Jaina Solo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sticksofthejedi) wrote2011-12-04 07:13 pm
sticksofthejedi) wrote2011-12-04 07:13 pm
Entry tags:
Memory 21
Memory: Liberating Ylesia from the Yuuzhan Vong and arresting her cousin, all in one operation.
Received: Day 103, afternoon
Form: Black feather, 5/7 uses.
Summary: The mission briefing and execution of the operation to wipe out the Peace Brigade -- Yuuzhan Vong collaborators with a misleading name -- stronghold of Ylesia, an out-of-the-way planet in Hutt space. Jaina participates in the space battle initially as commander of Twin Suns squadron, then leads the ground assault.
--
Opens with Jaina, Jedi and new Rogue squadron commander Corran Horn, Jacen, and the Barabel Saba Sebatyne waiting on a shuttle to meet with Bothan Admiral Kre'fey on his flagship, the Ralroost. Jaina is a Major now. Jaina's taking bets on where Kre'fey's hit-and-run campaign against the Yuuzhan Vong will take them next. Jacen hopes Yavin, because he wants to see the moon the Jedi Academy was based on again. Jaina says no, he doesn't, not with how the Vong have terraformed Yavin IV. She's betting on Hutt space, because the Vong took that over early in the war and it's about time someone gave them a fight out there. Jacen contemplates how single-purposed she is after so long in the war, and drapes on her to try comforting her. She doesn't really respond.
Corran agrees that Yavin would be a good place to strike next, since New Republic forces have been clearing out Vong raiders in that area. Saba wants to attack in the area of Kessel, because it would cut the enemy's forces in half; Corran reminds her this would spark a major battle, and the New Republic is trying to whittle the Vong down in little engagements that they know they can win right now.
On the Ralroost, they meet up with the admiral, along with additional Jedi -- Zekk, Tahiri and Alema Rar. The Jedi all send empathic greetings to each other, and greet the admiral with salutes. They take a seat and Jacen makes small talk with Tahiri while they wait for Kyp Durron to show up. When he does, it's in a uniform without insignia -- he leads an all-volunteer squadron.
Kyp gives a speech about how the Vong had found traitors and placed agents among the New Republic before actually starting the war. The Peace Brigade is a bunch of galactic scum who collaborate with the Vong and help with the Vong's effort to conquer and enslave the galaxy. He proposes they strike the brigade's capital, Ylesia, and make people think twice about collaborating with the Vong. He runs through the intel available on Ylesia -- there's only a few Vong backing up their Peace Brigade allies. Mostly the Vong presence are reported to be non-combatants; they're only there to help the Brigade run the planet, whose economy runs on using slaves for mining and processing drugs -- glitterstim spice. No Vong fleet in orbit, but this is where the brigade keeps their own fleet, using spice profits to hire mercenaries to fight for them. Mostly starfighters, with about a dozen big, captured capital ships.
Kre'fey is excited about the plan, but he's excited about anything that deprives the Vong of fighting power because the Bothans want to commit genocide on the Vong (the Vong recently killed an important Bothan politician). He'll commit enough of his fleet to have three times the number of forces the brigade has, wipe out the fleet and commence an orbital bombardment to finish them off. All of the Jedi automatically disapprove silently. What about civilian casualties, Tahiri asks. No big deal to Kre'fey! Most of the capital is populated by collaborators, and are guilty by definition. Kyp points out that intel reports there's a lot of slaves in the area right now building a shelter against orbital bombardments; Kre'fey expresses respect for "the Jedi traditions of compassion for the innocent and of precise personal combat with an enemy," but figures that just means they'll have to shoot at it longer. He reminds everyone that the Vong have been wiping out entire worlds throughout the war. The Jedi are still stubborn -- killing civilians is what the enemy does, not them. They should be liberating the slaves.
