Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm day of Saturday, October 2, 2021? I'm doing well, as I sold a few more comics for a good sum of money, mowed my parents' yard, and will soon get to work on my reflective paper for school. I just figured I'd get a bit of writing done for this first interlude chapter of the story. After I work on this interlude, I think I'll get back to the main story. I hope you're all doing well, as I have plans to write about a gut-wrenching and morally grey chapter of Edaan Palpatine's story. Fair warning, it is not at all for the faint of heart. May God please be with us all in these dark times for so many all across the world, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!

(Sunday, October 3, 2021, Addendum.) Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm day? I'm doing well, if a little stressed from my reflective paper, as it's proving to be a more difficult piece to work on than I thought. But at least I have over three weeks to work on it, so I have some time. And I've been writing a bit in my spare time, so I have about half the chapter written so far. It's a good thing I'm going to use a couple earlier bits from my previous two stories, so I have a bit of a head start for this interlude. Oh, and I bought Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution for my Xbox a while ago, and I started playing it last night. I'm already about halfway through the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5ds storyline, and I'm enjoying every duel and collecting every digital card. If only I could play the multiplayer mode, but I don't want to pay the money for Xbox Live Gold, and I am content with Single-player mode for now. And I'm close to finishing Kushiel's Scion, with just under 100 pages left before it's done. Once I'm done with that, I'll get back to a Star Wars novel for a bit, probably the first X-Wing novel, Rogue Squadron. That'll be a great set of memories to relive. Oh, and one more thing, a minor correction I had to make regarding Tesar Sebatyne. Originally, I had him as one of Daala and Melusar's victims of their anti-Force crusade, but I later wrote him as a major leader in the Jedi Order. So, to correct that, I decided to remove him from the list of Daala's victims. Sorry for any confusion I might have previously caused with this oversight. Well, with all that small talk out of the way, I'd best get back to writing. Wish me luck, and May God be with us all in these mad times.

Five Years Ago

Elona 32nd, 54 ABY, 1200 Hours

Muunilinst

Harnaidan, Imperial Garrison

Edaan was growing increasingly frantic as he awaited word from Bastion on the mission to raid Doctor Stryker Melusar's laboratory on the island of Aborah. Would all this bureaucratic madness paralyze every government, even one with a martial history as strong and proud as the Galactic Empire?

From all he and every galactic power unofficially knew of the renowned medic and his unproven patron, Natasi Daala, it was obvious that whatever had planned for the two captive Jedi, it would lead to their imminent doom, especially if the Jedi and Vitor Reige's people did not act swiftly. Where was Jaina and her Imperial-based Jedi when her friends Jysella Horn and Tahiri Veila needed them the most?

If Imperial High Command did not come to a decision soon, he would take a shuttle and assault the base on his own. Risks and consequences could go to Chaos, he was not going to let his fellow Jedi suffer anymore at Daala's bigoted hands. And since Tahiri was high on Daala's hit list for the assassination of Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon thirteen years ago, Edaan could only imagine what grisly punishment the so-called upstanding citizen of the Empire had in mind for her.

And Edaan could not help but feel a current of regret over how he had treated Tahiri during his first few years as a Jedi. He let his desire to save Vestara, the respectful forgiveness and hatred by the Skywalker-Solo Clan on Tahiri and Vestara, and his anger over how the Jedi let Tahiri's crimes as Darth Caedus's apprentice slide without any form of punishment on the Order's part, cloud his judgment and let him treat Tahiri as badly as how most of the galaxy treated her.

It was only when Tahiri helped him uncover a massive criminal weapons-smuggling ring on Taris on behalf of Governor Leon Saresh about six months ago, that he saw Tahiri in a better light.

She had risked it all to save Edaan when he endangered the mission to rescue his newfound friend and future potential teammate, Patrolian bounty hunter Robonino, when it would have been so much easier to leave the mercenary to his fate at the hands of the smuggler's small-time allies. The Broken Horn syndicate would have loved to get their hands on a prodigious Jedi Apprentice and a self-styled lawman, both of whom had been a thorn in dozens of their operations.

From there, they had quickly formed a healthy friendship and camaraderie, and Edaan even considered bringing her into his circle of trust in saving Vestara. But if she did not make it from Daala's vindictive clutches, he would never forgive himself.

Just as Edaan finished pacing around the entrance to the garrison's command center for what might have well been the hundredth time, Colonel Armitage Jaeger of the Empire's elite Five-Oh-First Legion appeared, and the Imperial's face presented a man who was ready to wage a brief and bloody war.

"It sure took them long enough to make a decision. You're almost as bad as the Alliance's Senate." Edaan anxiously joked.

"Don't compare us to those galactic slugs, Palpatine." Armitage's mouth twitched slightly at the offensive comparison. "We're getting the clearance to raid the island, and seven commando squads to aid my infantry teams. We just need to wait two more days to finish our preparations."

"Two days?!" Edaan shrieked. "In case your leaders didn't listen to you, Tahiri and Jysella probably don't have that much time! What kind of pull does Melusar have in your government to slow its response capabilities by that much?!"

"And what about Master Solo Fel and her Jedi? Are we at least getting any support from them?" Edaan pressed.

Ever since Jaina had established an enclave on the Empire's capital world about eight years ago, the Jedi Order had a presence of fifty able and ready Jedi Knights, and five times as many recruits and apprentices. Surely, they would be able to spare a force to invade the enemy stronghold. And Jaina would not ignore her friends' desperate straits. She would be the first to lead the charge against Daala's lackeys.

"Unfortunately, the odds of that don't look good." Armitage reluctantly shook his head. "About half of them are dealing with a large Mandalorian incursion at the Bilbringi shipyards, and the enemy's wreaking havoc across the star system. The remainder of them are engaged in peacekeeping operations all across the Empire."

"Jaina was able to take a crack team of commandos and slip past the enemy force two hours ago, but they'll need at least another three days to arrive."

"If Melusar and Daala are behind this, they're certainly playing the Empire too well." The colonel grimly concluded.

"So, we're just about on our own." Edaan let out a silent series of curses as he reined in his anger, remembering his master's teachings, and not letting the darkness inside his soul control him.

At least Jaina was trying to rescue her friend, so Edaan could give her credit for that. But if she knew about the Force Wormhole technique he rediscovered from the Jedi Archives' records, she could cut the travel time down to a handful of hours instead of days.

But still, he had to wonder, how in the name of the Celestials did the galaxy get so kriffed up so fast? And why would the Mandalorians attack the Empire when it would certainly lead to a large retaliation and another war that would only bleed the galaxy dry? Where was the sense and strategy there?

Unless the rumors he had been hearing of the warriors fracturing into two different factions were accurate. That potential civil war would be another can of misery and chaos the galaxy did not need to deal with at all, and only provide even more fertile ground for both the Lost Tribe and the so-far hidden Sith Order that were still manipulating the galaxy from the galactic shadows.

