It is here that I will deviate somewhat from what is considered canonical material concerning the two characters in the next scene. However, the material I am deviating from is like, books and comics that I haven't even read. I am still adhering to all of the Star Wars movies, so I doubt anyone will mind.

Galen Erso looked up from his drawings as he heard the door to his office smoothly slide open, the person on the other side electing not to knock and request entry.

"Director Krennic," Erso addressed his visitor, standing to greet him. "What brings you here?"

"Hello, Galen, my friend," the director said. His words were friendly, but they were not warm. They were spoken with a twinge of sarcasm, as if he intended to come across as arrogant. "How goes your current project?"

"Uh, good. Very good, Director. I'm almost finished, in fact."

Krennic took another step closer, his hands clasped impressively behind his back. "That is so good to hear, Galen. Just wonderful."

Erso swallowed nervously. "So, uh, what is it that brings you by, sir?"

"Well, you know how much the higher ups are counting on this project of ours being a success, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Well, some of the board are concerned about the amount of power that the primary weapon is meant to contain and control."

"I've done all of the calculations, the system will work just as I have promised it will."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. I have complete and total faith in you, Galen. But, the board, you see, they don't know you like I do and they don't have quite the same level of faith. They think, and I have to agree that it would be a good idea, that you and your build team should construct a scaled-down prototype to test your system."

Erso relaxed slightly. "Oh. Yes, a prototype. Of course. Um, how scaled down would the board like it to be?"

"Oh, you know, still large enough to get a decent test result." Krennic picked up a drafting stylus from the desk and twirled it between his fingers. "I was thinking large enough to simulate one-half of a single reactor ignition. I figured all of the necessary components for a prototype of such size could fit inside the hanger of one of our brand new Star Destroyers, and the prototype could be attached to the lower hull."

Erso thought for a moment. "Of course, Director. I believe that should be suitable to make it work."

Krennic smiled. "Wonderful, Galen. You are a credit to us all."

An unwilling credit, Erso thought to himself. "Thank you, Director. How much time do I have to design and construct this prototype?"

Krennic gestured with an open hand. "How much time do you think you will require?"

"At least four weeks for design, and maybe four months to build it?" Anything to delay production on the real thing.

Krennic gave a malice-laced smile. "Oh, come now Galen. I think we both know you can do better than that. It's just a scaled-down prototype, after all." He held up three fingers. "Three months total, start to finish."

"Three and a half?" Erso asked hopefully.

"Three months, Galen. I'll have a shuttle come and pick you up in a bit to take you to the NIA yard where the Star DestroyerMoonshadow is moored. It just arrived from Corellia two days ago, the most recently completed capital ship for the new Imperial Navy. You can take whatever scans and measurements you require, and when the prototype is ready for assembly, the ship will be at your disposal."

Erso faked a smile and hoped that Krennic couldn't tell. "Thank you, sir. We'll get started on it right away."

Krennic stepped closer and placed his hand on Erso's shoulder. "I know you'll continue to make us proud, Galen."

Galen Erso certainly would. He had to.

Or they'd kill him.

And probably his family, too.


When Janna opened her eyes, she immediately regretted choosing to sleep on the hard stone floor. Everything was sore and she had a headache.

This was a bad choice. Should have found a sand drift somewhere to lay on.

Still half asleep, she lifted her head and looked toward Marco's bedroll. She was surprised to see that it was empty. Looking around, she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Marco?"

Janna rubbed her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position, running her fingers through her hair before picking up her hat from where she'd left it and pulling it on. Then she stood up and walked out through the half-open doors, heading for where they had left the speeder bike, figuring that Marco must be there getting himself some breakfast.

At the top of the stairs, Janna could see the jump speeder, but Marco was nowhere to seen.

Huh...must be off somewhere answering nature's call, Janna thought as she mixed some water into a ration pack and waited for the instant roll to rise. He'll probably be back any minute.

But by the time Janna had finished her breakfast, Marco still had not returned.

"Where could he be?" she asked herself aloud.

Five minutes became ten, then twenty, then half an hour. She tried to hail Marco on his commlink, but heard the chime of his comm coming from inside and found that he had left it on his bedroll.

"Shoot. C'mon, Marco. We're burning daylight." Frustration growing, Janna began to wander around the area, searching for her missing compatriot.

"Marco!" she yelled out. "Marco!"

But as an hour became two, Janna was beginning to worry. Her legs grew tired from walking, so she climbed onto the jump speeder and began to ride slowly around the area in a circle, her calls becoming more worried than frustrated.

"MARCO! Where are you?!"

After over an hour, Janna returned to the tomb where she had started, hoping she had somehow missed him and he had returned to their camp. She didn't see him as she parked the jump speeder at the bottom of the stone stair case, and she didn't find him inside with his bedroll, either.

