Good evening, everyone! How are you doing on this warm night of Wednesday, April 28, 2021? I'm doing well, as I finished a couple of major projects in my college classes and am fast approaching the endgame of the Spring 2021 semester. It won't be long before I finish my three current classes, and work on two more over the summer semester, with my final course over the fall semester. And I worked a good five-hour shift at my part-time job today, so my legs are a little beat. Oh, and I just published Ch. 5 of this story after giving it a brief touch up. So, I suppose I'd best get started on this chapter, as it won't write itself, and I hope to write it within a week before work starts back up for me. Wish me luck, and God be with us all in these dark and difficult times.

(Thursday, April 29, 2021 Addendum) Hey, everyone! How are you doing on this warm night? I'm well, as I worked hard on this chapter today, getting about 2k words done. Of course, a small bit came from Paul S. Kemp's Star Wars: Crosscurrent. But it's a good start. I hope to find a beta reader soon, as I could very well use one to tighten my story and improve its flow. If you know someone who can help, feel free to point me in the right direction, and I can give them a PM. And I've been rereading a bit of Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron to see if I can use some of it in this saga, or the next one, if it works. I also have to let you know that I'll be busy over the next few days and the next couple of weeks with school and work. I'll be working a total of 29 hours over the next two weeks. It's gonna be a tough one, but nothing I can't handle. It'll be a good step up from my previous job at a movie theater. Well, I'd better write a little more before I retire for the night. God be with us all in these dark times.

Five Minutes Later

On Honoghr

Within the Great Rakatan Temple

Hart knew he could not evade his former friends for much longer, even as he hid in what he assumed to be the temple's amphitheater. This was especially true with the limp in his right leg from the bleeding slash a pursuing Nistro gave him before tearing off his helmet and running his beskar knife through his skull. And putting a bacta patch on it was not doing very much to help the wound, especially with all of his previous movement.

The death of his final shipmate, even as he mourned for his onetime friends, was a cathartic release for the defecting Mandalorian. For so long, after helping terrible beings run rampant throughout the galaxy and ruin countless lives when all he wanted to do was provide for his family. And the cost of such provisions was too high for the honorable warrior.

And now, possibly at the end of the road for him, he had a chance to make some measure of atonement for his part in the Sith's dark schemes. He only wished he could give his family more peace than a mere holorecording.

Even within the ancient temple and its still-active defenses, Hart knew his time was running critically short. If the enemy found him before the Jedi did, the world was doomed.

Where's the kriffing manda, or even the Jedi's vaunted Force, when one needs it the most?! Hart cursed before the sensors he hid at the temple's main entrance picked up activity. "Gotta… gotta move." He muttered, struggling to get back to his feet and hold onto the bioweapon's core before the jolting pain from his leg's injury nearly made him faint then and there.

"Save your strength, honorable Mandalorian. We will, as many people in the greater galaxy say, 'take it from here'." A grisly female voice spoke, nearly making him collapse yet again before two Noghri gripped his sides for support.

"You have to be careful. The warriors who hunt me, they want this." Gesturing to the defoliator's core, he warned them, "If they get their hands on it, it'll destroy this world and everyone on it. We-"

"We know. Your honorable brothers and the Jedi have told us everything. We will get you and the weapon away from this temple. But we will need your armor and weapons to throw them off the scent."

Toss away his beskar'gam like a cheap accessory?! Any self-respecting Mandalorian would never abandon his armor! It was an irreparable piece of him.

But so was his family, and this was a twisted part of his life he wanted to leave behind for good. And this world could not pay the price for his attachment to a set of weapons and armor.

Sighing, he tore off his helmet and nonchalantly asked, "I could use a hand with the rest of this armor."

Five Minutes Later

Outside the Great Rakatan Temple

"Ask yourselves: what are you fighting for on this distant world, far from your battlefield and enemies?" Genreal Farlander's strong and tightly controlled voice came through Kotar's helmet comms for the fifth time.

That infernal Jedi-loving di'kut was broadcasting on all the Mandalorian's channels, disrupting Kotar and his ninety-seven surviving and loyal men's efforts to destroy the world as forty of them poured into the temple. Some of the latest batch of traitors were so enraptured by his words that sixteen of them deserted their noble calling and became dar'manda.

"A prosperous sector or region for all Mandalorians? Maybe riches and eternal glory for you and your clans?"

"Well, how, I ask you, do you expect to get that for them by destroying a world that did nothing to harm you or your people? And how can you achieve glory for your culture by fighting the Sith's battles for them when they are too weak and cowardly to do their own dirty work?"

"Do you want to repeat when the Mandalorians became little more than a bunch of unwitting pawns for Vitiate's Sith Empire for three hundred years under Mandalores the Ultimate and Lesser? Or can you forge a new destiny for yourselves, just like Mandalore the Avenger did for your people back then, and work with the galaxy to build a better and honorable future for all?"

"How much longer will you need to shut that karking fierfek up?!" Kotar growled at his destroyed ship's comms specialist, Rori Menn. Stopping to regroup and home in on Hart's locator signal, he gave verbal orders to his men in order to circumvent the enemy comms bombardment.

