Wow. Fifty Chapters. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck it out this long. Your reward: This is still not even anywhere close to the end of the story. There's still so much more to come.

The rapid electronic chiming of an alert drew Rosado away from the beckoning of sleep. He had been just beginning to drift off.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?"

SF-437 shook his head. "No, Sir. We're coming out of hyperspace. We've reached the rendezvous point."

"Already? Damn, this ship is fast."

The Raventalon dropped back into realspace a moment later. Aside from the planet, Elkeenar, gray and cloud-covered, the only other discernible object was a Star Destroyer in high-orbit. The destroyer was strange, sporting some sort of large apparatus attached to the underside of the hull.

An indicator light beneath the comm switch flashed. "Incoming transmission, Sir."

Rosado nodded, already reaching for the control. "I got it."

"Unidentified craft, this is Imperial Star Destroyer Moonshadow. This is a restricted area. Do not approach."

Rosado rolled his eyes. "Guess Vader didn't tell anyone to expect us. This is Imperial Security Officer Hovis Rosado. I was instructed to deliver this captured ship and three prisoners aboard to Lord Vader at these coordinates. Transmitting clearance codes now." He scanned the console readout. Rosado didn't have much experience flying anything other than an air speeder. This ship was old, and he was unfamiliar with the control layout. "Uh…as soon as I figure out how to do that…"

The stormtrooper pilot pointed to a switch just below the console on the copilot's side. Rosado flicked the switch up, mouthing "Thank you" to the stormtrooper behind his gas mask. "Got it. Transmitting now."

He leaned on the control panel while he waited, watching as the Star Destroyer slowly grew closer through the viewport. His jaw began to ache, which was strange, until Rosado realized he had his teeth clenched together. His entire body was tense.

And then the comm clicked as the transmission resumed. "Security Officer Rosado, you are clear for approach. Please land in the hanger bay. Be careful, it's a tight squeeze."

"Thank you." Rosado cut the transmission, but his anxiety was not alleviated. Despite the fact that no one on the Destroyer's bridge seemed to be expecting them, he still had a pretty strong hunch that he knew exactly who would be waiting for the ship when it landed in the hanger.

SF-437 guided the YV-560 gently into the hanger, instructing Rosado to quickly locate the landing gear control. The light freighter barely fit inside the cramped hanger among the components and devices already filling the space.

And waiting patiently directly in front of the ship, surrounded by a squadron of stormtroopers, was Darth Vader. Rosado gulped. He had never met the Sith Lord face-to-face, and had rather hoped he never would. So much for that… "Come on, Trooper," Rosado said as he stood from the copilot's seat. "Let's…go meet the welcoming committee."

SF-437 followed his commanding officer as they disembarked from the ship. Vader waited at the bottom of the ramp. Rosado pulled off his gas mask and stood at attention. "Lord Vader."

"Officer Rosado. I was surprised to hear that you had completed your new assignment in such a short time. Where are the Jedi?"

"They are in one of the cabins. The whole ship is filled with knockout gas, so they should still be unconscious."

"And they are injured?"

Rosado nodded slowly. "Yes. Extensively."

Vader turned and addressed the stormtrooper captain. "Bring up two medical pods and transport the Jedi to the med bay."

"Yes, Sir!" The captain barked orders to the other stormtroopers, and the squad sprang into action.

Rosado spoke up again. "Oh, and, uh, Captain Ordonia, the ship's owner, she's in the galley. Also knocked out."

"Very good." Vader turned to the stormtrooper captain once more, who was still busy yelling orders and not paying any attention to the conversation behind him. "Captain, there is a girl in the galley. Lock her in the brig."

"Right away, Sir!"

More troopers scrambled into action, storming aboard the ship. Within moments, a pair of medical pods arrived, and were guided up into the ship to retrieve the injured prisoners. Rosado watched them silently.

"Have you anything more to add, Officer Rosado?"

