Good evening, everyone! How are you doing on this warm night of Wednesday, November 2, 2022? I'm okay, if a little sad since today's been the 11th anniversary of my grandfather's passing, and I miss him very much. And I had a good shift at work today, so it was a good day overall. And I hope to get my previous chapter updated in a couple days after I give it a bit of a touchup. And I need to get back to reading the collection of St. Augustine works, as I haven't read it in a few days, and I have a couple good books coming in a couple days or so. But first, I'm going to make a rough outline of the chapter, just so I know what I'm doing. I hope you all have a blessed evening, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!

2015 Hours, Selona 9th, 59 ABY

Korriban, Sith Catacombs

Deep Beneath the Ruins of Dreshdae

Glancing around the wide caverns, hollowed out centuries ago by the ancient Sith Empire, Vua marveled at the effort and dedication of the stone-built network of mausoleums beneath the planet's surface, even as he stood guard alongside the Jedi and Alliance of Light soldiers outside their camp.

Having been a resident of Coruscant since its fall to the Yuuzhan Vong and stayed there virtually all his life, the Force-deaf man yearned to see the more that the galaxy had to offer and knew this war would allow him and his friends to do just that. And remembering from the briefing how the hostile planet was prepared to defend itself against all intruders, the Yuuzhan Vong Extolled kept alert in scanning the landscape for any visible threats and knew his detachment from the Force would be an advantage for the coalition's defenses, especially when the Sith went on the hunt for the Alliance teams in a matter of hours.

Thanks to Master K'Kruhk relaying the warning the Jedi's spy inside the One Sith's ranks told him, well, if the spy could be trusted or wasn't deceived, the Sith were prepared to search the catacombs for their enemies and either capture or kill anyone they found. And if the warnings were accurate, then the Sith were sending virtually everything they had against theirs' and Vestara's detachments.

Those enemy agents included Darth Snoke and his army of Sith war beasts; Darth See-Chok and his top-ranked students in Force-augmented martial arts; Darth Zorra and his mastery of Sith Meditation to coordinate and augment the efforts of everyone; and the many clones in the Sith's employ, including their clone of Edaan Palpatine and a squad of repurposed Imperial commandos from the Empire's early years.

All these Sith and their assets would be under the command of Darth Wyyrlok, while Krayt took the fight up to space to divert pressure from the Jedi's search for the dark order's network of facilities across the Horuset System. Which Sith Lord would search for whom, the spy did not know, but they knew that they were being watched by the Imperial clones, so they would be forced to go to ground until a new opportunity presented itself to hamper the Sith's efforts. But at least now the Alliance could plan a working defense and request reinforcements to bolster their strength and help them reach the citadel.

Those would be difficult odds, but everyone had come here knowing the risks, and they would not relent so easily if it meant upending the Sith and rescuing their friend. He only hoped the effort did not cost his crewmates everything they cherished. And while some of the Rude Awakening's crew was eager at the chance to decimate the Sith's command structure, especially Robonino and Shara Vos for all the damage they inflicted on the galaxy and capturing their friend, Vua knew everyone else was feeling trepidation at battling beings as lethal as those under Darth Krayt's command, and he was no exception to that fear.

Remembering how the Lost Tribe of the Sith and Abeloth crippled Coruscant for years in the decisive battle that broke the Tribe and sent it into a fourteen-year spiral towards oblivion until it was fully obliterated or absorbed into Krayt's order, Vua knew this order would be far more challenging to destroy. But he also knew everyone would step up for the mission and make the Sith, whatever moniker it might use, pay for every ounce of blood they took.

2100 Hours

Ilum Systen, Aboard the Mandator

Lecersen, knowing the reprieve from the bloody battle for the ruined world below the Alliance of Light's fleets had finally ended with both armadas launching themselves at each other again, used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow had accumulated from all the anxiety of the past two days. Witnessing another of his Star Destroyers explode from the combined assault of several Alliance warships, it only escalated Lecersen's desire to leave this world behind before he lost what little resources remained of his ever-shrinking empire.

Having lost around a third of his fleet to the combined forces' strikes and the Aquilians' earlier bit of self-sacrificial sabotage, the ex-Imperial fleet commander felt it was time for the One Sith to withdraw from this battlefront and focus on the rest of the war. The Dark Siders had accumulated at least fifty mines' worth of crystals from the deep caves of the Jedi's long-abandoned stronghold, more than enough to jumpstart their advanced weapons programs while making a tremendous profit on the side to continue funding their covert intelligence operations for many decades after they assumed their rightful place as the galaxy's masters.

Now, though, the ex-Moff had a terrible suspicion that the Sith were now only holding onto this world simply to slight the Jedi, a good psychological move but poor military decision that would bleed the Dark Siders' dry through dozens of similar battles having occurred across the galaxy. It would be best to cut their losses now while their power was not yet absolute, and the Jedi were still chasing them from most of their known strongholds into the more treacherous and unexplored regions of the galaxy and draining the Sith of several of their best members through either death or defection.

All he had to do now was convince the Sith the merit of leaving the Jedi to pick up the pieces of their despoiled prize and allowing his masters the chance to regroup and rebuild their strength. A daunting task, but it was one that had to be done if it meant staying alive, free, and able to come out on top in this war for control of the galaxy.

2200 Hours

Korriban, Sith Catacombs

Deep Beneath the Valley of Golg

Jaden Korr had been a simple man and veteran Jedi Knight for over four decades since the young age of thirteen, when he was able to construct his first lightsaber on Coruscant before being enrolled in Luke Skywalker's Yavin IV Praxeum and proving pivotal in ending the then-erupting Disciples of Ragnos Crisis. From then on, he had served with distinction and loyalty, and proved to be one of the Order's more maverick members, never choosing to rise to the rank of Jedi Master after being offered the rank many times, allowing him leeway to explore his natural affinity to many of the Dark Side's abilities without falling prey to its corruption.

