The former Sith Lord Maul stared down at the pitiful sight before him.
Darth Sidious. The most powerful being in the universe. The Emperor of an entire galaxy. The man who had manipulated everyone, controlled everyone.
And now here he was, on his knees, handless and harmless, and completely at Maul's mercy.
Oh how he had dreamed of this day.
He would be forever grateful of Lady Tano.
But for now, he had a dream to fulfil.
Reaching his hand out to form a claw, Maul channelled the force against Sidious, catching him in a hold and lifting him up, being to choke him.
As the robed figure of Sidious began to leave the ground, the stumps on the end of his arms reaching up to his neck on reflex, the throne room filled with the sounds of Sidious gasping for breath, and being unable to find any.
"For years you tortured me. Abused me. Used me for your own ends. And then you cast me aside. Left me to rot as if I wasn't even your apprentice. You replaced me, and then hunted me, murdered my mother and brother. But now, now I am the one in control, and you will bow before me before the end 'Master.'"
Maul released Sidious in that instant, allowing the Sith Lord to tumble to the ground, gasping for air with painful breaths.
"You claim that your apprentices failed you, that they were not worthy. But 'Master' has it not occurred to you that you have not fully trained an apprentice since me? Instead, you take and warp Jedi to your own doing, rather than train them from scratch. Is it any wonder that Dooku failed you? Or Vader? Or even the Inquisitors? You failed to successfully train even one true apprentice."
Sidious's breath was beginning to return to normal, so Maul assaulted him again, throwing a rough force push in his direction, sending Sidious sprawling to the floor.
"And then you construct an empire, truly a remarkable feat considering the circumstances. Shame it has only lasted for a pitiful seventeen years!"
Once again, Sidious began to regain his senses, rising to his knees in pain.
And then Maul activated his lightsaber, angling the blade towards Sidious as he approached his former master.
Looking up, the Sith Lord's golden eyes locked onto Maul's, fear present as reality set in.
"Good 'Master', I can see your fear. After all, it is only right that the apprentice supersedes the master!"
With that, Maul swung his blade, careful not the mortally wound his target. The crimson blade cut into Sidious' left arm, burning a neat line across it, but not removing it. As expected, Sidious gave a cry of agony, his stumps where his hands had been once again moving in reflex to cover the wound. When he found he was unable too, Sidious gave a quiet whimper of despair.
"How does it feel Sidious? To experience what you have brought upon the many! You failed, and now you must pay!"
Maul lunged with his blade this time, digging deep into one of Sidious' leg, burning through the limb and rendering it useless.
Sidious was now sprawled on his back, whimpers of excruciating pain lancing through his body, the limbs that could move twitching rapidly.
Maul couldn't help the smirk that came to his face seeing his former master so helpless.
Behind him, he could feel that Lady Tano felt much the same.
"Look at you, so weak!" Maul spat again, his blade arcing across the floor before Sidious, sending showers of sparks over him.
"Have, have mercy. Please!" Sidious whimpered lightly, fully falling into a pitiful state.
Maul's smirk became even larger at the words. Long ago, he had pleaded the same of Sidious. Now, now the roles were reversed.
"There is no mercy!"
Maul swung his blade again, precisely severing off one of Sidious' legs, leaving the Sith Lord screaming out in pain.
Maul was fully aware of the situation. The rumble that had gone across the station earlier was no doubt a sign that the other team had succeeded in destabilising the kyber crystal. They didn't have much time, and no matter how much fun Maul was having, he'd rather live to tell the tale.
Stepping above his fallen master, Maul angled his saber for Sidious' non-existent heart. The Sith Lord's golden eyes locked onto Maul's expression, fear and terror still present.
"No, please don't!"
But Maul was not listening.
"This is for Savage Oppress!"
And then Maul lunged, his blade piercing Sidious' body, ripping through the internal organs.
And then Sidious exploded.
