{"id":474,"date":"2012-08-03T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/?p=474"},"modified":"2012-08-02T22:10:54","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T03:10:54","slug":"the-new-jedi-order-siege-reunion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/?p=474","title":{"rendered":"The New Jedi Order: Siege – Reunion"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was the conclusion of the siege of Iridonia; it was not the climax, which had arguably been the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s razing of Rak\u2019Edalin and the utter devastation of the Yuuzhan Vong army. The damaged, badly undercrewed Yuuzhan Vong fleet was savaged by the combined New Republic-Zabrak fleet, commanded by the legendary Garm Bel Iblis; the remains of their ground army were wiped out mercilessly by Zabrak warriors who had lost everything in the months-long war.<\/p>\n

The vengeful Zabraks did not offer their foes an opportunity to surrender; the disgraced Yuuzhan Vong, believing themselves Shamed, fought to the death to the last warrior, unwilling to live with their failure. The final battle was fought with savagery and cold-bloodedness. Zabrak and Yuuzhan Vong fell, but as the dust began to settle, it rapidly became clear that only one side had survived.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the allied fleet in a defensive orbit, and the remains of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet no more dangerous than any other orbiting asteroids, a single battered old YT-1300 descended from orbit. Its owner would have rejected the vessel\u2019s description as \u201cbattered\u201d\u2014it had been his home for years during the Civil War, before he had become captain of a proper warship for the Rebel Alliance and later New Republic.<\/p>\n

Ryian Coron looked out of the cockpit of the Spinning Cloud<\/em> as the vessel dropped toward the Iridonian capital, Rak\u2019Edalin. He had seen holo footage aboard the Dauntless<\/em>, of course, but it hadn\u2019t really prepared him for the sights he now saw with his own eyes out the freighter\u2019s cockpit.<\/p>\n

His passenger grunted from the copilot seat, but said nothing.<\/p>\n

Ryian ignored him, as he had since he began the flight down from the fleet.<\/p>\n

Clouds of smoke and dust from the downed Yuuzhan Vong warships reduced Ryian\u2019s view to glimpses, but they were ugly scenes that grew nightmarish as he neared. Fires did not burn so much as smolder, smoke billowing skyward. As the Spinning Cloud<\/em> dropped to below a hundred meters in altitude, he realized why there was a lack of open flame.<\/p>\n

There was nothing left to burn.<\/p>\n

When the Dauntless<\/em> had first arrived at Iridonia and volunteered to join the defensive fleet, Rak\u2019Edalin had been a bustling city\u2014quiet by the standards of Coruscant or Corellia, but as busy a starport as could be found on any Zabrak-colonized world. Now there was virtually nothing left. Small buildings had literally been razed to their foundations; larger structures had been toppled and left a more significant footprint, but the subsequent fires had left little behind but twisted durasteel.<\/p>\n

At less than fifty meters, he finally dropped below the most persistent haze. With a start, he realized what most of the smoldering fires were fueled by.<\/p>\n

Corpses.<\/p>\n

Ryian shuddered at the thought. This war is hell. It wasn\u2019t this bad when we were fighting the Empire, was it? I mean, a lot of people died fighting that, but it wasn\u2019t like this.<\/em> His memory replayed the horrors of Alderaan, of Toprawa, of Restuss. Okay, it was that bad then, too.<\/em> Ryian swallowed hard. Sandarie had better be alive down there.<\/em><\/p>\n

He guided the freighter toward a slow descent to the location an exhausted Kelta, aboard the wrecked Cathleen<\/em>, had relayed to him. This was where Halyn last was, along with Anishor. No one knows if they\u2019re still alive.<\/em><\/p>\n

The freighter had not yet settled onto its struts when an imposing figure appeared through the haze, his hand raised in greeting. Ryian slapped the boarding lamp\u2019s release as he frowned at the figure. It took him a moment to recognize the newcomer as Anishor. So that\u2019s how he would look with black fur<\/em>, Ryian observed distantly as he watched the soot-streaked Wookiee approach.<\/p>\n

Ryian\u2019s passenger was already walking down the Spinning Cloud<\/em>\u2019s ramp by the time Ryian rose from the pilot\u2019s chair. He glanced over the controls one last time to ensure the freighter\u2019s engines were in standby but ready to go within a few seconds before he turned and headed aft to descend himself.<\/p>\n

His hand trailed along the wall as he walked back to the ramp. Halyn really is crazy. I must be crazy, too, considering I keep coming back whenever he asks me. I should have retired years ago on Corellia with Sandi. I shouldn\u2019t still be out here fighting against whatever new enemies pop up. Let the young pick up this battle; we\u2019ve already done our share.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ryian descended the Spinning Cloud<\/em>\u2019s boarding ramp just in time for Anishor to ambush him, lifting him up in a giant Wookiee hug, squeezing him hard enough to restrict his breathing. \u201cHey,\u201d he managed to grunt out.<\/p>\n

