My PC crashed. So sorry about the wait.

GrimlockX4-Thanks, and here it is.

Blazewing-Yeah, the expo scenes were... extremely weak. Although the ambiguity about the four Jedi is intentional. ;)

Chapter Ten: The Breaking

The Nemesis lifted off of Hapes and quickly dwindled to a pinprick in the sky, lost among the dazzling blue. Starscream's optics zeroed in on the battleship until it vanished in a flash of croneau radiation. "Megatron has departed. I, Starscream, am your new leader!"

Total silence reigned for a full two minutes before Skywarp picked up a case next to his leg and walked over to Mirage. "I'll be damned. Less than a minute before a power trip. I thought I knew him better than that."

Silence reigned on the landing field for a full five minutes before Ganner spoke up. "You mean you were expecting a coup attempt by Starscream?"

Skywarp looked down at the Jedi and shrugged. "Ah, yeah. Megatron goes to recharge and he's all 'Megatron is down! I, Starscream, am the new leader!'" He shook his head. "It's really embarrassing, sometimes."

Rumble snorted at that. "Says the Decepticon who likes to balance a bucket of oil above the doors with some elaborate release mechanism…" Skywarp growled and pointed his laser cannons at Rumble, but the Decepticon demolitions expert transformed his right arm into a piledriver. "Go ahead and try, 'Warp."

The onyx-colored seeker stepped back and walked off, muttering curses to the All Spark. Starscream, meanwhile, was still standing there. "It does not matter! Megatron has left, and possibly won't return. He has allied us with Autobots and these flesh creatures, weakening us. I say-urk!" Starscream's vocalizer cut out when a very angry Grimlock stomped forward, grabbed him on the shoulder and jabbed his double-barreled missile launcher right into Starscream's chest.

"Me no like you. You loud and irritating. Also, you coward. When me take control of Autobots, me do it face mask to face mask. And me show Prime that me better leader. Until then, me follow orders." He jabbed the launcher several times into Starscream's abdominal plating, denting it. "And you also follow orders. Get it?"

"Go-got it."

Grimlock released his durasteel-grip on Starscream's shoulder and shoved him back. "Good," he said, sending the missile launcher back to subspace. He then shouted. "Dinobots, transform and move to shuttle. Stomping time soon!"

Farther back, Lusa and Ravage exchanged a glance. "Let's go," she said to her partner. She turned around, but stopped suddenly as Tenel Ka appeared. "Whoa!" She trotted back a bit. "What is it?"

Tenel Ka held out her right hand. It clutched a scrap of ancient cloth. "Bring this to the Singing Mountain Clan, Lusa. Mother Rell's body may be dead, but her spirit lives on." She hesitated, her gray eyes flashing. "Something is coming. What, we do not know, but it is dangerous. And that is a fact."

Ravage growled. "If you refer to Unicron, that is an old fable for empties and first-generation Vector Sigma Cybertonians. I thought you more rational than that, Tenel Ka."

The Hapan princess' eyes hardened to the consistency of granite. "I would've thought that teaming with Lusa would've opened your optics a bit, Ravage. Or have you forgotten the Force?"

The metallic Vornskr cocked his head to the side and pondered Tenel Ka's words. "Interesting, Tenel Ka. I had not… considered that. Still, the ability to manipulate an energy field is a far cry from ancient gods battling it out."

Tenel Ka nodded and smiled faintly. "That is correct, Ravage. Still, try to keep an open mind. Or hard drive. Or…" She trailed off and abruptly stepped forward, enveloping Lusa in a bear hug. "I will miss you, friend."

Lusa blinked back tears as her gauntleted arms went up and returned the hug. "And I you, Tenel Ka. May the Force be with you." She broke the embrace and trotted off, Ravage trailing behind her. She approached Grimlock and the other Dinobots. "I'm here to help," she announced.

Grimlock broke off a conversation with Slag and looked down at the Chironian and Decepticon. "Just not get underfoot. Me not want to pause in middle of battle to wipe foot!"

Lusa chuckled at that and waved her arm, telekinetically latching onto Grimlock and shoving him to the ground. "Don't underestimate me because I'm small, you big lug!"

Grimlock scrambled to his feet while Slag readied his electron gun. Grimlock held up his hand, however. "No. Me like that. You fight back. You sure you Decepticon?"

"Positive."

The smallest Dinobot, Swoop, knelt down and looked over Lusa. "You'll be all right, kid. Just watch out for your partner, there."

The Jedi smiled. "Thanks." She then tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, how come you talk normally?"

Anakin grimaced as his father hugged him. "I'll be… all right, Dad. Really! Tatooine's one of the safest planets right now-surprisingly."

Han finally let go and blinked back tears. He reached out and gave his son an affectionate pat on the head. "Just be careful, son. You and Tahiri might've been there before, but not in the middle of an invasion." A gentle coughing at the top of the Falcon's ramp caught his attention. He looked up and saw Triebakk standing there. "Okay, okay! Just let me say bye to Chewie." He turned to his oldest friend and swallowed. "You be careful. I don't care about Autobot upgrades. Kashyyyk is still dangerous."

Chewie nodded. I shall, honor brother. But you be careful as well. The halls of political power are one where not even I dare to tread. He bared his fangs in a smile at that.

Han chuckled and looked up at a violet-colored Autobot with silvery steering vanes mounted to his arms and a hood over his head. "And you keep an eye-or optic sensor-on my son and his girlfriend."

"Dad…"

Behind the youngest Solo, Huffer crossed his arms and pouted. "Oh, what about me? I've gotta go to some big ball of sand! Not a paved road on the place! I'll get sand everywhere."

Chewie put a paw to his forehead. By Primus, Huffer! Can you go one breem without whining?

Huffer clenched his fists, but his head bowed. "Maybe you're right… but a proto-form shouldn't be telling his elder off like that."

Han sighed and walked up the Falcon's ramp. A minute later, the freighter's engines flared and the disc-shaped ship lifted off the ground. Anakin turned and looked up at Huffer. "We've got an old Sentinel-class landing craft that the Hapan government has given us. It's large enough to carry you, but you'll have to transform into skiff mode." He shrugged. "Sorry."

Huffer's entire body seemed to go slack as Anakin walked off. "Are you slagging me??" He walked off after Anakin. "My joints will be completely locked up by the time we get there! I'll be in stasis lock before we leave orbit. Isn't there some way…"

Talo hook his head as Huffer walked off. "How lovely." He then looked up at Chewie. "It's been a while since I was in the Shadowlands, and from what I understand, you've been there. Any changes from 4,000 years ago?"

Chewie shrugged, his joints creaking a bit. It's still dangerous and lethal. Every step could be your last.

