[ PREVIOUS CHAPTER REVIEWS ]

Ryry-24: I've already got the plan for the HTTYD 2 movie sorted out: actually is a major plot point for Jarik's story. Also, Katooni is actually gonna have an appearance in the story real soon. :D

Shadow Solaris: Thrawn is going to remain Imperial, as he firmly believes that is the best way to protect the galaxy. However Thrawn is perfectly willing to agree with them on the threat the Hive/Vong pose to the galaxy. :3

Guest893: True, on all things. :)

shaniverse fan1: Yeah, it would certainly be really cool if my character became a part of Star Wars canon! Sadly, can't have everything... :(

I-lander's Mask: Yeah, Oryx is in a class all by himself compared to the rest of the Jedi or Sith. Although I am still deciding how he would compare to the Mortis Gods, whether he's stronger or still weaker, since they basically the physical embodiments of the Force. If the galaxy were to learn of this threat though, they'd go into a mass panic, which would cause even more problems. :O

Mogor: More chapters are always coming.


Previously, on A Jedi in Exile...

"I felt a disturbance in the Force... darkness seems to be growing," Ahsoka says grimly. "And not just from Sidious."

"Yeah... there's more than just the Sith," Jarik tells her.

"Considering you're here as well you've seen something again," she deduces.

He nods his head in confirmation.

"It was a lot more vivid this time, more than it has been in a while," he answers grimly. "And I'm not so sure that's a good sign."


"R5? What's up buddy?" Jarik asks curiously.

R5 beeps at him with a heavy sense of urgency, surprising him a little bit.

"A distress call?" he asks, and he beeps back in confirmation. "Well, who's it from?"

He beeps again, and they widen their eyes in bewilderment.

"Admiral Thrawn?!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"Wait, what happened?" Mara questions, coming up to them after hearing the conversation.

"Why in the universe would Admiral Thrawn he sending us a distress signal?" Jarik asks R5 incredulously, ignoring her question.


Thrawn's eyes gleam red, but his gaze is completely calm, analytical, and curious, yet he wasn't eyeing Jarik like an enemy, which he took notice of. Vanto looked more nervous, and seemed a little bit afraid, but whether it was from them or the Hive, Jarik wasn't sure.

"Thrawn," he says impassively.

"Jarik Shan," he replies in greeting. "And Ahsoka Tano I believe. It would seem Lord Vader's report about your survival is accurate."

Ahsoka frowns.

"I suppose it would be Admiral. But don't expect to be returning to the Empire with me in tow," she warns him.

He hums, nodding his head, while Vanto looks between them uneasily. "Of course Miss Tano. It would be foolish to think we could take on two talented Jedi. But I must inquire, what brings you this far out into the Unknown Regions?"

"We received your distress call," Jarik tells him.


A loud and horrifying roar screeches loudly around the Knight Hawk, followed by a dark massive cloud of glowing pale mist appearing in front of them with a bright flash. The mist forms into the face of an alien monster, the shriek dying away to an echo. Mara screams in fear at the sight and Vanto yells in terror, while the rest of them widen their eyes in shocked horror.

The alien face forming in the cloud of darkness is absolutely horrible to look at. It has a snarling mouth with rotten looking teeth and two large horns or something sticking out from either side of its head. And in the center of its face were three, pale, glowing eyes, filled with malice.

Jarik gasps in fear, recognizing the face of this monster in the darkness.

Oryx, the Taken King.

"JEDI! DESCENDANT OF REVAN'S BLOOD!" his horrible, growling voice booms loudly, stunning him to the core.

He knew Jarik was a descendant of Revan!? The one he fought thousands of years ago?!

"THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOULS, WILL BE MINE!" he roars.

Behind him, the Dreadnaught has now stopped turning, allowing the super-weapon to fully face the Knight Hawk...


Jarik POV...

"GET THE POWER UP NOW!" Ahsoka yells in a panic, and I furiously struggle with the controls, slamming the final button with a closed fist.

