Star Wars: Galactic Civil War season 1

by Bendatron

Set after Star Wars: Galactic Civil War prologue. Join Luke, Ahsoka, R2, and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they battle for the freedom of a galaxy at war. As Darth Vader and the Empire secure a grip upon the galaxy, our heroes and villains will face characters old and new as the war rolls out. In a galaxy divided at war, who will be victorious?

10. Revealation

Author's note #1: I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far. This chapter did take a little while to complete but I got there in the end.

Revelation

A life and a planet in peril! After the death of the King of Rharlium at the hands of Imperial agents, the Prince has agreed to sign ally his planet with the Rebel Alliance; however, due to the planet's traditions, the Prince can only make such an alliance when he is crowned king at the age of eighteen. For protection, Jedi Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano were sent to protect the prince before the coronation.

However, it wasn't long until Vader made the first move by sending his assassin Emerl Hatana in! After the first assassination attempt, Skywalker decided to take the Prince's place whilst he lies under protection. But it wasn't long until Hatana made her second assassination attempt, only to be incapacitated and captured by Ahsoka Tano. Now, a prison ship named the Intriguer has been sent to pick up Vader's assassin; but with three days until the coronation, will the disguise hold or be revealed...

Rharlium

One day had passed since Hatana's second assassination attempt. The Intriguer (a MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser) lay in orbit above the planet. A T-6 shuttle flew out of it, down to the planet below, and landed on a platform next to the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo, Chewbacca, Latts, and a group of guards stood there with Hatana blindfolded and kept in a mobile containment field. A group of rebel troopers walked out of the shuttle.

"Captain Solo, is the prisoner secure?" asked a rebel sergeant.

"Sure; she's not going anywhere" said Han "But Luke's seen her in combat and tells me that she's unpredictable, especially when cornered" Hatana was brought on-board the shuttle.

"I'll enjoy gutting you all once I'm free" said Hatana.

"Should've gagged her as well" said Han.

"We heard that you were accompanying us as additional security, Captain Solo" said the rebel sergeant.

"Yep; but I'm taking the Falcon up to the ship" said Han "After all, I can't just leave her here"

"But we're taking the prisoner with us" said the rebel sergeant.

"I meant the Falcon" said Han.

"Excuse me?" said the rebel sergeant.

"Never mind" said Han "Point is; we're coming in our ship" The shuttle lifted off and flew back to the Intriguer. "Well; what are we waiting for?" They turned to the Millennium Falcon and walked back to it. The Nightsister from two nights ago was watching them from the roof. She released green energy from her hands and created what appeared to be a duplicate of herself.

"And they say that you can't be in two places at once" said the Nightsister. The duplicate turned into a green energy orb and flew off to the Millennium Falcon. It slipped in without Han, Chewbacca, or Latts noticing. The Millennium Falcon lifted off and flew off to the Intriguer. "Now; to put the master's orders into position" Luke and Ahsoka watched from the balcony as the ship flew off.

"There they go" said Ahsoka. She chuckled slightly. "Something tells me that Han only accepted the offer so he could carry his blaster again"

"Doesn't he always?" said Luke.

Meanwhile in hyperspace

The Intriguer sped through hyperspace. Han entered the cell area. A Caucasian Human woman rebel trooper with green eyes and blonde hair stood there.

"Captain Han Solo, I was expecting you" said the rebel trooper "Private Dawn Evergreen*, I've been assigned to security like you"

"Good to know" said Han. They walked down the hall. "What can you tell me about the ship?"

"The ship, the Intriguer, is assigned to drop prisoners off at a prison facility on Corellia" replied Dawn "All the prisoners you see here have done work for the Empire" Han looked at the prisoners that were locked up. He noticed something about them.

"They seem to be primarily bounty hunters" said Han "Not all that surprising of course; after all, Imperial field commanders usually prefer to direct things from a distance and let hired help do the dirty work"

"Not all of them, I've heard" said Dawn "Isn't there one named General Krenin who prefers to do the fighting himself?"

'Yes, he does" replied Han "Or rather, he did; mainly because he is currently blown to bits"

"I heard about that" said Dawn "Are you completely certain about that?"

"I saw it myself" said Han "No one could survive that" He looked back at the prisoners. "Anything else you can tell me about the prisoners.

"Notable inmates include Aurra Sing, IG-88, Embo..." said Dawn "Oh, and one you might be familiar with"

"What's his name?" asked Han.

"Boba Fett" replied Dawn.

"Yeah?" said Han "I've had a few encounters with him on occasion"

"What can you tell me about him?" asked Dawn.

"Well; cold-blooded, calculating, arrogant" said Han "So, where is he?" They reached a door.

"In a cell behind this door" replied Dawn.

"Can I see him?" asked Han.

"Of course you can" replied Dawn. She entered a passcode into the door's controls. The door opened. They walked up to a cell that lay behind the door. A figure lay sitting in the cell. The figure was Boba Fett, without his helmet, revealing his face which was in the shadows.

"Hey Fett" said Han.

"Solo" said Fett "I knew we'd encounter eventually. Y'know; it wasn't too long ago when you were in a similar position to mine"

"Except now I'm not and you are" said Han. He smirked. "Funny how certain positions get reversed. Speaking of our last encounter; don't you ever learn about taking jobs for the Empire; I mean, that's why you're here, aren't you?"

"Enjoy yourself while you an; it won't last" said Fett "One I get out of here; you're on my personal hit-list"

"That's presuming you get out" said Han. Fett was about to say something. "Don't say it, don't say it, I know what you're going to say; I think you underestimate me. Well guess what; you're not going anywhere, period. Well, I guess I should leave you in peace" He and Dawn turned to leave. Once they had left, Fett smiled evilly.

"Pride before a fall, my friend" said Fett "Pride before a fall"

Meanwhile

Luke and Ahsoka walked through the streets.

"Still three days until the coronation" said Ahsoka "With Hatana in our custody, what do you think we can aspect?"

"I'm not sure" replied Luke "I mean; she's Vader's hand, either she succeeds or we drive her off. We've never captured her before"

"Do you think Vader will get bounty hunters?" asked Ahsoka. They passed a fountain. "I mean; he's hired them before, hasn't he?"

"Yes" replied Luke "We have to be careful in case he—" At that moment, Ahsoka heard a strange beeping noise.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Ahsoka. She instantly force-pushed everyone out of the way. "Apologies, your majesty" She leapt onto Luke. They narrowly avoided the fountain's explosion which erupted in flames. After the explosion finished, Ahsoka helped Luke up. "You alright, your majesty?"

"Thank you" replied Luke. A group of guards ran up to them.

"Your majesty, we must get you to safety" said one of the guards.

"What was that?" asked Ahsoka "Another assassination attempt?"

"Vandalism act" replied the guard.

"Vandalism?" said Ahsoka.

"Mummy, what is that?" said a little Human girl in the crowd. A hologram of a figure dressed in Mandalorian armour had appeared in the wreckage of the fountain. This Mandalorian had buffed up armour and the Death Watch symbol printed on the front of his helmet.

"Mandalorians; they planted the bomb?" said Ahsoka.

"People of Rharlium, I am the leader of the Mandalorians" said the Mandalorian "I have come to give this message to your prince—yield now. This is our planet and you must allow us to have it. If not; we will level the city to rubble, we will kill everyone, I myself will personally dragged the prince from his throne and through the streets, let him see his city burning, and when he screams I'll blow his skull open! Rharlium belongs to the Mandalorians!" The hologram finished.

"This isn't good" said Ahsoka.

A few hours later

Luke and Ahsoka discussed with Prince Raphail Hephage via hologram.

"Now they're threatening us" said Luke.

"Do you think these Mandalorians are in league with Vader?" asked Raphail.

"I don't think so" replied Ahsoka "I think they just want the planet for themselves; Mandalorians are both ambitious and ruthless. But what are they doing here?"

"Shortly after the fall of Mandalore and the splitting of Death Watch; the leader of the Nite Owls resistance group, Bo-Katan Kryze, managed to reclaim the planet" said Raphail "Afterwards; she was crowned as the new duchess of Mandalore, taking over her deceased sister's place. She made new ways; from then on, the Mandalorians would live in peace, but keep military forces if necessary. Unfortunately; not all of them were pleased, former Mandalorians who had sworn loyalty to the Shadow Collective left to seek conquest"

"So these Mandalorians are simply here to conquer this planet?" said Ahsoka "Rather simplistic; but I guess most goals are"

"I've only heard of Mandalorians through reputation only" said Luke "If their leader is prepared for a full-scale attack on the city, we could facing something we might not be able to face alone"

"They're too dangerous to ignore" said Ahsoka "We have no other choice; we should call in rebel troopers—"

"No" replied Raphail "Our tradition clearly states against it"

"Right; I forgot about that" said Ahsoka.

"One cannot change the traditions until they are crowned king" said Raphail "I am sorry; I wish I could change it—I mean, right now; I wish it could be changed right now"

"What is that?" asked Larana who had just entered. Ahsoka immediately turned the hologram off.

"Oh...we were just talking to Luke Skywalker, the Jedi who got called back" replied Luke.

"Oh, okay" said Larana "Well; I guess I'll be going" She turned and left. Ahsoka smirked.

