Good evening, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm night of Saturday, September 23, 2023? I'm doing all right, if rather tired from volunteering and all today, followed by playing some Red Dead Redemption 2 earlier this evening. I've also been taking a couple days off to rest and regroup, and now I'm ready to get back to writing. So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter of my story, as it'll kick off with a bang and help drive the momentum for this story. It'll probably take me a few days to write, on account of me working and helping my family a lot this coming week, so things will likely move a little slowly with writing for a while. Well, since there's not much to talk about, I'd best get started on the chapter. I hope you all have a blessed night, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
Telona 34th, 59 ABY
Tulpaa System
Aboard the YT-5100 Shriek-class Bomber Phoenix Whirlwind
Barely able to glimpse more than a sliver of the battle raging across the Rakatan-dominated system, Allana could still grasp the vast implications of this engagement. Jedi and Sith, both being mortal enemies throughout virtually all their orders' history, joining forces with the Rakata and Killiks to save everyone from the foretold end of times, it was almost too much to wrap her mind around. Even as she armed her ship to break through the blockade of the Rhandites and Abeloth's fleets that encircled the One Sith's decimated defenders, she felt the minds of all the Last Alliance Force Users unite to form a battle-meld to coordinate their efforts and prepared to follow suit.
Joining with the meld, almost losing all sense of self among the concordance of over one hundred of the Force's followers, Allana remained aware of herself enough to see her fellow Jedi, Master Tyria Sarkin-Tainer, acknowledge the orders to attack. Activating her ship's engines, the Phoenix Whirlwind charged forward at full speed, ready to evade whatever traps the Servants of Chaos and True Sith Empire laid for their enemies and deliver relief to the Rakata.
Staying alert of her surroundings while growing closer towards the enemy blockade, Allana sensed the first flickers of another presence reveal itself from the planet before everyone, and recognized that the One Sith's warnings were, for once, genuine about their prospective allies. Extending her senses to visually see the Rakatan warships emerge from shipyards and hangars built long ago when their empire was collapsing and witness ancient emplacement roar to life in preparing to defeat the intruders, the Jedi Knight and Hapan heiress's only comforts were how everyone here all shared a common enemy, and how all involved in this meld was equally surprised as her in this development.
But Allana's hopes and fears were eclipsed by a naked terror when Abeloth's warships, rather than open fire on the approaching relief force, instead launched a payload of missiles not only against most of the embattled Sith defenders but were aimed for many portions of the planet beneath them. And these missiles, everyone could sense, carried within them the same immeasurable and virulent energies that wreaked havoc on all their creator's enemies during the previous battle above Csilla.
Receiving a priority transmission from the Ark Angel, Allana knew the unlikely team aboard wouldn't be making a social call at this critical juncture and immediately broke the meld to answer. "You better have good news right now!"
"Not exactly good as it is interesting and potentially dangerous." The troubled voice of Chelli Lona Aphra called back. "My ship is getting a coded message with landing coordinates on Tulpaa. They're insisting that I bring the Jade's Legacy and your ship along with me for a diplomatic outreach."
Tyria, giving voice to Allana's astonishment at the madness of such a reqeust, calmly pressed Chelli for more information, "Did they have anything more to say? Drop points to-"
"Only that they wish to meet with several of the Last Alliance's most respectable defenders and ascertain if we are truly here to help them, unlike the One Sith and far older evils." Korin Aphra, Chelli's father, brusquely interrupted. "Their words, not mine, but they also requested us to tell High Command that they will allow limited numbers of troops and ships onto the planet's surface, provided we limit their movements to outside the main cities for now and help them shoot down the inbound enemy barrage."
"And you trust the messengers?" Allana asked, seeing the approving glance in Tyria's appraising eyes.
