Good evening, everyone! How are you doing on this warm and rainy night of Friday, June 5, 2020? I'm doing well, but I'm a little mad with myself for accidentally turning in an assignment late. Turns out it was due four hours earlier than I thought, and I was off volunteering when it was due. Well, not much damage done, other than to my routine, so there's that. And I've finished another early draft of a future chapter, so now I can focus exclusively on the main storyline. I hope you're ready for plenty of courtly intrigue and action, because it'll be focused mainly on the Noghri and Ganathans, with the Lothal and Ossus arcs closing in, never mind the Chiss-NR Summit accelerated. So, without further ado, I'll begin the actual chapter, as I only have 2.5 days before my next week of classes start, and it'll be my most intense yet. Wish me luck, and God be with us all in these difficult and trying times.
(Saturday, June 6, 2020 Addendum.) Hey, everyone! How are you doing on this warm and cloudy afternoon? I'm doing well, as I've written about 2,500 words in this chapter so far, and it hasn't' even been 24 hours since I started it. Unfortunately, I'm locked out of YouTube on my iPad because of my inability to update it, so that's a real crick in my day. In better news, I found out that my assignment wasn't late after all, but the instructor accidentally set the wrong time to turn it in. Glad that was resolved. Well, I think I'll write a bit more before I relax and read for a bit, and then go out to dinner with my family. Oh, and my sister's gone to Myrtle Beach, SC for the weekend, so I have some peace and quiet for the next day. Please pray for her and her safe return, as even though she gets on my nerves as a 16-year-old teenager, she's a good kid. Anyway, back to writing.
Within the Rychel System
Aboard the Serrator's Bridge
"Lord Vader." The Star Destroyer's garrison commander, Lieutenant Colonel Moradmin Bast, acknowledged, "We've followed your instructions exactly as ordered, but we're still no closer to finding the renegade commandos. No shuttles or escape pods have been stolen, and the scans have found nothing outside of the ordinary."
"Escape is not their aim, Commander. At least not yet. They shall seek to inflict as much damage to the Empire as they can before they retreat, which means that we are still their main targets. Lock down all essential systems and evacuate all non-essential personnel from the Serrator, we'll flush them out."
"You think they will try to sabotage the destroyer itself? That's a suicide mission!"
"They do not care, Commander. Their lives mean nothing compared to their mission and people, and they will not stop until you are dead, or they are. Besides, we can ill-afford to lose a Star Destroyer to sabotage. Such a loss will only embolden the resistance and any other potential traitors."
Gulping at the thought of facing unrelenting assassins for the rest of his life, Moradmin slowly acknowledged, "I see your point, Lord Vader. What do you need of me and the crew?"
"Prepare for the evacuation to begin in one hour. I will be searching for the traitors, starting at Admrial Ronan's cabin. There will likely be echoes left over that I can glean through the Force at the crime scene that can help me locate them. Provided your analysists followed procedure."
"Of course. We have only moved the body to our forensics division. I will have a team immediately bring the body to you if it will help your investigation."
"No, they will only get in the way. I will head there the moment I complete my work in Ronan's cabin and confront my former assassins. You and your crew will remain on the bridge under full lockdown until I give the orders otherwise."
"I understand, my lord."
Fifteen Minutes Later
On Ganath
Within the Royal Palace's Reception Area
An hour before their coup was to kick off, Traiy struggled to control his heartbeat and churning emotions lest they be detected by the Jedi. While he conversed with Prince Ananias and Viscount Dumar to maintain appearances, he just managed to notice five members of the Kings' Guard approach him.
He paid them little mind until they addressed him, "High General Traiy? King Brand requests your presence."
"I see." Traiy faced the two nobles and excused himself. "We'll have to continue this discussion at a later date, gentlemen. I look forward to this historic vote, however it might play out."
"Of course. Another time, then." Dumar respectfully replied before Traiy followed the guards.
As he was escorted to the king's throne room, he noticed his eleven fellow conspirators, the three Jedi, and at least four dozen King's Guard standing at attention as they awaited the high general's arrival.
Does he suspect? Traiy caught that stray and anxious thought and squashed it before he deferentially bowed to Empatojayos, "Your Highness."
"So glad you could join us from whatever engaging conversation you had, High General Traiy." Empatojayos answered, his voice devoid of any typical warmth and pleasantness.
"My King?"