<Ryian!> Anishor bellowed, loud enough to deafen him at such close proximity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still need to breathe,\u201d Ryian gasped.<\/p>\n

<Silly furless,> Anishor chuckled as he released the Corellian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Sandi?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The Wookiee uncharacteristically froze. <I think you\u2019d better ask Halyn about that,> he said reluctantly.<\/p>\n

Ryian\u2019s heart stopped in his chest. No. No, this can\u2019t have cost me Sandi. She\u2019s not a fighter. She wouldn\u2019t be on the front lines. <\/em>\u201cShe\u2019s not dead,\u201d Ryian said flatly.<\/p>\n

His heart started to beat again when Anishor shook his head and answered, <No, she hasn\u2019t been killed. But you\u2019ll need to talk to Halyn.><\/p>\n

Ryian looked past the Wookiee in time to see three more figures approaching through the haze, Zabraks all: two males and a female.<\/p>\n

The passenger Ryian had brought down from orbit marched out to meet them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kativie felt utterly drained as she limped through the debris between Halyn and Ceikeh. Even with the power Anishor had lent her, keeping the four of them alive when the coral vessels had come to pieces overhead had taken every bit of strength she could muster. I don\u2019t know if I could use the Force right now if all our lives depended on it<\/em>, she thought tiredly. I never, ever want to do that again.<\/em> She allowed herself a tiny smile. Though with what I felt during all that, I\u2019m pretty sure we won. Our fleet returned and eliminated the Vong, I think, and there\u2019s no more tension from our army, so they must have wiped out whatever is left.<\/em><\/p>\n

She looked from left to right. Senator Ceikeh Alari seemed to have more spring to his step than she felt; he was clearly exhausted from the battle, but buoyed by survival and, as insane as it sounded, victory. We won<\/em>, Kativie told herself giddily. We won, we won, we won.<\/em> The costs of the victory weighed heavily on her, though she tried not to consider them\u2014the price paid by Iridonia and by herself, personally, were high\u2014too high. We won, but at what cost?<\/em><\/p>\n

Halyn looked even more exhausted than she felt. If she would have had the strength to spare, she would have looped his arm over her shoulders, but she knew doing so would topple them both to the ground. Whatever this took out of me, it\u2019s been worse for him. He\u2019s been fighting all this time and has worn himself out. I just hope he can recover with enough time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Distantly she heard the whine of repulsorlifts and looked up; barely visible through the haze was the shape of an old YT-1300 freighter descending to land not too far away. Ahead of them, staying on point in case of any Yuuzhan Vong ambushes, she could barely see Anishor as he altered course to intercept the descending ship.<\/p>\n

Well, at least we won\u2019t have to walk back to the <\/em>Cathleen,<\/em> Kativie managed to think. Unless the Vong started using YT-1300s.<\/em> She giggled at the thought. Yes, we killed so many of their living ships they have to use abominations.<\/em> The fact that she was finding amusement in the situation meant, to the rational part of her mind, that she needed something to eat and about sixteen hours of sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d Ceikeh said aloud, very slowly, \u201cwe finally won.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Halyn said hoarsely. \u201cSomething like that. If this is victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still alive,\u201d Ceikeh reminded him. \u201cSo is all of Iridonia, aside from those who fell here at Rak\u2019Edalin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halyn spat before he spoke again. \u201cIt cost us a lot. Half the people I asked to come here and fight either died or were badly wounded. We lost a large part of our fleet, and thousands of Zabraks died fighting the Vong. We won, but if the Vong would strike again now, nothing would stop them from overrunning Iridonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie spoke up, \u201cYou sound like you don\u2019t think the Vong will attack us again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ul\u2019akhoi shook his head. \u201cWe fought a months-long war against the Vong here. From the moment their forces landed on Iridonia, they never received reinforcements from the outside. The Vong never sent more ships, never sent more supplies, never sent anything<\/em>. I\u2019d guess there\u2019s some politics at work that we\u2019ll never know about, but I\u2019d bet the Vong won\u2019t attack here again anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they really wanted to take the planet, they would\u2019ve sent more forces while they had a foothold,\u201d Ceikeh concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d Halyn nodded. \u201cBesides, I\u2019m going to choose to believe that because there\u2019s no way we can win another war against them right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dust and smoke billowed back toward them, prompting Kativie to raise her arm to cover her eyes. When she lowered her arm again, she could see the outline of the YT-1300 as it dropped onto its landing struts.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice ride,\u201d Ceikeh commented.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorellian garbage,\u201d Halyn mumbled. \u201cSurvive the war only to step into a deathtrap and get killed flying home. They should\u2019ve sent one of our Muurians to pick us up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuit complaining or we\u2019ll make you walk,\u201d Kativie giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d definitely be safer,\u201d the Ul\u2019akhoi grumbled.<\/p>\n