All across the comm channel, Kotar heard at least twenty of his men succumb to his insidious whispers and ask their teammates whether or not there was any truth to Keyan's claims. And it nearly made him explode from the boiling rage at everything going wrong on this damned mission!

Ordering them to search for the traitor in groups of five in case of ambush, he could not help but remember how the One Sith's agents approached him and many clan leaders seven years ago. They promised them all how the entire Mandalore Sector would find great glory and wealth if it joined their war against the floundering Jedi and their government dupes.

And Kotar and his men were eager to deliver retribution against them for their countless humiliations on them and forcing them to act in the fringes to etch out a living for themselves and their clans. Each of them and their families had helped liberate a dozen worlds from the Yuuzhan Vong and struck fear into the Imperial Remnant's ranks when they decimated the Moff toadies who allied with Caedus when he tried to take over the galaxy.

The Mando'ade deserved better than this! His family certainly deserved better than to be bombarded into oblivion when the Alliance's Fifth Fleet launched the Empire's nanovirus against Boba Fett. The Jedi had to pay for all they had done to him and his loved ones, and he would deal the first of many blows against them by destroying a key allied stronghold.

"For kriffing's sake, I can't!" Rori shouted back. "Thanks to Rhal and his Lasan and GA chums, it's on all frequencies! And I can't break through it while we're on the move!"

"Then perhaps you ought to surrender, old friend." Thornton's calm and confident voice came through the comm channel. "Break the Sith's control over you and do what Mandalore the Ultimate could not."

"I'm not under the Sith's control, dar'manda!" Kotar shrieked. "I will not let all I've lost be for nothing! The Jedi are going to pay for what they've done to us! And taking out a dozen of them and a few of their fleets will be a damned good start!"

"And how does destroying a planet full of noble warriors that fought just as hard as we did against the vongese avenge your family's death?"

"I…" To his surprise, he could not come up with an immediate response. Slowly, he grounded out, "I cannot allow all of their deaths be without a purpose. They died because of another fallen Jedi's megalomania, and I am tired of letting their five-thousand-year war dragging trillions of people along for the madness."

"Then stop this fight, and we can talk this out." Thornton implored. "There's already enough misery and death in the galaxy, none of us need to add any more to it. We Mando'ade can still make our own future, but we don't have to kill everyone who gets in our way. And we especially don't have to act like squabbling aruetii kids."

"You sound like a kriffing Jedi." Kotar sighed. But his old friend made many compelling points. So many lives were lost here, and this world held a race of warriors with a sense of honor and duty that surpassed many cultures. They should not have to be destroyed simply for trying to help a galaxy expose corrupt leaders and save innocent lives.

What if Thornton was right? What if his efforts were nothing more than a childish tantrum, and he was dishonoring his family's sacrifices against genuine evils?

And, how in the galaxy can allying with the Sith possibly restore a semblance of honor to the Mandalorians, especially when they often treated them as cannon fodder when they worked for them? Sure, the Jedi dealt them many bad hands throughout the millennia while the Sith paid better, but at least the former were mostly honest with the galaxy. And when they made monumentally idiotic decisions, they learned from them. And the oftentimes enemies had allied together before when faced with a common enemy.

Before Kotar could consider this any further, as quickly as his reflections came, they were suppressed by another train of thought: Why was he thinking about allying with the Jedi when they devastated Mandalore and many of their colonies throughout the Te Dral'han?

The Jedi-Judicial Forces' campaign against the resurgent Mandalore Sector over seven hundred years ago, a hypocritical and brutal preemptive strike against a culture that back then, had no desire to wage war against the Old Republic. They simply did not want to adhere to the idiotic Ruusan Reformations that demilitarized the galaxy and centered power among the privileged few against the distant many.

And to punish them for their independent ways, the government killed millions, left large swaths of land on many Mandalorian planets desolate, and allowed the detestable pacifistic New Mandalorians to take over the sector. The sector only regained its true destiny when the turmoil of the Clone War allowed Mandalore the Resurrector's brief rule to overthrow the weak-willed dar'manda.

It also set the stage for the fracturing of Mandalorian society that lasted to the present day in the form of two civil wars!

And in a brief period of galactic unity after the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated and exiled, the Jedi and their precious Galactic Alliance refused to send the wounded sector any kind of aid. Their capital world alone lost over a quarter of its population against the extragalactic fanatics when they were one of the only worlds to fully repel the invaders!

How dare they try to claim the moral high ground when they were just as responsible as the Sith for so many of their suffering! At least the Dark Siders fought like true warriors instead of half-hearted fools.

"Kotar?" Thornton's concerned voice came back, snapping the resolved Neo Death Watch captain's attention back to the present. "Are you still there? You've been quiet for about half a minute."

"I am." Kotar softly whispered, a silent tear falling down his face, a last symbol of his free will breaking down before he steely continued, his voice rising in intensity and fanaticism with every word, "And let me tell you something, you miserable di'kut. I will not let your weakness stop me from getting justice against all of the Jedi's actions against us! I willfinish the mission, especially if it costs me my life!"

