Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Star Wars.

Now this is not the finale of the story, but it is the beginning of the end of the Thrawn arc. The story isn't coming to an end yet. I have also divided it into two parts as it was too big to do in one.

I will put up a poll to see what pairing to use for Luke, it is something that I have struggled to decide on so I will allow you all to have a say.

Review Responses from the Laster Chapter…

Zak saturday 1, Travis99 – It will be this chapter.

megacarroll – Mon Mothma was feeling threatened as she knows that of all the other founders of the Alliance, Padme is the biggest threat to her. It was character assassination and nothing more. As Palpatine himself once said 'those who gain power are afraid to lose it' and this situation is no different. Garm? Absolutely he would.

Guestreader – Appreciate the support! I will incorporate some more magical stuff soon. The fossils? Might be possible but given how Mandalorians feel about clones why would they do it? I have been thinking of adding one magical creature, so I will see if it can be put in the next chapter.

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – Happy to hear you liked it! Ahsoka's return was something I intended to do before but I wanted her to out of things for a while. A standoff between Mon and Padme might be deadly. Boba Fett was a character I was really nervous of doing as he is such a fan favourite but I felt he should have more depth than being a bounty hunter, like there are other things he wants. Haron is a bit more open minded than the rest of his people which is a good thing for a leader, that is also why I don't think he would mind Markus dating Leia although as you say he would expect him to be on his best behaviour with her. Vader is a character that I have mixed feelings about, I wanted him to be a real threat and there are hints of that in this chapter. The serum was something they devised from Satele Shan's blood. Mon to my mind was never a good leader for the Rebellion, in the old canon she was better and I didn't mind her but in the new one she is awful. She is also bad at taking action when it is needed which is something you need in a leader. Padme is much better at that as she has proven before many times. The Sith? There is a plan there but I don't want to spoil it. Haron and Thrawn understand in someways that they are equals, both are terrifying on the battlefield or in the larger strategy but the question is just which one is better? Haron now knows Thrawn's weakness so can use it against him. And Luke/Shin or Luke/Mara? Thanks, but I am a little torn on this myself. So, I will put up a poll to get an idea on how you guys feel.

red demon161 – The gulf between them will be mended in this chapter I promise. Another child? I don't think that will be necessary as they have so many already. Jyn and Galen were cheated of knowing each other by the Empire and I have plans for them next chapter. Haron has the advantage of having more centralised power than the Alliance and his position as leader is firmly entrenched. Good point. Mon Mothma has for the first time in her life the chance to do things her own way and she certainly won't want to give that up without a fight. Padme is more naïve than she should be but hopefully in this chapter she will show that she is much more seasoned now. She and Bail are on the same page about most things, she would likely have been a big help in not only building it up and rallying people but also keeping it together.

Blaze1992 – The Sith species were something I think could have been better used. According to sources they are the most force sensitive species anywhere in the galaxy with the only one close to them being the Miraluka. As for them being under Palpatine's control? Well, we shall see. Beldorian was a bit of a stretch to belief for me too. How would he fight a duel given his size? The Hutts aren't the most agile of species. Thank you!

Lightning89 – Hope not to disappoint you. Palpatine has a fate coming for him I promise. Markus and Leia are both decisive characters, they have more in common than different and their children would certainly be very powerful. Haron and Ara will patch things up. Neville has been underserved in this story so I wanted to do something with him. Vader will be dangerous and I have a few things planned for him. Thrawn has a rival in Haron which he never really had in the old canon so I think they would have mutual respect for each other. Thank you for the compliment, I will do my best. Han does have the Millenium Falcon, but he won't have Chewbacca who was never enslaved in this timeline. I might try to put him in if I can. Grogu is safe on Ossus so sadly he will likely never meet Din. The Lars? Probably living their lives peacefully on Tatooine. The Skywalkers have largely reached the biggest size they are going too. Saw Gerrera will appear again soon and it will be a big one.

M1stymix – She might do but she certainly wouldn't stay in the background, that is not Leia's style. Indeed, given their strength is roughly equal to their fathers that would mean their children would be possibly way more powerful. ARR means 'After Ruusan Reformation' since it was the only date that I could think of that would do to replace the Battle of Yavin as a date marker. Padme deals with those things you mentioned in this chapter when she is meets another face from her past.

dan . lew . upg, Rio47,ironspike68, Rebell 01,That2-one3-girl4, marius1117, William Killian, Jebest4781, tf330129 - Thank you!

More Review Responses at the end of the chapter.

2 BBY – 998 ARR…

Chapter 40 – Thrawn's Campaign Part 3

Fallanasi Settlement, Deep Core…998 ARR…

The encampment was in chaos as members of the Fallanasi were busy throwing whatever they could carry into bags and carrying them into the forest, the elders of the group were busy in the main hut, using their collective power to project an illusion of a camp elsewhere while hiding their real one to make sure they were safe until their attackers were gone.

The enormous wedge-shaped vessels had been hounding them for months, chasing them from world to world as they tried to stay alive. The terrible sound their smaller ships made as they strafed the ground in hopes of killing their people and they had no real idea of just why they were being targeted by them.

The Empire had been burrowing their way into the Deep Core for years now but never had they bothered them before, until it seemed they had discovered that they had the ability to use the White Current or the Force as the Jedi had referred to it. The servants of the 'Dark Tide' as they referred to the Dark side of the force had then hunted them relentlessly, intent on wiping them out!

They had hoped by moving their entire order into the Deep Core that they might be spared the oppression of the Empire and its seemingly irrational fear of anyone that could use the force. For some years it had worked but now the Empire was pushing deeper and deeper into the Deep Core and now their refuges were being slowly tracked down and destroyed. Sometimes they even brought Inquisitors who could see through their illusions which meant they couldn't always hide. They could use their skill in Force Immersion to hide themselves but their settlements were another thing all together, such complete illusions like they were using today were hard to maintain and not always complete and every time this happened, more of them died. Sometimes the Empire would even bombard an entire planet to glass just to be rid of one settlement.

And they had no idea why, the Fallanasi had never been a thorn in the side of the Empire and yet they were doing their utmost to destroy them! They fled into the forest so it might provide some cover until the elders could think of a plan.

Wialu, the de-facto head of the Fallanasi looked at the few hundred or so members of her order that remained and she was feeling the pressure of how to keep her people safe when they had nowhere left to run too. She sighed and deep her best to order her thoughts when she felt a familiar presence in the force that might just be the answer to their prayers.

"Luna." She said out loud, her old friend who had left the Fallanasi years ago to find her own path but she had heard nothing of her since. She reached out into the current and felt her old friend reaching back, showing her a place where the Fallanasi might be safe.

"Ready the ships." Wialu said to her people and then added. "We're going out into the galaxy and to see an old friend."

