Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm afternoon of Tuesday, September 27, 2022? I could be better, as I'm scared out of my mind for my relatives who are in Florida and right in the path of Hurricane Ian. I am going to be praying hard for them over the next few days and will try to keep in touch, if only so I am reassured that they are okay and safe. Oh, and in better news, I've started playing more of Red Dead Redemption 2 today, and it's still a great game so far, with excellent combat mechanics, a good plot, relatable cast of characters, and a large open world for constant exploration. I should be done with Chapter 2 in a few days, if less at the rate I'm going through it.
Well, for what I have in mind for this chapter, I plan to start with an interlude, but this story's series of interludes will revolve around the principal crewmates of the Rude Awakening and how they came to know and befriend Edaan Palpatine in the years leading up to the main story. I figured I'd do this to better flesh out the characters and give them more life, as I haven't been doing that as much as I'd like to in the last three works. But I'll be saving Edaan's first meeting and love story with Adari Thayn for the 5th story's set of interludes. And I'll be doing the interludes in chronological order, so first on the list is Vua Gorsat, the team's Yuuzhan Vong street fighter throughout the thousands of levels on Coruscant during the height of anti-Jedi fervor in the Galactic Alliance. Well, I'd best get started on the chapter. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
0115 Hours, Relona 17th, 50 ABY
Coruscant, Level 5000
Coco District, Inside the Jettster's Diner
Preparing to break cover from behind a sturdy table, Pong swore under his breath before rising to blast apart his sixteenth assailant, this one a Bothan, while she was distracted by her more valuable targets. With his father's rebuilt restaurant having been into a standoff reminiscent of a crimefighting holofilm for nearly ninety minutes by a seemingly endless horse of assailants, all bent on murdering their prey and anyone who tried to interfere, the Besalisk information broker knew he could not let this insult go unpunished. And he intended on raising Chaos with the police district prefect for not having his agents respond to this blatant terrorist attack when she undoubtedly first got word.
Should he, his little stray in a recent Yuuzhan Vong widower, and the Jedi and Galactic Alliance fighters and leaders survive past the night, there would be a reckoning, and he would enjoy helping take the True Victory Party, all their sympathizers, and whoever pulled their leaders' strings now apart piece by piece.
And he knew that he could no longer hold to his self-professed oath of neutrality in the Jedi and Sith's wars, not after it was known how he helped several Jedi students and their Grand Master in solving a murder mystery that threatened to reignite decades-old scars of hatred and paranoia across Coruscant. Seeing the catastrophic results of indecision and fear consume most of the Galactic Alliance, it was a miracle the capital planet did not tear itself apart ages ago.
One way or another, he was back in the fight alongside his father's old friends, and he would not let them down, especially the last Palpatine heir whose family used to frequent his establishment and helped remind him to look for the best in others, even in stuck-up fellows like most Jedi were. Seeing a fourteen-year-old Edaan, wielding a violet-colored lightsaber alongside two of his other fellow Jedi Apprentices defending the restaurant while aiding the clandestine Galactic Alliance Intelligence agents of Wraith Squadron and Senator Kajin Bar Yimmon in holding back the assailants, it filled him with a renewed hope that the galaxy's years-long fits of madness and horrific wars would one day end, and pride in the once-shy young boy that often came here when he lived with his now long-dead family on the capital world.
Interrupting his amazed reverie were the blaring alarms and loudspeakers of a familiar type of speeder, along with the igniting of at least two dozen familiar and extremely rare weapons, and Pong knew this fight would soon be over. Then, his grand return to the rest of the galaxy and its slimy underworld could finally begin, and he could carry on his father's noble work.
Five Days Earlier
1350 Hours, Relona 12th, 50 ABY
Corusca System, In Orbit Above Coruscant
Aboard the HWK-290 light freighter Indigo Talon
Watching through the ship's viewport the thousands of different ships coming and going to the capital world, Edaan Palpatine struggled to rein in his turbulent array of emotions and calm his pounding heart upon returning home. Having not come back to Coruscant in over three years and having lost his family another three years prior thanks to Abeloth's attacks, Edaan wondered how much had changed in his absence from the ancient cityscape of a world, and if the people were as angry with the Jedi as ever when they were expelled from here.
Feeling a hand grip his shoulder, Edaan turned to see Allana Djo Solo, Hapan princess, Jedi apprentice, and one of the Palpatine heir's few friends his age, smile warmly at him while exuding calm energies through the Force, and he felt his worries start drifting away like a gentle current.
Allana, as sympathetic and understanding as always, kindly told Edaan, "Don't worry, buddy. We're not here to cause trouble for anyone, we're just going to be here for a few days on a simple training exercise with eighteen other apprentices. Besides, we're not going to be discovered because we're just going to learn to blend in with the locals and gather information. Simple stuff that won't require any flashy exits, large-scale firefights, mass carnage, and won't connect us in any way with the Order, so long as we keep a low profile."
"It's not just laying low that worries me, Allana." Edaan nervously clarified. "Coming back here, it reminds me just who and what I lost all those years ago. It's never easy remembering those last few months before everything changed."
"Well, at least you have us, Edaan." Bhixen, a towering Togorian of a Jedi Apprentice, hopefully piped up. "I know it isn't the same, but you aren't as alone as you'd think."
Lips moving upward, Edaan playfully conceded, "Yeah. I do have some good friends among you stiff-necked lot."
The ship's intercom coming to life, Kyle's voice came through, "All right, everyone. We're gonna be starting our descent into Coruscant's atmosphere any minute now. The journey might get a little bumpy at first, so I'd advise you all to stay in your seats and enjoy the view."
"You think Kyle could make a good living as a flight attendant if this gig as Grand Master fails?" Trya Isra, a fifteen-year-old Drall apprentice, jokingly suggested, earning many hearty and genuine laughs from the four other apprentices and their Jedi overseer aboard the Indigo Talon while it began its reentry into Coruscant's atmosphere.
Having ferried dozens of Apprentices and newly promoted Knights into hostile Coruscant since the Order's banishment from the capital world to continue their training, the aged ship had gone through this routine many times over the last five years. But this was the first time Edaan and Allana had returned since the war against the Lost Tribe of the Sith was reaching its climax, and this planet had countless memories for both Jedi, many filled with sorrow over lost loved ones and the intensity of war. Hopefully, this trip will be a peaceful one.
1500 Hours
Coruscant, Level 1313
Within BG-RT's Tavern and Spirits
Within the sleazy and run-down cantina owned by a manumitted financial receptionist droid, frequented by rogues and criminals of all manner of age and species, the tavern's sole private and soundproof table was currently occupied by half a dozen wealthy and influential individuals that preferred to operate behind closed doors.