The ancient Jedi nodded and smiled. "Ah, just like old times!"

Prowl swiveled around in the Ark's command chair. "We ready?"

Sunstreaker nodded from the helm. "Yeah. Ah… shouldn't we just go kick some Vong skid plate?"

Prowl shook his head. "We must make official contact with the New Republic government. If Triebakk is elected chancellor, then we're already most of the way there. However, we can't function in a vacuum forever. And we might not be in a position to return to the Consortium if we're ambushed by a fleet of Vong Miid-Roik-class ships on the other side of the galaxy."

Sunstreaker nodded. "Sounds good. I just hope they don't try to fit me with a restraining bolt. Cleaning off all that biological gunk would be a pain."

Prowl settled back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "Don't worry about that, Sunstreaker. Even Bumblebee is too large for those things to work on us."

The Ark rose into the air and quickly left the atmosphere, passing a dozen dry-docks as they left the planet's gravity well. The mighty ship blurred for a moment before it disappeared into hyperspace. A few minutes later it reappeared near the inner terminus of the entrance to the Consortium's interior. Prowl noted over fifty half-completed battle stations, along with twenty fully functional ones at strategic positions. Hollowed-out asteroids served as hangars for wings of Nova-class battle cruisers and Battle Dragons.

After about an hour, the Ark exited the Consortium proper and quickly turned to port, angling itself to travel to Mon Calamari. The engines flashed again, hurtling the ship back into hyperspace.

The DSS Nemesis
Revan slashed at Luke, forcing him to back up several steps. "Your control has improved immensely, Luke. You-whoa!" He ducked mere moments before a cargo container passed through the space his head occupied. "Nice one!"

Luke gritted his teeth as Revan surged forward, his green lightsaber blocking Revan's lightning-fast blows. "Thanks. So, what do you think we'll find at Cybertron?"

"Not sure, actually. The planet's intact, according to Optimus. And I trust his vision. Whether or not there are any inhabitants alive… is another story."

Luke nodded as he parried a series of thrusts from the elder Jedi Master. He then stepped forward-only to halt when a second lightsaber sprang to life mere centimeters from his throat. "Impressive," he said, deactivating his blade and holding his hands up.

Revan stood up straight and deactivated both blades before telekinetically clipping them to his belt. "Thanks," he said between pants. "That was the first time I had to go to both blades. Your rate of improvement is incredible, Luke." He paused and caught his breath. "Why… do I feel… out of breath? I'm a solid hologram!"

Luke shrugged as the two walked back to where Bastila, Mara and Ben sat. The quintet currently occupied Lusa's quarters on the Nemesis. Although a storage closet to the Decepticons, it was more than large enough for the five. "Not sure, Revan. Psychosomatic, maybe?"

Revan shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Neither Bastila or I are flesh and blood. We're holograms contained in a magnetic field." Crestfallen, he sat down on the bed. His mood brightened when Mara walked over with Ben. "Hey, kid."

Mara gently handed Ben over to him. "He was watching his Uncle play with Daddy. He was so fascinated!" She sat next to him. "So, any ideas on the baby front?"

Bastila looked over from the computer terminal. "It's simple. We need organic bodies. The problem is we don't know how to get any of our DNA for clones. Plus there's the matter of the Force, not to mention if-"

Mara held up her hand. "Okay, we get it." She mulled over the problem for a bit. "Actually, I don't think you need DNA from your original bodies." She looked over at Luke. "Remember Callista and Cray?"

Luke slapped his forehead. "Of course!" At Revan and Bastila's inquisitive looks, the Jedi Master explained. "Ah, to dispense with the unnecessary details, the ghost of a Jedi named Callista was transferred into the body of Cray Mingla. Cray's body began changing over the course of the next year, eventually molding itself into Callista's old form."

Revan mulled that over for a bit. "That might mean that all we'd need is a clone body. The Force itself would mold the bodies into copies of our old bodies." A smile crossed his lips. "It's certainly possible. Yes…" His mood began brightening as Ben squirmed a bit in his arms. "Hey, kid. You could be having a new playmate, soon!"

Bastila shook her head. "Well, we should wait until after the counteroffensive, in case something goes wrong…" He voice trailed off and she quickly turned back to the computer terminal, her hands flying over the keyboard.

Revan gently handed Ben back to Mara and walked over to his wife. He placed a hand on her shoulder and let the Force flow. "We'll get organic bodies, Bastila. And then we'll have those kids we always wanted. A boy and a girl." His voice grew a bit husky as he spoke, until he finally swallowed and removed his hand. "I'd better check on Optimus, down in the hangar bay." He turned and walked over to one of the hover platforms. "I love you," he said.

Bastila rolled her eyes as he sped off. "I love you too." She stood up and walked over to Mara. "It would be nice to get organic bodies. I miss being able to stretch and have it mean something!"

Training room alpha
Prime swung a length of metal pipe in front of him, going through the first series of exercises Revan had shown him. Lightsabers had intrigued him at first. In the hands of a Jedi, they seemed a most powerful weapon…

"You're progressing nicely, Prime. Now, I feel confident to show you the plans for a lightsaber."

Prime's hand retracted and the inner socket flashed. The next second, a pommel extended and a bright-orange energy axe flared to life. "Actually, Master Revan, I have no need to build a lightsaber. I'm well-equipped with a melee weapon already."

Revan's head bowed so his padawan could not see him chuckling. "That's not the point of a lightsaber, although nice to see you equipped so." He straightened out and his face took on a serious expression. "A lightsaber is the symbol of a Jedi. It also allows us to channel the Force better, almost providing a conduit for the energy. It also has several uses beyond that of a weapon." He pulled out a datapad and turned it on, holding it up so Prime's optics could scan it. "Here is the basic design for it." He paused. "Ah, how good are you at dueling, anyway?"

And so here he was, practicing the initial moves Revan had shown him. There were several combat forms in Revan's time, but each was also a matter of philosophy as well as swordplay. Luke's Order had one philosophy-hit it until it stops moving.

Prime stopped his exercises a full second before the aft door slid open. "Hello, Thundercracker. What brings you here?"

The seeker paced around the outer edge of the room. "How'd you know it was me? The Force?" He let out a chuckle. "You sure geeks like you and Bluestreak are worthy of using it?"

Prime's optics focused on him. "'Geeks'? Are Masters Skywalker and Revan 'geeks'?"

Thundercracker stopped pacing and made a beeline straight for the Autobot Leader. "Luke showed me what a great pilot he was at Coruscant and Talfaglio. Revan's pretty good, too. But you? You're a truck, stuck on the ground." His jet boots fired and he began hovering a few meters off the ground.

