Good afternoon, all of my friends! How are you doing on this frigid day of January 9, 2017, as I am tired, and it is only 2:07 PM where I am? Anyway, I have got some HUGE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles news for you guys. Apparently, the last four episodes of Season Four of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premeired in South Korea at the end of last year, and, from what I found out of these episodes, they are very dark, probably too dark for a TV-Y7-FV rating. Anyway, my Spring 2017 semester at my local community college begins on January 12, 2017, which is in a measly three days, so I'd better get cracking if I want to get this chapter finished within four to five days. By the way, are you guys playing any good video games right now, because I am still less than halfway through the game, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt: Complete Edition, and I've been playing this game for at least two weeks? Oh, and, speaking of good video games, I can't wait for Mass Effect: Andromeda to come out on March 21, 2017, because I will buy that game right up. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, let's get on with the story, because the ambush by the One Sith is coming up soon, and I want to move the story along, as we still have a long way to go before this story is finished. Oh, one more thing: I plan to include one more reference to the ongoing show, Star Wars Rebels, in this chapter. Just guess as to what it is, I dare you. Well, on with the story!
(January 10, 2017 Addendum) Good day, Star Wars Expanded Universe lovers! So, how are you doing on this fine day? I, honestly, could be better, as today is the 9th anniversary of my grandmother's death, and it is very depressing. In addition, I just finished a very thought-provoking book that has got me thinking on a lot of important issues that face this current generation. I won't say anything more than that, in order to avoid causing any trouble from this website's administration. Well, on a more positive note, with said book finished, that only leaves me with just forty-three books left to finish by the year's end, and that doesn't include the books that I hope to get for my birthday, which is at the end of next month, in case any of you were wondering. In addition, I figured out how to delete video games from my Xbox One, which frees up a bit of data for other games. Oh, and, before I forget, I only have two more days until community college starts back up for me this semester, so I'd beter get cracking. One more thing, can you guys believe that, as of January 3, 2017, I've been writing this saga (which, so far, is comprised of over two hundred thousand words) for over eleven months? It's just amazing, when you stop and think about it. And, to think, that we have Powerslammer to thank for inspiring me to write this glorious saga. Well, with all of the small talk out of the way, I'll get back to writing, as I know that you guys want more of that.
Five Minutes Later, Outside the Temple of Sorzus Syn
"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Sabine exclaimed to all of the members of the Shadow Alliance's illegal strike team, causing them to turn and face her, where she then continued, saying, "We're going to make camp here for the night, because in the morning, we're going to run into fierce opposition from the One Sith and their beasts, and I want everyone to be at peak condition for when we engage the enemy. So, get some food, water, and rest, because once we leave this temple, we'll truly be in the Krayt Dragon's den, no pun intended."
With those words uttered, most of the remaining warriors and Force-sensitives began to converse among themselves, get some much needed food and water, or take the first watch to make sure that no one ambushed their position.
"Well, Boss, what did you and the others find while in the big spooky temple, because all that Seelah, Vua, Jarael, and I found while we looked around were the skeletons of what Jarael identified as a Dathomirian Zabrak and heavily armored Terlleian Jango Jumper?" Robonino said as he sat down on a rock, with Butch coming up next to him as the latter began to snore loudly, much to everyone's amusement.
"Well, I think that Sabine and Zeb should best explain, Robo." Edaan quietly said, not wanting to wake up the sleeping tuk'ata, and the two senior warrriors walked forward.
"Okay, first off, are you telling me that you two managed to find the corpses of Darth Maul and the Inquisitor that was only known as the Eighth Brother at the bottom of the temple?" Sabine skeptically asked either of the four members of Edaan's crew.
"Indeed, Commander Wren." Jarael said in her trademark calm tone, before she continued, saying, "We identified the Zabrak as the corpse of Savage Oppress, without his double-bladed lightsaber, after he was possessed by the spirit of Darth Maul, and the Terelleian Jango Jumper as the Eight Brother because of his Imperial Armor and broken lightsaber."
"Well, as interesting as this is, we have a couple more things to talk to you guys about. We saw the ghost of Ahsoka Tano in the Sith temple, and Edaan here managed to set her free from her grief, and she finally became one with the Force." Zeb bluntly stated, causing each of his allies to stare at him with theier jaws agape.