"Everything's ready?" The Bothan woman continued the discussion. "Our last guests have just arrived on-planet, and our client is anxious to give them and our quarry an unforgettable message while the window of opportunity is perfect."
"Relax, Ma'am." A Zabrak woman soothingly interceded. "My people scouted out and seeded the district, and all the packages are in place. They'll go off in exactly twenty-four hours, and no one will be able to trace them back to us."
"What about CSF or GAS?" The middle-aged Ithorian spat out. "If someone gets a guilty conscience and manages to rat us out, or a civilian uncovers even one of the devices before-"
"What do you think all our enforcers are out there for, you spineless di'kut?" A Myneyrsh woman clad in Mandalorian beskar armor irritably cut in. "What I want to know is if we'll get the chance to kill those Jedi? They could undo everything we're trying to achieve unless we take them out now."
"Ease off the throttle. Long as we all stick to the plan, then I know we'll get exactly what we want from this arrangement, plus a little on the top for doing everything perfectly." A purple Rodian dressed in a Coruscant Security Force's prefect uniform patiently reminded everyone.
"Exactly." The Bothan nodded in thanks to the Rodian. "Remember, the only way to pull off a strategy like this is by working completely in sync, with everyone performing above and beyond in their assigned roles and looking out for one another. Before the next week is over, we'll get our revenge for all we've lost, and take the first steps in expelling all our enemies' influence and legacy from the whole galaxy."
0450 Hours, Relona 13th, 50 ABY
Senate District, 500 Republica Tower
Within Senator Yimmon's Apartment Suite
"You are aware, Chief of State, of the astronomically incredible risk you are taking with this agreement, yes?" Kajin Bar Yimmon, a rising figure in the Galactic Senate and stalwart ally and confidant of the current Chief of State, Wynn Dorvan, advised the human after learning of his unofficial pact. "If any of your enemies even discover a hint of this-"
"Which is why the circle of trust is small and will stay that way for as long as necessary." Wynn slowly and emphatically ordered the Cerean senator. "We both know the Jedi, for all their mistakes, are the best defense we have against the Sith factions rising up and all their servants, and I will not allow the bullheadedness of a few hundred senators, their greedy and power-hungry backers, and all their wayward flock to continue destroying our society and republic, not without giving them a fight."
Softening his tone, Wynn reminded Kajin, "Did you not stand all but alone against the Yuuzhan Vong among your people when they invaded the galaxy, and only a sliver of Cerea's people saw the truth of how close we came to facing oblivion? I would say the political and military parallels of today are quite like the New Republic's final years, and I will not allow infighting and fearmongering to undo our best and likely final chance at a united front against all our enemies."
Silent for a moment, Kajin conceded, "Valid points, Sir. Still, I must ask why you chose me to be the liaison between Grand Master Katarn and his clique of students."
"Because you're one of the few senators that have managed to maintain a balanced approach to legislating, and are well-respected by both factions in the Senate, making you an unlikely source of pro-Jedi sympathies and unofficial actions on my behalf." Wynn gratefully explained before passing him a data card. "I suggest you read through the card's contents extensively, for it will automatically delete all its contents after the next three hours."
"What's in it that requires such extensive security measures?" Kajin skeptically asked.
"Everything you'll need to know about your first role in Club Bwua'tu as we continue to look for new blood." Wynn rose from his chair before excusing himself, "Now, as much as I enjoy our talks, I must return to my apartment and finish preparing for today's mountain load of work. A leader's job is never done, as I'm sure you're coming to see."
1500 Hours
Level 4813, Just Outside the Tarsus Valorum Apartment Complex
Returning to his home to snag a few hours of rest before returning to his employer for the night shift, Vua Gorsat was horrified and heartbroken to instead see a roaring inferno consume the three-story building and threaten its surrounding structures, and hundreds of civilians fleeing the scene.
Having abandoned following the Yuuzhan Vong's pantheon of gods for many years after his family was summarily executed for being accused of following the Jeedai Heresy when the planet was occupied by his species, the sacrilegious law of man-made combustion meant nothing to him. But what mattered to him was Vua's wife, and not seeing her escape filled him with terror he had not known since he first came to Coruscant as a Shamed One, a member of the lowest and most disgraceful caste in the Vong's fallen hierarchy.
Preparing to dive right into the fire to look for his love, Vua, in his peripheral vision, saw a familiar dark-skinned human woman standing in a nearby alleyway, and his heart leapt for joy at realizing his Iona Cassy was safe if a bit bruised and battered from whatever likely caused the explosion.
Sprinting towards her, he was prepared to embrace and help get her to safety and when he realized his love was already dead. It was merely a holographic recording that showed Iona before she dropped dead on the ground. Panic gripping the refugee, he was prepared to stop a refugee and ask if they saw Iona, when a series of explosions were set off across the district.
Desperately hoping that Iona got away before the first fires began, Vua began bolting right into the crowd as fast as his legs could move. Hopefully, the rest of his friends and fellow Yuuzhan Vong refugees in the district were faring better than him in this disaster, and that the perpetrators behind this terrorist attack would soon be caught before any more lasting damage could be done.
0400 Hours, Relona 14th, 50 ABY
Senate District, Jedi Temple
Within the Jedi Archives
"What do you mean, we've got to stay trapped in here?!" Edaan incredulously complained after Kyle and his fellow Jedi Masters gave their orders to the assembled Apprentices. "Coruscant's burning out there while the Yuuzhan Vong subpopulation is getting blamed and massacred in virtually every district, and we can't do anything to stop it?!"
"There are only thirty of us in the Temple, Edaan. And we're technically here illegally, mind you." Ark G'lar, an Ongree male and fellow Apprentice, pointedly reminded his fellow Jedi.
"Young G'lar is right." Kyle concurred. "If we go out there now, then we'll only add fuel to the fires, no pun intended. But we're not going to sit idly by and let the chaos spread any further."
"Then how do you propose we help?" Aila Koth, another senior Apprentice, asked. "If we can't go out there to help calm the crowds or aid the investigators, then…" Slowly, the answer dawned on the young Zabrak woman. "We're going to be searching for the truth in here, aren't we?"
"Exactly." Kyle nodded. "This temple has some of the most advanced computers in the Galactic Alliance, kept up to date by our loyal staff of droids and a few sympathetic figures in the GA. And our systems can sneak programs inside virtually any computer network on the planet without any form detection that can relay information back to us here. For the moment, we'll be able to do more good for the planet here than out in the field in learning the truth."
1200 Hours
Galactic Alliance Navy Command Complex
Within the Chief of Naval Operations' Office
"It's pure pandemonium out there." Wynn grimly summed up the desperate situation emerging to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Riots are breaking out across the planet, there's a witch hunt out for the perpetrator and all Yuuzhan Vong refugees, and BAMR News and their sycophants are only fanning the flames of hatred and war."
