It has been over twenty years since the Rebel Alliance broke the power of Palpatine's Empire at the now legendary Battle of Endor. Now, the New Republic has spread across the Galaxy. Yesterday's Rebels are today's governors, senators and diplomats. The New Republic has created a free and open society. It is a time of peace, but a deceptive one. Unfortunately, old grievances and rivalries set aside to battle the common foe of the Galactic Empire has bubbled to the surface. Civil strife has engulfed numerous worlds, systems, even entire sectors. Coruscant's government has sent diplomatic teams to extinguish the festering troubles. However, there are agents seeking to fan the flames and weaken the New Republic from the inside.

For in the void, the eyes of a monstrous threat have fallen upon the Galaxy. A dread sentience has appraised the New Republic and found it rich in prey...


Rhan Dakar basked in the adulation of the crowd, but not for the reasons his audience expected. Rhan Dakar cared nothing for the 'plight' of these workers, nothing for their so called 'oppression'. All that mattered was that the shipyards of Thersas-IV had been shut down. The shipyards were relatively minor, only capable of producing ships around the size of a Victory-class Star Destroyer. The New Republic would feel the pinch from the shutdown of this shipyard, however. Thersas-IV was a major refit station along the border with Hutt Space. Corsucant would undoubtedly have to send a diplomatic team, perhaps even a military force to ensure that Thersas continued to refit and produce the badly needed Warships, especially this close to Hutt Space.

Ever since the 'Darksaber' incident, the Hutts had grown bolder. They had turned inwards and modernized their military, meaning that the Hutts were adopting a somewhat standardized force. The High Council on Nal Hutta had been proudly displaying their new 600-meter cruiser class.

Rhan grinned darkly, even though the motion caused his Ooglith Masquer to itch. If he could manage to spark a war between the Hutts and the New Republic... Yes, that would greatly aid his brothers in the Praetorite Vong.

"LONG LIVE HOUSE GUSHARI!" A voice screamed. Rhan's eyes went wide with shock as a figure leapt from crowd brandishing an infidel machine, a blaster. The Yuuzhan Vong infiltrator desperately looked for a way to escape into his flock of dupes. Instead he felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell backwards. The dying extra-galactic scout did not realize it, but he had pulled the cloak from his Zabrack attacker.

There was a third arm. The attacker was horribly mutated. The Zabrak mutant realized his secret had been revealed and activated his failsafe. An eyeblink later, a thermal detonator exploded with the radiance of a sun and seven hundred and forty-six sentient beings died. The body of Rhan Dakar, now a martyr in the name of two people was never recovered. The New Republic investigative team would never know that he was an advanced scout for the Yuuzhan Vong. Though, the identity of the firebrand would matter little compared to the vicious civil war that erupted between loyalist and industrial forces on the world.

Leia Organa Solo rubbed her temples as she reviewed the latest reports the New Republic had sent her. None of the reports were encouraging. Entire sectors were tearing themselves apart in internal conflict. Thersas-IV was the latest system to succumb to open warfare. Thankfully, the arrival of a New Republic Task-force quickly restored some semblance of order. The most troubling aspect was that several Warships that had been recently completed had been 'lost' during the fighting. Everything was seemingly spiraling out of control.

Now she had to deal with Nom Anor. He was one of the galaxy's most outspoken firebrands along with Gerrison Vaal and the recently assassinated Rhan Dakar. Nom Anor was quite possibly the only reason the Rhommamool-Osarian conflict was threatening to spill over into fighting. Leia's surprise was palpable when Cal Omas approached her on behalf of the New Republic Senate to head to Rhommamool to meet with Nom Anor. Her shock was even greater when she learned that Nom Anor had requested a meeting with a New Republic diplomat. She quietly wondered if the presence of the Mediator in orbit between the twin worlds had something to do with it. Leia Organa Solo had and always would be wary of gunboat diplomacy, but the New Republic needed all the successes it could get. The peace she, her friends and family had fought and in many cases died for, had to be preserved.

Were still dying for. Leia reminded herself.

Leia shook the worry from her mind and watched as her daughter, Jaina, looked eagerly eyed the controls of the Jade Sabre. It was hard to believe that Jaina was growing up so fast. Jaina had quickly become a young woman, strong in the Force and strong in character. Leia Organa Solo realized that she had Mara Jade to thank for her daughter's advancement.

"We're almost to Rhommamool. Why don't you take us in, Jaina."

Both of the Solo women turned quickly as Mara Jade entered the cockpit. She was putting up a brave face and struggling to appear strong in the face of her illness. Leia was filled with pride that her sister-in-law was even capable of walking. The others infected with the same illness had died within a day of falling ill. The only other survivor, a Vebug translator, was in a coma on Coruscant with a team of researchers around him at all times desperately seeking a cure.

