Prologue
Mizar System
0800 hours
The Nebulon B-class Frigate Bombardier floated quietly through the blackness of space. Here, at the edge of the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions – Epsilon Sector – the starfield was considerably sparse, and darkness dominated the few pinpoints of light in the distance. Epsilon Sector was at the edge of the galactic disk, further out than even Endor or Bakura. The only way to proceed further would be into one of the spiral arms that extended out on this side of the galactic plane, but that was deep inside the Unknown Regions. Therefore space here was dark; however, another object in the sky provided more than ample light. The sprawling Galbagos Nebula - a beautiful, cloud-like purple emission nebula - filled the space on the port side of the Bombardier.
“We’ve entered the Mizar system, Captain.”
Captain Jothin swiveled in his seat to face the viewscreen. Only a handful of stars shone from within the darkness ahead, although a wispy trail of what was probably the far spiral arm of the galaxy made a line across the screen as well. A small, bright, violet ball near the left edge of the viewscreen marked the location of the star Mizar itself.
“Very good, Lieutenant,” the Captain replied. He took a moment to glance at his bridge crew. The dim lights of the bridge during normal operating periods provided enough light to move around in, but were kept at a soft glow, soothing to the eye. The multicolored lights from the numerous display screens and control pads shone their hues on their faces and brought the bridge to life. The low roar of the engines and steady hum of the ship’s systems created a continuous background of sound. Jothin liked it that way.
During the slow-paced, two-day trip from Varnus to Mizar, his crew had kept themselves at the ready, never for a moment showing any disappointment that they’d been sent on a simple mapping trip. The long, lonely days spent exploring new systems, parsecs from any civilized world, could take their toll eventually. Worse than that, the blackness of space in the Unknown Regions was enough to rattle the nerves of the hardiest spacefarer. They were good crew, he knew. They deserved better than such a monotonous post. Perhaps he’d request a transfer to a border patrol or another more active post when they got back. But for now they had to continue with their tedious mapping mission. Exploring all the star systems in the newly-founded New Imperium’s territory was paramount.
“What’s our position? Any planetary bodies orbiting the sun?”
“Heading one-zero-three-eight, Captain,” Science Officer Tamar Drek answered. “I’m reading three major planetary bodies within sensor range. Outermost planet is closest, coming up point four-eight.”
Jothin nodded. “Any other activity in this system?” It wouldn’t be very diplomatic to simply stroll in unannounced if the system was occupied.
“No sir,” Drek replied. “Only the three planetary bodies. No detectable power sources.”
Jothin nodded. “Very well, set course for the outermost planet, standard cruising speed. We might as well take them as we come to them.” He leaned back in his chair. “Keep sensors at maximum range. If anything shows up, I want to be informed immediately.”
“Yes sir.”
The sparse starfield shifted slightly as the ship altered course, the orange sun of the Mizar system passing from view. Jothin let his thoughts wander, wondering what type of planets this system could hold. Probably just huge chunks of rock and ice, he thought. This far out, anything else was a rarity. And yet several of the New Imperium’s worlds had shown that that theory wasn’t entirely true. Epsilon Sector had shown a surprising aptitude for variety – and life – in what they’d discovered so far. The Sigmans and the Krri’Graq were just two of the races discovered here. Just because they were now in the Unknown Regions didn’t mean all systems became lifeless wastelands…
The Unknown Regions. All his life Jothin had heard the name mentioned with trepidation and fear, or occasionally a sense of wonder. A mysterious entity waiting out there for the hapless traveler to become lost forever inside. It was just a natural tendency, he knew, to fear the unknown. But he’d never thought he’d be here himself, actually venturing into the Unknown Regions, so far away from galactic civilization that he might as well not exist.
For that matter, what he was doing might as well not matter, either. Who cared what the system had in it? It was so far from established hyperspace lanes even a valuable mineral deposit might not make the system worth colonizing. Yes, he decided. He would ask for that transfer. Besides, this last mapping trip should close it off for this quadrant. There hadn’t been any other significant systems past Mizar detected until the other side of the Great Rift, so called because of the distance to the far spiral arm. The Unknown Regions wouldn’t be unknown much longer, at least in this part of the sector.
On the viewscreen he could now make out a larger, brighter object against the darkness. “That’s the outermost planet?”
“Yes sir,” the Science Officer spoke up. “Mizar Three. Should be within sensor range shortly.” Drek’s terminal whirred as it went though a stream of data that she was cataloging.
“Very good. Call out any relevant information you come across.”
The bridge went back into silence for a moment, the crew busy at their stations. Jothin continued to watch the object growing larger in the viewscreen. The half-eclipsed planet was still too bright to make out clearly, reflecting pale violet light from its star. He could almost make out the point where day met night.
“Entering sensor range,” Drek called out from Jothin’s left. “Data’s coming in now. Planet is a mid-sized world, approximately 13,000 kilometers wide. Scanning terrain and atmosphere… Looks like it has a habitable atmosphere. Many life forms detected… Wait, what’s that?” she broke off suddenly.
“What is it?” Jothin asked, swiveling to face the science station.
Instead the officer at sensors called out, his voice tight. “Sir! There’s something coming up to starboard, fast.” Even in the dim light Jothin could see the man’s eyes go wide. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Energy readings are… incredible!”
“Put it on screen!” He turned back to the viewscreen, seeing the now-bluish hue of a world in front of them… And suddenly that view was gone. In its place was a wide, massive orange-white wave of pure blinding energy. A rolling explosion, a hundred kilometers wide. And it was growing larger.
A shout erupted from the bridge crew. Jothin’s breath caught. Then he turned, crying out over the din of voices.
“Shields up! Ninety degrees starboard, face into the wave!”
“Too late, sir! It's already on us!” The man at the tactical station was yelling. His hands flew over the controls, but his face showed a mask of bleak terror. He knew they’d never turn in time.
Jothin pushed himself to his feet. The wave of fire dominated the screen, filling the bridge with a piercing orange light. The blast grew larger and brighter, until nothing else was visible. Then the safeties shut the viewscreen off.
And that was it. He could hear a new, deeper roar coming though the deck plates. A jolt of panic surged through him, but he pushed it back. He looked bleakly at his bridge crew one more time. They were such a good crew… What in the galaxy had happened?
The deck dropped from under his feet, as every circuit on the bridge blew out in a spray of sparks simultaneously. He never hit the floor. The hull parted before him, and a blaze of fire incinerated all of them in an instant.
The wave hit the Frigate with unstoppable force, instantly splitting the ship in half at the mid-drift. For a second the ship seemed to be tossed along in the current of energy. Then the hull plates were blown away like parchment, and the ship was consumed in an inferno of blazing fury…
* * *
Varnusian Productions Presents:
He floated in an endless void, a kaleidoscope of infinite colors and possibilities. The colors swirled around him, coalescing into one another, bursting into a thousand tiny fragments then coming together again in a flash of light. The light faded, descending into darkness so deep it made the blackness of space seem bright in comparison. He spun around, frantically searching for an end to the darkness, anything but the blackness surrounding him. Then he heard a sound, like the whispering of fabric rubbing against itself, and he turned around. A figure stood before him, covered by a dark cloak. He tried to peer inside the hood, but no face was visible. The figure raised a hand toward him, a hand hidden by the huge sleeve of his cloak, and suddenly the vision changed. He was standing in front of a large podium. Before him he saw a sea of beings spread out over across the land, extending as far as he could see. Thousands of different races, all shouting at the top range of their vocal chords and waving their arms toward him. Shouting joyously up at him, he noticed. He couldn’t make out their words, but he could feel their feelings of praise toward him as if it were tangible. He smiled, reveling in the glory of the moment. He raised his hands up, producing a louder cry from the crowd, and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes, and the entire scene burst into a million different fragments. A white cloud enveloped him, and suddenly he was hurtling downward at an impossible velocity. He glimpsed half-visions of places, places that seemed familiar, though he didn’t know why. A quiet mountainside, a dark room, a glistening pond, an impossibly high tower. Strange faces appeared before him, only for an instant, seeming warped by some unknown force.
It was only then that he noticed something was different. Before it had only been an unfathomable darkness around him, a sense of being outside his own body. A dreamless sleep where time had no meaning. Here, nothing had meaning, just half-thoughts and senseless visions and incomprehensible voices. Oblivion. But the fact of the change couldn’t hold his attention for long. The clouds vanished around him, and he was falling downward, downward with no sight of an end.
