| Index | A Deed Without a Name (Part 3) >> |
| A Deed Without a Name (Part 2) |
The second largest of Mothma's attack groups consisted of fifteen ships,the largest a dreadnaught cruiser formidably armed and carrying a full squadron of fighters. The Incisive and it's attendant light cruisers,were under the command of Brenn Raaphorst;a sixty year old Alderaanian patriot whose short grey-gold hair and weatherworn face marked her as a woman more at home in the mountains of her planets harsh uplands than among spacefaring folk.
During the Clone Wars, Raaphorst had distinguished herself as a Major in the Republic's army; and before as the leader in the movement that had democratized Alderaan. She earned the political and personal admiration of all of it's citizens, even the King she had helped to depose. Her shrewd mind, and charismatic ability to lead others against overwhelming odds earned the General the command of the Task Force assigned to defend her home planet as well as Corell against Imperial retaliation once rebellion began.
The Incisive's fleet poised at the head of the Ison corridor,far enough from the heavily travelled spacelanes to avoid attention, yet near enough to allow swift access to their assignments. To conquer the boredom of waiting,Brenn took the opportunity to personally check the battle-readiness of her crew by visiting the cruisers.
Aboard the Damorian light cruiser Visseon II, in a port side laser emplacement, Raaphorst was offering the nervous young gunner a word of encouragement before his first taste of battle when her aide/droid informed her that a ship positively identified as the Darkfire had passed the perimeter pickets.
She had acknowledged the droid's report without outward reaction to the news of
the well-known ships unexpected arrival.
Darkfire was a Freedom's Son ship, and aboard her was the now-allied guerrilla group
leader,"Major".
He had abandoned his assignment on Radiaa, obviously; effectively cutting the
heart from Mothma's carefully plotted operation.
Brenn had always thought it a mistake to absorb the Freedom Sons into the
Alliance; a group so fanatic that even the Jedi had condemned their unethical
battle tactics. Major had grudgingly curtailed the most reprehensible of their
methods of warfare (suicide missions employing adolescents among them), but the attitude was still
present. The Freedoms Sons still considered themselves the superior warriors
and the Alliance irresolute in its adherence to morals while trying to
overthrow the Empire.
Brenn refused to believe that Mothma's staunch trust of Major had been
influenced by the personal relationship that evolved between them some years
before. The Aerolone she had known for some thirty five years was too pragmatic
to let her heart rule her head in military matters. She wondered, idly, what
the Alliance President would do now that Major had thrown away the chance to
kill Palpatine.
The General's lips were compressed into a tight line as a
small Skipray Blastboat drifted into the Incisive's range.
" It's a 'friendly'." Brenn reassured the inexperienced gunner.
" But let's see how you track them. Try to get a lock on it."
The boy's pale hands activated his cannons targeting computer then gripped the
weapon's steering handles. He understood that he was to track the blastboat
until he was ordered to disengage. How he performed for the General would
decide his fitness for combat.
Holding his breath, the gunner jumped when the sharp tone of a computer lock
startled him. Reflexively, his thumb hit the firing stud. The single laser bolt
passed very near the Darkfire's bow.
" General...ma'am...I..." The boy gulped, seeing his short career
pass before him even as did the blastboat.
" No harm done,Nereth." Brenn replied, poker faced; then she frowned
as she watched the small ship approach Incisive's docking bay.
" Keeps them on their toes. See your station C.O. for some
time on the simulator though."
The gunner nodded thankfully as Raaphorst moved on to the other laser
batteries.
Whatever excuse Major would offer, she had decided could wait.,
He did just that. In a small briefing room, the Incisive's First Officer had shown him to, and Major was well aware that the delay was intentional.
"Do you realize what you have done?"
Major's pale, hooded eyes flashed to his right. The stern faced woman, dressed
in nondescript coveralls, wore no rank insignia; nor did she need it. Her
bearing and expression said 'soldier',General. Her stare was hard, so he
slouched casually in the uncomfortable chair.
" I followed standard procedure,the one that says: " Overwhelming
odds, run like hell." He responded evenly. "I saved my men."
" And yourself, I noticed." Brenn glared back. " But then,
don't you always? Just report."
"First of all," Major began by leaning back to stretch his long legs
under the table as he steepled his fingers atop his chest. " The Tantive
has been destroyed. Doan got it over the Imperial net. That means no plans! The
Senator is dead, Radiaa is High Alert-locked down tighter than an airlock-Vader
was expected back at any minute, and the Senate has been dissolved. SO, if
anyone's ruined this Operation, it wasn't me! Now, which one of us tells
Aerolone?"
Brenn absorbed the information without moving from the center of the room. She
and Major stared at each other for several long seconds as the vast
implications of what he had so casually reported sunk in. Then, hands clenched
into fists,the Alderaanian General sank into the chair opposite Major's.
Already, Major was considering their alternative strategies, as she was; but
there was still a cold knot in Brenn's stomach.
" This is going to be hell." Brenn breathed.
" Lady," The Freedoms Son promised, his dull grey eyes reflecting
nothing of himself. " I've seen hell. This is going to be worse."
As fate would have it, neither General had to be the bearer of bad news. Their
commander-in-chief contacted them.
A Calamarian named Ackbar, taken prisoner in Operation Solar Flare, had
furnished accurate and startling information on the Empire's 'Death Star'.
Everything Tion had boasted of to the Organa's, the Alliances' worst fears,had
been confirmed in a private meeting between the Rebel President and the
Calamarian.
Grand Moff Eschai Tarkin had been given command of the Emperor's 'super weapon'.
Mothma did not have to elaborate. Tarkin hated Alderaan. As a commander during
the Clone Wars,Tarkin had used his ship to bombard Alderaan mercilessly. Entire
cities had been wantonly destroyed, The last of the Republic fleet, under Bail
Organa's command, had retreated to the then-Admiral's home system;pursued by a
relentless Tarkin, intent on their utter destruction. The Emperor himself had
called an end to the war; cheating an enraged Tarkin of the conquest of the
arrogant, defiant Alderaanians. Now, that same man was in control of the
Deathstar. With or without orders,could there be any doubt as to his first
target?
