Last time: The Jedi and Cien lost to Dracul who successfully escaped into the World Between Worlds.
Now: We see what a Dracul ruled galaxy looks like.
Part 3 Chapter 1- The Cursed Timeline
Ten years after the events of Vestora….
How quickly can one galaxy spiral into absolute chaos? One month. It all started on Vestora. Exactly fifteen years after the fall of the Republic, the massacre of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire under the former Chancellor Palpatine. Three Jedi by the names of Oppie Xiv, Sasha Monroe, and Viran Zeb were hiding on the planet of Vestora from the Empire, just trying to survive and live their lives. Until one day a Sith had arrived, stole a fragment to a holocron from Oppie, and killed him. Viran and Sasha were at the bar in town when Greer, Oppie's deputy, had rushed in to inform them he was found dead in his office. His death had devastated both of them and they ran from Vestora before they were next. They were on the run for only a month before the galaxy took a turn for the worst.
A Sith named Darth Dracul had appeared out of thin air and in the manner of a week after the death of Oppie, he had killed Palpatine and Vader. This had caused the Empire to fall into disarray. Those that were cowards pledged their loyalty to Dracul. Those that were loyal to Palpatine and Vader split off and started to create a rebellion. They actually joined forces with a rebellion that was secretly forming in the shadows to take down Palpatine. And now they had the goal to take down Dracul. When Viran and Sasha heard about this rebellion about a year later, they rushed to join it as they needed to avenge Oppie as they believed that the Sith that killed him worked for Dracul or was the monster in the mask. There they met a group of Mandalorians named Kitsu, Illara, and Oppie's twin brother Kyr. Because of their relationship to Oppie, Kyr had taken them in and in fact had been searching for them since the day Dracul came into power. Since that day, the five of them stuck together through thick and thin. Especially when Dracul's army of the thrall started to make their grand entrance.
About a year and half after his rise to power, Dracul started hunting Force sensitives and providing them a choice. Either join his side as one of his acolytes or become a mindless thrall. Neither were a good option. When word had spread that this was the case, Viran and Sasha knew they only had one choice in the matter. To cut themselves off from the Force. They had witnessed former Inquisitors of Vader, young children who were strong in the Force, Jedi who were still in hiding, and even a few unlucky souls who just happened to be strong in the Force be turned into either his newest acolytes or his thrall. And any other surviving Jedi who could potentially still exist out there cut themselves off too. Or at least they hoped they did for the sake of the galaxy.
That was years ago though. Over the next several years, Dracul's Dominion over the galaxy grew stronger, more terrifying, and more deadly. The lives lost totaled in tens of millions if not hundreds of millions depending on if one was keeping count. And the rebellion against him fought hard. They stationed themselves across the galaxy in different sectors and systems so they were not all wiped out in a singular blow. However, their numbers were dwindling by the month now. Viran, Sasha, Kyr, Kitsu, and Illara were stationed with a group of other Mandalorians and members of the Rebellion on Concord Dawn in the Mandalore system. They had been there for years and still Dracul's forces had yet to reach their corner of the galaxy. During those years hiding on Concord Dawn, Viran and Sasha had grown closer and even had gotten married about five years ago. Even in all of this darkness and dread, their love was enough to give them peace and hope in this chaos. But while they hid, they also worked. Viran worked with the pilots in making sure that every ship was fully functional for the battles they went to fight and even led a squadron of his very own. Hellcat Squadron. It was a strange name, but Viran was fond of it. Plus it made them a deadly and powerful squad of fighters. Sasha had taken up the mantle of handling the medical staff. She trained so many in first aid and basic surgical procedures. She would work herself to the bone to make sure all the injured were treated back to full health. But she also joined in the battles from time to time to handle battlefield injuries too. And that was just part of what they did. The rest helped lead and protect this band of rebels from Dracul's forces alongside Kyr, Kitsu, Illara, and a few other Mandalorians. And soon that monster was due to arrive at their doorstep.
Upon receiving knowledge that the Draculan Dominion was coming to liberate Mandalore a few days ago, it became apparent that Dominion forces would also come to liberate the moon as well. The forces would have to be fooled so their base could remain safe and hidden. It was an elaborate plan. The first step was to completely obliterate the surface of Concord Dawn to make it seem abandoned and then use the old, deep hidden mines of Death Watch to hide the survivors. It was determined today that anyone who was old, young, or could not fight would be sent to the mines to hide. Everyone else would man a post in the available ships.
With that the Shadow Runner, the Forerunner, and Kitsu and Illara's ship, lead their forces into the atmosphere to protect the system. It was not long before the Bloodstorm, Dracul's lead destroyer, and three other refurbished Imperial Star Destroyers arrived in orbit. The battle began as the rebels pushed forward. Fighters poured out of the hangers of the destroyers and made their way to meet the incoming attack.
