Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or Rick Riordan.
Enter Luke, Kyp, and the citizens of the Imperial Remnant, gathering at the conclusion of the war games.
As Tenel Ka lands her aiwha in the center of the stronghold, she looks as if she is about to laugh.
Tenel Ka. The game is won. Assemble for honors.
With the games concluded, the Imperial medics gather, healing the soldiers' minor injuries. As everyone is distracted tending to the wounded, Thrackan stabs Etain in the back with a vibroblade.
Etain. Help.
Imperial medics gather Etain in a medical capsule and bring her forward.
Jag shakes his head in disbelief.
Jag. No, no, no . . .
The medics try in vain to heal Etain. She dies.
One of the medics, Jos Vondar, turns to Tenel Ka and shakes his head.
Tenel Ka rounds on her people, surveying the crowd. Anger is evident in her voice.
Tenel Ka. There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the Empire a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but this . . .
It is only then that Jag notices that Etain has been murdered. Angry, he glares at Thrackan, noticing that the seer is missing a vibroblade. Desiring vengeance, Jag edges toward attacking Thrackan . . . and then Etain returns to life.
All stare at Etain in shock.
Etain. Wh-what is it? What's everyone staring at?
Vondar. There's no way. She was dead. She has to be dead.
Etain tries fruitlessly to sit up.
Etain. There was a font, and a being asking . . . for a credcoin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just . . . I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?
Jag. Etain. Don't try to get up. Just close your eyes for a second, okay?
Etain. Why? What . . . ?
Jag. Just trust me.
Jag takes hold of the vibroblade.
Luke, Tahiri. Help me.
Vondar. Don't. You might . . .
Tahiri. What? Make it worse?
Jag. Hold her steady. One, two, three.
Luke and Tahiri hold onto Etain as Jag pulls the vibroblade free. As he does so, the wound begins to heal.
Tahiri. It's closing on its own. I don't know how, but . . .
Etain. I feel fine. What's everyone worried about?
As he and Luke help Etain to her feet, Jag glares at Thrackan.
Jag. [aside] Later. Deal with him later.
Tahiri. Etain. There's no easy way to say this. You were dead. Somehow you came back.
Etain. I . . . What?
Etain notices the hole in her armor. As they are discussing this, Kyp steps forward.
How . . . how?
Tenel Ka. Good question. [to Kyp] Is this some power of Vitiate?
Kyp. [shakes his head] Vitiate never lets beings return from the dead.
Kyp shoots Tahiri a significant look.
Yammosk's Voice. Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning.
Imperial officers reach for weapons. Tarkin and Rancor panic. The latter nearly throws off Tenel Ka. Luke, for his part, recognizes the voice of Yun-Yammka is spite of his amnesia.
Luke. [cold] I know that voice.
Enter Yammosk, an imposing figure with dark hair and a long face covered with scars, the Imperial counterpart to the god Yun-Yammka.
Jag approaches Yammosk, as the Je'daii wills him forward.
All but Luke kneel before Yammosk. Even Tenel Ka dismounts from her aiwha.
Yammosk. That's good. Kneeling is good. It's been a long time since I've visited the Imperial Remnant.
Luke raises his lightsaber.
Luke. You're Yun-Yammka. What do you want?
All gasp.
Yammosk. [smiles] You've got spunk, infidel. Yun-Yammka is my Old Republic form. But to these followers, to the children of Bastion, I am Yammosk — patron of the Empire, divine father of Bail and Prestor Organa.
Luke. We've met. We . . . we had a fight. . . .
Yammosk scratches his chin, choosing to feign ignorance, possibly due to concern for Lumiya's plan.
Yammosk. I fight a lot of beings. But I assure you, you've never fought me as Yammosk. If you had, you'd be dead. Now kneel, as befits a child of the Empire before you try my patience.
Through the Force, a wall of flame surrounds Yammosk.
Jag. Luke, please.
Reluctantly Luke kneels before Yammosk.
Yammosk. [to all] Citizens of the Empire. Lend me your ears. [laughs] I've always wanted to say that. I come from Tython with a message. Zonama doesn't like our communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays. But he has allowed this exception, as you Imperials have always been my special people. I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up.
Yammosk indicates Etain.
This one should be dead, yet she's not. The monsters you fight no longer return to the Maw when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now soaring the stars once more.
Yammosk glares at Kyp, knowing the Jedi is responsible for Tahiri's resurrection.
Xanatos has been chained. The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them . . . at least not impartially. Abeloth allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons, the Yuuzhan Vong, are mustering armies against you, armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Xanatos and free him from the Yuuzhan Vong. Only he can reverse the tide.
Yammosk notices the Imperials still kneel.
Oh, you can get up now. Any questions?
All rise.
Tenel Ka and Thrackan approach Yammosk.
Tenel Ka. Lord Yammosk. We are honored.
Thrackan. Beyond honored. So far beyond honored . . .
Yammosk. Well?
Tenel Ka. Well, Xanatos is the Je'daii of death, the lieutenant of Vitiate.
