Ten years, five months, and fifteen days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fifth year, fifth month, and fifteenth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(One year, one month, and thirtieth day since the Arrival.)
Jahan clicked the trigger of his blaster pistol.
But instead of a blinding discharge, only the dry click of the mechanism came from its barrel.
Which was to be expected, of course, when the weapon was missing its energy cell and gas cartridge.
The Dominion agent spun the blaster in his hands, sighed heavily, and then began to disassemble the weapon again.
This simple process, honed over years of service, calmed the Alderaanian's nerves.
Which, over the ten days since departing from the flagship super star destroyer, had become even more frayed than before.
Cronal was alive!
That Imperial snake was out there, somewhere deep in the Corporate Sector, alive and well!
And instead of hunting him down, Jahan had to waste time on board a ship, waiting for other beings to join him and the elderly Korunnai.
Such was Thrawn's order.
Reach the forested moon of a gas giant, well-known in the galaxy due to events ten years prior, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
And only from them will they learn about the assignment that must be completed before they are permitted to go after Cronal's head.
And Jehan would have spat on that order a hundred times over, broken loose and headed for the Corporate Sector, if not for his internal discipline.
The agent had no doubt he would kill Cronal.
But if he went against Thrawn's will, obvious problems would arise.
And not just for him.
He had single-handedly destroyed Ellie's life's work, shattered her past, and now that she played a significant role in the Dominion, heading a conglomerate of enterprises producing combat tech for the state, it would be outright stupid to expose her.
No doubt Thrawn, in the event of Jehan's defiance, wouldn't turn Ellie's life into hell, but she would definitely lose the job she had come to love.
And there was one more important factor that kept Jehan from acting impulsively.
The Dominion had blocked the approaches and hyperspace routes to the Corporate Sector, effectively laying siege to it.
And without the necessary access codes — which had a habit of changing without Cross's knowledge — he would die on the minefields.
So he had no choice but to sit in the wardroom, endlessly disassembling and reassembling his weapon, checking and re-checking his jungle travel gear.
And to feel discomfort from the fact that his companion — a former Jedi Master — had spent the entire flight either in his room or in the med bay attached to his cabin.
Jehan couldn't figure out what he was doing there, but apparently the Korun was studying the contents of those transport containers that had been brought aboard his ship before they departed the Guardian.
No conversation, no way to distract himself from the oppressive thoughts about the upcoming mission.
What exactly were they supposed to do?
How was it connected to Cronal?
How would completing an unknown task affect the operation to eliminate the former Director of Imperial Intelligence?
Nothing but questions and no answers, which irritated Jehan even more than the forced idleness.
Agent Cross hated working "in the dark" more than anything — being used to achieve some hidden agenda.
In fact, that was one of the reasons he had come to hate working for the Galactic Empire.
Jehan didn't believe Thrawn would stoop to that.
Just as he didn't believe Thrawn would break his word — Cronal would fall by Cross's hand.
No capture, no turning him, no leniency in exchange for cooperation and revealing the secrets that the Director of Imperial Intelligence simply had to possess.
Undoubtedly, after the seizure of the Ubiqtorate's servers and the elimination of Ysanne Isard, much of what had been secret in that organization's activities became clear and obvious to Dominion agents.
But Cronal...
Cronal was a different case.
He was a creature close to the Emperor, and moreover a Force-sensitive individual with vast knowledge in its use — such a being would be valuable to the Dominion and the Jensaarai Order in terms of strengthening their gifted fighters.
Jehan's mind was torn apart as he realized that Cronal's fate could at any moment tip on a scale, with Thrawn's promise to Cross on one side.
And on the other — the pragmatism of keeping Cronal alive for the future of the Dominion.
"Our comrades will arrive shortly," the Jedi Master's voice pulled him from his thoughts as he entered the compartment.
"Yes, it's about time," Jehan replied absently, noting that while lost in his thoughts he had mechanically disassembled and already reassembled his blaster. "Well, nothing. We have our whole lives ahead of us. We'll wait for them another week or two."
The Korun sat down on the sofa across from Cross, placing beside him a meter-long technological staff whose purpose the agent couldn't immediately identify or recall.
And Windu himself had transformed.
He was no longer the vagrant from the Lower Levels of Coruscant, overgrown with gray hair and wearing rags.
Before Jehan sat a tall, dark-skinned man with a clean-shaven skull that glistened under the light panels.
His face was adorned with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, speckled with gray and still dark hairs.
Windu had changed in attire too.
He wore a rather interesting combat suit, consisting of metal shoulder guards that also covered part of his back, massive bracers, a belt with many sealed pouches, and armored boots with knee protection.