Vader's sudden question jolted him back to attention. "Oh, uh, yes, Sir. I almost forgot." He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a pair of lightsabers. "This is Star Butterfly's," he said, holding up the elaborate weapon with its wide blade guard. "And this is one of the inquisitor's. I couldn't find the other one," he lied.

Vader took the weapons in his own gloved hand. "And what of Diaz's weapon?"

"I didn't find that either. I think it may have been destroyed during the battle."

The medical pods came floating back down out of the ship with their guides. Rosado looked away. He didn't want to see the kids he had very well condemned to death…or maybe worse. One more stormtrooper followed, carrying the unconscious body of Captain Ordonia in his arms. The girl's knit hat fell from her head as the trooper passed Rosado, but the stormtrooper ignored it.

"You have done well, Officer Rosado," Vader droned.

Rosado had not been expecting praise. He respectfully bowed his head. "Thank you, Lord Vader. That's…very kind of you to say."

If Vader heard Rosado's reply, he did not acknowledge it. He continued. "The Emperor is forming a new law enforcement agency to be the named the Imperial Security Bureau. As of yet, it has no leadership. I am promoting you to be its director."

"D-D-Director?"

Vader continued in his monotone synthetic voice. "I am confident that you will serve the Empire well. Congratulations on your promotion, ISB Director Rosado."

And without another word, Vader turned and strode quickly away, leaving a very surprised and confused Rosado standing alone in the hanger bay.

Captain Ordonia's olive-green hat still lay at his feet on the deck. He slowly picked it up, staring at it.

"Congratulations on the promotion, Sir."

Rosado nearly jumped out of his skin. He had been so deep in thought he hadn't heard SF-437 walk up beside him. "Oh, uh…thank you, trooper. You really deserve most of the credit for completing the mission, though. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Just doing my job, Sir. I've just come to inform you that I am being reassigned."

Rosado was surprised. "Reassigned?"

"Yes, Sir. I suppose it's due to the entire squad being dead, and now, I suppose, your promotion."

"Oh, right. Makes sense."

The trooper saluted his former CO. "It has been an honor serving under you, Sir."

Rosado quickly tucked the hat into his jacket pocket and returned the salute. "Thanks, Four-Thirty-Seven. Good luck with your new post."

"Thank you, Sir."

And SF-437 walked away. Rosado watched the stormtrooper leave, feeling dreadfully empty inside.

He needed a drink.

Not long after the door was sealed, Janna slowly came to. Her head pounded, a side effect of the knockout gas she'd been inhaling nonstop for nearly an hour and a half, and it took some time before the pain subsided and she felt well enough to stand. She staggered to her feet, taking stock of her surroundings.

The room was small, only a few paces across. She'd awoken on what could only loosely be described as a bench, which ran the entire length of the wall opposite the door. A single bar light above the door cast the room in a pale, white glow, and the only other distinguishing feature in the room were the two steps leading up to the doorway. Pressing her ear against the wall, Janna could hear the low, distant rumble of a reactor. Clearly, she was aboard a ship.

"Karabast. I'm in the brig."

Senses gradually returning, Janna checked herself over. She found her hat and jacket missing, along with her shoulder holsters and DC-17 blaster, but that much was to be expected. She returned to the bench, sitting with her right foot up on the seat in front of her. She pressed the nearly hidden button that ejected the tiny hidden knife concealed in the sole. A tiny click accompanied the hilt popping out the side and she slid it out, turning it over in her hand to ensure it wasn't damaged before snapping it back into place. Janna wasn't sure yet how the tiny knife would aid in her escape, but it was nice to know that at the very least, she wasn't completely unarmed.

The knife could also double as a tool.

She stood again and began to pace off the room. Seven paces across, six from the door to the bench. It wouldn't be the first time in her smuggling career that Janna had been locked up in a cell. She and Tom had been imprisoned by a gang on Ryloth, and they had managed to escape. Two distinct differences between the two incidents: The cell on Ryloth had a door made of rusty bars that allowed her to see her surroundings outside of the cell, and she hadn't been alone last time.