"You've all been summoned here, before the historic vote, on account of a very disturbing warning I heard from one of your co-conspirators. They told me a rather unbelievable tale of eleven of you plotting to kill me, along with destroying the entire royal palace and all of my supporters in order to eliminate all coordinated opposition to your coup d'état."
"Who would dare share with you such outlandish claims, your Highness? We have always been loyal to the throne and the Ganathan people." Viscount Bray fearfully claimed.
"I don't doubt that claim for most of you. But even that noble loyalty does not necessarily expand to me. That could especially be true if even a handful of you would believe yourselves better suited to be ruler than me, even if the majority of your fellow nobles and officers made the decision.
"And my Guard Captains can verify the high-level explosives that were placed throughout the palace and set to go off in precisely one hour, when the vote on whether or not we were to join the New Republic, was to begin."
Traiy noticed four of his allies freeze up from absolute horror and remembered that they did not know the full extent of his plan.
"Some of you might not have known this, and when all is said and done, I will show those of you mercy. But for now, I cannot take any chances. Not with this level of attempted terrorism and treason. And your fanatical neo-isolationist stance would risk our world plummeting into civil war once again, so I am forced to take necessary precautions to tear out this movement from the roots."
"Your world?!" Traiy bellowed out. "This is our world, and we were on the verge of reuniting it under our rule when you came waltzing in and derailed all of our plans!"
"And how would we sustain it, Traiy? Through eternal martial law and betraying the very subjects we swore to protect?" Meredith hatefully spat. "This civil war was tearing our world apart and killing millions of our people, and you weren't doing anything to stop it. Not as long as it advanced your own designs and gave you more power."
"It was you?! You betrayed us!" High Admiral Aya upsettingly realized.
"I would not participate in ripping our world was torn asunder yet again and allowing countless innocent lives to be slaughtered before our world was eventually enslaved. Especially not all in the name of eleven so-called leaders' insatiable lust for power."
"But you were the most loyal to keeping our world safe and restoring honor to the throne." Traiy reminded the viscount. "How could you abandon us in the name of foreigners and their silver tongue?!"
"What I wanted was to ensure that the king remained honest and keep our world and people safe, not doom them to eternal damnation. This organization never set out for mass murder and regicide, and in case it has slipped many of your feeble minds, that is exactly what we have come to! We had to be stopped before we doomed all we set out to protect! Even if it meant betraying my friends."
"And you think this will absolve you of any guilt in this matter?" Prince Raze denounced her.
"I'm not going to execute any of you," Empatojayos replied, "for it would only serve cruelty and sow further discord and fear throughout the world. And I know that several of you did not understand the full scope of Traiy's machinations, so there will be much to consider. But even so, you, your families, and all of your affairs shall be thoroughly investigated until this conspiracy of yours is completely dismantled. We cannot afford to be divided now, not with the level of evils that will soon engulf the galaxy."
"Take them all away, aside for Viscount Meredith. I wish to discuss a matter with her in private." The king ordered the guards, who forcibly escorted the traitorous nobles to their awaiting cells, most of whom glared daggers at her as she cautiously approached the king.
"I know that it must not have been easy for you to make the choice you did, Meredith. But I will ensure that your efforts will not be wasted." Empatojayos promised the noble. "However, as I promised your former conspirators, I will have to investigate your family and affairs as a precautionary measure."
"So, my family will still be removed from politics and helping our people." Meredith lamented.
"Not necessarily. I know of a way to ensure that your family and house can regain their honor while serving both the interests of Ganath and the New Republic. There will be an appointment from our people within the New Republic's Galactic Senate, and I would like you to represent the world."
The viscount's eyes widened, "My King, I am honored, but I am unsure if I am the best choice for the position. After what Traiy and I tried to do, no one would agree to have me in a place of power."
"I disagree. You only helped Traiy to keep me honest and ensure that our people would have a future, and that allowed you to see clearly when he went too far. And I need people like you who will not be afraid to voice their concerns and take decisive action in protecting Ganath and its interests. Your unique position in seeing both sides of the spectrum can be put to best use in representing us in the greater galaxy."
Meredith still had doubt about the merits of this offer, but An'ya reassured her, "You don't have to decide right away. There is still the matter of the vote to deal with, and it will still take time to prepare a force to join the New Republic armed forces. We only wanted to offer you this opportunity so you could continue your mission in a more efficient manner."
