Hello, Star Wars Expanded Universe enthusiasts! How are you doing on the cool afternoon of December 12, 2016? I am doing well, as I am almost done with my Stonewall Jackson book, with under a hundred and fifty pages to go, and I got a good review from a great fanficiton writer named DaWitcher on my stories, and, if I'm being honest with myself, I plan to take whatever advice that he gives me, as they writes way better stories than me. By the way, a couple of hours ago, I received my copies of A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics and A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, and I know that I will enjoy these unofficial books very much. So, with the holidays coming up, what are you guys going to do for those special days? As for me, I am going to be spending Christmas with an uncle who's coming down from New England for that great holiday. Anyway, it's hard to believe that by the time that I've written this chapter, I'll have written at least fifty-five thousand words (and in just one hundred pages) in this story alone, and in just around two months. Oh, and there's only three days until I see that blasted movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with my brother. I hope that it's good, as my brother really wants to see that movie. Aynway, I can't wait for more Star Wars Rebels, as, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I just enjoy the story for the love of Star Wars (And I tweak what I can of the two shows into my head canon in order to keep my love of Star Wars alive and well. So, in my last chapter, I included a new ally for Edaan Palpatine in the form of a tuk'ata that he named Butch in order for me to honor the memory of the legendary rancor-dragon, Butch, that was owned by the Je'daii Ranger Shae Koda, hero of the First Force War, in the awesome comic book series, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi. One more thing, for those of you who think that Black Krrsantan's story is over, don't worry, I have one last surprise in store for him, and, (SPOILER ALERT!) it involves a Wookiee brawl, similar to the one in the Star Wars comic book crossover, Vader Down. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, let's get on with the story. Oh, and, one more thing. I have just discovered that the first book in the Mass Effect Andromeda prequel trilogy is already available on . If I were you, I'd get it while you can, as I have a strong feeling that it will be a huge success.
(December 13, 2016 Addendum.) Hey, guys. How is your day going? My day is going fine, as I am almost done with James I. Robertson, Jr.'s book, Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend, with only about forty pages left in that incredibly long book. Once that book is done, I can move on to the rest of my books. Oh, and speaking of books, I have decided to leave my Star Wars books, which includes Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One Story, A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics, and A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe for last in my incredibly long stack of new books, since that stack is only going to get even bigger after the holidays. (3:41 P.M. Addendum. Great news! I have just finished Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend, and it was a great book. I hope to read other great books like that in the future.) (6:30 P.M. Addendum. Well, in Star Wars book news, I have started reading Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One Story, and I am seventy-four pages into the book so far. I will read more tomorrow, and, hopefully, finish the book tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, as I have to help my mother clean up tomorrow. Oh, and, before I forget, thank you, Zewel von Lelek, for deciding to follow me and my latest story. I promise that my remaining two stories will not disappoint you and the other readers of my works. Now, let's get back to my story.)
"OH, COME ON! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Zeb furiously shouted as the tuk'ata that Edaan named "Butch" cowered behind his new friend and master. "You expect me to believe that a Sith war hound has defected over to our side after trying to kill us, and wants to guide us through a Sith tomb?!" Zeb incredulously continued.
"Uh… Yup. That about sums it all up, Zeb." Edaan nonchalantly said as the Lasat supreme commander growled menacingly and walked up to the twenty-year-old Jedi Knight and stared down at him.
"You're really getting on my nerves and driving me crazy, Edaan. And that's saying something, since I had to put up with an antagonistic Chopper for over six years before he mellowed down a bit." Zeb angrily said as his hands clenched and unclenched into fists as he struggled to control his anger and desire to strangle the young Jedi.
"Well, then, you should be able to put up with my schemes and plans, as Chopper was, and still is, by the way, way worse than I am." Edaan replied in near-complete seriousness, with just a hint of humor lacing his voice as he spoke.
In response to those words, Chopper warbled and beeped furiously, and came over to Edaan to try and shock him, but Edaan, realizing just what the C1 droid was up to, and used the Force to immobilize him, causing Chopper to shake around as he complained in droidspeak about not being able to hurt Edaan.
"Now then…" Edaan said before turning his full attention back to Zeb and said, "Look, Zeb, I completely understand your skepticism regarding my plans, but we need a guide in order for us to avoid the traps and defenses that exist within Korriban's catacombs, as well as help alert us to any ambushes that the One Sith might try and pull while we find the Sith's main headquarters. If Butch tries anything suspicious, and I mean anything at all, I will take personal responsibility and end his life." Upon heraring those last words, Butch tensed up and whined, forcing Edaan to comfort him until he calmed down.
"Fine. But remember, I'm watching you, Edaan." Zeb said as he relented and warned the leader of this impromptu strike force before walking away to tell his fellow Lasats about this new development.
"Duly noted." Edaan muttered as he and his new friend went over to Adari, Vua, Akku, Robonino, Jarael, and Jaden, who each had a look of worry that was directed at the leader of the Shadow Alliance. In response to said stressful looks, Edaan asked, "Something wrong, guys?"