Sadly, Jaden had much to regret in his long life, burdens that most beings had the luxury of not needing to bear. From not being able to save his uncle from the Yuuzhan Vong when they took Coruscant, his orders to space Confederation soldiers and sympathizers when helping destroy Centerpoint Station, losing his first and only apprentice, Marr Idi-Shael, to Natasi Daala's Force-hating depravities, and losing a once-strong friendship with Marr's former captain, Khedryn Faal, all these tragedies left their marks on his soul and found him questioning his role in the galaxy and the Force.

But when he was offered by his former master a chance to help Edaan redeem Vestara Khai, it was as if the Force was reminding him of the oaths he took and giving him a reason to keep serving the Jedi, one he knew would have terrific ramifications on the galaxy if guided correctly. He saw much of his old doubting and philosophical self in the young Palpatine heir and wanted to help him overcome the demons in the boy's past so he could become the Jedi and leader many expected of him. He owed him that much, especially when Marr was captured, and Jaden failed in his role as his teacher by not being able to rescue him from Daala's anti-Force experiments in time to save his life.

That was the main reason he offered the Alliance of Light his expertise and experience on Korriban, a world Jaden had traversed before when finishing off the Disciples of Ragnos, and his knowledge of the Sith tongue and many other Dark Side orders. This mission would require the best the Jedi had to offer if it meant rescuing Edaan from Krayt's brutal captivity, and Jaden was nothing if not determined and loyal, a strong combination when paired with several One Sith defectors, and Kyle's secret orders in watching over Vestara Khai and ensuring she did not succumb to Korriban or Krayt's temptations.

And despite any misgivings about any remnants of Sith programming from his cloned body from his early days with Marr and facing off against Krayt and his acolytes that created the Iteration that housed Korr's consciousness, he was given the personal go-ahead to assist the effort by Grand Master Katarn. Kyle was clearly more confident than Jaden himself was in the Jedi having erased any innate Sith programming from his mind when the Order cleansed its ranks from the One Sith's spies.

And yet, in all of Jaden's travels and the discoveries he made, nothing prepared him for what he learned by stumbling upon Ben and Vestara when they were conversing with the spirit of long-dead Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano, who had many startling pieces of information to give the two lovers. Learning that the One Sith were being sabotaged from within by their own clone of Edaan, one implanted with all his memories and chose to aid the Jedi after Cheli and Lona Aphra gave him free will while reawakening and befriending Ahsoka's distraught spirit on one of his sojourns to the planet's surface, it was a miracle the Jedi desperately needed.

Unfortunately, not all the news the ghost and her Tuk'ata guide provided was beneficial, for the Sith were working extensively to convert Edaan into an ultimate vanguard of Krayt's army of "Sith Troopers'', his all but unstoppable legions of cybernetic warriors strong in the Force and able to take on virtually any foe. And all Tau knew on the location of the Sith's space station was that it resided somewhere in the Korriba Scar Asteroid Belt, virtually nothing of use since the Sith were cutting all communications with their off-world bases to preserve their secrecy.

While this was certainly dire news, there were more immediate concerns for the Alliance strike teams in the Sith hunting parties that were about to go after them. That was why had alerted his teammates to the danger once he heard all he needed to, and they were preparing to break camp after each watch team got a few hours of rest. Making it all the way to Krayt's citadel would do no one any good if they were drained of all their strength.

Sensing the couple finally return, and with the Tuk'ata pup in tow, Jaden knew Ahsoka must have disappeared or retreated inside the reformed Sith beast, and he was prepared to inform them of his actions.

But something in each of their eyes conveyed that they knew what he did, and they did not appear angry or betrayed. Instead, Vestara calmly asked, "What did you tell them?"

Seeing no point in playing oblivious, Jaden simply shrugged, "Only the essentials. I wouldn't want to compromise Tau or cause a panic among our people before he's ready to let himself be known. We're going to take two three-hour watches before we move out."

"Thank you." Ben nodded. "You should get some rest now, too. You've been pushing yourself harder than any of us since we got here."

"I'm not tired." Jaden shook his head. "I'll sleep when the final watch comes around."

Eyeing the young hound, he saw it curiously observing him, not with any malice, but with the expression of an intelligent being trying to read a person's soul, and with uncharacteristic blue eyes instead of the typical red. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Jaden asked Vestara, "Is it supposed to be looking at me like that?"

"He has a name, and it's 'Butch.'" Vestara replied before elaborating, "Don't ask me about the name, it's what Ahsoka told us. But she also said that Tau asked his new friend to seek Jaden out until he could return to him. He said that you'd know how to take care of him and nourish him with the Light Side."

Seeing what Vestara meant, Jaden vowed, "Okay. I won't let either of them down, then." For some peculiar reason, he had a strong feeling he would like Tau Palpatine once he met him in person and would look forward to the stimulating conversations the two Force Users would have.

Realizing one crucial factor, Jaden pointed out, "If Krayt sends his people after us, then I believe we're going to need reinforcements from above if we can make it to the citadel."

"We're already way ahead of you on that one." Ben agreed. "I've sent out a call, and we'll get plenty of help when the time comes."

0500 Hours, Selona 10th, 59 ABY

Bastion, Imperial Capital

Within the Civilian District

"What is it, assassin?" Krayt sternly asked Ochi. "What is the progress on your extraction?"

"Lanvorak and I are proceeding according to schedule, and we believe we've come up with a way to acquire the information while crippling the Empire in one fell swoop." Ochi earnestly answered before hesitating. "But, and I deeply regret saying this, I believe we will need additional resources and people if we hope to accomplish both listed objectives."

Mood darkening at the bold request, Krayt gestured for Ochi to elaborate, and he did just that. Repeating everything Lanvorak's contacts informed them on the Empire having reconsidered its shift towards a Jedi monarchy, instead deciding to appoint Grand Moff Ephin Sarreti as the new Head of State after Jagged Fel stepped down, and their decision to go public with their plans in just over a month, it caught Krayt's complete attention by contemplating this new change of strategy by the enemy.