The servos in Prime's hands whined as he gripped the length of steel. "And I was thinking better of you, Thundercracker. Why such contempt for non-flyers?" He thought about that for a bit. "Is it outer hate… or self-loathing?" His face mask moved a bit. "Yes, that's-"

Thundercracker snarled and raised his right arm, firing off several laser bolts. Prime's hands suddenly moved without thought, moving the length of steel right into their paths and deflecting them away. "I don't want to fight you, Thundercracker," he said, reaching out with the Force and telekinetically shoving the seeker to the deck plating. "But I will if I have to."

Thundercracker slowly got to his feet, his servos whining. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He brushed off his armor in an exaggerated fashion.

Just then, Revan flew his hover platform into the training room. "Nice use of precognition, Optimus. So, Thundercracker. Impressed by Optimus' command of the Force?"

The seeker crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked up, away from Revan's piercing gaze. "Maybe." After a minute, he dropped his arms to the side. "Yeah. Is it just Autobots who can do that kind of stuff?"

Revan thought back to Luke telling him about piloting Thundercracker, about how he flew better than even with Artoo. He also mused on his warning about Eryl's freighter ambush. Revan wasn't sure if he had used internal sensors or not, but still… "Would you like to find out?"

"Huh?"

Prime glanced back at Revan. "Master, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking. Are you?"

Revan reached out and probed Thundercracker's spark. He was surprised, but not as much as he thought, to discover almost no taint of the Dark Side. "Do you like fighting? Are you a warrior? Why did you join the Decepticons?" he said, sending the platform forward and up until he could look Thundercracker in the optic sensor.

Thundercracker shifted under the stare. "It was so long ago, both in your frame of reference and mine. I don't fight for the Pit of it. Megatron came to me one day with promises of glory, of being superior to all." He threw up his arms and his vocalizer sent out a wave of feedback. "I just needed direction, and I got it! I got it into war, and killing, and rivers of energon, flowing through the streets of Iacon, Kaion, Polyhex and a dozen other city-states!" He fell to his knees as his past deeds caught up with him. "So many deactivated. So many…"

Revan looked back at Prime. "Are all Decepticons like this? Is this why you have always hesitated to use lethal force?" A smile crossed his lips. "Indeed you are powerful, if you could sense their inner souls." He turned back to Thundercracker. "Do you wish for redemption?"

Thundercracker looked up. "What do you know of redemption, Revan?"

"I could tell you a thing or two about making up for past deeds. Still, the question remains. Do you wish to atone?"

Thundercracker got back to his feet and walked past Revan to Prime. "Yes, I do. I'm sick of all the fighting and killing. My spark is not cold, not yet." he stopped short of the Autobot Leader and extended his hand. "I'm still a Decepticon, but I do not wish to fight Autobots any longer."

Prime looked the seeker over before dropping the steel to the deck and clasping the outreached hand. "Nor do I wish to fight you, Thundercracker. I welcome you to be my ally."

Revan let out a sigh. "Glad to see that settled. Now, then. Thundercracker, may I perform an experiment on you?"

The seeker turned and shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Revan reached into his data banks and spark, probing the same areas that triggered a reaction in Prime. It was easier than before, but still odd. He quickly reached it…

And was thrown back against the platform's guardrail. The platform wobbled in the air before he grabbed onto the control stick and steadied it. "Thundercracker, Luke was right. You are Force-sensitive."

Thundercracker's mouth opened in shock. "What-I-how?" He turned back to Prime. "How?"

The Autobot Leader patted him on the shoulder with his powerful hand. "I'm not sure of it myself. However, you have a gift. A gift that can't be wasted. With the Vong advancing across the galaxy, and the possibility that we're the last of our kind, you'll need to train."

Anything Thundercracker might've said was interrupted by Soundwave's voice over the intercom. "Attention. We will be arriving at the Bastion System in five minutes. All hands report to your stations."

Revan's jaw worked. "What stations? There's only three Decepticons onboard!" He steered his platform over to Thundercracker. "I can't decide for you, Thundercracker. If you don't want to train to be a Jedi, then there's nothing I can do to stop you. However, you could do a lot of good in the galaxy."

He mulled Revan's words over. "I'll think about it. Now let's get to the bridge… what's wrong?"

Revan smiled, although there was no warmth behind it. "I sense pain, suffering… death. The Vong are at Bastion. I pray we're not too late."

A telepathic message from Luke filtered through. Don't count Gilad out yet, Revan. He trained under Thrawn and gave us merry hell before the treaty.

Revan nodded while following Prime and Thundercracker to one of the turbolift alcoves. I look forward to meeting him, then.

Megatron sat in his command chair as the turbolift doors slid open, allowing Thundercracker, Prime and Revan to exit. Soundwave sat at the main sensor station while Sideswipe occupied the main tactical station. Thundercracker's feet left the deck and he glided over to the helm, landing in the chair and allowing him to take over piloting duties.

Revan's hover platform flew over to Sideswipe's station and landed on top of a special interface panel, allowing it to access the sensor data. Every station on the bridge of both the Nemesis and the Ark had been retro-fitted with these 'docking ports' for organic beings. "How long before we exit hyperspace?" he asked. As if on cue, the reddish smear of hyperspace snapped into a million streaks of light, each one shortening to a pinprick of light.

The main viewscreen immediately changed to a tactical overlay of the Bastion System. A large cluster of reddish dots, representing Vong bio-ship, were clustered near the fourth planet of the system, with several dozen dots scattered through the system. That main clump was surrounded by a large number of violet dots, representing Imperial ships.

"Where's the yammosk coordinator?" Revan asked. Soundwave pressed a button and a small portion of the screen expanded, showing a lump of yorik coral. "That's our first target. With that gone and both Bastila and Optimus' battle meditation, their force will fall apart completely." He looked over at the communicator. "Can you put us in contact with the Imperial commander?"

Soundwave glanced over at Megatron, who nodded his consent, before contacting the Imperial Navy. A small window opened on the main viewscreen, showing a stern-faced woman with a captain's rank and a slight trickle of blood on her scalp. "This is Captain Vana Dorja of the ISS Chimaera. We're rather busy…" Her voice trailed off as she got a good look at the Nemesis' bridge. "What the hell?"

Revan blinked twice, then looked around and noticed that a bridge with six giant robots and one relatively tiny human would look a bit odd. I guess I've really gotten used to them. "I am Jedi Master Revan. These are…" he turned back and motioned to Megatron and Prime. "Well, they're giant living robots, and we're here to help. We've identified their yammosk coordinator. It is imperative that Gilad takes it out."

Vana grimaced. "Actually, the Grand Admiral was on an inspection tour of the Soul Reaper when the Vong attacked. The bridge was hit and he's in a bacta tank right now. I'm in command of the fleet."