Tarkin powerwalked down the hallway, Jerjerrod and two deathtroopers by his side. Despite the dire situation they were in, Tarkin refused to run. He had an image to maintain after all. One of a calm collected Grand Moff. Not some panic ridden officer.
Jerjerrod clearly felt differently.
"Grand Moff, we must hurry. No telling how long it will be before the station explodes!"
Tarkin rolled his eyes at the concern in Jerjerrod's tone. He was a brilliant officer, just somewhat jumpy.
"Calm yourself. We have plenty of time, and my personal ship is waiting for us in hanger bay eight."
Jerjerrod did not calm despite Tarkin's words, something which the Grand Moff would remember and report to the Emperor, assuming the old man got off the station.
Continuing to walk down the hallway, Tarkin noted that Jerjerrod was growing increasingly impatient.
And then, approaching a four way junction, all hell broke loose.
Something smashed into Tarkin and his two deathtroopers, knocking them to the ground. Jerjerrod managed to evade in time, sparing himself from being knocked over, and instead took off running down the hallway to the hanger bay.
Shaking off the disorientation, Tarkin caught a glimpse of dulled white armour with blue markings, as well as a flash of green that resembled a lightsaber.
"REBELS!" Tarkin snarled as his vision returned to normal, just in time for him to witness a group of familiar rebels disappear down another corridor, no doubt intending on escaping themselves.
He wasn't able to identify who was in the pack, only managing to accurately catch a glimpse of a Weequay at the back of the group, who had turned around the wave in a sarcastic manner, before disappearing also.
The two deathtroopers with Tarkin made to follow the rebels, until Tarkin called them back.
"No! We must escape this station. The rebel insurgents can wait."
Nodding their confirmation of orders, the two troopers fell in line with Tarkin as he resumed his powerwalk to hanger bay eight.
A few moments later, as well as a few stumbles as the station began to shudder more frequently from the destabilised crystal, Tarkin found himself in hanger bay eight.
Only to witness his personal ship leaving without him.
"Damn it Jerjerrod!" Tarkin snarled, anger flooding his body. Jerjerrod would most certainly pay this for.
However, at that moment Tarkin had bigger concerns. Luckily, he knew of one person who would help him. He'd have a ship arrive in no time.
Turning to his deathtrooper escort, Tarkin spoke.
"Get me Grand Admiral Thrawn!"
Thrawn watched as every single display on the Chimaera's bridge lit up. Officers were dashing around frantically, all reporting the same thing.
There had been a massive power surge at the heart of the Death Star.
Inwardly, Thrawn smirked. Tano and her team had succeeded. The station would soon be history.
He cared little if they escaped or not. Right now, he had another goal in mind.
The Chimaera's engines and hyperdrive were back online, and he had already given coordinates for a destination himself.
However, he had no intention of leaving yet.
Not until the last possible second.
Not until he had completed one final task.
And then, the call came.
"Grand Admiral, Grand Moff Tarkin is contacting you. Should I put him through?"
This time, Thrawn did smirk.
"Yes officer. Put him through."
Tarkin nearly breathed a sigh of relief when a hologram of Thrawn appeared before him on the small projector device he held.
"Grand Moff Tarkin. Do you require my assistance with a matter?" Thrawn spoke, his voice deceptively calm.
Tarkin hated asking for help, much less asking for Thrawn to help him. But right now he was in a predicament, and the Chiss was his best solution.
"Grand Admiral, the station is going critical. I am without a ship to escape thanks to Jerjerrod. I need you to send a shuttle to hanger bay eight immediately."
Thrawn's facial expression did not change. It did not display fear, or concern or even worry.
Instead, it was complacent, even for him.
Something wasn't right.
"I apologise Grand Moff, but my supply of shuttles has been damaged. I cannot extract you."
Tarkin felt a chill go down his spine. He could have sworn he heard satisfaction in Thrawn's voice.
