Chapter 66

Empress Teta, Empress Teta System

Koros Sector

If there was anything to expect from an essentially blind jump into the Galactic Interior, it was definitely not an affluent Separatist-aligned superpower in the Deep Core. But the Empress Teta Star System was exactly that; seven inhabited planets ruled by the city-world of Empress Teta–named after the eponymous monarch who united the star system five millennia ago–which I daresay rivalled Coruscant itself in culture and might.

In fairness, when our young Givin astrogator plotted the hyperspace translation, he did specify the system would act as a safe harbour, but few in the 28th Mobile Fleet could have expected the grandeur of Empress Teta. Many of us had hardly even heard of Empress Teta before–myself included–nor did we ever expect Operation Starlance to even touch the Deep Core. How could we? We were Outer Rimmers, and the Galactic Core was as foreign to us as the stars to a fish.

And did I forget to mention the star system was Separatist? The seven words of Empress Teta were still ruled by the Tetan Monarchy, but a lot can change over five-thousand years, and the current Emperor Alor Keto was no more than a puppet of the Galactic Mining Guild. A more or less powerless figurehead beholden to one of the oldest, largest megacorporations in the galaxy. And while Empress Teta was a name I’ve never heard before, by contrast I was very familiar with the Mining Guild. The Guild, after all, dominated billions of resource-rich Outer Rim worlds; it simply never really occurred to me that not even the Core could escape the pervasive grasp of corporate greed. Not to this extent.

Which was why when we arrived in a super-system expecting a fight and preparing to lynch our Givin astrogator, we were pleasantly surprised to find friendly faces and open arms. Well, friendly as the Mining Guild gets. See, the Mining Guild was a subsidiary of the Commerce Guild, which had squarely aligned itself with the Serenno Government in order to oppose their main business rivals, the Corporate Alliance. Silver lining was that this specific branch of the Mining Guild had no idea about the conflict brewing in the Rim, having been isolated in the Deep Core for so long.

Or rather, they had no idea how the war was going on at all. They only knew there was a war because Empress Teta had been occupied by a GAR Sector Army.

I glanced out the porthole of my small stateroom aboard the Chimeratica, a steaming cup of tea–one of the few delicacies the droids aboard this ship had mastered the creation of–cradled between my hands. Empress Teta spun lazily, the shining golden lines of the capital city Cinnagar cutting concentric circles through her hazy purple atmosphere. Cinnagar was the largest of Empress Teta’s cities, spanning half the globe. From afar, the entire planet seemed like a massive eyeball staring out towards the stars.

It was a lethargic feeling, I had to admit. We had been informed the vast majority of GAR presence in the star system had been redeployed elsewhere, and due to the apparent impenetrability of the Deep Core, left only a token force behind; one which was quickly getting overwhelmed by our fleets and droid armies. Without any major threats nearby, this was the first time in a long while the 28th Mobile Fleet could catch its breath. We were making the most of it.

“Master,” Hare made her presence known, lifting up a datapad, “The newest reports have come in.”

“Thank you,” I received it distantly, setting down my cup on the desk. “How long do you think we have before the Republic responds?”

“Should I call the tactical droid?”

“I’m asking you.”

“...Not as long as we keep our presence secret.”

I smiled, syncing the datapad to the stateroom’s holoprojector, “Call the tactical droid.”

“And food?”

“And food.”

Hare bobbed her head, servos whirring as she spun around and hopped away, no doubt on her way to the galley to hammer more culinary knowhow into the droids stationed there. Tea was one thing, dinner was another.

Returning my attention to the datapad, I selected the first report, and leaned back.

“Chimeratica, Kronprinz,” Diedrich Greyshade’s recorded voice started, tinged with a note of pride, “The Third Battle Division had pushed all remaining Loyalist elements in-system to the outer planets, particularly around Ronika and Phoros. We believe they are attempting to maintain a foothold in order to facilitate a larger counterattack on reinforcements from Coruscant arrive...”

Letting the oral report continue on, I casted my attention towards what was written on the datapad.

