Dawn of Forever, Part XXVI

Lando found Garak in the Death Star's "War Room," which was little more than the control center for the superlaser. The Cardassian seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. "Ah, Calrissian," Garak said as he turned upon Lando's arrival. "I do hope you're here to tell me we're finished on schedule."

Lando handed Garak a datapad. "All systems are operational," he said. "They're not pretty, but they'll do the job."

"That's all that's required," Garak said.

"I took the liberty of programming a course to an unoccupied system," Lando said. "A test firing would help to ensure-"

"No time for tests, I'm afraid," Garak said. "We have some work to do."

"There's no guarantee this thing is going to work right," Lando said. "A hypermatter reactor's a very delicate piece of machinery, and all official info is classified. My men have had to teach themselves how to make it work."

"Yes, this is a wonderful story," Garak said, "but let's skip to the happily ever after. This station is going to fire on our primary target. If things have gone wrong, then I guess we'll find out at that time, and you can explain your failure to the Oracle."

"Assuming we don't blow ourselves up," Lando muttered.

"Well, that's all the more reason to make this shot count," Garak said. "New course, Calrissian."

"And where would that be, Garak?"

Garak gave him that smile. "If you have a one-shot hold-out blaster, you always aim for your enemy's heart, yes? Set course for Chandrilla."

Another squad of stormtroopers got in Ben and Molly's way. Lightsabers swung, blaster bolts were fired, and soon a heap of plastoid armored-bodies were left lying on the floor. They got to the turbolift and hit the call button. They were wary as it arrived, but it was empty. The two stepped inside. If the Imperials shut down the lift, they could easily cut their way out and escape another way.

Still, caution was necessary. Even a Sith wasn't invulnerable, and carelessness could leave them in a situation where numbers would overcome their Dark Force powers. As the lift stopped he hit the door override, locking it shut. "What are you doing?" Molly asked, but Ben gestured for her to be quiet and step aside. He lit both his lightsaber and swung at the door repeatedly, cutting it without slicing all the way through until there was a mesh-like pattern on the interior. He shut down the blades and hooked them to his belt, then held his hands before him and concentrated.

The Imperials were waiting, weapons at the ready. What they didn't expect was for the door to explode outward with heavy shrapnel, piercing the gaps between the stormtrooper armor and putting men down. Almost instantly Ben leapt through the opening and somersaulted, igniting both blades as he twirled through the air and slicing through the troopers before his feet even touched the ground. He sliced through those unfortunate enough to be within reach, then brought both sabers around together like a baseball swing and caught the blast from the E-web, sending it right back into the weapon and causing it to explode. Molly rushed out of the turbolift and quickly joined the fray, and soon another pile of dead troopers was left behind.

The two sprinted into the launch bay; technicians were about, but no one dared try to stop the Sith. They climbed aboard an H-Wing fighter, lifted off, and raced out of the docking bay. Ben spun the ship wildly to evade the tractor beams and turbolasers that tried to hit them, pushing the throttle all the way while Molly programmed the nav computer. Before the Defiance could get an interdictor field set up, the ship had vanished into hyperspace.

When there was no response by anyone inside the safe room, the Defiance's acting captain ordered the room cut open. It took four hours, since the room had been built to avoid being broken into, but as they opened the door they realized all the effort was for nothing. All three occupants lay dead, including General Taar. The smell of burnt flesh still hung in the air.

The acting captain stepped in and shook his head. There was nowhere to hide, no other way in or out. Yet somehow someone had gotten in, killed them, and gotten out. They'd even killed Taar's pet and tossed it away, though he didn't have the faintest idea why. The medical personnel loaded the corpses into body bags while he looked about, still wondering how this was possible. No transporter could penetrate those walls.

One of the Sith entered Annika's cell, grabbed her arm, and half-dragged her out. She was pushed into the Oracle's lab, where the Sith master was observing things on her monitors. "Seven," she said, without turning to face her. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"The answer is still no, captain," Annika said.