The metal was adorned with intricate engraving, and despite the elements gleaming just like the Korun's bald head, Cross easily understood that this outfit was by no means new.
Windu wore a black tunic and loose-fitting trousers, with a brown half-cloak running down his right side.
The fabric armor provided decent protection against blaster and other weapons.
And his right hand no longer sported that massive metal prosthetic — instead, a modest device covered with synthflesh was visible, one that could barely be distinguished from a real limb.
On his chest was a protective plate with control panels displaying blinking white, red, and blue lights, which involuntarily evoked associations with Darth Vader's suit.
The Korun exuded power and authority, as if this man had shaken off years of exile and once again become that Jedi Master whom even the Empire sometimes spoke of with respect.
In whispers, of course, because openly remembering one of the assassins who had attempted the Emperor's life would be hazardous to a citizen's health.
Mace Windu in service to the Dominion.
"Placing the regulators for your armor's electronic components on your chest is stupid," Jehan remarked. "Any half-competent soldier will target that exact part of the protection to turn the armor into a burden for its wearer."
"Exactly," Windu agreed. "Which is precisely why that plate is a decoy and affects nothing. There are no electronic circuits in this armor."
Cross smirked crookedly.
"But the enemy doesn't necessarily need to know that, does he?" he inquired.
"Correct," Windu nodded seriously.
""No doubt he's wearing an anatomical cuirass under that fake panel,"" Jehan thought. ""And he told me about it to test whether I can be trusted.""
Well, this being and Thrawn were a match for each other.
The fact that Windu, upon first meeting the Grand Admiral, understood him halfway already spoke volumes.
There were becoming too many overly clever beings in the Dominion who acted in unison with each other.
"This is a very ancient set of armor," Windu said, picking up his technological staff.
From one end, a yellow energy blade hissed out, a full meter in length.
"In the Jedi Order, a yellow blade once signified that a member belonged to the Jedi Sentinels," Windu said. "They were something between Jedi Consulars, who studied the subtleties of the Force, and Jedi Guardians, who specialized in combat. Sentinels combined the maximum level of mastery in both the Force and combat that allowed their development to be harmonious. Ancient Jedi texts said that Jedi Sentinels were the ideal weapon for fighting the Dark Side's creations."
"Decided to return to the Jedi path?" Jehan asked, returning the power cell and gas cartridge to his blaster with an almost imperceptible motion.
"You won't need your blaster, Agent Cross," Windu said calmly, deactivating his weapon without a single movement. "I have chosen my path and have no intention of deviating from it."
""I'll bet you said exactly the same thing when you joined the Jedi Order,"" flashed through Jehan's mind.
"I had to work hard, of course, to rebuild this lightsaber pike and tune it the way I'm used to," Windu continued. "Curiously, it's made on the principle of a very rare weapon — a kinata..."
""What makes him think I'm interested in this and should understand what he's talking about?""
."..which allows the hilt to be separated," with a soft click, the Korun detached the upper part of the staff end from which the lightsaber blade had recently emerged, and demonstrated a cylinder about twenty-five to thirty centimeters long — "from the main assembly. Whoever created this weapon many thousands of years ago was a true master of their craft."
"Thrawn gave you quite the gifts," Jehan snorted. "Though I don't recall us finding anything like that on Coruscant in the Jedi Temple and taking it off the planet."
"It was found elsewhere," Windu said, looking into the agent's eyes. Jehan noted with internal surprise that the Korun apparently had full use of both his eyes. And one of them had been blind! "The armor's treatment is too ancient," he almost lovingly stroked the shoulder guard. "Possibly several thousand years old..."
""So what was the point of this unnecessary lecture?""
"Haven't you heard, Agent, whether anyone was sent by the Grand Admiral's order to Ossus, Taris, perhaps to other Jedi planets?" Windu's voice was icy.
So that's it...
The Korun had shown the Alderaanian that he was familiar enough with the history of his former Order to notice the obvious.
"No offense, but even if I did know — I wouldn't spread it around, Jedi Master."
Windu winced.
"I'm not a Jedi," he said, snapping his weapon back together. "I don't know if there's a place for me among the Jensaarai, but... Here, in orbit of Yavin IV, I feel that I am where I need to be. On the threshold of a battle with the Dark Side."
"What, excuse me?" Cross leaned forward. "There are Sith on this jungle-covered moon?"
"The Dark Side is strong here," the Korun nodded. "But it skillfully hides from the adepts of the Light Side. Unfortunately for whoever is lurking down there, I know how to walk the blade of the lightsaber that divides the Light and Dark Sides, drawing energy from both. The presence of Darkness here is no secret to me. Presumably, that is what we need to eliminate so that Thrawn considers us ready for Cronal's liquidation."
