Good evening, all of my friends and followers. How are you doing on this fine evening of February 6, 2017? I am doing all right, although I could be better, as I did not do very well on an online test in my online class due to my trepidations on certain matters. Anyway, this chapter will likely kill off one of the Dramatis Personae, but I won't say who, as that would give away too much. By the way, how are all of those video game players out there, as I am still playing Dragon Age: Origins: Ultimate Edition, and I am within the Anvil of the Void, and after that, it's back to Ostagar, and then to recruit the Dalish Elves. Oh, and I've finished my previous book, which was a collection of letters that was written by George H. W. Bush, and am now on Killing the Rising Sun, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with, if you haven't read it. Fair warning, the book projects many grisly deeds done by the Japanese on WWII, so this book isn't for the faint-hearted. Anyway, with all of the pleasantries out of the way, let's get started on the next chapter of my brilliant and highly enjoyable fanfiction.
As Jaden, Seelah, Zeb, and Butch rushed to aid their friends and comrades, Jaden grimly said, "We have to hurry. I can sense our friends fighting for their lives, and about thirty Sith are trying to massacre them all."
"Then we'd better pick up the pace, then, as I am not letting anyone else die in this hellhole of a world." Zeb said as he ran faster, with Butch, as the tuk'ata understood the situation, taking the lead, and with the element of surprise on his side, he leapt into the air, and deeply bit into the neck of a Kaleesh Sith Lady, killing her within seconds, allowing the three other warriors to see what was occurring in front of them: the lightsabers of twenty-two Sith Lords were, despite the fierce resistance that the Shadow Alliance forces were putting up by killing seven additional Sith Lords, decimating the beleaguered Shadow Alliance soldiers and reformed Lost Tribe Sith Sabers by the tens. The dismembered corpses of at least ten Lasats, fifteen Mandalorians, and eight ex-Lost Tribe Sith littered the area, which left the three fighters aghast as Zeb whispered, "Karabast." He then deeply growled, and, as he ran ahead to where he could hear the remaining Jedi and Sith forces fighting, roared, "Those karking Sith are going to PAY!"
"Zeb, wait!" Seelah said to no avail, as the Lasat supreme commander paid no heed to the Keshiri's cries, as he was dead-set on avenging his fallen brethren and rescuing Sabine, even if it killed him.
"I will say this, Zeb certainly doesn't lack for courage." Jaden respectfully said as he, Seelah, and Butch quickly ran in order to catch up to their friend.
"Yeah, but what good will that do us if his stubbornness gets himself killed?" Seelah retorted as she picked up her stride in order to catch up to Zeb, who stopped in order to reconvert his electro-staff into its bo-rifle position, and, before she could speak to Zeb, she witnessed a scene of carnage as the approximately sixty surviving members of the Shadow Alliance strike team were engaged in a battle for their very survival against twenty-one remaining Sith Lords, with Sabine, Vua, Akku, Dinua, Mirta, Adari, and Jarael valiantly leading the remaining Shadow Alliance men and women against their more powerful foes.
"Well, what are we waiting for, Zeb? Let's get down there and give them a hand!" Seelah eagerly said before she was held back by Jaden, who understood what Zeb was about to do, and motioned for her to remain quiet. As Zeb took aim against a Rattataki Sith Lady that was about to attack Sabine, with the Darksaber in hand as she bravely fended off Darths Snoke and Malleus, Sabine quietly noticed Zeb about to attack, and renewed her assault on the two fallen Jedi Padawans, allowing Zeb the opportunity to snipe the head off of the Rattataki, slightly increasing their odds of succeeding against this onslaught.
Realizing that now was the time to attack, Jaden, Seelah, and Butch leapt down to aid their comrades and friends, and began to help them push back their Dark Side adversaries.
As soon as Zeb reconverted his bo-rifle to its electro-staff mode, knowing that a blaster would do little to no good in this situation, he jumped down to aid Sabine in fighting off her two stronger adversaries, and said over the chaos of the battle, "You okay, Sabine?"
