Happy Thanksgiving to all of you American and Canadian Star Wars fans. And, to all of you international fans, I hope that you are having a good day, because it will only get better after reading the latest chapter in my six-book saga. So, I hope that all of you guys enjoy your day, because I sure did, other than my mother insisting that I relax both of my shoulders while she takes pictures of me and my younger brother and sister, as well as unclench my fists because I was so frustrated by all of the commands that she was giving me. Anyway, I have read about one hundred pages in the book on Dwight D. Eisenhower today, making it up to the end of World War II, and I am enjoying every single page of it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what book I should read next, as I have four other books that I can choose from before my holiday stash comes. I will probably read the book on Stonewall Jackson next, as I believe that it is around nine hundred pages long, which should, at the rate that I normally read, keep me busy for at least two weeks. So, what are you doing tomorrow for Black Friday, as I have to pick up leaves with my father tomorrow after he gets home early from work? Well, at least I'll get to make some honest money. By the way, I have only twelve days left in my Fall 2016 semester at my community college, and I have only a couple of big projects left for one of my two classes, so I am relieved that that semester is almost over. Well, are you guys going to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, because I, unfortunately, have no choice, as my brother wants to see it once he comes back home from his college, and my parents will leave me little choice in seeing that blight against the Expanded Universe? Oh, what are you guys watching right now, because I am watching a YouTube video that depicts the digitally remastered Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z, or, to be more specific, the epic battle between Goku and Frieza, and I am enjoying it very much? If you want my honest opinion, it was one of the greatest anime fights of all time, and is virtually unrivaled in how perfect it was, especially in how epic Goku's first transformation into a Super Saiyan was. One more thing, once I finish all of the books that I have, as well as the ones that I will soon have, I will reread all of my books on Dragon Age (And I really hope that TOR, BioWare, and EA Games come up with more novels for the gaming series, as I enjoyed every one of them) because they were so epic, and the books on The Witcher, as by the time that I finish all of the books, the last book in the latter's saga should arrive at my house, and I can read it. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, let's get on with the story, as I am eager to tell you how the first battle in this story goes on. But, I must warn you, I don't know how I will get from where we are now to where I want the main characters to be, so I will likely be making the story up as I go along. But, that's okay, as I'm sure that many great authors wing it sometimes with their stories. Oh well. On with the story.
(November 25, 2016 Addendum) Hey, Star Wars fans. How are you doing on Black Friday? I am fine, and I will soon pick up leaves with my dad once he gets home in about seventy minutes. Anyway, I have big news for you Star Wars Expanded Universe lovers. According to Matt Wilkins, a person who posts reviews and motivational videos on YouTube about the Expanded Universe, there may be some more Expanded Universe short stories coming out next year, and hopefully, Lucasfilm will hear our cries and give us more Expanded Universe material besides what is being produced right now. I don't know about you, but once again, my appetite for more EU material has been whetted, as I am CRAZY for more of the original Star Wars Expanded Universe saga, and it is very, very powerful! One more thing, IGN has posted on YouTube the dark side version of the first chapter of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne, and it has me beyond hyped for the latest expansion for the MMORPG. One more thing, I have read over eighty pages in the book on Eisenhower today, which means that I only have one day, or two, at the very most, left in this biography before I move on to the biography on Stonewall Jackson. I am sure that it will be riveting, as it is, as I've said before, over nine hundred pages long. Well, let's get back to the story.
(November 26, 2016 Addendum) Hello, everyone. Sorry to give you another addendum, but I wanted to tell you guys that I saw the movie Allied today with my father, and it was very good. If I were a movie critic, I'd have to give it four out of five stars. I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that the movie's ending was very sad. By the way, I can't wait for the next episode of Star Wars Rebels, "The Wynkahthu Job", as it promises to be a very humor-filled and lighthearted episode. Anyway, on with the story. (New Addendum: I watched "The Wynkahthu Job", and it was an adequate episode. I'd have to give it a Seven out of Ten rating. Oh, and I finished the book on Dwight D. Eisenhower, and I will get to reading the book on Stonewall Jackson tomorrow.)
