Chapter Eighteen - Brains and Brawn

A/N: With this chapter, you're going to see the groundwork laid for some very intense events to come! Hope you enjoy it!

THE BRIDGE OF THE SUPER STAR DESTROYER EXECUTOR, PRESENT DAY

Leia strode angrily through the entrance to the bridge, her black leather boots stomping across its durasteel surface, with Mara Jade trailing slightly behind her. She had just lost Luke and his companions, and the chance to interrogate them. The Benevolent Protector would not be happy. Worse, there was reason to believe they had intercepted and downloaded valuable military secrets from the Maw Installation.

It was time to consult the Brain Trust for guidance.

Admiral Piett walked up to greet Leia, and bowed his head in deference. "What is thy bidding, M'Lady?" he asked. "I need to speak to the Brain Trust," Leia replied coldly, as she walked past the still-bowing Admiral Piett and sat down in her throne at the front of the bridge, while Mara stood at her right hand side.

Piett shouted a command to his chief communications officer. "The Grand Inquisitor is requesting a meeting of the Brain Trust. Patch the invitation through to all participants."

Leia impatiently drummed her fingers on the armrests of her black leather throne. She knew it would take time for all the participants to receive the message and join in. They were all likely in the middle of various duties. But this was urgent.

Mercifully soon, Admiral Piett marched up to her throne and bowed again deeply. "M'Lady, we've made contact with all members of the Brain Trust. They are ready if you are." "Tell them to begin transmission to the Executor bridge," replied Leia, waving her hand dismissively. Piett bowed again and relayed her response.

Leia swiveled her throne around and ordered all non-essential personnel off the bridge. The vast majority of the crew bowed and then quickly scurried off, fearing the Grand Inquisitor's wrath. The only crew left were those with the highest level of intelligence clearance, including Admiral Piett, who stood ramrod straight at Leia's left side, while Mara Jade stood at her right.

The Brain Trust was an advisory group formed by the Benevolent Protector to advise him on vital matters concerning governance of the Protectorate. It technically wasn't an official government body, but in practice it was enormously powerful, as it was comprised of the top leaders from the Protectorate military and intelligence community, as well as the Jedi Grand Inquisitor (currently Leia herself).

She was extremely proud of this group, actually. Ever since the Jedi had liberated her from Padme Amidala in her youth and opened her eyes to the truth, Leia had been absolutely convinced that the Benevolent Protector's decisions were all truly wise, and that extended to this group.

As the holograms of the various Brain Trust members appeared around the bridge, Leia truly felt that only the Benevolent Protector was wise enough to assemble such a group: Commissar Wilhuff Tarkin, the Commissar of Public Safety and Grand Moff of the Outer Rim; Ysanne Isard, the Head of Protectorate Intelligence; Commissar Orson Krennic, Minister of Plenty; Rear Admiral Tiaan Jerjerrod, head of the Special Weapons Group, and Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Navy.

Yes, Palpatine would have never thought to hire, promote, or assemble such accomplished officials, thought Leia. Yet another reason why the Benevolent Protector was the greatest leader the galaxy had known.

The group exchanged pleasantries, and Leia began "I see we're missing Jedi Master Nu." "Yes," replied Grand Admiral Thrawn. "She's currently overseeing an information blackout on Dantooine, as part of her role as Minister of Truth."

Leia nodded. "Anyway, I've asked you all here to address an urgent matter. Rebel spies...including elements of the Jedi Outcasts such as Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn...have downloaded and stolen a cache of military secrets from the Maw Installation."

Thrawn chuckled. "And let me guess, you HAD them in your grasp, but they managed to wriggle free anyway." Leia grimaced. Thrawn had a way of immediately grasping uncomfortable truths.

"Don't worry, Grand Inquisitor," Thrawn continued. "The Benevolent Protector has foreseen this."

Leia raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

This time, Commissar Tarkin replied. "Yes, Inquisitor, the Benevolent Protector foresaw this, and he chose to let it happen."

"And no one decided to tell me this?" replied Leia indignantly.

Tarkin smiled. "M'Lady, Grand Admiral Thrawn and I were the only ones he chose to inform of his vision, and stressed the need to let events play out. It is not in our purview to go blabbing about our private conversations with the Benevolent Protector."

Ysanne Isard (daughter of the late former Intelligence chief Armand Isard) grumbled something about how "You might have thought to inform the Intelligence Chief...", referring of course to herself.

Leia was still furious and envious that Tarkin and Thrawn had been informed while she had been left out of the loop. Mara broke the awkward silence that ensued by clearing her throat and asking "So what happens now?"

"Now we let the Rebels mull over what they have, while it falls to us to lay a trap for them," replied Thrawn. "I trap which myself and Commissar Tarkin helped design."

"If I may," interjected Commissar Krennic, his famous jealousy of Tarkin clearly showing as usual, "perhaps the rest of us could improve upon your ingenious scheme, Commisar," he said unctuously.

Tarkin smirked. Ever since he'd maneuvered Krennic out of the Special Weapons Group and into the Ministry of Plenty, Krennic had hated him. Still, Krennic had clawed his way up over the years to the top of the Ministry of Plenty (responsible for commanding the galaxy's centrally-planned economy and overseeing food rationing), and become the Ministry's head. Tarkin had to admit he was impressed by the former military engineer, but the two had always been rivals.

"Why, of course," replied Tarkin. "But first, perhaps the Minister of Plenty would like to hear the plan?"

Jerjerrod, Isard, and the others nodded in assent. Krennic glowered at Tarkin, and mumbled something under his breath.

"Let's get started. What's this plan of yours?" asked Leia.

