Dust and debris from the shattered roof was repelled by the Muurian\u2019s shields, raising sparks and giving a faint blue haze to the view through the canopy. Li grimaced as another large chunk fell and bounced off the shields directly above him, drawing a whine from the ship\u2019s shield generators. \u201cThis is getting ugly,\u201d he grumbled aloud.<\/p>\n
Anishor answered through the ship\u2019s comm. <Not much longer.><\/p>\n
\u201cHow many left?\u201d Li asked.<\/p>\n
<Twenty at best,> Anishor replied, his voice abruptly rising into a battle growl that made Li wince. He\u2019s going to shatter my eardrums.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe can get those on board our ship,\u201d Li decided. He slapped the comm board, changing channels. \u201cTwo and Three, take off and get yourselves back to the Cathleen<\/em> with your cargoes,\u201d he ordered. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n He waited until the other Muurian pilots had acknowledged, then flipped the comm back to the channel he was sharing with the Wookiee berserker. The two transports slowly rose on repulsorlifts on either side of him, sending yet another shower of debris raining down on his parked ship. \u201cC\u2019mon, Anishor,\u201d he said urgently. \u201cGet the last Zabraks on board so we can get our asses out of here. We\u2019re going to get the ship shot out from under us if we wait much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Anishor didn\u2019t immediately reply. Li rose from his seat, trying to get a better look at the battle through the smoke and dust boiling through the destroyed Council chamber.<\/p>\n The remaining Iridonians were reluctant to disengage from the eager Vong warriors, but they were slowly being pushed back. The Zabraks were careful in their direction, only allowing themselves to fall back towards the Muurian. Zhabokas and amphistaffs were flashing faster than Li\u2019s eye could follow in the dust, with casualties falling on both sides.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch longer and we\u2019re not going to have anyone alive to get out,\u201d Li grumbled.<\/p>\n Anishor\u2019s battle roar was audible even over the din of a building shaking itself to pieces. Li saw the big Wookiee charge headlong into the fray, a rykk blade in either hand as he bolstered the faltering Zabrak defenders.<\/p>\n \u201cWrong idea!\u201d Li shouted. \u201cWe need to retreat, not hold!\u201d<\/p>\n The battle came to a standstill for a long moment as the arrival of the berserker swung the tide. Anishor\u2019s blades seemed to gleam with some internal light that was visible even in the haze of war. Li shook his head. He\u2019s forgetting the point of evacuation<\/em>, the pilot thought. With nothing to do but wait, he looked away from the fight to the bodies lying around.<\/p>\n He was sickened to recognize a beheaded corpse as Nisia Eisweep, one of Halyn\u2019s close friends and advisors. Damn<\/em>, he thought to himself. Damn. Halyn\u2019s not going to like this. <\/em>He sighed. Be honest, Li. You\u2019re going to be lucky if <\/em>you make it off this rock alive, and there\u2019s not many pilots who can match you in the air. For all you know, we\u2019re all going to end up like that.<\/em><\/p>\n His eyes wandered further, and he spotted something even more disturbing: an older Zabrak, not quite elderly, being pulled from the mounds of dead by Yuuzhan Vong warriors. They released him, and he swayed on his feet, but remained standing. They\u2019re taking prisoners!<\/em> Li swallowed, remembering what he\u2019d seen on a dozen different worlds: loyal New Republic citizens, taken and sacrificed to appease the bloodlust of the Yuuzhan Vong\u2019s imaginary gods. No one deserves that.<\/em><\/p>\n He turned back to the battle to see that Anishor was now leading a slow, defensive retreat back to the last transport. The Zabrak warriors still standing were a bloodied and battered lot, their numbers slowly dwindling even with the mighty Wookiee defending them.<\/p>\n Li glanced over at the prisoner and the Vong warriors. No one deserves that<\/em>, he repeated to himself.<\/p>\n He unstrapped from the pilot\u2019s seat and ran aft.<\/p>\n The upper turbolaser had been manned by a Zabrak gunner when the transport had broken its way into the Council, but that gunner had abandoned his post to defend the boarding ramp with a zhaboka and blaster rifle. Li took advantage of the vacancy by climbing up the gunwell and settling in behind the turbolaser\u2019s controls.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t bother strapping in; he would be returning to the cockpit in just a moment. The controls were labeled in Zabraki, but the layout was standard Corellian controls for the weapon, no different than the more common quad lasers found in smuggler transports across the galaxy. Li flipped the weapon out of standby with a few switches, then rotated the starship weapon around to where the Vong were now retreating with their prisoner.<\/p>\n He was almost too late; the Vong were already retreating into one of the holes opened through the hallway. The Zabrak had already disappeared into the gap by the time he leveled the weapon at the hole.