Zaloriis, Expansionist Region…

The planet of Zaloriis had risen up against the Empire and requested help from the Rebel Alliance, making their stronghold Zaloriis City, the capital with large shielded walls around it and some members of the Rebel Alliance had sent a force to aid them in this battle but the Zalor Minister Transe Decar had grossly underestimated the Imperial response and now the city was under siege.

The Rebel troopers and the Zaloriis Defence Force found themselves surrounded by the enemy, their walls taking a pounding from the heavy AT-AT walkers that lumbered slowly onto the battlefield.

The situation looked fairly hopeless; defeat seemed a very real possibility until they saw a cloaked figure standing on the hill in the distance. For some reason she commanded the attention of all the rebels for some reason before she leapt from the cliff and discarded her cloak before landing with grace on the ground below, igniting two white bladed lightsabers.

She ran across the battlefield at breakneck speed, seeming almost like a blur as she made her way towards the large walkers. The Imperials definitely noticed her now too and some of the units in her path turned their attention to her but she seemed to step around any blast they sent towards her and the moment she passed them she was bisecting Stormtroopers at the waist with ease before leaping up towards the large walkers, her sabers swinging free of her hands for a moment and each one slicing through two legs at the joint each before they returned to her hands and then she carried on and did the same the next closest walker, causing the first one to topple to the ground.

The rebels felt their spirits soar with the sight of a Jedi fighting on their side, doing their best with ranged fire to protect her and draw the enemy fire.

Ahsoka cut down another walker before running towards the third and final one, leaping this time to the roof of the cab. She plunged her sabers into the metal and swiftly cut open a hole in it. Using the force to pull it out she jumped inside and with a swift jab and slash killed the three Imperials inside before taking control of the pilot station, turning the enormous walker towards the Imperial anti-air tanks, using the heavy blaster cannons to destroy them.

The Rebels cheered and immediately now could deploy their T-47 air speeders now the Imperials had no anti-air tanks to use against them. The speeders quickly roared into the sky and began to aid in the defence of the Zaloriis City, harassing the Imperials on the ground as Ashoka continued to destroy the heavier vehicles around the walker as the Imperials tried to take it down while being distracted by Rebel speeders and heavy firepower from the city.

Ahsoka eventually after taking out any remaining armour the Imperials had felt the legs of the walker buckling and quickly abandoned the controls to leap back out of the hole she had made to enter. She spun through the air as the walker fell into a heap below and landed to see hundreds of Imperial Stormtroopers preparing to shoot her, she raised her sabers ready when the doors of the city opened and out came Rebel speeders and light tanks accompanied by their infantry now that the Imperial armour was gone.

Caught between a Jedi and the rebels the Imperials were caught in a vice and Ahsoka began to attack, cutting down the Stormtroopers closest to her as the rebels began to hammer the Imperials from the other side. The fight went on all day but at the end when Ahsoka finally deactivated her lightsabers the battle was won and Zaloriis had formally declared its independence from the Empire.

She sighed with exhaustion, having not fought a battle that intense for a long time but at the same moment she was feeling the sense of elation that came with such a fight and the accomplishment of success. She had been busy on her home world for quite a while but now it was finally ready to get back out there, she had much to catch up on it seemed she thought with a smile but it was good to be back in action.

Graavis, Mandalorian Space…

The sometimes-meeting place of Mandalorian faction leaders was now playing host to a meeting between two very different groups with very opposite mindsets.

Wialu was understandably unsettled by the presence of so many warriors, all the weapons and instruments of death that were not so unlike what she and her people had been running from but this was possibly her people's only chance to survive.

Luna appeared nearby accompanied by a company of warriors, seeing her in such armour and with weapons on her person was an affront to the culture that she had come from but Luna had always been different Wialu thought sadly, never truly one of them despite her incredible talent and ability to reach deep into the white current.

It seemed that she was hardly suffering from embracing a more violent way of life, Wialu thought as she felt her already incredible strength in the current had more than tripled since they had last seen each other.

"Luna." Wialu said with a calm and polite greeting but Luna in her own unique way quirked her head and smiled.

"You've gotten rid of the nargles at last. Now, you need a place to hide from them?" Luna asked and made many of the Mandalorians and Fallanasi look at her like she was crazy but Wialu and clearly two of the Mandalorians at her side which she could sense were amused too. They knew she was only trying to play with them and get some fun out of the situation.

"Indeed." Wialu said deciding despite her feeling of relief that Luna had not changed as much as she had thought she had. "The Empire hunts us everywhere, why they have singled us out so much I don't know but we need a safe haven from them."

Luna nodded sadly, having sensed the suffering of the Fallanasi first hand and knew they were in desperate need of help. She turned to the tallest of the two Mandalorians that stood next to her who wore a mask made of a substance she could not identify over his helmet and had a strong presence in the force, like a sea that was placid at the moment but could be roused to great power quickly if needed and it was exceptionally strong, stronger than any she had sensed before. The woman at his side was strong in the force too, very strong but there was she could sense unease between them but beneath it a great deal of love and respect for one another but the balance in their bond had been disrupted and had not healed yet. Wialu pondered that for a moment before the man who she could sense was looking at her intently, he could sense her in the force or current as they called it just as easily as she could.

"I am Haron Ordo, Mandalore of my people and this is my wife and the mother of my children the Duchess Ara Ordo." The man said to introduce himself and he had the aura of a leader. Strong and decisive in his judgement but with a deep sense of compassion and dedication to his people. Good qualities Wialu thought before he continued speaking.

"It is not a small thing you ask for. To live within our space for perhaps years…I know you have little to offer given how your order lives and abhor violence but…perhaps you can help us in another way." Haron said, implying that he had something in mind that they would need to do in return.

Wialu was deeply unsettled by this as she had no intention even if it resulted in their deaths of being an instrument of war and she made that very clear.

"Me and my people will not use our powers to kill others." She told him sharply and the rest of the Mandalorians she noticed to her dismay were growing agitated but strangely Haron Ordo was not.

"No, I would not ask that of you." He told her much to her surprise as much as to everyone's else's. "I know of your order's ability to create illusions. Luna has demonstrated and taught others such powers in the past…and I may have need of that ability." He said with a calculating edge to his voice.

Wialu was not sure exactly what he meant by that but it was clear to her that he was playing the long game. Planning for something way in advance and making sure to take the maximum advantage of any potential resource to ensure success. The fact that she and her people might be used by him disturbed her but Wialu was reminded of the fact that didn't really have many other options and if one favour was all he needed for them to receive safe harbour when the desperately needed it…who was she to refuse she asked herself with great foreboding.

Orar, on route to Reijar…

The flagship of the Mandalorian Fleet was making good time as it travelled back to Reijar, Haron was conversing remotely with Eliza who had been making preparations of her own.