"Or maybe Cronal himself is on the planet!" Jehan straightened his shoulders.
"Then there would be no point for Thrawn to keep us here instead of sending us to the surface," Windu stated calmly. "No, this... Chiss is quite cautious when it comes to trusting others."
"Chiss?" Jehan clarified.
"That's the name of the race to which the Grand Admiral belongs," Windu nodded in agreement. "Their state is located far to the west of the galaxy in the Unknown Regions. The Republic once tried to make contact with them, but... It didn't go very well."
"At least you know who they are and where Thrawn comes from," Jehan remarked. "Many in the New Republic would have given their most valuable possessions to learn the same. To the entire galaxy, Thrawn is a mystery, a phenomenon."
"Not to everyone," Windu countered. "During the Clone Wars and before them, Chiss were already operating in the known galaxy. There were some in the Jedi Order. On their homeworld, gifted Chiss are not treated well; they are exiled. But a few Chiss Jedi served in the Order during the Clone Wars. And the CIS also had one of Count Dooku's servants — also a Chiss. The Jedi had information about several Chiss mercenaries who were rampaging through the galaxy. But catching them wasn't always possible."
"Why?"
"Too smart for us. Too cunning."
Jehan's mouth went dry.
So, the entire race of Thrawn were like him? Tactical geniuses who surpassed most beings in the known galaxy?
The thought alone was unsettling.
"And what is their state called?"
"The Chiss Ascendancy."
Ascendancy... Dominion.
Was Thrawn creating a branch of his homeland here?
And weren't his actions a preparation of a foothold for the Ascendancy to conquer the galaxy?
Though he remained silent, Windu seemed to read his thoughts.
"The Chiss do not wage offensive wars; they only defend," he explained. "But should someone attack, they destroy the enemy without mercy or hesitation. However, you can rest easy — they are not conquerors. And even in the face of imminent threat — they do not strike first. And Thrawn... Even in communication, he doesn't resemble the Chiss the Jedi had a chance to interact with. He thinks differently — more humanly. More understandably."
Small comfort, really.
"However, he, like other Chiss from the Ascendancy the Order dealt with, has a suspiciously good ability to guide beings into doing what he needs," Windu continued. "Using their motives and desires as motivation for cooperation."
"Is that a special Jedi ability — seeing the obvious?" the agent couldn't resist the irony.
"If only," Windu sighed bitterly. "If we had that, the Order wouldn't have been on the verge of destruction so many times over the tens of thousands of years of its existence."
"Maybe so," Jehan shrugged indifferently. "In any case, we're hostages of the situation... Sitting, waiting for someone to arrive..."
"They will be here soon," Windu stated without a hint of a smile. "Very soon, Agent, don't worry."
For a while, they stared at each other, until a sound signal came from the cockpit.
Jehan, who had thoroughly studied the equipment of the ship they were using, couldn't contain his surprise.
"That fast?!"
* * *
Rear Admiral Shohashi stared through the central viewport at the fourth moon of the gas giant called Yavin, blooming with various shades of green.
Yavin IV.
The place where the first Death Star had been destroyed, and the flower of the Imperial armed forces had perished in an instant.
Who would have thought that after so many years, ships of Imperial design would return here.
Yes, the Crimson Dawn bore the insignia of the Dominion, but at present, the fast dreadnought was probably the only "super" class ship that had not undergone modernization at the Dominion's shipyards and had not become fully automated.
Eric understood intellectually that it was time to do so, as such work could easily free up a significant number of crew members from his ship.
Who would then be transferred to other starships.
But taking the Crimson Dawn out of service for repairs at this point was impractical.
Not until the problem with the Zann Consortium was resolved, at any rate.
Currently, the Dominion had only three "super" class ships: the Crimson Dawn (and even then, classifying it as this class was only conditional), the Guardian, and the Striking Blade.
The flagship was dealing with problems in the east of the galaxy, the Striking Blade... somewhere, and the Crimson Dawn was supposed to be holding positions in the sectors northwest of the Corporate Sector.
But two weeks ago, Thrawn had changed the order, instructing Shohashi to redirect his attention to the Gordian Reach.
The latter, like some other territories that were to be captured during the second phase of the counteroffensive, was to be simply surrounded, blockaded, and subjugated last (since, according to intelligence reports, most of the governments in this sector were not at all opposed to voluntarily joining the Dominion).
However, for some reason, Thrawn had decided it would be better to subjugate the sector right now.
The Grand Admiral was no stranger to breaking his own plans, so it wasn't surprising.
And who said the order to capture the Gordian Reach was a violation of Thrawn's plans?
It was entirely possible that the Chiss had planned it this way from the start?
