Once again, Grand Admiral Thrawn had hit a dead end with his research. Despite both his and Pryce's concerns, as well as Yularen's, they could not uncover any new vital information as to what the station was.

Clearly, that meant that in order to discover anything new, Thrawn would have to speak to someone directly involved in the project.

Tarkin was a definite no, that much was certain. Thrawn didn't even consider a reason as to why not to ask him. It was Tarkin after all.

If he asked the Emperor, that would rise suspicion. Thrawn knew the emperor was relentless and ruthless, so he'd rather not temper his rage.

The Eighth Brother was still away on assignment, so Thrawn could not rely on his services as a force user to detect anything new.

So that left Thrawn with Krennic. The man seemed overly eager to please everyone, almost as if he was sucking up to his superiors, or boasting about his project.

'That could work.' Thrawn had thought. If he could somehow convince Krennic to boast about his success to Thrawn, then the Chiss could discover the truth behind this station.

So he had set off in search of the Director, who was apparently awaiting yet another new arrival in the hanger bay.

Stepping into the hanger bay, Thrawn spotted the white cloak of Krennic in the middle of the room, clearly waiting for a shuttle.

Sighing, Thrawn adopted his best, 'I am interested' look, and walked towards Krennic.

The Director clearly heard him approaching, as the human turned and locked eyes with the Chiss.

"Ah Grand Admiral, how good to see you. I trust you are enjoying your stay?"

Thrawn knew he had to be polite, so he smiled lightly before replying.

"Indeed Director, I am comfortable. But I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your project, for my own interest of course."

This was the make or break moment. If Krennic thought that Thrawn was up to something it would all be over.

"Of course Grand Admiral. Frankly I find it strange that you have not been informed about this project before." Krennic replied, leaning in slightly towards Thrawn was if discussing some secret.

Thrawn was honestly surprised. Either Krennic really was that full of himself, or he too suspected something.

"This station is far too large to simply be a base of operations Director. What is the true purpose behind it?" Thrawn enquired, risking a lot in the process.

The Director smiled in response. "Well Grand Admiral, once my guest arrives you are more than welcome to accompany us. I require his assistance to complete a vital component that was just recently installed."

As the Director finished his response, an imperial shuttle appeared before them, landing gently on the deck of the hanger bay.

Thrawn presumed that his was Krennic's friend, whoever that was.

The ramp to the shuttle lowered, and a single human male came walking down the ramp.

He was tall, and dressed in a grey/white imperial uniform, one that clearly identified him as some sort of scientist. His hair was scraggy in a way, clearly not well looked after.

But it was his eyes that Thrawn noticed the most. They were a deep brown, and within them Thrawn saw something, an emotion.

As if he really didn't want to be here, but had no choice.

In a weird way, Thrawn pitied the man.

Krennic stepped forward as the human approached.

"Galen my friend! Welcome aboard. I trust your flight from Eadu was uneventful?"

The man who Krennic had referred to as Galen nodded in response. Thrawn noted that he did not lighten up as Thrawn had expected. Hadn't Krennic said the two were friends?

"This better be important Krennic. I was busy in my lab when you called." Galen replied, annoyance in his tone. Then his gaze shifted from Krennic to Thrawn.

Krennic clearly noticed this.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, this is Professor Galen Erso. He is the foremost expert in the field of crystallography. Galen, this is Grand Admiral Thrawn. You may have heard of his expertise in dealing with the rebellion."

Thrawn held out his hand to be polite if nothing else. He had never heard of this Galen Erso before, but the fact that he was an expert in crystallography meant that whatever he was doing here had something to do with the kyber crystals.

And that meant he could discover what this secret was.

Erso, somewhat reluctantly, shook Thrawn's hand, or so it seemed to the Grand Admiral.

Thrawn would not judge, that was not his style.

"Well now that introductions are out of the way we must get to work. Come Galen, this way. Grand Admiral, would you accompany us. We'd be honoured to show you our project." Krennic spoke, gesturing with his hand to a door beyond them.

"Certainly Director. Lead the way." Thrawn replied, before following as Krennic led them.

Several hallways and a turbolift later, Thrawn found himself face to face with a restricted section of the station, one that was apparently still under construction.

"This area of the station is yet to be completed, and thus the outer shell is only held on by magnetic clamps." Krennic detailed as the three entered a large open space, one full devoid of any workers.

That confused Thrawn. If the area was still under construction, then where were the workers?

Erso voiced the question first.

"Where are the workers?"

Krennic seemed to have prepared for this question, as his response was immediate and detailed.

"Much of the work in this section is dangerous, and requires absolute precision. Rather than risk valuable workers, we have been utilizing reprogrammed buzz droids. They can fit into smaller spaces, and are not affected by any sudden decompression that might accidently occur."

"Buzz droids? Like the ones from the clone war?" Erso interrupted, sounding surprised at the idea.

Thrawn too was surprised at Krennic's ingenuity. Perhaps he had underestimated the Director.