"Are you serious? You guys managed to redeem the Force Ghost of a long-dead Sith spirit?" Seelah disbelievingly said, earning confused looks from each of the other six warriors.
"Uh… Seelah?" Edaan confusingly said as he awkwardly looked at everyone else before he said, "Ahsoka Tano was the former apprentice of Anakin Skywalker before she left the Jedi Order two months before the Clone War ended. She later became a key member in creating what would eventually become the Rebel Alliance, and was killed by Darth Vader about three years before the Battle of Yavin."
"Oh. My bad." Seelah sheepishly said as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it, Seelah." Edaan said before he turned the converseation back to the matter at hand, saying, "One more thing that we should tell everyone about. Once we leave this temple and descend deeper into the catacombs, the One Sith will attack us."
"Uh… Didn't Sabine just tell us that?"Seelah confusingly said.
"Yes, but what Sabine didn't mention is that the attack from the One Sith's scouting party will include Darths Kitai and Snoke, along with an army of Sith war beasts that should, if we're lucky, be comprised of several Hssisses, thirty tuk'ata, ten terentateks, fifteen shyracks, and fifty k'lor'slugs." Edaan said, causing Seelah's eyes to widen in shock upon hearing of this piece of intelligence.
"How do you discover this information?" Seelah asked, leaving Edaan grateful that she moved right to the point of the matter.
"Before she became one with the Force, Ahsoka told us that Darths Snoke and Kitai, along with four other Sith and Snoke's army of Sith beasts, are planning an ambush for us deeper within the planet's catacombs." Edaan explained, causing Seelah to nod in understanding.
"So, how do we approach this complication?" Seelah worriedly said.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, there isn't anyhting that we can do to prevent this ambush, and the best that we can do is make sure that our men are well-rested so that we don't take too many casualties from the ambush, and make sure that we take out as many Sith as we can. But, remember, I want Vestara and Snoke alive." Edaan said, stressing the last part with as much command that he could muster.
"Yeah, yeah. Everyone here knows how much you want to redeem Vestara and reuinte her with Ben Skywalker, Edaan." Sabine said before the mention of her former comrade took root inside of hers and Zeb's minds, and the former said, "Uh… Edaan? Forgive me for being blunt, but why in the Nine Corellian Hells would you want Snoke alive, because he will be controling the one hundred-plus army of Sith beasts that will try to rip us apart?!"
"Because, ever since I found out that Ezra was the one that stole one of the two holocrons of Sorzus Syn from this temple, I've been thinking, and I might have a new theory as to why Ezra fell to the Dark Side." Edaan explained, confusing both the Mandalorian and Lasat.
"Uh… I think that your sharing of information with Ahsoka might have further unhinged your mind, Edaan." Zeb skeptically said before he continued, saying, "We all know how Ezra became Darth Snoke, kid: He fell to the Dark Side because of his grief over Ahsoka's death and Kanan's blindness, and was corrupted by the knowledge of the Sith holocron that Ezra and Kanan took from this temple all of those years ago."
"Yeah, but have you two considered that the holocron might have been the primary cause of Ezra's fall?" Edaan suggested, confusing the two former rebels.
"Exactly what are you goingwith this, Edaan?" Sabine impatiently asked, not wanting Edaan to dance around the issue, and instead get to the crux of the matter.
"What I'm 'getting at,' Sabine, is that the holocron may have possessed Ezra." Edaan said, getting right to the point of this small argument, causing everyone's eyes to wien in shock and disbelief.
"Okay, okay. I've heard a lot of insane theories in my time, but an object possessing someone is too much for me to swallow." Zeb said in full denial as Jaden appeared to be deep in thought.
"Not necessarily, Zeb." Jaden said as he exited his reflection on the history that he learned about the First Sith War during his time at the Jedi Praxeum on the moon of Yavin Four.
"What do you mean, Jaden?" Sabine curiously asked, wondering where Jaden was going with this train of thought.