"You bet all of your credits that something's wrong, boss!" Robonino furiously said as he ground his teeth together in anger. "We're recruiting ta tuk'ata of all things to the cause now?! Is it just me, or have you gone off your rocker?"
"While I don't agree with Robonino's terminology, he does raise a valid point. Your decision to bring a tuk'ata into our ranks is very risky, and could prove detrimental towards our cause." Akku said in his classic stoic voice, with Vua simply nodding his head in agreement.
"I think that getting so close towards your lifelong goal is causing you to take unnecessary risks, and causing additional psychological stress upon your psyche." Jarael said with her trademark medical authority laced in her voice as she spoke.
"Edaan, is there anything that you want to talk about with us?" Adari said, concern lacing her tone as she spoke, her eyes pleading with Edaan to talk with her.
"I think that you and Adari should talk this out while Butch gets acquainted with the rest of us." Jaden said, hoping to diffuse the simmering tension between Edaan and his wife and friends.
After catching on to what Jaden was referring to, Edaan said "Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course. Adari, how about we talk over there?" As soon as he pointed by some crumbling ruins that was about one kilometer away from the Tomb of Tulak Hord, Butch went to follow Jaden and the rest of Edaan's crew, and Adari nodded in agreement before following him so that they could sit next to each other, and Edaan innocently said, "So, Adari, what exactly did you want to talk to me about?"
"Dear, I'm worried about you. Ever since we came to Korriban, you've been a little different. You've been so focused on your goal to redeem Vestara that you're shutting all of us out. You're making… questionable decisions over the last couple of days, including saving a creature that literally feeds off of the Dark Side. You also went off on your own to face Vestara, and you did what only Force-knows-what to her. What's going on? Is… is Sidious coming to you in your dreams?" Adari both hesitatingly and apprehensively said as she stopped speaking.
"No." Edaan honestly said, before fully realizing what Adari was getting at, and gently said, "Oh… Adari, I am so sorry for not being there for you while we're on what may be a suicide mission. I've been so focused on saving Vestara and the big picture that I've forgotten about all of the people that helped make my dream so close to come true, especially you." He then pulled in his Keshiri wife for a long and passionate kiss that she eagerly reciprocated, sighing as she melted into the kiss that lasted a full twenty seconds before the couple stopped to breathe in much-needed oxygen.
Edaan then continued, saying, "Listen, can I tell you something? Something that I've never told anyone else?" After receiving a nod of consent from Adari, he continued, gently speaking as he said, "After I found out that Vestara had left the Jedi Order and returned to the Dark Side in the aftermath of the Lost Tribe of the Sith's emergence, as well as finding out that my family was killed by Abeloth's insanity, I contemplated committing suicide because I had no one that I could relate to. Even after I met my five true masters, I couldn't slip the despair that had gripped my heart. But, when I was at my lowest point, I received a vision in the Force."
Adari couldn't believe that her beloved husband had suffered so much due to the loss of his loved ones. She was also interested by in what he saw in his vision, but knew that he had to speak of this of his own free will, and let him continue speaking.
"In that vision, I saw myself leading great armies against the Sith on this planet, and I saw Robonino, Akku, Jarael, Atai, Artoo, and Vua as my loyal allies and friends. But, most importantly, I saw you, my love, on the planet Kesh, leading your people to freedom against their subjugation by the Lost Tribe. And in that instant, I fell in love with you, and found two reasons to live: to save Vestara from her own darkness, and to find you and marry you so that you could be my moral anchor, as I sensed the burning light inside of your soul, and it would guide me in my darkest hours."
"Well, at least I know that I'm wanted." Adari sarcastically said as a bright smile covered her face, before she continued, saying, "So, have you made any progress in the first objective, as you've already achieved the second goal?"
"Actually, yes, beloved. During the skirmish in Dreshdae, I implanted a portion of my essence inside of her so that she could experience all of my memories, as well as have visits from Qui-Gon, Tau, Revan, Meetra, and Jacen, which is all a part of my plan to bring her back over to our side." Edaan explained.
Her husband's response caused Adari to gasp in shock before she said, "Edaan! Are you crazy?! Transferring some of your life essence into someone is extremely dangerous, as doing it too much can kill you, and you just did it on Butch in order to cause him to defect over to our team, so you've already done it twice in one day."
"I know, but it will all be worth it once we save Vestara and destroy the Sith and their minions, and finally bring peace back to the galaxy." Edaan fervently said, worrying Adari, as she had almost never seen him this obsessed with his goal. Sensing her worry, Edaan quickly calmed her down by saying, "I'm sorry, dearest, but, like Durron Qel-Droma during the Great Hunt after the First Sith War, I am tired of all of the killing and destruction that I've had to commit in order to achieve my lifelong goals, and I just want it all to end, as it's consumed so much of my life."