"Power's back, let's get out of here!" I exclaim, glancing back up at Oryx in terror. The Taken King had a three clawed hand pointing straight for us, and in his palm, a glowing ball of dark energy was forming, becoming brighter and larger.

"Ahsoka!" I yell in growing worry.

The ship's flare to life, and Ahsoka blasts us off, swiftly turning around with a quick maneuver. And not a moment too soon, as a large beam of pure dark energy screams past where we just were milliseconds ago, barely scraping the edge of the ship. Oryx lets out a frustrated roar, and starts to follow us through the debris field. I look through the scanners to see his form gaining, large wings flapping furiously, sword clenched in his hands.

"He's gaining on us!" I warn her.

"I see it!" she replies fiercely.

"How is that even a thing?!" Mara screams in fear and bewilderment.

"Not now Mara!" I tell her.

"Can this ship even go fast enough?!" Vanto asks doubtfully.

"Did you really just say that- AHH!" I start to question angrily, before crying out in surprise when the ship shakes violently.

Apparently, Oryx had flown up alongside us and then slammed into the side of the Knight Hawk harshly, trying to damage it, or force us to crash. Ahsoka grunted in an attempt to regain control before scowling. Outside, I could notice that Oryx had swung back to gain more momentum, and was going to charge us again, but this time with his massive sword.

"Holy kriff!" Vanto exclaims.

"Two can play at that game!" Ahsoka declares fiercely.

She then turns the throttle around, causing the ship to go into a spiral. The maneuver had the ship's wing spin upwards and slam directly into Oryx, sending him tumbling away into a destroyed engine that we shot past. He let out a loud shriek of rage upon slamming into the engine, which also exploded upon impact; surprisingly it still had something to blow up still.

"We need to program the navicomputer!" Ahsoka yells.

"R5!" I called out, but received no answer.

"He's still turned off!" Mara shouts.

"Then turn him on!" I retort, and she rushes back to do so in a flash. If things could get any worse, they soon did very quickly, as a massive energy reading appeared from behind us on the console.

"The Dreadnaught is about to open fire!" Thrawn exclaims in alarm, having looked at the scanners.

And sure enough, he was right. Not only could I see it on the ship's scopes, but it was also felt through the Force. Coming from the Dreadnaught, was a growing level of darkness in unimaginable levels, powering it up. The equator of the massive vessel lit up with white, misty energy, leading towards the dish, and slowly surrounding it upon touching. And then, with a loud boom, the Dreadnaught fires its shot in a massive, tidal wave of destructive energy, blowing through everything on its pathway towards us.

"Ohhhh that's not good," I say dumbly.

"Let's see if I'm as good as Anakin," Ahsoka mutters to me across the bond.

"R5, program the hyperdrive!" Mara tells the droid, having just reactivated him.

"Choose any location that isn't here! It doesn't matter where!" Ahsoka adds instantly, before he could even start.

R5 wastes no time in plugging into the astromech port, desperately searching for a hyperspace route to get out of the system. Behind us, the Dreadnaught's cannon wave gains rapidly, destroyed the already wrecked Seventh Fleet into smithereens even more.

"You have to be fast, that wave travels very quickly!" Thrawn warns us.

"Thanks for the warning Thrawn, it's very helpful!" Ahsoka retorts angrily, voice dripping with sarcasm. She blasts the Knight Hawk's engines to full power, going as fast as we could possibly go, flying through or around large pieces of debris. Soon though, the first bit of good news today is when R5 informs us that he has the navicomputer programmed, and ready for hyperspace once we get clear.

"We can make it!" Mara exclaims hopefully.

We're about to reach the edge of the debris field and into open space, the Dreadnaught's blast wave riding our tail, way too close for comfort. However, right outside of the wreckage field, Oryx teleports directly in front of us with a brief flash, raising his sword with a sickening laugh.