He opened his eyes. There he was, lying in front of himself. That thought made him consider, for a moment, if the vision was real; he shook it off. Of course it was. There was nothing odd about viewing your own body, lying there on the table in front of you. With the Power, many things were possible. The Power? Where had that thought come from? What was this Power? It didn’t matter; he didn’t even know who he was. That thought made him burst out laughing. What a ludicrous idea. But wait… Why couldn’t he remember? For that matter, what couldn’t he remember? He broke off the laugh, silence devouring any trace of the sound. A deafening silence. A maddening silence. He made to clutch his head in his hands, then realized he had no hands. His mind strained, thinking. What can’t I remember? Half-memories floated just beyond reach; they might as well be light-years away. He shook his head violently. His veins were burning, his head swimming. A growing roar was emanating from his throat.
“Why can’t I remember?!” he screamed.
Varnus
1800 Hours
Medlab
The doctor pushed himself away from the monitor and strode over to the table where the patient lay.
“Doctor Vannik, he’s becoming unstable!” one of the nurses cried out.
“All right,” the older man said calmly. His dark complexion contrasted against the stark white of his uniform. As he pulled up a sterilization mask over his face, he glanced at the overhead status monitor. He moved to the bedside where a pale, middle aged man lay in a white patient’s gown. The man’s face seemed calm, relaxing in a deep sleep. His long blond hair was tied behind him and hung partway off the top edge of the bed.
A regal-looking face, Xar Kerensky thought. And one that seemed slightly familiar. But he knew he’d never seen the man before. Xar watched through the one-way mirror, silently contemplating what exactly the patient was doing here.
Vannik glanced momentarily at the mirror. He would know Xar was there, of course, but he didn’t know how much Xar knew. The Jedi Grand Master smiled. Vannik turned back to the patient, calling out orders to his nurses for a prescribed mix of drugs.
“Interesting, no?” Xar asked, still staring ahead.
“Yes, very interesting,” Mathis replied. Xar saw a half-reflection from the glass as the Deputy Grand Master moved closer to his side, a half-grin on his face as always. Xar doubted the other man knew what he’d referred to, though.
The patient on the table still lay there, still as death. Xar and Mathis had found the man little more than a month before, encased in a stasis field deep underneath the Krii’Graq Palace on Moro Prime. Not only was it strange finding a human in such a way, on a planet where no other humans had set foot in thousands of years, but there was another, deeper secret, Xar knew.
“The display’s very faint, I think it went
into low-power mode… I can barely make it out… Someone is in here…” Mathis touched the device with his
hand, leaving an imprint of it in the dust.
Suddenly Mathis grew very
silent. He crouched down, not moving, still staring at the control panel.
“Well,” Xar said impatiently.
“Is he still alive?” Assuming it was a he, that is.
Mathis’s reply was a few seconds
in coming. “Yeah,” his voice was soft and ghostlike.
Xar took
a couple steps closer, confused. “Well… how long has he been in there?”
“I… don’t know.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Does it
say?”
“I don’t know…” Mathis turned
back toward him, his face white as a sheet. “The timer ran out at 9,999…”
There, in a treasure vault of Force-related artifacts, they’d found a working stasis device that had held a living being for well over ten thousand years.
And that being is a Jedi.
“What?” asked Mathis, turning to look at him.
Xar realized he’d said the last sentence aloud. He turned to look at his friend.
“Yes, a Jedi. Well, perhaps not a Jedi as we know it. But Force-sensitive at least.”
“Are you sure? How is that possible? You know what that means…”
Xar nodded. “We have a Force-sensitive being from an age twice as far back in the past as the Golden Age of Sith Empire…” No currently known historical records went back that far. If this man woke, he could only imagine the stories he could tell…
But the very decision of whether or not to try reviving him had taken most of the month to decide. Xar had personally seen to the transportation of all items and artifacts from the Krri’Graq storeroom to the treasure vaults beneath the Palace on Varnus. The stasis box had been the most carefully transported, covered up and brought with the utmost care during the night. He, Mathis, and the other Jedi Council members had debated for days over whether or not to open the stasis box. Doing so much kill whoever was inside, they knew. But in the end, it was a chance they had to take. Or perhaps it was unchecked curiosity. At any rate, they had disrupted the stasis field, and the coffin-like box had opened to reveal the naked, unmarked figure of the man in front of them now. After that, Xar had left the matter up to chief medical officer Vannik, head of therapeutics in the palace.
At the sound of the doctor’s raised voice, both men turned back to concentrate on the scene outside the window. Something was happening that they had not yet seen before. The patient was moving. And his actions were getting more and more frantic. His arms and legs began flailing about, and his head was twitching from side to side.
Vannik cried out in dismay. “He’s going critical! Hold him down!” As the nurses moved to comply, Vannik ran over and held the man’s head, intently staring into the man’s face. “Don’t you die on me,” he muttered sternly.
The nurses moved in front of Xar’s vision, obstructing his view of the patient…
And suddenly Xar was standing outside, the cool breeze flowing past him. He looked down, and took an involuntary step back away from the cliff side. Below him was a beautiful valley, with a clear lake surrounded by a grove of evergreen trees at the bottom. It almost seemed familiar… He glanced up, and saw the orange-yellow sun of his home planet resting in a clear blue-green sky. He was on Varnus.
He shook his head. No, this was a vision, a telepathic transmission through the Force. This patient was stronger than he’d thought… But he couldn’t let himself get caught in someone else’s memories. He repressed the image with the Force, and suddenly he was back, staring through the glass at the emergency room. The room’s other occupants stood as if frozen, obviously captivated by the scene that Xar had been able to block out. But the patient was still flailing around in unconsciousness.
Suddenly the doctor, nurses, and his Deputy Grand Master came out of their reverie. Xar reached a hand out to steady Mathis, but kept an eye on the scene inside.
“I saw…” one of the nurses began.
“Save it.” Doctor Vannik had obviously kept his wits about him. “Give me that needle!”
Xar heard a faint moan from the table. He didn’t know if the patient was conscious, but he prepared a shield using the Force just in case the man came out blazing.
Instead a tremor spread slowly throughout the room, shaking the table, instruments, and the other devices in the room.
“Doctor!”
One of the containers on the far side of the room flung itself open, and a cluster of glittering sharp objects flew out through the air. The room’s occupants scrambled to the side, but one didn’t make it fast enough. Xar reached out with the Force, catching several of the projectiles in mid-flight, but a couple got through. Two sharp cutting knives embedded in a nurse’s shoulder and stomach, and he stumbled to the ground, groaning, clutching the impaled objects.
“Med. team to the emergency room!” the doctor yelled. He grabbed the needle from the table and brought it down into the patient’s chest in one motion, then virtually threw himself on top of the twitching body on the table.
Then Xar noticed that Mathis had left and was making his way into the emergency room, his long, curly hair flowing behind him. The doors just opposite him burst open and an emergency team ran in. And a few tense moments later it was over. The patient was lying still as he had been before, the injured nurse was being attended to, and Xar had moved to meet Doctor Vannik and Mathis at the door.
Vannik pulled his sterile mask off and tossed it in the nearest bin. “What in the name of the galaxy just happened?”
Xar looked over at the patient. “Is he all right?”
Vannik hesitated for a moment. Xar could feel the man’s gaze on his face.
“He’s stabilized,” the doctor finally conceded with a sigh. “For a minute there I didn’t know what was going on. I think we almost lost him. You going to tell me what happened?”
Xar turned his eyes from the patient to the doctor. “That man,” he said quietly, “is Force-Sensitive. A Jedi. What happened was an involuntary action on his part. Thrashing out with the Force, unconsciously. Not intentional.”
Vannik lowered his dark eyebrows. “Why didn’t you tell me that? We have special facilities for Jedi.”
Xar nodded a bit impatiently. “I know that. I did not know that he was Force-Sensitive until just a few moments ago.” He broke off, unsure what to say. “I am sorry for the misjudgment, doctor. Please make sure you offer this patient the best care we have. I do not want to lose him.”
Vannik shook his head. “Don’t worry just yet, I think he’ll stay stable now. But he’s still in a coma. I’ve no way of knowing when - or if - he’ll come out.”
“I know you will do everything you can. If there is any change in his condition, let me know.”
“I will.”
“Thank you doctor.” He nodded to the older man, then turned and led Mathis back toward the entrance and the hallway back toward the rest of the palace.
“What was that all about?” Mathis asked once they’d cleared the Medlab.
“I did not want to
let the doctor know too much about what we are dealing with.” Their footsteps
echoed down the hallway. Only a small amount of traffic was making its way
around this, one of the deeper sections of the
“I know of the implications here,” Mathis mused. “Though I’m not sure what it could be that’s too sensitive for the doctor to hear. Did I miss something?”
“Only because you were not looking for it.” Xar said, glancing at his friend. “I was able to get a rough sense of his strength in the Force. I think he is stronger than I am.”
Mathis looked at him incredulously. “Are you sure? I thought you’d doubled in strength after your fight with that dark Jedi.”
