Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! How are you doing on the final night of 2018? I'm not doing so well, as my flight down to Florida was cancelled due to foggy weather back home. I'm a bit upset, as I was looking forward to spending a few days with my grandparents after a year without a visit. That means that I'll have to work, and I'm worried about my job. But, it's all in God's hands now, and all I can do is pray and learn from my mistake. So, what book are any of you reading? I've read over a third of Jesus Is Risen in the last two days. After that, I'll definitely read The Witcher: Season of Storms next. I just know that it'll be a great read. Oh, and I've played a bit of Assassins' Creed: Origins, knocking up 90 Gamerscore Points in three hours or so from completing the prologue and several other quests. Well, this'll probably be the last chapter I write before the Hunt for Eeth Koth begins in earnest, so I'd better get to it. There's just one more thing to discuss, in case any of you are wondering. I will not have Chelli Lona Aphra be a homosexual, as, religious and personal beliefs aside, I don't think that having same-sex characters in a work is necessary to make a good story, regardless of what others might believe. Now, you can feel differently, and I'll respect your opinion, but it won't change the story. Anyway, on with the story! May the Lord bless us all in this New Year!

(Tuesday, January 1, 2019 Addendum.) Hey, everyone. How are you doing on this warm first day of 2019? I'm doing well, as I did some shopping earlier, and bought some more Assassins' Creed games for the Xbox One, along with a few good books. I look forward to reading and playing them all. So, I haven't had to work today, which is fortunate. I hope to have at least two more days of rest before I go back to work. Well, that's enough talk from me. Time to get back to writing, after I go out to dinner with my family.

(Wednesday, January 2, 2019 Addendum.) Hey, guys. How are you doing on this cool day? I'm doing well, as I bought the strategy guides for the Assassins' Creed games that I bought yesterday, and I look forward to getting them all. I also bought a few more books, and the final issue of Injustice vs Masters of the Universe, because I couldn't go the comic book store today. Unfortunately, that's the last comic that I'll be buying for a while, so I won't be heading to my comic book store for a long time. I also haven't had to work today, which is fortunate, because I helped me family out with putting away our Christmas decorations. So, I've written over 2,400 words in my chapter so far, and I hope to get this one done before I go back to work this Saturday. Well, I'd better get back to writing. Wish me luck.

Meanwhile, On the Todo's Legacy

72 Hours From Iridonia

"Vau! You need to get up here!" Cad shouted to the Cuy'val Dar, waking him up from his slumber.

"Huh? What time is it, Bane?" Walon groggily responded, rubbing his eyes as he began to rise from his bunk.

Not wanting Omega Squad to chew him out for delaying this message, Cad said, "You've got a transmission from Sev! He's alive!"

That revelation snapped Walon out of his weariness, and he grabbed the Duros by his shoulder, uttering in a whisper of a voice, "He's alive?"

"See for yourself. He sent us a holorecording, and everyone's waiting for you to come up before we play it." Bane confirmed.

"Then let's tell the boys to get it ready! I've waited long enough to hear from Sev." Walon exuberantly responded, right behind the bounty hunter.

Once the two mercenaries entered the ship's cockpit, with the holograms of Kal, Bardan, Etain, and the four members of Omega Squad looked at Walon with hopeful expressions on their faces, while the image of a bearded Sev in his battered Clone Commando armor was in the center of the projection.

Vau, not in the mood for any delays, impatiently told his seven friends, "Are you guys going to stare at me all day, or are we gonna listen to my boy's message?"

"There's the Vau that we know and loathe." Darman joked before he activated the recording, with the gruff voice of Sev coming through,

"This is RC-1207, contacting Sergeant Walon Vau, RC-1138, RC-1262, and… Ah, kriff it! I'm not cannon fodder anymore, so I'm gonna get to the point." Sev honestly said, before taking in a sharp breath, and continued, half-joking as he spoke, "I'm alive on Kashyyyk, no thanks to you guys, and I need your help."