"Talking to Luke Skywalker; nice thinking" said Ahsoka "Returning to the matter; there's something strange about these Mandalorians, do you sense it?"

"Yes, I do" replied Luke "A darker presence behind this; though I'm not sure it's Sith" Neither of them noticed that the masked figure watched them, leaning down from the roof above. She looked over at a crate in the courtyard below. She force-lifted it very carefully up to the balcony's level. Before either of them noticed, she flicked the crate over at Ahsoka and slammed her into the wall. She leapt down in front of Luke.

"That had to hurt, didn't it?" said the masked figure "Now to business; let's make it quick"

"Assassin!" said Luke.

"Contract killer" said the masked figure "Well; at least that's what I do usually, but not today"

"Vader sent you, didn't he?" said Luke.

"I serve neither Jedi or Sith" said the masked figure "Only myself"

"What have you come here for?" asked Luke.

"You" replied the masked figure "And only you; my payer wants you alive"

"Who is your payer?" asked Luke.

"You'll find out soon enough, Skywalker" replied the masked figure. Luke's eyes widened. "How long did you expect to keep up the disguise; it may have fooled Vader's lackey, but I can see through any mask" At that moment, Ahsoka leapt up in front of her and ignited her lightsaber.

"Back off!" said Ahsoka.

"Move aside, Jedi" said the masked figure "I have merely come for Skywalker"

"First of all; he's the prince, you're mistaken" said Ahsoka "Second of all; get off this planet, now!"

"I had hoped not to get into this kind into argument; but very well" said the masked figure. At that moment, she pulled two lightsabers from her belt and ignited the red blades. She clashed them against Ahsoka's blade. The two clashed throughout the room.

"Your majesty, go!" said Ahsoka.

"But—" said Luke.

"Just go!" said Ahsoka. Luke ran off.

"It's too late to retreat now" said the masked figure whilst pushing Ahsoka off and running after Luke. Ahsoka leapt onto her and pulled her down by the leg. She kicked Ahsoka in the face but Ahsoka got up instantly. The two clashed their lightsabers again. "I didn't wish to get into a fight with you, Jedi; but you've forced it on yourself"

"Enough!" snapped Ahsoka "Who is your payer?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" replied the masked figure "Ha; you haven't changed one bit, Ahsoka"

"What; how do—" said Ahsoka.

"Twenty-two years it has been" said the masked figure "Yet your merely twenty-one; I don't know how, but you are; reminds me of our last meeting back on Coruscant"

"Who are you?!" demanded Ahsoka finally pushing her back.

"A shadow, a rumour, a spectre" replied the masked figure. For a brief moment, Ahsoka looked closely at her lightsabers and noticed that they were a paired variant, ones she had seen before.

"Those lightsabers!" said Ahsoka. At that moment, Luke and a large group of guards entered.

"Hold it there, intruder!" demanded the chief guard. The masked figure examined the guards for a second.

"None of you are worth it" said the masked figure whilst turning her lightsabers off "I'll return" At that moment, she vanished.

"What-What happened?!" exclaimed one of the guards.

"She escaped, that's what" replied Ahsoka "She's a force-user; seems she's learnt how to cloak herself. Important thing is; the Prince is safe for now"

"Thank you, Ahsoka" said Luke whilst walking up to Ahsoka.

"Anytime" said Ahsoka. Once again, they found themselves gazing into each other's eyes for a brief period.

"Your highness, we suggest you get some rest" said the chief guard (and ruining the moment) "It should be safe now that the intruder is gone"

"Gone?" said Ahsoka "We may have ruined her element of surprise, but I just know she's coming back; maybe not tonight, but sometime soon. But I agree that his highness must rest. Escort him" They escorted Luke off. Ahsoka just walked off to the balcony. "Curious; she appears during the time when the Mandalorians make their first move. Could there be a connection...who is she?"

The next morning

Hatana lay cross-legged in her cell. Han stood on the other side of the cell cross armed.

"Are you in a trance or something; are you going to answer my questions or not?" asked Han. Hatana opened her eyes and stood up.

"I'm not in the mood" replied Hatana "Come back when I am"

"Just answer them" said Han "For starters; out of all methods, why poison lipstick?"

"Is this my interrogation?" said Hatana whilst turning around "I thought I was supposed to be intimidated" She walked up to the cell's force-field wall. She made a kiss mark with her lips at him.

"Tempting me to let you out?" said Han "Nice try; but I'm resistant to that"

"Doesn't matter, anyway" said Hatana "No prison can hold me; one way or another, I'm getting out"

"Is that so?" said Han "Doesn't look like that from where I'm standing"

"On the contrary; all things break down, it's only a matter of time" said Hatana.

"You don't scare me" said Han "Besides, my time with you is up; wasted with your trance and threats" He turned to leave.

"Glad to be of service" smirked Hatana. Han passed a rebel guard.

"You alright?" said Han "Keep an eye on her; we don't want her creeping anyone else out"

"Will do, sir" replied the guard. Han walked off. The guard smiled evilly. At that moment, green mist surrounded him and his appearance changed into that of the Nightsister who continued to smile evilly.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka sat in the lounge room of the Rogue Shadow. PROXY walked up to her.

"Is there a reason why you sit here?" asked PROXY.

"No reason" replied Ahsoka "I'm just...just trying to figure something out"

"What exactly?" asked PROXY.

"I'm not sure" replied Ahsoka "But I just feel like...Say, is it true you can access records of individuals?"

"Why yes, it is" replied PROXY.

"Show me what you know about Asajj Ventress" said Ahsoka.

"Accessing now" said PROXY. His formed changed into that of Asajj Ventress. "Asajj Ventress was Count Dooku's assassin who served him during the first half of the Clone Wars. Ventress took place in many Separatist missions and battles, notable events include the Battle of Teth and the liberating of Viceroy Gunray. Despite her skills with both the Force and her lightsabers, she was nonetheless reckless and impatient and often lost victory over her own mistakes. During the Battle of Sullust, she was presumed dead until eventually re-emerging independently. After the Nightsister massacre on Dathomir, she went into the underworld and vanished since. Nothing is known of her life after the Clone Wars; she is presumed dead on both Imperial and Rebel records"

"Or so we thought" said Ahsoka.

A few minutes later

Ahsoka ran through the city streets, startling an eopie. She ran up to the palace, past the guards, and into the throne chamber, startling the pet peko-peko. There was a meeting in progress.

"My...apologises..." puffed Ahsoka.

"Jedi Tano, is there a reason why you interrupt our meeting?" asked Mai Emala.

"Well...actually, yes" said Ahsoka "But I never intended to in—"

"It's okay; we're finished anyway" said Luke "Leave us, please" The three members of the council stood up and left. Luke stood up from the throne and walked over to Ahsoka.

"You sure came here in a big rush" said Luke "I'm guessing you have something urgent to tell me"

"Yes" said Ahsoka "I think I know who the Spectre is; ever heard of Asajj Ventress?"

"Yes" replied Luke "Dooku's assassin that started serving him during the early days of the Clone Wars, but she disappeared; you think she's the Spectre?"

"She has to be" replied Ahsoka "I'd recognise those lightsabers anywhere; and last I meet her, she was working as a bounty hunter with that same mask. And...she knew me and I could sense a familiar presence about her. It has to be her"

"Then if you know her, then what can we expect?" said Luke.

"Believe me; she's unpredictable and ruthless, she may not have completed her Sith training but I don't imagine she would've raised her abilities to suit her own needs since then. We have to find her and stop her"

Meanwhile

Han Solo entered the bridge of the Intriguer.

"Captain Solo, glad you could join us" greeted Dawn "Have you managed get any information out of Vader's assassin?"

"Unfortunately, no" replied Han "She's as stubborn as she is dangerous"

"I see" said Dawn "I've only heard of her by reputation only; but that's enough to know she won't betray the Empire willingly, especially when her master's Darth Vader. Perhaps the Jedi will have better luck"

"Hopefully they will" said Han "Unless, of course, she manages to escape us before hand"

"I have to admit that is true" said Dawn "But fortunately; with all the tight additional security that has been put in place, even she wouldn't be crazy enough to face us all at once. Even if she did managed to sneak past us, they'd have to get to the bridge in order to take the ship out of hyperspace, otherwise they'd just spin out of hyperspace"

"Interesting" said Han. At that moment, he kicked her out with his foot.

"What the!" exclaimed a rebel captain. He and the other rebel troopers aboard the bridge pointed their blasters towards Han. "Stand down, Captain Solo; we have you surrounded!" At that moment, green mist surrounded and Han and he turned into the Nightsister.

"You make that sound as if it's intimidating" said the Nightsister. At that moment, she released a powerful burst of green energy from her hand which knocked all the others aboard the bridge unconscious. She walked up to the controls. "Now; to set things in motion"

Meanwhile

Chewbacca and Latts waited for Han in a corridor. Han entered.

"So how'd the questioning go?" asked Latts.

"Couldn't have gotten any worse" replied Han "Then again; Luke has told me about—" At that moment, there was a sudden jolt.

"What the heck was that?" said Latts.

"Just a jolt" replied Han "Nothing to complain about"

"And what was that?" said Latts.