1130 Hours
Dinua Jeban could feel her heart beating beneath her beskar'gam, as well as feel the adrenaline pumping throughout her entire body, which caused her hands to twitch uncontrollably as she mentally prepared herself for her first battle since the Defense of Mandalore. Only this time, instead of going after renegade Mandalorian, corrupt senators, slaver and corporate forces, and a deranged dictator and megalomaniac, she would be going up against the forces of the One Sith within the city of Dreshdae while gathering vital intelligence for the Shadow Alliance and their upcoming invasion. This was a battle worthy of an elite Mandalorian of her caliber, and she intended to prove her worth for the Shadow Alliance. Realizing that the stakes were very high for the upcoming mission, she gave a two-fingered salute to Akku Sei II, who then patted his side with his left hand, motioning for Atai Molec, R2-D2, Jarael Chantique, Saarai Caine, Adari Thayn Palpatine, and the five other Mandalorians that were a part of the team that would infiltrate the city's database and find the necessary maps, schematics, and any other useful bits of data that will aid the penetration of the planet's catacombs for both the infiltration team and the Shadow Alliance's armies, once the latter arrived in forty-nine days, which is when Operation: Endgame commenced. As the twelve infiltrators began to head to the lower levels of Dreshdae, they were met with light resistance by several surviving members of the Neo Death Watch organization, which were quickly hacked apart by Saarai and her violet-colored lightsaber.
"Well, I see that you haven't kicked all of your dark-side tendencies out of your system." Adari lightly said as she observed Saarai's handiwork, causing the human ex-Sith to roll her eyes in exasperation as the Mandalorians among the team chuckled at the remark.
"All right. Don't we have a mission to continue?" Saarai exasperatingly said to no one in particular as she headed to a turbolift in order to go to the main database. She looked at the rest of her comrades and asked, "Well, aren't you guys coming with me, as I have no clue on how to acquire the data that we need?"
The eleven other teammates headed into the turbolift, and, as the door closed, Adari asked her friend, "By the way, Saarai, how and when did you change your lightsaber's crystal from the color red, to violet?"
"There are caves on the planet Dantooine that are loaded with crystals of all sorts of colors, as well as crystals with many different properties and advantages. Apparently, the crystal that I have was the same kind of crystal that the Old Republic Jedi Master Mace Windu used during his life, before he was killed by Darth Sidious." Saarai explained before asking, "How did you not know about the crystal caves on Dantooine, what, with your access to one of the largest databases in the galaxy?"
"Well, I was never going to construct a lightsaber, so the location of the crystals needed to create one didn't really matter much to me. I was much more interested in the various forms of combat that existed in the greater galaxy, especially the art of Teräs Käsi, better known in Basic as "Steel Hands", as well as knowing the basics of galactic politics in order to help our people enter the galaxy as full-fledged citizens of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances." Adari honestly replied.
"Well, to each their own. Hey, maybe you'll be the first galactic senator of our people, knowing as much as you do." Saarai humorously suggested, causing Adari to blanch in fear of being involved in so many political meetings, and merely talking about important matters instead of getting right to the problem head-on.
"Don't even go there, Saarai." Adari adamantly said as Dinua and Akku coughed in order to get the two woman's attention.
"Uh… I hate to interrupt, but we're approaching our destination, and there are bound to be a massive amount of guards and security forces defending the databanks within, so, can you get a reading on how large the opposition is?" Dinua quickly said as the turbolift rapidly approached its destination.
"Right. Sorry, Dinua." Saarai apologetically said as she closed her eyes, and reached out with the Force to sense the enemy forces that guarded the way to the database. After a full thirty seconds of silence, the former Sith woman opened her eyes, turned to the Mandalorian woman, and then said, "There are around twenty to thirty people guarding the database, as well as ten fearful presences within the archives, so I assume that the latter are the technicians and archivists that manage the archives."
"A light guard. Good. The diversion teams must be doing very well at their jobs if there is that light a guard." Jarael said, her voice full of relief as she spoke.
