Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Star Wars.
Hello again, sorry for the delay but I had to replace my computer and it took awhile to get things up and running again.
Review Responses from the Last Chapter...
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – Thank you for your comments, they are really appreciated. Indeed, there are some videos on youtube about how much could have been built with the resources that were put into the Death Star. It is massively wasteful, indeed, Palpatine losing his power happened in canon as you look at how he was different between Episode 3 and Episode 6 then there is some major loss of power there. Pretty much, the curse is forbidden for good reason and even in war they would be careful with it. Thank you for the support.
Callum Runchman – Thanks! Indeed but given how dangerous he is would Haron risk leaving him alive to turn again them later. Good point about Naboo but then again a lot of other planets. I thought about just blowing the Death Star but I wanted to do something else with it. Good points you made. They don't really have anything since Thrawn was their best strategist and tactician and the second death star is nowhere near finished, but the war isn't won yet. The Iokath technology has been integrated in a lot of ways but I personally don't like the design of the Eternal Fleet very much although the Gravestone is another matter, I will consider that. Null cannons are something I haven't used for awhile but I will see about using them again. Mon Mothma was a character I have grown to dislike a lot since Disney took over, whatever good traits or intelligence she had has been stripped away and we're left with a complete mess. Vel will appear again but I am not quite sure just what to do with her. I have always wondered why they don't make more, since Disney took over there has to my knowledge only been one the Dagoyan Masters and that's it. I was hoping when Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati appeared they might be from another culture rather than just being a rogue Jedi. Yoda's plan is to keep the Jedi alive from their enclaves but they are far from safe as you will see in this chapter. But there is something planned like you said in the future. Truce? No chance, but like in the old canon new threats might emerge. No if there had been a Haron Ordo in the canon something like the First Order would never have been allowed to exist. Haron and Anakin discuss their age in this chapter but to answer your question he was born in 45 BBY so he is now 44 years old, as for their reaction you will see in this chapter.
red demon161 – I appreciate the compliment! Indeed, things are now firmly against the Empire but this war is not over yet. Mon did so some good but like you say created a rotten and unstable government that eventually led to the rise of the First Order. I will admit to not having seen all of Andor but having looked at what I can you are spot on. Fanaticism is dangerous no matter the cause. Glad you liked what happened to the Death Star, it makes a lot of sense to dismantle it as I watched a few videos on what they could have made instead of it and I will say it now, Palpatine and Tarkin are complete idiots. Krennic cry? Hell yes, he will be forced to watch for however long it takes for them to take the thing apart right before his eyes. Padme was naïve in the canon but she has learned by now so she will hopefully make a better government now.
M1stymix- True but Palpatine is distracted by other things and Xizor was lucky there as Palpatine doesn't consider him a real threat. Indeed, Mon is gone. Padme I think by now has understood just where they went wrong before. Depa? Good point, I will try to address that in the future. Yeah, the Wizarding World certainly has a lot of that.
Blaze1992 – Human looking droids have always been a thing in Star Wars, Guri exists in the old canon. Good points but given its sheer size what place needs a facility that big?
HowlnMadHowie – Indeed, I think given all the resources poured into the Death Star it was a testament to the egos of the people behind it. He will find out about as you see in this chapter and that creates new opportunities. The Infinity is a powerful weapon and the Mandalorians will make use of it.
BlackWatcher1234 – Thrawn's ending needed in my head to be big and I hope I managed that. Pellaeon is a character that the new canon should do more with as he is probably the best of the 'Good Imperial'. You can bet they'll be surprised alright as you will see in this chapter. Trilla and Cere, probably not. What will the Jedi do when Palpatine falls? Could they stay in different sects or try to build it back into one big order? Good question and I do have a plan for that. Each of those sects will have its own identity and like the Corellians want to stay independent so some might want to join some might not.
Joe02 – I know there is a lot of people in play now. You hopefully won't be disappointed as it comes out in this chapter. Nothing as dramatic as a rescue mission though.
DeathCrawler, raw666, Rio47, meron1812, RedTec55, EP, Calebros, Guest, tf330129, sh777, Jebest4781, fresh prince1, Bia1230, frankieu - Thank you!