"NO!" Vanto screams in horror, and we all gasp in shock. We watch helplessly as we barrel straight for him, the massive sword now glowing, swiping down to cut our ship clean in half.

However, before that could happen, the strangest thing seems to happen, even stranger than this whole situation. A burst of warmth and light suddenly seems to emanate from around us, converging particularly on Ahsoka, the presence of the light feeling... so familiar. Then a white glow seems to surround her, and her eyes glow briefly as well, and across the bond, Ahsoka's presence seems to be overcharged with the pure essence of the light side. For a brief moment, I thought I saw glowing, feathery wings behind her, but they disappear in the blink of an eye. However, a sudden glowing ball of light appears between Oryx and the Knight Hawk, and just before his sword hits us, shoots out in a beam directly at him.

"Woah!" Mara says loudly in surprise.

The beam of light strikes Oryx head on, and his form screams in a pained rage, being blown back a great distance and out of our way. We all gape in shock before I turn to face Ahsoka, feeling the light side fade, her presence returning back to normal. She let's out an exhausted groan, slumping back into her seat unconscious, much to my alarm.

"Ahsoka?!" I exclaim worriedly, reaching out towards her. Whatever she just did must have taken up a lot of energy, no doubt.

"We're in the clear! Make the jump!" Thrawn exclaims.

Brushing off my concerns for Ahsoka briefly, I reach up and pull the lever to make the jump to hyperspace. The stars elongate around us and the void of space turns blue, and just when the blast wave is about to hit us, we shoot off at lightspeed, away from this horror.


Ornfra System; Galaxy's Edge

3rd person POV...

The Dreadnaught floated aimlessly amongst the remains of the Seventh Fleet, its own Hive warships surrounding it in vast quantities, their engines all pushing them along slowly. Onboard the Dreadnaught, standing at the edge of his Altar and looking out into space, was the Taken King himself, Oryx. He stood calmly, but with silent anger, hands on the hilt of his sword, which was jabbed into the ground. If his face wasn't already set into a permanent scowl with his teeth bared, he would be frowning.

He exhaled, stretching his wings for a moment before settling back into his normal position, mulling over his thoughts. Behind him, loud footsteps clanked in his direction as his general, Ecthar, the Sword of Oryx approached.

"The Jedi have fled the system, along with the leader of this fleet," he reports with his growling voice. "But the time of our invasion is almost upon us. The Hive wait to satisfy their bloodlust."

Oryx thinks for a moment, before replying.

"No," he booms in reply, clearly surprising Ecthar. "We will have to postpone our assault on this galaxy."

"My King? Why must we wait? The galaxy will soon know of us!" Ecthar protests.

"Silence yourself!" Oryx growls back at him, and Ecthar hastily bows in forgiveness.

"My apologies my King," he replies humbly.

"Our invasion must wait," Oryx says. "These creatures are pitiful, the wielders of the Bogan still insects, but their Empire is vast. Your godly prince Crota still searches for the Traveler, which has not come to this galaxy. And now a new being has come to my attention: the blood of Revan."

Ecthar hissed in distaste. "The Jedi Warrior who escaped from your greatness?"

"He is partnered with one who holds the power of the Ashla," Oryx adds with a growl of anger. His Echo was the one to take the brunt of the attack from Ashla, yet even that was still an alarming amount of Light for him to take.

"How is that possible?!" Ecthar questions in disbelief.

"I intend to figure out," he replies darkly, green eyes gleaming for a moment. "But our invasion will wait. Let these creatures believe they are safe when they end their foolishness. And then, we will wipe them all out!"

If he could, Ecthar would be grinning in sick delight, his already glowing eyes gleaming even more at the thought of killing an entire galaxy.


Jarik POV...

As the Knight Hawk continued to soar through the flashing blue clouds of hyperspace, we all took the opportunity to recover from our encounter with Oryx and the Hive.