“With Dasok Krun, yes. But this man is from an age when Jedi were everywhere, a thousand times more common than today. Perhaps the Jedi of that age were simply born stronger. Maybe it depends on a particular gene. There are many possibilities.”
“Including the possibility that he knows how to drain Force power?” Mathis asked curiously.
Xar shrugged. “Perhaps. But if he did, he would almost certainly have been branded a Dark Jedi. Which brings up another point… Did you notice how he was using the Force? Not that he was, how he was…?”
“Oh… You mean, did he use the Dark Side or the Light Side?”
“Exactly.”
“I didn’t happen to catch it. After the place started shaking I started for the emergency room and was catching objects with the Force. I thought I might be able to stop him from hurting somebody.”
Xar nodded. “The man was unconscious. Regardless of what emotions he was feeling on the inside, there is a trace through the Force of the kind of power used. He was full of emotion – but not the Dark Side.”
Mathis stopped, and Xar took a couple steps past before catching himself. He turned to face the Deputy Grand Master.
Mathis’s seemed to hesitate a moment. “Xar… You don’t mean to suggest he’s doing what we’ve just recently learned?” he whispered. His face was a mask of stone.
Xar nodded gravely. “I think so, Mathis. The whole concept of the dark and light… the ‘Sides’ as we know it… gone. What Novitaar told us, what I have been teaching you these past months - that was what he used. I am sure of it.”
“How is that possible?” Mathis’s voice was low.
Xar considered. “Through the training we have been undergoing for the past months, you and I have learned to give up the concept of using a particular ‘side’. You have overcome your earlier training, and now you use the Force, no longer relying on the ‘Dark Side’ or ‘Light Side’. Novitaar… guided me in the right direction, and other hints I gleaned this from studying Runis’ secret records, the things he’d encountered in his travels. Now, we know there was a time in ancient history when there was no distinguishing between the sides. When there were only ‘Jedi’.”
“Whoa, hold on Xar…
You know what you’re saying? That was before the
“Not so loud, Mathis!” Xar whispered. Did he want the whole palace to know? “You remember how Runis spent years in the Unknown Regions… There he learned secrets I have only begun to uncover in the databanks on the Black Star. I only found this out recently. He found the secret to this power out there somewhere, and though I did not know it at the time, he taught it to me, although it was his own philosophy, tainted by the Dark Side, which is what he loved anyway. Runis did not adhere to this concept he discovered. At any rate, I only found out recently, as I said. Perhaps this Jedi discovered the secret long ago, when it may have been more widespread.” It was the best explanation Xar could give. Information was just too scarce, and before this past year, there hadn’t been a Jedi alive who didn’t believe in two distinct sides to the Force.
Mathis nodded, understanding dawning on his face. “Of course… But, like you said, that just makes him even more important to us. We’ve got to revive him. What he knows could be extremely valuable. It could change everything.”
“Yes, and we must take steps to ensure his safety… But that is for later,” he announced. “We can do nothing about that at the moment, not until he awakes. You had something you wanted to show me?”
“Oh. Yes, I did,” Mathis affirmed. “But, well… you won’t like it. Could we go to your office?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
He turned and started back down the hallway at a faster pace, the Deputy Grand Master following on his heels. They passed a number of palace tenants, workers, servants, and Jedi-in-training on the way. Each gave way to their two-man train, bowing respectfully to the leaders of the New Imperium’s Jedi Division.
The palace had been completely repaired and refurbished in the months since House Ar’Kell had moved in, along with the remnants of the Society of Shadows, the offspring Jedi cult attached to the Intruder Wing. Now they were known simply as the Jedi Division, and had their own territory that was the Varnus System, along with an assortment of ships, fighter groups, and various military attachments.
The palace itself had been restored to pristine condition. The interior was clean, and tapestries decorated many walls, and the ornate carvings on some of the ceilings had been cleaned. What was more, many beings now populated the place, going about their business in what was essentially the city center of Vectur, the official seat of its ruler Xar Kerensky, rightful heir to the throne of Varnus.
Xar opened the door to his chambers and entered, making his way through the antechamber toward his private office. It was quite different from his old office in Ravenspyre back on Frigg. He heard Mathis close the door behind him and pad softly across the room.
In the main office, Xar sat down in his plush, automatically-conforming seat and brought his personal computer online. From his office he had connections to all the local news servers, the Jedi database in the palace, including other member’s systems, and a full HoloNet up-link.
Mathis stopped on the other side of the desk and hesitated, as if pondering where to begin.
“Well,” he began finally, “As you asked, I’ve been searching all over the HoloNet for…” He stopped as Xar held up a hand to forestall him.
“Just a second. Look at this.” He motioned for Mathis to come around beside him.
“What is it?” asked Mathis, moving around the desk to see what was on the screen.
“The latest HoloNet news feed from Coruscant.”
Xar grimaced. The view switched to a vantage point above Coruscant,
showing a wide expanse of gray and black. There used to be buildings, but now
they had been reduced to rubble, rubble extending as far as the eye could see.
Black clouds of smoke poured from huge cracks within the planet, leading down
to the deeper levels that used to hold the lower classes of
“Look at it, Mathis. This is what the Empire has wrought. Nothing but death and destruction.” A great feeling of anger and frustration welled up in him; he didn’t try to repress it. The view switched to the surface, showing in detail some of the devastated buildings and squares. And the bodies… charred remnants of once bright, life loving beings. Children’s’ toys, once-beautiful statues, and other people’s belongings were strewn along the ground. “’Less than a billion left alive’, it says. The whole planet is in civil war. The Imperial factions are fighting each other more fiercely than they ever fought the Rebels.” He narrowed his eyes in anger and frustration. “Those butchering Imperial Warlords! If only we were strong enough, we could move in and wipe them all out ourselves.”
Mathis, standing by
his side, shook his head. “We may not have to… Look, it looks like the
Rebellion… I mean, the
“Sorry for the interruption. What was it you wanted to show me?”
“Ah…” Mathis produced a datacard from his pocket and handed it to the Grand Master. Xar studied it for a moment, then placed the disk in one of the computer’s drive slots. The screen left the scenes of Coruscant behind and converted to a database system.
“What is it?” Xar asked.
Mathis sighed, hesitated a moment, then began. “You told me to look through the HoloNet and other resources and try and find someone… I think I found him.”
Xar looked back up at him in surprise. “Are you serious? You actually found General Akira?” Akira. He’d only heard the name twice before, both times during the attack on House Ar’Kell over a year ago. Dasok Krun had mentioned that he’d worked for the General, and another of the invaders had mentioned the name Akira, then abruptly died of an unknown ailment. Xar had told Mathis to look into the name in his spare time, and try and find out who this General Akira was. Had he found him so quickly?
“It took some intensive searching,” Mathis explained. “I went though a bunch of Akiras. Akira, the Captain of a freighter working for Sorosuub, Akira, a physics teacher on Coruscant… At least before the bombing…”
“Could you please get to the point here?” Xar asked impatiently.
Mathis gave a slightly exasperated sigh. “Of course. Bring up Search Results. Like I said, there were a lot of Akiras. But only one specific General Akira.”
Xar complied, and the screen switched to a text readout of “General Akira”.
“Go to the visual.” Mathis whispered. Xar did so, wondering what could be so special to give the Deputy Grand Master such trepidation. The screen switched to an image, filling in the screen and quickly filtering it…
And there he was. Something instantly clicked inside Xar as he looked into the face of the architect of his world’s downfall. He knew this was the right man. His bald head, beard and mustache dark, with a hint of gray coming through. Almond-shaped eyes. But it wasn’t Akira who dominated the scene. In fact, the general was standing behind the shoulder of another man. And that man Xar certainly recognized…
“Mathis… That is Emperor Palpatine…” There was no mistaking it. The brown hair, graying at the sides, the aging (but not yet old) face, the thin mouth and blue eyes… Palpatine in his proverbial middle age.
“Actually, Senator Palpatine,” Mathis snorted. “Just before the Clone Wars erupted. And his right-hand men, General Akira and Kinman Doriana.”
The latter name made Xar look at the man on Palpatine’s other side. The elderly face of Kinman Doriana… Known by extremely few as Palpatine’s right-hand man, and one of the architects of his rise to power. And if Akira was there, in that circle… “This is deep,” he said aloud.
“Tell me about it. According to the scant records I was able to compile, Akira vanished during the Clone Wars. After they were over, of course, Palpating made himself Emperor. Doriana died abruptly, and around that time Thrawn and Vader came into the Emperor’s services.”
“And what about Akira?” Xar asked, leaning back in his seat.
“Like I said, he vanished, presumed dead. In fact I found a rumor that he fell from Palpatine’s graces and was summarily executed.”