"All preparations are ahead of schedule. Installation of the new components is going well. I can't get why we didn't do this sooner." Eliza told him with her shark like smirk but he merely raised his eyebrow and reminded her.

"We didn't have Professor Erso's research before, he made that possible. Besides we need synthetic versions as it is the only real way of getting the size we need." Haron reminded her and she just pouted like a child and told him bluntly.

"YA…YA…Boring." She told him and he shook his head, used to her somewhat erratic behaviour before Vysa thankfully came onto the transmission.

"It will all be ready when we need it. Trust us on that." Vysa reassured him while putting a hand to her wife's mouth to stop her talking, squirming a little as she felt her tongue on her palm and seeing they were about to have some private time Haron mercifully let them go and ended the call.

Things were slowly moving into place he thought with a sigh, on the two fronts he was fighting progress was agonisingly slow but it was coming day by day. He sighed though as the pace of this was hectic to say the least and he knew the sheer weight of what was stacked against them. What depended on them winning this war and terrible consequences if they lost.

The door opened and he saw to his surprise that Ara was standing there with the large hulking form of Grahuur behind her, to his surprise and Ara's, Grahuur pushed her in and shut the door leaving the two of them standing there in the room with all the unresolved tension between them.

Time seemed to stretch out as they stared at each other before Haron sighed and sat on the nearby sofa. Ara was slow to do so but eventually she sat next to him.

They both just looked at the same table, neither saying anything as they struggled to find words to express what they were feeling before Haron finally managed to say what he felt he needed too.

"I'm sorry. For ordering Sabine's arrest." Haron told her in a quiet and very tired voice, the weight of everything coming out in the moment of weakness. "I thought it was the only way to save her life when the secret came out."

"I'm sorry too." Ara said with an equally exhausted voice. "I should have trusted you and you were right. Sabine needed to be held accountable for what she did even if she ran off again the moment that she was able. Her heart is no longer Mandalorian…not with her people anyway." Ara admitted having felt that when she seen her. She was no longer one of them in her heart, it belonged elsewhere and if she ever saw her niece again, she would make sure the girl knew how that felt.

Haron smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms and she did not resist, relaxing in his arms as he held her. Just enjoying the moment as they let go of all the tension had been haunting them ever since the truth about their niece had come out. Even sharing a brief but much needed kiss before just settling in to rest.

- x -

Grahuur smirked, glad that finally peace had been restored between them. They were a couple that deeply cared for each other and merely needed to say the words that should be so easy and yet were the hardest ones to say. Both of them had been right and wrong and needed to say sorry to each other, why was that so hard for them to grasp he thought with a knowing look in his eye.

Jedi Temple, Ossus…

Tuwan and Yoda were as usual meditating before the council meeting that afternoon, however seeing the Fallanasi take refuge with the Mandalorians gave them reason to discuss the situation with the Mandalorian force wielders.

"The force has never belonged to the Jedi or Sith. Many unique cultures have studied the force and its mysteries across time. This situation is no different." Tuwan said calmly, but Yoda felt somewhat different about the subject.

"A growing power, with abilities that understand, we cannot." Yoda said not knowing even half of the things they could achieve, things that the Jedi could not do. "And now allied they are with the Nightsisters, the Fallanasi, the Theran Listeners and the force users of the Imperium. Stronger they grow while the Jedi stifled and distracted by war we are. Unable to check their growth." Yoda said worried especially as they had such powerful militaries at their back. What was the point of tearing down one empire only for another or even split the galaxy between the two?

"That is the sort of thinking that left the Jedi standing alone and to stagnate." Tuwan said with a sigh of resignation at the blind arrogance of the Jedi Order even after all they had learnt. "That led to many slaughters and also why is it that you think that only the Jedi can safely wield the force? Some of these orders have been working with the force for thousands of years without causing half the damage to the galaxy that the Jedi have. Need I remind you Master Yoda, the Sith were born of a split in the Jedi Order. And then there are all the errors and mistakes that the order has made throughout the centuries that have hurt countless innocent people. Could they be dangerous? Yes, they could but perhaps not and why make a fight where there is no need." Tuwan told him with great wisdom as he was fully aware of all the mistakes and bad decisions that had brought them to ruin many times.

Mistakes the Order needed to learn from if it was going to have any chance to rebuild and survive.

Yoda frowned as he considered Tuwan's words, wondering himself if he did believe that only the Jedi had the right and ability to wield the force. The Jedi or rather their precursor the Je'daii Order had been an assembly of many different orders coming together to explore the force. Even in his time he had known groups that used the force to heavily monitored by the Jedi in case they became a threat, ironically denying the Jedi allies and causing a major split in the order when Djinn Altis had left not to mention the Corellian Jedi removing themselves from the order.

When had the Order become so afraid of others that it shut down anything that might grow to be a threat? Yoda thought to himself and worried deeply as he knew it was something that went a long way back in their history. Speaking with Bendu had allowed him to see some way past the prejudices he himself carried towards other paths in the force but clearly, he still had much self-examination to do, Yoda thought humbly, seeing that even with all that he had learnt so far…he was but a learner.

Yoda smiled before nodding in agreement with his friend as while they were powerful, they did not need to make them a threat. They would watch them but they did not need to fight them.

Space near Teralov, Deep Space…

GR-75 Transports from the Rebel Alliance were travelling to the planet Teralov, intent on delivering vital supplies to the population under the escort of the A-Wings flown by Green Squadron, the mission was dangerous and they knew it, the Arquitens-class Cruiser Tellstar, was known to be patrolling that area. Two previous missions had been attacked and despite the captain of the transport ships surrendering the Imperial Officer commanding the ship had killed all of them, even the civilians in their escape pods for no reason other than to do it and worse he was commended for his actions, made a poster boy in the Imperial propaganda Captain Vult Skerris.

So as the transports neared the planet the Tellstar appeared exactly as it had the last few convoys that had tried to get to Teralov only as they deployed the three Tie Interceptors that the ship had been equipped with, the Rebel transports reveal a surprise of their own.

Apart from the six A-Wings that were accompanying the transports, slung under each of the GR-75's was a pair of T-70 X-Wings which immediately detached and flew towards the enemy while a pair of Y-Wings detached from the ship at the rear of the column. Circling round to attack the Tellstar.

Anakin in the cockpit of his customised T-70 smirked as he looked at the Imperials, did they really think they could keep pulling the same ambush and the Rebellion wouldn't figure it out. Some Imperials were intelligent and ruthless but Vult…was just ruthless.

"This is Rogue Leader, Green Squadron will cover the convoy, Rogue Squadron take out those interceptors. Gold Squadron, take out the life support on that cruiser and use ion torpedoes to disable." Anakin ordered, his new fighter squadron and the two members of Gold Squadron breaking off to deal with their assignments.