Interrupting his thoughts, Armitage interrupted him, "Unfortunately, it gets worse. Since High Command doesn't have nearly enough evidence to mount an official investigation on Melusar's activities without a public backlash, we have to do this off the record."

"Which means I won't be able to use my lightsaber unless I play the role of a Jedi hunter. And so many people wonder why I hate politics. Too much backstabbing and dragging their heels when a real crisis emerges." Edaan repulsively muttered. Honestly, he was getting sick of having to tiptoe around the galaxy when countless people on countless worlds across the galaxy needed help.

Something needed to be done about the incessant bureaucracy and regulations that were paralyzing the galaxy and all those that sought to protect it and its people. But what could he do to break this cycle of indecisiveness? If he tried to rally the galaxy to defend itself, then the self-serving and power-mongering politicians of all major governments could very well decry him as another Darth Caedus in the making.

Well, the Jedi Apprentice would have to think about that after he helped the Empire save Melusar's captive Jedi and get the proof they needed to arrest the evil scientist for life. Jysella and Tahiri could not wait long enough for Edaan to figure out a solution to this mad dilemma.

Shaking his head, Edaan resolved, "Kriff it. We'll just have to make do with what we'll get. I take it you'll want me to dress up in good old bucket-head armor?"

"Not exactly." Armitage neutrally began. "I know of a certain squad of commandos that you just might fit right in with. Like you, they're tired of the ceaseless restrictions that keep them from helping the Empire's citizenry and interests and want to take the fight to our real enemies. And I also know that their commanding officer owes me quite a big favor, which means I can call on them to aid us."

"Who are they?" Edaan's interest was piqued.

"They're a six-man team that calls themselves Inferno Squad. They usually work with Jedi Fel on many of her more covert operations, but they're currently on reserve on Bastion for an emergency. Fortunately, Admiral Garrick Versio, their CO, is also a good friend of mine, and he can reroute them here by the end of tomorrow."

"Well, if they come that highly recommended, then we'd be fools to avoid calling on them." Edaan wholeheartedly agreed.

"Good. In the meantime, I'd recommend using your time to study the island of Aborahand the facilities' schematics. I'm sure you know that it was a Sith stronghold over a century ago for their experiments, but there's no telling how Melusar and Daala altered the island since its original owner was killed."

"How did you find out about the island?" Edaan surprisingly asked.

The Jedi Apprentice knew how the Order only discovered that information three years ago by combing through more of Emperor Palpatine's old stronghold of Mount Tantiss on the Outer Rim World of Wayland.

From that information, they discovered how Darth Plagueis, through his Intergalactic Banking Clan connections as Hego Damask II, had used the remote facility to conduct inhumane experiments on the Force, all to try and uncover the secrets of the Midi-Chlorians and how to control their development.

If that island and its heinous facilities were in use again, then it did not bode well for Daala's latest two Jedi captives.

"Master Solo Fel and Head of State Reige shared the information with their most loyal trusted subordinates, and I happened to be one of them. Sometimes it helps to have a fresh perspective on the classic Jedi vs. Sith war, and many Imperials these days happen to have a more open academic mind on many esoteric matters."

"A surprise, but in this case, it could be a rather welcome one." Edaan acknowledged. "Let's just hope the people are leaning more towards light than darkness."

One Day Later

Elona 33rd, 1300 Hours

"Colonel Jaeger." Gideon Hask, leader of the elite commando unit of Inferno Squad, saluted his superior officer, with his five squad mates following suit after they departed the Raider II-class corvette. "Reporting as ordered. The Corvus is fully fueled and ready to give you plenty of air support."

"At ease." Armitage ordered the squad, even as he then told them, "That's excellent, but the Corvus won't be deployed in this mission. If you'll all follow me for the full briefing. We don't have much time to finalize our attack preparations by 0800 Hours tomorrow."

"'Attack preparations?'" Captain Del Meeko, Inferno Squad's savant with technology and mechanics, curiously repeated. "What exactly is going on, Colonel? We were told we'd be deployed with your battalion to Bilbringi. That's where all the action is right now."

"That was merely the cover story, Captain. We don't want the targets to catch on to our plans before we can complete our trap. And this one is long overdue." Iden Versio, the squad's Executive Officer, enigmatically answered.

"Is this more of your classified briefings that we aren't authorized to hear about?" Del rolled his eyes.

"Enough." Armitage sternly put an end to any further discussion. "You'll find out soon enough, for we have many preparations to make if we're to succeed in this operation. In the meantime, I want to introduce you to a certain Jedi in training that we'll be working with tomorrow. He's quite a character, but he'll be an invaluable help to our mission."

Fifteen Hours Later

Elona 34th, 0400 Hours

Within the Western Sea, Aborah

Another day, another step closer to discerning the secrets of life and the ultimate power in the universe. Stryker Melusar, renowned medicinal practitioner, lead pharmaceutical in the Galactic Empire, and Natasi Daala's most trusted subordinate in her war against the Force, enthusiastically mused.

But first, I think it's time to dispose of my two test subjects. Stryker prepared to personally euthanize his latest pair of Jedi captives, before he considered contacting the old war veteran to witness the demise of Grand Admiral Pelleaon's murderess. The so-called upstanding citizen would especially take pleasure from Tahiri Veila's demise after the Jedi let her go for murdering a good man with little more than slapping her wrists.

But before he could even reach for it, his personal holocomm unit activated, and Stryker wondered if that was his patron.

Pulling it out, he was surprised to see Natasi's small hologram appear, and she did not look pleased at all as she brusquely ordered him, "I'm afraid it's time for you to abandon this laboratory. Gather all the essential data and equipment for your experiments and set the rest of the facility to self-destruct in the next sixteen hours."

"I'm sorry?" Melusar found his cheerful mood dampened by this news, and coolly asked, "Have the Jedi and Reige's followers discovered us?"

"Precisely, and it is only thanks to two of my many agents in their army that we have such advance notice." Natasi verified. "In a matter of hours, Colonel Jaeger and Jedi Edaan Palpatine will be launching an assault on your facility to rescue Jedi Horn and Veila and uncover the secrets we've appropriated from this Sith stronghold. So, I want you to leave them a suitable reception, and a message of the new age that is soon to come for all those that adhere to the Force and its many faiths."

"It will be done at once, Ma'am." Stryker obediently said, closing the holocomm before he got right to work. After all, he had to warn his staff and the mercenaries of this dark turn of events before he got ready to leave this island paradise behind for good.

A terrible loss for the scientist, but not a mortal one. After all, this facility was not the main hub of his anti-Force experiments for the forcibly retired admiral.

Three Hour Later, 0805 Hours

Harnaidan, Imperial Garrison

Fighting the fatigue and exhaustion in his eyes at having gotten so little sleep last night, Edaan wondered what Colonel Jaeger could have discovered that forced the garrison onto full alert as he hurried to Armitage's office, ignoring the blaring alarms that permeated the facility.

He should have gotten at most a good eight hour's rest for the upcoming assault, but his worry for his captive fellow Jedi kept him anxious and unable to sleep for more than half that time, leaving him unable to respond to the alarms that were keeping him on edge. His anxiety was so bad, he could not even get an hour of meditation in before the alarms were set off.