“But we know that is not true.”
“As you say. Because the battle of Varnus happened over twenty years later, and that was masterminded by Akira himself, with Dasok Krun to implement the plan.”
“Which means he led a group of Dark Jedi. Knowing Palpatine, I would not be surprised to find Akira trained in the Force himself. Maybe he was even one of Palpatine’s Dark Side Adepts.”
“Could be.” Mathis gave a low whistle. “And that could mean he’s out there somewhere with a whole force at his hands, including a group of Jedi.”
Xar sighed. That would not be surprising. If Akira was a close advisor, the Emperor could have sent him off on some covert mission instead. Either way, it seemed likely that he was able to assemble his own faction, from where he ran things, either by Palpatine’s order or of his own accord. Xar twisted his mouth in disgust. Another threat out there, one they didn’t even know the slightest about, nor their whereabouts.
“So,” Mathis continued, “if Akira is based somewhere out here, as it would seem from the Battle of Varnus, then we may be facing a powerful warlord that helped the Emperor rise to power… and with his own Jedi and various other resources. And remember he has a pretty widespread influence as well. We heard that he had people working for him in the upper levels of command in the Phare System.”
Xar nodded. “Small galaxy,” he mused quietly. His thoughts wandered back to Frigg, over a year and a half ago. Ravenspyre had been attacked by an elite group of Dark Jedi looking for an ancient artifact underneath the palace. And Krun himself had been from Varnus, exiled by Xar’s father. And they’d wanted to kill him in return for killing Janus, a Dark Jedi Xar had beaten two years ago. “It all ties together, huh? Janus, Krun, Akira, Palpatine, Varnus, me… Everything.”
“Could be,” Mathis said thoughtfully. “But how?”
Xar’s mind strained to find some link, something he’d heard from Janus or Krun, but it was too sketchy to bring to mind. Then he remembered something. “Janus was willing to die rather than tell me whom he was working for,” Xar said, looking up at Mathis. “If Krun was working for Akira, then maybe Janus was too. But Janus was on a totally different mission. If both worked for Akira, then this guy still has major connections.” He made a smirk. “And if he also ordered Krun to attack Ravenspyre, then General Akira is still alive…” Still alive to pay for his crimes, he thought.
Mathis must have caught his mood. Xar felt the other man’s hand on his shoulder.
“Xar, if you’re thinking what I think you are, please forget it. We don’t know anything about this guy, much less where he is now. And I’m not letting you go off on some fool’s joyride this time.”
Xar turned back to stare intently at the face in the holoscreen. “He has to be brought to justice, Mathis. You should feel as I do. What about you and your obsession with Leia Organa?”
Mathis’s hand left his shoulder. Xar turned to look into a face that, for once, didn’t contain Mathis’s ubiquitous half-smile.
“I can’t change what happened to Alderaan, Xar. Leia will eventually pay for what she did to my world, but I know it’s not my responsibility anymore. I’ve learned to deal with it. I’d thought you had with yours, too.”
Stern words coming from his Deputy Grand Master, and friend. But Xar knew he was right.
“Sorry, Mathis. You are right, I cannot let the past dictate my actions in the future. But some day you will know what it is like, to have something you thought long gone in the past flare back up in your face. I sense that this is going to have some effect on us in the future, on the New Imperium as a whole. If the necessity arises, it may be our responsibility - as the New Imperium’s is to protect its subjects - to stop this man.” He studied the face on the screen, a face from thirty years ago, standing together with two of the most dangerous men in history. An uneasy feeling came up in his gut. No, something definitely was not right here…
Suddenly his commlink beeped.
He acknowledged the signal, and a small window appeared on the screen with an envoy on the other side.
“Yes? What is it?”
The younger man in the window hesitated. “I, um… Well, sir, you see… There’s a man here at the entrance. He um… says he wants to talk to you, personally.”
Xar sighed. “You know I do not have the time to speak with everyone who walks up. Tell him he needs to make an appointment like everyone else.” There were set times when he admitted visitors and citizens to come to him with their questions, comments, and problems. The responsibilities of being Grand Master required strict schedule planning. He didn’t have time to admit someone at the spur of the moment.
“Ah, yes sir, but…” The envoy went on timidly. “Well, the man says he knows you personally, sir. He says his name’s Maarek Stele…”
The envoy cut off abruptly, staring through the screen at Xar. “Sir?”
The other man must have caught the surprise on Xar’s face. Maarek Stele. Had he really gotten Xar’s message? And come so soon? He hadn’t seen or heard from Stele in a long time, except in the history books.
And it seemed that Stele was still alive after all, and against all hope had gotten Xar’s message and come to fly together again in their idealistic New Imperium. Dismissing his trepidation of an imposter or threat, he looked sternly back though the screen and addressed the envoy. “Send him to my office, immediately. He has clearance to my personal chambers. Bring him up as soon as possible.”
The envoy’s eyes went wide. “Of…of course, sir! Right away…” Xar cut him off by closing the connection. He sighed.
He glanced at Mathis, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Hmm. That name sounds a little familiar," Mathis said, eyes narrowing. "Ah! I remember now,” he said, raising a finger. “You once told me about a man by that name. Is this the same man you told me about before?”
Xar nodded. “Yes. Maarek and I were both Squadron Commanders under Grand Admiral Thrawn. We served under him until Endor, when I left Thrawn's services. Maarek stayed with Thrawn, for a while at least. Less than a year later there was a report saying he’d died in a fighter crash, but I doubted it. I sent him a message months ago, back when we first came here to Varnus.” He shook his head. The name brought up so many memories.
Mathis shook his dark, long-haired head. “I remember you telling me about that, now. So it seems Stele got the message.”
Indeed it did. But Xar already had a full schedule today. And something else nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite place it. He reached over on the desk and grabbed his personal datapad, looked at his schedule. His fears were right.
“Stang.” Xar exclaimed. He’d had too much on his mind the past few days, it was inevitable he would forget something important. “The diplomatic mission to the Sigmans is coming up. I have to leave today.”
“Ouch,” Mathis noted. "That could be cutting it close."
The Sigmans, or Kaav’Klan as they called themselves, had made contact with NI forces during the Battle of Moro a month before. They’d requested a diplomatic meeting on their world with a member of the newly-established NI Senate to discuss membership in the New Imperium. Since the other members were mostly fleet commanders, and busy seeing to the affairs and construction of their own territories and fleets, Xar was considered the freest, and the most diplomatically able to handle these situations. The Senate had not yet elected a president, to be known as the Diktat, although Xar had been nominated and was expected to be chosen and sworn in soon. The other leaders were busy, and Xar had negotiated the Krri’Graq truce, after all. So many agendas, too little time, he thought.
“I will not be able to speak long with Stele. Relay a message to the Stormwatch. Tell them I will be transferring aboard later and to prepare for the trip to Sigma.”
“No problem.” Mathis gave a grin. “You’re really adapting to the leadership role, becoming fashionably late all the time. It’s a basic rule, making everyone else wait for you, so you can make your desired entrance, and then all the attention will be on you.”
“Not my intentions at all,” Xar chided. But he couldn’t help smiling at the picture in his mind. He glanced back at the screen. The windows containing holovids of the chamber’s area showed someone was at the outer door to the chambers. “All right, hold on. Here he comes. Boy, that was fast.”
“Guess we’re about to see if this is the same guy you used to fly with. Are you sure he’s same as when you left him?”
Xar shrugged. “I suppose we will not know until we see him.”
“That makes me feel better,” Mathis said sarcastically.
Xar shut the system down, got up, and made his way to the center of the room.
“Well, I guess we’re about to find out,” Mathis noted as they turned to face the entrance.
A few moments later
the doors parted, and a dark haired man in a nondescript Imperial-style uniform
stood in the doorway. He stepped though into the office, visually glanced
around the room. Only for a second, though; his gaze came to rest on the Xar
and Mathis. A hard gaze, one that Xar could remember.
There was no mistaking the face in front of him. He never forgot a face, even though this one had grown a close, neatly cropped beard and mustache as dark as his hair. "Maarek Stele," he whispered.
The other man's face looked somewhat uncertain. "Xar? Xar Runis, is that really you?" Then his gaze softened a bit, and he grinned. Xar felt a smile come onto his face, as well. "It is you." He started closer.
Xar met him halfway, and a round of hand shaking and backslapping went around between the two. Mathis stood behind, watching with bemusement. Xar rarely showed this much emotion.
"Maarek, it is so good to see you," Xar exclaimed. "I hoped you would get my message. I knew it was a long shot, but to actually have you show up here…"
The man smiled. "Let’s just say I was waiting for the right kind of invitation. Things have been rough after Endor."
