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Good tidings to all of you Star Wars lovers! How are you doing on this dreary and rainy day of December 4, 2016? I am fine, well, except for my insatiable craving, hunger (much like Darth Nihilus's hunger for the Force in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.) and obsession for more Star Wars Expanded Universe material in whatever form they serve it, ranging from comics books, novels, video games, role-playing board games, and TV shows. Well, I got five books at my local help center on Friday, December 2, 2016, for less than four dollars (Which was an amazing deal.) at that deal with history and a Top 100 book on a topic that I will not name for fear of offending anyone who does not like said Top 100 book. So, did you guys hear that Star Wars Rebels will return to Disney XD after the holidays on January 7, 2017, with a two-part episode, which will take place on the sterilized planet of Geonosis, so I expect it to be a great two-parter? By the way, if you celebrate the Holidays, be it Kwanza, Hanukah, Christmas, or another holiday that I do not know, I wish you a Happy Holidays! One more thing, for all of those students out there, how are all of you doing at school, as I only have one more class left in one of my classes (and I have to turn in a project that is 30% of my final grade, so please pray for me), and today is the last day in my other class? I am sure that you all are doing well, but I just want to check up on all of my friends that are on this website. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, let's get on with the story, as I'm sure that all of you are eager for more after my last revealing and very gripping chapter.

1350 Hours

Meanwhile, In Docking Bay 1

Outside the Chuundar's Legacy

Edaan, sensing Kitai beginning to return to the battlefield, redoubled his efforts to bring down Darth Snoke, who was currently in a heated lightsaber duel with him and Sabine, while keeping Jaden and Zeb at bay with a health barrage of Force Lightning. Taking a moment to assess the situation, he quickly looked around to see Vua, Robonino, and Mirta holding off an enraged Black Krrsantan and his sole surviving GenoHaraden assassin, who appeared to be hanging on to life by a single thread, as the two of them were bruised, burned, and bloodied by the battle with the three warriors, while the last three members of Krrsantan's security team were blasted apart by the eleven surviving Mandalorians and Lasats, which included Kallus Orellios, who then moved to surround the Wookiee bounty hunter and human master assassin.

While Edaan was analyzing the battlefield, Sabine mentally remarked at how proficient her onetime friend and comrade had become with a lightsaber, as well as the secrets of the Dark Side of the Force. Despite the years that she spent perfecting her technique upon many of her enemies during and after the First Galactic Civil War, as well as the lightsaber lessons that she had received from Venku Skirata and former Jedi Knight Bardan Jusik, she was barely holding off Snoke's onslaught by relying on every trick that she could come up with, and she had scarcely landed a blow on the Sith Lord.

"You can't win against me, filthy maggots, so do the smart thing and surrender, while you still can." Snoke snarled out as he gripped Sabine in the air and began to choke her using the Force.

"Never! As long as there's breath in our bodies, we'll continue to fight you and your wretched master until the galaxy is at peace!" Zeb vehemently shouted as he began to charge at Snoke for the fifth time since the skirmish began, nimbly dodging the Sith Lord's lightsaber strikes to punch the old man right in the jaw, causing him to release Sabine form his grip.

After taking a moment to take a few deep breaths of much-needed air before getting back up, she reactivated her darksaber, came to Edaan, Zeb, and Jaden, and said as she observed an unconscious Snoke, "So, what do we do with our three prisoners, as we don't have much time before the One Sith and their minions converge on this location?"

"Well, we can't kill or capture Snoke, as his death or departure from the system will alert the rest of the Sith that we've accomplished our objectives. But, as for Black Krrsantan and his GenoHaradan assassin, I think I have an idea that can help the Shadow Alliance in the long run." Edaan cryptically said, earning suspicious looks from the three other warriors.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Edaan. Tell us what your plan is. Preferably before Kitai gets here and throws a hydrospanner in our plans. Well, another one, anyway. " Zeb impatiently said as he kept a close eye on their new prisoner.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Edaan sarcastically said before continuing, saying, "I suggest that we have our outgoing ships, including our big and hairy friend's ship, take back Krrsantan and his assassin to the Shadow Alliance fleet in the Mandalore System in order for High Command to interrogate them for more information about the One Sith, while the rest of us continue on with the mission."

