The Emerald King - Consequences of your actions. (Patreon)

Luminara Undulli, En route to Mirial

“Do you understand the nature of the exercise, Knight Tachi?” said Luminara while levitating, fully focused on meditation.

“Yes, Master,” said the young human, trying to concentrate and failing in the attempt.

It was evident that the young Tachi was out of balance.

“Are you alright, Ciri? You have been completely distracted during the entire journey,” said Luminara, noticing the embarrassed expression on the young knight’s face.

“I’m sorry, Master Undulli, it’s just that… Knight Kenobi left the temple toward Naboo, on a mission assigned by Master Yoda, and I can’t help but worry,” said the young woman.

Luminara simply nodded calmly, unable to fully understand the young one’s concern, but not judging her either.

“I understand, but you should not worry, Knight Kenobi is quite skilled, with a calm temperament and a not insignificant ability with the lightsaber, he is a very capable man,” said the Mirialan with complete confidence in her companion.

Obi-Wan had earned a great reputation as an excellent warrior, first against the Sith on Naboo and later against the Vizla rebellion.

“I know, Master, but… the mission took him to Gaia Prime and well, I can’t help but worry, especially after what happened on Concordia,” said the blonde.

Luminara nodded softly.

“It is understandable, however, we both know that your conflicted feelings for Knight Kenobi have nothing to do with the dangerous mission Master Yoda assigned him, correct?” said Luminara with amusement and understanding in her voice, enjoying the way the young knight twisted in place.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Master” said Siri, making the Mirialan roll her eyes.

“Of course you don’t,” she said, letting it go for the moment and ending the concentration exercise.

“Come, our ship is about to arrive at the Mirial system and I want to be present on the deck to see the planet,” said the Jedi Master, making Ciri nod, stand up and leave the meditation room.

“Why are we visiting Mirial, Master?” asked Ciri with curiosity, walking calmly through the long corridors of the ship.

“I have not been on the planet for many years, I reviewed some data in the archives that I want to corroborate, even if that means having to deal with the useless council,” said Luminara with a heavy sigh, not truly wishing to deal with such illustrious individuals.

“Master Jedi, emerging into the Mirial system,” said the pilot, and an instant later, the calm void of hyperspace disappeared.

Revealing an image that neither Luminara nor Siri were prepared to see.

“Oh… by the Force,” the human whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth, observing in total shock the orbit of Mirial.

“It’s a whole fleet from Gaia Prime, Master, they are in the orbit of Mirial, there are remains of a battle, recent, it seems,” said the pilot cautiously, looking with hesitation at the immense warships stationed in orbit.

“What the hell happened here? Is this an invasion? Mirial is a planet belonging to the Galactic Republic, Harold Potter cannot simply annex my world to his collection!” said Luminara, completely indignant and furious.

However, before Siri or the assigned pilot could respond, a message appeared on the ship’s controls.

Originating from the largest ship of the fleet, Luminara assumed it was the command vessel of the invasion.

“Unknown barge, this is the battleship ‘Legacy of Terra’, you are in restricted space, identify yourself,” said a mechanical voice that could only belong to some kind of droid.

Although Luminara had never heard one that sounded so… alive.

“Legacy of Terra, this is pilot Maren Dane, assigned pilot of the Galactic Republic diplomatic barge escorting Jedi Master Luminara Undulli and Knight Siri Tachi on an academic mission to Mirial, we request a safe insertion vector,” said the pilot calmly.

After Maren’s words, the imperial ship did not respond for a considerable amount of time.

“Descent permission confirmed, sending approach vector, we will dispatch a pair of fighters as escort, there is a lot of debris in orbit, over and out,” it said with total calm and indifference, at the same time that the promised information arrived at the ship’s consoles.

“Descending,” said Maren, while a pair of rough, robust and frankly powerful fighter ships escorted the humble vessel toward the planet.

And the closer they got to the planet, the more remains, death and destruction they found.

“This was a massacre,” said Siri cautiously, watching how the drones of Gaia Prime cannibalized the ships without any hesitation.

In a matter of minutes, they crossed the planet’s atmosphere, landing in one of the largest cities of the world, where to the surprise of Luminara and Siri, a different ship was stationed above the city.

It was truly enormous, more similar to a floating city than a ship, and evidently of imperial manufacture, however, it had a clear influence of Naboo in its design and colors, being dominated by white and silver, although the wings of freedom so associated with Gaia Prime were placed at the rear of the ship.

As they descended, they were able to observe the name of such an impressive vessel.

“The Pride of Naboo, something tells me Queen Amidala is on this planet,” said Siri calmly, while Luminara nodded softly.

The young knight’s reasoning was… quite accurate, to be honest.

“Look at that… the city,” said the pilot with a choked voice.

And the moment Luminara and Siri looked, they understood completely.

The place was destroyed, buildings reduced to rubble, ships destroyed and enormous craters that revealed an evident orbital bombardment.

For a moment, Luminara thought that Gaia Prime had been the cause of such massacre.