The Oracle sighed. "The more you change, Seven, the more you remain the same stubborn drone I found in my sickbay. Still, there is some time left for you, and I thought a personal demonstration might convince you of the wisdom of accepting my offer." She waved a hand, and the screens all changed to different views of the same thing. "General Taar is dead," she said as they watched the corpse being taken through the halls of some Imperial ship. "Along with much of his command staff. The military may have a hierarchy, Seven, but things are very confusing for them right now."

"The military junta was a mistake anyway," Annika said with a dismissive shrug. "And I never really cared for Taar anyway. His anti-Borg prejudice rubbed me the wrong way."

"And then there's this," the Oracle said, ignoring Annika's comments. The images of Taar were replaced by those of- "Chandrilla. Still technically the capital of the Empire, still potentially able to prop up that corrupt government. It also is home to the rear command Taar set up to take over the military in the event of an emergency - I suppose this would qualify." She seemed fascinated by the images of the planet. "I realize that this may have become cliche, Seven, but the planet really does have to go."

"Is that so," Annika said. "And since when do you have a superlaser?"

The Oracle gave a slight shrug. "For a while now, Seven." She smiled a little as the blood drained from Annika's face. "I've told you that you cannot hope to deny me, Seven. Perhaps this will wake you up to how pointless it is to oppose me, and how wise you would be to become my ally." The image of a Death Star appeared on the screen, traveling through hyperspace. It was woefully incomplete, but the dish for the superlaser was obviously finished and no doubt operational.

"Captain," Annika said quickly, "think about what you're doing. There are billions of people on that planet. You'll be killing countless innocents, just to satisfy your desire for revenge."

"Revenge? This is about far more than that, Seven. This is about that unity that Ben Sisko used to drone on endless about. The galaxies will be re-united under me, and the beginning of an unending, ordered society will finally begin. The birth of the new Federation will not be painless, Seven, but it will still come to be, whatever the price."

On board the Defiance, the medical droid opened the body bag to begin the post-mortem examination of the guard. The room was completely empty of anyone else; the number of dead left by the Sith had required converting one of the larger facilities into a makeshift morgue, and most of the medical personnel were there putting pieces together. That's why no one heard its squeal before a lightsaber rose up and stuck it through the chest.

Alema Rar pulled herself out of the body bag and began removing the guard's uniform. It didn't fit well at all, but it helped her maintain the illusion even while they had been loading her. The disadvantage, however, was that she had had to incinerate her clothing along with the other guard's body, leaving her with only the essentials. Still, the plan had worked, reinforcing Alema's belief that aligning with the Oracle had been the right move.

There was, of course, a bit of regret. Taar had caused a great deal of trouble for the Vong, which made him an ally as far as Alema was concerned. But if the Oracle said he must die, then that was the end of the matter. No matter what she felt, she had to obey her master.

Senator Alixus had had little work to do of late. With the military seizing control and more and more information being funneled around her Chandrilla military contacts, there wasn't much she could do to aid her allies in the Vong. It was an unfortunate turn, because it seemed the Vong needed help more than ever.

Alarms sounded, which didn't make much sense. The Vong were losing, and the front was on the other side of the galaxy. Alema got up and went into the Senate antechamber. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"Incoming anomaly," someone said. "Large hyperspace imprint, they don't know what it is yet, but they're not taking any chances." Alixus headed over to one of the terminals nearby, flashed her authorization to it, and information began to display. What were they up to? she wondered.

Alema Rar was on all of the monitors. "General Taar is dead, my master."

"I have seen it," the Oracle said. "Very good work. You are proving a most worthy apprentice, Alema."

"Thank you, master."

"Find your way off the ship," the Oracle said. "Use your illusion abilities to assist you, but try to be subtle. Security is heightened in the wake of Skywalker's attack, so you must be careful. You are not yet as powerful as him, and he was not acting alone. A direct confrontation may be too much."

"A Sith works from strength," Alema repeated. "In this case, stealth is my strength."