More Review Responses at the end of the chapter...
1 BBY – 999 ARR...
Chapter 42 – Relationships
Yaga Minor, Outer Rim...999 ARR...
The world of Yaga Minor had always been an remote area without much to its name but recently it had gained a brand new importance in galactic affairs, seeing that they had no major shipyards in that area of the galaxy and with the Imperial Fleet needing new ships and a place to repair damaged ones urgently without having to retreat to the Core or Fondor the Empire had begun investing a lot of resources in building a large shipyard here, one that might rival Fondor or Sluis Van.
The shipyard was growing increasingly close to completion and that was one of the reasons that the Mandalorians had waited till now to attack it, why waste their own resources building the shipyard when they could simply let the Empire spend its own before taking it for themselves.
Mandalorian ships let by the Infinity blasted their way through the Imperial defenders and now was sending troops to secure the shipyards and to the surface to deal with the Imperial garrison and ground facilities, the Yaga species were a simple people that had been largely misled by the Empire so it wouldn't be difficult to get them to swap sides and work for them. Haron was leading this attack personally as it was an important target and would give them a rather useful facility right on the border with the Empire that they can use to repair and replace ships not to mention deny the Empire the facility.
Haron was co-ordinating both the ground campaign and the space battle at the same time from the Infinity which had a custom built command room for such things. He had the best displays and communications to run the campaign and it was going extremely well, the Imperial Fleet had been spread out while trying to find the Death Star and had pulled units that should have been protecting the shipyard so it had been the best opportunity to take it.
Haron was then met with the holograms of Lelia and their niece Cera who was leading her first campaign.
"Status." Haron said sternly, both Lelia and Cera nearly rolled their eyes as he was being blunt again but that was only because he wanted to make sure things were going well for them. He worried they thought with amusement but at the same time it was reassuring as they knew he would always have their back.
"Five Star Systems now secure." Lelia said with a satisfied smirk. They were using the search for the Death Star and the way the Imperial Fleet was spread out to capitalise on a moment of weakness and take some key systems. They weren't worried about the Imperials finding it, they had moved it deeper enough into Wild Space and disabled any transponders so there was virtually no chance of them finding it. Resources from it were already pouring into their factories and allowing them to replace ageing ships with new ones and fortify their new worlds.
"Add another six." Cera said with a sense of accomplishment, she was doing this largely under their supervision but she was getting a chance to do it on her own. Her mothers had been incredibly worried but that was what parents did right? When their children left home to find themselves right? They had a few years before her little sister did too but they weren't going that far. They were merely making their own way in the world.
"Dig in, we have some more operations coming up and it would do us well to see that we are properly secure before pushing on." Haron said with a smile now like them. He had decided it was time to attend to one piece of unfinished business...something from the Clone Wars which was long overdue.
Tarkin Estate, Eriadu...
The Tarkins' were a wealthy family and the position of Grand Moff had only allowed Wilhuff Tarkin the current head of the family to add to that wealth and power. He was enjoying some wine as he would occasionally return here to keep an eye on other members of the family and ensure everything was in order. His own discomfort was considerable over the worrying situation in regards to the Death Star going missing when it played such a large part in his plans to rule the galaxy through fear and not to mention overthrow the Emperor so that he could ensure that old archaic religion was gone into the trash compactor of history where it belonged.
But the fact it had vanished did scare him even if he could never admit it even to himself. More than that recent events had seen much of the Outer Rim fall in chaos and with the loss of so much territory to their enemies he was again now in danger of losing his position of Grand Moff. That grated heavily on him and increased his fury that the Emperor dared question his competence, but with the Death Star now gone and the second nowhere near completion for a number of years he was going to have to grit his teeth and fight to maintain his position until the time came that he could overthrow Palpatine.
Then to his dismay the lights went out, leaving him standing in the middle of the dark room and he sighed in frustration over what fool had been so stupid as to fail at such a simple task of making sure that the estate had sufficient energy and was well maintained. He carefully put his wine down on the table that he had been standing next too when the lights went out and relying on his memory of the room and where he was standing to find his way to the door, the doors were on a separate circuit to the lights so they could escape if some emergency happened. But when he reached the door it refused to open, the power was still there he could tell by the noise of the mechanism made but it would not open.