"As much as I trust Tau." Chelli easily admitted, surprising both Jedi at the honest confession after the tragedy the Jedi-allied Iteration wrought on her while preparing to betray the One Sith. "But I've got Triple Zero and Beetee reexamining the coding, and it all checks out so far. The transmission also instructed us to keep the meeting's exact details under wraps until it concludes, to avoid letting the wrong people find out ahead of time."
Weighing the options, Allana knew the limited options presented before the Last Alliance. Knowing how the daughter of a Jedi-specialized historian and former assassin and compatriot of fellow One Sith deserter Tau, Chelli quickly found herself caught in a war no one sane would want to involve themselves in, she was hesitant to involve her further in this madness. But through her mother's strong and moral upbringing, her father's intense education, and hew own free spirit, she was quickly finding her footing and building the foundations of an honorable life, provided she survived this war with the mismatch of friends she made that comprised her ship's crew. And since she recognized the danger Abeloth and her handlers presented for all, and how she understood the One Sith a way few others in the Jedi's service ever could, they could hardly afford to turn away such valuable help.
At least, that was Tau's assessment from his few interactions with Chelli before the day he killed Lona Aphra in allowing her daughter the chance to escape Korriban to seek out the Jedi. With two murderous droids, 0-0-0 and BT-1 that took a liking to her for unknown reasons; her father, Korin Aphra, eager for blood against the One Sith after being freed from their control; and Jaing Skirata, a Null-class ARC Clone Trooper of the Grand Army of the Republic-turned Mandalorian Supercommando, the small crew of the highly customized and stolen Bellicose-class Heavy Lifter was a living example of the tumultuous times everyone was under.
Although many within the Alliance of Light's leadership trusted Chelli, and the help she had provided so far in deciphering much of the Rakata data they had acquired while sharing all she knew on the One Sith, Allana wondered why the Tulpaa Tribe wanted to meet with her. How did they know of her, and what role could she and her batch of misfits serve their plans? But before she could give voice to those misgivings, Tyria interjected, "Tell them we'll be coming right away, but be ready to provide a fair-sized berth for our troops and equipment and a safe route for the ambassadors."
"I'll get right on that. I'll be in back in touch soon." Chelli energetically promised before cutting the transmission to focus on flying her own ship.
Momentarily heatedly glaring at Tyria, Allana muttered, "Well, we're committed now."
"I know how you feel, Allana." Tyria simply acknowledged the Jedi princess's misgivings. "But we can use this opportunity to learn more of this Rakata remnant, determine how far and long we can trust them, and uncover what we can of their resources and culture. We'll just need to be exceptionally careful- more than we've ever been in our lives."
"Let's just hope my grandparents and all their teams are about to be faring better than we will be." Allana worriedly griped, earning a sympathetic gaze from the Jedi Master. Knowing how the Millennium Falcon, along with the joint force in Shada Du'kal Karrde's Smuggler's Alliance, Khedryn Faal's scavengers' guild, Sidon Ithano's privateers, and several Aquilian Republic, Mandalorian Protectors, and Sun Guard teams, prepare to launch the first of dozens of raids across the Rakatan refuge and liberate what Sith foundries and ships they could, she quietly prayed for their survival throughout the next few weeks or months and victory for the Last Alliance.
Telona 35th, 59 ABY
Deep Space
Aboard the Venator-class Star Destroyer Alchemy
Combing through countless terabytes of information in a mere handful of seconds, Cylo-V found himself growing exponentially frustrated at his lack of progress. Searching for the Alliance of Light's Zonama Sekot delegation amidst the ancient terrain of the Unknown Regions, even amidst a small portion of space left barren from the Rhandites' depravations, was a daunting task. And after two days of struggling to break through whatever Force-devised jamming that was interfering with the Olpakans' ability to oversee their targeted region of space, most would have given up or delegated the task to one's staff.
But the Olpakan Scientist had come prepared for such a time-consuming endeavor, with his armada of handpicked subordinates and marines and the products of his decades of prodigious cybernetics ready to meet the challenge. Riding within many ancient creatures left over from the wars long faded from history and legend, but fully augmented and controlled by Cylo-V's experimental technology, his people were renowned throughout the Olpakan Hegemony for their tenacity and effectiveness, even if many often questioned their leader's already doubtful sanity.
