Hey, everyone. I hope you're all doing well on this warm Night of Tuesday, February 7, 2023. I'm well, as I finally got feedback from my original Chapter 10 draft from the last of my new beta readers. It's very constructive and educational, but I had to divide my original Ch. 10 into two separate chapters to avoid breaking up the flow of the story. So, this will be Chapter 11, the second of two updates from last night, with Chapter 10 as the first piece resolving the events of Part 1. I'm going to leave my authors' notes below untouched, as it'll maintain my habits and give you information on my thought process for the story. Well, I'd best get this chapter published, but don't forget to read Chapter 10 and leave feedback if you have something to say. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
0945 Hours
Coruscant, Senate District
One Kilometer From the Jedi Temple
Aboard the Intrepid
Hovering a safe distance from the burning structure, Desha worried for her husband, remembering how the last time he was inside the Jedi stronghold was when he was in Abeloth's captivity. Tortured for months before rescue, vainly trying to manipulate the Force entity and turn the tide of war against her and the Lost Tribe of the Sith, Wynn remained firm in his loyalties and principles, even if deeply shaken by the agony and his captors' horrendous abilities.
But this time, the One Sith was inside the Jedi Temple, and their handful of agents had wrought great devastation on their enemy's emptied bastion. According to the Noghri scouts infiltrating the temple and reinforce the Alliance of Light's agents, corroborated by Director Slane and Master Tionne Solusar, the seventeen Sith turncoats and Lords had first activated several ion pulses to deactivate the bulk of their enemy's technology. This distraction allowed six of the eight Sith Lords to cut a bloody swath through several dozen of the civilians and Galactic Alliance soldiers before their Force-sensitive enemies could mount an effective counterattack.
Of course, against such overwhelming odds and in such a sacred site to both Jedi and Sith, it was clear the One Sith's objective here wasn't simple assassination, but they couldn't take any risks with the lives at stake. With Grand Master Katarn leading the retaliation strike, the Sith and their assassins were quickly routed and eliminated, but not before they unleashed a final surprise for the Alliance of Light. Amidst the chaos of battle, Ingo, rather than surrender to his mortal enemies, had posthumously triggered hundreds of thermal detonators scattered throughout virtually all the Temple's many levels, leaving many blazing wounds down to its foundations and killing many more than the Sith's first attack.
Seeing Wynn disconnect from his comlink, he ordered the shuttle's pilots, "Take us in right away, Lieutenant. We have plenty of wounded below that need immediate evac, and we need to start now before we risk the Temple collapsing with everyone inside."
"Sir, with all due respect, I can't risk your safety with Sith-"
"The Sith are all purged from the Temple! And we're not going to leave our allies trapped when we are able to lend a hand. Now, do as I say right away, before we waste any more time in the skies and lose any more of our people from this pointless infighting." Wynn curtly cut off the argument.
1000 Hours
Sartinaynian System Outskirts
Aboard the Ursa
"What do you mean the entire system's locked down?!" Sabine growled out to the frightened lieutenant unfortunate enough to be handling her call. "What happened down there to make you go on full alert now of all times?!"
"I apologize, but it's a matter of the entire Empire's security until everything is sorted out. I'm unauthorized to say any more of this now." The woman anxiously answered, struggling to maintain her composure amid whatever crisis was breaking out across the planet.
"If you can't tell me, then get me someone who has the authority. I don't care, Imperial Intelligence, a Jedi, Grand Moff Sarreti, Head of State Fel, just let them know Colonel Sabine Wren needs to get down to Bastion now! There may be Sith on the loose down with all of you!" The Mandalorian urged.
Gulping from a matter Sabine could not discern, the officer quickly promised, "I'll see what I can do. I'll transfer you up the chain of command as far as I can go, but I don't know how long it'll be, or who will be able to answer."
Calming down, Sabine simply urged her, "Just do the best that you can. While you do that, I'll be waiting in my shuttle for approval to land."
Suddenly, a new idea seized her mind, and she immediately acted on it, "Actually, I need you to try something else. I need you to try and contact the Imperial Intelligence bureau, as high as your clearance can get you. They'll know my purpose for being here and give me permission to land with a small crew."