At least until her eyes focused on the only functional part of the ruins.

A massive rectangle, where a gigantic modular structure of white color, with red crosses across its entire facade dominated the center of the area.

Around it, thousands of Mirialans were gathered, while hundreds of temporary shelters had been deployed throughout the area.

“What the hell happened here?” Siri asked, completely confused, a feeling the Jedi Master shared.

“I do not know, but we have reached our destination,” said the pilot cautiously, landing on an improvised platform, following the indications of imposing soldiers in black armor and emerald capes.

The armor was massive, to the point that they looked more like machines than humans.

But the Force did not lie.

There was life inside those suits.

“Jedi Master Luminara Undulli?” asked the one who was evidently the leader of the squad.

The Mirialan stepped forward and nodded distractedly, looking with extreme concern and a bit of relief at the state of her people.

“It is me. What happened here?” she asked, unable to contain herself.

The captain simply grunted and gestured for them to follow, at the same time answering.

“Imperial intelligence intercepted communications between Kintan and Nul Hutta, mentioning a raid to hunt slaves on Mirial, Emperor Harold ordered a fleet to intercept the pirate force and liberate the planet, this ruin that was called a city… is the result,” he said with a sigh, as they walked among the survivors.

Most of them looked healthy and relatively well.

But there was something strange.

“They are not looking at them with fear,” said Siri cautiously, watching as a pair of mirilians children, probably orphans, approached a pair of imperial soldiers guarding some kind of depot.

The children raised their small fists and struck their chests with solemnity and shouted.

“FOR THE EMPEROR!”

With as much conviction as small children could gather, looking with hope at the massive and imposing warriors.

“FOR THE EMPEROR!” the two soldiers shouted, their voices echoing like roars across the camp as they struck their chests in return.

The children smiled happily before running off to play, all whispering that they wanted to be Emerald Lions when they grew up.

What the hell was an Emerald Lion? she didn't know.

“We have a lot of orphans, we try not to touch the subject, but the queen will organize a common funeral for all the lives lost due to the ambitions of those disgusting grubs” said the captain, as he led them toward the central building, now identified as a healing center.

Upon arriving, Luminara observed something… truly curious, the guards at the entrance were different from the captain who had escorted her.

It was evident that the essence was the same, both were soldiers loyal to Gaia Prime and to Harold Potter, however, there were clear differences between them.

While the black-armored soldiers had robust, heavy and inelegant armor, built mostly in black and evidently designed for frontal assaults, the other warriors were completely different.

Their armor was pearly white and bright silver, adorned with gold and the classic wings at the center, more slender and stylized, but no less imposing than their black-armored counterparts.

Upon arriving, the captains of both groups struck their fists against their chests in greeting.

“Honorable brother, our beloved queen has visitors, Jedi Master Luminara Undulli,” he said, while he and his soldiers stepped aside, clearing the path for Luminara and Siri.

The new captain, wearing white armor and a silver helmet, looked directly at the Jedi before nodding slowly.

“Welcome to Mirial, Jedi Master, the new world under imperial protection, the queen has been informed of your visit, she, the Fleet Mistress and the High Priestess request your presence in the hospital office, come, I will escort you to her,” said the captain, and without waiting for a response, he turned and walked into the depths of the hospital.

Luminara looked at Siri, who simply shrugged, and both followed the imposing warrior.

Luminara had a feeling that this meeting would be… far more complicated than she expected.

Padmé Amidala, Ambulant Hospital – Mirial

“We found them, my queen, the rest of the council was in a bunker right above the mineral vein that the Sunnaion require, the doors were reinforced, but nothing that our Komodo mounts could not handle, we have an absurd amount of credits, tens of trillions, documents and communications, both with the Hutts and with the great industrial and commercial clans of the Republic,” said Price, his helmet still stained with blood.

Evidently, the council had not surrendered peacefully.

“Excellent work, Price, I will send the data to the Sunnaion herald, I will dispatch my Praetorians to map the bunker, you must return and prepare for the siege of Kintan,” said Padmé with a smile.

Price nodded softly and cut the transmission, leaving the three women of Harold Potter alone.

Padmé looked at the two beautiful Twi’lek and said.

“The annexation of Mirial into the Empire will be a point of tension with the Republic,” affirmed the queen, making both of them nod.

“We know, but this was extraordinary, we had no idea those vermin would hand their own people over to the Hutt scum, and the Republic, evidently, is deeply involved in this disaster,” said Sarina, as she drank from her glass with the elegance so characteristic of the Twi’lek.

“The barge was a gold mine of information, I sent interesting maps to Genesis Station, I am sure Hala and Oola will be able to pass the information to B1T and Captain Dariana, there are incredible opportunities,” said Aayla, now dressed in a full-body robe and a veil that covered her lekkus with elegance, giving her an ethereal, elegant and sensual appearance.