"When you guys pulled out, I was nearly killed by Droids and Trandoshans. Even gave me a few good scars from the scuffle that nearly had me comatose. Lucky for you dik'uts, a clan of Wookiees got me just before I was done for, and nursed me back to health over the next couple of months."

"By the time that I was back to full strength, the Empire and their new enforcer decided to invade the planet. I helped get as many Wookiees as I could away from the bastards who betrayed every oath that we swore, along with every principle that we supposedly espoused. It wasn't much though, only got a couple thousand away before Moff Tarkin snared his trap." Sev ruefully commented.

"Ever since then, the remaining soldiers and I have been organizing them and whatever slaves we rescue into a fighting force against the Empire in a bid to retake their homeworld, but we haven't had much luck. Even I can't lead an army to victory on my own." He then chuckled at the false boast.

"It was only about a month ago that an off world Wookiee named Chewbacca reached out to us, and told us about the Shadow Alliance that the old Sarge was a part of that was, and was taking orders from, and this is the strangest part, a Jedi from the future that was the Emperor's great-great-grandson. Seriously, though, you guys need to come up with a better name. Try… the Galactic Alliance, Hell, the New Republic sounds better than that. But I digress."

Sighing, he continued, "I know that you guys are on opposing sides right now, but I need your help in liberating Kashyyyk and its people from the Imps. I made a vow to not leave the world until it was free from the Sith's oppression, and you know that I always keep my word. Anyone that you can rally to this cause would be a hero to the Wookiees."

The transmission began to emit static by this point, and Sev cursed in Mando'a before ending the transmission with a smile on his face, "See you guys soon. Sev, out."

As the hologram dissipated, Walon immediately ordered Atin, "Get Tau on the line."

"Already on it, boss." Atin eagerly replied seconds before Tau and Jaing's images came into focus.

"What's going on, guys? We're still a few days away from-" Tau began before getting cut off by an impatient Walon.

"Sev's alive." Walon abruptly said, catching Jaing's attention.

"He contacted you?" Jaing deduced, knowing how fervently Walon searched for his trainee after he was left for dead on Kashyyyk.

"He's on Kashyyyk, and is leading the resistance against the Empire. He contacted me and Delta Squad, asking us for our aid in building an army out of the remaining free Wookiees. Once this missoin's over, and Delta Squad's in the fold, we're heading to support him."

Before Tau could utter a single word in response, Darman piped up, "Omega Squad will be going too, Tau. Back when he first went missing, all of us volunteered to rescue him, so it's only fair that we help him in his quest."

"Guys-" Tau began to say before Niner beat him to it,

"Don't even think of trying to stop us, Tau. We owe it to our brothers to rescue one of our own, and I am not going to let anyone stop me from going to help them."

"Actually, I was going to ask how long this would take, because, I was going to suggest that you take Etain with you." Tau began before he explained, "If you're going to help inspire a planet wide rebellion, then you'll likely need a Jedi by your side, and Etain's spent plenty of time with you guys to be a team player. Plus, she's close enough to being a Jedi in order to qualify."

"Well… okay, then. That works. Out." Walon awkwardly answered before he closed the channel.

Meanwhile, In the Scarl System

Within the Scarl Construction Facilities

"Are you sure of these orders, Lord Vader?" PROXY questioned the Sith Lord while he prepared the prototype cloaking ship codenamed the Rogue Shadow for takeoff. "The Emperor will have our heads if he learns that we've absconded with Starkiller." Proxy warned the cyborg about the four-year-old human boy that was currently asleep in the captain's quarters.

"Don't question me, PROXY." Vader sternly reprimanded the experimental combat droid. "The Emperor will purge anyone even suspected of loyalty to me once my treason is revealed, and that includes Starkiller and yourself. If you want to ensure that you can train the boy to be a worthy warrior, then take him to the coordinates that I've loaded into the navicomupter. You have four days to make it to the world before I depart it with the Shadow Alliance."

Pausing for a moment, he then asked, "Did you remember to leave behind the packages for the shipyards?"