Jacen suggests capturing the Peace Brigade's leaders instead. If they kill them, they can make an announcement and it'll be forgotten as just another place wiped out -- if they capture them, there can be trials, it'll be all over the galactic news for weeks or months, and it will more effectively give a deterrent to people considering defecting.
Jaina actually favors Kre'fey's plan because tactically it accomplishes the most while risking the least, but she supports the capture plan because she knows it's the moral choice.
Kre'fey is coming around to the idea. Jaina volunteers to lead the ground forces, and Kyp awkwardly tells her that's a bad idea. There's a moment of tension between them because Jaina thinks he's stupid sexy but defaults to being mad at him for various reasons she doesn't get back in this memory. Kyp explains it's not her ability he's worried about -- it's personal relationships. It was just announced that Thrackan Sal-Solo has assumed leadership of the Peace Brigade -- Jaina and Jacen's cousin. (Random note: Kyp's the only one to call her Sticks again throughout the memory, and it's right here when things are weirdly personal. Others refer to her by name or call her Twin Leader.)
The twins are confused; Jaina calls Thrackan "vicious as a slashrat and slippery as an Umgullian blob." Jacen calmly explains that it doesn't make sense for Thrackan to collaborate with the Vong because Thrackan is racist against anyone who isn't human. He wouldn't strike a deal with aliens. Jaina's especially resolved to lead the ground forces, now. Kre'fey thinks the twins come from the most interesting family.
--
Twin Suns squadron comes out of hyperspace at Ylesia, and Jaina runs through through preparation for the battle. The Jedi present are in a battle meld again, except the empathic hivemind is stronger than in the voxyn hunt. Jaina gives a Leader speech, reminding everyone to be careful -- they may have the enemy outgunned, but the enemy can still get a few kills in. We get a note from Jacen's perspective about how he can feel Jaina minding displays, comm channels, worrying about the welfare of her less experienced pilots and trying to think of tactics all at the same time.
The rest of Kre'fey's fleet arrives in three battlegroups. The Peace Brigade fleet moves to engage Kre'fey and Twin Suns squadron first. They engage; Jaina does a lot of starfighter badassery, including using the Force to throw "shadow bombs" at enemy capital ships -- using Force telekinesis to deliver the explosive eliminates the need for a missile propulsion system, so engineers can pack more explosives in. She also handily takes out several fighters, and picks one off of Jacen's tail, who thought he'd go along to protect her. Jedi kick ass in this engagement because unlike fighting the Vong, the Jedi can feel Peace Brigaders and better evade/destroy them. Eventually, Twin Suns gets the order to go cover the drop ships setting out to land.
They enter atmosphere to start a run on the brigade's spaceport and draw fire. Ylesia's atmosphere is notoriously turbulent and difficult to navigate in. That, of course, is when the Vong coralskippers (seed-shaped living coral starfighters) spring an ambush. Two squadrons and one Vong frigate come at them to intercept the dropships. The dropships do also have two frigates and another squadron as escort, and can inevitably defeat them, but it's a concern because the Vong may just throw their lives away to take out more landing forces.
Jacen, with permission from Jaina, uses a shadow bomb and the turbulent atmosphere to take out the Vong frigate. The rest of the squadron engages the coralskippers; Twin Suns have the advantage in atmosphere because X-wings are more aerodynamic, but they have trouble because half of the squadron is made up of rookie pilots. One of them get shot down and has to eject. Vong ships project and manipulate mini black holes for propulsion and defense against attacks, which adds to the difficulty shooting them down.
Jaina's wingmate, Vale, takes a pounding, losing an engine. A Vong critter gets dumped on Jacen's fighter and starts chewing it apart. By the time Jacen gets it off his fighter, the battle's over; the Vong ships are destroyed, and the brigade's fleet has surrendered. Jaina orders Jacen to escort Vale back to the Ralroost because of their damage.