And given how Cylo-V was now working to save the Jedi and their allies from a trap of the Servants of Chaos's design, those doubts would be given credence now more than ever. Of course, if or when the Olpakan High Council eventually found out how he leaked word of the Rhandites' ambush to the Last Alliance, he would be accused of high treason, and would be lucky if he was simply blacklisted and not hunted down for this betrayal. It was fortunate that he had long been prepared for such a scenario and would take the appropriate measures when the time was right.
Bursting into his ruminations, Cylo-V found his connection to one of his pods of Purrgil cyborg-scouts rapidly decaying, and a splitting headache erupted from the mental strain. Struggling to see through the pain, he worked to reestablish the communications link with Morlit Flotilla, with tattered audio and visual readings slowly pouring through, and the images allowed him to realize just what they had stumbled upon. Seeing seven devices emanating energy readings resembling those of gravity well projectors, but with a design he couldn't recognize, it was obvious that this was a crucial piece of the Rhandites' ambush.
Cylo-V, digitally commanding his flagship and escorts to approach the trap, with the ships deploying scout fighters to gather what readings they could from the gravity well projectors. Analyzing all the incoming data, he was amazed at the advanced fusion of modern and ancient equipment, with the sheer raw energy emitting alone eclipsing anything the Olpakan Hegemony could generate with its current technological levels. Such a discovery made him giddy with wonder, an increasingly rarer occurrence for the stoic and composed scientist.
"Incredible." Cylo-V softly marveled. If only he could capture one of the devices for the Olpakan's own usage, they could unlock countless secrets of the ancient past that could completely upend the galactic balance of power. But Abeloth's destruction and the Rhandites' eradication came first, so he knew what must be done. Still, that didn't mean his people couldn't try to duplicate the technology with more conventional means and work to improve the Hegemony's capabilities with a slower and surer approach.
Burying his disappointments, Cylo-V, once he was certain the transmission was strong enough to reach the Morlit Flotilla, commanded his fleet commander, "Have Captain Asarte obliterate the devices immediately. Make sure to record all findings and trace the energy stream from point of origin to its destination. That is how we will find the Last Alliance and rescue them from their current predicament."
The Alchemy's commanding officer, a well-meaning and capable commodore in the Olpakan Hegemony, pointed out, "I'll issue the orders immediately. But you know the Jedi and Sith won't react positively to our assistance."
"You let me worry about that, Commodore." Cylo-V allowed a ghost of a smirk to cross his face before he turned to resume his studies, offhandedly adding, "Just be sure to have us ready to withdraw the moment the devices are destroyed. There's no telling what other surprises Abeloth and her followers might leave behind for any intruders."
Oh, the irony of the Jedi and Sith being rescued by an organization that wholly hated both orders. It would be enough to make Cylo-V laugh in pure hysteria if the danger weren't so exponentially terrifying.
Hyperspace, Zonama Sekot
Southern Hemisphere
Village of La'okio
"Sekot's found the Jedi's exact coordinates, then?" Invidious asked Danni Quee. As the Magister of Zonama Sekot, the onetime Jedi student served as the overseer of the planet's immigrant population and their conduit with the living consciousness and held a special disdain for the Sith and disillusionment with the Jedi after Jacen Solo's transformation and death as Darth Caedus.
Though Danni hated being near beings she had spent her life being the antithesis of, the Sith could tell she was a practical woman and saw the necessity in working with conventional enemies against an infinitely greater and indescribable evil. Truthfully, though she hated what the Sith stood for, she could sense how at least some within this new order were different from the last Sith iterations and sought a balance in the Force most foolishly ignored. If her hopes were vindicated, then there may be hope for the galaxy to finally learn from the sins of the recent and distant past.