"Then order another vessel to send a shuttle. That is an order Grand Admiral!" Tarkin spat, his annoyance growing. He was running out of time.
"The station is too unstable Grand Moff. Power readings are off the charts. Any attempt at rescue will be futile." Thrawn replied again, his voice still calm.
"Thrawn, I order you to extract me!" Tarkin shouted this time, losing his cool at the collected Grand Admiral.
But Thrawn did not budge. He did not flinch at the sight of Tarkin angry, as so many others did.
Instead, he blinked once and then spoke.
"Goodbye Grand Moff Tarkin. Your sacrifice will be remembered."
And then the holocron of Thrawn disappeared, leaving Tarkin in silence.
From beside him, one of his deathtrooper escorts spoke.
"It would appear that the Grand Admiral disconnected the channel sir."
And with that, Tarkin released a rare scream of fury.
Thrawn had already moved away from the holoprojection of Tarkin as it was fading. His fate was now in his hands, and his alone. Thrawn certainly didn't want to save him, not if he was able to pull of his own plan. If Tarkin did indeed escape, Thrawn would deal with him another way.
For now, he had other issues to deal with. He had sent an encrypted message to Rae Sloane, who had recieved and replied with speed, agreeing to meet with him and discuss his plans. He had also sent a private message to his own personal agent Rukh, detailing everything Thrawn had discovered, and requesting his help with the matter. Rukh too had agreed to meet with him, agreeing that the safety of the galaxy and all it's inhabitants come first.
Moving over to where Yularen stood near the navigation terminal, Thrawn nodded, signalling that Tarkin had been dealt with, to which Yularen simply nodded back in understanding. Neither could speak aloud, for risk of revealing their planned betrayal.
Instead, Yularen chose to bring up a different subject.
"Where exactly are you taking us again? I don't recognize the coordinates you inputted."
Yularen was speaking of the destination set in the hyperdrive coordinates. Thrawn had put them there himself, being the only person on the Chimaera that knew them.
Hopefully there he would be able to find what he needed.
Medical aid for Pryce.
Ship repair for the Chimaera.
And allies to help him stop 'Operation Cinder'.
He had not been back for many many years. Exile had been a test, meant for him to prove his worth, whilst simultaneously gather intelligence on the galaxy as a whole, so that they could find their place in it. So that they could find out what threatened them.
And now, Thrawn had discovered something dangerous. Something that threatened the existence of everything.
Palpatine and the empire had been one thing. And it was clear that the empire would keep going. There would always be radicals that tried to control the galaxy through fear and weapons of mass destruction.
And wherever they went, Thrawn would be there.
Turning his head to Yularen, Thrawn answered with only one word.
"Home."
And then the Chiss gave the command the jump to hyperspace.
Turning to look out of the window of the bridge of the Chimaera, Thrawn took one last look at the monstrosity that was the Death Star. Small scale explosions lanced through the exterior as sections of the station buckled under the strain of whatever was going on inside.
It would only be a matter of a few minutes, and Thrawn could wait no longer.
Turning to his navigation officer, Thrawn gave the command.
"Jump to hyperspace."
The officer saluted, as did as he was told.
Moments later, the view of the crumbling Death Star vanished, replaced by the soothing blue vortex of hyperspace.
Sidious had exploded, something that had surprised Ahsoka. Even to his last breath, the Sith Lord had some sort of devious trick up his sleeve.
The explosion wasn't all that dangerous however. In fact, it acted more as a discharging of electrical energy, briefly zapping those who were closest.
But Maul hadn't moved. He had taken the brunt of the shock, ignoring the damage. He was clearly too consumed with his rage to have even noticed it.
There was nothing left of Sidious. The old man had seemingly disappeared during the explosion. Reaching into the force, Ahsoka was happy to discover that his dark foreboding presence that had lurked over her was gone. He was dead, that much was clear.