"Oh, yes, Lord Vader. The packages have been left at the locations like you instructed to me. I only wish that I could stick around for the fireworks." PROXY ruefully commented.

"Just be grateful that I decided to save you and the boy. Now, get moving." Vader annoyingly ordered the heavily modified PROXY droid, ending the private communication while PROXY transmitted the clearance codes for the ship's departure.

As the ship gained distance from the doomed shipyards, an Imperial Light Cruiser and a squadron of TIE Fighters deployed to intercept the Rogue Shadow.

"Rogue Shadow, this is LS-21. Your departure was unscheduled. Return to Hangar 21 at once." The Imperial squad leader forewarned the droid.

Shifting his form into that of Imperial Ace Shae Hublin, PROXY said in a perfect imitation of the Talcene native's voice, "This is Commander Shae Hublin. Lord Vader ordered me to take the ship on a test run in the adjacent system. Unless you want to explain to the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military why his project was delayed, you'll let me through at once."

After a brief bit of sputtering on the squad leader's part, he fearfully said, "My-my apologies, Commander Hublin. We'll-we'll just be going back to formation now. Glory to the Empire."

Oh, how easy it is to fool simple-minded Imperials. PROXY inwardly chuckled while preparing the Rogue Shadow for the jump to hyperspace.

Five Minutes Later

Within Scarl Shipyards Central Command

"Admiral, we're getting unusual readings from several junctions of the station." An aide curiously advised Balon Jordo, the commander of the secret shipyard.

"What kind of readings?" Balon questioned, wondering if the systems were acting up again from the station's close proximity to the system's red dwarf, while wondering just what Lord Vader was up to with this impromptu field test of the Rogue Shadow's capabilities.

"Readings that almost resemble…" Upon reading the analysis again, the woman grew pale from fear, "Explosives."

Knowing that the fate of the station would be decided in the next few minutes, Balon snapped to his command crew, "Order all non-essential personnel off of the station at once. Have the capital ships withdraw to a safe distance. And, get bomb squads down to the sites of the readings n-" Right in the middle of Balon giving orders to his crew, he saw a nearby junction explode from within.

As if on cue, the rest of the shipyards, including the nascent skeleton of the developing Super Star Destroyer, were engulfed in a series of explosions that consumed every ship within the shipyard.

Twenty-Four Hours Later

On Coruscant/Imperial Center

Within the Imperial Palace

As Bahl'al observed the efforts of the mind probes from the Emperor's acolytes on the captive Ekria, Sidious walked into the torture chamber with a terrible scowl on his face. Sensing the rage that the Emperor wanted to inflict on anyone foolish enough to be in his way, Bahl'al motioned for the acolytes to cease their mental attack on the Jedi Padawan and back away.

Bowing before his master, he deferentially spoke, "What troubles you, my master?"

"The Scarl shipyards have been destroyed." Sidious slowly growled out, making the Sovereign Protector snap his head up to the Sith Lord in utter horror.

Instead of asking how it happened, Bahl'al rather proposed who, "The Shadow Alliance?"

"It seems the most likely suspect, but I can deduce someone else's hand in this." Sidious shut down the theory, and then informing his most trusted ally, "I did not sense the young Marek boy's death in the shipyards, and there was a transmission of departure from the Rogue Shadow."

Knowing that the only surviving people that knew about the kidnapped son of Jedi Knight Kento Marek could be counted on one hand, Bahl'al quickly came to the same conclusion and he fought to keep the sudden shot of panic from his voice, "You are saying Vader is responsible?"

"So the evidence suggests." Sidious snarled out. He then promisingly added, "You did well in dismantling the Whiplash network, my friend." Then darkly saying, "Now, I will be taking over the interrogation of the Padawan. I will personally have the confirmation that I need, and the evidence that I need to put that wretch of an apprentice in his place!"