"That… will be more difficult than you realize, Colonel Wren." Another voice interrupted, the firm head of Armitage Jaeger, general and commanding officer of the Empire's elite Five-Oh-First Legion, appearing before cutting the lieutenant out of the holofeed, "Imperial Intelligence headquarters was bombed from the inside, and Head of State Fel and most of those in attendance with him are in critical condition from an assassination attempt by the Sith. It seems Lord Repawl was one of our enemies all along."
Fighting back her shock at the revelation, Sabine offered, "Let me and my people come down and help with the hunt and protect Jagged. We'll abide by any terms you set, but you'll need all the help you can get in taking out these assailants."
"Frankly and undiplomatically put, but quite accurate." Armitage agreed. "You realize, of course, that there's no money in this for your mercenaries, and I doubt you'll be able to get your ship back when all this is over."
"That can all wait. Right now, I'll settle for getting the heads off these gutless hut'tuuns." Sabine vowed.
"Good enough for me." Armitage nodded. "I'll get you clearance to land and give you and your most-trusted officers top-level access to our headquarters after their backgrounds have been screened. We can't afford to take any chances in losing any leads this time around, but we can't risk any further enemy infiltrators breaching our defenses, not with Admiral Versio and Grand Moff Sarreti now lost to us."
'We just can't seem to catch a single kriffing break wherever we go.' Sabine fretted.
1030 Hours
Sunrise, Southern Hemisphere
50 Kilometers from the Che'ri Mines
Aboard the Deathless
Employing the new parameters for Irola's mission, Yiv felt relieved that he chose to back his longtime ally and unlikely patron over the senior Sith in his lunacy of bombarding the entire planet. This new plan, it would be a far more devastating and strategic blow to all Krayt's enemies. And, truth be told, he was going to enjoy giving Malleus a much-needed dose of humility and check his unbridled bloodlust. Keeping him stranded aboard the Xodlak Family's flagship and out of the fight was a good start, having remotely shut down the warship until the battle concluded to keep the fanatic from causing any more damage to the Grand Design.
With half of Irola's armada landing transports to pick up their faltering soldiers, after Haplif's group worked to give them a gentle nudge, and the rest working on bombarding the enemy's strongholds and vacant mines across the planet, the maneuvers sent the Jedi-organized coalition into a frenzy. Struggling to stop the decimation, the Alliance of Light found itself disorganized and unable to keep Yiv, his personal fleet, and much of the captured Xodlak fleet from entering Sunrise's atmosphere, on a course straight to annihilate the final defenders hidden away within the Che'ri Mines. A shame that the Sith could not get the Wraiths and the mines' defenders alive, but best to take no chances with such well-seasoned and unconventional fighters. As for the refugees, they had ample opportunity to join the right side, but they made their choice and must be punished accordingly.
And all that stood in the Nikardun and Sith forces' way were the fleets of two Jedi-affiliated smugglers and privateers, Shada D'ukal Karrde and Sidon Ithano. Eyeing the enemy flotilla bearing down upon him from his personal fleet's starboard flank, a ragtag alliance of smugglers and privateers from the greater galaxy, Yiv knew he could not waste any time in dealing with the small fish this time around. Business before pleasure, as their countless denizens would say, and quite an apt expression for this occasion.
Immediately ordering his officers with crisp precision, "Send Battle Groups Nok and Dagger to intercept and hold the enemy here. The rest of us will continue to our primary objective with all possible speed." With two of his best generals at the helm, Yiv knew the enemy would be delayed long enough to complete his mission. Oh, he was going to enjoy the next hour or two before this battle concluded.
1100 Hours
Hyperspace, Deep Within the Unknown Regions
Aboard the Hunter
"You certainly have an odd sense of timing in asking for assistance, Supreme Commander Vurawn." Maarek wearily noted after hearing the Chiss's specific request.
Kyp, awkwardly finding himself agreeing with the onetime Emperor's Hand, tentatively asked Vurawn, "How bad is the Sunrise battlefront, or have you found the Miskara?" Ignoring the cross look Maarek threw his way, the Jedi Master carried on, "If you're calling us now and asking for a crack team of our best, then you must have found something worthwhile related to the war effort, and they're the only two leads I can think of right now."