[0611 hours] Initial engagement made with hostile reconnaissance ships near Phiris. Four enemy scoutships destroyed, two escaped. No damage taken. Phirisian local government renews oaths of loyalty to Tetan Monarchy.

[1146 hours] Pursued enemy force to Ronika. Encountered heavy resistance. Weisser Sand and Andraste sustained moderate damage but remain operational. Planetary installations captured.

[1855 hours] Engaged the main enemy fleet over Phoros. Heavy planetary resistance encountered, including surface-to-orbit artillery. Significant battle ensued, resulting in the destruction of three enemy heavy cruisers and four destroyers. Our fleet sustained light to moderate damage. One casualty; light cruiser Gollerus destroyed by surface-to-orbit artillery.

[2009 hours] Search and rescue of friendly survivors successful. Requesting a single auxiliary redeployed to Phoros. Continued resistance from Phoros confirms Loyalist local government. Requesting Tetan reinforcements, preferably with royal mandate from His Majesty Alor Keto.

[2200 hours] Intercepted enemy communications indicating regrouping effort near planetoid Keres II. Please advise.

I closed my eyes, letting the ambient hum of Chimeratica’s reactor envelop me. That relative peace continued until the stateroom’s door was launched open and two heavy metallic footfalls alerted me to Tuff’s presence.

“Do you recommend any captains with potential?” I asked without turning around.

Tuff didn’t respond immediately, his harsh photoreceptors digging into the back of my skull, “Captain of Habatok-Two. Rame Cartroll.”

I frowned, recalling the vessel in question, “That’s a light corvette, is it not?”

“You requested potential,” the tactical droid replied, “Captain Cartroll participated in the Battle of Atraken and Battle of Quell with distinction.”

“If you say so,” I didn’t think too hard about it, “Give him Unicorn, Centaur, Shadow Price, and Anemone. Request the Tetan Guard for ten of their Supremacy-class cruisers and a royal mandate from Emperor Alor Keto demanding Phoros’ unconditional surrender. If they decline, request again but through the Mining Guild. Is there an auxiliary stationed on the way to Phoros?”

“Rimma Express is currently resupplying over Tryast.”

“Captain Cartroll will rendezvous with the Express at Tryast before reinforcing the Third Division. Notify Kronprinz and inform her thatshe’s allowed to respond to the field at her own discretion.”

“As you command. Is that all?”

I paused, “...“How long do you think we have before the Republic responds?”

Tuff’s photoreceptors darkened, “The Second Strike Division is already raiding the Agricultural Circuit south of Coruscant. There is no cause for concern; Commander Shive is extremely capable. If Coruscant does not respond soon, the Core Worlds will starve within the month.”

With the war shutting down many of the major hyperlanes from the agri-worlds in the Outer Rim, the Agricultural Circuit now supplies upwards of 80% of the Core Worlds’ imported meat and produce. Just south of Coruscant, the ‘Ag Circuit’ was a crescent-shaped region bordering the northern demarcation of the Deep Core, over a hundred agri-worlds starting from Cal-Seti in the west and Xorth in the west. If we wanted the GAR to notice us, strangling their food supplies would do more than any anaemic raid on Coruscant would. After all, Dua Ningo had already raided Coruscant, and I wasn't a copycat. Not to mention that sort of trick only works once.

All we had to do was sit tight, let fleeing Loyalists notify the wider galaxy of Empress Teta’s secession, raid the agricultural spacelanes, and wait for the GAR to react. Meanwhile, we’ll fortify Empress Teta to the teeth. It was efficient, and it was effective.

“Good,” I nodded firmly, “Thank you. Dismissed.”

Calli Trilm was raiding the Arrowhead, that I was sure of. It was an eight day hyperspace transit to Empress Teta, and that meant the 28th Mobile Fleet had been off the grid for a good week while the 19th Mobile Fleet was operating in the Galactic Interior. Since the local GAR Sector Fleet had recently departed Empress Teta, it could be surmised the 19th Mobile was the cause behind the act. Our job was now to draw the Sector Fleet back, in order to split some of the pressure.

