Title Crawl

One year has passed since the initiation of the Chiss Ascendancy's mass expedition into Galactic Alliance space to eliminate the Jedi Order. Since then, the Hapes Consortium has taken the Jedi into its protective custody while the Ascendancy has to contend on multiple fronts against its newfound war with the Galactic Alliance. But with resources from the Empire of the Hand provided to the Chiss, as well as intermittent Jedi assistance on the Galactic Alliance's side, the conflict between them and the Alliance has become evenly matched.

Because of this war, several worlds have opted to leave the Alliance, including the planets of the Corellian system, Bothawui, Adumar, and others. This has prompted GA Chief of State Cal Omas to ask for assistance from a reluctant Imperial Remnant, who currently remain neutral in this galactic conflict, to go against the Chiss. However, neutrality may seem to be an untenable position for all caught up in what has become known as the Chiss War to the Galactic Alliance.

But amidst all of this, a darker power threatens to emerge. Because behind all of the machinations that are plotted by the mysterious One Sith, a Jedi thought to have died shall return to restore order like her grandfather before her...

Prologue

In the war room of the Galactic Alliance Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar, Jedi Knight Jacen Solo sat in a lotus pose on the deck with his eyes closed and back up against the holographic tactical display of the battle going on in the Calamari system. He had tuned out the activity going around in the room as he focused in on helping to hone the Jedi battle-meditation, which also helped out with the efforts of the non-Force-sensitive GA forces, against the Chiss battleships.

As such, Jacen really had to shuffle aside any feelings of guilt or loss even as he felt the deaths of so many people on this side of the war die so quickly and painfully. It wouldn't do to bring anymore negative feelings into the meld when the battle was going so poorly on the GA's side already; half of their fighter squadrons had died by now, and several cruisers and two Star Destroyers were completely destroyed. The Chiss, meanwhile, may have lost more, with five Destroyers and even more cruisers obliterated, but they had brought more than what the GA had brought to bear in this system. And that was readily apparent by the efforts and skills of the clawcraft pilots, who were blowing away Alliance fighters at a faster rate than their enemies could match.

And that was saying something when several Jedi Knights, as well as Masters such as Corran Horn and Kyp Durron, were in the fray.

Jacen didn't know how long he had been enduring the feelings brought about by the constant sense of death before he was abruptly shaken out of his meditation. He opened his eyes to see Admiral Drith Jekus, a male Bith, looking down upon him.

"Jedi Solo," the admiral said, "we must abandon Mon Calamari."

Jacen looked up at Jekus in askance. "What? Why?"

"We have lost too much already on this front. We must retreat."

"But we can't just let the Chiss win, Admiral!" Jacen exclaimed even as he stood up. "We still have a chance! We can still-"

"In case you forgot, Jedi Solo," Jekus said, "you have no formal rank in the GA Navy. So you don't get to make the orders; I do. Remember your place."

Jacen kept his mouth shut even as he grit his teeth in frustration. Nevertheless, after all the death that he had felt, including the losses of several Jedi Knights—several of whom had just recently been Knighted within the past week—a part of him was grateful that he could get away from all this.

Unfortunately, that meant that Mon Calamari was going to fall under Chiss occupation, and they would no doubt begin a regime of xenophobic oppression on the native population of Mon Cal and Quarren in no time. By leaving them to the Chiss' hands, the GA would be saying that they, like other worlds such as Corulag and Selvaris, were considered acceptable losses in this war.

And that would only make the GA look as weak as it was truly getting to be now.

When Jekus saw that Jacen wouldn't voice any objections, the Bith brought up his personal commlink to his mouth.

"Captain?" he asked.

"Yes, sir?" came a query from the other end.

"Relay me for a fleetwide transmission."

"Yes, sir."

Jacen shut out Jekus' following pronouncement to the remainder of the GA fleet that they were to abandon the Calamari system as he turned around and leaned against the holographic display. The human looked upon the losses that the GA had taken as well as the stronger Chiss force that was invading the system and his mouth firmed with rage.

But he knew that nothing could be done now; he could see that the Alliance couldn't hold out against the Chiss here. In the long-run, it would be best to fight another day... especially since Jacen couldn't sense any Sith here in this system.

However, the Jedi knew that they were a part of this. They just didn't know how or from where.

. . .

Gosuj stared back at Tahiri in the arena in which he had made her resort to cannibalism the year before. While the human's facial and body expressions were as blank as her Force-presence, the Devaronian made his smugness as apparent to her through the Force as he did in his outward appearance.

"Do you still wish to kill me, Miss Veila?" Gosuj asked.

"Yes," Tahiri answered simply.

"Good. But you won't. Not today, anyway. Is that right?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because now isn't the right time. The Jedi are the true enemy, the true hindrance to Lord Krayt's will."

"That's correct. Like me, you live to serve the Dread Lord's will as your first and only real priority in life."

"Yes, I do."

"Then you know where you must go to fulfill his will. So depart, and may the Force be with you, my apprentice."

Tahiri nodded and turned to leave.

Yes, she thought. She knew that, through her serving of Lord Krayt's will, she would attain her vengeance on Gosuj. And she would wait for as long as it was needed for that day to come.

Until then, she would focus on her assignment in the Empire of the Hand.

. . .

Alema Rar didn't need to look upon the massive fleet of nestships and dartships to know just how far Gorog had come since their retreat from Yoggoy over a year ago. Yet, from the bridge of the nestship Lomi Plo, Alema marveled at what the money and resources were able to get the Dark Nest without either the Chiss Ascendancy or the Empire of the Hand ever learning about them in all the time that they've been developing these massive vessels.

And now that Gorog was large enough, they could begin their conquest of the galaxy, as Lomi Plo and Welk had wanted ever since they founded the Dark Nest.

Without having to speak any words, since Alema's will was effectively all of Gorog's will now, she commanded them all to launch for hyperspace.

It was time to test their resolve against one of these Empire of the Hand defense forces.

. . .

"Arise, my apprentice."

At Lumiya's words, Jaina Solo stood up, though her head was still bowed so that her eyes remained staring at her booted feet.

"Look upon me."

Again, Jaina did as she was commanded and, with her fiery orange-red eyes, looked blankly at her Master.

"You have done well. Your training is almost complete. Though you have learned to fight without the Force, like your twin brother before you, and though you have learned to embrace what the Jedi would so foolishly call the dark side of the Force, there is still one thing you must do before you can become a true Sith."

When Lumiya fell silent, Jaina took that as wordless indication that she was allowed to speak. "To make my sacrifice."

Lumiya nodded. "I know that you came here to find yourself a new purpose, something to channel all of the anger you have, to fill all of the emptiness that you have been left with, so that you can find a way to be accepted by your friends and family again. But for that to happen, you must do away with the one who makes you the weakest. And you know who that is."

"Yes, I do."

"Then go out. Return peace and order to the galaxy and salvage the favor of your family and friends."

"I will, my Master."

And with that, as the normal brown of her eyes returned, Jaina turned and walked to leave the arena in which she and Lumiya had trained so many times in the past year. Within minutes, she had returned to her ship, the New Purpose—formerly known as the Chick Magnet—and launched far from the Home.