The Zenith,
Corellia
Theren Gevel emerged back into the bridge looking somewhat more disgruntled than before, a lit (and seemingly chewed-upon) cigarra hanging from one corner of his mouth. He was managing a variety of battles throughout the galaxy, and clearly, the stress was weighing upon him.
“Sir!” One of the officers addressed him. A young man, seemingly right out of the officer candidate program, saluting stalwartly. “One of the enemy’s lesser craft has broken formation and is making a run for the line.”
“Shoot at it,” Theren suggested sarcastically, walking away and nodding to Tornel. “Everything under control?”
“Yeah. How about on your front? Or fronts, should I say?”
“The second one, yeah.” Theren took the cigarra out of his mouth seemingly by reflex, then put it back in. “As well as can be expected.”
Tornel raised an eyebrow. “Bespin?”
“Yeah.”
Theren’s aide nodded knowingly. The look in his commander’s eyes was instantly explained by this simple statement, which would have been opaque to anyone else on the bridge. “You’ve given the order, then?”
“Three minutes ago. Two contacted me.”
“Where’s One?”
Theren shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. They’re connected anyway.” He shook his head, glancing out the viewport and issuing a routine order regarding line formations. “I’ll never fully agree with what I just ordered, Tornel.”
“Things would be too simple if you did.”
Theren took a puff of his cigarra and smirked wryly. “I guess so.”
* * * * *
Taloraan City,
Taloraan
“What was that?” Til asked, somewhat curiously.
An officer immediately answered the question. “Sovereignty forces have knocked out a communications relay unit.”
Til raised an eyebrow. “Why would they do that?”
“Perhaps one of our captains relayed the origin point of the orders he was receiving,” One guessed.
“That means they’ll locate us, soon enough.”
One nodded. He surveyed those gathered before him, and began to speak…
Cloud City,
Bespin
Two looked sideways at Dej, who in turn looked away. Gathered in the narrow command cabin were a motley crew of men and women; mechanics and janitors, scientists and technicians, everyone who had possessed knowledge of the final plan for an assault on Bespin. Each one had a unique facial expression, Two observed; fear, shock, hope, regret, malice, even something that might be construed as a malevolent greed.
Each human being was quite different, not only in physical form, but in morality. Not so, with the Conclave Executors. They were all exactly the same, and there was only one moral in the Executorial Legion; obedience.
Two reminded himself of this, even as Dej seemed to avoid looking at those gathered at all. Finally, the Executor motioned his hand for the gathered men and women to stop speaking. It was, really, not needed; the mere presence of him seemed to garner their attention adequately enough. Most knew who he was; some did not. Those gathered were everyone needed to carry out the final plot for Bespin and Taloraan; some were high-profile enough to have met him, but some were merely grunts.
It had been a delicate process, carrying out such a thing with so few. But now, it was time to reap the rewards, in a manner of speaking. “Today,” Two began, in his monotone, metallic voice, “you gathered have accomplished something – something lasting, that will benefit your Empire for years to come.”
“Unfortunately,” he continued. “None of you will be permitted to witness this. It pains me to do what comes next.” Even as he said the words, Two did not feel pain; he did not feel anything, but for the abstract distance from reality that all combat, all killing brings. Dej continued to look away.
With a metallic
shing, his Yevethan claws slid from their sheaths, protruding from the wrists of his specially-designed uniform. In a swift, singular motion, he stepped forward, and slashed down at the nearest of the people. One deafening cry later, he was dead, lying bleeding on the ground.
* * * * *
Taloraan City
Taloraan
Far beneath the city, in an area no one bothered to visit, a piece of what seemed to be part of the structure of Taloraan City’s massive reactor began to beep. It wasn’t large, really; only, perhaps, a quarter of a meter wide and tall. But a moment later, it exploded in spectacular fashion, rending the durasteel and circuitry around it, the explosion gaining power as it set off a chain reaction in the immensely powerful reactor.
And all over the lower section of Taloraan City, strategically placed bombs on reactors and repulsorlift generators did the very same.
* * * * *
“
Attention, attention. This is the Administrator of this facility. The occupying forces have critically damaged Taloraan City’s reactor. All personnel are ordered to evacuate immediately. Repeat, evacuate immediately.” The hollow voice continued to repeat these words over and over.
* * * * *
Cloud City,
Bespin
The sudden jolt had been perceptible, as Cloud City’s massive repulsorlift generators and ion reactor suddenly combusted in a wave of fire, far beneath the city. Dej was frantically hitting buttons in the control booth, heeding Two’s orders but not replying. “Ensure all power to the engines and repulsorlifts is cut. Overload terminators six and seven so that it can’t be restored under any circumstances.”
Dej nodded, hitting a few more buttons. Two nodded at him, and they strode from the room.