A Zabrak figure cut through the haze, heading straight toward them. \u201cOur pilot,\u201d Kativie said. \u201cOdd that he left his ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

A gust of wind cleared the air between them, and Kativie stumbled as she recognized the figure. She fell to her hands and knees, felt Halyn stop without needing to look.<\/p>\n

It can\u2019t be. Not even by the Force. It <\/em>can\u2019t be.<\/em><\/p>\n

Impossibly, it was.<\/p>\n

Argus Sanshir, the eldest of the three Sanshir siblings, walked toward them through the haze, alive and in the flesh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Halyn stared in utter shock and disbelief as his elder brother walked toward him. It can\u2019t be. Even the Jedi can\u2019t conjure the dead back to life. Kelta bringing me back is as close as they come.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou never could stand being second-best, could you?\u201d Argus called as he approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Halyn said brilliantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Council made me Vysht\u2019akhoi, but you had to go make yourself Ul\u2019akhoi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halyn laughed at the joke. \u201cYou didn\u2019t push yourself to succeed. You, too, could have been dictator.\u201d He waved a hand dismissively. \u201cBesides, I\u2019m retired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRetired?\u201d Argus asked, close enough now that Halyn could see his dark-skinned brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I was Ul\u2019akhoi until the Vong were removed from Iridonia.\u201d He looked around theatrically. \u201cSeen any Vong lately?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Argus\u2019s turn to laugh. \u201cNo, I can\u2019t say I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie finally found her voice. \u201cWhat are you doing here? Where have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n

Argus\u2019s mirth faded away to nothingness. \u201cThe attack on Reecee reduced the Maria<\/em> to a shell with a tenth of her crew surviving. After the Errant Venture<\/em> escaped, we managed to get the hyperdrive online and risked a jump with no backup. We spent weeks in the void, lightyears from any star system, while we got the Maria<\/em> back in condition to make a sustained hyperspace jump. We limped her to Tallaan and persuaded Garm Bel Iblis\u2014freshly arrived after the fall of Coruscant\u2014to patch us up and get us spaceworthy. He even lended us enough crew to make the Maria<\/em> battleworthy so we could risk voyaging to Iridonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you get us word?\u201d Kativie asked. \u201cWe thought you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried. The HoloNet hasn\u2019t exactly been reliable on the other side of the Core, and by the time Allanna arrived with the fleet I had given up on it,\u201d Argus explained. \u201cWith the Zabrak fleet at my back and with a recent report of the situation on Iridonia, I was able to persuade Bel Iblis to lend us some heavy firepower to come back and break the blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought you were dead,\u201d Kativie repeated.<\/p>\n

Argus shrugged. \u201cWhen Allanna laid out the situation here, I thought you all might be dead by the time we got back. Instead, I find that my little brother threw a party that trashed the entire city\u2014that\u2019s way worse than what happened to the house when we were kids,\u201d he finished jokingly.<\/p>\n

Halyn shook his head. \u201cGlad you\u2019re back. Now you can take over and I can go back to irresponsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

The eldest Sanshir frowned and peered closer at Halyn. \u201cI\u2019m a bit surprised to find you\u2019re still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeat Jedi trick,\u201d Halyn said dryly. \u201cKelta figured out a way to heal me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Halyn could reply, Kativie leapt from the ground up at Argus, half-tackling him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re alive,\u201d she whispered, loud enough for Halyn to hear. \u201cWelcome home, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Argus embraced her tightly for a few moments, finally releasing her only reluctantly. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re still alive, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Halyn waited until the moment had passed and both were firmly on their feet before answering. \u201cYes, Kelta is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo are you going to run off again?\u201d Argus asked, his voice hinting at just a bit of irritation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t be running anywhere for a long time,\u201d Halyn said dryly. \u201cC\u2019mon. I don\u2019t want to stand around here all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other Zabraks fell in around Halyn as he limped toward the YT-1300. Maybe<\/em>, Halyn concluded to himself, we haven\u2019t lost everything in this war. We\u2019re still a family.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Halyn walked onto the bridge of the Cathleen<\/em>, he was not expecting anything.<\/p>\n

Instead of a place of war and officers conducting a battle with careful, ugly precision, he found a room of celebration.<\/p>\n