"Does anyone have anything to add to this meeting that we don't already know?" The Galactic Alliance's Chief of Army Operations, Judder Page, irritably asked no one in particular. "We need to figure out solutions for this madness, not complain or repeat the obvious to everyone here."
After Stavin Thaal, the previous commander of the Army, was arrested for his participation in the Lecersen Conspiracy, the Army fell under the old commando's jurisdiction. Admired by all for his incorruptibility and decades of experience but reviled by many for his unwavering faith and admiration in the Jedi Order, he had been working to purge the corruption and avarice from the Army's ranks and restore the public's faith in the Alliance's military. Unfortunately, his bluntness and simmering anger at the galaxy's spiraling descent into insanity left him increasingly short-tempered with everything that assaulted the institutions and people that he cherished so dearly.
"Which is why we need to put everything we can spare into quelling the riots and apprehending the masterminds behind this attack. If the Vong are behind the bombings, they need to be held in a court of law, not lynched to death by an incensed population." The Chief of Starfighter Command, Pash Cracken, advised his longtime friend and fellow successor to another high-ranking member of the Lecersen Conspiracy.
Following his late father's example since he and his entire flight defected from the Galactic Empire, Pash had steadily risen through the ranks of the Rebel Alliance and each of its successive governments, even working in Rogue Squadron in the New Republic's early years. As a quiet supporter of the Jedi for years, he had them intelligence on potential Sith bolt holes when the Galactic Alliance's Senate severed all ties with them, deeply contrasting with Judder's vocal criticism of the politicians' short-sighted spitefulness and paranoia hampering the military's effectiveness in keeping the populace and Alliance safe and free.
"A practical start." Nek Bwua'tu agreed with the former fighter pilot. As the Galactic Alliance's Chief of Naval Operations and Supreme Commander of its Defense Force, he commanded all its fleets and soldiers, having steadily risen through the ranks of the Navy since the government's inception.
As the Alliance's highest-ranking Bothan that still worked with them after the Bothan Sector seceded from the Alliance as the Second Galactic Civil War began ten years ago, Nek was determined to uphold his unbreakable oath of Krevi and serve as a pillar of service and honor to his scheming people. "But I have my doubts onto the likely suspects, and not just because BAMR News is whipping the public into a frenzy on this latest surge of anti-Vong sentiment."
"What do you mean?" Judder warily asked, not liking being fooled or manipulated by anyone.
"Think of it like this; We have kept a close eye on the Vong refugees scattered across the planet, and there is little evidence that suggests their complicity in the firebombs. Their religion specifically prohibits artificially made fires, and I doubt even citizens of this planet would abandon their beliefs so easily." Nek pointed out, remembering the information long-deceased Jedi Knight Anakin Solo uncovered while rescuing Tahiri Veila from the Yuuzhan Vong's inhumane captivity on the captured moon of Yavin Four.
"I think someone is trying to paint them as the scapegoat while increasing their influence and fulfilling an old vendetta." The veteran Bothan gravely concluded.
Turning to Garik Loran, Director of the Galactic Alliance Intelligence, Wynn asked, "Do we have any leads that could verify Chief Bwua'tu's suspicions?"
"It could be among dozens of suspect organizations or peoples." Garik regretfully answered. "Most Bothans haven't given up their oath of Ar'krai, and plenty of other worlds and groups out there would love to see them wiped off the face of the galaxy."
"Then you need to put your people on searching for the truth while we work to quell this insanity." Gavin Darklighter, an admiral in the Galactic Alliance Defense Force and the commander of the military's elite marines, quickly but in. "I'll deploy every available battalion of marines stationed here to help CSF and GAS suppress the riots."
"Excellent. But we'll also need an armada's worth of air support if we're going to cut all civilian traffic down to the bone. The Sixth Fleet will be sufficient for our needs." Wynn added, with the meeting quickly becoming more productive as each Chief took on a specific set of tasks, while Garik made a note to call an old friend and his team of misfits to investigate this, if they weren't on the case already.
1300 Hours
Corusca System, On the Moon Hesperidium
Inside the Adegan Jewel Hotel
'Just when one thinks things can't get any crazier out there, another crisis erupts right in the heart of the galaxy.' Voort lamented while playing the role of a porter by setting down three of his squadmates' luggage in their hotel presidential suite. With luxurious accommodations, including nine holoterminals, two modest hot tub, six large freezers full of countless delicacies, and a dozen king-sized beds, this suite was worthy of the role Wraith Squadron was originally utilized in investigating a shipping baron believed to be smuggling a dozen convoys of construction materials to a series of shell companies believed to be run by a conglomerate of criminal organizations, and even had a few ties to rogue Sith warbands.
An ordinarily simple and routine job, it was a shame the team of misfits would have to split its forces to unofficially help Garik and the GA unravel the truth of the supposed Yuuzhan Vong terrorist attacks that wracked the capital world. And it was fortunate that Voort knew just which Wraiths would assist them in this endeavor. Five Wraiths in the field would be enough to see if the Joint Chiefs' suspicions on outsider forces as the perpetrators, while Sharr Latt, an excellent strategist and master of psychological warfare, would remain behind and coordinate both team's missions while Voort led the Coruscant operation.
Of course, it would help to call in a few favors and see if someone on the ground could dig up a bit of dirt on the accused to see if they were capable of such a dark and well-coordinated act. It was time to bring Pong Jettster back into the Wraith's clique of informants, and it was fortunate that Voort and Sharr were already on good terms with the Besalisk restaurant owner and information broker from past exploits. Together, they had the best chance of uncovering the truth before Coruscant ripped itself apart.
0400 Hours, Relona 15th, 50 ABY
Coco District, Jettster's Diner
"Well, young man, apparently you've created quite a fervor of activity and terror across the planet alongside your fellow refugees." A hulking Besalisk, who looked as if he was ready to throttle Vua with all four of his arms at the slightest provocation, conversationally asked the bound Yuuzhan Vong. "Setting fire to half a district, evading law enforcement, and murdering about ten thousand civilians, you've had quite a busy few days before we rescued you from that mob."
"If you wanted the pleasure of whatever bounty the authorities and their puppet masters have on me, you'd have done so already. If you want the pleasure of killing me yourselves, just get it over with. I've got nothing left to live for anymore, anyways." Vua emptily muttered, not bothering to resist the execution he knew was coming his way. In a twisted way, he felt it was rather fitting he met his end this way after trying so hard to make a little extra money for his love and her dreams of one day leaving this world and its troubles behind.