The fact that Major had withdrawn his team from Radiaa, and the information he
had provided, was received by Mothma without comment. She ordered the
Incisive to Alderaan immediately; to be followed by the remainder of the battlegroup
after a slight delay. All efforts to contact Alderaan in the past several hours
had proved futile. Sub-space transmissions to-and presumably from- the planet
were being blocked. If it were not already too late,( the possibility was
there, though unspoken) Raaphorst was to ensure that the Viceroy, his family
and court were taken to safety. By force if necessary, and to assist with the
speedy evacuation of as many citizens as possible.
Mothma signed off without a single word to Major.
Raaphorst reacted instantly,ordering most of the seventeen thousand troops the
Incisive carried transferred to the other capital ships. Her suggestion, that
Major and his team could be of help on Alderaan, was countered by his
insistence that Aerolone needed him more.
When the Incisive jumped away from it's group, thirty minutes later, heading for Alderaan; the
Darkfire had been enroute to the Bestine system twenty five minutes.
An undercurrent of quiet fear greeted Anizar upon his return to Barisal. Even
though the general population had not yet been told of their Princess' death,
all of Alderaan seemed poised for upheaval. All of Barisal knew of the presence
of the Imperial Security Division onplanet; and, with the prearranged hour of
their participation in armed rebellion against the Empire approaching, tension
was high.
It showed clearly on the faces of the palace guard, who stood at attention
outside the Viceroy's suite. They exchanged nervous glances with Anizar as they
allowed him to pass, but gained no confidence from his gloomy countenance.
Bail Organa was nowhere to be found.
Anizar very nearly panicked as he went from room to room in the suite,
expecting to find the grieving Viceroy. His first thought was that the Viceroy
had used the secret passageways between corridors to leave the palace with the
intent to kill Sinilau.
The second thought was far more likely.
With the confused guards trailing behind him, Organa's Auxilliary hastened through the hallway until he had reached the Princess' suite of rooms. Once again, the guards took up their positions outside as Anizar proceeded in.
Everything was as the Princess had left it, only days before, when she had
rushed out on the Tantive for Toprowa. Jewelry Leia customarily wore lay strewn across a delicately carved console.
Sprigs of rafflesia, picked in bud,were now blooming riotously in the window
overlooking the formal gardens. Even the subtle scent of the Princess' perfume
lingered in the elegant surroundings.
Anizar stopped at the open archway that separated the living area from the
bedchamber.
Bail Organa sat at his daughter's dressing table, fingering the neogin
hairbrush that lay upon it's inlaid surface; looking far older than his seventy
four years.
"Pardon me, your Majesty." The relieved aide exhaled. " I was
afraid you had..."
"I know." Bail murmured hoarsely. "I just had to be
here.Look..." He held up the heavy brush so that the long brown hairs
enmeshed in it lay across his palm. "She had such beautiful hair. Remember when she wanted to cut it?
Imagine!"
In a sudden flash of anger, the Viceroy slammed the metal brush down again.
Muscles in his jaw twitched.
"I let her go... I killed my daughter!"
"You can't believe that!" Anizar protested.
" I DO! I am to blame!" Organa insisted, thinking of his
responsibility to protect Leia for the future Obi-Wan had foreseen; and he
thought of the boy, who would never be whole without her. "It wasn't supposed to end this way,such a short life!"
" A bright one. " Anizar insisted. " Filled with courage and
much good. A life she would not have had were it not for General Kenobi and
you."
Bail looked at his long-time friend, startled.
Of course, Anizar had known! All the years without a word spoken. The man who
had been his right hand, whose loyalty eclipsed that of all others, had known
what the people of Alderaan did not. Leia herself had not known, until her
tenth birthday, that she was not an Organa by birth.
It would not have mattered to Alderaan by then, for the people had taken Leia
to their hearts; insisting that she be entitled the Princess Royal, despite the
impossibility of succession. It might even have inspired her people, the past
few years, when hopelessness loomed, to know of their Princess' Jedi heritage.
But Leia's safety had always been Bail's first concern, and as long as the
Emperor and Vader existed, secrecy had been unavoidable.
Now, surrounded by reminders of a young woman they would never see again, both
men stood heavy-hearted for a few silent minutes.
" I hope she did not suffer." Anizar murmured finally.
" I hope she fought!" Bail swore.
" You can be sure she did." His aide assured. " Just as
Alderaan will.The Ministers are assembled in chambers, awaiting you."
Bail nodded offhandedly, rising slowly.
"Ekinna Antilles? Is she alright?"
" No,your Majesty. She took the news badly." Anizar
reported."She's with the Tiernan family."
" Has your own family's safety been arranged?"
" I sent them to the colony four days ago. " Anizar answered.
The Viceroy nodded, lost in thought.
" I'll meet you in chambers shortly."
With a slight bow, Anizar left. Minutes later , Bail Organa left his
daughter's suite for the last time.
The two hundred room royal palace of Alderaan had once housed the families of
the court as well as the personal employees of the Organa family. Over the
years, after the monarchy and all the pomp and prestige of life at court had
passed into history, Organa's staff had dwindled. With most of the remaining
servants and employees choosing to live elsewhere.
The Organa's themselves rarely missed an opportunity to retreat to their
private estate southwest of Barisal.
The palace had become a working place for the Viceroy and his daughter after
Celis Organa's death, seventeen years before. Half of the stately, elegant
structure was routinely empty; its suites, ballrooms and offices closed except
during the rare visit of some dignitary. The occupied portion of the palace, the third and fourth floors of the rear
wings that curved around a large arboretum, still housed the family of several
key staff members. Among them , the wife, sister and son of Rorke Tiernan;
military attache and First Officer of the Tantive IV.
It was to the supportive and grieving Tiernan family that Anizar had delivered
Renata Antilles. There, the Viceroy himself sought the wife of the Tantive's Captain, Einar
Antilles, his friend.
The young man who answered the unexpected knock on the door was still in his
Guardsmen's uniform, though he had loosened the high collar and removed his
boots. Medan Tiernan, twenty five and the image of his red-haired,green eyed father,
found himself face to face with Bail Organa-the man who had been,and who in the
hearts of the Tiernan and most Alderaanian families still was the King.
" Your Majesty," The young man managed. Somewhat horrified by his
own disrespectful appearance. He began to bow," We are honored."