"I see. This is dire news indeed, but you did well to bring this to my attention." Krayt acknowledged before ordering, "We cannot allow this plan to proceed. I need you to eliminate the Grand Moff before this transition can occur."

Nearly falling over from the command, Ochi barely maintained a calm demeanor while protesting, "My Lord, I admit that I am an experienced and professional assassin, but I do not think I can pull off a murder of this degree without sufficient reinforcements and logistics, not if we also want to find out where Natasi Daala has fled to."

"Yes, I agree." Krayt nodded. "But if we do not stop the Jedi's half-hearted measures, then they will not be able to divide themselves and the galaxy when the Empire is rebuilt in their image, and we cannot embed our sympathizers inside its ranks so easily."

"That is why I will give you all you will need to accomplish both objectives. Darth Invidious and his acolytes should be sufficient for the task." Krayt concluded. "Together, the both of you and Lanvorak can achieve all we need to complete the Grand Design."

"Thank you, honored Dread Lord." Ochi reverently acknowledged Krayt's commands before the communication ended.

Now that the unpleasant call was successfully concluded, the Vahla could return his focus to the mission and continue laying the foundation to the Empire's eventual destruction from within. Locating a network of Sith-sympathetic officers and civilians within the struggling democracy was not an easy task, but thanks to Lanvorak's fellow agents inside the Empire, they had found about twenty rising stars in its military academies that were susceptible to the Sith's influence. From this small seed, it would eventually grow into a gnarling poison that would destroy the Empire from the inside-out, just as the Banite Sith began to lay the foundation for the Old Republic's ultimate fall a millennium ago.

As for Daala's captive agents, Ochi had already devised a plan to deal with them while decimating the Gray Cadre, seeing them as an obstacle to Sith dominance. Thanks to the spy programs Ochi embedded in the Imperial networks, the two Sith agents knew Admiral Nantz was preparing to oversee another interrogation of the two prisoners, and with his brutal mindset and support of the Jedi and their mind tricks, he was particularly inclined to get the desired results this time around.

That was fine for Ochi since he would observe the entire process and eventual confessions before moving in to ensure the One Sith were the only ones to know of Daala's refuge and new strategy. After all, why should the Sith waste so much precious time and energy of their own when they could work to manipulate the Jedi into doing all the work for them?

0800 Hours

Ilum System

Aboard the Secutor-class Battlecarrier Conquest

Watching and sensing the chaos her suicide droid bombers unleashed on the Alliance fleets in the form of starfighters and empty capital ships, Darth Irola, Sith Lady and fleet commander, was uncharacteristically grateful that she heeded the grizzled old plotter in Drikl Lecersen and brought the appropriate reinforcements to cover their living servants' retreat from the desolate Jedi world. While the Jedi coalition reeled from their most recent losses and damage to many of their prized vessels, the Sith picked up their stranded ground forces and recovered many damaged ships, allowing them to salvage more than expected from this disaster of a battle.

Only a few more minutes, and the One Sith could leave this world behind with the remains of their fleets to regroup and reconsider their strategy.

Learning from her people's reports on how the Ilum detachment had lost about forty percent of its fighting capabilities, she hoped Lord Krayt made the correct decision in acquiring these lightsaber crystals now, since the dark order was bleeding their numbers at an unfavorable rate. Surely, they could have started this plan later, after their hold over the galaxy was secure, and then they could begin work on their new terror weapons. While doubt was uncommon and frowned upon by virtually all Sith, as a leader of the Dread Lord's war fleets, she had the right to explore alternative possibilities to maintain their ability to wage war.

And given how the Aquilian Republic and their many friends stormed this project with so little warning, there was much for Irola to doubt and reconsider right now. While it was possible that the Aquilians stumbled upon these fleets by pure chance or through a routine patrol, too much was left unsolved for her liking.

Sure, four Sith and many of their followers had defected to the Jedi, but none of them knew of this plan, so that possibility was immediately ruled out in her mind. That could only mean that someone still inside the Sith's ranks had to have tipped off Zakuul and the Jedi to this mining operation, and the number of suspects was too great for her to effectively search for without some type of lead.

But regardless of her hunches, Lord Krayt needed to know of this development and be advised on how to proceed from here. There was too much at stake for the One Sith to be divided at this decisive time.

1000 Hours

Korriban, Valley of the Dark Lords

Aboard the Orinda's Bloom

"Tracking two Sith vessels breaking the atmosphere." Iden Versio, a longstanding Imperial commando and leader of the renowned Inferno Squad, informed the approaching Jaina. "One's heading for the Sith fleet in orbit, and the other is approaching open space. We've recognized one of their heat signatures and frequencies and are alerting all commands."

"Make all due haste, because I sense Krayt's aboard Ship, which means our spy was on point about him." Jaina answered back. "What about the other enemy craft?" "Looks like an old Corellian VCX-100 freighter. But I can't get any more info about it." Iden reluctantly grit out before slamming her fist on the console "And it just jumped to hyperspace."

"Then there's nothing we can do about it now." Jaina ruefully consoled her friend. "Have the crew log and transmit the data to Admiral Yage after they make it to the rendezvous point. Let's see if his people can track our mysterious traveler to wherever he wants to go."

Eyeing her digital timepiece, Jaina warned, "It's time to head out. This is your last chance if you want to back out. There's still plenty of planetary outposts to strike, or you could join the battle in orbit." After receiving Jaden and K'Kruhk's call for reinforcements, Jaina had her teams halt all their raids and was prepared to enter the catacombs to intercept the Sith death squads, while their transports journeyed to the other side of the planet to hide out until they received the call for extraction. The only piece of contention was how Jaina wanted to leave every non-Jedi in the dust while exposing herself to overwhelming odds.