"Alright, this is Hellcat Leader," Viran said over the comms system to the rest of their forces. "Buckle up everyone. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
"For Mandalore!" Viran and Sasha heard over the comms from a different ship.
"For justice!" Kistu and Illara called out.
"For all of those we have lost," Kyr added in followed by a determined warble from his droid Tac.
"May the Force be with us all," Sasha said before taking the controls of the guns on the Forerunner and started to blast the fighters coming at them.
Unfortunately the events of the battle had not turned as well as anyone had hopped. While the diversionary tactic for the survivors on Concord Dawn certainly worked, it was clear that the survivors' ships had been sorely outmatched. Most of the ships had barely fired off a volley of whatever main weapons systems they had before arcing red lightning coursed out of the main Dominion ship causing extensive damage to every single ship. The Forerunner was hit as well. Viran was thrown from the helm after the first arc of lightning as the ship convulsed under the attack. He flew back and smacked into the wall of the cockpit. He felt ribs break and his head was most likely concussed. He was also pretty sure he had broken something else as he couldn't move one of his legs. He silently cursed that faulty restraint system he had in place for his seat. He was grateful however to see that Sasha was still alright. Sasha gripped the controls and tried to keep the ship steady as he slowly felt himself black out. The last thing he heard was her crying in agony as another attack from the red lightning hit his ship again.
Viran woke up to hear the sound of hull breach klaxons and alarms sounding. His head pounded as if someone was beating it with a hammer over and over again. His chest also hurt as he took in a deep breath. That was most likely due to his ribs being broken. His vision was dotted as he slowly looked around at his surroundings. Viran was lying on the floor of the cockpit of the Forerunner. There were cables hanging from the ceiling and sparks flashing from broken consoles. Above him, his wife kneeling over him treating his wounds with the first aid kit she had on hand. He suddenly let out a yelp as she twisted his broken leg into place before setting it with a makeshift brace.
"Viran," Sasha said gently as she moved closer to his face. She placed a kiss on his forehead. "Thank the Force you are alright. How do you feel?"
"Like a bantha sat on me," Viran croaked, his voice hoarse. "What happened?"
Sasha frowned as she continued to wrap his injuries. "We were disabled by Dracul's lightning. The ship is barely staying together. We are low on oxygen and our fleet is still out there trying to drive away Dracul's forces. And you've been out for about twenty minutes," she explained. "But we don't have much time before we run out of oxygen."
"Are you alright?" Viran asked as he looked at her forehead and noticed a blood that was running down her face from a head wound on the edge of her hair line.
"Just a little bruised, but I'm okay," Sasha said as she flashed him a weary smile.
Her smile then disappeared as another explosion rocked the ship. Viran grimaced at the sound of the explosion. Sasha then looked down at him with a sense of urgency that didn't exist there a moment ago.
"What is it?" he asked her.
Sasha made a face that made him think something was wrong before she started speaking. "This might sound crazy, what I am about to say, but you have to listen to me." He nodded before letting her continue. "We don't have much time. This ship won't last much longer and neither will we if we don't get out of here." She started carefully and helped him into a sitting position. He winced at his injuries as they protested his movement. After a second, they calmed down and he looked at her. Now they were at eye level with each other. He was able to see that something in her eyes. An emotion he couldn't quite figure out. "But while you were unconscious, something happened. Something that is telling me that this feels wrong. All of this. Everything that has happened over the last ten years. Everything about where we are, who we are. It all feels wrong and the Force is telling me so."
Viran gave her a strange look. The Force? How? They cut themselves off from it years ago. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused by what she was saying. "How are you communicating with the Force? You know Dracul can sense that. You do know what danger that will bring…"
Sasha leaned forward and cut him off with a kiss. Now he was really confused. Not that he didn't enjoy kissing his wife, but her behavior was really strange to him at this moment. She pulled away a second later and looked him in the eyes. "I have cut myself off from the Force, just like you. But…" Viran noticed her place a hand on her belly. "Something inside of me just reached out through the Force while you were unconscious. It showed me that everything that has happened and is happening now is wrong."
"But how…" He started to ask, still confused by what she was getting at.
Sasha grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly where the other had been. He winced slightly at the movement, but it quickly faded. It took him a second, but something suddenly reached out to him. A spark of something. Hope? No… this was different… this was…
"Our child," Sasha said as a smile grew on her face. "The Force is reaching out to me through our child." Viran felt his jaw fall to the floor in shock at the words she just uttered, but before he could respond, she continued. "I am sure about this. More sure than I have ever been about anything. All of this is wrong and we need to fix it. We need to go back. Back to when Op was still around. Back to when the galaxy wasn't falling apart at the seams. We need to get close to Dracul. He is the key to all of this." She placed her hand over his on her belly. "I have seen it."