"What I mean, Sabine, is that Edaan's theory may be posible, because during the First Sith War, Exar Kun, one of the two reigning Dark Lords of the Sith at the time, broke the Dark Holocron, the old Jedi Order's sole Sith Holocron at the time, and sent the fragments into the hands of nineteen of the twenty of the Jedi Knights that joined Exar Kun during his secret mission to recruit young Jedi Knights to his Brotherhood of the Sith, and the shards that contained the spirits of many Sith avatars from said holocron possessed the Jedi, and turned them into willing minions of his twisted cause. And, out of all of those possessed Sith acolytes, only Oss Wilium was able to be saved by the Jedi and his master, the Tchuukthai Jedi Master that simply went by the name of Thon." Jaden explained before he continued, saying, "So, in theory, the holocron could have slowly wormed its way into Ezra's consciousness, and accelerated his fall to the Dark Side."
"Okay. Let's assume that this insane theory actually makes sense. Just how do you intend on saving Ezra from the holocron that's possessed him?" Zeb asked, playing along with Edaan's ridiculous theory.
"Well, the first thing that we need to do is destroy the holocron that Ezra's been corrupted by, and we'll work our way through there." Edaan said, not willing to tell everyone of his backup plan in case the first plan failed.
"Oh, and here I thought that it would be simple." Sabine sarcastically said as she smiled at the challenge of saving her longtime friend, before she said, "Well, we'd better get some rest, as once we leave this temple, there'll be no more pit stops." Everyone agreed with what the aging Mandalorian said, and headed to separate sections of the makeshift camp in order to get at least a few hours of much-needed sleep.
Day 82 Since the Shadow Alliance's Formation
Forty-Seven days Until Operation: Endgame
0730 Hours
In the Mandalore System
On the Executor-class Star Dreadnought, Megador, In the Briefing Room
The various leaders of the Shadow Alliance, including said alliance's High Command, the Jedi High Council, Supreme Commander Nek Bwua'tu, the resurrected board of advisors known as the Grey Cadre, Voort sa Binring, the leader of the legendary and infamous Wraith Squadron, Grand Moff Ephin Sarreti, Mandalorians Ghes Orade, Goran Beviin, Sintas Vel, and Venku Skirata, the Heroes of Yavin, Master Assassin Rayder Sei, and Ben Skywalker were all in attendance as they met to discuss the complications that arose due to the loss of manpower due to the Defense of Mandalore, and they had just heard Boba Fett and Goran Beviin's absurd proposal to include Yuuzhan Vong refugees in their recovering army, with a significant portion of the Shadow Alliance's leadership in an uproar over the proposed plan.
There was so much noise and chaos in the briefing room that Luke Skywalker had to use the Force to enhance his voice in order to be heard over all of the ruckus, and he furiously shouted, "QUIET!" This uncharacteristic display of anger from such a revered Jedi was enough to silence everyone, as well as make them look at the Jedi Master as if they did not know him as well as they assumed.
After a few seconds of waiting in order to make sure that no one would once again erupt in anger, Luke said, "Thank you. Now, before anyone derails the meeting again, we should give Goran the chance to explain his… debatable plan."
"Thank you, Master Skywalker." Goran gratefully said before he went up to the holotable and pulled up an image of the planet Rodia, and continued, saying, "To clarify a few things, yes, my plan does include recruiting a few members of the now defunct Warrior Caste, but, we are mostly going to recruit former Shamed Ones and the now-grown children of various castes. Second, if my plan goes through, we only will intend to recruit followers of Edaan's Yuuzhan Vong companion, Vua Reapuung, which should give us at least a few hundred new allies. Third, we would not bring back their foul biotechnology, but we'd teach them to use modern weaponry that will be almost as effective as the weapons that our regular troops have."
"Okay, and what's to stop them, even the Extolled, from turning on us once they've gotten a taste for blood on Korriban?" Han Solo disbelievingly said, not understanding how such a smart and highly intelligent Mandalorian could come up with such a harebrained scheme to recruit members of one of the vilest and most hated species in all of existence.
"Well, that's what the Jedi are for, Captain Solo. The Jedi are revered by the Vong for their accomplishments, and their example will be enough to keep the Vong from going over the deep end." Goran said, not at all phased by Han's skepticism at his plan.