" It is I who was honored," The Viceroy responded,touching Medan's
shoulder," By your family's loyalty, and your father's friendship,
Lieutenant Tiernan. Will your good mother receive me? I do not wish to
intrude."
" Oh, no, your Majesty." The young man drew himself up,determined to
conduct himself properly despite his sorrow. " It would mean everything to
her. Please."
As he stepped into the sitting room, Organa could hear a woman's soft weeping.
Medan led the way into the family's private rooms.
" Mother?" He called softly.
The stout, sweet-faced wife of Rorke Tiernan rose from a large couch near a
window; moved toward her son, then stopped.
Avel Tiernan had been a soldier's daughter and a soldier's wife and ,as such,
she had been prepared for her loss. But seeing her young son standing next to
the timeworn Viceroy reminded her that she could not have accepted the loss of
her child as easily. At least she had Medan. Organa had nothing. There was so much to say, she could
not find the words.
Bail Organa could.
" I beg your pardon, Ekinna Tiernan,in your time of grief." He
murmured." Please allow me, on behalf of the people of Alderaan, and
myself, to express deepest sympathy on the loss of your husband."
The Viceroy bowed slightly,taking both of Avel's hands into his own.
" And that of my family for you, your Majesty on the loss of your noble
daughter." She replied formally. " We're alright, Sire. But
Renata..."
With the slightest movement of her head, Avel indicated the woman huddled on
the couch, being attended to by the court physician. The small, bearded doctor
nodded deferentially; rising to gather his things as the Viceroy approached.
Head back on the cushions, Renata Antilles looked waxen. Her swollen eyes were
closed, strangled choking sounds escaped her pale lips. Renata felt someone sit
beside her; opened her tear-bruised eyes slowly to see the Viceroy's kind ones.
Sobbing anew, she threw her arms around his neck. " It can't end this way." Renata repeated over and over." I
want Einar...I want Einar..."
" I want Leia." Bail whispered, so low only the Corellian woman
could hear. " But all we can have is revenge."
In the assembly room Anizar found pandemonium.
The eight Ministers who comprised the High Council, as well as Vanaernum and
Landwerlin Organa, were seated around the large u-shaped table shouting at each
other. At the moment, Gerer Ridaught had the floor, and the man looked positively
livid. Angrier than Anizar had ever seen him.
Honorand Organa-Ellare stared toxically between insistent 'No's'. Vanaernum, head in hand, looked disgusted.
The Minister of State's hands tapped nervously on the tabletop while her face
remained impassive. The Minister's of Finance and Agriculture huddled together,
whispering frantically. In the confusion, the Minister's of Education and
Exo-Sociology simply looked bewildered.
 . . As Ridaught continued, his voice booming, the
Transportation Minister rattled off a long list of scheduled evacuation plans,
while the Interior Minister vehemently disagreed with everything Ridaught and
Dethor had to say. Although he had known every aspect of the plan from the outset, Anizar was
confused by what he was hearing and more than a little frightened. Ridaught was
insisting that the operation proceed as planned, despite everything...even
because of it. The Strike-Team, he reminded, would hold for the pre-arranged
signal and definite orders; but Alderaan was armed, and it's citizens were
ready to rise up against the Empire. The announcement of the Princess' death
could only enrage them. Someone, somewhere, would move against the Imperials,
and then...
But the Minister of the Interior would hear none of it. He accused Ridaught of
military posturing at the risk of the safety of millions of women and children.
To follow the plan - Mothma's plan - he emphasized, now, would be suicidal. Sinilau surely suspected a link
between Alderaan and the Alliance, and had come prepared to act if those
suspicions were in any way confirmed. After all, the Empire had thousands of
bureaucrats who could have made a diplomatic sympathy call.
The evasive Imperial Security Division Director would not have come - prepared to
spend several days - unless he knew something. What if, the red haired Minister tugged nervously at his curled mustache,
Sinilau counted on their uprising? Knew that by allowing, or provoking, it the Rebel fleet
would come to Alderaan's defense and so be caught in an Imperial trap. Ridaught quickly pointed out that there was positively
no evidence of Imperial craft in the Alderaan system. Sinilau had arrived with a division of troops. He conceded that the ISD probably had an inkling of Alderaan's rebel sympathies, but Sinilau was not a man to waste time
if he had any real evidence. Had ' Operation New Hope' been compromised, the
High Court, certainly the Viceroy himself, would be in custody ( or worse ) and
Alderaan set as a trap to lure the Alliance into the open.
"Would it? Would the Alliance fleet be risked to defend one planet, even
Alderaan?"
The words were hardly out of Landwerlin's mouth when the air turned electric.
Anizar twisted uncomfortably in his chair, the entire operation , the Viceroy's
sister reminded, had always been dependent upon the acquisition of the battle
station's plans. In so many words, and by her actions, Mothma had left no doubt
that her military would not be risked until the Deathstar had been negated as a
threat. Since there had been no contact from the Alliance, Landwerlin argued,
it was plain that Mothma had not-and never would-receive the intercepted plans.
The High Council had to consider Alderaan's expendability to Mothma's overall
plan.
It was then, as he watched the shadow of panic invade the High Council for the
first time in memory, that Anizar began to be afraid for all of them. For
Alderaan.
In a sudden burst of uncharacteristic anger, Vanaernum Organa lunged to his
feet to hurl a water glass against the far wall. " Enough!" The big Alderaanian thundered. " You're
all right, and it doesn't mean a damn thing! It's not just Alderaan anymore, the Alliance is depending on us...the
galaxy is watching us! Mothma has trusted us to lead the way to freedom. The Empire is never going to give it to us. We have to
take it! If the Rebellion has been compromised, then we can spend our last days as free beings and stand as best we can against Palpatine's forces."
" And die?" The Minister of Agriculture shouted back, eyes bulging.
" Everything, everyone, lost? I am not prepared..."
" YOU are not prepared?" Vanaernum turned, glaring. " Our
people are prepared! They have had their fill of submissiveness,and
cowardice."
" Vanaernum!" Landwerlin flared. " Who are you to judge?"
" I am a former coward." He answered his sister. " Who has been
shamed by the courage I have seen in the streets of Ariton and Ribu, on the
farms of Sirsalis and in the mines of Ilmanin. They are willing to risk
everything to gain everything, They are willing to die rather than endure repression any longer. That is the end
of it."
