Hello, Star Wars fans. How are you doing on such a hot and sunny day? I am fine, the temperature is probably in the 90s, and I am eager to write the next chapter of this story. Oh, and I watched most of Ivanka and Donald Trump's speeches last night on FOX News, and I will say this, those two really know how to get a crowd going and appeal to their hopes. Now, let's just hope, or pray, depending on your preference, that Donald Trump can fulfill his promises if he becomes president, or we're all in deep poodoo if he can't or won't. But, I have hope and faith in him, as we need more of those two traits now more than ever. Anyway, politics aside, I can assure all of you that my story will kick into action mode in just a few more chapters, as we are three days (in the story, not in real life) away from Daala's mad Siege of Mandalore (Or should I say, the Second Siege of Mandalore, as I believe that the first Siege of Mandalore during Star Wars: The Clone Wars can be fitted into what I consider to be the true Expanded Universe, just put the Siege one month before Episode III, and have Obi-Wan and Anakin sent to Cato Neimoidia for the invasion there instead of the Battle of Coruscant, leading up to James Luceno's novel Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil.). Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I, unfortunately, did see Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and I found it woefully lacking as a Star Wars story, since it (Spoiler alert!) killed off Han Solo by his own son who was named 'Ben', (Not very original there, no offense.), made the New Jedi Order decimated by Kylo Ren and Snoke (Who I so hope is not Ezra Bridger, but I fear it is him due to the recent Rebels Episodes.), and was basically a modern rehash of Episode IV. I'm sorry if my opinions have offended you, but I felt the need to let out some of my frustrations at certain matters.

Onboard the Second Chance

"Edaan?" Adari called out from the ramp of her husband's ship. Not hearing anything in reply, or sensing anything in the Force, she realized that he was shutting himself off from the Force and the Force Bond that he forged with Adari, and began to carefully and silently tread throughout the ship, thoroughly searching every cabin, room, and nook and cranny of the ship for fifteen minutes before hearing a faint sniffling noise from under her feet. Realizing where Edaan was, she rushed to the hall that was near the main hall, and pulled out the metal floorboards that hid the smuggling compartments that were included in the Second Chance, which, she recalled, was an exact replica of the Millennium Falcon, to find Edaan with his knees up to where his eyes were, and silently crying and shivering.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Adari cooed in a gentle tone that she reserved for upset children as she went into the compartment to be next to her beloved.

"Everything. When I saw the list of Jedi that were experimented on, along with every Force-sensitive that Daala, Melusar, and their commanders captured, something inside of me just snapped, and I went and blamed everyone but the Mandalorians, Confederation, Chiss, and the Hutts for the galaxy's troubles." Edaan shamefully said before continuing. "I've been bearing so much responsibility for so long, that I'm not sure if I can deliver my promise to save Vestara and the galaxy, no matter what anyone else says."

"Well, love, you taught me that Revan and Meetra Surik didn't save the galaxy from the Sith on their own. They had a crew of friends and comrades, as well as armies at their side in order to defeat Darth Malak and the Sith Triumvirate, respectively." Adari reminded him, who nodded at her words.

"Yes, that is true. But I'm not sure if I can be up to their level when we face Vestara, 'Savara', or whatever she calls herself these days." Edaan said.

"You helped me by showing me that I didn't have to be like my personal hero, Adari Vaal when we took down the Lost Tribe, and now it's my turn to help you see that. As Mace Windu told Obi-Wan Kenobi before he killed General Grievous: 'Just be you.' That's what allowed him to take down the Kaleesh cyborg that killed so many Jedi and innocent people during the Clone War, and that's what's going to allow you to save Vestara." Adari said, full of confidence.

"How can you have so much faith in me, knowing who my ancestor is, and what he did?" Edaan asked.

"Because I know you, and that you could never be like him." Adari tenderly said, before she suddenly asked, "Why do you have so much faith in Vestara, especially after every transgression that she's committed over the last twelve years?"

"Yeah, boss. I think that we've all been wondering that question ever since we've known you." Robonino suddenly asked, surprising the two newlyweds as they suddenly looked up to see the rest of their comrades, including Armand Vorn, surrounding them.

"By the Force, when did you guys get in here?" Edaan said, his sadness replaced with exasperation as the seven figures stared intently at the couple.

"About a minute ago." Vua Rapuung stoically replied. "Adari and, believe it or not, Fett, wanted all of us to come here and talk to you after your… display of anger, and we figured that you'd come back to the ship to hide."