"Goran, I azk you to forgive this one for questioning your plan, but what caused you to come up with such a controversial plan for getting us reinforcementz." The Barabel Jedi Council member Saba Sabatyne hissed in polite doubt of the highly respected Mandalorian's scheme.
"Thank you for asking in such a polite manner, Master Sabatyne. You see," Goran said as he began to explain his reasoning behind his gamble, saying, "as most of you know, I've hated the Yuuzhan Vong ever since they invaded the galaxy, and I never wanted to see another one of them again. But, during the Defense of Mandalore, I met Edaan Palpatine's Yuuzhan Vong friend, who calls himself 'Vua Rapuung', and we became friends, or, at the very least, reached a mutual understanding between each other. After that, I began to think, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, there could be other Vong that could, if given a chance, be like him. That's why I proposed this risky strategy." Those words left everyone, minus Boba Fett, who already knew of this approach, speechless, with their jaws hanging agape.
"Wow. I wanted to impress you guys, not shock you into astonishment." Goran humorously said as several of the people present began to lightly chuckle in amusement.
"Well, now that we've gotten past the shock of Goran's proposal, the Shadow Alliance's High Command will need to vote on this matter." The Hutt lord Azzim Anjilic Atirue said from his flagship, theChelandion-Class warship known as the Varl's Legacy. "All those in favor of accepting aid from the Yuuzhan Vong refugees on Rodia, please raise your right hand." He continued as he raised his right hand, with Boba Fett, Corran Horn, Jaina Solo Fel, Armand Vorn, and Gavin Darklighter following suit. Only Trista Vel and Traest Kre'frey stood in opposition to this proposal due to the past history that the two latter counselor's planets, Hapes and Bothawui, meaning that the plan would go through.
"Very well. I will support this dangerous gamble, but I disagree completely with this course of action." Admiral Kre'frey painfully said, recalling how the Yuuzhan Vong had been responsible for the death of his cousin, Borsk Fey'lya, during their Invasion of Coruscant, and how Borsk had managed to die with honor by taking out twenty-five thousand Yuuzhan Vong Warriors, further taxing the Yuuzhan Vong during their occupation of the galaxy.
"That is your right, Admiral." Goran said, completely understanding the Bothan admiral's misgivings to such a controversial plan.
"Well, now that that's handled, we-" Luke said before the proximity alarm went off throughout the Megador, which surprised everyone, and those that were physically present in the Super Star Destroyer's briefing room followed Nek Bwua'tu, who quickly left the room to head to the ship's nearby bridge.
"What are we looking at here, Bwua'tu?" Boba asked as the members of the Shadow Alliance entered the Super Star Destroyer's bridge.
"Ten unidentified capital ships are approaching the outward edges of this sector. They'll be out of hyperspace in about sixty seconds. We can't get a good ID on them, so we have to assume that they might be hostile. I am currently deploying ten Squadrons of ion bombers, as well as twelve Star Destroyers, to meet the unidentified ships if they are enemy craft." Bwua'tu diligently said as he prepared to give orders to the bridge's crew.
"Actually, Supreme Commander, that won't be necessary, Tell all ships to stand down." Jaina Solo Fel said as she seemed to emerge from a trance.
"Forgive me for being skeptical, Empress Fel, but just how do you know that these ships are not hostile?" Bwua'tu questioned, not willing to needlessly risk the lives of his crew without credible intelligence.
"Because I can sense that the ships that are about to come within our proximity are Chiss Star Destroyers that are being led by Aristocra Formbi." Jaina simply said, surprising everyone present.
"Are you absolutely sure, Jaina?" Han said, wanting to be absolutely sure of this sudden assertion on her daughter's part.
"Of course I am, Dad. Would I lie about such a vital influx of reinforcements?" Jaina redundantly asked, causing Han to roll his eyes in exasperation.
Deciding to trust one of his superiors, Bwua'tu said, "Tell all ships to stand down, but keep their shields up, just in case."
About twenty seconds later, the ten capital ships reverted into realspace, revealing ten one kilometer-long Star Destroyers of the Chiss Ascendancy.