Jaina went wide eyed at Mara's suggestion. The young woman was thrilled at not only the prospect of piloting such a magnificent ship as the Jade Sabre, but at the trust implicit in Mara's statement.

Jaina breathed 'yes!' as she leapt at the controls. As the Jedi Knight switched to manual control, the New Republic diplomat approached the Jedi Master and her friend.

"You should rest." Leia said as soothingly as she could. This, however, earned a scowl from the fiercely independent Mara Jade Skywalker.

"I can't, not with 3P0 prattling on about the technological and socio-economic background of the civil war we are walking into. Are you sure we couldn't have left him with Luke or Han?"

Leia felt the tug of acceleration, which meant that Jaina had dialed down the inertial compensator. "If he's getting under your skin, imagine what Han's reaction would be?"

Mara Jade made a slight grimace as she chuckled. "You don't need to worry, Leia."

"Master Mara, Mom. The Mediator is hailing us. They are asking if we wish to go straight to Rhommamool or if we should dock with the Mediator?"

"I want to get this meeting with Nom Anor over with as soon as possible. We'll be heading for the surface, but will check in regularly with them."

Leia's suggestion met no resistance from either her daughter or sister-in-law. Jaina, for her part was thrilled at the prospect of more time at the helm of the Jade Sabre.

Mara and Leia did not share the younger woman's enthusiasm at the prospect of arriving in Rhommamool.

Danni Quee barely recognized Belkadan anymore. It was as if recently, the planet had grown enraged at the presence of the ExGal society and was trying to drive them off. The ExGal scientists used to keep the towering evergreens ten meters from the listening station's walls. Now, it was a daily struggle to prevent the inside of the walls from being overrun by sapplings and strange vines that Danni had only seen twice when she dared go deeper into the forest. In an eerie turn, no one had heard the sound of any of the normal animals in days. As she leaned against a long handled shovel, Danni found herself wishing for the days where her biggest problem was trying to keep Tee-ubo from using Ryll while on duty.

"Danni!" Luther De'Ono one of the few Core Worlders at the station ran out of the main facility flailing his arms wildly. "Garth found something! It looks like it's what we came here for!"

The troubled thoughts quickly evaporated and she took off running towards the main facility. "Garth? You'd think it'd be Yomin with the way he's glued to the screens."

Luther nodded as he fell into stride next to Danni. "Yomin was eating. You should have heard his reaction when he found out he missed it!"

Danni quickly began asking a dozen questions about the nature of the signal, it's entry vector and various other questions that Luther replied as best he could. "Yomin and Cho think it might be an asteroid rebound."

"What do you think?"

Luther smiled like a youngling. "I think coming out here wasn't a mistake after all."

For the first time in many months, Danni felt the excitement of the unknown and the thrill of discover. The air felt crisp and the sun shone beautifully.

Luke Skywalker shook his head as he approached the Millennium Falcon. Han and Chewbacca were constantly trying to keep the venerable ship from falling apart. The shouts of protest coming from inside the Falcon revealed the cause of the latest mechanical issues.

"It's not my fault! I only did the same maneuver that Jaina does in the Falcon all the time!"

Jacen Solo, who had been following quietly behind his uncle after one of their debates over the course of the Jedi struggled not to laugh as a flustered Anakin stormed down the Falcon's ramp. Suddenly, a large pair of shaggy arms reached down and dragged the youngest Solo back into the Falcon. As Anakin's protests grew quieter as he went deeper into the old Corellian frieghter, Han Solo emerged from the ship looking rather annoyed.

"I hope your meeting with the council wasn't as much trouble as Anakin's stunt." Han said with a bit of forced humor.

Luke smiled. "Depends, what kind of number did Anakin pull on the Falcon?"

"Fried the Inertial Compensator. He thought he was his sister. He conveniently forgot that the gap between his sister's experience and his is at least a parsec."

"That bad huh? Han, I'm going to need your help with something."

Han grinned his legendary lop-sided smirk. "If your asking me to help blow up an Imperial superweapon, I've reached my limit with those."

"Don't worry, this has nothing to do with the Remnant. You're aware how some Jedi Knights have taken upon themselves to 'deal' with smugglers and pirates on the Rim?"

"I also remember how smugglers helped the Alliance overthrow Palpatine."

Luke took a deep breath. "I haven't forgotten Han. Remember, some of my students were and still are smugglers. The Jedi have a great deal of autonomy and each chooses to follow the Force in their own way."

Han practically growled. "That's dangerous and you know it. Look what happened with Kyp, Desann, Brakkis and Kueller."

Jacen was about to object when his father gave him the look. Luke didn't need his formidable Force abilities to know that this situation needed to be smoothed over. "I am well aware of all the concerns facing the Jedi Order, Han. And your's as well Jacen. But we have time for those discussions later. Han, we need to meet with Lando."