We had moved to the common room for more space and Mara and Ahsoka sitting on the couch, while Vanto sat in another chair. He was still in a state of shock from the experience. To his credit, Thrawn didn't seem to fearful of shaken, although he was very visibly unsettled. I was fiddling with my mechanical arm, poking at it with some small tools, glancing up every few seconds to keep an eye on Thrawn. R5 was back in the cockpit to keep the ship running, and watch for any sign of the Hive.

"Thrawn, who- what was that thing?" Vanto asks the Admiral with wide eyes.

Thrawn frowns, bringing a hand to his chin, although I don't think even he knows the answer.

"That... was Oryx," I state, throwing away one of my tools after finishing with my arm.

"Oryx?" Thrawn questions, staring at me inquisitively. "You of that creature?"

"Is it wise to tell him Jarik?" Ahsoka asks cautiously.

"We wouldn't be revealing anything he probably hasn't figured out already," I reply in resignation.

"The Taken King, and leader of the Hive," I explain.

"The Hive?" Vanto asks in confusion. "What do you mean Hive?"

"Same species, different names," Mara speaks out dryly, waving a hand.

"You know them as the Yuuzhan Vong, but they call themselves the Hive. Oryx is essentially their god," Ahsoka explains.

"A god?!" Vanto asks incredulously.

Thrawn nods his head slowly, taking in the information before narrowing his eyes at us. "And how would you have come by such knowledge that even the Chiss Ascendancy doesn't know?" he asks suspiciously.

"The Force works in mysterious ways," I say vaguely, giving him a wary look.

"Certainly not just through the Force," he replies. "As I've come to realize very recently, you are descended from the Sith Lord Revan himself, who this 'Oryx,' is also familiar with. I thought that bloodline was all but diminished."

I stiffen in surprise and shock, before narrowing my eyes dangerously at Thrawn, Ahsoka and Mara also doing so as well, just as bewildered by that.

"How do you know about that?" I demand.

"Simple research master Jedi. Millenia ago, the line of Revan was supposedly wiped out by Darth Bane, yet your existence proves otherwise," he replies calmly, analyzing me like a piece of art, and I clench my hands. "The statement made by Oryx all but proves that. Who's to say his familiarity with your and your ancestor doesn't allow him to follow your presence around the galaxy?"

"I'd suggest you stop talking Thrawn," Ahsoka says coldly, sensing my uneasiness and anger at Thrawn knowing who I am descended from. Sure, Palpatine, Maul, and probably Vader knows, but this just gives Thrawn more ammunition to use against me in the future. Who knows how he could use this knowledge?

"I'm merely making an observation Miss Tano," he replies calmly, knowing looking at her with curiosity. "Speaking of which, how did you blow away Oryx before he could hit us?"

"Alright, that is it!" I exclaim irritably, striding forwards to stand face to face with Thrawn. Vanto gets up from his chair anxiously, whether to stop me or be ready for action, who knows, and Ahsoka and Mara follow suit. Thrawn was a little bit shorter than me, but the height difference or the dangerous look in my eyes didn't seem to phase him at all.

"With every second you stand around us, you keep learning more and more," I state angrily. "So, you've left me with no choice but to lock you and Vanto up."

"What?" Vanto exclaims in alarm, moving to intervene, but Ahsoka is suddenly right behind him, a hand on his shoulder, giving him a fierce glare. She also glanced at me with a small amount of concern, but I reassured her through the bond that despite being upset and shaken, I was still in control of my emotions.

"As if we were truly your allies in the first place," Thrawn replies. "It only makes strategic sense, I do hold a high position in the Imperial navy, being an Admiral, most likely with intel your rebels could most definitely profit from."

"As if you'd ever give in to interrogation," I retort with a scoff. "You're too good for that Thrawn. To be honest, I do respect you for the type of commander that you are, to the point I had no clue whether or not I should just let you go free, as you'd never yield intel to us, except for one thing."

"And that would be?" he questions.

"The Yuuzhan Vong, as that is our common enemy," I tell him, before suddenly snapping a pair of binders on him in a flash. "But until they invade, we're on opposite sides."