"Power breakdown" replied Han. Chewbacca groaned. "Yep; that is bad" At that moment, all the cells opened up.

Meanwhile

"What's going on?" said Shahan Alama whilst walking out of his cell.

"Doesn't matter" said Zuckuss whilst walking out of his cell "Let's just get our stuff and get out of here" Boba Fett walked triumphantly out of his cell.

"Finally!" said Fett.

Meanwhile

Han, Latts, and Chewbacca ran down the corridors.

"Captain Solo, do you know what happened to the power?" asked a rebel trooper.

"Apart from it's a power breakdown; no idea" replied Han.

"Captain Solo, power to the prisoners' cells has come offline" said a female rebel trooper. At that moment, Han stopped in his tracks.

"All prisoners?" said Han.

"What do you mean?" asked the first rebel trooper.

"Well, nothing much; but you do realize that we just picked up a lightsaber-wielding maniac who can shoot electricity from her fingers" said Han.

"Right" said the rebel trooper "I'll check; private, what is your status?"

Meanwhile

A rebel guard stood guard around a corridor.

"It's not good" replied the rebel guard into his comlink "Power's off all around the ship"

"What of Emerl Hatana; any sight of her?" asked the rebel trooper.

"No sign—" replied the rebel guard shortly before getting force-chocked. Emerl Hatana came out from the shadows, grinning evilly, and force-chocking him. She finally suffocated him.

"Private?" said the rebel trooper "Private!"

"I'm afraid he cannot respond right now" said Hatana into the guard's comlink.

"That's Hatana" said Han through the guard's comlink.

"Yes" said Hatana "And it would seem I'm getting off this ship after all" She started to walk off.

"A stroke of luck, it would seem" said a voice. Hatana turned around and saw the Nightsister standing there.

"Carth'la!" said Hatana "I should have known that this opportunity was too good to be an Imperial rescue"

"Like the Empire sends rescue missions anyway" said Carth'la "Aren't you going to thank me; after all, I did free you"

"I'm guessing there's something else to it" said Hatana.

"You don't seem very pleased to see me" said Carth'la "It's as if you don't trust me"

"Of course I don't trust you, Carth'la" snapped Hatana "Your own sisters do not trust you; or rather did not considering their untimely demise"

"Who else are you to rely upon?" said Carth'la "Bounty hunters; they only look out for themselves and would abandon you if it meant they'd get away"

"And you're any different?" said Hatana. Carth'la chuckled.

"Funny" said Carth'la "I imagine that they'd be rich coming from someone who kills her operatives once they're usefulness comes to an end; I don't imagine that as very trustworthy. But all that aside; I'll help you out"

"I don't need helping out" said Hatana.

"Nevertheless; I'll accompany you" said Carth'la "After all; what will your master say if you return without your lightsabers. I'm sure that losing it among the Sith is like losing it among the Jedi"

"Shut up!" snapped Hatana.

Meanwhile

Boba Fett, Embo, Zuckuss, and 4-LOM broke down the door to the equipment locker.

"Take whatever we need, boys" said Fett 'But we nevertheless will have to retrieve and dash" 4-LOM grabbed his concussion rifle; Zuckuss grabbed his snare rifle as well as his grenades and vibroblades; Embo grabbed his hat and bowcaster; and Boba Fett placed his helmet on and grabbed his blaster rifle and other equipment. "Alright; we got what we came for, let's move!"

"I don't think so" said a voice. Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Latts stood in the doorway.

"Solo; I should've known that you weren't smart enough to abandon ship" said Fett.

"Or maybe I'm smart enough to—" said Han.

"Forget about that" said Fett "I'm not in the mood for a fight this time; so kindly step aside"

"You know that ain't gonna' happen, Fett" said Han "So do yourself a favour and get back into your cells yourself"

"You know what; I think not" said Fett "Now that I think of it; we all have had at least one encounter with you, and we all hold a grudge for what you've done. So I think it's you who has to move aside"

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough" said Han "Whatever happens; you guys'll be in your cells soon enough"

"Not this time!" said Zuckuss.

"Hate to say this; but we may need backup" said Latts quietly "I mean—" At that moment, two shock nets were shot out and trapped Latts and Chewbacca.

"What the!" said Han. At that moment, something grabbed him by the back. A large vermillion-coloured mechanical suit stood there. The suit had bulky shoulders and large fists with four fingers and a thumb as well as large bulky feet. The head was almost skull-shaped with a red line-shaped visor.

"Solo!" said the mechanical suit "I have long waited for this moment!"

"Boceta Mindar!" said Han. The mechanical suit slammed him to the wall and held him by the throat. "But I thought you—"

"Dead?!" said Mindar "No; you merely scrapped my last suit, but this one is three times as strong! Now; at last..." He clenched his other fist. "I get to beat you to death myself!" He started to punch Han in the face.

"Boceta, wait" said Fett "We all want Solo dead; but I suggest that we haven't made him suffer enough...not yet, anyway" Mindar looked back at Han shortly before punching him unconscious.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka sat in the cockpit of the Rogue Shadow with R2-D2. A hologram of K'Kruhk and Rachi Sitra lay in front of her.

"And on top of all that; we can't reschedule the coronation because it goes against their traditions and one cannot change that until they become king" said Ahsoka "What am I to do?"

"It is difficult" said K'Kruhk "But you must remember what is important. Luke cannot reveal himself and you must prevent any situations that would lead to that"

"I understand" said Ahsoka "But I can't do it; not alone. Are you sure we can't get backup?"

"I'm afraid not" said Sitra "As you said before; they will not allow rebel militia of any kind onto the planet until we are officially their allies; even so, you told us how they reacted when Han and the others arrived unexpectedly"

'No weapons, yeah" said Ahsoka "But they seem to respect Jedi; perhaps one of you could come"

'Unfortunately, no" said K'Kruhk "We are currently tracking the whereabouts of a rumoured new Imperial weapon that could be dangerous. After we get close enough to finding the truth; we will break off into two search parties, with the danger we will each lead those parties"

"What about the others?" asked Ahsoka "Master Kota is currently beginning a campaign on the Abregardo system and the rest of the remaining Jedi are currently fighting on Imperial-controlled worlds across the galaxy"

"What is he searching for?" asked Ahsoka.

"Master Hom Ferm is missing" replied Sitra "He disappeared recently. As far as we know; he is alive"

"Kidnapping?" asked Ahsoka.

"We don't believe so" replied K'Kruhk "We believe he left of his volition, along with a rebel pilot named Juno Eclipse. We have been unable to track them, so we believe they disabled their tracking beacon, they don't want to be followed. I'm sorry; but you're on your own"

"Alright; I'll do my best" said Ahsoka.

"Just remember not to rush into things" said K'Kruhk "I understand what you may feel about the Spectre; but don't do anything irrational"

"May the Force be with you" said Sitra. The hologram turned off. Ahsoka lay back in her chair and sighed. R2 beeped.

"I don't know what to do, R2" said Ahsoka "Could the Spectre be Ventress...I can't let her hurt Luke, he's one of the few things I have left" She closed her eyes. It was then that she heard a voice in her head.

"Ahsoka..." said the voice in an eerie tone "Ahsoka..."

"What!" said Ahsoka whilst quickly opening her eyes.

"Do you remember me?" said the voice "Because I remember you"

"Who are you?" said Ahsoka.

"Are you really going to deny the truth?" said the voice "Must you lie to yourself?"

"What do you want!?" snapped Ahsoka.

"You know what I want" replied the voice "I want the boy, the Jedi who you have disguised as the Prince...Skywalker! There is nothing you can do, I only say this because you have no chance; I will take him from you, and you will not have the skills to get him back"

"Don't test yourself" said Ahsoka "I'll find you first" R2 beeped. "I can't let Ventress do this, never. I have to do something"

Later

It was now nearing sunset on the planet. Ahsoka saddled up a speeder bike outside the city. R2 rolled up to her and beeped.

"I have to do it, R2" said Ahsoka "I know where she is, I can sense her. If I don't find her now she could vanish beyond my sights" R2 beeped nervously. "Don't worry, I'll be back as quick as I can; neither Luke nor the Mandalorians will know I'm gone" R2 beeped nervously again. Ahsoka sped off on the speeder bike.

Meanwhile

The Spectre stood on a rocky outcrop far outside the city.

"She's coming" said the Spectre "I can sense her"

"Of course she's coming" said a voice. Carth'la the Nightsister walked up behind her. "She couldn't resist the prospect of settling scores"

"Ahsoka may be brash but she's not stupid" said the Spectre "She could discover the trap before falling in"

"Don't worry" said Carth'la "With her out of the way, you'll take can take Skywalker by surprise. He is unfamiliar to your presence; he'll never see you coming. As for Tano; I think you underestimate our trap"

"It would be better if you didn't underestimate her" said the Spectre.

"We don't need our trap to beat her, simply overwhelm so she can become vulnerable to our surprise attack" said Carth'la. She looked out at the field in front of her. A camp full of Mandalorian warriors stood out there. "She may be strong; but she will be overwhelmed by the might of countless Mandalorian warriors, all of whom are under my control"

Meanwhile

Han woke up in a containment field. His vision wasn't the best at the moment but her did noticed a large green blur in front of him. As his vision returned, the blur turned into the form of the Frenk bounty hunter Twazzi (now with a cybernetic hand to replace the one she lost on Naboo).

