Jarik POV...

Sitting on my bed in the Knight Hawk, I continued to fiddle with the object in my hands, which was Ahsoka's old padawan braid. I had a lot on my mind, as usual, and it was shown in how I often spent some time alone to think. There was just a lot of troubling things to worry about. Sidious, the Empire, and now Oryx. Of course I had to prioritize, and the Empire was the most obvious threat right now, constantly ruling with an iron fist in an oppressive government, run by a Sith Lord who only wants more power for himself. But the threat of Oryx and the Vong out beyond what we could see kept coming back to me as well.

I ran my thumb along the braid, feeling the small bumps of the metal beads and thought back on how simple life used to be. The Clone Wars were a difficult time, but even that still felt relatively simple. Fight the Separatists, take a break at the Temple and train more under Master Kenobi, then receive our next mission in the War. I didn't have to do too much of the thinking, Ahsoka and I both having Obi-Wan and Anakin in our team, as well as the Jedi Council to come up with assignments for us.

Now, there was no Council. No Order, no Republic. Just us. I may not have liked the council but they did provide shared thinking, so that plans weren't burdened onto a select few. Ahsoka, Bail and are pretty much the founders of the Rebellion, and until it truly becomes a galactic movement, most of the burdens fall to us in order to keep it together, and decide how to approach the next challenge. Quite stressful.

Sighing, I got to my feet and moved over to the desk, placing the braid beside the holocron, as well as my lightsabers. I eyed them for a couple of moments before the door opened, and Ahsoka walked in. I gave her a look, noticing her exhaustion.

"Well you look tired," I stated.

"Been going over Phoenix Squad's next operation," she says. "The Empire is blockading the planet Ibaar, and they're planning to send relief supplies."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I remember finding out about that. Glad to see it's finally at the top of the to-do list."

She flops down on the bed, laying sprawled out with a sigh. "I'm beat."

"Same," I replied, falling back onto the bed beside her as we both looked up at the ceiling. "Call me selfish, but I'm kind of glad we have to stay out of view of the Empire. Give us an excuse for more rest time."

Ahsoka gave a small chuckle. "True. And I don't blame you."

"Oh what would our masters say?" I asked rhetorically.

"Obi-Wan would scold us no doubt for being late, and then put some blame on Anakin," she recalled with a fond smile.

"Anakin would just pretend to be upset," I said bluntly.

We continued to lay there on the bed for the next few minutes, just enjoying the comfortable silence until she glanced at me.

"If you're gonna keep laying in the bed, take off your cloak please," she says in exasperation.

I frown at her. "What? Does it really bother you that much?"

"If you're in the bed, yes," she retorts.

I rolled my eyes but did as she asked, slipping my arms out of the cloak and then unclipping it, tossing it to the side. "Better?" I ask dryly.

"Put it away properly," she added.

I groaned, getting up and reaching down to pick up the cloak. I walked over to the other end of the room and placed it in its proper spot, turning around to move back to the bed, standing before her with my arms crossed. "I swear you can be such a mom sometimes."

"Well, technically-" she starts.

I raise a hand to stop her. "Don't even say it."

She grinned at me mischievously, and I laid back down on the bed beside her with a sigh. "What's Mara doing?"

She shrugged as best she could. "Spending a little bit of time with Ezra and Sabine before they go off on their blockade run. Then I don't know."

"Probably would mess around with R5 afterwards," I said. "Sometimes it's hard to remember that she's still a kid. Thirteen at that."

Ahsoka let off a quiet sigh. "Some things just can't be helped."

There was more silence before I shifted to look at her better. "Well, I'm going to get some shut eye. Then I've got more work to worry about afterwards."

She groaned. "Work work work..." she muttered. "Can't we just have one moment together?"

"We are having one," I replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, serio- oh, right," she corrected herself sheepishly.

I hid my laugh, but she noticed and smacked me on the arm in retaliation. "You're so rude."

"Love you Soka," I replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes but gave a small smile and quickly pecked me on the cheek with a small kiss.

"I can say the same to you Jarik."


Third Brother POV...

The sudden appearance of the Seventh Sister, or 'Vifi,' as Shan has called her, had her travel along with me and the Fifth Brother. As if I had enough trouble dealing with the big brute, now I had to put up with the Sister as well. At least Second Sister knew when to keep herself quiet, although I still have to acknowledge her as a superior, even more now. With the Grand Inquisitor gone, she had taken his place at the head of the Inquisitorious.

I shook my head with an irritated growl, leaving the bridge to my personal quarters as the two continued their bickering. Seventh Sister had demanded to tag along us, having had some history with Shan and Tano, and unfortunately Vader allowed it. She may be smarter than the Brother, but she also exudes superiority, which I have had to reprimand her for and put her in her place.