Revan swallowed. "All right, then. Will you take my advice?"

Vana thought for a moment, but her image abruptly shook and several klaxons went off in the background. "Well, things can't get much worse. Yaga Minor has been under siege for twelve hours, and several of our perimeter outposts have fallen." She glanced down and her right arm bounced up and down several times. "I'm sending you our tactical data now. I'm also sending a squad of star destroyers to take out that yammosk."

"Make sure an interdictor goes along. They can immobilize the Vong ships and strip them of their shields quite easily. Provided they have adequate cover, of course."

The captain smiled wolfishly. "I think they should be. Vana out." Her image disappeared, to be replaced by more of the tactical overlay. Revan noted a half-dozen star destroyers surrounding an interdictor cruiser moving to the yammosk.

He looked over his shoulder at Megatron. "I'd recommend sending Thundercracker out with Luke. I can pilot the Nemesis well enough."

Megatron nodded. "I agree. He can keep coralskippers off our back while we slag the capital ships." he focused his optics on the seeker. "Go."

Thundercracker nodded before jumping out of his chair and gliding over to the turbolift. Before the doors closed, Revan looked over. "May the Force be with you."

Thundercracker groaned and punched the wall. "Like I need that…"

The hangar bay doors opened and Thundercracker ran out, finding Luke in his flight gear. He quickly transformed into his E-wing alternate mode, allowing Luke to board him. "I'm Force-sensitive," he said.

Luke smiled as he fastened on his helmet and prepared himself. "I knew it. I could feel it when we fly, Thundercracker."

Several vents along the wall sucked out all the air and the hangar bay doors opened. "Well… what do I do? I'm not trained or anything like Prime or Bluestreak." The seeker fired his engines, sending him out-and straight into a cloud of coralskippers.

Luke zeroed in on the lead one and fired, sending a stream of plasma bolts from the three laser cannons. "Don't do anything. You were doing fine before you learned of your Force-sensitivity." He targeted another teardrop-shaped rock and fired, scoring its hull, killing the dovin basil and piercing the cockpit.

The seeker mulled over Luke's words before suddenly sending himself into a twisting dive, avoiding several shots of molten rock. "I'll try-wait, no. I can't try. I can only do, right?" His internal speakers vibrated with his sigh. "And I thought that sounded so dorky when you told Prime that."

The ISS Avenger III shuddered as several Chuun M'arh-class frigates moved in, their forward magma launchers literally belching molten rock. The 440 meter-long ships began moving off, but slowed as the interdictor directed it's gravity waves at it. The dovin basils automatically directed all power to propulsion-letting their shields drop. Normally the controllers in the bridge would override that, but for some reason, it was overlooked-with fatal results.

Their rocky hulls were spilt open by the turbolaser fire from the Avenger III and her sister ships, spilling literal guts as they splintered and cracked. The coralskipper support squadrons broke formation and scattered, providing easy prey for the TIE defenders. The tri-winged starfighters shot through space, picking off the 'skips and doing strafing runs on the Chun M'arh frigates.

On the bridge of the Avenger III, Commodore Tschel gripped the armrests of his command chair as he received updates. "Yes, there it is. I want all batteries directed at one point to overwhelm the dovin basils. Make sure the Entrapment has its gravity well projectors on full. Oh, you already told them that? Excellent." He clapped his hands. "Okay, people. Make it count."

The main batteries lining the command tower opened up, spewing out mighty plasma bolts that drilled through the hull, killing the yammosk with the first volley. The gunnery crews aboard the star destroyer didn't know that, however. So they kept on firing until the Vong ship holding the large brain crumbled into chunks.

Tschel checked the accuracy ratings of the gunnery crews. "Excellent shooting. Make a note that all gunnery crews get an extra day of leave when this mess is all over."

Bastila let out a slight breath as she maintained her concentration. This battle meditation was much easier than previous ones, thanks to Prime's automatic slip into his own unique brand of it. The Vong forces were losing control even before the Yammosk was killed. Now the Bastion group was in total disarray.

Mara sat with Ben in front of her. "So… anything I can do to help?"

Bastila smiled in spite of herself. "You and Ben are helping me to center myself and keep the meditation going, Mara. And knowing that your son is safe is a load off my mind."

The redhead nodded, her green eyes sliding to the deck. "Yeah, I know that. Still, it'd be nice to be out there killing scar heads.

Bastila twitched slightly. "I know how you feel. Having to sit back while my friends take the risks can be a bit frustrating." The ship shuddered slightly. "I hope the shields can hold."

Ben squirmed a bit, but Mara sent soothing thoughts to him while also searching out her soul mate. "Luke's out there. He's the best."

Bastila nodded, then her eyes opened. "They're in full retreat." She stood up, her legs unexpectedly popping a bit. "Ow!" She paused for a moment. "Why did that hurt?"

Mara shrugged as she got to her feet in one graceful movement. "No idea. Maybe Wheeljack put pain receptors into your matrix for caution?"

The Jedi Master's mind began coalescing a thought. "Maybe… I'll have to have a talk with him. Something's not right here."

Vana swallowed as the blue E-wing with red trim landed in the Chimaera's hangar bay And parked itself in one of the landing berths. She could just make out a humanoid in the cockpit. This person shot down close to a hundred coralskippers during the fight and didn't even get a scratch.

The cockpit slid open and a ladder rolled out, allowing the pilot to climb out. She noted the orange flight suit, battered helmet with old markings on it-and the lightsaber dangling from his belt. "No way," she murmured.

Her suspicions were confirmed when he removed his helmet and Luke Skywalker strode over, hand extended. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Jedi Master Luke Skywalker."

Vana's heart skipped a beat as she grasped his hand. "I-I'm Captain Vana Dorja." He's cuter than in the holovids!

His head tilted to the side. "Are you all right? Your face is a bit crimson."

Vana shook her head. "Ah… Interesting styling to your E-wing. But don't you usually pilot an X-wing?"

The Jedi Master glanced back as several maintenance techs rushed over to it. "It's an-don't go over there!" he yelled, obviously using the Force, as the techs stopped in mid-run and backed off. "Thundercracker?"

Vana gasped as the E-wing's front section split apart and extended forward while the wings rotated and folded up against the body. It 'stood up' on flattening feet while the engine's armor split open, expanding into arms. Finally, a head popped out of the end. It took a bit to realize that the whole process took only about a second or so.

Several soldiers ran up to the robot, blaster rifles drawn. Vana swallowed as she saw the robot-Thundercracker-raise his arms and aim those laser cannons now mounted to his arms. "Stand down, now! He shredded yorik coral with those lasers of his and took Force knows how many magma shots without so much as a mar to his shine. What are you going to do to him?" That seemed to mollify the soldiers, as they holstered their rifles.

