Star Wars: Nemesis

Of Death, Betrayal, and Alliances: Part 2, Section 1
Author: RavenNolan
Copyright: 2006

Thanks to my beta’s VaderLVR64 and Souderwon for helping me on this chapter section.
Also, thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate you reading the story and posting. Thanks, as well, for the hits from lurkers. I hope you are all enjoying this piece. Sorry it's took so long to post. I had a few RL problems and a few problems in writing this section in general. I do hope to pick up the pace and post more.

Warning: There is some mild violence in this chapter section.
Note: Sentences surrounded by ~ are denoting thoughts.


Lord Vader stared intently out the forward viewport from the bridge of the Exactor. Deep space was always a more comfortable place for him. The vast open darkness always seemed to blanket him in a strange type of serenity. The knowledge that his very existence in the frozen black vacuum depended on the ingenuity of his ship’s designers and his own unsurpassed skill filled him with a sense of power--a mastery of the universe. While he experienced this pleasure most acutely from the cockpit of his personal TIE fighter, he still took some measure of enjoyment from the bridge of his command ship as well.

His moment of peaceful comfort was interrupted by his communications officer.

“Lord Vader. Incoming communication from the Emperor.” The young man announced, attempting to sound as authoritative as one could when speaking to the Dark Lord.

Vader glared in the officer‘s direction. “I will accept the communication in my quarters, Lieutenant.” He then turned and quickly left the bridge.

As he entered his personal quarters, he ordered the communications officer to open the channel. The large, blue holoimage of his master shimmered into existence before him and he bowed in submission.

The Emperor said nothing for several moments, as if relishing the subservience of his apprentice. Vader waited.

“Lord Vader,” The Sith Master sneered, at last. “I have a problem that requires your assistance.” The Emperor’s voice held a hint of irritation in it.

“What do you require of me, Master?” he asked as he desperately tried to maintain the submissive pose. He still found it difficult to maintain certain positions while wearing the protective armor that sustained his life, but any wavering on his part before his master would be seen as weakness--something he could not afford.

“The Regional Governor on Ryysak has been assassinated. His remaining officers and troopers have requested assistance to regain control over the general populace until a new governor can be established. It seems that a number of clans there have taken to committing terrorist raids on our officers. I believe this situation requires your personal touch, my friend.”

“Very well, Master. I will get the situation under control.” Vader replied, while he heavily guarded his scornful thoughts from his master. ~You always seem to require my ‘touch’ when handling your problems, Master.~

Lord Sidious’ voice took on a more relaxed tone that closely resembled the pleased purr of a Radonian lynx. “I trust that you will. When you are finished and the new governor I appoint is in charge, I require your services back here on Coruscant.”

“Yes, my Master.” He was silently relieved that he would soon be able to rise from this pathetic position, Vader risked looking up at the holoimage. He hated being submissive to this man’s arrogance but for the time being it was a necessary game that he would have to keep playing.

The Emperor said no goodbyes, his presence simply vanishing as abruptly as it appeared. The moment that his master’s image faded, Vader stood and opened a comm channel to the bridge.

“Captain Brandson, set course for Ryysak.” The deep baritone in his voice masked the sense of excitement that filled him at the thought of the upcoming confrontation. “The Imperial Governor has been assassinated. We have an insurgency to crush.”

“Certainly, Lord Vader. Shall I let you know when we come out of hyperspace?”

“That would be acceptable.” Vader ended the transmission.

Vader stalked into his meditation chamber. He went through the process of removing his helmet and facial mask. Relieved to finally be partially free of the suit’s constraints, he began researching the events on Ryysak from his personal control center. After a few hours he smiled.

~Perhaps this will be an interesting mission after all.~


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Raina Kalima was beginning to hate the jungle.

Kandahar was leading them on a trail through a thick area of vine-covered trees with Shala taking a place in the rear of the group to keep a look out on everyone and to make sure they were not being followed. Raina hoped that the next village was not too far off. Her feet ached and the pain was beginning to spread up to her spine.

She also began contemplating why she even left her home on Naboo in the first place. Becoming a Jedi just didn’t seem all that important anymore. What was the point if they were constantly running and hiding? That wasn’t how she remembered the Jedi during her short life so far. All she wanted now was to be home with her family.

Instead, she was trampling through the jungle with a cadre of people--a Jedi Master, one not-so-bad surrogate mother, one best friend and adopted brother, and one just plain irritating adopted brother--and she really didn’t understand why. Sure, there was lots of fighting, but that had been going on since around the time they arrived on Ryysak. Somehow she felt that Shala and Kandahar were hiding something from her and the boys. What was so different with the fighting occurring now that would cause them to have to leave home? And why couldn’t they have traveled in a speeder instead of traveling on foot?

