Chapter 1
It has been six months since Darth Vader and his apprentice Darth Apostas overthrew Palpatine and seized control of the Empire. Darth Apostas, using her status as the Princess of the Empire, has rebuilt the Imperial Senate as a screen to hide the growing atrocities against the Rebel Alliance. The Rebel fleet has retreated into the Unknown Regions to continue its war of attrition against the Empire.
Tasked with helping rebuild the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker assists Yoda on Keldan to uncover long forgotten secrets of the ancient Jedi with hopes to find missing pieces of the prophecy of the Chosen One. The long forgotten battleground of the Jedi Schism may hold clues that could restore peace and justice to the galaxy.
Meanwhile, Darth Apostas has taken it upon herself to relentlessly hunt the last elements of the Rebel Alliance and proclaim victory for the Empire in the Galactic Civil War…
Broken shards of cruisers hung in space. They were all that remained of a group of Rebels that unwittingly found themselves pulled out of hyperspace and into the sights of Imperial turbolasers.
A massive collection of Star Destroyers hung in orbit over Mon Calamari. The Rebels were undoubtedly trying to return to the water world only to realize the Empire had decided to make an example of the planet. They cast a shadow over the ruined world and none was greater than the one projected by the Executor.
Darth Apostas stood as an imposing figure on the bridge of the Executor. She wore modified black Stormtrooper armor and an ebony cape hung behind her. The aura she exuded was one of fear, much like that of the previous Emperor of the Galaxy.
Admiral Piett approached her and said, "Lady Apostas, Mon Calamari has been thoroughly crushed." After the Death Star's demonstration on Alderaan, no one would be foolish enough to call a planet that suffered from total orbital bombardment "destroyed."
"Excellent work, Admiral," Apostas commented. There was no emotion in her voice. She did not even turn to address the officer.
"You received orders from Coruscant," Piett said. Coruscant was once again the official name of the galactic capital world. "The Emperor demands that you make contact with him."
Apostas looked to Piett and said, "Thank you, Admiral. You may go about your duties."
Moments later, Darth Apostas knelt before a holonet beacon in her quarters. A massive image of Darth Vader appeared, towering over her. "Why have you summoned me, Master?" Apostas inquired.
"A Grand Admiral has gone rogue," Vader explained. "He was last assigned to the Unknown Regions by Lord Sidious. You must track him down and eliminate him. I will not tolerate mutiny. Destroy every ship under his command."
"As you wish, Master," Apostas acknowledged. "What of the Jedi?"
"Patience, Lady Apostas. Once we have dealt with the necessities of solidifying our control over the state, we may deal with the Jedi threat once and for all," Vader told her.
Apostas bowed her head. "As you wish," she said.
Darth Vader's image disappeared, leaving Apostas alone to carry out his orders.
Luke Skywalker's emerald energy sword illuminated the way through yet more Keldan ruins. After speaking with the native Keldans, Luke discovered that the ruins may have been older than the Old Republic, leading him to believe that there many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
"You could have just used your glowrod, Skywalker," Mara remarked as she followed him.
"I could have, couldn't I?" Luke asked. He glanced in Mara's direction. They were both dressed in the traditional robes of the Jedi Order and he could tell Mara was uncomfortable wearing Jedi garments. "You don't always need to use your lightsaber, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to use it. You built yours like you would any other tool, correct?"
"Yeah," Mara grumbled. "Could we just get on with it?"
"A little patience never hurt anyone either," Luke remarked before continuing his journey through the cavern. He stopped when he discovered a holocron resting on the ground. The Jedi knelt to retrieve the recording device. "And it may just tell us that holocron technology is actually older than that of our lightsabers."
"Look, I know Master Yoda said this was some sort of ancient battleground, but don't you think we should be focusing on confronting Vader and his apprentice?" Mara asked.
Luke stood slowly before facing Mara. "Master Yoda doesn't know everything," he admitted. "The Order endured a similar purge during the time following the Jedi Civil War. That's why so much knowledge was lost. Somewhere on this world is the key to understanding everything."