Entering my quarters, I locked the door behind me and made sure the security camera's were not recording, and then pulled out a communicator. The transmission was received, and an image of the tall, pale woman and the creature appeared.

"How goes the search Third Brother?" the creature demanded.

"Slow," I replied bitterly, and he hissed angrily. "But I have learned more of Vader's castle, and my plans to retrieve it are becoming more clear."

"You must hasten at once!" he cried. "No more delay's! The universe is weak at the moment, and we must-"

"Calm yourself my friend," the woman placated, but her voice was a creepy whisper. "You understand that our agent is in a difficult position. Situations like these require... delicacy."

I hid my surprise. I thought she warned me to complete the job quickly?

The creature scowled. "Delicacy, is becoming less affordable."

"You know of my father's interest in Shan," she replied. "His orders from the Sith, while annoying, could prove beneficial in the long run."

He was silent for a moment before turning to me. "Very well," he growled. "But remember, failure cannot be tolerated."

"Do not show me such doubt. I am perfectly aware," I said angrily in return.

Before I closed the transmission, I managed to catch a glimpse of the woman's face. There was a gleam in her gaze, one I couldn't make out. It was unsettling.


Jarik POV...

Since Sidious and Thrawn we're so invested into what I now believed to be Oryx, I've been working double time to try and pinpoint any messages sent between the two. Any information I could uncover would be beneficial, and if Thrawn was at the helm, I know it would be good.

There was still the possibility that Sidious was also looking for Snoke, but it was slim, as I had no idea if he knew of the dark sider. I wasn't really sure what to call him, since he stated he wasn't a Sith, but was definitely not some simple dark Jedi either.

Anyways, information about Thrawn and the Seventh fleet was always good. The beep from my computer intercepting another heavily encrypted message was even better. I set to work trying to decrypt it. There was a mix of audio and written files, and anytime I tried to have a go at the audio it would usually play static, being too jumbled and messed up to make out. With the written messages it also revealed similar results, with abstract characters or blank spaces coming up instead of anything coherent. Still I persisted. They would never have something so hard to uncover be complete junk.

It must've taken about an hour or more, but eventually I had managed to break through to something actually important. Narrowing my eyes at the screen, I listened to what parts of the message I could make out.

: ...unexpected... roaming the Unknown Regions... believe I... trail... :

I frowned when that was all it could give me for the audio. What the context is, besides them searching the Unknown Regions I have no clue. And while it's been a while time since I've interacted with him, I believe the voice to be Admiral Thrawn. With that in mind, I switched to the written message and began to read what the program had decrypted.

Our search out beyond known space has not shown much yet of interest, but we are covering ground. Recent activity on our scanners also indicates that there may be something nearby within a few parsecs. We are identify what it is or find any signal, but it has moved several times, going in different directions. This unusual behavior for an object in space leads me to suspect that it is actually some sort of ship. It is my suspicion that this object may be what we are searching for, perhaps a part of the Yuuzhan Vong, yet it continues to stay beyond our reach. Mapping unknown space for safe travel is difficult.

-Thrawn

After reading that message, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, unsure of what to think. However what I did know, was that this is very big news. I've researched Thrawn, and while the Empire itself doesn't have the best view of him (I wonder why), he is very good at his job. He rarely, if ever, makes mistakes, evident by how easily he had revealed my true identity a few years ago.

Whatever Thrawn was tracking had to have been another ship. If it is the Yuuzhan Vong, I don't know, and it seems like he isn't completely certain either. But if it is, the fact that he is closing in can be a good thing or a bad thing, more so the latter. From what Revan described, these guys are supposed to be the worst of the worst. And if they are found or feel threatened by Thrawn, they could retaliate.

And then they would begin their invasion, before anyone is prepared. Even if Sidious knows what's coming, I'm not sure even the Empire would be able to fight off a being as powerful as Oryx. And I highly doubt his whole reason for taking control of the galaxy and forming an Empire, with galactic military might was strictly to protect us all. It's possible that could be a reason, and it does make sense, but his longing for power and control over everyone is greater than his desire to protect the galaxy by keeping people safe.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This whole deal with Oryx... we can't plan a strategy and face it alone, and Sidious certainly wouldnt help us. Eventually we'll will have to warn the Rebellion; or Republic, if we defeat the Empire beforehand, and the galaxy as a whole.

Even if it invites massive panic and chaos.

The door then opened up and Ahsoka walked in. I turned in my chair to look at her and she sat down on the bed, facing me. She takes notice of the computer showcasing the encrypted message.