"I can understand that," Xar said, giving a laugh. "Here, let me introduce you to my Deputy Grand Master, Mathis Organa, a.k.a. “Billbob”. He is a good friend, and his support has been invaluable."
Maarek’s his lips curved upwards in a smile. "A famous name, Organa. I’m assuming you’re the real thing. But… Billbob?" Xar brought up a hand to cover his grin. It wasn't the first time someone had expressed cynicism at Mathis' name.
"Yeah, well, maybe I’m real, maybe not," Mathis retorted. His voice was stern, but Xar could see his eyes weren't angry. In fact, it had almost become a kind of inside joke, one Xar and several of the old Ar'Kellians loved to rankle the Deputy Grand Master about. “And Billbob is a very honorable name, I’ll have you.”
"I didn't mean offense by it, I..." Maarek broke off as Mathis started chuckling.
"No offense taken," he laughed. "Sometimes I wonder about it myself. Maybe I'll tell you the story behind it sometime," he added more seriously. "But you'll have to have a lot of time on your hands. Ask Xar; I've known him for two and a half years, and he still hasn't heard it all yet."
"Well, I'll look forward to that someday," Maarek smiled. "But Xar; a Jedi Master?” he asked incredulously. “Things sure have changed.”
“For all of us, I am sure,” Xar said, nodding to Mathis as well. “But first, proper introductions. Mathis, this is Maarek Stele, hero of the Empire. And one of the best starfighter pilots around, unless he has become lax in his old age," he joked.
“I’m still younger than you,” Maarek retorted. “And I’m still the best.”
“I hope we can test that sometime,” Xar challenged, lightheartedly. “We are all still in our prime.”
“I don’t know about that one, Xar. I’m sure that Maarek here and I are still top-notch, but you’re not going anywhere near a fighter again, remember?” Mathis broke in with a grin. "Anyway, I’d better be going. I have some things to take care of, and I'm sure you two want to catch up on old times. Good to make your acquaintance, Commander Stele."
"And yours, Deputy Grand Master Organa.”
“Organa will do,” Mathis said.
“Okay, Organa. But I'm not really a Commander any more. Just Maarek Stele will do."
"Ah. Well then, see you later, Maarek Stele." With that Mathis nodded, turned, and made his way out of the office.
"Well," Xar said as the door closed. "Where do we begin? Would you like something to drink?" he asked, heading for the cabinet near the back wall. It was made of light, polished wood, complimented by the blue carpet floor it sat on. He opened the doors, revealing two shelves of bottles filled with multicolored liquids.
"You must have changed more than I thought," Maarek said as he came over beside him. "You didn’t used to drink."
Xar half-smiled. The man remembered well. "Stress has been building lately. And this is partly for my guests, too.” He opened a side box on the bottom shelf and brought out another bottle, cool to the touch. "But I am on duty. This is a combination of exotic fruits, very refreshing. I find it very useful on days like today."
"Yes, I'm sure you do," Maarek laughed. "In that case, I'll have some too."
"Good choice." Xar handed him a glass and took another for himself. Then he poured the orange liquid into the glasses, filling them halfway, and set the bottle back in the refrigeration unit.
"Try not to spill any," he said lightly. Then he took a long drink, nearly draining the glass. He must have been thirstier than he'd thought. His taste buds were bombarded with a collaboration of flavors. He felt the cool liquid as it traveled all the way down to his stomach. He lowered the glass and sighed. It was, he thought, the best drink he'd ever had. And with good reason. The stuff went for five hundred credits a glass on the open market. He decided not to tell Maarek, though.
Maarek's eyes widened as he took a drink. When he lowered his glass he licked his lips. "That is good," he exclaimed.
"I thought you would like it. Come, have a seat. As Mathis said, we have much to discuss." Bypassing the desk, he moved further into the room, to the far wall where a couch and two plush, self-conforming seats surrounding a low glass table. Maarek followed, a thoughtful expression on his face. Xar set his glass on the table and reclined on the couch. Maarek sat down in a seat opposite him and relaxed visibly as the chair conformed itself to his body structure.
"It has been a long time, Maarek."
"Yes, a very long time."
Time to get to the point. "So, what brings you out here to Wild Space, Maarek?"
Maarek smiled. "Well, your message, obviously. That’s for starters. I
heard you guys had a whole fleet assembled out here, waiting to storm the
Xar gave a dry chuckle.
He was aware that there were about as many rumors about the activities and
goals of the New Imperium as there were mouths to tell them, but he didn't
really care what other people said or thought. Rumors were not the only reason
Maarek had come. "You know how the rumors go, Maarek. Yes, they are
sticking me in this position, at least for the first term. But we are no real
threat to the
Maarek had sipped his drink quietly during Xar's speech, and now he set his glass down, a thoughtful expression on his face. He nodded slowly. "I see. From your tone of voice I take it there are those within the New Imperium that do not subscribe to your ideals?"
Xar shrugged. "There are. But we are working to convince them otherwise, to bring them into our way of thinking. Ours is not an easy task, but from how I see it, we have to do what we have to do. To do otherwise would be wrong."
"Still, your goals are broad. And what you've told me is doubtless what your 'official' stance is. Any citizen could probably find what you've said in the New Imperium Constitution or news vids. What about you, personally? What is your goal?" His tone wasn't harsh or aggressive, just questioning.
Xar thought for a moment before answering. He had been asked this question before, numerous times. Many times the question had been raised accusingly, warily, or aggressively. But now it was just a simple question. It required a simple answer. He'd spent a lot of time pondering his motives, whether they were just. He knew he had made mistakes in his life, but he had determined, from the beginning in his helping to found the New Imperium, that he would do what was right. A simple answer.
"I want to reestablish the Jedi. Not Jedi of the Light Side or Dark Side, but of the Force. A group that will do what the Jedi of old did... They were mediators, protectors of peace and justice, and defenders of the innocent. I want to make the New Imperium a symbol of hope and protection, something people can look to and know that they are in good hands, that we will do everything we can to preserve their freedom. I want to learn all I can about the galaxy, about what is out there." He gestured upwards. "There is so much we have forgotten. So much we have yet to learn. I want to learn. That is my goal. That is what I have dedicated myself to." Not a short statement, but simple enough.
Maarek leaned forward, his eyes looking into Xar's. A smile came onto his face, and he nodded. "In that case," he said, "I’ll join you."
Xar's jaw dropped in surprise. He’d hoped for this, but not expected it so quickly. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Not just because of your message, of course, or even your speech just now. I didn't come all the way out here just for nothing, though. I never told you this, but I didn't serve the Empire of my own will, entirely. When the Empire came to my world, and stopped the civil war between the two races in my system, it was a grand ideal they gave us. They made many false promises and guarantees. We were 'convinced' to join, thought practically at gunpoint. It was the same thing when they 'recruited' many of us, including our leaders. I was eager to join this grand order, to see the galaxy. I also wanted to find my father, Kerek Stele. He'd been captured by the Bordali and later transferred to Imperial hands. I didn't know until later. Remember that mission we flew? Zaarin had staged a coup to kidnap the Emperor, and we had to move in to save him before they got away?"
Xar nodded. He remembered well. "Yes, it was a historic mission. I heard that cadets were required to fly the mission at the Academy before they could graduate."
“Anyway. What about you, Xar?” Maarek asked.
Xar considered. It had been several years since they had last met. "After I left Thrawn, I wandered around and eventually joined up with the Imperial Remnant,” he said. “After a while I realized it was a worthless cause, and so I entered the surviving remnant of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood in Minos Cluster.” He paused, remembering those months with House Ar’Kell that had changed his life again. “I could not stay forever, though. A group of us left together and founded the New Imperium, along with several other fleets and organizations. What's so funny?" he asked, realizing that Maarek was laughing now.
"I was just thinking," the other man said jovially. "Look where we all ended up. I mean, look at you, a Jedi Master. You told me you would be one someday, but frankly, I didn't ever think you'd accomplish it."
Xar smiled. "Well, though it was forced upon me - the use of the Force, that is - and I learned to accept it and adapt to it."
"Possibly much the same as with me."
"What do you mean?" Maarek was Force-Sensitive, from what he understood, but not very strong. At least not that Xar could tell, because Stele had never had former training. All he knew was that the Emperor’s servants had taken to Maarek and had given him lots of messages through the course of the war.
"Remember those hooded guys that lurked around on the ships and bases, usually popping in to give a message or relay some secondary orders for the missions?"
Xar nodded. "Yes, the Emperor's so-called Secret Order."
"Yeah, that's right. Did they ever give you any weird messages? I mean, stranger than the usual ones they gave?"
"Nothing that I can recall specifically," he shrugged. "I was hiding my Force-sensitivity at every opportunity. I suspected they might have known I was Force-Sensitive, but I couldn’t take any chances."