Janna assumed she was probably aboard a Star Destroyer, but she had no idea of the layout. She couldn't even tell if there was a guard outside. Escaping from the brig wouldn't be easy, but she didn't doubt it was possible.

Janna made her way over to the door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear the low rumble of the reactor as it reverberated through the ship, but not much else. The door was likely soundproof. She moved to the bulkhead left of the door, pressing her ear to the cold metal. Just barely audible was the clicking of a microswitch inside the wall. The door control would have to be mounted directly on the other side.

That's likely my best shot.

But she dared not attempt anything yet. She returned to the bench and laid down on her back, resting her head on her arm. If there was one thing she could count on, it was that her captors would likely come visit her once they deduced she was awake. So Janna waited.

She didn't wait long.

No more than ten minutes passed before the door slid upward. Janna sat up, finding herself staring at an extremely tall being dressed in black armor complete with a matching helmet, not unlike the inquisitor's outfit, but bulkier. This being also sported a long black cape. Every inhale and exhale was audible, extremely so, clearly the work of an onboard life support system. A deep male voice spoke with an electronic echo as he clomped into the room on heavy boots.

"Captain Ordonia. Welcome aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Moonshadow."

"Who are you supposed to be?" Janna asked with an air of disinterest.

"I am Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith."

Janna smirked and hopped to her feet, casually strolling up to the towering man and extending a hand a greeting. "Pleasure to meet you, General Skywalker."

Vader's hand was suddenly around her neck, and he flung her against the wall. Janna crashed to the floor, but recovered quickly, looking up at the Sith Lord from where she lay. "Did I- *cough cough* Did I touch a nerve?"

Vader took a menacing step forward, the transparisteel holoplates in his helmet glaring blankly down at his prisoner. "I require you to be alive because you may be useful in manipulating your Jedi friends, but I would advise you to never speak that name aloud again."

Janna hauled herself back to her feet. The young smuggler was so not easily intimidated. "Whatever, Dude." She nonchalantly took a seat on the bench. "So what brings you to my humble solitude aboard your crummy ship?"

"Your friends, Butterfly and Diaz."

"Yeah? What do you want to know? Oh, wait, I bet I know. Marco Diaz is the one with the mole and short hair. I know, sometimes they seem like they could be interchangeable."

"My patience with you already wears thin, young one. Do not test me."

Janna blinked, staring back through bored, half-lidded eyes. "Could you breathe any louder?"

Vader clenched his fist and Janna rose off the bench into the air, her throat gripped by an invisible hand cutting off her air. She gasped and gagged for breath, and then Vader let her drop back to the bench, where she fell over on her side.

"You have the sarcastic arrogance of a Jedi, young one."

Coughing again, Janna picked herself up once more. "Alright, fine. You have my attention. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything you know about your Jedi friends."

"Everything?"

"Everything!"

"Okay. Marco's middle name is Ubaldo."

"Useful information."

"Define useful."

"What are their weaknesses?"

"Star has a really bad sweet tooth."

"You are testing my patience, girl."

"Excuse me, Sir, but you may address me as Captain." A crimson lightsaber blade was suddenly singing the hair on the side of Janna's head. The eye-pieces of Vader's helmet burned into the young smuggler's vision. She spoke again at a whisper, still unwavering. "Star and Marco are more powerful than you."

"Impossible."

"No. It's true. They've done things that no Jedi could ever dream of pulling off."

Vader switched off his lightsaber and stormed out of the cell, turning to face Janna as he moved to lock the brig behind him.

"By the way-"

Vader's hand froze on the door control at the sound of Janna's voice. He stared at her expectantly.

"You'll never manipulate Star and Marco into doing anything. They're too smart to fall for any of your trickery."

"We shall see."

And Vader closed the door.