Rolling her eyes at Jaina's well-intentioned but misguided efforts to protect her friends from the coming danger of facing the Sith head-on, Iden rebuked, "Inferno Squad never leaves the mission unfinished, Master Jedi. And even if we weren't ordered to protect you, I won't turn my back on a friend at this crucial juncture."

"Besides, if you're going up against an army of Sith in close corridors, you'll need a few secret aces to keep from losing a couple limbs in the coming battle like Master Horn lost a few fingers back on Coruscant. Like it or not, you need my squad and all the Alliance's commandos for this mission's duration."

Knowing time was of the essence, and that Iden, even without her well-reasoned arguments, would never change her mind when she committed to any task, Jaina lightheartedly muttered, "Why do I let you push my buttons like this?"

"Because you know I'm right most of the time." Iden gloatingly smirked while following her friend to ensure their squad had all the long-term essentials for their mission on this gods' forsaken world.

1200 Hours

Coruscant, Great Western Sea

Within the Brasmin Estate

"It's an honor to meet you, Prime Minister Rodan, Madam Fey'la. My family and associates have all heard great things about you from our…mutual acquaintance, and we're looking forward to working alongside you in your great task while shielding you from prying eyes." Solomon Brasmin greeted Fyor and Kar'sk while taking his luggage and escorted the duo through the Brasmin's luxurious home, observing the vast amount of wealth poured into the place ranging from dozens of priceless statues to artwork from many famous planets and artists.

After Coruscant was reclaimed from the Yuuzhan Vong and its surface was reclaimed, the wealthy senator and his family quickly resettled back and commissioned a home even more elegant and wasteful in credits than the first, something Fyor abstained from during his time as a New Republic senator and Commenor's prime minister afterwards. But for now, it would serve well as a headquarters for the Knights of Olpaka and their efforts in liberating their quarry.

Apparently, it seemed the late senator Fost Brasmin was a connoisseur of the refined and elegant, a fine cover for his role in the failed Lecersen Conspiracy before he was killed by his longtime friend, Kuat's former senator Haydnat Treen, to prevent him from revealing anything under duress or from an accidental slip in his advanced age. But at some point, Fyor had to ask why the son of Fost was so willing to help free his father's killer from her lifelong incarceration.

Kar'sk, however, had not nearly as much tact on this matter, and crassly asked Solomon after they were settled in, "What's your angle on this?"

"I beg your pardon?" Solomon inquisitively asked the Bothan.

"Why are you helping us free the woman who poisoned your father in the first place?" Kar'sk clarified but was only confused when Solomon warmly chuckled. "I'd have thought you'd want to see her suffer for the rest of her life for such a betrayal to your family."

"Ah, that's right. Your people value clan loyalty immensely, and most don't seek power exclusively for themselves." Solomon reminded himself, rankling Kar'sk's fur until he clarified, "Unfortunately, I've had no such loyalty to that doddering old fool for over a decade after his mind started withering away. Honestly, I would have done him in soon enough myself to claim all his wealth and connections, so I owe Haydnat a favor for doing my work for me."

"So, you're just in this for yourself." Kar'sk suspiciously assumed. "You're not giving us many reasons to trust you, Brasmin."

"No, you're wrong about that assessment." Solomon shook his head before growling, "I helped my father rebuild his reputation and wealth after the Yuuzhan Vong War and silenced the whispers of corruption that plagued him, and he refused to give me any credit, not even a bit of acknowledgement, for any of my accomplishments. And to top it all off, he joined Treen's conspiracy to grab even more power, but failed to see how he was just being used, nor did he tell me of any of his machinations, all to resurrect an Empire that was doomed to fail from the start."

"That doddering old fool left me with nothing, so now I'll make sure to surpass him and build a legacy better than anything he could ever have achieved. And making Treen and her cohorts aid us will just be the tip of the iceberg of payback for me." Eying Fyor after calming down, Solomon added, "I would assume our motives are a bit similar in that regard, Prime Minister Rodan."

"You can believe what you wish about me, Mr. Brasmin." Fyor coolly shrugged. "But your motives hardly matter to me at this point in time, since you have as much to lose as we do if either of us are discovered and captured by the GA and the Jedi's new alliance."

"Now, that's enough idle chit chat and reminiscing on past injustices. It's time we learned what you have on each of the three GAS prisons holding our quarries. We need to start comparing notes and laying the foundation for our operation before our opportunity slips away."

1500 Hours

Horuset System, Just Outside Korriban's Orbit

Aboard the Guardian

Reviewing the data from the Razor Crest and the thousands of probe droids scouring the star system, Desmond considered himself fortunate the risky venture being led by entrepreneurs and mercenaries was bearing such fruit, or that the Sith were more redundant than their previous iterations.

According to Din and the Calrissian family's reports, the One Sith had constructed at least four hidden facilities across the system, and that was only with a fifth of the system scanned so far. An excellent start in this arduous hunt, but there was still a long way to go before this operation could be considered a decisive victory, especially with the Jedi warning him and Fett that several high-ranking Sith were heading to lead their fleet against the intruders planetside.

If the Alliance was to liberate every prison and hidden lab before the Sith managed to vacate the system, they would need a complete picture of the enemy's network and the numbers required to simultaneously storm every stronghold while working to destroy Krayt's fleet guarding Korriban. That meant the coalition would need an armada of ships, legions of fighters, and convoys of transports to reinforce the Alliance's position and house and protect the captured children, at least until they could be safely brought back to their families and loved ones unitl they could join the Jedi Order or one of its allied Force schools.

Desmond was already reaching out to the Dathomir task forces and informing them of the mission's new parameters, but he suspected that they alone would not be enough. They would need plenty of firepower and maverick tricks if they hoped to beat the Sith this time around, and the Imperial admiral had a few ideas on where to get both for when the final battle began, so he prepared to make several highly encrypted calls.