Thundercracker walked over even as other fighters landed. "Skittish, aren't they?" He looked down at an awestruck Vana Dorja and his optics almost rolled. "Why did your core body temperature increase? Man, what a loser."

Vana blinked several times. "Did you just-"

Luke cut her off. "Yes, he did." He looked up. "Thundercracker, Jedi generally don't call other beings 'losers', unless it's warranted." He looked back at Vana. "Sorry about that." His expression grew serious. "How's Gilad? I heard he was injured, but nothing more."

The captain thought for a moment, her right index finger subconsciously twirling a lock of her blond hair about. "He's still in the bacta tank on the Reaper, but he's conscious. He would like to meet both you and Revan. Actually he seemed most excited about meeting this Revan." She motioned to a shuttle being prepped on the side. "Shall we?"

Luke nodded. "I'll fly escort for you and contact Revan, Megatron and Optimus on the Nemesis. I'm sure all three will be interested to speak to Gilad and plan the attack on their forces near Yaga Minor." He walked over even as Thundercracker leaned back and transformed into an E-wing again. "Coming?"

Vana forced a smile onto her angular features. "Of course." Damn it, I could've spent a full hour with him! "She walked over to the shuttle and boarded it, entering the cockpit and sitting next to the already ready pilot. Within a few seconds, the gray-hulled shuttle sealed up and lifted off the deck before shooting out of the bay to the super star destroyer still in orbit.

Luke walked up to the glassine tank holding Grand Admiral Pellaeon and placed a hand on it. "He'll live," he said.

The supreme commander of the Imperial Navy blinked and his head swished around. At Luke's request, the bacta tank holding him had been moved to the hangar deck of the ISS Soul Reaper, along with a portable holo-projector. There was a microphone inserted into his breathing tube and headphones strapped to his ears. "Thank you, Master Skywalker," he said, his voice being transmitted by externally-mounted speakers. His eyes focused on the blurry objects standing on the Soul Reaper's hangar deck where his tank had been moved to. "And… what are you?"

Prime took a step forward and looked down at the bacta tank, amazed at the technology. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We are sentient machines from a planet known as Cybertron." He motioned to Megatron. "This is my… colleague, Megatron. Leader of the Decepticons."

Megatron looked down and resisted the urge to step on the bacta tank and see if it would explode. "I am Megatron, Grand Admiral Pellaeon. Those pathetic Vong have been driven from your skies and now are regrouping near the Yaga Minor System and the conquered perimeter outposts. I say we pursue and crush them!" He raised his hand and clenched it so tightly that his fingertips scraped across the palm, sending out a screech.

Pellaeon marveled at the machines for a moment. Vana's briefing had prepared him somewhat, but being in their presence was still unnerving, even for him. "I agree, Megatron. The fleet's already preparing to jump to hyperspace, and the Yaga Minor Fleet Group has been informed." His eyes then focused on the blur next to Luke. "And unless Luke was lying… you're Revan?"

Revan glanced at Luke. "You've heard of me?" he asked, surprise evident on his voice.

Pellaeon could only chuckle. "My old mentor, Thrawn, told me once that he had based a lot of his tactics off your old stratagems. I'm honored." His head bobbed up and down. "But how the hell did you come to be here, in this time?"

The Jedi Master shrugged. "It's… a long story, one we don't have time for, I'm afraid." he turned around and walked over to the holo-projector, turning it on and projecting an image of the Yaga Minor System. "B'Shith Vorrik's forces have regrouped about 100,000 kilometers from the planet, still within the system. Looks like they're moving to the outer gas giant. Plenty of places for an interdictor ambush."

Pellaeon's head bobbed up and down. "I agree. B'Sith's forces seem particularly vulnerable to confusion and unconventional tactics. Looks like Tsavong Lah didn't send his best soldiers here." A thought crossed his mind. "How do you know so much about our modern technology, anyway?"

Revan scratched the back of his head. "Three things, actually. I was aware of the ebb and flow of galactic events when I was a Force Ghost trapped in a holocron…" He sensed Pellaeon and Vana's confusion at that and hastily moved on. "Also, Luke filled me in on more immediate events. Finally, my wife Bastila and I have been doing some serious cramming on just about everything." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I never was the most patient student."

Megatron let out a small growl. "This is all fascinating, but can we please get back to the coming battle?" He stepped aside and motioned to the holo-projector. "Every moment we stand here is another moment the scar heads have to regroup, and Bastila's battle meditation can only go so far."

Revan looked up at Megatron, his scarlet eyes shining coldly. "Her battle meditation can be felt on a galactic scale when she's able to focus. Although you are correct. We should get going." He looked back at the tank holding Pellaeon. "How long before you're out, sir?"

"According to the doctors, about two hours. Although I'll be quite weak for a while." His eyes narrowed. "Although they'll have to use a Leth universal energy cage to hold me back now." His head moved slightly, and he seemed to lock eyes with Vana. "Captain Dorja, you are in command of the Chimaera now. We leave in two and a half hours."

Vana saluted him. "Yes, sir!" She nodded to Luke. "May the Force be with you," she said before dashing back to her shuttle.

Revan followed her until she disappeared up the entry ramp. "She had a crush on you," he said to Luke.

The Jedi Master shrugged. "Just don't tell Mara, okay? The fact that I was a childhood crush only makes me feel old," he said with a wink.

Prime's head tilted somewhat. "You're only 47 standard years old, Master Skywalker. That's not old."

Revan looked up. "You're right, Optimus." he paused for a second. "Ah, how old are you, anyway?

"Counting the time I was in stasis lock, about 15 million years old."

Revan and Luke's mouth dropped open as, perhaps for the first time, they realized how utterly alien the Cybertronians were. "15 million years…" Revan parroted. He tugged on his jacket. "Well… the Force will be with us." He hopped onto a hover platform and began making his way to the shuttle he, Prime and Megatron took from the Nemesis.

Prime bowed to Pellaeon. "We shall keep in touch," he said before turning and following Revan. Megatron simply sneered before jumping up and flying over, landing at the shuttle's main ramp ahead of Revan.

Luke saluted Pellaeon before walking up to Thundercracker, who had stood off to the side during the meeting. "Ready?"

The seeker nodded and transformed into his E-wing mode. "Let's cook some coralskippers," he said.

Luke pulled on his helmet. "No, I'll be cooking the coralskippers. You'll be flying… yourself." The cockpit sealed up and Thundercracker's thrusters fired, sending the starfighter out of the hangar and towards the Nemesis, hanging off the port dorsal of the Soul Reaper.

Pellaeon noted several medical technicians approaching. "Get me to sick bay and out of this as soon as possible. B'Shith Vorrik and his force have earned my ire. Now they shall suffer my wrath."