Briefly glancing to see the hangar in full mobilization, with at least twenty shuttles and gunships finished being refitted for battle, Edaan was stunned to see at least three dozen corpses being transferred onto gurneys, and the wreckage of many starfighters that were supposed to have been appropriated for the assault. He had a feeling this mission was either about to be scrubbed or would be launched far ahead of schedule. But what triggered this sudden change in strategy?

Moving quickly to the office, he was surprised to see a tight security detail guarding the doors. Having been frisked thoroughly for unspoken reasons, Edaan walked through to see the colonel, along with his son, Captain Cardinal Jaeger, Iden, Del, and the holograms of Jedi Master Jaina Solo Fel, Admiral Garrick Versio, and Imperial Head of State Vitor Reige in attendance.

"What'd I miss?" Edaan stifled a yawn, before he noticed a person missing from this meeting, and wondered, "What happened to Commander Hask?"

"We've been betrayed to Daala." Cardinal gravely answered. "We intercepted a transmission to Aborah from this facility four hours ago and tracked it down to someone using Inferno Squad's comm frequency."

Fighting back a sigh, Edaan wearily deduced, "Hask was the traitor."

"Not just him, I'm afraid." Iden sadly shook her head, angering and repulsing Edaan. "He had half the squad allied with him in his treason, and nearly implicated Captain Marana, before Del here cracked Hask's previous communications with Daala. He and his co conspirators did a number on our starfighters and arms before they fled to Aborah aboard the Corvus."

"Just how many people are loyal to that demented barv?!" Edaan spat.

"Too many to know for sure, I'm afraid." Vitor shamefully admitted. "For all intents and purposes, she's a phantom menace, poisoning the Empire from within, and she's covering her tracks too well for my people to bring any legal charges against her."

"That's why we need to launch our attack against Melusar's facility right away. Before they can complete their scuttling of all evidence. And we'll need your help to rescue your lost comrades, Jedi Palpatine." Garrick continued that train of thought.

Sighing, Edaan turned to Jaina and, even as he knew the answer, imploringly asked, "I don't suppose you can send any Jedi stationed with the Empire to help me, can you, Master Fel? We don't know what defenses Melusar has in store for his lab."

"I'm sorry, Edaan, but we don't have anyone to spare." Jaina apologetically denied. "Everyone's all tied up in fighting the Mandalorians and keeping the peace, and I can't send our recruits to fight. They're not ready for this level of combat."

Clenching his fist and shivering in barely controlled rage at the Jedi Master's terribly misplaced priorities, Edaan would have unleashed a string of hate-filled rants at her for essentially abandoning her friends, if not for the crowd and his own self-control.

Swallowing his rage, he instead asked, "When do we set out?"

"Three hours, given our setback." Cardinal replied. "But it'll take us another three hours to travel to Aborah, so you'll be able to get a little more rest before the major engagement."

"How did you-?" Edaan asked before a yawn snuck out of his mouth, earning a few chuckles from everyone at the young Palpatine's embarrassed expense, if his flushed face was any indication

"It was pretty obvious to everyone here, young Jedi." Armitage ruefully smiled. "Since you already know the plan, you ought to get some rest. You're no good to anyone if you drop dead in the middle of the raid."

"I'll have one of my troopers get you up half an hour before we depart, and we'll give you the run down. It'll give us time to readjust our strategy in light of these new obstacles."

"Thank you, Colonel." Edaan gratefully acknowledged before declining, "But I can still help reconfigure our strategy. I'm not going to sleep while everyone works hard to prepare for this mission. I'll get a couple hours of meditation in after we depart for Aborah."

Edaan knew he would be able to get a couple hours of much-needed rest and meditation in during the journey to the remote island. He only hoped he would not be too late to help save his friends from Daala's depraved grasp, or that his fatigue would not allow him to get in the way of this crucial mission.

Four Hours Later, 1210 Hours

Aboard the Raider II-class Corvette Corvus

Aborah

"Are you all squared away, Doctor? Comm scans indicates Palpatine and my former comrades are well on their way here, and you need to be out of here right away, before they storm your precious labs." Gideon impatiently reminded Stryker as the scientist carried a backpack with dozens of datapads full of his research notes inside.

"You can't rush this delicate work, Commander." Stryker sternly fired back. "I have dozens of precious experiments and databases to thoroughly destroy and wipe, and thousands of research notes in this backpack that will allow me to recreate those experiments once I'm settled in at the secondary facility. I would not risk the Empire intercepting even a burst transmission with this data. It would give them all the ammunition they need to undo all we're trying to achieve."

"But rest assured, I will be out of here long before our enemies close their paltry trap around us." Stryker promised. "This facility will automatically detonate in exactly eight hours, per the Admiral's orders, and all evidence of our plans will be gone long before it is destroyed. All you must do is delay the enemy another three hours until our defenses can fully come online, and my computer virus can get to work on purging my data network."

"You have twenty minutes. If the reports I have are correct, we only have two hours until Colonel Jaeger's people arrive to storm the island." Gideon irritably pointed out before shutting down the comm signal to think.

Knowing that the facility's two hundred mercenaries and private security forces could only delay the enemy for so long, especially if a Jedi as strong as Edaan Palpatine was on the way along with many of the Empire's elite forces, he would have to get creative with his defense of this station.

The only bright spots about this were that he was well versed in guerilla warfare and had an intricate knowledge of the enemy's lethal capabilities. They would determine whether this task could succeed. And if he was to slow his old friends down, then he would have to use a bit of subterfuge to keep them at bay a while longer.

He just hoped that word of his true allegiance had not been spread outside of Imperial High Command and Harnaidan's Imperial Garrison. Otherwise, the ruse he was formulating would never work, and could very well doom everything he and his like minded conspirators wanted for the galaxy.

At the vet least, the surprise Gideon and Stryker had planned for the two would-be liberated captives would send a clear message to the Jedi and their dupes. If only he could get a holorecording of the whole dialogue that would follow.

One Hundred Minutes Later, 1352 Hours

Aboard the YV-865 Aurore-class freighter Elusive Hunter

100 Kilometers from Aborah

"I take it they're not here to reinforce us or give us air support?" Edaan rhetorically asked any of the three loyal members of Inferno Squad as the covert Imperial flotilla was intercepted and delayed by a convoy of Imperial customs frigates.

For the last twenty minutes, the strike teams had been held back by several dozen frigates and their fighter escort, and they could not get away without tipping off their hand. And the wait was driving Edaan mad with worry for Tahiri and Jysella. He had a terrible feeling that they did not have the time to wait for an agonizingly long inspection.

"No. Their trajectory puts them from the garrison of Scipio, approximately a hundred klicks north of Aborah." Seyn Marana answered, ignoring Edaan's sarcastic jibe. "I think we can guess who tipped them off to us. If they scan our holds, then we'll have to scrub the entire operation."

