Mirrthful

Chapter 43

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

Padmé Amidala hoped she looked more composed than she felt as she and the rest of the Republic delegation followed an aide into the great hall of Ov Taraba–Onderon’s largest and oldest university. History seemed alive in these walls, with a gentle breeze whistling through carved stone arches like wandering spirits. Murals and busts of ancient kings and heroes gazed down upon them, as if in judgement of worthiness.

...

Chapter 42

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

There was a sight, from a hill not far from a small monastery, overlooking a forested valley. It was the sight of the magnificent Kira Fortress, melded into the side of a three-spire mountain, aglow with the golden lights from thousands of tall arches sculpted into the stone that served as windows and the hundreds of balconies that sprang from them. It was the sight of rolling waves of dull steel, crashing against the walls like a seawe...

Chapter 41.5

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

It felt like nary a handful of hours before dawn was climbing over the rooftops again, and streets already busy with the morning life of the markets. Scout was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she strode through the Onderonian palace’s stone corridors, with Ahsoka hurrying to keep up beside her. It was the first official day of the summit, and both sides were hoping to set off on the right foot with the prisoner exch...

Chapter 41

Coruscant, Coruscant System
Corusca Sector

It was not long after the departure of the senatorial delegation did Yoda receive peremptory summons from the Office of the Supreme Chancellor.

The reason for the summon was without explanation, but conveyed all due urgency with the lack of protocol-approved language accepted and expected for such communications. Regardless, it wasn't a meeting he anticipated with any kind of pleasure. More and more of late it seemed the Jedi ...

Chapter 40

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

Saw wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t deny that Steela has always been the clever one between the two of them, but that didn’t mean he was dumb. Saw and his sister, they were raised as hunters, and you don’t survive for weeks in the wilds if without learning quickly. Steela planned the hunting, and Saw did the hunting. But improvisation was the necessary skill, and he picked it up the first time he stared down a mother grefna ...

Chapter 39

Coruscant, Coruscant System
Corusca Sector

“Isn’t it remarkable, that one can have all the power in the galaxy… and yet, the words of a single senator can sway the thoughts of trillions?”

The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic was standing by the vast transparisteel window behind his desk, soberly gazing at the endlessly complicated ribbons of traffic seething across Coruscant's cityscape. Hearing the muffled shuffle of footsteps on the velvet...

Chapter 38

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

Scout expected it to be colder. Well, she honestly didn’t know what she expected–she had never ridden a dragon before, after all. Steam curled from the warbeast’s armoured hide, every powerful beat of its wings like a climbing and descending an entire mountain in the span of seconds. She snuggled herself into an uncomfortable spot between the spines, white-knuckled grip around the frayed ropes that criss-crossed the body...

Chapter 37

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

In the shade of low-hanging eaves, Steela Gerrera only had a single thought running through her mind; we were too late. Or rather, they were supposed to have more time. For the first time in four-thousand years, the skies above Iziz were made darker by the smog of war. Brutal Separatist cruisers hung from the clouds, just as murders of warbeasts weaved in and out of their ranks, each and every swooping dive ripping up...

Chapter 36

Onderon, Japrael System
Japrael Sector

Iziz. The oldest, largest, greatest, and perhaps the only city of Onderon, as far as the galaxy was concerned. But there were more–many, many more–hiding away in the impenetrable wilds of the planet. Most were Beast Rider settlements–descendants of criminals who were exiled from the walls of Iziz. Most perished in the thousands of years following, but I think the Beast Riders themselves would prefer the phrase �...

Chapter 35

Orbit of Vorzyd V, Vorzyd System
Vorzyd Sector

The Harbinger was a beautiful ship. Scout watched as Master Skywalker lingered under the viewports–a rare, unguarded expression gracing his face as he trailed his gloved fingers along each and every shiny and flat surface of his flagship’s bridge. The surfaces Scout had slaved away every night since her assignment to memorise and learn, until she could draw their internal circuitry on the back of her hand....