Yaga Minor System
"Why haven't those repairs been completed? We've arrived at the redoubt over an hour ago, and the dovin basils still haven't been regenerated?" Vorrik's clawed hand lashed out, striking the subaltern in front of him and sending him sprawling onto the yorik coral floor they stood on. "Pellaeon's forces could show at any time!" He walked to the front of the bridge and the sensor globe mounted just below the translucent coral window. Tiny insects buzzed about, representing ships, fighters, planets and systems. Several dozen violet-colored flies were buzzing around near the back of the globe, representing the Yuuzhan Vong force-or what was left of it. Red dots representing the imperial forces were rapidly closing in at the far side.

He leaned over to examine the situation more closely, but then his flagship rocked to port. "Report!" he yelled.

The subaltern he backhanded before spoke. "Multiple gravity waves emanating from the approaching imperial fleet, canceling out our dovin basil's own ability to maneuver. We can either have shields and burn up in the gas giant's atmosphere, or drop them and be killed by their turbolasers."

Vorrik's lipless mouth closed in on itself as he looked over to the villip choir and saw villip after villip close up, each one indicating a destroyed ship. "Drop the singularity shields and charge into their throat! Glory in our deaths!"

The Chimaera's heavy turbolasers fired, battering at the I'Friil Ma-Nat-class corvette's singularity. Suddenly, the dovin basil rippled and dropped the shield, putting all power into the drive. The multi-sided pyramid surged forward-only to be cut to ribbons by the star destroyer's weaponry.

Vana's mouth dropped in shock at the utter stupidity of the tactic. "We're out of range of their weapons and they just…" She opened up a channel to the Soul Reaper. "Send a priority-one message to Grand Admiral Pellaeon. The Vong are going for suicide tactics. And I do mean suicide!"

On the bridge of the Super-class star destroyer ISS Soul Reaper, Grand Admiral Pellaeon leaned heavily on his cane as reports flooded in. "Yes, I see! Keep your distance, though. I don't want any surprises." He turned to a holo-projector as it flared to life, showing the image of a man 20 years Pellaeon's junior. "How goes the retaking of our perimeter outposts, Klet?"

Rear Admiral Klet Dorja, Vana's father and Pellaeon's comrade since Thrawn, smiled. "We've cleaned them out of all but the last, Gilad. They're a bit stubborn, but we're making good progress." A look of concern crossed his weathered face. "How's Vana doing?"

Pellaeon looked back at the status boards in front of her. "She's a damned fine captain, Klet. The Chimaera is in good hands." He looked over the status boards before turning back to the hologram of his old friend. "How's Commander Devis handling himself?"

Dorja smirked. "Your son's equipped himself well. His defender squadron took out one of the Vong's Miid Roik battleships. He sends his regards-to Vana." The last two words held a bit of an edge to them.

Pellaeon turned back and barked out. "Keep An eye out on any stray coralskippers. I don't want the bridge rammed in some display of suicidal bravado. Contact the Nemesis and find out if they'll need any repairs after the battle." He leaned forward, letting his weight settle on the cane. "Take them out."

The Soul Reaper's forward turbolaser batteries fired, sending out sheets of blood-red plasma. Any Vong magma shots were actually vaporized in the volley before coming anywhere close to the massive ship. The core of Vorrik's fleet scattered, any pretense of unity gone as they fled in all directions. Two Miid-Roik heavy cruisers even collided, their hulls splintering.

The Nemesis pressed the attack from the starboard flank, missiles and plasma bolts flying from batteries lining the armored hull. Several Vong Yorik-Trema transports rushed the violet-hulled battleship, magma cannons firing in a futile attempt to stave off oblivion. Several chunks of molten rock struck the shields, bouncing off and doing little more than slight thermal damage.

On the bridge, Megatron leaned forward, his face being lost in shadow. "Such futility. Reward them with a quick death. Fire!"

The forward dorsal cannons, the most powerful ones on the Nemesis, fired, sending forth huge gouts of plasma and destruction. A whole wing of coralskippers plunged into the volley, the teardrop-shaped fighters spitting tiny melted rocks as they flew full speed at the Decepticon flagship. The Nemesis' automated flank guns picked off the coralskippers in waves-but one got through.

On the bridge, Revan watched as the lone Coralskipper flew right at the bridge. "Such a waste," he muttered.

Next to him, Sideswipe nodded as he kept track of the various weapon systems. "Tell me about it. I kinda admire their dedication-but not their willingness to commit genocide." The ship shuddered slightly as the Coralskipper impacted the shields and disintegrated into vapor. "Idiot," he muttered.

Soundwave looked over from sensors. "Vong have broken off and all units are fleeing the mass shadow of the gas giant. No organization to their retreat."

Megatron nodded, then looked down. "Revan, increase speed to intercept." He then pressed a button on the armrest. "Wheeljack, we need more power to the engines." A smirk crossed his lips. "Finding your way around the engine room well enough?"

Deep in the bowels of the ship, Wheeljack ran from one console to another. His left hand had retracted and a scanner/multi-tool had replaced it. "I'm fine, chrome dome. Scrapper took me on a tour of this place before we left. Besides, it's not like this beast's heart is that much different from the Ark's engines." He pressed several buttons and pulled down on a lever. "I've shunted power from the sensors and aft weapons to the engines," he said, the panels on the side of his head flashing.

From one of the outer bridge stations, Prime looked over. "Megatron, although I know we can't hold back against the Vong, they are retreating." He stood up straight and walked over. "Perhaps, if we show them some mercy-"

The Decepticon Leader cut him off. "And be stabbed in the back later on? Prime how did you defeat me and push us back on Cybertron?" He turned back to the main viewscreen. "Sideswipe, target and destroy."

The Autobot warrior paused, and his arms dropped to the side. "Prime?"

A tense silence settled onto the bridge before Prime's mouth plate moved slightly, his vocalizer activating slightly. "Do it," he said. His optics turned cold as he regarded Megatron. "I acquiesce for the sake of unity, Megatron, and the fact that, however much I don't like it, you are correct."

Sideswipe's arm servos raised the limbs back up to the station's control panel and he targeted the fleeing Vong ships. Several hatches popped open and missiles screamed from the boxlike launchers, shooting across the void and destroying several trailing Yorik Trema transports. The hunks of rock slowed, letting themselves be destroyed so the remnants of Vorrik's once proud fleet escaped into hyperspace.

Megatron glanced over at Prime. "Don't question my authority on the bridge again, Prime. We should present a united front, after all."

Revan turned around. "He is the Autobot Leader, Megatron. He has a right to voice his opinion."

The Decepticon Leader eyed the human standing on the tactical station and growled. "Chain of command, Revan. I thought you'd understand that."

