New Meets Old: Part 2

"WHAT!? YOU MEAN IT'S BEEN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS SINCE THE BATTLE OF CORUSCANT!?" Rex roared in disbelief. "HOW COULD WE HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN HYPERSPACE FOR THAT LONG!?"

"Well, it is possible..." the ship's technician offered, looking up from his workstation. "if our relativity drive was damaged, there is a one-in-a-million chance we could have been trapped in hyperspace for years. Perhaps decades."

"So you mean to tell me the republic won the Clone Wars, then Chancellor Palpatine made himself a dictator and destroyed the jedi order?" Rex asked.

"That's right." Luke replied, sadly, looking down at his light-saber. "But a rebellion against the empire managed to win a Galactic Civil War and destroyed Palpatine regime."

"Oh yeah." Rex replied, skeptically. "Well, how did your 'emperor' manage to get all the clone troopers to turn on their jedi commanders. No clone would betray the jedi." Luke looked around noticed a clone trooper not like the others.

"Excuse me, but isn't that clone over there not an ARC trooper?" Luke asked, pointing at one of the soldiers standing guard without the ARC insignia on his uniform.

"Yeah, that's Travis." Rex asked. "So, what of it?" Turning towards the confused Travis, Luke used the force to imitate Palpatine's voice.

"The time has come, execute Order 66." Luke stated; almost immediately, Travis pulled out his blaster and pointed it at Luke. He opened fire and Luke easily deflected the bolts as two ARC troopers grabbed their comrade and pinned him down.

"Oh great galaxies, he had the regular clones all programmed as assassins." Rex howled in anguish, slamming his fist on the console in front of him. "That scumbag was just waiting for us to win the war, so he could take over." Standing nearby, Ahsoka had been listening to everything that had occurred not believing what she was hearing.

"What do you make of this, Ahsoka?" Rex asked her. "Ahsoka?" The tortuga girl promptly rolled her eyes back and fainted.

"Oh dear." Luke sighed. "I guess my words were a bit too much for her."


Luke and Commander carried the unconscious ex-jedi to her private quarters. They laid her in her cot before going back to brief the crew on what had happened. After some time, a cerulean sparkling form walked through the wall and approached her. It placed a translucent mechanical hand on the girl's head, the figure smiled down at her.

"Hey there, Snips." His voice called to her. "It's time to get up." Ahsoka's eyes flickered open and she saw the familiar form of her old master.

"Master Anakin?" she asked, looking up in disbelief. "But why can I see right through you and why are you so old?"

"As for the first question, I am one with the force now." He answered, shaking his head. "And as to the other, you have been asleep for quite some time, Ahsoka."

"So, what that Luke-guy told me was true?" She frowned, trying to hold her tears back. "Master Obi-wan... Master Mace... Shak-ti... They're all gone?"

"I'm afraid so,my apprentice. You and Luke are the last of the jedi." Anakin replied, sadly. "But our sacrifice was not in vain for the sith have been destroyed forever."

"So, the jedi have accomplished our ancient mission." Ahsoka asked, not sure if she should be happy or sad. "So, there's no reason for the order to exist anymore."

"Not so, my child. There is still chaos and evil in the galaxy that must be defeated." Anakin replied. "Your new mission is to join with my son and train a new generation of jedi in the ways of the force."

"Your son, Luke Skywalk... oh, of course he's your son." She facepalmed. "He looks so much like you." She gave Anakin a mischievous grin. "So, you were using those jedi mind tricks for something other than missions, hmm? And who's the mom?"

"That's not your concern, Ahsoka." Anakin replied, sternly. "Meanwhile, you should go and tell Luke what his new mission is."

"Alright, Master Anakin." She bowed. "I shall do exactly as you say." Walking out of her room and back towards the bridge, she happened to walk in on Luke and Rex talking.

"So, what are you and your clone troopers going to do now?" Luke asked. "There's no republic to sere anymore."

"Well, the way I see it. Our training makes us loyal to the galaxy's legitimate government." Rex replied. "I suppose we'll seek out this Admiral Akbar you mentioned and offer our services to train an army for this Galaxy Alliance thing. What about you, Master Skywalker? What is your place in this brave new galaxy?"

"I don't know." Luke replied, flexing his robotic hand. "I'm supposed to restart the jedi order, but I have absolutely no idea where to begin."

"Maybe I can help with that." Ahsoka offered.

"Oh, you're awake." Luke exclaimed. "Sorry about that shock earlier. I know this all has to be really hard for you."

"Don't worry about it, Master Skywalker." Ahsoka replied. "We have a job to do."

"So, you're going to help me out?" Luke asked.

"Of course." She answered. "And I know where to begin. There are records in the great jedi temple on the planet's surface, I think that would be the best place to start."


It was several days later when Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano approached the boarded up structure that had once been the jedi temple. Normally, a platoon of stormtroopers guarded this ancient relic. But since the events of Endor, no one had approached this building.

"Palpatine, had the building boarded up right after the slaughter of the younglings. A standing tribute to the triumph of the sith." Luke explained, in disgust. "Everyone in this district thinks the temple is haunted. They claim they can hear the screams of younglings as Vader and the stormtroopers wiped them out."

"Ugh, Darth Vader. I can't believe what you've told me about that monster. It's unbelievable, I don't remember him from my time with the jedi." Ahsoka shivered. "Did he really kill your father and Obi-wan?"

"Yes, he killed them both." Luke replied. "But not before Anakin was able to kill Palpaltine and deliver a mortal wound to Vader that did him in." As the two pulled the nailed boards away and entered the temple. Both were disgusted by the sights and foul stench that greeted them. Blood was spattered everywhere on the temple floor along with the well-decayed skeletons of jedi, younglings, and clone troopers. Ahsoka sobbed as she walked past bodies she could barely recognize from the rotting clothing.