He eyes me for a few moments with an unreadable expression, but I return the stare, not backing down.

"Very well Shan. Do as you wish."


Since the Knight Hawk didn't actually have a prison on it, we just converted one of the small, spare rooms into a makeshift cell, removing everything from it except a bench, and sealing the door, locking it.

Afterwards, the three of us were gathered in the common room again, and I had my head propped up with my arms on the table, feeling exhausted. Ahsoka sat beside me, a comforting hand on my back, and Mara sat in another chair, fiddling with her lightsaber a little bit. R5 had just come out of hyperspace a few minutes ago, and was getting to work on looking over the ship for any signs of damage.

"Well, that was intense," Mara says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, sure was," I mutter.

"So... what are we gonna do with Thrawn?" she asks us.

"To be honest, I don't really know," I admit with a sigh. "I already know he's not the type of person to give in to revealing any information to us unless he chooses too himself."

"Even without that, he's still a high profile target, and with him out of the picture, the Empire would lose their best commander in their Navy." Ahsoka adds. "The real concern I have is how long we can keep him captive."

"But don't we still have the Vong to worry about? He knows a lot about them," Mara points out.

"I don't know, but for some reason, I'm getting the feeling that we won't have to worry about them, as least for a bit longer," she says with a concerned frown.

"Speaking of which," I start to say, giving Ahsoka a serious look. "What did you do when you blasted Oryx away from us?"

"Yeah, how did you do that Mom?" Mara asks curiously.

She glances at us hesitantly, looking uneasy before replying. "I... don't really know. If just sort of happened," she says quietly. "I barely even remember trying to call on the Force to do such a thing. It just, came to me. But the presence I did feel..." she trails off, sharing a look with me.

I listen to her intently, nodding my head. "Morai. I thought it felt like her presence."

"The Mortis god that saved you Mom?" Mara says in amazement.

"I believe so. It was power unlike anything I had ever felt or used before," she replies.

"Sounds just like... when I flew through space a few years ago," I realize.

"So you both can do crazy things through the power of a dead god," Mara summarizes. "How is that even possible?"

"When Morai sacrificed herself to save my life, she unintentionally transferred her life force to me as well, also connecting with Jarik through our bond," Ahsoka explains. "I guess, her power is still there, just buried or hidden. She lives through us."

"That's certainly a lot to think about," I remark.


Thrawn POV...

"Sir, what are we going to do now?" Vanto asks me.

"Patience Vanto, our rescue will come shortly," I reply calmly, with absolute confidence.

"Rescue? We're prisoners to Jedi, and the Empire probably thinks we're dead now. Who would be coming for us?" he says doubtfully.

I stare at him with a neutral look. "Our discussion with the Shan's is what gave us the opportunity. I know he would never let us just go free, as evident by our predicament. As it so happens, I was not actually as concerned for learning more about Shan, than I was about provoking him."

"Provoking a Jedi? That's almost a death wish," he replies cautiously.

"Shan didn't lose his temper, just like I expected from a trained Jedi, but my comments focused him directly on me and upset him to the point, I was able to slip past his gaze and retrieve this," I tell him, revealing a simple comlink snagged from his belt, now transmitting my frequency to the Empire.

He widens his eyes in surprise, looking impressed. "Even after all this, you still surprise me sir. I mean, slipping something off of a Jedi without him noticing? I never thought a regular person could do that."

"The Force remains a mystery," I admit without shame. "But he worried too much about what I might learn from him or on this ship, that he forgot to focus on himself."


Jarik POV...

In the middle of our discussion, R5 suddenly comes rolling in out of nowhere, squealing at us in alarm.

"Woah woah, what's wrong buddy?" I ask him quickly.

"Were we followed by the Hive?" Ahsoka questions.

He beeps again, and we all frown at what he was telling us. "A tracking beacon on our ship?" Mara asks in confusion.

