Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm night of Tuesday, June 6, 2023? I'm well, of a bit sleepy. But I'll be going to bed in a couple hours, so I'd best get plenty of writing done beforehand, since this will be the last chapter of the Atai Molec interlude before I get back to the main story. So, I'm still reading my Mike Pompeo book, but I hope to finish it in a few days, and then read a good Christian joy book afterwards before getting back to Star Wars books for a while. Anyway, I'd best get back to this chapter while I can. I hope you have a blessed night; may the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!

Twelve Hours Later

Helona 17th, 53 ABY

Zygerria, Capital City

Aboard the Liberty

"Are you all ready?" Atai, hiding his anxiousness behind an unreadable posture, asked his allies whether they attended in person or by hologram. With the leader of the Galactic Alliance's joint anti-slavery task forces, Keyan Farlander aboard his flagship, and Ben and Edaan prepared to stand by the Zygerrian, all prepared to speak before the Senate regarding the covert pact between the government and Jedi Order, they all hoped they could prevent a political disaster and turn everyone's focus on their true enemies.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Ben wearily sighed. "Not that any of us ever enjoy speaking before that collection of proud fools, but we'll do our part."

"Good." Atai nodded before motioning to his aide, and the officer opened the holofeed to Coruscant. After a minute of working to stabilize the connection, the entirety of the Senate was laid before the three fighters, and they found precious few friends among the assembly, if the suspicious and resentful glares aimed at them from most of the Senators.

Kajin, having the awkward role of beginning the hearing, cordially greeted, "Prime Minister Molec. We've all heard several remarkable things about you and your newfound alliance, and we appreciate your willingness to speak with us and address our concerns and questions."

"You don't need to spare the trouble, Chief of State Yimmon." Keyan interceded. "We all know what your body primarily wishes to discuss, and me and my fellow commanders are more than willing to explain and answer for our desertion."

Hating to lie before the many senators that still valued the Galactic Alliance's principles, even as Keyan already agreed to cover for Kajin and the GA Joint Chiefs on the actuality about their covert orders, he began, "The Jedi and the leaders of the Outer Rim Alliance had alerted us of the Sith and their old alliance with the pro-slavery worlds of the Outer and Mid Rim worlds, and informed us of the scope of their kidnapping efforts on millions of our citizens from across thousands worlds."

Waiting for the fervor of questions and accusations to die down before continuing, Keyan resumed his false explanation, "We don't expect most of you to simply take us at our word, so we have the records from the six worlds we've liberated from its dictators. Review them at your own discretion, but rest assured we've ensured their validity."

"If these reports and numbers are accurate, then why didn't you bring this before us right away?!" Suuas Wuul, junior senator of the Outer Rim World of Sullust, angrily demanded. "We could have handled it without your interference!"

Eyeing the young Sullustan with a disgusted glare at his idiocy, Keyan answered, "Because of the Neutrality Act your senior peers created that left us unable to fight the Sith and forced us to break the laws to do what was right for our citizens. And quite frankly, we didn't trust a great many of you to let us do our job, given your track record at representing the people that put you into office."

"And you expect us to believe that you acted on your own volition to rescue these enslaved citizens?" Jenna Sauro scathingly questioned. "Going up against the Zygerrians, Thalassians, and several other nefarious slaver cultures would require a large amount of firepower and troops, and you couldn't have received it without some form of official support."

"Considering that the Empire, Hapans, Confederation, and the Jedi Order helped fund and instruct my freedom movement, it's quite likely that General Farlander and his fellow GA leaders were able to get the resources they needed from them. And most of the Alliance's military still remembers all the good the Jedi did, and unlike many of you, they live by the oaths they made to protect and serve the people." Atai took over.

Eyeing the Senators with an angry glean in his eyes, Atai resumed, "I look upon many of you, the leaders of the largest and most powerful of the free powers of the galaxy, and I am forced to be reminded of the pompousness, the arrogance, and the corruption of my people, the same evil I walked away from so many years ago."

"Because of your wounded pride and overwhelming fear, so many of you were willing to cut ties with the best defense the galaxy had against the Sith and leave all your citizens at the mercy of your mutual enemy. You gave the Sith free sway over most of the galaxy and left the embattled rest of us who still stood for righteousness forced to take risks and gamble otherwise inconceivable. And with this sudden vacuum of power, so many newcomers, most of which among the worst individuals and societies, took over chunks of the galaxy and have ruined or murdered countless souls. And you certainly didn't have a major plague or a thousand years of constant warfare that marked the Draggulch Period to hide behind as an excuse."

