Following the collective suicide of the Killik members of Thuruht, all the surviving Chiss Joiners called for an immediate surrender to the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi; with the hive mind dead, there was no reason that the Alliance and the Ascendancy had to continue fighting. The surrender was accepted, especially after Grand Master Hamner vouched for the Chiss, which, in turn, had been secretly vouched to him by Jacen over a private comm channel. Afterward, the Chiss fleet took the remainders of their forces and denied any help from either the GA or the Jedi before they disappeared back into hyperspace to return to the Unknown Regions.
It wasn't long after the Chiss departed the Coruscant system that a Hapan flotilla arrived in full force expecting a battle. Chief Dorvan managed to quell all confusion for the Hapans when he told Queen Mother Tenel Ka about what happened over a holographic transmission.
"Is my daughter among the surviving Joiners?" she asked, obviously concerned for her child's fate.
Dorvan looked in askance at the Queen Mother. "You're not sure? Well, yes, she's fine, but I would have thought that Force-sensitives could sense things like whether or not a loved one was hurt or something like that, Your Highness." His tone was sincere.
"I am not trusting my Force senses too much these days, Chief Dorvan," Tenel Ka said in a formal way. She forced her thoughts of being unable to sense her daughter being inducted into a hive mind away from her own mind. "Where is she?"
"She and Raynar Thul had just been transferred from one of the Chiss's Star Destroyers into the Jedi Order's Imperial shuttle," Dorvan explained. "You may contact Grand Master Hamner if you would like to see her, Your Majesty."
"I would, thank you, Chief," Tenel Ka said. "May the Force be with you."
Dorvan nodded before Tenel Ka cut the comm before contacting Hamner over the Jedi comm transmission.
"Were you and the rest of the Jedi just about to leave, Master Hamner?" the Queen Mother asked.
"We were, Your Highness, right before you arrived," Hamner said. "Would you like to see your daughter?"
You think I do not? she wanted to reply. Instead, maintaining her semblance of calm and collectivity on the bridge of her Battle Dragon, with so many genuinely loyal Hapans around her, she said, "I would, Master Hamner."
"You may see her then," Hamner said. "But I have to warn you, when you see Jacen Solo and two Yuuzhan Vong, don't overreact."
Tenel Ka glared at Hamner in shock. "Jacen?! Yuuzhan Vong?! What are you talking about, Hamner?"
Ignoring the Queen Mother's forgetfulness of his title, Hamner asked, "Well, do you remember when the Council and I explained to you mere days ago that I'm from an alternate reality?"
"I remember everything," Tenel Ka said promptly. "Are you saying that this Jacen and these Yuuzhan Vong are from alternate realities, too?"
Hamner nodded. "They are."
"Well, thank you for telling me this," she said. "But you do owe me an explanation as to why you did not tell me about my daughter's involvement in the hive mind." She then cut off the comm.
Tenel Ka then cut the comm and stood up from her command chair. "I want my shuttle ready," she said to one of her bodyguards.
.
After Tenel Ka's shuttle and the Imperial shuttle had their airlocks sealed airtight together, Tenel Ka stepped through them to board the latter vessel with two male bodyguards. They were met by an expectant Allana, as well as Jacen Solo and two Yuuzhan Vong. Tenel Ka recognized one of them as Nom Anor, the scheming opportunist who the Jedi fought multiple times back in the war, and a deformed, misshapen creature who looked ugly even for his own species.
"Mommy," was all Allana said with a frown and tears limning her eyes before she ran to Tenel Ka.
The Queen Mother knelt and embraced her daughter, unable to quell her own tears from running down her face.
"They're all dead," Allana sobbed.
"Fact," Tenel Ka replied, some of her brisk tone breaking through her sentimentality. "You don't need to worry about the Killiks ever again. And neither does the rest of the galaxy."
"No, I mean our family," Allana said, totally crying now. "Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Uncle Luke, Aunt Jaina, Uncle Jag, Ben! They're all gone."
Tenel Ka patted her daughter on the back, shushing and calming her down. "I know, baby, I know," she said, completely losing all of her queenly attitude and completely embraced the role of a mother now. "But they are in the Force now; everything is going to be all right now." She pulled away from the hug to look her daughter square in the eyes. "Listen, Allana, I am going to take you away from the Jedi Order for a little bit. You will come home and we can be together for however long you want. Do you understand?"
Allana wordlessly nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Good," Tenel Ka replied. "Now I am going to leave you with Borok here." She looked back at the bodyguard to her right. "Take her back into the shuttle."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Borok said with a curt nod.
