. "Just one is capable of producing a substantial force bubble and if we are to land on Coruscant without the Emperor sensing us, I would recommend that we capture a few."
"Well Casey would have sent your message to Vader by now," JD remarked as the cockpit of the Rogue displayed the looming presence of Mykrr in the distance. "Do you think he'll take the bait?"
Chris, Vin and Ben exchanged brief glances before Chris spoke in reply to JD's query. "I'd almost guarantee it."
JD did not ask what it was about Ben Kenobi that would draw Darth Vader from Coruscant in an effort to capture the Jedi Master. He supposed that it might be as a great a boon to capture the former Republic hero as it was Mary Travis. However, his instincts told him that there was a deeper mystery that none of the Jedi was willing to speak of and in truth, JD did not have any pressing need to find out what that was exactly. If the truth were known, secrets involving the Jedi were best left as they were. JD had been in the presence of Darth Vader only once but for weeks following that encounter, the young man had woken up in a sweat, the sound of metallic breathing fading into his consciousness at the waking.
"If we're lucky," Ben explained, aware that the young man's curiosity was piqued about why Vader would be so interested in him was willing to tell him something of their plan if not the entire truth. "Vader will investigate the source of the information that places me as far away from Coruscant as possible."
Ben did not add that the false data would also lead Vader well away from Tatooine as well.
"Why does he want you so bad?" JD inquired. "It is because you were a hero of the Old Republic?" The younger man looked over his shoulder briefly as the atmosphere of Mykrr came up around the ship.
"I would be pleased if it were anything so simple," Ben said softly, regret rising up from deep inside him. It was an open wound he doubted would ever heal and the shame of his failure was evidenced in the world that had been shaped by the birth of Darth Vader. "Unfortunately it is not. Vader used to be my apprentice."
"You're joking!" JD exclaimed. "You were master to Darth Vader?"
No, I was master to Anakin Skywalker, Ben thought silently.
"What happened to him?" JD asked, full of curiosity, oblivious to the sensitivity of the subject for Ben.
"JD," Chris moved to intervene. "It's not a good subject of discussion."
"No its alright," Ben answered gently, grateful for Chris consideration but he was not going to hide behind silence forever. He had erred and erred badly in the training of Anakin Skywalker and it was something Ben would never forgive himself for until the day he died. Anakin had been more than his pupil, he had been his friend and how Ben had lost him to the Emperor and to the Sith was something he would ponder for the rest of his days. Considering how much had happened as a consequence of Ben's inability to stave off the disaster that claimed Anakin, the Jedi Master had much to regret. "A Jedi does not hide from the truth."
"Its not your fault." Chris assured him, aware of the circumstances that had led Anakin down the path to the dark side and Darth Vader.
"Yes it is," Ben responded softly, making JD somewhat regretful for ever asking him now that he heard the anguish in Ben's voice despite the Jedi Master's best effort to remain neutral in his speech. "I made a promise to Qui Gonn that I would train him and I never considered what that promise could mean until it was too late. I should have abided by the Council's decision not to train him. I would not be abandoning him even if I did not train him. I thought that I could be just as good as Yoda in training him and I was wrong. I was so wrong."
"Ben," Chris sucked in his breath. "He followed his own path. You did all that was possible to help him, to steer him away from the disaster that awaited him at the end of his journey. No master could ever do more for his pupil; no friend could have tried harder to save him than you. What he is, comes of his own making."
"But I did fail him Chris," Ben could not deny that much even if he believed everything Chris had said. "I failed him in my own arrogance. The Council did not wish him trained. They saw the danger he represented, not only to himself but also to all of us. I did not listen. I put the wishes of my friend before the good of the all and look what has happened."
Chris met his gaze and knew exactly how he felt but he would not allow Ben to blame himself because Anakin was also responsible for his own actions. "Ben, it is never wrong to put the welfare of one person before an ideal or an institution. Part of our humanity is the ability to feel empathy for another person. It is from that one feeling that we understand compassion. If it were not for that thinking, we would have abandoned Mary to the Empire and we're not doing that."
"No we're not," Ben sighed wishing that he felt better about things but he did not. Ben would spend the rest of his life in penance for failing Anakin Skywalker by keeping his children safe.
The Sluis Van shipyards were legendary.
