The festivities on Bogden's third moon were far and away removed from those occurring on Shuttle Obsidian. Corrin Dax had managed to successfully pilot the shuttle away from the Vigilant Warden and make the jump to hyperspace as the battle was joined between the Rebels and those that Critus had brought under his control. If that had been all, that would have been suitable enough. Dax, however, was not the only passenger aboard Obsidian.
He was, however, by far the most emotionally stable.
"We're going to raise an entire fleet and raze that damned Cluster to the ground!" Ayro was ranting and raving as he sat in the seat behind Dax.
"Of course, sir." Dax said, working at the terminal.
"I'm going to tear the soul out of every stinking one of those Rebels, then go back and crack down on that damned Pergitor for a start!" Maltus Ayro fumed as his enraged babbling continued. Dax just quietly continued to pilot, leading up to the point where the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and right into the Azure sector. The purple, green, and gray orb before them marking them as having entered orbit of- "Anaxes?" Ayro questioned. "Why are we at Anaxes?"
"Orders from Grand Admiral Syn, sir." Dax said, showing him the monitor with the orders in question as transmitted through the holonet. "If you'd like to contest them-"
"No." Ayro said tersely, slumping back into his seat with a scowl. No reason to rattle the chain, even if he wished to go to Coruscant itself and appeal to the Emperor. The Minos Cluster had to be regained and controlled. There was no other option.
"Shuttle Obsidian. Transmit your clearance codes and prepare to dock."
"Acknowledged." Dax said. The shuttle coasted toward a Star Destroyer, the Retribution, and docked with it. Met by an officer, the pair were taken up to the briefing room. For the first time since this horrible business had gone so bad, Ayro finally felt a bit more centered and confident. Finally, they were going to get the resources needed to take back the Cluster. They took a lift up to the room, opening out into the corridor and then journeying down to the room, where the officer that had greeted them ushered them in.
Before them were seated a group of six Imperial officers - no one below the rank of Captain. Odd for a ship to have so many aboard.
"High Admiral Ayro, please have a seat." The one in the center, and Admiral, sat, his seat towering above even the other five men. Ayro did so, moving to a seat in the center of the room. It was then that he realized what this was. "This is meeting of the Imperial Tribunal to discuss the ultimate status and fate of one Maltus Ayro. Admiral Detrix presiding as proxy to Grand Admiral Syn."
"A tribunal?" Ayro shot up from his chair. "This is outrageous!"
"The accused will remain seated." Detrix said. "Lieutenant Corrin Dax, you are called as witness."
"Lieutenant?" Ayro shouted.
"The accused will remain silent unless addressed." Detrix intoned. Dax approached, and Ayro realized the man's plack had only the squares to mark the rank of Lieutenant. Ayro's face reddened.
"Thank you, Admiral Detrix." Dax said. "I have, as per my instructions, monitored and gathered information concerning Admiral Maltus Ayro over the last six months, detailing an extensive network of transactions enacted between his own personage and other parties outside of the spectrum of the Imperial Navy."
"Declare them for the court, if you please." Detrix said.
"The Admiral has had regular contact and collaboration with the criminal cartel known as the Gauntlet as well as the Rebel Alliance." Dax intoned.
"Not guilty!" Ayro spat.
"One more sound, Admiral, and you will be found in contempt of court." Detrix slammed his spherical gavel against its podium. "Lieutenant Dax, please continue."
"High Admiral Ayro has also demonstrated a total lack of regard for the citizens of our great Empire, even to the point of not only allowing genocide, but enacting it as he did upon the Pergitor city known as Gehenna." Dax said. "He also has communicated to me his intentions to do likewise to the rest of the planet and to the rest of the Cluster. I offer into evidence this quotation by the Admiral spoken not one hour ago."
"I'm going to tear the soul out of every stinking one of those Rebels, then go back and crack down on that damned Pergitor for a start!"
"Dax! YOU SLIME!" Ayro shouted.
"Damning evidence on the whole." Detrix went on regardless. "Conspiracy to betray the Emperor. Conspiracy against the Empire. Possession of forbidden artifacts. Weaponizing against the Empire. Weaponizing illegal Jedi artifacts against the Empire. Genocide on Imperial civilians. I believe the case is very clear cut."
"No, I-"
"Given the Admiral's unfortunate passing during the military confrontation at Karideph, his record is to be posthumously altered."
"Altered?! POSTHUMOUSLY?!" Ayro shouted.
"It is the decision of the Grand Admiralty that Maltus Ayro is hereby stripped of rank and his attempts to betray our glorious Empire are to be branded on his record forever. What say you, Tribunal? The other five men, one by one, raised their hand...and lowered their thumb toward the floor. "The measure passes."
