Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm night of Saturday, June 17, 2023? I'm well, as I read a bit of Star Wars: X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble today, and it's a good read so far. And I've been replaying Dragon Age: Inquisition for the last couple days, and it's a great trip down memory lane. Oh, and I plan to write a lot before I resume work after the weekend concludes, since I'll have to work every weekday starting this Monday. Well, I'd best get this chapter started while I still have a couple hours left in the night. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!

Telona 4th, 59 ABY

Shedu Maad, Jedi Temple

Medical Wards

Guzzling down the final canteen of water given to him as fast as he could drink it, Luke only stopped when he felt his stomach would burst from ingesting five bottles' worth of fluids in the last thirty minutes. After today's sessions of physical therapy, he was especially worn out and would fall asleep like a baby bantha in under an hour after he was given his final evaluation for the day. He looked forward to getting a good night's rest and preparing for tomorrow's labors.

Working overtime to regain his strength from the Sith infiltrators' attack and his old injuries from his Celestial-related battles, Luke was already well on his way to being discharged from the infirmary. From working on reclaiming full motor control, rebuilding his physical strength, and retaining and improving his connection to the Force, the Jedi Master was ready to do whatever he could to rejoin the battlefield and help his loved ones in triumphing in this fight. Simply assisting the Jedi Council and Alliance of Light in an advisory capacity was a good role, but he wanted to do more to save lives and defeat the enemy. Call it nostalgia, determination, or pride, he simply didn't want to be a burden on others.

Sensing Cilghal approach him from outside his medical cabin, Luke steadied himself for the final round of his recovery assessment. But once the Mon Calamari healer arrived, he could tell from her gaze that this meeting would be far more important than any that came before. Wearily gazing at his longtime friend and Council member, he asked, "What do you need to tell me?"

"Nothing bad, but you have an incoming call from your son." Cilghal calmly smiled before pulling out her holocomm. Setting it on the table next to Luke, she quickly exited the room, but not before saying, "I'll give you a few minutes of privacy before I give you your nightly medicine."

Gratefully nodding, Luke activated the holocomm, letting the miniature hologram of Ben appear. Gazing at his father, the younger Skywalker approvingly noted, "You're looking a lot better than last time, Dad."

"I've had good doctors treat me, and plenty of motivation to get back in the fight." Luke chuckled. "Did you just want to check up on me, or is there something else you wanted to discuss?"

"A few things, but they're all over the holomap, really." Ben answered, a hint of tepidness entering his voice before he recovered his composure. "I'm also honoring my promise by keeping you apprised of the war's progress, just as you asked of me."

Listening intently as Ben explained how the war had taken quite a complex turn, with the rumors of division in the One Sith's ranks, the Chiss suffering infiltration from enemy agents, and the deteriorating situation between the Alliance of Light, especially with their difficulty in penetrating the Sith's domains of the Nihil Retreat and Rakatan Archipelago. He also conveyed the rumors that High Command was concocting a plan to counterattack, but he was not authorized to know more at this time. Still, both father and son were confident on how everyone would turn this war around and triumph over the Sith.

But there was another matter Ben wanted to discuss with his father, one more delicate in nature, but equally confidential to the young Skywalker. And what he had to say to Luke was a measure that the father should have expected but was totally caught off-guard.

Silent for a minute to process the implications, Luke solemnly asked Ben, "You're sure of this course of action, then?"

"Surer than I've ever been in my entire life." Ben seriously answered. "I just need to get the package and find a good time to make my move without anyone else getting any wiser, especially Ves."

"Well, Force help you on that last front." Luke laughed, before growing serious again, "But remember to keep your mind focused in the here and now, be a pillar of strength for those around you, and to trust yourself and your own strengths and the light in your soul."

"I know, Dad." Ben agreed, pulling out his timepiece before saying, "I have to go, it's almost time for curfew, and we've got another busy day ahead of us tomorrow, rather like you, I'm sure."

"Make sure to take your vitamins and do what your doctors say." Ben teased his father before warning him, "And don't push yourself more than you can endure now. You're no good to anyone in your weak shape right now if you lose all the progress you've made."

"Just go and get your sleep." Luke chided Ben, closing the holocomm, praying that his son would be able to finish what he started and survive this war to live a good and fruitful life with the one he loved more than anything. After all he suffered in his thirty-three years of traumatic life, he deserved to have a long period of peace and plenty while rebuilding a fractured galaxy and breathing new life and joy into it.