Because unlike our comrades, we had a way out if things went awry. Right at this moment, the ‘4th Battle Division under Vinoc was retracing the hyperlane that took us here, capturing any obscure Republic worlds that laid on it. In fact, according to his report... his fleet had just discovered a world called Prakith.

[0530 hours] Discovered mass shadow on Nexus Route, preliminary scans indicate industrialised system at galactic coordinates -44.579, -88.820, -7.393 in grid square K-10. Will extract to investigate.

[0900 hours] Confirmed hostile star system. Data raid indicates GAR designation ‘Prakith System’.

[1402 hours] Launched coordinated attack on outer system installations. Enemy fleet presence confirmed near the third orbital body, designated ‘Prakith’.

[1846 hours] Ambushed main enemy fleet. Successfully neutralised two enemy battlecruisers and four heavy cruisers. Superficial damage taken. Pursuit ongoing.

[0230 hours] Enemy fleet jumped further south. We have declined to pursue further. Ground forces have been deployed to secure key enemy installations on ‘Prakith’. Moderate resistance; discovered incomplete fortifications and graving docks. Possibly interrupted an ongoing fortress world construction.

[1200 hours] Star system secured. Conducting mopping-up operations to identify and secure any remaining enemy assets and intelligence in-system. Data raid indicates location of ‘5th Deep Core Armada’ fleet headquarters in Odik System further south. Requesting additional support and reinforcements for assault.”

“What the...” I mumbled beneath my breath.

Vinoc conquered a budding fortress world with only fifty-one warships? But this was concerning indeed, because it confirmed further GAR presence deeper in the Core, and considering this mysterious ‘Odik System’ was to be found even further south, there was a high likelihood the GAR already charted the Nexus Route, if not entirely in its entirety. Still, it was an issue, because right now the Nexus Route was our only way out of here, and unless we secure all of it, the 5th Deep Core Armada could raise an interdiction net south of us and shut the door.

However, the Mining Guild also told us the vast majority of the 5th Armada went north, to fill the vacuum left by the Core Reserve Armadas. Considering how easily Diedrich and Vinoc were able to beat back the garrisons in the Deep Core, I was inclined to believe that. However, it only took a single interdiction mine to screw us all over. I pondered the feasibility of sending Vinoc what’s left of our limited resources to sustain his campaign for a long while, before finally deciding otherwise.

We only had just about two-hundred ships, though more were being folded into our ranks by the day, courtesy of the Tetan shipyards–the Koros Spaceworks–and volunteer vessels from the Tetan Guard and Mining Guild. Their loyalty was questionable, however, and I wasn’t inclined to dispatch them too far from Empress Teta. With a good fraction of our warships away raiding the Ag Circuit, I didn’t feel confident enough to overstretch our meagre forces chasing rumours in the Deep Core, and especially not with an impending Republic counterattack on the horizon.

I toggled the holoprojector to record my voice, “...Crying Sun, Chimeratica. Your orders are to hold position and complete the fortifications in the Prakith System. Erect an interdiction field and intercept any enemy forces attempting to travel back up the Nexus Route. Over.”

Opening Krett’s report next; it was a brief thing detailing his successes in the neighbouring star systems of the Koros Sector. Just as preying on economic trade routes was the sort of thing Horgo Shive seemed to excel at, it appeared diplomacy and negotiation was as much the Neimodian’s forte. With our ships stretched thin, he only had ten ships in his small squadron. But that was enough for him.

The worlds of Keeara Major, Symbia, and Kuar had all renewed their pledges of loyalty to the Tetan Monarchy under Krett’s pressure, confirming their status under Empress Teta’s sphere of influence and thus the Separatist Alliance. Five major systems and eleven worlds now flew the flag of the Confederate Hex in the Deep Core, the heart of Republic territory. A veritable hermit state in the most treacherous reaches of the known galaxy, right under the shadow of the supermassive black hole of the Galactic Center.