After his own race abandoned him and murdered his parents, he was left for dead before a medical droid, a sentient being his culture abhorred as mechanical abominations, gave him refuge and nursed him back to health. That droid and other survivors of the fall of Coruscant could have abandoned him for dead, but their compassion, even in the face of certain annihilation saved his life and treated him as one of their own. They taught him vital survival lessons, exciting tidbits about their cultures to get him intrigued for more, and even managed to show him that mechanical and organic beings could coexist, even in a world like Coruscant when covered by metal and technology.
He even found his future wife in Iona, then a young girl that lost her parents during the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of the capital world. Their first few months together were full of animosity and fear, but slowly, they came to respect and depend on each other, even starting to fall in love with each other shortly before the world's liberation by the Galactic Alliance. Finding a new home in the world and society that risked everything to take him in, Vua aided the Reconstruction Authority in reclaiming what they could of Coruscant's original landscape, and eventually settled down with his love a few years after the war ended.
Such a life was not perfect and held more than its fair share of prejudice for the couple, but they persevered and were able to etch out a good living in the leading staff of a modest residential suite, along with Vua's side passion for pit fights and raking in decent sums of credits for her dreams, before the fires and mad mobs obliterated that life.
"Why? 'Cause you lost your wife before the fires started, or your fellow Vong refugees are being targeted by lynch mobs manipulated by the true masterminds of this attack while painting you as the ringleader of a false flag terrorist cell?" The Besalisk knowingly asked, pulling out a cutting knife and cutting the bonds that held Vua in place, confusing the young man.
"None of us here are interested in killing you, Mr. Gorsat. We brought you here to protect you from the lynch mobs scouring the planet for your head." The leader assured the Yuuzhan Vong before offering him a friendly hand. "Name's Pong Jettster, and I run an information network that has its eyes and ears across the planet and favors and contacts spread across half the galaxy."
"That's how we were able to figure out that the True Victory Party orchestrated the attacks to incite the populace in slaughtering you and every other Yuuzhan Vong refugee living on this world."
"Why?!" Vua despairingly exclaimed. "We've been living in peace for decades, helping the planet rebuild from the war, and haven't done anything deserving genocide. And their plan killed or ruined tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the process!"
"Blind hatred and irrational vendettas can drive anyone to commit atrocities in the name of their fanatical cause." Pong sadly pointed out. "I have my people working to save those they can, but it'll all be for naught unless the Galactic Alliance can get its kriffing act together and stand up to this mob mentality."
"If you know the truth, why not just go up the Alliance's chain of command until you find someone who cares?"
"I already have the perfect GA general in mind that can bring this directly to the Chief of State's attention. We just need to keep you safe until this crisis comes to a head and sanity prevails." Pong answered, doing well to keep the worry out of his voice. Hopefully, General Loran's people were more reliable than the incompetent CSF leaders, and he would do his part in ending this planetwide pogrom.
Still, deciding to be honest with Vua, he added, "Just in case, I'm calling in a few old friends and associates to help bolster our defenses. With half the populace after you, it can't hurt to bring in a dozen or so professionals."
0600 Hours, Relona 16th, 50 ABY
On the Great Western Sea, Within the Starstruck Casino
"You found him?" The costumed human woman, dressed in a bulky and borderline cartoonish version of an Imperial grand admiral's uniform, covered in blue face paint and hair coloring, and wearing red retinal coverings to hide her true eyes and allegiance, all but demanded of the Bothan.
Deciding against further enraging her Sith client, Kar'sk Fey'la quickly explained, "Apparently, a few fools decided he was better off resting in a well-respected restaurant deep in the Coco District, away from all the prying eyes until a bit of counterevidence comes along."
Nodding, Dician, director of Sith Intelligence, continued, "The name of the establishment?"
"It's called the Jettster's Diner, and it's owned by a pro-Jedi fool named-"
"I know exactly who the proprietor is, but your information is quite out of date." Dician patiently interrupted. "Pong Jettster had not been in contact with the Jedi for the past six years, nor has he done business with any of their associates since the Galactic Alliance severed ties with the Order. He might be of use to our cause if we were to move carefully."
"Then what do you suggest?" Kar'sk asked. "We can't very well remove a possible friend in a populated area with such blatant methods, but we can't risk him uncovering the truth on the Vong and his traitorous consort either."
"Which is why we will force his hand and make him choose a side." The Sith Lady calmly answered, further elaborating, "And if he does not bow to the will of the people, then an example will be made of him for others like him as a lasting reminder of the True Victory Party's great reach and noble message of cleansing the galaxy of a terrible scourge your people should have eradicated decades ago, when you all last had the chance before the Jedi foolishly intervened."
1000 Hours
Senate Building, Within Senator Yimmon's Office
Fervently devouring the information provided to him by General Loran, Kajin found himself both amazed at the ex-Wraith's efficiency and well-connected network of informants and allies and infuriated at the sick depravities the True Victory Party and their many unseen backers would go to in destroying the already defeated and reviled Yuuzhan Vong refugees scattered across the galaxy.
Having been contacted by both the General and Chief of State, Kajin asked both human leaders, "How do we play this? We might be able to dismantle the anti-Vong's terror army and stop the riots, but then we risk letting the masterminds slip away in the chaos to concoct new plots."
"We're going to be smart in our counterattack." Wynn knowingly answered. "General Loran will coordinate with Grand Master Katarn and his people in their Temple to pinpoint the ringleaders' positions before our best teams of marines and commandos will work to capture them."
"Won't reactivating the Temple's computer networks risk their discovery by virtually anyone watching the energy grids?" Kajin cautioned. "If the anti-Jedi coalition realizes that the Jedi are breaking the law, no matter how absurd it is, it'll send them on the warpath against the Order and put all those in their old home at terrible risk."
"We can mask the signature easily enough, Kajin, just as we've done every other time the Jedi have returned to their stronghold." Garik pointed out. "But speaking of risks, you and your bodyguards will escort the wrongly-accused Mr. Gorsat and his friends into protective custody. We can't have any of them being ripped apart by the mobs the True Victory Party whipped up, and we need someone we trust implicitly to save our citizens, but quietly, before anyone else is the wiser."
"I'll be sending a few trusted assets over to the Coco District to help with the transfer and add another layer of protection to you and the others. They're rather unconventional, but I'm sure you'll be rather surprised to see who I have on my employ."
"That isn't exactly reassuring." Kajin lamented before rising from his seat, "I'll be on my way before the hour ends. Wish me luck."
"You'll probably need every edge you can get over the next few hours." Garik agreed.
1200 Hours
Jedi Temple, Main Auxiliary Hangar
"Whom exactly did you call in getting us all a ride to your old friend's place, Edaan?" Allana cautiously asked her longtime friend as the three present Apprentices, tasked with guarding the area, finished opening the hangar doors for the Temple's backup hangar and a shuttle resembling a Skipray blastboat began flying through.
Flashing her a cocky grin, one almost worthy of a Solo, Edaan promised the Chume'da, "A few old friends that I've made in the last couple years, thanks to my connections and meticulous research."
