Beyond - Legends A War of Gifts (Turr Phennir, 40 ABY)

Title: A War of Gifts
Author(s): Killik_Twilight
Timeframe: 40 ABY
Characters: Turr Phennir
Genre:
Keywords:
Summary:
Notes:

Supreme Commander Turr Phennir stood in the command salon of his flagship, the Corellian-designed Dreadnaught Invincible. The warship was one of the second production run, after the initial three had fought at Hapes and demonstrated their effectiveness.

The ship orbited the planet Recopia, in one of the systems on the Corellian Trade Spine that lead to Coruscant. It had recently been taken from Galactic Alliance forces in a weeklong brawl that had cost the Confederation fifteen capital ships. But fall it had, another step in Phennir's Coreward push.

An aide walked up and saluted him. "Sir."

"Lieutenant Daralin. You have the information I requested?"

"Yes, sir," The aide handed him a datacard. "Everything I've been able to dig up about the Jedi Order and Jacen Solo is in there."

"Thank you." Phennir left his aide where he was and walked into a private conference room just off of the command salon. Once alone, he took out a datapad and inserted the card.

Many of his recent battles with the Alliance Navy had been dismal failures. Not through poor tactics or smaller numbers, but because of inexplicable coordination between Alliance warships. Phennir suspected Jacen Solo had something to do with it, and he'd begun searching for intelligence on what might have caused this. After three weeks of searching, he'd found a reference to a skill called Battle Meditation, and it had caused his blood to run cold. Through it, a powerful Jedi (or Sith, he'd noted) could empower his forces to greater effect over an enemy force that lacked it.

Such coordination was extremely lethal, as Phennir had found out recent days. Though he didn't believe in luck, he considered it fortunate that a Jedi, even a Master, could not keep it up indefinitely. He also knew Jacen Solo had many other responsibilities. With that, the Confederation had a chance.

He looked up, and tapped a button on the table. "Lieutenant, come in, please."

"Yes, sir.".

A second later the door whirred open, and Lieutenant Daralin walked in. "Yes, sir?'

"You're the one who collated most of this data. Your opinions, please?"

"Sir, if Colonel Solo really has that skill, we're kriffing screwed. If you'll pardon the language, sir."

"Of course. We're fortunate, then, that he cannot maintain it indefinitely." He waved to the segment about how much energy it required.

"So it would seem, sir."

"So it will be a war of gifts, then. Between Colonel Solo's gift Battle Meditation and my gift for strategy."

"How... poetic, sir."

Phennir waved his aide off. "Dismissed."

"Of course, sir." His aide backed out and left him to ponder, while the war raged on.

[fin]

KT