And most importantly, it was a hermit state that, technically, wasn’t separated from the rest of Confederacy at all. So long as the other end of the Nexus Route–Yag’Dhul–wasn’t compromised, trade and supplies could technically continue flowing into this new Separatist star sector. You know, coming into this whole Operation Starlance, if there was one thing I wasn’t expecting to do, it was nation-building in the Republic’s backyard.

Talk about making the most of a terrible situation.

I dispatched the last of my orders, and prepared to seek an audience with Emperor Alor Keto and his Mining Guild masters to secure further commitments. I had flirted with the idea of driving a wedge between the Tetan Monarchy and the Mining Guild, as the Mining Guild was affiliated with the wrong side of a growing Separatist schism. The Tetan Monarchy might be grateful for the help with dislodging the overwhelming corporate presence in their bountiful star system, and end up supporting the Raxus Government with its riches and influence.

On the other hand... I was a fleet commander and not a politician or court noble... cough.

In any case, I already had my hands full trying to build up our defences before the Republic came knocking in force. I’d rather not meddle with courtly politics and involve myself in a power struggle between a venerable monarchy and a galactic megacorporation. Besides, this branch of the Mining Guild was already as isolated from the rest of the Commerce Guild as they could be. The only news of the outside world they get is from the person who controls the only way out–which happens to be me.

The holoprojector blinked, chiming to alert me to an incoming communication. Curious, I accepted the transmission, and the stark figure of a Givin Dodecian appeared on my desk.

“Dodecian Illiet,” I greeted our chief astrogator, “News from the front?”

Dodecian Illiet was the commander of the forces who aided us in the final stages of the Battle of Yag’Dhul, and the commander of the seventy Wavecrest-class frigates the Body Calculus deigned to loan us. Since his frigates were most useful as scoutships, as soon as we made ourselves comfortable at Empress Teta, Illiet had taken his division–along with most of our intelligence frigates–to trailblaze alternative spacelanes out of the Deep Core, which would prove useful in the case that the Nexus Route ever gets compromised to say the least.

“We have discovered a possible alternative to the Nexus Route,” Illiet said immediately, forgoing the usual ‘greeting maths’, “It follows an old, collapsed hyperlane known as the Daragon Trail to Vulpter, from which we could jump to Xorth.”

“That would... put us out of the frying pan and into the fire,” I said, “Is there any other way?”

Dodecian Illiet could only give me a look of what I assumed was annoyance, “We were also investigating an interdiction checkpoint maintained south of Empress Teta, leading even deeper into the Core–”

Illiet’s hologram glitched, blinking in and out existence for a few seconds, indicating the poor connection. Illiet had taken our intel frigates and dropped them around the Deep Core in order to use as hypercommunication relays, as there would be no other way to communicate. In fact, I couldn’t contact Illiet at all, since his fleet was nowhere near any known relay and constantly on the move, not to mention the sheer astrogational chaos of being only 1500 parsecs away from a supermassive black hole.

“Where was that?” Barriss wondered. She heard it before.

“Thule,” the Selonian supplied.

“Thule,” she repeated. She hadn’t noticed when, but Iskat’s head was now lying peacefully upon her lap, cradled in the soft zeyd-cloth folds of her dress, “So what do you suggest, then?”

Heezo raised a furry eyebrow, “As if any of us could do something about it.”

“I can,” Barriss replied with more confidence than she thought she possessed, “I mean, I regularly talk to a Councilmember.”

“What, the spymaster?” Heezo asked doubtfully, “Really? Well, maybe you can convince her to assassinate Dooku. That should end the war. One old man for a whole lot of kids seems like a fair trade.”

The Selonian huffed, his chest-hair puffing, “But what do I know? I’m just a droid maintenance technician.”

Barriss glanced at the electrical panel hidden in the wall, “That doesn’t look like a droid.”

Heezo froze. There was a prickly shift to his fur that suggested she shouldn’t continue this line of questioning, which only told her that this was the right line of questioning to continue on. After all, she was not Iskat Akaris, and Heezo was not her friend.