"I'm fighting for my life against two insanely corrupted Sith Lords, so I'm having the time of my life right about now! Where's Edaan?" Sabine nonchalantly said as she struggled to hold off Snoke's assault on her by remembering the lightsaber lessons that he and Kanan gave to her when she was just nineteen years old, as well as the lessons that Gotab, the former Jedi Knight and healer known as Bardan Jusik, and Venku Skirata, son of clone commando Darman and Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan, taught her later in her life after the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion.
"Busy fighting with Vestara against Wyyrlok! If they manage to survive and kill him, then they'll join us, as we can't afford to have him join this battle, or we'll have no chance of victory." Zeb explained, much to Sabine's consternation, as she did not full trust Vestara yet, and was not fond of having one of her friends face off against Darth Krayt's right-hand man with only Vestara as his single reinforcement. Unofrtunately for Sabine, her train of thought was interrupted by Zeb, who shouted out, "Hey, speaking of reinforcements, where's that Sith meditation sphere that everyone calls 'Ship', because no one's seen it after it vanished from fighting Vestara and Edaan?"
"No, but that's what worries me, as-" Sabine was cut off as a she heard a powerful blast appear from above her, and, seeing several massive rocks fall from the ceiling, she bellowed out, "EVERONE, MOVE!" She then activated her jetpack, and, along with all but three of her Mandalorians, who were crushed by the rubble that came down from above them, managed to get to a safe distance from the cave-in, only to find out that the other One Sith had survived the collapse, and, even worse, a giant bat-like spherical ship that Sabine recognized as Vestara's former Sith meditation sphere known as Ship hovered above the debris as if a predator was analyzing its prey.
"Oh, Karabast!" Sabine cursed as she realized that their chances of winning this battle had plummeted down to near-nonexistent levels. But, knowing that she would rather die before surrendering, she, along with her twenty-surviving Mandalorians, which included Mirta and Dinua, renewed their fight against the One Sith, while the approximately fifteen Lasats, and ten remaining ex-Lost Tribe Sith, renewed their assault on the twenty-two surviving One Sith, killing three more of them before they were pushed into a corner, and, after another ten Lasats, seven Mandalorians, and five ex-Lost Tribe Sith were butchered, the remaining Shadow Alliance forces, minus Chopper, Butch, and Robonino, who were unaccounted for as they somehow managed to escape the battle, surrendered to the One Sith in the hopes of living to fight another day once the main Shadow Alliance navy and army arrived to invade Korriban.
"A most wise, choice, all of you." Snoke smugly said as he led the effort to confiscate all of the weapons of the Shadow Alliance forces, and personally relished taking the weapons from his former comrades, Sabine and Zeb, especially the Darksaber from Sabine, and Zeb's bo-rifle. Even White Eyes was enjoying the humiliating defeat, as he was freed earlier in the battle, and managed to kill a great deal of the Jedi's allies.
Vua, however, had one final trick up his sleeve, as he threw several concealed Yuuzhan Vong Thud bugs at three unsuspecting Sith, and killed two of them, while Darth See-Chok barely managed to escape the attack, and, using a series of precise Force strikes on Vua's vital points, caused the Yuuzhan Vong's heart to explode, killing him almost instantly as he coughed up blood before he collapsed to the ground, much to the horror of all of his comrades.
Meanwhile, deeper into the catacombs
Edaan and Vestara were, surprisingly enough, holding their own against Darth Wyyrlok, and they were slowly gaining the upper hand on him, as the two were familiar enough with each other's fighting styles to work in near-perfect synch with each other. The Chagrian Sith Lord had suffered many lightsaber cuts and burns all over his body, while both adherents of the Light Side were covered in an equal amount of bruises and sweat, but neither side was willing to concede defeat, as it would destroy the plans that they or their master had for the galaxy.
As Edaan and Vestara launched a combined Force push on Wyyrlok, he barely managed to withstand the powerful wave of telekinetic energy, and, before he could counterattack, his comlink came to life, and an unknown voice said, "Lord Wyyrlok, it's See-Chok. We've suffered, heavy casualties, but managed to kill or capture all but three of the Shadow Alliance's fighters, and await your response."
After hearing those words, Edaan stopped dead in his tracks, with Vestara following immediately after, as both fighters realized that the battle was lost, and Edaan sadly said, "All right. You've beaten us. What do you want?"