One of the biggest builders of star craft in the galaxy, the reputation had been earned over hundreds of years of accomplishment. The engineers and designers of Sluis Van boasted the best the galaxy had to offer and everything from small fighters built for private contracts to large Imperial warships and destroyers were constructed within its extensive facility. Sluis Van's existence was steeped in the machinery of the Old Republic and in the establishment of the new order, the political body of its home world found Imperial rule restrictive to say the least. Heavy levies and iron fisted Imperial rule, which demanded the creativity of Sluis Van's ship designers to focus solely on military purposes had driven the Sluis Van into the arms of the rebellion.
One of the richest planets in the galaxy, Sluis Van was able to contribute a sizeable amount of revenue towards the coffers of the Rebel Alliance. Dummy corporations and slush funds kept the transfer of credits invisible to suspicious Imperial auditors and ensured that the rebellion remained well equipped. Sluis Van was aware of the dangerous game it played but it was also confident that the Empire could not afford to lose it as the important resource that it was. Still, Ezra Standish was mindful of the danger even though the designers of Sluis Van were misguided enough to believe that the Empire would spare them if their complicity in the Rebel Alliance was proven.
Ezra, Josiah and Nathan arrived in Sluis Van less than half a day after he had put forward his proposal to the Rebel Alliance Council for the rescue of Mary Travis. As far as he knew, the Council had paved the way for his meeting with their liaison at Sluis Van where he would outline what he would need in ships for the attack against Coruscant. Ezra was aware that despite the agreement to allow his plan to go forward, the Council was still viewing it with a great amount of trepidation. Ezra could not blame them he supposed, after all his plan was very ambitious, possibly the most ambitious thing that the Alliance had attempted to mount in its short life.
The pressure on him personally to perform was crushing but Ezra managed to endure somehow. The presence of his friends and the rightness of his cause did much to alleviate the strain but he could not deny that there was just enough anxiety within him to ensure his actions were all carefully measured. They arrived at Sluis Van on board the Tracker. Vin had allowed them the use of his ship while he, Chris, JD and Ben took the Rogue to Mykrr in order to begin the yslamiri hunt. Ezra did not mind the craft and made a note that he ought to think about acquiring himself a personal ship since it was not always wise to travel around in an X wing fighter.
Instead of flying to the main space dock at Sluis Van, the rebels were directed to one of the maintenance hangars in the part of the facility that dealt with such things. Traffic there was under less scrutiny than the main spaceport and despite their liaison's assurance of safety that it was safe, Ezra preferred to make his entry into Sluis Van at a less populous junction. Upon landing within one of the many berth in the maintenance wing of the shipyards, the three rebels were met by their liaison Kandersan Traal. Traal was like most of the population of Sluis Van, a human and was a man with features that seemed to be especially ordinary. He was in essence a perfect intelligence operative for he had the kind of face that would allow him to fade into the background and remain unnoticed.
"Commander Standish," Kandersan greeted them as they met in the corridor outside the landing bay where the Tracker was berthed. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Thank you Mr Traal," Ezra bowed slightly. "This is Captain Jackson and I believe you know Senator Sanchez."
"I do," Kandersan nodded with a smile as he gazed at Josiah's direction.
In the past Josiah had worked with Traal to procure ships for the Siraj cell of the Rebel Alliance of which Mary had commanded. Josiah trusted the man and regarded him as a friend although the senator sometimes worried about the presence of a rebel spy on Sluis Van. If he were captured, the consequences to him and Sluis Van would be dire. The Rebel Alliance was too new to be able to sustain the loss of such a valuable ally. However, as of yet, Traal had managed to walk the razor's edge between life and death with no visible signs of discovery.
"It is good to see you again Senator," Traal bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.
Once the formalities were done with, Traal immediately hastened the trio out of the hangar and led them across the facilities. As they moved through the shipyards, it was easy to see why Traal was able to operate without any specific attention being placed upon him. The sheer volume of engineers, technicians, designers and other personnel moving through the spidery framework of the facility was enough to take one's breath away. Each and every person moving past them as they proceeded towards their destination had a purpose on Sluis Van, which usually involved ship building in some shape or form. The people of Sluis Van were natural ship builders and their designs were renowned galaxy as being the most sophisticated and innovative in existence. Seeing their operation first hand, Ezra could well believe it.
"You have the specifications I asked or?" Ezra asked as the group moved through the complex.
"Yes," Traal nodded. "Although I must admit, we were rather surprised by the request."