"Well, they gave me some pretty strange ones sometimes. About serving the Emperor, destinies, that kind of thing. They taught me a lot of weird stuff, but frankly I was never comfortable with it."
"I see."
"Did you ever have dreams? Sometimes I thought I could hear the Emperor's voice calling me, as though he knew me and had a specific purpose for me."
"The Secret Order used numerous methods to get their points and ideas across. Brainwashing and similar activities were probably well known to them. I can understand the dreams. As a Force-Sensitive, you should be familiar with them."
"Hmm. I’ve been thinking of something, and I wanted to ask you what you know," Maarek said thoughtfully. "Were you ever in one of those strange ceremonies?" He brought his arm up and began pulling his sleeve back. Underneath, on the inside of his forearm, was a complex pattern of tattoos the Secret Order gave, symbolizing rank. "Anyway," he continued, "The ranks went all the way up to Emperor's Hand. I was an ‘Emperor’s Hand’. I got messages handed down by the Order, and I carried them out. Some I understood, some I didn’t…”
Xar watched Stele thoughtfully. Obviously, he had been in deeper than Xar had ever been. How much had Maarek learned about the Force?
Maarek continued. “There have been several people called that, ‘The Emperor's Hand’. You remember anyone else?"
"Mara Jade," Xar answered. He picked his glass up from the table, drained it of its remaining contents, and set it back down. "She was an advisor and agent to Palpatine."
"Ah. Might there have been more Emperor's Hands, too?"
Xar smiled at the thought of Palpatine with several physical hands. It seemed the Emperor did like to name his servants after certain body-parts... "I am sure there were," he replied. "But I have no idea who they were."
"And what if there was a rank beyond that? Ever hear of the Emperor's Reach? I did."
At first Xar shook his head, but stopped midway. Now that was an interesting prospect. He leaned back, tapping a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Good question. But who might that be? The leader of the Secret Order itself? A close advisor?" He broke off at that thought. A close advisor. The image of Akira popped involuntarily into his mind. Could it have been? A long shot of a theory, and fairly ridiculous, but an interesting possibility nonetheless.
"I don't know," Maarek said in reply to his question. "Oh well, it was just a thought. Where was I before?"
"You were talking about our time in the Empire, and how we all left and ended up in different positions," Xar replied. "So what did you do?"
"Ah, yes... I was getting to that part. As I said, the Empire had custody of my father Kerek. He was a brilliant scientist, and the Empire kept him well in exchange for his 'services'." His face practically shone with pride for his father. "Well, after we saved the Emperor, Lord Vader himself awarded me the Medal of Honor. He said some things to me, and one thing I've kept to myself all this time. We both knew my father was being held in the service of the Empire. Vader told me that for my loyal service, he would be released. However, in exchange I would have to keep serving the Empire until I had earned the right to leave and be reunited with him."
Xar’s eyes widened. Interesting. Stele had never mentioned it to Xar, for certain. And Maarek had not let it show in the slightest, that Xar could remember. "I... never knew." That was all there was to say.
"I didn't want it to get out. Not that I didn't think you'd keep a tight lid, but... It was something I had to do on my own. I didn't want anyone to endanger themselves to help me escape, to save my father."
Xar nodded. He understood, and agreed, with Maarek's thinking. When he'd found out what had happened to his family and world, the devastation that had been wrecked while he'd been gone, he had bottled it all up inside, not willing to share it with anyone. He had joined the Empire to wage his own private war against the Rebellion, thinking they had been responsible. And when he had found out that it was a lie, that one man, Dasok Krun, had been personally led the strike on his world, he had transferred that vengeance fully to him. And now he'd found out that a man named General Akira had orchestrated the entire plan. Was he now going to transfer his vengeance to him? No, he thought to himself. He'd let that go when he’d killed Krun, and there was no more reason to rely on that. All the emotions and intentions, kept inside him, never allowed outside. He could not solve every problem on his own. That day he had learned to let others inside, for the first time in years. . Mathis had been right. Maybe he should follow his Deputy's advice more often...
"Xar? You okay?" Maarek was leaning forward, a concerned look on his face.
He shook his head. "I am fine. Just... memories. I can empathize with what you went though. Funny how similar our lives have been in some ways. So how did you escape that deal, and did you find your father?"
"Yes, just a second," Maarek nodded. "I knew I had to find some way to get out, but like you know, I was working directly with Grand Admiral Thrawn at the time. When he decided to take off into the Unknown Regions, there was little I could do to stop him. I finally came up with a way, though. And believe me, it wasn't easy. I had a... falling out... with Thrawn about something. I became a little... reckless... and impulsive, you might say... Well, even from a so-called 'hero' of the Empire, the perfectionist that Thrawn was couldn't take it forever. I was to be transferred back to the Inner Rim, for a less than honorable tour of picket duty, or perhaps training new recruits. Thrawn was pretty clever; he figured I was trying to escape. Lucky for me his lackeys weren't as competent and thorough as he was. My letter of transfer was mysteriously... lost... and I managed to hijack a ship and escape. Of course, I knew they were going to come after me, and probably my father too, so my first stop was to pick him up."
"And you got him," Xar said, nodding in admiration. Maarek must have been more resourceful than he'd thought.
"Yeah. I busted him out of that place. Took him to my mom, Marina. Then we headed off to hide from the Empire. I guess the turmoil the Empire went through after Endor made a difference. I know I sure couldn’t stand it anymore, myself. The rest of the Imperials started looking for me, but their search wasn't up to par with the Empire's... standards. When they couldn't find me, they issued the letter telling the rest of the galaxy about my unfortunate 'death' in a flying accident." He chuckled at that.
"You got away."
"For the time being, yes," Maarek nodded. Then his tone became softer, and his eyes seemed to be focusing elsewhere. "The bounty hunters came, but we dealt with them. They were the least of our worries, really." He finished in a voice almost too low to hear.
Xar decided to change the subject. “So what about the Force? How much did you learn under the Secret Order?”
“Always back to the Force, is it ‘Grand Master’?” Maarek countered with a grin. He shrugged. “Well, mostly passive stuff, I guess. How to hear their voices, to react in battle when I felt threatened…”
“Have you done any exercises to increase your Force power? Stretching you muscles, if you will?”
Maarek shook his head. “Frankly, until now I haven’t had that much use for it, compared to feeling a fighter in your hands and relying on good old fashioned piloting sense. I haven’t used it in a few years, and now when I try…” He shook his head. “I can’t really do anything now. It just doesn’t really work for me, I guess.”
“If you want, I can teach you to use it.”
Stele shook his head again. “Thanks, but no thanks. I have even less need for some mystical energy field now. Just give me something meaningful to do, some missions to fly that will help people, and I’ll be fine.”
“As you wish. That I will promise you my friend.” Xar rested against the back of the couch, contemplating the events that had transpired to bring all of this together. Maarek didn't say anything else; his thoughts must have been far away as well.
"A very interesting story you have," Xar finally noted. "But there is one thing that I cannot quite understand. If you found your parents and did what you set out to do, why come out here and join up with the New Imperium to fight again? Would you not rather live your life out normally? Not to discourage you from joining - I would love to have you with us - but do you consider your military days not enough or something?"
Maarek smiled thinly. "It's a long story. I have changed a bit in some ways... Suffice it to say, for now, that I am looking for the next phase in my life. Think of me as a wanderer, looking for a noble cause to champion for a while. Something to fight for, new battles to win. I think I've found my cause in your New Imperium. Your story… it was the last thing needed to convince me. I believe you’re doing what’s right."
Xar thought silently for a moment. Those words... That kind of attitude... They did not suit the hardened Maarek that Xar had once known. Something must have happened. Something that remained in the man's mind, and something he was not eager to talk about. Perhaps, he hoped, one day he would be able to earn Stele's trust enough to hear the rest. Until then... He glanced down at his chronometer. If he was going to embark for Sigma today, he had better get started.
"All right," he said. "In that case, I would be glad, and honored, to have you with us, Maarek Stele." He pushed himself up and offered his hand across the table.
Maarek took his hand and shook it firmly. "Good to serve with you again, Xar Runis."
Xar half-smiled. That was one thing he'd forgotten about. "Actually," he said, a little embarrassed. "The name Runis was one I took after I found the devastation of my world. It was the name of my old Jedi Master. Now, with my family and world avenged and our work here to restore Varnus, I have retaken my family name: Kerensky. It is a very Varnusian name."
Maarek silently mouthed the last name as if testing it. Then he nodded and smiled. "I hope I can do the same, and help right some things here in the NI. What can I do to help?" He added quickly. Obviously he didn't want to re-open the historical conversation. Xar was willing to oblige, for now.