"Do not underestimate the remaining security forces, Jarael, as, for all that we know, they could very well be Mandalorian Supercommandos, so we should remain on high alert." Akku gently chided his shipmate and comrade as the turbolift stopped moving, and the door to a circular room with eight turbolifts in the room with a passageway to a door that Akku noticed to be made out of cortosis, a mineral that was impervious to all lightsaber attacks, and could short out lightsabers upon contact.
"Saarai, don't bother trying to cut through the door, it's made out of cortosis, and will disable your lightsaber for a few minutes, which could prove to be the difference between life and death in this battle." Akku warned Saarai, who only nodded at the order, before he continued speaking, saying to the team's astromech droid, "Artoo, I see an uplink to the right of the door, so you'd better get cracking, as the other teams and the Shadow Alliance are counting on us in order to get the information that we need." Artoo dutifully chirped in response, and started rolling towards the uplink.
"All right. The rest of us will hold this position until Artoo gets through the doors, and Saarai will alert us if there are any enemy forces heading our way. Any questions?" Akku finished, earning shakes from the heads of the ten other living teammates. "No. Good. Now, let's make our families proud. Oya!" Akku said as he raised his fist in the air, causing the six other Mandalorians, as well as Atai, Jarael, and Adari, to raise their fist in the air, while Saarai just looked around like she was missing something.
Meanwhile, Inside The Drunk Side II Cantina
"You think that the rest of the mission is proceeding as planned, boss?" Robonino shouted at Edaan as he fired back at a Zygerrian that was rapidly closing the gap between the makeshift cover that he, Edaan, Zeb, and Sabine had made by throwing an old table sideways on the ground, causing the Zygerrian's corpse to collapse on to the ground after the woman's head was blown off.
"I'm sure that the others are doing fine, Robo!" Edaan barked back as he used his personal blaster pistol to fire back at a Mandalorian Pyro, as well as his lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts from two members of the security force that Czerka Corporation had sent to reinforce the One Sith.
"Well, unless we get some reinforcements fast, none of us will be doing fine, Edaan!" Zeb hollered as he blasted at a member of the Corporate Sector Authority Security Police, or "Espo", for short, which was trying to get behind the four warriors.
"Don't worry, guys, I've got it covered." Sabine replied as activated a button on her gauntlet, triggering a distress signal to the rest of the diversionary team.
She then smiled viciously behind her helmet as she pulled out a detonator, which caused Zeb's eyes to widen as he groaned, "Oh, no." and turned to Edaan and Robonino in order to say, "HEY! GET READY!"
Robonino, quickly catching on as to what Zeb was getting at, pulled his longtime friend down beneath the table, and said to Edaan, "STAY DOWN!"
Once Sabine saw that everyone had taken cover, she pushed the button on the detonator, and the thirty explosives that she and Chopper had covertly placed all around the The Drunk Side II yesterday in preparation for this scenario went off, catching fifteen Mandalorians, ten Zygerrians, and twelve corporate forces within range of the explosion.
However, Edaan, realizing that the table would not be able to withstand the brunt of the explosion, jumped in front of the table, and used the Force to create a protective barrier around him and his three friends, which, due to Edaan's discipline, as well as his massive connection to the Force, miraculously held, and, two minutes later, after the smoke had died down, Robonino peeked out from the singed table to see his comrade on his knees from exhaustion after holding back such a massive series of explosions. After briefly scanning the area to make sure that no enemy forces survived, or were, at the very least, still conscious, he went to look after Edaan, who was panting by the time that the Patrolian had arrived to give his friend a painkiller and adrenaline booster for the shaking that plagued his arms.
"Ergh! Th-thanks, buddy." Edaan said after grunting in pain from the adrenaline booster as Sabine and Zeb came from their cover, the latter having a look on his face that bordered on amazement and rage, while Edaan could sense the vexation in the Mandalorian as her fist shook from what she perceived as Edaan's recklessness.
"Gotta say, Edaan. I don't know whether to give you a hug or strangle you, because you might have saved our lives with that stunt." Zeb said as his eyes scanned the area for any stragglers.
"How about both?" Sabine viciously said as she took off her helmet to reveal a very pissed-off face, greatly frightening Edaan, as he needed a little time, a minute at most, to regain his stamina, as well as stop the shaking in his arms.