" But what of the non-combatants? The children?" The Transportation
Minister asked as his fellow legislator looked away, shamed.
" Evacuate them," Nea Jurac spoke finally. " Now.. begin now, with the rural areas."
" But Sinilau," The Finance Minister cautioned.
" If he moves against them, we move against the Imperials
immediately." Ridaught looked to the Viceroy's brother with new respect.
" Ground fire is all he can use against us now, and we can take the
shuttle with the ion cannon. IF he suspects nothing, then we have saved the
most vulnerable. Once all the Imperials onplanet are dead, we can complete the
evacuation."
Ridaught and Jurac's decisiveness galvanized the other members of the High
Court. Orders went out to begin loading the transports assigned to rural areas.
Take-offs would begin immediately, at thirty minute intervals. Military units
were alerted to monitor each departure, authorized to target any Imperial
emplacement that fired on Alderaanian ships. Full scale evacuation of the urban
population centers could start when all Imperials on the planet had been
neutralized.
Bail Organa entered the assembly room without ceremony; moved brusquely to his
chair. All conversation stopped. Grim faced, ramrod straight, the Viceroy
dropped a large data pad onto the table. He stared down at it a moment,then
lifted still-swollen eyes to his court.
" This." The old man announced, his voice unwavering, " Is the
complete diagnostic report on my daughter's identi-disk. It is medically
impossible for it to have been removed any more than two standard days ago, and
she was alive at the time..."
" Sinilau lied." Nea breathed. " He does know,he's going
to..."
" Die with the rest!" Organa snarled as he sat, fists clenched.
" Then it's possible that they did not get the Jedi." Ridaught
thought aloud.
" Of that we can be sure." Bail answered flatly. " The Empire
would have taken great joy in such fortune. When Leia was taken prisoner, she
was alone; and the Jedi and the boy escaped with the plans."
"Jedi" Vanaernum came out of his chair." What Jedi?"
" Kenobi." Organa looked to his brother, relieved to share the
secret at last, with him. "He has been alive all these years on Tatooine.
I sent Leia for Obi-Wan and Skywalker's son. So, you see, the stolen plans are
in the hands of a Jedi Knight. I do not doubt that Mothma will receive them;
nor do I doubt that she will defend us. Vanaernum."
The anger and suspicion on his brother's face had gradually changed to
understanding.
" Destroy Trisialon now! We must give Aerolone all the notice we can.
Time is our enemy. Evacuation-"
" Done, your Majesty." The Minister of Transportation added
helpfully." We began in the outlying regions; the first ship should have
launched by now."
" Excellent." Bail turned to the Defense Minister. " Gerer,
notify your teams to move on schedule."
" The Imperial's headquarters building is doubly defended now." Nea
reminded. " ISD troops will not be easy to overcome. It will mean more
time, and casualties."
"I know that, Nea." The Viceroy pushed his chair back to stand.
" But I have plans for Sinilau. Gerer,this is what I want you to
do..."
Brenn Raaphorst had been on the Incisive's bridge since the dreadnaught cruiser had entered hyperspace, hours before. She had hoped that when the opportunity came to return home it would be under less frightening circumstances.
Mentally, the Alderaanian General contemplated the swiftest way to carry out her assignment. Her battle-group was two hours behind the Incisive. She had estimated that it would take that long to land at the Organa estate, and deploy hand-picked personnel to all military positions. Alderaanians were ready to fight for,not abandon, their world. It would not be easy to convince them to
run from the Empire. It had taken years to gather the courage to defy it. Brenn, herself,had never been one to shrink from confrontation. It had been her leadership that had helped overthrow the Organa monarchy; but there was no way to fight against something that could destroy a planet.
She was getting too morbid.
Stiff muscles ached as the Alderaanian pushed away from the
command console. The gnawing emptiness in the pit of her stomach she attributed
to hunger, not apprehension. Time to see what was available in the galley.
It shouldn't' have surprised her, but it did; every crew member was wearing a purple mourning ribbon for the Tantive. The somber decoration was still in her uniform pocket; Brenn had not been able to attach it to her jacket. The last time she had worn mourning was for Alderaan's last queen, Celis Organa.
Memories of a small girl, violet death-ribbons affixed to her white dress at
her mother's memorial service, flooded back.. Somber, and wide eyed, the three
year old Leia had clutched her father's hand that bright,warm morning; silent
tears cascading down her cheek. No Alderaanian had ever forgotten the sight.
The tragedy and violence that had marred the Princess' childhood had finally
claimed her life, and the ribbons were for her now. Everyone aboard the
Incisive had taken the news hard; Raaphorst herself had not been able to face
wearing the official symbol of mourning on her uniform. She extracted them from
a side pocket now, with a grimace, and fastened them beneath her planetary
insignia.
The Incisive's galley was mostly empty.There would be the usual selection of food and drink.
No difficult decisions. Nothing changed.
When they were safely away from Alderaan, Brenn promised herself there would
be vanirom for everyone; and an old warrior would order a toast drunk to a
young one who'd had more than enough courage,but not enough time.
The Imperial Headquarter's building, constructed soon after Alderaan's
surrender to the Empire, commanded a panoramic view of Barisal's mammoth
spaceport. Black, windowless save for the topmost floor, it rose like a dark
nightmare from amid the old, ornate, governmental buildings at the city's
center. Unlike other Imperial facilities elsewhere in the galaxy, the forbidding
monolith contained fine furnishings,rare ( appropriated) art, textiles and the
finest luxuries Alderaan had to offer.
Sinilau revelled in it.
He had been living, far too long, in the sterile military environment of the
underground Imperium, This, he mused as he seated himself in the elegantly
appointed dining room, was more to his liking. The sumptuous meal placed before him by an efficiently silent serving droid,the
vintage wine, only reinforced the ISD Director's initial impression of Alderaan as a military post.
The privilege was being wasted on Siod. The lax discipline, and lavish
surroundings, proved the Ablegate had made the most of his years there.
Perhaps, Sinilau considered, it was time the insipid functionary was stationed
elsewhere. Alderaan would make the ideal place to relocate the ever-expanding
ISD nervecenter.
A rare morsel of nayur steak was poised before Sinilau's lips when an unusual
tone sounded from the dining room's small, wall mounted comm console. It was
followed by an automated voice announcing the Alderaanian emergency broadcast
NewsNet.