"Yeah, that doesn't offer any answers to our questions, Edaan." Bhixen impatiently reminded his friend as the shuttle landed.
Once the Skipray's boarding doors opened, and its crew of two debarked, both non-Palpatine Jedi were surprised to see just who they were welcoming into their home. Seeing a Wookiee and Gamorrean, the latter thinner and having a more intelligent gaze than most of his kind, await the three teenagers, Allana was astonished when the Gamorrean wearily smiled and spoke in clear, if digitized Basic, "I was expecting Grand Master Katarn and Master Ramis to greet us, not their latest and craziest apprentices in the Palpatine heir and the Hapes Consortium's own Chume'da, Allana Solo."
"What am I, roasted Nerf meat?" Bhixen ruefully muttered, though both Allana and Edaan knew he was only joking around.
"He'll be coming along in his own ship soon enough, Piggy, but he's held up in a meeting with your leader and Pong." Edaan warmly chuckled. "We figured we'd see if we could help you out at Mr. Jettster's old diner. The three of us already got the okay to ask for your help."
Hearing the Wookiee woman bark out a question, Edaan eagerly and intently answered, "Yeah, I knew the owner back from when I lived around the area. He's a good and old friend of mine and my family."
Listening intently to the conversation, remembering her talks with Master Sarkin-Tainer and her son, and recalling her family's reports from their classified information network, Allana almost fainted from the shock, and pointed at the man Edaan called Piggy before shakily saying, "You're Voort saBinring. The leader of Wraith Squadron after it was reformed."
Growling out the obvious accusation, Allana, seeing four sets of curious and incredulous eyes aimed at her, quickly realized her blunder and improvised to the Wookiee, "Sorry. I know it's classified and all, but my master and I followed a few rumors on a bunch of key renegades dying under mysterious circumstances, and we eventually figured out the truth. We kept it quiet to avoid compromising you."
"We can talk more about your supposed investigation later, young Solo." Voort warningly promised. "But right now, we have more important places to be before our well-entrenched enemies decide to attack our shared friend. We already have a senator and his team coming to investigate, so we might as well take along a few secret aces in case there's more to these assailants than simple terrorism. Come on."
Ignoring Huhunna's well-intentioned but futile protests, Voort gestured to the two teens and one adult to follow him, and they quickly entered and strapped themselves in before the ship flew out of the hangar and resumed its trek, arriving just before the barrage of police and Galactic Alliance Security vessels showed up to investigate the breaching of the supposedly sealed off Jedi Temple.
Knowing the Jedi did not divulge every hidden passageway to the government now proved to be a wise call, since the Indigo Talon could emerge several kilometers away and have no implications with this scandal. Of course, Edaan and Allana would likely get an earful and stern punishment from each of their masters for bending and twisting the truth after they returned to Shedu Maad, but time was of the essence, and he longed to see his old friend and offer him his aid, political consequences and idiocy be damned.
Somehow, he had a hunch even a proud and headstrong man like Pong would need plenty of assistance for the fight ahead. He just hoped the stubborn Besalisk would accept such an offer before he lost everything again.
1500 Hours
Coco District, Jettster's Diner
"You're twenty minutes late, Piggy." Pong grumpily told Voort as the Gamorrean walked into the establishment. "For your sake, I hope these 'acquaintances' of yours are as capable and reliable as you claim they are, not that it matters right now. We may not have much time before the fighting starts to spill over into this neck of the woods, and I don't think we can all fly out without getting spotted and shot down."
"Then we're fortunate I got us some extra help, since they'll help us hold out until relief arrives." Voort promised before observing the defenses the Wraiths helped Pong's staff devise. Having seen dozens of miniature trip mines and security cameras layered around the restaurant, along with about eighteen modern security droids built behind street barricades to aid the defenders, the outer layer of protection was ready to be put to good use.
The inside of the restaurant was another story. Having been expanded after its decades-long closure by Sidious's Galactic Empire to triple its size and width, the Jettster's Diner was a spacious place with dozens of tables and booths, with every inch of space being put to good use. With grease traps, flammable oils ready to combust in any controlled direction if detonated, a state-of-the-art alarm system to contact every CSF Prefect in a hundred-kilometer radius, and Pong's permanent staff of three dozen employees, ten present bodyguards and bouncers, and twenty serving droids ready to defend their guest and second home, even a well-armed group of gangs would find themselves hard-pressed to conquer this building.
"Well, don't just stand there admiring our work, boss. Let's see the supposed help your brought." Trey Courser, the Wraiths' explosives expert, snappishly said.
"We're already here, Trey." A familiar teenage boy's voice filtered through, surprising the three present Wraiths and Pong with just who was behind Voort.
The smiling Gamorrean, standing aside to let everyone see just who was coming to their aid, surprised everyone with two young humans and a towering Togorian young adult. The male human teen started the conversation, gratefully telling Pong, "It's been a long time, but it's so good to see you again, Mr. Jettster." Glancing at the other three Wraiths, he added, "And of course, I'm glad to see you all as well, Trey, Jesmin, and Drikall."
"Who are…" Pong trailed off, his well-honed mind remembering the shy eight-year-old boy whose family was once a frequent clique of customers before their terrible deaths, and disbelievingly whispered, "Edaan?! Edaan Palpatine?!"
"Told you he knew the proprietor." Allana smugly gloated to Huhunna, who only grumbled in response.
"What are…? What in the blazes are you doing here?!" Pong incredulously shouted. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you on this world right now?! Does your master even know where you are?"
"They all do because we've been on Coruscant since before this situation began, so we all got the same news report you did. We left Grand Master Katarn and the rest of our friends a message back at our old Temple before we left. He'll probably be right behind us once Chief of State Dorvan clears him passage through the military traffic, but we had to go ahead and help you if we could." The red-haired human girl explained, with Pong mentally berated himself for not recognizing Hapan heiress Allana Solo right away.
Seething, not because he was working alongside Jedi again, for he would take virtually anyone's help right now, and would not blame children for the mistakes of their elders, but because Voort would agree to expose them to such carnage, he was prepared to rip the Wraiths a new one before hearing a grizzled voice caution, "Don't, Pong. We need all the help we can get right now, and the Jedi are among the best fighters and greatest of souls out there. If we survive past the night and end this madness, then we can argue about the ethics of bringing the young into this fight all we want."
Sighing, Pong turned to see Kajin emerge from the basement, and scolded the Cerean, "You're supposed to be finishing configuring the defenses and guarding our guest, Yimmon. But if you want to advocate for these young ones, then you're in charge of them."
Looking right at the three Jedi Apprentices, Pong gruffly ordered, "You want to help? Then help the good senator and his guards set up the last of our traps for the True Victory Party and their mobs of pawns they'll send after us soon enough."