"And I appreciate the chance, but I don't think King Brand is giving me much of a choice. Because, he is correct in how my family will suffer from my duplicity unless I take this offer, and I will not deliver such suffering onto them. I'll do it and give you complete access to my records. All I ask is that you allow me to investigate my family for any further treachery, with the help of your fellow Jedi. If that is acceptable, my liege."
Carefully scrutinizing the viscount, Empatojaoys agreed, "Very well, Senator Meredith. You've earned that and so much more for the tremendous service you've done Ganath. In the meantime, we need to prepare to address the rest of your peers regarding this treachery, and then commence with the vote. I have an idea on how to best handle the matter."
"How will you address the matter of the conspiracy, your majesty?"
"It will involve one painful compromise, and the reward of the Medal of Valor to you, Senator." Empatojayos answered.
Five Minutes Later
In Hyperspace
Aboard the Second Chance's Cargo Holds
Eighty-Eight Hours and Fifteen Minutes From the Ossus System
"I have to admit, your religion is very intriguing, Celebion." Celeste said, "It reminds me a bit of the Jedi Code and Order from my time, before… well, before we lost our way in the name of control and dogma."
"Yes. Tau educated me on the Old Sith Wars, as they were later dubbed. Very dark times for the galaxy. But even I can see, even through the depression and anger you carry, that you still have a strong light and hope for your people. And you have many people that are looking out for you. One of which, I can tell that you have strong stirrings for."
Celeste blushed at that, and Celebion continued, "It's all right. Practically everyone who's seen you two together knows, but they won't tease you about it. All they want from you is to be happy, even if you two might be taking it little too quickly, in my opinion."
"And who's to say that I deserve to be happy?" Celeste muttered. "You don't know all the horrific things I did for the Covenant, and the millions of lives I destroyed because of the damned Muur Talisman! As far as I'm concerned, I don't deserve light in my life."
"No one here thinks that about you, Celeste." Ventis's gentle and sympathetic voice startled her as she turned to face the somber Jedi Apprentice. He was standing outside the main hall with a concerned Butch, both of whom made her uncomfortable for different reasons.
"How long were you standing there?" she asked.
"Long enough," Ventis nodded to Celebion, "can you give us a moment?"
"Take as long as you need," the Ranger replied as he left the room. An uncomfortable silence followed before Ventis sighed and took a seat.
"You're not the only one with a checkered past, Celeste," he said, looking her straight in the eye, "and I'm proof that you can find a way through this, but only if you let me in."
"Ventis, that's sweet, but you don't have the blood of millions on your hands."
"Arguably, I do. I let Gallies into this galaxy, unwittingly or not. Everything he does, every life he destroys, is on me."
"But you didn't have control over what he did."
"And you did?"
She was about to retort, but she shook her head. "That was different, Ventis. You were tortured into giving yourself to a Daemon, after your own brother betrayed you. Me? My obsession with capturing Zayne Carrick and uncovering the Muur Talisman is what led to every bad thing in my life happening. You had no control, Ventis, but I did."
"Celeste, I could make the same argument. My inability to deal with Janek, my own personal cowardice, is what led to Gallias being unleashed."
"I know what you're trying to do," she smiled sadly, "that none of this is my fault and I should stop blaming myself-"
"No, I'm not."
She shot him a confused look and he elaborated, "I'm of the opinion that we are in control of our fates. Anakin Skywalker is proof of that. Because of that, I am as much responsible for what Gallies does as he himself is, but the difference is that I choose to do something about it."
"Yes, to rebuild the lives of those he destroyed."
"And my own," he chuckled then, "y'know, if it weren't for Gallies, my children wouldn't have been born, and I wouldn't have met you. In a weird, twisted way, I owe some small part of my happiness to that bastard."
"That's one way to look at it."
"It's the only way I can look at it. Gallies has done horrible things, yes. He even admitted he enjoyed them. And yet, despite it all, some good has come out of it. It's just up to us to figure out what to do with that."
Realization dawned in Celeste eye's. "You're saying then we have to take good with the bad?"
"I am. Someone once said that's the best revenge one can have is living better lives than those who hurt us. I refuse to let Gallies destroy mine any further. I choose to make it better, though not entirely just for the reasons of spiting him."
"I'm not sure I can do the same, Ventis."
