Star Wars Character Cafe - The Floating Fortress Part 10

THE FLOATING FORTRESS

51. Their Separate Ways (Mission: Complete)

It was two hours later when, alone in the cockpit of the Raging Cusper, Clip Argentsson glanced at his wrist chronometer. It was an impossibly early time. Just four hours ago, he had been arguing with an air traffic controller over a small shipment of Andurite. And now…well…

Things were different.

All in all, it had taken only one standard hour to scuttle the Imperial Star Destroyer and to wipe out the Imperial occupation forces – a standard hour that had seemed an eternity. During that hour, he had seen things that he’d never seen in his life – and done things that he would never have thought himself capable of. In himself, he struggled during the following hours to decide whether or not that was a good thing.

Clip Argentsson – Rebel.

Every time he thought the words, they almost made him shiver. Rebel, rebel, rebel. It just didn’t seem…right. Somehow. There was some mechanism deep inside of him that was fighting against the notion.

Though there was little he could do to fight it on the outside. They had all accomplished no mean feat here today. The Empire had been dealt a heavy blow, and they would not be happy. What was it Wedge had told him?

“Nobody’s ever destroyed an Impstar that cheaply before. We’ve set a precedent here – and precedents make officers angry.”

Yes, whether he liked it or not, the story of the Gavortis Major debacle would be logged as a significant Rebel action. Rebel action that he had partaken of. It was a fool’s hope to assume that the Raging Cusper had not been identified – hundreds of civilians must have seen the gunboat soaring about the skyline searching for Cracken. And then there were the records from the Novetica Grand, not to mention the communiques he had made on lightly encrypted comlink channels to Wedge and Cracken. The most basic of Imperial Equipment would decode any recorded messages in an instant.

“Trust me, you two,” Cracken had said to he and Booster. “You’ve got nothing to fear from the government here. Governor Thrisst was on our side. Gavortis Major will officially separate itself from the Empire. They aren’t rebels, but they aren’t Imps either. I’m sure all official records of our visit have been…misplaced”

Even coming from Cracken, they had been hollow words. Not even the presence of local security aiding the Rebels in their short pack-up operation was enough to allay Clip’s paranoia. There was simply no denying it – in practice, if nothing else, he had become what he had vowed to never be: partisan.

And yet, he had the opportunity to go with them.

“Clip – why don’t you come with us?” Wedge had asked. “You’ve seen what the Empire’s like, you know what they can do. Why don’t you help us stop it?”

It was such a strange proposition. Go with the rebellion, be provided for, looked after and work toward a worthy cause? It seemed so … impossible to Clip. Even after all he had been through – the shootouts, the explosions, the killing – the Rebel Alliance seemed like such an idealistic fantasy to him. It was so unreal, something that had no part of – in his heart, if nothing else.

But then, there were other reasons to join.

Friendship, for a start.

It had been the only thing that coaxed him into at all. Every time he doubted what he was being asked to do, all he needed to do was remind himself – Wedge needs your help. He couldn’t suffer the death of a friend if he knew that he could have some bearing on his fate – some chance to save his life.

If nothing else, it was that which was brought into sharp focus from this conflict. The lives of the people involved in this war were so very, very real. In fact, the difference between life and death for Wedge could very well be as little as a split second. It was a prospect that he couldn’t bear, and a responsibility he couldn’t handle. In part, it was because he was afraid to die – but that wasn’t all.

It was one thing to be in danger yourself. But when other people’s lives depend on you surviving that danger, things start to get far too complicated.

“If that’s the way you feel,” Wedge had told him reassuringly, a smile on his face. His words hadn’t been remorseful, or spiteful. There had been very little emotion in them at all, in fact. It was a sense of resigned acceptance, more than anything else, that illustrated his words.

“I don’t know where the galaxy will take you, Clip. Vader knows you’ll manage to find yourself some more trouble to get mixed up in soon enough. Look after yourself, ok?”

It had been a remarkably quick – and far less nostalgic than expected – goodbye. They had gripped each other’s hands tightly, and said more with their eyes than they did with actual words. Wedge’s face was set and determined, and yet still seemed somehow up beat.

“You too, Wedge. You too.”

Whether consciously or not, neither had said the word ‘Goodbye’. They had let their eyes handle the parting words, which had been more along the lines of ‘until we meet again’. With a final smile and a quick wink, Wedge had turned to say his farewells to Booster, and then vanished into one of the Assault Transports.