"Well, seeing as you have a lot of experience and ability, you could have almost any job you want. Do you want to work within the Jedi Division, one of the fleets, or within the New Imperium as a whole? What would you like to do?"
"Hmm... If you can find me a place in the Jedi Division forces, that will do for now. And I'll take any position in which I can fly. That's my true passion."
"I love it too,” Xar said, feeling nostalgic at the thought. “But I rarely find time for it these days." Plus Mathis would lock me in my quarters first, he reminded himself. He remembered his last two excursions in a fighter, and how uncomfortably close to death he'd come both times. Maybe it was time to turn in his wings, as Mathis and Alyx were always telling him. He’d already promised as much. "The Division Flagship, the ISD Stormwatch, is in need of a Wing Commander or even a good Commodore. What do you say?"
"Don't mention the word Commodore!" Maarek cringed. "They offered me that once. I told them where they could put their desk job. Wing Commander, though... That sounds like me. Are you sure? Will the pilots be open to someone from outside just jumping right in?"
"They are quite used to it," Xar assured him. "The NI is still young, and officers are coming from all over the galaxy, not just Epsilon Sector. Still, I would not feel right simply giving you command of one Wing. With your knowledge and experience, you should lead all our fighter groups."
"As long as I get to put in as much time as everybody else,” Maarek said. “If there's one job I hate, it's a desk job."
Xar nodded. He remembered once thinking he'd never take a desk job, no matter what. Now it seemed it was all he did... "Great," he told Maarek. "Then you will want to get acquainted with the ship and pilots as soon as you can. I am embarking on a diplomatic mission to the Sigma system today, and will be taking the Stormwatch. If you would like to come along, it would be a great opportunity to get familiar with the place."
"Sure, I'm game. My stuff is still packed, I flew my Defender here, so I'm not carrying much anyway."
Xar started. "You have your own TIE Defender?" he asked.
"Sure," Maarek nodded. "But that's another story. If it's all right, I'll hop in my fighter and follow you up to the ship. Hey, maybe once you've settled in, we can put in some Simulator time together. It's been a long time since I've flown with you."
Xar nodded. "I think we can work that in. Okay, as soon as I take care of a few things we should be good to go." He remembered flying against Maarek in simulations. He wasn't going to be looking forward to it again. Instead he said, "Welcome to the New Imperium, Maarek. I think you are going to enjoy your time here with us."
"I hope so," the other man replied. "Otherwise this would be a wasted trip," he laughed.
After the door closed, Xar turned back into his office. Standing there, beside his desk, was a tall man, dark-haired and dressed in a black cloak. He was looking at Xar blandly.
“So, what do you think, Icis?” Xar asked. Novitaar had appeared again in the last few months, strangely absent during the hectic flight from Minos to Epsilon Sector.
The other man’s eyebrows rose as he spoke. “He could be a valuable asset.” His voice was as unemotional as his expression. “Useful, if he chooses to help us. Dangerous, perhaps, if he does not.”
Xar nodded absently. “So it is with everyone,” he sighed.
* * *
Maarek watched through the cockpit as the massive Imperial-class Star Destroyer Stormwatch loomed into view. He’d always held an attraction for the wedge-shape of the ships, and the gleaming white hull of the Division’s Flagship looked to him like the epitome of naval and military might. Numerous tugs and support craft were hovering about the vessel, making last-minute adjustments for the trip ahead. Maarek kept his prized TIE Defender, Mad Cat, flying smoothly and steadily alongside Grand Master Xar’s Lambda-class Shuttle as they rose to meet the massive vessel.
The flight up to the Stormwatch, however brief, gave Maarek a chance to relax. He’d spent a lot of time in his ship lately, mostly during the trip to Varnus, but he never got as tired of it as most other pilots. His fighter had become his second home, and inside it was the safest and most comfortable place in the galaxy. As he effortlessly guided the fighter along, he thought back to the recent years, how he’d acquired and modified his own personal ship, and the many great battles he’d been in. But there were greater battles to be fought ahead. He knew, he could sense it, like a pilot’s gut danger sense in combat. This was where he belonged for now. He’d certainly been surprised to find that Xar was actually the leader of this operation; he could see when serving with him that he’d become someone important someday. But he’d never expected this. He was glad to see him again, and even more so to be able to serve with him. Xar had been a good friend and a good listener and advisor when he’d had no one else to turn to. After all these years he’d figured they’d never meet again. Until the message he’d received, there would have been no way of knowing if the man was even alive or not. Maybe Xar was right about there being a destiny between them.
By now the Star Destroyer filled the window ahead, and he expertly guided the TIE Defender into the cavernous hangar where the automatic docking systems came on. The hangar's tractor beams brought him into a surprisingly large sub-hangar and docked him onto the TIE racks hanging over the deck. Below he saw Xar's shuttle glide to a smooth landing. Shutting down his ship's systems, Maarek popped the top hatch and clambered out. He quickly closed the ship back up and jogged across the scaffolding walkway. Then he climbed onto the ladder, sliding down holding onto the sides, and dropped the last several feet to the deck floor just before the shuttle's ramp descended.
It was cold here. The force screen covering the entrance to the hangar kept the air in, but not the heat. What little heat came from the landed crafts' engine nozzles was drawn out through the screen and into the void. Maarek had spent much time in Star Destroyer hangars though, and was used to the cold. Smoothing his uniform, he planted himself in front of the shuttle as Xar, Mathis, and the rest of the crew made there way out. "About time," he said smartly. "I guess those years in command positions slowed you down, huh?"
Xar grinned widely as he approached. "You always had to make it out first, huh Maarek?"
"Of course. That means I get to the showers first," he joked.
"Not so fast this time," Xar interjected mildly. "First I want you to take a look around my ship. Welcome to the Stormwatch..." He raised his hands in an expansive gesture and grinned broadly.
Maarek narrowed his eyes, confused for a moment. "What do you mean your ship?"
"KDY custom-built her for me shortly after we arrived in Epsilon Sector. There are some special modifications I suggested myself. Remember that time we were discussing the weaknesses of Star Destroyers and how they could be fixed?"
Maarek nodded. He remembered well. With their combined experience they knew where all the weak spots on an ISD were. Oftentimes they would have to work harder to stop the Rebels from exploiting those weaknesses.
"Sounds interesting. I'll look forward to seeing what you've done," he said candidly.
Just then he heard footsteps on the deck plating behind him, and he turned around to see a train of officers approaching in full uniform, followed by a Stormtrooper honor guard.
"Ah, here they are," he heard Xar say, coming up beside him. "I believe you all know Mathis Organa. Now, Maarek, let me introduce you to the fill-in Captain onboard the Stormwatch... Our Praetor, Jedi Adept Gaius." He gestured to a tall man in an Admiral's uniform, displaying the NI Symbol on the left breast, beside a jagged black lightning bolt on a blue shield. The large, dirty-blonde haired man smiled and nodded toward Maarek. Then Xar turned to the officer beside the Captain, a mid-sized human male in what resembled a white Imperial Grand Admiral's uniform, but plainer, without the gold trim and markings. "This is CEO Walt Amason, of Phoenix Technologies and the ‘New’ Corporate Sector Authority, as we call it. He is also one of our best diplomats. He is accompanying us on this mission to assist in relations with the Sigmans." Amason nodded to Maarek, and extended his hand. He had short sand-colored hair, and his blue eyes met Maarek's warmly enough. Maarek shook his hand, and Gaius' as well, as Xar finished the introductions.
"Gentlemen, this is Commander Maarek Stele, a formal Imperial war hero and a friend of mine. Probably on of the best pilots in the galaxy. He is here to join the NI and lend us his flying skills as commander-in-chief of the Division's fighter groups." Brief, and not very elaborate, but Maarek liked it that way.
The two officers seemed to take it as a matter of course, and bade all three newcomers welcome onboard the ship. The one named Gaius did give him an interesting once-over, though.
"So,
one of the best pilots in the galaxy? No doubt you've gone through a
lot, flying for the Empire. I can see it in your eyes."
The man was right, Maarek knew. You
could see something different in the eyes. It was something TIE Fighter pilots
got after surviving their first several combat missions. Something they got if they survived, that is. It came from
seeing too many comrades die in those deathtraps, with no atmospheric
containment, no ejection seat. But for a while, it had been a way to
distinguish survivors from rookies. The look in Xar's seemed to have been
replaced over the years by a new light, almost an inner light. But Maarek knew
that his own gaze seemed to make most others uneasy.
"I've met some excellent pilots in my career," Gaius continued. "I think I vaguely remember your name. Have you ever heard of Baron Sootnir Fel? They say he's the best, you know. Or was, at least. They say he died, but who knows? He'll probably show up again."