He was confused and wondered just what was happening when suddenly a red blast of light engulfed his vision and he knew nothing more.
- x -
Reijar, Ordo System...Hours Later...
When Tarkin finally did regain consciousness he found he was in an unfamiliar room and strapped to some kind of frame, standing him upright. It was an interrogation room he realised having seen many in his time with the military but not from this position. He had no way of knowing just how much time had passed or where he was in general but he was sure the Imperial Security Bureau and his own personal guard were looking for him so it would be only a short matter of time before he was rescued due to his importance to the Empire or that he could intimidate his kidnappers into letting him go.
The door to the room opened and that was when he first felt a stab of fear as he saw a familiar face among those that had entered the room, one that he had not seen in nearly two decades but he was the sort of person that you didn't forget.
"Good work Li'anne. A perfect first operation." Haron told his daughter who was standing at his side. She had been the one to plan and execute the mission and he was impressed at her level of attention to detail and skill at planning. She was her mother's daughter Haron thought with no jealousy just pride in her and how intelligent she was.
"Thank you father." Li'anne said with a sense of accomplishment as she had kidnapped the terrible and seemingly untouchable Grand Moff Tarkin. The fact she had distinguished herself as her own person and not as just a member of the Ordo Dynasty was a great thrill to her.
"Ordo, this is an affront the Empire will not forget. They will pay no ransom but perhaps I can be persuaded to allow your youngest child to live if you release me now." Tarkin said with great scorn.
You could almost admire his composure Haron thought with amusement at his foolishness. Li'anne looked ready to kill him on the spot but Haron put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and then told Tarkin with a smile you could almost think was friendly.
"Tarkin, you clearly have no idea of the position you are in. And we are no mercenaries that are interested solely in money. No, there is not going to be any reprieve, no mercy. I swore a long time ago that I would ensure your destruction and I have allowed you to live only so long until you built an Imperial military that is riddled with issues. Weakness that myself and others could and have exploited, now however you are of no further use to us and it is time for you to reveal whatever secrets you hold before we execute you in this room with no ceremony before throwing your lifeless corpse into the incinerator. You who understand nothing of the force are about to discover just how wrong your opinions on it are." Haron said before pressing a button on his gauntlet.
At the sides of the frame a solution travelled down tubes before entering Tarkin's veins through an IV that he had not even realised was there.
"A little solution to help the process along, we call in vertiserum and it will not allow you to lie. In the past we forced people to drink it but injecting it as a solution straight into the bloodstream is far more effective. Now, no more pointless chatter its time to get down to business." Haron said with his face suddenly using the force to compel Tarkin to speak. The man struggled visibly but there was no stopping it when Haron started his questions, making him reveal all of his secrets.
Phobus Sector, Expanionist Region...
With the recent defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the sudden and unexpected liberation of Naboo other planets had now begun open rebellion against the Empire. The Phobus Sector was a relative backwater in galactic affairs but had now risen up the ranks as many of the planets were now in open revolt.
Given all that was going on and the ongoing search for the Death Star this was not a situation that the Empire could tolerate for very long so they had dispatched Lord Vader with a fleet of ships to put an end to the local revolts.
Death Squadron as it would become known was made up of several Star Destroyers and the Executor, a Super Star Destroyer led it, accompanied by several of the new Harrower-class Heavy Cruisers. The fleet was terrifying as it approached the first planet, the hangers on the front and side of the new cruisers allowing the fast deployment of its large Tie Fighter complement quickly. The locals were not well equipped in terms of ships and so had only a bunch of old Z-95 Headhunters that looked like relics left over from the Clone Wars and a few light freighters to fight with so the fast deployment of Admiral Pellaeon's cruisers and their fighter wings made it extremely easy to overcome this meagre defence and pave the way for the bombers that followed, razing settlements to nothing.
Vader was impressed at the cruisers and recommended Pellaeon for promotion or commendations for how effectively he used them. Other officers including the supposed overall commander of the fleet Admiral Ozzel hated the new ships as they lacked the overwhelming firepower of a Star Destroyer even if they were hardly lacking in that area.