"Roger Rogue Leader." Gold Squadron's Keyan Farlander and Davish Krail called out as they went to deal with their target while Rogue Squadron including Luke and Leia to his pride called out too.

"Roger Rogue Leader."

The X-wings deployed their s-foils and immediately began to dance with the three surprised Interceptors, Vult himself was shocked and confused and despite their best efforts his two wingmen who he had trained to the absolute best in the Imperial Fleet found themselves against two Skywalkers in the best fighter the Rebellion had.

They didn't stand a chance, being shot down within minutes while Anakin himself closed in on Vult who began to feel panicked and as the rebel pilot was too good and he couldn't shake him but then Anakin smirked and spoke.

"I have you now."

He fired but instead of lasers he had ion cannons specially fitted for this mission, the shots hit home. The Tie Interceptor shut down exactly as he had planned and then the Y-Wings hit the cruiser knocking out its life support. The ship's crew immediately went for the escape pods and the rebels ignored them as it was not their way to kill helpless people, unlike Vult Skerris. Anakin with a satisfied smirk gave out his new orders.

"Send out the shuttles, secure the cruiser and Skerris. Its time for him to face the consequences of his actions." Anakin said, the transports opening up its cargo bay to reveal a number of shuttles that flew out and split up, one went to secure Vult and the others went to the cruiser, a quick system restart and the ship would be good enough to head to the nearest Rebel Shipyard where it would either be scrapped to reinforce or build a new ship or refitted to be placed into Rebel service.

Not bad for a day's work, Anakin thought before staying on station until all ships that remained were ready and they all leapt away to hyperspace.

Yavin 4, Outer Rim Territories…Three Days Later…

"You have no right to judge me!" Vult screamed out as he was faced with what he would call a show trial but his guilt to the Rebels was undeniable.

"Yet we do. You willingly killed innocent civilians numbering in the hundreds as part of the Imperial Fleet and that it was not even done on the orders of a superior, but instead done of your own choosing. I had hoped you might at least acknowledge that fact but you seem incapable of it. You leave me no choice but to declare you guilty of mass murder and so you will be taken from this place and executed as a war criminal. Take him." The judge declared and Vult was pulled away screaming in fear of death by his guards.

Anakin watched impassively, while as a Jedi he was supposed to be respectful towards life and protect it in all its forms, he could not in good conscience defend Vult Skerris, the two earlier ambushes had not been the only times that he had knowingly killed civilians and people who were surrendering either in space or on the ground. Hundreds of people were dead at his hands and it had been at least as fair a trial as the rebellion could give.

Anakin walked into the main hanger bay and saw a face that he had not seen in years standing there, talking to the pilots of Red Squadron.

"Ahsoka." Anakin called out with a big smile on his face, she turned and smiled too when she saw him and quickly came over, like no time had passed she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, he didn't hesitate to return it so happy to see her after years of missing each other.

"You got old." Ahsoka teased him and her humour made him raise an eyebrow before replying.

"So did you." He teased her back and she let go to lightly punch him on the arm before they smiled.

"Enough of the old." A gruff voice said and Anakin's smile widened as he saw Rex was there too. He being a clone aged quicker than any of them and he hated that but there was nothing that could be done. "General." Rex said in greeting like he always had and Anakin told him with amusement.

"You know you can call me Anakin Rex, you have more than earned that." Anakin told him and Rex just shrugged before telling him.

"You'll always be a general to me sir, the best I ever worked with." Rex told him and Anakin took it as the great compliment it was meant to be. He gave Rex a manly hug before breaking up.

"Got any more room at this reunion?" Another familiar voice said and Allara, now a grown woman in her twenties came walking over with Kahr at her side.

"Always." Anakin said, proudly shaking both of their hands as they approached. His former three students were all grown and strong, he thought with pride. Able to follow their own destinies and make their own decisions which he was glad of as all three had made quite a name for themselves.

Ahsoka from what he had heard had not only been helping set up a Shili based sect of the Jedi and started a family of her own before deciding she had to be out here in the galaxy again.

Allara had been working for Liber8, conducting missions across the galaxy and leading their forces into battle, mounting quite a few successful campaigns against the Empire and others that would hurt innocent people.

Kahr meanwhile despite his prowess as a fighter was a healer first and foremost, attending to the sick and injured across the entire galaxy, following where the greatest need was for his considerable talents.

All of them had made him very…very proud Anakin thought with a warm smile and then Luke and Leia came over dressed in their flight suits. Mace and the Arranda siblings came with them.

"Father, we just heard from the shipyards. They're going to strip down the cruiser to build a new Quasar class fighter carrier for Green Squadron. Thought you might want to know." Luke said to him and while he did so, Ahsoka and Rex both looked at him and Leia in shock.

"That cannot be Luke and Leia." Ahsoka said in complete astonishment, the twins looking at them in confusion. "The last time I saw them they were barely up to my waist!" Ahsoka remarked especially as Luke was now nearly taller than she was.

"I used to be able to balance you two on my shoulders. Break my back if I did that now." Kahr said with a good laugh. He and Allara were familiar enough to Luke and Leia and they greeted them warmly although Ahsoka was harder to recall since it had been a very long time since they had last seen her.

"Shocking though it is, they are the twins. Luke, Leia. This is Ahsoka Tano, my first apprentice and Rex, probably the finest soldier I have ever known." Anakin said reintroducing them before moving on to the others. "This my youngest son Mace and Tash and Zak Arranda who are now my wards and apprentices too." Anakin said introducing them in turn.

Ahsoka and Rex where a little caught off guard but quickly smiled and shook each other hands, glad to finally meet them all and Anakin smiled too, glad that they all got along and as Ahsoka and Rex began to share some tales from their exploits in the Clone Wars with the younger ones, but Allara and Kahr could still enjoy them too.

Anakin listened to them and wondered briefly if his vision had been right, remembering a long time ago when he had received a vision of all his students in both past and future. All of them had come true in that time but the last one remained elusive to his gaze. Who were they he pondered before joining in the discussion with some tales of his own.

- x -

Unidentified Temple, Yavin 4…

Satele Shan sat with her new students in meditation, helping them deepen their connection to the force before they would progress to actual force exercises. She had a growing number of Jedi such as Echuu Shen-Jon and his former apprentice Naat Reath who had emerged from hiding to help her and gather more students for them to teach, helping to shape a new generation of Jedi to keep the light of hope burning across the galaxy.

Many of them were rebels that had shown force sensitivity like Keyan Farlander, Kyle Katarn, Jhara, Maric Tovar, Jessa Dajus, Daye Azur-Jamin and Tyria Sarkin Tainer along with a few others. One of whom Satele could tell was struggling to quiet her mind.

"Stacey, it helps to quiet your thoughts otherwise how can you listen to the force." She said to one of her most difficult if promising students. Stacey was a pilot that had shown the ability to use the force but had none of the discipline to control it or even herself at times Satele thought with a shake of her head as there was always one in every group.