"Sabine, I'm sorry, but I knew that the table wouldn't survive all of that force from your explosions, so I had to act fast in order to save us all." Edaan said, hoping that that explanation would at least placate the Mandalorian so that he wouldn't be pummeled into a pulp.
"THAT'S NO EXCUSE, EDAAN!" Sabine shouted as she stopped within two feet of the young Jedi, with Robonino and Zeb watching from the sidelines, ready to intervene if matters came to a head, as Sabine continued ranting, saying, "You put your life at risk when we need you to help lead this mission, as you formed the Shadow Alliance, and only you can keep this strike force together! Not to mention that you are the one shot that we have at getting to Vestara, Krayt, and Snoke, and you can't do everything on your own, Ezra!"
She then stopped to pant after yelling so much, and Edaan did something that no one expected: He pulled her in, and gave her a hug that was as strong as he could muster, causing both Zeb and Robonino's jaws to fall agape, and Sabine's eyes shot wide open at the gesture.
"Sabine, I am so, so sorry." Edaan whispered to the Mandalorian before continuing, saying, "I've been so selfish. Here I am worried about saving Vestara from her own demons, that I've forgotten how much you've suffered because of the betrayal that you endured by Ezra when he murdered Kanan, Hera, and Rex, and you and Zeb confronted him on this planet." These words caused Sabine to tear up upon being reminded of all of the times that she and Ezra had fought for the early Rebellion, both the good and the bad. After the tears began to fall, Edaan then released Sabine from his hug, and said to her and Zeb, "I know that you both miss him dearly, as the two of you loved him like a brother. Hopefully, we'll get to save him too, along with as many Sith as we can, because, as Luke Skywalker once said, 'Even the foulest victim of the Dark Side can be redeemed.'"
""You still hold out hope, even after you know what Ezra did?" Zeb disbelievingly said as Sabine just stood there, the tears flowing freely from her eyes.
"It's a slim hope, Zeb, but a hope nonetheless." Edaan replied before continuing, saying, "Now, don't we have more mayhem to cause across the city, and I'm sure that Jaden, Mirta, and the others could use our help against Ezra, Vestara, Black Krrsantan, and the rest of their forces?"
Raising one hand to dry the tears that were pouring out of her eyes, Sabine sadly smiled as she said, "Agreed, Edaan. Zeb and I have to face Ezra, bring our old ghosts to rest, and honor Kanan and Hera." Zeb grimly nodded upon hearing those words, and the four warriors began to make their way to the spaceport, where, according to the last transmission from Jaden and Mirta, Darths Snoke and Kitai, as well as Black Krrsantan, were being preoccupied by the Jedi and Mandalorian's forces.
Twenty Minutes Later, Outside the Chuundar's Legacy
The battle outside the hangar that held Black Krrsantan's Appanzanna Engineering Works Auziuck anti-slaver gunship, the Chuundar's Legacy was practically a chaotic brawl, as both sides adhered to no strategy, and the free-for-all was taking a toll on both teams.
Jaden Korr was a perfect conduit for both the Light and Dark Sides of the Force, as he used one hand to perform a healing technique in order to stop the bleeding for a heavily injured Kallus Orrelios, while blasting a heavy barrage of Force Lightning at Darth Kitai, who nimbly dodged the blast and launched her own bombardment of Force Lightning at the Jedi, who used his lightsaber to absorb the attack.
Meanwhile, Mirta Gev was using every trick in her bag to stay alive, as she was doing everything that she could to avoid the lightsaber strikes of Darth Snoke, who was very agile and quick for a nearly seventy-six-year-old Sith Lord.
As for the former gladiator, bounty hunter, and supreme commander of the Neo Death Watch's armies, Black Krrsantan, he was busy dealing with Vua Rapuung, who, despite the vast age differences, was about Krrsantan's equal in gladiatorial combat. No matter how many punches and claw marks Krrsantan left on the Yuuzhan Vong, he refused to go down without a good fight, and left his fair share of bruises and scars on the Wookiee as well. By the time that Edaan, Sabine, Zeb, and Robonino arrived at the battlefields, Vua had even managed to rip out Krrsantan's left eye, causing the Wookiee to howl out in pain before he knocked Vua up into the air.