"I take it you intercepted another message from the Seventh Fleet," she deduced.

I nodded. "Yeah. How is Phoenix Squad doing?"

"They've made some attempts at the blockade, but it's proven unsuccessful so far. However, Rex offered an idea, so Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper are currently looking into someone he's been in contact with. Supposed to have a prototype of some heavy hitting ship," she explains. "They're meeting them right now. Rex and Boil are with the rest to make another run for the blockade."

"Well, I hope they end up successful. Force knows how desperately Ibaar needs those supplies," I remarked.

She nods her head. "That they do. So, what does the message say?"

"Thrawn believes he's getting close now. Their scanners have picked up movement within their range."

Her eyes lightened up slightly in interest. "Is it them?"

"He doesn't know, although he suspects it is the Vong. All he knows is that it's a fast moving object that changes direction, and he's been tracking it."

She was visibly confused. "If he's identified and is tracking something, then he should be getting some signal broadcast. Electric radio waves or something of the like that would identify it as a vessel," she pointed out with a frown.

"He would, but it doesn't have any signals," I replied.

"No signals at all? How can a ship hide their signal? Even cloaked ships broadcast some level of energy readings into space," she says in disbelief.

I'm guessing the only reason he even noticed it is because of how it moved, not that it was moving," I theorized. "Plenty of asteroids and comets move through space at high speeds, but our scanners usually ignore them, because they try and look for a ship's energy readings."

Ahsoka slowly realizes what this could mean. "Revan told you that technology Oryx and the Vong uses is organic."

"Exactly," I confirmed with a nod.

"That would change things up a bit. A biorganic ship... I never even thought that to be possible," she says, stunned.

"I'm not sure anyone ever has."

She breathes out slowly. "We really do have no idea what kind of force we're dealing with, aside from Oryx himself."

"Yeah," I replied quietly with worry in my tone. "Ahsoka... I'm not sure how much longer it'll be until we have to inform others about this."

She nods her head. "I've been wondering the same thing," she admits, and seeing my surprise, she explains. "Right now, the galaxy is in chaos, constant fights and battles raging all over, no matter the reason. Even though the Imperial Navy is the strongest the galaxy has ever had, second to the Great Galactic War, we're more vulnerable than we ever could have been."

"I agree with the Navy, but what exactly makes this the most vulnerable time for the galaxy?" I question.

"War," she replies. "All the people rebelling, or who disagree with the Empire has created massive disorder. Palpatine has to use much of his forces if he wants to keep the populace. Despite the massive size of his armies, he can't fight the people he governs, and invaders from beyond."

I nod in understanding, realizing what she meant. "And this would give Oryx the perfect distraction for an invasion."

"And without the Jedi Order, we have no one to sense any incoming threats, and no one who could hope to challenge the Vong, much less Oryx," she adds. "They lost sight of what being a Jedi truly meant, but they were the galaxy's best protection. Everybody knew to respect the power the Order possessed."

"That's true. The Jedi Order was a shield for the galaxy, regardless of who was around." I said in agreement. "If we're going to tell someone, it'll have to be someone we can trust, and who won't cause a panic."

We share a look with each other, already knowing who fit that description. "Bail," we both said.

"We'll have to eventually let Mara know too. She's going to follow in our footsteps, which means she'll be involved with facing the Vong whether we like it or not," I pointed out.

She nods her head sadly. "Yeah. It'll be hard though. Worrying her about such a huge threat is not something I'd wish to put her through at this young age."

I scoffed. "Believe me, I can relate. I still don't want her to do a bird of what she's done, but you've been good at reminding me that she can't stay young forever."

"It's something that has to be done," she says in agreement.


After our conversation, we sent a message to Senator Organa to request a meeting with him about this important subject. We let him know he doesn't need to be here in person, but if he's available we asked him to contact us. He was a busy man with the senate after all. Him and Senator Mothma, another good friend of Padmé. The two of them were secretly allied with the Rebellion, but they kept their Senate positions in order to help with the governing of the galaxy in any way possible.

After sending the request, we simply had to wait before we would get Mara and inform her and Bail about this whole mess.

During the wait, Phoenix Squadron came back from their mission victorious, having delivered the supplies needed. The Imperials still had control of the planet with a blockade, but the people living there had supplies to last another few months comfortably. Enough time for the Rebellion to try an attempt on liberating them from the Imperial occupation.

Boil had a blast working the turrets of the Ghost, and had taken down several TIE Fighters. He wasn't a pilot, but he had no trouble admitting he'd be perfectly happy as the gunner of a ship if he had the chance to continue blasting enemies to bits. Mara conversed excitedly with him, as well as with Ezra and Sabine about the mission.

