Chapter Fifty-One
A Call to Arms
The first echoes of conflict reverberated through the city streets, a symphony of distant blasterfire and the low hum of machinery. Soldiers, clad in high-tech urban warfare gear, moved stealthily through the shadows of towering crystalline structures, their footsteps muffled by the strange energy radiating from all sides of the geode.
The opening salvo erupted with a blinding flash as a barrage of energy projectiles streaked across the cityscape. The crystalline formations absorbed and refracted the beams so that mesmerizing light displays flashed through the air. Buildings shimmered with flame as the combatants engaged in a deadly dance within the fractured urban terrain. Within hours of Chulok’s formal attack, the mayor’s enforcers had abandoned any pretense of loyalty and joined with Chulok’s fighters.
Sniper teams perched on crystalline spires, their high-powered rifles gleaming in the ambient light. From hidden alcoves, special forces units emerged, utilizing the refractive properties of the crystal structures for cover as they advanced. The city echoed with the staccato rhythm of automatic gunfire and the sharp reports of explosive ordnance.
Within this surreal battleground, combatants wove through alleyways and engaged in close-quarters skirmishes. The air buzzed with the clash of energy-based weapons and the unmistakable thud of boots against glassy surfaces.
And through it all, some citizens cowered…while others knew this was the moment they had awaited.
packed that night. Filled with frightened, angry, curious citizens, people who didn’t know what was going on or people who’d had a bad experience with the troops and policing forces. Those troops were now crawling through the streets, searching homes and alleys for some supposed Jedi.
Several of the mercenaries came into the Wheelhouse and confronted Vin-Vin. One said, “We understand that this Mace Windu has been accustomed to taking dinner at your establishment.”
“Yesss, that’s true,” Vin-Vin said.
“Didn’t you notice anything unusual about him?”
“Not particularly. Just ssseemed like another merc looking for a way to turn mussscle into gold.”
The soldier’s flat, spiked face puffed with anger. “I’m not sure I like that answer.”
The reptilian’s expression was studiedly neutral, but he leaned over the bar until the puffer stepped back, flustered. “Well I’m sssorry, sssir. I’m sssimply telling the truth. I meant no offencsse.” Something in the back of Vin-Vin’s yellow eyes told the soldier that this was not a conversation he wanted to continue.
“We’ve watched you for a while,” the puffer said. “You be sure you toe the line.”
“I will. Thank you very much, sssir.”
The soldier nodded brusquely and left. The bar’s conversation level slowly began to rise again as people returned to their previous behaviors. The music, the food, the drinks, and the gambling all continued, but there was an air of anticipation. They were waiting for something.
And that something didn’t take long to happen: Maya-12 walked through the door.
She scanned the room, satisfied herself, and then nodded to someone behind her. Maya-8 and Maya-14 followed her in, three droids who seemed to know exactly what they wanted and were prepared to do whatever it took to make it happen.
So. If the rumors had been right, then the Solver had been rather busy. Vin-Vin could not help but smile. Even the worst luck eventually changes. Every gambler counted on that.
Today, rather than lying back or sitting with her sisters, Maya-12 stood by the bar, Maya-8 and Maya-14 flanking her.
“Listen to me,” she said. “You all know what is happening. I’m here to tell you that the worst of your fears is the best you can expect if you do not act, and act now.
“Something terrible happened to those who came down from the surface fifty years ago. It happened so rapidly in some ways, but so gradually in others, that we never had a chance to compensate. We believed Sybil’s and Chulok’s lies, that we were powerless against their might. Perhaps you’ve wished for an opportunity, dreaming of a time to act with courage.
“I’m here to tell you that this is that time. This is that moment. There is an ally and he is helping us. He has been among us for weeks. He called himself Solver. He is actually Mace Windu, a great Jedi.”
“Where is this great Jedi?” one of the customers called, triggering a murmur.
“It would not be safe for me to be specific about that.” A groan from the assembled. “But I do know that he has a role for us, and if you are willing to stand up now, this is the time. If you don’t stand up now, do not tell your children later on that you cared or that you fought.
“Whatever you would have them believe you did, do it now. And I say to you that if you will trust me, I will tell you. I will keep you connected to those who are fighting below, fighting for their lives. What you can do up above is split the attention of our enemies. Do it so they cannot unite and bring all their forces to bear. There’s a way for you to do this safely. If you will follow me, I will tell you.”
There was an interruption in the chatter as they turned to look at one another, and themselves, and perhaps inside their own hearts. Vin-Vin found it difficult to hear those words without feeling the beat of war drums.
He had been a baby when his parents fled into the Glass Abyss. He barely remembered the surface. Had no memory of the daytime sky. His bones ached to be free of these soulless bastards.
He barely remembered his parents. Even the mental images of his brother and sister, who had died protecting him, had grown misty.
This holodroid Maya and her sisters reminded him of what they must have been, of the courage that had coursed through his family’s veins. And if he could summon a fraction of this droid’s courage, fortitude, and intelligence, this might indeed be the moment when they could strike back. That moment when they could redeem themselves. The cowards among them could find courage, the weak among them be strong.
Behind his ironshroom bar, Vin-Vin kept his great hammer, used mostly to pacify unruly drunks. It was time it had another use. He slammed it down on the bar and said, “I will stand with her! I will stand with Maya! Who will stand with me?”
One at a time, every man and woman in that bar stood, except for a little furry Ballian who attempted to sneak out.
“Grab him!” a woman screamed. Vin-Vin recognized her as Maisie—a dark-skinned woman who was new to the bar, one who had sat silently in a corner, losing herself in a drink. No one had disturbed her, or really noticed her, until she leapt and grabbed the Ballian, thumping him to the ground. “My own brother.” Maisie’s voice dripped with contempt.
“Keep him in the back until thisss isss over,” Vin-Vin hissed, his forked tongue darting. “We cannot afford betrayal.”