1700 Hours

Dathomir, Allya Mountains

Jedi Praxeum, Aboard the Phoenix Whirlwind

Silently shedding tears at the sight of the devastated landscape and Jedi facilities, Allana explained to Adari, "This world has a special connection with me and the rest of my family, beyond its ties to the Jedi and other Force cultures. It's where Grandpa Han and Grandma Leia agreed to get married after breaking Gethzerion's Nightsisters and their vile hold over this world, where my mother's mother once lived before departing to rule the Hapes Consortium alongside Grandpa Isolder, and where I helped rescue Artoo from a greedy one-eyed dockmaster when Luke and Ben were pursuing Vestara back when she was just a Sith Apprentice."

"Sounds like good times." Adari kindly remarked, earning a silent nod from Allana.

"Seeing the planet like this, sensing all the pain and agony of its creatures and people through the Force, it makes me remember why I despise war so much." The Chume'da paused, wiping her eyes until she stopped crying before looking at Adari and sympathetically adding, "I'm sure it's the same of you when we worked to invade Kesh and topple the Lost Tribe, and I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"You don't have to be. If it weren't for you all, my people wouldn't have been freed from the Sith's grip, and I wouldn't have befriended all of you and met the man who would become husband." Adari consoled her friend. "Thank you for letting me join your crew."

"Of course. But until we get the call to move out to Korriban, we're going to fix what we can of this majestic world, and you're going to get some healing for your worried soul." Allana committed. "No sense in leaving you a nervous wreck before we reenter the war."

Letting out a sad laugh, Adari bitterly concurred with her unlikely friend, "Very true. On that note, where do we start in helping this amazing world?"

"I know a few clans and settlements that got hit hard by the Sith, and that's where our presence will be most needed first, not to mention the forests that are still burning from the fires of war." Allana answered. "We'll stay the night at the Praxeum, and head out first thing tomorrow morning. Best we all get a good night's rest before getting started."

1800 Hours

Korriban. Sith Catacombs

Darth Krayt's Citadel

Within Korin Aphra's Chambers

"Another one down!" Korin triumphantly cheered before taking a quick break and sip of his energy drink. Having spent the last ten days scouring the Sith's computer networks for evidence of his duplicitous daughter's leftover sabotage, he and his analysis droids had uncovered and purged the system of five different viruses, nearly doubling the citadel's efficiency and energy output.

And yet, these viruses, they implied something else, something Korin dreaded to consider, but needed to contemplate if it meant the One Sith was truly free of traitors. The programs Chelli devised were not simply slowing down Krayt's evacuation and wreaking havoc throughout the citadel but were downloading vital information and sending it to someone inside the underground fortress.

All this evidence could only lead to one terrifying conclusion: Someone in the Dread Lord's ranks was in league with Chelli and the Alliance to fully derail the Grand Design. And Korin was the only one who knew the full scope of this betrayal, which meant he needed to warn Lord Wyyrlok before he made any further moves. Best to risk letting this information slip away if the spy decided to make an assassination attempt on the historian.

"Something wrong, Doctor Aphra?" A familiar voice came from behind Korin, nearly making him jump and pull out his hidden blaster before he realized who was speaking to him.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Korin was prepared to turn around and greet his visitor before he noticed something happening to his datapad, the one with all the information on Chelli's spy programs and his suspicions. Somehow, the data was deleting itself, as if someone had triggered an automatic reset by hacking into the well-protected and heavily encrypted device.

"What-what is this?!" Korin sputtered out before he found himself immobilized, and immediately realized that his suspicions were true, but he was about to become the target of an assassination by one of the Sith's own creations.

"I do regret these harsh measures, but I cannot allow you to warn Wyyrlok about me just yet." The Iteration apologetically answered, telekinetically turning the chair around so Korin could face the clone. "I have too much to do and many lives to save before my allegiances can be made public, and I have to be sure I can protect your daughter and my brother from Krayt's machinations and Sorzus's depravities."

"So, Chelli is the one who tainted your programming, Iteration. You're the traitor Krayt's been searching for." Korin growled.

"She's who broke me free of my chains and gave me the ability to think for myself, yes." The clone clarified to Korin before approaching him. "And, just for the record, my name is Tau Palpatine. I suggest you remember it from here on out."

"But this isn't just about me. I'm here to start paying my debt to your daughter and wife by setting you free from your mental manipulations."

"I'm not brainwashed, you soulless schutta!" Korin incredulously barked out before finding his voice being taken away, unable to utter any other words no matter how hard he tried to work his vocal cords.

"Like I said, I can't let the Sith know of my true allegiance." Tau placed two hands on Korin's temples. "You won't remember this conversation until I decide otherwise, and when that time comes, I'll set you free from Krayt's control."

Feeling Tau's vile presence inside his mind, Korin somehow felt this sensation familiar from somewhere deep in his past. But where that memory may be, he could not be sure, as if the recollection was locked away by an unknown power.

After Tau finished his work, and released Korin from his grip, the historian, about to pass out from fatigue, hatefully muttered out, "You… won't get away with this, you kriffing traitor. The Sith will home in on the disturbance, track you down, and rip you apart-"

"How can they do that, when I'm not even here in the flesh?" Tau gloatingly rebutted, his body fading away in a spectral light that made Korin realize the clone had used a Dark Side illusion to orchestrate this treason. Realizing the Sith were in even dire straits than he feared, he struggled in vain to reach his comlink and warn his masters before he passed out from both Tau's mental assault and jhow own exhaustion from his wasted efforts.

0400 Hours, Selona 11th, 59 ABY

Hyperspace, On Route to the Perann Nebula

Aboard the Steadfast

As Vurawn prepared to send his information packet to all Alliance of Light and Empire of the Hand commands, he reflected on the events that brought everyone to this point, and the role his progenitor played in shaping events in the Chaos before his dedication to the Chiss led him into exile and to join Darth Sidious's nascent Empire.