Tenel Ka looked back at her daughter. "Mommy has to take care of some business with these three men."
Allana was then handed off by her mother to Borok, who took the lead back through the airlock.
When Allana and Borok were gone, Tenel Ka stood back up to her full height and regarded Jacen and the two Yuuzhan Vong.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back," she said in a neutral tone.
"You're welcome," Jacen replied. "So I assume Master Hamner already told you about us?"
"He did," Tenel Ka said. "Now how did the Killiks really die? Chief Dorvan told me that you were able to kill their previous queen, which destroyed their hive mind. But I, and the rest of the galaxy, know that Allana was their queen; killing her would have been your only option. It was the same case with Lomi Plo, after all. And while I am certainly grateful that you saved Allana from the hive mind, I cannot help but ask what really happened."
Jacen sighed. "Fine. But you and your other bodyguard there have to keep this a secret."
"If we feel that it is a secret to be kept, Jhal and I will keep it," Tenel Ka said evenly.
The remaining bodyguard, Jhal, nodded to Jacen. "By my Queen's life, I pledge secrecy if she deems necessary."
"Oh, wow, a genuinely loyal Hapan," Jacen quipped. "That's a rarity."
"Spare us," Tenel Ka said. "Tell us what happened to Thuruht."
"They died because they were no longer necessary," Jacen answered.
"Necessary?" Tenel Ka asked. "For what?"
"For what they set out to accomplish," Jacen answered. "To protect the galaxy from Abeloth."
"When she would inevitably return, of course," Tenel Ka concluded. "So why is that not the case anymore?"
"Because she has been slain for good," Jacen said.
"By who?"
"Darth Plagueis."
"A Sith killed Abeloth?" Tenel Ka questioned. "I somehow doubt that."
"Well, believe it, Your Majesty," the ugly Yuuzhan Vong said. "Because Plagueis is the only one that can wield the only weapon that can kill Abeloth."
"The Dagger of Mortis," Tenel Ka said.
"Exactly," Jacen said.
"So why did you not tell Dorvan about this?" Tenel Ka asked.
"Dorvan doesn't need to know," Nom Anor said. "The less to worry the leader of the central government of this galaxy, the better."
"That, and we couldn't risk telling him over an open line that a Sith killed Abeloth," Jacen continued. "It'd be bad enough but not damaging to the Jedi Order that it was a Sith who killed Abeloth, because, hey, the Jedi Order's practically banned from GA space anyway. But what would cause hysteria is learning that there's still a Sith out there."
"From what I know, there are still remnants of the Lost Tribe of the Sith across the galaxy," Tenel Ka said. "I'm sure the public would not worry about another Sith."
"Wanna bet?" Jacen retorted. "Especially when that Sith managed to kill Abeloth."
"Well, when you put it that way," Tenel Ka said, "I suppose it would do better if the likes of the Galactic Alliance remained ignorant of the existence of this Darth Plagueis. But do the Jedi Order know of him at least?"
Jacen nodded. "With the Killiks and Abeloth out of the way for good, we can focus our efforts on finding and stopping him."
"I would be personally honored to assist this venture in an unofficial capacity," Tenel Ka said. "I can provide you secret agents to help you hunt Plagueis down."
"The assistance is much appreciated, Your Majesty," Jacen said. "We do need the help, especially since the Jedi Order is so few again, what with our recent losses that this recent crisis caused us."
"I understand," Tenel Ka nodded.
All of a sudden, before anyone could say anything more, the air in the corridor of the Imperial shuttle fell still. Even though neither Jacen nor Tenel Ka's Force senses prickled with danger, they all became alert, along with Nom Anor and Jhal.
Out of nowhere, manifesting between Jacen and Tenel Ka was gelatinous, blob-like being with pods all over its form.
"Waru!" Jacen said just as Tenel Ka brandished her lightsaber and Jhal aimed his blaster for the aforementioned entity. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here to bring you, Onimi, and Nom Anor out of this reality, Jacen," Waru explained. "You have succeeded in your mission. You have destroyed the One Sith and ensured the demise of the Killik nest of Thuruht. Now it is time to go."
"But we need to stop Plagueis!" Jacen exclaimed.
"That is not your mission," Waru replied. "That is for the Jedi to accomplish. Besides, you are needed elsewhere now."
"Well, this sucks," Jacen said.
And then a bright white flash fell over the corridor, and the figures before Tenel Ka were gone.