Temper rising to a boiling point after hearing the cacophony of denials and threats from half the Senate, and the rest of the leaders trying to urge calm or argue right back at their rivals, Edaan gently moved past Atai and used the Force to manipulate the Senate Hall's audio filters to make his voice appear as a bellow as he shouted, "QUIET!"

Seeing the assembly grow silent after hearing such an uncharacteristic display from a teenage holostar, Edaan passionately continued, "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. While you fight amongst yourselves and jockey for power, status, and wealth, our enemies are advancing on every front and preparing for war on all those who would oppose them."

"I know many of you have valid reasons to be wary of the Jedi, and I can empathize with those of you who are confused and afraid of this changing galaxy and looking for guidance from those with more experience at such matters." Edaan paused, before admitting, "I lost my entire family when Abeloth and the Lost Tribe invaded Coruscant and devastated the planet. And like you, I blamed the Jedi and its council for letting the Sith occupy your capital world for a long time." Looking down, he acknowledged, "Deep down, I think a part of me still does hold them responsible for not only the Kesh-based Sith controlling, but the rise of Darth Caedus and the Second Galactic Civil War escalating as far as it did."

"Then why have you fought for them so long?" The senator from Coruscant, Finn Korin, carefully asked. "Why stay with an order you hold responsible for so much damage?"

"Because holding on to such hatred would dishonor all my family stood for and leave the galaxy all that more divided and vulnerable to the armies of darkness." Edaan earnestly answered. "And while I still blame the Jedi for letting the Lost Tribe infiltrate Coruscant so easily, there is no way we could have accounted for Abeloth following suit by taking over Rokari Kem and leadership of the Galactic Alliance. She fooled everyone, and we certainly didn't expect her to be capable of the atrocities she caused when making her escape."

"But we're getting bogged down in the past when we should be focused on the present and the repercussions today will hold for the future." Edaan stopped before, trusting the Force to guide him, speaking to Kajin, "I know this will generate much controversy from many of your senators, but I beg of you, Chief of State, to consider casting a motion to repeal the Neutrality Act that separates your government from the war against the Sith."

Expecting a sharp furor of outrage from all parties, Edaan was hopeful when he heard nothing but silence. On the other hand, perhaps the Senate was still recovering from his last bout of shouting and afraid to anger him again. Either way, taking the initiative, he let Ben finish this speech, "Look at what has happened since you passed the bill. Hundreds of your systems have come under attack by pirates, slavers, and warlords, while many others who try to help have either been killed by them or the Sith, not to mention ruined by those within your borders who would profit from such misery."

"And your absconding of responsibility has left all your citizenry and most of the military afraid that the GA no longer cares about protecting them, forcing them to take matters into their own hands to save the people and institutions they cherish so fiercely. It also makes you look weak before the Empire and Confederation, and I know most of you would hate to be humiliated by worlds and territories who were once part of your government and were former rivals and enemies."

"Will you let the GA's many foes run amok while punishing those who only wish to uphold their oaths for your constitution, or will you take a stand again and fight not only for what was right, but to honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in pursuit of freedom and to uphold the rights you now enjoy?"

Clearing his throat, Kajin took over the conversation, "Well, I appreciate all your candor and brave testimony. But I believe we need to table any resolutions until I may say my piece before the Senate. And obviously, this discussion must happen behind closed doors to ensure confidentiality. Give me one hour to speak and allow the Senate to vote on my proposals, and then we shall contact you all again. General Farlander can stay on the call, given how this body will need him to remain as a witness for this measure."

Bowing their heads, Atai spoke on everyone's behalf, "We understand, and we look forward to hearing the results of your discussion."

After the HoloNet feed closed, with Keyan's hologram fading alongside it, everyone sighed, and Atai turned to Edaan before quietly acknowledging, "Well done, Edaan."

"Sir?" The Jedi Apprentice questioned. "I was afraid that you would be angry over how I nearly botched the talks with my improvised speech."

"Why? Because you saw what was happening and took the initiative to reach the hearts of many among that wayward flock of nerfs? You spoke wisely and gave excellent counsel that came from the heart, while helping to hopefully sway the Senate towards our perspective. I'd say you did a fantastic job in salvaging the situation."