REBEL BASE, YAVIN IV

Padme rushed across the tarmac in the hangar to greet Luke and his friends. As he emerged from the Moldy Crow and began disembarking, Padme rushed up the ship's ramp and threw herself over her son and held him in a tight embrace. "Luke, when I heard you'd been captured, I...I feared the worst."

Luke gently patted his mother on the shoulder. "I'm okay, Mom. And we intercepted the data we were after. But there's more...I met Leia."

Padme pulled back and looked at him in shock. "How is she? What was she like?"

"More brainwashed than ever," Luke replied sadly.

Padme nodded, saddened, but not surprised. It had been years since that dreadful day the Protectorate had kidnapped Leia, among other atrocities. She shivered to remember the Tatooine Siege...or what had happened to the Hutts...

"Good news is, we got the data download on the new superweapon projects," Luke added, hoping to cheer his mother up. It did, at least somewhat. She smiled gently and nodded. "Then let's get it to the tech guys. Katarn!"

"Yes, ma'am!" replied Kyle Katarn, as he disembarked the vessel, scratching his closely-cropped brown beard.

"Please get the data over to Decryption and Analysis, stat!" General Amidala commanded.

"Right away," replied Kyle. He was eager to get this done quickly so he and Luke could get back to the rest of the Jedi Outcasts at their section of the Yavin Temple Complex. There weren't very many Jedi Outcasts compared the official Jedi Order that ruled the galaxy, but the Outcasts were on the front lines of the Rebellion, fighting to overthrow the Jedi Protectorate and restore freedom. Kyle was proud of his fellow Outcasts, and hurried to Decryption and Analysis to deposit the stolen information so he could get back to the others quickly.

"General, good to see ya," said Han casually (as if he was back from an easy stroll) as he clambered down the ramp. "You too, Han," replied Padme warmly. "I'm glad you guys are safe. And if the data you stole is as valuable as we think, you guys may have given us a new hope."

ALDERAAN, ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO

Bail Organa hated his new assignment. He'd gone to the meeting with Mon Mothma and Padme eager to be activated for his first major espionage mission against the Protectorate government. Now, he knew what the assignment was: helping Jabba the Hutt's cartel get its hooks into Alderaan.

Bail had spent his life fighting against crime and corruption, and now Mon Mothma expected him to help the Hutts figure out the best locations and local organizations that they could use to help smuggle supplies to Rebel bases and sabotage targets throughout the Galactic Core region.

Bail had agreed for the sake of the fledgling Rebellion to do this...but with a contingency plan: as soon as the Hutts were no longer needed, Bail was going to make sure that Alderaanian authorities knew exactly where and how to wipe out all criminal influence from the Hutt cartels. He was quietly having his personal staff create a network of counter-spies within the Hutt cartel to sabotage them and rid Alderaan of their influence the moment the Rebellion was able to stand on their own without Jabba's help.

He was currently walking through an abandoned military base left over from the Clone Wars, located near a strategic chokepoint in the main river network of Alderaan's largest continent. He was flanked by his aide Sheltray Retrac, twelve Alderaanian bodyguards who had joined the Rebellion, and Aurra Sing.

"And over there's an EMP-hardened, X-ray-dampening set of bunkers where your...associates...can hide themselves and their weapons caches," Bail grumbled distastefully.

"Awww, are you still being a boy scout about our arrangement?" sneered Aurra Sing sarcastically. "Sweetie, you and your little Rebellion NEED the brawn that only the criminal underworld can provide. Just be an obedient little lap dog for Mon Mothma, and both our organizations will walk away happy when this deal is over. You guys get to bring down the Jedi, we get richer."

Bail held his tongue, and stayed silent, while Sheltray hung her head in shame. She hated this arrangement as much as Bail. Which was why he'd been so quick to have her take charge of the plan to plant counter-spies among the Hutt cartel foot soldiers, to help evict them from Alderaan ASAP.

Still, she had a bad feeling about this, and so did he.

REBEL BASE, ABANDONED ASTEROID MINING FACILITY, SOMEWHERE IN THE MID RIM

Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Quinlan Vos, and Aayla Secura were gathered in the conference room of the facility, trying to put together a plan to reach out to the Nighsisters of Dathomir and get them to join the fledgling Rebellion.

As they were planning, Anakin's eyes began to slowly glaze over, and a gentle, soothing voice began whispering in the back of his mind.

It was Mace Windu's voice. He had reactivated Anakin's brainwashing again. As he watched the scene through Anakin's eyes, and listened to the conversation with Anakin's ears, he grew concerned.

"...and the Nightsisters usually are very wary of outsiders, as we all know. But I think this set of explanations will convince them to join our little alliance and add some much-needed Force-sensitive brawn to the fight against the Council," he heard Obi-Wan say.

"Agreed," Mace heard Quinlan Vos reply. "And as soon as we've got them fighting on our side, we'll use them to help us recruit younger Jedi who are still within the Order to join us, either outright or as spies and saboteurs within the Jedi Temple to help get us some much-needed intel."

Mace grimaced in anger, as he sat in his private chambers at the Temple. Being in charge of the galaxy all this time had changed him. His worst qualities had been amplified, especially rage and distrust. But now, he knew how Obi-Wan and his ilk were betraying him.

He'd given in to so many of his emotions since the night he'd murdered Chancellor Palpatine. And now he was going to give in again.

His brain would use Anakin as his brawn for now. He reached out across the galaxy through the Force, and gave Anakin's brainwashed mind a mental command: Do not let Kenobi, Tano, Vos, or Secura leave that base. Ever again. Not until I come for them personally.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the ride! Please leave some reviews and let me know what you think!