"Twazzi!" said Han.

"I've waited so long for this moment, Solo!" said Twazzi. She stroked her cybernetic hand across his face. She grinned evilly and turned her stroke into a choke. "Finally; you are at my mercy. Oh; do I hate you! We all hate you, of course; but I hate you the most"

"I bet the rest of the bounty hunters would disagree with that" said Han.

"Exactly" said Twazzi "That's why we've all agreed to kill you together. The others have left me to guard you whilst they loot for whatever they can find. The plan is for us to take every single credit or anything of value they can find then we depart from this ship together where we will take you off so we have enough time for each of us to make you suffer. But..." She craned her head over to his ear. "I'm going to kill you now, and I'm going to make it hurt!"

"Pretty sure the others won't like that" said Han.

"They don't need to know" said Twazzi "I only need a few minutes to do the business and dispose of your body before getting the heck of this ship" She tightened her grip on his neck. "I've waited so long for this moment"

"Can't you just let it go, already?" said Han. Twazzi hissed aggressively and tightened her grip more.

"I'll never let it go!" snarled Twazzi "For years; my acrobatics was galaxy-known, it even gave me recognition from Chancellor Valorum. But you...you humiliated me!" She tightened her grip more, causing Han to start to suffocate. "I'll never let that go!" At that moment, the door was blown open. Chewbacca and Latts and pointed their blasters at Twazzi.

"Not so fast, greeny!" said Latts "Step away from Han and this won't get ugly"

"The only thing that'll get ugly is Solo's remains!" snarled Twazzi "After all; I still hold him by the neck!"

"Latts, shoot her" said Han.

"What; and let her rip your wind-pipe out, no way" said Latts.

"Yes; listen to her, Solo" said Twazzi.

"Just shoot me, Latts" said Han.

"Do you want me to kill you?" said Latts "Han, she will do it"

"She was going to do it anyway" said Han "And she will do it if you let her go"

"Shut it, Solo!" snarled Twazzi "Or I'll—"

"You'll what, kill me?" said Han "You're going to kill me anyway; might as well get it over and done with already, screw this dialogue"

"Sure you can die!" snapped Twazzi "You want to die!?"

"Beats listening to you going on and on for ages" said Han.

"I suppose that's a yes" said Twazzi.

"Maybe it is a yes" said Han "As far as I see; I've got as much chance of survival as a droid standing next to an EMP grenade" There was a short silence. "Yes; a droid next to an EMP grenade" There was another short silence. "Much like the ones on your belt, Latts"

"Huh; oh yeah, I do" said Latts.

"Yes; and I bet if you threw one at my direction now it would deactivate both my containment field and Twazzi's mechanical hand so just throw the damn thing, Latts!" said Han.

"Hmm; oh!" said Latts shortly before throwing an EMP grenade. It went off, deactivating Twazzi's cybernetic hand and Han's containment field. With her hand now motionless and useless, Twazzi was distracted long enough for Latts to punch her out cold.

"Took you long enough" said Han.

"Um; I just save your life, thanks, you're welcome" said Latts "Besides, it's confusing; you were babbling on about how you would rather die sooner than later and it was kinda' hard to notice the key to your words. These bounty hunters all seem to have something against you"

"Well; I suppose I should let you off for that" said Han "Good to see you two escaped from the bounty hunters' containment"

"We had some help" said Latts. At that moment, Dawn walked in.

"Private Evergreen, what an unexpected surprise" said Han.

"Good to see we got to you in time" said Dawn "That bounty hunter would've gutted you for sure. Speaking of which—"

"Oh no!" said Han.

"What do you—" said Dawn shortly before realising that Twazzi had vanished "Where's she gone?"

"Out of our reaches" replied Han "That's what makes her so dangerous; you turn your back on her for one second, and she's gone. We can't worry about her now; Dawn, do you know anything?"

"I know something" replied Dawn "Just a hunch, but it may be the closest thing we have; you caused it"

"What?!" exclaimed Han "You're joking right"

"I woke up only minutes ago, after being kicked out unconscious by you" said Dawn "But I have reason to doubt. C'mon; we have to stop as many prisoners from leaving the ship, I'll fill you in on the way"

Meanwhile

Two rebel guards stood guard outside a small door. At that moment, something grabbed onto their necks and started to choke them. Hatana emerged from the shadows. She clenched her fist so tight that it killed both of them. She then force-gripped the door and ripped it off in a matter of seconds. She then entered the room. Her lightsabers were being held in a ray-shielded container. She force-gripped her lightsabers. They were pulled them towards herself and slammed against the ray-shield. She pulled so hard that the ray-shield was somehow torn down. The lightsabers flew towards her hand.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka sped across the plains, trying to locate the Spectre. She kept her mind open in order to locate her. At that moment, she felt compelled to stop, so she did. It was then that she noticed a light shining over a large hillside. She then felt compelled to approach, which she did with caution. She then heard the sound of a voice. She crept up onto the top of the hillside and peered out. The Mandalorian leader stood on top of a large scrap pile holding a flaming torch. A group of Mandalorian warriors stood around him. Kom'rk-class fighters were placed behind them in the camps

"As Pre Vizla once said—never let the weak tell you what to do!" proclaimed the Mandalorian leader "Tonight; we will honour him, for we shall stain the tiles of the city with the blood of its citizens! The Prince refuses to yield, so he shall pay the price! We will march to the palace, we will wipe the cowards from the face of this planet, and I shall personally kill the Prince, but not before making him watch his glorious city fall to ash!" The Mandalorians cheered and chanted.

"This isn't good" said Ahsoka quietly to herself "I have to tell Luke" At that moment, the Spectre materialized behind her and force-pushed her down the hill into the crowd of Mandalorians.

"A spy!" said one of the Mandalorians.

"Destroy her!" said another Mandalorian. Ahsoka instantly leapt to her feet and ignited her lightsaber.

"I don't think so" said Ahsoka. At that moment, chains suddenly appeared and attached themselves to her. Carth'la appeared out of the shadows.

"That'll be enough, Jedi" said Carth'la "Place the neural disrupter" A Mandalorian walked up to the chained Ahsoka and fitted a neural disrupter on her neck. "Defeated without a fight"

"You know as well as I do that a neural disrupter will not hold a Jedi forever" said the Spectre.

"It doesn't need to" said Carth'la "We only need to hold her long enough. He will come for her"

"Are you not scared that these Mandalorians will discover the plan?" asked the Spectre.

"They won't" replied Carth'la "I control them all; they are too weak minded to even realize that something's wrong. To them, we are not here"

"How is this even possible?" said the Spectre "Not even Master Yoda or Windu could have accomplished this power, nor did Vader or any Sith before him"

"I am neither Sith nor Jedi" said Carth'la "I have created such powers. Not even the Master can accomplish my particular powers"

"Speaking of which; this Master whom you speak of, who exactly is he?" said the Spectre.

"That is something that is none of your concerns" replied Carth'la "But enough stalling; our attack begins now"

"Do we have enough militia to overwhelm the city's defences?" asked the Spectre.

"We have enough to distract, and that's enough" replied Carth'la. She walked up to the Mandalorian leader from behind, extended her arm out, and cast green mist that flew into the leader's head. "Men, the attack begins now"

"Men, the attack begins now!" ordered the Mandalorian leader.

"Prepare the fighters and tanks for assault" said Carth'la.

"Prepare the fighters and tanks for assault!" ordered the Mandalorian leader.

"We march to the city" said Carth'la.

"We march to the city!" ordered the Mandalorian leader.

"Spare no one!" ordered the Mandalorian leader.

"Perfect!" said Carth'la whilst lowering her arm. She then turned to Ahsoka, force-lifted her into a cage, and placed the cage inside a Canderous-class assault tank. She then jumped onto the side of the tank. "The assault begins now!" Mandalorian tanks and fighters moved off towards the city. Carth'la looked on with an evil smirk on her face.

Meanwhile

"So they wouldn't wake up" said Han.

"Yes; they wouldn't" said Dawn "I tried everything but they had been sent unconscious by some means that I am not aware of, something I do not believe you are capable of"

"Right; so somehow someone posed as me and caused this whole breakout in the first place" said Han "Changeling?"

"That might explain the change of appearance but the question remains on how they got aboard and how they managed to get all the officers out unconscious before one of them could apprehend them" replied Dawn "We might be facing something far different than anything we've faced before"

"That's not good" said Han.

Meanwhile

The bounty hunters blasted open the doors to the hanger.

"Twazzi was supposed to meet us here" said Embo in Kyuzo language "Why isn't she here?"

"I don't know" said Fett "She must be stalled"

"What are we to do then?" asked 4-LOM "Our escape plan has been compromised"

"Then we'll have to go now" said Fett.

"What about Twazzi?" asked Mindar.

"You all know the first rule of bounty hunting—every bounty hunter for himself" said Fett "If Twazzi gets herself captured, her bad"

"Man, that's harsh!" said a voice. They turned around. Han stood there.

"Should've known Twazzi was stupid enough to lose you" said Fett "Oh well..." They all pointed their weapons towards Han. "At least we get to kill you right here right now"

"Don't push it" said Han. Chewbacca, Latts, and Dawn walked out from behind him with their weapons.