He put a hand on her knee, "Yes you can. You don't have to live in Muur's shadow anymore. For all the bad he made you do, you can choose to do good and live happily in spite of him. Besides I..." he rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly, "I don't like seeing you sad like this."
A curious grin slowly formed across her lips, "Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, you're sweet and kind, Lily likes you and you're…"
Her grin grew into a smile, "I'm what, Ventis?"
"Well," he blushed from ear to ear, "you're kind of beautiful. I'm sorry, I haven't done this since I was in grade school."
She laughed at that, "Well, that's more experience than I have, Ventis."
"Wait, really? You've never dated before?"
"This is a date?"
"No! No no no, it's it's um… an intervention?"
"An intervention that ends with you calling me beautiful, hmm?"
"Yeah, I guess. But you've never really tried your hand at it before?"
"No, I um haven't," she sighed, "besides being a Jedi and the old codes of non-attachment, I was just too dedicated to my duties. I supposed I was so attached to being a Jedi I never learned how to live properly. Besides, I never really met someone I wanted to try that with before."
"I know the feeling," Ventis replied quietly, "but you're not alone anymore. As much as I have my sons, you have me. You don't have to fight this alone."
"I'm glad, Ventis," she smiled, "can I ask you something?"
"Sure?"
"When you were taken, you were still a teenager, yes?" he nodded and she elaborated, "Did you ever learn what it felt like to… no, I shouldn't ask."
"What? C'mon, you can ask."
"Did you ever feel what it was like to kiss someone? I mean with Gallias and all that, but I mean before. To do it with someone you like or… love? I've always, well, wondered what that was like."
Now it was Ventis' turn to grin, "I did. Her name was Erina. I think I might've been quite happy with her, a long time ago."
"Where is she now, if you don't mind me asking?"
"She has a family of her own. She moved on from a long time ago. I don't blame her. You know, funny enough, Janek stole her first kiss to spite me."
"Bastard!" she spat, "Well, he isn't here to do the same again."
"Wha-" Ventis managed to say before she took him by the hands, standing him up, and slowly pulling his face into hers. Whatever shock there was disappeared as her lips clumsily made contact with his, and in a moment his more experienced hands took over.
He bowed her at the waist like the final move of a waltz, and when they broke apart with the exhaust of hot breath, her eyes dazzled like sparkling stars.
"Thank you," she whispered, her face a little dreamy.
"Thank you," Ventis replied, "and are you sure that was your first?"
"Oh, shut up," she giggled as the two took the other by the hand and met the coming day with a sense of hope and promise.
Twenty Minutes Later
Within the Rychel System
Aboard the Serrator
Inside Admiral Ronan's Cabin
So, they killed the Admiral in his sleep and left Morand's cylinder to implicate him as well as deactivate the security system, Vader reflected as he observed the pool of dried blood on the admiral's bed. Now, what's their next move? Who's helping them?
He quickly pulled Bast on the line, "Transmit all the information you have on Lieutenant Morand to me. I want to know where he was stationed, where his code cylinder was used in the last twelve hours, and his psych profile. I sense that he could be the key to stopping the Noghri traitors."
"Right away, my lord." Bast acknowledged, "The lieutenant's a droid technician who was scheduled to work on five astromechs and fifteen security droids before his disappearance."
"This was just prior to Admiral Ronan's murder, correct?"
"Yes. It seems five of the astromechs were couriers throughout the Serrator and had…" Bast suddenly stopped cold, "complete, unrestricted access to all of the destroyer's critical systems. Oh, sweet Emperor."
"Provide me a list of these five droids, then lock down all vital systems. Alert me when any of those droids enters any critical sector of the destroyer. And track down Lieutenant Morand. I believe he will have much to answer for when I find him."
"Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Just Outside the Main Hypermatter Reactor
Within Cabin 135B
"Your late." A shadowed voice warned Lieutenant Morand from a cabin.
"Not all of us are masters of stealth like you guys." The traitorous Imperial stated as he and two of his R3 astromech droids approached the squad of Noghri Death Commandos. "Besides, my droirds report that Vader and Bast might be onto me. I'll do what I can to throw them off the scent, but there's no telling how long any of my tricks will delay him."
"I'll try but we have to time it right so Vader can be thrown off the scent. I have my three remaining droids and their security droids heading to the weapons systems, engine room, and communication systems to divert attention." Morand stated. "They'll be ready to enter each of their decoy targets any minute now. Then we can make our move."