They land and start moving in on the capital. Sal-Solo and his personal bodyguard approach the front forces making a big show of surrender and claiming to be fleeing. They're house slaves, you have to help them~ Sal-Solo plans to steal one of the landed ships when an opportunity arises and escape that way. But then Jaina descends on him.
"I wonder if you can remember when you held me prisoner?" Sal-Solo appeals to one of the ranking officers to help him, claiming Jaina has a personal vendetta against him. The general won't have any of it, because he knows they've arrested one of the guys they want. Sal-Solo starts flailing, talking about how he didn't want to be Peace Brigade leader, it was accept the position or be killed, it's an elaborate plot for revenge by the Vong (he's telling the truth, but no one believes him). He demands protection under the Corellian government; Jaina informs him that Corellia revoked his citizenship, confiscated his property, and something else that we'll never know because Sal-Solo interrupts with more protests. Jaina moves on to Sal-Solo's bodyguard, who Sal-Solo claims is his secretary. After looking her over, Jaina grapples her and relieves her of a hidden blaster. The troops move on.
Everything seems to be going right, but Jaina's getting prickly danger sense feelings. The brigade ambushes them as they enter the city, attacking with blasters and rockets from the rooftops. Jaina suggests Sal-Solo order them to surrender, a joke Sal-Solo does not appreciate. Jaina and Lowbacca ignite lightsabers, and charge one of the buildings. She slices an opening to avoid a mine set up at the door, go up to the roof, take out some of the enemy, then use telekinesis to shove the rest down to be apprehended. They Force-leap to the next rooftop, where they continue to use lightsabers and telekinesis to apprehend enemies without killing them. Jaina decides she and Lowie will continue jumping from roof to roof and guide their troops the rest of the way in from that vantage point.
They reach the Senate building, and the Jedi jump back down. It's an unsafe height, but the Force, so no problem. An officer reports several hundred defenders in the building, and there's enough firepower to just blow the building up, but the general would prefer it if Jaina could actually have Sal-Solo order a surrender this time. He's in a snit, and snarks that he'll try diplomacy on the Vong, but he doesn't think the overlord will give the New Republic's capital world, Coruscant, back. After he gives the building's occupants the order to surrender twice, the brigaders come out. They're in fake Vong armor; they come salute Sal-Solo and apologize for how long it took to get out to them. They had to fight the Vong intendants to go through with surrendering -- truly an entire organization of people who defect to whoever looks like they're winning. Sal-Solo is just like. MY LOYAL BODYGUARD. THIS IS WHY I RAN OFF ON MY OWN. Jaina asks why they're wearing fake Vong armor. Sal-Solo says the real Vong armor kept biting them, and sits down in a snit.
From there, Jaina takes the troops to the underground shelter. The general has to have engineers start working on blowing off the heavy armored entrance to the shelter; Jaina contemplates that all these little delays in completing the operation are starting to add up.
When the doors are finally almost open, Jaina tells the general she'd like to go in first and see if she can get them to surrender without having to take all their troops inside for a firefight. He almost instantly agrees; "I'm not going to tell a Jedi she can't be first into a tight spot. I've seen what you people can do." Jaina and Lowie exchange looks and know their plan without speaking. As the doors finally give way, brigaders inside immediately start shooting out, and one even tries telling the New Republic troops to stay out. Jaina and Lowie Jedi acrobatics their way in, and the two are able to beat up the fighters and order the rest to surrender.
Quarren Senator Pwoe, among the mass of brigaders, snaps back that she should surrender. He claims he's Chief of State now, and in the midst of negotiations between the New Republic and the Peace Brigade. Jaina laughs, surprised at the audacity. Pwoe was an anti-Jedi politician, and after the previous Chief of State was killed by a Vong attack, Pwoe declared himself Chief of State and started giving out orders...only to have the Senate reject his claim on the title, electing Cal Omas to be next Chief of State instead.