"I thought that you- Kotar, think about everything you're throwing away! Don't-" As quickly as Thornton tried to steer his friend back from the brink of complete suicide, his voice was finally cut off by comm static.

Sighing in relief, the captain turned to Rori and thankfully muttered, "About kriffing time."

"I was able to jury rig a short-range comm channel that won't be susceptible to hacking." She explained before teasing, "Helped that we had a moment to regroup while you chatted it up with the Jedi-lover."

Before he could utter a clever retort, a grave and anxious voice came over the comm channel, "Kal here. I think we just walked headfirst into a trap."

"Tell me something I don't know." Kotar rhetorically retorted. "Just tell me we found Hart and the weapon."

"We found his armor and weapons, but he's long gone. And he took the bioweapon's core with him. But he couldn't have gotten away on his own, not from the blood pooled around the armor. He must have had outside help."

The Noghri. Kotar realized, finally figuring out that he all but sealed his mission's fate through both sending his men into the heart of enemy territory and dividing his forces inside their sacred temple.

"Kotar, you need to retreat!" A woman's voice whose name he could not remember shouted through the comm channel, "The enemy! They're coming, and their Jedi are tearing through our men. There's only twenty of us left, and they're pouring into the temple."

"Captain! We've lost contact with three of our forward squads! They're readings and comm signals are all gone." Rori warned Kotar.

The mission is lost. Kotar nearly wept in despair, realizing that he had been outmaneuvered at every turn. He had lost almost all of his men, and a chance to deliver an unforgettable message against the Jedi, dealing another terrible blow against the Neo Death Watch and their righteous cause.

But before he could consider whether to go down fighting or try to escape the planet, Rori's regretful voice came through the comms. "I'm so sorry, cyar'ika."

Not even able to turn to face his beloved, he found his nervous system shut down as he was bombarded by a series of stun blasts, nearly breaking his heart. He knew just how betrayed him, and how everything he fought for was all for naught now.

Before he completely lost consciousness, he heard Rori authoritatively order everyone, "All forces, stand down. Captain Quinn is down, and we cannot complete the mission. I repeat, all forces, lay down your arms immediately."

Why? Why can't they see the truth…? Kotar lamented as the last wisp of consciousness slipped away from him.

Thirty Minutes Later

Within the Honoghr System

Aboard the Indomitable

On the Indomitable's Bridge

"Sir, the last of Kotar's men have surrendered, and Hart and the core have been safely extracted. We did it. We saved Honoghr." The ship's XO gratefully told Thornton.

"Good, but there's still one more matter to take care of." The lead defector solemnly answered, finally finishing composing his message on his personal datapad. Offering it to his friend, he asked her, "What do you think of the script for my official resignation?"

Skimming through the passionate and detailed message, Iral stared at it in utter disbelief before she warned him, "You certainly don't lack conviction and principles. But you do realize that if you send the recorded message with this exact wording, you'll be painting an even bigger target on your back."

"I'm prepared to bear it." Thornton nonchalantly shrugged. "Besides, I'm already leaving my blood family behind for good, so I might as well leave with a bang."

Laughing for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Iral noted, "I was wondering when you'd find your boldness again."

Within Edaan's Subconsciousness

Telona 32nd, 45 ABY

Within the Shedu Maad Jedi Temple

In the Jedi Temple's Gardens

"Well, that just happened." Edaan rhetorically muttered mere seconds after the six Force ghosts evaporated as quickly as they came, leaving him and Kyle to absorb all they had just been told.

And the Jedi Grand Master had much to absorb rather quickly. According to the six spirits, his next pupil, a nine-year-old Jedi Initiate, was destined to be a harbinger of great change and a long peace for the galaxy and Jedi. But such a responsibility in a young soul could very well bring out the best or worst in anyone, and recent history had two pivotal examples in Darth Vader and Darth Caedus.

He could not carry this burden of training Edaan on his own, but he could not tell the Council about this either. They would either lock away the boy out of fear for the great risks he held or keep him under constant watch while they argued the problem away. And neither option was the solution to the galaxy's sliding towards darkness.

The Skywalkers were not a viable option, for they all hated Vestara and would sooner see her dead than redeemed.

But he knew someone that could keep an eye on Edaan and help him comprehend and master the doubt that would inevitably try to creep into his heart: his most prized pupil, Jaden Korr. He would have to talk to him right away and convince him of the merit of this cause. If not, then it would be over before the day was through.

At least he was currently in the Temple, recovering from his latest mission against a Sith raiding party.

Rising to his feet, he ordered Edaan, "Come along, Apprentice Palpatine. We're going to see an old pupil and friend of mine before we speak to the Council on me taking you under my wing."

"Who, Master?"

"Jaden Korr. A brilliant Jedi Knight, and a good friend. He'll be like a wise uncle that'll help me train you when I have to take care of my other responsibilities."