So Vader quickly executed Ozzel after the man made a foolish mistake that allowed a world's population to raise a defence shield by coming out of hyperspace too close to the system and replacing him with an officer that he knew would be easily controlled by him, Piett while given Major Veers a promotion to Major General and commander of all ground forces in the fleet. Pellaeon was a worry but a good officer and well respected by his men. Vader knew the value of that and would keep him around for now.
But as they bombarded one planet into glass he took notice of one particular new recruit to the fleet that had shown considerable talent...a fighter pilot named Shira Brie. The young woman was force sensitive and a natural spy as he was finding, while he already had an apprentice why not take two? He thought with satisfaction, she would be a particularly useful Shadow Hand for him and so he had called her to his chamber.
The red haired woman knelt before him.
"You summoned me Lord Vader?" She asked, curious while also afraid which Vader liked and so he told her.
"Yes, it has come to my attention that you have proven to be an exceptional pilot and more than that the force itself is working through you. I have need of such skills, but I am also willing to show you the ways of the force in a way that you will gain power unlike anything you have every dreamed. Choose wisely." He warned her, making sure that she understood that if she said no that she would not leave this room alive.
Shira proved that she understood that perfectly and she was drawn to the idea of learning to wield the Dark Side of the force so she bowed her head and said the words that he wanted to hear.
"Yes...Master."
Space over Kaitain, Pasdishah Imperium...
On the large orbital shipyard that hung over Kaitain Paul Atreides stood with Irulan and their inner circle as the new capital ship of their fleet was being assembled. The Heighliners were powerful but they were not purpose built warships and were much more useful as carriers or logistical vessels. Not to mention they still relied on outdated technology and were far too slow to be able to get into a fight quickly.
Something new was needed, Paul and Irulan had thought and so the designers had worked hard and come up with two designs; one to act as a battleship that would equal a Star Destroyer or any other capital ship while the second was a missile and drone heavy cruiser to work alongside the smaller carriers to project greater strength.
The battleship was clearly the larger of the two, having a curved angular central hull with large wings that curved up around it. Designed to not only be a highly capable warship that could operate on its own but as part of a fleet and serve in a number of other roles. They had christened it the Leto-class and it had great potential.
The Missile/Drone Heavy Cruiser was called the Freman-class, like the Leto-class it was designed to operate behind enemy lines alone if required and had been coated with sensor resistant armour plate but when called on it would be able to act as a highly efficient missile platform and drone control vessel. Half the size of the larger Leto-class it had a singular and much more aggressive arrow head shaped hull with tendril like structures that extended from behind it.
Both classes were difficult to operate without large crews and so the Space Navigation Guild who had been worried about becoming obsolete in the new era had found a new purpose as they could interact with the ship's systems directly and help in both speed and efficiency. Both ships would have incredible agility because of this and it gave them a huge advantage over their enemies.
Paul had his arm around Irulan's waist as he held her close, it was not proper to show such affection in public but he didn't care and neither to her own surprise did Irulan. They had more crucial issues to worry about than etiquette and what the more traditional members of the court thought, not that they were ignorant of that potential issue and kept a close watch on them but it was not their priority.
They were building a future for the Imperium and those who could not adapt would be left behind.
Lake house, Naboo...
The warm and verdant surroundings of Naboo's lake district were as soothing and relaxing for Anakin now as they had been during his youth, the gentle sound of the water and the pleasant view was refreshing and provided a stable and safe environment to train his students. Padme remained in Theed to spend time liaising with the other Rebel Leaders while he trained Mace, Tash, Zak and Wila. Mace being the oldest was easily the most experienced and was now receiving some advanced instruction from Kagame while Anakin walked Tash and Zak through saber exercises.
Tash was a fluid and acrobatic fighter Anakin thought as he saw her begin to take the first steps into Ataru, he insisted that she also study Shien or Soresu as it would give her a solid defence to fall back on if needed but she had taken to the aggressive and highly mobile form with a natural grace that rivalled Ahsoka in her early years.