Three Minutes Later
"Ah, I was right." Vader sensed the familiar presence of his traitorous assassins within the Serrator's reactor core and knew that time was almost up.
Quickly making his way to a turbolift, he commed Bast, "Lieutenant Morand has allied himself with the Noghri, and they have infiltrated the reactor core. Have the Serrator positioned away from the fleet and Rychel, and then order a complete evacuation of the destroyer. I won't maximize the losses if I fail."
"My lord, I must advise against this. If the reactor is destroyed with you onboard, then-"
"Then I will hurry to an escape pod before it detonates, but I will not just run without doing everything I could to save this ship and letting the traitors escape."
"I'm sorry, my lord, but it is not just the reactor core in danger. Morand's astromech and security droids have broken into the engines, communications, and weapons systems, and they're trying to overload all the systems. There's no telling how long we will have before they accomplish their vendetta. We must evacuate now while we still can."
Vader considered Bast's words before another strategy occurred to him.
"Belay that, Bast. I have an idea to stop this act of terrorism. Continue with the evacuation, but not before preparing an ion pulse throughout each targeted system. That will buy me enough time to stop the explosion and deal with the traitors. I want answers from them before I deliver them to the Emperor for their betrayal."
"I see. That just might work." Bast seemed to consider the idea. "I'll have my crew prepare the ion charge at once. Good hunting, Lord Vader."
Seven Minutes Later
Aboard the Outrider
Twenty-One Hours From the Lothal System
"You okay, Vega?" Chelli concernedly asked the Jedi Knight as he finished his intensive exercise routine. Despite how Vega was covered with a sheen of sweat after he finished his technique with his lightsaber and godendag, he appeared to still be bursting with energy as he panted.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just wishing I could get off this small ship and do something that'll really get the blood pumping."
"I thought Jedi didn't seek thrills or excitement."
"We don't. I just have a special disposition that requires constant action." Vega paused to telekinetically grab a sweat rag, and asked the nine-year-old-girl, "You doing all right? I'm know that this mission will be a big test for all of us, and I hope that you'll be okay This isn't the kind of thing most people do with a young girl."
"Yeah, but most young girls don't know how to use a blaster." Chelli boasted, before she curiously asked, "Who's Ruby?"
Vega paused at that. "How do you know that name?"
"It's just something I heard you say to Mister Koth and my dad yesterday. Is she your girlfriend?"
"Were you using Ernite's ring of invisibility again?"
"Hey! I can be sneaky without it! I heard you say a lot about the Force, and that and Mister Koth both felt that this would be a… a crucial turning point in the galaxy's future, or something like that. You guys must think that whatever's in that temple must be super important if you'd say something so serious."
"Yeah. We honestly don't know what's inside it. Even so, we can't let the Empire get their hands on the temple. If the Empire thought it was dangerous enough to be destroyed in Tau's time, then it must have something powerful enough to threaten their rule."
"But what if we can't control or take something so strong or the Empire gets its hands on it?" Chelli fearfully asked.
"We won't let it come to that. We've all got too much to fight for." Vega earnestly answered.
"You mean like your girlfriend?" Chelli teased him.
Ruefully chuckling at the girl's persistent nature, he admitted, "Yes. She is my girlfriend. And she's very special to me, so I have to come back in one piece for her. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd live with myself."
"I'm sure we'll all be fine." Chelli tried to reassure him. "You're a Jedi, and a very strong one at that. And we're all part of a team, so we have to look out for each other."
"Yes, but we'll be up against a planet's worth of Imperials and their soldiers, and we'll almost be entirely on our own." Adegan reminded her.
"Are you trying to psych Chelli out, Adegan?" Vega scolded him.
"I'm not scared. I'll be with my dad and all of you, and we can take them on together. Besides, this is a stealth mission, so I'm sure we won't be doing too much fighting." Chelli bravely stated. "And I know that a lot of people need us to help them, so I can't afford to be scared."
I just hope she's ready for all the darkness she'll see when we reach Lothal. Vega worriedly thought before advising her, "You know, it's not a bad thing to be scared every now and then. Everyone has something they're afraid of, and it's important to one day face it in order to grow as a person."