"Indeed, master. Your outburst concerned everyone greatly, and we knew that you could use counseling." Artoo told Edaan in his digitized voice.

"This display of outrage shows a degree of psychological stress that has been in place for some time, a few years, at least." Jarael said in a professional tone.

Only sighing, Edaan said, "You really want to know?" After seeing nods from everyone, aside from Artoo, who said "Affirmative" to display his agreement with the others, he said, "Fine. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. If Vestara, or anyone else, for that matter, were to find out about this, then my plans would be ruined. I mean that especially for you, Akku. I know how hard it is for you "

"You have all of our words, especially mine. Supercommando's honor." Akku said with all of the honesty that he could muster.

"Well, it began twelve years ago, just before the Lost Tribe took over Coruscant. I was just accepted into the Jedi Order. And I was at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when I first met Vestara. She was with Ben when she wanted to become a Jedi, and I ran into her. We talked for a long time, and…" He hesitated at this point, trying to assemble the words that would come next, before he settled on the following words and said, "she was the one who encouraged me to become a Jedi, and not be afraid of my gifts."

"What do you mean, Edaan?" Atai said, curious as to where Edaan was going with this.

"Well… during my early childhood, I was plagued by the psychic pain of the scars that the Yuuzhan Vong left on Coruscant during their occupation, as well as the specter of my ancestor, Darth Sidious." Upon hearing that name, everyone but Adari and Artoo gasped, shocked at this revelation that his ancestor was haunting his dreams for years.

"Whoa. No offense, but I see how it's no wonder my mother fears you." Armand said, reeling from this divulgence.

"You won't get any argument there, Armand. Anyway, once my Force-sensitivity manifested, my family hid me from the outside world, as they feared that if I was discovered to be Force-sensitive, my family would be slaughtered due to their lineage, despite the name that they made for themselves as respectable and honest businessmen." Edaan continued. "It was Vestara who convinced me to embrace my gifts, and promised that she would be there to help me learn to control my powers, and that we would be able to fight together as Jedi when I was old enough. Of course, then she, unfortunately, burned her bridges with the Jedi by killing Jedi Knight Natua Wan in order to save Ben from a Sith abomination, betraying Allana and her grandparents in order to stay alive from her former Tribe members, resulting in the death of Knight Bazel Warv, as well as killing over twenty-eight thousand workers in the Qreph Incident and murdering Senator Leuwet Wuul and most of his clan due to orders from the Qrephs." He paused for a moment to gather his breath in order to continue.

"After she left the Jedi, I resolved to bring her back in order to redeem her, as I saw how broken Ban was without her, and as a result, I met my five true masters in my dreams: Tau, a former Force Hound that served the Rakata Infinite Empire before defecting to the Je'daii Order, Revan a Jedi and Sith Lord that fought three great evils in his time, Meetra Surik who defeated the Sith Triumvirate, Qui-Gon Jinn the one of the last Jedi in the old Order to retain their identity in the Force, and Jacen Solo/ Darth Caedus, hero of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and tragic, depending on your point of view, villain of the Second Galactic Civil War. They taught me all of their abilities, philosophies, tactics, strategies, and stories, which allowed me to grow at a pace far beyond my fellow younglings and padawans, and I spent many long hours in the Jedi Archives, learning all that I could in order to prepare for this day. I even learned how to create a Jedi holocron from their lessons, and used it to record all of their knowledge, as well as my own discoveries, journeys, and experiences for other light-sided Force users to see and hear." As Edaan finished speaking, he got out of the compartment in order to head to his cabin, with Adari and the others right behind him.

After rummaging through all of his clothes and equipment for a full minute, he found the holocron, which, to everyone but Adari and Artoo, looked like a blue pyramid with bizarre etchings all around it.

"Eh… what is that?" Robonino hesitatingly said.

"Like I said. It's the holocron that I created." Edaan factually said, not catching the confused tone that his Patrolian comrade said.

"And… that's supposed to hold all the wisdom of six great Jedi?" Jarael skeptically asked.

"You don't believe me?" Edaan said with a hurt tone. "Fine, then I'll prove it. Please follow me." He defensively said before he got up from the bed and went into the main hall of the Second Chance, got into a meditative position, and meditated on the Force, activating the holocron, causing it to float two feet off of the ground, its corners separated from the center, and a projection of Edaan himself to appear.

The image of Edaan then said, "Greetings. I am Edaan Palpatine. Do you wish to learn a lesson from me?"