Maul seemed to break out of his rage for a second, moving over to Sidious' throne, before picking up the Sith holocron and placing it in a pouch he had.
"Well, that was easy." Kanan's sarcastic quip came from beside Ahsoka, and the Togruta turned to see him walking towards her, her lightsaber hilts in his hands.
She took the offered hilts, placing them back where she kept them, before turning back to Maul, who was now helping a limping Obi-Wan.
Again, Ahsoka did not point out the irony of the situation.
Then, her comm link flared to life.
"Commander Tano, come in? Do you read me Commander? Ahsoka?"
Rex's voice was a welcome one, and one she had sorely missed during her fight with Sidious.
"We're here Rex. I take it the station is about to blow?" Ahsoka replied, supressing the happiness in her voice.
"The crystal is destabilised commander. My team is on its way back to the Ghost. We have Professor Galen Erso with us. I suggest you hurry. We don't have long." Rex replied, his voice briefly covered by the sound of blaster fire.
"Copy that Rex, we are on our way." Ahsoka replied before disconnecting the channel.
"You heard him. Let's get out of here." Ahsoka spoke, gesturing back to the turbolift they had used to gain entry. All they had to do was retrace their steps.
The team broke into a run, despite the various injuries they had sustained. Ahsoka's back still felt like it was on fire, and her knee burned badly, but she wasn't about to give up now.
As they neared the elevator however, Ahsoka halted. Something caught her eye, right in the corner.
Turning back around, Ahsoka found her eyes locked on the unconscious form of the Eighth Brother. He hadn't gotten back up since he had saved her, but through the force she could tell he was still alive.
Wasting no time, she moved over to his prone form, and with what strength she had left, lifted him up over her shoulder, before heading towards the elevator.
As she approached, she saw the concerned look on Maul's face, but she quickly ignored it.
She had left the Inquisitor behind on Malachor before. She wouldn't leave him to die this time.
Entering into the tight space of the turbolift, Kanan hit the console that controlled it, and the doors closed.
Turbolifts were fast, hence the name, and within seconds, Ahsoka and her team found themselves stepping back out of the lift on the floor they had originally entered it.
From there, it was a short trip back the way they had come to the hanger bay where Hera should be of been waiting.
All around them, sirens blared, and the station shook, clear evidence of what was happening.
Adding to the chaos, various imperial officers appeared to be running around the corridors, now ignoring the team of rebels for the sake of their own safety.
Not that Ahsoka minded. Right now all she wanted to do was escape, much like they did.
They were of no threat to her and the team now.
Taking point, the Eighth Brother still on her shoulder, Ahsoka began to run down the hallway they had come from, her team right behind her. Maul supported Obi-Wan the entire way, with Kanan watching their flank should any imperial get an idea to attack them.
They moved with speed despite the situation. All around them the wall began to buckle. Creaks of metal could be heard, and small explosions rocked the hallways.
Metal beams came down, crashing onto various troopers and pinning them down until they could be saved. Sparks flew everywhere as control panels overloaded.
They passed through the cargo storage area where they had previously fought off Saxon's supercommandos. Ahsoka briefly caught a glimpse of Saw's lifeless body, before continuing to push forward, determined to escape, and determined to make his sacrifice worth something.
They passed through another doorway, and dashed through a series of hallways, encountering a squad of Stormtroopers that decided to attack them along the way.
They were promptly disposed of by Kanan, who knocked them to the ground with a sharp force push, before regrouping with the others.
And then they reached the doorway to the hanger bay they were headed for.
Whatever had happened with the kyber crystal had clearly fried and bypassed all safety and security procedures on the station. Every door they had passed through had been jammed open, allowing easy access.
The hanger bay one was the same, already open and waiting for them.
And there, in the centre of the hanger bay was a glorious sight.
The Ghost.
Ahsoka allowed a bright smile to come to her face as she saw the ship. The rear ramp was open, and Rex was present and waiting, blasters in hand, fighting off a group of Stormtroopers who were clearly trying to stop the rebels escaping.
