Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 8- A Secret World

(June 13, 2026)

"You're certain that the one that escaped was their leader's?" Jared asks.

A few feet from him, Jonathan is looking back at him. "Pretty sure. The additional markings I saw…it seemed like one that would've been used for VIP transport," he says.

The Squadron had landed a short time ago, and the pilots and their backseaters had met with Jared and the Rangers to discuss the raid they had just carried out and what to do at this point.

"Well, at this point, they could be on the other side of the galaxy," Jared says.

"How could such a group set up base here?" Jennifer Lawrence asks. Everyone knows why she asked such a question. After the war, the Terran Alliance had been given control of Sith Space, which encompassed the old Sith worlds, including Korriban, Ziost, and Dromund Kaas.

"I'm not terribly surprised. The Alliance has mostly kept off of the worlds of Sith Space to avoid the dark influence on these planets, even though we do control Sith Space. With the tracking systems we have set up around the borders, a small group moving in and out of Sith space in small, individual ships would be much harder to track. Provided they don't try to move all of their Imperial forces into Sith Space, they could operate here without too much trouble," Jonathan answers the question.

The group is quiet for a few moments before Jared says. "Well, here is where our little group is going to have to split up."

"Why is that?" Jonathan and Lieutenant Franks ask simultaneously.

"I got a message from Admiral Boyle. They've located some of the Imperial forces loyal to the Dark Force. They're set up at the planet Bastion in the Outer Rim," Jared says. He pauses for a moment, then says, "I'm going to Coruscant. I'm going to search the former Imperial archives on Coruscant to see what information the Empire collected on the Dark Force. There's no way the Emperor wouldn't have kept tabs on a cult like this."

"The Rangers will be coming with me. On the other hand, the Hammer Squadron will be going to Bastion to destroy the Dark Force's Imperial allies there. Once you've destroyed the Imps, I'll hopefully have some idea of where to go next, and I'll let you know where to rendezvous," Jared instructs the group.

"So the Squadron gets the fun job?" one of the Rangers asks, drawing chuckles from most of the group.

"Sadly, for the moment, yes. But this won't be the last time we face them, don't worry," Jared says. He then turns to look at Jonathan and says, "We'll head for Coruscant immediately. Take your time to plan your attack as needed, and let me know when you're on your way to Bastion." Jonathan nods in response, ready to accept this new mission.

(June 15, 2026)

Jared is calm as he walks up to the reception desk at the former Imperial archives building, now manned by New Republic officers. After he had arrived on Coruscant, he had left the Rangers at a training facility, per their request, and made his way to the archives. With luck, his search will be relatively quick.

The officer manning the reception desk looks up as Jared approaches. "Welcome. ID, please," the officer says. Jared pulls out his wallet and presents his official ID, which displays his name and his status as a member of the Terran Jedi. The officer looks it over and says, "Welcome, Mr. Hansen." The officer then presses a button, which makes the doors into the archives open.

"Lucky searching," the officer says.

"Thank you," Jared says. He then walks past the reception desk and into the archives.

As he enters, Jared sees that the archives are relatively deserted, with only a few people scattered around the various consoles. Jared makes his way to one of the nearest consoles and sits down, ready to get searching.

After logging into the systems, Jared pulls up the main archives network. Wondering where to look for the information he needs, Jared eventually just starts looking through the historical records.

Finally, after almost half an hour of searching, Jared has managed to narrow his search down to historical records within the Outer Rim. Then, he comes across a folder. A folder labeled as "History of Religious Groups".

Jared enters the folder and looks through the files. Finally, he finds what he's looking for. A file labelled "History of the Dark Force".

"Yes. Finally," Jared says, a little impatient from how long it took him to search through the files. Jared begins going through the files on the Dark Force, hoping that something will lead him to where the Dark Force is operating from.

For minutes, Jared looks through the Imperial records on the Dark Force. Sadly, they don't show a ton of information he doesn't already know, but Jared does see that the records go all the way back in time to when the Dark Force was founded.

Then, Jared finally comes to the records from the Imperial era. As he reads, his suspicions are confirmed. The records show that the Emperor had had contact with the Dark Force, and initially they had been on good terms. However, as he reads, it becomes clear that over time, the Dark Force had gotten on the Emperor's bad side.

Then, Jared finds exactly what he's looking for. A line that reads, "The Dark Force retreated from Dromund Kaas and set up base on a planet called Bosthirda. Efforts to locate Bosthirda have so far proved futile. However, the Emperor has declared that efforts to locate the planet is not a particular priority."

Jared sits there, smiling a bit as he reads that through again. Well, even if finding it may be difficult, at least he has a name. Bosthirda. Now it'll just come down to finding this planet. But if even the Emperor didn't know where it was, then the chance of him finding it will be pretty slim.

Suddenly, Jared hears, "Jared. Good to see you."

Jared turns around, and to his surprise, sees Ezra Bridger coming up behind him. "Master Bridger," Jared says as he quickly gets to his feet to greet the Jedi Master. He inclines his head and shakes then shakes hands with Ezra, saying, "A pleasure to see you, Master. I didn't realize you were in the galaxy."

"Well, I was here on business with Skywalker, and decided to stop here on Coruscant for a little while before I head back home," Ezra replies. He smiles before asking, "Hoiw's the family, Jared?"

"Very good, Master. Brooklyn is three months old now, and Lacy and I couldn't be happier," Jared says proudly before asking, "Yourself, Master Bridger?"

"Very well," Ezra says with a smile. Ezra and Sabine had married in 2021 after the war, and last year, Sabine had had their son. Although she was now a mother, Sabine was still a fierce warrior and was still serving alongside Terran commando forces.

"Good to see you again, Hansen. I'll let you get back to your mission," Ezra says before he walks. Jared smiles as he watches Ezra go, and then turns to leave the archives.

And, I'll end the chapter there.

So, in Legends, Bosthirda was the home of the Dark Force after Palpatine drove them from Dromund Kaas. And, it will be their home base in this story.

Next chapter will cover the Hammers' strike on Bastion. It'll be up in a day or two. Until it's up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!