Edaan then concentrated harder in the Force, causing the projection to change from Edaan into Jacen, and then Revan, causing everyone to be amazed at what appeared to them as a marvel of a fusion of technology and the Force.

"Now that is impressive." Vua said.

"Indeed, Vua." Edaan said before he deactivated the Holocron, causing it to return to its former position on the ground. "Now, if no one minds, I'm going to put the holocron away, and then apologize to everyone for my outburst, no matter how much it felt good to let out all of my frustrations and anger."

"Probably a good idea. Oh, and you might want to help replace the broken equipment that you inadvertently destroyed." Armand suggested in a friendly manner, earning a chuckle from Edaan.

"Yeah, good point." Edaan conceded as put away his holocron in his cabin.

As everyone walked back to the war room, Armand suddenly asked, "So… you really think that you can redeem Vestara where your master, who was madly in love with her, by the way, failed?"

"I won't know until I try, Armand. All I can do is go where the Force takes me, just as it guided Master Zao during the last years of the Old Republic and the first years of the First Galactic Empire." Edaan responded, briefly wondering whatever became of the old Veknoid after he disappeared from the Hidden Temple that was rebuilt on Arkinnea by the Jedi Master K'Kruhk after the Clone War in order to track down a runaway Jedi Youngling by the name of Sidirri, who, before fleeing, showed signs of succumbing to the dark side of the Force.

"Well, at least you know your history, master." Artoo said, causing everyone to laugh at the remark at Edaan's extensive knowledge of history.

"Very funny, Artoo. Oh, and don't call me 'master.' Just call me Edaan. We're friends, are we not?"

"Absolutely, mas- I mean, Edaan." Artoo said, correcting himself at the last moment.

Ten Minutes Later, In the Briefing Room

"This is ridiculous! We can't bar Edaan from the war council. He's the Shadow Alliance's founder, for stars' sakes. Without him, this alliance could fall apart!" Azzim fervently said as mechanics and technicians were hard at work repairing the consoles that Edaan destroyed. Thankfully, the consoles were cleanly ripped from their spots, and half of them were already repaired or replaced.

"As much as it pains me to agree with a Hutt, and a Jedi-sympathizing one at that, Azzim is right. Without him, all of Edaan's underworld and civilian allies could leave us, depleting our forces significantly." Venku stoically said, both relieving and offending Azzim for his rude defense of him.

"This is not permanent, everyone. It is just until Edaan regains control of himself after seeing all of those disturbing reports on Daala's experiments." Luke Skywalker said in a conciliatory tone.

"I agree with both sides. And I may have a solution. I propose that we give Edaan one day to get his bearings in order before he comes back to the war council." Corran Horn suggested in an effort to please both sides.

As much as it nauseated him to agree with Corran, Boba could see the merits in that idea: Edaan had been badly shaken by Daala's covert work, and needed time to process all of this in addition to his increasing mountain of responsibilities as a leading member of the Shadow Alliance. "We're getting nowhere with this arguing. I say that we put Master Horn's suggestion to a vote. All those in favor of suspending Edaan from the war council until-" As Fett spoke those last words, the doors to the briefing room slid open to reveal a composed Edaan on the other side of the door, along with his seven shipmates and Armand Vorn.

The nine beings quickly walked to the briefing table, where Edaan and Armand took their places around the briefing table, with Mirta moving out of the way to make room for Armand, and Edaan said "Before you guys vote on my suspension from the war council, I would like to say something."

"Of course, Edaan." Jaina said with honest courtesy, understanding the pain that he was going through, as she was close with many of the murdered Jedi that Daala and her minions experimented on, especially Tahiri Veila, as they had been friends since before the Yuuzhan Vong War.

"Thank you, Jaina." Edaan gently said before clearing his throat, saying, "First off, I would like to apologize for what I said to everyone. While I may have been under a great deal of emotional pain, it was no excuse for my… outburst before half of the major powers in the galaxy. And second, this is the hardest for me, I ask to recuse myself from the war council until such a time as I am no longer deemed emotionally compromised, as said outburst revealed a great deal of stress and pain for me."

"Request denied." Boba Fett simply said, surprising everyone, especially Edaan, whose jaw was slack as a result of what Boba said.

"Why?" Trista Zel said, curious as to where the Mandalore was going with this remark.

"Because Edaan just displayed a great deal of character by apologizing for his speech, no matter how much everyone that he yelled at deserved it. And I can tell that, thanks to his loved ones, he is better now, and he won't snap like that again." Boba explained, shocking everyone by his defense of Edaan.