Viran could not believe his ears. He was so overjoyed in this moment that he forgot all about the battle that was raging just outside the viewport. His mind, his heart, was only focused on what his wife just told him. Our child. Those two words rang through his head like heavenly music. He found himself smiling as he tried to comprehend it. She was carrying his child. He was going to be a father. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her close. But he also wanted to protect her from harm as their child was likely to be strong in the Force, which he or she was going to be a target for Dracul's Dominion. He slowly gave her a serious look as he caressed her belly, now feeling the slight swell of a baby bump. If this was all wrong, he had to fix it alone if it meant that he and his wife and their future child could have a future together.
"What do you need me to do?" Viran asked her as they slowly got up from the floor. He leaned on her as her arm wrapped around his shoulders to keep him upright on his good leg.
Before she could respond, they both caught a glimpse of how the battle was fairing. It became clear that the cause had been all but lost. Only a few ships were putting up a fight and most had been destroyed. With a shared frown, he and Sasha moved toward an escape pod.
"Let's get out of here first," Sasha said as she helped him along.
When they reached the escape pod a large explosion rocked the port side of their ship. Taking that as their cue to leave, Viran opened the pod and let her enter first. Suddenly another explosion hit and caused the hull rupture in the ship. Viran fell onto his back, the wind being knocked out of him. As the air came back, he gasped and took several deep breaths before looking up to see that the hatch had closed and Sasha was trapped inside. Scrambling to his feet very ungracefully, Viran rushed over to the control panel, but the whole thing was fried. He cursed loudly as he punched the wall next to the pod.
"It's busted," Viran yelled. "I can't open it."
Sasha placed a hand on the window of the pod and the other on her belly. "Viran, let me go. You need to fix this. I know you can," she yelled through the glass. "We will see each other again soon, I promise. You're our only hope." Tears started falling down her cheeks as she put emphasis on 'our'. He knew that she meant herself and the baby. "I love you. We love you."
Viran placed his hand just like hers on the glass and looked her in the eyes. "I love you too."
Then the pod auto-jettisoned from the ship. He watched in excruciating horror as the escape pod with Sasha and unborn child was jettisoned into space. Tears fell from his eyes as he watched her go. The last words he saw from his Wife's mouth was, "Viran, fix this."
"SASHA!" Viran cried out as he slumped against the pod door and sobbed. He sat there and cried for a long time. The oxygen levels were dropping by the second and he was losing air. As his eyes started to slip close, he made one last promise. "I will fix this. For them." And then he saw nothing.
"Viran… Viran…" a voice spoke from above.
Slowly, Viran came to see Kyr, Kitsu, and Illara gathered around him in the medical wing of the mine that Sasha had put together before the battle. Suddenly, his mind went to the battle. Their damaged ship. Him being thrown from the helm. Sasha healing him. Telling him that everything was wrong. Their child. It all came flowing back to him like a tidal wave. Viran shot straight up in the bed and instantly regretted it. His mending ribs protesting his sudden movement and his head swam as everything lost focus for a moment.
"Easy," Kitsu said as he felt her hand on his shoulder, trying to push him back down onto the bed. "You're still recovering."
"Where's Sasha?" Viran asked, his voice was so hoarse he sounded at least twenty years older as he remained sitting up.
Kyr, Kitsu, and Illara exchanged a glance. None of them were wearing their buckets, so he could see their reactions. They all wore a frown.
"Tac and I searched the debris field for the escape pod," Kyr explained, his arms folded across his armored chest. "We found no sign of her."
Viran reached for the blanket to pull it off of him. "I'm going to go search for her," he said. Kyr and Kitsu grabbed him and kept him to the bed. "What the hell are you doing? My wife and child are missing out there. Let me go and find them!"
"Child?" the three Mandos said at the same time, surprised.
"Yes, she is pregnant with our child," Viran said as he struggled against them. "I have to go find them."
"Did you know about this before the battle?" Illara scolded.
"No," Viran shook his head. "She told me before she disappeared in the escape pod. Now let me go and find them."
"Viran," Kyr said, not using the nickname he had been using for him for so many years now. His voice stern but sad. "You're not going to find anything."
"What do you mean?" Viran asked as he still tried to escape their grip. "Of course I will. I have to."
"Viran," Kyr said, gripping him by the shoulders and turning him to face the Mandalorian. "You won't find anything, because we have each searched the debris field for the last two weeks. There is no sign of her."
"Two weeks?" Viran gasped, his voice above a whisper. "Have I been out that long?"
The three nodded at him. Tears broke free and Viran collapsed against Kyr as he wept. The Mandalorian held him as he cried. He could feel Kitsu comfortingly rubbing his back and Illara patted gently at his leg that was slung out before him. All three of them comforted him in his moment of sorrow. They had searched two weeks and found no sign of Sasha. His heart broke at the mere thought of her potentially being dead. Kriff, if he only had the Force then he could sense if she was still alive out there. She had to be alive. They both had to be.
*Wipes tears* REVIEW!