After he finished speaking, the others' eyelids shot wide open, and Jaden said, "I agree with Edaan. The more information that the Shadow Alliance has before they invade, the better chances the invasion will have of succeeding. Now, let's get moving, as I can sense Kitai closing in on our location."

"All right." Sabine said before turning on to her gauntlet's communicator, and, speaking to the Lasat and Mandalorian sergeants that were manning the Chuundar's Legacy, said, "Okay. Ashla, Bardia, prepare the Chuundar's Legacy for takeoff. You've got two prisoners to take back to Home Base, and one of them is big, hairy, and very angry, so keep a close eye on Black Krrsantan."

After receiving a brusque "Acknowledged." from the two sergeants in charge of the commandeered Appanzanna Engineering Works Auziuck anti-slaver gunship, Sabine beckoned the surviving Mandalorians and Lasats to handcuff and take the two newly acquired prisoners to the gunship, and it quickly took off, using the clearance codes stored away in the ship's database to sneak past the blockade.

Meanwhile, as the Chuundar's Legacy began to take off, Edaan spoke into his comlink, shouting as he, Sabine, Mirta, Zeb, Robonino, Vua, and Jaden headed towards their docking bay, "Dinua, Akku, you better have gotten the intel by now, because we need to go now!"

"Do not fret, my friend, we already have acquired the intelligence, and have uploaded it to the four ships, which are leaving to head to the Mandalore System as we speak, while we head to our remaining ships to prepare for takeoff to the Valley of the Dark Lords." Akku Sei II said in a calm and collected tone before continuing, saying, "By the way, there is an Appanzanna Engineering Works Auziuck anti-slaver gunship that is coming up behind us, and it is designated the Chuundar's Legacy. Am I correct to assume that that ship is on our side now?"

"That is correct, my old friend. It has Black Krrsantan and his sole surviving GenoHaradan assassin as prisoners, as well as a wounded Kallus Orellios, so have the four departing ships keep a close eye on the Chuundar's Legacy." Edaan confirmed as the seven fighters began to near The Drunk Side II cantina, and turned left to head towards the docking bays, where they were met by Chopper, who grumbled at being left behind in the cantina.

"Ah, I see. Then I will tell the crews of the four ships to be on high alert." Akku simply said as he fired back at an unknown enemy, and then asked, "Have you suffered any complications, because we are dealing with stiff opposition as we make our way back to the hangars?"

"Nothing that we couldn't handle, my old friend." Edaan replied, just as a squad of a dozen Mandalorians appeared out of nowhere and prepared to activate their flamethrowers. However, Edaan, glancing at Jaden, who nodded in confirmation of Edaan's plan, used the Force to jam the discharge nozzle of six flamethrowers, while Jaden jammed the remaining six flamethrowers, and, once the Mandalorians activated their flamethrowers, they exploded, causing the twelve Mandalorians to be burned alive.

"Well, that was disturbing." Sabine grimly said as the seven fighters resumed their run towards the docking bays that contained the Aliit and Second Chance, before continuing in a reflecting tone, saying, "And, two years before the Battle of Yavin, I was once possessed by Dathomiri Spirits while trying to free Ezra from the grip of the ghost of Darth Maul. Of course, that's how I acquired the Darksaber and gained so many followers while forming the Vindicator Brigade, so it was a very beneficial trip, especially since it was one of the last adventures that I went on with Kanan and Ezra."

"Okay, I really hate to interrupt this trip down memory lane, but we have to pick up the pace, as I can sense about fifty fighters closing in right behind us." Jaden hurriedly said.

"Well, then, Vua, can you carry me, as your size and strength will mean that we will get to the ships much quicker?" Robonino said, and afterwards, Vua simply nodded, and lifted the Patrolian onto his shoulder, earning a chuckle from Sabine, Mirta, and Edaan, before they continued to the docking bays.

After encountering little resistance, as the explosions across the city of Dreshdae that Sabine had set off after she and her men had planted them across the city the day before, especially the twenty that were placed in the armory, severely damaging the Neo Death Watch's ability to fight back against the coming invasion of the Shadow Alliance in Forty-Nine days,when Operation: Endgame commenced, threw the city's security team into complete and utter chaos.