Rosado headed to officer's mess and sat down at a table by himself in the corner with whatever passed for food aboard a Star Destroyer. At least aboard the Mentis Mal, he and his crew could make their own grub, and it was typically better than whatever government issued food the Empire typically provided. He also noted it was always considerably worse than the Republic Army's rations.

At least the officer's mess had alcohol. The glasses were small, but he made the first one last until he was finished with his meal. He drank the second one even more slowly while leaning on his elbow, mind blank.

His third drink loosened his thoughts. He thought about all the Jedi he had met during his time serving the Republic and the respect he held for their courage and spirit, fighting to protect the galaxy. He thought about the two Jedi- two teenagers- currently lying in the ship's med bay. He thought about the girl's planet, Mewni, invaded by the Empire. He knew the current plight of the planet's inhabitants, what Moff Toffee was inflicting on the Mewmans.

And he thought about his family. His wife and his young boys, home on Coruscant. He hadn't seen them in months, and he missed them dearly.

Rosado looked up. On the wall above the table where he sat was a poster, high galactic text proudly proclaiming, "Bringing PROSPERITY, PEACE, and ORDER to the galaxy!" The Imperial seal was emblazoned across the bottom.

So far, all I've seen is genocide, enslavement, and teenagers being hunted like animals. Rosado sighed. Is this really the galaxy my kids are gonna grow up in? Rosado checked his chronometer. Almost four hours he'd spent sitting at this table. Shaking his head, he tossed back the last swallow of his drink, and finally answered his own question. No. No way in hell.

Rosado left the officer's mess, a plan already coming together in his head.

He would not be a part of this detestable "Empire" any longer.

Star slowly opened her eyes. Everything ached. She tried to bring her hand up to brush a few strands of hair from her face, but found that she could not move her arms.

ARMS?

She looked down. Sure enough, she had two arms: Her left arm, just as it had always been, and a cybernetic one on the right. It was very clearly not as well made as Marco's leg, but she could flex the fingers and-

Marco.

"Marco?" Her voice felt sticky, as if her vocal chords were restricted. "Marco?"

She scanned the room. She was still aboard a ship, but this was very clearly not the Raventalon. The dark gray walls and shiny black floor tiles were spotless and brand new, the lighting overhead bright and pure. Star looked to her left and there was Marco, strapped to an upright table just like she was, with his wrists and ankles secured in binders. His head was resting against the table, facing away from her. "Marco!" Her voice was returning. "Marco, wake up!"

He moaned.

"Marco!"

He slowly turned to face her. Star gasped.

"Star? Where are we?"

"Oh my gosh, Marco! You have a freaky robot eye!"

"I do?!"

Indeed, Marco's left eye, the one blinded by Hekapoo's lightsaber, had been replaced by a cybernetic one, the wide lens glowing bright amber.

"Why do I have a fake eye?!"

"Probably the same reason I have a robot arm," Star surmised. Her right arm faced away from Marco, and strapped to the table, he couldn't see it.

Marco blinked (with only his real eye.) "Somebody fixed us?"

"…Apparently." Star also noticed that there was a very slight electronic note to Marco's voice. She could see the fresh scar, held together by sutures, across his throat.

"Janna didn't do all of this," Marco went on.

"I don't think so. So who did? And…why?"

Rosado ducked into a storage room about halfway to the brig. He locked the door and knelt on the floor, setting his small, handheld holoprojector on a crate in front of him. Knowing that all communications on and off the ship were monitored, he had to be careful what he said.

With a deep sigh, he activated the projector. In a moment, the device illuminated, and he could see a projection of his wife, smiling.

"Hi, Tay."

"Hovis! It's so good to hear your voice!"

"It's good to hear yours, too. I know it's been a really long time since I've been able to make contact. I technically shouldn't even be doing it now, and I've only got a few minutes."

Her smile faded. "You're not coming home soon, are you?"