'Let's just hope the Senate will listen.' Ben worriedly mused. Knowing the Senate's track record in heeding the Jedi's advice, let alone admitting its own mistakes, it would be a monumental task for Kajin and his allies to triumphantly finish this fight. Still, if anyone could handle the political minefield that lay before everyone, the Chief of State very well could.

Three Hours Later

Coruscant, Senate District

Senate Building

Jenna couldn't comprehend how everything transpired. The anti-Jedi faction held all the cards in this impromptu hearing, they had every advantage against their sworn adversaries and their friends, but those do-gooders had somehow managed to turn the arguments around and turn this disaster into a decisive victory. She and her fifteen One Sith collaborators were supposed to have ensured the Galactic Alliance was too hamstrung in procedure and obstinance by censuring its Jedi-friendly Chief of State and military, but that opportunity had been taken from them because of an impossible gamble by its sickeningly honorable generals, the accursed scions of the Skywalker and Palpatine names, and the leader of the wretched Outer Rim Alliance.

And now, Chief of State Yimmon and his patrons were set to propose a motion to abolish the Galactic Alliance's Neutrality Act, using the Sith's use of proxies to conceal their illicit activities and ties to the slave guilds to rally the Senate to action. A clever political maneuver, Jenna had to give the Cerean leader proper credit, much as it disgusted her to admit being outwitted by any rival or enemy. But if this resolution did manage to pass, then hers' and all her allies' heads would be on a chopping block by their hidden masters.

Such a scenario was exactly what Jenna had to avoid, and that meant calling in virtually every favor and piece of blackmail her people had on the rest of the Senators that would be most likely to vote with her. And giving a few wavering souls a newly opened patronage position within the GA or some other untraceable bribe would work just as well. It would be close, but thanks to the Chief of State allowing a two-hour reprieve for everyone to consider their positions before casting their vote, she would ensure the three-fourths majority would fall short by just enough votes to block the resolution while avoiding suspicion.

Quietly conferring with her aides while sending a coded message to U'Ta, she whispered, "How are we looking?"

"Everything's in place. It'll be tight, but we'll manage."

Nodding, tension slightly alleviating from Jenna's tight shoulders, she received a reply from U'Ta, just before the Speaker called the assembly back to order, and Kajin rose from his podium to address the Senate. "I would assume you are all ready to cast your votes and decide on the course of history, but I'd like to say a few words before we begin the process."

"I know many of you have strong feelings about this controversial topic, ranging from the personal to political, whether short-term or long-reaching sentiments, just as my predecessor had when he held office. But, like Ambassador Wynn Dorvan and his cabinet, I have tried my best to balance the wishes of this body with the good of the people, no matter how difficult that task might be."

"Unfortunately, unlike the former Chief of State, I do not have the same level of patience and understanding as he does, and I have far stronger and more dangerous sentiments that I must give voice to." Kajin reluctantly admitted. "In spite of all the tragedies that revolve around the Jedi, their grievous mistakes, and lapses in judgment, I must confess my sympathies largely align with them and their earnest and noble goals.

"That is why I personally authorized the eight task forces to help liberate Zygerria and its allies from its tyrannical overlords, regardless of the risk of confronting the Sith and fully aware of the illegality of these actions."

Shocked by Kajin's suicidal confession, Jenna, her calculating mind trying to determine his angle at this mad bid, had to shout to be heard over the clamor of her supporters, "Sir, do you realize what you've just admitted to?! This body has all it needs now to demand a vote of no confidence against you!"

"I do realize this, even though I took steps to ensure the probability of facing the Sith was minimal." Kajin solemnly nodded, before the sergeant-at-arms restored order to the chaotic chambers with a single upwards shot of his blaster and allowed the Chief of State to continue. "But I wish to remind the Senate that because of our indecisiveness and arrogance, millions of our own citizens were captured and sold into slavery by the Sith and their partners, and had we not taken action to stop it, they would have ruined countless more lives and built an empire of misery and agony for all."

"And all for a single piece of legislation that tied our hands and left us vulnerable to subversion and attack by a power that will not respect our borders, will not acknowledge our laws or customs, and ruin our effectiveness in protecting our people and sovereignty." Kajin's voice rose, preparing to erupt into a bellow before he restrained himself. "Which is why I, and many leaders of our body that shared my sentiments, were forced to work outside our laws to do what common sense dictated and avoid hurting your wounded pride and save lives across the Galactic Alliance and every other galactic government."