"Then what's the plan?" Edaan anxiously asked. "Please tell me if someone has one."

"Relax. We've got it. Or rather, the contingency clearance codes Ambassador Fel provided for us will have everything under control." Iden confidently answered.

What did Jagged Fel have to do with any of this? Did he concoct a clever ruse to let the attack force go through unimpeded? Or did the Jedi's lead ambassador call in favors with Imperial Intelligence to provide a sufficient cover story?

Nice going, Edaan. You just had to doze off midway through the briefing, didn't you? Edaan silently berated himself for his lack of attention. At this rate, it would take him at least another ten years to become a Jedi Knight, and even longer to start his mission to save Vestara; that is, if he could even wait that long for either. He just hoped he wasn't too late to save his friends.

Del, catching Edaan's anger, calmly said, "Don't worry, Edaan. We'll get the chance to save your teammates yet. And one way or another, we'll get the proof we need to stop Daala and her followers once and for all."

"I certainly hope so." The Jedi Apprentice muttered, just as Armitage's voice came through the ship's comlink, ordering his forces through his code jargon,

"All ships, we're cleared to move out. Proceed to the drop off point in tight formation, and no reckless stunts. We don't want to cause any misunderstandings before we get the chance to collect our payment."

Letting out a sigh, Edaan uttered a silent prayer of thanks before admitting, "Whatever Ambassador Fel had prepared for us, it seemed to have worked. Good thing we had a few contingencies planned for this sort of scenario."

"What do you mean 'we', Edaan?" Seyn jokingly challenged. "You were half-asleep through most of the briefing. It's a miracle you didn't snore through it all."

"Cut the chatter, everyone." Iden firmly cut in. "We've still got eighty minutes before we reach Aborah, and you all ought to be checking your gear one last time. I'm sure Hask and his team will have done so already."

"Palpatine, your Mando armor fitting you well enough? Last thing we need is to turn around now to avoid you being discovered." Iden asked the Palpatine heir.

"It'll work well enough. This isn't the first time I've had to go undercover in that sort of armor."

"Where'd you even get a set of quality Beskar anyway?" Seyn wondered. "I thought Mandos kept the ore and armor exclusive to their own people."

"They do, but let's just say I have friends across the entire galaxy, and in just about all places and societies." Edaan cryptically answered as the four fighters went to finish examining their equipment, before playfully smirking, "Plus, I have enough favors to have a set of armor handy for just this sort of occasion."

"Sounds like a good story. You'll have to tell us after we give Daala's people an unforgettable message." Iden returned the smirk with her challenge.

"I'll be sure to do so, but only if you treat me to a real meal instead of your typical rations. They can grow really bland quite quickly."

Ten Minutes Later, 1405 Hours

Aborah

Aboard the Corvus

"Everything is prepared, Commander?" Natasi pressed.

"Yes, Admiral. I have Melusar, his team, and their data ready to be smuggled off planet, and the defenses finally finished coming online thirty minutes earlier. Reige's strike force should be arriving in exactly sixty-five minutes, so we'll be ready to give them a good thrashing." Gideon replied with a strong hint of eagerness.

After the Empire suffered decades of humiliation because of the Jedi and their former subjects in the New Republic and Galactic Alliance, it would be good to deprive them of one of their best pupils and send a clear message to the rest of the galaxy that the Force's days were numbered.

His only regret was that he would be forced to kill his former teammates in the ensuing battle. Perhaps, if a bit of luck was with him in the next few hours, he could capture one or two of them and convince them to join his righteous cause.

"Excellent. What about the ysalamiri? I don't want to lose such a vital and rare resource." Natasi added.

"It was close, but we have them securely squared away on the main transport, ready for transfer to the rendezvous point."

"Very good. What of Melusar's latest test subjects? Have they been given the… appropriate accommodations?" Natasi allowed an evil smirk to cross her face at the dark fate Gilad Pellaeon's murderess would soon suffer.

"Yes. They won't be able to take their eyes off their so-called rescue." Gideon gladly answered.

"Good, but I'm afraid you will not be there to give Palpatine and Reige's forces the thrashing they deserve, Hask." Natasi quickly dashed Gideon's hopes. "I need you to leave the island immediately. I will have an extensive need of your many talents to train my most elite soldiers for the coming war. And Melusar will need adequate protection from our many enemies."

Shoving away his protests at the great honor he was being given, Gideon complied, "I understand, admiral. I will gather my teammates at once, and we'll depart the planet and join Melusar at the rendezvous point."

Shaking her head, Natasi regretfully corrected him, "No, Commander. I need you, and only you to train my army. Your squad mates will need to stay behind to ensure the enemy stays behind long enough to fall into our trap."

"Admiral, with all due respect, Lieutenants Isar and Ewad are two of the best troopers I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. I believe they can be of far more use to you as instructors and leaders than as martyrs." Gideon protested.

"When all is said and done in our war, their names and deeds will be etched into history among the legions of our fallen soldiers and comrades. But many sacrifices need to be made by all of us if we are to pave the way towards our final victory against all the galaxy's Force Users and their sycophants." Natasi earnestly vowed.

Being etched into history as an eternal hero and granted glory by those you had served. Was that not all a soldier craved for in the sweet embrace of death? Gideon had desired such a great end for himself from the first days he had entered the Imperial Army. It was all he had to look forward to in his life after his family was slaughtered by the Yuuzhan Vong when the Empire was forced to evacuate its capital world just about twenty-six years ago.

But he could not truly achieve such an end if the Empire continued to play second fiddle to the Galactic Alliance and its Jedi protectors, even when the insipid Force Users could not see how the galaxy had changed and outgrown them.

If Gideon had to make a small compromise to achieve such an outcome, he would do so, even if it meant betraying those he thought of as his second family and crushed his heart into a pulp.

He was sure they would do the same thing in his position. After all, without any sacrifices, there could be no victory in any war.

Nodding, Gideon obediently said, "Very well, Admiral. I'll depart with Doctor Melusar for the rendezvous point right away."

"Good. I look forward to seeing you there. We will have a great deal to discuss soon enough. And make sure to leave no trace of your sudden disappearance. We don't want Melusar's small army to fall into disarray too quickly. A message must be sent to the Jedi and their fools of supporters." Natasi nodded, ending the transmission.

Fifty Minutes Later, 1458 Hours

Aboard the C-ROC Gozanti-class Light Cruiser Atonement

20 Kilometers from Aborah

"All forces, get ready for imminent contact. We're approaching the drop off point, and sensors are picking up over fifty life forms and several gun emplacements protecting the facility's outer rim." Armitage warned his small but lethal force, receiving acknowledged replies before returning his attention to the mission.

His twenty corvettes and frigates would be in striking distance of the island within the next fifteen minutes, and the opening salvo would determine the outcome of this battle, and probably all those within the Empire if High Command was correct in the rumors they had been hearing.

Of course, if Daala was half as smart as he feared, she would have enacted the necessary precautionary measures to remove any trace of her influence from this fortress and taken Melusar, his essential staff, and their prisoners to a safe house.