Rosado sighed. "I wish I could. But I just received a new…assignment." Not a lie, I did just get a promotion. "And unfortunately, I'm going to be away awhile yet."

"For how much longer? The boys really miss you…"

"I know. I really miss them, too. Are they asleep?"

"Yes. It's the middle of the night here. Want me to wake them? I know they'd love to see you."

"I'd love to see them, too, but let them sleep." Rosado just stared at Tay's image for a moment longer, trying to commit the sight to memory. What he was about to do would be extremely unpredictable, and for all he knew, this might be the last time he saw her.

He had no more time to waste. He couldn't delay. It was time to say the sentence he had hoped he would never have to say to his wife.

"Tay, I think you should take the kids on holiday."

Instantly, her eyes widened. "H-holiday?"

He nodded. "Yes. A nice, long holiday."

She nodded quickly. "Okay. I will. I'll take the kids on holiday."

"Good. Have a nice, safe time with them."

"Absolutely."

Rosado sighed, staring for just a moment longer. "Goodbye, Tay."

She looked as if she were about to cry. "Bye…"

And the holoprojector went dark as Tay cut the connection on her end. Rosado stood up and picked up the device, switching it off from receiving incoming transmissions before pocketing it.

"Holiday" was a code word. When he'd first been promoted to his high-security clearance job with the Republic Army, Rosado had been worried that he might at some point become a target because of his top-secret knowledge. So, to protect his family, he had invented a code word. If he ever contacted Tay and told her to take the children "on holiday," it meant that he was in danger, and, by extension, so was his family. He knew that at that exact moment, Tay was in their Coruscant apartment, hurriedly packing bags.

"Holiday" sadly wasn't a vacation. It meant "Bug out and disappear."

He wondered where she would take the kids. Somewhere the Empire didn't have much of a presence, he hoped. A neutral world, preferably.

He only hoped he would live long enough to find out.

Rosado left the storage room and resumed his long walk.

The door opened with a clank and a hiss, drawing Star and Marco's attention. Into the chamber strode a tall, intimidating being in black, a helmet obscuring the face, a long cape flowing behind.

"At long last. Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz."

The Padawans exchanged a nervous glance. Star already knew who this was. She recognized the man's presence in the Force as Anakin Skywalker. "Darth Vader?"

Vader nodded. "Correct."

The last time Star and Marco had seen Anakin Skywalker, he was at the Jedi Temple on the night of Order 66, attacking and slaughtering fellow Jedi Knights. A few hours later, Kit Fisto informed them of Anakin's fall to the dark side and his new name.

"What, uh…what's with the fancy get up?" Marco asked.

"That is none of your concern."

Like Janna, Star was not easily intimidated. "Then what is of our concern? How about all these cybernetics suddenly attached to us, huh?"

"I have had your injuries healed and provided replacements for the damaged and missing organs and appendages. The Emperor has instructed me to use you two for…a test."

The younglings exchanged another look. "A test?"

"Yes. You two will be the first Force-sensitive test-subjects pitted against a new…prototype." Vader moved toward them, standing between the restraining tables. "But first, I wish to conduct an experiment of my own." He placed a gloved hand on the edge of Marco's table. "You, young Padawan Diaz, seem to be rather strong with the dark side of the Force."

"…No, I'm not," Marco quickly lied.

"Yes…I can sense it." Vader moved to the foot of the table, staring down at Marco. "And yet…it does not consume you…curious…" He lifted his hand, extending his arm out over Marco toward the boy's face. "You still retain a strong bond to the light…"

"Uh, yeah! That's right! Light! Very much on the light side! That's what they call me! 'Light Side Diaz!'"

"Silence!"

Star watched the slow events unfold, unsure what was happening. Suddenly, Marco's face began to twitch and contort. Strange, muffled noises escaped his parted lips.

"Your friend, Captain Ordonia, says you are very powerful. I know of no such power you possess." Vader's fingers trembled slightly as his muscles tensed. "How is this possible?"