"Indeed Galen. But they are safe I assure you. Come, this way." Krennic finished, leading the others to another doorway on the far side of the room.

The fact that this part of the station could was only held on by magnetic locks at the moment meant that it could fall apart at any second, and thus vent everything in the room into space instantly. Thus, using droids was a far more fool proof plan than risking lives.

Internally, Thrawn noted that it would also be an excellent defence mechanism in case any intruders got aboard the station.

After yet another long series of corridors, as well as listening to Krennic go on and on about the station's architecture, to which Thrawn had noted Erso rolling his eyes at, the group approached yet another classified door.

Thrawn had never been this far into the station, and the door was heavily guarded.

Six Imperial Deathtroopers stood guard, three on each side, as if protecting some great secret.

And hopefully Thrawn was about to discover what it was.

"Ah, here we are gentlemen." Krennic spoke, approaching the Deathtroopers to clear them for access.

Seconds later, the doors opened, and the group stepping inside.

For such a classified part of the station, there sure were a lot of personal present, ranging from scientists to troopers.

It was perhaps the busiest part of the station, aside from the hanger bay of course.

Stepping further into the room, Thrawn glanced around. Various consoles had various readings on, some were clearly power readings, while others seemed to be present a long series of numbers or letters.

This was clearly some sort of top secret project.

And then he looked up.

"Is that…?" The Chiss spoke aloud.

"Yes, a kyber crystal. Larger than the normal size, and far more powerful." Krennic spoke, awe in his voice.

So the Inquisitor had been right. There was a kyber crystal of significant size on the station. But what for?

"I don't see what you need from me Krennic. Everything should be in working order." Erso spoke for the side, tapping away at a nearby terminal, accessing various files.

"Oh Galen, it's not this crystal I need you to look at, but another."

Erso span around from the console, a look of surprise on his face. Internally, Thrawn felt the same.

There was more than one crystal?

Krennic gestured them to follow, leading them through two more identical rooms, each housing another large kyber crystal, until they came to another locked door, this time without any guards, but requiring a passcode to open, one Krennic clearly possessed.

Seconds later, the door opened, and Krennic lead them through.

What Thrawn saw on the other side terrified him. He wasn't easily scared, having most of the time prepared for every outcome. But this…

Clearly Galen Erso felt the same.

"Mother of god! Is that…?"

Before them was another kyber crystal, but this one dwarfed the others. It was huge, about as tall as an imperial AT-AT walker. Rather than emit the standard yet powerful green glow that the other crystals had, this one pulsated a menacing dark red.

Everything about it felt wrong, unnatural, as if it shouldn't be.

And Thrawn could swear he was getting a migraine just from being near it.

Krennic then spoke, pride mixed with smugness in his voice.

"That, gentleman, is a kyber crystal. A synthetic one to be precise, created long ago, but still just as powerful as the day it was made."

Thrawn had no idea that synthetic crystals were a thing. As far as he knew, they were natural, not artificial.

Yet this one, this monstrosity, existed.

What sort of power did it yield?

Erso was clearly in as much awe as he was.

"Krennic? Where did you find this thing?"

Krennic chuckled lightly before replying.

"Apparently the Emperor went on some sort of expedition with his Inquisitor. They found it and unearthed it about a month ago, and asked me to integrate it into the stations weapon system."

Erso had a horrified look on his face.

"Orson, a normal kyber crystal is dangerous enough. The large ones powering the weapon even more so. This thing… if it were to go unstable? You have to get rid of it!"

Krennic turned harshly on Erso, raising his hand in anger, but stopping himself from striking his so called 'friend.'

"No Professor, the Emperor demands results, and I will produce them. I want you to analyse the crystal to ensure the very thing you fear does not happen. Do you understand?" Krennic practically snarled at Erso, who lowered his head before accepting, moving off to a nearby terminal.

"So Grand Admiral, what do you think? Grand Admiral?" Krennic turned his attention to the Chiss.

Thrawn however was preoccupied with the recent turn in events, as well as recent revelations.

The Inquisitor had already known about a crystal being on the station. That meant he had been playing Thrawn all this time.

Thrawn should have known better than to trust the Terrelian.

"Grand Admiral, are you ok. I know the crystal can be distracting." Krennic gently placed his hand on Thrawn's shoulder, lightly shaking the Chiss out of his thoughts.

"Oh, ahem, yes, thank you Director. What is the purpose behind all of these crystals exactly?" Thrawn enquired, genuinely interested by this point.

This must have been the reason for the secrecy.

"This entire station is merely a shell for the weapon inside, one powered by the very crystals you have seen. Previously we have intended to use the small ones as the power source for the weapon, and we still intend to. However, this synthetic crystal has given us new ways to shape the weapon. It will prove to be the ultimate tool for the empire!" Krennic seemed to speak with a fire in his eyes, as if he believed himself some sort of god.

Thrawn looked back at the crystal before him. Just being in its presence unnerved the Chiss.

"It feels like it's watching me." Thrawn spoke, surprised at his own timidness.