"VUA!" Edaan screamed as he saw his oldest surviving friend get hurled across the hangar, and quickly used the Force to stop the rapid descent of Vua. Although this quick thinking saved his comrade, it caught the attention of the two Sith, the one-eyed Wookiee, the sole surviving turncoat GenoHaradan assassin and Jedi Hunter of the Siege of Mandalore, and the fifteen surviving security forces that guarded Krrsantan's gunship.
"You." Kitai rancorously hissed at Edaan as she immediately recognized the young Jedi, causing him to go pale in fear of the inevitable pain that she was about to try and inflict on him.
"Oh, boy." Edaan whimpered as Sabine and Zeb locked gazes at Snoke, who quickly recognized the two former revolutionaries, and smiled malevolently as he began to imagine the various ways that he would torture the two of them when he captured them.
"Hello, my old friends." Snoke venomously said as he prepared himself for the inevitable battle between the three former friends, while Zeb activated his bo-rifle's electrostaff mode, and Sabine pulled out her secret weapon, the Darksaber, a black-colored lightsaber that the Mandalorians stole form the Coruscant Jedi Temple during the New Sith Wars, was used by the Orginal Death Watch movement by their leader, the Secret Mandalore, and, after a long period of succession, it ended in Sabine Wren's hands two years before the Battle of Yavin, and it has remained in her hands ever since, and activated it. Snoke then said, "I see that you still carry that old trinket. But, whether or not you've improved at all ever since you, Zeb, and Chopper stranded me on this hellhole of a planet for almost sixty years, remains to be seen."
"I'm sure that we've all picked up a few tricks since the last time we've met, Snoke." Zeb angrily said as he and Sabine readied themselves for the upcoming battle.
Mirta, grateful for the respite in their very intense battle, took the time to get Kallus out of the way, while the remaining twelve Mandalorians and eight Lasats got out of the way for the two Force-sensitives, the two retired members of the Rebel Alliance, and their bounty hunter, to prepare to engage the two high-ranking members of the One Sith, as well as the gravely injured commander of their regular armies and the last renegade GenoHaradan assassin.
Five Minutes Later
Once Mirta, as well as the surviving Lasats and Mandalorians had blasted their way through the surviving security forces, as well as having gotten Kallus onto the Chuundar's Legacy, where they found a small med bay, where they hooked him up to an IV in order to replenish the blood that he had lost, the woman motioned for a Mandalorian and Lasat sergeant to approach her, where she ordered to the two warriors, "Get this gunship ready for takeoff, as it may be our best means of escape, and it may turn the tide in this little skirmish."
Once the Mandalorian and Lasat saluted in affirmation, Mirta went back outside, where the battle between Darths Kitai and Snoke, Black Krrsantan, the last traitorous GenoHaradan assassin, Guan Drel, and Edaan Palpatine, Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, Jaden Korr, Vua Rapuung, and Robonino was in full swing, and Mirta was left wondering just how she could help her comrades out in this battle between monsters.
Well, this day, November 28, 2016, ends the first action packed chapter in my fifth book. Now, I realize that my chapter could use many improvements, to put it lightly, but I like to think that the content of my work is at least adequate. So, tell me what you think, as long as your criticism is constructive, as verbal abuse will not be tolerated in any form. By the way, so far, I have read over eighty pages in my Stonewall Jackson book, and it is pretty interesting, to say the least. Anyway, tomorrow is a HUGE day for Star Wars Expanded Universe fans, as Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne gets released for early access, and I can't wait to see what YouTube videos come up that cover the expansion. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. In two days, Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five Annual #1 and Star Wars Annual #2 will be released, and I can't wait for whatever adventures come next in these two comic books. And, I found out that Mass Effect: Andromeda's tentative release date is March 21, 2017, and that leaves me giddy. Oh, and the price for the game online on Amazon is 15% off, so I'd get it while the discount is still good, because I did less than an hour ago. One more thing, I have got eight days left in my Fall 2016 Semester, and I can't wait for the one-month break in-between semesters. Anyway, May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!