<\/p>\n Li closed his eyes for a brief moment. Killing in battle was one thing; he had long since made peace with that, having shed blood for nearly thirty years. He even was comfortable with what he was about to do to the Yuuzhan Vong\u2014they had massacred and sacrificed and slaughtered their way across a galaxy that would have greeted them with open arms, had they come peacefully. But to pull the trigger on an ally<\/em>, to save him from captivity\u2026well, that was something else entirely.<\/p>\n He pushed his doubt aside, opened his eyes, and jammed his thumbs down on the firing studs.<\/p>\n Green-white laserfire, blindingly bright in the dim chamber, flashed through the dust-choked air and slammed into the wall. Yuuzhan Vong at the edge of the blast were thrown askew, tumbled like insects in a gale-force wind. Vong more directly caught by the shot died instantly, their blood and flesh boiled away faster than an eyeblink.<\/p>\n Of the captured Zabrak, Li could see nothing.<\/p>\n However, he very distinctly could<\/em> see the even-further comprised wall starting to collapse.<\/p>\n Li found himself grateful that he hadn\u2019t strapped himself in. He dropped from the turbolaser turret, sliding down the ladder to the transport\u2019s main deck.<\/p>\n When his boots hit metal, he sprinted for the cockpit, pushing through dazed and wounded Zabrak warriors and politicians, making for the cockpit. The rumble outside the ship grew louder, and he could hear Anishor\u2019s battle cry clearly now.<\/p>\n By the time he was sliding into the pilot\u2019s chair again, he could see the building was coming down. No stopping it now<\/em>, he thought as he fed power into the repulsorlifts. \u201cAnishor!\u201d he called at the comm. \u201cTen seconds until lift!\u201d<\/p>\n <Go now!> Anishor immediately returned.<\/p>\n Li decided survival was more important than grace, and slammed full power to the repulsors.<\/p>\n The transport leapt from the ground like a startled nexu. The dorsal shields smashed against the roof\u2014his ascent hadn\u2019t carried him along the same path as his descent\u2014but he held tight to the controls, refusing to budge a centimeter.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t tell if the roar was from the shields, the engines, or the building, but Li couldn\u2019t hear anything distinct as he fought the Muurian\u2019s controls with every ounce of skill he possessed.<\/p>\n Then the building was falling away, and the transport was free.<\/p>\n The rumble faded away, and Li could hear again. His eyes stung, and he realized sweat had poured into them during the struggle. He wiped it away, and found his hands were shaking. He clamped onto the controls to steady them.<\/p>\n Anishor was speaking now over the comm. <\u2026too many close scrapes,> the Wookiee rumbled. <Even during the height of the Civil War, we had more breaks, more rest, more time between fights than this.><\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Li croaked. He shook his head. I\u2019m never flying a transport for Halyn again. And people say starfighters are dangerous!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The infirmary was quiet when Halyn arrived. The only time they\u2019re not quiet is when all hell has broken loose,<\/em> he observed distantly. Otherwise, it wouldn\u2019t be <\/em>proper. Can\u2019t break decorum unless there\u2019s a damned good reason.<\/em><\/p>\n He shook his head at the dark thought. Can\u2019t be thinking that way. Too much to do yet, and too little time. Can\u2019t afford to pity myself, either, or Iridonia will pay the price. We\u2019re on the edge of disaster, and if I don\u2019t walk this exactly right, it <\/em>will end in disaster.<\/em><\/p>\n He allowed himself a small smile, remembering some long-ago lecture to a class of starfighter pilot trainees. The difference between a good pilot and a great pilot is the ability to operate on the very edge of disaster; a great pilot pushes much further toward that line than a good pilot. The difference between a great pilot and a dead pilot is that the dead pilot pushed even further.<\/em><\/p>\n Dead\u2026<\/em> he shook his head, trying to will the word away. Dead, dead, dead. Lenn is, Sandi is between life and death, some of\u00a0Kativie and Allanna\u2019s children did, and<\/em><\/em><\/em>\u00a0Abi could\u2019ve died,\u00a0<\/em>all because you\u2019ve been too reckless. Others are paying for your mistakes. Not to mention all the Iridonians who have died fighting the war so far. How many more will die before this is over? How many will you kill to beat the Vong?<\/em><\/p>\n No. No self-pity. No doubt. Carry the plan through, or everyone who\u2019s died following your orders did it for nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n He swallowed hard as he walked further into the medical bay. It was perhaps half-filled now with wounded Zabraks. As the battle lines had pulled in tighter around the Cathleen<\/em>, the wrecked ship\u2019s facilities had been heavier utilized to treat the casualties of the nearly-continual fighting.<\/p>\n He would have had to be blind to not see Abi, though.<\/p>\n Amidst the flesh-colored Zabrak warriors, the blue Twi\u2019lek stood out distinctly from the other wounded undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n Abi was alone on a corner bed, treated only by a medical droid. Sandi\u2019s dire predicament was indicative of Iridonia\u2019s limited capability to assist non-Zabraks. Were Abi\u2019s wounds more typical\u2014an amputated hand, a hole opened in her belly from an amphistaff stabbing, or slashed open flesh from a cut\u2014Zabrak physicians would have sewn her up, treated her with bacta, and sent her on her way.