"You mean you're going to teach me how to be a Jedi after all?" Edaan excitedly asked.

"Of course. I gave you my word, didn't I? And I won't let your training be overtaken by a bunch of old ghosts. It'd be a scandal the rest of the Jedi would talk about for ages!" Kyle playfully teased him, earning a genuine laugh from the young boy, something that Adari found adorable and heartwarming, especially in light of all that had just transpired.

To see the six of Edaan's dead masters appear before him and throw his destiny on him like a heavy cloak, it would have crushed the spirits of most people. But she could see how, with Kyle, Jaden, and the rest of Edaan's future Jedi conspirators, he would not have to carry the burden on his own, and that would prevent him from slipping onto the path of the Dark Side.

Still, she was unaware of everything Caedus told him about Allana and her destiny, and what Edaan could not do in changing if many mysterious evils rose up. She suspected that Abeloth, the monster that destroyed so many lives on Kesh, Courscant, Nam Chorios, and countless other worlds was one of these enemies. But unless she knew more about them, she would be helpless to do her part when they revealed themselves.

With a little bit of luck, perhaps Edaan's memories would unveil more. But her contemplations were interrupted as she felt herself be fast-forwarded another hour, into the wing of the Jedi Temple where its Knights made their individual quarters. And she found herself in the sparsely decorated room of Jaden Korr, who listened intently and with complete attention as Kyle explained to his former pupil what Edaan intended to do, and his future role in their plans.

Jaden, sitting in his chair while listening to both Jedi, simply nodded as he absorbed everything he learnt with an impartial gaze, before he nodded to Kyle. "Okay. I can certainly see why you believe this is a crucial matter and why you might need my help. But if you don't mind, I need to ask Edaan a few questions, alone, before I make my decision."

As Kyle nodded and explained to Edaan to answer each question truthfully before he departed the chamber, Adari ran through the possibilities of this meeting through her head at lightning speed. Was it a test that would determine the strength of the younger Edaan's resolve, a way to figure out if the initiate was going to listen to Jaden if he gave an order he did not like, or some other secret motive?

She knew how focused her Edaan could be when he threw himself into a task or cause, and how nothing could stop him. And she knew how loyal he was to those who earned his trust, and his boundless compassion towards those less fortunate. But even so, he must have had to grow a great deal as a person before he became a great leader when they first confronted each other on Kesh, and she was interested in seeing just how much he changed in the interval years.

"You were honest with me in your goals, Edaan, and that's commendable." Jaden began. "So, in return, I think it's fair that I be honest with you. Do you really believe you can save Vestara when the man who loved her failed to do so?"

Shyly shrugging, Edaan answered, "I wish I knew. But I have to help her if I can. No one else wants to do so, and I don't want to lose anyone else to bad people."

"And how would you work to save her?"

"I don't know. But I guess I'd need to study in the Archives a lot to figure out how to best do so. There have to be some Sith that came back to the Light. I mean, if Master Durron and Master Skywalker's father could do so, then why not others?"

"A wise idea." Jaden noted while nodding in approval. "And if I had you do an order that you did not agree with or think it would make sense, would you go along with it? Even if it may endanger innocent lives?"

"What do you mean? I thought Jedi always tried to keep people alive." Edaan asked, both out of curiosity, despite himself, and worry for what he might be getting himself into. Ironically enough, Adari shared a similar state of mind.

"I'm sad to say that isn't always the case. I understand that better than most." Jaden took a deep breath, preparing to tell the Jedi Initiate of his deepest shame that only a few others knew. It was one that, despite him coming to terms with it, still drove him to be a better person and help atone for the wrongs of the Jedi and the rest of the galaxy.

"Five years ago, during the Second Galactic Civil War, when the Jedi led the final assault on Centerpoint Station, I was in charge of one of the teams."

"I remember that from the HoloNet when my family watched the news on Coruscant." Edaan recalled. "It was a planet-killer weapon stationed in the Corellian System, and they were going to use it as a terror weapon. Didn't you and your friends destroy the whole station?"

"The station was much more than that, but it did have the potential to be a planet-killer. But we destroyed it to prevent anyone from using such a terrible power, regardless of the future consequences, even ones we could not foresee."

Shaking himself out of his self-reflection, Jaden continued, "My orders were to move fast and leave no one behind us as we advanced. At one point, we met strong resistance from the Confederation and some of their Corellian sympathizers. Eventually we drove them back and they fled into a cargo hold and sealed the doors."

Adari could see that Jaden was not seeing the present. He was looking at Edaan, but his eyes had followed his memory back into the past. Even though the memory could not be seen by Edaan, the veteran Jedi was remembering whatever ghosts once haunted him.

"What did you do? Did you blow the doors? Cut through them? Demand their surrender?"

Jaden's voice grew cold, as if the heat left the room as he confessed, "I activated the air lock and spaced all of them."

For a moment, Edaan and Adari thought they must have misheard. Jaden, a philosophical, honorable, and dedicated Jedi Knight, just admitted to coldly murdering several dozen enemies in a brutal and callous fashion, without any regard for the lives of the defenseless.