Clip had watched the back of his friend disappear, and found himself feeling strangely content. It was inexplicable really – in all actuality, he should have been feeling like he’d travelled a thousand light years, only to wind up in the same place he left from. Sure, Cracken had promised him some compensation – the same sort of compensation Clip could get from running a fairly large smuggling run through Bothawui.

This contentedness stemmed from something else. Just what, he couldn’t answer. A job well done? No smuggler ever rejoiced in a job well done, only a job well paid. Working for a higher cause? Maybe. But if this were the case, then why not go with the rebels right now?

Because it’s too big for you, he remembered thinking at the time. Because there are other ways to make an impact on the galaxy. Because the Rebels will, in all likelihood, be crushed in a matter of days.

And the excuses had reeled on. But not one of them had touched on what Clip had only now begun to realise was the true reason. It was a simple reason, and probably an attitude held by many billions of beings in the galaxy. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop him feeling guilty about it.

I can’t join the Rebellion because I can’t commit to it. My adult life to this point has been lived from paying job to paying job, living in the cargo hold of an Imperial Gunboat. My best friend is a droid, and my idea of fun is getting drunk and trying to fly in a straight line. It’s a life that for every one highlight has twenty lowlights and a thousand mediocre-lights. It’s a life of free restraint – go anywhere I like as long as I have the means to do so, even if those means prevent me from going where I like. Mine is a career based solely on getting one up on everyone around me. It’s dirty, it’s rough, and by its very nature is thoroughly non-committal.

And I couldn’t give it up if I tried.

Had he known this when he watched Wedge board the assault ship in Government House Courtyard, he would have stopped him and said something about it. It wasn’t an excuse – sithspawn, it wasn’t even a reasonable explanation. But somehow, he knew, Wedge would understand it.

But there was no use dwelling on it. What had been said was what had been said, and Clip didn’t regret it – yet. But in the back of his mind, a small part of him was dreading something terrible. He knew that regret would overcome him if news reached him about his friend’s death, and he had left all of those things unsaid…those, and other things.

It was painfully blatant – in retrospect – the way he had skirted the issue of their parents’ killers. Certainly, Booster had given him an account of the story…but he really ought to have asked Wedge about it. After all, they did have a unique perspective on the issue. He should have said something…congratulated him on vaping the pirate scum, thanked him for bringing him closure on the issue – anything. But, either in the Rebel’s haste to leave, or Clip’s unwillingness to communicate, the issue had been neglected. And he had one more thing to put on his ‘future regrets’ list.

All of those things to say…amalgamated into a simple ‘You too’.

The one thing that stemmed the flow of his regret was hope. There was always hope that Wedge would survive this bloody war, or if not, that they would meet again before the end. Clip would have his chance to speak to Wedge again, he was sure of it. And when he did, he would make sure that he said everything he wanted to.

The strange feeling of contentedness he had felt in Government House Courtyard returned to Clip as he reassured himself. The last he would see of his friend would not be his back, stepping inside a warship to carry him off to battle. There would be another time.

After Wedge had disappeared, Cracken had breezed Clip, trying to usher the Rebels into the abandoned Assault Shuttles that the Imperials had left in the courtyard. They had just about all boarded, when he had turned to face he, Booster and Eva.

“There’s always a place for you, with us,” he had said to the trio. “If ever you’re in trouble, or something else happens – track us down. There’s a small station at this location – don’t give it out to anyone,” He handed all three of them a datacard each. “Remember, the Rebellion is more than a resistance movement. For a lot of people, it’s a second chance.”

In spite of his melodramatic words, they had all three accepted the datacards very graciously, and each thanked the Rebel Commander for his generosity. Clip had made a point of shaking the man’s hand. In the few words he had said to him, he hoped he managed to convey just how thankful he was to have been under his expert command. A less experienced or talented commander, and he doubted that any of them would have survived.

The information on the datacard was now safely loaded into Noosa’s memory banks, and the original copy incinerated. Clip could see no point in keeping it around – he was never going to use it. It was, in fact, only because of something Booster had said that he had even bothered keeping a copy at all.

“Never miss an opportunity to call in a favour,” he had said with a wink.