"For you and the harlot to surrender, Edaan Palpatine, so that our master can speak with you. You and Lord Krayt have a great deal to discuss." Wyyrlok stoically said, but inside, he was feeling a great deal of relief, as he was beginning to believe that Edaan and his strike force could win against him and his forces, further weakening the already outnumbered forces of the One Sith's army and navy.
"'Harlot'?" Vestara said as she took a threatening step towards the One Sith's second-in-command, as she was extremely incensed that Wyyrlok, or anyone else, for that matter, would use such a hurtful term on her for simply following her heart, only to be held back by Edaan.
"If we surrender, then you have to promise that you will treat the rest of my followers with dignity and respect." Edaan said, his voice devoid of any emotion in order to avoid stop himself from saying anything that could get his loved ones killed.
"You're in no positon to make any demands of us, young Palpatine." Wyyrlok confidently said before he continued, respectfully saying, "But, your devotion to your comrades is admirable, and I see no reason as to why Lord Krayt would needlessly torture them, as you are the one that we are really after. So, do we have an agreement, Edaan?"
Before Edaan could say "yes", Vestara telepathically said to him, Edaan, you can't trust Wyyrlok's word, as he will say anything to get you to come with him to the Gates of Chaos itself. He'll probably just have them all killed in order to spite us.
Do you have a better idea, Ves? Because if you do, then I will gladly take it. Otherwise, we play it their way for now. We just have to hold out until the Shadow Alliance gets here, and that's only forty-seven days from now. Edaan mentally retorted.
FORTY-SEVEN DAYS?! Edaan, in case you forgot, I just returned to the Light Side, and forty-seven days is a very long time, a time frame in which I, as well as all of us, could easily fall to the Dark Side, and then the galaxy will truly be doomed. Vestara incredulously said as she gave Wyyrlok her lightsaber, with Edaan following her act.
Vestara, if you don't have faith in me and the Force, then have faith in yourself, as I know that there is more to you than meets the eye. It's the reason why I went out of my way to save you in the first place. Edaan reassuringly said, although it did very little to assuage the fear that was coursing through Vestara's entire being at this very time.
One Hour Later, Outside the Tomb of Tulak Hord
Patrolian bounty hunter Robonino, along with the tuk'ata that Edaan tamed and named "Butch", and the astromech droid C1-10P, better known as "Chopper", was in dire straits, as he had narrowly managed, through a combination of tactics and grenades, to kill the Zabrak Sith Lord that was sent to capture him, as well as escape the catacombs of Korriban. Knowing that the Shadow Alliance needed to know about this disaster, Robonino said, "Chopper, can you get a signal to Khar Delba, as our allies need to know about this turn of events?"
Chopper angrily whirled around and mumbled in droidspeak, while Butch, who did not understand what the astromech droid was saying, could only mourn over the potential loss of his master and friend, and sat his head on the ground.
"Yes, I know that we never should have come here on our own, but it's too late to turn back now. We need to let the others know that the boss, Sabine, Jaden, Zeb, and the others have been taken prisoner, and you're our only shot of getting this information across." Robonino replied, angry at how he couldn't help his friends when they needed him most, and how he, Chopper, and Butch could very well be the last surviving members of the Shadow Alliance's impromptu strike force.
After Chopper relented, he set to work on getting a signal across to the Second Chance on Khar Delba, and, after about five minutes, a strong enough signal was able to project an image of Atai Molec, whose voice was full of relief, said, "Robo. It's good to hear from you and the others again. Where's Edaan and the others, as Chopper said that the transmission was urgent?"
"Right." Robonino nervously said before he continued, saying, "Basically, our entire strike force has been decimated by an assault by the One Sith, and the survivors have been taken prisoner by our enemies."
"WHAT?! How could this have happened?" Atai shockingly said, afterwards, Robonino quickly explained how the strike force was defeated, and Vua Rapuung was killed in battle, but not before they exacted a heavy toll on the One Sith's forces, and how Edaan managed to get through to Vestara before they were captured, as well as tame the tuk'ata ound that was intently watching the conversation.