"If you wish to remove me from power for simply doing what was right, and not playing politics and riding the wave of hurt feelings and misplaced anger at the Sith and Abeloth's greatest enemies to grab more power and wealth for myself, then do so, in the process of endangering all you claim to stand for and damning us all." Kajin nearly spat. "But if you can look past that for a few minutes, remember how our recent guests acknowledged their role in the devastation of Coruscant by Abeloth and the Lost Tribe, and how they are working to rebuild the galaxy while defending worlds both in and out of our jurisdiction, maybe you can see a path forward without relying on old grudges and misplaced pride."

"Just like the Senate under Bor'sk Fey'la, the New Republic found itself ripped apart from all sides by the Yuuzhan Vong and the worst kinds of traitors in our ranks and citizenry. Its inefficiency, its corruption, and unwillingness to take responsibility for its failures and lay the blame on the Jedi for the enemy's evils led to the noble government's collapse, and nearly cost us the entire galaxy." Kajin recalled, before passionately imploring, "But we can still change course and fix our mistakes. There are those, not just the Jedi, who wish to do what is right and are doing our work in protecting the vulnerable worlds and sectors that truly need our help. Which is why, even if you remove me from office, you must repeal the Galactic Alliacne Neutrality Act and rebuild ties with the Jedi before the Sith can complete their designs. It is our only hope of survival."

Sighing, Kajin concluded, "I've said my piece. Do with it what you will, and I only hope it is the right choice, not the easy one."

Eyeing her peers from both factions, Jenna was astonished and terrified to observe most of them seriously contemplate Kajin's plea. But knowing it was too late to do anything to further delay the vote, she remained silent as the Speaker rose to declare, "Then let us vote. Those in favor of repealing the Galactic Alliance Neutrality Act?"

Silent as an untold number of Senators cast their vote both verbally and by electronic ballot, Jenna, behind a wall of mental barriers Darth Snoke taught her to construct, prayed the motion failed. After a minute of waiting, the Chistori speaker, his reptilian face betraying nothing, spoke again, "Those opposed?"

Another minute passed, and the vote concluded. The Speaker, holding the datapad containing the results, solemnly noted, "The motion fails by fifty votes, and twenty abstentions."

Reading through the ballot, Jenna realized that over a fifth of her supporters defected to the pro-Jedi faction after the Chief of State's speech, and the balance of power shifted towards Kajin and his accursed weak-willed masters. And if the Jedi's plan failed by a slim margin now, then removing their pliable Chief of State would be impossible and only amount to a tremendous waste of far more vital political capital. Although the Neutrality Act barely held, she and her allies would need to tread far more carefully going forward in all their illicit activities.

Either way, Lord Snoke and his masters would more than likely be quite displeased by today's events.

Helona 20th, 53 ABY

Outer Rim Worlds

Deep Within the Tingel Arm

Aboard the Gladiator-class Star Destroyer Miraj Scintel

A despondent De'Nal could hardly gaze upon all that remained of his once-illustrious kingdom. Barely over three thousand ships and nearly one-and-a-half million subjects and soldiers hiding like common criminals out in the galaxy's deepest crevices. That was all that remained of the legacy his predecessors had built on the backs and labor of countless lesser beings.

And this entire set of circumstances was all because of his pact with the One Sith against the Jedi, and De'Nal couldn't do anything to seek proper recompense. Without Krayt's useless agents and resources, he and the remainder of his forces would not last the year as wanted fugitives across the known galaxy. To add insult to bitter injury, he and his convoys had been stuck out on the fringes of the Outer Rim for nearly two days, and their supplies and provisions were quickly running low. For everyone's sakes, Kitai and her people had better be coming with more than a new plan for his people, or the exiled king would have more than hateful words to give to the Sith Lady.

De'ralla, coming between the monarch and his loathing rants, firmly interrupted De'Nal, "We've picked up multiple identified signatures reverting into realspace, most of them ships belonging to Lady Kitai."