Sinilau listened suspiciously as the male voice reported that the Trisialon
plateau collapsed into the Barisal Deeps after a seismic disturbance. All
citizens were asked to avoid the area; air traffic over the western edge of
Ilmanin was prohibited until an investigation was completed. Further details
would be broadcast as they became available.
The comm shut off abruptly.
Sinilau resumed his meal. His next transmission to the Deathstar was scheduled
in less than two hours. He would mention the auspicious end of the
Jedi-befouled monument to the Grand Moff Tarkin. Imperial propagandists would
see that the whole galaxy knew about it.
" Sir?"
Sinilau did not look up from his meal as Siod, prudently, halted at the dining
room door. He never ate in the presence of others. The idiosyncrasy was one of
the few things about the ISD Director that he allowed to be known. Now, as his
food grew cold, Sinilau fixed the Ablegate with a frigid gaze.
" What?" He hissed.
" The Viceroy is about to address the planet." Siod reported. "
It must be the announcement of the Princess' demise."
The two Imperials settled into the uncomfortable chairs in the Ablegate's
spacious office; one somber, the other expectant.
When the wall mounted, tri-dee screen came to life, the image was that of the
palace throneroom, draped in purple. Bail Organa, dressed in formal robes of
state, stood alone;a small purple ribbon fastened above his heart.
Sinilau leaned forward, eagerly devouring every nuance of the image. Organa's
appearance was a pleasant surprise. The old man seemed disoriented,haggard and
he wobbled slightly; hands shaking at his side.
" A pathetic spectacle." Sinilau remarked with feigned sympathy.
" I would have thought the Minister of State, or even the brother, would
have made a more dignified appearance."
" Tradition,sir." The Ablegate barely managed to keep contempt from
his voice. He was about to explain Alderaanian custom, when the Viceroy began
to speak.
" It is with great sadness,my people," Organa began
tremulously," That I come before you to announce the death of my only
child, and your Senator, Leia Organa. The..." He took a deep, shuddering
breath, and Sinilau licked his thin lips. " The Tantive has been destroyed, while on a diplomatic mission.There are no survivors. My people..." The Viceroy began to weep. " Forgive me for involving you
in this. Leia...Leia..."
Anizar and Vanaernum appeared quickly to assist Organa off-screen, as Nea
Jurac took his place. In the background, Organa could be heard sobbing.
Sinilau relaxed with a sigh of satisfaction.
The Minister of State, efficiently and impassively, continued with the details
of the four day mourning period, and the memorial service to follow it. She
asked the people of Alderaan to honor the Princess, and those who had died with
her, as well as the Organa family, with their prayers. With that, Jurac ended
the transmission.
" It won't be long now." Sinilau remarked casually.
" For what?" Siod countered defensively. There was a feral glint in
the Director's narrow eyes that sickened him.
" Organa and his people are the keys to the Alliance." Sinilau
smirked. " Though you have provided precious little evidence of it all
these years, Siod."
" There is no evidence of Rebel sympathy here!" The Ablegate
countered angrily. Incompetence, even treason, was being inferred. " You
don't have anything but the suspicion you came with; if you did you would have
acted immediately!"
" You have some misguided conceptions of the workings of the ISD."
Sinilau replied with finality.
The Ablegate was summarily dismissed from his own office.
Sinilau contacted the incoming Deathstar.
The Emperor had personally dispatched the ISD Director to Alderaan the moment
he received news of the Princess' capture from the Dark Lord. Sinilau and
Neiamas Palpatine were of the same mind on how to best utilize this unexpected
bit of luck; and the traitorous Princess. Recovery of the battlestation's plans was left to Vader; but the Sithlord had
not been informed of the Emperor's entire plan. Nor had Sinilau. Eschai Tarkin
had been.
The Grand Moff's first orders, as Commander of the Deathstar, had been quite
specific. Terrorize Alderaan with it; loom threateningly above the planet the
Emperor knew to be Rebel allied; promising orbital and ground assault unless
Sinilau was provided accurate information on the whereabouts of the Rebel fleet
and Mon Mothma herself. The Alderaanian Princess would be interrogated at the
same time,with the threat to her world as a powerful incentive for betrayal of
the Alliance.
Faced with the imminent ruin , and occupation of their pristine world, either
Organa or his daughter would certainly speak volumes about the Rebels, even
Mothma herself.
The Princess/Senator was a disposable commodity in any event. She might
provide some information,but the Viceroy-the defiant Admiral Organa- knew all;
of that Palpatine was sure! If he would not ( unlikely, given his history of
constantly protecting Alderaan at any cost) furnish the necessary data, Tarkin
had special orders.
Slow destruction of Alderaan would, undoubtedly, draw Mothma's forces out into
the open in it's defense. The Rebellion was doomed either way. As were certain
Imperials who had become too powerful.
Tarkin listened to Sinilau's optimistic report on Bail Organa's emotional
state. The Viceroy would, in Sinilau's expert opinion, break before the
Deathstar's arrival. Intimidation, it appeared, would be anti-climactic. By the
time the battlestation was in effective range, Tarkin would be able to deliver
the most historic information of their careers to the Emperor.
The Grand Moff was instructed to stand by for further orders once achieving
strike distance.
Stand by, indeed!
Tarkin allowed himself a chuckle as the transmission ended.It amused him to
think of Sinilau believing himself to be in control of the situation. Sinilau
would be given the time to procure the confession of Bail Organa. The Viceroy's
daughter, according to the preliminary reports of her interrogation, was more
involved with the Alliance than the Emperor believed.
Whatever there was to learn about the Rebellion could be extracted from Leia
Organa.... eventually. One way or the other, the Emperor would get his hated
rebels-and a man he no longer trusted.
The beautiful irony, the most gratifying aspect of it all, was that Tarkin had
it, had hated Alderaan in his sights at last. He was unstoppable, and Palpatine
was his ultimate target.
It happened sooner than Sinilau had anticipated.
Bail Organa, himself, called the Ablegate's office. Sinilau barely recognized
his voice; it was raspy, bitter.
Sinilau took four guards and left immediately for the palace.
