Aftermath 4

It was late and although I was tired sleep would not come. Between nearly being blown up and the never ending nightmare over the Krytos virus, it seemed that my waking life was every bit as frightening as my sleeping one. The violence on Coruscant continued and its effects were beginning to take root. People were scared to go out, or gather in groups. The repercussions from the bombing at the memorial service rippled out like rings from a stone tossed into a still pond. The fear did not lessen with time but rather seemed to worsen and it was as stifling as it was unnerving. Never before had I lived for so long with the ever present sense of doom, not even while working for Lord Vader. Unless I had a damned good reason, I did not leave the flat.

Uncle Vahlek, on the other hand, had vanished for a couple of days, off scouting, he had said as I had silently watched him ready for this latest excursion into the underbelly of the planet. I had long since given up asking for details and I worried about him despite his great skill and prowess in all things scary and assassin-like. I suspected he was hunting for Jyrki but he had not been forthcoming on any information and I had not wanted to ask. Jyrki was a sore subject between us so I left it alone.

As much as I enjoyed the peace and quiet when Uncle Vahlek wasn’t in the flat I missed his presence as well. Without his quiet company Thrawn’s flat seem empty as well as lonely and because I could not stand the silence the HoloNet babbled quietly in the back ground. I had gotten used to having it on as company when Uncle Vahlek wasn’t around and had gotten hooked on the nightly reports about the trial of Tycho Celchu.

I felt sorry for the poor bastard. He was an Imperial Pilot who had deserted the Empire after the destruction of Alderaan, blaming that event squarely on the shoulders of the Empire. He had turned to the Rebellion seeking retribution for his family’s death only to be captured by Ysanne Isard and incarcerated in her Lusankya facility and then to a lower security prison on Akrit’tar where he would eventually escape to return to the service of the New Republic. His service to the New Republic in Rogue Squadron was a matter of public record but the fact that everyone believed he was really an Imperial agent working as a spy and a saboteur behind the scenes had the entire galaxy watching the court drama with baited breath. He was suspected of being the person responsible for the Corellian hero, Corran Horn’s death. I was happy not to be in Celchu’s shoes. According to the latest poll he was the most reviled man in the galaxy at the moment.

Holocams were not allowed in the courtroom but the late night news did a featured update on the day’s events every night and it wasn’t looking so good for the hotshot Imperia-turned-rebel pilot. I watched absently as the young reporter wearing far too much lip-shine babbled her way through the latest proceedings, the camera crews trying their best to capture Celchu as he was ushered away form the court room. They had shown stock file images of him and I wondered if I had ever met him at one of the Emperor’s shindigs because his face looked vaguely familiar to me but then again I had met hundreds of men like him during my time as Lord Vader’s Assistant, and after a while one face tended to blend into another.

He was being accused of treason against the New Republic and I found the whole matter of the trial almost laughable. A traitor of the Empire turned traitor to the Rebellion he had run to. It seemed comical at best and utterly stupid at worst but the New Republic was determined to set an example of him. If Celchu was found guilty he would be put to death and if he was innocent then the New Republic had tried one of its own in the largest publicity stunt ever. It smacked of politics and behind the scenes power mongering to me. Spin… no matter what government was in power this was a part of the deal. I wondered what Thrawn would have made of it all and then decided it would disgust him as much as it intrigued me because he had no time to waste on this sort of thing. Regardless of what the truth behind it all was, it did make for good HoloNet drama and I enjoyed the nightly news cast with a drink of some sort and snacks.

I was half way through my second cup of tea when the door chime rang making me jump. It was too late for visitors and Shiv always called first to let me know he was coming. I was wary as I went to the door and pressed the intercom-cam but after a quick indent scan had been performed and I knew who it was, I grinned. A few moments later a very surprised looking Jarack did his best to untangle himself from my hug and before he even had time to speak I had dragged him into the living room.

“It’s nice to see you too, Miss Gabriel.” He grinned, straightening out his jacket, looking both embarrassed and pleased at the same time. It took me a second to realise he was not wearing his usual Imperial uniform and then another second to notice how tired he was.

“Sit!” I ordered and he did. “What do you want to drink?”

“What do you have?” He asked.

I listed off everything I could think of that was actually in the flat and was more than surprised when he settled for a brandy. I watched as he accepted the glass and sipped the drink slowly as though he were cherishing the very essence of it on his tongue.

“Are you hungry?” I gestured vaguely in the direction of the kitchen, “I could make you something…there are some leftovers…which didn’t cook, I promise.”

“No, thank you, I ate a little while ago, some Zabraki dinner not too far from here; luckily for me they also serve plain Corellian dishes.”

I grinned. I knew that place well. Thrawn and I had often ordered take-out from them. They made excellent food and they were fast.

He sighed and sat back in the chair I had all but shoved him in. “The Admiral will be relieved to hear that you are alive and well.” He said after what seemed like forever. “We got word of Coruscant’s fall and even I didn’t need to be mind-scanner to see his concern.”

I looked at him, deciding what to say about that. “We were here in this flat and the rebels kept orbital bombing to a minimum.” I said. “But I have to admit, it was a tad scary and I don’t want to go through that ever again.”

“Understandable. I heard it could have been much worse, and that casualties were kept to a minimum.”

I gave him a little one shoulder shrug. “People die in war. This is still a war; it’s been going on for so many years that hardly anyone even thinks of it that way any more. What’s worse is this in-between time; no one knows what to do, so it’s chaotic and crazy. At least the Emperor kept law and order while he was around, now….” I let my voice trail off. What was there to say that Jarack didn’t already know?

“Well, Miss, I am certain that when he is ready the Grand Admiral will make his move to restore that order. It is what he excels at, you know.”

I nodded. “So…how is he, really?”

Jarack gave me a one sided wry smile. “As always, Miss. He’s well and doing what he does best. The work in the Unknown Regions is keeping him busy and we make advances comparatively swiftly. The Admiral has a way about him that allows for seemingly effortless campaigns and he never ceases to amaze me with his brilliance.”

It was my turn to let out the breath I had been holding. “Well thank Da’hajn for that.” I murmured. “We could sure use his brilliance here, that’s for sure.”

Jarack gave me a small smile and then dug out his satchel and from it pulled a package. “I apologise for not getting this to you sooner but I thought I was being followed and the last thing I wanted to do was lead anyone to this location.”

“How long have you been on planet then?” I asked motioning him to set the package on the table.

“Over a week doing some Re-Con for the Admiral.” He answered. “It has been an interesting time, I will give it that.” He shook his head. “Listen, if you have anything you want me to take back to Nirauan then you’d better give it to me now, I am not sure when I can get back again. And to be honest, Miss I think you should come back with me.”

I got up and slipped into the bedroom, gathered all the letters I had written and handed them to Jarack. He took them and slid them in to a small plain, single envelope and slid it into his satchel.

“I can’t come back just yet.” I told him.

“May I ask why?” He gave me one of those looks that people give you when they know what you are going to say but they need to hear it anyway.

“Because I have been exposed to people here who had the Krytos virus. It attacks aliens I don’t want to carry it to Nirauan.” It wasn’t the whole truth but I didn’t think that Jarack would accept me saying because I still have unfinished business here as an answer. I got the distinct impression that Thrawn had strongly requested Jarack bring me back with him.