Pwoe calls the attack on Ylesia "typical Jedi violence." Jaina orders Pwoe and the brigaders escorted out. While this goes on, she picks up surprise through the battlefield; Vong reinforcements have arrived in the star system. "Here's where it all goes wrong."
Pwoe and Sal-Solo are cuffed and shoved into the same landspeeder. Neither of the fake leaders are happy with each other, and Sal-Solo is racist and doesn't want to sit next to the "Squid Head." The group starts their withdrawal as fast as they can, but are slowed navigating the same civilians the operation was designed to spare from an orbital bombardment. As they get out of the city outskirts, Vong ground forces ambush them -- the ground forces had been stranded by the destruction of the Vong ships earlier and decided to simply bide their time.
The Vong lead with a giant beast -- a quednak -- that crushes the first landspeeder underfoot. The troops open fire and begin to fall back, but another pops out behind them. Jaina uses the Force to pull her lightsaber from her belt to her hand, then leap up to the second beast's back to attack the warriors guiding it. Note that while Jaina and Lowie did not kill any Peace Brigaders on the ground, they're going straight for kills against the Vong themselves. (For those just tuning in to the Yuuzhan Vong war, they look pretty nasty.) She uses telekinesis to deflect a spat poison attack and proceeds to get into an evenly-matched melee fight with one warrior while the other handles the beast; then her danger sense warns her of some accidental friendly fire, and she drops under a laser; the warrior is thrown off-balance, and Jaina trips him. He falls off.
Before she can go take care of the beast's handler, a laser cannon finally wipes him out; the beast panics and thrashes around, throwing Jaina. She cushions her fall and surveys the situation. Lowie is helping wounded and the first beast is finally dead. The second one finally gets gunned down and she has to scuttle away to avoid being crushed. The rest of the Vong -- narrative specifies about five hundred -- attack.
Troopers start dying, while Jaina and Lowie start picking off attacks and whatever warriors they can get to. Jaina orders all non-combatants into the buildings, clearing the field of fire for her troops; the fight starts going a lot easier. The Jedi go take out a group of Vong going after the general, who's wounded. Eventually, everyone gets holed up where they're temporarily safe from Vong attack. Soldiers keep firing as Vong continue trying to get into the buildings to fight again. The general's consulting his officers to figure out another withdrawal route; Jaina's commlink starts beeping.
It's Jaina's boyfriend, Colonel Jagged Fel. He was calling because the other Jedi still in the space battle told him she might need help. Jag impersonates Captain Obvious and tells Jaina she needs to withdraw ASAP; she busts out some sarcasm. Jag informs her he's going to lead those of Twin Suns squadron still in the air on a bombing run to clear the way. Jaina points out this is stupid because of the close quarters and presence of non-combatants. He won't take no for an answer.
Pwoe stands up and insists he be allowed to negotiate a surrender to the Vong. Sal-Solo has had enough; he shouts Pwoe down. "Surrender at discretion. Up until now I'd thought the Jedi were the most pompous, annoying gasbags in creation. But that was before I met you. You take the prize for the most preposterous, self-important, prolix fiasco I have ever seen. And on top of that -- on top of that, sir, you are a fish! So sit down and shut up, before I take a harpoon to you!" Sal-Solo reiterates to Jaina that he's not a Vong collaborator and he's not going to let a "subaquatic imbecile" sell them out to the enemy.
They hear Jag perform a flyover, assessing troop placements. Jag asks Jaina where the friendly positions are. Jaina reminds him this is going to be a good way for him to have her rookies bomb their own troops. Everyone takes cover, and Jag commences the bombing. He avoids the possibility of friendly fire by having everyone fly in a line, with him on the nearest side. Any off-target missiles or lasers will land in areas opposite to where Jaina's troops are. There are two strafing runs, and Jaina's not worried about the second run at all anymore. The bombardment deafens them for a little while. The troops make their escape from the city.