"About blasted time." De'Nal irritably grunted. Seeing the Kesh-born Sith's fleet emerge, he was caught off guard by the many civilian and cargo transports that were accompanying Kitai to the rendezvous point. Assuming they held the tools the Zygerrian people needed to rebuild their lives, the king awaited his patron's communique before he was mortified to see the hologram of Darth Wyyrlok appear before the bridge crew.

Hastily bowing on one knee before the right hand of Darth Krayt, De'Nal humbly whispered, "What do you wish for me, honored Shadow Hand?"

"To listen and obey." Wyyrlok warned. "Because of a variety of factors and individuals we failed to anticipate, we have lost several of our best agents and twenty safe havens for our operations. And the end of the slave trade will require us to think much more creatively in building our master's Sith empire, a point Lady Kitai and her Mandalorian friend were quite adamant and persuasive in making to us earlier on."

Unwilling to let Kitai and Mirta off the hook for countermanding his plans and losing his center of power to the Outer Rim Alliance, De'Nal was prepared to offer a rebuttal before De'ralla interceded, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Master, but most of the… refugees will not see the matter the same way. They are blaming everyone but themselves to avoid looking inward for responsibility and will burn for revenge while reestablishing themselves in the practice and habits they were born with. Slavery will not be so easy to expunge from our psyche."

"Which is why we must take disciplinary measures to rebuild our ranks and funds while helping your people reinvent yourselves and assisting in advancing the Grand Design." Wyyrlok began. "There are many other ways to get the people and resources than we need rather than using something so crude and controversial as slavery."

"Exactly what are you proposing, Wyyrlok?" De'Nal quickly interrupted, earning severe glares from both his commander and the ranking Sith Lord. "Slavery is my people's lifeblood, and how else will we rebuild ourselves while in exile from Molec and his cronies?"

Sneering a smile that conveyed arrogance, Wyyrlok simply explained, "Your people will apply your skills in new ways, more focused and creative than the wanton slaver operations that built up your notoriety. There are millions of Force Sensitives out there that can be acquired before the Jedi and their like minded orders can take them, and many more enemies that can be silenced or brought over to our cause with your remaining mountains of wealth and favors."

De'ralla took over, explaining, "Let me be clear on this, Your Highness. This matter will not be up for negotiation, nor will you make a public spectacle of this adjustment. Our people, along with all the worlds that will be affected by the Outer Rim Alliance, need to adapt if we hope to survive the next few months, let alone years. And the One Sith would be perfectly willing to help us reinvent ourselves, provided we work with them and supply them with what we need."

"As for you," De'ralla melodramatically sighed, "You still have a use for us in keeping our people unified and focused against our true enemies. But if you step out of line, or try to subvert our instructions, then there just might be an accident along the way, and we would have a chance to free ourselves from the shackles of your inept rule."

Barely able to restrain himself from the insults and unleashing a suicidal rant, De'Nal ground out a warning, "Make sure you keep my people alive and help us recover their homeworld one day. We deserve it after all we've done for your master and his so-called Grand Design."

"If you do what we ask and we succeed in the coming war, then you and all our clients will have nothing to fear." Wyyrlok assured De'Nal. "Besides, the insurgents we left behind on every occupied world will keep the Outer Rim Alliance sufficiently distracted for our needs until our time comes."

"For all our sakes, you'd best be right." De'Nal growled out. From now on, he would have to take a more active role in his people's affairs and in maintaining their alliance with the One Sith, for it was clear much of the military's leaders were shifting in their loyalties, and he could not afford to have a weak position with his people any longer. Not if he hoped to return his people to prominence in the changing galaxy.

Helona 25th, 53 ABY

Hyperspace, On Route to Shedu Maad

Aboard the Jade's Legacy

Having been taken off Zygerria by Ben Skywalker on his personal vessel not a day ago, Edaan had to admit that the older man's ship was quite a remarkable piece of engineering. Having amenities worthy for a diplomatic vessel while concealing many armaments and defensive systems that could only be found on military vessels, the Jade's Legacy was a ship worthy of the greatest collectors and designers. He could only imagine how long it took the Skywalker heir to construct this prize and finetune it to these specifications.

Of course, all this was the furthest thought from Edaan's mind right now while he was watching Atai and his cabinet give their inauguration speech for the Outer Rim Alliance. Having been given a coded message from the Interim Prime Minister, thanking him for his help and reaffirming the promise to help him redeem Vestara when the time comes, the Jedi Apprentice knew his new friend would be invaluable in his efforts, just as Atai and Robonino would be in the team he was constructing.