"This...this can't be..." Ayro's rage dissipated, his heart thundering in his chest. White noise flooded his ears as he felt himself staggering to stay upright. His career, his entire existence...wiped out with just a few breaths. An Imperial Tribunal...there was nothing he could do. He had been played. "I...I have given my whole life to the Empire...I..."
"Because of the unique nature of the former Admiral's crime, sentence is thus." Detrix said. "As is fitting with the official record, execution." The Admiral leaned forward, smirking at the panicked Ayro. "And I don't mind telling you, this one comes from the Emperor himself." Ayro panicked even further, feeling his throat closing up on...on...no, but it was! It felt as though a hand had closed around his neck and was squeezing it tightly.
"I...can...not..." He clawed at his throat, hoping to wrench away whatever hand had clasped around it, but it was to no avail. All of a sudden, the pressure stopped, and he fell to the ground coughing hard from the bottom of his lungs as he gasped for the air he had been robbed of. As he lay there, on the floor catching his breath, another sound came to his ears. A low, deep hiss followed by a sharp zap and an ethereal hum of energy contained within a crimson bar.
"No...no, no please!" were the last words and the last thoughts of the man who had been called Maltus Ayro, his last sound a scream just before a bar of plasma tore through his body, from his head down to his feet in one clean slice.
* * *
The days after the festivities were met with the normal drudgery, or whatever passed for "normal", in the Rebel Alliance. Assignments were given, items to be packed up and people to be moved on ships to wherever they were to go next. Such as it was for Calen, who had very few scant belongings, mostly only what he could carry on his back plus a medal that he had in a small box. He gazed upon it as he packed it into a bag.
"Attention, Captain." Niyasa's voice got his attention.
"Hey, I still outrank you." Calen said, laughing a bit as he nonetheless stood up to greet his fellow Force Sensitive.
"Wanna Force Arm Wrestle for that?" Niyasa beamed, the bird woman teasing.
"Not on your life." Calen smiled. "Good to see you."
"I thought I'd come by to tell you I'm getting reassigned." Niyasa said. "All of us are, I think."
"Where duty calls, I guess." Calen nodded. "I'll miss you."
"And I you, my friend." Niyasa reached down into the satchel at her side, pulling out a familiar cube, holding it out to him. "That's why I want you to have this." Calen took the holocron carefully, examining it closely.
"Why?" Calen asked.
"Because you need to learn, too." Niyasa said. "There's a lot that can still be learned from that thing. I think you've more than earned first crack at it." Calen looked at it, thinking this over, then shook his head and handed it back to her.
"Keep it. Maybe you'll find more people like us out there." Calen said. "They'll need to learn, too."
"I...suppose you're right." Niyasa nodded, one claw running through her plumage as she put the holocron back in her satchel. "Who knows? By the end of this war, maybe we will finally have our...Lost Knights..."
"Oh, so now you like it!" Calen grinned.
"Not on your life." Niyasa intoned, both sharing a smile. Someone else poked their head through the door, Tessa.
"Oh, sorry...I'll come back." Tessa said, dipping back out. Niyasa looked from her to Calen again.
"She's getting reassigned, too." The Mrlssi told him.
"Oh..." Calen said, that thought hitting him. "I guess I should go talk to her..."
"Yeah, you probably should." Niyasa said, nodding as Calen stepped out into the corridor. Calen saw Tessa heading down it, her own gear packed up and her pack slung over her back. She was on her way.
"Tessa! Tessa!" Calen called after her and she turned.
"I'm...really not good at goodbyes." Tessa said as she looked to him. She was clearly conflicted, and Calen had a feeling that seeing Niyasa was there had made her lose her nerve. Whatever it was that she might have said.
"I just...wanted to talk." Calen said. "Before we all leave. About...what happened on the Warden, when you-"
"Don't." Tessa raised a hand to stop him. "If...if we get through this. Through this war, we can talk about it then. I promise." It was clear she didn't wish to discuss it any further, a closed door...at least for the time being.
"Okay..." Calen nodded. "I guess we better get through this war, then."
"Right." Tessa nodded. "I'll, uh...I'll be seeing you." She started off down the corridor again, only getting about ten feet before she suddenly stopped, throwing her pack off of her back and turning on her heel. "What the hell? One for the space lanes?" She approached him, and Calen met her lips in another kiss - this one a great deal less one-sided. After that all too brief eternity, their lips parted and they looked at each other.
"Try not to die out there, alright?" Calen asked her softly.
"I'll do my best." Tessa replied. "May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you." The two shared a smile as they parted company, Tessa heading down the corridor. Niyasa, having come out of Calen's room, patted his leg as she passed, going with her.
"So, that took you long enough!" She said to Tessa as the pair made their way out toward the hangar.
"Oh, shut up!" Tessa scoffed. Calen, though, was grinning ear to ear as he walked away in the other direction.
Calen Darkhaven will return.
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