"Well, if everyone else agrees with Mand'alor, then I'll gladly return to the war council." Edaan stoically said.

After everyone voted, with everyone but Trista Vel and Traest Kre'frey agreeing to let Edaan back onto the war council due to their doubts of his mental stability, they resumed the war meeting while the Jedi Council disconnected the Holonet channel, allowing the war council to discuss fleet arrangements, the positions of the ground forces, and preparing to move the civilians to the domed and desert city of Sundari for their safety, after forming a sufficient defense army and defense force to protect the civilians and noncombatants.

After two hours of going over planning, Edaan suddenly said, "One last matter to discuss. How many of you know of the Grey Cadre?"

"Weren't they a group of advisors for the New Republic after the Thrawn Campaign and during the Dark Empire's reign, and was led by General Jan Dodanna before he retired to New Alderaan where he died just before the Yuuzhan Vong invaded?" Goran Beviin asked in an academic tone.

"Precisely, Goran. Anyway, I propose that we recreate the Grey Cadre with Commodore Turk Brand, Admirals Kir Vantai and Firmus Nantz, General Etahn A'baht, and Senators Ponc Gavirsom, Releqy A'Kla, and Ta'laam Ranth. And yes, I know that including politicians is a risky move, but these three have much experience leading a government, and can help us run through all of the bureaucracy that exists in every government." Edaan said as he explained his plan to the other councilors.

"And just who would this reformed Grey Cadre report to, Edaan?" Traest asked, hoping that Edaan didn't suggest himself; otherwise he would have to shoot that idea down.

"The Shadow Alliance's war council which is us, and Supreme Commander Bwua'tu, so no group or person would have any sway over them. They would be independent of the command structure, allowing them to give strategic advice to every one of us in order to improve and refine our strategies. Oh, and their marines would join the Void Jumpers under Bwua'tu's command in order to bolster our forces with a few dozen extra recruits." Edaan continued.

After considering the proposal, each of the members of the war council agreed to the idea, as it would give their new allies a chance to contribute for the defense of Mandalore.

Meanwhile, On the Chimeara, In the Shogun System

Natasi Daala was in a good mood, which was rare for her in this day and age, as she watched the intercepted transmission of Edaan railing at the Galactic Senate, Hapes Consortium, Jedi Council, and Fel Empire's Moff Council for their incompetence.

"Let's hope that Edaan's ranting and whining will divide the Shadow Alliance, and make all of our jobs easier." Wing Commander Nash Windrider said, earning a nod from every Jedi hunter, renegade Moff, and commander in the briefing room of the Imperial-II Class Star Destroyer.

"Yeah. Those Jedi are always so high-and-mighty, no matter what era that they're in." Aurra gleefully said, causing Black Krrsantan and Fyor Rodan to chortle in amusement and agreement.

"All right everyone, let's get back to work. We have only three days until the invasion begins, and we're only at seventy-eight percent efficiency." Daala said, disappointed that she couldn't watch the holorecording anymore, but eager to get her hands on Edaan Palpatine in order to find a way to eliminate the Force. She hadn't been so giddy since she captured Tahiri Veila five years ago, and tortured her for two months for revenge in killing her dear friend, Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, in cold blood on Darth Caedus's orders, before having her dissected by Roly Melusar for his experiments in permanently severing a person's connection to the Force.

I hope you have a high tolerance for pain, Edaan Palpatine, because I hope to deliver a galaxy's worth of vengeance on you and your kind. Natasi gleefully thought as she watched her fleet slowly but efficiently repair itself.

And, that's a wrap! Well, I hope that I made Edaan's inner turmoil believable. Oh, and I'm sorry that I didn't put in a flashback (unless you count this entire story), but I have never done one of those before, and I will put one in the fifth story, which I will call Jedi Odyssey: Shadow War III: Tribulation. It's kind of fitting that I make every title in the last four books have a biblical reference, as Star Wars was partially inspired by the Bible. By the way, how is your reading going, as I am knee-deep in a good book about Antonin Scalia, and it is riveting? I recently got another political book for a bargain that I will not name in order to avoid offending anyone of differing beliefs, but I will say that it is illuminating, at least, according to the reviews that I've read about the book. Anyway, I hope all is well with you guys. May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe! Oh, and before I forget, I am very excited, because one of my favorite fanfictions, Outcast Effect, which is written by The Incredible Muffin, was just updated today, and this chapter was beyond brilliant! I implore all of you to read it, as it is the best crossover between Star Wars and Mass Effect of all time. Anyway, see you next time, so don't forget to read and review.