The ceremonial palace guards stood by helplessly as the Imperial contingent
strode through the wide entrance corridor. Anizar waited where the main
corridor branched off into three that led to the interior offices and living
quarters. The somber aide escorted the Imperials to a narrow sub-hallway, then
down a steep stairway hidden behind a carved panel. Sinilau looked warily to
his guards; the men drew closer, weapons primed. Anizar halted before a
seamless, metal door; touched his palm to the control panel.
Bail Organa stood alone in the war room.
Sinilau recognized the equipment instantly, took note of the Viceroy's
listless, desolate expression and waved two of his guards into the room. There
were no other entrances and no one but the old Alderaanian present; and he
looked half mad.
" If this is a trick, Organa." The ISD Director warned as he waved
the guards out again. " I will have you executed where you stand."
Bail's lips curled into a trembling snarl.
" If anyone has been tricked, it is I, by Aerolone Mothma and her damned
Alliance." He spat." Leia is dead because of her!"
" You're admitting involvement with the Rebel Alliance?" Sinilau
barely kept the excitement from his voice as he activated a small recording
device attached to his belt. " You know the penalty for treason. For you
and your accomplices."
" Do you think I CARE?" Organa flared, pounding a desk with both
gnarled fists. " I am an old man,my life is over in any case. Leia was all
I had, and Mothma knew it when she asked her to intercept the Deathstar plans
above Toprowa. I kept Leia out of this for years, she knew nothing of my
involvement." Organa waved one hand toward the computers and monitoring
equipment, then sank heavily into a nearby chair.
" Who else was involved, and what was your daughter doing in the Tatooine
system?"
Sinilau's suspicions were easing somewhat, but he was getting impatient.
" Is Mothma, herself, there? A base?"
Everything he, and the Emperor, had always wanted to know about the Alliance
was at his very fingertips.
" No," The VIceroy answered warily, burying his face in his hands.
" Leia doesn't... didn't know where the bases are. She was to return the
plans to me. There are Freedom's Sons here, waiting to bring them to
Mothma."
" FREEDOM"S SONS?" Sinilau practically shouted. " WHO
ELSE? and WHAT, I ask you again, was the Tantive doing at Tatooine?"
He leaned threateningly across the desk, fighting the urge to strike the old
fool.
" I sent Leia for help." Bail answered slowly. " I sent her for
Obi-Wan Kenobi.I wanted her to be protected. I wanted his help. He must have
died with her, and I...I want Mothma to suffer, as I have suffered. She doesn't
care that my child is dead, and I no longer care about anything. The people of
Alderaan are not involved, Sinilau;but there are several dozen former military
officers, the Minister of Defense, Anizar and myself. What I give you
now."
Organa stood, walked to a complex array of equipment and keyed the access code
into the control board, " Will destroy Mothma's precious Rebellion, as it
destroyed my life. It's all here.Data on bases, agents,sympathizers, even the
support network."
Sinilau pushed Organa aside rudely, not knowing which screen to focus on;
endless data scrolled by on all four. Bail stepped back a pace, eyeing the wall
chrono surreptitiously.
" I'll let you live long enough to see Mothma executed." Sinilau
vowed, preparing to download the systems' memory into the main Imperial net.
" Authorize Security Release for transferral."
His eyes feasted on the names, people, places, and Tarkin was wasting his time
interrogating a girl who knew nothing!
" Organa!?"
He turned to face the barrel of a hold-out blaster. His own hand flashed to
his sidearm as Bail knew it would, and the Viceroy fired once.
Sinilau's body thudded to the floor as the war-room door slid open. The Palace
guard followed Gerer Ridaught in,hoisted the ISD Director's lifeless form from
the floor and hurried out with their grisly burden.
" It's all over." Ridaught reported as Organa handed him the
blaster. " All the Imperial's are dead. It went smoothly; we lost only
eighty four. The Imp headquarters is secure."
" Siod?" He had ordered the Ablegate spared if at all possible. The
man had been decent.
" Dead." The Defense Minister replied. " Shot by the ISD men as
he tried to surrender. Your Majesty, the long range comm interference we've
been experiencing was not generated locally. The Imperial system is down as
well; as far as we can tell, the interference spectrum is system wide."
" It's the Death Star." Bail looked at his friend with hollow eyes.
" We have no time now. Launch all remaining transports. I'll find out how
close it is."
Ridaught went to one console, Bail to the other. The Viceroy's call to the
observatory at Thon was answered promptly. He waited nervously while the
astrophysicist recalibrated his instruments for in-system scanning. First, the
ion cannon had to be moved.
Ridaught instructed one spacecraft after another to begin full scale
evacuations. Scirelicet, Ilmanin, Sirsalis...in the dead of night, citizens
would hurry from their homes, believing they were going to safety; but Sirsalis
reported a problem...
Launch Control at Maasym had a tragedy on it's hands. A fully loaded capital
Action-IV medium bulk freighter had crashed into the Columcille Deeps. The
report was continuing when, one by one, other launch sites called in with news
of engine problems on all ships. By the time Organa learned that,the Deathstar
was only five planetary diameters out, approaching from the day-side. Ridaught
realized that nothing larger than ground repulsor lift vehicles were
operational. No one would ever leave Alderaan again,
The two men took the only measures left to them,
All launch sites were instructed to unload all ships. Citizens were to be told
as little as possible. Panic had to be avoided at all costs. Military units
were ordered to redistribute their weapons to offensive positions. They were
told to expect a full scale invasion at any moment. Neither man deluded himself
into believing that their pitiful defenses could stand against full=scale
Imperial assault for more than an hour or two. There was no hope of assistance
from the Alliance. Even if the micro-burst had reached the rebel fleet, it
could not stand against the invincible battlestation.
The Viceroy, who loved his people,who valued life above all else, prayed that
Mothma would come to Alderaan's defense. The Admiral- who did not believe it
moral to waste even one ship on a lost cause- prayed she would not.
On Sirsalis, a scene identical to those all across Alderaan was being played
out.Transports that were already crowded with Alderaanian non-combatants, or
were about to be loaded with them, were the centers of confusion.
In larger cities, like Mistassin and Conakry, dispersal of people from the
launch sites was quickly accomplished. Families, once notified by
launch-control personnel, returned to bring their bewildered relatives home.
