-10-

At the agreed rendezvous back at the Rebel TIE training outpost, Ru Murleen and Rookie One were greeted on the landing platform by the congratulations of a crowd of Rebel pilots, before Admiral Krane himself appeared.

"Well kid, I didn't think you had it in you," Krane admitted as he offered his hand Rookie One.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Looks like the Alliance owes you a debt of gratitude. Without the advantage of their phantom fleet, the empire will have to face us on equal ground. Once again, you've saved us all. You even faced a little competition. I guess that entitles you to this."

As Krane attached the medal of the Rebel insignia to the stormtrooper armour that his decoy still wore, his mind lingered on the family crest that the insignia had been taken from. Galen Marek's family crest. No one other than Mon Mothma and Krane himself would know of Marek's involvement in the mission to destroy the phantom fleet, of the 'competition' between Starkiller and the two heroes now before him in destroying the phantom menace. Instead this young pilot together with Commander Murleen would take all the credit.

Krane had been informed of the Rogue Shadow's destruction and while he'd waited for the stolen phantom fighter to arrive, had received confirmation of the report. There had been no contact from either Starkiller or Eclipse since the destruction of the phantom fleet and Admiral Krane did not know if Starkiller had been aboard the Rogue Shadow when it had been destroyed or not, but he suspected since that even if Starkiller had somehow survived, which seemed to be something he was very good at, his words that this was not his war would at last be proved true, and Krane and the other Rebels would not here from Starkiller again.

The miniature holo-display upon the control board of Darth Vader's fighter crackled to life, and the Emperor swivelled his chair to face Vader. "The Rebels have eliminated your invincible fleet."

"Yes my master," Vader conceded in with supressed fury. "The Rebels have proven surprisingly clever, but we are not defeated."

"Oh?" Palpatine enquired.

"I have at last ended the resistance offered by my former apprentice. Starkiller is dead."

"You are certain?"

"Yes, my master." What Vader said to his master was true from his point of view. He had slain Starkiller's reason to fight, and even if his former apprentice had somehow survived the destruction of the TIE phantom factory, he would have no will to fight left in him, for without her, he would be a broken man.

The TIE phantom had barley landed when Galen dropped from beneath it before its crew elevator had completely dropped. He hit the ground running and in moments he had Juno in his arms.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"Yes. The remote worked and Vader found and destroyed the ship. He thinks you're dead and he doesn't know one way or the other about me, not for sure, which means he won't waste time and resources in trying to find me."

Juno squeezed him tight. "Then it's over," she stated.

Galen returned her embrace with a sigh. "Not quite. There's one more thing I have to do before we secure a new ship and head off into the unknown regions."

The phantom fighter set down on Dagobah and as Juno rose to leave with him, Galen raised a hand. "I need to do this alone," he said humbly.

Without a word, Juno sat back down and watched as he left.

Galen made his way through the swamps until he reached the dwelling of the strange little creature he now knew to be Jedi Master Yoda. Moving past the quaint home, Galen returned to the cave where he had before seen his vision of Juno. The little master was outside the cave once more, seemingly drawing a glyph in the mud at his feet. Yoda looked up as Galen approached. "Returned, you have," the old Jedi said in as much of a question as a statement.

"Yes. Master Rahm Kota told me who you are."

"Roh," Yoda growled, "Kota, a fierce Jedi he was."

"Kota told me that you were the greatest of the Jedi masters on the council."

Yoda looked down, sad regret in his eyes.

"I need you to take away my powers so that Darth Vader and the Emperor can never find me by sensing my strength in the Force. I need to disappear from the Force entirely. Can you do that?"

Yoda sighed. "Much darkness I still sense in you, strong in the dark side you are. But what you ask, a serious decision it is."

"Can you do it? Will you do it?"

"Through much you have suffered, so help you, I will."

Yoda raised his arm and Marek stepped forward to sit before the old master. Yoda held his palm open before Marek's forehead and slowly a dark aura seeped from the man and surrounded Yoda's hand. The aura resembled a tiny dark storm cloud which began to grow at an alarming rate, until without warning Yoda cried out and then shot the cloud into the cave. Yoda's sudden breathlessness worried Marek in a way he would not previously have cared. "Are you all right, Master?"

"Recover, I will. Now, I sense you must go. Eager to continue your journey, you are."

For the first time that he could remember, Galen had reason to smile at the potential happiness that the future may bring.

"Thank you," he whispered as he rose to leave Yoda as he had found him.

As the man turned Yoda spoke, "Your strength in the Force I did not touch, for only your heart required nurturing." Galen turned back to the master and listened. "Much love you have but it was supressed by the dark seed Vader planted in you long ago. Your anger he nurtured as he led you to the dark side, but Vader's influence will reside in you no more," Yoda announced as he looked from Galen to the cave beside them. "That place, strong with the dark side it now is, as Vader's taint it will forever bare."

Galen bowed deeply to Yoda. "I can never repay you."

"The Force is in all things and binds us all. In ending your suffering, I end the suffering of all."

Galen understood the wisdom imparted by the Jedi master and humbly retreated away.

Soon after, Yoda heard the sound of TIE engines as the cloaked phantom fighter left and for two more years the Jedi master would be left in solitude. But then, a new hope would come for the freedom of the galaxy in the form of a young man, a man Yoda would train for a time. But before his training would be complete the boy would leave and Yoda's old friend Obi-Wan Kenobi would return through the Force and say of the new Jedi apprentice, "That boy's our last hope."

To this statement, Yoda would answer, "No, there is another."