After the disaster and massacre of the Old Republic's Outbound Flight Project and most of the Vagaari fleet, Mitth'raw'nuruodo was taken off active duty to recover from his injuries and so the Defense Council could reassess his position in the Expansionary Defense Fleet. The intense and long deliberations took over a year, but he was eventually granted back his old rank and command of a newly minted ship, and slowly given back his old responsibilities, but with far more scrutiny by his political rivals.

Over the next five years, he helped uncover a vast conspiracy bent on destroying the Chiss from within, with Thrawn and his friends and allies working to defeat many enemies. Those foes included the original Nikardun Dynasty, the Agbui, and Kilji Illumine before realizing they were all under the joint command of the Grysk and the Sorcerers of Rhand in a concerted effort to create chaos and mayhem across the Chaos for a woman they only identified as the 'Bringer of Chaos.'

Now realizing that they were serving Abeloth and working to fuel her power towards her eventual release from her imprisonment, whether knowingly or otherwise, Vurawn felt nothing but relief that his genetic template helped defeat each threat and all but wiped out the Grysk on their homeworld while freeing their vassals from their control. The only downsides were that it cost him everything and led to his exile from the Ascendancy and most of the Grysk's servants eventually sought revenge by working with the One Sith.

The Grysk, a race of master manipulators and Force Sages, according to old legends and early records of the Chiss Ascendancy's expansionary days, were eons-old servants of the Celestials before disappearing from all records around the time the Rakata began usurping the galaxy from them, and Thrawn's campaign reduced them to a small remnant that was too small to sustain their population, thereby dooming them to extinction. But they were still a threat unlike virtually every other enemy the Chiss ever faced, and he had to make sure they were not making another bid at power or revenge.

Even a small number of the survivors could cause great havoc across the galaxy, remembering how Nuvo Esva and his Chosen created a dark empire across the Unknown Regions before Thrawn and his followers in the Empire of the Hand worked to eradicate his confederation. If they were involved in this war, the Alliance needed to be made aware of the immense danger these few bands or rogues might cause.

And that still left the Sorcerers of Rhand unaccounted for, and they were equally dangerous as the Grysk, if not more so. With their nihilistic creed and desire to lead the galaxy towards self-destruction, Vurawn wondered why the Grysk ever allied with such madmen. But they, in their nearly impregnable fortress of the twelve stellar clusters, surrounded by the vast nebula of the Perann Nebula, were still running rampant and had over seven decades to learn from their past errors.

And one of their number had already proven to be a terrible nuisance to the galaxy before he was eventually taken down in a disgraceful manner. If Cronal in his three guises could cause such havoc in his many years of service to the Empire before he was destroyed by one of his own creations, then just what could the rest of his order be capable of that had kept them such a danger for all these millennia? It was time to open the book on the past and allow their allies to offer their own input, hence why he was sending the information to General Ors and her peers in the Alliance of Light.

1000 Hours

Coruscant, Jedi Temple

Within the Temple's Catacombs

Ingo heard the reports just as everyone else, but he did not want to believe who the Jedi were sending as reinforcements to their anti-Sith cleansing. With Grand Master Kyle Katarn and Jedi Master Zekk Thayn, both long serving Jedi with experience in succumbing to the Dark Side's terrible grip, about to arrive alongside additional Blackguard and Jensaarai, the Alliance of Light would breach the Shrine of the Depths' entrance in no time at all now before they could begin to cleanse its power from their old headquarters.

Added together with the Hapan Commandos and their leader, Taryn Thayn, Zekk's wife and distant cousin of Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo, it was clear the enemy at least suspected they were infiltrated by another batch of Sith collaborators and were taking additional countermeasures to uproot them.

But to only exacerbate the situation, with the Galactic Alliance and several of their off-the-record friends belonging to the aptly named Rogues' Gallery, working in the Temple in hunting down two unrelated high-priority targets. To put it rather bluntly, matters were growing increasingly tenuous for the seventeen One Sith agents trapped inside the enemy's domain. And if the reports Tionne told her fellow Jedi about a group of much-needed reinforcements coming from the Outer Rim to help further secure the Temple, the situation would be even more precarious soon.

Somehow, the small team had to figure out a way to stymie the Alliance's efforts in cleansing the shrine of its vast dark energies before time ran out. At the very least, they had the chance to eliminate a few key figures in the Jedi Order and Alliance of Light, but that was a last resort if the worst came to pass. Right now, Ingo had to maintain his charade of a dutiful historian and reluctant participant of a desecration, and he could not risk his cover anymore for now.

A monumental task, but he would find a way to carry on until his masters desired the ultimate sacrifice from him and his confederates. Better to die for a worthy cause than to live a life of inequity and irrelevance while being sidelined by do-gooders and their narrow minded sycophants.

1400 Hours

Within the Perann Nebula, Inside the Nihil Retreat

On Rhand, Within Ro

Inside the Rhandites' Grand Cathedral

All the preparations were in place for the Dark, and the galaxy would soon see the folly of going against the inevitability of destruction. Kung'urama'nuruodo knew the next few weeks would test the Sorcerers of Rhand like never seen before, but they were ready to stand their ground and hold back the would-be liberators in the Alliance of Light, no matter how much blood and effort his people spent.

With the well-entrenched defensive positions and gifts the One Sith provided them for aiding the protection of their territory, the ex-Padawan would relish seeing the Jedi humiliated and their allies broken when they crashed into the Nihil Retreat like water before a wall of solid iron. Not even the information Alliance and Chiss were gleaning from their captured star maps and prisoners would be enough to give them any sort of advantage in this war, but he knew that would not stop them from trying anyway. The foolish followers of the Light were notoriously stubborn in their commitment to protecting all life forms.