"I can't believe that Vua's really gone. I always assumed that he would die of old age instead of in battle." Atai despondently said before he gathered his thoughts and said, "Well, at least Edaan achieved part of the mission's objective." Atai annoyingly said before he asked, "And how did the three of you manage to escape the One Sith's forces?"
"Once it was clear that the battle was unwinnable, Chopper shocked me into unconsciousness and led me and Butch up a tunnel that eventually led us back to the surface, and we even managed to kill another Sith Lord on the way up here." Robonino explained, causing Chopper to shock him again, only for Robonino to say, "OW! What? It's true, you coward!"
"Enough, both of you!" Atai said in a tone that befitted a school teacher scolding two misbehaving children. He then took a deep breath and said, "Am I correct to assume that you want us to come and try and extract the three of you, as that will be incredibly difficult with the blockade in place, as they no doubt have our transponders in their records, and there isn't enough time to create new ones?"
"No. You need to get back to Mandalore and inform the Shadow Alliance about this development, as it's only a matter of time before the One Sith find you guys, and they need to know that their plans, security, as well as everything else, may be fatally compromised, and that they should accelerate their plans for invasion. Chopper, Butch, and I will find a way to hold out here until you guys get here." Robonino passionately said, earning a series of incredulous grumbles from Chopper.
"Robonino, you're going to have to forgive me for being so blunt, but are you karking insane?! You'll never survive alone against an entire army of Sith Lords and their lackeys. We need to get you out of there now, before it's too late." Atai shockingly said, not fully believing what his Patrolian comrade had just said.
"I know that it's crazy, but I just can't leave our friends alone while they're suffering at the hands of the Sith and their lackeys. I have to do this, and there's nothing that you, or anyone else, for that matter, can say or do to stop me." Robonino countered, not willing to further argue with one of his six surviving closest friends. "You, on the other hand, need to get out of Sith Space while you still can, and don't look back, no matter how much you want to."
Atai, realizing that nothing that he could say would convince Robonino to leave the deathtrap that he was on, he sighed in defeat, and said, "Well, you certainly don't lack for courage, and Edaan would be proud of you for that. May the Force be with the three of you, as you're going to need every advantage that you can get if you want to survive the carnage is coming your way."
"And with you, as well, old friend." Robonino solemnly said as the transmission ended, leaving a very irate Choppper able to try and shock the bounty hunter again, only for Butch to come to Robonino's defense, growling at the astromech droid as he backed down from his threat, and Robonino said, "Down, boy. Chopper's just trying to blow off steam, aren't you, my friend?"
After grumbling for a few more moments, Chopper reluctantly nodded his body in confirmation, as he was not fond of being eaten alive by a Sith hound, which left an exhausted RObonino to say, alright, guys, let's make camp here for a few hours, then we'll head back into the tombs and try to salvage what we can of the other's gear, as we'll need every advantage that we can get if we plan to hold out until our reinforcements get here. Sounds like a plan?"
Butch nodded his head in confirmation, and Chopper reluctantly bobbed down in acceptance of the plan, as this mercenary was Chopper's best hope of rescuing his last two friends in this messed-up galaxy.
Six Hours Later, In the Mandalore System, Onboard the Megador
"This is most troubling, Atai." Luke Skywalker gravely said as he, as well as the other members of the Shadow Alliance's High Command, absorbed the briefing that Atai Molec and R2-D2 gave to them. After the Second Chance, Aliit, and the remaining ships that were hiding in Khar Delba had made their way to Mandalore, he requested a briefing with all of the Shadow Alliance's leaders, and what he had to say was very disturbing. According to Atai's report, Edaan had, beyond everyone's hopes and expectations, managed to put Vestara Khai on the path of redemption, as well as inflict heavy casualties on the Sith's infantry forces, and kill several dozen Sith Lords before he, and the surviving members of his covert strike force, were captured by Darth Krayt's right-hand man, the Chagrian known as Darth Wyyrlok, and Darths Snoke, Malleus, and Sedriss, and only Robonino, Zeb and Sabine's astromech droid known as "Chopper", and a tuk'ata that Edaan somehow managed to recruit to his hare-brained cause, and that he named, out of all the possible names out there, "Butch", had managed to escape the final battle, and were determined to wage a guerilla war on the One Sith until the Shadow Alliance invaded Korriban.