"You aren't the only ones," Nathan remarked. He like the Alliance Council had a great deal of anxiety about Ezra's plan. It was in its way genius but there was also a hint of absurdity about it, which was largely the reason why Nathan was sure it would work. Besides, he knew his best friend and chances were Ezra had already considered all the possibilities before even allowing the proposal to see the light of day. Even though Ezra had always shied away from command, Nathan had known even before Chris that Ezra always had it in him to lead others. While he appeared to be supremely confident most times, almost to the point of arrogance, at the heart of all that bluster was a man who sincerely believed he would never measure up. Ezra had skirted through his entire military career, fearing to try and thus almost never discovering the man he could be, the man that had emerged suddenly in the past week and offered hope to those who had suffered the loss of one they thought could never be replaced.
Ezra did not replace Mary. He could not. However, his ability to lead the rebels of the newly established Jofan base was without question. Everything that they had managed to build there in the short week since his arrival was almost entirely by his design .He guided and the others followed his lead. Even Chris had acknowledged Ezra's importance to the seven.
"Your confidence in me as overwhelming," Ezra gave his old friend a wry look.
"Hey I'm gonna be your first officer aren't I?" Nathan retorted. "If that's not faith I don't know what is."
"Could be an equally overwhelming death wish too," Josiah's grin flashed back at them.
"As you can tell," Ezra turned to Traal, "my associate's confidence in me speaks for its self."
The liaison chuckled slightly as they continued down the passageway and Ezra noticed that the concentration of personnel seemed to dwindle the further away they went from the center of the complex. This was hardly surprising considering the nature of his request. Ezra hoped the ships he was being shown would be in reasonable condition. It was absolutely vital that a fleet be assembled for him to engage the forces that would be awaiting them at Coruscant. Mary's escape depended heavily on the distraction he was able to create in order for the extraction team to slip through the planetary grid unnoticed and make their bid to penetrate the prison where Mary was held.
"The engineers did have one question Commander," Traal mentioned as they reached the outskirts of the station.
"And that is?" Ezra glanced sideways at the men.
"The explosive yield of the devices you want placed on board." Traal replied. "They were not certain of what level intensity you were attempting to reach?"
"At least Level 10." Ezra said shortly.
"Level 10?" Nathan turned to him sharply. "Are you kidding?"
"No I am not," Ezra said in a measured voice, anticipating the reaction he was going to receive from those with him before he had spoken. While Josiah and Traal was restrained, Nathan as always was vocal about his reservation and a Level 10 explosive yield could engender a great deal of reservation.
"Ezra, a Level 10 yield fired at that range could produce atmospheric ignition." Nathan declared, certain that Ezra was mistaken because he could not possibly mean what he intended.
"I am aware of this Nathan," Ezra responded almost indifferently. "That is what it was always going to be."
"Ezra," Nathan was about to let the matter rest, particularly when Ezra's demands could only mean one thing. "This isn't what the rebellion is about. Even Mary would not sanction what you are about to do. I doubt the Alliance Council would either. Would they Josiah?"
Josiah shrugged in reaction to the question because he was not surprised by Ezra's requirements. For Ezra to receive the cooperation that Traal and Sluis Van were about to provide him, the commander of the Jofan base had been forced to reveal the specifics of his plan to the Alliance Council in private prior to his departure from Hoth. Although Josiah had been just as shocked as Nathan was presently when the truth of Ezra's plan had been unfolded, he knew that this was one of the reasons it would work with such precision. The Council had lauded the audacity of the plan, even if they were somewhat taken back by the ruthlessness of its application. However, Ezra had been correct about one thing when he had addressed the Council prior to that private discussion and that was the fact that the Alliance could not hope to defeat the Empire unless it learnt to be just as extreme and beyond. Josiah did not like it but he was once a soldier and he knew begrudgingly that Ezra was right and the future of Alliance lay with men and women who dared to take risks in order to win the day. Men and women like Ezra Standish and Mary Travis which the Alliance could not afford to squander.
"They did Nathan," Josiah finally volunteered and drew a soft gasp of astonishment from Nathan.
Ezra's eyes had dropped to the floor almost as if he were sorry to meet his friend's gaze in light of that revelation. "There is no other way Nathan," Ezra spoke softly a moment later, once he had decided how he would respond to Nathan's shock. His best friend was always an idealist and as much as Ezra would like to nurture that quality, it was an ill advised liability to have in the kind of war they were waging. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that those devices will not be used but we must have them on board those ships for this plan to work."
"Ezra, it's barbaric." Nathan exclaimed.
"I know," Ezra agreed, not about to deny it. "It's hardly civilized but it will retrieve Mary for us and for that I think the gamble is worth the risk. Do you not?"