“This information is fresh, Ylesia and Sleheyrion are powerful worlds in Hutt space, important and therefore well protected, with our forces in Kintan it is evident that the grubs will fortify both worlds as soon as Kintan falls,” said Sarina calmly, her mind calculating everything quickly.

“For this information to be useful, we must attack the three planets at the same time, something that is far beyond our naval capabilities,” said the lethan Twi’lek with a heavy sigh.

“We will think of something, but for now, prepare yourselves, ladies, we have visitors,” said Aayla, as she walked to Padmé’s right side, an action Sarina mirrored, positioning herself to the left.

Just as the door opened and Captain Jorik entered the room.

“My queen, Jedi visitors from Coruscant.”

“Thank you, Jorik, you may leave,” said Padmé with a smile and her classic elegance.

The captain nodded and left without saying a single word, while preparing to receive the Jedi pair with proper decorum.

However, the visitor from Coruscant moved first, looking with extreme surprise and genuine happiness toward her sister-wife.

“Aayla! It is so good to see you!” said the Mirialan with a radiant smile, approaching the Rutian Twi’lek.

“Luminara, a pleasure to see you safe and sound, what brings you to Mirial?” asked the Twi’lek priestess, returning the smile.

The Jedi Master responded calmly.

“I came to verify some data from the planetary records, my intention was to negotiate with the council, but it is evident that something important has happened on the planet,” said the Mirialan, making Aayla sigh before answering.

“It is extremely complicated, our operational reports detected an incursion on the planet, and we arrived to stop it expecting to obtain mining and orbital concessions, but…”

At this point, Padmé took control of the conversation.

“But the council that ruled this planet was filled with opportunists and traitors, who had offered their own people to the Hutts, allowing the pirate invasion to occur in exchange for large amounts of credits,” said Padmé coldly, drawing the attention of both Jedi.

And taking advantage of the moment of surprise, Padmé delivered the statement that would undoubtedly cause turmoil.

“For that reason, the Mirial system is now a sovereign member of the Emerald Empire and a vassal of Gaia Prime, my husband and I will ensure that the planet reaches its maximum potential and establish a strong and functional government,” said Padmé, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

“What? That… that is completely illegal! You have no right to do this! Mirial is a system that belongs to the Republic!” said the Jedi Master with indignation and fury.

“No more, with the data recovered from the bunker where the council hid like rats, I am sure the Senate will have far more to worry about than the reclamation of the system,” Padmé threatened, before leaning back in her chair once again.

Both Jedi were completely silenced and stunned by Padmé’s cold and precise words.

“You said you wished to review the planetary archives? I regret to inform you that they were severely damaged by the pirates during the attack, it seems that a large number of civilians used the location as a refuge, something that did not please the slaver scum, much of the building is completely destroyed, but access will be granted to you as a courtesy,” ordered the queen, while preparing a message on her digital terminal.

Luminara looked at her with mixed feelings, before shaking her head and speaking.

“This is my home and these are my people, I will not allow them to become hostages of the Emerald King and his galactic ambitions, the Senate will hear of this, it will be a galactic scandal,” said the insolent Jedi, still indignant at the surreal situation.

Padmé raised her gaze, her expression cold and in complete control of the situation.

“Do it, I care little for the ego of the fools of Coruscant, my promise was to the abandoned Mirialans, I care little for the opinion of an organization as rotten as the Republic—”

Immediately after, Padmé stood up, adjusted her robes and pressed a button on her personal terminal, causing a pair of Praetorians to enter the office.

“An escort will be assigned to your mission, the transport will depart tomorrow morning and you will leave the planet once your visit is concluded, the hospitality of Mirial is yours, Jedi Master, do not make that change,” said the queen as she gestured toward the guards.

Frowning, Luminara responded calmly, but the fury beneath was more than evident.

“Is that a threat?” the woman asked.

Padmé simply raised an eyebrow and shook her head softly.

“Of course not, I have an excellent relationship with many Jedi and I consider many of them quite close, but you are no longer in the Republic, you will be granted access in good faith on my part, nothing more, understood?” asked the queen with determination, meeting the Jedi Master’s gaze without a trace of fear.

Luminara pressed her lips together before nodding tensely, without saying a single word.

That was enough for Padmé, to be honest, her mind was already on the next Senate session, the emergency plans for Mirial were a priority.

“You may leave, Jedi Master,” she said, making both women bow their heads in respect and leave the room.

Once they were alone again, Sarina was the first to speak.

“I will take my leave, the fleet will jump to Kintan tomorrow and I must review the parameters again—”

Aayla intervened.

“Same here, I will mobilize the Angels toward the ‘Legacy of Terra’, I am sure Kintan will be a much greater challenge, we will be ready,” promised the former Jedi.

Padmé nodded and simply said.

“You may go, for our Emperor, for Gaia Prime,” said the Queen of Naboo with amusement in her voice, which was mirrored by both Twi’lek.

“For our Emperor!”

And a moment later, both women left the young Amidala completely alone.

The queen sighed heavily and continued assembling a functional government on this planet.

There was much to do.

And little time.