"But its so boring." Stacey said with almost a whine which made another of her students' giggle at her misfortune. Satele reprimanded the offender before continuing on with the lesson.

"And that will be quite enough Alexandra Winger. The force is like a whisper in a crowded room, the crowded room being your head with its whisper being drowned out by your thoughts who are the people talking inside it. So, try to picture yourself in a room with everyone talking, focus on one voice and remove it before doing so with the next and the next, eventually you will hear it." She told them and with some reluctance Stacey did as she was told which was an achievement in itself but eventually, they all began to immerse themselves in the force even Stacey.

Satele smiled as she felt them grow as Jedi and as people, they had a long way to go yet before they were ready to call themselves Jedi Knights but it was a new age she thought with a smile, maybe the rules of the old way really did need to be thrown out and a new ones written given all the mistakes of the past.

She returned to meditation in silence for another hour before she sensed the powerful and wise aura of Kagame approach. She opened her eyes and told the students to wake them from their meditation.

"I think it is time for saber practice. You know what to do." She told them and they all got to their feet with Stacey grumbling about being sat on the hard floor before she finally got the helmet on and drew her lightsaber, igniting its distinctive pink blade while pulling down the blast shield so she would need to rely on the force to see as the remotes danced around them. They began to use the force to predict the blaster bolts so they could block them and she watched them get started before leaving them to it so she could speak to Kagame who looked at them with an amused smirk.

"Colourful bunch, aren't they?" He asked her with a humour and she nodded slightly before adding.

"But full of potential. They will make fine Jedi; I am sure of that." Satele said.

"No doubt due to their fine teacher." Kagame said with honesty. "You are an extremely capable instructor. They have already come so far thanks to you and your patient teaching."

"Students and teachers must learn as much from each other for any teaching to be passed on. You have to remember that they are all different and there is no one size fits all approach for students." Satele said wisely and he nodded in agreement.

"When the order does reform, will you take up your old position again?" Kagame asked in interest of whether she intended to be Grandmaster of the Jedi again. She had been a very good one once but she surprised him by shaking her head.

"No, I disliked being Grandmaster and leading the order even in my own time, it binds you and prevents you doing what you enjoy most due to the weight of responsibility. I much prefer to teach than I ever did sitting on Jedi Council meetings. Besides I am not of this era even if I find myself living in it, a Jedi of this time must be the one to lead the order as who else would know the demands that a Jedi will face in the here and now."

Kagame who had been raised on legends of this woman was deeply impressed at her insight, she was worthy of the legends that had grown around her as she was wise and powerful but also grounded in reality with strong humility.

He would enjoy the chance to debate with her on matters of the force, Kagame thought with delight at finding such a worthy sparring partner.

- x -

The Great Temple/Rebel Base…Yavin 4…

The command base of the Rebel Alliance was busy at the best of times and today it was even more so as a new faction was going to join the Alliance. Padme was herself distracted from the growing tensions in the leadership of the Alliance as the leader of the new Rebel faction was someone that she had wanted to see for a very long time but never been able to before.

The silver-coloured sleek starship landed and the ramp descended, seeing the familiar uniforms of the Naboo Security Force made Padme honestly yearn for the days that she had seen them every day but she stifled it as the leader of the Naboo Liberation Movement came down the ramp.

She was a few years older than Padme herself with hair that showed signs of starting to go grey but her familiar face brought a lump to Padme's throat. The other woman recognised her too, both staring at each other, the other woman in shock at seeing her after all these years but that didn't last as they both ran to each other and hugged each other tightly.

"I knew you alive!" Sola said with so much emotion at finally finding the sister that her family had feared dead for nearly twenty years.

"I'm so sorry but I couldn't contact you or anyone from our family…if I did it would have made you all such big targets." Padme said with sorrow that she had been forced to keep away from her family for so long. Sola however was not even mad as she was just so happy that her little sister was alive.

"How are our parents?" Padme asked, desperate for news and Sola willingly obliged.

"Growing older but they are okay. They're with my girls." Sola told her and Padme smiled, wondering just how much her nieces had truly grown since she had last seen them. She had heard that Pooja had become senator for awhile before returning home to avoid being arrested by the Empire. She still had the image of Pooja as a sweet little girl with curls in her hair but she was in her twenties now. She sighed and hoped to see them all soon.

"Speaking of which, I have some introductions to make of my own." Padme said with a smile as this was the first time that her children would meet a member of their extended family. Anakin who had been watching nearby came forward to greet his sister-in-law who at least she was familiar with. "Anakin you know." Padme said with a smile and Sola shook his hand before three new figures came close and Sola stared at them in surprise briefly as Padme introduced them.

"This is Luke, Leia and Mace." Padme said and Sola was momentarily stunned by the fact that her sister had children of her own now. Luke and Leia were nearly eighteen and looked so much like their parents while Mace was a little younger and had his mother's dark hair and his father's face. She smiled as she realised just why her sister had stayed away all this time, she and Anakin had a family that they needed to keep safe. Her parents were going to be so happy to hear about this while disappointed that they had never known them growing up. So were her own daughters when they got the chance to meet their cousins.

"It is an honour to meet you." Luke said politely as he shook her hand while Leia and Mace took his lead and did the same, Sola smiled and told them.

"There is no need to be so formal, I am so happy to meet you." She told them and gave each of them a hug which they returned now the ice was broken. They went to a meeting room and Sola caught Padme up on all the news of her family that she had missed all these years, not least of which was that she now had a great niece as Ryoo had a daughter of her own, Wila Naberrie. It stunned Padme but she was eager to meet her sister's grandchild but that was when Sola dropped something of a bombshell in regards to that.

"Wila…is a gifted child…that sort of gift." Sola said pointing to the lightsabers on the belts of Anakin, Luke, Leia and Mace which surprised all of them. "It's been hell trying to keep it under wraps, Ryoo had to relocate to the Lake House as her daughter keeps doing things with the force and we can't let anyone see them."

"She must be powerful." Anakin remarked if she was using the force so easily without training and Sola then made a request.

"Anakin, she needs training to control it. We don't want to see her taken by the Empire!" Sola said with distress at the mere idea of the Inquisitors snatching her granddaughter away and Padme took her hands to comfort her which did calm Sola a little.

Anakin though was ambivalent as he already had five students to teach and a sixth would be a hard thing especially as Wila was still very young but then he felt his mind turn back to something that he had been trying to put off for some time…not wanting to let go he thought with a sigh as that old fear reared its head.

Luke and Leia…they were ready. He reluctantly admitted, they were prepared to stand up on their own and make their own way and mark on the galaxy and while he knew this deep down, he had been afraid of letting them go. They were his children and every fibre of his being demanded that he protect them but they weren't little younglings anymore he thought with unease.