"Well, it appears that you were correct, Empress." Bwua'tu said before he motioned for the communications-officer of the Megador to open a communications channel to the lead Chiss Star Destroyer. "This is Supreme Commander Bwua'tu, commanding officer of the Shadow Alliance's armed forces. May I speak to Aristocra Formbi regarding the early appearance of this fleet?" Bwua'tu asked in a tone that would address speaking to equals.
"You may indeed, Supreme Commander Bwua'tu." Said a cultured and aged voice as the image of and aged Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano, better known to the greater galaxy as "Formbi," came into view of all of the assembled leaders. "Please forgive the delay, but I found it appropriate to personally lead the Second Fleet in order to make amends for the Chiss Ascendancy's alliance with Vitiate's Sith Empire during and after the Great Galactic War, as well as my people's delay in providing aid during the Second Mandalorian Civil War and stopping Natasi Daala's insanity." Formbi said in a polite but apologetic tone.
"There is no need to apologize, Aristocra Formbi. We're just grateful that you could arrive at all, and with quite a sizeable fleet, no less. This will work greatly with our plans to invade Korriban in a few weeks." Bwua'tu gratefully said before he continued, saying, "Perhaps it would be best if you were to come onboard the Megador in order to discuss your fleet's upcoming role in the invasion."
"Of course, Supreme Commander." Formbi graciously said as he ended the Holonet transmission, leaving the assembled leaders of the Shadow Alliance to prepare for the inevitable arrival of the oldest Aristocra of the Chiss Ascendancy.
Meanwhile, On Korriban, Deep Within the Catacombs
"Edaan and his allies are almost upon us." Darth Snoke said as he pulled his lightsaber off of his belt and alerted his army of Sith beasts to get into their ambush position.
"About time. I was getting bored just imagining gutting so many of Edaan's allies." Darth Sedriss sadistically said as she leapt down from the boulder that she was standing on, much to the annoyance of Darth Kitai. .
'Enough with your very vivid and brutal imagination, Sedriss. We know how much you hate the Jedi." Kitai exasperatingly said, sick of hearing Sedirss ranting about her desire to kill and maim Edaan and his friends.
"Agreed, Sedriss. Do not forget our master's orders, or I will carve them into your skull with my lightsaber." White Eyes venomously said as he moved into position for the ambush, when he heard a tiny beeping noise come up from underneath his feet. He quickly realized what was about to happen, and, as he leapt away with the use of the Force, he shouted, "TAKE COVER!" Immediately after he bellowed, a series of massive explosions erupted from the ground, incinerating at least two dozen of Snoke's Sith beasts, as well as an unprepared Darth Morto, who was too close to the blat radius in order to get away from it, killing him instantly.
Kitai could not believe that they had been outmaneuvered by Edaan and his allies yet again! It infuriated her that all of the Sith's plans could be undone by one young and very clever man. She was cut off from her contemplation when she heard a series of shouts of the word "OYA!", and the Mandalorians, Lasats, ex-Sith, and Jedi allies of Edaan Palpatine began to press the attack on the distracted Sith, which killed several more Sith beasts as a result. The battle for the fight for the lives of the five remaining members of the One Sith's team began, and it did not look good for the adherents of the Dark Side.
Well, that ends the latest chapter of my story. So, what did you guys think of it, and be honest, as I really need some constructive criticism. Now, onto questions that you might have: First off, yes, my idea to recruit Yuuzhan Vong sounds insane, and probably is, but I needed to bridge the gap between my prologue and the current place in the timeline in order to move things along. Besides, I like to consider most of the Yuuzhan Vong at this point in the timeline to be reformed, so the threat of them going on another crusade is pretty low, at best. Second, I know that the Chiss suddenly arriving sounds ridiculous, but, like I said, I need to move things along in my story before I get too bogged down in filler. So, now that that is out of the way, I want to tell you guys that as of today, on January 12, 2017, I have started my next semester of community college, and it promises to be an interesting semester. I am taking classes on ethics and the history of jazz, so I will be kept pretty busy for a while, and I won't be able to update my story as often as I like. Well, as many of you know by now, the strategy guide for Mass Effect: Andomeda has been released on , and it is over four hundred pages long, so this ought to be a great game. Well, with all of that out of the way, May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!