Dipping his head in acknowledgement, Vurawn answered, "Some of my agents located several critical Sith instigators that were working to escalate the tensions on Sunrise, and we're hoping their capture leads us to more than just a few political fugitives. Among the targets are Haplif and his personal retinue of Agbui, and they might have information on the Nihil Retreat or Rakatan Archipelago. They're all full-fledged Sith Lords and are manipulating the Sunrise battlefield for Darth Krayt's benefit."
Sighing, Kyp glanced at Maarek, his stern eyes conveying everything needed to be said before consenting, "I assume you've already figured out who among us to help your efforts?"
Smirking with a little genuine humor for the first time since this madness began, Vurawn knowingly advised Kyp, "Indeed. I would advise you to call upon Master Lowbacca, Captain Khedryn Faal, and Vice Admiral Kral Nevil and see if they and a few of their best would be willing to aid my people and the Aquilians' in a training exercise. You'll also need to ensure your intelligence boons from the Nihil Retreat are studied and implemented into our strategy immediately, and there are other allies to call upon."
Nodding in appreciation, Maarek agreed. "Master Durron and I will see to it they're convinced of the merits of your mission and will set out before the day is over."
1140 Hours
Sunrise, Southern Hemisphere
Within the Che'ri Mines
Aboard the Quarren Eye
"Everyone's aboard! Punch it!" Jesmin yelled towards the bridge, helping the last Chiss soldiers and their loyal refugees load up before closing the boarding doors, allowing the Vigilance-class yacht to take off and blast right out of the mines, flying into open skies mere moments before the tunnels collapsed, only to be pursued by six Chiss patrol boats of the commandeered Xodlak Great Family's illicit fleet.
Voort spared no time in powering up the ship's deflector shields and defensive weaponry, blowing a gaping hole in the enemy's blockade and giving the survivors a way off this doomed world. Aided by the Meson Martinet, Wild Karrde, and each of their best subordinates' ships, the ragtag alliance fought their way up to open space, downing more than their fair share of enemy corvettes and several stolen capital ships in the process, but not without suffering extensive casualties of their own. Losing a third of the Chiss mine's defenders and their transports meant to ferry their alien refugees to safer havens, about fifteen hundred souls altogether, including Senior Captain Jossk and most of his command staff, the Wraiths could only shudder at whatever horrors awaited them all in the enemy's merciless care.
While he knew the Sith armada was about to withdraw with their prizes, it did nothing to salve the wounds of bitter defeat the Alliance had just suffered. Out of the entire planet's immigrant population, barely eight million still remained behind on the surface, with the remaining eleven million and seven hundred thousand went with the Sith to join their war against the Sith. Soon, all the losses the enemy's armies had suffered throughout the war were about to be meaningless.
And without the Nyix mines to supply the Chiss Ascendancy's already wounded war effort, most having been bombarded into oblivion along with all but two of the Chiss's strongholds, production across dozens of their facilities would likely grind to a halt and leave their worlds vulnerable to further incursions. Coupled with the political instability and rampant fears among most of the Ascendancy's populace, the government's prospects for survival were looking increasingly bleak.
But there was something else troubling Voort, something that should be impossible to be, let alone believe. From what scant data he was able to intercept from the Sith's war fleet, and from what he heard from the Alliance of Light's allied fleets, their diverse servants utilized many tactics refined and implemented by a former compatriot of Rogue Squadron and the New Republic, Elscol Loro. With his eidetic memory, the Wraiths' leader recognized the bulk of the maneuvers the Sith used through the campaign's final few hours, and he knew that there was no such thing as a coincidence.
Disturbed by the unfavorable odds of Elscol or one of her lost followers having allied with the Sith and given them all her strategies and methods, Voort knew he needed to talk with Wedge and the rest of Rogues' Gallery's leadership right away about this probability, even if he dreaded that meeting. For everyone's sakes, he hoped he was wrong on his suspicions, or everyone allied with the Jedi was in direr danger than they realized.