Chapter 34

Boz Pity, Boz Pity System
Halla Sector

Boz Pity; a nondescript world just north of the western horn of Hutt Space. In this frontier region between Republic, Separatist, and Hutt Space, borders were more of a suggestion than a rule, and most star sectors acted more or less as bookkeeping labels, as most planets were self-governing or lawless. While many astrographers colour this slice of space in Hutt green, worlds like Chalacta–which was arguably a Hutt tributary–also po...

Chapter 33

Raxus Secundus, Raxus System
Caluula Sector

“This session has been convened today to debate and decide on the confirmation of the Sovereign System of Onderon’s nomination for the office of the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Armies.”

Bec Lawise’s ritual opening statement was a calm spell that descended on the Separatist Senate, mellowing out otherwise explosive arguments and debates into civil sobriety. His was the guiding hand that has steered the ...

Chapter 32

Columex Approach, Columex System
Vorzyd Sector

Columex’s hyper-junction is going to be inoperable for weeks, if not months.

That was what I thought. There was probably enough scrap in the star system to build the Death Star from scratch. Scrappers were already laying into the thick of it, like vultures and rats. Sanctioned scrappers, of course, who were only allowed to access Republic vessels. Their double-duty was to pluck out any survivors–prisoners of w...

Battle of Columex Infobox

And here is one for the Battle of Columex, which was in the last two chapters. Below is, again, a wiki infobox of the battle. Each marker represents around 50 ships. Casualties are inclusive of both destroyed/killed and captured/POWs.

Battle of Centares Infobox

Just a little something for you all as thanks for sticking with me all this while. Below is a wiki infobox  of the battle for your convenience. Each marker represents around 20 ships. Casualties are inclusive of both destroyed/killed and captured/POWs.

Chapter 31

Somewhere in Hyperspace
Auril Sector

Sev'rance Tann watched the swirling chaos of hyperspace dance beyond Negotiator’s viewport impassively. How many times has she seen this exact view before? The sky-walker knew, better than anyone, of the beauty of hyperspace. And the horrors. The horrors of travelling off the beaten path, most especially. She could almost see them in her mind’s eye.

But in Lesser Space, the beaten paths were many and eminent. The Chiss ...

Chapter 30

Columex Approach, Columex System
Vorzyd Sector

“Oh kriffing shit,” Counter Admiral Diedrich Greyshade of the Commonality Joint Defense Fleet said to himself very, very quietly as the claxons howled around his ship. The sandwich in his hand had disintegrated inside his fist, plates left half-eaten on the mess tables as his crew stared up at the wailing sirens blankly, as if this was the first time they had ever heard them ring.

That wasn’t true...

Chapter 29

Orbit of Columex, Columex System
Vorzyd Sector

Diedrich Greyshade had made an oath of duty, to serve Columex, and the greater Commonality, to the best of his ability. Simon Greyshade, on the other hand, swore no oaths other than to himself, in his relentless pursuit of personal power.

That said, Diedrich had never considered them to be at odds. He, however, was under no illusions. The only reason Simon Greyshade does not cross the Commonality for his own gain is becaus...

Chapter 28

Orbit of Columex, Columex System
Vorzyd Sector

The was a large luxury liner orbiting tightly around Columex, named the Salin Mariner. The poor thing was on one of its routine itineraries from Salin to Botajef to Lianna and back when it found itself commandeered by the Joint Security Forces while transiting through Columex on its return journey. Mostly because there was a war on.

The JSF has since converted the liner into something of its fleet headquarters. Th...

Chapter 27

Centares, Centares System
Maldrood Sector

I handed the tablet back to hare, feeling a sense of perverse satisfaction. But that was the reality of this galactic order, that not even the idealism of the Separatist Alliance could cure. Politics will remain corruptible–if not always with money–no matter in the Bronze Age or Space Age. Nobody can fix it. Least I could do was exploit the disease for reasons better than others, if not totally unselfishly.

But as the days ...

Chapter 26

Jeyell Departure, Jeyell System
Roche Sector

In the deep abyss of space, starry eyes watched the pair of droid destroyers lurking like leviathans beneath the solar plane, silent as death itself. There was a herd of twenty-seven supply cruisers 300,000 klicks above them relative to the solar plane. Old and slow, with engines so weak they had to travel out much further to escape the gravity well. The Republic knew that too, and rigged them with enough weapons to hold off any p...