But according to Edaan, he could still sense the presences of Tahiri and Jysella on Aborah, which gave this strike a vital rescue component. Armitage just hoped that they were not in too terrible shape since his teams did not have the medical supplies to effectively treat any life-threatening injuries from whatever torture they endured. Daala always did have a vindictive streak against all her enemies, real and imagined.

Well, either way, the Empire and its citizens would soon know the truth of Natasi Daala's depravities and expunge her wicked influence from their government and society. And with a bit of luck, or the Will of the Force, Armitage was not too particular at this point, they would soon be able to take the fight to the two Sith orders and their protected proxies that were running rampant across the entire known galaxy.

One Hour Later, 1600 Hours

Aborah, Landing Bay 13

"Casualty reports are coming in, Colonel." Cardinal grimly handed a datapad to his superior officer. "Indigo and Beta Squads have been reduced to half strength, and we lost almost two-thirds of our prisoners to poison pills of highly-lethal Synox before we could save the rest."

"Thank you, Captain." Armitage thanked his son. "Keep the men on full alert. We're going to move out within the next thirty minutes."

The fight to take a foothold on the private island had proven to be far bloodier than either side would have preferred. Losing two covert troop transports and seven fighters to the outer defenses, the Imperials had been forced to improvise and use Inferno and Eclipse Squads and their single loaned Jedi Apprentice to turn the gun emplacements against each other. It was only accomplished through clever slicing and a few mind tricks on the few weak-minded members of Daala's private army.

The resulting thirty-minute delay had given the defenders time to secure their position and cost the colonel well over a dozen of his best men. Coupled with the suicide pills taking most of his hard-won prisoners, it was not a good start to this classified mission, especially since the strike force was nowhere near the main facility and its main defenses.

He needed a quick and clever way to get the inside look in the enemy defenders' before he threw himself and his men back into the blazing fires of war. Conventional methods were all but out of the question, since the island had military grade scrambling equipment that blocked any outside communications, and since the prisoners would take too long to interrogate, perhaps it was time to employ a few more Force-based options.

Approaching Edaan, who was meditating in a noble effort to try and reach the captive Tahiri and Jysella in their captive state, he noticed Edaan's quivering lip and violent shaking, and called out to him, "Jedi Palpatine?"

Eyes bolting wide open, Edaan nearly fell over from pain as he panted deeply, as if he had just seen a good friend die before his eyes, before he turned to Armitage, pleading with him "We need to hold the Island. Tahiri and Jysella's lives depend on the facility's functionality."

"What do you mean?" Armitage firmly, if not unsympathetically, asked. He had orders to gather the intelligence to bring Daala and Melusar down and shut down whatever experiments they had going on here, not take the island for their own. If he was going to defy those orders, he had better have a karking good reason for doing just that, and even two wounded Jedi would not be enough to assuage the Empire's anti-Jedi faction. "How bad of shape are they in?"

"They said they were… heinously experimented on." Edaan hoarsely began, shivering violently as he corrected himself, "Actually, that's too nice a description for what they went through. Melusar ripped them apart and stitched them back together at least a dozen times, all in Daala's mad efforts to discover and try to permanently sever a person's connection to the Force."

Edaan did not have to look at the colonel to picture the outrage on his face at such a sick violation, he could sense it. In fact, the Jedi Apprentice shared such rage, panting quickly and feeling cold tears splattering down his face as he continued to sputter out,

"If what they told me is true, he left them… splattered on a table, little more than as large sacs of flesh and bone." Edaan took a moment to catch his breath, and implored Armitage, "We can't let them suffer anymore. We have to get them out of there, no matter what it takes."

"Edaan, look at me." Armitage sympathetically began, surprising the young man with the Imperial's lack of formality. "We'll get them back, along with anyone else Melusar might have left behind on this hellhole of a hideout. Neither of us will abandon our own."

"But right now, my people and I will need you to put all your focus and energies on helping us in taking this lab." Armitage implored him. "If we don't finish this mission quickly and decisively, then countless more innocent people will suffer from Melusar's barbaric experiments. Can you do this?"

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Edaan rose from his sitting position to emphatically salute the colonel, "Sir, yes sir. I'll do whatever it takes to get the job done."

"Excellent. I'm going to assign you to work with Inferno Squad for the duration of the attack as first wave soldiers. We'll need to hit Melusr's people hard and fast, and they're short on manpower, so having a Jedi will bolster our attack strength and give us an inside edge on any ambushes or setups."

Quickly glancing around, Armitage quietly added, "I also hope I turn out to be wrong on this, but I'll need your help to ascertain the loyalty of my remaining people. I'd rather err on the side of caution this time after Hask's betrayal."

Not liking the idea of spying on those he was working to trust, but seeing the validity of Armitage's argument, Edaan reluctantly nodded, "All right. I'll keep an eye on them, just in case. But I hope you're wrong."

"So do I, young Palpatine."

One Hour Later, 1705

Within the Main Command Center

"Where is your kriffing hu'tunn of a squad leader?! My people are getting ripped apart by the Imps out there!" The mercenary leader demanded the two turncoat Inferno Squad members while she finished typing in the codes to lock down the facility.

"Best guess, Hask abandoned us and went with Melusar as soon as the 'good doctor' was evacuated!" Lieutenant Odion Isar sarcastically shouted back.

"You think Daala ordered him out?" Powar Ewad, Odion's fellow Inferno Squad turncoat, devastatingly asked. He could hardly believe that the man who taught him all about honor and loyalty would sell out his own so easily.

But then again, they still could barely believe he would reveal to them his loyalty to Admiral Daala and offer them a chance to restore the Empire to its rightful place in the galaxy as soon as it eliminated its enemies in the Jedi and their fragmenting democracies.

How could they both have been so stupid, agreeing with Hask and Daala on their insane goal of putting the Empire back in control of the galaxy, and then destroying every religious group that claimed adherence to the Force? The Empire lost the right to rule everyone when Emperor Palpatine and his warlords failed to control the galaxy and should have looked after its own first and foremost. And the Jedi, for all their faults, were a force for good in the galaxy, and were helping the Empire remain united in a time of terrible division for most of the remaining galactic powers.

Instead, the two turncoats had bought the delusions that the Force, instead of individuals with too much power, and far too many delusions of grandeur and glory, were responsible for the recent series of wars that had devastated the galaxy. They betrayed every oath they swore when they enlisted in the Imperial Army to serve glory hounds more eager to sacrifice everything, including their own honor, loved ones, and souls, so they could achieve their own sick designs on the galaxy.

And now it was too late to atone for their treason. The facility's databanks had been thoroughly purged, and as soon as the lab was destroyed in three hours, Hask and his new master could disavow anything that anyone might claim about the experiments undergone here.

Unless, if they could find a way to stop the self-destruct countdown, and save the immobilized victims, it might be enough to allow a full investigation into Daala and Melusar's activities and expose the two of them for the wicked wretches they truly were.

