Victory's Price (Star Wars)

Chapter 1

Naval Hymns of the Old Republic

This war is over, the admiral said. We know it, and soon the Empire will, too. General Hera Syndulla almost believed him, but reminded herself: Only rebellions thrive on hope. Republics need sturdier foundations.

The assembly room smelled of ozone and glittered like the interior of a sapphire, each facet a hologram flashing and wavering as transmission streams threaded the galaxy and manifested in the New Republic s military leadership. Eleven months prior following the Battle of Endor, when the war had first been declared over such a gathering would have been unthinkable. Now, thanks to the twin miracles of a newly reclaimed hyperspace comm network and the massive receiver systems of the ex Star Destroyer Deliverance, the architects of the Rebellion s victory exchanged reports like conquerors dividing spoils.

The core of the enemy force has retreated, Gial Ackbar went on, and flapped a holographic hand at an unseen assistant. A star map sprang up at the center of the amphitheater, and ghostly heads along with the heads of the flesh-and-blood attendees near Hera refocused their attention. Coruscant remains under Imperial control, but the fleeing loyalist armadas have ceded the rest of their territory to us. That leaves the warlords and opportunists isolated; eliminating the last of them will take time, but few remain a serious threat. Our battle groups are even now removing the holdouts fleet-building and transport capabilities.

Red blotches flashed onto the map, stains of Imperial presence on the galaxy. Blue arrows, each indicating an allied force, encircled the red. Hera recognized the larger occupied territories the Anoat sector, the Faultheen sector, the Chrenthoan Abyss. Coruscant, where the Imperial regent controlled a single blockaded planet and trillions of lives, glowed softly in the map s center. A faint mark like a blood drop represented all that was left of the Imperial

Alexander Freed is the author of the Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron trilogy, Star Wars: Battlefront: Twilight Company, and Star Wars: Rogue One and has written many short stories, comic books, and videogames. Born near Philadelphia, he endeavors to bring the city s dour charm with him to his current home of Austin, Texas.