As for Hera's team, they had returned with a prototype ship called a B-Wing. She and Sabine flew it, and had delivered a powerful strike against one of the lightcruisers using lasers that combined into one massive energy beam. From the looks of the recording I saw it was pretty impressive, and would definitely be useful. The only downside is that such a powerful weapon requires a lot of energy to fire, and it would be very expensive to mass produce a ship like that. So unless the ships creator could find a way around that, we were gonna have to remain with just one.

About half a day after sending our request to Bail he had replied, telling us he had managed to free himself an hour at most in his schedule. So now me and Ahsoka had brought Mara into our room, ready to tell her about Oryx, and what lied beyond.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked curiously.

"We'll get to that in a moment. We're going to inform Bail as well, so we're waiting on a message," I told her.

"Really?" she asked in surprise and some confusion. "I'm guessing that the Empire's done something really bad."

"In a way." Ahsoka told her vaguely.

The transmitter then began to beep, signaling an incoming call from Bail. After making sure the room was secure from eavesdroppers, I accepted it, and Bail's hologram flickered into being.

"Hello my friends. It is good to hear from you again," he greeted.

"Senator," Ahsoka replied in greeting, and we all nodded our heads respectfully.

"So, what was so important that you desired to tell me about? I'm guessing it relates to the Empire." he assumes.

"The Empire is involved for sure, but that's not the full reason why we called." Ahsoka told him.

"What seems to be the issue then?" he questions.

Me and Ahsoka shared a look before I took a deep breath and spoke. "For some time I've been receiving rather troubling visions, and monitoring secret Imperial chatter. My visions have eventually been confirmed, and the messages I've intercepted only add to it. Have you heard of the Seventh Fleet?"

He nods his head. "The fleet itself I'm not familiar with, but its commander has been a widely known subject, due to his status as a nonhuman."

"Thrawn leads the Seventh Fleet right?" Mara asks.

"He does, and he's a brilliant tactician and strategist." Ahsoka says.

"I'm uncertain of his current whereabouts, but you've been intercepting messages sent by Thrawn?" he asks.

"Yeah. He's actually on a very secretive mission for Palpatine himself, searching the Unknown Regions." I explained.

Bail blinks in surprise. "That's odd. Imperial vessels never venture out there. What is he searching for?"

"And what does this have to do with your visions?" Mara also asks.

Here it goes. "Me and Ahsoka have discussed this for some time, and we've decided to tell you now. I believe is an invading force coming, from far away. And the Emperor has sent Thrawn in order to find this group. What he plans to do, I don't know. But this force, this army, comes from beyond our galaxy."

There was silence for a few moments, both Mara and Bail looking at us incredulously. "You serious dad?" Mara asks in surprise.

"Uh huh," I replied.

"Beings from beyond?" Bail says to himself, stunned. "That's, hard to fully believe. How can you be sure of this?"

"We can't really explain that right now, but this invasion has been confirmed, and the latest message we intercepted from Thrawn further proves it." Ahsoka tells him. "When this will happen, we don't know. But within the next few years, these... creatures, they will come for us."

"Something tells me that 'us,' doesn't really mean... 'us,' Mara said nervously.

"The whole galaxy will be under assault. And they don't exactly plan on taking us alive," she says grimly.

"The whole galaxy under threat?" Bail says, brows raised in disbelief. "How powerful of an invading force are you talking about?"

"We don't know the size," I admitted. "But we know enough about this race of creatures. They go by two names; the Yuuzhan Vong, or the Hive. Their leader is called Oryx, and he's been plaguing my visions for a while."

"Why am I just now learning about this?!" Mara complains with wide eyes.

"We didn't want to worry you sweetie," Ahsoka apologized. "There was already enough to deal with in terms of the Empire."

"If this is true, how can you be certain they will invade our galaxy? Surely it would be possible to come to terms with them through diplomacy," he suggests.

I shook my head, immediately rejecting his idea. "I'm afraid that's not an option Senator. The Hive's only interest is death and destruction. They worship it, drawing power from darkness beyond even that of a Sith. Labeling them as monsters would be a compliment."

"Well that sounds fun," Mara said sarcastically. Me and Ahsoka both knew she was only using sarcasm as a cover to mask her fear at the notion of creatures such as we were describing even existing.

Bail was at a loss for words. "How much about the... Yuuzhan Vong... do you know?" he asks quietly.