Or perhaps something had changed his plans, so he used the Crimson Dawn to deliver his subordinates to the planet's orbit.
Who, apparently, after meeting with those beings on the ship that had been brought aboard the Crimson Dawn, were supposed to...
Supposed to do something.
Eric sighed, glancing at the clone of Major General Freja Covel approaching him.
"Sir, ground forces are ready for deployment to the surface and capture of Yavin IV," the commander of the infantry and shock troopers stationed on the Crimson Dawn reported.
"Proceed, General," the Rear Admiral ordered.
"Yes, sir," he replied briskly. "May I ask a question?"
"Permission granted, General."
"Will Lady Ventress and the other passengers be joining us?"
""If only I knew.""
"Their mission is none of our concern," Eric cut him off.
He wasn't thrilled that Ventress and her apprentice had returned to his ship anyway.
As the very messengers from Thrawn who had delivered the altered order and the instruction to pull anchor from the Aparo sector, move to the Kanz sector, and pick up a couple of strange passengers from the MZX32905 system — passengers Ventress herself wasn't thrilled about.
But Eric would be a poor commander if he ignored orders from command.
Let all those beings gathered aboard his starship discuss their affairs and plans.
Eric had a completely different task.
He looked through the central viewport at the surface of the fourth moon of the gas giant Yavin.
Such an unremarkable astronomical object, yet how many events had occurred on it or in its immediate vicinity.
Yavin IV had a molten metal core with a thick, immobile silicate crust of low relief.
The surface consisted of four continents, which made up sixty-seven percent of the moon's area.
These continents were mostly covered in vast tropical jungles with high canopies, though there were also several mountain ranges, such as the Yun-Tey Mountains, above which rose volcanoes like the Nicolo Pinnacles and Borundi.
Yavin IV also had six interconnected oceans covering the remaining thirty-three percent of the moon.
The planetoid also had a large landlocked sea.
Being a relatively young world, the tiny jungle moon experienced significant geothermal activity.
Large rivers flowed sharply down from the volcanic heights, then followed a more meandering course through the jungles.
The vast, sprawling tropical jungles of Yavin IV teemed with life.
Birds, lizards, rodents.
Predators and herbivores lived among the impassable jungles, within which majestic structures from pre-Imperial architecture lay hidden, perhaps even built at the dawn of the Galactic Republic.
They were to be surveyed, secured, and a garrison established on the planet until further orders.
As well as building a powerful power station, constructing planetary defense systems, including a planetary shield blocking access from orbit, and deploying numerous scout drones.
Currently, it was the dry season on the planet, which needed to be used to its fullest to carry out most of the construction work, since after the climate changed and the extreme rainy season began, the soil would turn into a swamp and watery slush in which construction equipment would bog down and sink.
It was a good thing the garrison here wouldn't be exclusively army — they would only conduct the initial area clearance and setup.
But later, the protection of the future colony (and why else would Thrawn have ordered the planet prepared this way) would be handled by the Esumi, who weren't particularly advanced.
But they readily took on the protection of hundreds of colonies throughout the Dominion for not very much money.
And, most importantly, they did their job well.
But that would come later.
First, the assault legion from the Crimson Dawn would establish Dominion order on the planet.
Including the use of heavy equipment.
How fortunate that the planet had no intelligent life.
* * *
Looking at the beings present in the conference compartment, Asajj Ventress felt her right eye twitch involuntarily.
"Looks like I accidentally crashed someone's reunion of Jedi and their enemies called 'Over Forty,'" she muttered, watching as everyone took their seats on opposite sides of a rectangular metal table.
"They don't seem too happy to see each other," Kyp Durron said quietly, studying their stone-like faces.
Yeah...
At any other time, the native of Dathomir might have found the situation amusing, but the tension in the compartment was so thick you could cut it with a knife — even if you turned to the Dark Side, no one would notice.
"I didn't know you were alive, Master Windu," Ahsoka Tano said in an icy tone.
"Glad you found your way, former Padawan Tano," the Korun echoed her, glancing sideways at the red-haired woman in a tight jumpsuit sitting next to the Togruta.
"Uh-huh. It wasn't easy."
"Accept my condolences..."
"To hell with your platitudes," Tano cut him off. "What the hutt are you doing here, Master?"
"I'll assume the same thing you and your curious partner are here for."
The gray-haired man sitting next to Windu looked with interest at the conversing former Jedi and scratched his chin.
"Let's clarify something," the Dominion agent spoke up. "Should I expect you to tear into each other and start shredding everything and everyone around you in a fit of unspoken feelings?"
The red-haired woman snorted into her fist.
Durron also smiled.
Even Ventress felt a bit more cheerful, but the Togruta and the Korun...