Normally reserved military officers were exchanging drinks\u2014many of them Kashyyykian in origin, their alcohol a popular import to the Zabrak homeworld. Uniforms were loosened and lacked precision; chatter was loud and unstructured. Formality was rumor among the buzz, and the air was filled with a sense of celebration.<\/p>\n

Kryi Rinnet was the first to spot Halyn, backed by Kativie, Argus, and Ceikeh. \u201cUl\u2019akhoi on deck!\u201d she hollered at the top of her lungs, fighting to make herself heard over the din.<\/p>\n

Officers snapped to attention in spite of their disheveled appearances; drinks were slapped down on nearby flat surfaces. Within three seconds, the bridge was utterly silent, with every Zabrak present standing at attention.<\/p>\n

Halyn hid his smile as he limped forward. \u201cThank you, Coordinator Rinnet,\u201d he said quietly as he limped forward. \u201cAnd thank you all.\u201d He finally allowed his mask to slip. \u201cAs you were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raucous cheers broke out, deafening in the cramped starship\u2019s bridge. Halyn bore it all as he walked forward to the command chair in the center of the bridge, the only place where someone was still sitting.<\/p>\n

Kelta Rose, Jedi Knight, rotated in the chair to face him. Her violet eyes burned with life and power and vitality, though her body seemed to droop with exhaustion. \u201cGeneral,\u201d she said cheerfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a general anymore,\u201d Halyn said dryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cUl\u2019akhoi, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVong are gone. I\u2019m not Ul\u2019akhoi any more,\u201d the Zabrak smirked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still the General,\u201d Kelta said with a warm smile. \u201cYou always will be, to everyone who fought with you during the Civil War.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halyn pulled his battered duster back far enough to unhook Kelta\u2019s lightsaber from his belt. He offered it to her pommel-first. \u201cFigured you\u2019d want this back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta accepted the blade gracefully. \u201cDid you find it useful?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you the whole story some time, but yes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta smiled as she leaned back in the command chair and closed her eyes. \u201cGood. I\u2019m glad to hear it.\u201d Her smile turned to a frown. \u201cIs that\u2026Argus?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Turns out he wasn\u2019t quite as dead as we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou love being mysterious, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the whole officer thing,\u201d Halyn explained with a straight face. \u201cYou learn to keep information from your officers\u2026and enjoy doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta opened her eyes. \u201cIs that what I am? One of your officers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you Jedi types don\u2019t follow orders well enough to be in a military.\u201d Halyn leaned in then and kissed her, just lightly brushing her lips. \u201cWhich is good for us, because then we\u2019d be breaking all sorts of conduct rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t have that,\u201d Kelta grinned and returned the kiss. When she pulled back for air, her eyes seemed to take in his entire face. \u201cYou took a nasty hit from some Vong, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Halyn couldn\u2019t manage to hide his blush. \u201cUm, actually, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta frowned. \u201cNo? That looks like a pretty bad hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t a Vong.\u201d Halyn turned a bit pink in spite of himself. \u201cRyian wasn\u2019t very happy when he found out I had Sandi frozen in carbonite. I don\u2019t think explaining that she had been poisoned by an amphistaff and we couldn\u2019t save her ourselves helped me any, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta chuckled and shook her head. \u201cNo, I can\u2019t imagine it did. You always did have a way with your officers. You\u2019re lucky he didn\u2019t shoot you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that,\u201d Halyn said dryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo now what?\u201d Kelta asked.<\/p>\n

The Zabrak hesitated. \u201cI\u2019m not sure. I mean, I\u2019m no longer Ul\u2019akhoi\u2014the Vong are wiped out. The proper Vysht\u2019akhoi has returned, so he can take over the military side. The Council, or whatever\u2019s left of it, will take up the reins of power now that the siege is over. I\u2019m pretty much free of my responsibilities.\u201d He hesitated even longer before adding, \u201cWell, once we\u2019ve confirmed the Vong are wiped out and I\u2019ve transited all the responsibilities over to Argus, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Argus will want you to stay here and help rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halyn smiled a bit. \u201cI doubt it. Besides, I do<\/em> have something else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelta frowned. \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Halyn fumbled in his pocket for a moment before withdrawing his hand. \u201cKelta Rose, I screwed this up once, and I don\u2019t want to do it again.\u201d He offered her his palm, a ring shining silver in the dim bridge lighting. \u201cWill you marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was the conclusion of the siege of Iridonia; it was not the climax, which had arguably been the Cathleen\u2019s razing of Rak\u2019Edalin and the utter devastation of the Yuuzhan Vong army. The damaged, badly undercrewed Yuuzhan Vong fleet was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-njo-siege"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p52rlt-7E","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=474"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions\/482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}