1200 Hours
Coruscant, Coco District
Inside the Jettster's Diner's Basement
"We have a few new leads on the fugitives." Garik immediately alerted Kajin. Knowing from the comm frequency the head of Galactic Alliance Security was utilizing for this communication, the Chief of State recognized the nature of the holocall and avoided wasting time with any needless questions.
"Excellent. Where are they now?"
"Hiding in the Great Western Sea, using Mr. Solomon Brasmin's estate as a front for their work. Or at least they were, before they left to prevent capture and destroyed their own headquarters to cover their tracks." Garik answered. "One of our patrols got lucky and intercepted an unauthorized data feed transmitted there from deep inside the Industrial District, and they looked a bit deeper into it. Someone's been letting a lot of probe droids snoop around the area, and it looks like they're looking for something or someone out there."
"What could they want out there?" Kajin rubbed his chin, confused at the unforeseen detail.
"I don't know for certain, but I have a strong hunch on what they might be looking for." Garik grimly began. "It's one of the the two last leftover legacies from my unofficial assets' efforts in expunging the Lecersen Conspiracy's leaders from inside the Galactic Alliance."
Inwardly paling at the implications, Kajin shakily asked, "Are you telling me that we have three of the most notorious and dangerous traitors to the Galactic Alliance hidden away on the planet they planned their coup, and in the same vicinity as each other?"
"We've kept them apart and in solitary confinement since their incarceration in the Grungeon Block." Garik clarified. "Only about a hundred prisoners are officially on the list, and Treen, Thaal, and Maddeus are kept secret from all but twelve guards and wardens in the detention facility. So, as far as we know, they have no knowledge of the others' presence there."
"But right now, we have more important questions to ask: Why would Fyor Rodan, a man who once prided himself as a model citizen, man of honor, and principled leader, along with his associates want to break out three power-hungry galactic criminals of such amorality that could rival the Sith?"
Catching on to Garik's unfinished question, Kajin solemnly realized, "Because Natasi Daala and her Knights of Olpaka are preparing for a new war against the rest of the galaxy, and they're trying to gather up every leader and bit of intelligence on the Galactic Alliance to use against us. And this gives us all the more reason to catch Rodan's people right away, before they can get who and what they came here for. Especially since the Sith struck again at Coruscant and have the populace in a frenzy."
"I'll work on bolstering the prison's security with all the best from every department." Garik agreed. "And in the meantime, we'll work on getting you and Mister Jettster to a safer haven until this crisis blows over. No sense in taking any chances with so many rogues and enemies running amok on the GA's capital world."
"Good luck trying to pry Pong from his hard-built establishment. I'm going to stay out of that little war." Kajin amusingly warned, before resuming a serious expression, "What is the situation at the Jedi Temple?"
"Stabilized, but still far too precarious for reentry." Garik regrettably answered. "All present Sith and their collaborators have been killed or committed suicide to avoid capture, but the Temple's foundations have been extensively damaged by many of their homemade bombs, so we're evacuating everyone until we can get crews down there to evaluate and repair the damage. We just can't risk losing anyone else if the structure collapses, Sith shrine down there or not."
"I'll find a way to get the material and experts to the area. In the meantime, work with the rest of the Chiefs in cordoning off the area until I give the word to do otherwise." Kajin ordered, somehow knowing this war would only get worse before the day was over, not realizing just how right his instincts were.
1230 Hours
Korriban, Sith Catacombs
Aboard the Reek
On Route to the Valley of the Dark Lords
"You mean to tell me that you didn't kill Zorra, or even capture him after all he tried to do to you?!" Shara disbelievingly questioned Phasma after Tau asked what became of the ex-Sith's brother. Having boarded one of the Centurion-class Fortresses that were tunnelling their way up to the Korriban's surface, everyone fell under a pall of uncertainty and fear at having failed in all their objectives. "Do you realize how many people he'll kill when he recovers from his wounds?!"
"It wasn't out of the goodness of my heart, but part of a long-term strategy." Phasma bitterly corrected her teammate. "I injected a prototype tracer into Zorra's bloodstream and left him for the Sith to collect. It's undetectable by all sensors, even the Force, and it'll stay in him for a month at the very most."