The ground forces are on their way back to the fleet. Kre'fey is currently in a face-off with the Vong commander, the two fleets shifting their lines to counter each other and never quite engaging. The landing parties get back onto the carrier ships and the fleet makes their triumphant escape.
Received: Day 103, afternoon
Form: Black feather, 5/7 uses.
Summary: The mission briefing and execution of the operation to wipe out the Peace Brigade -- Yuuzhan Vong collaborators with a misleading name -- stronghold of Ylesia, an out-of-the-way planet in Hutt space. Jaina participates in the space battle initially as commander of Twin Suns squadron, then leads the ground assault.
--
Opens with Jaina, Jedi and new Rogue squadron commander Corran Horn, Jacen, and the Barabel Saba Sebatyne waiting on a shuttle to meet with Bothan Admiral Kre'fey on his flagship, the Ralroost. Jaina is a Major now. Jaina's taking bets on where Kre'fey's hit-and-run campaign against the Yuuzhan Vong will take them next. Jacen hopes Yavin, because he wants to see the moon the Jedi Academy was based on again. Jaina says no, he doesn't, not with how the Vong have terraformed Yavin IV. She's betting on Hutt space, because the Vong took that over early in the war and it's about time someone gave them a fight out there. Jacen contemplates how single-purposed she is after so long in the war, and drapes on her to try comforting her. She doesn't really respond.
Corran agrees that Yavin would be a good place to strike next, since New Republic forces have been clearing out Vong raiders in that area. Saba wants to attack in the area of Kessel, because it would cut the enemy's forces in half; Corran reminds her this would spark a major battle, and the New Republic is trying to whittle the Vong down in little engagements that they know they can win right now.
On the Ralroost, they meet up with the admiral, along with additional Jedi -- Zekk, Tahiri and Alema Rar. The Jedi all send empathic greetings to each other, and greet the admiral with salutes. They take a seat and Jacen makes small talk with Tahiri while they wait for Kyp Durron to show up. When he does, it's in a uniform without insignia -- he leads an all-volunteer squadron.
Kyp gives a speech about how the Vong had found traitors and placed agents among the New Republic before actually starting the war. The Peace Brigade is a bunch of galactic scum who collaborate with the Vong and help with the Vong's effort to conquer and enslave the galaxy. He proposes they strike the brigade's capital, Ylesia, and make people think twice about collaborating with the Vong. He runs through the intel available on Ylesia -- there's only a few Vong backing up their Peace Brigade allies. Mostly the Vong presence are reported to be non-combatants; they're only there to help the Brigade run the planet, whose economy runs on using slaves for mining and processing drugs -- glitterstim spice. No Vong fleet in orbit, but this is where the brigade keeps their own fleet, using spice profits to hire mercenaries to fight for them. Mostly starfighters, with about a dozen big, captured capital ships.
Kre'fey is excited about the plan, but he's excited about anything that deprives the Vong of fighting power because the Bothans want to commit genocide on the Vong (the Vong recently killed an important Bothan politician). He'll commit enough of his fleet to have three times the number of forces the brigade has, wipe out the fleet and commence an orbital bombardment to finish them off. All of the Jedi automatically disapprove silently. What about civilian casualties, Tahiri asks. No big deal to Kre'fey! Most of the capital is populated by collaborators, and are guilty by definition. Kyp points out that intel reports there's a lot of slaves in the area right now building a shelter against orbital bombardments; Kre'fey expresses respect for "the Jedi traditions of compassion for the innocent and of precise personal combat with an enemy," but figures that just means they'll have to shoot at it longer. He reminds everyone that the Vong have been wiping out entire worlds throughout the war. The Jedi are still stubborn -- killing civilians is what the enemy does, not them. They should be liberating the slaves.
Jacen suggests capturing the Peace Brigade's leaders instead. If they kill them, they can make an announcement and it'll be forgotten as just another place wiped out -- if they capture them, there can be trials, it'll be all over the galactic news for weeks or months, and it will more effectively give a deterrent to people considering defecting.