"We'll do whatever we can to stop this insanity." The Togorian Jedi patiently promised. "Just tell us what needs to be done."
"Good." Pong's gaze, softening at Edaan, promised the young man, "We'll talk later, Edaan. I believe we have a lot to catch up on after everything settles down."
"Yes." Edaan completely agreed, hope blossoming in his heart that he could convince his old friend to help the Jedi again, and assist him in his own personal mission when the time came. "I believe we will indeed."
2350 Hours
Coco District, Jettster's Diner
"Comm traffic indicates we've got a horde coming our way, at least six hundred strong. Looks like they're all on the warpath looking for Mr. Gorsat." One of Pong's Gotal employees warned his boss and allies while wearily rubbing his head's sensory cones from the strain of processing all the information his cybernetic implants helped him manage, while everyone could hear the faint cry of airspeeders flying closer towards the neighborhood.
"So much for your 'impregnable lockdown'." Pong witheringly told the Cerean Senator. "Get your marines down here on the double, before we're all held hostage or torn apart."
"I've already sent out the call, and it was finished just seconds before a communications blackout was cast over the area, one with CSF authorization codes." Kajin grimly answered. "Looks like the True Victory Party has a lot more reach inside the Alliance than we all thought."
"What about me and my friends?" Edaan quickly questioned the grown-ups, with him and his two fellow Jedi having already armed themselves with two blaster pistols, courtesy of the Wraiths to hide their true identities from the public. "Where do you need us?"
"Stay in the restaurant for now with your friends and help guard our guest. We don't want any assassins sniping or cutting him open under our care, do we?" Kajin ordered, synching his comlink's signal with Edaan's. "If we need you on the front lines, we'll contact you right away."
"Are you just saying that to protect us and Vua from the bloodthirsty mob, or so you can try and keep us here a secret from your peers?" Allana suspiciously deduced.
"Both." Voort answered. "And if you want to live past this day and any of us to help your little boyfriend with his big redemption quest, then you'll do as we say." The last sentence caused Edaan and Allana's faces to turn nearly as red as blood, and they fervently denied the claims of dating before they skulked back towards the restaurant's interior.
Having quietly observed Edaan's heartfelt conversation with Pong two hours ago by hacking into the restaurant's security cameras, Kajin and Voort were astonished at the young Palpatine's lofty goal of redeeming a Sith Lady as notorious and infamous as Vestara Khai, and the secret support he had from many high-ranking Jedi, both living and dead. Such a mission bordered on the suicidal, but both Senator and commando leader knew how such a mission could be accomplished with the right people and resources.
Both leaders then made a silent pact to help Edaan in any way they could, and Pong offered to help the Jedi Order in any capacity, not willing to let his friend risk damnation and death without living up to the father's legacy of his long-dead father when he helped the Jedi Order of his time. Of course, he would charge them his most premium fees to protect his reputation, expand his reach, and ensure his front was well-funded, but such finer details could be negotiated between him and the Council.
While all three people had terrible misgivings about Vestara's willingness to be saved, neither could question Edaan's courage in risking it all for a friend, his noble intentions, or the value his covert plan held in tracking down the two Sith orders and their flunkies still wreaking havoc across the galaxy.
But first, everyone had to survive past the next few hours, and it all depended on how well-prepared the makeshift alliance was ready to go up against the True Victory Party and their army of willing dupes, and how everyone could perform well in the crucible of a battle when stacked against such overwhelming odds and with a patchwork group.
Back in the Present
0115 Hours, Relona 17th, 50 ABY
Coco District, Near the Jettster's Diner
As Edaan felt fatigue quickly set in for him and Allana, he feared the end had come for the two longtime friends, making him regret not trying to talk his master to come with him right away, political consequences or anything else be damned.
After Pong and Kajin tried in vain to talk down the mob, with hatreds flaring too strongly to be dispelled by reason and restraint, the True Victory Party ordered their dupes into a full-frontal attack to slaughter anyone who still stood against them.
Quickly being pushed back into the restaurant after a brief standoff, the ensemble unleashed their hidden defenses, burning or blasting apart over a hundred fools before the rest smartened up and began a siege after the first half hour concluded. Knowing they needed to try something drastic to buy the team more time, Edaan and Allana, against everyone's orders, made their presence known and worked to draw as many of the assailants as they could, getting almost a hundred mobsters after them. Bhixen would have gone with them, but Pong and Voort's people needed a Jedi to assist them in the defense of the remaining eight hundred enemies.
Playing a game of Felinx-and-Rodus with the rioters, picking them off a few at a time for the next forty minutes, the two Jedi Apprentices managed to thin their numbers by half before being exposed by a Myneyrsh woman encased in Mandalorian armor and her personal squad of executioners. The four-armed and blue-skinned alien and her enforcers nearly managed to kill the two friends several times before meeting her end by Allana's crack shooting, with some adjustments from Edaan when she made the final blow that removed her head off her shoulders.
But even in death, the Mandalorian might have gotten the last laugh. Having been cut off from Bhixen and the rest of the restaurant's defenders and surrounded by nearly fifty well-armed assailants and mobsters nearly half a block away, the duo knew time had just about run out. With the crowd eager to kill the two weary Jedi teens and go after their true prey, it looked as if the end had come for them both.
If help did not arrive right away, then they would pay the price for Edaan's haste and desperation, and they would lose their lives in a brutal fashion.
"Allana, I'm sorry I got you into this mess!" Edaan humbly apologized, ready to face the end and take as many enemies with him as possible while begging the Celestials that Allana would be spared his fate.
"Don't be." Allana smirked, flashing her family's classic and confident grin. "Our deliverance is here."
Confused before sensing two familiar presences reach out to Edaan, he realized just what Allana meant, and felt Kyle and Octa's strength flow into each of their exhausted apprentices. Reinvigorated, they started beating their way through the enemy mob towards their friends at the rebuilt diner.
With a few Force-enhanced shoves to knock most of the mob off their feet, a couple amputations on the mob leaders for later interrogation by the authorities and putting the rest of the crowd into a trance to keep them docile until they could be incarcerated, they swiftly made their way back to the restaurant, just as the rest of the Jedi and their allies in a battalion of Galactic Alliance Void Jumper marines started landing in full force to secure the area.
Seeing Kyle and the rest of the Jedi's relief at the two friends' safety and sensing Pong and the Wraiths being alive and well, they both knew that once the two teens and Bhixen were back at Shedu Maad, they would get a heavy punishment for their reckless disobedience. But before that time came, they had to help round up the remaining rioters and their instigators before they could slink away into the shadows.