"Oh, Edaan." Adari tenderly said as she kissed her husband's cheek and gave him a passionate hug, and then pledged, "I am so, so sorry. I had no idea that you were suffering so much from all of the darkness that has infected most of the galaxy. But, I promise that I will do the best I can to alleviate the suffering and pain that you are going through right now until we win this kriffing shadow war."
"Thank you, my love. Your support has been a lifeline for me, as your light has kept me from going into the dark ever since I saw you in my vision." Edaan said, relieved that his great wife understood the burden that he was under, and would support him the best that she could.
Unfortunately, the two lovebirds were so caught up in each other's presence that they failed to notice a Sith probe droid that was modeled very similarly to the Dark Eye probe droids that Darth Maul used to track down Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Tatooine during the Invasion of Naboo almost eighty-nine years ago.
Meanwhile, Deep Within the Catacombs of Korriban
As Darth Kitai was watching the security footage from Probe 185, she could not believe what Edaan Palpatine was saying to his wife, the Keshiri resistance leader, Teras Kasi master, and who also was one of Kitai's three personal enemies during her rule as Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe of the Sith, Adari Thayn Palpatine. Here this young Jedi was, bearing his burdens, as well as his heart and soul out to his wife that he loved so dearly, and Kitai was merely sitting there speechless, watching it all as conflicting feelings, such as sympathy, pity, and sadness, threatened to bubble to the surface, which her oldest remaining friend, the Sith Meditation Sphere known simply as "Ship", who Kitai just happened to be sitting in as she observed the images and voices being transmitted to the sentient Sith Meditation Sphere, was quick to pick up on, and telepathically said, What is it that troubles you, Lady Kitai?
"Those young Jedi's words… they pierce my heart and tug at emotions that I thought that I had long ago suppressed or destroyed. I've been feeling… different ever since Edaan mentally assaulted me." Kitai confessed to her longtime companion.
Perhaps you should inform Lord Krayt of this development. He might be able to assist you in your efforts in repairing the damage to your spirit that the young Jedi Knight, Edaan Palpatine, has inflicted on to you. Ship suggested, earning a fervent headshake from Kitai.
"No, Ship. If Lord Krayt finds out about this, then my rank in the One Sith may be fatally compromised, and I cannot be driven out of another Sith order. What I need is to confront Edaan again, and find out just what it is that he did to me, and get him to undo it." Kitai said, her trademark resolve returning again.
Well, whatever the problem might be, I know that you will figure it out, as your faith in the Dark Side has never been stronger than ever. Ship assured his longtime comrade.
Let's hope so. Kitai grimly thought as she continued to watch the young Jedi and his wife as they went back over to their companions, including a tuk'ata that they had, beyond all logic and reason, managed to recruit over to their mad quest.
Back on the Surface of Korriban
"So, did the two of you work out your issues, boss, or should you two get a room?" Robonino humorously asked the wedded couple.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Robo." Adari deadpanned said as she let go of Edaan's hand and checked her blaster rifle before continuing, reassuringly saying, "We're fine, we just had to talk things out for a bit, but we're good now."
"Excellent. So, can we head into the dark and dangerous Tomb of Tulak Hord, while being led by a defecting Sith hound, into the ultimate den of evil?" Sabine said, with false optimism lacing her voice, as she began to issue orders to her men through her Nite Owls helmet's built-in comlink.
"Wait. I think that we'd better camp here for the night, as we don't know what dangers await us once we enter the catacombs, and we'll need everyone at full strength before we enter the Krayt Dragon's nest." Akku suggested, earning a few approving nods from Robonino, Edaan, and Zeb.
"Sounds good to me. I could use a little shut-eye, as I am not as young as I used to be." Zeb said in agreement with the Anzati Mandalorian, and, after receiving an approving nod from his fellow Lothal Rebel, he began to issue orders to his men to set up camp until the next day, with Sabine and Edaan issuing orders to their friends and comrades in order to help Zeb create a makeshift camp for the small army for the rest of the day.
And, cut! Well, that ends another filler chapter for my story, but an important chapter, as it will lay the groundwork for big plot lines in the future in this story. So, did you guys watch FX last night, as the premiere of the hit movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction, was on at 8:00 p.m., and it was (in my opinion) amazing, easily the best movie out of all four Transformers movies that Michael Bay had produced so far. Anyway, I have read over 230 pages in the book, Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One Story, so far, and I have to say that it is pretty good. It may not the best Star Wars story that's out there, nor is it James Luceno's best work, but it's pretty decent, and a good prequel for Rogue One, which I have to see tomorrow night with my brother. Anyway, the holidays are fast approaching, and I can't wait for them, as I will enjoy seeing my uncle come down from New England, since I rarely get to see him. It's too bad that I can't see my grandparents down in Florida, but, then again, sometimes life throws a curveball at you sometimes. By the way, like I predicted at the beginning at this chapter, this story has exceeded 55,000 words, which is quite the accomplishment for a novice writer such as myself. Anyway, May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!