It might even be enough to keep them from being outright executed for their treason, not that they knew they didn't deserve it for all the lives they claimed or ruined through deserting the Empire.

Slowly pulling out their blaster pistols, they came to a silent agreement to do what they could to atone for their betrayal before aiming it at the dar'manda who once called herself a Mandalorian. Prepared to pull the trigger, they suddenly found themselves choking on their own blood as blades of durasteel slashed through their uniform, flesh, and even a few bones as they quickly collapsed onto the ground. In their fading peripheral vision, both dying soldiers saw two of the exiled warrior's bodyguards cleaning each of their bloody vibrodaggers with a red-stained rag.

"Don't take me for a fool, you gullible Imps. I've been in more campaigns than you could ever know, and I know how to see a betrayal coming a klick away." The commander viciously smirked behind her helmet as she pulled out her own pair of blasters.

"I also know when to withdraw from a losing battle, but on my terms." She said with an air of finality, moments before she blew a hole through each turncoat's cranial cavity. "Prepare our people to pull out right away. We're going to leave this death trap behind and recoup our losses."

"What of our contract with Admiral Daala's people? As good as we are, I don't think we want to anger a person of her reputation and influence while ruining our own." A bodyguard cautioned her.

"Leave Daala's personal security guards to fend for themselves. We look after our own, and only our own. The moment we break the planet's atmosphere, I will speak to the good admiral, and we'll renegotiate the terms of this suicidal arrangement. I think Commander Hask's personal ship will be a good start for our silence on what went on in this mad island."

Fifty Minutes Later, 1800 Hours

Just Outside the Primary Facility

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot!" Edaan roared to Inferno Squad while he nimbly maneuvered through the turret fire pelting his position. Getting to cover, he quickly threw his violet-colored lightsaber with Force-accurate precision to slice right through two E-Web turrets impeding Inferno Squad's path to a concealed side entrance.

Before the two enemy combatants could adjust their strategy, Edaan telekinetically dragged them down from their entrenched position to face their four exhausted and angry captors.

Glaring at Edaan, one of the captives spat, "Go ahead and try, Palpatine. We've been trained to resist your Jedi mind tricks."

"Oh, he's not going to do anything of the sort." Iden conversationally corrected before she pulled out an injector full of some sort of dark and putrid vial and jabbed it into each captive's necks. "I'm just going to put a little something in your bloodstream to keep you from committing suicide. My superiors will interrogate you later for your role in Melusar's experiments."

Stomping on each enemy's faces with her hard boot, Iden urged her team on. "Let's find out just what Melusar and Hask left behind for us and see if we can shut down the rest of the island's defenses."

Ten Minutes Later, 1813 Hours

Inside the Main Command Center

"What happened here?" Del horrifically whispered upon seeing the corpses of Odion and Powar splattered on the ground. Even the usually stoic and reserved Iden and Seyn were unsettled by this gruesome scene.

"Maybe the security footage can shed some light on this. After that, we secure this facility and rescue the others." Edaan tactfully suggested.

"That'll be easier than you think, Palpatine." Seyn breathed a rare sigh of relief as she and Del each quickly typed on a computer console. "Looks like whoever left this place was in too much of a hurry and gave us complete access to the system's defenses."

"I'm shutting down the defenses now, and… wait." Seyn hesitated before she muttered a series of Huttese curses, "This kriffing facility's set to blow in less than eighty minutes, and it looks like they thoroughly reset their entire database."

"Can we stop the countdown?" Iden hoped, wanting to salvage something from this disaster for her squad and the Empire. Even the smallest clue could very well lead to a great discovery in implicating Daala and her network in this illegal facility, or at least learning more of just how much influence she held in the Empire.

"I'm afraid not, Ma'am. The whole network is running on a system I don't even recognize, and we don't have any time to decipher it." Del reluctantly admitted.

"What about Jedi Veila and Horn?" Edaan pressed. "Can we locate them from here?"

"There are too many labs and medbays that could be holding them, and we don't have the time to look through them all." Seyn shot that idea down, before suggesting, "Why don't you just use your Jedi senses to find them?"

"I would, but there's too many powerful echoes from the experiments here to get a strong fix on them. It'd be like trying to find a single light within a massive solar flare." Edaan shook his head.

"Then we'll need to call in some reinforcements, to widen the search after we put down the last of the resistance." Iden acknowledged, before she pulled out a comlink to warn the rest of the strike force. "Hopefully, we can salvage something from this disaster."

Forty-Five Minutes Later, 1900 Hours

Melusar's Private Laboratory

"Can you sense Tahiri and Jysella anywhere nearby, Edaan? We're going to be cutting it a little close with Melusar's countdown." Armitage warned the Palpatine heir as the Jedi Apprentice scoured the databanks for any references to their quarry.

After searching through Stryker Melusar's covert lab and downloading what little amounts of precious data they could from the purged databases, the Imperial strike teams were prepared to pull out before they and the island became yet another casualty of Daala's constant wars. It was only through the need to stay and extract Jysella and Tahiri that kept the task force behind.

But they were almost out of time, for only thirty minutes remained before the facility self-destructed. And Edaan would not leave without his friends, even if he was dragged out kicking and screaming.

"I found them." Edaan answered in mixed relief and dread. "They're being held in Med-Lab Five, under the intensive care facility. Guess Daala did a real number on them here."

"Then if we're going to save them, we'll have to move fast. I'll have a squad of medics ready to meet us at the extraction point." Armitage reminded him.

"I have the clearance codes to enter the facility. Let's move." Edaan pulled out a datacard before the two men and their squad of Imperial Marines hurried through the devastated facility. Ignoring the corpses, fires and explosions continuously scarring the facility, it took them about five minutes before they reached the chamber.

Immediately plugging in the datacard into a slot, Edaan grew increasingly anxious as the doors slowly opened. He could feel their voices screaming inside his head, and his blood curdled at seeing what the two strong Jedi were reduced to because of one vengeful woman.

Armitage, having spent enough time around the Jedi to know when the Force was at work, knowingly asked, "Are they that bad?"

"They're desperate and resigned to death. Whatever Daala did to them, it won't be easy to undo." Edaan nervously gulped.

"Well, they'll have the best care the Empire can provide." The colonel earnestly vowed as they entered the now-opened room. "It's the least we can do after whatever Daala and her followers did to them."

"Th-" Edaan's efforts at gratitude were halted when they came across a sight that had them bordering vomiting for realizing what depravities Daala and Melusar did to Jysella and Tahiri. That is, if that was even them lying before them on two medical tables.

Before the colonel and Jedi Apprentice, it would be more accurate for them to come face-to-face with two scattered slabs of flesh and bone, hooked up to dozens of wires and life-support tubes designed to keep them alive.

"By the Gods... this... what is... this is beyond anything I ever could've imagined." Edaan hoarsely whispered, rushing towards the table with strands of blonde hair creasing the sides. Tears glistened over his face, he brokenly asked, "Tahiri..." Turning to the other table, he identified her, "Jysella... how could Daala do this?"