"You murdered them? Just like that?" Jaden shamefully nodded from Edaan's horrified question.

Jaden nodded, his eyes narrowed, fixed on that shameful point in his past where his greatest regret lived.

"Most were Confederation soldiers," Jaden said. "But there were a few noncombatants there, too. Engineers. Women. But I could not afford to take the time to dig them out or negotiate a surrender. Time was running out, and we had to stop the Confederation from destroying entire worlds. 'Leave none behind me.' Those were my orders. From a fellow Jedi, the Grand Master at the time, Luke Skywalker. And like a good little soldier, I followed them."

Turning his eyes back to Edaan, he asked him, "With that in mind, could you still follow orders, even if it cost innocent people their lives?"

Putting a hand to his chin to decide his best answer, the boy hesitantly decided, "If I couldn't come up with a better answer, then… augh, I really don't know."

"I think it would really depend on each mission, and the danger everyone might be in. But I would always do my best to keep those people safe and out of harm."

"And if your best wasn't good enough? What then? Could you harden your heart enough to make a tough call like I did?"

"Well…" Edaan sighed. "I don't think I could do exactly what you did. I'd be badly hurt after doing that. But I'd own up to it and learn from it to make sure I don't do something like that again and find a way to fix what I could."

Jaden nodded his head in acknowledgement, and if Adari was sensing his emotions correctly, a bit of pride. "That is an interesting response. One that is not fully right, nor fully wrong either. But it's one of the best I've heard from an Initiate, or even a veteran Apprentice."

"This is my final question for you. Are you prepared to keep all that you know about your new masters and your personal mission a secret from the rest of the Jedi Order and any friends you might make? If they found out, then they would likely not understand and rat you out. Do you understand what I'm implying?"

"I do." Edaan earnestly admitted. "I don't like lying to people, and I don't like keeping secrets from my friends. But if I let even one person know what I want to do, then it would get me locked away like a common criminal. A lot of people on Coruscant hated me and my family for all the evil things my great-great-grandfather did and tried to ruin our business. Some even tried to kill us, and we didn't even do anything to anyone."

"I completely understand. And your answer is pretty much what I expected from you." Jaden sympathetically nodded as he rose from his chair.

"I will help you, in any way I can Edaan. But I will warn you now, the path that you have chosen will not be an easy one. There will be precious few who understand you and your cause, and there will be many trials and tribulations that you will have to face if you are to succeed. You will have to grow up fast and learn more, faster than any Jedi in many years has ever gone, if you are to stand a chance at reaching Vestara Khai."

"But I will help you as best I can, and when the time comes, I might know of others who can help you in secret. For now, though, just focus on your training for the next few years."

"How long do you believe I will need?" Edaan asked.

Jaden looked intently at him as he knelt before Edaan and answered, "Kyle will know better than me soon enough. But Vestara is twice your age and is already a Sith Lord with an immense connection to the Force. To even have a chance of reaching her, you will not only have to match and surpass her in conviction, wits, and strength, but find a way to reach whatever spark of light still exists within her."

"But I believe it will not be a standard day sooner than a decade before you can go after her. Perhaps even fifteen years, if circumstances and the pace of your training dictate it."

Looking crestfallen for a moment, Edaan understandably nodded, "I figured it wouldn't be easy. And I'll do whatever it takes to save her, even if it costs me my life."

Jaden earnestly laughed. "Well, if anything else, you've certainly got a stout heart and strong convictions."

Two Days Later

Telona 34th, 45 ABY

Within the Council Chambers

"You want to take Initiate Palpatine as your apprentice?" Kam incredulously asked Kyle. "Why? He's only nine years old and has only been in the Order for not even a year."

"Excuse me, Master Solusar, but I'm standing right here." Edaan pointed out, a bit miffed at Kam's arrogance and lack of acknowledging his presence.

"I am well aware of his time with us, Master Solusar." Kyle nodded after motioning for Edaan to remain silent. "After all, I was the one who brought him into our ranks in the first place."

"But have you kept track of his troubled record since then, Grand Master? He lost his family to Abeloth's devastation of Coruscant and has suffered many deep emotional scars from the trauma. And ever since then, he has proven to be rather rebellious and insubordinate towards most of his instructors, especially with his unhealthy attachment to Vestara Khai." Jaina reminded him.

So much for vaunted Jedi serenity and compassion. Adari disdainfully mused before hearing Kyle countered,

"I have faith that he will work through his problem with Vestara with time. And he is also very strong in the Force, highly intelligent, and a good soul that has suffered many deep wounds. He needs to begin training right away, before they can fester and drive him into the Dark Side's arms."

"Besides, you were willing to give Bhixen a pass when Grand Master Skywalker evaluated him. Is that not true, Master Solo Fel?"

"It's not the same." Jaina denied while shaking her head.

"Perhaps, but it's quite close."

"This one is more concerned that he is not ready in body and spirit." Saba warned the Grand Master.