“Oh, I see.” He sighed. “Well I can see how that would complicate things for you but according to his research so far it only affects non humans and while he is not human he is also more human like than not, if I can use that phrase. He doesn’t think it will affect him and if that were to happen he assures me his bacta stores are more than enough to handle an outbreak on the base.”

Typical Thrawn, I thought, ready for any and all eventualities. “Look I know he told you to bring me back to Nirauan but I can take care of myself.” I said plainly, “My uncle is here and things are fine… for the moment.”

“Oh really?” Jarack replied not bothering to hide his scepticism. “I was under the impression that things here are a bloody mess.” He sighed. “And yes he did ask me to escort you home. He doesn’t think it is safe for you here.”

I ignored his use of the word home, Nirauan wasn’t home. I shrugged. “Is any place safe right now?” I asked. “Coruscant is not the only planet that has been experiencing outbreaks of the Krytos illness, or for that matter, riots and dissent. The whole galaxy has gone mad it seems.”

Jarack gave me another one sided smile. “Well, Nirauan and the unknown regions will seem fairly docile by comparison then.”

“I promise,” I said as calmly as I could, “I promise I will come back safe and sound to him when I am finished here.”

“If you have information for him, I can bring it to him you know.”

“I know, it’s just that….”

He held up a hand, “It’s just that you don’t trust what you have with anyone except yourself.” He sighed. “He knew you would feel this way as well.”

“It’s got nothing to do with you.” I said a little defensively.

“I know that and so does the Admiral.” Jarack nodded, “He merely indicated that he was concerned about your well being, said he felt you might wish to return.”

“I doubt very much those were his exact words.”

Jarack smirked, “No his exact words were ‘I want her off that planet alive and in one piece, and if you have to carry her over your shoulder to get her out of there yourself, you have my permission to do so although, to be honest, I doubt that will do any good. When she makes her mind up about something she can be quite stubborn you know.”

I opened my mouth then closed it again, making a face. Jarack’s imitation of Thrawn’s cultured voice was almost perfect and it certainly did sound like Thrawn in one of his more determined moods. The look on my face must have spoken volumes.

“He just wants you safe.” Jarack explained.

Safe… I thought…what meaning did that word even have for me any more? I sighed. I wasn’t finished here yet but I didn’t exactly know why. It was just a gut feeling. “And I promise that will happen, I just need a little more time.” I knew from the expression on Jarack’s face that he did not relish the thought of returning to Nirauan without me. I also knew that he had expected my answer because I was betting Thrawn had also expected it. If there had been no reason for me to remain on Coruscant I would returned to Nirauan ages ago but Thrawn was testing the waters as well as letting me know my time was running out.

“It’s late. Do you have a place to stay?” I asked after a lengthy quiet had settled about us.

He shook his head. “I am heading off world tonight; I didn’t want to stay after making the drop and if I did have to smuggle you out I wanted to do it quickly. Either way, I have arranged for transport in a couple of hours. It’s a bad time to be discovered as an imperial operative and I have no desire to let that happen.” He studied his brandy as it swirled around the glass. “It was good to see you alive and well, I am not joking when I tell you he is worried. He wants you back with him and if you don’t come on your own soon he will to take this matter into his own hands and it won’t be me asking you politely it will be that Noghri body guard of his sneaking in here in the middle of the night and snatching you away in your sleep.”

I grinned. “He and they can try.”

Jarack shook his head. “I would not push him on this point, Miss Gabriel. The Admiral is not a man to make idle threats and, no offence, but you carry vital information about his operations in the Unknown Regions, the exact whereabouts of the base, as well as the knowledge of his very existence. If you were to get caught the implications for him could be drastic.”

I nodded soberly. “I am well aware of the risks but I am not coming back until I am done here and I am not done here.” I said. “Tell him I am well, the Tze’yusha’Jin does his job and when I am finished with this place, found everything I need I will return to Nirauan, alive and in one piece.”

He blew out the breath he had been holding noisily. “This won’t make him happy.”

“I don’t care.” I lied. “The letters I wrote explain things as they are and he needs to trust me a little.” I didn’t like the feeling of pressure even though part me knew Thrawn was right, I was pushing my luck, even with my uncle at my side. “He knew I wouldn’t return with you. He would not have given you letters for me if that had been the case.”

Jarack shook his head. “If you ask me, the two of you deserve each other.” He said as he got to his feet and drained the last of his brandy. “Now I have to go and get back so that I can give him the bad news.”

I walked him to the door. “Be careful out there.”

“You too.” Was all he said as he left quietly.

I sighed as I leaned against the door. Jarack and Thrawn were both right, my being here was a risk, a big risk but only, I reasoned, if I got caught, if the people who caught me even knew who I was and if I actually said anything. I didn’t want to consider these options so I poured myself a brandy and settled down to open my mail. He had sent me a slender book of Chiss myths and stories along with two letters. The first letter was short, mostly cheerful banter about his day to day life at the base. Reading between the lines I understood he was busy and that the advancements made into the Unknown regions were great. Thrawn was pleased with the progress so far. The second letter, however, was of quite a different nature and I knew he had been both angry and worried when he had written it.

A’mia Tekari,
What am I to do with you? I allow you to go to Coruscant with the understanding it would be a quick in and out reconnaissance trip and months later you are still there caught in the middle of a war zone.

By now you will have no doubt sent Jarack on his way alone and he will ponder the entire journey here how he will explain what I already know. I should never have allowed you to go to Coruscant but what I want and what you do have, more often than not, always been two entirely different things. Now it is I who must wait for news and worry when it doesn’t come. Believe me when I tell you that this is a position I do not enjoy much and the sooner it comes to an end the better.

I received word of Coruscant’s fall about three days after it had occurred. News footage and other information have since been brought to my attention and I can only hope that for the New Republic’s sake you were not in the palace when it was attacked. I knew General Tal Ashen fairly well and he was a good, decent man. I watched his death with great sadness and deep regret that I was powerless to do anything about it.

I feel much the same way about you still being on Coruscant and I do have to wonder why that is. If it is fear of bringing back this dreadful virus that has been sweeping across that world and subsequently making its way across the galaxy planet by planet then you may rest assured. As it is well known that bacta is the cure I have made certain we do not lack for this invaluable substance despite the apparent rarity given there is only one reliable source. I have also been told that although not being human places me at some risk, I and my kind are ‘near enough’ so that we are not in any immediate danger, so if this is your worry then you can let it go.

My understanding of the virus is limited but Doctor Thracer tells me that due to the speed at which it infects, and its apparent short incubation time in all likelihood it will burn itself quickly rather than slowly by killing the hosts too swiftly to allow enough time for further infection. He also informs me that all the information he has been able to find on it so far suggests that infection methods are limited; suggesting the vectors as being direct bodily fluid contact with an infected person in the end stage or through the water system which means you would not be a carrier. I do not need to ask you if you have discovered the source of this terrible plague, you and I both know who is behind it and it is my hope that at the appropriate time I will be able to deal with her. As I understand it she went to ground shortly before the planet fell and has not been seen or heard from since. These are difficult times for those of us who still maintain loyalty to the ideals the Emperor had. Everything is clouded by uncertainty, even I am unsure at this point on how exactly to proceed.