Telona 5th, 59 ABY

Rakata Archipelago, Makatak System

Aboard the Millennium Falcon

"You call this a shortcut, Faal?!" Han sarcastically berated Khedryn who, aboard his YT-2400 light freighter, led the diverse scout force perilously close to the Rakata refugee-held system in a harebrained reconnaissance run. With the Allinace of Light conducting similar operations across the six remaining star systems in probing the cluster's defenses and naval facilities, this operation would be crucial in laying the groundwork for the area's eventual liberation, provided they didn't get themselves killed while avoiding random solar flares and enemy patrols.

"If you don't want to tip the enemy off to our presence and get the best angle for our probes, then yes." The cranky scavenger kingpin answered. "Besides, after your work in the Black Bantha protostar ambushing the Vong, try to consider this a refresher course. Maintain comms silence for the next two hours and remember your assignments. We'll meet up again tomorrow. Good luck, all of you."

Shutting down the Falcon's comm system to avoid any chance of the enemy tracking him making any transmissions, Han slowly took his prized ship in, with Leia preparing to record everything about the Sith-dominated stronghold his sensors could analyze. As if she could read his emotions, and she probably was, she consoled him, "Cut Khedryn a little slack. He's got as much to lose as us in this war, and without him, we might not have found this backdoor into the Archipelago."

Sighing, Han calmed down, and began deploying the Falcon's probes in a dozen strategic locations throughout the system, remembering what he was out here for in this ancient den of evil. For once since this war started, the Jedi had the drop on the One Sith, and they were prepared to employ every advantage and strategy they had in ensuring this cluster was left free of its cruel occupiers by the end of this campaign.

And judging from the Alliance scout teams they had brought to bear in this large-scale reconnaissance run, it seemed everyone in the coalition was taking this just as seriously as the Jedi. A great number of its best fighters and leaders were involved in this hunt, including Boba Fett, Grace Tirall, every available member of Wraith Squadron, and far more Jedi and commandos were deployed, both as spies and their failsafe if they were discovered by the Sith. In that regard, several of the Jedi's newest allies in the Sun Guard and Disciples of Twilight would be crucial if they had to make a fighting retreat from the cluster. Not to mention how many of the Chiss's former vassals and future partners were here as part of the attempt to unite their many subjects under one banner while granting them back their independence.

But as impressive as the number of allies was, all these diverse factions operating in the same area did not sit well with Han. Many of these members were untested and more used to working independently, and if even one of these groups faltered or erred, then everyone involved might lose their lives at the hands of their enemies. Either way, it was too late to back out now.

Focusing his efforts in acquiring data on the system's shipyards and fleet configurations and positions, Han drew the Falcon closer towards the closest celestial body, hiding in the moon's dark side while allowing his ship's sensors and probes to do their work.

Waiting for an hour, the Solo duo patiently waited as they witnessed dozens of warships pass them by, blissfully unaware of their hidden observers while the Falcon stored the data aboard its databanks. Verifying the data the Alliance learnt from their pilfered Rakata data core, and uncovering additional pieces of intelligence that were previously unknown to them, the duo was able to newly identify a dozen installations of various military purpose: Three shipyards capable of manufacturing all manner of ships, six orbital platforms meant to defend the planet Makatak and its groundside operations, and three space stations that scans could barely penetrate, probably some type of mobile fortress, it would be a great challenge to defeat all these defenses.

And guarding all these installations and the planet below were at least forty capital ships, with ten of them undoubtedly the last of Moff Lecersen's renegade Imperial forces, along with far many more Nikardun and Rakata warships. It seemed the power-hungry conspirator was still alive after his string of failures for the One Sith, but his fortunes were continually slipping away. Dealing with Lecersen and the Sith would each be a challenging trial to overcome all on their own, but when added together with the rest of their collaborators, it would be a nearly insurmountable obstacle.

But before they could even think of dealing out retribution against the most notorious would-be murderer of their only granddaughter, Han and Leia knew they had a mission to complete. Watching as their two hours were just about to expire, the Solos prepared to send a secure subspace message to the teams that would give them their escape window and vector, and ready a data transmission back to Csilla and Alliance High Command. If they failed to make it out and were killed or captured, then they had to ensure their efforts were not in vain.

Suddenly, the ship's proximity alarms went off, and Leia abruptly warned Han, "Get us out of here! Edaan's found us, and he's closing in fast inside Ship."