The Jedi Master tilted his head down slightly in acknowledgement. "True, but if your two factions are to reach a permanent accord, there must be some give and take."

Anything Megatron might've said was interrupted by Soundwave. "Message from Grand Admiral Pellaeon requesting status."

Hound bent over and checked several screens. "Except for some damage to the shields, we're all right. Tell him we'll need some fuel, though. And supplies for the organic beings." The scout settled back into his chair. "Can't keep our trip to Cybertron waiting, can we," he muttered.

Everyone glanced at the green-plated Autobot before Prime spoke up again. "Relay the message to Gilad, Soundwave, and inform him we'll rendezvous back as Bastion." He eyed Megatron. "Unless you have any objections."

Megatron's right optic narrowed slightly. "I have none. Inform Luke and Thundercracker of the situation Soundwave. Set course for Bastion, Revan."

The Jedi Master nodded and steered the Nemesis away from the gas giant. The aft hangar doors opened, allowing a lone E-wing to land. And within moments, the engines flared and the ship hurtled itself into hyperspace with a flash of croneau radiation.

Bastion, capital city. In front of the Council Hall
Moff Disra glared at Pellaeon, his bushy eyebrows almost touching his lower eyelids. "Why are we meeting out here?" His hand waved at the damaged landscape. Out in the distance, firefighter droids could still be seen hovering around several damaged skyscrapers, their partially-melted tops a testament to the disaster that was so narrowly avoided. Closer, several squadrons of soldiers and personnel carriers guarded the impromptu conference. There was even an old-style juggernaut assault vehicle approaching, although it looked quite… oddly painted.

Pellaeon tugged down on the front of his white uniform. His right hand went to his waist and, to the terror of several Moffs, pulled out a chrome-plated DL-44 blaster pistol. "oh, calm down," he sighed, his eyes rolling. "I don't want your jobs, thank you. Being a Moff can prematurely age you." His left hand unclipped a canteen from his belt and, with a practiced ease, he popped off the top and took a swig of water. "First off, to remind you what we almost lost through complacency." His voice hardened. "For some intensely insane reason, we thought ourselves immune from the Vong invasion. We thought we were too strong. We were wrong."

One of the younger Moffs spoke up. "We know, Admiral. We're aware of that now." She stepped forward and spread her arms out. "The Vong have been repulsed, however. Now is the time to rebuild and rearm."

The Old Man of the Empire smiled wolfishly at her. "My thoughts exactly, Sarji." He turned and looked at each of the other government leaders in turn. "I'll be taking out the majority of the fleet for an offensive against the Vong. Klet will be staying behind with a task force for defense, though."

Disra let out an almost braying laugh. "You can't be serious! We'll be defenseless!" he waved his hands in front of his body. "No, I won't allow it!"

The female Moff from before looked over. "Actually, there's not a thing you can do. Gilad does control the fleet and those men and women would follow him to hell." She planted her hands on her hips. "Besides, how many of us here are actually going to oppose him?"

The eleven other Moffs glanced about before all of them made their way over to the female Moff's side. Disra's yellowed teeth ground together, but he held his tongue.

Pellaeon nodded. "Excellent. Now, then. It's time to introduce you to one of the leaders of our newest allies." He held up the pistol and waved it about.

The female Moff blinked. "BlasTech are our new allies?" Her head suddenly whipped around as that approaching juggernaut pulled up. Her mouth dropped almost to the duracrete as she noted the red-painted forward command cabin, the blue midsection and the gray-plated aft sections. She then noticed an odd red symbol, almost like a face… "What the hell is that?"

The side door opened and three humans stepped out, two men and a woman. Their simple, homespun cloaks identified them as Jedi. When the lead Jedi's hood fell back, Disra's yellow teeth ground together. "Oh, great. Why did the Jedi have to get involved, here?"

Pellaeon cleared his throat, getting the attention of the Moffs back. "Actually, it wasn't only the Jedi." He tossed the pistol into the air.

The DL-44 broke apart, shifting shape and expanding. The female Moff placidly noted that the soldiers guarding them had little or no reaction to the thing appearing before them. They must be from the Chimaera. Some of his most trusted people. So, this is a coup.

One of the Jedi focused on her. "This isn't a coup," she said.

The newly-transformed droid landed with a thud on the ground, standing 15 meters tall and brandishing a large cannon of some sort on its arm. He looked down and his face-it contorted, like an organic being! "So, this is the Moff Council, Pellaeon?" He straightened up and planted his hands on his hip joints. "I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons."

The half-scale juggernaut suddenly broke along previously invisible seams. The rear two-thirds flickered before simply vanishing, while the forward third ratcheted up. The aft part spilt and extended, forming legs. The sides folded out and became arms, with the side laser cannons ending up near the shoulders. A head popped out of the top and another huge droid stood there. This one seemed a lot less belligerent, though. "Stand down, Megatron. They're our allies." He then bowed slightly to the astonished group of sentient beings. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."

Megatron smirked at the transformed machine-droid-being. "No need for concern, Optimus Prime. Just getting to know them better." His optics locked onto Disra. "A bit long in the fang, eh?"

Disra closed his eyes and fought to keep his heart from bursting from his chest. "What-what-" his eyes shot open. "What are these things, some sort of war droids?"

A low rumbling emanated from Megatron. "Foolish flesh creature. Even though I'm not too fond of Prime, he is as sentient and as alive as I am. We are no mere 'droids'." He thumped his chest for emphasis.

Luke walked over to the Moffs. "It's true, Disra. I still find it hard to believe, but Optimus and Megatron can be felt through the Force. And they're not alone." A small smile crossed his lips. "Two Autobots and a Decepticon have already been found to be Force Sensitive."

Disra snorted. "A Force-wielding machine? Preposterous!"

The other man, an archaically-dressed human, chuckled. "Trust me, Moff Disra. The idea takes a little getting used to, but Optimus is already getting close to constructing his own lightsaber." A proud smile crossed his lips as he gazed up at the powerfully-built Autobot.

Megatron suddenly scowled as his neural net processed what he heard. "A Force sensitive Decepticon? And you didn't inform me?" His hands clenched in anger as he bore holes into Luke.

Luke returned the glare with a calm look. "It's up to him whether or not to divulge that, Megatron. I won't tell you who, though." He then looked down and walked over to Pellaeon. "Gilad, we'd like to restock our supplies before moving on. We'll be going to the Chiss Ascendancy for hyperspace routes to the possible location of Cybertron, and to hopefully get them involved in the war effort."

