Heritage-Chapter 30

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The twisting carnage of a dying Battle Dragon swung gracefully towards Thrakia’s atmosphere, and even though the vacuum of space prevented actual noise, Mara imagined the groanings of tearing superheated metal. Flames licked from numerous fatal wounds, and finally the ship exploded brilliantly, making the blast shields of the Jade Sabre dim momentarily.

The breadth and magnitude of the fleet amassed by the Baci was astounding. Their forces at Tatooine had been large, but now Mara Jade Skywalker saw the true might of their combined numbers. Sickle shaped vessels filled the viewport of the Sabre, and the tactical screen was too clouded with enemy ships to make out anything. The Force, usually her peace and strength, was no haven to her then. When she opened her mind to it all she could feel was the clattering of millions of other intellects. Anxiety seeped into her every pore, it permeated the air. The Baci were preparing for a fight.

“This doesn’t look good, Skywalker,” she mumbled to her husband, who sat in the co-pilot’s seat beside her.

His profile was stoic, his brow pinched in thought. “No, it doesn’t. I think we might be in trouble.”

The remnants of the New Republic had left the majority of their forces at Contruum, just in case of a deception like the one that cost them Bilbringi. The Pillory had come to the aid of Thrakia, as had two of the five Chiss Star Destroyers, the Galactic Voyager, and several Corellian Corvettes. It was a small fleet, but they had assumed it would be enough to supplement the already capable Hapan Navy. Obviously, they had been wrong. The Battle Dragons coupled with their own forces barely amounted to half the Baci fleet.

As they spoke, a cloud of finnies swarmed towards the Pillory, leaving Luke and Mara caught in the crossfire. Luke wordlessly reached for the quad lasers’ controls, eyes closed, relying on the Force to guide his hands.

Mara took the stick in her own, gripping it tight as she pushed it forward as hard as she could, then jerked it to the left. The Jade Sabre dove into a controlled spin, swirling away from the lethal energy. Some hit the mark anyway, dissipating against the shields. Alarms pinged as they lost five percent protection. Mara ignored it, just lifted her ship out of its roll and leveled out facing the underside of the Chiss Destroyer Lucent.

“Uh-oh. We’ve got one on our tail,” she grunted as the Sabre shook with the impact of a direct hit. “Luke?”

“On it,” he promised. “Just give me a bead on him.”

“Easier said than done.”

Mara returned her attention to flying. The Lucent was double teaming a Baci capital ship with its counterpart, and so far they were holding their own. She wanted to keep it that way, but she could only focus her attention on that if she lost the finnie chasing her. Perhaps the Chiss gunners could help.

With a quirk of a smile, Mara pushed the engines towards the Lucent, angling as close to its hull as possible. The finnie followed, and thunderous echoes of the Lucent’s fire chased after. The small concussion as their opponent’s ship was ripped apart tipped the Sabre forward onto its bow slightly. Mara straightened out their flight path and aimed the nose of her ship towards the heated skirmish developing around the large Baci craft.

“That big ship there,” she tapped the tactical readout map, “is that the flagship?”

Luke nodded slowly. “The Dintellion, the Premier’s personal command ship.” His voice was careful to hide the anger she knew was aroused in him at the mention of Cale Wilos. He was Master, and for once Mara was grateful for the calm that came with that. A younger, brasher Luke would not have handled the abuse of his twin nearly as well.

“All right then,” she grunted. “We have our prime target.”

“Jade Sabre, this is the control. Come in Masters Skywalker,” a female voice interrupted over the comm.

“Skywalker,” Mara answered curtly.

“We’ve lost two rescue shuttles, Sabre. General Antilles was wondering if you could help pick up EV pilots?” Without even waiting for a reply she continued, “We have a Rogue down at…” a list of coordinates followed.

“Copy, control,” Mara sighed angrily.

Luke squeezed her hand, trying to make her see that just because they couldn’t take a swipe at the Premier didn’t mean he wouldn’t get his. “Mara, we have to go.”

“I know,” she pulled away from the Dintellion and arced towards the point given her.

They found the pilot easy enough, floating in the evac suit in the midst of chaos. Mara spent the five minutes or so it took to get her on board trying to discourage the Baci attempting to take advantage of the situation. Luke went down to the hatch and reeled the pilot in, and when given the go-ahead Mara punched the engines, soaring to the next location. Requests had been streaming into her computer, a list of coordinates much longer than she would ever be able to accommodate.