"Here, take him, and get Hera to take off. I'll catch up." Ahsoka spoke, handing the unconscious Inquisitor to Kanan, before igniting her sabers and dashing in to flank the Stormtroopers.
Maul, Kenobi and Kanan did as they were told, making a beeline for the Ghost whilst Ahsoka moved to engage the remaining Stormtroopers. Her white blades moved in arcs as she deflected oncoming fire, buying the others time to get aboard the ship.
Moments later, the team was aboard, apart from her.
Breaking off from combat Ahsoka began to sprint towards the Ghost, which was now beginning to take off. The back ramp was still down, and Rex waited for her, hand outstretched.
All around her, Ahsoka could feel the station crumbling. Through the force she could feel a build-up of energy, no doubt from the unstable kyber crystal.
It would be a matter of moments.
Vaulting up onto a crate, Ahsoka sprinted and jumped, using the force to augment her weary body.
She sailed through the air towards the back ramp of the suspended Ghost, landing on the edge of the ramp narrowly, grasping Rex's hand in hers.
The old clone released a laugh, one that was clearly of relief, before pulling her inside the ship.
Turning back around the look out over the hanger bay, Ahsoka briefly saw a familiar face looking mortified at her.
Tarkin had opted for another plan. There was a second hanger bay close to where he had been abandoned by both Thrawn and Jerjerrod. So he and his deathtroopers had made a beeline for that.
For once he ran, forgetting about his image. This was dire, and his image wouldn't matter if he was dead.
But upon arriving in the hanger bay, Tarkin had discovered only one ship present.
The rebel freighter known as the Ghost.
And there, jumping towards the back ramp was a very familiar Togruta.
Tarkin could not say anything, not as the Togruta woman turned around from her position on the ramp and locked eyes with him, before throwing a sarcastic salute his way.
The back ramp closed in that instant, and in the blink of an eye, the Ghost disappeared through the shield that led to space, escaping.
And then an explosion flooded the hanger bay.
Tarkin was knocked off his feet, landing on his back looking up at the ceiling.
A ceiling that was now crashing down upon him at frightful speed.
Tarkin barely had time to scream before he was buried under various pieces of metal.
Ahsoka didn't waste any time speaking to her team members. She headed straight for the cockpit.
And when she arrived, she saw Hera, always calm and collected, despite the situation.
Glancing out the window of the Ghost, Ahsoka spotted various imperial Star Destroyers jumping to hyperspace, no doubt intending on escaping the blast radius.
"Chimaera's already gone. Guess Thrawn repaired her somehow." Hera spoke simply as Ahsoka took the co-pilot seat.
Ahsoka filed the information away for later. Thrawn would no doubt be a problem one day, but right now she had bigger issues.
Or more like Hera did.
But Ahsoka trusted Hera. She would get them out of the blast radius.
Ahsoka watched as the Twi-lek woman expertly piloted the Ghost, evading various bits of debris that were coming off of the battle station behind them.
"CHOPPER, GET US OUT OF HERE!" Hera called aloud to the astromech who was plugged into the terminal nearby. The droid released a series of beeps as normal, complying with the order.
Ahsoka felt a rush of power run through the systems on the Ghost, as various consoles lit up.
And then, out of the window of the Ghost's cockpit, she saw a wonderful sight.
Hyperspace.
They had only been in hyperspace for roughly ten minutes, but it already felt like hours.
The team was taking stock of the situation that had occurred.
They had succeeded. They had destroyed the station. They had assassinated the Emperor.
But they had lost people.
'Yoda, Ryder, Wolffe, Saw.'
The names kept going through Ahsoka's mind. None of them deserved to die, yet each of them had sacrificed themselves for her mission.
Just as Sidious had said.
There was little she could do now but honour their sacrifices.