Walking into the interrogation room, Sidious dismissed the six Shadow Guards that were at attention, and then turned his focus to the terrified woman beneath him. Panting from both agony from the torture that she has endured, and the fear of being in the same room as the ruling Dark Lord of the Sith, Ekria struggled in vain to escape the bonds that held her to the interrogation chair.

Smirking at the Padawan's terror, Sidious, with a poisonous voice disguised through a mask of honey, drew out, "Oh, don't worry, young one. I'm not going to kill you. You are far too valuable to me to dispose of. Not without learning what I wish to know, first. Tell me," His voice grew sinister as he asked, "Was it Lord Vader who facilitated your escape?"

Not responding through either voice or through the Force, Ekria continued to remain defiant in the face of such immense evil.

Sighing that his attempts to acquire the information through civilized ways failed, he growled before saying, "Very well. Clearly, I will have to use more direct means of breaking you. Just remember, you brought this on yourself."

Erika's body was then engulfed by a fierce lightning storm emanating from his fingertips. Hot, searing pain rolled through her body as Sidious carefully targeted the nerve endings and pain receptors while avoiding everything else. He did not wish to destroy this promising specimen, merely break her, and in the pure agony he enveloped her in, he began his invasion of her mind.

Her defenses, already worn down from the mind probes of Bahl'al's acolytes, were no match for the fresh attack from the Galactic Emperor, and he scoured through every memory for what he sought. Searching for what seemed like days, Sidious found what he was looking for.

He saw the memories of Qu Rahn, Thracia Cho Leem, and Ekria awaiting their interrogation, when Vader came and gave them an opportunity to send a message to the Shadow Alliance on the hunt for Eeth Koth. Pulling himself out of the Barolian's consciousness, he took several deep breaths to steady his mind.

Feeling a vortex of fury overtake him at his most powerful apprentice's blatant betrayal of both him and his Empire, he unleashed a Force Scream with enough power to shatter the glass of the interrogation room, along with Ekria's eardrums. With a shudder of pain and a flood of blood pooling from her ears, her head fell to her chest as her mind succumbed to numbing pain.

"Master!" Bahl'al came up to Sidious, and concernedly said, "You were in that woman's mind for three hours. It… What did you see?"

"Skywalker has returned to the Jedi." Sidious snarled out before explaining, "The jailbreak at LiMerge Building was his doing, a distraction for Ekria to get a warning to Tau and Ahsoka about Eeth Koth. The deaths of the two other Jedi was merely a cover up for his schemes."

"Then the Inquisitors and commandos..." Bahl'al realized before he suggested, "Let me and my acolytes go to Iridonia and complete the mission, my liege. We will not fail you."

"I do not doubt that, my friend, but it is not necessary. I will personally go to capture everyone on that disgusting planet, for I have spent too long sitting on my throne. It's time for me to take a more active role in my Empire." Sidious politely refused the offer before he pulled out his comlink, and ordered into it, "Commander Kagi. Have my shuttle prepared for departure to the Iridonia System within the hour, and have my fleet follow suit once it's ready for departure."

Turning back to face Bahl'al, he ordered him, "You will maintain the illusion that I am on Imperial Center in order to keep our enemies in the dark. I will warn the Inquisitors and commandos on Skywalker's treachery."

And woe to anyone who dares try and get in my way this time! Sidious swore as he prepared to leave the interrogation room, before remembering one last loose end to tie up before he left the system.

Turning to face Ekria, he said, "Kill the Padawan. She is of no use to us anymore."

"Actually, my liege, we might still have use for her." Bahl'al boldly suggested. "Her talents as a slicer are barely rivaled, and I can sense a deep anger in her heart stemming from the loss of her friends. If we were to convert her to the Dark Side, she could be a valued asset to our cause."

Staring at his servant, and then the Padawan for what seemed to be an eternity, Sidious cackled at his friend's initiative, and praised him, "You truly are one of a kind, my friend. Very well. Send her to the High Inquisitor's Citadel on Prakith, where she may begin her… reeducation."

"If it pleases you, your majesty, I have another idea."