Turning to Edaan, the Barabel, to her credit, asked him directly, "Should you not train in the Temple first, where we can help you conquer your fears before you truly begin serving the Jedi and the Force?"

Edaan determinedly nodded before explaining, "I made a promise to my family and the Gods that I would do my part to make the galaxy a better place. If Grand Master Katarn believes I can best do that right now by staying here and training, then I will do just that."

"Very admirable, initiate. But if you are not ready in every way for what is out there in the galaxy, then you may end up doing more harm than good for everyone." Octa warned him before reminding Kyle, "Training a boy like him before he is ready may lead him down the same path that took Vader and Caedus from the Jedi."

Fists clenching and close to drawing blood at having her love compared to two of the most infamous and last Banite Sith, Adari wished she could scream at the Jedi Master for her lack of faith.

Edaan, to her amazement, was not fazed by the slight, "I will not let any of you down. Even if you doubt me, I will get the job done."

"Well, you certainly have plenty of spirit, Edaan." Corran approvingly nodded.

"Indeed. I am sure that many of you will come to like and trust him soon enough. But I did not assemble you to discuss the matter. I will train him, for right now, I am the most qualified Jedi who can teach him what he needs to learn. I merely wanted to keep you all in the loop in case he needs a different perspective."

Aside from a few minor looks of disgruntlement, no one questioned Kyle's judgement. Kyp seemed to be amused by the whole spectacle, and noted, "Well, you are the Grand Master. Besides, I can hardly fault you for wanting to give the kid a better chance at being a Jedi. I know you'll make him work hard to prove himself."

Turning to Edaan, the Jedi ace noted, "The Council will be watching you with great interest, Edaan Palpatine. I think we'll all be very intrigued and invested in seeing what kind of Jedi you will become."

Bowing in respect for Kyp's vote of confidence, Edaan humbly acknowledged, "Thank you, Master Durron. I plan to show them, many times over."

As the memory in this sequence faded, Adari found a silver shard floating in the heart of the chamber. Reaching out to grab it, she felt the resolve and renewed determination belonging to Edaan flow through her.

All right. Three memories down, seven more to go. Adari eagerly noted before she felt her spectral form gravitate into the next main sequence.

On Falleen

Within the Xoma Plains

Inside Resistance Safe House 145

Aboard the Ronto-class Assault Pinnace Infiltrator Rude Awakening

Within the Medical Wing

"You think the boss and Adari'll wake up before the Sith make their way here?" Robonino asked Kix. The Patrolian bounty hunter managed to sneak away from his punitive task of running repairs on the Rude Awakening's hyperdrive long enough to check up on his best friend, enough to see Edaan's brainwave spike again.

The Clone Trooper, typing something quickly through a datapad, despondently sighed, "It all depends on the two of them and if Adari can undo the Sith's attack on Edaan. I'm no expert on the Force and its mystical stuff, but I know enough about comas to know how a loved one can help someone fight their way back to consciousness. But I'd say that she's making remarkable progress on that fight."

"Well, I hope she can pull it off soon. Even with our new Mando buddies, and knowing where the Sith are headquartered, we're gonna need all the help we can get if we're gonna stop all of their damned schemes." Robinino chuckled.

"We'll get through this. But remember, this fight isn't about winning the war in one fell swoop. It's just the beginning, because no war is won that way. To stop the Sith and their armies for good, we'll need to dismantle them piece by piece. And that will take a long time."

"No, what we need to do now is hold out and keep the fires of hope and freedom spreading throughout the galaxy. More and more worlds and people are rallying to us, and as long as Edaan and the Jedi can keep uniting the galaxy, we still have a shot at surviving."

"Nice speech." Robonino grimly noted. "You pick that up from the GAR, or from your post-stasis days?"

Glaring at the mercenary for carelessly reminding him of all that he had lost, Kix tersely answered, "Bit of both, and from the Crimson Corsairs' leader, Sidon Ithano."

"Right. He helped Edaan find you after-" Realizing the careless and insensitive mistake he had just made, Robonino quickly apologized, "Sorry, I let my mouth get ahead of my brains again. I didn't mean-"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I know you don't mean trouble, and it's not the worst insult I've been dealt. I was on Coruscant with Jarael long enough to hear it all from many surly patients. I'd have just thought Edaan pairing you up with Atai would do wonders for your tactfulness."

"It's only been a day! We're not miracle workers."

Kix honestly laughed at that, and remarked, "Don't I know it. Now, you'd best get back to your repairs. Knowing Edaan's luck, we're gonna need the ship back at full strength when he wakes up."

Biting back the bark of a laugh, Robonino nodded, and mockingly saluted Kix before he started walking out of the medical wing.

But before he could exit the sliding doors, he asked Kix, "Quick question. When we survive this war and win against the Sith, and you know we will with Edaan leading the charge, you think you could put in a good word to Ithano for me?"

"Trying to come up with another get-rich fast scheme?"

"Not even close. After we win, I'm gonna take a page from Edaan and find a good crew to stick with. Think it's about time I do so. I'm forty years old and have already spent two-thirds of my life as a mercenary on my own. It's about time I get some roots again."