"You don't have to face your fears right now, whatever they might be. But the first step in becoming a truly brave person is to acknowledge them and to prepare to one day overcome them. Otherwise, you'll become reckless and make mistakes." Vega paused to let this sink into Chelli's mind, and asked her, "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
"I think so. But it made my head hurt." Chelli admitted as she held her head.
"I imagine that's how it'd be for a young one like you. But it's just good food for thought." Vega explained before he guzzled down his water bottle, and asked Chelli, "Well, I think we've slacked off long enough. What do you say about a little blaster practice with me, followed by some light reading? I've got a few cool books from Beacon Academy that might catch your eye."
"Okay! Wait, you mean that exclusive school on Remnant? Why are you a student there in the first place? Are you undercover?"
"You certainly ask a lot of questions, Chelli." Adegan observed.
"Cut her some slack. She's a curious kid." Vega laughed, glad at the chance to take a break from the grueling horrors of war and just relax. Still, he could not help but feel that a vital point in his life was fast approaching, and he hoped that he would be ready to meet it.
Meanwhile, Within the Mon Calamari Sector
Within the Calamari System
Aboard the MC80 Liberty Cruiser Forsaken Home
"Are all systems ready, Commander Ri?" Admiral Raddus asked his trusted second-in-command.
"Yes, Admiral," the Quarren answered, "all our ships are fully fueled and ready for launch. Assuming our informant's intelligence pans out, of course, we'll ambush the Imperials the minute they reach their point of departure."
Despite their shaky past, he knew Nossor was an honorable man and brilliant and charismatic leader, albeit a bit too cautious for his liking. That was why he gave him and so many other Quarren the chance to prove themselves in his staff and fleet, especially when most Mon Calamari hated the high-ranking Quarren after their homeworld fell to the Empire.
Before the admiral could give the order to jump to hyperspace, a Quarren aide entered the bridge to report, "Apologies, Sirs, but we managed to find and rescue the last groups of our fellow resistance fighters from Barr's machinations. We even found his former apprentice and informed her of her master's fate. She's agreed to turn herself over to the Jedi for judgment."
"Just like that? I would've expected more of a fight." Raddus observed.
"Apparently, she was heavily scarred by the Imperial genocide, and felt tremendous guilt over her master's manipulations of our people and her friends. She wants to make amends and is willing to pay the price for her role in all of this."
"Then have a team take her to Varon for the Jedi's final decision. I only hope she gets what she deserves." Nossor quickly ordered the aide.
Meanwhile, Within Wild Space
In the Tenupe System
On Tenupe
The Jedi Master had been exiled from his order for just over eight standard years; his penitence after the massacre he committed during the Antar Four crisis. In that time, he followed the Barash Vow to abstain from all Jedi activities and focus only on the Force, finding serenity that had once eluded him.
He felt though that such peace would soon end, not just for him, but for the Chiss garrison that was stationed here. Over his time here, he assisted the soldiers by instructing them, aiding the wounded, and taming portions of the jungles for their own usage. It was through them that he learned of the Jedi Order's decimation and the Galactic Empire's rise, and the major events that had followed over the last eight years.
He could not contain his sense of hope therefore when he learned of the Order's return and the rise of this New Republic. He was especially taken aback how the Chiss had agreed to a summit with the New Republic. Such diplomacy by them had not been seen since the Great Galactic War.
However, he could feel dark shadows that skirted the system's edge. Something was coming and it would be time for him to put aside his vow and take up the sword. However, he would not be able to do it himself. It was time to call up the allies he'd found in his time here.
He pulled out his worn but able comlink, and keyed a frequency he'd imprinted to memory, "Starscream, it's Kirak. I need your help."
And, that's a wrap on Chapter 31. What did you guys think, as it sets the stage for plenty of action, missions, and revelations for the future? I'm sure you all have plenty of questions for the spoilers I've revealed, especially the little reveal at the end. But I promise, all will be revealed when the time is right. So, how are you all doing on this hot day of Monday, June 8, 2020? I'm doing well, as I walked a lot with my mom, worked a lot on homework, and I'm gonna read a bit of my latest book in a little bit. So, I have to let you know that I might be going back to work in a few weeks, so it'll take a bit longer for me to write each chapter, especially once my philosophy course at UNCC kicks up in three weeks. But I've been relaxing for too long, it's time to get back to the grind. Well, I'd better get this chapter to Squasher and JSailer for their look over. Have a blessed day, everyone, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!