Understanding fully dawning on Tau's face, followed by a rueful smirk, "You're much cleverer and ruthless than I ever could've anticipated, almost worthy of a Sith."
"You would've done the same if it meant saving Edaan or anyone else you cared about." Phasma dismissively waved off before tiredly warning, "And don't ever joke about my loyalties when you made the same choice of allegiance as I did."
"Let's save the playful banter for after we get out from under this accursed planet and back to space." Robonino scolded the two, an uncharacteristic display for one usually so jovial, the reason why easy to discern for Tau.
Trying to console his friend and comrade, Tau promised, "We'll get Edaan back. We just need a new plan, and a way to draw him out."
Eyeing the clone, Robonino guessed, "You've got a way to bring him back, I bet."
"Yes." Tau acknowledged, knowing everyone was staring at him now, but knowing the stakes and believing he could trust Edaan's two friends with this information, carefully admitted, "All should say right now is that it'll take both me and Adari to reawaken Edaan's true self. Without either of us, the code phrase Ahsoka's ghost implanted in his mind won't work."
Suspiciously evaluating Tau, Shara would have said more before tensing up, with every Force User aboard sensing the same disturbance as the Mandalorian. Robonino, seeing the sudden tension, pulled out a blaster, "We're being followed, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Edaan's coming for us." Soldier anxiously pulled out his lightsaber seconds before a shadow, one tainted by the putrid taint of the Dark Side barely crossed his peripheral vision. "Scratch that, he's already here."
Everyone rapidly pulled out their weapons, forgoing any questions to focus on the coming attack, they were prepared when everyone heard lightsabers activating, at least four by everyone's standards, and many screams filling the adjourning chambers.
Rushing to the scene alongside his allies, Tau was abhorred to see the brutal scene: Edaan, standing before the pieces of at least seven corpses, with four lightsabers coming out of his arms, armor surgically grafting onto his upper torso, and his eyes a pure and blazing yellow, full of evil uncharacteristic of the once-gentle Jedi.
'What have Sorzus and 11-4D done to you?' Tau terrifyingly asked himself, regretting ever leaving his brother's side. Robonino, the first to support him, was far more verbal in his horror, "Boss, what are you doing?!"
Silent as Shara, Soldier, and Phasma arrived and prepared to restrain the intruder, Tau knew there was only one chance at saving his comrades from being torn apart. Taking the lead, he addressed his progenitor, calling out, "Edaan!" Catching the brainwashed Jedi's attention, he continued, "I have something to say to you."
"'Cast my shadow on the fires of war.'" Tau spoke, desperately hoping the code phrase Ahsoka taught him, and uttered by him alone, would at least be enough for Edaan to hesitate, who only tilted his head in bafflement at the wording before adopting a combat stance, with everyone else ready to defend themselves.
"Very well. If none of you are going to attack, then allow me to strike the first blow." Edaan's voice, as dark and menacing as Darth Vader's when he was trapped in his cybernetic suit for over half of his life, robotically spoke. Everyone, readying themselves for the attack, were easily taken back by how easily Edaan nearly blew them away with a single wave of telekinetic energy.
Only Soldier, Tau, Phasma, and Jaden, who had the most strength left from the earlier battle, were able to stand their ground, with the rest knocked onto the nearby walls by the blast. Igniting his own lightsaber, a pure gold blade to signify the Aquilian Paladin's colors, he warned his old friend while taking a defensive pose, "Edaan, if there's any remnant left of you still in there, fighting to break free, then give me a sign."
"Whoever 'Edaan' is, this naïve fool you are trying to reach, it is futile. I am a vessel of the Dark Side and general of the One Sith, and I will never break my oath to Lord Krayt." Edaan spat before charging right at Soldier.
Surprised by the incredible speed, strength, and perfect precision of the attacks, the four Light Siders initially found themselves hard-pressed to defend against the onslaught, realizing the Sith did more work on enhancing Edaan's natural abilities than Tau was aware of. Against most opponents, the four allies could individually hold their own against almost any foe with ease. But the repurposed Jedi wasn't the only experiment of depraved individuals, and the three products of Sith cloning experiments and reformed Sith Lady were ready to remind their adversaries that the forces of light wouldn't go down without putting up at least a decent fight.