I do not have the man power necessary to win back the Core right now and even with the recruitment we are currently doing in the Unknown Regions, there would never be enough time to find and train all those we would need in order to retake and reorganise all that has so far been lost. To arrange for such a full scale attack of this nature I would require many more ships, skilled pilots and the ground troops to do so. In short I would need the Emperor’s clone army, just as he had when he was still senator and needed to defend the Old Republic. I am truly surprised that he did not keep a store of clones on hand, it seems to me that man of his power and nature would have some set aside to be ready for just such an eventuality as invasion, especially as he was aware of such a possibility, a threat from beyond this galaxy’s borders. Unfortunately, I have been backwards and forwards through all the data, files and secret documents which I have been able to gather and I can find no clues as to the whereabouts of such a facility, if there ever was one to begin with. In light of this I will not come charging in to the rescue as it were, but instead remain out here a hidden, dark secret, until the time is right for my return and make no mistake I shall return and bring back some order out of this current chaos. In the meantime I continue the work I began out here.

I am currently working to build cordial ties with Csilla with regards to an alliance between myself and the Ascendancy. It is an interesting process, long and often tedious especially when a great deal of it is in secret. I sometimes wish you were here for your translation skills alone. I could use another who can speak both basic and Cheunh fluently as well as the myriad of other languages you have been gifted with. Trying to act as both mediator and translator does get wearying at times and, aside from that, I miss your company.

I will not dance around this subject, my dear; I want you to leave Coruscant. You do not need to stay on Nirauan with me; you may go where you please although I would prefer that not be the case. Remaining on Coruscant is tempting fate and I think, like the little jaxes you adore so much, you have used up your nine lives. I am worried about you and it is distracting.

So what will it take to get you off this single minded and dare I say it, misguided mission you have taken on? Shall I write you love letter to tell you that I miss you? I do. Or try to find the words to let you know that my bed seems too large and far too empty without you in it with me? It does. Should I, perhaps, describe to you the longing I find I have in the quiet hours of the night for softness of your skin under the touch of my fingers, or the seductive power that your own caresses have over me? Would it be wise to mention how the scent of your perfume, which lingers in the air like a ghost, creating a need that can only be satisfied by the heat we generate when we mate, makes me restless and edgy? Perhaps this is not enough….

What if I were to say that you offer me insight and a point of view which helps me to see a greater picture? That it is not only your physical presence, or the litheness of your body, naked next to mine, but also your thoughts and your rather unique way of looking at the galaxy that I find myself longing for. These things, these thoughts, so private, so intimate that only you will ever know of them, lie heavy in my heart, a distraction I can ill afford yet would be loath give up. I have to ponder upon the wisdom of getting involved with a wild and unpredictable sprite such as you are and then, having become involved, I wonder about the decision to let you go. Not that I believe for one moment I could keep you safely locked up here if you did not wish it.

My people would say you have bewitched me my dear, but the Dantassi have better words for it than that. Kirja’navaar’inkjerii would lecture that this is what it means to be bound and he would also add, somewhat smugly, that it serves me right for tangling with a desert witch whose beauty, powers and passion have quite intoxicated me.

These are uncertain times and for reasons I cannot fathom and have long given up trying to understand, you anchor me to something I cannot define but most definitely need. Please, leave whatever it is you think you must accomplish on Coruscant and return to me, nothing you could learn there, even for my campaign, is worth risking your life for.

Ilath’mera’talshti’Ia,
Mitth’raw’nuruodo

I sighed, read his letter again and sighed some more. Deep within my soul an ache of need and longing had welled up, threatening to drive me mad because there was no release. How he could elicit such emotion, such sensation from mere words was beyond me and a little part of me hated him for this talent. While I had no doubt he had meant ever single thing he had said, he knew exactly the effect it would have on me; the not so subtle manipulation to drive me back to where he felt I would be safe. Even so, Jarack could have badgered me until he was blue in the face and I wouldn’t have budged a centimetre.

Despite the fact that this letter was almost enough to make me pack up my things and leave right now without even saying goodbye to anyone, I wasn’t ready yet. Thrawn could be persuasive in this way and I missed him terribly. His letters, an exquisite form of torture, made me remember why I missed him in excruciatingly painful detail. Now, knowing that the virus probably would not be a huge threat to him made staying here seem all the more ridiculous but a part of me whispered to do just that all the same. I had unfinished business here, I just didn’t know quite what it was yet.

I had not been lying to Jarack when I had said I wasn’t done here and leaving now would be a mistake. Something nagged at me, the way a half remembered name slithered around the back of one’s brain, itching and prickling enough to be annoying, enough to make sitting still impossible. I re-read Thrawn’s letter a third time stopping at this passage… I am truly surprised that he did not keep a store of clones on hand, it seems to me that man of his power and nature would have some set aside to be ready for just such an eventuality as invasion. Unfortunately, I have been backwards and forwards through all the data, files and secret documents I have been able to gather and I can find no clues as to the whereabouts of such a facility, if there ever was one…. I closed my eyes and sat back in the chair. I was missing something but I couldn’t find the thread. It niggled at the back of my mind like a half forgotten dream. I should know the answer to this, I thought, I should know, but the more I thought on it, the more I lost the tiny inkling.

I stopped concentrating and let out the breath I had been holding slowly. There was nothing else to do but go to bed and sleep except I knew that was never going to happen. I was edgy, restless and missing Thrawn more than I ever dared to admit. His letters had stirred me up and sleeping was the very last thing on my mind. It was too late to call Shiv and I had no idea where my uncle was or when he’d be back. Sitting around Thrawn’s flat on my own was difficult enough but coupled with the incessant and annoying sensation that I was missing something important was driving me insane so I decided to head out to the Imperial palace and see if I could sneak in. Maybe, I rationalised as I shoved a few things in my satchel, what ever it was I was trying to find would reveal its self to me there.

Aftermath 3

If the New Republic had thought that taking Coruscant had been relatively easy, then by comparison, establishing their foot hold on the planet was anything but because Coruscant was a mess. The Krytos virus was causing mass panic and the supplies of bacta had all but run out. Beings of all species were rushing to get off the planet and as far away as possible causing absolute chaos at all the star ports and shuttle terminals. There was no control because the Imperials had more or less stepped aside and the New Republic was utterly clueless about how to deal with the mass panic and wide spread dissention so the tension mounted.

Banks closed because just about everyone had tried to withdraw their money, unsure what would happen with the Imperial currency, food shopping was damned near impossible due to the line ups and the insane hording that was going on and the general infrastructure kept going down due to sabotage. I had never in my life experienced this sort of planet wide chaos before and it scared the hell out of me. It was Uncle Vahlek who kept me from going stir crazy. He took the entire situation in stride, remaining calm when everything around us was falling apart.

“Give it time Lei’lei.” He said, “Things will calm down once the majority of the planet realises the world is not about to end.” And because there was nothing much else I could do I followed his advice.

The first week had been bad and for a great deal of it Shiv and Ynyth stayed with us, sleeping in the guest room while my Uncle slept on the couch, but soon enough, just as my uncle had predicted, things slowly wound down and life began to get back to some semblance of normal.

The HoloNet schedule programmes returned, with a few exceptions, to their normal times and gradually the news of the Emancipation, as it was now being called, gave way to news of the Krytos virus and other, less catastrophic, things. I found it interesting to watch how quickly people settled down, accepting the new government once the essential things like power, food and commerce were all back on line. Thrawn had been right that as long as we were fed, warm and felt safe we were pretty easy going about who actually ran things.