<\/p>\n A severed lekku, however, was something else entirely.<\/p>\n Halyn had known more than a few Twi\u2019leks during his years\u2014Abi and Sandarie, several of his pilots during the war like Tairs\u2019Ren, pirates like Poe\u2019kunal, even Force-users like Ab\u2019Ki Acha. From many conversations, he understood something of lekku and their purposes.<\/p>\n The nickname \u201cbrain tail\u201d for a lek was not entirely inaccurate. The cartilaginous lek housed a fair amount of a Twi\u2019lek\u2019s brain, and was a tool for communication as well. Twi\u2019leks could communicate entirely silently with shakes and twitches of their lekku; only a few non-Twi\u2019leks could even attempt to decipher the language.<\/p>\n Sandarie had told him once\u2014after a lot<\/em> of drinking\u2014that lekku stored the memories of her ancestors. Those memories weren\u2019t necessarily clear, vivid images, but they held deeply ingrained beliefs, behaviors, attitudes: the very basics of culture.<\/p>\n A Twi\u2019lek who lost her lekku was an outcast.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that other Twi\u2019leks would necessarily exile an amputee; rather, the victim would lose a certain, fundamental part of herself that every Twi\u2019lek shared. In a certain sense, she was no longer a Twi\u2019lek at all.<\/p>\n Halyn was hesitant to approach his old friend.<\/p>\n Abi\u2019s eyes burned with something Halyn couldn\u2019t identify. \u201cYou,\u201d she whispered hoarsely.<\/p>\n Halyn didn\u2019t speak at first; instead, he watched the medical droid finish wrapping the amputated lek. When the Emdee-One finished, it laid the damaged appendage across Abi\u2019s chest, mirroring her other lek.<\/p>\n The Zabrak blew out a sigh as he looked her over. \u201cHello,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have shot you twenty-five years ago,\u201d Abi rasped.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you should have.\u201d Halyn shook his head. \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n The fire faded from the Twi\u2019lek\u2019s eyes. \u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The words jarred him worse than anything he had imagined she might say to him. Abi\u2019s personality was always bedrock certain\u2014right or wrong, she would stick with a thought or opinion until it wasn\u2019t possible to maintain it. She made her mind up quickly, and never, ever<\/em> bothered with indecision.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel\u2026different,\u201d the Twi\u2019lek said slowly. \u201cLike some part of me is just gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat part?\u201d Halyn asked.<\/p>\n She started to shake her head, grimaced, and stopped. \u201cI don\u2019t know. It\u2019s like I know something\u2019s wrong, but I can\u2019t identify it. I know something\u2019s missing, but I don\u2019t know what.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Ul\u2019akhoi straightened. Don\u2019t hesitate<\/em>, he told himself. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I got you into this. I\u2019m sorry you were hurt fighting on my behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n Abi looked at him, and he still couldn\u2019t read her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I\u2019m still me, Hal. I\u2019m not sure if Abi died, and I\u2019m here in her place.\u201d<\/p>\n The words stung him, and he closed his eyes. Of course. She\u2019s brain-damaged. Even assuming she heals, she might not be the same person anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe med droid believes the amphistaff missed my brain, though,\u201d Abi continued softly. \u201cTook a big chunk out of my lek, severed a lot of nerves and muscles and tendons and cartilage, but the soft stuff is still intact. An inch higher and I\u2019d be in a lot worse shape.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn opened his eyes. \u201cYour brain\u2019s intact?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe med droid thinks so,\u201d Abi said. \u201cBut the surviving part of my lek is all swelled with blood and clotting and from the trauma, so it\u2019s a bit like you horn-heads having a concussion. We won\u2019t know for sure until the swelling has gone down.\u201d She grimaced. \u201cThough I don\u2019t know what I\u2019ll do with a short lek.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zabrak found his voice. \u201cCould be your new signature as a bounty hunter,\u201d he suggested with forced casualness. \u201cCriminals could be terrified of One-Lek coming after them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot my style,\u201d Abi said. \u201cToo distinctive. I mean, with one lekku, I\u2019d never be able to sneak up on anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn reached out and grasped her hand, squeezed it. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I got you into this mess,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t,\u201d Abi retorted, her eyes opening and flaring with fire. \u201cSo knock it off. I got myself into this fight, and the Vong cut my lek off, not you. And believe me, when I get out of this damned medical center, I\u2019m going to find a way to make every single one of them pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like the Abi we all know,\u201d Halyn said with a quiet, sad chuckle.