Jaina actually favors Kre'fey's plan because tactically it accomplishes the most while risking the least, but she supports the capture plan because she knows it's the moral choice.
Kre'fey is coming around to the idea. Jaina volunteers to lead the ground forces, and Kyp awkwardly tells her that's a bad idea. There's a moment of tension between them because Jaina thinks he's stupid sexy but defaults to being mad at him for various reasons she doesn't get back in this memory. Kyp explains it's not her ability he's worried about -- it's personal relationships. It was just announced that Thrackan Sal-Solo has assumed leadership of the Peace Brigade -- Jaina and Jacen's cousin. (Random note: Kyp's the only one to call her Sticks again throughout the memory, and it's right here when things are weirdly personal. Others refer to her by name or call her Twin Leader.)
The twins are confused; Jaina calls Thrackan "vicious as a slashrat and slippery as an Umgullian blob." Jacen calmly explains that it doesn't make sense for Thrackan to collaborate with the Vong because Thrackan is racist against anyone who isn't human. He wouldn't strike a deal with aliens. Jaina's especially resolved to lead the ground forces, now. Kre'fey thinks the twins come from the most interesting family.
--
Twin Suns squadron comes out of hyperspace at Ylesia, and Jaina runs through through preparation for the battle. The Jedi present are in a battle meld again, except the empathic hivemind is stronger than in the voxyn hunt. Jaina gives a Leader speech, reminding everyone to be careful -- they may have the enemy outgunned, but the enemy can still get a few kills in. We get a note from Jacen's perspective about how he can feel Jaina minding displays, comm channels, worrying about the welfare of her less experienced pilots and trying to think of tactics all at the same time.
The rest of Kre'fey's fleet arrives in three battlegroups. The Peace Brigade fleet moves to engage Kre'fey and Twin Suns squadron first. They engage; Jaina does a lot of starfighter badassery, including using the Force to throw "shadow bombs" at enemy capital ships -- using Force telekinesis to deliver the explosive eliminates the need for a missile propulsion system, so engineers can pack more explosives in. She also handily takes out several fighters, and picks one off of Jacen's tail, who thought he'd go along to protect her. Jedi kick ass in this engagement because unlike fighting the Vong, the Jedi can feel Peace Brigaders and better evade/destroy them. Eventually, Twin Suns gets the order to go cover the drop ships setting out to land.
They enter atmosphere to start a run on the brigade's spaceport and draw fire. Ylesia's atmosphere is notoriously turbulent and difficult to navigate in. That, of course, is when the Vong coralskippers (seed-shaped living coral starfighters) spring an ambush. Two squadrons and one Vong frigate come at them to intercept the dropships. The dropships do also have two frigates and another squadron as escort, and can inevitably defeat them, but it's a concern because the Vong may just throw their lives away to take out more landing forces.
Jacen, with permission from Jaina, uses a shadow bomb and the turbulent atmosphere to take out the Vong frigate. The rest of the squadron engages the coralskippers; Twin Suns have the advantage in atmosphere because X-wings are more aerodynamic, but they have trouble because half of the squadron is made up of rookie pilots. One of them get shot down and has to eject. Vong ships project and manipulate mini black holes for propulsion and defense against attacks, which adds to the difficulty shooting them down.
Jaina's wingmate, Vale, takes a pounding, losing an engine. A Vong critter gets dumped on Jacen's fighter and starts chewing it apart. By the time Jacen gets it off his fighter, the battle's over; the Vong ships are destroyed, and the brigade's fleet has surrendered. Jaina orders Jacen to escort Vale back to the Ralroost because of their damage.
They land and start moving in on the capital. Sal-Solo and his personal bodyguard approach the front forces making a big show of surrender and claiming to be fleeing. They're house slaves, you have to help them~ Sal-Solo plans to steal one of the landed ships when an opportunity arises and escape that way. But then Jaina descends on him.