Ahsoka and I told them about everything we knew, and reassured them that this was the real deal, and confirmed to happen. We spoke about Oryx and would we believed him to be capable of, as well as what we knew of their technology and strengths. We also informed them about Thrawn's messages to the Emperor, and that he was now currently tracking what he believed to be a Hive vessel, although he was uncertain of its true nature due to the lack of energy readings. Mara listened with wide eyes, surprise and a hint of fear shining through. Bail took it all in stride at first, but as we continued he became more and more concerned, coming to believe we were speaking the truth.

When we were done, he ran a hand through his hair, exhaling softly. "The whole galaxy... soon to be invaded by these... Hive creatures," he said softly.

"I'm afraid so," I said sorrowfully.

"Who else know's of this?" he asks.

"No one. Just us, Palpatine, Thrawn's fleet, and whoever else they may have told." Ahsoka says. "We held off from speaking about this because we already had enough to worry about with the Empire, and this knowledge would prove a distraction. And if the public were to learn about this invasion, there would be massive panic."

He nods in understanding. "You were right to keep this information secret, and I shall do so as well. If the galactic populace were to learn of this threat, panic would ensue, causing chaos. We'd end up destroying ourselves before they do."

"Which is why we told you as well. Worrying about an invasion we can't stop is not something we can do alone, and this gives you time to prepare for the possibility as well," I told him.

He nods firmly. "I shall do my best," he promises.

"Wait a minute," Mara says. "Okay, so I get that the Empire is bad and all, and I'd like nothing more than to see it gone. But from what you've told me," she says, pointing at me and Ahsoka. "The Imperial Navy is probably the most powerful force the galaxy has seen. Couldn't the sheer size and power of the Empire be enough to repel the Hive?"

"Believe it or not, but the galaxy is more vulnerable now than ever before," I replied, and she blinked in confusion.

"How do you mean?" Bail asks, also confused.

"The Empire does have one of the strongest military fleets, that's true." Ahsoka agreed. "However, the population is in disorder. So many people either dislike or are rebelling against the Empire. Palpatine constantly has to use his forces in order to keep the citizens in line, meaning the Empire can't mount a proper defense. And without the Jedi Order anymore, the situation is even more critical."

I then decided to step in. "The Jedi Order was very powerful, and everyone knew to respect them for it. It shined like a beacon of hope and protection, not only to the galaxy, but also beyond our own. And now that the Order is gone, no one is left to sense incoming threats, or truly challenge the Vong's power. THey were the last line of defense, and now they're gone."

"Essentially, the galaxy's current state couldn't be more perfect for Oryx to take advantage of for an invasion." Ahsoka summarized.

Bail sighs sadly, and Mara looks down, also saddened. However they both understand the reasoning behind our words. "That is true, now that I think about it. We are in a delicate situation."

"Unfortunately," I agreed.

"I'm afraid I must be off now, as duty calls. Thank you for sharing this news with me my friends." Bail says. "It is most troubling, but hopefully we can formulate some plan of defense against this invasion, either by defeating the Empire before it comes, or worst case scenario, come to a reluctant agreement with Palpatine. I don't think even he would want to see us all dead from these invaders."

"A Sith Lord choosing the lesser of two evils," I scoffed in some amusement.

"Until next time Bail." Ahsoka told him, and he ended the transmission.

"So, what are we gonna do when Oryx invades?" Mara asks nervously.

"Let's not think about that right now. There's still a long while before that happens." Ahsoka told her reassuringly.

"But I thought you said it would be soon, in a few years," she recalled.

"We don't know when it will happen," I told her. "It could be several years, maybe even a few decades before they truly arrive. Either way, it's a long ways away before then, so there is no need to worry so much about what will happen."

"For, it's best to remain focused on the present." Ahsoka added. "Don't tell anyone else about this unless we give you permission to do so, okay sweetie?"

"Ok," she eventually replied, seeming a little bit more comforted, although still unsure. "Thanks mom, dad."


Man things are getting difficult and nerve-wracking, but hey! Now Senator Organa also knows about the situation, so he'll be able to offer some support to them when necessary. Third Brother is reporting about his progress with Vader's castle, and now Thrawn has just discovered what may very well be a Hive cruiser... we'll just have to wait and see. :O

For those who have been asking if I could do crossovers with other things as well, I'm not gonna do those right now. I'm busy with school, and the Shaniverse already had a lot of different franchises in it already, with lots more to plan and write out. Adding even more stuff without planning it first, much less knowing what the franchise is even about would only hurt the story, not improve it. So sorry, but I won't be adding those extra things unless I've thought it out for a long while, personally like it, and figure out a way to make it fit.

Next chapter is the Blood Sisters episode, with an interesting twist! :D