Muttering off a string of Corellian curses, Han rapidly reactivated the ship's systems and blasted out of its hiding place, mere moments before the sentient vessel fired several ion shots at the aging YT-1300. Narrowly missing its target, Ship swung around and pursued the Falcon, with Han warning Leia, "Let's hope our friends can reach us in time!"

Nihil Retreat, Kobo System Outskirts

Aboard the Retribution

"Get me a connection to General Yiv and Lord Wyyrlok right away." Krayt heatedly ordered the bridge's comm officers, who hurried to fulfill their Dread Lord's commands. After all he just learned from the Sith's newest and unforeseen ally on the treachery of the Sorcerers of Rhand and their unholy alliance, he intuitively knew time was now undoubtedly of the essence.

Now knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kung'urama'nuruodo and his acolytes had made an ultimate pact with Abeloth and her so-called Servants of Chaos, including many old races and societies that the galaxy had long thought extinct, such as the Grysk and factions within other resurgent evils, Krayt knew what he had to do in facing this imminent apocalypse. Much as it galled him to admit it, this was a danger he and his legions could not hope to match on their own. To ensure there was a galaxy left to rule after the demonic Celestial creation was obliterated for good, the One Sith needed to form a provisional pact with the Jedi right away.

It would be a daunting undertaking, but rather like the handful of honorable and pragmatic Sith that once lived, just like Darth Marr and Lana Beniko from the Sith Empire of than three millennia past, Krayt would forgo pride and focus on the greatest threat to ever cross the galaxy over an old religious schism. It might anger many of his subordinates, but he was counting on his top and most loyal disciples to keep all the dissenters in line and focus on the true danger.

But before he could focus all his efforts on destroying Abeloth, he needed to clean up ranks in his house before they could do any more damage to his order and the Grand Design, starting with the Nihil Retreat and cutting off all the escape routes of the fleeing Sorcerers of Rhand. And to do that, he would need to divert a great number of his fleets to this endeavor, which was the purpose of this holocall. If only his best agents would finally answer his summons!

At last, after nearly five minutes of waiting, Krayt saw the holograms of both Chagrian and Nikardun appear, both kneeling before him as the former apologized, "Humble regrets on the delay, Dread Lord. We're dealing with a multi-pronged Alliance incursion in Rakata Space, and they're we're capturing who we can before-"

"Let them go." Krayt curtly interrupted his right-hand's explanation.

"Pardon?" Wyyrlok confusingly asked.

"Allow the Jedi to withdraw immediately." Krayt clarified, now speaking to both Wyyrlok and Yiv, ordering them, "Cease all offensive operations against the Jedi and Chiss, and have them regroup in all our major strongholds across the Chaos. We have several far more dangerous enemies to deal with now, and it will require us to make many difficult and unsavory choices if we even hope to survive the coming tribulations."

"Abeloth is set to return shortly, and she's using the Rhandites and several other proxies of ours as part of her new army." Krayt explained for Yiv's benefit. "If we have any hope of saving our plans and the galaxy we wish to rule over, then we will need to negotiate an immediate alliance with the Jedi and their faction."

"How did you uncover this?" Yiv managed to sputter out, before recomposing himself to continue, "The implications of this, if they are true, they could rip your alliance apart if you go back on your word!"

"A high-ranking Sorcerer of Rhand shared with me all she knew after we captured her and her convoy, and my analysts and I verified her claims after we set the terms of her confession and testimony. At the minimum, it gives us the evidence we need to move against Kung'urama'nuruodo and his followers before they can do any more damage to us." Kryat scrutinized Yiv with a keen gaze, before reassuring him, "And there are many ways to humble the Chiss and avenge your people's humiliations at their hands without sheer annihilation."

"Exactly as I've come to learn, my lord." Yiv wholeheartedly acknowledged before resuming the original topic, "How much of this information should we convey to the rest of your commanders and fellow Sith?"

"I trust you both to inform them all at your own discretion. But warn them that any disobedience or deviation from our instructions will leave me no choice but to disavow them from our cause." Krayt warned. "There cannot be another incident occurring like that of Darth Malleus, not at this crucial juncture."

Bowing in full compliance with their master's orders, Krayt knew what he had to do next. It was long past time for the Rhandites to face justice for their heinous betrayal, and for their little empire to be wiped off the galactic map. While it would be more cost-effective to let the Olpakans and their old Daala and Cylo-era Imperial allies to finish the traitors off, he also knew how dangerous and treacherous the aged Chiss and his followers were, and that meant taking no chances.