"Got yourself company, I see" said Fett "I like a good fight as much as the next bounty hunter; but I'm not in the mood right now so—Embo..." Embo got out a button. Explosives that had been planted on the hallway door around them lit up and started beeping.

"Watch out!" exclaimed Han whilst pushing the three others to the front, out of the way, shortly before the explosives went off. Dawn woke up hardly-conscious to see that the door had been flooded with debris. All she could was ringing in her ears from the noise of the explosion. Chewbacca and Latts lay unconscious beside her. She then noticed Boba Fett walking up to her. She got out her blaster as a warning but was unable to point it straight at him.

"Stop!" said Dawn, even though she couldn't even hear her own voice. Fett just walk up to her calmly. "I'm warning you!" It was then that Fett got just too close; she attempted to pull the trigger but he simply grabbed her by the wrist and pointed her blaster in another direction. It was then that her hearing slowly began to return.

"There's no right way to hit a woman" said Fett "So I guess I'll have to do it the wrong way" He punched her in the face and knocked her unconscious. He then turned to Chewbacca. "The first on my personal hit-list is Solo of course; but you...you're no better. And as a wild coincidence, this appears to be the best opportunity to off you...however; I have to get out of here right away. But; this isn't over" He ran to the ships.

Meanwhile in an underground bunker

Prince Raphail Hephage sat in front of a hologram of Luke.

"That is bad news" said Raphail "Are you certain that you cannot negotiate with these Mandalorians"

"I'm afraid not" replied Luke "Mandalorians are known for their love of combat; they are proud people and won't go for a compromise" Raphail thought for a moment.

"There's too much at stake here" said Raphail "I can't think of anything else; we may have to call for reinforcements, I see no other way around it"

"I'm all for that, but I can't" said Luke "You said it yourself; your tradition goes against calling for forces of a group you haven't aligned with yet. We can't change that" Raphail thought for a moment.

"There is a way" said Raphail "Once one is coroneted king they can change some of the traditions; we've done so for centuries, but never that particular one. But that'll have to change"

"Are you certain?" asked Luke "I mean—"

"Yes; I am certain" replied Raphail "Our traditions are a strategic weakness, and our enemies have only just discovered it. For our people to live, that tradition must die" At that moment, there was a loud rumble. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure" replied Luke. The hologram started to break up. "But...no..." The hologram instantly went off.

"Skywalker?" said Raphail "Skywalker, do you hear me!"

Meanwhile

"Oh no!" said Luke. At that moment, Larana ran into the room.

"My love, what is happening?!" exclaimed Larana "The palace is under attack" At that moment, the chief guard ran in.

"Your highness, the Mandalorians have launched a full-scale attack on the city" said the chief guard.

"This isn't good" said Luke "How are our defenses holding?"

'They're holding for the moment, but they may not do so forever" replied the chief guard.

Meanwhile

The Mandalorian tanks stood on the outside of the city walls and shot continuously. The wall's turrets shot back.

"Shoot it more!" said a Mandalorian. Carth'la smile widened.

"How long until we make it through?" said the Spectre.

"Patience; after all, it's a virtue" smirked Carth'la "Very soon we will have those doors open" A loud sonic boom noise was heard. "Ah; I believe that is the sound of our paratroopers" Mandalorian fighters flew over the city. Mandalorians jumped out of them and used their jetpacks to slow their fall. A group of guards came to intercept them but were met with blazing blasters instead. The Mandalorians then ran over to the gate controls and shot it. The gate opened up wide. "Excellent; now to make our move" She walked over to the Mandalorian leader and extended her arm out. "Move into the city; blaze a trail to the palace"

"Move into the city; blaze a trail to the palace!" ordered the Mandalorian leader.

Meanwhile

Han woke up next to the pile of debris.

"Oh man!" said Han whilst rubbing his head. He looked around. "Sure hope the others are safe. Explosives; they sure were prepared" At that moment, two arms pulled him against the wall.

"Shhh!" said a voice in his ear "Don't bother calling for help" Han seemed to recognize the voice.

"Sing!" said Han "You should've found a way out of here whilst you had the chance"

"Oh; I'm getting off here, alright" said Aurra Sing "But not before making you pay for that bounty you lost me"

"You're still going on about that?" said Han "That was a long time ago, in the past"

"It's fresh in my mind" said Sing "No one crosses Aurra Sing!" She got out a dagger and held it at Han's neck. "I'm going to enjoy this; I want it to last!" At that moment, a blaster rifle was pointed at her head.

"I wouldn't!" said a voice. IG-88 stood there.

"What are you doing, IG?" said Sing.

"Get your hands off of Captain Solo!" threatened IG-88 "He's mine, and mined alone!"

"Too bad; I got here first" said Sing. At that moment, IG-88 grabbed her by the wrist.

"Then I suppose I should go through you first!" said IG-88.

"Wanna' bet?!" said Sing whilst grabbing her blaster and shooting IG-88 in the shoulder. It didn't seem to cause much damage.

"Nice try!" said IG-88. He pulled her by the wrist and threw her into the wall. Sing got up easily.

"You want him; then you'll have to go through me!" said Sing.

"Your offer is accepted" said IG-88. He activated his flamethrower. Sing jumped aside to avoid it. She got out both her blaster pistols and shot at IG-88 continuously. IG-88 activated his sonic stunner and shot it at Sing. Sing covered her ears as she was blasted by it. She carefully pointed her blaster at IG-88 and was able to shot the stunner. Sing then jumped onto him and stabbed him with her dagger.

"Your low-tech weapons will not harm me!" said IG-88. He pointed his blaster rifle at her stomach but she noticed it and back flipped as he shot. At that moment, a blaster shot came between them.

"Enough!" said Han who had now got up and reclaimed his blaster "That's enough! Just get back to your cells before this gets too ugly"

"You?" said Sing "Trying to break us up and send us back to our cells. The rumours were right, Solo; you've gotten soft"

"Why should we take orders from you?" said IG-88.

What if I said that all this noise you've caused will have attracted the attention of the rebel troopers across the ship and they'll be here any moment to take you in?" said Han. Sing pointed her blaster at him.

"I'd say; I'll kill you now" replied Sing. IG-88 secretly prepared a thermal detonator behind his back.

'Sing, listen; you don't want to get on the bad side of the Rebellion" said Han.

"Why should I care?" said Sing "I'm a bounty hunter; aligned with no side, affiliated with no one. Besides; that bounty you lost me was more recent than you think it was. This; I believe the phrase is "good old fashion" revenge!"

"I don't think so!" said IG-88 whilst throwing his thermal detonator at Sing. She simply caught it in mid-air and threw it over at the debris pile covering the door. This caused it to blow a hole in the debris pile and caused it all to collapse.

"Well; that solves that problem" said Han.

"Yes it does" said a voice. They all turned around. Hatana stood there. "Now if you don't mind; I'll be leaving"

"You're...You're a force-user, one strong in the Dark Side" said Sing.

"Clever" said Hatana.

"I have no wish to get in your way" said Sing "I will leave now" She ran off to get a ship.

"Good to know someone has respect" said Hatana.

"That's a new sight" said Han "Aurra Sing scared"

"Coward!" said IG-88. He turned back to Hatana.

"Well?" said Hatana.

"Why should I stand aside for you?" said IG-88 "You think because you pretend to be some sort of Sith you can make me do what you wish; I am my own master!"

"Watch your tongue, droid!" said Hatana. She smirked. "Oh wait, I forgot; you do not have a tongue"

"Enough!" snarled IG-88. He pointed his blaster towards Hatana aggressively. Hatana instantly ignited one of her lightsabers and cut the edge off. She then force-gripped him and pulled him quickly towards her, cutting off his right forearm and left foot in the process. He slammed into the wall.

"What a waste" said Hatana. IG-88 pulled himself up. He reached for a smoke grenade.

"This isn't over" said IG-88 whilst throwing the smoke grenade. Next moment, he was gone.

"Pity; I was looking forward to finishing him" said Hatana "But, I must be on my way" She instantly turned around and force-pushed Han into the hanger. She ran into the hanger. Chewbacca and Latts ran over to Han and helped him up.

"Han, what—" said Latts.

"Forget me!" said Han "Stop her!"

"Who; oh, right" said Latts. She got out a cable shooter and shot at Hatana, pulling her down by the leg. She dropped her lightsabers and they rolled off.

"Wait; where'd you get that cable from?" asked Han.

"Snatched it off Hatana when she wasn't looking" replied Latts "Anyways; we should stun her before she gets up" Hatana leaned her head upwards. It was at that moment that she noticed something; Carth'la materialized next to the Millennium Falcon.

"Oh dear; you're in a tight spot, aren't you?" said Carth'la "It'd be unfortunate if you were left here—imprisoned like a petty criminal, would your master come to rescue you?"

"How about you stop taunting and help me?" said Hatana.

"Because I won't; simple as that" replied Hatana. She smirked evilly. "You were wise not to trust me; then again, I was never here..." She turned into green mist and disappeared (because she was just an illusion).