“Haven’t you heard?” the Selonian returned breezily, “The Temple’s been short on hands ever since the war began. Hah... for most of us, double-duty it is.”

“Is that... so?”

The technician clapped his paws and hooked the false panel back onto the walls, insetting it so perfectly Barriss nearly forgot where it was in the first place. She tore her attention back to the Selonian, the furs on the back of his neck raised, despite the easy-going grin adorning his lips. It was clear that he wasn’t going to say any more unless prodded.

Barriss courted the idea of just... getting into his head. Literally. Heezo may have been a Jedi once, but he was also decades out of practice. It wouldn’t be too difficult to just... read his mind. Or his emotions, more exactly. Perhaps not exactly the Jedi way, but it was a way–and the fastest and simplest way–to get the answers she wanted.

But before she could act on her impulsive thoughts–there was a pulse in the air, as if someone had turned the volume of the universe, like the muteness following a whipcrack. The sounds of flowing water was gone, along with the rustling of flora and chatter of birds and critters. Barriss straightened in alarm, and Heezo’s fur snapped straight, the Selonian rising to his full height. Iskat stirred in her sleep.

And then the sounds came rushing back in like a water hammer, pounding her ear drums loudly.

Something just happened, Barris looked around instinctively, something terrible. Like a million voices screamed out and the universe stopped to listen.

Heezo glanced around, his ears upright and swivelling like a periscope, before he sighed and settled down, “Getting more violent, these things are. I mislike it.”

“More common?” Barriss inquired, not quite yet so sure of herself.

“...Well, I like to call ‘em ‘events’,” the Selonian hesitantly explained, “The war goes on like background noise for many of us, but when something so dreadful that could make even the Force flinch happens... we flinch with it. There was a parade of ‘events’ during Operation Trident’s Perlemian Offensive, small and minor ones that could give you gooseflesh... but after Eriadu, the Force stopped reacting.”

The technician chuckled morosely, “Or maybe, we just got too used to the noise. This was the first ‘event’ since Eriadu. Not as unsettling, but still noticeable.”

Barriss opened her mouth to reply, but her attention was stolen by a sudden chime found deep within her dress. Her comlink. It was muffled, and hardly audible, and she thought of pretending it wasn’t there..

But Heezo’s feline ears immediately perked up, “I’ll get out of your way, miss.”

“Hm,” Barriss fished the device out, humming and making no sign of her prior intentions, “It was a pleasure, Heezo.”

“...Any friend of Iskat is a friend of mine,” was all the Selonian had to say before he disappeared behind a vine-covered exit, likely leading into some maintenance corridor or the other.

Barriss felt the pressure remove from her lap as Iskat sat up, rubbing her eyes as she did so.

“Welcome back,” was all she said as she pressed down on the comlink, “Your friend was nice.”

“Barriss,” Master Adi Gallia’s voice was impatient, “Meet me at the funerary halls.”

Again? I thought that was a one-off thing.

Barriss glanced at Iskat, who was glaring daggers at the comlink as if it had personally insulted her, “Iskat’s with me. Should I bring her along?”

“...If she needs to stretch her legs.”

“I take offence to being treated like a restless dog,” Iskat’s gravelly voice said blandly, “Where are we going?”

“If you want to find out...” Master Gallia’s voice tailed off–and then cut, leaving the both of them on an uncomfortable high note.

“Well,” Iskat broke the strange silence, “Let’s not keep her waiting. Follow me.”

Instead of making for the brush back into the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Iskat marched straight for the hidden maintenance access Heezo just left through.

“Is it quicker this way?” Barriss questioned curiously.

“And unseen,” Iskat grinned, “I’ve made a habit of it. Not like there’s any rules against Jedi using the staff corridors. It also lets me escape the... the looks.”

She waved a hand forward, “Lead the way.”