To ensure the Sorcerers and Rhand were taken down for good, Krayt needed to journey to the Perann Nebula's center and eradicate the heart of the dark tumor of the Rhandites society for good. And to accomplish this, he would need a great many more reinforcements from his fleets before taking this risk against Abeloth and Daala's respective forces. If he hoped to counter Daala's friends, he needed someone who understood her and could counter her mad tendencies, which meant the Imperials under Moff Drikl Lecersen's command were about to get a final chance at redemption.

Csilla, 50 Kilometers East of Csaplar

Maximum Penitentiary Facility, Cell Block 134

"You said you had a few more crucial pieces of information to give us before you're shipped out." Kyp factually stated to Roland. "I think it's long past time you stopped holding out on us."

Having been ushered to meet with the defecting Rhandite one more time before he was transferred off-world to be evaluated by the Jedi and their fellow Force Users, the penitent Sorcerer was finally ready to divulge all that he knew of Kung'urama'nuruodo's ultimate objective was in this war, and how to track him when he and his order fled Rhand towards their allies' final redoubt.

"I've been frank with you all in what I've provided. But I needed to be sure this intel I will now give you was good before I gave everyone a heart attack." Roland defended himself, before solemnly admitting, "Abeloth is set to return by the end of the year, and my people are prepared to work under her. And I figured out how to find her and her hidden stronghold before she can fully resurrect herself."

Everyone working on the interrogation paled at the declaration, remembering the rampage Abeloth unleashed on the galaxy a generation ago and how much effort and death it took everyone to stop her, along with the lasting repercussions of her rampage. But this time around, the galaxy might not be so lucky this time if she returned when it was so wounded from the Sith's schemes.

K'Kruhk, voicing everyone's sentiments, warned Roland, "For your own good, I'd suggest you don't leave out any details about this matter."

"Of course." Roland agreed. Glancing at the Chiss interrogator, he suggested, "You'd best record this entire conversation, and relay it to the Jedi and the rest of their coalition once we're done. To stop Abeloth and her servants, we're going to need everyone we can pull together."

'A most noble sentiment, Roland.' A dark and booming voice echoed in everyone's minds, surprising everyone from the sheer darkness and power suddenly encompassing the detention facility. 'But I'm afraid I cannot allow you to give them the last of your knowledge.'

Everyone guarding Roland, from the Jedi to Paladin-Inquisitors and Chiss secret police, quickly readied themselves for whoever was about to attack them and silence their prized defector. With Akku, five of his Mandalorians, three Aquilian Paladins, and four Chiss guards, hurrying to secure and rush the turned Sorcerer out of his cell, that left K'Kruhk, Kyp, two more Paladins, and the eight Chiss agents to prepare for battle while following the others out.

Knowing they would be at a severe disadvantage if they stayed in the cell block, the large group hurried out of the area, only to come across a sight that stopped them in their tracks. In the main hub, the area was covered in the entrails and blood of the guards, dozens of bodies ripped apart as if by hand and holding terrified gazes in their lifeless red eyes. The rank stench alone was nearly enough to make the remaining defenders retch but kept their stomach's contents secure by remembering how they had to face this gruesome enemy next.

Seeing an armored individual, garbed completely in a black metal no one could recognize, everyone could feel the man's sheer power, at least, they assumed it was a man, and knew he easily surpassed every opponent they had faced in sheer energy alone. And coupled with the timing of this assault, they had to assume that he was a servant of Abeloth, sent here to silence this loose end.

"No… Not you." Roland terrifyingly whimpered. "Tor Valum."

"I'm grateful you remember me, Roland, since we only spoke once before in a brief meeting." Tor conversationally replied before getting serious, "But I'm afraid I don't have time to waste on idle pleasantries. You know why I'm here, and I won't let your new friends stop me from protecting my plans."

Igniting their lightsabers, Kyp and K'Kruhk took point, with the former warning, "I don't know who you are, but if you want to get to our friend, you'll have to get past all of us first."

Letting loose a chuckle beneath his armor, Tor menacingly admitted, "I was hoping you'd say that. I haven't had a good workout in a long time."

"Be careful." Roland warned. "He's far more ancient and dangerous than you can possibly imagine."

"You have no idea how right your doomed friend is." Tor agreed. Moving with a swiftness most predators and Force-enhanced beings could only aspire towards, the ancient Force Sage unleashed a combined torrent of lightning and telekinetic power as the opening attack. The Jedi and Paladins took the lead, calling upon every ounce of energy they held to hold back the attack and bounce it upwards, blasting a huge hole in the detention facility's roof and making countless bits of debris across the main hall.