"She had me conned all along!" snarled Hatana "Never trust a Nightsister!" She then looked over and saw her lightsabers lying beside her. She rolled over and grabbed them both. She then cut herself free of the cable and jumped to her feet. She then turned over to the Millennium Falcon. "My last ride out of here" She ran over to it fast.

"She got free" said Latts. She got out her blaster (set it to stun) and pointed it at Hatana. "I'll have to drop her now" She shot multiple shots at Hatana, but they all got deflected by her lightsabers. "Damn; her reflexes are too good!"

"Wait a minute; all the transport and starfighters have been taken by the bounty hunters" said Dawn "That means the only way off this ship is—"

"The Falcon!" said Han "Oh; she's not getting away on my ship! We have to stop her guys" He charged at Hatana.

"Han, stop!" said Latts. She and Chewbacca ran after him.

"Hatana, you better—" said Han shortly before she turned around and started to force-choke him.

"This is your ship, right?" said Hatana "Don't mind if I take it?" She smiled evilly, shot him with force-lightning, and force-threw him over at Latts and Chewbacca. She ran up the ramp and into the cockpit. Dawn attempted to follow but was too late; the Mikkian Sith had took off, flew out of the hanger, and went into hyperspace in only a matter of seconds. Han pulled himself up.

"What was I thinking?" said Han "Luke told me about her; he told me everything he knew about her"

"There's no time to complain about our mistakes" said Dawn. Chewbacca and Latts pulled themselves up as well. "Hatana has escaped—"

"Yes; on my ship" said Han.

"I understand how you may be feeling" said Dawn "But as I was saying, I have found hard evidence that you were not responsible for the power failure. Shortly after the explosion, Fett knocked me unconscious. When I regained conscious, the people aboard the bridge called me on my comlink. They said that it wasn't actually you; and when I asked for some hard proof, they gave me this" She brought up a hologram on her comlink of the bridge. "It's security footage of the bridge at the time. No sound, but you don't need it" The footage showed Han entering the bridge. He started talking to Dawn. Suddenly, he kicked her out with his foot. All the rebel troopers aboard the bridge pointed their blasters towards Han. At that moment, Han turned into Carth'la (well, technically the illusion she created).

"Wait; pause it" said Han. Dawn paused the hologram and zoomed in on Carth'la. "What is a Nightsister doing aboard this ship?"

"I've heard that word so many times" said Latts "What exactly is a Nightsister?"

"That's a Nightsister, from Dathomir" replied Han "The Witches of the Mist they're known as. Powerful and mysterious figures; but why would one be aboard, especially since they're not around anymore"

"What do you mean?" asked Latts.

"The Nightsisters were wiped out by the Separatists during the Clone Wars era" replied Han.

"This does raise a situation" said Dawn "If there is a resurgence in the Nightsisters, it means that the war is about to change; for good or bad, I'm unsure"

Meanwhile

The Mandalorians continued to ravage the streets of the city.

"Our artillery guns are holding but we're outnumbered; they're overrunning the city" said the chief guard.

"Make sure you can protect as many civilians as you can" said Luke.

"We're trying to but the Mandalorians are too many" said the chief guard "I'm sending as many defen—" It was then that Luke began to get a strange sensation coming into his mind. He was distracted by this for a moment. "—safety, your highness?"

"Excuse me?" said Luke.

"We must get you to safety, your highness" replied the chief guard.

'Oh; yes, lead us" said Luke. He and Larana followed the chief guard down a hallway. Along the way, Luke secretly went into a small room without the others noticing (at least the chief guard, that is). Once in the room, he ran up to a small footlocker. He opened it up. Inside was his lightsaber.

"My love?" said a voice. He turned around. Larana stood in the doorway. "My love, what are you doing here?" She started to approach him. "It is too dangerous; we must get to safety before—" At that moment, a Mandalorian ran up to the doorway. He pointed his blaster at Larana.

"Get down!" exclaimed Luke. He leapt up, ignited his lightsaber, and used it to deflect the Mandalorian's blaster shot. The Mandalorian managed to duck before the shot could hit him. He was about to reload shortly before Luke slashed off the end of his blaster and force-pushed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"M-My love?" said Larana confused. Luke looked down slightly.

"I'm sorry, Larana" said Luke "I'm not Prince Hephage; my name is Luke Skywalker, I was the other Jedi who was sent here"

"I don't understand" said Larana "Why were you posing as him?"

"It was a necessary choice" replied Luke "It was after the first attack; you see, I knew the assassin, she was Vader's personal one, and I knew she'd keep trying until she got her job done. We had to take precautions and we did notice that were bore a somewhat resemblance so we decided that I would pose as him in his place; only I, Ahsoka Tano, and the Alliance High Command knew of this. Do not worry; Prince Hephage is safe, he is underground in a bunker far outside the city"

"Your highness—" said the chief guard as he ran up to them. He froze in front of Luke, staring at his lightsaber. Luke turned it off.

"Long story short; I'm actually Luke Skywalker and I agreed to cover for him so he can stay protected" said Luke "I'm sorry if it caused any inconveniences"

"Not at all" said the chief guard.

"The real Prince is safe; he's in an underground bunker away from the battle" said Luke.

"Half of our defence turrets have been destroyed" said the chief guard "More and more Mandalorians are pouring in. We might hold for a short while but they have us outmanned and outgunned; we cannot stand forever" Luke thought for a moment.

"This has gone too far" said Luke "I understand that it goes against you're tradition; but the Alliance may be our only hope of stopping these guys"

"I agree; and I attempted to contact them, but the Mandalorians seem to have blocked our communications channel" said the chief guard.

"These guys seem to think of everything" said Luke "They must have some device that blocks your communication channel. That would have to be within the vicinity of the city, wouldn't it?"

"I believe it would" replied the chief guard "What are you saying?"

"I think I might be able to fix this problem" replied Luke "If I could just get out of this palace, I could locate the device and disable it"

"But it would be dangerous; and even if you get through the city, it's doubtful that they would leave it unprotected"

"I'll figure something out" said Luke "You two get to safety; make sure you keep an eye on the signal" He ran down the hall. He reached the balcony and jumped off it then ran down the steps.

Meanwhile

Carth'la's eyes opened wide.

"He is coming" said Carth'la "Prepare yourself; you must take him by surprise"

"And what if Tano gets loose?" asked the Spectre.

"Follow her if necessary" replied Carth'la "But make sure you cover yourself well"

"And what about you?" asked the Spectre.

"I'll watch from a distance" replied Carth'la "Good luck" She turned into green mist and floated away.

"Very well" said the Spectre shortly before force-cloaking herself. The Mandalorians stood around the tank that held Ahsoka. Inside, another guard guarded the cage that held her. He held her lightsaber on his belt.

"Canderous #3 to Canderous #1; is the prisoner still contained?" asked a voice on the guard's comlink.

"Of course she is; she ain't going anywhere" replied the Mandalorian guard "The neural disrupter is working at full capacity"

"Good" replied the other Mandalorian "The last thing we need is another Jedi on the loose in the city"

"Another Jedi?" said the Mandalorian guard "What are you talking about?"

"We've spotted another Jedi loose within the city" replied the other Mandalorian "He seems to be making his way to the communication blocker" Ahsoka smiled.

"Make sure he doesn't get there" said the Mandalorian guard.

"Of course we won't" said the other Mandalorian "We'll blow him to dust"

"I think you'll find he's full of surprises" said Ahsoka. At that moment, she summoned her lightsaber from the Mandalorian guard's belt and used it to cut open the cage. The Mandalorian guard pointed his blaster at her.

"Don't move, Jedi!" snarled the Mandalorian guard. Ahsoka simply smirked.

Meanwhile

"Fire!" shouted a Mandalorian. A group of Mandalorian tanks shot at Luke who was running across the rooftops; however, he was just too quick. As the last shot fired, he jumped off the rooftops and landed on another one. He then looked over at a nearby landing platform that had a group of Mandalorians protecting something. He got out his electrobinoculars and examined it. He noticed that it was some sort of satellite-like device.

"That must be what's causing the communication disturbance" said Luke to himself "I have to destroy it" At that moment, he heard some familiar whistling. He turned around and saw R2 had just arrived. "R2; great to see you, buddy. Good thing you arrived too; could you get me over to that platform over there?" R2 beeped and prepared his rocket boosters. He began to hover. Luke grabbed onto him by the sides and they flew off towards the landing platform. "Almost there, R2" He then had a look around. R2 beeped something. "Something is bothering me, R2; where's Ahsoka, we would've known if she was taking part in this battle" R2 beeped something. "Wait; what do you mean she went after the Spectre?" R2 beeped something else. "No; she wouldn't have. I mean; Ahsoka wouldn't have abandoned her duties of protecting in order to chase after that attacker" R2 beeped something. "Listen; she'll return, she always does, and we'll hear her side of the story" It was then that one of the Mandalorians spotted them.

"Intruder!" said the Mandalorian "Destroy him before he can land" Another one of the Mandalorians got out a rocket launcher and aimed it at Luke and R2.

"R2, watch out!" exclaimed Luke. R2 screamed as the Mandalorian shot the rocket at them. At that moment, Luke extended his hand out force-pushed the rocket back. It flew back and hit the communications blocker. This caused the satellite to explode and create a fireball so powerful that it engulfed everything on the platform, including the Mandalorians, in only a matter of seconds. Afterwards, Luke and R2 landed on the platform. "That was quite powerful. I don't think I've seen a rocket that powerful before"

"These Mandalorians seem to have access to technology we've never seen before" said a voice. Ahsoka walked up to them.