Groaning lightly, Ahsoka glanced down at the wound on her knee. It was patched for the time being, a bacta patch being placed upon it. It wouldn't leave any lasting damage, except for a scar, and a slight limp in the meantime.
The other members of the team were also off patching their wounds. The hyperspace trip to Raada would take a while, but Ahsoka was looking forward to getting her boots back on solid ground.
As of right now however, she found herself alone in one of the side rooms, perched on the edge of a meditation chair Kanan had had installed.
And then the door opened, and the familiar shape of Maul walked in, medical supplies in his arms.
"Take your top off."
Ahsoka couldn't help but splutter out loud at Maul's request. What was he up to?
"Excuse me?!" She couldn't help the horror in her tone.
Rather than react in an abashed way, the Zabrak merely rolled his eyes and approached.
"Oh grow up. I need to look at your back."
Normally, such a situation would lead to further embarrassment. But from Maul's tone, whatever it was he wanted to look at was serious.
Standing from her position, her knee aching in the process, Ahsoka turned her back to Maul and began to remove her chest piece.
A dark thin burn mark scorched the chest piece from side to side from where Sidious had landed his blow on her.
'Just a few inches from death.' Ahsoka thought as she removed the chest piece, placing it on the chair she had been on.
"What exactly are you looking to find Maul?" Ahsoka inquired. She wanted to know what she was in for before she proceeded any further.
"Sidious' lightning is powerful, and you were hit with a lot of it. I too have been subjected to such power before, and it can leave nasty burns that if not properly treated will become infected. I am here to treat them, as I have done to myself before."
Her back did still feel like it was on fire, yet Ahsoka had kept that secret. She didn't need people fussing over her because of a few burns, no matter how badly they hurt.
But Maul had clearly sensed her pain through their bond, and had taken it upon himself to help her.
"Alright Maul. I trust you." Ahsoka spoke, removing the top half of her outfit in the process, exposing the skin of her back to Maul.
"Good. Now hold still. This might sting a bit."
Maul wasn't kidding.
Whilst she couldn't see what Maul was doing, she did feel it. His hand pressed against her back and began to rub some sort of gel into her skin.
"Argh, kriffing hell!" Ahsoka snapped as her skin began to sting, clear evidence that whatever Maul was rubbing into her back was doing something.
"I did warn you." The Zabrak replied, humour in his tone as he continued his application of the gel.
Maul continued his 'treatment' for a few more moments before he spoke.
"This gel should help soothe the pain somewhat, and prevent any itchiness. However nothing can be done for the scarring I'm afraid."
Ahsoka's eyes widen at the mention of scarring. She was not a vain person. She didn't care about looks or whatever.
But from the way Maul had mentioned them, it sounded bad.
So she asked.
Maul didn't reply for a second, his hands ceasing their movement, before leaving her back completely.
"Bad Lady Tano, very bad. The lightning has scarred your back in its image. It may fade in time, but no doubt you will have the markings for the rest of your life."
Maul's tone was somewhat dejected, and Ahsoka was grateful. No doubt she would get a look at them later.
"Thanks for your help Maul. Do you need anything doing with your horns? A band aid perhaps?" Ahsoka replied, jest in her questioning.
Maul chuckled, a rare sound from him.
"The horns are merely cosmetic, unlike your montrals. No medical attention is needed for them. My cybernetics however are playing up." The Zabrak spoke as he moved away from Ahsoka, allowing her to replace her top.
"Perhaps Chopper can help you there?" Ahsoka retorted again, a smirk on her face as she turned to face the Zabrak, who groaned dramatically at the mention of the droid. Ahsoka almost mistook the look in his eyes for fear.
As Maul moved to leave the room, the door opened, and Rex stood, helmet off.
The clone shifted his hazel eyes to Ahsoka's blue ones, a serious look in them.
Then he spoke.
"Our guest is awake."