Zak was much more grounded, Anakin thought as he seemed to want to learn Soresu but it would be a long time before he was able to call himself a master of it like Obi-Wan had been, Anakin thought with a slight sadness as he had not seen his former master in many years now but he had been told that Obi-Wan was now running a Jedi Safe World where new students could live in peace and safety with their families while learning to channel and use the force. He had even confided that he now had a child of his own and Anakin had almost choked when he had heard that but wished him well. Given all the years of duty Obi-Wan had served it was only right that he finally get some peace and love himself.
That made Anakin turn to his newest student, Wila. The girl was strong in the force and now was beginning her formal training, he was starting gentle to get her to ease more into active feeling the force and having more control when wielding it, but he thought as he saw that she was now deep into meditation and floating a couple of feet off the ground.
Clearly she had a deep connection to the Living Force Anakin thought as he studied her, Wila would be more of a force wielder than a lightsaber duellist but that was fine, Anakin thought with a much more wiser outlook on things than he had when he was younger. She would have a good grounding in lightsaber fighting regardless Anakin thought but that was so she had something to fall back on in any given situation. Soresu would suit her well he thought but then again given her focus on her force abilities Niman might also be a good fit for her but if she learned Niman he would insist she learn another form alongside it to reinforce her defensive abilities Anakin reasoned.
He briefly wondered how he, who had sworn that he would not take a padawan had ended up taking nine! He thought with astonishment as most Jedi Masters never taught that many with the exception of the longer lived ones like Master Yoda who had taught all of the Jedi Order before the fall in some capacity or another. Three were his own children and most of them had been forced on him but at the same time he could never be bitter about any of them, Anakin thought with a smile. In truth he had enjoyed teaching them and seeing them go out there and achieve their own greatness was an incredibly rewarding experience. They had brought immense joy to his life and he would be glad of that for however long he lived.
Still seeing Wila was coming out of her meditations he turned his attention back to her training and making sure that she had a solid grounding in the force before moving on to other more advanced skills.
- x -
Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo...
Padme was in the middle of preparing for the biggest negotiations she had been apart of since the Clone Wars and she was quite nervous. C-3PO had thankfully proven that he was still as good at helping to prepare for these things as he had been years ago, not to mention the Queen had been gracious enough to let them use the Royal Palace to host the meeting.
Padme stood in the secure landing zone near the palace accompanied by Alliance soldiers and Royal Naboo Security Forces in full parade to greet their guests. An elegant ship that looking like it was designed after an swift and streamlined fish landed, the ramp lowered and a parade of guards in white combat armour descended, they had no hair but had skin that was a mix between blue and purple. They had many human features including five digits on each hand but they were clearly alien.
"Greetings Ambassador." Padme said with a respectful bow, the ambassador bowed back and said.
"I return the greeting, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Padme Amidala." Ambassador Sha'ira said, her light blue skin almost simmering in the sun as she smiled.
Padme was hoping to make a good impression, the Asari were a reclusive race that was legendary for being very artistic, capable traders and truly excellent diplomats, they rarely got involved in galactic affairs but she was trying to gain their political insights on designing a new galactic government. While rebuilding the Republic had been her original plan it had been made quite clear to her by several of her advisors that the Republic had failed. A thousand years of relative peace had made them decadent and corrupt, truly rotten to the core she thought with dismay at how bad things had gotten and while the Sith had done their best to make it worse it had not been them alone that had been responsible for the situation.
They all had been she thought with a sense of guilt, everyone that had been there and failed to take action. From senators to their staff and everyone else even the Jedi...they had all turned a blind eye to the corruption in the senate and now the Republic had been twisted into a Sith Empire and they were neck deep in a galactic civil war.
As she walked the ambassador into the Palace she just hoped that they would be willing to help her create a blueprint for a new and better government that would replace the Empire after it fell.
Palaven System, Unknown Regions...
Luke braced himself against the wall of the Imperial Fuel Dump that he and the rest of Rogue Squadron infiltrated to aid the Turians in their battle against the Empire. A newly discovered race they were a powerful and disciplined race with a strong military that the Empire had been trying to conquer.