"Ahsoka, you're back" said Luke "What happened to you?"

"Those Mandalorians placed a neural inhibitor on me and placed me inside one of their tanks" said Ahsoka. R2 beeped something. "They underestimated a Jedi's mind, R2; that's how I got past the neural inhibitor. I then retrieved my lightsabers and defeated the Mandalorians guarding the tank"

"R2 told me that you left the city to pursue the Spectre by yourself" said Luke.

"I did" said Ahsoka "I went after her; but it was a trap she drew me into. She must be working with the Mandalorians somehow"

"But why did you leave without telling me?" asked Luke "You could've gotten yourself killed"

"I don't know" replied Ahsoka "It seemed as though the Spectre was persuading me to go after her. If she was Ventress...I could never let her do anything to you. You don't know what that bog-witch is capable of"

"Fascinating" said a voice. They looked up. The Spectre stood on top of a small building next to the platform. "We interrupt this reuniting to bring you this; hand yourself over, Skywalker, and we won't make this overly complicated" Ahsoka stepped forward.

"You want him..." said Ahsoka. She ignited her lightsaber. "...come and get him" Luke ignited his lightsaber.

"If you insist" said the Spectre. She instantly got out her lightsaber and ignited them. She jumped down between them and clashed violently with them. After several minutes, she jumped on top of a crate. She force-gripped Ahsoka and threw her into a crate. Ahsoka was incapacitated by this; the Spectre then force-gripped a larger crate and dangled it over Ahsoka.

"No!" said Luke.

"You can end this, right here right now" said the Spectre "All you have to do is come with me; and in return I'll spare your friends"

"You forget one thing, Spectre" said Luke "I'm force-sensitive too!" He force-gripped the crate and threw it back at the Spectre. However, the Spectre was still force-gripping the crate and resisted it. The two quickly started to fight over control of the crate. Though Luke showed persistence, the Spectre seemed to be stronger. At that moment, Ahsoka regained consciousness. She got herself up. After seeing what was going on, she stood up and force-gripped the crate as well. Their strength combined, they managed to throw the crate at the Spectre, pushing her off the crates she was on. "Great job, Ahsoka"

"This time we won't let her get away" said Ahsoka. They walked up to the Spectre and pointed their lightsabers at her.

"Who are you working for?" asked Luke.

"What did you do to the Mandalorians?" asked Ahsoka.

"What is it you want with me?" asked Luke. The Spectre seemed to be staring at something in the distance.

"What are you looking at?" asked Ahsoka.

"Not looking..." said the Spectre "Concentrating..." They looked around and saw that she was force-pulling a flaming Mandalorian fighter towards the platform.

"Watch out!" exclaimed Ahsoka. They ran as the fighter plummeted towards them and smashed into the platform. The platform was burned up and fell to pieces. Ahsoka managed to grab onto the edge of the platform's pathway's edge. Luke managed to grab onto R2 and they safely hovered down to a nearby rooftop. "This doesn't look good" It was then that the Spectre walked up to the edge she was on and slammed her foot on her hand.

"I had hoped to keep you out of this" said the Spectre "If you had kept out of the way, I would have simply taken him back to my payer and I would have left you alone; but it seems you just have to get in the way all the time. You always did, Ahsoka" She ignited her lightsabers and raised them. However; by this time, Ahsoka had been swinging on the edge until she had got enough speed to swing upwards and kick the Spectre across the chest. She got up easily. Ahsoka summoned her lightsaber to herself and ignite it.

"Do you want to know why I look out for Luke?" said Ahsoka "Because he's the closest thing to family I have left"

"How touching" said the Spectre "But not enough to stop me from finishing you" The two ran at each other and started to clash. Luke looked up at this.

"Ahsoka!" said Luke "We have to help her; R2, do you think you could get me up there?" R2 beeped. "Great; now let's go"

"I don't think so" said a voice. The Mandalorian leader flew down to the rooftop they were on and landed in front of them. "What's this; a Jedi dressed in the Prince' robes, or just someone with a lightsaber"

"You must be the Mandalorian leader" said Luke.

"Smart" said the Mandalorian leader "But it won't change anything; the battle is ours, Rharlium has fallen"

"I'm only going to say this once; get off this planet" said Luke.

"And why would I do that?" said the Mandalorian leader "Once the city is ashes, we will spread across the rest of the planet until we have wiped out all of its cities. This planet will be a perfect staging ground for when we reclaim Mandalore. There's more of this to come..." He looked out at the battle. "Glorious; isn't it?"

"Glorious?" said Luke "It's horrible; you're killing innocent civilians"

"They're causalities of war, acceptable losses" said the Mandalorian leader.

"Acceptable?" said Luke.

"Yes" replied the Mandalorian leader "The weak must die so the strong may strive; it is only the natural order"

"You and I disagree on the rules of war" said Luke "You Mandalorians think yourselves as proud people, but all you ever do is murder and destroy; what's there to be proud about?"

"Simple" said the Mandalorian leader whilst getting out an electrostaff "We are Mandalorians; we live TO FIGHT!" He activated his electrostaff and charged at Luke. Luke instantly ignited his lightsaber and the two clashed violently. Carth'la watched all this from a building at a distance and smiled wickedly.

Meanwhile

"This is Captain Jake Hushin of the rebel fleet" said Jake Hushin's hologram "This is a restricted military channel; state your name and reason for calling"

"This is Princess Larana Eldrel of Rharlium" said Larana "We are under attack by a group of Mandalorians who are attempting to destroy our city. Jedi Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano have pledged their loyalty to us but even they cannot stop this threat; we need an army. Though we do not usually call for help from a group we have not yet allied ourselves with, we ask you to help us in our dire time of need"

"Don't worry; the fleet I am with is only a system or two away" said Jake Hushin "We'll come immediately; save all those political reasoning for later"

"We thank you" said Larana "But prepare your forces; we may not be able to hold for much longer" The hologram turned off.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka and the Spectre continued to clash.

"Just like old times" said the Spectre "Fighting against each other" Ahsoka aggressively force-pushed her but she managed to slow herself down. "You're getting quite aggressive; but nothing's improved, still an inexperienced and headstrong little Kath Hound, only in a 21 year old body now"

"And what's changed about you?" said Ahsoka "You're still an outcast to your own kind"

"I am beyond both Jedi and Sith now!" said the Spectre "Besides; have you learned nothing? The Jedi Order turned their backs on you long ago and yet you have returned to them. How long until they turned on you again? Do you think that protecting your old master's son will give you reason to go on? Why do you even bother fighting me?"

"Because I know whose face is hiding behind that mask" said Ahsoka "I know that you are Asajj Ventress!"

"You were always sure of yourself, weren't you?" said the Spectre.

Meanwhile

Luke continued to clash with the Mandalorian leader. In a swift move, Luke was able to knock the electrostaff out of the Mandalorian leader's hand. He then force-pushed the Mandalorian leader into a pile of debris. The Mandalorian leader simply got up, got out a shock whip, and ignited it. He whipped Luke with it but Luke managed to dodge the second shot he gave. Suddenly, he grabbed Luke by the ankle with it and pulled him down.

"Easy prey" said the Mandalorian leader. Luke used all his strength to pull himself free, but the grip was just too tight. He then quickly force-gripped and piece of debris and threw it at the Mandalorian leader, knocking the shock whip out of his hand. He quickly got himself free. The Mandalorian leader then quickly got out his blaster and started shooting. Luke used his lightsaber to deflect the blasts. The Mandalorian leader then shot out a wrist rocket that Luke dodged. He then activated his jetpack and flew up into the air, got out his blaster again, and started shooting at Luke again. Luke deflected the blasts again with his lightsaber; that was, until, the Mandalorian leader turned off his jetpack and landed on top of Luke. "So much for standing your ground" He pointed his blaster at Luke's face. At that moment, one of the Mandalorian fighters was shot out of the air. A MC80 Liberty type Star Cruiser appeared in the sky above them. Groups of Rebel LAAT gunships flew down from it, shooting down the Mandalorian forces.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka smirked.

"Seems the cavalry arrived in the nick of time" said Ahsoka.

Meanwhile

The Mandalorian leader was distracted by the arrival of the Rebels. Luke used this to his advantage and pulled him down by the leg. Luke got himself up and pointed his lightsaber at the Mandalorian leader.

"That's enough" said Luke "This is your last chance; call your forces off, you're outnumbered now"

"And let you take us as prisoners; never!" snarled the Mandalorian leader. He instantly grabbed his shock whip (which was only a foot away from him), ignited it, used it to whip Luke's lightsaber out of his hand, and then used it to strangle him by the neck.

Meanwhile

Ahsoka saw this from where she was.

"Oh no!" said Ahsoka. She turned off her lightsaber and ran towards the edge; only to find herself getting lifted in mid-air. The Spectre (who was the one force-lifting her) walked up beside her.