A thought suddenly comes to my head, and I widen my eyes, frantically checking my belt, horrified at finding the comlink to be gone.

"No no no! Kriff, I am such an idiot!" I yell, shocked that I could have missed something so simple like that.

"Jarik, what happened?!" Ahsoka asks urgently.

"Thrawn nabbed my comlink. He wanted to provoke me!" I exclaim, dashing for the prison room. She gasps in realization and horror, then immediately rushes for the cockpit, R5 and Mara following after her.

I slam the door open to see Thrawn and Vanto sitting casually on the bench, the former looking up at me calmly, while Vanto is more alarmed. Noticing the comlink sitting innocently on the floor, flashing constantly, I whip out my lightsaber and immediately slice through it, before whirling around to face Thrawn.

"What did you do?" I demand.

"Transmitted my coordinates," he replies confidently. "They'll be here soon."

I scowl at him before contacting Ahsoka over the bond. "Ahsoka, get us out of here as fast as you can, now!"

However, her response is grim. "It's too late Jarik. The Empire is already here."

I close my eyes, cursing myself for being so stupid. I thought I was in control of my temper when Thrawn mentioned all those things he shouldn't know, not to mention Darth Bane wiping out my ancestors. For Thrawn though, getting even the smallest of reactions out of me was all he needed. Giving the two of them one last look, I slammed the door shut on them before dashing to the cockpit, where the rest of them already were.

Looking out the window, I could see that there was already at least three Star Destroyers surrounding us, and probably more behind us if the scanners were correct.

"What did I do to us..." I muttered guiltily.

"Let's focus on that later Jarik. R5, program the hyperdrive," Ahsoka says.

However, R5 beeps back in frustration, shaking his dome.

"The hyperdrive has to reset? Why?" Mara asks in disbelief.

"Oryx must have banged on it when he rammed us," Ahsoka theorizes.

"Oh bloody perfect," I say angrily.

The console then starts to beep, a red light flashing on and off, much to our surprise. Someone on one of the Star Destroyers was trying to contact us?

"That's weird," Mara comments warily.

Frowning, Ahsoka warily accepts the transmission, and the hologram of an older Imperial Officer with a graying mustache appears.

"Crew of the Knight Hawk, this is Captain Pellaeon of the Imperial Navy. On behalf of the Empire, you must release Admiral Thrawn and Commander Vanto from your custody immediately, and then you can go free," he says calmly, but with fierce demand.

Me and Ahsoka both shared a look, knowing that to argue about not having him with us was useless at this point. Thrawn would've tied up any loose ends.

"And if we refuse Captain?" Ahsoka asks cautiously.

"Then we shall open fire, and you will feel the full might of the Empire," he threatens us.

However, I let out a disbelieving scoff. "You wouldn't do that, not while Thrawn is aboard. He knows way too much for the Emperor or you to let him die."

Pellaeon isn't deterred though. "The Admiral thought you'd say that. He also said that if you do not do as we wish, then we will hold all of you captive, and deliver you straight to the Emperor himself."

I narrow my eyes, noting how he also spoke to the Empire using his comlink. I continue talking, hoping to keep them busy until our hyperdrive could reactivate, which R5 was furiously trying to do.

"We could just jump into hyperspace," I reply.

"But you haven't, most likely due to some minor damage to the hyperdrive, which Thrawn also suspected," he says instantly, calling my bluff.

"How does he-?" Mara exclaims incredulously.

"And any attempt to escape through hyperspace would be futile. We have an Interdictor cruiser ready in case you think to make the attempt," he continues, ignoring Mara.

I could only assume an Interdictor cruiser is the type of ship that can pull others directly out of lightspeed. So essentially, we were surrounded and trapped, with no way out of the situation, unless we gave in to their demands.

Or get delivered to Sidious and Vader on a silver platter.

"I'm afraid it's not worth the risk Jarik," Ahsoka says grimly.

I sigh in defeat, nodding my head in agreement. "No it isn't. And it's my fault."