And if Invidious and Ochi's claims were true, how they hoped to rebuild the Je'daii Order of old from the Jedi and Sith in preparing the galaxy to face malevolent powers even greater than Abeloth, then her old prejudices had to be discarded for the greater good. The final work of Arhul Hextrophon, Supernatural Encounters: The Trial and Transformation of Arhul Hextrophon, it spoke of things that her original scientific mind would have simply dismissed as ravings of a madman. But after years of learning under Sekot while the galaxy sank deeper into the darkness, she was a more enlightened woman and Force sage and would not entertain such simple prejudices so easily anymore.
All these thoughts and reflections transpiring in a moment, Danni continued her walk with Invidious. "Sekot informed me how we'll be arriving at the battlefield within twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, most of the fliers will not be ready by the time we revert to realspace, so Ochi will have to use his conventional ship."
"A shame." Invidious lamented. "He was looking forward to the prospect of piloting one of the fabled Sekot Fliers."
"He'll have other chances, I'm sure." Danni neutrally commented, ignoring the wind buffeting by as the planet continued its journey towards the Rhandite ambush. Daring to risk the next question, she asked, "Do you truly intend to break from the One Sith after this war concludes and reform the Je'daii Order?"
"You don't trust me? I'm wounded." Invidious faux-hurtfully whined before he grew somber, "Truthfully, I don't expect to survive beyond the war. I have too many enemies and too many sins following me to hope I can be forgiven. But what matters to me is that Ochi survives and can carry out my work."
"You think that highly of the assassin?" Danni queried. "Surely, Ochi has his own dark past to deal with, and the Jedi won't be so forgiving after-"
"I have faith in Ochi, because he is the sole hope of redeeming his people from their fallen faith and confirming my hopes in this plane of existence." Invidious tersely clarified. "And like Tau Palpatine and perhaps his brother, he holds my hopes for redemption for the galaxy and all its inhabitants. Born into darkness, but seeking light and truth, those two, I know they will be among many to herald everyone into a new age, one where everyone can live in truth fellowship, brotherhood, harmony, balance, whatever term you might use."
"And if the Jedi dare try to execute Ochi for his actions while working for Darth Krayt, then I'm counting on you and your kindred spirits to do what's right over what's easy." Invidious took a moment to compose himself, before he regained his easygoing demeanor and bashfully admitted, "Ah, forgive my rantings. I'm just eager to see this war through and have become uncharacteristically optimistic over the future."
"I should inform my people of the tight schedule and have us finish our preparations for battle. I'm sure Lords Snoke and Vua will hate me for intruding on their meditations or romantic reunions, but as we've both pointed out to the other, time is running out for us all." Invidious courteously bowed towards the magister before he walked off to locate his missing teammates, leaving Danni to hope and pray that this alliance would triumph and that this coalition wouldn't birth a greater evil.
Chiss Space, Pesfavri System
Aboard the Guardian-class Super Star Destroyer Cal Omas
"Sir, the latest reports from every Rakatan battlefront." The Mon Calamari adjutant handed Kral Nevil, Vice Admiral of the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet, the datapad before reminding him, "And your next meeting with High Command is in approximately forty minutes."
"Very good, Luet." Kral exhaustively thanked his subordinate and friend before he dismissed her to prepare for the conference. Reading through the briefings from all fleet elements currently engaging Abeloth's forces across the Rakata remnant, the Quarren naval leader quickly grasped the importance of this meeting, and what he would insist that Last Alliance High Command commit to before the day ended. This information, coupled with Tau Palpatine's warnings and the scattered reports regarding the escalating Olpakan civil war, would be crucial in convincing this summit towards marshalling the few remaining holdouts and doubters that held power across the galaxy while taking further decisive action.
Eventually, after the last few minutes slowly ticked away, the conference room of the Cal Omas blazed to life, with the dozens of holograms of every available major figure in the Last Alliance and the physical arrivals of several others.