And yet, there was an unusual undercurrent of stress that the old Chiss could not afford to ignore, and it troubled him deeply. Someone or something was altering the current of time and shifting the balance of power away from the Dark. Whatever it might be, though, he could not identify or locate the source of this disturbance, and it was a nuisance he could not afford to deal with now with the enemies at his doorstep.

Equally troubling was remembering how the Jedi and their friends were able to turn the tides of war and disaster many times in his lifetime and combined with a united galaxy and many of its brightest minds on their side, he knew this war could cost the Rhandites dearly if they underestimated the enemy. Recalling from his spies how Cronal lost his war against the young New Republic, even with his great and immense link to the Dark and his brilliant mind, he knew the coming war would test Kung'urama'nuruodo and his followers to their limits.

But when the war turned against the Rhandites, he had a contingency plan in place for his followers. Having heard the call of an ancient Grysk Sage, he knew the Bringer of Chaos was nearing her full resurrection, and she would need a great army of fighters and virtually limitless resources if she hoped to conquer and remake the galaxy. And it was an army Kung'urama'nuruodo and his elite acolytes would do well in filling those ranks.

With Krayt's Sith begin pressed back at virtually every turn in this war, Kung'urama'nuruodo knew, no matter how much he wished to deny it, that the coming war would shape the galaxy for decades to come, and his people would have no place in the new galactic order if either faction triumphed over the other. The Jedi would eradicate them for allying with Krayt's order and for its millennia of enslaving the Nihil Retreat's inhabitants, or the One Sith, in the unlikely event they won this war, would do the same just to ensure they did not suffer a fatal betrayal before they could consolidate their fragile hold over the galaxy.

All he could do now was secure his people's future a while longer until the Dark claimed them and everyone else, and he was prepared to do his part in spreading the great truth to all corners of the galaxy. He was going to enjoy these last few months on Rhand before his followers heeded the call of the Dark and journeyed into even darker corners of the galaxy.

1500 Hours

Outside the Perann Nebula

Aboard the Imperial II-class Errant Venture

Reviewing the data coming in from the Jedi and Alliance of Light scouts while corroborating it from the Vagaari's star maps and intelligence reports, Jan was glad to be back in her element again. While she was happy to serve wherever needed as duty demanded, she best operated behind the scenes and putting the pieces together in vast mysteries and eliminating the leaders of many dark conspiracies. And operating inside the only entrepreneurial Star Destroyer of all the galaxy was certainly a fun way to serve her government and people while helping the Alliance prepare for its invasion of the Nihil Retreat.

According to the reports Vurawn provided from both the Empire of the Hand and Chiss Ascendancy's archives, the Sorcerers of Rhand were perhaps the most enigmatic batch of Force Users in all the galaxy, with a nihilistic streak that might put the most fanatical of the Yuuzhan Vong to shame.

Having been aiming to take down the Chiss for centuries as the first major steppingstone in eradicating all life as per their demented tenets and having previously allying with an ancient race of conquerors and schemers in the Grysk, with ancient knowledge and abilities most beings could hardly believe or comprehend, they were well on their way towards their shared goal of ultimate domination and destruction. Fortunately for all free peoples, they were only stopped from tearing the Ascendancy apart by the efforts of Thrawn and his like-minded officers in a climactic battle above the Grysks' ancestral homeworld, the same battle that brought the Grysk to the edge of extinction and reduced them to a few scattered war bands and vengeful plotters against all their enemies.

But that still left the Rhandites, and one of their number journeyed into the greater galaxy to learn more mainstream ways of the Force around the time when Darth Sidious was laying his Empire's foundations across the galaxy. That human, a man of many names, but most famously known as "Blackhole" for his brief tenure of Director of Imperial Intelligence, and "Lord Shadowspawn" as a warlord in the first year after the second Death Star was destroyed, was among the most dangerous Dark Siders to ever roam the galaxy before his obscure death on a junkyard world after the final death of the reborn Emperor Palpatine.

To think, all this trouble was from one member of this esoteric group. Facing off against the whole order was not an appealing prospect for anyone, but they would have to find a way, which was why Jan was scouring countless terabytes of data for any information or leads coming her way. If she could save even a handful of lives by working herself to death's door, then she would do just that.

And there were still the matters of the still-concealed Rakatan worlds and the One Sith's shipyards. The captured ships from Copero and the ruined world Ilum were wiped clean of any navigation data, but there were still clues for Intelligence to sift through in narrowing down the search, along with interrogating what prisoners they could secure before they ritually killed themselves to avoid betraying their own, with the appropriate Chiss oversight and participation since one of their worlds was what was attacked.

But there was another issue that weighed heavily on the GA general's mind. The four Jedi and squads of Chiss commandos that had taken the Sith's last batch of lightsaber crystals right from under them near Ilum and its depleted mines had yet to report in, and she was beginning to believe they had fallen into troubles of their own while delivering their cargo to safe havens. On the other hand, if they were ambushed, they had yet to get out a distress signal or send any kind of warning to the rest of the Jedi or Aquilian Paladins through the Force.

Could the Sith have staged a counterattack and taken back their stolen cargo, or was there something else she was missing here? Either way, she needed to divert a few people to search for the teams. Perhaps Vurawn and Khedryn might be willing to lend a hand in this quiet investigation since they knew the layout of this region better than anyone else out here. While some leaders and military officers across the galaxy might be willing to write them off as dead to avoid further complications or risk more lives, Jan and the Alliance of Light did not abandon their own so easily, and she was determined to drive that point home to all of them, no matter how many inconveniences she might cause along the way.

And while she was thinking of inconveniences, Jan wondered how Wedge's secret aces were settling in on their new role in Chiss space. She knew the Wraiths were in a class above their own in off-the-books missions, but against a society as insular and treacherous as the Ascendancy, they would need to operate perfectly just to survive, let alone succeed.

2300 Hours

Korriban, Sith Catacombs

'Report, Wyyrlok.' Krayt telepathically called out to the Sith regent from aboard Ship in the void of space. 'How do your hunts go?'