Rural areas, and their centralized launch sites, presented a logistic problem
The launch site for the western section of Sirsalis was the desolate Ardalis
plateau. Half a kilometer above sea level, the Plateau was only dimly
illuminated by the landing lights of the two ships that occupied it.
When Brye and Ladis Dinnean arrived at the Plateau there were figures
silhouetted against the dim,red running lights of the big ships. Indistinct
shapes that proved to be groundcars and landspeeders of various sizes moved
steadily away from the launch area. There was the sound of soft voices and
repulsor engines in the wind, but no hint of the excitement the two farmers had
expected.
Brye guided the family landcruiser up the Plateau's gentle slopes, halting when
directed by an armed Guardsman. He gave his name to the man,who relayed it to
the transport before waving the Dinneans to a large shape outlined against the
starry skies.
The system was swift and efficient; it had to be with so many people to move
and time so precious.
Brye and his oldest son had, on the way to the Plateau, decided the best way
to handle the questions his family was sure to have. They would claim ignorance
of the problem that had canceled their flight; it would be a lie...They knew as
much about the current situation as any Field Personnel: The Imperials were
dead,the search for the source of the interference was still ongoing, and a
transport had crashed into the Columcille Deeps.
Somehow, Milla and the children would have to be convinced that the delay was
only temporary. A precautionary move of Organa's , due to the presence of an
Imperial convoy near the system.
Milla came down the boarding ramp first, carrying Jari; followed
closely by Phalen and Vala assisting Bethe. Ladis took his youngest sister from
his mother as Brye embraced Milla.
" Where are we?" Jari asked drowsily,lifting her head from her
brother's shoulder.
" Home, little one." Brye answered, caressing her face.
" Papa?" The little girl brightened. " I knew we
wouldn't..."
Milla grasped her husband's arm as her children settled themselves in the
vehicle.
" Brye...are we trapped?" She asked softly,." Something's
happened. Is it bad, or good?"
" We're holding things up, Milla." He sidestepped her penetrating
gaze. " Get in, I'll explain things on the way home."
The family was almost halfway home when Bethe went into labor.
Little more than an hour later, Ria Callao came into a troubled world. Her
father, stationed on Ilmanin, had missed the birth; but Bethe was hopeful that
he would see his baby the next morning.
Brye Dinnean marvelled at the tiny, dark haired infant; his first grandchild, and
wondered how long she would be free.
Another morning had come to the western half of Sircilet, but the light of
dawn was still several hours from Barisal. The palace was deserted, all
employees had gone to their own homes, their frightened families.
Only the Organa family, Anizar - whose own wife and children had escaped Alderaan
days before, Ridaught, who would have chosen to remain in his offices directing
the planet's defenses even if he could have reached his home on Niassus,Renata
Antilles, and several droids stood vigil.
Landwerlin's husband, son, daughter and grandchildren were asleep in the nearby
bedroom; but Landwerlin herself, Vanaernum and Anizar had joined the Defense
Minister and Bail Organa in the war room.
Time was running out for Alderaan and they, each of them, knew it. The
Deathstar was slightly more that two planetary diameters away, and approaching
steadily. Observatories and scientific stations on every continent tracked the
monstrous battlestation; reporting data constantly. When it launched assault
craft, Alderaan would know; and there would be only minutes before landing
began, and fighting.
The Alderaanian leaders made good use of the time allowed to them to coordinate
the civilian and military defense teams, reposition what large weapons they had
set to defend large population centers and spaceports, and inflict as much
damage as possible on incoming craft...
The consultation with Field Command across the planet took only minutes with
four at the comm console; and still nothing happened. No Imperial contact or
military movement.
Stardestroyers would have been able to mount a devastating attack in less time
than it had taken the Imperial 'superweapon' to advance a single myriameter.
Every passing minute magnified the fear growing in the war room. The same, terrible thought was beginning to filter past the stubborn Alderaanian tendency to look at the light,not the dark of things-but no one would say it.
" What are they waiting for?" Landwerlin whispered as she removed her headphones and wrapped frail arms about herself.
" Could it be as test? A bluff?"
Her sharp, grey eyes flashed from man to man, reading the silent answer. Then a scientific station on Scirlicet's sparsely settled west coast, far into the morning,relayed heart-stopping data. The Deathstar was no longer moving.
Exactly two planetary diameters out, it had stopped. There was no hint of
activity near the moon-sized station at all.
Ridaught and Bail looked at each other momentarily, and Vanaernum's blood ran
cold.
" You don't expect an invasion,do you? " Vanaernum's tone was
accusatory.
" What does he mean by that?" Landwerlin glared at both of her
brothers. " If not an invasion,what?"
" Something worse." Vanaernum answered for Bail.
The Viceroy rose slowly,and without a word, ushered his younger brother and
sister out of the room. He would tell them what they truly faced; what he most feared. He had already
decided what to tell the rest of Alderaan.
Emergency comm signals went off across Alderaan, ending an excruciating
two-hour wait for information from the government.
In her Med-Center room at Gissar, the Dinnean family was telling their weary,
but happy, daughter good night and preparing to spend the night in the
facility's visitor's accomodations when the wall comm's alarm startled them all.
" Oh, no," Milla murmured. More concerned about her daughter's rest
than the latest palace news-brief. " You don't need this."
" Leave it on, Mother." The young woman pleaded. " It may be
about Martil's unit."
There was no visual, merely Bail Organa's voice.
Brye closed the door as his family gathered around Bethe's bed.
The Viceroy began by telling his people that, for the first time in twenty
years, Alderaan was free. All occupying Imperials were dead, the evacuations
he explained, had been called off due to a large Imperial presence in the
system.
" Large presence." The men and women of Martil Callao's defense unit understood the carefully chosen words were meant to sound as un-alarming as possible. Every individual who sat in hastily fortified buildings, or huddled around comm units in the mountains of Ilmanin and Scirelicet, thought of their homes and families. Martil's thoughts drifted to his young wife.He had to believe that Bethe and her family had been on a transport that had already departed for Watrous XII.
Like the countless alien students attending universities across Alderaan, those
who heard the Viceroy at Coghlan listened intently for concern over their fates
amid the talk of Alderaanian soldiers defending their own families if they
could reach them-and each other's if they could not. The students were not
comforted to hear the Viceroy offer his sympathy and urge them to the
underground shelters. An invasion was obviously imminent, and there was no hope
of escape to home worlds.