Seeing his sister-in-law and Padme look at him along with his own children he nodded in acceptance and promised.

"I'll train her."

Sola looked deeply relieved at that, so did Padme but then after that Sola also told them the reason that the Naboo Liberation Movement was finally joining the Rebel Alliance.

"We are ready for uprising but…we can't overtake the Empire alone." Sola admitted there were many on Naboo that wanted to be free of the Empire but they didn't have the weapons or means to do it alone. They needed help from the Alliance.

Padme immediately was ready to go but she stopped as she realised that Mon would never allow it, she thought anger creeping into her thoughts for the first time. Despite the fact they were clearly at war Mon seemed unwilling to consciously recognise it and would never permit the Rebellion to aid the Naboo in their fight. Too high profile, sure to stir up retaliation and all the other excuses she would give but Padme was done listening.

Up until now Padme had been reluctant to raise these issues with Mon and do what she knew she would need to do to get the Rebellion ready to actually take on the Empire. There was great danger but that was the risk you took for the things that you believed in, Padme thought feeling that old spirit from when she had been queen and done everything in her power to save her people from the Trade Federation.

Now, she thought to herself she would need to do that again. For her people, for her family, for the galaxy.

She got the same fierce look on her face that both Anakin and Sola knew well, that she had made a decision, stepped through the door and locked it behind her before shooting the controls so it could never be opened again. She would not be stopped from whatever course that she had decided to take now they all realised and knew something big was coming.

- x -

Leia meanwhile was looking at a private message that had been sent to her, she smiled as she read it and hoped that Markus was doing okay.

They had been corresponding since their unintended mission together although she had not admitted that to her brothers and especially her parents…by the force she could only imagine what they would make of that.

He did have to maintain security for his people but he allowed her some knowledge of what was going on and the fact that things were looking bleak for the Rift Alliance worried her. He had told her as much that the alliance didn't really help each other any more and worse Thrawn was now turning his attention to the Mandalorians. Markus had complete faith in his father to see them through this but he was not sharing what he was planning, even with most of his family which was upsetting to his children but their mother the duchess Ara had reassured them that a plan was in work.

Leia worried deeply as if the Mandalorians did go down then it would be a terrible, perhaps lethal blow to organised resistance against the Empire. They were a symbol for many people and inspired a lot people to fight back and keep fighting however bad it was. The Rift Alliance would probably completely collapse without them.

She had told Markus that he could come to them if the worse came to the worse but he had told her that he would never abandon his family when they needed him the most.

Just like she could not abandon hers to go to him.

It figured Leia thought with annoyed resignation that the first guy who had truly caught her attention and he was a devoted to his duty as she was to hers.

But he had mentioned that he and his family had something special planned for Thrawn that would take him completely by surprise. She could only guess just what it was but it sounded big whatever it was and she was genuinely interested in just what the Mandalorians had been working on.

- x -

That evening Bail Organa had arrived at Yavin 4, Padme was ready to meet him the moment he arrived and he greeted her warmly which she returned before they retreated into the temple to talk in private. As much as she hated it, she had HK-47 keeping on guard duty to make sure they wouldn't be seen or overheard which she disliked having to do but she didn't want to risk Mon learning what she was doing before she did it.

Bail noticed this and was puzzled by the reason she would have the psychotic droid on watch while they spoke.

"Bail, Mon…she's getting worse and the Alliance honestly feels like its coming apart. One big shock would be enough to shatter everything we've built." Padme told him and Bail to her surprise didn't seem even remotely shocked by this and nodded.

"I've noticed too but since I was busy with Alderaan, you travelling with your family and Garm busy on Corellia who was there left to hold the Alliance together?" Bail told her having felt much the same as she about some of the decisions Mon was making but it was simply the way things were. No one could devote themselves to the Alliance as she could.

Padme then with a reluctant frown told him.

"Some of the different faction leaders came to me." She told him and he raised a worried eyebrow as she continued. "They aren't willing to put up with it any longer. They said they would support me if I went against her."

Bail honestly was shocking that it was coming to effectively what amounted to a coup and he was extremely concerned about what this could do to the Alliance but Padme then told him.

"There will be no coup, its time we did what we should have done when we first formed the Alliance." Before going on to tell him what she intended which worried him still as the implications could tear the Alliance apart but it was perhaps the best way to stop Mon if Padme could get as much support as possible.

Byss, Deep Core…

Palpatine watched with satisfaction as the first pureblood Sith clones came to life, they were unlike many of their attempts at cloning force sensitives. These clones were all able to use the force and had a natural affinity for the dark side. Even though it would take grown acceleration for a few years to make them usable they were a great potential weapon that could bolster his armed forces.

If only the Cylo Directive was going as well, Palpatine thought with disgust at the sheer foolishness of the man responsible.

Cylon was a true genius at cybernetics, Palpatine would allow that statement but a complete fool otherwise. He believed that the galaxy was dying and that the only way for it to survive was through his work in not only cybernetics but even splicing other species DNA in the hopes of making them stronger! The force was obsolete and that all society must be as he envisioned.

What a fool Palpatine thought dismissively, the force was eternal and unending while his creations showed their failings time and time again. None of them had proven a match for Vader and he had just proven it by ending him in the Kuat system along with his creations when they had unsuccessfully tried to hijack the new flagship of the Imperial Fleet, the Executor which he had given to Vader as a gift.

Speaking of the new Super Star Destroyers as they had become known Palpatine thought proudly as the most powerful and largest ships in Known Space belonged to him, three of which were now operational. One was the Executor itself which would be commanded by Vader while the second Lusankya was now buried near his palace on Coruscant as an emergency evacuation ship for him should he need to flee the capital for some reason and now was being used as a prison for select prisoners. The third the Annihilator was being put under Grand Admiral Thrawn's command for the coming invasion of Mandalorian Space. Regardless of how well built their ships were with Thrawn in command of such a powerful fleet and with a flagship that capable it would not be long before they shattered and turned on each other. Palpatine found that particularly amusing as they had been a thorn in his side for too long, rumours of the great power held by the Ordo children though gave him some pause as he considered whether he might after breaking them find some use for the bloodline, not least of which for keeping the Mandalorians he allowed to live loyal to the Empire…potentially they might even be useful in creating a new clone body for himself he considered before putting that matter aside as it was all academic. Thrawn would soon have his fleet rallied and that would be the end of the Mandalorians and the Rift Alliance! Palpatine thought with a cackle.

- x -

SSD Executor, Deep Space…

It was a fine vessel, Darth Vader thought as he meditated in his private chamber.

The Executor was a powerful instrument and he would make good use of it, he thought to himself with pride at getting such an asset under his command. Soon it would be joined by a fleet of the best Imperial Ships imaginable to enforce their will on the galaxy.