"With malice towards none as we work towards ushering our worlds into a new age and working with the free powers in finding our place in the galaxy, let us renew our pledge to the principles our movement was founded on, all while remembering the sacrifices we made to get to this point." Atai solemnly stated, starting to wind down his speech. "All while rebuilding our broken worlds and rediscovering pieces of ourselves that we thought long abandoned, let us recall our promise to stand for liberty and justice for all, and the vow to never give an inch of freedom to those who wish us to fall back to our vile roots, even as we work to save the remaining fourteen worlds that we pledged to liberate, and the sectors that still indenture its own denizens."

"And for those of you who remain loyal to De'Nal Scintel and his fellow exiles, I beg of you to reconsider your course before any more blood is spilled on behalf of them and their Sith masters. Enough lives have been lost because of arrogant entitlement and destruction. Let us focus our attention on tending to our wounded and building a better future for all. It is the only path forward without ensuring our final doom."

"He's quite a gifted speaker, your friend." Ben observed, sitting across from Edaan as he offered him a hot chocolate. "He'll do fine until his government's first elections."

"How can you be so sure?" Edaan questioned. "There's still an army of insurgents entrenching itself around Zygerria, and the five other freed worlds have Sith-allied terror cells of their own to undermine their fragile situation. This fight is far from over."

"True. But don't underestimate the will of the people, or their resolve. And the Council's representatives for the fledgling government will do just fine in advising them and helping root out these terror cells."

"Let's hope so." Edaan wearily sighed, even if he knew the galaxy was well on its way towards putting itself back together. Realizing how close the GA came to losing its leader from his reckless honesty and surprised at how well most of the Senate took his confession while its accursed Neutrality Act was less than a hundred votes from being repealed, it gave him hope that the Sith could soon be fought with all the galaxy's might. Even knowing how Kajin would suffer from a six-month period of extreme Senate oversight to ensure he fully complied with the law, it was comforted by the body's promise to reevaluate many of its past legislations that impeded protecting its citizens and interests.

But all this still left Vestara and her armies. While her act to abolish slavery and give its victims freedom gave Edaan a modicum of hope of saving her, it also underscored how dangerous and unpredictable his target had become. By willing to discard a practice sacred to her order's way of life, it showed how much the Sith had grown to adapt from its past iterations. The secrets of her patrons needed to be uncovered soon, before time ran out for the free powers. And the Palpatine Jedi had to accelerate his efforts to save her before all her sins caught up with her.

Interrupting Edaan's thoughts, Ben observed, "You're certainly a deep thinker, Edaan. You remind me of myself back when I was your age."

"What do you mean?" Edaan skeptically asked.

"I mean you've got that look of a man on a mission and won't let anything or anyone get in his way." Ben sadly elaborated. "It's like me when I think of Vestara Khai, or when my cousin was driven to run the galaxy into the ground in his ill-defined war on chaos."

Tensing ever so slightly, Edaan simply noted, "You're not the only one who wants her to face justice for her crimes."

Ruefully smiling, Ben agreed, "True enough. But there are many ways to seek justice. And your Mandalorian friend Akku held a unique view I hadn't heard in a long time." Pausing, he added, "He's a good man and a good fighter. At least, for a mercenary."

"That he is. But what are you trying to say here, Ben?" Edaan cautiously pressed.

"I'm saying that I tried to save Vestara, and it only led to heartbreak, betrayal, and death." Ben sighed. "And she chose her path, even if I could have done things so much differently when trying to help her. But I need to stop her, because I owe it to the girl I loved, and myself to own up to my failures."

Shifting topics, Ben offered, "There's a Jedi seminar at the start of the next year that'll take place on Tatooine that my father heads. I think you should attend it. You'll probably find it enlightening and a good break from your recent string of heroics."

Rising from his chair, Ben stretched before retiring to his cabin. "Try to get some rest soon. We've got another sixty hours before we make it back to Shedu Maad, and I don't want to explain to the Grand Master how his pupil ran himself ragged worrying about politics and his friends." Leaving Edaan to try to determine his endgame, the veteran Jedi Knight only hoped that he could convince his guest to hear Luke out and steer him away from his well-intentioned but fruitless venture.