But he and Rogue Squadron were not going to allow that to happen, Luke thought with a smirk. They were here to blow up the fuel dump to deprive Imperial units of their much needed fuel supplies. The twelve of them had infiltrated the facility on one of the planetoids in the system and now were in the middle of a firefight while they sabotaged the fuel pumps and dumped dummy explosives to cover their real plan.
"Wedge, on the right. Biggs on the catwalk." Luke called out as he drew his lightsaber and used it to block the shots being fired by the Stormtroopers while his people did their work over provided fire support.
"Got it." Wedge and Biggs told him as they shot the approaching enemy, he had become fast friends with both men and the rest of the unit as they went on their various missions.
"Luke, we got three of the bombs rigged." Tycho told him with a satisfied smirk which was cover for saying that three of the pumps were sabotaged. Samoc Farr, Grizz Frix, Barlon Hightower and Kirst were doing the same, either planting their fake bombs and sabotaging the values. Vigrat Pomoner, Dak Ralter, Zev Senesca and Cinda Tarheel where busy covering the other entrances.
"Keep going, we are overstaying our welcome." Luke called out, they all were professionals who knew what they were doing but a reminder was sometimes a good thing.
"We know!" They all called out but it was with smiles on their faces, calm in the face of danger and knew what they were doing but knew their commander was just making sure they were all on task.
Luke smirked himself as he used the force to throw debris at the Imperials, sending them flying as Zev called out.
"Bombs planted, time to leave." Zev told them which was the signal that the sabotage was complete and the fake bombs planted. So they all got up and made their way towards the natural tunnel they'd used to infiltrate the place, running down while blowing the charges they'd placed to cover their escape and collapse the tunnel behind them. They didn't stop running until they reached the small cave where their X-Wings were parked, Luke ran towards his own and called out to R2 who was docked inside it.
"R2, start her up...we're leaving." Luke said as he pretty much leapt into the cockpit, his friends and squad mates quickly climbed into their own ships, starting them up before blasting their way out of the cave and into space. The Imperials meanwhile having been focused on the bombs failed to check the pumps which suddenly shot up in pressure, alarms blaring before a massive leak of fuel ignited and flowed back down the pipes into the massive storage tanks. Rogue Squadron just got clear before the explosion ripped the facility and the small planetoid apart.
Grell, Mid Rim...
The Ghost was on a scouting mission for the alliance, hoping to see how extensive the monitoring facilities on Grell were in preparation for operations in the sector. Different members of the crew were on their own parts of the mission while Sabine was on the cliffs near the primary reception dish. The massive structure was quite powerful and Sabine knew that if the Alliance was going to launch any kind of operation here then they would need to render this facility blind or perhaps even destroy it. She shut down her sights and was so caught up in thinking of ways to disable the facility that she didn't realise until too late that someone was watching her.
Suddenly she felt herself being pulled backwards and cried out in shock and then saw a bolt of red light flying at her before she was knocked out.
It was not a strong stunning charm because she came round less than an hour later with her head pounding, she got up and realised that her helmet wasn't on, she then noticed the lack of any armour, she wore it all of the time so she honestly noticed its absence straight away. She looked all over and saw that she was missing every single part of her armour and her weapons too much to her shock. She looked up and saw three faces that she hadn't seen in years looking down at her all with great disapproval on their faces.
"Markus,, Siri, Tyus. What...what's going on?" She asked confused as to why her cousins were here before Siri and Tyus told her with an annoyed look on their faces, speaking in tandem as they did sometimes.
"You stop acting like a Mandalorian, and leave your family again. And ask what's happening." They said almost like they couldn't believe she was this dense.
"Leave it out you two. We're here to recover the armour and return it to Clan Wren, Sabine we take no pleasure in this. You nearly destroyed our parents' marriage when my father bent the rules to get you out of trouble. But you're first action on being forgiven was to leave with your rebel friends. Do you have any idea how much that hurt us? Hurt your father? Your mother? Your brother? You proved that your heart is not Mandalorian any more. So therefore you can't wear our armour. You made your choice...now live the consequences." Markus said before he and his siblings disappeared, apparating themselves away.
