Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.

Thank you all for your wonderful patience and support. I deeply appreciate it.

Two more weeks from now, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor will be coming out. Once I've had a chance to look at the entire game, I will begin writing new chapters. Just hang in there, people. We're almost there!

Also, for those of you that are fans of Tom Clancy's books, this chapter's first part should be a shout-out to the book that started it all.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star War franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's original developers, producer and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.


ISD Tenacity

Mid Rim

May 9th, 0BBY, 1300 Hrs (November 23rd, 2558, 1300 Hrs)

"Well, if you like Corellian Stew, perhaps," the Chief Medical Officer, a short, pudgy man with a receding hairline said. "So my wife asks me, 'Where did this man learn to cook? Tatooine?' I told her I really didn't know."

"Spast. Really?" the man he spoke to asked.

"Really."

As the two men talked, Teron kept his fingers laced together. It took most of his willpower not to begin guzzling down all of the food before him. A grinding sound came to his left as a cup was pushed towards him. He pushed it away.

The man that gave it to him, a balding man with green eyes, frowned. "You will never learn, will you?" he grumbled. "It's the off-duty alcohol, sir. You're free to drink it with us. Besides, with that hot food before you, it'll go in quick."

"I don't want it to go in quick, nor do I wish to intoxicate myself," Teron said. "I've known far too many good officers that had their reflexes dulled and their wits muddled by drink."

The other man shrugged. "Suit yourself." He took the glass back and downed contents in one gulp. The quiet belch he had moments later only made Teron frown at him in disgust.

His XO, Rear Admiral Genald, stood up and walked to the two officers in question. "Doctor, would you review the latest medical reports and bring them to us when done?"

"Now?" the Medical Officer asked.

"Now," Genald said. "Oh, and bring your assistant with you so that he might assist you in that regard. Lastly, bring the previous medical reports so that we can do a comparison." The two men shrugged, then walked out of the door.

There was a click as Genald closed and locked the door behind them. "It'll take them some time to get that done," he said as he sat down with a smile. "That means we've got enough time to discuss the latest developments to the plan." Nodding, Teron began to eat his meal.

"Now to the reason why we invited you to the Officer's Galley, sir," his Chief Navigation Officer, a young and spry man by the name of Haldr Riktbar, said. "I've heard rumors that the political attaché that Tarkin sent to this ship was killed in a freak accident. Is that true, or is there something more… foul handed about that. He didn't just fall off a platform, didn't he?"

"I don't like your tone," Genald said with a frown.

"What the hell has this meeting got to do with my tone? We're risking our lives here."

"Ventar could've caused complications," Genald said. "What? You think he'd just go off and… sulk somewhere out of sight and mind?"

"Are you saying he murdered?" their youngest officer, Holt Pordon, asked. When Teron didn't reply, he said, "By the Force, he was murdered!"

"So what if he was murdered?" Haldr asked. "I don't care. The man had the manners and civility of a Gamorean, but it's a decision we should've made together."

"We could still report what happened," Holt suggested. "We -"

"There will be no communications with the Galactic Empire," Teron said at last. "As for why, I will tell you." Finishing his meal, he said, "I plan to defect from the Empire to the UNSC."

The room fell silent in an instant, so much so, that one could've heard a pin drop. Everyone other than Genald looked at Teron with shock. "In the name of the Force, why?" Haldr asked.

Teron sighed. The secret he'd been hiding inside of him was now burning like the core of a dying star. Taking a breath, he said, "Because the Empire, whether you wish to believe it or not, has committed a grave crime. Do you remember Order 66?" When they nodded, he said. "I can tell you for certain that the Jedi were not betraying the Republic. It was the Republic that betrayed them."

"Are you certain?" Holt asked.

"Yes," Teron said. "I was there when dozens of innocent Jedi were slaughtered at the hands of Clone Commandos. I was there when an innocent Jedi Master was nearly killed by the militia at Arkannis. It was only because of my actions that they survived."

"How did you learn of this?"

"Over the course of a very long, personal investigation," Teron said. "After the incident at Arkannis, I began to use the influence I gained as I climbed up the ranks to gather as much information on what really happened as I could. It helped that Denmoor, one of my closest friends, was promoted to Rear Admiral shortly after the incident. He's been climbing the ranks faster than I have, in fact, so I've gotten access to a lot of valuable information. It allowed me to find out who had issued Order 66 and why."

"Who did, then?" Haldr asked, entranced by the tale.

Teron looked at them with a grave expression. "The Emperor of the Galactic Empire: Emperor Palpatine and his lackey, Darth Vader."

The room seemed to become colder in an instant. "That… that's impossible!" Holt gasped. "He doesn't seem that malicious to me. He seems more like a doting grandfather than a murderer."