"And like all Jedi; your compassion weakens you" said the Spectre. She force-gripped some wire from the charred edge of the platform and used it to tie around Ahsoka; keeping her from moving. Ahsoka struggled but couldn't get free. "Don't bother; it'll only waste your strength"

"Don't you dare touch Luke!" said Ahsoka.

"You say that with such hate" said the Spectre "That isn't the Jedi way, is it? Now; I better collect Skywalker before that Mandalorian kills him"

Meanwhile

The Mandalorian leader continued to choke Luke with his shock whip. At that moment, a stun blast hit him in the back, causing him to collapse unconscious. Luke used the opportunity to free himself from the whip. Captain Jack Hushin and a group of rebel troopers walked up to him.

"You alright, Commander Skywalker?" asked Jake Hushin.

"I'm fine" replied Luke "Good to see that you guys got here"

"It seems we've arrived in the nick of time" said Jake Hushin "We've got the Mandalorians on the run; they sure don't like it when the battle goes out of hand"

"Who does?" said Luke. He then looked up at the building that Carth'la was hiding in. "Something isn't right"

"What do you mean?" asked Jake Hushin.

"None of this seems right" replied Luke "It just doesn't feel right. Excuse me; there's something I have to check out, you guys protect the area"

"Will do" said Jake Hushin. Luke ran off to the entrance to the building.

A few minutes later

Dawn was beginning to break. Carth'la watched from her tower as the aftermath of the battle got cleared up. At that moment, someone grabbed her by the arms and slammed her to the wall. Luke (who was the one who did this) looked at her face-to-face.

"You've got lot to answer to" said Luke.

"Finally realized who was in charge here, I see" smirked Carth'la "Smart boy"

Meanwhile

The Spectre saw Luke and Carth'la up in the building. She walked up to the building. Suddenly, she was force-pushed across the area and into a wall. This caused her mask to fall off. Ahsoka (who was the one who force-pushed her) ran up to her and pointed her lightsaber at her.

"Don't move!" said Ahsoka "I don't know who wants Luke or why; but you should've known better than to resurface, Ventress"

"You think I'm Ventress?" said the Spectre whilst getting up. Her hood was down revealing that she had long black hair. "You can barely figure things out, it seems" She turned around, revealing herself to be none other than…Barriss Offee; now much older than when Ahsoka last encountered her.

"Barriss!" said Ahsoka "But; it can't be you, no, it can't be. I thought you were—"

"Dead?" said Barriss "I do not fear either Jedi or Sith; and I will not be intimidated by the Order, their prisons cannot hold me, and neither can you. You can't bring me in, you don't have the stomach for it"

"You wanna' bet?" snapped Ahsoka "Do you know how many lives you ended that day, how many things you destroyed"

"But without me you would never have realized how corrupt the Order really was" said Barriss.

"You want to know what corrupt is; look at this war, the Empire is destroying innocent civilizations simply for getting in their way" snapped Ahsoka "They're slaughtering men, women, children, whole families; the Sith are the bad guys, not the Jedi"

"You talk of this as if it is merely black and white" said Barriss "This isn't over" She then vanished.

Meanwhile

"I suppose you have many questions" said Carth'la "There's no hurry; I suppose I could answer them. Ask away"

"Who are you?" asked Luke.

"Straight to the point; I like that" said Carth'la "My name is Carth'la; I'm a Nightsister from Dathomir. I simply came here to cause…havoc, if you will. But the best way to cause this on this planet was through more destruction means; luckily I found this in the Mandalorians that had arrived"

"So you controlled the Mandalorians all this time" said Luke.

"It wasn't so hard" said Carth'la "Your mind tricks are affective on the weak minded but basic; however, I have developed a way of controlling the weak mind"

"The ability to control others?" said Luke "That isn't possible, it can't be"

"It is" said Carth'la "We Nightsisters are force-sensitive as well. The rest was easy; the Mandalorian leader's mind was a blank page, one which I wrote on. You look tense; this is all sudden to you, isn't it? You always thought that a force-user was either Jedi or Sith; it's a bigger galaxy then you think out there"

"But why were you working with the Spectre?" asked Luke.

"She had been tracking you for days now" replied Carth'la "I decided to take pity on her and help her out"

"So who is the Spectre?" asked Luke.

"I don't know that" replied Carth'la "She is as secretive to her allies as she is to her enemies. All I know was that she was working for some unknown payer who wanted you alive. She clearly doesn't trust others"

"Do you know how many lives you ended today?" said Luke.

"Collateral damage; not my problem" replied Carth'la. She smirked. "You have one more question, don't there?"

"Yes; who do you work for?" asked Luke.

"Someone very interested in you" replied Carth'la "Someone who watches from a distance…for now, at least"

"Who is he?" asked Luke.

"You may call him the Master" replied Carth'la "He sends me out to cause chaos"

"And you simply do what he says?" said Luke.

"I play along with his games because it amuses me" said Carth'la "He doesn't care about the damage I cause; as long as I do his bidding and keep you alive"

"Why me?" said Luke "Who is the Master, why does he want me alive"

"Uh uh uh; that is not for you to know" replied Carth'la "Let's just say he's very interested in meeting you; not just yet, but one day he will. And when that day comes; you better make peace with the Force for he will have his fun with you"

"I'm serious; who is he?" demanded Luke.

"I think I've said enough" said Carth'la "Another time, perhaps, Jedi" She slowly turned into green mist and drifted off" Luke watched as it disappeared across the horizon.

"What is going on?" said Luke to himself "Who is the Master?"

The next day

Raphail stood before the city on the first few steps of the palace. Luke, Ahsoka, and R2 stood on his left side whilst Larana and the council members stood to the right. The civilians stood of the city stood in a crowd in front of him. Raphail himself was kneeling with the chief guard lowering a crown slowly onto his head. After the crown was placed, Raphail stood up to face the crowd.

"May your father finally rest in peace knowing that you have taken his place as king of Rharlium" said the chief guard "Now come the days of King Raphail Hephage of Rharlium" Everyone applauded and cheered.

"Seems everything turned out good" said Ahsoka. R2 beeped and whistled.

"My people, I am honored to finally take my father's place" said Raphail as the applause died down "But; without the help of Jedi Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, Vader's assassin probably would've gotten to me first chance she got" Everyone (Raphail included) applauded Luke and Ahsoka. "It must grieve me however that, as my first act as king, is to revoke one of our most sacred traditions—from this day forth, we shall be a democratic monarchy and no longer rely on my bloodline" The crowd went silent in shock.

"But my king; we have had to change our traditions over the years and generations, but that one has always stayed the same" said the chief guard "Are you certain of this?"

"I am" replied Raphail "You may seem shocked, even unsure of this; but things have changed too much"

"But Raphail, wouldn't your father have wanted to keep—" said Ahsoka.

"My father would agree with me" said Raphail "These are different times. We have always valued our traditions, none closer than the line of Hephage; but to our enemies, it is a tactical weakness that could destroy us, and they have only recently realized that. It was this tradition that allowed the Empire and Mandalorians to do this; so for our survival, I am changing our traditions and will align with the Rebel Alliance" He moved over to Luke and Ahsoka. "You can go now; I thank you for all your help"

"You're welcome" said Luke "But are you so certain you wish to change your traditions without discussing it first?"

"During the time I spent in the bunker; I had plenty of time to think about it" said Raphail "Though I did not witness the battle itself; I know that the Mandalorians almost wiped the city out, just imagine what the Empire could do. If we rely solely on a bloodline to lead us, our enemies will simply continue to use it to their advantage until our culture lies in ruins. What happened over the last few days opened my eyes to the truth behind everything; and I am grateful for that, you have saved my people" It was at this moment that Larana walked up to him and pulled him into a kiss.

"We should get going" said Ahsoka "Don't worry; we'll visit sometime soon" She, Luke, and R2 moved off to the platform. "Well; mission accomplished, I suppose" Luke noticed a somewhat doubt in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" asked Luke.

"Oh, nothing" replied Ahsoka "It just seems like we somehow…forced him into believing that he should give up his bloodline tradition"

"We didn't" said Luke "He chose that himself. He knows that in war you either adapt or die; and he knows he has to protect his people"

"You're right; what he did was for the better" said Ahsoka. She looked Luke over. "You look somewhat…uneasy yourself"

"I'm still thinking about what that Nightsister said" said Luke "Do you think the Master is real; and if so, what does he want with me? And who was the Spectre?"

"She could be lying" replied Ahsoka "Or there could be some truth to it" She thought for a moment before stopping. Luke noticed this and stopped as well. "Oh; and Luke, about the Spectre…"

"Yes?" said Luke. Ahsoka tried to say what she wanted to say but couldn't for some reason.

"I don't know who she is" said Ahsoka "It might be Ventress, it might not be, I'm not sure. I hope I'm not confusing or anything"

"Don't worry; it's okay" said Luke "But I've got the feeling that we haven't seen the last of her, or that Nightsister for that matter" They reached the platform.

"Ah; masters, good to see you return at last" said PROXY.

"Good to see you too, PROXY" said Luke "Who's up for another adventure?"

"Always, Skyguy" said Ahsoka. They moved up the ramp, into the ship, and flew off.

*: Dawn Evergreen is another OC created by Kraut Yank.

Author's note: Well; it seems I managed to get this one done in time for a Christmas release, funnily enough ;)