And so, where that left him, he didn’t know. A Rebel? Hardly. But neither was he completely neutral any more. Perhaps he could put on a façade of neutrality, but it would be only a façade. He knew other smugglers in a similar situation – sympathisers, they called themselves. He supposed he was one of them now, a neutral smuggler who didn’t mind the odd job raiding an Imperial facility, or ransacking a few Imperial supply ships.

Clip Argentsson – Rebel Sympathiser.

Clip sighed to himself. It was better than outright rebel, at least.

The two Assault Transports had taken off, and blasted into the sky, heading for space. From what he’d managed to pick up here and there, they were headed for a cruiser called the Mon Casima – and from there, back to ‘base’, wherever that may be. Probably somewhere very well hidden, and far away, where the fleets of the Empire never bothered to venture.

“Some people cause happiness wherever they go,” Booster had interjected here. “Others, whenever they go. Thank Force that’s over.”

For some reason, Clip had begun laughing relentlessly at the large man’s comment. It certainly wasn’t because it was all that funny. But in context, it seemed like such a flippant way of dealing with this little excursion to Gavortis Major. ‘Thank Force that’s over’ seemed like an audio cue for Clip to suddenly release all the tension and the after effects of terror. He’d never been so scared as he had been today, teetering so close to death for someone else’s war. It had probably been the most painful and eye-opening experience of his life.

But at that particular moment, he had found it the funniest thing in the galaxy.

Booster and Eva, though clearly not nearly as amused as Clip, had joined in the mirthful laughter. To anyone listening, it might have been highly inappropriate to be laughing while talking about shooting Imperial Stormtroopers with gattling cannons, or blowing up defenceless shuttles over the ocean – but there was really no other way to bring the ordeal to a close. It was either laugh about it, or think about it – really think about it.

Think about all the men – and probably women – who had been killed at his hand today. Think about their families and friends, who believed just as much in the Emperor’s Order as Wedge and Cracken did in the Rebel Alliance, who had been struck by a terrible tragedy here today. An Imperial-Class Star Destroyer drowned, along with her thirty-something-thousand crewmen.

Yes, it was far better to laugh.

Hearing Booster and Eva talking about it was a great relief as well. There was something about the way Booster buoyantly shrugged off all the baggage that comes with war and killing, and then turned it around so that blame was placed squarely on the Empire, that put Clip at ease. And then, to compliment it, was Eva’s hard-faced and very professional approach to what she did. They neither acknowledged nor gloated about the people they had killed, or the others who had died. They spoke as real smugglers should – in terms of objectives, profits and losses.

For Eva, the losses outweighed the profits.

She had detonated her ship’s engines – no small event. A Smuggler’s ship is his life, livelihood and freedom. Once it is gone, a smuggler is again dependant on others for so many things – transport, living space, meals. It was no way to live a freelancing life.

And yet, she had taken it remarkably well.

“I’d be angry if, after all I’d done for them, the mission had failed. But it didn’t. We won, or the Rebels did anyway. And as far as I was concerned, they were the ones signing the credits over. And I was promised compensation for my ship…whether Cracken can convince his superiors to come through on the promise is another matter, though.”

As far as Clip could tell, it wasn’t the only thing that hadn’t gone her way on this mission. There had been an awkward confrontation between her and a group of mercenaries in Gavorr Government House Courtyard. Almost immediately after they’d landed and been ‘debriefed’ by Cracken, she had marched up to the three men, one hand threateningly on her blaster, and demanded to know where ‘Christof’ was. Clip remembered their sombre response all too well.

“He’s dead, Smuggler – just like you wanted.”

Eva had sobered considerably after that comment, and had immediately backed away. Clip couldn’t explain why this happened, how Eva had come to know who ‘Christof’ was, and why she wanted him dead, but it must have been a long-term thing. Clip had not seen Eva as incensed as when she confronted the three men. The recognition in their eyes was unmistakable, and the spite in their voices was alarming.

Credit where its due, Eva did the noble thing, and quickly said, “Sorry.”

There had been a very tense moment when, once Eva had turned to walk away, one of the white-clad mercenaries drew a blaster from a hip holster. Clip immediately tried to bring his silenced pistol into play, but got it caught under a notch on the holster, and fumbled with it for several seconds. To compensate, he had rushed to stand between the mercenary and the smuggler, and shouted, “No!”

All the heads in the courtyard had turned to watch. By this time, Clip had his blaster out, and trained on the mercenary. He had been quite flustered at the time, because he had no idea what to do. What now, genius? he had thought. If the mercenary had decided to shoot, Clip would never have beaten him to the trigger. Mercenaries were in the business of out-shooting smugglers.