While creating a secure and mobile communications network with all his nineteen asteroid bases scattered across the system, the Dread Lord was certainly taking the initiative in keeping the Alliance from breaking the One Sith, and he was wise enough to give the Chagrian Sith a chance at redemption. And it was an opportunity he would not let slip away this time, no matter what obstacles came his way.

'Everything is in place to deal with each of the enemy's incursion teams.' Wyyrlok deferentially promised. 'I am ready to lead the hunt for Jaina Solo Fel and her army, and we will be ambushing her by the end of tomorrow. In the meantime, Lords Snoke and Nox will dispose of the other two teams shortly afterwards. We will not let them enter your temple.'

'Good. And what of the hunt for the traitor?'

Hesitating for an instant, Wyyrlok composed himself, 'That, unfortunately, has suffered a complication. Someone infiltrated Doctor Aphra's cabin and incapacitated him while wiping his computers clean of his work, but no one in the citadel could identify who assaulted him.'

'However," Wyyrlok had the prudence to elaborate before he risked his mind being liquified, 'I can confirm that none of the Sith on standby were behind the attack. Someone from within one of our assault teams was responsible.'

'Then warn Snoke and Nox and root out the subversive before they can do any further damage.' Krayt impatiently ground out.

'I've already contacted them, and together we've figured out a way to discover just who the culprit was.' Wyyrlok reassured the Dread Lord. 'We'll find out before the battle begins, and we'll dispose of them right away.'

'Then do it, but not before you ensure there are no more confederates of theirs in our ranks. We've lost enough from these infernal traitors.' Krayt gruffly commanded. 'Report back to me when you've uncovered the defector and eliminated them.'

'As you wish.' Breaking the connection, Wyyrlok breathed a sigh of relief that he survived this encounter, he knew his time was fleeting unless he did exactly what he promised.

Fortunately for him, knowing where the Jedi were going gave him the advantage he would need to ambush them before they could link up with their friends. With his fellow Sith moving swiftly through the ancient caves and tombs to hurry towards their targets, by using the same tunnels they were undoubtedly using, thanks to their ex-Sith associates in Phasma, Vestara, and Ferren, they would intercept them in a matter of hours instead of days, and the carnage would begin.

And in determining whether the Edaan-Iteration was the one who betrayed everyone, he would take the initiative in this approach, with SCAR Squadron 99 backing him up as insurance if his hunch was correct. Best to take no chances with the stakes so high.

0015 Hours, Selona 12th, 59 ABY

On the Planet Exegol

Within the Dark Citadel

Inside the Ancient Sanctum

Tor Valum could hardly believe how well his agents pulled off their victorious heist right out from under the One Sith and Alliance of Light. Not only did the small vanguard he dispatched retrieved the adegan crystals from Krayt's people in the chaos of the Jedi's assault on the desolate world, but they also managed to capture all the Alliance's people with ease, including the four Jedi Knights and seven Chiss commando squads that were aiding the recovery efforts, all without tipping both their masters off.

With the shipments on the way towards their mistress's new headquarters, soon the great work in devising new tools for conquest and terror could soon begin. Knowing from the Force's whispers and his many spies on how every Sith order throughout all of time used those same crystals in experiments and weapons mundane mortals could barely fathom, he knew how these new tools would be essential for Abeloth in her coming wars, just as her many captives would as well.

While most neophytes would simply interrogate the Jedi and Chiss for information before disposing of them, Tor and his mistress knew of a far better use for the lost souls. The ideas they had for the crystals, how to use them to cow every world in terror and empower Abeloth for all eternity, would need living test subjects to refine these plans, and what better use for captives than to manipulate them for all they were worth.

Remembering how the Imperial Remnant and Hethrir's Empire Reborn movement utilized a long-abandoned Imperial laboratory on Kejim for experiments in infusing Force abilities into subjects with little or no innate Force-sensitivity via Artusian crystals as the start of creating a Dark Jedi army to overwhelm the then-young New Republic and its small number of Jedi under Luke Skywalker's tutelage. Fortunately for the failed government, the project was foiled by Kyle Katarn when he was just starting out as a Jedi Knight, but Tor knew a similar experiment would still work just as well in starting to build Abeloth a new army, one far more lethal and powerful than any other in all of history.

He was already off to a good start with his progress on recruiting the Sorcerers of Rhand, and if his predictions and machinations worked as well as they had been over the last few eons, then he and Abeloth would gain infinitely more soldiers over the next few months.

And, when combined with the immense corrupted energies of Exegol and its darkest center in the ancient sanctum, it would be easy to create the Bringer of Chaos's elite thralls. The rest of this year would be Tor's most exciting in decades, and he planned to make the most out of all these newly acquired resources before the coming conquest began for all of creation.

Well, I'd say this is a good place to end the chapter. And to think, it only took me about 8 days to write this piece. How are you all doing on this warm night of Wednesday, November 9, 2022? I'm fine, if a bit winded from my job and yard work today, and I plan to get a little reading done later tonight. I'm hoping to publish this chapter in a day or two, so that's gonna be good. Oh, and I'm taking a break from St. Augustine's City of God and focusing on a few smaller books for the time being. I'm currently close to finishing the latest book to come out by Dr. Ben Carson, and it's a fantastic piece. Afterwards, I'll read a book on Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó and his famous testimony. It's gonna be a really sobering piece, that I can guarantee without a doubt.

And on that note, I think I'd best call it a day for this chapter, but I'd best let you know that I used references from all over the place in the Expanded Universe, such as from Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, the Thrawn: Ascendancy Trilogy, and Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. After I publish this chapter, maybe I'll do another character interlude chapter next. This one will be on Robonino, the Patrolian bounty hunter and another friend of Edaan. That will be fun to write, I can guarantee. May the Lord be with us all in these turbulent times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!