Sidious nodded, "Go on."

"My lord, it is of little doubt that Tau Palpatine knows about all the installations you have built throughout the galaxy. I would suggest bringing her somewhere the Jedi can't hope to find her."

"And where would you suggest, my humble servant?"

Bahl'al took a moment to think on it, "Why, what better place than the Jedi's most holy place? The place of their birth, Tython."

"Hide her in plain sight? Heh, the Jedi will never find her... unless some of their troublesome ghosts or another interloper from the future arrives to help them. See it done."

"As you wish, my master."

"Another thing, Protector."

"Yes, your majesty?"

"I want you to look into ways of dealing with the Jedi Ghosts, they have been a nuisance for me and my plans long enough."

"My lord, forgive my tone, but how do I even begin looking into combating such supernatural beings? I am barely trained in the force."

"Which is why I shall name you my new apprentice."

Bahl'al stiffened at that, "Me?" he asked disbelievingly, "your majesty, am I worthy of such an honor?"

"You do yourself a disservice asking such a thing. You are not only loyal to me, Bahl'al, but you have the attitude of a true Sith. The drive, the rage, the initiative. You are unaffected by the cancer of the Light, unlike Vader. You shall become my true apprentice, and become the mailed fist that shall destroy the enemies of our Empire."

"Thank you, my lord. But what of Vader?"

"He shall be dealt with soon enough, and all those allied with him shall suffer the ultimate consequence for their treachery. Now go, my apprentice, and do as I bid. Soon, I will grant you the title of Darth, and you alone will choose your Sith name."

"My master," Bahl'al smiled behind the mask, "I already did."

Bowing at the grace of his master, the new apprentice of the Sith went to work at once at delivering the Padawan to where her new destiny would begin, while Sidious prepared to enact his vengeance against his former apprentice.

One Hour Later

Onboard the Second Chance

In Hyperspace

47 Hours from the Iridonia System

"We're receiving a transmission from… well, I didn't expect to hear from them again so soon." Akku commented in surprise before he continued, "Tau, Popara Anjiliac Diresto is contacting us."

"Well, that is a surprise." Tau said before he told the Anzati, "Put it through. Let's hope that this is a small issue, because we can't afford to suffer a delay."

Opening a line to the Hutt clan leader, Popara angrily demanded, [Tau, you better have a damn good explanation for this!]

"What happened this time?" Tau groaned out.

[One of the Emperor's Hands, Sarcev Quest, along with three companies of Imperial troops, a bounty hunter, and- stop me if you've heard this one- General Grievous, just landed in one of my spaceports on Nar Shaddaa! They're claiming that they're deserting the Empire, want to buy new ships, and get a doctor to reattach Quest's severed arm. They even claimed that your Jedi let them go. Tell me that this is some kind of a joke.] Popara warned the Jedi Knight.

Wanting to bash his head against a hard object for this ill-timed inconvenience, Tau instead evenly said to his Hutt ally, "I'm afraid not, my friend. They are indeed fleeing the Empire, and they will pay a fair price for the ships to go into hiding before the Empire sends death squads and bounty hunters after them."

[You aren't making this alliance easy on any of us, Tau.] Popara groaned out. [Fine. But they've got two days to get what they need, and leave the system before the Empire learns of their location, because that will be bad for all of us.]

"Don't I know it." Tau muttered in agreement before adding, "If there was nothing else, Honored Popara, we need to prepare for a vital rescue mission, and-"

While Tau spoke, the image of Grand Moff Trachta appeared, cutting out the image of the elderly Hutt lord.

Getting right to the issue at hand, the double agent brusquely said, "For all of our sakes, you'd better move fast on getting Master Koth and the others out of the known galaxy, Tau." Before anyone could respond, Trachta continued, "The Emperor discovered Vader's treason against him, and he's going to Iridonia to personally deal with all of you."