But the mercenary had merely smiled humourlessly, and held the blaster handle-out towards Clip.

“I thought I recognised you. This is yours,” he’d said, and tossed the gun toward him. Clip had caught it awkwardly, and stared at it stupidly. Sure enough, there it was – his blaster, originally confiscated on the Novetica Grand. So it had been them posing as Imperials. Mercenaries working for the Rebellion.

“Uh…thanks,” Clip tried to sound casual as he’d slid the blaster between his belt and body. An admirable goal that he failed utterly to achieve, as his voice squeaked out in an almost inaudible gasp.

“Smooth, Argentsson,” Booster had said quietly.

Eva had laughed hardest about Clip’s attempt at self-sacrifice, throwing himself in front of her attacker. Even Clip laughed now that it was over. It was somehow easier for him to make light of anything as long as Eva was around. She had a remarkable ability to put him at ease. Perhaps it was because she was the physical manifestation of everything Clip wanted to be: Professional, Relaxed, Skilled and Confident. Or perhaps it was just because they had been forced into an instant friendship because of the events exploding – literally – around them.

It was hard to believe that he’d only known Eva Pah’ker for only a few hours. They spoke now as if they had been long lost friends, suddenly reunited under intense circumstances. It was unusual – Clip didn’t usually make friends so easily. He tended to be shy around people he didn’t know, particularly aliens. He knew it was a bad attitude to have, but he couldn’t help it. He had nothing against aliens. He just found it hard to relate to them.

It was probably the intimate level of trust they had been forced to share that spawned the friendship. Clip wasn’t in the habit of entrusting his life to someone else – or indeed, letting someone else entrust their life to him. Now that had happened, it would be impossible not to have a strong bond with one another.

It certainly wasn’t her kind and complimentary nature, at any rate. He found her constant insults and wisecracks about his ship to be the most infuriating thing he’d ever experienced. Eva was very extroverted whereas Clip liked to keep things to himself most of the time. And to say the least, her ability to patronise him so thoroughly because of his relative youth boiled his blood.

And yet he couldn’t help but like her.

Not in the same way as he liked Wedge – that was different. Wedge was an old friend, almost a brother. They would be friends as long as they were both alive to tell each other. And not in the same way as Booster, who was more like the uncle he had never had. As long as Booster was around, Clip knew there would always be someone to look out for him if he needed it. Eva was different. She was an out-and-out friend. Just somebody with the same objectives and interests as him, and somebody he enjoyed being around – for no particular reason at all.

He realised all of this now, of course - but it had come as quite a surprise back at Government House.

“Where will you go now?” he’d asked her, genuinely concerned.

“Well, the Eva After is gone, so I can pretty much rule out going back to independent contracting work. Booster here is going to give me a lift out of the system, and take me to a fellow named Car’Das. He’s got himself a pretty huge smuggling empire carved out, and Booster tells me he’s always hiring. I’ll try and pick up some work with him.”

Clip had been totally shocked to hear she had all of this worked out already. He couldn’t quite explain why. Perhaps it was because his next statement was going to be ‘You could come with me, if you like’.

He wasn’t angry, jealous or hurt in any way – just surprised that he cared so much about what she was doing. The Car’Das organisation was big and reputable, for sure – and she would have no trouble finding work there. For all intents and purposes, he was happy that she knew what to do next. There was just some small facet of his brain that had been completely thrown out by the news.

Actually, it was probably selfishness. He’d wanted her to come with him, to make long hyperspace trips less boring, to make the ordinary jobs less lonely. He didn’t care how impractical it was to have two people cramped into a living space that was meant to be used for short-term reconnaissance missions, or how unappealing the idea of a nomadic life was to other people. He’d almost assumed that she would be coming.

“Oh, good – you’ve got a plan,” he’d managed weakly.

He hoped that she didn’t notice the hesitant way he’d responded, or the disappointment that must have been shining through his eyes. It wouldn’t do him any good to have Eva get hold of his feelings and beat his ego with them.

If she did notice, she didn’t show it. The trio had smiled and talked more about their plans, and how to contact each other if they needed. Booster, as always, had told them to contact his daughter if they wanted him. Mirax was the only member of the Terrik family who was ever in one spot for very long. Clip smiled at the memory of Mirax Terrik. Maybe he’d put a call through, just to see her again. It had been a long time.