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd love,\u201d Abi added.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, know, anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t strong enough to lash out at him, but he stepped back anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe patient needs complete rest,\u201d the Emdee intoned from the other side of the bed. \u201cFurther excitement will only serve to harm the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShove it up your charger port,\u201d Abi rasped at the droid.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, the machine is right,\u201d Halyn said. \u201cYou\u2019d better rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else is going on?\u201d Abi asked as Halyn turned his back. \u201cI know I didn\u2019t get the bastard, but I saw him. Did anyone else get him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d Halyn said as he started to walk away. \u201cNo one got him during the strike, but I\u2019m going to make damned sure he doesn\u2019t get off Iridonia alive.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Commander Triak of Domain Kraal smiled contentedly when the bloodied warriors dumped a Zabrak at his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Zabrak Councilor, Achick Lusp, as you requested, Supreme One,\u201d one of the warriors growled.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Commander requested he be brought alive,\u201d the tactician, Ret Kraal, stated flatly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Zabrak lives.\u201d The warrior shook his head. \u201cOne of his own kind attempted to kill him when we captured him. A dozen warriors died, but this infidel lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWake him,\u201d Triak said impatiently, gesturing a hand at the infidel. \u201cThe war progresses quickly, and we must waste no time.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the warriors provided a spineray coaxer, a new creation of the shapers during the Iridonian campaign. The nervous systems of the infidel species were varied, and creations that worked for one species often did not work well on another. The creature, designed to inflict pain, had been specifically adapted for use on the Zabraks. It had been tested thoroughly on captured Zabrak warriors, but never put to important use.<\/p>\n Until now.<\/p>\n Achick Lusp\u2019s eyes snapped open as pain coursed through his nervous system, eliciting a pitiful moan. Hardly the behavior of a warrior<\/em>, Triak thought with amusement. And there are those among us who dare think these Zabraks equal warriors!<\/em><\/p>\n He carefully pushed aside his own doubts, his own heresies, refusing to acknowledge them until he had finished with this infidel politician.<\/p>\n \u201cAwaken and arise,\u201d Triak said aloud, in the infidel Basic tongue. \u201cThe gods have smiled upon you, Achick Lusp. You still have some minor use to them before you go to your Ultimate Reward.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zabrak tried to rise to his knees, but the pain was apparently too much for him to bear, as he curled into a tight ball on the floor of the damutek, one of many such living buildings the shapers had grown and planted among the Rak\u2019Edalin ruins.<\/p>\n Triak gestured impatiently to the warrior controlling the spineray coaxer. The warrior stroked the creature wrapped around the Zabrak\u2019s neck, quieting it. A moment later, the Zabrak stopped shaking and managed to rise to his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere am I?\u201d Achick asked blearily.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are among the Chosen,\u201d Triak informed him shortly. \u201cArise, Achick Lusp, and serve the gods! Or die as an infidel coward and face the eternal void instead.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zabrak, to his credit, staggered to his feet in spite of the burns lining his back and arms, the scorches that patterned his bald head with red streaks. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d he rasped.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is simple,\u201d Triak said. \u201cI want to make a bargain with you. That is the correct word in your Basic, is it not?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBasic is not my language,\u201d Achick said hoarsely.<\/p>\n \u201cI will take that as a confirmation.\u201d Triak began to pace back and forth before the prisoner. \u201cWe have learned much about you infidels in our time in this galaxy,\u201d he explained slowly. \u201cYou infidels often choose the weakest amongst you to lead. It seems your kind prefers a warrior with no power, who could never be a threat, to be your leaders. Your galaxy is a soft place, one which does not understand the necessity of war and sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zabrak\u2019s eyes were focusing more clearly now, Triak noted approvingly. \u201cWe have taken advantage of your weaknesses repeatedly. A stronger leader to your New Republic, for example, may have stymied the early invasion before we could establish our foothold in this galaxy. A wiser leader would certainly have united these small kingdoms and empires together against us, instead of allowing us to split them apart and dilute the forces arrayed against us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does this have to do with me?