"I wonder if you can remember when you held me prisoner?" Sal-Solo appeals to one of the ranking officers to help him, claiming Jaina has a personal vendetta against him. The general won't have any of it, because he knows they've arrested one of the guys they want. Sal-Solo starts flailing, talking about how he didn't want to be Peace Brigade leader, it was accept the position or be killed, it's an elaborate plot for revenge by the Vong (he's telling the truth, but no one believes him). He demands protection under the Corellian government; Jaina informs him that Corellia revoked his citizenship, confiscated his property, and something else that we'll never know because Sal-Solo interrupts with more protests. Jaina moves on to Sal-Solo's bodyguard, who Sal-Solo claims is his secretary. After looking her over, Jaina grapples her and relieves her of a hidden blaster. The troops move on.
Everything seems to be going right, but Jaina's getting prickly danger sense feelings. The brigade ambushes them as they enter the city, attacking with blasters and rockets from the rooftops. Jaina suggests Sal-Solo order them to surrender, a joke Sal-Solo does not appreciate. Jaina and Lowbacca ignite lightsabers, and charge one of the buildings. She slices an opening to avoid a mine set up at the door, go up to the roof, take out some of the enemy, then use telekinesis to shove the rest down to be apprehended. They Force-leap to the next rooftop, where they continue to use lightsabers and telekinesis to apprehend enemies without killing them. Jaina decides she and Lowie will continue jumping from roof to roof and guide their troops the rest of the way in from that vantage point.
They reach the Senate building, and the Jedi jump back down. It's an unsafe height, but the Force, so no problem. An officer reports several hundred defenders in the building, and there's enough firepower to just blow the building up, but the general would prefer it if Jaina could actually have Sal-Solo order a surrender this time. He's in a snit, and snarks that he'll try diplomacy on the Vong, but he doesn't think the overlord will give the New Republic's capital world, Coruscant, back. After he gives the building's occupants the order to surrender twice, the brigaders come out. They're in fake Vong armor; they come salute Sal-Solo and apologize for how long it took to get out to them. They had to fight the Vong intendants to go through with surrendering -- truly an entire organization of people who defect to whoever looks like they're winning. Sal-Solo is just like. MY LOYAL BODYGUARD. THIS IS WHY I RAN OFF ON MY OWN. Jaina asks why they're wearing fake Vong armor. Sal-Solo says the real Vong armor kept biting them, and sits down in a snit.
From there, Jaina takes the troops to the underground shelter. The general has to have engineers start working on blowing off the heavy armored entrance to the shelter; Jaina contemplates that all these little delays in completing the operation are starting to add up.
When the doors are finally almost open, Jaina tells the general she'd like to go in first and see if she can get them to surrender without having to take all their troops inside for a firefight. He almost instantly agrees; "I'm not going to tell a Jedi she can't be first into a tight spot. I've seen what you people can do." Jaina and Lowie exchange looks and know their plan without speaking. As the doors finally give way, brigaders inside immediately start shooting out, and one even tries telling the New Republic troops to stay out. Jaina and Lowie Jedi acrobatics their way in, and the two are able to beat up the fighters and order the rest to surrender.
Quarren Senator Pwoe, among the mass of brigaders, snaps back that she should surrender. He claims he's Chief of State now, and in the midst of negotiations between the New Republic and the Peace Brigade. Jaina laughs, surprised at the audacity. Pwoe was an anti-Jedi politician, and after the previous Chief of State was killed by a Vong attack, Pwoe declared himself Chief of State and started giving out orders...only to have the Senate reject his claim on the title, electing Cal Omas to be next Chief of State instead.
Pwoe calls the attack on Ylesia "typical Jedi violence." Jaina orders Pwoe and the brigaders escorted out. While this goes on, she picks up surprise through the battlefield; Vong reinforcements have arrived in the star system. "Here's where it all goes wrong."