Krennic however seemed to understand.

"I feel the same Grand Admiral. It has that effect on everyone. Come, let us leave Galen to his work and I shall tell you more about Project Stardust."

Thrawn nodded, shifting his gaze over to Erso, who was working at a nearby terminal.

"Yes, lets." Thrawn replied, turning to follow Krennic back out the way they had come in.

As he followed Krennic, Thrawn went through the new knowledge he had learnt today.

Firstly, he was not to trust the Eighth Brother anymore.

Secondly, this station was more than it seemed on the outside.

And thirdly, if someone could construct a kyber crystal of that size and power, there was more to the universe than Thrawn had previously thought, and that it could very well be in peril with the existence of such a crystal.

Only one question remained unanswered however.

Where had the Emperor gotten such a crystal in the first place?

Author's thoughts

So... major plot development/twist in this chapter huh? Turns out there is a new weapon being intergrated into the Death Star, courtesy of an enormous artifical kyber crystal.

I wonder what the weapon is? And I wonder where Sidious and the Eighth Brother got the crystal from in the first place. Feel free to have a guess. (Not you LukeDude... you already know where :D)

And Thrawn finally knows the Eighth Bro is playing him, I wonder what he will do with the information.

Also... Galen Erso? What are you doing here?

So yeah, I have taken major liberties with canon in this chapter. Firstly with using synthetic kyber crystals, and secondly the construction and current state of the Death Star. (I wonder if I have foreshadowed anything... Muahahahahaha)

But hey, this is a fanfiction, where I can change some stuff up now and then to keep you all on your toes. I hope you like it.

So, next chapter is a flashback chapter, detailing exactly where Sidious and Eighth Bro got the crystal from. I'd love to hear some guess from you. (Again, not you LukeDude, you already know)

As normal, comment and speculate at will.

Speaking of which:

LukeDude: I'm glad you liked my Hondo and his incredibly bad timing. The Eighth Bro is playing his own game, and it is a long game... but what on earth makes you think Sidious isn't already aware of it. It's Sidious! The only reason he keeps the Eighth Bro around is to keep an eye on him.
Question and answer time:
1. Dravin is at Yavin Four yes, and he will appear later on.
2. All many of imperial troops shall be present, ranging from stand stormtroopers, to Royal guard, and even some Imperial Supercommandos.
3. I'd assume the rebels have B-wings ready to go by this point. However, the prototype B-wing's weapon that appears in that one rebels episode will appear in some form.
4. Bothan spies... I completely forgot about them. Blast! That's a no unfortunately. One-shot for sure.
5. Familiar faces from Rogue One (aside from Saw, Cassian and K-2), wait and see I'm afraid.
6. Sith artefacts... muhahaahahahahaha!
7. If I'm not mistaken, the Hammerhead corvettes mostly belonged to Phoenix Squadron, which was pretty much all obliterated in this AU, so no, most likely not. (If I'm wrong, correct me at will)

WolveHulk: Maul and Sabine will talk, only time will tell if they can come to some sort of agreement. As for Maul meeting Sidious, that would spoiler whether or not he survives long enough to meet him again.

FossilQueen1984: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and that it kept you on the edge of your seat. I was inspired by the classic horror movie concept for the past two chapters. Scary monsters in a enclosed space and all.
Hondo is a big softie at heart, his reunion with Ahsoka will be fun.

Mysterious guest number one: Ezra has certainly improved to where he can handle the Eighth Bro by himself for a while. Against other opponents however... he would be in trouble.

Mogor: Hondo can be reliable at times, just very very rarely. Sabine and the others are off doing their own thing right now to prepare. It's unlikely you will see them again until the team meets on Raada. Maul's recruit... oh boy. Soon, I promise you. :)

jamese765: The Eighth Bro believes he is playing all sides at the moment. Revenge for what went down on Malachor. Hondo joining the team... let's hope he doesn't sell anyone out.

Travis Middleton: I'm glad you liked the fight scene. I was unsure how good it was, but you enjoyed it so yay. Hondo is hilarious full stop, and his banter always helps to lighten the mood.
The Eighth Bro needs to be very careful with who he's trying to decieve. It could all backfire on him in an instant.
As for your questions:
1. Many of the Moffs do know that Ahsoka killed Vader, but it's not public knowledge around the empire yet. Tarkin for sure knows, Yularen too.
2. Having the 501st appear was an idea I have been thinking about. It's just where they go thats the problem, since Vader is dead and all. (plus most of them aren't clones anymore... right?)

Chiara Polairix Edelstein: Hondo always looks on the bright side of things, even suicide missions. Let's hope that no beers need to be brought though huh.
Glad you enjoyed the chapter, as well as Hondo's interruptions.

SLE's fave guest: Huh... you are right. Ezra hasn't thought a true lightsaber battle since season 2's finale. (unless you count the Sabine thing, or the time when Kanan and Sabine were controlled by nightsister spirits)
Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for your continued support.