When Luke returned to the cockpit he said, “She’s all strapped in on the medical bunk. She’s fine, I think, except a little chilled.”

“Space is cold,” Mara muttered. She had been caught alone out there more times than she liked to remember. Then, “You might as well go stay at the hatch. We’ve got quite a to-do list here.”

Luke scanned the list of numbers sourly. “We better hurry. I have a feeling this battle isn’t going to last much longer. The Hapans have lost ten Battle Dragons already. All our corvettes are gone. The Voyager is getting pounded badly. Not good odds.”

“I’ll do the best I can. Now go on, we have pilots to save.”

• * *

“Get me Prince Isolder on the Song of War,” Wedge’s tone was soft but commanding, and the technician hurried to comply. While he waited, the general watched the battle unfolding before him. Things were taking a bad turn. The Hapans were being hammered, he was sure they had lost a dozen Battle Dragons. His own forces were fairing little better. It was that critical point where tough decisions had to be made, and he knew what he wanted. Now he had to convince Isolder.

His handsome face jumped from the communications desk a moment later, miniature and tinged in blue. “General Antilles,” he nodded. They had already conferred at the beginning of the engagement, but had remained out of contact since then.

“Prince Isolder, I think it is time we concede defeat, for this round anyways. If you are decimated here, there will not be enough firepower left to defend Hapes itself. We have to regroup there and hope the Baci will be satisfied with Thrakia for now.”

Isolder’s visage was stony. “This is a Hapan world, our people will die.”

“The Queen will not stand long if we do not conserve our numbers for another day. You have to see that,” Wedge argued calmly. “We will follow you to Hapes and make a stand with you there.”

“My orders were to protect Thrakia,” he was staunch in his resolve.

“Then confer quickly with the Queen and make a decision. As for us,” the next words were not easy, “we will not be slaughtered today.” If they were demolished here, the fleet would be too reduced to stand, as would the Hapan Navy. It could cost him the support of the Queen Mother, but Wedge had no choice. He had to think of the overall effect on the war.

Another stressful interlude, and then he answered, “I will tell the Queen, and get back to you.”

“I will give you five standard minutes, and then we withdraw.”

• * *

Anakin twisted in the seat of the dorsal turret, swinging the barrel of the cannon in a loop towards the finnies swarming outside. Stuttering fire spewed from the lasers, punching through the half moon shape of a finnie. It ripped open to vacuum, spewing parts and limbs. He let out a whoop of victory, then turned to his next victim.

The Falcon swerved unexpectedly, spinning so fast Anakin was thrown against the crash webbing. He kept his hands on the trigger and eyes on the target through it all, relying on the Force to steady his hand. His father’s ship took a hit as it came out of the roll, and the framework shook brutally.

“Dad?” he asked through the headset, firing a line across a flight of finnies.

“Just hold on, boys,” Han answered. “She’ll stay together.”

He took a deep breath and centered himself in the Force. Eyes half closed, he bent the turbolaser towards the attackers. He felt the Baci lives dim and flash out of existence, but never saw the blast. Intuitively, he stretched out to Jacen in the ventral turret, linking their awarenesses. Between them they had a full 360 degree view of the battle. Anakin saw through his eyes, and so perceived a ship coming into his line of fire before it ever got there.

He grew lost in the haze of battle, tied to the Force and its otherworldly control over his body. His hands surrendered to it, and they moved of their own volition on the weapon. Uncle Luke had told him of times when that would happen in the heat of the moment, but it was the first time he had experienced it first hand. His breathing was steady though sweat poured over his skin. He was exhausted yet invigorated. There was no time or distance, and his individuality merged into the greater flow of the Force. It was a milestone in his growth as a Jedi, and he knew it even as he experienced it.

A shocking interruption jerked him back to reality. Wedge Antilles’ voice seemed to shout in his ear, “All rebel vessels, prepare for a retreat to Hapes. Repeat, retreat at will to the Hapes system.”

• * *

Jaina’s fist tightened on the control stick of her X-wing, and the fighter corkscrewed wildly away from her pursuers. Still, she took several hits on her rear shields, and power dropped to sixty seven percent. She growled angrily and told her R2 unit, “Squealer, get those shields back up!” He tootled indignantly at her, but turned to the task.

