Heritage-Chapter 29

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“Once again, Cale, you are making a grave mistake,” Zeya insisted as she paced worriedly in front of him, arms clasped rigidly behind her back. Her lightsaber bounced gently at her side as she marched. “We have to strike now, while the iron is hot! They are weak and unprepared for an attack this soon. We need to move on Contruum now.”

Cale kicked back in his seat, steepling his fingers in front of him as he observed her. They were alone in his private offices, else he would have not permitted her to be so open. She had been tempered some by her defeat at the hands of the female Jedi on Tatooine, but that had soon worn off. He was slowly trying to reign in her leash. Zeya had become too accustomed to voicing her opinions without fear of consequence. Whether that was a result of him letting it slide for so long, or simply because they were kin and had been raised in the same house, Cale did not know or care. He was Premier, and she would be subordinate. “I disagree,” he said amiably.

She stopped her pacing and faced him, a little redness to her face. “Why?”

“We have better things to do than chase around a little band of marauders all across the galaxy. We will deal with them when we have to, but in the mean time we should go about our business. Now that we have a repair station for our fleet, and the gases and minerals from Bespin and Clak’dor VII, we need to work on finding our new temporary home. This world of Thrakia…our scouts say it is very rich in natural resources, and has large landmasses. What do you think?”

“I think you are insane!” Zeya wailed, and slapped her palms angrily on the table in front of him. “Cale, my kinsman and Premier, have you no sense at all? Thrakia is in the very well defended Hapes Consortium. It would take a ridiculous amount of time and effort to conquer. A useless endeavor.”

Cale leaned forward, as if to reveal a sly secret. “Which is why we must invade, Zeya. We cannot have another power out there of their strength, it is too much of a risk. I say we move on them now.”

“The Hapans have stayed out of it thus far,” she pressed. “They will continue to do so, unless you provoke them.”

“Perhaps they need to be provoked,” he suggested slyly. “We shall make an example of them.”

“This is madness. You are thinking with your pride, not like a strategist. And you are certainly not thinking like a Premier,” her last turn of phrase dripped with disdain for him, and Cale could feel her impertinence through the Channel. His second, his most trusted cousin, his friend and confidant, was having seditious thoughts.

He would let them be, as he always did, because she was much too valuable to him to dispose of. Besides, she was too loyal to their House to actually depose him. But from then on he would keep a little closer watch on Zeya Wilos. “But I am Premier, Zeya, and you will respect that. I shall expect to have your plan of attack against the Hapans by day’s end. You are dismissed.”

• * *

Night had long fallen on the royal city of Hapes, but the sky remained a pale shade of indigo as light bounced from the seven heavenly moons. The Fountain Palace was quiet this night, and Tenel Ka Chume Ta’Djo was restless. The Force sang with turmoil, and that uneasiness made her skin prickle. She wasn’t sure what was wrong—or what was about to go wrong—but she knew that she needed to be prepared.

The chrono in the Great Hall struck 0200 hours as she made her way through the corridors to her mother’s chambers. She was dressed only in the lizard skin garb of a Dathomiri warrior, and the alabas stone of the regal halls were cold beneath her bare feet. Her rancor tooth lightsaber was slung on one hip, just in case. One could never be too careful, even in the haven of the castle.

Hapan politics were vicious and spiteful, and if there was danger nearby, chances were one of her cousins were at it again. It would not be first time one of them tried to assassinate the Queen Mother, and Tenel Ka knew it wouldn’t be the last. Usually Teneniel was adept at protecting herself, but the magnitude of risk Tenel Ka could feel weighing down on them all was too much to ignore. Besides, with her recalled home because of the Baci conflict, the two of them together were a prime target.

The muscular female guards posted throughout the palace paid no mind to their princess’s hasty pace, as they were quite accustomed to her un-Hapan behavior by then. Free of this bother, Tenel Ka was at the stately door in half the time. It opened for her after the second knock. “Come in, daughter,” her mother’s voice was a mere whisper.

She obliged, sliding between the large wooden panels and shutting them behind her. Her mother sat at her mirror in her nightgown, expertly twisting her hair into the traditional braids of a warrior. That took Tenel Ka back a bit. Her mother was often wistful for such things, but knew it was sometimes better to conform to the perceptions of her people. She glanced up as her daughter entered, a pale smile on her face. “You feel it too, then? The air hums with menace.”

Tenel Ka wordlessly went to her mother and began to help her twist the locks of hair into braids. It was a difficult task with one hand, but she had mastered the skill some time ago. “Yes,” she answered at last. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. Should I alert the guards to a possible threat?”

Teneniel shook her auburn locks negatively. “No. Better we let them try, and catch them in the act.”

That was wise but also dangerous. Tenel Ka did not like to play games with the lives of those she loved. “Are you certain?”

“Quite.” She closed her brown eyes and took a calming breath. “What do you feel, my child?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But I have never before had this foreboding sense prior to an attempt on your life. This is very new. I don’t know what to make of it.”

Teneniel opened her mouth to reply when there came a tap on the door. Her brow furrowed into a scowl. “Enter.”