From there, all hell broke loose. Tor, working to keep his enemies off balance by using telekinesis to create a whirlwind within the facility, conjured two blades composed of pure energy against the Jedi and Paladins' lightsabers, able to block and parry each of the enemy's attacks with ease. Employing a perfect guard against his foes, the Grysk made sure no lightsaber attacks penetrated his sphere of defense and deflected the blaster and projectile attacks back at their assailants, downing several unfortunate Chiss. But as much as he enjoyed the carnage he was wreaking, he knew he had to end this battle soon, before his opportunity slipped away, or he risked making a mistake and allowed the enemy to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

Unleashing a massive blast of pure Force energy, Tor easily blew away the Mandalorians and Chiss and knocked them out, and then focused his efforts on the remaining ten adversaries. As a juggernaut of pure power and reservoir of knowledge long lost to the galaxy at large, he incapacitated or killed the Aquilians one by one with a variety of methods over the next five minutes. And while he was quickly growing exhausted from his efforts and not fighting in eons, he replenished much of his energies by feeding off the terror and anguish that leaked out from the diminishing foes.

That just left Kyp and K'Kruhk to deal with, and they would be the ones he would enjoy eliminating most of all in what few minutes Tor had left before he- wait. Where was Roland?! That cowardly little rodent must have fled in all the carnage the Grysk unleashed.

Glancing around, Tor also noticed that several Mandalorians and Chiss he incapacitated were missing, and he knew he had one option left to salvage the situation. Much as he wanted to face off against two of the Jedi's best Masters, the mission had to come first.

Unleashing a blast of energy to knock Kyp and K'Kruhk off their feet, Tor called upon the Force one more time, with more energy and exertion than he had used in many years to leave this detention facility nothing but snowy ruins. Blowing open many holes in the fortress's foundations and walls, opening it up to the harsh and unforgiving elements, and obliterating the facility's generators to ensure the Alliance froze to death so far from civilization, there was one more matter to deal with before he could depart.

Drawing on his diminished reserves, Tor teleported away from the rising opponents to head to the detention facility's only entrance in the main hangar. And as fortunate as it would seem, he just happened to find Roland waiting for him, all alone.

"Where's your little escort?" Tor drawled out while holding the traitorous Sorcerer in place.

"I locked them all outside the hangar." Roland resolutely answered. "I wasn't going to let any more of them die just to protect me, not after all they did to open my eyes to the truth of the universe. You and Abeloth are going to lose this war, Tor, and I only regret that I couldn't save my people from our folly."

"I have no time for a philosophical debate or to hear your last wishes, Roland." Quickly approaching the Sorcerer, Tor saw no deceit in his eyes, only a steely resolve, contentment, and acceptance of what must come next. Sensing the Jedi and their allies working to break through the barricade, the Grysk made swift work in eliminating his quarry, ending his danger in an unceremonious and gruesome manner. After draining all the life force out of the traitor, leaving nothing but a hollow shell of the once vibrant human, he heard an explosion by the entrance, and teleported away with his stolen energies.

Rushing to the shriveled-up corpse of Roland, Akku closed the body's eyes before checking his pockets. Much to Kyp's enragement, he angrily warned, "For your sake, you'd best not be looting him!"

"No, Kyp. I'm making sure Roland came through for us." Akku corrected before pulling out a data chip. Presenting it to the Jedi Council member, he added, "This holds the information Tor tried to make sure we didn't get. According to him, it holds the coordinates of a world called Exegol and how to get there through navigating the Red Honeycomb Zone, among plenty of other useful things."

Grasping the device with full acknowledgement of its significance, Kyp, almost afraid if he spoke too loudly, something terrible could happen to the team or the data drive, softly whispered, "How, in the name of the Force, did Roland pull this off?"

"A custom Rhandite technique he devised for this type of instance in transferring memories and intelligence into electronic equipment." Akku answered, before turning to the ranking Chiss officer. "Get us a ride out of here. We need to get it to the analysts right away before we all risk freezing to death, or Roland's killer comes back to finish the job."

Telona 6th, 59 ABY

Csaplar, House Palace

Normally, the Chiss Ascendancy's top military and political minds were a bastion of stability and procedure, never showing weakness or division in the face of their adversaries or allies. It was an unspoken tradition that guided the isolationist society for over five thousand years, allowing them to construct an air of invincibility and mystery that protected its people just as much as its defense fleet. But that carefully crafted illusion was quickly disintegrated against all their enemies and the countless new variables they now faced, and the rising divisions now threatened to tear the galactic power apart from within. And powerless to stop it while observing the dark proceedings were the highest-ranking leaders of the Alliance of Light.