She still had three Baci behind her, hot on the trail. Her X-wing dipped and weaved, trying to avoid their target locks. “Ten! Where the hell are you?” she shouted at her wingmate. Anni Capstan had gone extravehicular, and so the two of them were left to defend each other.

“On my way,” Pash assured her tensely.

She cursed him under her breath and yanked the stick back against her sternum. The fighter looped upwards, and her foot hit the left rudder pedal. She peeled away in that direction, and the finnies shot past her. This gave her a moment to regroup, rotating back to face off with the enemies. She stuttered laserfire across their approach vector, at the same time arming a torpedo. “Concentrate power to forward shields,” she told Squealer as their return fire strafed the nose of the X-wing. Her targeting computer pinged just as they soared past each other, and she loosed it.

The concussion from the blast behind her tossed the fighter up on its nose, and Jaina struggled with the controls to keep it steady. One down. “Pash!”

“Here,” his ship blew by her, guns blazing, as he answered. She jerked around to follow him, picking her target.

Jaina clicked her comm twice, waited one second, and then clicked it again, indicating the maneuver they had practiced over and over again in the sims. Jaina’s ability in the Force would help, but Pash had to rely on sheer skill and trust in his wingmate.

The two X-wings swerved into diverging paths, a finnie following each of them. Jaina reached out in the Force to find Pash, and then angled gently back in his direction. He turned too, coming straight at her. The Force hummed in Jaina’s mind, counting down to the exact moment when she should break. Somehow she kept the blaring alarms of her failing shields out of her mind, as well as the jarring impact of the Baci’s hits. She stayed straight on her collision course, heart pounding in her ears. They were seconds from impact when Jaina jerked her stick violently to port and Pash to his.

If their targets had been regular enemies, they would have collided head on, killing ach other. But these were Baci, their reaction time was quicker than average, and the result less spectacular. They managed to swerve and only clipped each other, one tearing the dorsal half of the fighter off the other. This one vented atmosphere, and the pilot went EV. The other finnie spun out of control, and before Jaina could do anything Pash had locked on a torpedo and fired. The ship exploded in a mushroom of orange flame.

“Ten?”

“Right here,” he pulled alongside her. “Not exactly how we planned it to work, but still effective. Good job, Eleven. What next?”

Before he could answer, Wedge Antilles’ voice blared across all channels from the Pillory. “All rebel vessels, prepare for a retreat to Hapes. Repeat, retreat at will to the Hapes system.”

• * *

The jump to Hapes took seconds, and soon everything from one-man vessels to capital ships filled the heavens. The Rogues had lost two members over Thrakia, and another had gone EV. The stress of that load could easily be heard in Gavin Darklighter’s tone. “Rogues, form up on me.”

Jaina eased into the simple formation, her mind on Anni Capstan. She hoped the girl had been picked up by the rescue ships in time. She hated to think anyone would go through what her mother had at the hands of the Baci. But then again, Anni was no Jedi. They would probably just let her float in space until she ran out of air. Jaina shivered.

Her family had survived the battle, that Jaina knew for certain. But there were many other friends she had just lost, good men and women she would never see again. Not only her friends, but hundreds of others. Thrakia had been an astonishing failure, and the fleet limped to safety deeper in the Consortium. The Baci had been fierce that day, throwing punches much harder than the ones at Tatooine. It was more than disheartening.

Her mind drifted again, this time to a certain pilot in Spike Squadron. She prayed with all her might that Jag had survived the encounter. He was a great pilot, but even great pilots made mistakes. The thought he might be dead settled like poison in her stomach, and she choked on rising bile. But deep down, Jaina thought she would know if something happened to him. She didn’t know how, but she just believed she would know. Even so, she would feel better when she could see him with her own two eyes.

“Eleven, tighten it up,” Pash chastised her softly.

Jaina edged her fighter a little closer to his. “Sorry.”

“Rogues,” Gavin started again, “we’ve got our orders. We’re planetside, in the capital city Chume’Dan. I’ll give you barracks information after landing. Keep it tight, let’s do this with style.”

Landing was smooth, in true Rogue fashion. It was days like that that made Jaina proud to fly with them. They had just suffered great loss, and still carried out their duties with professionalism. The Rogues may know how to have fun, but they were some of the best pilots and soldiers in the galaxy.