Among the Galactic Alliance, its military commanders were among the best the galaxy had to offer, with Vice Admirals Kral and Kara, the latter a reformed Aporthad criminal and protégé of the GA's Supreme Commander Nek Bwua'tu, also in the large audience. Attending the conference via hologram was Jan Ors a high-profile general of the GA Security whose service record dated back to the early days of the Rebel Alliance, along with the Cerean politician who led the GA as Chief of State, Kajin Bar Yimmon.
From the Confederation, suffering from its loss in the death of well-respected admiral Traest Kre'fey from the last major engagement above Csilla, the secessionist government was represented by Turr Phennir, its military leader and six of his top surviving military subordinates and ambassadors.
The Imperials, far more vulnerable from the Sith and Daala-instigated civil war than they would admit, only had Jagged Fel, two of his military commanders, and three loyal Moffs participating, on account of the disappearance of Jaina and her escort.
Regarding the Chiss Ascendancy and auxiliaries in the Empire of the Hand, the aristocratic government had its six Aristocras and two highest ranking military leaders in attendance. As for its independent allies, the Garwian Unity, Lioaoin Regime, Paccian Governance, Vak Combine, peaceful Tof and Nagai fringe colonies, and dozens of other mavericks and freethinking powers, they were each allowed to send one ambassador to represent their people. And the Supreme Commander of the Last Alliance's military, a Chiss male who named himself Kivu'raw'nuru, after his genetic progenitor, Mitth'raw'nuruodo, the man who used the core name of "Vurawn" was meeting with the many leaders in person to make sure tensions didn't erupt and remind everyone of their common enemy.
The Aquillian Republic, the last surviving remnant of Zakuul's Eternal Empire, now a staunch ally of freedom and light, they had both of their Grand Counselors, two of their high-ranking senators, its top High Admiral, Julius Gaia, and its Jedi liaison in T'Ra Saa, offering their input for this conference.
The Jedi and Sith, they each had the leaders of their orders attending via hologram, with Kyle Katarn and Darth Krayt each bolstered by five of their members to offer counsel and help Vurawn keep the meeting moving forward.
As for the independent worlds and powers, the Hutts, Mandalorians, Hapans, and the dozens of guilds or privately owned fleets, they were each allowed a modest number of up to three ambassadors to round out the large gathering.
Scanning the crowd to ensure everyone was participating in this meeting, Vurawn cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention before the Chiss clone began, "You've all received word that our forces have begun to engage our enemies across the Rakatan Archipelago, and that we're establishing our blockade of the Red Honeycomb Zone to prepare for our invasion of Abeloth's base of operations."
"Several battalions of commandos slipped through the gaps in the True Sith Emprie and Abeloth's blockade, allowing them to begin inserting themselves on Tulpaa and Makatak, while our strike teams are ready to begin their raids across the enemy-held territories and facilities."
"What about the Olpakans and Daala?" Din Djarin, leader of a clan of Mandalorians and top advisor to Boba Fett, insightfully cut in. "Neither of them can afford to be ignored, and the longer we focus exclusively on the darker threats, the longer their civil war rages on and threatens to spill over into our territories."
"We're already begun to take measures on that front." Jagged assured the Mandalorian representative. Despite his injuries from the One Sith and distance from the battlefront while leading the Empire, the future emperor remained resolute and determined to see this war to its bitter conclusion. "Captain Vorn and his task force are working to infiltrate the Hegemony and locate suitable allies for our plans, while our more flexible allies will uncover what they can of the enemy's war capabilities. And our diplomatic efforts to establish ties with the rebels will soon begin to bear fruit."
"As essential as removing the Olpakans from this war is for our long-term plans," Kral anxiously interjected, "it is not our most immediate or demanding concern. Not two hours ago, I've received an intelligence packet that conveys several disturbing implications. For starters, it confirms what Tau Palpatine informed us of the Zonama Sekot fleet's disappearance, and near-precise coordinates of three probable locations where everyone is being held under siege."
