3641BBY: The Last Battle of Colonel Jace Malcom by Alexander Freed

Author:Alexander Freed [Freed, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Hewlett-Packard
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jace watched the ochre dot of Kalandis Seven retreat through the viewport of the starship Frontier Justice. The ship’s captain - a Jedi Knight whose name Jace hadn’t caught, who had fought through half a dozen blockades just to arrive at Kalandis on time - hadn’t complained when Jace arrived battered and late. It was one thing Jace liked about Jedi: They took things in stride.

“Any idea why they sent you?” Jace asked. The Jedi Knight didn’t spare Jace a glance as he tore half-melted wires out from under an engineering console.

“The Supreme Chancellor thinks you’re wasted out here,” the Jedi said. “Beyond that, I don’t know.”

An electrical popping sound emerged from the console, and the Jedi shuffled out before continuing. “My guess is you’re in for a promotion. Whole war is changing.”

“Not the first time I’ve been told that,” Jace said. He watched Kalandis Seven disappear into the star field, the ochre dot now indistinguishable from a thousand other distant worlds and distant suns.

“The troops down there won’t last long, now,” Jace added. “They don’t have the training to hold the place.” He rubbed at his cheek, rubbed at his scars, then spoke again. “They’ll be overrun within the month. Casualties’ll be heavy.”

The Jedi stood and turned to face Jace. “You don’t know that,” he said.

Jace shrugged. “I don’t,” he agreed. They’d share the lie together. “Doesn’t matter now. The Supreme Chancellor orders you back to the Core Worlds, that’s where you go.”

Still, blast her for taking him off the battlefield. Forty years of leaving soldiers behind and losing people was enough of a burden to shoulder. As for a promotion? More responsibility never made anything easier; it only changed the scope of the job.

Jace excused himself and made his way to the guest quarters - a spartan barracks where he dropped onto a cot and took up a datapad, browsing over a list of his comrades on Kalandis Seven. Shanra Immel; Amden vor Keioidian; Vaskus Kayle; Yennir of the Green. Everyone he’d fought with. The team he’d been willing to die for. The team he’d done everything to try and save.

When he reached the end of the list, he deleted the names from his personal tile and put the datapad away.

Time to move on to the next battle.

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