"That's because he wants you to think that he is," Teron said. "In reality, he's very cunning, malicious and, at risk of sounding melodramatic on my part, evil. Would you like to know why he did so, though?"

"Sure," Haldr said.

"Because he wants power, and he'll do anything to get it," Teron said. "I've gotten rare glimpses into his true plans. He doesn't just want to rule the galaxy. He wants to rule the entire Universe as an immortal ruler with an iron fist, and he'll do anything to achieve that. In addition, he wanted revenge on the Jedi for destroying the Sith, a faction of Force Sensitives that, unlike the Jedi who sought to preserve peace and destroy evil, sought to sow endless chaos and suffering. It's also why he's afraid of the UNSC."

"Because of what they've been through?"

"Because they survived an enemy he would've happily allied himself with, an enemy that would've enabled to him to begin achieving his goals," Teron said. "Palpatine suspects, as do I, that the UNSC is only telling him part of the truth. Besides, he also wants the UNSC's technology, and he's willing to pay through the nose to get it. I don't know how or why, but I believe that he thinks that the UNSC is hiding something that will allow him to become immortal, something that will allow him to achieve his grand plan, a plan that must be destroyed if all of us are to survive."

"And you're willing to stake your reputation on this information?"

"Absolutely," Teron said. "You've all seen it yourself. The Galactic Empire is dying, even as madmen like Palpatine and Tarkin tighten their grip ever further. We are no longer fighting a just war for a legitimate government. We are oppressing innocent civilians that simply asked why they must fall in line, civilians that haven't done anything wrong. I, for one, will not be party to the acts of a despot and tyrant."

"Why not defect to the Rebel Alliance?" Haldr asked.

"They're too disorganized right now," Teron said. "I have sources that have told me that the UNSC's arrival has caused them to become disorganized again. The UNSC is the only organization that has the strength, organization and likely force projection capability necessary to defeat the Empire."

The others began to nod among themselves. "He's right," Genald said. "I've seen it myself. We all have. This isn't the 'safe and secure' society that we've been fighting to create. This is a totalitarian dictatorship being run by madmen that want infinite power and influence. I won't be party to that either. What about you guys?"

"I agree," Maldir, their Chief Communications Officer said. "I've seen it happen, and I don't want to be an officer."

"Same here," Haldr said.

"Holt?" Genald asked.

Holt looked uncertain, then he said, "Well… if this is what you guys think is best for us… then count me in."

"Then what's do we do?" Zekar, their Chief Engineering Officer, asked. "We can't simply waltz on over to wherever the UNSC is at and hand ourselves over. Yularen and all the other high ranking officers in the Empire would throw a fit."

"I've thought long and hard about that, and this is what I think we'll have to do." Leaning in, Teron waited for the others to fall silent. When they did, he said, "As you all know, around a day ago, the Pantoran Assembly, which has been neutral until now, signed a treaty with the UNSC and UEG, forming a federation of sorts after dealing with two attempted pirate coups. The Empire's widely accepted that the UNSC can do so. After all, Pantora has little that the Empire wants.

"This, however, means that the plan that I've been thinking of will be able to finally come to fruition, if all of you play your parts well."

The others frowned. Teron was known for his good plans, but there were times where the genius of his plans bordered on insanity. "All right," Haldr said. "Tell us of this illustrious plan of yours."

"Thank you," Teron said. "As you all know, the Solar Ionization Reactor onboard Star Destroyers is known to be temperamental, yes?" When the others nodded, he said, "I intend to use that to our advantage. To the crew, they'll believe that it is sabotage on the Rebel Alliance's part, or a critical failure that the manufacturer will never have been aware of.

"All of us, however, will know the truth. We will fake such an emergency to get all of the crew off of the ship and anyone else that is not in on the plan. In case we can't get them all off, however, I've planted a gas bomb that will put them into a catatonic state, which will also be seen as an act of Rebel sabotage. Once they are all off, we will jump away to Geonosis while informing the crew we are doing so to protect them from the SIR, which the crew will believe is going supercritical. Once we have determined that no tracking devices were installed into the ship, we will jump to Pantora and announce our intention to defect to the UNSC."

The others looked around, then began to whisper among themselves. "I hope you know what you're doing," Genald said to Teron. "If they don't agree with you, they may try to report you. It's a tremendous risk."

"All defections are a tremendous risk," Teron said. "The hardest part is not keeping it a secret. The hardest part is following through, to take that final leap and throw yourself into the unknown. That's the most difficult part. Convincing the others is also a key part of it as well."

The others turned back to the two. "It sounds like a good plan," Haldr said. "Are you certain it'll work as well as you think it will?"

"We will never know unless we try," Teron said. Standing up, he asked, "So, who among you is with me, if not all of you? Make your choice now, sons."