Han Solo groaned. This was not going to end well.

The three Jedi and their droid sat quietly as their host ranted about the 'evils' of the New Republic. Jaina came the closest to letting her emotional control slip, but a glance from her master and her mother allowed her to keep a firm grip. Leia fidgeted as Nom Anor's appearance reminded her more and more of Darth Vader.

It was an odd and demeaning greeting. And it had all started because 3P0 was with them.

"Nom Anor, I understand the root causes of this conflict. The New Republic will work with both factions to reach a peaceful and just resolution."

Nom Anor, the firebrand preacher and founder of the Red Knights of Life hissed. "Justice! How can you give us justice when your back the Ossarian Slave Masters over the oppressed of Rhommamool? But there is a way to achieve justice and peace."

Leia gave her best diplomatic smile. "Tell us, Nom Anor and the New Republic will consider your proposal."

Nom Anor crossed his arms. "Contact your warship in orbit. Tell them to turn their weapons of mass destruction on the Ossarian Launch sites. Once the chains of economic and military control are removed from around the necks of Rhommamool, then we will have peace."

Mara gaped at the suggestion. "Most of Ossarian's launch pads are near their cities! The Mediator's weapons would kill many innocent beings!"

Nom Anor growled. "What irony! A warship that thinks it is a ship of peace! I think we have nothing else to discuss."

Nom Anor turned and stormed out of the hallway where the impromptu meeting was taking place.

A moment passed before Jaina spoke. "I can see why you didn't want to come here… His attitude was bad enough, but he wasn't there in the Force! How… how can he even be standing there?! Even droids can be sensed through the Force with some effort!"

Mara Jade frowned. "I know. I tried calling to him through the Force. There was nothing, no response, not even on an instinctive level."

Leia shared her sister-in-law's frown. "There is nothing more we can do here. Let's get back to the Jade Sabre."

The three women left the capital building with an overwhelming weight on their backs.

The scientists of ExGal4 gathered around the table. Two camps had formed regarding the inbound reading. The first camp, led by Yomin and E'las'ien were convinced it was simply a comet getting drawn back thanks to the Galaxy's natural gravitational field. Danni's faction was convinced that the inbound was either a probe or ship of some kind.

As the debate entered its tenth minute, Garth Breise burst through the door. He was breathing heavily. The conversations abruptly stopped.

"You alright Garth?" Tee-ubo asked as she took a tentative step forward.

"There's something here you have to see! Come with me!"

Danni Quee wrinkled her brow. "Calm down and explain what you're talking about. What could be so interesting here on Belkadan that could distract us from the inbound?"

Garth's breathing slowed to normal. "Follow me to the Comm Tower. You'll see."

Everyone broke into excited knots about what could cause the normally calm and unflappable Garth to be thrown into a near stupor. No one noticed the near panic gripping the Yomin Carr.

"Something problematic with the Tower?" Carr asked with false tranquility. The Yuuzhan Vong Infiltrator cursed under his breath as he realized his error. Fortunately for him, the rest of the Extragalatic Society didn't notice.

Garth took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. "Nothing that I noticed, but it gives you the best view."

"The best view of what?" Lysire asked, confusion dripping from her voice.

Garth could only convince Danni, Yomin and Tee-Ubo to climb the tower with him. The winds had become abnormally powerful in the past few days. It seemed that everything about Belkadan had become abnormal in the past few days. The plant life on Belkadan had exploded and grown faster than anyone had ever seen.

Even Yomin was taken aback by the rampant growth. The changes were most definitely not his doing. Something had gone horribly wrong with his plans. The Dweebits had failed in their task. How? The Yuuzhan Vong kept asking this question over and over again in his head.

The how was a mystery, but the cause likely had something to do with the bizarre and, to the natives of the galaxy, horrific tower growing in the distance. The tower appeared to be made of flesh and chitin. The growth loomed over the trees and pulsed like a child slurping the last stubborn bit of a drink from a straw.

"That... That is not native..." Tee-ubo gasped. The Twilek's lekku writhed in fear and disgust.

It is not anything Shaped... Carr thought and secretly hoped he did not say out loud.

Garth grinned. "I want to know what that is."

Danni bit her lip. "There is something about that I don't like."

Tee-ubo waved her lekku. "I agree with Danni, it's not natural."

Garth's curiostity was roused. "We can't let this go undocumented. I'll get some volunteers and go check it out."

The freighter landed on the dilapidated landing pad in a poorer section of Coruscant's industrial sector. Hota always liked it here. In this section, his true nature didn't have to be hidden. Hota also was glad he didn't have to wear the heavy cloak. How many times did people think he was a Jedi? The attention wasn't something he wanted. People asking questions didn't help his family's goal.