"Why not start a family instead when this is all over? I'm sure the Patrolian ladies would love to get a piece of a Sith hunter of your repute?"

"Ah, I tried that once, back in my misspent youth. I wish it weren't so, but it didn't work out well for any of us." Robonino sadly admitted before he left the room.

Sighing, Kix returned his attention to the comatose couple, even as he knew he could do no more for them for now. Still, that didn't mean he could do nothing while the Sith barreled down towards them.

He knew that the knowledge he and Edaan gave to Sidon on the Confederacy of Independent System's decades-old storehouses could very well outfit a small sector's militia. That was why they gave it to the honorable bounty hunter, along with a crucial mission that only the two of them and Grand Master Katarn were authorized to know.

And the time for Sidon and his fleet to uphold their end of the bargain had finally come. That was why he was prepared to send a covert message to his other rescuer and get the Jedi another critical ally against the One Sith.

He still remembered how the day the Jedi-privateer team discovered him from Obrexta III on the Western Reaches world of Ponemah. How Edaan helped him regain control of his mind and body, and how both he and Sidon treated him as an equal and patient instead of an abomination because of his brothers' complicity in a power hungry Sith's rise to power and that accursed Order Sixty-Six. And how both men gave him options to live his own life, and how Kix promised to repay them both for their honor and compassion.

Now was finally his chance to fulfill all of his debts. As one of the last two surviving soldiers of the GAR, he would remind the galaxy the good the Clone Troopers did before they were disposed of by Sidious and his tyrannical Empire. Sending his message, it was not long, not even ten minutes before he received a blunt response:

Acknowledged. We will arrive in four days. Be prepared for many unconventional allies. May the Force be with you, fellow soldier.

S.I.

Aboard the Vigilance-class Yacht Quarren Eye

"If you're recalling us now, then the galactic situation must be far worse than we originally feared." Voort sighed after hearing Kajin, Garik, and Kyle appear to give the members of Wraith Squadron their new orders. "Where is our new assignment?"

"I doubt you'll like it, but you're being reassigned to Batuu to assist Clan Djarin in sustaining a rebellion against the Sith and their Freedom's Riches cult. You have exactly one standard week to prepare for your departure."

Huhunna, the team's Wookiee and former vigilante within the Galactic Alliance's military, growled her disapproval over the redeployment. Was the capture of a Sith and a key enemy stronghold not a matter important enough to keep their attention?

But before she could be reprimanded for speaking out of turn, Sharr Latt, the team's second-in-command and psychological expert, calmly reminded his friend, "Easy, friend. What the Chiefs mean are that we're not best-suited for front-line work. We'd probably get in their way, especially with all the reinforcements coming here."

"I could not have said it better myself, Captain Latt." Kajin gratefully acknowledged. "But let me be clear. This is not a punishment for any of you. For while you are traveling to Batuu, there is another, far more immediate and urgent matter the Galactic Alliance needs your combined and particular expertise with."

"Thanks to several key defections in the Neo Death Watch's ranks, we now have acquired vital intelligence on the Sith's network of spies. The data provided implicates twenty-five senators and eight planetary governors collaborating with the One Sith and their agents. What we best need from all of you is to work with Chief Loran, the Joint Chiefs and Grand Master Katarn in forming a plan to arrest each of the senators without alerting the rest of their co-conspirators to our actions."

"Pardon my bluntness, Chief Yimmon, but what exactly can we do to help with that issue? It's not like we can make it to Coruscant and Batuu in a couple weeks." Trey Courser pointedly out, earning him a light elbow jab by his girlfriend, Jesmin Tainer.

"Well, for starters, I think we can help him by learning their everyday patterns and determine the best time to bring them in for interrogation." She sternly pointed out to her vain boyfriend.

"And we ought to compile a personality file on each of them to give our interrogators a bit more to work with. After all, such generic interrogations will likely fall on deaf ears when dealing with Sith assets." Turman Durra, the Clawdite actor-turned-impersonator, insightfully added.

"Exactly." Garik approvingly noted, earning a low, eager and approving growl came from Huhunna. "Glad we're all on the same page."

"On that note, considering the severity of the mission, do you want us to leave as soon as we have an opening?" Viull Gorsat, Yuuzhan Vong Extolled and member of Wraith Squadron, resolutely asked the three leaders.

"No. We'll need you to deploy as soon as your reinforcements arrive to break the royal family's blockade. The chaos will cover your transfer and maintain your anonymity." Kyle answered.

"You mean Fett's spies, ex-Neo Death Watch friends and Ben's old Sith flame." Voort chortled. "The galaxy really is facing another apocalypse if we're back to allying with all manners of people again."

"Hey, blame Edaan for that. He's hellbent on bringing out the best in everyone at great personal risk to himself." Kyle joked, earning a few laughs from everyone.

After the chuckles died down, the Grand Master, a touch of anxiety tracing his voice, asked the on-planet squadron, "Is he doing all right?"