Paling in petrifying fear from potentially confronting the most dangerous Sith Lord that existed since Darth Bane, Tau found his throat dry up, leaving an equally horrified, but somewhat composed, Akku to ask, "How did he find out, and how long do we have?"

"He broke the Jedi Padawan that escaped Inquisitorious Headquarters, Ekria, I believe her name was, after the fall of Whiplash. She's the one that Vader allowed to transmit a warning to you guys. Not to mention how Vader's orchestration of the Scarl shipyards destruction was a nice way to integrate himself with you guys, given the dreadnought that was in construction there."

"Wait, what?" Tau broke in, suddenly regaining his voice at the mention of the covert Imperial shipyard and the implications of its destruction. "Were there any survivors of the shipyards' destruction?"

"Not that I know of." Trachta honestly answered.

"Kriff." Tau swore, surprising both Trachta and Akku with his curse, before he explained, "That's where Vader should have been holding Galen Marek, the son of two deceased Jedi, along with the original founder of the Rebel Alliance in my time."

"Damn." Trachta uttered. "Sounds like he could have been a valued asset to the cause if liberated."

"I know." Tau completely agreed. "As a young adult, he was one of the few people that could go toe to toe, and surpass, several prominent Jedi survivors, and even both Vader and my ancestor."

"Hold on a second, guys." Akku interrupted. "If Galen was even half as powerful in the Force as you say he was, then his death should have sent reverberations through the Force, right? Plus, why would Vader, if he seeks help in atoning for his sins, leave a child that he orphaned to die?"

"Yes, it should have if the boy had more mastery over his powers, but I… hold on. Are you saying what I think you're saying, old friend?"

"More like hoping what I'm thinking, Tau." Akku corrected the Jedi.

"You suspect that Vader spirited the young boy away in the hopes of convincing you of his sincerity to defect, don't you?" Trachta conjectured.

"Yes. Yes, yes, that's it!" Tau concluded before adding, "Vader had a highly lethal PROXY-series droid watch over the young Marek until they defected, and he must have had him get him away before the shipyards were destroyed."

Rubbing his chin in thought, Trachta resolved, "Well, we'll all find out soon enough."

Tau, deciding to change the topic of the discussion, and remembered a previous detail that Trachta revealed, "Wait a minute. You said that Whiplash was destroyed? How in the blazes did that happen?!"

"Bahl'al, with the help of Imperial Intelligence, launched a coordinated attack on all of Whiplash's hideouts across Coruscant, capturing the entire leadership in one fell swoop." Trachta lamented.

"'Bahl'al? I've never heard of that name." Tau questioned.

"You're joking, right?" Trachta incredulously asked, before quickly explaining, "He's the Imperial Sovereign Protector, leader of the Imperial Royal Guards, and one of Sidious's most trusted servants. How could you not know of him?"

"Must be another alteration in the timelines." Akku deduced, before warning, "We need to go, because we need to let our teams, and Vader, know of Sidious's coming ASAP."

"Undestood. I'll transmit the communications codes for Vader's TIE Fighter. Good luck." Trachta bade them farewell before the hologram turned back to Popara, who was quite confused over the interruption.

[What in the Nine Corellian Hells just happened, Tau?] Popara suspiciously asked.

"One of our allies informed us of a change in our plans." Tau elusively answered before addressing the Hutt's concerns. "Look, just let them land, and, if they cause any trouble, let me know in the next four days. We'll compensate you accordingly if there are any disruptions to productivity. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have a few more immediate concerns to deal with."

[Wait, what?] Popara questioned before he was cut off, leaving Tau and Akku free to assemble everyone in the main hall.

"What's going on, Tau?" Ventis, who was in the middle of a dejarik match with Ahsoka, while the rest of the ship's crew was watching the intense match, inquired his Jedi Master.

"We need the table, now!" Tau fearfully told Ventis before cancelling the game, and contacting Walon, Omega Squad, A'Sharad, and Boba.

"Tau? This better be good. Mira's heavily in labor, and she should be giving birth in the next six hours." Boba grumbled.