\u201d Achick said hoarsely.<\/p>\n \u201cYou understand well what I have already said,\u201d Triak said approvingly. \u201cIt is evidenced by your own words and actions. You recognized the weakness of your warmaster and sought to overthrow him, to replace him with a more capable warrior. Your effort failed, but that made you no less correct.\u201d<\/p>\n Achick watched him warily, like a cornered predator. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he asked again. \u201cTo turn the Council against Sanshir? It won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour politicians and your Council are meaningless,\u201d Triak said dismissively. \u201cWhat I want<\/em> is to put a strong leader at the head of your kind. A warrior who understands well how to fight.\u201d The Commander smiled cunningly. \u201cA wise warrior who would make peace<\/em> with our kind, who would lead his people into an alliance with us\u2014an alliance that would end the pitiful New Republic and the Imperial Remnant. A leader who could take his people into a new age of conquest, victory, and glory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to make me the leader of Iridonia?\u201d Achick said, his eyes wide.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. You have proven yourself wise\u2014this Sanshir has been incapable of stopping us, as you predicted. You understand the need for strength of arms. With your wisdom, your people would even come to know the True Way, I have no doubt.\u201d Triak spread his arms wide. \u201cJoin us in our war against this galaxy. I have learned much of your history\u2014it is the nature of Zabraks to join conquerors, not remain defenders of the weak. You are natural allies of the Sith, and you would be to us as well.\u201d He offered his hand in a gesture of friendship the Yuuzhan Vong had learned, but never had bothered to use. \u201cJoin us.\u201d<\/p>\n Achick responded not by offering his hand, but by a hacking sound. It took Triak a long moment to realize the Zabrak was not coughing, or in pain, but laughing.<\/em><\/p>\n Laughing<\/em> at a child of the gods<\/em>, and at a warrior<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really are fools,\u201d Achick Lusp said, gasping for breath. \u201cYou know nothing about me, or about my people. You think I can\u2019t see what\u2019s happening here?\u201d He stopped and bent double for a moment before straightening, his face contorting in pain. \u201cIn spite of everything I said and did, Halyn Sanshir is beating you<\/em>. You\u2019re losing<\/em> the war here on Iridonia. You\u2019re desperate for anything to change the tide of the war\u2014so desperate you\u2019re trying to get me to betray my own people.\u201d He laughed again, an ugly sound, and raised a finger at Triak.<\/p>\n The warrior turned his back on the Zabrak, examining his options.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know nothing about Zabraks, or about the Lusps,\u201d Achick continued. \u201cYes, we worked with the Sith, to overthrow a corrupt Republic and to maintain our own sovereignty. You Yuuzhan Vong don\u2019t want to just conquer us, you want to remake<\/em> us. You want to make us become like you. We\u2019ll never submit to you, you scarhead slime.\u201d He spat at Triak. \u201cAnd the Lusp clan would never, ever betray the New Republic. The Sanshirs and the Lusps may hate each other\u2014we\u2019ve been at war for longer than family memory\u2014but all of us know Iridonia would be crushed under your heel.\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped and gasped for breath for a moment before adding, \u201cFind a different puppet, Vong scum. I won\u2019t betray Iridonia or the New Republic to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Triak chose, and acted.<\/p>\n The Yuuzhan Vong warrior spun and lashed out with his amphistaff. The serpent uncoiled like a whip, its fangs sinking deep into the Zabrak\u2019s flesh and unleashing its venomous load straight into Achick\u2019s bloodstream.<\/p>\n The Iridonian Councilor fell to his knees as poison rushed through his system, eating his nerves alive. \u201cIridonia will never submit,\u201d he said weakly.<\/p>\n \u201cFool,\u201d Triak growled. \u201cYou could have become great by my hand; instead, you will be crushed by it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIridonia has survived far worse than you,\u201d Achick slurred. \u201cLike every invader, it will chew you up and spit you out into the void. You\u2019ll never win here. Iridonia will never surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n Triak watched in contempt as the Zabrak Councilor, Achick Lusp, died.<\/p>\n When Achick rested motionless on the floor, his doubts began to rise up again. Even if we win here, will we ever be able to force these Zabraks into submission?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dust and debris from the shattered roof was repelled by the Muurian\u2019s shields, raising sparks and giving a faint blue haze to the view through the canopy. Li grimaced as another large chunk fell and bounced off the shields directly … Continue reading