"Where could you be, Marco?"

Janna sat down on the top step of the staircase. Maybe I should call Tom and Star. She pulled her commlink from her pocket and started to key it to Tom's frequency. No. What are they gonna do? They're over a thousand kilometers away and don't have any way to get here. And the Raventalon doesn't have a life-form scanner, so I can't ask Pony Head to do a scan to find him.

She stood and returned the commlink to her pocket. The sun was rising higher in the Moraband sky. Marco had been missing now for several hours, and she still had no idea how to find him.

She wandered back through the door of the tomb, trying in vain to think of a way to track down the wayward Jedi as she strolled, not really paying much attention to where she was going. Before long, Janna found herself standing in the low spot between the two sets of stairs, the great stone sarcophagus and the statue that stood watch over it a dozen meters ahead of her. A shaft of sunlight shone down on the resting place of the deceased Sith from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the tomb quite well. She gazed up at the statue's masked face.

"Oh, great ancient Sith Lord guy," she called out dramatically, "Can you help me find my friend, Marco?"

The only reply from the statue was deafening silence.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." With a heavy sigh, Janna sat down on the bottom step of the stairs leading up to the sarcophagus, leaning her head in her hands. "What am I gonna do? What could have possibly happened to Marco?"

Several minutes passed in the quiet tomb, Janna racking her brain for any possible solution that would help her locate Marco, but could think of nothing. She shook her head in defeat. "I'm gonna have to call Tom and Star. Maybe somehow Star can sense Marco through the Force or something. I don't know what else to do." She started to pull her commlink from pocket again, but then stopped as something caught her eye.

The stone floor of the tomb was covered with a thick layer of dust, dust that had been displaced by the treading of feet.

Footprints.

There was a set that came in and not out; those were the ones Janna had just made when she had walked into the tomb. There were two more sets, the steps close together, their makers clearly moving slowly. Janna remembered the path she had taken when she and Marco had explored the tomb in the dark the night before. She traced it and a second set up to the sarcophagus. The other set was Marco's.

"So then who do these belong to?" Janna asked herself aloud, looking at another set that ended just before the stairs where she sat. The pattern of each footprint matched the ones left by Marco's boots.

"Hmmm...Diaz, you were in here a second time last night. What were you up to?"

There was also a large bare spot in the stone where it looked as though Marco had sat down, or maybe fallen. And leading away from that spot were more prints that scraped the dust and appeared to reverse direction. These steps were spaced far apart, as if the maker was running.

Janna followed them. It was difficult as the floor was covered with foot prints, but she managed to find where they led out the door.

"Were you running from something Diaz? Or running to something?"

Down the stairs Janna went, half bent over, tracing the trail. The footsteps led off in a straight line away from the tomb.

Janna's mouth became a determined grin. "Now I've got you."


Bent over at an awkward angle halfway inside the starboard side engine, Tom carefully held the thrust diverter flange in place with his hand. He extended his other hand behind his back, holding his palm up to accept a tool.

"Hey, Star? Can you hand me the left-handed flange-tuner?"

There was no reply.

"Star?"

Still nothing.

"Star!"

"Huh? What?"

"Left-handed flange-tuner, please?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, right, right, right, right."

He could hear her rummaging in the tool kit and then the tool he had asked for was deposited into his waiting palm.

"Thank you."

He quickly adjusted and locked down the thrust diverter flange and then slid out of the engine. He found Star looking rather spaced-out, staring at the bulkhead through wide, unblinking eyes.

"Star?"

She did not appear to have even noticed that he was speaking to her.

"Star!"

She jumped in surprise and met his gaze. "Huh? What?" she said again.

Tom frowned. "Are you okay, Star?"

She blinked a few times, her expression blank. "I don't know. I...I sense...something."

"What kind of something?"

"I'm not really sure. But whatever it is...it feels...like something is...wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Wrong." She looked away at the bulkhead again, then back at Tom. "C'mon, let's get this thing finished. Something tells me we're gonna need it."


"Marco...Marco..."

He looked around. He could see nothing. There was only darkness.

"Hello?"

"Marco..."

"Who's there?" His voice echoed in the emptiness around Him.

"...Maaaarrrrcooooo..."

He reached for His belt and found His lightsaber. He pressed the activation plate and was surprised to see the azure blade of His original lightsaber ignite from the hilt. This was not Kit Fisto's lightsaber, but His own.

The pale blue light given off by the blade did little to show Him His surroundings. He was in a hallway, the bare and drab gray walls reminding Him of the few military installations He been in on Coruscant.

"Marco?"

That time, the voice was different.

"Hello?" He called out.

"Marco! Come here!"

"Yes, Marco! We have something we must show you!"