Still, just because the majority of the populace had settled back into their routines did not mean the whole planet had and all over the place small resistance pockets were breaking out, causing havoc with minor acts of terrorism and vandalism. The worsening problem due to the Krytos virus was also not helping to stabilize the planet either. It became apparent very rapidly that the New Republic, despite their attempts to appear so, were not the saviours of all. There was not have enough bacta to serve the growing need and the new government could not afford to buy more at the sky rocketing prices to save everyone who had been struck with the deadly illness. This was causing a great deal of resentment between humans and non humans and the seeds of unrest, which Isard had so cheerfully sowed, were now growing into full scale civil unrest.

It did not help matters much that many planets had banned all inbound travel from Coruscant for fear of the virus’s spread which only heightened the growing sense of planetary claustrophobia and panic. The unease which had settled over Coruscant was palpable and this tension was making me stir crazy, which in turn drove my uncle nuts. To counteract the cabin fever that had infected me, he had come up with a solution but I wasn’t especially happy with it.

I sighed as I put on my long heavy coat. “Why are we going to this thing again?” I asked.

“Because I think you need to get some fresh air and I wish to take a first hand look at the heroes who will no doubt be attending this ceremony.” He told me as he dressed for going outside. “Now get a move on, I want a decent seat. It’s going to be very busy.”

I was not happy about getting dragged to the memorial service being held for dead rebel pilot named Corran Horn. His name had been splashed all over the HoloNet as a hero who had given his life for the worthy and noble cause of retaking the Core planet. He had apparently been crushed to death when a building had collapsed on him. I thought that this was a somewhat ironic death for a heroic rebel pilot saving the galaxy from the evil empire. When word began to circulate about this memorial service, interest in attending it grew exponentially. It didn’t hurt that his face and his deeds were being touted at every single opportunity so that by the time the day of the memorial rolled around I was thoroughly sick of hearing about him.

My uncle, who had decided it would be a good opportunity to get to see the faces of the New Republic up close and personal, ignored my grumblings telling me that I should take more of an interest in the new government of this world. I had just made a face at him but despite my annoyance, my curiosity had gotten the better of me.

The service was being held at the place where Horn had died. The building which had become his tomb was to also me his memorial. A large stage had been erected and large grandstands had been built up all around the rubble of the collapsed building and then, because of the huge amount of interest and the unusual amount of spectators expected, extra places to sit had also been added onto the surrounding buildings, walkways and all available areas of space. It was going to be exactly as Uncle Vahlek had said it would be: a spectacle of over blown proportions.

It was good that we had arrived early and managed to get decent enough seats, although I noticed with wry amusement the best seats closest to the podiums had all been taken up by what looked like dignitaries and politicians.

“They want to keep their new friends close.” Uncle Vahlek had said by way of answer to my comment.

Despite the amount of beings that were gathering in this place I felt a sliver of unease ripple through me although I couldn’t put my finger on why. Jyrki was still a round and I wasn’t sure if he really had given up on me or if he was still in stalking mode. I was half afraid that someone would somehow recognise me from my days in the Imperial court and tell the entire planet about my past associations so I had worn and long heavy coat with a hood, my hair tied back in a braid and clothing I could easily move in. My uncle thought I was being a little paranoid and had shaken his head at my attempts of disguise.

“Lei’lei, trust me no one will be looking at or for you.” He had said not doing a very good job at hiding his amusement. I had just shot him a glare, but he was, of course, right.

By the time the ceremony was underway it felt as though half the planet was actually in attendance and the rest would be glued to the HoloNet watching live feed casts being sent across the galaxy. It was great publicity and a much needed opportunity for the shaky new government to show its face. They were playing on the equality of all beings and species bit, touting, not so subtly, their ability to work together against the xenophobia of the Empire. For the most part it was a lot of hot air and pretty words about a dead pilot and how he had become the symbol of hope in a world that had previously been blanketed by evil and gloom. I was amazed at how politicians could say little with so many words. My uncle remained silent as we listened to these speeches, ignoring me as I let him know though sighs and looks that I was bored out of my skull.

The last person to speak was Commander Wedge Antilles. As my uncle handed me the tiny pair of micro-binoculars he had brought with him so that I could get a good look at the man who had brought Coruscant down. He was older than his purported years and he looked exhausted although he was making a brave front of it. When he stepped up to the microphone a deep hush had rippled across the crowds as everyone waited for him to speak. His voice was gentler than I had imagined it would be and he sounded like a man who had lost too many friends in one too many battles.

I listened with interest to the speech he gave because it wasn’t like any of the others. He did not mince words or try to sooth ruffled feathers by speaking in terms that were metaphysical and almost unreal. To hear how some of the speakers talked about Corran Horn one would have thought the dead pilot was a god not a man. Instead of going this route, Antilles spoke plainly which surprised me. I understood from his tone of voice, from his body language that he had been more than just Horn’s superior officer, they had been friends and Horn’s death had touched him deeply.

“…You must do what Corran did: fight anything and everything that would give the Empire comfort or security or a chance to reassert itself. If you trade vigilance for complacency, freedom for security, a future without fear for comfort; you will be responsible for shaping the galaxy once again into a place that demands people like Corran Horn fight, always fight and eventually fall victim to evil. …”

I sighed. The Evil Empire. I wondered at how easy it was to stick simple descriptions on such a vast and all encompassing thing. I tuned back in to hear the last of Commander Antilles’ speech.

“…He has done everything he could to fight the Empire; now it is up to you to continue hi fight. If he is ever to know peace, it will only be when we all know peace. And that is a goal every one of us knows is well worth fighting for.”

He stepped back from the podium then and all around me the crowd applauded loudly but as I watched the officials and dignitaries who were seated closest to the stage I understood they had not been inspired by the commander’s speech, if anything he had pissed them off. That made me smile a little, this new government was already experiencing dissent and unrest. Good, I thought, serves you right.

Contrary to just about everyone else around me, Commander Antilles words had angered me, instead of inspired. This assumption that everything associated with the Empire was evil annoyed me to no end. It was the same old lies each opposing side told its allies and friends. We are right because they are wrong, but who defined right and wrong? The Emperor had often spoken on this very dilemma to me but only now did I begin to understand what he had been trying to get at.

Admittedly, I thought as I watched Commander Antilles speak with a Bothan who did not seem terribly impressed with the commander’s words either, there were things done in the name of the Empire which I whole heartedly disagreed with and Isard’s latest move had helped to improve that reputation but not everything which had been done during the Emperor’s rule had been bad.

Palpatine, for all his megalomania, had brought an entire galaxy more or less together at a time when it was about to rip itself apart. Many, many worlds had prospered under his rule, the might of the military and the navy could have challenged any threat from outsiders, spice dealing and smuggling had been drastically cut and commerce had flourished throughout the trading planets. It amazed me how quickly the good things were forgotten in favour of the negative, even though I knew that the negative was pretty major. Still, it was all about spin and good PR as well as who had the power to weave the glamour to cover up the unwanted truths.

“Who is the Bothan that’s speaking to the Commander, Zte’sa?” I asked, switching from basic to minnisiat, a trade language mostly unknown in the Core. Once I had learned that Uncle Vahlek knew this language we had taken to speaking it while in public because so very few people actually spoke or understood it. I had not thought much of it when Thrawn had encouraged me to learn it but as with most things he had given me, it was a gift I silently thanked him for every day. I handed the binoculars back to my uncle so he could take a look.