"The provider of this intelligence?" Julius questioned. "How well do you trust this source?"
"I don't know who the source is, aside from the signature being of Olpakan origins." Kral admitted, earning many verbal lashings before Vurawn pressed a button, and a deafening shriek carried throughout the meeting and across ships, silencing all offenders.
"Thank you, Sir." Kral exhaustively acknowledged Vurawn's staunch efforts to maintain order, before he pointed out, "I understand your skepticism, but can we afford to take the chance and risk losing over two hundred warships and far more of our allies?"
"Where are these supposed coordinates your contact shared with you?" Tenel Ka Djo, Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium, professionally queried.
"At several hyperspace choke points near worlds that have suffered depravations from the Nihil Retreat and its Sorcerers of Rhand." Kral answered, generating several small murmurs from the crowd.
"Well, then the solution should be obvious to all." Azzim Anjiliac Atirue, young Hutt Kajidic and pro-reformer of his people, emphatically began. "We send probes to each site to validate the information, and whichever location is under siege, that will be where we send our reserves to rescue our compatriots."
"That will not be necessary." Krayt began. "Thanks to my agents' previous efforts to map out this portion of the galaxy, we can triangulate the fleets' position from the clues Tau and your Olpakan contact provided in a matter of hours, and we can send our forces there at once. We've already been working on the task, and the data Vice Admiral Nevil will provide us after this briefing can conclude our efforts."
"Forgive me, but there are still the matters of the Rakata battlefronts of Tulpaa and Makatak to consider." Julius carried on. "Although our infiltration teams are working to connect with the leaders of both local resistances, the intelligence we've received from the Tulpaa tribe on their rivals on Makatak, if valid, is most unsettling."
"Provided it isn't a scheme to undermine the other and ensure they call all the shots in the post-war galaxy." Barratk'l, a Jedi Master and liaison with Freedom Flight and other abolitionist and reform groups, gruffly pointed out.
"I don't believe it is." T'Ra interjected. "Aside from the Force and the gleanings I've been able to intercept from the two worlds, the Aquilians have kept careful tabs on the two enlightened tribes over the past several centuries. While they have been engaged in a cold war with each other, the Tulpaa tribe has taken great lengths in ensuring it doesn't boil over into a genuine conflict, and they have achieved a quasi-republic not unlike many of our own while their remaining brethren have retained their dark roots. We need to be exponentially careful in any dealings with the Makatak tribe."
"All of this is assuming we can truly work with any Rakata, especially when- if they haven't already- they learn of the allies we recovered from Batuu." Jan skeptically reminded everyone while alluding to the Esh-Kha army hidden away on the Wild Space world of Batuu and rescued by the Jedi and Sith before one of the latter unleashed nuclear destruction on the planet. "But right now, all this is merely hypothetical until we can gauge their intentions more clearly. For now, we all have several common enemies, and we cannot afford to fight anymore battles at this time."
"Indeed, General Ors." Vurawn concurred. "And on that note, I would recommend we ready what reserves we can spare for relieving our besieged forces on all fronts, with all due haste."
"Then I must advise you not to deploy too many of your forces to rescue your ambassadors and their fleets." Krayt insightfully pointed out. "My delegation informed me, not an hour ago, of Zonama Sekot currently journeying to save your people, and they will soon be in position to help. The rest of our people can be put to better use than enacting overkill."
Kyle, suspecting there was more to the One Sith founder's warnings than what he was telling, kept silent. Knowing the situation was fragile enough without baseless accusations, he and his allies would have to investigate the Dread Lord's intelligence quietly if they hoped to uncover any duplicity in a timely manner. The only problem was, though, where to start amidst all this Sith Lord's countless machinations and decades of back alley deals and skullduggery?