Eva couldn’t provide any permanent contact details, because she simply didn’t know where she was going to be or what she would be doing. So she resolved to contact each of them as soon as she knew what was going on, and let them know.

Clip had told them both they could comm messages to the Raging Cusper, which would then be stored in Noosa. The little droid had a remote connection to the comm unit, so as long as he was near the R2 unit, he would receive their messages almost instantly. Content with the arrangements, they had decided it was time to leave.

“Good to meet you, Clip. Always nice to gain an extra ally. Just promise me one thing,” Eva had said simply, grabbing his hand tightly. Clip tried not to wince under her powerful grip.

“Sure?”

“Work on your aim for next time.”

She’d winked at him, and Clip had smiled. Somehow, it was just the right thing to say. He’d tried his best to think of a comeback, but he couldn’t. Partly because he was caught in the moment, and partly because he couldn’t argue with it.

“See you next time, Eva.”

No sooner had he said the words than Booster’s frame blocked his view of the Twi’lek. His hand stretched out, and shook Clip’s – his grip just slightly more crushing than Eva’s.

“Thanks, Clip,” he said uncharacteristically softly. “You did me and Wedge a good favour today. You didn’t owe me anything. So, I guess, that means I owe you one now.”

Clip couldn’t quite understand where Booster’s argument that Clip didn’t owe him anything was coming from. Booster had taken him under his supervision and protection for a long time after his parent’s deaths. He’d provided for him and Wedge, even though he had a daughter of his own to look after. If anything, Clip had only partially repaid his debt to the big man today.

“No you don’t, Booster. It was the least I could do for you and Wedge.”

Clip had tried his best to make the words sound non-clichéd, and in context, he succeeded. Booster flashed the same wink as Eva had to him, and released his red-raw hand.

“Shut-up, Argentsson. Never miss an opportunity to call in a favour.”

He’d turned and walked toward the Pulsar Skate, parked unceremoniously roughly in the centre of Government House Courtyard. The local authorities all moved away from the ship as the pair of smugglers boarded. Clip stood back and watched them enter through the boarding ramp, and disappear – as Wedge had done just minutes before – into the belly of the ship.

The contentedness he had felt with Wedge returned to him. Even though Eva had not come with him, he still felt he had accomplished something here. Not for the greater good, not a moral stand – just something indefinable. And now that he had, he could go back to the way that things had always been. Life would be normal again, after this short excursion into high drama and adventure.

And that was all he ever wanted.

Not riches, not influence, not power – just normality, as he defined it. The Raging Cusper, smuggling work, and conversations with a slow little droid – that was his normal. There was something unbelievably comfortable about his lifestyle. He set his own hours, set his own pay rate, set his own risk levels – and all the while with the option of packing up and jetting away to a new location. Somewhere different every day, if he wanted it. No limits, that was normality.

And it was perfect.

Just then, the Pulsar Skate had begun shuddering where it stood, and the repulsorlifts kicked it off the ground with an earth-penetrating rumble. Clip could not see through the black transparisteel of the cockpit, but he waved all the same. The space liner kept rising in the air, and pointed its nose skyward. And with a final blast of engine power, it had jetted away, and into orbit.

Clip had stood motionless, and watched it go until he couldn’t make it out any more.

And so, he had marched back to the Raging Cusper, taken off, and now sat hanging in orbit, trying to decide where to go next. Of course, he could go anywhere he wanted – but where?

Endless possibilities ran through his head. He was within twenty-four hours flight time of over seventeen thousand inhabited systems, and within forty-eight hours of nearly ninety-eight thousand. At any one of those places, some kind of mystery adventure was waiting for him, either thrilling or boring, well paid or charitable. All he needed to do was pick one.

But he couldn’t decide.

He sat back heavily in the pilot’s chair, and sighed. Space stretched out in front of him, uninterrupted until eternity – his space to discover and own. But all of it seemed somehow … hollow now. Not completely hollow, just noticeably more than before. And, for a change, Clip knew exactly why he felt that way.

And in a flash of inspiration, he knew how to remedy his loneliness.

“Noosa, punch in a course for Corellia,” he said suddenly. The little droid tootled toward him, and began to plug into the navigation computer. The various calculations began flashing up on the screen, until finally a large monochrome display of the planet was shown. Clip smiled to himself, and brought the ship around to the right heading.