0800 Hours
On the Great Western Sea, Within the Starstruck Casino
Seeing the hours-old holonet reports of the riots subsiding and the True Victory Party being ordered to be dismantling across the galaxy, Dician seethed at this scheme of hers being marred by imperfection by the Jedi and their cohorts, even as she worked to analyze the cost-benefit analysis of her strategy.
While this operation might not have toppled the Galactic Alliance as Dician and Lord Krayt might have hoped, it certainly did much to cripple its credibility and competence across the galaxy for letting the would-be imitators of the long-defunct Diversity Alliance stage such a series of attacks in the government's center of power. And with the Jedi's secret missions to this world now exposed, it would be even harder for them to regain the trust of the largest galactic government and its idiotic body of senators.
Were it not for the three Jedi learners holding off the mob and their handlers until a relief army arrived, the situation would have turned out very differently with a decisive Sith victory and a chance to seed more agents with the Alliance and further undermine the already-poor relations between both factions.
Obviously, she and Lord Krayt's spies in the Jedi Order would have to keep a close eye on their Apprentices going forward, if only to decide if any of their members would be worthy candidates for recruitment, or who would need to be eliminated before they could do any further damage to the Grand Design. Edaan Palpatine, especially, would need to be observed quite closely and with great interest.
1200 Hours, Relona 19th, 50 ABY
Senate Building, Within the Chief of State's Office
"Well, you've certainly kept busy with training your latest student, Grand Master Katarn." Wynn wearily admitted to the hologram sitting before him. "Of course, I would expect little else from a Force Sensitive Palpatine with Edaan's abilities, potential, and growing list of connections and favors. He's already the talk of half the galaxy with his debut into the holonet, and most of the holonews stations are begging for an interview with him."
"He's quite a special basket case, that's a tremendous understatement." Kyle simply concurred. "But if it wasn't for him and his quick thinking, the situation could have turned out a lot worse for Senator Yimmon and your Intelligence assets. We probably would never have figured out that the True Victory Party was behind the bombings until they were long gone. You should be able to sweep this little incident with the Order under the rug now that you and your supporters in the Senate can do a fair bit of housecleaning in your anti-corruption efforts."
"That still doesn't give us a definitive answer on who their supposed benefactor was." Wynn pointed out, remembering Voort and Kajin's reports on five of Kar'sk's subordinates ranting while the GAS took them all into custody. "If the Sith were involved as we suspect, then we won't have much success in convincing the Senate to act."
Kyle, appearing contemplative, before an idea slowly dawned on him and he proposed, "Then we'll just have to repair the Order's reputation across the galaxy the long and hard way. If we can't convince the Senate to act, then we'll bypass them and appeal directly to each sector's leadership and populace to work as full-fledged equals in this war."
"Are you sure that's a wise strategy?" Wynn cautiously asked. "Under normal circumstances, I would not oppose such a proposal, but both yours and GA Intelligence's last reports said that your order was still stretched near the breaking point by putting out all the brush fires erupting across the galaxy while hunting for two Sith factions."
"Then we'll just have to bolster our ranks with a few dozen promising Apprentices." Kyle simply answered. "I think several of them are ready to take on a bit more responsibility and help to remind the galaxy that the Jedi aren't the careless and power-hungry monsters that most people now believe we are."
"Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures, and I'd say this situation more than qualifies as the former." The Grand Master quippingly added, earning a weary and amused sigh from the Chief of State.
1800 Hours, Relona 24th, 50 ABY
Shedu Maad, Jedi Temple
Within the Council Chambers
"So, what are we to do with the three of you?" Kyle ominously asked Edaan, Allana, and Bhixen, with Octa Ramis and Jaina Solo Fel, both the respective masters of Allana and Bhixen, attending in person for this impromptu hearing. "You broke all your standing orders, exposed our training missions to BAMR News and its sister networks, almost destroyed what little credibility we have left with the Alliance, and nearly got yourselves killed in a horrific firefight before the rest of us and the Joint Chiefs were able to salvage the situation, save your lives, and crush the True Victory Party's presence on Coruscant."
"We know." Allana solemnly acknowledged before ardently continuing, "And while each of us regret all the trouble we caused everyone, just know that I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant doing the right thing and use our training to help those in need. And so would Edaan and Bhixen."
"We take full responsibility for our actions and will accept any disciplinary measures you decide to implement on us." Edaan promised, only hoping he would not get his friends expelled for getting them involved in a personal struggle.
Bhixen, hoping to ease pressure off his two friends, anxiously adding, "And at least, thanks to Edaan and Allana's hunch and their great friends, we now have a couple new and well-placed allies and contacts on Coruscant who will keep us informed on the world, much of the galactic underworld, and the Senate's legislations and shifts in power. Not that it helps mitigate our punishments, mind you."
"Then you must have some idea what we're going to do, right?" Octa warned, before admitting, "We're going to put you and all the rest of our top Apprentices on the front lines more often from here on out."
"I beg your pardon?" Edaan incredulously asked, turning to his master for clarification.
"By trusting your instincts and acting on your training, you were able to help stop Coruscant from tearing itself apart, assist in dismantling a powerful organization bent on wiping out an entire species and give us a few well-placed contacts on the world that will be invaluable to us in keeping a step ahead of all our enemies." Kyle commended the three younger Jedi. "We can't afford to keep you all cooped up in here any longer, not with the Sith still on the loose across the galaxy, and a million other problems cropping up across every sector."
"So… you're going to punish us, by giving us more responsibility and missions?" Edaan simply asked, hiding his eagerness and rapid heartbeat behind a calm mask. If he was out there more in the galaxy, then it would allow him better access to find kindred spirits, build up his resources and extend his reach, and increase his odds of finding Vestara and fulfilling the promise they made each other all those years ago.
"Remember, you wanted to see the galaxy and make your family proud. Consider this your chance to do both." Kyle knowingly reminded his pupil. "Get some rest, you three. We'll have your first batch of assignments out for you all when the Council makes its official announcement in four days."
0100 Hours, Relona 25th, 50 ABY
Within Edaan Palpatine's Quarters
"You certainly had an eventful excursion on Coruscant with your fellow Apprentices, Edaan." Revan chuckled at hearing his living pupil's story from his own lips. "Getting the help of a well-connected and respected information broker, an incorruptible Galactic Alliance senator, a team of off-the-books commandos, and perhaps a good street fighter with an inherent advantage against Force Users for your personal mission when the time comes, while helping to stop a genocidal crusade against an extragalactic species and making your grand debut onto the galactic scene."
"That's only if Vua agrees to aid me when the time comes." Edaan clarified. "No way in Chaos was I going to ask him to help right now after he lost his wife and home. I'm not that tactless and heartless."
"True." Looking at Jacen, Revan continued, "Anyway, I'm sure it's a bit similar to your adventures back at your uncle's Praxeum, especially against the triad of threats you helped dismantle before the Yuuzhan Vong invaded."