“If I am not mistaken that would be Borsk Fey’lya.” He said carefully, “One of the main politicians in the provisional government although I am unsure of his exact role.”

“Well, who ever he is he doesn’t like the commander much at all.”

Uncle Vahlek turned to give me a glance and a small smile. “No, Lei’lei he doesn’t.” He said. “I see your ability to observe has greatly increased.”

“Navaari taught me well.” I told him with a nod.

For a moment he looked as though he wanted to say something about that but then changed his mind. My time with the Dantassi was something he was interested in but he never pushed for information. He nodded slightly. “So what did you think of the speeches?” He asked me, switching tracks.

“Lies and propaganda.” I spat. “A crass attempt at trying enlist sympathy for the New Republic and the rebel thugs who murdered the Emperor.”

A slight smile pulled at my Uncle’s lips. “Perhaps it was at that, but you are now looking at the new government. One, I might add that has been formally recognised by many worlds.” He said. “They are no longer rebels, they are now leaders.”

His words hit home, like a knife through the heart. I opened my mouth to say more but a sudden, almost overwhelming sensation of panic engulfed me. Cold sweat prickled across my skin and my heart thumped with the surge of adrenaline that was so painful I gasped at it. I grabbed my uncle’s sleeve. “We need to go.” I hissed urgently.

“Hmm not yet,” he said still watching the stage, “I wish to observe the dignitaries as they leave….” My uncle explained.

The terrible sensation that crawled under my skin worsened. Agitated beyond normal I fidgeted and chewed at my pinkie nail. The memorial was over and people around us had gotten up and were leaving. When I could stand it no longer I, too, stood up to go.

“Lei’lei…” My uncle glanced up at me, annoyed. He had mistaken my persistence for impatience, thinking me rude for pushing to get my own way but I wasn’t having it. I knew this sensation and while I didn’t get it all that often I knew enough to pay attention to it.

I yanked at his arm violently. “Now, right now. We need to get away from this place!” I was still speaking minnisiat but the urgency in my tone and the volume at which I spoke made the people close to us stop and stare.

“Lei’lei, stop it you are drawing attention ….”

I shook my head with impatience and the terrible sense of danger that was crawling all over my skin like maggots on rotting flesh. I grabbed his collar and pulled his head close to mine. “We must get the hell away from here now.” I said slowly and quietly in his ear, “something very bad is going to happen very soon.”

It only took a second for him to suddenly understand that I wasn’t messing around with him and without further fuss or protest he followed me as I hurried my way across the crowded stands to get away from this place. The Memorial service had come to an end and I could hear the echoing words of the master of the ceremony as he officially closed the event by wishing everyone stay safe and vigilant.

I grew more and more anxious as the people leaving had surrounded us in a slow moving crowd that only went in one direction. Gripping my uncle’s hand in mine, I dragged at him as I wove my way through the throng annoying crowds. My persistence and pushiness earning me angry stares but I simply ignored their rude comments about my lack of manners. It was like trying to walk quickly through the snow fields on Hjal without snow-shoes and the slower we moved the more wound up I got. We were getting nowhere fast.

My uncle was about to comment when quite suddenly from behind us there was an enormous explosion followed by several more. For a split second nothing moved then the docile crowd had become a panicking monster. In the blink of an eye, my uncle had wrapped himself around me like a shield and moved us off to one side where we were safe from being trampled or hit from falling, flying bits of wreckage. I felt the wind from the shockwave of the blast but, with his arm curled around my head, my uncle protected my face from it. When some of the dust had settled I could see the damage that had been done and it made my heart stop cold.

The stands where we had previously been seated were now a mess of twisted durasteel and duraplast. Half the concourse we had been sitting above was gone, swept down into the Coruscant’s deep along with the falling stands and all the people who had remained seated to avoid the rush of the crowds. If we had stayed there we would most likely have been caught up in the majority of the explosion and killed. Luckily, who ever it was who had done this had mistimed it. All the important dignitaries and New Republic members had already cleared the area and most people had already begun to leave as the memorial had finished, so casualties were not as high as they could have been but still, as I glanced all around, there had been casualties and it wasn’t pretty. I fought the wave of nausea that swept through me, gagging back the bile.

“Are you alright?” asked my uncle, his hands biting into my shoulders as his eyes swept up and down me, checking for any injury. I nodded noticing the cut on the side of his forehead where a piece of flying debris had caught him but it was superficial.

“I told you we had to leave!” I spat crossly, angry as well as scared.

Uncle Vahlek looked at me and drew a deep breath. “So you did.” He eventually said by way of acknowledgement.

Shaken up, I asked “Can we please go home now?”

He nodded absently, still looking over the area which had been blown to bits. “Well,” he said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder protectively, “This is going to make things interesting.”

“Interesting?” I squeaked. “Your definition of that word definitely isn’t the same as mine Zte’sa.” I muttered under my breath.

My uncle smiled grimly and hurried up his pace so that I had to trot to keep up with him. “We can discuss semantics over a drink when we get home.” He said.

I wasn’t about to disagree with that.

We later found out that the Palpatine Counter Insurgency Front had claimed responsibility of the bombings at the memorial service. The HoloNews showed the captured scenes over and over again until I was numb from them despite the fact that I had been there.

“If they had wanted to kill the new government and its hangers on, they missed.” I snorted as a young twi’lek reporter wearing too much make up over emphasised the drama of it all.

“I don’t think that was the intent, Lei’lei.” Uncle Vahlek said as he curled his hands around the hot tea cup.

“Oh?”

“Assassinating the heroes and government officials by such a cowardly act would only serve to swing even more people to sympathise in favour of the New Republic. No, this was a wilful act of terrorism meant to scare people.”

“From what?”

“From gathering in public.” He answered. “These sort of acts of random violence create an atmosphere of fear which will make it harder for the provisional government to convince everyone that things are all nice and safe now.”

I sighed heavily. “Great, we swap one group of terrorists for another.”

“Maybe, but as far as I can recall the Rebellion never randomly blew people up as a scare tactic. They picked their fights quite carefully.”

“So who would then?”

“People loyal to the Empire, judging by the name of this particular group.”

“Great sarlacc’s teeth, no wonder people in this galaxy think the Empire was evil!” I snapped.

“Oh Lei’lei, the Empire itself wasn’t evil. But many of its leaders were at the very least, too power hungry to think straight and, at the very worse, megalomaniacs with xenophobic tendencies bordering on psychotic.”

“Like Ysanne Isard.”

My uncle gave me a small nod. “For example.”

I made a face. “I should have stayed on Hjal with Navaari.” I grumbled which made my uncle smile.

“I am quite certain, given enough time, this new government will find it has its fair share of problematic politicians out to serve their own purposes rather than the worlds they claim to care about. Power attracts the greedy and the corrupt and it doesn’t matter what side you are on in this regard.”

“In other words they will end up just like the last Republic.” I retorted.

My uncle just raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his tea. “Everything is cyclical, Lei’lei. History repeats itself all the time. You should have paid more attention in school instead of sneaking out to follow Jyrki around like a little love sick bantha.”

“Well, contrary to popular belief what I learned from Jyrki has actually saved my life on a few occasions…so far history from dull school lessons hasn’t.” I told him tartly.

He had no answer for that but the small smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips had not gone unnoticed.

Aftermath 2

I felt rather than heard my uncle’s deep voice rumble in his chest as he began to speak.