Vader however had his own plans; he would make sure that not only were the officers on this ship more afraid of him than the Emperor but replace key ones on other ships of the fleet to make sure when the time came that they would serve him.

It would take some time to find officers that would be useful for his plan to destroy Palpatine but he would do it, Vader swore to himself, if he was to take his revenge then it would need to be done carefully but he would do it and then he would hunt down Anakin Skywalker and destroy him! Vader thought as the dark side stormed away inside him.

Reijar, Ordo System…

Haron was sitting in his office having a discussion with Alia Atreides over their latest joint project, given that it would soon be needed there was little time left to waste.

"The Infinity is complete; she is now engaging in her initial trials and it all looks promising. No major issues to report." Alia told him and Haron nodded to her stern faced as he knew a lot was riding on this and there would be virtually no room left for error.

"Where will Thrawn attack do you think?" Alia asked, looking at the star chart of the Mandalorian border. Haron looked at it himself and having thought over every possibility combined with what Haron knew of him…he could guess.

"Hydran's Drift." Haron said as he pointed to a small area on the far reaches of their space. "The area suffers from intense gravitational shifts that make jumping to hyperspace very difficult but not impossible. It also makes it impossible to mine or put defence satellites there as the gravity will continuously shift them out of position and its so isolated that putting a fleet out there is impractical. But if a fleet did get through there, they have a direct shot at some of our less fortified planets. That's where it will be." Haron said with worry as it was going to be the battle that decided the fate of both their peoples would be fought there. He only hoped that Eliza's strategy worked, it was a bold and perhaps desperate one but it would certainly shock the enemy he conceded having kept an eye on what she was planning to do.

That was when he felt a surge in the force, Alia felt it too and they got to their feet, the hands going to their lightsabers before Ara came in with a shocked look on her face.

"Haron, you are never going to guess who want to talk with us." Ara told them and then gave a name that shocked Haron, Alia was confused as she had never heard of them before but soon a meeting with hastily arranged.

- x -

Deep Space, Mandalorian Border…One Day Later…

The Spirit of Fire had been rushed into the role of flagship along with whatever other ships that had been available to form the honour guard, this meeting was as much about projecting strength as it was making alliances.

The other same did not disappoint, not only arriving with ten capital ships of their own along with five Star Destroyers that they had captured from the Empire as proof of their superiority, something the Mandalorians were only too happy to return as they had as many in their own fleet.

On the Spirit of Fire Haron stood with Ara, Markus and Astoria, ready to receive their guests. The tension was thick as the waiting continued before at last a rather decorative shuttle appeared in the landing bay. It parked itself and the loading ramp descended and guards in elaborate dress uniforms emerged, the Mandalorians despite being on their best behaviour all thought the fancy dress worn by the guards looked ridiculous but they held it in as the actual ones they were here to see appeared.

She came down the ramp first, dressed in an elaborate gown that would make even the Naboo think was too much and she radiated smugness and a sense that she felt that she was better than them from ever pore. Narcissism ran through her entire body and she cared for only herself. More than that she was a sociopath with a deep and entrenched lust for power.

She was around Haron and Ara's age and the young man that accompanied her was roughly as old as Astoria. Dressed in robes himself although much more functional than the woman's and was much more modest and laid back, his sense of self-worth though was not very strong, having been beaten down and seemed to think that his entire existence might be brought to an end by the woman next to him if she felt like it, something that Haron and Ara could well believe if what they sensed about the woman was right.

She walked up to them as bold as you like and smirked broadly at them before introducing herself which was hardly necessary but played to her own vanity.

"Well, the legend about Mandalorians never being out of their armour is true. I would have thought you would at least have dressed up somewhat to greet me." She said with scorn which only made the Mandalorians feel like shooting the woman but they refrained from doing so and Ara who would take the lead in these negotiations given who they were speaking too stepped forward.

"We dress to show we are warriors, always ready to go at a moment's notice. It would take hours to get out of that dress unassisted, not to mention as our armour is beskar, we are hardly the ones dressing poorly, are we?" She said with a smug smirk.

The other woman looked ready to spit fire at those words but the younger man at her side thankfully had some more spine than they had first thought and spoke up.

"This is hardly the best way to conduct a first meeting, greetings. This the most esteemed Ta'a Chume, Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium. I am Prince Isolder, her son and I am most delighted to meet you." He said and it was a testament to his character that he was not as power hungry or uncaring as his mother. His eyes did briefly linger of Astoria which all of the Mandalorians noticed and did not like but it was not in a lustful way but more like curiosity.

That confused them and Haron who wondered just what the Hapes Queen Mother and her son would want with them walked forward and shook the man's hand, Isolder was intimidated slightly by Haron but at least could look him in the eye.

"Welcome to Mandalorian Space, royalty is not a common thing in our territory so let us retire to the meeting room to discuss whatever it was that you wished to meet about." Haron said and Ta'a Chume smirked before telling him with a glance towards Astoria which set all of them on edge.

"Oh, I am sure we will."

- x -

Hours Later…

"Not a chance." Haron said as he, his wife, Markus and Astoria retired to a separate room to discuss just what the horrid little Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium wanted.

"Give the word father and I will kill the bitch and her spawn myself with my bare hands." Markus said growling with anger at what they had demanded in exchange for their help in the war.

"Get in line." Ara said to both of them, quite ready to kill the bitch herself.

The Hapes Consortium had impressive firepower in their Battle Dragons although they suffered issues with overheating and long recharging cycles, not to mention the drive system was very fragile and easy to disable and the targeting computers were limited which meant while the ship might be good against a single target, against multiple targets it was extremely vulnerable especially if it had to attack alone rather than in overwhelming numbers.

Adding to those problems was that their fleet lacked a heavier starfighter to take the role of an offensive bomber and their Miy'til starfighters were often inferior to that of other nations due to their frailty and poor armament.

Those issues the Mandalorians could easily help them solve but there was something else that they made a condition of their new alliance, certainly before they even thought of offering any military assistance.

Astoria…would wed Prince Isolder, and become the next Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium or rather a pawn of Ta'a Chume who they could tell wanted to use her to gain control of the Mandalorians. To literally have one of the most powerful militaries in known space in her back pocket and she was even willing to kill every other Ordo to make that happen, maybe to actually even try to make Astoria Mandalore solely so she would control everything.

Astoria however remained quiet, she had sensed such things too and couldn't help but feel sorry for Isolder as clearly his mother was a monster. She was unlike the rest of her family considering that perhaps this deal was the key to something she herself had wanted, at least partly.

"This is my life." Astoria told them suddenly which made them all look at her which she honestly felt sometimes they didn't really see her, they would now she thought with determination.

"I will do this." She told them much to their shock.

"Sweetheart." Haron started to say but Astoria put her hand up to stop him and explained her reasoning.