"Oh no, Master Yattle and here's Shak-ti's padawan. How could that monster just leave them here to rot?"

"The Emperor wanted to make an example of the jedi." Luke replied. "We better get to the records room at once." Luke and Ahsoka entered the library stepping over the decomposed body of the librarian. Going over to the shelves, the two jedi began emptying all the data discs and books into large bags. "It's a good thing we got here before looters got brave enough to enter the temple." Luke stated.

Looking back at Ahsoka, he noticed she was standing on a high shelf. Gazing upward his eyes settled on her backside for a moment before he glanced away. "You know, you're pretty athletic looking for a young padawan." Luke noted trying to hide the blush on his face.

"Huh, oh thanks." She laughed. "But it turns out the medical doctor on the ship told me that I aged quite a bit while in hypserspace." Ahsoka shook her head. "But it doesn't feel that way to me."

"That's interesting." Luke replied, but noticed a small sphere sitting on one of the library tables. "Hey, what's this over here?" Luke went over and picked it up. The small orb began to flash at his touch and a hologram of the Emperor appeared.

"Fool, you have made a great mistake in coming to this forbidden place." the hologram stated. "Now, you shall pay the ultimate price." Before it shut off automatically.

"Is that the Emperor?" Ahsoka asked in horror, staring at the hologram. "I though he was dead."

"It's just a recording?" Luke replied.

"Boy is he ugly." Ahsoka answered. "But what does he mean we'll pay with our lives?" At that moment, several small round orbs began to blink and beep all over the jedi temple. Luke grabbed the bags of records along with Ahsoka and a few spare lightsabers off the floor and raced for the door.

"REMOTE THERMAL DETONATORS!" Luke called out. Realizing the emperor must have planted them as a trap back when the temple was boarded up. "Let's get out of here." The two used the force to accelerate their running, racing out the door just seconds before the temple went up in a massive fireball.

Covered in dust, the two jedi turned back to the burning structure.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked his companion.

"I should be fine." Ahsoka answered, nodding. "I'm glad we made it out in time."

"You can say that again." He replied. "I just wonder where we are going to end up next."


On the other side of the galaxy, in the outer rim, the Imperial navy had gathered above the backwater moon of Annaj. Here the remaining stormtroopers were having their wounds treated and morale was at an all-time low. Aboard the super star-destroyer the Iron Fist, the last seven leaders of the Galactic Empire argued over what they were going to do next.

Among them was a curvy dark-skinned woman with blue eyes and short blonde curly hair. She was Admiral Dalla Wane, one of the only women to rise up in the ranks of the empire. And the only one to achieve as high a rank that she did. Another was a red-skinned devaronian man with longer horns and a goatee. He was Grand Moff Hissa, whose devilish appearance would be baffling among his adversaries on the field. But at the head of the table, was the Grand Admiral the only non-human to receive the highest rank. He was a blue chiss with blue-black hair and red eyes. Although he was named Mitth'raw'nuruodo, everyone in the empire called him by a different name.

"I can't believe those rebels managed to destroy our death star... a second time." Admiral Dalla snarled. "And to make matters worse, we lost not only the Emperor but all the core worlds, the inner rim, and middle rim. We're stuck with the outer rim and the unknown territories."

"What did you expect? Without the emperor, our soldiers went into a panic and fled." Grand Moff Hissa explained. He picked up some live insects off of a plate of food in front of him and devoured them. "We have our entire military out here, but no worlds. It won't be long before we run out of supplies and fuel."

"Perhaps we should start raiding worlds in the outer rim to supply our needs." Dalla suggested. "I mean, a lot of these worlds never paid taxes to the empire but got our protection. They owe us."

"What? And become common criminals?" Hissa looked offended. "We are the mightiest military in the galaxy. We do not stoop to the level of pirates."

"Both of you, enough." A blue-skinned alien with blue-black hair stated, standing up from his seat. His red eyes scaring the Imperial council into silence. "With all of the Imperial high command dead. I am now in command of the Empire. I will formulate a strategy to help us retake the galaxy and crush this so called Alliance."

"Very well, Grand Admiral Thrawn." One of the other council members replied. "I'm sure you can come up with something."

"I'm already one step ahead of you for I have been contemplating one this issue for quite some time." Thrawn replied, pushing a button. "And I have decided since the Alliance has a jedi on its side, we're going to need a dark side force-user on ours."

A hologram appeared in the middle of the table. It was a pale humanoid of gigantic height sitting upon a massive throne. He appeared heavily burned and deformed. The very sight of him filled the entire council with a sense of dread. Thrawn was only slightly surprised at his appearance.

"Jeepers, what is this mass of roadkill?" Dalla asked in disgust.

"I'll ignore that remark." The creature replied. Everyone heard it although the creature's lips didn't move. "Greetings, gentlemen and lady. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Grandmaster Snoke." The giant hissed.

"Well, why have you come here?" Dalla continued to asked.

"I have returned to this galaxy because I sensed the death of your emperor. I had heard from Grand Admiral Thrawn that you were in need of assistance." He explained. "So, we have reached an agreement that I will aid you in restoring your order to the galaxy and destroy this so-called Alliance."

"Yes, order must be restored." Hissa agreed. "Palpatine's new order must rule the galaxy again."

"No, the emperor was a madman. A religious fanatic who dragged the empire down with his obsession about destroying the jedi." Thrawn shouted. "The new order is no more. In it's place... the first order shall rise. With Master Snoke's help, we will take our time rebuilding our forces and then our empire shall strike back once again. This meeting is dimissed." Everyone at the table stood and gave a salute.

"Hail, Thrawn. Hail, Snoke." They stated. "Long live the first order."