Hundreds of races panicked in hundreds of ways, and frenzied university
personnel tried to calm them-in some cases giving up.
Gerer Ridaught refused to give up as long as there was life in his body and the FDHD/L unit still functioned. He, HAD to believe that the microburst sent to Mothma had reached her. The Empire shouldn't have been able to block a signal they did not know existed. There had to be a reply, and he would be there to receive it. His wife and family understood his duty was to the entire planet and even if there were no possibility of communication with the Alliance fleet, Ridaught was as cut off from his family as many of those he commanded
Bail Organa was nearing the end of his address; wishing his people well and
trying to sound positive. The only positive thing Alderaan's Defense Minister could think to do was to
send another microburst, on a repetitive cycle, to any Alliance craft that might
be enroute to the system. He tapped the message carefully into the comm-link.
" Deathstar at Alderaan...do not interfere....we cannot be saved...turn
back...live to fight another day...remember us..."
Ridaught set the board to deliver the microburst at one minute intervals, then
turned to the local comm, entering the code for his home at Niassus.
Myrise Ridaught had been crying. After thirty five years of marriage she could
not keep anything from him; but she tried.
She asked if he were still at the palace, and he asked if she and the children
were prepared to go to the shelter. Yes, she assured, ever the efficient
military wife; and she and the oldest children were armed and prepared to
defend the family.
He apologized for not being with them, his voice cracking, and she
answered as expected: that his place was with the Viceroy defending ALL
Alderaanians.
Then, there was a moment of silence in Ridaught's headset, as if a deep breath
were being taken, and Myrise's strong voice dropped to a whisper.
" Gerer? Is there still a chance?"
" Myrise." Ridaught interrupted before she made him lie to her.
" Promise me you will not leave the shelter,whatever happens. Someone will
come for you."
" Someone?" Her voice faltered for the first time." Not
you?"
The transmission ended abruptly. For a long moment the Defense Minister
listened to the static in his headset, then watched helplessly as all the
electronic equipment in the room blinked off.
Gerer Ridaught stood slowly, removed his headset, carefully pushed the chair
beneath the console, extinguished the lighting and left the war room.
The Incisive emerged from hyperspace with a wrenching jolt that flung it's crew against
consoles and its commander from her bunk. The veteran spacer muttered a choice Alderaanian obscenity as she got to her
feet. The dim, night cycle illumination flickered out, then on again, emergency
generator Brenn thought as she emerged from her cabin. Systems failure.
The main passageway was unnaturally quiet, no warning claxxons; not even the
normal ships sounds. Pace quickening, Brenn headed for the bridge and was met
by her First Officer before she reached the access hatch.
" General!" The battle scarred Weequay had been promoted to his
present rank because of his extraordinary composure and instincts; she had
never seen him so obviously distressed." Quickly."
" What the hell happened, Kilenc?" Raaphorst barked. Her mouth gone
dry. " Where are we?"
" Alderaan system." The Weequay explained as they entered the bridge.
The General's eyes went, immediately, to the forward viewport. All other eyes
on the Command Bridge were on her.
" It's already there." Kilenc finished. " And we're dead in
space."
" Status?" Brenn managed, both awestruck and repelled by the sight
before them.
" Scanning, Out. Comm. Out." The First Officer reported as the
General checked the individual stations herself. " Minimal lifesupport.
Backup systems only."
" Incoming microburst on the FDHD/L, General!" The Comm officer
called out." Decoding."
" Origin?" Raaphorst snapped. Her thoughts were on Alderaan. The
battlestation was far enough away to be undetectable by the naked eye from
Alderaan's day side. Hopefully they were as sensor-blind as the
Incisive and did not know.
" The Comm officer's reply shattered that optimistic wish.
" Alderaan,General. Defense Minister's code."
" Get the holo-cam's going." Brenn's orders surprised her crew.
" Go to battlestations. Do what you can with the shields and sensors. We
can't help, but we can try to document this."
The Defense Minister and the Viceroy conferred alone for several minutes in a
shadowy corner of the throneroom. Ridaught found Bail Organa far from morose.
There was an inexplicable air of triumph about the old man. The news of the
total communications blackout seemed to have been anticipated. This was not
how he imagined Bail would react at the end.
No one waiting in the throneroom with Bail was acting normally. Vanaernum and
Renata Antilles looked to be chatting pleasantly in a far corner. He'd seen
Landwerlin and her husband returning to their sleeping family-neither looked
upset. And Anizar was serving food and drink. Ridaught had not considered where
he would spend his last moments, but he felt out of place in the throneroom. He
felt like an outsider.
" Something to eat, sir? "
Gerer looked to his right at Anizar, selected a pastry from the colorfully
arrayed tray, and thanked the man with a slight smile. Anizar smiled back, just
as sadly; the pain in his eyes mirroring Ridaughts before he turned to Bail
who was too preoccupied to notice the food.
" It won't be long now. Will it, your Majesty?" Gerer finally asked.
" That depends on my daughter." Organa replied simply, walking to the
terrace. Ridaught followed.
The two men stood silently for several moments, looking out across the Capital
city's array of lights. The silence was deafening. Nothing moved. Not even
animal noises could be heard in the crisp air.
" She'll never talk, you know." Bail averred. " She'll die
first. Gerer, you've been a wonderful friend, and a magnificent ally. If you
choose not to see this to the end, I will not think less of you."
" They'll have to come for me, Bail." Ridaught promised, and a
genuine smile warmed Organa's eyes before he became solemn.
" DO you know what I regret the most?" He asked his friend as he gazed at the stars. " That we'll never know him."
"Skywalker's son?" Ridaught questioned. His own attention shifting to the sky.
"Yes," Bail replied. " I don't even know his name, I said goodbye to him as an infant, I wish I could have said hello to the man."
Organa's words trailed off. He straightened slowly,the hair on his neck prickling. Ridaught swallowed hard....any minute, he thought,any minute...
" Do you see something? " The black man whispered hoarsely, scanning the heavens in vain.In the approaching dawn, he only saw stars.
Bail stepped closer to the balcony's railing, a look of wonder on his face, as he faced the horizon to the west. "Yes." Alderaan's last King closed his eyes as he answered. "I see a light.&
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