"I am in the service of the Dominion," Tano declared, stopping her murderous glare at the dark-skinned man.
"I have roughly the same plans, at least for the near future," the former member of the Old Jedi Order's High Council replied vaguely. "Thrawn instructed Agent Cross and me to come here to meet with his emissaries. Who will tell us what is required of us."
The Togruta's lips curled into an unpleasant smirk.
It seemed the grown-up Snips still couldn't forgive Windu for her expulsion from the Order.
Ventress didn't know for sure whether the Korun had been personally involved or not, but the second-in-command of the Order certainly hadn't done the girl any favors, given that this tension persisted after so many years, as if the Clone Wars were yesterday.
"Nothing is required of you," — whoa!
Ventress felt a pang of jealousy.
As much as she loved witticisms and Dun Moch, the nasty smile that appeared on the Togruta's face could easily give the Dathomirian witch a hundred-point head start.
Interesting, where had she learned that?
The last time they'd met, she'd been more... Jedi-like, for lack of a better word.
"Could you be clearer?" Windu asked calmly, tilting his head, which gleamed like a polished ball, slightly to the side.
"I can handle whatever's on Yavin IV myself," said Ahsoka Tano. "Your help isn't required, Master."
"Former Master, former Padawan." Well, well — Windu wasn't as rigid as she'd thought. "I sense increased power in you, but I'm not sure you have the right to reinterpret the Grand Admiral's orders. And he ordered that Agent Cross and I participate in this mission. Alongside, as I understand it, you, your red-haired friend who has my old lightsaber on her belt, Asajj Ventress — whose appearance surprises you even less than mine — and..." The Korunnai swept an indifferent gaze over Durron, which first made the boy blush and then seethe with anger, ."..the young apprentice of that witch, who possesses considerable power in the Force, but whose training in handling it is as lousy as his mentor's. Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere."
Ventress regretted that she couldn't order roasted nuts or chips brought into the conference room.
Because the spectacle promised to be entertaining.
"I think you, old man Windu, need to be taught some manners," Kyp said, rising slowly from his chair, practically spitting with fury. "You insulted my mentor. I intend to challenge you to a duel to defend my teacher's honor..."
"He stated a fact, actually," the Togruta chuckled, not missing the chance to needle the Dathomiri native. "And no, kid, better sit down and stay out of the way. This old man could eat you alive without even using a weapon."
Oh, that Togruta and her way of talking...
And then she even winked at her, while the redhead sitting next to the Togruta unclipped the lightsaber hilt from her belt and slid it across to Windu.
"Take it," she said with feigned indifference. "I was planning to build myself a new one anyway."
The Master brought his weapon to his face, twirled it between his fingers, even moved back from the table to avoid hitting anyone when he activated it.
The violet blade hissed out of the hilt, filling the conference room with a steady hum.
Notably, the Dominion guards in black-and-red armor standing at the entrance didn't even think to move.
Did they know Windu wasn't crazy enough to attack someone who could wipe the floor with him like an old rag?
With a characteristic hiss, the blade retracted into the hilt, which the next second was tossed carelessly back to Ahsoka Tano's neighbor.
"Check the emitter calibration," he said flatly. "And I'd replace the power cell too — the residual capacity is lower than it should be. Other than that, it's still as useful and effective as the day I built it..."
Ventress groaned in disappointment.
"So, no fight over the sword?" She didn't even try to hide her displeasure with the situation. "What is this, a day of crushed expectations? Ahsoka doesn't tear Windu's eyes out, Windu doesn't fight the redhead for the saber, nobody wants to kill me..."
"Oh, just wait," the red-haired woman, hiding her identity under the codename 'Thrawn's Hand,' smiled as she lovingly stroked the hilt. "The day isn't over yet. And you're already testing my patience, Dathomiri carrion."
"I'd ask you not to!" Kyp flared up.
Oh, the Force, why had he become so sensitive?
"Sit down, young man," Windu's gaze seared him. "That girl is provoking you. Never react to the words of those trying to needle and mock you. It's done deliberately, to break your concentration and defeat you easily."
"Lessons on Dun Moch, delivered by Mace Windu himself," Ahsoka said, placing her hands theatrically over her heart. "Oh, I've lived to see this day..."
"Listen, I understand you're all old friends here and would love to rearrange each other's faces just for the sport of it, but maybe we deal with the problem on this moon first, I go kill Cronal, and then you can kill each other all you want. How does that plan sound?" Agent Cross intervened.
"Cronal is alive?" Thrawn's Hand squinted. "Skywalker killed him on Mindor."
"Is there anything the Skywalker family finishes on the first try?" Ventress asked lazily.