Deep Space, Unknown Regions
Aboard the Rude Awakening
"Help is coming to us." Edaan whispered in relief, quietly thanking the Supreme Maker for who was coming to their aid while evading the barrage of concussion missiles from an enemy gunboat. Even through the fog of shadows that all but blanketed the Last Alliance's connection to the Force, the living seedling world of Zonama Sekot shone like a bright star in a sea of darkness, hurtling towards the embattled defenders of the Light.
Of course, the inbound help would be irrelevant if all the besieged fighters found themselves dispatched by the Servants of Chaos and their ancient and dark arts. Combining the Sith and Rhandites' powerful and insidious command of the Force with modern technology enhanced by remnants of much more advanced civilizations long since extinct, the Last Alliance armada found itself severely outmatched. It was only through utilizing dozens of unconventional tactics and destroying all but three of the enemy warships which housed such advanced equipment that the battle hadn't turned into a complete massacre by now.
Still, if this titanic engagement continued at its current pace, it would not be long before the Last Alliance was completely drained of strength and left easy pickings for the remaining Abeloth and Rhandite fleets. Between her interdictors and communications blackout preventing anyone from escaping this trap, the Jedi-led armada, once numbering three hundred ships strong, found its numbers cut down by over a fifth of its original strength from the last two days of near-continuous fighting.
Despite inflicting about several dozen more ship casualties beyond the number of losses they suffered on their foes, the Servants of Chaos and True Sith Empire would not relent one millimeter of ground, virtually throwing their thralls against the enemy as if this battle was a testbed for their battle doctrine. Employing all manner of weapons and ships against the Last Alliance, with little to no rhyme or reason, but coordinated by several high-profile defecting Sith and Rhandites through their usage of the Force and bolstered by a near-endless supply of warships, the enemy still held virtually total control over this battle. Whether this plan was out of deliberate design or simple cruelty, none of the Jedi and their allies could certainly say, but it wouldn't matter if someone- anyone, by this point- didn't come to their rescue soon.
At that moment, while piloting the Rude Awakening through the gutted wreckage of two of Abeloth's Rakatan cruisers, Edaan felt his connection to the Force begin to strengthen again, if only by a miniscule margin. Reaching out with his senses, he and the rest of the Last Alliance's Force Users detected several fewer of those infernal anti-Force dampeners destroyed and knew that help was closer than everyone originally believed. However, what he saw indicated that help was yet to come from Zonama Sekot, but by an enemy almost as deadly to the galaxy as the Bringer of Chaos.
Briefly baffled by the implications of the Knights of Olpaka helping their enemies, Edaan swiftly ran through the possibilities with his supercomputer-enhanced mind and realized that the Olpakan Hegemony situation must be far more unstable than anyone realized. Immediately banishing such thoughts to regain his focus, he utilized a private and highly encrypted subspace channel with all the Last Alliance's command vessels, warning them, "Be ready to move, everyone. We might be getting a short window of escape from this madness soon, but some of the Olpakans might be the ones doing a good part of our deliverance. Keep on high alert and pray for deliverance."
The message was sent, and now all that Edaan and his friends and family could do was hold out a little longer and hope for the best. At this point, keeping faith and courage alive within everyone was likely the best and only sure defense they all had against the darkness quickly bearing down on all creation.
Well, I'd say this is a fine place to end the chapter! And after four days of writing, I complete this chapter at around 5k words. I hope the story's off to a good start, as I wonder at times if I'm maneuvering the pieces together in a coherent and timely manner, or if I'm including too much in my chapters in making it difficult to grasp everything that's transpiring. But I'll have to go with my gut, and my instincts are telling me that this is a suitable place to conclude the chapter. So, how are you all doing on this warm and cloudy night of Tuesday, September 26, 2023? I'm all right, if rather tired from work today, and I have another 6-hour shift tomorrow on account of my talents being needed more than I originally expected. Right now, I'm watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and it's a wonderful movie. I'd best get this chapter ready for publishing in a day or two, and I hope you all have a blessed evening in these troubling times. May the Lord be with us all in these darkening times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