Attacking as one, the four allies each tried to strike at one of Edaan's blind spots while the others maintained their offensive, each using a different lightsaber style to try and confuse him and outmaneuver some of his defenses. Unfortunately for them, his perfect use of the defensive Soresu lightsaber form with all his built-in lightsabers prohibited everyone from even landing one single blow, not even a miniscule cut.
While the four vainly attacking Edaan, Robonino dazedly rose to his feet, seeing the carnage wrought by his longtime friend, he knew ordinary methods wouldn't bring the enhanced and brainwashed Jedi Knight down. To give the Alliance a chance at bringing the Sith's most prized project back to the light, he had to risk everything he had in this one gamble.
Pulling out his most precious blaster and a special grenade he created for capturing a Sith, Robonino prepared to take aim at Edaan, before he found himself flung headfirst into the ceiling and heaved right across the cold, hard floor before seeing the sickly eye gazing on him.
"Boss…" Robonino croaked out, his earlier wounds exacerbated before he was thrown towards Edaan, stopping mere inches from the back of his face. With Tau, Jaden, Soldier, and Phasma redoubling their efforts to free their comrade as the Patrolian's pain increased while feeling all four of his limbs stretch near their breaking points, pleading to his friend, "Come on, break free from this spell! You're the strongest friend I know, and you can stop this madness! Don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life!"
Seeing the brief pause while holding back each opponent's lightsaber, Robonino hoped his words were getting through. But after a moment, Edaan turned around to reveal a smile that conveyed no warmth, only pure evil as he sighed, "I have no regrets for doing this to you, enemy of the One Sith."
Right then, Edaan completed his dismemberment of Robonino, ripping not only his arms and legs off, simultaneously, but decapitating him at the same time, tearing an appalled gasp out of Tau. Seeing the jovial mercenary so casually ripped apart by his most trusted friend, the Iteration knew that even if Edaan could still be saved, he would carry the scars of that barbaric act forever.
Seizing the opportune moment, Edaan, that same sadistic grin plastered all over his face, gleefully continued his carnage, attacking every enemy in sight with a redoubled ferocity, breaking through everyone's defenses with an even greater strength than before. But this time, he was clumsy in his approach, creating openings even a novice wouldn't make.
Seeing one chance to end this madness and save his friend, Jaden lunged right in to try and cleave Edaan's legs clean off. Getting within mere millimeters of Edaan, he was prepared to strike before hearing a blaster fire a single attack, striking right through Jaden's spine between his shoulder blades, and knocking him out not even a moment later.
"Thus will be the fate of all those who dare to oppose the Grand Design." Edaan sadistically smirked before his corporeal form simply vanished, leaving everyone stupefied at what just happened and heartbroken over what they just witnessed.
Tau, the first to rise, seeing Jaden lying motionless on the cold ground, immediately rushed to Jaden's side, pouring healing energies into the Jedi to try and sustain his life, with Phasma joining him in tending to the wounded, while Soldier headed to the mobile fortress's command center to warn the Alliance of this tragedy.
1240 Hours
Coruscant, Coco District
Within the Jettster's Diner
Scouring through the data archives from Luke's Tatooine redoubt on possible allies to call upon while preparing to assist the wounded, Kyle suddenly felt as if he was having a heart attack, gripping his chest with nearly enough strength to draw blood at what reverberated through the Force. Sensing the crippling of his first apprentice, the young man that he thought of as his own son, at the hands of his latest and most talented, gentlest, and powerful pupil, the heartbreak was almost enough to flung him right into a coma.
'Edaan. What horrors has Krayt inflicted on you to twist you into his greatest and darkest instrument of war?' Kyle despaired, nearly vomiting all his body's worth of fluids and blood before he used the Force to calm his turbulent mind and body. Having asked to be transported to Pong's restaurant with a select few of his Jedi and fellow Force Users from other schools, he quickly brought everyone up to speed on what the Dorvans might have missed in their report and began reviewing what he missed in the war during this ill-fated excavation.