"Indeed, Master Skywalker. But the question that we should be asking ourselves now is what we're going to do about this turn of events." Nek Bwua'tu calmly said as he considered the information that Atai had brought them. "Thanks to Edaan, the One Sith have lost a significant amount of their ground forces, as well as many of the One Sith's best warriors, and we now know of a way to enter the planet's catacombs. On the other hand, now the One Sith have a chance at breaking Edaan and the others, which could compromise Operation: Endgame's success."
"Don't worry about Edaan breaking, Supreme Commander. He's too stubborn and pure-hearted for that to happen. I have faith that he'll hold out long enough for us to get to Korriban. As for Vestara, well… we'll see soon enough." Ben numbly said, as he was still reflecting on the news that Edaan managed to get through to Vestara and bring her back to the Light Side, and what fate awaited the two of them now that they were in Darth Krayt's clutches.
"No disrespect intended, Ben, but Edaan's going to need more than faith if he thinks that he can redeem Vestara so easily, as well as endure the Sith's torture for forty-seven days." Han Solo annoyingly said as scolded his nephew, as he found it hard to believe that Edaan could so easily redeem Vestara after all the betrayals and atrocities that she had committed over the last thirteen years.
"Then we just move up the timetable, Solo." Boba Fett said, more than a little angry that Han had so little faith in the man who had, against insurmountable odds, managed to unite the entire galaxy against the Sith and their legions. "My men should be ready to move out in just three weeks, and we'll go alone if we have to."
"That won't be necessary, Mandalore, because the Hutt Grand Council's fleets should be ready to move out within that timeframe as well." Azzim Anjilic Atirue grimly said, as he was just as eager to save his longtime friend from the Sith's demented clutches.
"So will the Galactic Empire's forces, as the troops and Imperial Knights are climbing up the walls, just waiting for the invasion." Jaina Solo Fel said.
"And the rest of the reinforcements from Jedi Order will be ready to move out within sixteen days." Corran Horn continued.
"The Hapes Consortium will be more than willing to attain vengeance against those that threatened the Chume'da, and will happily move ahead of schedule if it means that we can have justice." Trista Zel eagerly said, earning a grateful nod from Boba Fett.
"And the Confederation will be able to move out within that time frame." Admiral Traest Kre'frey said with much anticipation, as he was eager to finish the job that Edaan Palpatine had started of eradicating the Sith from the Universe.
"Then I guess that the Galactic Alliance will support this endeavor, as we want the Sith gone just as much as everyone else." Gavin Darklighter said in mock-reluctance.
"And so will our recruits from my mother's army of wayward Mandalorians and Galactic Alliance soldiers." Armand Vorn dutifully said, not wanting to be left out of the matter.
After hearing every member of the Shadow Alliance's War Council commit to an accelerated invasion, Bwua'tu smiled in relief as he said, "I see. Then, if there are no objections, Operation: Endgame will be moved up to exactly twenty-one days from now. Any questions?" After no one spoke, he said, "Well then, we have a lot of work to do, and even less time to do so. So, I recommend that we all get off of our butts, and get to work. May the Force be with us all."
Everyone nodded at Bwua'tu's last words, and they quickly left the briefing room or cut their holonet connection with the Super Star Destroyer's briefing room, leaving only Luke, Han, Leia, Jaina, and a heavily conflicted Ben Skywalker sitting in the room.
"Ben? How are you holding up?" Jaina sympathetically asked of her younger cousin.
"Honestly, I feel like that I'm being torn in two from the inside out, Jaina." Ben said, not in the mood from any reprimands from his family as he still struggled to come to terms with the news that Robonino had about Vestara, the woman that he still deeply loved, and Ben, his former apprentice that risked everything just for his master's happiness.
"Because of the news that Edaan might have gotten through to Vestara after all, and the guilt that you must be feeling over not believing in Edaan, as well as not being there to help Vestara when she needs your help most?" Leia gently asked, surprising Han, as he still bore a healthy grudge, to put it lightly, against Vestara for her attempt on his granddaughter's life, even if she really didn't have a choice, as Edaan claimed.