Notably, even Windu smirked at that.
"Agreed?" Cross confirmed.
How boring they all were.
"I have a question," Ventress raised her hand like a Youngling. "Hand, don't you feel uncomfortable using Windu's saber? It's, like any other, completely saturated with its creator's energy. And that disrupts the focus of whoever uses it without being the owner... No, I could accept that you're related, and you're the result of his unplanned consequences of fighting Jedi celibacy..."
"The years go by, but Ventress never changes," Mace replied with pointed dryness.
But Hand showed a more interesting reaction.
Even though she actually remained silent.
Flaring up in the Force at the offhand mention of unplanned pregnancies...
Interesting, very interesting.
She'd like to reach out and touch her with the Force, but the bitch was shielding herself pretty well.
Judging by the fact that Tano had the same mental armor, but better, Ventress even knew who'd taught whom.
"We have a mission," Agent Cross reminded them. "And I intend to complete it. With you or without you."
"Is that so?" the Togruta drawled. "No, I believe in the capabilities of Dominion Intelligence, but perhaps you could tell us, Agent, how you plan to get rid of the spirit of a fallen Jedi who became a Sith Lord, started the Great Sith War about four thousand years ago in pursuit of his own power, and nearly ravaged half the galaxy? Hmm? Care to enlighten us, dear friend? Because it seems to me I wasted weeks upon weeks learning from an adequate Sith Lord..."
Ventress felt a chill run down her spine.
She — what?!
"You were Palpatine's apprentice?" Windu's prominent brow furrowed, his gaze becoming like turbolaser cannons. "Or Vader's?"
"I did mention an adequate Sith, didn't I?" the Togruta asked with feigned innocence. "And yes, former Master Windu, you're not my mother to allow or forbid me to hang out with certain people."
"Does Thrawn know?" Cross asked, also puzzled by the Togruta's words about her teacher.
"He's the one who sent me to him," she snorted.
Strangely enough, that remark had a calming effect on those present.
"In that case, we should return to discussing our task," Mace Windu, former Jedi Master, drew a line under the discussion of Ahsoka Tano's personal merits. "As I understand it, we're talking about Exar Kun, aren't we?"
Ventress searched her memory but couldn't find even a fleeting mention of that name.
"Him," Tano nodded.
"And for those of us who know Yavin IV only as the place where she kicked the Chosen One's ass and gave him a scar on his face, could we have some more details?" Ventress asked in a honeyed voice.
"Mmm," Tano squinted. "And here I thought Anakin's facial scar was from his skull starting to crack under Obi-Wan's lectures..."
The Dathomiri witch bared her teeth in a good-natured grin.
"Yavin IV has been known to the Jedi Order as a Sith refuge for quite some time," Mace Windu began without preamble. "Five thousand years ago, during the Great Hyperspace War between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic, the Sith Lord Naga Sadow fled to Yavin 4 on his flagship along with an army of Massassi warriors after his forces were defeated by the Republic army. He then conducted alchemical experiments on his Massassi warriors, forcing them to mutate from red-skinned humanoids into fearsome, savage, hunched predators. Despite these abuses, his Massassi slaves worshipped him as a god, building enormous temples filled with treasures in honor of their Sith Lord."
"What a wonderful man," Ventress snorted. "And the treasures... have they been found yet?"
"I can arrange for you to get a shovel," Jade sneered. "Find them, give a whistle."
"Find them — sell them," Asajj clarified. "Mmm, Jedi Master, please continue your historical briefing. I'll try not to yawn."
The Korunnai tried to kill her with a glare, but failed, so he decided to continue:
"Sadow also sealed himself in a Sith sarcophagus, where he remained in a coma-like state for centuries, waiting for someone to summon his power and continue the Sith legacy. He remained in that state for six hundred years, until a fallen Jedi named Freedon Nadd arrived on Yavin IV. By then, the descendants of the Massassi had degenerated into a primitive society of hunter-warriors who attacked Nadd, though his use of the Force impressed them. Struck by Nadd's Force abilities, the Massassi people led the fallen Jedi to the Sith sarcophagus, which Nadd awakened. Sadow taught Nadd the ways of the Sith until — in accordance with Sith nature — Nadd killed him, becoming the Dark Lord himself."
"This is incredibly fascinating," Cross cut in. "But what does Exar Kun have to do with it?"
"Let me guess," Ventress snorted arrogantly. "He was also a Jedi. Also fell to the Dark Side and flew to Yavin IV to learn the ways of the Dark Side of the Force?"
"Yes," Windu simply replied.
Ventress winced.
"I was just joking..."