"Well, unless any more Sith attack us once we enter the docking bay, Phase Two of our plan will be a complete success, and we can get on with the hard part of our mission." Jaden hopefully said, earning agreeing nods from each living fighter.

Twenty Minutes Later

As the eight members of the Shadow Alliance arrived at the docking bays after twenty-five minutes of running, they ran into Artoo, Akku, Dinua, the five other Mandalorians, Atai, Jarael, Adari, and Saarai, who were waiting at the entrance to Docking Bays 45 through 52.

"Well, I hope that you guys had a good time causing mayhem and destruction, because we just finished transferring the data to the one Lasat shuttle, two Firespray-31-class patrol and attack crafts, and one Stathas-class freighter, and they have started heading back to Mandalore with the necessary data regarding the planet's catacombs, the Neo Death Watch's movements, and infrastructure for the city of Dreshdae." Dinua said as everyone rushed to the Aliit and Second Chance in order to escape Dreshdae before the city's defenses reorganized themselves enough to destroy the remaining Shadow Alliance ships.

"Oh, we had our fair share of fun. Don't worry, you'll all get your chance for some action soon enough, as we will be up to our waists in Sith guts and gore once we enter the Valley of the Dark Lords." Edaan nonchalantly said before Dinua, Saarai, Sabine, Mirta, Chopper, and the other five Mandalorians that were a part of the infiltration team split off from Jaden and the crew of the Second Chance as both teams went to their respective docking bays in order to prep their ships for takeoff.

Darth Snoke was beginning to arise from the concussion that his former friend, Garazeb Orellios, had given him, and sensed two Mandalorians and three Loronar Corporation soldiers looking over him. Incensed by the incompetence that the five of his lackeys were displaying, he strangled them using the Force until their necks snapped, killing them instantly. The remainder of the soldiers that Snoke sensed nearby quickly stood at attention as the Sith Lord rose to his feet.

"Lord Snoke, are you alright?" said a 2-1B surgical droid that one of the Zygerrians brought with them in order to attend to any wounded.

"I'm fine, you lousy bucket of bolts! Where are the Jedi and their minions?" Snoke snapped out at no one in particular.

"L-lady Kitai just reported in, my lord. She said that the Jedi and their allies have left Dreshdae, and are heading to the Valley of the Dark Lords." One Zygerrian hesitatingly said, earning a glare from the seventy-five year-old Sith Lord.

Snoke then cursed and swore under his breath as he pulled out his comlink, and then said into the device, "Kitai, what in the Nine Corellian Hells happened?! How and why did the blasted Jedi and their miserable friends escape you?"

"Edaan Palpatine happened, Snoke. He wormed his way into my mind and knocked me out cold for over an hour. That… that man is more powerful with the Force than any Jedi that I've ever met, even Luke Skywalker. Lord Krayt must be warned about this." Kitai forebodingly said, earning an eye roll from Snoke.

"More likely, you bungled up the mission, and now we have to expend more resources capturing them once they arrive at the Valley of the Dark Lords. I'll be sure to report this failure to Lord Krayt once we capture the infiltrators." Snoke frustratingly said.

"And I'll be sure to tell him how you were overwhelmed by the Jedi and their Mandalorian and Lasat allies as well, so that if I go down, you come with me." Kitai rebutted before she continued, saying, "And besides, Lord Krayt wants the Jedi to come to him, so this actually works in our favor."

"Fine." Snoke said, who then sighed and said, "Then, for both of our sakes, we'd better not suffer too many casualties, as it could compromise our ability to repel the Jedi."

"Have no fear, Snoke. I'm sure that everything that has transpired across the galaxy as a result of Edaan's meddling is a part of the Dark Side of the Force's greater plan for the galaxy." Kitai said, but Snoke could detect just a hint of conflict in her voice as she spoke.

Deciding to bring this matter straight to Darths Krayt and his right-hand, Wyyrlok, in secret, he did not push the issue, and said, "You… make a good point, Kitai. But, for both of our sakes, let's just hope that Lord Krayt shares your optimism, or we're both dead meat."