A moment later Kandahar broke her from her reverie as they came to a clearing in the dense jungle growth.

“This is the village of Gisozi,” Kanadahar announced. “The Dabiku clan is friendly with both the Moeb and the Kestra clans. We should be able to get some food and shelter for the night.” She waved for the children and Shala to come out into the clearing.

Raina was relieved that she would soon be able to rest, and Ibrim and Iseal were looking just as tired as she was. As they approached the village, the people came out to greet them with friendly smiles. After many introductions, they finally went to a family’s home and enjoyed a meal.

Night came and Shala and Kandahar sent Raina and the boys off to bed. After what seemed like a few hours, Raina was startled awake by a loud crash outside of the home. She reached over and shook Ibrim and Iseal.

“Did you hear something?” She asked.

“Yes, but I don’t know what it was.” Ibrim answered, his eyes distant, as if he was listening for something more.

“It was probably nothing,” Iseal grunted in a rather irritated tone. “If something happens I’m sure mother and Shala will come get us. Go back to sleep.”

Raina reached deeper into the Force and felt a wave of fear. A sudden eruption of screams tearing through the night confirmed that something was terribly wrong. She quickly got up and looked to the boys.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she whispered urgently, an edge of panic in her tone. “We need to find Shala and your mother, now.”

The boys groaned in unison as they finally got out of bed to follow Raina out into the living area of the simple home. No one was there.
“Perhaps they went to visit another family.” Ibrim attempted to sound hopeful. “My mother knows several people here.”

Raina reached into her Force bond with Shala in an attempt to locate the Jedi. It was a recent exercise her Master had been trying to teach her, but right now it certainly wasn’t working. The amount of fear, anger, and rage being thrown into the Force was overwhelming. She could sense that Shala was somewhere nearby, but not exactly where her Master was.

Iseal grabbed Raina’s hand and lead them all out into the night. Her breath caught in her throat.

There were people running everywhere. Some carried various weapons but most were unarmed. Blaster fire suddenly rained down around them and Ibrim pulled Raina to the ground just as a bolt flew past where her head had been a moment before. The girl looked up to see Iseal crawling on his belly and she began to follow. Ibrim was right behind her, but she had no idea where they were going.

Iseal led them to hide behind a group of bushes, all the while Raina looked around frantically to see if she could find Shala and Kandahar.

Raina had never seen anything like this. Desperately trying to calm herself, she slowed her breathing and looked more closely. Slowly the chaos coalesced into clarity. It appeared to her that some people were attacking others directly with some types of bladed weapons. Others attacked indirectly with blasters. From the edge of her vision, she noticed a man chasing a woman in their direction. When he caught the hapless woman, Raina saw him raise a large, crudely made sickle-shaped, metal blade. With a vicious swipe, he sliced the woman’s head off. Blood gushed from her headless body, drenching the man’s clothes before raining down in crimson rivulets right in front of the children.

Raina hardly heard the scream that erupted unconsciously from her throat.

Everything else seemed real and unreal at the same time. All around her she watched in horror as people were hacked and mutilated without mercy. She wanted to run. Her mind screamed at her to flee, but her legs would not move. Rage and fear tore at her from within but her stubborn legs frozen in place. Distantly, she heard a blood-curdling scream rising above the din. It was only when the pain in her throat began to break through her addled mind that she realized that sickening sound of terror was coming from her.

Raina stood among the bushes covered in blood, unable to recall if it was hers or someone else’s. One of the attackers looked in her direction and began to move toward her with his blade raised.

Her lips curled into a snarl as she instinctively threw her hands up. The Force swirled around her in a whirlwind of fear and rage. In an instant, the man was hurled through the air away from them, his arms flailing desperately before he crashed hard to the ground.

She felt herself lifted from behind and hoisted onto someone’s shoulder. Still she screamed. She could no more stop the terrified sound her body made than she could stop the slaughter all around her. Raina hit and kicked at the person carrying her off until she recognized Ibrim’s voice yelling at Iseal to hurry up. Abruptly, she silenced her scream.

After a short run, they were in an isolated area away from the main village. Ibrim put Raina down and stared at her intently. “Raina, we need to find my mother and Shala.” The boy’s tone was calm, but urgent. “Can you sense where Shala is?”

Raina shook her head vigorously. “I can’t focus enough to do it.” She wanted to scream again. She swallowed hard but could not bite back the desperation she felt. “I’m too scared!”

She threw her arms around the older boy and sobbed harder than she ever had in her life. The sudden release of her pent up agony was soothing . More and more, she let it all out onto Ibrim‘s steady shoulder. Feeling as if her pain was a bottomless well, she opened herself to the Force and released her torment into it. Perhaps her master would sense her fear and find them before she lost herself completely.


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