"Come on, Ben. You're not really buying any of this poodoo, are you?" Han incredulously asked his wife and nephew.
"Han!" Leia scolded her husband, as he was being insensitive to Ben's inner conflict that was raging inside of him at this time.
"What? I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it. How could Edaan have redeemed Vestara so quickly, if at all, if Ben couldn't, with the bond that they forged together before her betrayal?" Han said while he regretted what he said to his nephew because of his anger.
"I don't blame you, Uncle Han. I don't know what to feel right now, because I am afraid that any response that I take will lead to even more pain and heartbreak." Ben said as the tears started to fall over his grief and heartbreak over being without Vestara for over twelve years.
"Well, Ben, What does your heart tell you?" Luke patiently said, knowing how conflicted his son was in due to the revelation that Vestara might be redeemed.
"That Edaan managed to get through to Vestara, but I'm afraid that she could fall again, even if she had Edaan and I with her." Ben confessed, anticipating a lot of yelling by his family members.
"Ben, I think that the only advice that we can give to you is to trust the Force and your heart, as, if you listen honestly, with a child's eye, free of any expectations, both of them will never steer you wrong." Luke honestly and gently said, with Jaina and Leia nodding in affirmation.
After he dried his tears, Ben gratefully said, "Thank you, guys. But, I think that it's best if I'm alone right now, so, I'm heading back to my fighter to fix it up." He then got up from his seat to walk to the hangar where his StealthX fighter was berthed, leaving the rest of the older Solo-Skywalker clan alone.
"Do you think that he'll be okay, Luke?" Leia asked her brother.
"Given enough time, Ben can recover from anything. I have faith in him and his strength of character." Luke reassuringly said.
"Let's hope so, because in just three weeks, he'll have to confront his personal demons." Han said, earning a scowl from his daughter.
"Have a little faith in him, Dad. He's endured much worse than this." Jaina said in defense in of her cousin.
"I believe in Ben, it's Vestara that worries me." Han said in correction.
"Well, it's up to the Force now." Luke saidm ending the conversation as he left the briefing room, with Han, Leia, and Jaina following him, as they each had their respective duties within the Shadow Alliance to attend to.
And, that's a wrap with this latest chapter for Jedi Odyssey: Shadow War III: Tribulation. So, tell me what you think, as I estimate that this story had at least ten chapters left to go before I'm finished with it. By the way, on this day, February 9, 2017, in Dragon Age: Origins: Ultimate Edition, I have just freed the werewolves from Zathrian's curse, and am about to head back to Ostagar. After that, the Landsmeet begins, and I can't wait to give Howe his comeuppance. Hey, I just realized that I've almost surpassed my last story in word count, and that is a huge milestone for me. Oh, and before I forget, yes, I know that I'm a monster for killing off Vua, but I wanted to make this war even more personal for Edaan. And besides, it was only a matter of time before he and his crew's luck ran out, so I figured to go down that route. Don't worry; no more of his crewmembers will be killed in this story. As for the last story, well… let's just wait and see. So, in other fanficiton news, DaWitcher's story has been updated, as well as N7ArchReaper's IV: Holocaust, have been updated within the last twenty-four hours and the chapters are amazing. I highly recommend them to all of you guys, as you will not be disappointed. Oh, yes! In Star Wars comic news, this morning, I learned that another crossover will commence this May, and it's a crossover between Star Wars and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. I can't wait to get the graphic novel version of it comes out. You can find out more at and The Star Wars Underworld. So, I have almost finished the book about that dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan during WWII, and it is very disturbing, as I'm sure that you guys can imagine. It makes me grateful that the Allies won the war, or the world would be a lot darker than it already is, and that's saying something. Oh, there's one last thing that I want to tell you guys. I noticed that on several websites the graphic novel The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars: Part 1 is available for pre-order, and that a massive amount of people have already purchased it on Amazon. I'm glad that the Avatar universe is continuing, but I am not fond over the… let's just say, highly controversial ending, as I am not a fan of what the message that they're trying to send the youth of today, to put it lightly, as I do not want to anger or offend anyone who feels differently than I do. So, feel free to review or shoot me an email, as I need the feedback and constructive criticism. May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!