"Kun subjugated the Massassi, used them to build more and more Sith temples that serve to accumulate Dark Side energy," the Korunnai continued. "As far as is known, he destroyed Nadd's spirit, and also engaged in Sith alchemy, creating monsters or perverting the local inhabitants. He unleashed a war, contributed to the destruction of the Jedi headquarters on Ossus and the looting of their Library..."
At that moment, Ahsoka Tano and Thrawn's Hand exchanged glances, which caused another pang of jealous curiosity in Ventress.
"The Jedi eventually gained the upper hand and gathered their forces to attack Yavin IV," Windu declared. "With an outpouring of the Light Side, they managed to destroy Exar Kun." He glanced at Tano. "Or so it was believed until now. The Jedi, according to the chronicles, burned this moon to the ground, then established a settlement on it to restore the planet's biosphere. Eventually they left Yavin IV, making sure all references to it and its coordinates were erased from galactic information sources and historical chronicles, so that no one could reach it."
"Their plan was crap," Ventress summed up. "I flew here during the Clone Wars myself. And your precious Chosen One did too. I won't say the local architecture impressed me, no... But the Dark Side was strong there. Or was that radiating from Skywalker, huh?"
Windu darkened, and Tano looked away.
Oh-ho, Jedi, don't like having your noses rubbed in your own pile of bantha poodoo.
You missed a Sith appearing right under your noses — now suffer while they dish it right back at you.
Though, judging by Windu's story, Jedi falling and turning into Sith Lords was as commonplace as galactic wars.
Oh right — fallen Jedi were the cause of those conflicts!
"It's not quite as you say, Mace," Cross objected, digging through his datapad. "The system was rediscovered by hyperspace scouts from the Hydian Way and became a site for a short-lived korusk gem mining rush inside the gas giant. Found it in the ship's database — the Ubiqtorate was tracking such stories on the HoloNet. Probably to take control of supply channels."
"And make a nice profit on the side," the redhead nodded.
"So what do we have to do?" Kyp asked. "And... what makes you think it's specifically this Kun?"
"Naga Sadow and Freedon Nadd were destroyed," Windu reminded him. "Only Exar Kun remains."
"Or any other fallen Jedi who stopped by here in the last four thousand years," Thrawn's Hand noted.
"Unfortunately," Tano sighed, as if listening to something, "it's Kun's spirit. He wasn't destroyed. At least, my teacher says he can feel him here..."
"Your teacher is here?!" Windu's hands instinctively clenched into fists.
And Ventress felt more confident only after her fingers tightened around her lightsaber hilts.
"He's dead," Tano replied calmly.
"That means nothing to the Sith," Windu stated reasonably.
What did...?
Ah, right.
Palpatine managed to bring himself back to life.
It was unlikely that method was his own invention.
"He exists as a Force Ghost, but he's tied to his place of habitation," Ahsoka explained. "I... can hear him sometimes, but that's the extent of his authority." The girl spread her hands. "You could say I flew here for a final exam."
"That's not how one becomes a Sith Lord," the Korunnai objected.
"I'm sure you know more about it than I do, but the fact remains — I'm here to destroy the very essence of Kun's existence."
"The Jedi of the past couldn't do that," Windu shook his head.
"And couldn't even detect him while living in a settlement right next to Dark Side temples they didn't even bother to raze to the ground," Thrawn's Hand snorted. "Interesting methods you Jedi have for fighting the Dark Side. Burning a planet and its population — no problem. Bombing structures that accumulate the Dark Side — oh, the Code doesn't allow that, right?"
Windu was silent.
And what was there to say?
"I'm thinking it's no coincidence that the Jedi who founded the outpost on the planet fled from here and made sure the moon couldn't be found," Ahsoka muttered. "I think... I think they realized Kun was alive. And they chickened out, not finding a way to destroy him. Because you'd have to be complete idiots to hope you could just forget about a concentration of the Dark Side that could attract a Jedi or Sith to itself. Like Darth Bane once found the Rakatan homeworld, Lehon, from where the path of the renewed Sith Order began. With all their nonsense like the Rule of Two and other wonders..."
"Your teacher educates you on Sith history too?" Mace Windu squinted (for what felt like the hundredth time this meeting?).
"I have a well-rounded education," the Togruta smiled.
"Wait," Kyp Durron cut in. "Lady Tano, so you can destroy Force Ghosts?"
"At least I've been learning how," she nodded. "And not just Ghosts, but any energy entities. Phantoms, illusions..."
"So you could finally kill Palpatine too?" the boy asked with poorly concealed hope in his voice.
"I think he has a body," Cross muttered.
"He somehow survived the explosion of the second Death Star," Thrawn's Hand winced. "That's not possible in a physical shell. If he'd escaped with his body, the Empire wouldn't have collapsed. So yes, at the very least he must have been an energy being for some time."