“When the Old Republic came to an end most people welcomed it. They saw in Chancellor Palpatine a man who would save them from the war that had been raging for several years. A war, incidentally that many felt the jedi had initiated when they had interfered with the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo. The downward spiral which began with that event and led the galaxy into the civil war which you know as the Clone Wars was the end of the Old Republic although most of its supporters would not see it this way. With the annihilation of the Jedi Order and the Republic senate in a state of chaos, Palpatine formed the Galactic Empire and took on the title as Emperor. I still recall his exact words to this day; ‘We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society, which I assure you will last for ten thousand years. An Empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body and a sovereign ruler chosen for life.’”

“His speech and this decision were met by such applause that you would have thought the senate building would collapse under the sheer volume of it.” He spoke quietly, lost in the memory. “He did what he set out to do, he brought peace and he brought stability but it came at a price and that price was personal freedom and some civil rights. In the beginning many were willing to give up some of these things and, for the most part, in all honesty, many members of the Empire never noticed a massive change in how things ran on a day to day basis but as with all change it had its opponents and this was the start of the rebellion.”

“The rebellion has its beginnings in a group of senators who did not like this new change. They had created a petition, the Petition of the Two Thousand it was called, begging him to step back from the powers he had been granted in the Emergency Acts rule but he refused, stating that the issues which had brought about the need for extra powers to take care of the issues at hand still remained. He also maintained that their issues with the newly created Moff system, which they said destroyed the actual power of the senate, were baseless fears. Shortly after this he changed the Republic into an Empire and many of the senators who had signed that petition retracted their signatures for fear of reprisal. I don’t tell you this lightly, these were difficult times, and many senators whose names remained on that petition vanished without a trace or were killed under somewhat dubious circumstances.”

“But the Empire had senate rule as well, at least until the senate was dissolved.” I said, trying to recall my history lessons from school.

Uncle Vahlek nodded. “Yes it did, after a fashion, but the newly create Moff office actually did strip much of the senate’s power away although at first not many people noticed this right away. In the beginning it all appeared to work out well, but as the rebellion grew in size and strength, gaining sympathies and support and as the honeymoon phase of the new style of imperial government wore off, people suddenly began to realize just exactly what and how much they had given up.”

“Palpatine saw the need to switch the style of rule to an outright dictatorship. When he implemented the Tarkin Doctrine I suspect that was the beginning of the end. For many worlds and many people who had, up until that point remained loyal to the ideal of Palpatine’s empire, the idea that they were now under the thumb of a single governor or Moff was distasteful at best and terrifying at worst. While some of the governors were actually good people with good intentions many were mostly power hungry and tyrannical, Tarkin being the supreme example of this.” He paused.

“Ruling by fear, while effective for a time, has its down sides and you can only subjugate people to that sort of thing for so long before they will eventually get fed up and fight back. This added much needed fuel to the small fires the Rebellion had been starting from even before Palpatine actually declared himself Emperor. I think it was the creation of the Emperor’s Battle Station, that some smart ass dubbed the ‘death star’ which pushed things over the edge. With a weapon like that Palpatine ensured he could do as he wished and the peoples of the galaxy who opposed him feared not only sanctions but destruction as well. Alderaan was the prime example of this, despite the propaganda about what caused the planet’s destruction I happen to know for a fact it was destroyed by that battle station and that Tarkin was directly responsible. Had that incident not occurred who is to say how things would have turned out? And while the Emperor did a bang up job of covering the truth up, it was enough to push the Rebellion's cause from being one most people didn’t care about to one they suddenly did.”

I sighed. These words sounded so familiar to me and I recalled the many conversations Thrawn and I had had on this topic. It led me to another memory, one which sent a little shiver down the back of my spine. I pulled out of my uncle’s embrace and hugged my arms around my body, watching while he poured the water which had boiled into the tea pot. “Thrawn told me once that Palpatine feared a great threat from outside of the galaxy and that this was partly why he chose to create the Empire. He wanted the galaxy to be united so that its defences and military capabilities would be enough to fight off these far outsiders.”

That made my uncle’s eyebrows rise up in surprise. “Is that so?” He said quietly.

I nodded slightly, “These aliens Thrawn spoke of, they must be terrible because even he was worried about them and it isn’t often he gets noticeably concerned about things like that so when he does, I get scared.”

“Well, that little piece of information sheds some interesting light on a few of Palpatine’s actions, but make no mistake Lei’lei, Palpatine wanted power as well. His motives were not purely selfless.”

That was an understatement, I thought. “Does it matter? I mean in the end, what if he was right? And what happens if there is such an invasion and this galaxy no longer has the superior military defences it once had?”

“Difficult questions to answer and I guess this new government will find itself in a rather precarious position should that ever happen.” Uncle Vahlek said quietly. “But I don’t think that it is something you or I have to immediately worry about just yet. If there were such a threat at the edge of the galaxy we would have heard something of it by now.”

I looked up at him and nodded but I wasn’t so sure he was right. Space was vast and, for the most part, pretty empty. It would be easy enough for an enemy to covertly sneak its way in, if it really wanted to, especially when we were at our most vulnerable, like now. I thought it was utter arrogance to assume that we were safe, tucked away in our own galaxy away from alien threats just because we couldn’t see them.

Perhaps my thoughts showed on my face because my Uncle gave me a tight smile and said, “Even if such an invasion force is on its way there is little you or I can do about it right now anyway.” He handed me a cup of tea and nodded in the direction of the sitting room. “So for now we will go into the living room, watch what the HoloNet news has to offer, drink this tea and get some rest. Invasion or no, neither you nor I will be of much use without sleep and you, child, are exhausted.”

I could not argue with this logic even if I had wanted to and, he was right, I was far too tired to try. We sipped our tea in silence as we watched the HoloNet unfold the edited, politically correct, play by play version of what had occurred. After seeing how the battle for the Imperial palace was portrayed when told by the winning side I wondered if I had stepped into an alternative universe. I was thankful for my uncle’s presence of mind to get us out of there when he did and I was never more grateful for Thrawn’s gift of this apartment than now. If I had still been residing in the palace I would have lost everything. I shuddered to think of it and marvelled, once again, at Thrawn’s uncanny ability to be prepared for any and every eventuality.

At some point in the middle of an interview with an eye witness who definitely had not seen the same things I had seen, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I didn’t dream and when I woke up I discovered that I had been carried to my own bed with the Dantassi blanket I loved so much draped over me. I was a bit shocked to realize that I had slept for nearly fifteen hours straight, even more stunned when the memories of what had just happened came rushing back. In the space of a day everything I had known had changed.

Still groggy, I got up and went in search of my uncle. I wasn’t as surprised as I should have been to see him in the living room speaking with Shiv and Ynyth. I gave them a cursory wave and then decided I would not function properly until I had spent at least fifteen minutes under a very hot shower so that was what I did. By the time I reappeared stimcaf had been prepared. I accepted the cup I was offered gratefully and then sitting on my favourite chair, tucking my feet under me in a very jax like fashion, I let Shiv and Ynyth recount their versions of what they had seen and the latest news that had been spread by the HoloNet, then I told them about my suspicions about Isard and the Krytos virus.

There was a long heavy quiet after I had finished speaking and then Shiv asked me. “Do you think that Thrawn knew about any of this?”

I shook my head. “He would have found the idea of a biological weapon used in this manner …unthinkable.” I said softly. “I’d like to think if he had known he would have tried to prevent her from doing it at all.”