"Quite easily, Jedi Palpatine, and I must say, it was long overdue." A strong and hateful voice said that both men recognized from her near-dozen tyrannical campaigns: Natasi Daala, ruler of many governments, leader of dozens of armadas, and virulent leader of anti-Jedi sympathy.

"Daala... You've lost your mind!" Armitage shouted to the rogue Imperial. "All this, death and inhumanity, it's a disgrace to Grand Admiral Pellaeon and his legacy for the Empire!"

"DON'T bring up Gilad, Jedi-lover!" Daala shouted before she reined in her anger. But it was lost to the pleading Edaan heard from Jysella and Tahiri.

"You have to end this, Edaan." Tahiri desperately begged through the Force into Edaan's mind. "Don't let us suffer anymore."

"No. We… We can save you. We can't leave you like this. I can't leave you like this after all I said and did to you." Edaan quietly sobbed.

"I can't let either of you die because of Daala. You've both survived worse, and you can get through this. I won't let anyone else die because of her madness. Too many have already lost everything to her."

"No. Melusar and Daala deliberately left us like this as a message to their enemies, and to keep you here until the facility was destroyed. Our lives are now tied to this equipment, and we won't be beholden to that schutta anymore." Jysella sadly corrected, before Tahiri gently urged Edaan,

"Edaan, please. As our last wish as Jedi, honor this request. You have your own war to fight, and you need to prepare yourself to save Vestara Khai from her own darkness."

Eyes bulging wide open at Tahiri knowing the truth, Edaan was silent as she continued, "I knew. I've always known, and I won't let you throw it away for me."

"When Doctor Melusar and I am done, the galaxy will remember us and our cause as the greatest to ever exist for ending this five-thousand-year religious infighting." Natasi vowed, interrupting Edaan's conversation, and reigniting the volcanic rage in his heart.

"Why don't you stop monologuing like a HoloNet supervillain, and just admit the truth?! You are no hero, Natasi Daala. You are nothing more than a rabid demoness that needs to be destroyed before your terrible madness can spread any further!" Edaan snarled, as he trembled from the rage he must have been struggling to contain.

"That's precious, coming from a descendant of a Sith emperor who wants to be a Jedi." Natasi vindictively smirked before Edaan swirled around, and even she was taken aback by the murderous expression on his face. From the tears spilling out of his eyes, his teeth gritting in rage, to his blazing orange eyes, he could have been a living incarnation of vengeance itself.

"We will not let your evil continue, Natasi Daala. One day soon, the galaxy will wake up to the depravities you commit here, and they will do far worse than simply bring you to justice. They will correct history to make everyone see just how twisted and evil you are, and your name will be a cautionary tale for all to keep them from stepping onto your wicked path. And the Jedi will finally be vindicated from all of your hatred and jealousy."

Before Daala could respond, Edaan reached out with his hand, and utterly crushed the holotransceiver before his eyes returned to their natural sky blue. But the tears did not stop flowing.

"Edaan..." Armitage sympathetically began. "We're not going to be able to save them in time. We have to go."

"Not yet. There's still one thing I must do. I have to put an end to Tahiri and Jysella's suffering before the explosions consume them."

"You mean you're going to kill them." Armitage breathed.

"Yes. They can't go on anymore, so they begged me to put them out of their misery. And I've just agreed to do it." Edaan heartbrokenly admitted.

"You don't have to do that, Edaan." Armitage tried. "Let me do it. I owe them-"

"No. They asked me through the Force, and I can help ease their suffering before they pass on. It's their last wish as Jedi." Edaan firmly decided.

"Besides, after all the grief I gave Tahiri over the years for her past sins, I owe her my personal

apology. I just wish I had been nicer to her when I was younger."

Knowing that Edaan would see something through to the end whenever he decided on something, Armitage gently advised him, "Then you'd best make it a swift end. It'll take us about ten minutes to get back to the ships before we pull out."

"I will." Edaan promised. "You go secure the dropships. And prepare your men and prisoners. I'll be there in less than five minutes."

Nodding, Armitage allowed himself a final glance of sorrow and sympathy for the two dissected Jedi, and solemnly said, "May the Force be with you both."

Ignoring the colonel's departure as he turned back towards the two women, Edaan apologized, "I'm sorry I couldn't get here in time to save you. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure what happened to you two won't happen to anyone else, ever again."

"Edaan?" Jysella asked. "Tell my parents and brother I love them, and I'll always be watching over them, and I'll never leave them, even as I pass on."

Nodding, Edaan silently agreed, before telling Tahiri, "I wish I had been nicer to you when I was growing up. I let my anger over Vestara and the Skywalkers cloud my judgment and make me a hypocrite. I'll never let that happen again, and I'll remember that no one is beyond redemption. And one day, I'll remind the Skywalkers of that truth, and I'll do whatever it takes to save Vestara and bring the galaxy back into the Light."

"I know you will, and there is nothing to forgive, Edaan. But remember to take care with your methods, and beware your heart, lest you risk becoming that which you fight against." Tahiri gently warned him.

"Now hurry and go. Become the Jedi and leader you were meant to be, lead the galaxy back to light, and let us become one with the Force." Jysella bade farewell to Edaan, with both her and Tahiri emitting feelings of gratitude and compassion towards him.

Reaching out with the Force to deactivate the life support systems sustaining the two Jedi, Edaan cried like a river as he steeled himself to kill two dear friends. "Good-bye. I promise, I'll make your faith in my justified, and I'll do right by you and all of Daala's other victims."

Letting go, he shut down the lab, but kept a gentle presence with the two women as they quickly expired, to let them know that even in their darkest and final moments, they would never be alone.

Feeling their life force die out like a flickering candle, Edaan ran towards the beach while making one last promise that, one way or another, Natasi Daala, Stryker Melusar, and all their followers would get what was coming to them. He only hoped that he would be around to see that vow of retribution carried out.

But still, he wondered how he would break the news to Master Horn and his family over what he did to Jysella.

Four Days Later, Selona 4th, 1200 Hours

Bastion, Jedi Embassy

"I knew that Daala held such hatred for us, but I had no idea her depravity had reached such depths." Jaina shook from a silent rage at the reports Edaan had brought before the Jedi Council.

It had taken Imperial High Command just over four-and-a-half days to sift through the scraps of data from Melusar's databanks, and they had transmitted the findings to the Jedi Council and their allies to find any further evidence of her atrocities, even if such hopes were slim.

"You never know what a person is capable of until they actually commit the deed." Luke solemnly said, having been requested to attend this meeting, along with Ben, Han, and Leia, due to their many experiences with the supposedly retired war criminal.

With all her heart, Jaina wished she had been there to help her friends, but the damned Mandalorians had kept her attention focused away from there until it was too late. At least Edaan was able to give them comfort at the end as their life-support equipment failed. It would not bring them back to life, but at least they did not die alone.

Still, she could not even imagine how Corran was taking the news, or how he would tell his wife and their son. They had already suffered enough at Daala's hands, and she had to be taken down for good, before she started another karking war.