"Sidious is coming to the world." Tau quickly answered, causing everyone to become speechless at the prospect of being massacred by Sidious.

Taking the opportunity to continue, Tau resumed speaking, "He found out that Anakin is trying to defect to us, and he's personally coming to Iridonia to capture us all. We need to get ready to move camp, and Anakin and the Clone Commandos so they can escape with us before it's too late."

"Why don't we just deal with Sidious right when he gets to Iridonia?" Walon demanded, not at all eager to let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

"Are you insane, Vau?!" Tau incredulously shouted, "You don't know how powerful my ancestor is! None of us could possibly beat him yet. Not even Yoda was powerful enough to stop him! Our only chance is to escape to our fortress worlds while we still can, and come up with a plan to take him out when we're ready."

"Tau, we know where he's going to be. Just contact the Council and-"

"They won't get there in time, Walon. By the time they do, everyone else will be dead. Do you want that?"

"No, of course not," Walon sighed, "I'm sorry, I got a little too carried away."

"It's fine, Walon. But we're not ready to face him yet."

"Agreed." A'Sharad concurred, "we'll deal with Palpatine on our terms, not his. Besides, we have time on our side and he does not."

"So, how do we get a warning to Vader and Delta Squad before it's too late?" Walon asked.

"Leave that to us." Tau replied before telling A'Sharad and Boba, "As soon as Mira's able to move, you guys get to Varan. We'll join you guys after we contact Anakin and the two clone teams. Stay safe, guys."

Ending the communication, Akku pulled out a datapad with the transponder codes that Trachta provided to them, and typed it into the holotable.

Ahsoka, fearful at meeting her former Master again after their last encounter, sat close to Tau, and the couple wrapped an arm over each other in mutual support. Soon enough, the image of the struggling Dark Lord of the Sith appeared. "How did you get this frequency?" he growled in surprise.

"Not important right now." Akku answered before explaining, "Sidious recaptured Ekria, and figured out your actions against him, including the destruction of the Scarl shipyards. He's on his way to capture us all, which means that you need to get Delta Squad and the Bad Batch to safety before we're all doomed."

Vader found himself speechless at his plans being uncovered, and sighed, "I'll contact my two squads, and we'll deal with the three Inquisitors before changing course."

Turning to face his former apprentice, he stared into her eyes for a long moment before he finally found the courage to speak, "Ahsoka… I'm sorry. I failed you, and everyone else. Nothing I do here will ever atone for what I have done. For the lives I have destroyed. I cannot ask for your forgiveness, but only the chance to do what is right. To," his voice broke in that moment and he shook his head, "to give my son the galaxy he deserves. The life he deserves."

Ahsoka stared at him with with eyes wide with shock, fear… and relief. She felt the urge to reach her hand out to him, to embrace the hologram before her, but she stayed her hand. That would come soon.

"Anakin," she said after a moment, "I made a promise once that I would never abandon you. That I would do everything it took to get you back. Yes, you have done horrible things, Anakin, but it's not too late for you… or Luke," the mention of his son's name made Anakin stir, like as though his soul was trying to reach out to them.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, and gathered the courage to say what she needed to say, "Anakin, I forgive you for what you've done. I forgive you for becoming Vader."

"Why?" Anakin asked with despair deep in his voice, "How can you forgive me for the evil I have done?"

"Because you were my master, Anakin. Because you are my brother, and I swore that I bring you from the darkness, even if it took my life to do it."

"I don't want your life, Ahsoka. I would rather die than see you harmed."

"That doesn't have to happen," Tau interjected, "Anakin, you know who and what I am. You know where I come from, and in that time you chose your son over the Emperor and the Dark Side. You chose death rather than to see your son suffer. As such, I want to give you back your life, free of the Sith and their manipulation. I want to give you peace."

"I don't deserve peace."

"Maybe, but Luke deserves a father. The Mallory's have been good to him, but it's not the same."