Maarek smiled. He'd heard references to the great Fel throughout his career. He was good, that much was certain, but Maarek knew he could dismiss many of the stories regarding him as being highly exaggerated. "I've heard of Baron Fel, and many of his famous accomplishments... I’ve never met him personally, but we were to go head to head, I’m sure it'd be a tough battle," he conceded. "But, I think I could take him."
Gaius' jaw must have dropped an inch. Maarek could feel the rest of the men's gaze on him, all except Xar's, who was smiling smugly. It was clear Gaius didn't believe him. They probably thought he had an ego the size of the Star Destroyer they were on. Maybe true, he conceded to himself. But no matter. Soon he'd have a chance to show everyone, and they'd all see and understand soon enough.
"Well, all right then," Gaius finally muttered. "Welcome aboard, everyone. Grand Master, now that you're here, we'll be getting underway soon. If you will accompany us to the bridge for embarkation? Commander Stele is welcome to come as well."
Xar nodded and looked askance at Maarek, but he shook his head. "No thanks. Perhaps I'll join you when we arrive. I need to freshen up and settle my things in."
"Very well," Xar told him. You will be shown to your quarters, where you can check the computer and get familiar with the ship. I think you will find some of the modifications most interesting."
"All right, I'll check it out," Maarek promised. "And after we jump out, are we still on for a Sim or two?"
Xar's mouth twisted slightly. "Sure. I will send a message to your quarters."
"Good. I'm looking forward to it," Maarek said.
The trip through the interior of the Stormwatch proved relatively uneventful. An aide led him as they took a transit car aft and a turbolift up toward one of the residential areas. Then they strolled through a wide, luxurious area that looked more suited to a shopping mall or hotel than an Imperial Star Destroyer. The area in the center was complete with various flora, a long fountain and pool, and a cafe. Beings from a dozen different races, though predominately humans, lounged around chatting and eating. The aide rattled out a memorized speech about the ship's areas and facilities that Maarek hardly listened to. There would be plenty of time for his own investigation later. Ever since his first time onboard a Star Destroyer he'd known that their captains liked to keep certain strange areas that reminded them of home or gave them a respite from duties. His friend Admiral Mordon had kept a private garden that only those with a special key could enter. Maarek remembered wearing the simple ring Mordon had given him; he remembered having to remove it when Mordon had been accused of treason. He hadn't understood at the time, but now he knew why. Mordon had had enough of the corruptness of the Empire and had tried to change it, make it better from the inside. A fatal mistake. But that was in the past, and the Empire was gone. From now one he was serving the New Imperium, and an honorable goal, one Mordon would have liked. If only he'd lived to see it.
The aide continued
past the lounge area and down another corridor. This area was well-traveled
also, and the walls were lined with windows displaying holoscenes
from different worlds. He recognized the skyline of Coruscant,
the flowing fields of Alderaan, and
Despite himself Maarek felt himself relaxing as he strolled along. The denizens he saw seemed quite friendly, and smiled at him as they passed. It was, truly, a better indicator of the NI's disposition than any speech Xar could have made. Maarek liked it. He began strolling more casually, and took a moment to glance out the windows. The aide complacently waited for him as he did so, still occasionally rattling off a statistic or two about the Stormwatch's unique features.
A short while later the aide led him down a side passage and past several crossroads into what looked like a residential area. Passing through a security checkpoint, the aide took him into what he called the "VIP quarters". Maarek had often heard them referred to on ISDs, but he'd never actually stayed in one. For once in what had been a while he felt himself become a little excited. Perhaps he'd stay here longer than he'd planned to. After all, what could it hurt? Here, he felt among friends, and didn't feel intimidated by the usually-close walls and guards. He’d been on the run for too long.
Finally they came to a metal door in the middle of one of the hallways. He could see large double-doors off at the end of the passageway, which the aide informed him led to the main turbolift. However, he'd have to have his VIP card to use the lift or to return by it to this floor. The man promptly produced the card from his pocket and gave it to Maarek, instructed him that any additional information he needed could be found from the terminal in his quarters, and made his way back the way they'd come. After a moment, Maarek shrugged and stuck the card in the slot next to the entrance. The medal door swung open sideways with barely a sound, and he entered.
"Wow,"
Maarek said aloud as he looked around at the inside of his quarters. Not what
he was used to. It wasn't the most luxurious room he'd ever been in, but after
months of living on virtually zero credits, it was a welcome change. Unpleasant
memories came to mind, memories of wandering from place to place, with no
direction, searching for the next fight. And some of the places he'd been.
This room was well furbished, with a large bed suited for a captain, carpeting, computer terminal with HoloNet access, a small desk, self-conforming couch, and a full-sized refresher station. Maarek walked over to the closet and opened the door. Inside was a full rack of robes and dress clothes suitable for an Admiral. He grabbed one of the robes and headed to the refresher for a shower. It seemed like ages since he'd had one.
After a good ten-minute shower with real water, he donned the robe and went back into the room, feeling much better. His bags had been brought from his TIE and were lying on the bed. Going through them, he picked out a plain gray jumpsuit that wasn't quite as dirty as everything else. He hadn't had a chance to wash his clothes in a couple of weeks.
With that out of the way he made his way over to the computer terminal to, as Xar had put it, ‘get familiar with the ship.’ Actually, he was a little interested in what Xar had done to it, but it wasn't the most important thing on his mind. He'd get around to it in a few minutes.
First, he opened up
a general map of the NI, deciding it would be a good idea to get more familiar
with this new government he’d just joined up with. The territory of the NI
basically wrapped itself around the huge Galbagos Nebula, right on the border
with the Unknown Regions. Any further out and star systems became few and far
between, at least until one reached the far spiral arm on the other side of the
Great Rift, as they called it. Core-ward, the NI bumped right up against
The NI contained a surprising number of habitable worlds, considering how far out in the Rim they were. Systems were a little more sparse around here, yet there must have been a few dozen worlds that could support human life without any special survival equipment. Quite a few had indigenous populations or had been colonized in the ancient past, including Varnus, Danube, Jengar, Grummium, Kolath, Lorn, Vol, and the capital, Tralar. Others had been colonized by the NI, and many of the non-habitable ones were being used for mining, industrial or military purposes. Later on Maarek decided he would delve into the Epsilon Sector map and read each system and planet’s data readout in detail.
To either side of the NI along the galaxy’s spin was basically unknown territory. That worried Maarek just a bit. On the left side of the map were areas where new NI fleets were coming in and mopping up pirate clans and mercenaries. However, to the right, not that far from Varnus, NI territory simply stopped, running into the Unknown Regions and worlds that were shrouded in lawlessness and mystery. Heading in that direction one would soon reach Delta Sector, which was virtually unexplored, and who knew what might be lurking out there? Maarek decided it would be a good idea to keep an eye on that region, as any potential threats would most likely come from there.
Finally, he got around to bringing up the ISD Mk-II Stormwatch directory and take a look at the Star Destroyer’s stats. The computer launched into a drawn-out dialogue of the ship's exact specifications and mission parameters. Most of it didn't surprise Maarek; many of the modified criteria for the Stormwatch were simply necessary for its new role in the NI. Essentially, the vessel wasn't just a warship. It was a floating city in space, complete with a variety of recreation areas, restaurants, a shopping center, entertainment areas, and a host of other luxurious upgrades that made the ship more geared toward civilian population.
A few things did cause him to raise his eyebrows in surprise, though. The ship was heavily modified. For attack, the ship had the fifty turbolasers, fifty heavy turbolasers, and twenty ion cannons of a standard Mark II, but it also had four long-range turbolasers, several advanced torpedo launchers and a load of Excalibur-class Missiles, something Maarek hadn't heard of before. For defense, the ship had been equipped with better shields and armor, including Neutronium-II plating to reinforce certain vital areas and in the front of the bow. The shield generators were inside the main body of the vessel, making the bulbous twin generators on top of the command towers unnecessary. A smaller, yet more powerful power core and solar-ionization reactor gave off enough power to the new systems. Also for defense were three new items Maarek hadn't yet seen in an Imperial Star Destroyer. First, an ECM package would be able to break the lock of incoming torpedoes, allowing the ship to move out of the way. If the ship couldn't move fast enough, there were eight "flak turrets" in place, four on each side of the ship, which would fire small bits of debris in a spreading wall to destroy the incoming warheads. The Stormwatch also had a Nova mine launching system, which could launch several kinds of mines to guard targets, mine hyperspace entry/exit vectors, or drop a surprise into the path of a pursuing ship. Rounding out the defenses, Maarek saw, was a fully functional cloaking device. Of course, it was a tradeoff; as long the ship was cloaked, no one could see or detect it, but occupants onboard wouldn't be able to see outside, either. A problem that modern technology hadn't yet been a