"Mmmf…mmf…uhnnn!" Marco groaned, desperately trying to resist as Vader focused the Force on his mind.

"Marco!" Star struggled against her bonds, frantically trying to break free. "Stop!" she yelled at Vader. He ignored her.

"Uunnnn! Uhnnnnnnn! Gerrrrr!"

"Let the darkness flow through you, young Diaz. Let it consume you."

"No! Mf! No!" Marco's entire body convulsed within the confines of his restraints as he fought against Vader's Force manipulation. "No!"

"Marco!"

"The dark side will give you abilities the Jedi could never dream of. Use that power to save yourself and your friends."

"NO!"

"You will. You cannot resist. I have foreseen your future. It is your destiny."

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

But Vader was relentless, and the intensity of his grip on the Padawan's mind only increased. Marco screamed. His head jerked backwards, slamming against the table, pinned down flat as Vader held back his resistive straining. Star pulled against her bonds until her wrist ached, but it was no use. Not even her new cybernetic arm was strong enough to break free.

At last, Vader lowered his arm and released Marco from his invisible grasp. Marco went limp.

Janna lightly dragged the the pointed tip of her knife along the wall beside the door. When she felt it catch, she examined the exact spot and found a thin, almost invisible line where the durasteel panels fit together. It was a tight fit, as was to be expected. One would be hard pressed to slide a piece of flimsiplast between the panels, but Janna could make it work. She carefully slid the knife along the nearly imperceivable groove until she found the corner and scratched an "x" into the durasteel to more clearly mark the location. The she took off her left boot.

Sure hope they don't have impact sensors in the walls.

Holding the boot by the toe, she swung the heel at the wall as hard as she could. It collided with a loud clang! as the durasteel-strengthened heel struck the corner of the panel and bent it in. Not much, but plenty enough.

Confidently smirking to herself, Janna returned the boot to its home and picked up the knife from the floor. The bent corner of the panel opened the gap just enough for her to slide the blade between. Prying it off wasn't easy. The panel was well affixed, and stubborn. She had to significantly bend it before she was able to grasp it well enough to yank it from the wall.

Directly behind the removed panel were the electrical relays and switches for the door control panel. Now all she had to do was figure out how to rewire the panel to open the door without setting off the alarm.

"Shouldn't be too hard."

Janna knelt down beside the opening with her knife and set to work.

Through wide, worried eyes, Star watched as Marco's chest rose and fell with each slow breath he took. His breathing was deep, raspy. Almost angry.

"Marco?"

She couldn't see his face. His head had rolled over away from her again.

Vader walked around to the far side of the table and keyed in a passcode on the tiny control panel. The restraints sprang open and retracted. Marco didn't even move.

"Rise," Vader commanded.

The Padawan sat up, moving with slow, nearly droid-like motion, and slid off the restraining table to the floor. He stood statue-still before Vader.

"Marco?" Star squeaked. She was ignored. "Marco?"

"Ah, very good." Vader strolled back around the table, and Marco followed. "My experiment was a success."

"Vader, what did you do to him?" Star yelled.

Her cries fell on deaf ears as Vader addressed Marco again. "The dark side of the Force will make you strong, powerful, as it made me. I sense that you desire revenge, revenge against the Emperor for killing your master."

Finally, Marco spoke, his voice low. "Yes. I want to kill that murderer, Palpatine."

"Yes…yes, you will have your revenge, young one. Only with training will you be powerful enough. Join me. I will train you, and together, we will destroy the Emperor." Vader held out an open palm. "Will you be my apprentice?"

Star couldn't believe her own ears. She believed what she heard next even less.

"Yes. I pledge my allegiance to you, Lord Vader."

And when Marco turned around, his warm, brown eye matched his new cybernetic one, having turned a glowing amber.

Wouldn't it be horrible if I lost interest in writing and left this story to die right here?