Sabine had been about to desperately try to reason with them, plead even if she had to do it on her knees to get her armour back but they didn't give her the chance. She felt the cold on her skin although they had provided her with suitable clothing for the planet but none of it was as good as her armour. She hugged herself tightly before slowly getting to her feet and walking the long way back to the Ghost...not even saying anything to her crew-mates as she arrived and they immediately noticed her lack of armour. She just walked past them and went to her room, locking the door behind her and laying on her bunk before letting the tears fall. A major part of her identity had taken from her and she didn't know how to manage without it. Even when she had been wandering the galaxy after running away the first time she had still had that piece of home, it was like a second skin to her and now it was gone.
Orbit over Atzerri, Inner Rim...
On the bridge of the MC80a Cruiser Clarity, Anakin was reluctantly leaving the training of his students on Naboo except for Mace who had accompanied him to meet with an Imperial defector who was promising to bring useful Intel to the Rebellion and in his words 'a significant advantage' with him. Anakin was still half convinced that this was a trap and hence why he not only had a small fleet with him but Meera Surik who was standing on the deck of the ship with an impassive look on her face.
"He's late." Anakin said with annoyance and she just turned to him with a slight tilt of her head and told him.
"Impatience is an enemy to all, besides if he can provide the information he is promising its worth a few minutes. Besides even if it is a trap then we know he can't be trusted in future." Meetra said with a calm resolve, she was never rattled by anything and always planning in advance. Probably what made her such a good commander Anakin thought with a slight wish he could be more like that himself.
Any more conversation was brought to a extremely sudden halt by the arrival of a Star Destroyer! The large ship appearing right before them and then the general alarm began to blare through the ship as the crew went immediately to battle stations. Anakin was infuriated as he was proven right and that this was a trap but then a transmission arrived that changed the entire situation.
"Attention to Alliance Fleet, this is Moff Kalast aboard the Star Destroyer Avenger and I am declaring my intention to defect." A hologram of a man in Imperial Moff uniform said as it appeared on the bridge.
There was a stunned silence as they realised just what the 'significant advantage' was that he had been bringing, but it honestly was a complete shock to realise that the man had brought an entire Star Destroyer with him!
Meetra proving that legendary calm of hers again answered his transmission.
"This is the Clarity, your intention to defect is acknowledged. We will meet on the surface of the planet to discuss your potential induction into the Alliance." Meetra said and then turned to the flight control officer. "Prepare a shuttle to take a party to the surface."
"I will forward to meeting you there." Moff Kalast said with a smile on his face, clearly eager to get to safety rather than remain in the open.
"Something doesn't feel right." Mace said with a sense of nervousness and Anakin was keen to reassure his son but could not shake his own worries about the situation.
"We'll take every precaution." Anakin told him before leaving the bridge to go down to the landing bay and the waiting shuttle, followed by his son while Meetra stayed on the bridge, wanting to keep an eye on things. Still she could not help but worry herself.
- x -
Rocky Plateau, Atzerri...A Short Time Later...
The Imperial shuttle was waiting for them when they got there but it didn't make Anakin and Mace feel any more secure about the situation. Landing their own shuttle they then with their sabers ready disembarked and walked towards the waiting Moff who was smiling at them before suddenly and without warning a massive rock was flung straight at him, none of them had a chance stop it before it crushed the Moff and smashed into the shuttle behind him.
The cold aura of the dark side radiated across the area and both of them ignited their sabers as they looked in the direction that the rock had come from. They saw the tall hulking figure of a Vader appear with his red saber ignited.
Anakin leapt into action, his saber meeting Vader's and they began to exchange blows with each other.
"He should have suffered longer for betraying the Empire. But killing you will more than make up for that." Vader said with great anger and Anakin grimaced as he could tell that clearly Palpatine had made some upgrades since he had last faced a Vader.
"Not going to happen." Anakin told him and they kept swinging their lightsabers and Mace then joined the fight, forcing Vader to divide his attention.
In space above them the Rebel Fleet found itself under attack by a pair of Star Destroyers, Meetra on the bridge ordered the bombers and other fighters to harass one while the Clarity and the Avenger attacked the other.
Back on the planet though the duel between Anakin, Mace and Vader was not going well.