Nathan did not know how to answer. He wanted Mary back just as much as the rest of the Alliance but this pressed heavily upon his conscience and he did not know whether or not he could live with it. He did not know if this was right but he supposed in the scheme of things, the Alliance did not have much choice. Now more than ever, he knew that he did not have what it took to make the decisions of leadership because he would have certainly been unable to make this one. Nathan only hope that his soul would be intact when this was all over because Nathan was not sure that Ezra's would be if things went bad.
Darth Vader read the communiqué he had received from one of the Imperial outposts in the Belkadan star system, trying to decide whether or not it was genuine. It took less than a second for him to admonish himself for questioning its authenticity. Of course it was real. It had all the right codes and even some that were not known to the person who had sent him the message. All the evidence before him proved that the information had come to him from an Imperial agency and was no forgery. Vader had no difficulty believing the authenticity of the data that had been sent to his fortress on Coruscant from the Rim world of Belkadan, it was its validity that he questioned.
It did not escape him that the information had chose to come to him at this time, when the most important rebel leader they had was presently in custody on Coruscant. To investigate this would take him days away and if something were to happen in that period, Vader would not return in time to prevent it. However, he could not ignore the most promising clue he had to his son's whereabouts in years. Despite his efforts to gain the knowledge from Larabee and Tanner, the attempts had been wrought with failure. There was also no guarantee that either of those Jedi had what he needed even though he was certain that they were in possession of some intelligence, if not the actual location of his son.
However the information before him now would lead him to Ben Kenobi and Ben would almost certainly know the truth.
Vader tried not to think of Ben Kenobi as his friend and mentor. He tried not to think about the Jedi who had taken him under his wing after the death of Qui Gonn and promised to make him a Jedi, defying the Jedi Council to do so. He had been a child when he met Obi-Wan and it was Obi-Wan, Ben who had nursed him through his childhood, teaching him the ways of the Force and helping him become a man. There was a time when betraying Obi-Wan Kenobi was tantamount to betraying himself but those years were so far away and thinking about them brought Vader to places he rather not be. The images would flood his mind and he would be forced to face the one person in his memories that still had power to make his heart weep.
Padme.
Of course Padme was dead. She had married Bail Organa after she left him and bore the leader of Alderaan a daughter, a child that should have been sister to his son but was not because he had chosen a different path. He still remembered the anguish in her eyes when she understood that what he had done had destroyed their future forever. The memory of her eyes made Vader stiffen with discomfort and very soon he was forced to crush the images away before he came completely overwhelmed with sentimentality. What was done was done. There was no going back and she, who was the one thing for which he might have attempted to find his way again, was no more.
Composing himself, Vader activated the communication panel in front of him. It took a few seconds before the connection he requested was formed and the image of Julia Pemberton appeared before him. The holographic image illuminated the dim surroundings of his private chamber as he waited for it to address him first.
"Lord Vader," Julia Pemberton answered. "What are your orders?"
Vader deliberated briefly what he had to do before answering. "I have to journey to the Belkadan system on a matter of urgency. I am leaving you in charge of our prisoner." He referred of course to Mary Travis.
"To Belkadan?" Julia's surprise was evident even though the holographic imaging. "May I ask why?"
"You may ask but you will find that it safer if I do not answer," Vader said shortly, having no wish to explain himself to one of his master's pet projects. The Emperor's hands were useful tools, nothing more. He did not wish to bestow them any more prestige than they erroneously believed they had already.
"Yes Sir," she responded, her expression souring. "What is your instructions regarding the prisoner?"
"Continue her interrogation," Vader answered automatically. Mary Travis had valuable information to impart to them and Vader was not about let that opportunity slip. The Emperor considered the rebel threat his highest priority at the moment and Vader did not blame him for that belief. More and more the organization was becoming better equipped and garnering more followers. While their strength and numbers were nowhere capable of launching any kind of attack on the Empire itself, it would continue to grow over the years. The Emperor had foreseen it and so had Vader.
"How much force am I allowed to use?" Julia inquired. "She is still resisting the mind probes."
"Keep increasing the dosage," Vader responded. "In the meantime program the probe in accordance with her history. The key to unlocking her resistance is in comprehending what it is that frightens her."
"How do you suggest I do that?" Julia said with more than a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"Find out what she cares about and use it against her." Vader answered. "Love is a far more potent a tool of torture than pain could ever be. Never forget that."
There was something in his rasping, metallic voice that made Julia pause a moment, sensing that the dark lord was not speaking of Mary but of someone else entirely. However, he had made it perfectly clear what would happen to those who imposed on his privacy.
"Yes Sir," she nodded thinking briefly of Ezra Standish and realizing how true Vader was.
How true indeed.
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