Jaina powered down quickly, and was happy to feel the cool morning breeze as her hatch lifted away. She pulled off her helmet and ran her hands through her hair, trying to make it look less matted with sweat, and was only partially successful. The drop to the landing pad was short for a Jedi, so she jumped down just in time to see a familiar figure crossing the airstrip towards her.

It seemed like years since she had seen Tenel Ka. The Hapan heir to the throne was even more beautiful than before, if that was possible, even clad in the garb of a Dathomiri witch. Her smile was pleased as she approached. “Jaina!” she called, waving gracefully. For a moment Jaina forgot about debriefings and protocol, and ran to her old friend. They embraced fiercely, Tenel Ka’s one arm holding all the strength of two. “It’s so good to see you, although the circumstances could be better,” she smiled as she pulled away. It was an empty smile, and Jaina could feel the fear for her people inside the other young woman.

“Agreed,” she nodded. “But it’s been way too long. How are you?”

“Other than worried for the Consortium? Very well,” her eyes were the color of smoke. “Where you in the battle?”

“Yes. I’m flying with the Rogues,” Jaina answered, some of her depression returning. “It didn’t go very well.”

Tenel Ka’s mouth was a grim line. “So I’ve heard. Father was not pleased to abandon Thrakia. Mother took it even worse.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaina felt the urge to do something to make it up to her. They had failed Hapes this time around. But perhaps, when the Hapan Navy and the rebel fleet were combined at full strength, they could take them. She was sure that was Antilles’ plan.

Tenel Ka shook her head, and her red warrior braids flew left and right. “You did all you could. We understand that saving our strength for the war ahead is the priority, even if it hurts.”

Jaina noted the ‘we’ in Tenel Ka’s phrasing. “You mean you and your mother?”

The princess leaned forward conspiratorially, but her expression was grim. “She is ill, Jaina. I am bearing much of her burden these days.”

The Jedi pilot swallowed hard. That did not bode well at all. “Have you been putting her in healing trances?”

“Shh. Let’s not talk here,” Tenel Ka glanced around. “Come, you must stay with me tonight in the palace.”

Sadly, Jaina shook her head. “I can’t. It’s not that I wouldn’t love to talk; I’m a Rogue, I have to stay in the barracks with the others…or wherever it is they’re going to stick us down here.”

Tenel Ka’s face drooped, and her hand squeezed Jaina’s a little harder. “I am far too lacking in friends on this world, Jaina. There is no one besides my mother I trust.”

She sighed deeply, the same feeling Tenel Ka was expressing resonating in her gut. She was surrounded by family, but there was no one to confide her feelings to that would be objective. There was Jag, but then some of the feelings she needed to unburden were about him. “I know, I feel the same way.”

Her friend’s grey eyes turned steely. “Then you will stay with me.” Before Jaina could protest she had dragged her across the landing pad towards the gathering of Rogue pilots. “Captain Darklighter?” she called sweetly.

Gavin stepped warily from the circle of beings and bowed deeply. “Princess Tenel Ka. What can I do for you?”

“I have asked Jaina to be my guest in the palace tonight, and she has declined out of duty. But surely you can spare her for one evening?”

Another bow. “Whatever the Princess wishes, I am loath to deny.”

Her smile was dazzling. “You see Jaina? I knew he would be understanding. Thank you, Captain, I am much indebted to you. Let me know if there is anything I can do to accommodate the Rogues while on Hapes.”

Gavin fidgeted for a minute and then said, “Well, at the moment they are unable to locate barracks for us. Apparently there was a mix up and our rooms were given to another squadron. We’ll have to stay in our fighters until it’s worked out.”

“Of course. I’ll have them transfer you to appropriate lodging immediately, the palace if I have too.”

“Thank you, Princess, we would be very grateful.”

As Tenel Ka steered Jaina away from her squadron she said, “When did you learn to be so political? You sound like my mother.”

“Since I’ve been halving the duties of the Queen,” Tenel Ka answered wearily. “Come on, we have a lot to talk about.”

[edit] Behind the Scenes

• Part of the Star Wars fanfiction Heritage

Heritage Chapter 30| Chapter 31| Chapter 32| Chapter 33| Chapter 34| Chapter 35| Chapter 36| Chapter 37| Chapter 38| Chapter 39