The Old Man nodded at the Jedi Master. "With our new treaty, the first part is no problem. We'll have the Nemesis stocked up before you leave Bastion orbit. As for the second and third parts," a small smile crossed his lips, "We signed a non-aggression treaty with the Ascendancy about a year before the invasion. One of the clauses was a mutual defense pact. As soon as I contact Formbi, the Defense Fleet will be put to use soon after."

Revan shuddered a bit at that. "I'd almost feel sorry for the Vong-almost." He checked his chronometer. "We should be moving off. Every second counts, after all." He stepped forward and extended his hand to Pellaeon. "It was an honor fighting alongside you, sir."

Pellaeon switched his cane to his left hand before accepting Revan's hand. "Same for me, Master Revan. Good hunting." He nodded at Luke before turning and moving off to the capital building. The Moff Council trailed behind him, their voices low as they discussed what to do next.

Luke moved to Optimus, but Megatron quickly situated himself in his path. "Skywalker, you will tell me who the Force sensitive Decepticon is. I need to know, so I can effectively lead my troops. I'll find out soon enough, anyway."

The Jedi Master looked up at the Decepticon Leader, his blue eyes chips of ice. "Thundercracker, Megatron. It is Thundercracker." And with that, he sidestepped Megatron and made his way over to Prime, who had transformed back into a juggernaut.

Megatron stood there for a moment, his face plate impassive. Internally, he was already figuring on how to turn this to his advantage. The only thing stopping me from all-out conquest are the Jedi. I already have Lusa in my camp. And now Thundercracker? Skywalker, you are a fool.

Inside Prime's control cabin, Revan turned to Luke. "Megatron's gonna try and get Thundercracker to fight us, but he doesn't know that he's already pledged not to fight against the Autobots anymore."

Luke sat back and nodded, his gaze on the passing cityscape. "I think we'll let Thundercracker inform Megatron of his decision. It wouldn't be right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Decepticons."

Two hours later, the Nemesis slid out of orbit, its fuel tanks full and weapons batteries replenished. For seven beings onboard, the wait to their next destination would prove to be most arduous. For the next destination… was home.

Interlude

Yavin IV
Scrapper flipped a few switches on the control panel in front of him and pulled back on the control stick, slowing the Decepticon shuttle down and allowing him to land in the small clearing. "We've landed," he announced. "Scavenger, take point. There may be Vong booby traps left behind, and I don't want to be surprised. Bonecrusher, you're next. Mixmaster and Long Haul, you two bring up the rear." He stood up and made his way over to the main hatch at the midpoint of the cabin. "Let's go."

Hook snorted as Scrapper exited the shuttle. "I can't believe we're doing this. There has to be infinitely better uses for us."

The engineer stopped short. "Oh, please. It's not like we're the Combaticons. We build things, Hook." He turned and took several steps down the ramp before finally walking upon the jungle floor. His sensors detected massive amounts of energon in the local flora and fauna, enough in some of the trees to power smaller Autobots and Decepticons, if extracted properly. He leaned forward, his legs folding up and his arms retracting. The shovel attached to his shoulder blades extended and his head tucked inside his chest cavity, completing the transformation to wheel loader.

The other Constructicons transformed as well, with Scavenger moving to the front. His shovel swiveled back and forth, the powerful sensors embedded within the metal skin giving him a full report of everything in front. "We're clear," he stated.

The six lime-green vehicles moved through the half-kilometer path from their shuttle to their destination, the destroyed Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. When they reached the burnt-out clearing, Scavenger transformed back to robot mode and picked up a stray bit of yorik coral. His shovel swiveled around and analyzed it. "What shoddy construction. Not very dense, and it being alive means it needed an almost constant supply of food."

Scrapper also transformed into robot mode and opened up a panel on his lower abdomen. A schematic came up, showing the ancient temple before the Vong defiled it. "Mixmaster, we'll be using you to reconvert this yorik coral into something actually usable. Bonecrusher, Scavenger, start gathering up those fragments. Hook, go back to the shuttle and bring it closer. We'll need the tools aboard."

Hook scoffed and crossed his arms. "Why, me? I should stay and help with the planning and supervising. These uncouth laborers need the gentle touch that I can-"

Scrapper growled and held out his hand. A small laser pistol flashed into existence from his subspace storage space and he fired it at Hook's blocky feet. "We don't have time for your pedantic whining! Now get over there and get the shuttle. Now!" He shook his head as Hook transformed and drove himself back. "No wonder he forms Devastator's head and shoulders. He's the only one with his head already big enough to do it!"

While Hook went off, Bonecrusher's front blade shoved mounds of yorik coral into a pile. Scavenger's shovel scooped the shards into an extended funnel and grinder attached to his mixing drum. The powerful grinder chewed up the bits of once-living rock into smaller chunks, enabling them to enter his drum. Once inside, powerful acids and other chemicals broke down their molecular bonds in one section. In another, bonding agents recombined them into long girders of durasteel. Said girders were extruded from a pipe near the bottom of Mixmaster's cement truck mode. The rather insane chemist cackled and mumbled all the while.

Long Haul piled the girders up before transforming into dump truck mode. "Hauling this, hauling that. I want to build something, for Primus' sake!"

Scrapper looked up as the shuttle landed. Hook, with his customary precision, touched down a few meters from Scrapper and didn't even muss his finish. The side-loading door opened and Hook pushed out a repulsorlift sled with carefully arranged tools. Scrapper nodded in appreciation as he walked over. "Thanks, Hook."

Hook nodded. "Well, I did act a little… like a proto-form, there. Although you shouldn't have shot at me." He looked over at the datapad in Scrapper's hands. "That's a bit lacking in vision, wouldn't you think? All he wants is some worn down temple?"

Scrapper shrugged. He said the exterior must be identical to before the attack." His visor lit up as he began modifying the design here and there. "Yes, yes. I see many possibilities."

"Hey, watch it! You almost hit me!"

Bonecrusher's chassis vibrated as he laughed at the tumbling Scavenger. "Sorry, Scavenger. I'll watch out next time." He backed away from the fallen Massassi trees and prepared another path through the jungle.

Five days later
"It's big."

"Do you think we went a bit overboard?"

"No-no-no! He'll-He'll-He'll love it."

Scrapper's optics zoomed in on the completed Jedi Academy-and class one spaceport-and heavy turbolasers at strategic positions along the perimeter. Over twenty square kilometers of jungle had been razed and rebuilt. And while the temple at the center was structurally identical to its predecessor, the internals were quite moved around. The red band over Scrapper's optics brightened and flashed as he did a final scan of the entire project. "Excellent job, team. Hook, are the geothermal taps functioning?"

The surgical engineer scoffed. "Of course they are, Scrapper! This Academy is now fully functional."

"Excellent. Let's recharge then and contact the star destroyer Errant Venture. They've got most of Skywalker's trainees, apparently."