"Very good." The monitors flickered and Alema was replaced by Chandrilla. "And now for the main event," the Oracle mused.

"Captain, you've beaten Taar," Annika pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"

"Yes, I do," the Oracle said. "The rear command or the civilian government could still recover, and that cannot be allowed. Besides, the true damage will be the act itself. It's a Death Star, Seven. Who but the Empire could possibly have one, and who but the Imperial military could use it against the civilian government that threatens their control? You thought there was disorder before? The military will find every civilized world in open rebellion against them, and with the military itself already divided by the lack of central leadership, they will collapse again into fractured mini-nations, where the only control is that which can be taken by force. They can't hope to accomplish that and oppose the Vong at the same time." She smiled, though Annika found it to be rather unpleasant "After so very, very long, they will finally pay for what they've done."

"Captain, please! You can't do this!"

"I am the Oracle. For me, there is no such thing as 'can't.'" She walked towards the monitor. "But here is a small gesture on my part to show you I'm trying to bridge this gap you've erected between us." The images changed again. "Senator Alixus fed information to Nom Anor, and the Vong, and was responsible for the insects that created the Yun-Yammka." She turned back to Annika. "And let's not forget that her actions caused your son to become a wanted man. That was the key to his downfall on Wormhole Station, remember. Since she's of no further use to me, I've decided I'll give you the pleasure of watching her die."

Annika shook her head. "What kind of twisted creature have you become, captain?"

"Spare me," the Oracle said.

Annika nodded towards the image of Alixus. "And this is how you treat your allies? Why do you think watching you betray them is going to convince me to become one myself?"

"Alixus' agenda is counter to mine," the Oracle said. "Like Nom Anor's, and Garak's, for that matter. They will have to be removed eventually. But I've already said that your fate would be banishment rather than death. None of them would ever accept such an offer, and they would oppose me eventually. Best to get the messy business done with as soon as possible."

"Captain-"

"Shh!" the Oracle said, holding up her hand. "I've waited a long time for this. I want to savor the moment."

The Death Star emerged into space over Chandrilla. The local security was immediately mobilizing, but they didn't have a chance of stopping it in time. "Very nice work, Calrissian," Garak said with a nod of approval. "Very good. You and your people have done a fantastic job with our little battlestation." Lando said nothing; he couldn't take his eyes off the view of Chandrilla through the window. "This is really your baby, isn't it. Go ahead, you say it."

Lando finally tore his eyes away and looked at Garak. "What?"

Garak smiled. "You give the order."

Lando stared, then looked back at Chandrilla. "No," he said, but it was more like an escaping sigh than anything else.

"Give the order," Garak said firmly. Lando's mouth was dry. For so long he'd fought against the Empire, and now the most horrible moment of his life was when he had it at his mercy. "Do it," Garak said, and his tone made it clear that things would become even more unpleasant if he refused. Lando knew what it was about, it was about Lando always knowing his culpability in this, so that he could never delude himself into thinking it was Garak's doing. He'd re-built this thing; he had no one to hold responsible for what it did but himself.

Lando cleared his throat. "Commence primary ignition," he ordered, as if he'd just asked someone to slit his own throat.

On the planet, Senator Alixus looked at the image of the Death Star on the display. Her stomach had knotted into a fist of rage at the sight of it. If there was ever a symbol for her greatest hate, the artificial moon was it. And despite the strength of her humanity, there was nothing she could do about it. She spat at the image, taking at least the small pleasure of despising it before it did its work.

"Captain, please stop this!" Annika said.

"Hush, child," the Oracle said. "Listen for the sound of an era ending."

Switches were flipped, buttons were pushed, and inside the powerful hypermatter reactor, unfathomable energies were released. They passed through the conduits to the surface of the Death Star, then converged on a single point, where energy built up. The green energy beam then lanced out and struck the planet.

In less than half a second, a quarter century of unity was brought to a sudden, violent, and irreversible end.

Go To Part XXVII
Back to Dawn of Forever