It was her aide, Joella. The beautiful woman had the appearance of someone just roused from bed who had thrown on the nearest thing. Her hair was a curly mess, and if her face had not been so serious Tenel Ka might have smirked at the uncustomary disarray. She curtsied, “Queen Mother, your advisors are soon to arrive. Hurry, let me help you dress.”

“No time,” Teneniel shook her head. “Bring me my robes.”

Reluctanly, Joella went to the armoire and pulled out the floor-length robe, then helped the Queen into it. “What has happened?” Tenel Ka questioned as she did so.

“I do not know, Princess. I was awoken and told to prepare the Queen for an emergency appointment.”

Tenel Ka let out an angered breath. So, it was not an assassination attempt, or it did not appear to be one. Yet to bother the Queen in the middle of the night meant matters were dire.

She finished helping Teneniel braid her hair just as the advisors arrived. Her father, Prince Isolder, was with them. He gave her a tight smile, but left a more personal greeting for a later time. They all bowed to the Queen, and then Isolder began without preamble, “Thrakia came under assault one hour ago, and requests immediate assistance. I shall depart at once with the 2nd contingent of the Royal Navy, with your permission my Queen.”

Teneniel’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Who dares?”

“So far,” a counselor from Gallinore began, “all indications point to these invaders, the Baci.”

“But we’ve stayed out of that conflict!” Tenel Ka exclaimed, unable to help herself. As a Jedi with friends in the war, she had wanted nothing more than to lend Hapes’ support. Yet her mother had been staunch, and closed Hapes off to the fight, hoping it would pass soon enough without shedding Hapan blood. Tenel Ka saw the wisdom in that, but it looked like the attempt had been in vain.

The stare he gave her was icy. “Yes, Princess. We know.”

Her mother took a deep breath and then gestured to Isolder with one hand dismissively. “Go. Protect Thrakia.” He bowed deeply to her, and then Tenel Ka, before hurrying out of the room.

Teneniel seemed almost sick at the news, and Tenel Ka was suddenly upset with them all for troubling her. She had not been in the best of health of late, and unhappy news in the dead of night was the last thing she needed, even if it could not be avoided. “Be gone, all of you,” she ordered the remaining advisors. “Let the Queen alone. If there is news, bring it to me, and I will inform Her Majesty.” When Teneniel gave no orders to the opposite they left, all grumbling and put out.

“Thank you,” her mother breathed when they were alone.

Tenel Ka dropped to her knees beside the Queen’s chair. “What are we going to do?”

Teneniel gripped her daughter’s hand fiercely, her eyes unfocused in thought. “I had wished to avoid this war. Now I see my error. We must join with this new rebellion. We cannot withstand a Baci invasion on our own.”

She dipped her head in acquiescence, but said, “Mother, we are strong…” She wanted to help the war, had wanted it from the beginning, but she knew that it would not sit well with the public. Their Queen used the Force and their Princess was a Jedi, but that didn’t mean they liked it. Prejudice against the Jedi ran deep. She just wanted her mother to make sure this is what she wanted.

“We are. But this threat is grave. Tenel Ka,” she stared into her only child’s grey eyes, the color of durasteel, “you must help me. I cannot let them see me this weak and ill.” There was fear in her usually strong voice.

“Anything.” She was careful not to let the full range of her concern show. It was not the time.

“Go to the comm station, over there,” she gestured weakly to the corner where her private station sat. When Tenel Ka arrived she said, “Use the most secure channel. You know the codes.” The Jedi typed them in as deftly with her one arm as anyone else could with two. “Now. Luke Skywalker…”

• * *

Wedge Antilles came groggily from the depths of easy slumber at the sound of an urgent beeping comm. Iella, resting snugly in his arms, twitched and then gave him a little nudge towards the device. “For you,” she whispered.

He sighed, knowing she was right, and rolled off the mattress and onto his feet. Clad only in sleep pants, he padded to the comm and hit the switch. “Antilles. This better be good.”

“It is,” Luke’s voice assured him. “We have a situation, and I need a quick decision.”

“Oh no. What’s happened?” he glanced around him, noting that the Pillory’s emergency lights were not flashing. They couldn’t be under attack.

“The Baci have moved on Hapes. The planet of Thrakia. Isolder and part of their navy are trying to defend it, but I just got a comm from Tenel Ka on behalf of Queen Mother Teneniel. They want our help.”

Wedge had a sudden intake of breath. His first thought was to cringe, because the unprepared Hapans wouldn’t stand long. They didn’t know who they were dealing with. Second, he got a sudden burst of joy, because the combined strength of the rebel army and the Hapans might just be enough to turn the tides of the war. Or at least hold them off long enough for the Chiss to build those shield strippers. And last he incredulously realized what the Baci had done. It was possibly the stupidest tactical move he could imagine. “What? What are they thinking?”

“I don’t know, Wedge, but I need an executive decision for Tenel Ka fast. Are we going to send reinforcements?”