"He will be." Voort reassured him. the modified Gamorrean's voice carrying a certainty that masked his own worry, "He's got a true leader's spirit, and has plenty of people fighting to reach him. He'll make it."

Whether or not he believed it, Kyle simply thanked him and ended the transmission, followed by Garik and Kajin, allowing the off-the-books commando squad to inform their most trusted allies of their imminent departure.

One Hour Later

In Hyperspace

96 Hours From the Falleen System

Aboard the Ursa

Within the Strategic Center

"Everything's squared away. You'll have your team of commandos and an army of smugglers and Antarian Rangers heading to Batuu by the end of next week." Kyle simply told Sabine and Mirta, earning grateful nods from both women.

"Now that I've upheld my end of the bargain, I trust the both of you to uphold yours."

"Give us more credit, Katarn. We might be tough negotiators, but we're Mando'ade, and we always fulfill our contracts to the end. We'll get the job done." Mirta promised.

"And since Honoghr is secured, I'll get Zeb to divert some of his people to Falleen right away. They'll all be itching for a good fight after years of isolation." Sabine added.

"Good." Kyle paused, considering his next words carefully. "How is your Sith guest's personal mission progressing?"

"She hasn't woken up again for a few hours. Whatever memories she's experiencing, they must be powerful ones." Mirta answered.

"Understood. Keep me posted on any changes." Kyle ended the comm signal.

When the signal ended, Sabine questioned Mirta, "Why didn't you tell them about Jaing?"

"He's not a Jedi. And Jaing was mine and Kitai's responsibility. It's something I need to tell Ba'Buir on my own. He'll be the one to decide if the Jedi need to be kept in the loop." Mirta explained, releasing a sad sigh of whatever fate the One Sith had in store for him.

Interrupting the reflections, Hera abruptly entered the center, and warned both elder Mandalorians, "You have a call coming through for Falleen. It's Phasma, and she's quite insistent on talking to both you and Kitai."

"How insistent?" Mirta dreadfully asked, even as she already knew the answer.

"Very. She knows everything, and she's demanding an explanation from you two before she makes a decision."

Sighing, Mirta told Sabine, "Stall her for a little while. I'll wake Kitai up and we'll figure out a course of action."

On Korriban

Within the Valley of the Dark Lords

Deep Within the Planet's Catacombs

Within the One Sith's Citadel

"Father. I have all of our progress reports for the Mandalore Sector. Rhal and Lecerscen, for all their many faults, have proven to be quite effective fleet commanders." Sorzus loyally informed Wyyrlok as she handed him a datapad.

"And Lord Oculus's handpicked squad has just delivered Gev and Kitai's clone prisoner to us. I have instructed Doctors Se and Aphra to prepare their equipment for him right away."

"Excellent. The clone will be of vital use to Lord Krayt's plans. He will serve as the perfect prototype for the army." Wyyrlok allowed himself a smirk before reminding himself of the mission the Dragon Lord gave him.

Gripping his daughter's shoulder in paternal affection, he warned her, "I will be departing for Mandalore in exactly two weeks. It will take Lord Krayt that long to recover from his stasis. Prepare yourself for the trial I have been grooming you for your whole life. Serving the Dragon Lord will test you in ways that forged me into the Sith I am today."

Humbly bowing her head, Sorzus fervently swore, "I will not fail you, Father. I am not like that weak-willed Kitai, and you have trained me from birth to serve the One Sith and the Dark Side. I will prove that your faith in me is not misplaced."

"I know." Wyyrlok proudly agreed. "You have done our legacy proud, daughter. And I know that you will make all of the One Sith very proud in the months to come."

Well, I think this is a good place to end the chapter! So, what did you all think? Did you think the Honoghr Arc was concluded well enough, and that Edaan's flashback was well-constructed? I hope you are all ready for more action and plot and world-building, as this story's kicking into high gear very soon. But I have to let you know that I will likely need a while to write that chapter, as I have two final projects to write over the next ten days, and they will eat up a lot of my time, including work over the next couple of weeks. Sorry, but school and my job have to come first. Oh, and just to clarify, I have an explanation for the Rakatan Temple on Honoghr surviving the Yuuzhan Vong's occupation of the planet. Hope it makes sense in the next chapter or two.

So, how are you all doing on this warm but cloudy day of Monday, May 3, 2021? I'm well, as I just finished my penultimate lessons in one of my classes and will have two final classes tomorrow. And I've been reading a bit of Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron, and it's a pretty good book. Even if it's an, ugh, "Canon" book. What I've heard of the trilogy has inspired me for the arc of a certain character in my franchise. I just hope I can pull it off. And in better news, I've heard rumors that Disney and Lucasfilm are considering reviving the Star Wars Legends universe soon! If they turn out to be true, then I'll literally scream with pure joy (If they don't screw it all up, that is)! And I'm excited for playing Mass Effect Trilogy: Legendary Edition in less than two weeks. That's gonna be a blast! Well, I'd better get this chapter to my friend(s) for their look over. I hope it's up to stuff. I hope you all have a blessed afternoon. May the Lord be with us all in these very dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!