“What about the rebels taking Coruscant?” Ynyth asked, her normally cheerful eyes marred by dark circles and worry. “Do you think he knew about this?”

“I don’t think he would have been too surprised. Retaking the Core was the next logical step for the New Republic.” I answered thoughtfully. “When we got word that Borleias had fallen he told me Coruscant would be next.”

“Do you think he will come and try to take this planet back?”

I went to speak but it was my uncle who answered. “That is unlikely at this time.” He said. “And it would be unwise.”

I nodded my agreement with his assessment. “Thrawn doesn’t have the man power or the ships needed to launch such a full scale attack and to do so undermanned would invite the risk of letting all the other factions out there who would gladly have Coruscant for their own to come out of the woodwork. It would mean a dirty war that would go on forever between multiple factions. That’s not his style. If he were to retake Coruscant he would want to do so swiftly and decisively. If it meant high civilian casualties and an unacceptable loss of men and ships he would not take the risk.”

There was a long, heavy silence while everyone digested this. These were uncertain times and none of us, except for my Uncle had even the slightest inkling how to cope with the massive and violent change.

“Do you think we should start hiding or destroying all our holo-captures of the Emperor or Lord Vader?” Ynyth asked timidly.

I looked at Ynyth. “Why?”

“Well… I heard that the rebel army was searching people’s homes and looking for evidence of those still loyal to the Empire and… doing things….” She said, managing to look both embarrassed and scared all at the same time.

My uncle looked a little puzzled. “Doing what?”

She swallowed, “I heard that they were arresting people to put in to labour camps or worse….”

The expression on my uncle’s face softened a little and his tone of voice was the same with which he used to sooth nervous banthas. “Ynyth, there are nearly one trillion beings on this planet I am certain the New Republic has neither the man power nor the inclination to search every single home nor,” he added, “do they have the facilities to intern every single being who has holo captures of the Emperor sitting on a bookshelf somewhere. I don’t know who has been filling your head with this nonsense but I can assure you this won’t be happening on this planet this time.”

‘This time?’ My glance asked, catching his eye but the subtle shake of his head said don’t ask.

“I wonder if they even know about Thrawn.” Shiv said looking at me. “He is the last of the Grand Admirals.”

That made me shrug. “I don’t know.” I said. “His promotion to the Circle of Twelve wasn’t that well advertised and then he all but vanished from the Imperial spotlight. I am not sure that anyone really knows about him outside of the inner High Command circle which is a good thing because if they knew he was still out there or had any idea of just how brilliant he is, they would go after him with everything they have.” I sighed. “Honestly, I think that anyone who actually recalls his existence will just assume he is dead.”

“Well you should get rid of any holo-captures you have of him in his white uniform.” Shiv cautioned.

I shook my head, not voicing that I thought he was being a bit paranoid. “The only capture I have of him is on Nirauan and he’s not wearing his uniform in it. Besides in the Imperial computer system almost all traces of him have been purged. I read in a back issue of Coruscant weekly which said he was thought to have been killed at Endor and most people believed it.”

Shiv’s mouth tightened in a thin line. “It is a sure bet if they connect him to you, it would be a bad thing for you.” He said pushing his point.

“That has been taken care of Siavaan.” Uncle Vahlek said in a tone of voice that brooked no more discussion on the matter.

Shiv stared at my uncle, lines of annoyance and frustration marring his usually handsome face but when my uncle did not back down, he then glanced at me.

My eyes flicked to my uncle who gave me the tiniest of nods. “We erased most traces of me and my position as Lord Vader’s assistant from all of the archives. All anyone will think if they searched for my name was that I, like so many others, was just a courtesan in Palpatine’s court.” I explained. “I don’t exist in the Imperial Records any more as Lord Vader’s office girl.” It felt weird to say that out loud and it made me sad, as though a valuable part of my life had suddenly vanished.

The relief on Shiv’s face was almost comical. He sighed and sat back against the couch. “So now what?” he asked.

“Now we wait and see what happens next.” I said echoing my uncle’s words.

Shiv snorted, “Well I know one thing for sure….”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I’m damned well not going into work today and if they don’t like it they can fire me!” he said and that made us all laugh, breaking the uneasy tension that had wrapped itself around the room.

Aftermath 1

We knew when the HoloNet came back on line, after going dark for many hours, with the announcement that Coruscant had been liberated by the New Republic and that the populace of the planet should remain calm that it was mostly all over. I had buried my face against my Uncle’s chest and wept, terrified of this new change and the events that it might bring. All of my life I had only ever known the Galactic Empire and for the most part peace and prosperity, now all that was gone, swept away in a night’s worth of wild weather, savage fighting and lives lost. I had never lived through anything quite like this before and I had no idea what to expect. Uncle Vahlek, on the other hand, had become suddenly and almost eerily calm. This was not the first planetary attack he had ever experienced.

We had sat in the living room glued to the HoloNet watching as holocam crews and reporters had raced to the battle fronts and shouting above the noise of the fray giving the denizens of Coruscant the blow by blow of what was happening, at least as far as they were able to see. It was both terrible and fascinating all at the same time and while I felt a sense of horror creep over me I was compelled to watch it all unfold live before my eyes.

Of all the fighting reported, it was the battle for the Imperial Palace that was the worst. ‘Of course,’ my Uncle had said, ‘this is the place they need take fully: it is the symbol of power.’

I had simply sat in the darkness of the room, tears streaming down my face as I watched the brave men and women of the Imperial army make their stand against the rebels but it was a slaughter. The Rebels bombarded the Palace and although the Elite Force that was guarding it stood their ground it was of no use against the air strikes.

Holocam crews captured it all and even though I had known it was all happening in real time, the surreal quality never went away. It was like watching a holodrama but the people dying were not actors who would get up after the scene was cut, they were real people and they laid down their lives to try and hold the enemy at bay.

The palace grounds were full of the carnage of war and the news crews captured it all, the broken bodies, the tangled wreckage. There was blood and gore everywhere. When a strike hit the AT-At that was on the front line, in charge of directing the ground troops I had known a terrible sinking feeling in my gut, that feeling I had come to associate with very bad things.

The reporters who were dodging blaster fire and trying to vie for the best capture shots managed to record the survival of a general I would learn later was called Tal Ashen. He quite literally crawled out of the wreckage of the AT-AT to get back up and command the stormtroopers who were still alive, all the while firing with his hand pistol to keep the rebels at bay. I had watched in absolute horror as he was shot dead. Shortly after that someone from the rebellion side must have decided that the news crews were giving out too much information and all feeds had been abruptly terminated. The scene cut to the studio but was swiftly replaced by the emergency broadcast signal which told everyone to remain calm and stay tuned for further instructions. After ten minutes my uncle had switched it off. I had sat on the couch trembling. My brain trying to take in what had just happened but it was too much, too vast, and too unbelievable. Occasionally an orbital strike would hit something close enough to make the apartment building shake but apart from that and the infrequent flash from something exploding there were no more signs that the planet was under siege.

When the city wide alarms had stopped wailing and the distant tremors and rumbling of shelling had ceased my uncle had turned the HoloNet back on. Some time shortly after that a very tired looking woman I had never seen before had come on line and given the message that Coruscant had been liberated from Imperial tyranny and that the populace of the planet were requested to remain safe in their homes and not to panic, all was well. She had looked scared, her eyes kept darting to someplace off camera and her hands trembled. Sadness and exhaustion washed over me.