Author's thoughts
It is with great happiness that I say... no more character death from this point onwards. Yay! I know some of your were either expecting/wanted a bloodbath like Rogue One, but I opted against it. That being said, I sis have a 'bad ending' planned as well where only Kanan, Hera, Kallus and Maul got away, and Ahsoka fell to the darkside and became Sidious' apprentice. As you can see, I went against it. :)
In Memorium: Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Someone had to be the big bad in this AU. And with Vader dead and Thrawn becoming more of a decent guy though this story, Sidious remained where he was, and naturally, as most stories end, the big bad had to fall. It just made sense to have Maul deliver the killing blow. I tried to keep him as in character as possible, making him overpowered, whilst at the same time making it so they could feasibly defeat him. The idea to use Vader's kyber crystal as the central reason for his downfall was one of many ideas I had, and it was the one that I felt fitted the story the best, especially considering this story's focus on kyber crystals in general.
So, bye bye Sidious. You were a master manipulator, and I am sure your legacy will long be remembered.
In Memorium: Wilhuff Tarkin
It is with great regret that we bid farwell to everyones favourite...
NO!
I can't do it. Not like this. Let me start again.
Ahem.
In this chapter we bid good ridance to scumbag Tarkin, who is a horrible piece of bantha poodoo who honestly deserved worse. At least with Palpy and vader you can say they are evil because they are Sith. Tarkin gets no such excuse. He is evil because he is a (insert insult here)
All jokes aside, Tarkin is a compelling character, one that, like Vader, it is always great to see. But his death was as ineviatable as Krennics was in this AU. Hope you like how he went out.
So anyway, back to my thoughts about this chapter. It was a tricky one to write, and in the end I just sort of threw caution to the wind and wrote a sort of escape scene. I know it is somewhat rushed, but the true focus of this chapter is Thrawn.
Speaking of our favourite Chiss, this is the last you will see of him in this story. He will not appear anymore. I really hope you liked his story arc in this one, and that it leaves it open enough for his parts in the one shots that will come.
The only other thing I want to address regarding this chapter is the injury that Ahsoka has sustained. I wanted her scarring in some form, but without chopping off a limb. So i decided on having her back badly scarred by Sidious' lightning. For those who wish to know my point of reference for this, I used knowledge and pictures of what happens to some people when struck by lightning in real life. If you want to see what I mean, do a search engine search (what you use) for lightning scars, or Lichtenberg figures if you want the scientific name.
So now, a status update for what is to come. Next chapter will feature a double upload, so two chapters for the price of one, so keep an eye out for that. They will consist of the epilogue, which wraps together everything important that is left, as well as my normal author's thoughts section and analysis of any reviews this chapter gets, and then the second chapter uploaded will be a post epilogue one year later chapter containing something I'm sure you will all want to see. And then, the story will be done. Yay!
However, there will then be one more update which will not be a story chapter, but instead will be an author retrospective of this AU series as a whole, where I talk about my favourite bits and vice versa, as well as give a retrospective on the key players if this AU. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. Not everyone enjoys overly long author written sections, but I thought that some would like to see it, and I lets me send this AU off in a way that lets me feel like it is complete.
So yeah, next time round is the epilogue.
As normal, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
boban094: Glad you liked the chapter. Yes, I have finished writing this story by this point. Next up is the epilogue and the post-epilogue chapter, so two more to go. :)
jamese765: Ahsoka does still indeed have a heart. And Maul had so much fun, even if it was short. :)
FossilQueen1984: I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was one that I absolutely had to get right, or else the entire AU would fall apart. Alone, Ahsoka would stand no chance against Sidious. But with her friends, she stood a fighting chance, no matter how slim.
Mogor: Looks like everyone got off in time, well, except for Tarkin, but who cares about him huh?
What happens with the empire after this battle will be looked at in the one shots, so no worries there, as will pretty much every outstanding plot line. :)
WolveHulk: Hopefully you enjoyed Maul making Sidious suffer. It was a great scene to write. And Tarkin got to suffer as well, which is always good.