The family hands moved the massive crates down the ramp. He wasn't sure what segments of Coruscant they would release the contents in, but honestly it didn't matter because the security in Lower Coruscant was practically non-existent anyway.

"Brother Hota." A bald man emerged from the shadows. His face was heavily boned and his voice carried an undeniable command.

"Yes, Magus Keta?" Hota licked his lips nervously.

"The Patriarch wishes for an update on the schedule."

Hota's heart leapt in his chest. The Patriarch! Hota smiled broadly. "Whatever the glorious Patriarch wishes!"

Garth and the six members of ExGal-4 he convinced to head out with him had been moving for a long time. They originally didn't plan to take any weapons, but Bendodi practically forced them to take blasters. As the group headed deeper into the primordial forest Belkadan had become, Garth was thankful for them.

It was unnerving to move through the thick forest in utter silence. Garth had taken point and was listening for any threats such as Red-Crested Cougars. The rest of the party had been talking softly trying to keep their nerves up. However, Karin had been unusually quiet.

"Karin, see anything back..." Garth turned to see if she had seen something.

"Karin!" It couldn't be! She was gone?

The other turned and noticed she was gone as well. They started yelling into the woods to try to reach her. Hrean started fumbling with the comm when suddenly there was a splatter of blood. The Ongree screamed has he was dragged by an unseen force into the trees.

Nearly two hours of silence and boredom had become twenty three seconds of primal terror. Garth activated his visual comm and contacted the facility.

"Can you read me?"

Bendodi answered the communication. "...py Garth... ch... ference..."

Garth cursed the weirdness of the new Belkadan. "Barely, Bendodi. I'm adjusting the power... How about now?"

Bendodi's voice was much clearer the second time around. "Affirmative."

Danni Quee joined the comm. "What happened out there? Have you reached it?"

"No! Karin's gone missing and something just killed Hrean!" Garth's voice trembled. There was something very very wrong here. The universe deigned to prove his point when the screaming started.

One of ExGal scientists had been impaled through the chest by a creature, a hideous spectral creature. It was like a madman's cross of a reptile and an insect. The monster was as large as a Wookie and sported a terrible tentacled maw.

Bendodi's voice shouted over the comm. "SHOOT HER!"

The survivors fired wild shots at the animal, but they missed. In a flash, the creature leapt from the trees and eviscerated Tomlin and Erina and disappeared into the undergrowth. The attack happened so quickly, that no one realized Tomlin had been killed until a few seconds after the skirmish.

At ExGal-4's command center, panic reigned. Danni and Bendodi were shouting for Garth and his party to retreat. Yomin Carr had a very different reaction, glee. He had feared there would be no chance to see honorable combat in this place. Now! Now there may be.

In the confusion, he slipped away. He would not see the horror that descended upon Garth's group. There was a sound that resembled rain on a drum. The mass that followed looked like an avalanche with bits of red and purple mixed in the oncoming tide. A terrible screeching filled the air and even though Garth and the others were mere centimeters from their comm gear, their screams could not be heard over the roars. Tears welled in Danni's eyes and Bendodi rose to his feet.

"We're abandoning the outpost. Everybody to the freighter and the Spacecaster. Those things will be here in less than an hour."

Tee-ubo was near the mental breaking point. "It took Garth and the others three hours to get that far out!"

"Did you see how fast those things were? For all we know, one of those Stalkers is on its way here. We have to leave. I'd say we have an hour at most."

"It is far less than that." Yomin's voice filled the room, followed shortly by a shout of utter fear from Lysire.

A horribly scarred monster wearing glossy black armor carrying a bandoleer of what looked to be insects and a writhing snake-staff entered the room. He sneered at the assembled lifeforms.

Danni stood resolutely in front of the creature. "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

"I am Yomin Carr as he truly is!" Luther shouted Sith's Blood in disbelief, but Yomin ignored his outburst. "A proud warrior of the Yuuzhan Vong! And Bendodi is correct, we must leave, but time is not as plentiful as he would hope."

Bendodi drew a blaster. "What makes you think that 'Yomin'?

A terrifying grin crept across the scarred and tattooed face of the Yuuzhan Vong. He pointed to the sky. "Our enemies arrive!"

The sky burned as strange pods rained from the sky and a massive blot like oil in water snaked across the sky. All around the outpost, the roar of unknowable creatures filled the air. The Great Devourer had descended on its prey.

I'm sure some of you know who the Warhammer 40,000 Faction is already, but it'll be spelled out in English (or a poor 'Basic' translation of Yuuzhan Vong) next chapter

Star Wars is property of Lucasfilm LTD. Games Workshop not only owns their faction, but arguably me as well.