“What do we do now?” I asked when my crying jag had come to an end.

Uncle Vahlek gave me a tired look. “Now we wait.” He replied.

Puzzled, I frowned. “Wait? Wait for what?”

“We wait to see what happens next, to see if there will be more fighting or if the battle we watched was it. We wait to hear what the new government’s terms for its people are and how things will be run. We wait to see how this new government will act or if it will even hold. This is a fragile time and there are several other powerful factions out there wishing to carve up a piece of the Imperial pie, Coruscant is a very large and very important piece of that pie. It may be that, while this invasion has been successful now, in a few days we will see another turn around.” He said wearily.

“Do you think they will send armies out to round up everyone who is still loyal to the Empire?” I asked. The memory of General Ashen’s death was still vivid in my mind.

My uncle’s green eyes flicked to my face for a moment. “No.” he said with a slight shake of his head. “They have neither the man power nor the inclination. I suspect the biggest hurdle these people have now is creating a viable governing body that can maintain and control this planet along with all the other systems they hold.” His shoulders heaved as he sighed. “If my guess is right they will try to be as quiet and as calm about this take over as possible. They do not want to be seen as aggressors but as liberators. The next few days and weeks will tell us more but for now there is nothing much to be done except wait it out and maybe get some rest.”

“Was it like this in the Clone Wars?” I asked, getting up to follow him to the kitchen.

For a moment I didn’t think he would answer me then he said carefully. “In some small way I suppose so, although my memory of that time is that the fighting was far worse, the armies that clashed were larger, more violent and far better equipped and that neither side wanted to give in. In some ways what you saw tonight was the ending of a battle that has been raging for the better part of two and a half decades.” He told me. “With the exception of the troops at the Palace, the Imperial forces did not put up as much of a fight as I thought they might.”

I looked at my uncle in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“The fight was over too quickly, and the Empire has better defences, better ships than the rebellion does. This planet’s shields and orbital defences far out weigh anything the New Republic has. This battle should have gone on longer, should have been more ferocious but it wasn’t.”

“You think they just gave up, that Isard surrendered?” I asked in utter disbelief, almost dropping the teapot I had been emptying into the sink.

“I don’t know, Lei’lei.” He said thoughtfully. “You told me that when you went to speak with her she was not available. I find it unusual that the leader of the Empire and ruler of this world chose not to be here when she was needed most. It is entirely possible that she knew this was going to happen and was not even on the planet because she had already decided the outcome.”

I opened my mouth to say something and then closed it again when I could not find the right words. I could not fathom her giving up Coruscant without so much as an honest fight and the very thought of it made me suddenly angry. People, good people had died and for what? She had abandoned it to be taken over by the rebels but given her lust for power and the importance of the Core planet this made little sense to me so that meant there had to be another reason. I tried to logic out her thinking behind these actions the way Thrawn had taught me to, back tracking through everything I had seen and heard. My dreams, the events that had been happening day by day, Cati’s death…. I sucked in my breath as though all the air in the room had suddenly vanished.

It was as is a holodrama unfolded right before my eyes and I wondered for a second how I could have been so blind to miss the subtle and not so subtle hints that had been thrown my way. Horrified, I suddenly understood the pieces of the puzzle that had been laid before me over the last few weeks. I felt as though I could not breathe and I must have gone as white as Hjal snow because my uncle’s reaction was swift and full of concern.

“Are you feeling alright?” My uncle asked in alarm, reaching for my arm.

“I was right.” I said softly giving him a look that made him stop mid move. “And so was Jyrki.”

My uncle’s eyebrows went up in question. “In what way?”

“She left the way she did because she knew that even if the rebels took this world it would not be the victory they had hoped for.” I whispered.

There was a terrible, long moment of silence while my uncle searched my face for answers. “You think she was the one who had this Krytos virus manufactured.” It was a flat statement not a question and I understood that this thought had also occurred to him but he had not wanted to voice it.

I nodded grimly. “Jyrki told me as much and I know he was speaking the truth but I didn’t want to hear it, not right then and there. The dreams I had, all the signs led in that direction but I did not want to believe it, then you offered a different angle, that she was looking for a cure but that’s not the case, is it?” I stopped as tears filled my eyes. My friend had died horribly because of this virus and all because Isard had decided not to launch a full scale defensive attack. “How could she?” I asked my Uncle. “If she really did this, if she was the one who is responsible for this terrible sickness, then she’s killed hundreds of beings and will continue to kill even more.” I trembled at the sheer scale and horror of this concept. “How could she do such a thing?”

“You do not for certain that she did.” Uncle Vahlek said softly, carefully.

I looked into my uncle’s pale green eyes. “Yes,” I said, “yes I think I do.” And I told my uncle everything that I suspected including all of the dreams, the fact that Jyrki had named Derricote who was more than capable of such biological engineering.

There was another very long moment of silence and then my uncle spoke. “Some people are very sore losers, Lei’lei. They would rather destroy everything than let it go to someone else. Isard is such a person and as long as I have known of her, she has never fought fairly or in the interest of others, only her own.”

“She is a coward.” I spat, angrier than I had felt in a long time. “Using innocent civilians in this way is …,” I searched for a word that fit what I wanted to say but there was nothing in Basic that came even close so I chose a Cheunh word instead, “…nja’cht’Vagaari’njen.”

My uncle nodded. I knew he understood Cheunh well enough to know what I meant, although I didn’t know how he had learned to do so or when. The word nja’cht’Vagaari’njen meant to be as base as the Vagaari and in Cheunh it was a terrible insult, perhaps even the worst thing you could call someone in the language of the Chiss.

The Vagaari, Thrawn had explained to me, when I had asked about the peculiar meaning and syntax of this somewhat unusual word, were a race of nomadic aliens that mainly lived in the Unknown Regions near the Chiss Ascendancy. For the most part they were a warrior race who thrived off acts of piracy and destruction, with a penchant for cruelty to all the races they enslaved. They were fierce, savage and utterly without any honour what so ever. Thrawn’s distaste as he had spoken of them had been a palpable thing.

“When I first encountered them I was quite horrified to learn that their main method of defence was to use the slaves they captured as living shields for their ships. They locked their prisoners inside small, transparent bubbles on the hulls of their ships so that potential enemies would see that they were killing innocent civilians in order to destroy the Vagaari themselves. It was most effective as well as being disgustingly vile. When the Chiss learned of this despicable, cowardly method of defence the name Vagaari became synonymous with acts so atrocious we could not speak of them without placing them in the same context as these aliens.”

What Isard had done ranked as the worst thing I had ever heard of. I swallowed hard against the rising nausea that threatened to send me running to the ‘fresher, my heart pounded and a wave of dizziness swept through me. People dying in wars and battles were one thing, as awful as it was, I understood that at least both sides had a chance and those that entered the fight had usually done so of their own volition but to set a lethal virus amongst a civilian population simply to sabotage the rise of the next government was beyond vile. I did not even realise that I was gripping the handle of the tea pot so tightly that the blood had drained from my fingers until my uncle pried it from my hands gently. He wrapped his arm about my shoulders and tugged me tightly to his body in a protective hug.

“Why? Zte’sa why is this happening?” was all I could think to ask.

“It has been a long time coming Lei’lei.” He said.

“Well explain it to me, because I do not understand.”