Helona 26th, 53 ABY

Unknown Regions, Red Honeycomb Zone

Remnicore System, Exegol

Within the Dark Citadel

Hidden away within a vast and nearly unreachable series of nebulae and countless creatures most would consider abominations of a long-forgotten age, the Grysk Force Sage who called himself Tor Valum ceaselessly probed the Force for knowledge and power. Working in the outskirts of the Force to learn what was transpiring throughout the galaxy, all while drawing energy from countless sources to give the Bringer of Chaos the power she needed to one day cross back over into the realm of the living, the eons-old warlord and his few remaining followers knew that day was drawing near.

Thanks to the cold war between the Jedi Order and One Sith, with their many proxies and great fighters confronting each other across hundreds of worlds, the fear and darkness left behind in their wake was nourishing Abeloth's wounded spirit and instructing her in the changing galaxy and its countless denizens. And with Tor using himself as a conduit for the spawn of a fallen Celestial, the female entity was briefly able to peer into the threads of time and guide the galaxy towards the future she desperately craved. When she fully revived herself, she would avoid the mistakes and arrogance of her last onslaught and adopt a more patient and methodical approach.

Unfortunately, though, even with such a brilliant and magnificent framework of a plan in place, there were still several obstacles that prevented her strategy from succeeding, and she made as much clear to Tor through the old link. Sure, building an unstoppable and unquestionably loyal army would be easy with the ancient secrets left away in the lost world of the Fallen Celestials, but the greatest of the Jedi and Sith still roamed the galaxy. And with those prodigies and strong leaders and champions defending their own and growing ever stronger, they needed to be eliminated or co opted before she could reveal herself and take up her mantle as the Beloved Queen of the Stars.

One certain being, a young Jedi Apprentice that had swiftly made a name for himself throughout the galaxy as the Order's poster boy and shining icon while being the last blood relative of Darth Sidious, the teenager who called himself Edaan Palpatine intrigued Abeloth. Born with a great connection to the Force, broken by the tragedy of losing his entire family because of the Jedi's incompetence, forged by the same order as a weapon in their wars, but harboring many powerful secrets from most while building his own power base or a nauseatingly heartfelt goal, he just might be a worthy vessel for her when her full strength returned to her. His latest string of victories for the Jedi, coupled with the restlessness of his spirit, brilliant mind, and growing power and fanbase, were all qualities she admired and sought from her strongest host bodies.

All this information was exactly why Abeloth had a set of specific instructions for Tor and his fellow Servants of Chaos, to watch Edaan and others like him to determine which, if any of the Jedi or Sith, would be worthy of serving the galaxy's future goddess when the time came. If the young Jedi star proved to be the ideal candidate, then it would be up to the Grysk and his followers to carry out the edicts of their mistress and bring him to Exegol's heart of darkness and perform their most sacred ritual of latch Abeloth's spirit into his body to enable her full revival.

But for now, all the Servants could do was watch, and prepare until their proper time came. How fortunate then, that the emissaries had mastered the art of patience many eons ago and could stand to wait a few more years if it meant attaining the victory that they were promised all those long millennia ago. When that day came, there would be plenty of retribution against all the unworthy spawn derived from their Mistress's opposition, and Tor would be honored to help Abeloth lead the cleansing.

Well, it's about time I managed to complete this mini saga in my story! What did you all think of the final chapter and the overall story? Was it believable and realistic enough to be enjoyed, or was there stuff you would have preferred done differently? I probably could've done Kajin's part differently in this story, but I just went where my muse led me. Although, I must admit that real-world stuff was a major factor in writing his rant, and I just hope you all can respect my piece, even if you don't agree with its foundations. Either way, after I publish the last two chapters of this smaller piece, I'll be getting back to the main story for a while before working on the next character interlude. So, how are you all doing on this warm afternoon of Saturday, June 10, 2023? I'm well, if a bit sore in my back from volunteering earlier and will finish my Mike Pompeo book either today or tomorrow. Then I'll focus on a Catholic book on seeking joy in this mad world, and then reread a few Star Wars books for a while. Well, I suppose I've said enough for today. I'd best get this chapter examined, and then make the necessary revisions before publishing this and the previous one. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!

Oh, before I forget, I've been getting help from djpj7652 on the chapters and revising them accordingly. I'm quite pleased with their assistance and wanted to give them proper credit. Well, time to get these chapters published.