The Queen Mother, after a moment of inaction in response to what just happened, turned back to Jhal. "We must return to Hapes immediately." She led the way back through the airlock for her own shuttle.
Once the airlock closed behind Jhal, the Imperial shuttle also disappeared from space in a bright white flash, but Tenel Ka and Jhal ignored it as they continued to the bridge of the Queen Mother's shuttle.
"Send us back to my Battle Dragon. And give me a link to Master Hamner," she said to the pilot.
The pilot obeyed as he first input a transmission for Hamner, then headed back for the capital Dragon.
"Grand Master, you may now answer my question as to why neither you nor the rest of the Order informed me about my daughter's involvement with the Killiks," she demanded in as calm as a voice as she could maintain.
"We did not want to distress you, Your Majesty," Hamner said in a placating tone.
Just as Jacen would not tell Dorvan about Darth Plagueis's involvement with the Killiks' demise, Tenel Ka thought ruefully. "And what would have happened had you gone up against them and killed Allana in the process? Would you have even told me about that?"
Hamner couldn't answer that; he was utterly silent.
"Just to let you know," Tenel Ka said in a disgruntled manner, "neither Jacen Solo nor any of his Yuuzhan Vong associates will be able to help you find Darth Plagueis. Waru has taken them away."
"Very well," Hamner replied. "We could do without them anyway."
Why do I doubt that? she wondered. "I am also taking my daughter out of the Order on an indefinite leave of absence."
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?" Hamner asked.
"I think she needs some time away from the Order for a while," Tenel Ka said. "Especially since you decided not to tell me what happened to her; and that she lost most of her family while under the Order's wing."
"But... but can't you..."
"No buts, Master Hamner," Tenel Ka intoned. "You will not have my daughter as part of your Order. I made that mistake after her father died, and I do not intend for that to happen again. Do you understand that?"
"Well... yes, Your Highness," Hamner said. "But..."
"What did I say about buts, Master Hamner?"
Ignoring that remark, Hamner continued with, "Allana needs to be treated with Raynar Thul for their time in the hive mind, at least!"
"Hapes has the finest medical doctors in the Transitory Mists," the Queen Mother argued. "My daughter will recover under capable hands. This discussion is now over." She then closed down the line herself just as the shuttle neared the Battle Dragon.
.
"So, my Master, now that you are immortal," Ford said, "what are your plans? How would you go about taking over the galaxy, as Darth Bane envisioned?"
"The galaxy, OneOne-FourDee?" Plagueis retorted. "You think too small. Since meeting the alternate versions of Jacen Solo and his Yuuzhan Vong lackeys, I think that, with my immortality, we will have quite a lot of time on our hands to take over all realities."
"All realities?" Ford repeated in shock. "But, My Lord, how can that even be possible?"
"I guess I will have to study up on my physics," Plagueis replied wryly. "And then, one way or another, we will find a way to travel to and from realities, and rule them all!"
"Well, you're gonna need quite a bit of money for that kinda research, and to even build something like that," Five-U pointed out.
"Obviously, I will," Plagueis said. "So where am I to start?" He then put his thumb and forefinger beneath his chin in quiet thought.
"Um, actually, Lord Plagueis," Ford said, "I think I can provide sufficient funds."
"Really?" Plagueis asked. "How so?"
"Well, in my freedom, I managed to acquire quite a bit of wealth over the years following Palpatine's first death," Ford explained.
"How much wealth?" Plagueis inquired, his interest captured.
"Roughly two trillion credits, sir," Ford said.
Plagueis's mouth dropped in astonishment. "Captain Ford?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
Ford was silent, not knowing what to say.
"It'd be interesting to see how a Muun-on-droid-" Five-U tried to say.
"You shut up!" Ford interrupted his first and only mate.
"Where is your wealth stored, Captain?" Plagueis asked.
"Coruscant," Ford answered.
"Then we'll go there," Plagueis insisted.
"What about that thing?" Five-U asked as he pointed to the Sith Meditation Sphere behind him known as Ship. "I'm not sure that the Coruscant Defense Forces are gonna think this isn't suspicious."
"Good point," Plagueis admitted as he observed Ship.
What is thy bidding? Ship asked.
"Return home," Plagueis announced. "I shall send for you if and when I need you."
As you wish.
Ship then slowly rose off from the ground on which it rested, then, several meters in the air, it turned and soared off into the skies of the unnamed planet.
Plagueis then walked past the droids and continued down the path to where they landed their vessels.
Soon, he thought. All of existence will belong to me, as it should.