Struggling to get onto his feet, he still found his legs as weak as twigs, unable to support his weight with his distraught spirit. Seeing Pong and Kajin rush to his side, with the former yelling to his employees to get a shuttle ready for transport and the latter reaching for a comlink, Kyle woozily shook his head. "No. I'm not physically hurt. I just… I felt Jaden slip towards the edge of death, all the way from Korriban."
Taking deep breaths to try and fight back the nausea, he slowly and weakly asked Pong, "Could you help me get back down to your basement? I need to use your comm station to communicate with Shedu Maad and Alliance High Command and warn everyone what's going on before Edaan can inflict any more damage on us. Then I'll see a doctor with the rest of the wounded."
"And afterwards, once everyone's tended to and we assess the situation for Coruscant, I'll need to return to Shedu Maad with most of our people to prepare for the next phase of this war."
"What about Rodan and his confederates? And your lasting Sith shrine problem?" Kajin reminded him.
"The Sith's lasting stain isn't going away anytime soon." Kyle grimly sighed. "We'll leave behind a skeleton crew to observe and keep vigil over the temple while assigning a few teams to assist in capturing Rodan and his accomplices, but our primary focus will need to be on defeating the One Sith going forward, before the war spins any further out of control."
1300 Hours
Korriban Orbit
Aboard the Retribution
'Well done, both of you.' Krayt telepathically complimented Edaan and Sorzus, both of whom were aboard Ship, proud of their efforts and revitalized in his plan to realize the Grand Design. Addressing Sorzus now, he consoled her, 'You may not have captured either target, but you wounded their spirits and left them vulnerable to further exploitation. That will be enough for now.'
'Report to my chambers for a personal debriefing. I will join you after we leave this system behind us.' Krayt ordered both Sith Lords. Hearing from the two how well Edaan had performed against his adversaries, slaughtering half an entire tank's complement and one of his former companions, the Dread Lord was fully satisfied in his scientists' work on the Jedi's fallen champion.
Unlike Tau and his emotionless efforts in killing Lona Aphra to protect hers' and Chelli's cover, Edaan radiated complete satisfaction at literally ripping the pleading Robonino apart through the Force and disposing of Jaden Korr as the first true test of his improved abilities. While Krayt would have wanted Jaden dead immediately, this slow death would be far more devastating on the Alliance's morale, aiding the One Sith's war effort even more than his best predictions.
And whatever code phrase Tau tried to use on Edaan to restore his mind failed, for Sorzus, not willing to take a chance and lose her investment, managed to block his mind from the attempted reawakening while pursuing Allana and Adari.
Receiving reports from all fleets on their readiness to evacuate, along with sensing all the Dread Lord's wounded stragglers having just broken out of Korriban's surface to link up with the departing force, Krayt knew the time for all his disciples to leave this world behind had finally come.
Telepathically commanding all his followers to jump to hyperspace, Krayt, for the first time in many months, felt wholly optimistic about this war's outcome and was renewed in a dark hope that all the sacrifices he made, all the pain he endured, would all be worth it in the end.
Well, I think this will conclude Part 1 of my story. And what a dark place to leave the heroes! I know, I'm a monster, but there's a method to the madness, and it's all setting things up for the brilliance of my last two stories in this saga. I just wish I didn't have to prepare to kill off Jaden Korr, but I needed to raise the stakes of the war, and I know Jaden's popular with many in the EU community, so it makes sense in the grand scheme of things. And killing off many Jedi-allied Imperials may leave the Empire wounded, but it is by no means out of the fight. But before I get to work on Part 2, I'm going to write my Robonino Interlude to commemorate the Patrolian bounty hunter and the start of his friendship with Edaan. Man, it's really going to be bittersweet to write. And after that, I think I'll write a few interlude chapters to set the stage for the rest of the fourth story. Well, I hope you're all doing well on this cool night of Friday, January 13, 2023. I'm fine, as I finished Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. As usual, it was a great read and will inspire me to improve my own storytelling. I just hope I can enjoy more Star Wars novels before I go back to real-world books. Well, I guess that's everything I need to say. May God be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