When the survivors of the Ascendancy's most secure prison guard were rescued from the freezing cold, the representatives of Parliament and the Defense Council in attendance demanded immediate answers, not prepared for the horrifying answers they would receive. Knowing with incontrovertible proof that the Sith were not the only danger facing the Chiss, nor the most dangerous, it terrified them to depths no one had ever considered possible before. If Roland's information was accurate, and Vurawn and his secret partners had no reason to doubt the defector's last testimony, then Abeloth was back and far more dangerous than ever before. To exacerbate tensions, the female Celestial entity was summoning all her servants, ancient and more recent, building an army that would soon have the strength to pour out of the Chaos and swallow the galaxy whole.

And to further complicate matters, the scouting parties from Rakatan space had returned, but not out of sheer skill or luck, but by the mercies of the One Sith. From what intelligence they had gathered, the Sith were regrouping against the betrayal of the Rhandites, depleting their defenses of their major strongholds to wage another war on their latest enemies. Seeing a prime opportunity to strike back against the more immediate and familiar foe, several Alliance and many more Chiss representatives were advocating for a preemptive strike against all the Sith's holdings while they were stretched precariously thin. But many more far-sighted leaders were instead proposing a ceasefire with Darth Krayt's armies and focus their efforts on their common enemy.

Without a consensus at this crucial juncture, the Alliance was effectively paralyzed by indecision and fear over the uncertainties they now faced. And from the knowing glances Vurawn noticed from Ja'fosk, Ba'Kif, Kyle Katarn, Nek Bwua'tu, Turr Phennir, and two dozen others all sharing a conspiratorial glare at him, it was clear what the Chiss clone needed to say next. He only hoped that this unilateral decision would not condemn the Ascendancy to civil war and the ash heap of history from his bold proclamations and the inevitable fallout.

Just before Vurawn could capture everyone's attention, a priority message blazed through, with the fuzzy image of a battered Tau appearing before he loudly reported, "-requesting immediate assistance! We've made contact and engaged with the Shi'ido infiltrator, but she brought back up and they're both cutting a bloody swath towards your position!"

'Talk about perfect timing.' Vurawn lamented. But before he could utter a single word, Kyle warned everyone, "It's Tor Valum. That's the one who's fighting alongside Roland's former compatriot." Taking command, the Grand Master Jedi advised everyone, "We need to evacuate the city immediately and bring all of our best elite operatives against these two. If we can take out Tor now, we'll severely hamper Abeloth's war capabilities when she fully enters the war."

"And how do you propose we evacuate our capital city of over eight million Chiss so quickly when we already have multiple crises on our hands and several rogue forces closing in on us?" A Syndic challenged.

"We'll just have to do our best, because what's important now is to get as much collateral damage out of the way and give our people room to work." Nek resolutely answered before adding, "We'll need perfect coordination for all our efforts, which means we need someone to lead the operation who all parties respect and has the experience and authority required to lead such a mixed force."

"Vurawn's the one we'll want to take command." Ba'Kif swiftly answered, with most of the assembled leaders voicing their support for the idea. To address the few dissenters who had yet to voice their criticisms, he warned, "We'll work out details later, but right now our people need us to get them to safety. The longer we delay, the more of our citizens and allies will die."

Breathing out a silent sigh of relief at the timely assistance, Vurawn began issuing orders to everyone, with his mind set on saving as many he could while destroying the two enemies of all he held dear. Failure was not an option, not this time, and he had no intention of letting everyone down again.

Well, I think this is a good place to end the chapter! What did you all think? It was a bit of a stretch from my original draft, but I let my brush guide me in revising my original muse and instead came up with this impressive product. I might not have intended some things to go down this way, particularly as the chapter ended, but I think it begins to set the stage for the remaining two stories of my series better than I originally drafted. But I'll leave it to you to decide if you believe it works. So, in other news, how are you all doing on this warm but cloudy and rainy day of Tuesday, June 20, 2023? I'm well, as I had a good light shift at my internship today and have three more to work through over the same number of consecutive days. And I plan to read a good chunk of Star Wars: X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble later before I go to bed. Well, I'd best get this chapter stored away and examined before I publish it in a few days. I hope you all have a blessed evening in these turbulent times. May the Lord be with us all, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!