Wedge rubbed his eyes, but was no longer sleepy. “Have they offered anything?” It sounded selfish, but he needed to make sure first that they would return the favor. The rebels were stretched thin as it was.

“It was implied.”

“Agh. Okay. Luke,” he had a sudden thought, “am I qualified to make this choice? Technically Ackbar is in charge of the navy…”

“Wedge! Now. We don’t have time to take this to a committee.”

Deep breath. “I’ll give the order.”

• * *

The Millennium Falcon dropped into realspace over Thrakkia a split second before the rest of the back up fleet. In that split second Han Solo saw that they were in trouble. “Uh-oh. Chewie, shields up. Anakin, Jacen, get those quads warmed up and ready to go.”

“On it, Dad,” Anakin answered for them both.

There was a scattering of Battle Dragons hanging over the lush world of Thrakia, but the expanse of space was filled with the half elliptical ships of the Baci fleet. Their navy was immense, bigger than Han remembered at Tatooine. The quantity was staggering. “This is insane.” Chewie growled in agreement, his furry hands flicking switches all over the control board. A short question barked out.

“I think they’ve stuck us with Spike Squadron again,” Han answered.

A dubious rumble.

“I know the kid needs to loosen up around the collar a bit, but at least he knows how to fly.” It was grudgingly admitted, but Han gave credit where credit was due. The skirmish at Tatooine had been much smoother because of the Chiss.

As if on cue, a dozen clawcraft dropped onto his starboard flank like birds of prey. “Captain Solo,” Fel’s voice was pompous as usual. “Spike Squadron reporting in and ready to engage.”

“Hey there, Junior,” he smirked, just as he had done before. The kid was an easy target, like his father. “Why don’t we make a pass at that capital ship at…” he glanced at the targeting map and strung off a list of coordinates.

“We’re your wing,” Fel responded.

Han double clicked, then cut the connection. He spared a glance out the viewport at the Pillory as it moved to engage. That’s where Leia was, with Padmé. Anakin and Jacen were with him. Jaina was also somewhere among the throngs of snubfighters, with the Rogues. Luke and Mara had taken to the Jade Sabre. All at once, everyone he loved was in peril for their lives. If all these years among Jedi had not taught him to trust in this Force of theirs he didn’t think he could have taken it.

It was time to end this mess. “All right, Chewie. Let’s give ’em hell.”

• * *

She supposed that the bridge was probably not the most suitable place for her right then, but Leia couldn’t stand being beneath decks while her family fought for their lives right outside. And of course, Padmé refused to leave her. So there they both were, noses practically pressed to the transparisteel, oblivious to the activity around them.

“I hope everyone’s all right,” Padmé said for the fourth time. She fretted over the health of her descendants as if she had known them her whole life. It was endearing, and strangely enough, not strange at all. Leia had fallen right into a comfortable relationship with her mother, and each day they discovered something new about each other was like a little miracle. It was a bright spot in a sea of gloom.

Leia took her hand, more for her own comfort than the old woman’s. She watched their reflections in the transparisteel, one young and one old, but the same face. Padmé’s was just a little more lined, and her hair a polished silver instead of chestnut brown. “They know what they’re doing, Mother.”

It had been two days since Luke and she had made a trip onto Contruum’s surface, and two days since she had allowed herself to touch the Force. Luke had told her many times that this solution would not cure the problem within her, but she refused to listen. All she knew was that by touching the Force she became a risk to all those around her, and to herself. It was better for everyone if she never felt the Force again.

Yet standing on the bridge of the Pillory, Leia found herself ill at ease with this decision. It was a comfort to be able to reach with her mind and check on her children, to know they were safe. She no longer had that ability. That lack of security left her feeling quite vulnerable.

On the flip side of that same credit, she was so thankful to be shut off from the Baci and Cale. The last thing she ever wanted to feel was the touch of his mind stretching for her. It gave her shivers just thinking about it, and her left hand came to rest over her lower stomach.

Hopefully, she could pass off her child as Han’s when it was born. The Baci were almost completely human to look at, except that they had perfect memories, black hair, and wide-set black eyes. If that DNA was mixed with her genetics, perhaps the baby would come out looking perfectly human. She could wish, anyways. The last thing she wanted was to think of Cale Wilos every time she saw her son.

Padmé seemed to read her mind. Her mother’s intuition was above the Force. “He cannot touch you, Leia,” she whispered. “Never again. You are safe, and your child will be raised a Jedi. He never need know of his Baci heritage.”

She was uneasy with the thought of lying to her child his whole life, but it was the best solution for everyone. If she said the baby was Han’s enough, maybe she would start to believe it. “I am so glad I have you here with me, to bear this burden with me,” Leia answered, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Mother.”

Padmé squeezed her hand affectionately. “I will be here for you throughout. If everything else around us fails and falters, know that I am always here. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to change that.”

Leia could think of nothing else to say but, “Thank you.”

The Battle of Thrakia raged on.

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Heritage Chapter 21| Chapter 22| Chapter 23| Chapter 24| Chapter 25| Chapter 26| Chapter 27| Chapter 28| Chapter 29| Chapter 30