There was another bout of silence. Abruptly, Holt stood up and said, "I'm with you, Teron."

"So am I," Haldr said.

"As am I," Zekar said.

"Agreed," Maldir added.

"Very well, then," Teron said. "Zekar, is it within your skills to fake an SIR emergency?"

Zekar smiled, his yellow stained teeth flashing in the light. "Sir, I was working on starships when your were in diapers. Faking an SIR reactor supercriticality accident? That's easy for me to do."

"Good. Maldir?"

"I'll handle the communications," Maldir said. "If I make it sound staticky and garbled, it'll help add authenticity to the emergency. Just gotta make sure it's not so bad that they can't hear us."

"Good. Haldr?"

"I'll have a route planned to Geonosis when the day comes," Haldr said. "What about you, Holt?"

"I know quite a bit about Imperial tracking devices," Holt said. "Hell, I've set a few myself. I can have a team sweep the ship. They'll need to be in the know, though."

"I will speak to whomever you deem to be worthy," Teron said. "As for myself, I will be writing a letter to Admiral Yularen, in which I will announce our decision to defect to the UNSC. I will even call him out for his evil. Before the day we defect comes, I will send the letter and we will begin to fake the emergency. Understood?" When the others nodded, he said, "Good. Now, when should the Chief Medical Officer be arriving?"

"In a minute, sir," Genald said.

"Good. I do believe it is time to compare medical records, wouldn't you agree?"

"That I do," Genald said with a sly smile.

. . .

One Day Earlier

"Ladies and gentlemen. As of now, a historic event has occurred," the first newcaster for Coruscant HoloNews, a middle aged man with brown hair said. "As of now, the Pantora system has formed an alliance with the newly discovered United Earth Government and its military division, the United Nations Space Command, after defeating two attempted coups by pirate forces in the Outer Rim Territories."

"What this means for the wider galaxy is not known at this point," his partner, a woman with silver hair said. "What it does mean, however, is that the UNSC and UEG have established a foothold within the Outer Rim Territories. Officials from Pantora have informed us that the relations are for the purposes of defending Pantora from the pirate worlds surrounding it, and for trade relations. Many have stated that Pantora's newfound alliance with the UNSC will have major implications in the future, though what they are is unknown at this point.

"However, it can be agreed upon that the rediscovery of Pantora is an even that has been highly praised and welcomed alike by many within the galaxy. Later, we will be discussing this major discovery with members of the Imperial Senate and Imperial Military. This is Condar Jurdas with Elzina Jerna on Coruscant HoloNews."

With the flick of a finger, Palpatine closed the HoloNet channel. Nearby, Pesage shook his head. "This is going to be a major public relations nightmare," he said with a frown. "The UNSC just happens to find a world that was missing until now? It seems a bit convenient to me."

"That it does," another Imperial Governor agreed. "It could be that the UNSC might've known about Pantora's location, but simply chose to lie about it. I smell a set up."

Palpatine remained silent all the while. This is a very interesting turn of events, he mused. The UNSC and UEG now have a foothold in the wider galaxy, and they've shown that they can defeat pirates. A flash of irritation crossed his mind. Were they an ally, I might not have minded that at all. Given that they are still unaligned with either Empire or Alliance though…

He shrugged. Oh well… I really wasn't paying that much attention to the Pantora System anyways, and they don't have much of anything that I would find to be useful. Besides, last I heard of them before they fell off the map was that they were still debating on whether or not to join the Empire or remain independent.

He raised a hand, silencing the people within the throne room. "Enough," he said. "While the loss of Pantora to the UEG and UNSC is something to note, it is not fatal to our plans. In fact, this might be most fortuitous for us."

"What do you mean?" Pesage asked. "I don't see how Pantora falling to the UNSC would be fortuitous… unless there's something that I'm missing, of course."

"Indeed," Palpatine said with a smile. "While it means that the UNSC and UEG have a foothold in the wider galaxy, it also means that we can now gather information on them more directly. That means we will have a better idea of what their defenses are, what their strategies are, and so on."

"There's also the economic factor to deal with here," Morlen said. "The fact that we now know where Pantora is means that we can begin trade with the UEG and UNSC. That will allow us to determine how large their economy is compared to our own. It could be very insignificant, or it could be vastly larger than our own. Until now, we've had no idea on how to find out."

Palpatine smiled. "Exactly my point. It will also allow us to see how effectively they govern themselves, and if we can find any weaknesses to exploit." Taking a breath, he said, "We will reconvene at a later time. For now, begin preparations for trade deals with the UNSC and UEG. We might benefit greatly from this in the end." With murmurs of agreement, the others left the throne room.