"Precisely," Ahsoka Tano smiled, flashing white teeth. "That's why I decided to train under a Sith who has the skills to deal with energy entities. Everything you said, and more, I understood as soon as he explained to me what was what with his abilities. And I have no doubt Thrawn knew about it in advance when he directed me to the Sith Ghost. So, I have a proposal..."
She smiled mischievously and looked around at everyone present, then, lowering her voice and baring her teeth carnivorously, reminding everyone that Togruta descended from predators on their homeworld, she asked:
"So, shall we kill a leftover Sith?"
* * *
Lieutenant Colonel Tierce entered my quarters like a gray shadow, approaching the workstation where I was studying reports of interest about troop movements.
"The medbay reports that General Kota's body is responding positively to kolto treatment," Grodin said.
"Excellent," I replied.
If so, his slowly healing wounds would allow us to keep him on board the Guardian for an extended time in an unconscious state, ensuring no trouble from the Jedi.
"Is the Galactic Alliance Special Forces commander cooperating with our counter-intelligence officers?"
"None of the interrogations yielded anything more than his name, rank, unit, and service number."
Standard procedure.
According to New Republic documents, a captured soldier shouldn't say more than that, preserving military secrets.
There are plenty of ways to make him talk, but for now, I need him to stew in his own thoughts.
"Ensure the information program about the activities of the New Republic and the Galactic Alliance is ready to launch and broadcast into his cell," I ordered.
"It will be done, sir."
Standard recruitment among prisoners of war involves a lengthy process of demonstrating our enemy's duplicity.
Everything gathered over more than a year on Mon Mothma, Borsk Fey'lya, and my other opponents is presented to prisoners of war, showing them what their politicians are really up to.
For most military personnel, those who joined the armed forces out of conviction, this is quite enough.
And, as far as is known from Republic Intelligence archives and confirmed by spies from the Galactic Alliance, Fezra Fuon is precisely one of those idealistic soldiers.
Break his idealism of serving democracy and convince him of our rightness — and we'll gain a fighter with an excellent service record who, provided he's loyal to the Dominion, could become an excellent donor for new clones for the Assault Commando units.
Until we get Kamino under our control and begin reproducing Jango Fett's clones with Kaminoan training programs, we must maintain the functionality of our special forces units with the forces we have.
Whether it's Fuon or someone else replaces him doesn't affect my plans.
However, the losses the Assault Commando units are suffering due to the non-specialization of the soldiers in them are beginning to slow down the implementation of plans for their deployment.
This problem needs to be solved.
For that, I need scouts, saboteurs, and field operatives well-versed in such tactics.
There is, of course, a backup option that Agent Bravo-II is currently working on, but I don't hold out hope for an immediate result on Mandalore.
"Lieutenant Colonel," I finished reviewing the data from the inspection of the medium cruiser wreckage, which the Galactic Alliance had called 'Gravstrike' the ones we encountered at Makem Te. "We need to remind our opponents on Dac that we will not tolerate invasions of our territory. And that we repay such actions a hundredfold."
"I thought you had entrusted that to Vice Admiral Mor, sir," Tierce reminded me calmly.
"The offensive operation, yes," I agreed. "But we need to shake the Alliance from within. To do that, I'd like to remind them and their allies that actions against the Dominion will cost them dearly. Including the use of technologies that were granted to us for exclusive use."
"You're referring to the gravity well generators installed on the Gravstrikes?" Grodin clarified.
"Correct," I confirmed. "Inspection of the wreckage indicates they are SFS G7-x units manufactured on Lianna, developed for the Imperial Navy."
"Raith Sienar's products."
"Which were owned by the Santhe family. And which we took from them along with the patents," I confirmed. "In the galaxy, it's customary to punish those who violate patent agreements."
I didn't build the operation against Lianna so that someone else could copy their developments with a clear conscience.
"Should I handle this personally?" Lieutenant Colonel Tierce asked.
"No, Grodin, I need you here," I shook my head. "I think Agent Inek has rested enough after his activities in the Allied Tion. Inform him that we need diversions."
"It will be done, sir."
"Has the population of Lianna reacted positively to joining the Dominion?" I clarified.
"For the most part, sir, yes. The population is glad that we offer them the chance to return to familiar jobs. Not on Lianna itself, but in the Dominion's metropolis, but it's better than doing nothing and starving," Tierce explained. "However, Alliance agent activity has also been noted. And not only theirs."
Well, of course.
"Track the enemy agents," I ordered. "Contact Colonel Astarion — have him allocate additional forces to vet our new workers from Lianna. I'll contact Saarai-kaar personally."
"Yes, sir."