"You couldn't have known Thrawn could do that," she placates.

"But I already saw first hand how smart he is, but now I fell for it again firsthand," I reply in aggravation.

"We'll talk later," she replies in obvious disapproval.

"Very well Captain. We'll return Thrawn to you, and you will let us go the instant he is off of our ship," Ahsoka tells Pellaeon.

He nods his head in satisfaction. "On my word, and the word of the Admiral, you shall be allowed to go free, as long as Thrawn and Vanto are both returned to us."

His hologram then fades away as he end the transmission, while Mara looks at us in surprise.

"You're letting them go, just like that?" she asks us in confusion and uncertainty.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a choice in his situation," I tell her grimly.

"But how do you know they'll keep up heir end of he deal? You can't seriously think they'll let us leave do you?" she argues doubtfully.

"If there's one thing you can count on Thrawn to do, it's that he does what he says, and he actually has a sense of honor and respect for his enemies, unlike most Imperials. He'll keep his word," I say.


Ahsoka POV...

I opened the room to Thrawn and Vanto's temporary cell, and they both look up at us.

"Get up. You're getting in an escape pod," I told them, walking away. They follow after me as I lead them to the escape pod hatch. Waste of a good pod, but it's all we can do at this point.

"I trust your negotiations with the Empire were satisfactory?" Thrawn asks calmly.

"You already know the answer to that Thrawn," I reply stiffly.

I open the hatch into the pod and gesture for them to get in. He hums at me in agreement, climbing into the pod along with Vanto.

"Well I'm certainly quite pleased to be getting home free of this nightmare," Vanto states confidently with a smile.

"Don't forget, you wouldn't be getting home if it wasn't for us Vanto," I remind him, jabbing my finger in his direction.

He falters in his confidence, nodding quickly in understanding and wariness. Thrawn gives him a brief look, before returning to look at me.

"And we are of course grateful for your assistance, as we would have surely perished otherwise," he says sincerely.

"Yeah, well don't expect us to rescue you again. We know enough about the Hive now without your insight," I retort.

"I wouldn't be to sure," he replies calmly.

Giving him one last cautious look, I slam the button, closing the hatch and blasting the escape pod away from our ship, out towards the Imperials. Moments later, I felt the Knight Hawk lurch as we launched into hyperspace, which means the Empire kept up their end of the deal.

Thrawn managed to outsmart us again.


The Executor; Classified Location; Space

Day's later - 3rd person POV...

Out in a section of Imperial controlled space, a fleet of Star Destroyer's led by the massive Super Star Destroyer known as the Executor, cruises along the void. An Imperial shuttle flanked by several TIE Fighters approaches the Executor's hanger, carrying a very important passenger.

Within the large hanger of the Executor, hundreds of Stormtroopers and the ship's officers and crew were gathered into stiff and orderly formation. A long line in the middle of the army was empty of troopers, leading towards an area cleared out for where the shuttle would be landing.

Striding through the army of Imperial officers was Admiral Thrawn and the Sith Lord Darth Vader himself, headed for the shuttle as it came to a landing. Two more officers and Eli Vanto trailed behind the two, feeling a little uneasy, but keeping himself calm and focused. As the shuttle powered down, the ramp opened, allowing eight Royal guards to disembark, forming lines of four each on both sides in front of the ramp.

Vader, Thrawn, and Vanto all stopped before the ramp, and kneeled respectively, as the last figure emerged from the shuttle.

Clad in dark Sith robes, with a cane held in his right hand was Emperor Palpatine himself, walking down calmly, his scarred face set into an impassive expression, though his yellow eyes gleamed slightly. The mist coming from the ship's exhaust framed him briefly, casting him in a sinister background. He approached the group kneeled on the ground, observing them.

"Rise, my friends," he says, mostly towards Thrawn and Vader.