Yammosk. Right.
Tenel Ka. And you are saying that he has been captured by Yuuzhan Vong.
Yammosk. Right.
Tenel Ka. And therefore beings will stop dying?
Yammosk. Not all at once. But the barriers between life and death will continue to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Monsters are already harder to dispatch. Soon they will be completely impossible to kill. Some demigods will also be able to find their way back from the Netherworld, like your friend General Tur-Mukan. If left unchecked, even mortals will eventually find it impossible to die. Can you imagine a universe in which no one dies . . . ever?
Thrackan. But, er, mighty all-powerful Lord Yammosk, if we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely . . .
Yammosk. Don't be foolish, boy. Endless slaughter with no conclusion? Carnage without any point? Enemies that rise again and again and can never be killed? Is that what you want?
Luke. You're the god of war. Don't you want endless carnage?
Yammosk rounds on Luke.
Yammosk. Insolent, aren't you? Perhaps I have fought you before. I can understand why I'd want to kill you. I'm the god of the Empire, child. I am the god of military might used for a righteous cause. I protect the Imperial armed forces. I am happy to crush my enemies underfoot. But I don't fight without reason. I don't want war without end. You will discover this. You will serve me.
Luke. Not likely.
Yammosk grins, looking on Luke with grudging respect.
Yammosk. I order a quest. You will go spinward and find Xanatos on the world beyond the Je'daii. You will free him and thwart the plans of the Yuuzhan Vong. Beware Abeloth. Beware her son, the eldest Yuuzhan Vong.
Tahiri. The world beyond the Je'daii?
Yammosk. That's right, Tahiri Veila. You know what I mean. Everyone here remembers the world where the fleet lost its honor. Perhaps if the quest succeeds, and you return by Empire Day . . . perhaps then your honor will be restored. If you don't succeed, there won't be any Empire left to return to. Bastion will be overrun, its legacy lost forever. So my advice is: don't fail.
Thrackan. Er, Lord Yammosk, just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us. We used to get them from the Journal of the Whills. But now it's up to the seer to glean the will of Force. So if I could just run and get about seventy stuffed animals and possibly a vibroblade . . .
Yammosk. You're the seer?
Thrackan. Y-yes, my Lord.
Yammosk removes a scroll of flimsiplast.
Yammosk. Anyone got a stylus?
All stare at him.
[sighs] Two hundred Imperial officers, and no one's got a stylus? Never mind!"
Yammosk holsters his blaster and retrieves a thermal detonator, which morphs into a stylus. He starts to write.
Jag glances at Luke.
Jag. [aside, to Luke] Can your lightsaber do baradium form?
Luke. [aside, to Jag] No. Shut up.
Yammosk. There. A prophecy. You can add it to your books, engrave it on your floor, whatever.
Yammosk hands the flimsiplast to Thrackan.
Thrackan. [frowns] This says, "Go to Hoth. Find Xanatos and free him. Come back by sundown on the twenty-fourth of June or die."
Yammosk. Yes. Is that not clear?
Thrackan. Well, my Lord, usually prophecies are unclear. They're wrapped in riddles. They rhyme, and . . .
Yammosk casually removes a thermal detonator, the insinuation clear.
Yammosk. Yes?
Thrackan. The prophecy is clear. A quest.
Yammosk. Good answer. Now, what else? There was something else. . . . Oh, yes.
Yammosk turns to Jag.
Come here, kid.
Jag steps forward.
[grins] Nice job taking the wall, kid. Who's the referee for this game?
Tenel Ka raises her hand.
You see that play, ref? That was my kid. First over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you're blind, that was a Galactic Cup play. You're not blind, are you?
Tenel Ka. No, Lord Yammosk.
Yammosk. Then make sure he gets the Medal of Valor. [to all] My kid, here. Syal Fel's son. She was a good soldier. Good woman. This kid Jagged proved his stuff tonight. Happy late naming day, kid. Time you stepped up to a real man's weapon.
As he tosses his blaster to Jag, it morphs into a tsaisi, a melee weapon topped with the tooth of a Dathomiri rancor.
The tip is a rancor's tooth. You haven't learned to use your mother's talents yet, have you? Well, that tsaisi will give you some breathing room until you do. You get three charges out of it, so use it wisely. [to all] Now my kid Jagged Fel is going to lead the quest to free Xanatos unless there are any objections?
No one responds, but many of the Imperial officers glare enviously at Jag.
You can take two companions. Those are the rules. One of them needs to be this kid.
Yammosk indicates Luke.
He's going to learn some respect for Yammosk on this trip or die trying. As for the second, I don't care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your Senate debates. You all are good at those.
Lightning flashes, Zonama's signal from Tython.
That's my cue. Until next time, Imperials. Do not disappoint me.
Exit Yammosk.
Tenel Ka turns to Jag and salutes.
Tenel Ka. Hail, Jagged Fel, son of Yammosk.
All kneel before Jag.
Exit all.