The walk to the funerary chambers, as Iskat had promised, was swift and silent. Maybe Heezo had not been untruthful, when claimed there was a shortage of staff, for Barriss spied nobody in using the seemingly abandoned corridors deep within the Temple. And making out into the funerary chambers was even stranger, as Iskat peered through spyhole after spyhole–which Barriss imagined were used to ensure the rooms outside were empty–to pick the correct door to leave through.

Then they simply just... popped out of the wall.

Thankfully, this time there wasn’t a body on the altar. Just two Jedi Masters standing beside it. Looking at them. In surprise.

“...Surprise?” Iskat said weakly as the two Knights stared down Jedi Masters Adi Gallia and Plo Koon.

“Did you find anything in there?” the Tholothian Master questioned.

“...No?” Barriss answered hesitantly, “Were we supposed to?”

“Master Gallia’s asking whether she had done her job right,” Master Plo Koon clarified, not unkindly, a leathery four-fingered hand beckoning them closer, “Now that we have all gathered, Adi... may you enlighten us as to why this council make take place is such a... dreary location?”

“It’s the only place in which I’ve confirmed that there are no ears,” Master Gallia answered dryly, “Now, the mission.”

“Hold on,” Iskat interrupted, “Bode isn’t here?”

“You weren’t supposed to be here either.”

“Why’s Barriss getting special treatment?”

“Well if you would listen,” Adi Gallia emphasised, “You might just find out.”

Iskat Akaris closed her mouth.

“Now, as you might not have heard,” the Jedi Order’s resident spymaster continued, “Empress Teta has seceded from the Republic... maybe a week ago. Separatist ships are now raiding up and down the Agricultural Circuit, and I reckon we’ll all be on rations within the month.”

“...What?” Iskat pressed.

“Good. That means the HoloCommunications Commission is doing its job of suppressing information well,” the Jedi Master continued, “As such, we’ll be going on a... diplomatic mission to Empress Teta.”

“The... four of us?” Barriss wondered. She searched for any signs of discomfort in the two masters, signs they noticed the 'event' as Heezo called it. She found none, which shouldn't surprise her. They wouldn't be Jedi Masters if they could be moved so easily.

“The four of us,” Master Plo Koon confirmed.

“But why?”

“I’m the Jedi with the most diplomatic experience left in the Temple,” Master Gallia pointed out, “Iskat isn’t supposed to be here in the first place. And Master Plo is the only person to ever defeat the Battle Hydra in the field.”

“The Battle Hydra–” Barriss’ heart leapt.

“The Battle Hydra’s in the Deep Core!?” Iskat exclaimed, “That’s... not good.”

“Do we even have a fleet to take to Empress Teta?” Barriss asked.

“The Strategic Planning Amphitheatre had convened an emergency session,” Master Gallia explained, “Where Master Plo had requested a fleet to take to Empress Teta. While it’s true he nearly died at Metalorn, it’s also true that excluding Master Rancisis, he’s the only person to have ever defeated Rain Bonteri in his element. High Command couldn’t find a justification to say no. Especially not at the rate the war is going. Empress Teta’s the first, and soon, other worlds might follow in her footsteps. The Republic cannot show weakness.”

“...I’ll hazard a guess and assume this ‘diplomatic effort’ isn’t a GAR-sanctioned action,” Iskat Akaris sighed, “We’ll be stowaways?”

“You assume wrongly,” Master Plo replied, “High Command has every reason to prefer a peaceful resolution to an affair as fragile as the Tetan Secession. The Jedi will be taking full command of the task force, and I will only be present in case Admiral Bonteri declines a peaceful discussion, which I doubt would occur. He is in as terrible a situation as us.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” the Tholothian Jedi muttered.

“Then we are fortunate you are a diplomat and not a commander, Master Gallia.”

“But what will we negotiate about?” Iskat demanded, “With the Battle Hydra no less!”

“What else?” Jedi Master Adi Gallia smiled kindly, “We do need allies against our Sith Lord, and if Master Plo’s suspicions are correct, the Battle Hydra might just know who he is. The Supreme Chancellor might tell you otherwise, but I find this situation quite the lucky break for us. We can do away with all that tedious investigation and go straight to the answer.”