Vader stared at the man, and in a way, the light of the cockpit played upon the mask to show the fear, the shame and the hope raging within the one to bring balance to the Force. Even his obsidian eyes, devoid of emotion, shined a moment, revealing the true eyes that lay beneath. They were blue.

"Tau… Ahsoka. Could I… could I see my son when I come to you?"

Ahsoka gave him heartwarming smile, "Yes. It will not be easy. You will be under observation, but yes. You will see your son soon."

"And daughter," Tau said suddenly, "you have a daughter as well."

Anakin's head snapped to Tau in an instant, his voice like a whimper, "Twins? She gave birth to twins?"

"Her name is Leia. Padmé named them both."

Anakin gasped. Not audibly, but the action of him falling into his seat, his hands falling to his thighs suggested it. Anakin shook his dark helmed, like as though he were trying to wake from a dream. He knew the truth, however. This was no dream, no fantasy of having a life without Sidious, without the Empire, without the darkness seeking to drive him back.

His hand curled into a fist and he nodded with finality, "I will contact the Clones, and dispatch the Inquisitors assigned to me. When you are ready, send me the coordinates. I will rendezvous with you there."

"May the Force be with you, Anakin," Ahsoka smiled as she moved to turn off the channel. Before she did, Vader held out his hand to her.

"Thank you," he said, "both of you."

Closing the transmission, Ahsoka began to cry tears of joy for Anakin beginning his path of redemption, and was pulled into a strong embrace by her fiancé.

Meanwhile, Onboard the Raider-class Corvette Indomitable

37 Hours From The Iridonia System

"We understand, my liege." Boss obediently complied with Sidious's orders, having learned about Vader's treachery against the Empire. "We'll do what needs to be done."

"Good." Sidious pleasingly said, before ordering, "My fleet and I will personally oversee the capture of the traitors, so it is imperative that you and the Inquisitors maintain your covers until the Imperial garrison on Iridonia can mobilize."

"I will contact all available fleets within the adjacent sectors, and we will blockade the system in a handful of hours. There will be no one to stop us this time." Sidious declared before ending the transmission, leaving Boss, Scorch, Fixer, and Rede to take in the new orders.

"I… I never thought I'd see the day that Vader would betray the Empire." Rede numbly uttered, before his squadmates aimed their blasters at him, and stunned him into unconsciousness.

Immediately afterwards, the Indomitable received a transmission from Vader, and he told the three conscious members of Delta Squad, "Delta Squad, Bad Batch, there has been a change in plans. We need to destroy the Inquisitors' shuttle before we change course to the Unknown Regions."

"We figured, since the Emperor contacted us about your treason, Lord Vader." Scorch blithely joked, earning him glares from Boss and Fixer.

"Lord Vader is dead. My name is Anakin Skywalker." The returned Jedi Knight declared, "Prepare to revert to realspace. I'll get the Inquisitors to do the same."

Ending the communication, Boss told his two surviving teammates, "Let's get ready to hunt the hunters." The three original Delta Squad members got to their stations to prepare to destroy the Zeta-class Shuttle that held Maw, Boc and Daiela.

Wow! What a game changer for the galaxy! Sev's recruiting his old teammates, training sergeant, Omega Squad, and Etain to help him liberate Kashyyyk from the Empire's enslavement, while Galen Marek and PROXY defected to the Shadow Alliance while destroying the Scarl Shipyards, Ekria broke under Sidious's torture, and Vader is back as Anakin! I can't believe that I worked on this chapter in just four days, and I haven't gotten Chapter 47 fully revised yet. I really hope that this chapter works for my story, because it sets the stage for more amazing content later on. So, what did you guys think of the chapter? I hope that you guys like it, as it is, in my opinion, brilliant. Oh, how are you guys doing on Thursday, January 3, 2019? I'm doing well, as I don't have to work again, so I've got the whole day to relax. And, I've nearly reached 260,000 words in this story. Amazing, right? Well, I'd better get this chapter to Squasher and JSailer for them to revise it when they can. May the Force and Iluvatar be with you all, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!