"I was given the names of the Jedi Daala experimented on. With your permission, I'd like to read them off, a small way to memorialize them." Edaan shakily requested.

"Of course." Kyle allowed, hiding his suspicions of how his apprentice acquired the list of the Jedi's victims to Daala's depravities through hacking the Order's records. He was too distraught by the news to think of reproaching Edaan right now.

"There were a dozen Jedi killed in her experiments, and it dates all the way back to the Yuuzhan Vong War. And she's also had her scientists experiment on over ten thousand civilians with even a small amount of Force-Sensitivity. These are all that we know of for certain." Edaan explained.

"But, for time's sake, I'll stick to the Jedi list: Bandy Geffer. Sothais Saar. Klin-Fa-Gi. Turi Altamik." Edaan's voice grew denser as each name was listed off. "Finn Galfridian. X2. Jysella Horn. Mander Zuma. Ohali Soroc. Marr Idi-Shael!"

By this point, Edaan was practically yelling the names, and everyone noticed a cracking noise as various transparisteel windows began to crack from Edaan's subconscious use of the Force. "Tiu Zax! Tahiri Veila! Jedi brothers and sisters, including your old friend Madurrin, all dead!"

"Countless others! Experiment on. Slaughtered like simple animals to fuel a madwoman's ambitions! Where were all of you as these people were taken from their homes and treated like beasts to be slaughtered for twisted science?!" Edaan horrifically shrieked as if his heart was being ripped out of its chest cavity while still beating.

"The Jedi Council, too concerned with the 'big picture' to look after our own people, just like during the Mandalorian Wars and the Second Galactic Civil War!"

"The Galactic Alliance, which, aside from a handful of brave individuals and leaders, was too concerned with its pride and image to protect their own citizens!"

"The Moff Council and Hapes Consortium's Duchas, too concerned with status and power plays to make a difference, leaving their leaders to do all of the true work! "

The Mandalorians, too consumed by vengeance and their own sense of honor and loyalty to see the harm they were inflicting on others!"

"The Confederation and Hutts, too concerned with their profits and independence to live up to their so-called fight for independence!"

The rage and disgust evident in his eyes as he turned to face Ben, who had a fearful look on his face at the young man's outbursts. "And YOU! Too preoccupied with hunting down and butchering the woman you once loved to help innocent people, all because she made the wrong choice so many years ago! You let your hatred consume you, and it's turned you into an obsessed fool!"

Next, he turned to face Luke, Leia, and Han, his anger rising even higher as he struggled to control himself, "And you three. I can understand you handing the reins to the next generation after stopping the Qrephs. You and your family did more for the galaxy than anyone could possibly ask over the decades, but you also made a lot of horrible decisions that have lasted all the way to today!"

Pointing to Luke, "You, with your forsaking your beliefs on redemption with so many Jedi and Sith after the Yuuzhan Vong War, and for taking complete control of the Jedi Order during the Dark Nest Crisis! You could have shown so much more trust in the younger Knights and continued to plant seeds of hope and promise for the galaxy, but instead you and your council repeated so many of the old Order's dogmatic actions with centralizing the Order behind you. And you abandoned Coruscant to the Lost Tribe to hunt Abeloth and guaranteed the planetary devastation that followed! How could you have endangered so many so recklessly?!"

Turning to the two elder Solos, he accused them, "You, for helping try to tear the Galactic Alliance apart at the start of the Corellian Crisis instead of trying to help from within. You cared more about killing a power-hungry relative and reliving your glory days in the Rebel Alliance than helping your son when he started falling to the Dark Side! Where was your vaunted family loyalty when you all let Lumiya divide you all?!"

Finally, he turned to Jaina, and disgustingly spat out, "You didn't even try to save your twin brother when he started his dark transformation! You abandoned him just because he became a colonel faster than you, and because he saw the full picture of the Swarm War, and played you, a bug-lover and Joiner, all to preempt the Dark Nest to prevent a galactic apocalypse and save his lover and newborn daughter."

"And you had the gall to abandon Mirta Gev, one of your friends on Nickel One without even trying to save her, thereby allowing her to fall into Vestara's grip, never mind let Zekk and Jagged fight over you while the galaxy tore itself apart!"

"Edaan. That's enough!" Kyle harshly, if even somewhat sympathetically, ordered his apprentice. "You've more than made your point. Now, I think you ought to go to your cabin and meditate. It'll help you calm down from the horrific revelations you uncovered. I will speak with you later."

"Please. Don't become what you hate and fear. Remember who and what you're fighting for."

That gentle reminder snapped Edaan out of his rage-induced state, and he saw the results of his anger in the cracked windows and damaged walls. He shivered as he bowed, and humbly said, "You are right. Everyone, I... I am sorry for my wrongly placed anger. Please forgive me. I will go and meditate on my lack of control now."

Quickly departing the Council's chambers, Corran, fighting back his own tears over Jysella's murder, noted to Kyle, "There is much anger and defiance in your apprentice. The Council ought to proceed carefully with Edaan's training going forward."

"He studies within the archives every chance he can get and has been out in the galaxy far more than most apprentices. It's only natural that he would be far more mature, knowledgeable and worldly than most teenagers his age." Kyle reminded the Corellian Jedi Master before acknowledging, "But, given his abilities and his unique situation within the galaxy, I will keep an eye on his progress and give him what guidance I can."

Was he wrong in what he said, though? Jaina thought, remembering every friend and loved one she lost since the Yuuzhan Vong War, and knew, deep down in her heart, that she grossly handled much of her life after that terrible war.

She nearly lost Jagged more times than she dared to count and lost her Mandalorian friend because she was so obsessed with killing her own brother, the brother she once held a sacred bond with, but abandoned because she acted like a child.

And her family and the Jedi... she didn't even dare to go there but knew that Edaan was right. Something had to change if her family, never mind the galaxy and the Jedi Order, was to survive. Unfortunately, what that was, was still a great and terrible mystery to solve.

Perhaps it was time to resurrect her old resistance network of Darkmeld, but with an Imperial twist on it to help unravel the plots that threatened the Empire and the Jedi. Her uncle and his own network of spies and informants could be a great help with that endeavor.

Well, I think this is a sufficient place to end the interlude. What did you all think? Can you believe I wrote this in just five days?! I certainly can't, but I guess I was properly motivated. I hope you all enjoyed the glimpse into Edaan's past and a dark and pivotal moment in his life, however tragic and horrendous it was. I hope you're all ready for me to get back to the main story, because I will have plenty of ideas for the many plots I have active or in the works. So, how are you all doing on this warm if cloudy evening of Wednesday, October 6, 2021? I'm doing well, but a bit winded from work and class today. I had to lift a lot of heavy stuff earlier for work, and I was challenged mentally through class. Well, now I have a week off from school because of my upcoming Fall break, but I still have work and schoolwork to take care of. But I'm not too worried, as I can get through both. I'd better go and get this chapter squared away for the time being, until the time is right for me to revise and publish it. May God be with us all in these mad times for so many, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!