"Another lecture about the Great Schism?" she asked. "Do you really think this place was a battlefield in that war?"
"Keldan has the feel of a scarred world," Luke replied before placing the holocron in a pouch on his belt. "Remember our conversations with the natives? Their legends say that fire came down from the heavens. This place was so out of the way of the known galaxy during the early days of the Old Republic that there is hardly another interpretation."
"Are we going to explore this place more or are we going back to the village?" Mara questioned.
Luke nodded. "It'll be night soon," he said. "We should get back."
Kyle Katarn's blue lightsaber blazed into existence as he prepared for another of Yoda's tests on the rust colored mountains of Keldan. After six months of Jedi training, the former Stormtrooper realized it was more difficult than anything he endured in his life. Unlike with Mara and Luke, Yoda was forced to start from scratch with Kyle. But now he was more proficient with a lightsaber than either Luke or Mara.
Yoda hurled a bar at Kyle. The Padawan cut swiftly, turning the metal into seven separate segments. Remotes floated towards him, rapidly spewing bolts. Kyle's blade moved to different angles at incredibly fast speeds as he deflected every single bolt. Nothing could touch him as he allowed the Force to guide his technique.
When the remotes ceased firing, Kyle observed as they changed positions. Even with the Force as his ally, he saw no problem in relying on his eyes to aid him. They served him well enough as a Stormtrooper and a Rebel operative. But tracking six remotes with his eyes alone was a difficult task.
As the remotes fired their second round, Kyle stood his ground. It was a much faster volley that descended upon the Padawan. But as he did before, he was able to maintain a tight defense. Kyle was making use of a technique Yoda called Form III Soresu. His grasp of basic Form I Shii-Cho was complete after a month thanks to the melee weapon training he received as a Stormtrooper on Carida.
Unlike Luke's Djem So, which was designed to turn blaster fire against the wielder, or Mara's Ataro, a technique that focused on acrobatics and speed, Kyle's technique focused on creating a tight defense to frustrate an opponent. Once he located an opening, Kyle could strike quickly and efficiently. He was far from being a master of the technique, but he would become one in time.
"Very good, Kyle," Yoda said before recalling the remotes. The old Jedi Master leaned heavily on his gimer stick. "Take time to meditate, you should."
Kyle closed down his lightsaber. "You have any idea when Luke and Mara will get back?" he asked.
Yoda shook his head. "Worry about them, you should not," he said before entering a coughing fit.
Kyle looked sadly to the old Jedi Master. Yoda had been coughing for nearly a week. "Master Yoda, you should heal yourself," Kyle insisted. "How can you train us when you are sick?"
"Perhaps I should," Yoda said, staring at the ground beneath him. "A child, I am not." He looked up to Kyle and said, "But meditate, you should."
"Yes, Master," Kyle acquiesced. He would have preferred to be fighting with the Rebellion, but his training on Keldan was of the greatest importance. He just hated hearing bad news when Rebels came to re-supply them at the temple.
Darth Vader meditated alone in his hyperbaric chamber in the Imperial Palace. The bland white surroundings were a direct contrast to the black tornado that was the Dark Lord of the Sith. He was paying for his lack of foresight. His son was nowhere to be found and he could not trust his daughter to seek Luke.
Vader believed that Apostas would undoubtedly attempt to turn Luke to the dark side so she could overthrow her father. There were other Dark Side agents available, but Vader wanted his son alive. It was his job to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force. He refused to believe that his son would willingly be part of the same Jedi Order that betrayed him.
It would not be long before Vader could leave Coruscant and begin his own search for the son of Skywalker. He still needed to meet with his puppet Chancellor and other Imperial officials. The Dark Lord groaned. He was never liked administration, but it was a necessary evil. He was still Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, a title he refused to relinquish. Even though he allowed his daughter to use the Executor on some missions, it was still his ship and it would be waiting for Vader.
Vader depressed a button on his chair that allowed his helmet to descend from the ceiling and reassemble on his head. The Emperor of the Galaxy was once again complete. It was time to briefly play administrator.