He wouldn’t have to be alone for long.

“Let’s go and see Mirax.”

Epilogue: The Beginning of the End

“Rise, my friend,” Emperor Palpatine said ominously from the throne.

The great ebony form of Darth Vader did as instructed, drawing himself to full height. He towered over the Emperor, something that did not delude either of them. Vader knew his place in the company of his master. The Emperor, though haggardly old, appeared somewhat youthful and energetic today. What had brought about this unusual demeanour, Vader could not guess.

The Emperor held him as he was for a few moments, coming to stand beside him. He did not stop as he marched abruptly – almost briskly – past the Dark Lord. Vader turned on the spot, and began to stride alongside him, one step to the Emperor’s two.

“I trust you have read the reports from what remains of Grand Admiral Tigellinus’ task force?” The Emperor asked suddenly, unexpectedly – his voice painfully even. Vader snapped his head to the side. It was not usually the Emperor’s business to deal with fleet matters – except the largest ones. Tigellinus had been tasked with the destruction of a single Rebel cell, and he had failed. It was a report hardly worthy of the Emperor’s time.

The remnants of the task force had put an emergency distress call through to a close-by Imperial Garrison using a set of portable long-range communicators. There had been so few of them – two ‘sleeper units’, as they were called, and the very lucky ones who had managed to escape the sinking mass of the Imperial Star Destroyer. The Operation had been a complete disaster, and a Grand Admiral had been killed – whether or not this particular Admiral was a great loss to the Empire was subject to debate.

Drawing on the force, he tried to get a reading from the Emperor’s mind. But as usual, it remained as a swirling black cloud of darkness and power that he could not penetrate, and impossible to decipher if he did.

Vader kept his own voice even. “I have, my master. The Grand Admiral was deceived by his own self-confidence. He did not think that the Rebellion could be so resourceful as to overcome his plans. Obviously, he was wrong.”

“Yes, Lord Vader. My thoughts exactly. Tigellinus was a fine tactician – his instincts were finely tuned. But his mind is built on an insufferable system of logic and patterns, something that the Rebellion has disdain for. But today, Lord Vader – today we shall show them. A Harsh blow we have been dealt – but they cannot imagine the power I am about to unleash,” he said croakily, his steps still lively. Vader followed his master’s thoughts through to their most likely conclusion.

Surely not…there has not been enough time…

The Emperor was glowering at him. “Yes, Lord Vader – you see my meaning. And you are correct – this is come ahead of schedule. But recent events have shown me that action is required quickly. The Rebellion cannot be allowed to think they have defeated me, on any sort of scale. So while they celebrate what they consider to be a large-scale victory – you will set about changing what the scale is.”

Vader was more than a little surprised – his master being the only entity in the universe capable of doing that to him. “I will set about–?”

“Your transfer orders are already aboard your private Star Destroyer, Lord Vader. You will go to the Maw Installation, and meet with Grand Moff Tarkin. From the Death Star, you will show the Rebellion what it means to defy the rule of the Empire.”

Vader struggled to hide his incredulity. The Death Star – complete, and ready to use. Suddenly he understood the spritely behaviour of his Master. This was a glorious moment in Imperial history.

This was the beginning of the end for the Rebellion.

“I am honoured to lead this campaign, my Master.”

“Do not be too pretentious, Lord Vader. Grand Moff Tarkin believes himself to be in direct control of the station – and indeed he is. Your task is to see that he conducts himself in a manner that I would approve of,” The Emperor instructed malevolently. Vader felt a surge of evil pleasure escape from the Emperor’s usually calm force-presence.

“As you wish.”

“Soon, Lord Vader, the Rebellion will forget all about their so-called triumph at Gavortis Major. It is much harder to recollect such things when one is dead,” he continued, his sense of humour heating up. Vader did not judge this comment warranted a response, and so remained silent.

Indeed, the matter of Gavortis Major seemed insignificant next to the issue at hand. The reports would be filed, of course, and all parties involved would be pursued across the galaxy, until they were wiped out. The only difference was that, now, their involvement on Gavortis Major would be incidental. They would all die – regardless.

“Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen,” The Emperor said with finality. And he chuckled softly to himself – a statement that only men like The Emperor and Vader could have found humorous.

“It is the beginning of the end,” Lord Vader confirmed with a nod of his head.

“No, Lord Vader,” The Emperor corrected him. “Their end is already upon them.”