"Yeah, but they didn't end in me making a few key allies and friends while starting to build a team for an eventual quest of redemption for a Sith." Jacen, fallen Jedi Knight, student of dozens of Force Sects, and infamous Sith lord Darth Ceadus before his death, reminded the one time Revanchist Jedi and Sith Lord. "It seems like what you and Meetra did back when it was your team against each of your Sith threats."
Kreia, the first teacher of Revan and an early Gray Jedi before falling to the Dark Side during the Jedi Civil War, eventually becoming Darth Traya and leader of the short-lived Sith Triumvirate, ignored the bickering banter and observed in Edaan, "I sense a great and old weight has lifted from your shoulders, but another one has begun to set in. You are beginning to truly comprehend the responsibilities that come with being a Jedi, and with the goal you have set for yourself, the burdens you will carry and the difficult balance you need to maintain within and without."
"Yes, Kreia." Edaan acknowledged. "I may have gotten the help of a few key leaders and commandos, but that's only the beginning of my work. To fight the Lost Tribe and secret Sith Order, I'll need to gather more people and power, far more, without using the methods and evils of my ancestor and the Sith that Darth Bane's order used. Which means I'll need many more good people and teammates to keep me honest and on the correct path."
"You will need more than friends and resources, young Palpatine." Tau Koda; the Jed'aii Ranger who was once a prominent Rakata force hound, before he was brought into the Balance, the pivot between the light and dark sides of the force, by his eventual wife, Shae Koda, and proved crucial in ending the first of the three Force Wars in the Infinite Empire's failed invasion of the Tython System, "You will need to further your studies and training, which means testing yourself further in whatever missions the Council will have planned for you and the rest of your fellow Apprentices."
"But you must be wary of such power, Edaan." Qui-Gon Jinn, servant of the Living Force, master of three Jedi Padawans, the last student being legendary Jedi Master Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, cautioned the determined Jedi teenager. "With such influence will come terrible temptations that will test all of your character, which is what many in the galaxy fear of the Jedi right now."
"When the time comes, you must be prepared to prove all the doubters wrong by relinquishing all your accumulated power the moment your mission is done or near completion. Remember, Jedi are meant to be servants of the Force, and not tied down to the physical world any more than needed."
"All I want is to save Vestara from herself and honor my loved ones' will. I don't care about grabbing power or becoming a Sith Lord and galactic tyrant like Sidious." Edaan reminded his deceased mentors.
"We all know that, but it will not stop others from believing the worst about you, or with you being presented the temptation of retaining such power hovering in front of your fingertips for so long." Meetra Surik, also known as the Jedi Exile, proved instrumental in ending both the Mandalorian Wars and the Dark Wars in decisive and costly Jedi-Old Republic victories. "Just be sure to tread carefully, Edaan, for before your mission can begin, you have a long way to learn, mature, and train until you're ready to go off on your own."
"I will wait as long as it takes, and I'll be careful every step of the way." Edaan vowed. "I might not be megalomaniacal like my great-great-grandfather, but I know a thing or two about patience and cunning from learning about his schemes." No matter how long it took, he knew he would risk life and soul in to save the woman that gave him hope in his darkest hour, but he would take every precaution necessary to avoid endangering those that would follow him.
This was his burden to carry, and his alone. Although he needed help, he would not endanger the well-being of others any more than necessary, lest he risked becoming exactly that which he fought against.
Knowing and feeling how weary his mind was from its lack of sleep and the adrenaline drained out of him from the last eight days, Edaan knew he needed a nice, long rest before enjoying a Hutt's worth of a meal to regain his strength. He would need plenty of both before he began to help knit the galaxy back together from virtually scratch.
0800 Hours, Relona 28th, 50 ABY
Coruscant, Coco District
In the Alido
Ensuring his holodisguise was perfectly attached to him, allowing him to pass for a human in his mid-thirties with white hair and fair skin, Vua prepared himself for the morning rush at his new job. Being referenced by Pong to work as a receptionist at a friend's dojo, until he could get back on his feet and be trusted enough by the rest of the field agents to work alongside them in the broker's network of informants, it was a break he needed after the senseless hate that took his everything away from him in his old life. As a bonus, he would be given a few good lessons in the martial arts form Teräs Käsi and several melee weapons to supplement his rudimentary knowledge of many other styles he picked up over the years.
After a few months or a year of learning the tricks of Pong's trade while raking in a small but stable sum of credits, he would be utilized for his skills as a brawler in many of the underworld's most prestigious pit fighting circuits, a perfect way for the Galactic Alliance, Jedi Order, and Pong to keep an eye on society's more troublesome elements while raking in even more credits for himself and patron.
But eventually, he would reach out to a certain human Jedi that helped save his life and assist him in his personal journey of saving the woman that inspired him to such greatness in the first place. He didn't know how long it would take, how many years until the call came, but he would wait as long as he needed to before Edaan needed his team for this quest. If being a Yuuzhan Vong refugee in Coruscant's hostile environment taught him one thing, it was the art of patience.
Well, I think this is a good place to end the first interlude chapter! What did you think of this piece? I have six more chapters to go in this mini-series, and I plan to make each chapter better than the last. Sorry if this chapter wasn't focused much on Vua as it should have been. I felt I needed to condense the chapter a bit to prevent it from putting too much in it and getting too bogged down in every little detail. But I'll make sure to do better with the next one. At least I managed to complete this one, mostly pleased with the work. So, how are you all doing on this cool night of Sunday, October 2, 2022? I'm okay, as I have work for three weekdays this week, and I just finished Chapter 2 of Red Dead Redemption 2 and have begun Ch. 3 before I called it a day. Things are looking up for Arthur and the others so far, even if I know they'll go downhill soon enough. Oh, and I'm very lucky since my family members in Hurricane Ian's path were spared the worst of the damage, but my heart goes out to those in dire need of help and everyone who lost so much from the natural disaster. I'll be praying hard. Well, I'd best get this chapter to my friends for their analysis, but I don't think I'll publish it right afterwards. I'm going to write a couple or few chapters in the main story first before I publish this, just so I can give the background characters in the Rude Awakening a chance to shine. I hope you all have a blessed night, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
(Saturday, October 15, 2022, Addendum.) Hello, everyone. Sorry for adding this so suddenly, but I figured I'd explain a couple things. I was planning to have the interlude chapter out first instead of Ch. 3, but then I felt it would be best if I swapped them around, if only to entice readers to keep reading to learn more about Edaan's earlier adventures and how he recruited his teammates instead of putting the Interlude as the first chapter after the prologue. It was a spur of the moment thing, but I'll plan the next one out better. Hope you all have a blessed night, study up on the midterm elections in the United States, and stay safe and pray hard in these mad times.