Vader leaned in towards Palpatine. "There's more to the UNSC and UEG's claiming of Pantora than that," he said at length. "While we might be able to spy on them, they will be able to spy on us. Given the war that they went through, they will be extremely paranoid of any potential ally they come across."

"An astute observation," Palpatine said. "While Lasky and his friends were here, I sensed an underlying wariness and tension coming from them. They are not the kind of people to leap into the ocean before they look. They will test us, try us, see what our reactions are, and then proceed from there. As for gathering information on them, I have the perfect man in mind for the job."

The door to the throne room opened. Out walked a man in a red uniform and black boots. Steel-blue eyes gazed around the room with an intensity that would make even a Trandoshan shrink away. He advanced towards the throne and bowed. "Emperor Palpatine," he said in a gravelly voice. "Thank you for the invitation."

"You are most welcome, Director Armand," Palpatine said.

Vader recognized the name. Armand Isard was the head of the Imperial Intelligence Service that gave the Galactic Empire's military intelligence and information on any potential enemies. The man was known to be ruthless and he suffered no fools, though he rewarded competence greatly.

He pushed his mind away from the thought, focused instead on the conversation. Standing up from his bow, Armand asked, "What do you require of me?"

"We will get to that shortly," Palpatine said. "How is your daughter, Ysanne?"

Armand smiled. "Quite well. She has inherited my extreme impatience for fools and madmen, as well as my competence. Should anything happen to me, she will make for a fine Director of Imperial Intelligence."

Palpatine smiled. "Very good, as events as of late have shown that you might be beginning to slip. Do you remember the blunders that happened at Scarif and Jeddah?"

Armand's mouth bent into a frown. "Of course," he said. "Those were an atrocious failure on Imperial Intelligence's part in ensuring that the bases couldn't be found. I accept full responsibility for those failures. I should have more thoroughly investigated Galen Erso for any signs of treason or conspiracy."

Palpatine nodded. That was another aspect of Armand that he liked. Unlike most Imperial officers, who shift the blame onto others, Armand knows that admitting to ones mistakes is the right call. "Indeed," he said aloud. "However, in light of your excellent and loyal service to the Empire, I will not be removing you from the position yet. I have need of you still, Director."

Armand's eyes snapped to the Emperor's almost instantly. "Whatever you need, I will deliver to you," he said. "What's the mission, sir?"

"Patience," Palpatine said. "All will be revealed in good time. Tell me, have you seen the HoloNets latest announcements concerning the UNSC?"

Armand shrugged. "Who hasn't? The moment I learned of their existence, I immediately sent out agents to find out whatever I could on them. Even now, I have many eyes, ears and fingers scattered throughout the galaxy. It shames me to admit that so far, I've learned little that the public doesn't already know about them, though given that they literally arrived out of nowhere, that is understandable."

"That it is," Palpatine said, "which makes the mission that I am giving you all the more important." He handed Armand a data disk. "On that data disk is the location for the Pantora system. Your new mission is to covertly gather all intelligence that you can find on the UNSC and UEG's true intentions for Pantora. We need information on their defenses, military strength, anything that can give us an edge over them. Am I understood?"

Armand nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll make it to where we will even know which bars that they've been to, and our boots on the ground there should have things in hand. I will also begin moving a number of agents there to locate targets of opportunity. Should a war break out, which it may, we will be able to cripple them before they can strike at us."

Palpatine smiled, a cold, predatory smile. "Good. Do this, Armand, and I will see to it that your daughter, in the event you are killed or die, becomes the Director of Imperial Intelligence. Now go, and remember: do not fail me."

"I will not, sir. You have my word on that." Turning on his heels, Armand slipped the data disk into a pocket and marched into the elevator.

As soon as Armand was gone, Vader said, "You have given him a very difficult task, Master. Are you certain that he will succeed?"

"I have reasonable confidence that he will," Palpatine said. "If he fails, his daughter will take over."

"Are you certain that she is up to the task if he fails?"

"He is," Palpatine said reassuringly. "When he spoke of his daughter, I sensed a great amount of pride flow from him. He is proud of what his daughter has achieved. In fact, should he fail and she become the Director, I believe that he will die a very happy man indeed."

"Indeed," Vader said. "It is strange that a man will march off to what some would believe to be an impossible mission knowing that the future of his family is assured." The same can be said of me, he ruefully added.

"That is what true devotion is, apprentice," Palpatine said. "That Armand is willing to lay down his life should the worst come shows the level of loyalty and devotion he has to the Empire. He will succeed in his task, and even if he doesn't, he knows what is required of him."

That he does," Vader said. "Soon, we will have the information we need to destroy the UNSC and add its territory and influence to our own. Who knows? We may learn of something that they haven't shared."

"We will see," Palpatine said. "We will see."