Holding the lightsaber aloft, He began searching for the source of the voices. He spotted an open doorway and hurried to it. The doorway lead to a large, dark room. The blue glow of His blade did not illuminate much of the space, and did not reveal the source of the voices.

"Anyone in here?"

A pair of emerald lightsaber blades suddenly ignited across the room, nearly fifty meters away. One was held by Kit Fisto, the other by Star.

"Marco!" Star shouted out to Him excitedly, waving her sword in greeting.

"There you are, Marco!" Kit called. "We have something to show you!"

Smiling at having found His two best friends, He hurried toward them at a jog.

"Hurry up, Marco!" Star yelled. "We haven't got all day!"

He'd nearly reached them. Two dozen more steps and He'd be there.

Two shadowy figures suddenly appeared behind Kit and Star. He froze. "Guys!" He yelled in terror. "Behind-!"

Kit and Star screamed as red blades of light pierced their backs and erupted out of their chests. Master and Padawan fell to the floor, motionless, the green glow of their lightsabers replaced by the revealing red light held by the dark figures behind them. Star had been slain by the inquisitor that had chased Him across Coruscant, and Kit had fallen to the blade of Sheev Palpatine.

"No..." He gasped, taking a step backwards. "No!"

"Yessss," Palpatine hissed as he and the inquisitor stepped toward Him, quickly erasing the gap between them.

"No!" He barely realized that Kit's lightsaber had inexplicably appeared in His left hand beside His blue one on the right.

Palpatine crackled madly.

He found He could not move. He was frozen to the spot.

Palpatine's yellow eyes shone in the darkness, the light seeming to rival the red glow from his lightsaber. He smiled evilly at his prey, the inquisitor beside him silently mimicking the Emperor's movements.

They raised their weapons in unison.

His own lightsaber in His right hand, Kit Fisto's in His left, holding them out defensively, each one took a crashing blow from an angry red laser sword. He strained to hold back the pressing blades, but two opponents pressing against Him with all of their strength was too much for Him alone. His knees buckled and He dropped to the floor, holding the lightsabers above His head to hold back His attackers.

Palpatine chuckled. "You see now why you will fall just as the rest of the Jedi have? You are weak! Arrogantly clinging to teachings that grant you nothing but more arrogance!" Palpatine's mouth curled into an evil grin. "But you need not be weak."

He closed His eyes, trying to block out the Emperor's words.

"You have great emotion in you, Marco Diaz. Anger at me, for killing your Master. Fear of losing the one you love."

Tears began to seep from the corners of His eyes, both from the emotion and the physical exertion of resisting the Siths' blades.

"You could defeat us. You could overcome your lacking connection to the Force. The power exists within you, Marco. You need only use it."

"No! I am a Jedi! Power does not come from anger and fear!" He was tiring. He could not hold back much longer.

The Emperor laughed again. "You already have the power. Embrace it! Use it!"

"Never!"

"Do it!"

"NO!"

"You cannot resist the call of the Dark Side forever, Marco. It already resides inside you."

"You lie!"

"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."

He said nothing. His left arm buckled at the elbow, the inquisitor's lightsaber pushing His own closer to His face.

"If you do not...you will die. And then we will find that little Padawan friend of yours, and kill her, too. Just like I did your Master."

"NOOOOOOO!"

Teeth gnashed together, every muscle straining, He pushed back against the red blades He was locked against. He rose slowly off the floor back into a standing position, and, when He had, concentrated hard with the Force. The Emperor and Inquisitor both flew a few meters backwards, pushed away by the Force.

Palpatine's yellowed teeth showed as he grinned.

The Inquisitor ignited its second lightsaber and charged at Him, attacking with the blade in its left hand, right blade rising to strike from above. He blocked the first strike from the side with His blue lightsaber, pining the inquisitor's blade there as He plunged Kit Fisto's green one upwards through His opponent's chest. Then, all in the same motion, He let go of Kit's lightsaber, spun backwards out of the way of the still-downward striking lightsaber in the inquisitor's other hand, grabbed the hilt of the red-blades laser sword as it came down, reared it back and launched it like a javelin. A dozen meters it sliced through the air, its final trajectory impaling Palpatine in the gut.

He stalked angrily over to the Emperor as the inquisitor collapsed to the ground behind Him. Palpatine, still on his feet and seeming to ignore the lightsaber sticking out of his body, chuckled.

"Heh heh heh heh heh...goooood...gooood! Now you see the power that your aggression and your passion can give you! You refuse to allow yourself to see it, but the Dark Side resides in you, and you will soon reach your full potential!"

And Darth Sidious gave a yellow, toothy smile.

"COME ON, DIAZ! WAKE UP!"

Anyone catch the reference to a Disney cartoon that isn't SVTFOE?