Pwoe and Sal-Solo are cuffed and shoved into the same landspeeder. Neither of the fake leaders are happy with each other, and Sal-Solo is racist and doesn't want to sit next to the "Squid Head." The group starts their withdrawal as fast as they can, but are slowed navigating the same civilians the operation was designed to spare from an orbital bombardment. As they get out of the city outskirts, Vong ground forces ambush them -- the ground forces had been stranded by the destruction of the Vong ships earlier and decided to simply bide their time.
The Vong lead with a giant beast -- a quednak -- that crushes the first landspeeder underfoot. The troops open fire and begin to fall back, but another pops out behind them. Jaina uses the Force to pull her lightsaber from her belt to her hand, then leap up to the second beast's back to attack the warriors guiding it. Note that while Jaina and Lowie did not kill any Peace Brigaders on the ground, they're going straight for kills against the Vong themselves. (For those just tuning in to the Yuuzhan Vong war, they look pretty nasty.) She uses telekinesis to deflect a spat poison attack and proceeds to get into an evenly-matched melee fight with one warrior while the other handles the beast; then her danger sense warns her of some accidental friendly fire, and she drops under a laser; the warrior is thrown off-balance, and Jaina trips him. He falls off.
Before she can go take care of the beast's handler, a laser cannon finally wipes him out; the beast panics and thrashes around, throwing Jaina. She cushions her fall and surveys the situation. Lowie is helping wounded and the first beast is finally dead. The second one finally gets gunned down and she has to scuttle away to avoid being crushed. The rest of the Vong -- narrative specifies about five hundred -- attack.
Troopers start dying, while Jaina and Lowie start picking off attacks and whatever warriors they can get to. Jaina orders all non-combatants into the buildings, clearing the field of fire for her troops; the fight starts going a lot easier. The Jedi go take out a group of Vong going after the general, who's wounded. Eventually, everyone gets holed up where they're temporarily safe from Vong attack. Soldiers keep firing as Vong continue trying to get into the buildings to fight again. The general's consulting his officers to figure out another withdrawal route; Jaina's commlink starts beeping.
It's Jaina's boyfriend, Colonel Jagged Fel. He was calling because the other Jedi still in the space battle told him she might need help. Jag impersonates Captain Obvious and tells Jaina she needs to withdraw ASAP; she busts out some sarcasm. Jag informs her he's going to lead those of Twin Suns squadron still in the air on a bombing run to clear the way. Jaina points out this is stupid because of the close quarters and presence of non-combatants. He won't take no for an answer.
Pwoe stands up and insists he be allowed to negotiate a surrender to the Vong. Sal-Solo has had enough; he shouts Pwoe down. "Surrender at discretion. Up until now I'd thought the Jedi were the most pompous, annoying gasbags in creation. But that was before I met you. You take the prize for the most preposterous, self-important, prolix fiasco I have ever seen. And on top of that -- on top of that, sir, you are a fish! So sit down and shut up, before I take a harpoon to you!" Sal-Solo reiterates to Jaina that he's not a Vong collaborator and he's not going to let a "subaquatic imbecile" sell them out to the enemy.
They hear Jag perform a flyover, assessing troop placements. Jag asks Jaina where the friendly positions are. Jaina reminds him this is going to be a good way for him to have her rookies bomb their own troops. Everyone takes cover, and Jag commences the bombing. He avoids the possibility of friendly fire by having everyone fly in a line, with him on the nearest side. Any off-target missiles or lasers will land in areas opposite to where Jaina's troops are. There are two strafing runs, and Jaina's not worried about the second run at all anymore. The bombardment deafens them for a little while. The troops make their escape from the city.
The ground forces are on their way back to the fleet. Kre'fey is currently in a face-off with the Vong commander, the two fleets shifting their lines to counter each other and never quite engaging. The landing parties get back onto the carrier ships and the fleet makes their triumphant escape.