SLE's fave guest: Sidious did indeed fail to cause a single fatality, well, except for himself of course. Oops!
I'm glad you liked my reasoning behind how Ahsoka was able to overpower Sidious. It took forever to come up with.
No more character deaths from this point no, except for Palpy and Tarkin. Why... are you surprised by how little death there was? :)
Chiara Polairix Edelstein: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, as well as the scene that was designed as the comic relief one for this serious chapter.
Maul got his revenge, at long last.
LukeDude: Honestly, having it be Vader's crystal saving the day was one of the hardest things I had to come up with, but it sort of made sense, considering the previous chapters and information in regards to kyber crystals throughout this story. It was sort of foreshadowed, in a weird way. That you enjoyed it means a lot.
I did contemplate having Sidious have one final trick up his sleeve, but I chose not to, instead having him being pitiful and weak like in ROTS after Windu beats him (which is not staged in my opinion but his genuine reaction). Plus it let me put some nice callbacks to clone wars in it.
And now, your questions:
1. Anakin is not a force ghost. He died as Vader with no redemption, and I doubt Yoda is willing to teach him. Honestly it never really made sense to me that he became a ghost for what, throwing Sidious down a hole and then dying. The fragment of him within the kyber crystal is a remnant of Anakin thast Vader accidently placed in there, and it only awakens long enough to help Ahsoka, before disappearing completely. So for this AU, all trace of the good Anakin is gone.
2. Rax and Versio have disappeared. You will have to wait and see where they show up next.
3. Thrawn's not done finding out information yet. His story will continue in the one shots.
4. Maul currently has the holocron. I wonder what he will do with it?
ItsJustABook: Honestly, I was just as nervous, if not more, as you were about the last chapter. Finding a way for Ahsoka to conventionally best Sidious was hard. The last thing I wanted was to make her OP, especially in comparison to Sidious. So the fact that you like the route I took in terms of story means the world. I wasn't sure how well the idea would translate into words, but I felt like I had to honour the original plot line of Star Wars somehow. Thus Anakin got to return briefly, in a way.
Galen is on the verge of giving up at this point. He has had so much to deal with, he just wants to get out and find his daughter.
And no, I am not aware of the story you spoke of. Sorry. Not had much time for reading recently. Been busy writing this and other real life things as well. Maybe now that I have finished though.
Mysterious guest number one: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter, as well as thr way Sidious was defeated. I wanted it to be be because of multiple outside events that Sidious could not control, while at the same time not making Ahsoka OP.
Mysterious guest number two: Ahsoka x Eighth Bro would certainly be a crack ship, and I wouldn't be opposed to it in a different timeline, perhaps where she went evil. However, as it stands in this AU, there will be no romance between the two characters. Sorry. :(
Mysterious guest number three: The Eighth Bro still hates her, and it will take a very long time for them to even be able to talk like associates rather than enemies. There shall be no romance between then unfortunately. Sorry. :(
Travis Middleton: I'm glad you enjoyed the duel. I was worried that it might have gone on a bit too long, hence why I changed things up and had it end with a struggle over a single lightsaber. Vader's crystal calling to Ahsoka was the best way I could think of having it so that Anakin did in some way help end Sidious as he does in canon.
Tarkin chooses to evacuate this time round cause he knows the situation is lost, much like when his Star Destroyer was destroyed. Unlike in 'A New Hope' where victory is only seconds away, here there is no chance for victory.
As for who could sense the crystal, it only called out for Ahsoka. The reason being is that when Vader corrupted the crystal he had a reason to despise Kenobi, but he had no such feelings for Ahsoka. Therefore, the piece of Anakin within the crystal can only be heard by Ahsoka, and can only call to Ahsoka because Vader subconsciously placed it in there for her alone, as she was the only one he didn't truly hate, if that makes sense at all. :)