They all do as he instructed, and follow Palpatine as he walks through the line of Stormtroopers quietly. Vader stood on the Emperor's left side, while Thrawn was on the right. Eli and the other two officers walked behind them, while the eight Royal guards followed.

After a few moments, Palpatine spoke again. "Lord Vader, what is the progress of the Inquisitor's?"

"Slow, and unfortunately not going well," Vader says with an angry scowl, although giving his master wary glances, knowing he would be displeased. "They are thwarted by the rebels at many turns, and have failed their most recent endeavors with the young Force sensitives at the intervention of Shan and Ahsoka Tano."

Sidious' eyes gleamed a little brighter. "This is most displeasing. I had hoped the Inquisitorious would prove more useful."

"The Grand Inquisitor, and the Eighth Brother are the only ones I believed to be capable of completing their tasks," Vader replies with distain.

Palpatine hums in reply. "Tell me, what of Eighth Brother's search?"

"He draws closer, my master," he informs him.

"Very well. We will have to discuss this, later..." he replies with a growl, something Vader is not looking forward to at all. "And what have you to say Thrawn? Considering your fleet has been eliminated!" he says with a scowl.

To his credit, Thrawn doesn't appear to phased, but does look apologetic. "I apologize for losing the fleet my Emperor, but the Yuuzhan Vong unfortunately took us by complete surprise, showcasing powers that even I was not aware of."

"And yet you have more to say about this?" Palpatine deduces.

He nods his head. "The Yuuzhan Vong flagship has a weapon capable of destroying entire fleets in one shot. It is similar to the Malevolence that was used back in the Clone War, yet this one doesn't shoot ion charges, but destroys fleets completely. And the one who leads the Vong is a very powerful being by the name of Oryx, wielding dark powers unlike anything I have ever seen."

Sidious frowns deeply, his face etched into deep concern at this information. "How did you come across such knowledge of their leader?" he questions. "And if what you say is true, then how are you here? By all accounts, you should have died with the rest of your fleet," he points out.

"And I would have, along with Commander Vanto, if it wasn't for the unexpected intervention of Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano," Thrawn informs him.

Sidious and Vader both stop in comeplete astonishment, looking around to face Thrawn incredulously.

"Shan?" he hisses.

"How would Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano know of that?!" Vader questions in disbelief.

"I am not sure, but they seem to have known about the existence of the Vong for some time. That's how I know the name of Oryx," Thrawn explains.

"This is most troubling," Sidious growls. "Shan is proving to become more of a threat to us, knowing things he could not possibly know! He must be destroyed soon!"

"If I may ask my Emperor, would it not be helpful to know if Shan knows anymore about the Vong that we do not yet understand?" Thrawn questions.

Palpatine frowns at him. "I understand your concerns Admiral, but we cannot allow Shan to continue. The Empire is our best defense against this threat, and my rule is needed to keep order in the galaxy. Shan seeks to undo all of that."

Thrawn nods his head in understanding. "I understand my Emperor. However, here is one more thing about Shan and Tano that I believe you would be interested to know."

"And that is?" Palpatine questions.

"Miss Tano wears, on her right hand... a ring, of most significant value," Thrawn says. "And considering their history together, I believe that they may have... been married."

Underneath his mask, Vader widens his eyes, shocked, but at the same time finding it perfectly understandable. He knows how close the two of them are, and without an order to hold them back, they got together.

It almost reminds him of... her.

Sidious takes the information in, his expression unreadable, before a sinister smirk slowly grows on his face, and his yellow eyes gleam brightly.

"This... maybe prove most useful, in their undoing..." he trails off gleefully.

The cackling laugh of Darth Sidious echoes around the hanger.


Darn it Thrawn! He's just way too smart and observing! Who knows what Sidious and Vader will do now that they know of the marriage between them.

To be honest, when it came to writing the dialogue between Thrawn and Jarik/Ahsoka/Mara, it was kind of tough getting it right, while also keeping them in character. I hope it was good enough for you!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I love the support you guys have for my stories! :D