"Agreed." Kitai simply agreed before she closed the link between the two Sith Lords' communications channel.

After taking a calming breath in order to prevent himself from going into a murderous rampage on the poor soldiers that happened to be in the vicinity, he thought to himself, Oh, I hope that whatever it may be that Kitai is hiding, it will be enough for Lord Krayt to allow me the pleasure of killing her with my lightsaber.

Meanwhile, on the Second Chance

After exchanging a passionate kiss with Adari in order to celebrate the small victory in Dreshdae, Edaan went over to Artoo, and said astromech droid opened a channel with Sabine on the Aliit, who had her own smug grin on her face as she spoke, saying, "So, how did it go with Kitai? Did you accomplish what you set out to do, or not?"

"The first phase of my plan was a success, Sabine. Now, it's a matter of waiting and persistence in achieving my goals." Edaan replied before changing the conversation's subject, saying, "Did the Chuundar's Legacy and our four other ships get out of the Horuset System safely?"

"It was close, but our forces only lost the Darjetii Slayer." Sabine solemnly said as she referred to the single Stathas-class freighter that tried to leave the system.

"I'm sorry Sabine. How many men were onboard when it was destroyed?" Edaan sympathetically asked the Mandalorian commander.

"Thankfully, most of our men were on our other ships, so we only lost nine men. But, at least we'll get the vital intel over to High Command." Sabine said with relief lacing her voice.

"Yeah. Hopefully it will be worth the lives that were and will be lost during Operation: Endgame. Speaking of Operation: Endgame, we need Artoo and Chopper to go through all of the data that we've acquired in order to find out where the entrances to the Krayt's temple are."

"I've already got Chopper scouring through the data, and he's got a fix on one entrance to the catacombs within the Tomb of… Tulak Hord? Do you know who that is, Edaan?" Sabine curiously asked the young Jedi.

"Yeah, I do. He was a big-time Sith Lord during the period in-between the Hundred Year Darkness and the Great Hyperspace War. His tomb was one of the four that the amnesiac Jedi Revan looted during the Jedi Civil War. That tomb was also where Lord Kallig discovered Tulak Hord's Deshade servant, Khem Val, and bound him to obedience during the final years of the Cold War." Edaan explained.

"Well, that clears up absolutely nothing." Mirta Gev mockingly said as she entered the holographic conversation, and continued, saying, "Do you know how to navigate the tomb so we can enter the catacombs, because that will save us some vital time?"

"Unfortunately, no, Mirta. Revan didn't teach me too much about Korriban's tombs during my training, so we'll just have to make it up as we go along." Edaan replied.

"Hey, all the best plans are improvised." Sabine said, ending any complaints on Mirta's part, before she continued, saying, "We should be at the Valley of the Dark Side within fifteen minutes. Once we're there, we should have a few men take the ships and hide within the planet's tombs, so that the Neo Death Watch's forces can't destroy our one way off of the planet."

"Agreed. I'll leave Artoo and Atai behind to look after the Second Chance." Edaan said in agreement.

"Hey, guys, we'd better prepare for the landing, because we won't be able to get much rest once we leave our ships." Zeb said as he entered the conversation.

"Yeah, you're right. May the Force be with us, because we'll need it to survive the gauntlet of death that awaits us." Edaaan solemnly said as Sabine, Mirta, and Zeb nodded, and he motioned for Artoo to close the projector.

Well, that ends my shortest chapter yet in my fifth story. And I wrote it in only three days. So, what did you think of this chapter? I want your honest opinions. Now, onto explaining a few things for you guys. I wanted to begin to display the conflict that Edaan introduced into Vestara, as well as Snoke's savagery in dealing with his fellow Sith and his minions. By the way, are you guys aware that on , two great reference books that are titled A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics and A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe are on sale right now. I don't know about you, but I plan on getting them tomorrow, and read them after a few more books that I want to read. So, only ten days left until Rogue One premiers, and I have to see it with my brother, as I do very few things with my brother ever since he left home for college. Oh, and finished the Fall 2016 semester at my community college, and I expect to pass both classes. Anyway, tomorrow, Injustice: Ground Zero #1 gets released and my mother is going to get it for me. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, I bid you a good night. May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!