"You have both been the most wonderful parents that I could ever have asked for." Astoria said and then turned to Markus. "And the best big brother, but I need to find my own destiny and this could be it. I help our people and you when you need it and I rule my own domain…my way." Astoria said with a similar cunning to her mother which made Ara especially look at her in surprise.

"And as for the witch who thinks she could control us." Astoria added thinking of the terrible Ta'a Chume. "We can deal with her. Once I am married to Isolder she will wait for a short while before making her move so we will make ours first." She said with cold deliberation, her meaning clear.

Haron and Ara both blinked while they looked at their eldest daughter in awe, when had she become so strong minded and determined? They asked themselves, when had she grown up?

Markus was also shocked at his sister's decision; he would never have imagined that she would have consented to an arranged marriage but given her reasons he could understand why now.

Ara and Haron both hugged their daughter; she gratefully accepted it as she was somewhat scared of the step she was about to take. Markus too hugged her before Haron told her with a horrible resigned sigh.

"Whatever happens and wherever you go, you remain our daughter and we will always love you." Haron said to her as she hugged him.

"I know father, I love you too." Astoria said sadly, knowing if she wanted to make her own life and legacy free of the baggage that came with her family then she had to do this but she would never cut herself off from them, no she thought with outright rejection of that idea. She would never cut them out of her life and she intended to make sure they saw her often.

But she wanted a life of her own, this was perhaps the best way she thought.

There we go, part 1 is now done and soon the battle with Thrawn will begin. Please review and let me know what you thought.

Stacey is a character from the Star Wars Fan Films 'Pink Five'. She proved popular enough to be mentioned in official Star Wars material specifically 'Allegiance' by Timothy Zahn.

More Review Responses…

ShadowbaneXX – Very good points, and I think you might be right. Mara is difficult to bring in as she is at the height of her loyalty to the Emperor at this point, if she did meet Luke, I honestly think she would try to kill him. Given her bond with Palpatine it would take something pretty big to break it. Luminya? Not sure what to do about her, Vader wasn't smart enough to use her if they even met before now.

HowlnMadHowie – Awesome Omake! If you are okay with it, I might start putting them up on the chapter? Orar class ships are built at Mandalore which not only had the massive shipyard but one upgraded with Iokath technology so it will produce ships faster. It's so new the Empire doesn't know much about it. Loved the bits about Thrawn you wrote! Kyle Katarn is a good character and one of the casualties of Disney. I hoped to do him justice as I intend to use him again.

Te Ne'tra Mand'alor – Sorry but I will write as quickly as I can.

EmaCnDf – I have seen that sort of thing done by other writers so I will think about it but it is about more than raw power. It also depends on your intelligence and how you use that power. Haron and Anakin are about evenly matched with Haron having a slight edge due to his better hand to hand skills and magic. I didn't do much like that but that was for pacing reasons mostly. Rituals? Not something I have a lot of knowledge of but he is capable of just about anything an Earth magic user could do.

iFarted1768 – Shin is somewhat easier to do given that Mara at this point is still loyal to Palpatine who is alive and I so far haven't figured out how to realistically break their bond yet. Markus and Leia, thanks! Glad about this one.

Dragon master 124 – Indeed, the old canon better portrayed how a Republic should be run even though it did occasionally have problems, the new canon version is horribly done and I have personally wondered just what they were thinking of. Leia and Markus were something I was worried about doing at first but it seems to work well. Haron, I think would be happy that his son is happy while Ara might worry about Leia not being a Mandalorian. Pellaeon, he won't appear in this chapter but the following one where his role will be expanded. He is I think an excellent character and much more impactful than most people realise. And thank you for the compliment!

Isebas – Luke and Mara have a lot of good points; she is an awesome character. I honestly think the old canon female characters were much better and well rounded.

qwertyuiop123214685 – Understood.

frankieu – Glad you liked it! Given the size of the galaxy who knows? Padme is going to have to do it without splitting the Rebellion in half which given their fractious nature is a very real possibility.

LouisReads10 – Luke/Mara/Shin. Not really seeing that happen but either Luke/Shin or Luke/Mara

DeluxeHipster1945- To be honest I think Palpatine being brought back in Rise of Skywalker was not intended. Snoke, I feel was going to be the main villain of the trilogy but then Rian Johnson killed him prematurely and they weren't sure if Kylo Ren would work so they brought Palpatine back as they had no time to set up something else.

ThunderSphinx – I know! I am finding it strange to be only working on one story now! Thank you for saying that, it means a lot!

stacygrrl2002 – Padme vs Mon is something I want to do; I have disliked Mon a lot in the new canon as you might have guessed so it makes sense to use Padme against her. She is much more grounded than Mon ever was as she had the experience to guide her like during the Invasion of Naboo and all the things that happened in the Clone Wars, Mon has not much of that if at all so she is more naïve and needed more experience I think before she took the reins of leadership. Padme is conscious of the risk of splitting the rebellion but she will do her best to stop that as much as possible. What will replace the Empire? I have a good idea of what to do after this but we shall see. But it won't be a New Republic.

sciencefictionfan1 – Mara…understood and you made some good points. I do get what you say about Mon Mothma but this is part of what I think has to happen. The Mon you described in the old canon was good, I liked her somewhat but not the new one. She should have brought the Rebellion more together than she does, while she did seem to support Jyn at what point does she actually do something about it? She doesn't have to be a dictator to be a leader, her job is to rally them and get them focused and she doesn't do that much. That's where the old Mon would show her strength and skill at pulling the rebels together. She also should be considering the long term, whether all of them agree or not it is up to her to get them to see the big picture that is the role she was put in as leader. The Rebels are terrorists to the Empire, not all of them are like Saw but they are terrorists to the Empire and what is it that they say 'One person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter'. The Rebel Alliance is no different, they will be heroes to some and villains to others but that does not mean being passive and if you want to replace a rotten system with something better, then people will have to fight and die to do that. It is very rare to my knowledge that peaceful revolutions really succeed.

In the movie 'Fury' which is set in WW2 one character says 'Ideals are peaceful, history is violent'. Did the Mandalorians refuse the support of the Rebellion? I never saw that happen; besides they likely did not want to be beholden to the Rebellion/New Republic. The Mandalorians in canon lacked a leader that could have fought properly against the Empire not to mention why they are saying they are all gone is stupid as there is supposed to be a thousand worlds in Mandalorian space…to have all of them on one planet and dying is just bad writing. Mon during the Mandalorian/Ahsoka series? She is the leader of the New Republic and the build-up of the First Order started in her time; she is responsible at least partly for that given she made many of the decisions that allowed it to happen.

Next Chapter – The Battle against Thrawn begins while a desperate mission is launched to deal with the Death Star and Padme finally faces Mon Mothma for leadership of the Rebellion.