Anakin was staggered, this Vader was somehow much more capable than the other one that he had faced. It moved with far more precision and he seemed to have no flaw in his defence that he could exploit. The only real advantage that Anakin had was that he had Mace with him and Vader then used that to his advantage as he wasn't able to his great fury able to break through Anakin's defence and knew that he would need to prepare for the next time they met so he momentarily diverted his attention from Anakin and forced Mace's lightsaber aside before slicing his arm off at the elbow.
Mace cried out in pain and Vader was about to kill him when Anakin in a fit of rage blasted Vader back, going to kill him but Vader started pulling down rocks from a cliff above them that were about crush Mace. Anakin had no choice but to stop his pursuit of Vader to save Mace, Vader made his escape while Anakin called on the force to try and ease Mace's pain after throwing the rocks away from his son.
Anakin was horrified at what Vader had done to Mace and was ready to gut him and Palpatine like fish for it but he just told his son.
"It's alright Mace. We'll get you to the Clarity." Anakin said to his son, picking up Mace's lightsaber and his arm in the vain hope that maybe they could reattach it. Mace was grimacing with pain and his eyes were full of tears as he held his father who was helping him to the shuttle and back to the rebel fleet who had just seen off the two star destroyers. Whatever information Moff Kalast had been about to share with them was regretfully lost but the Avenger would be a useful addition to the Alliance Fleet. But Anakin didn't care for any of that, he was just worried for his son and administered a shot of painkillers to dull his pain while taking off straight for the Clarity.
Soon Mace was in the sick bay being treated and fitted with an artificial arm like his own although it was a little more advanced than his was. Meetra came down and was comforting him, boosting his confidence with tales of Bao-Dur and the great feats he had achieved with his arm. Anakin was glad of that, her words seemed to help him while Anakin stood there at his side, doing his best to be there for him.
Seeing his son with a fake arm honestly was bringing back some rather bad memories of when he had lost his own to Count Dooku on Geonosis, he would need to be there for Mace like Padme and even Haron had been for him he thought and make sure that Mace did not think less of himself for losing an arm. Strangely it was even the same arm as the one he had lost Anakin realised with surprised irony. Please don't let this be a family trait he hoped.
Reijar, Ordo System...
Nila stood in the sparring circle, now aged thirteen she had begun puberty and was thanks to the training she had been given she was very fit for her age. Her hand to hand skills were improving every day as was proven when she moved with a growing effortless grace, parrying and defeating her opponents. Being smaller she relied on speed and accuracy for her combat style and it suited her well.
Haron and Ara both watched their adopted daughter with pride, she had been older than Din when she had come but after her parents had abandoned her so horribly she had overcome her pain and made a life here. She had learned their values and customs as well as anyone born amongst them, even to speak their language fluently and applied herself to her lessons with all her heart and unbreakable spirit. She had become Mandalorian in every way that counted.
Haron clapped as she swept the feet out from under her last opponent while Ara smiled broadly, attracting her attention and she flushed with self awareness at them having seen her fighting which she was still sure was only passable.
They walked down to her as the trainers left, both walking over to her and Ara put her hands on each of Nila's shoulders and proudly told her.
"You are marvellous. Well done." Ara told her which honestly was all Nila really wanted. She had been taken in by this family when her biological one had abandoned her and they treated her as a daughter. They fed and clothed her, educated and trained her and made her part of their family.
"Indeed, you have come a long way Nila. Your determination to succeed and achieve something is remarkable." Haron told her with complete honesty. The second foundling of House Ordo had proven herself to be a capable and brave young woman although she had a few years yet before she was ready to be considered an adult. He was sad that she like Din had been forced to grow up too fast and just hoped to give her a life that she could enjoy, which sadly was being made more difficult by a unique circumstance that had now come to light.
"Nila, I have some news for you. Your maternal grandfather has died, that has created a situation we cannot allow the Empire to exploit. To make sure that doesn't happen...we need your help." Ara said gently, not liking the idea of using her like this but the situation was delicate and she was the only way that they might be able to stop the Empire from getting a dangerous advantage.
"What do you need me for?" Nila asked with confusion, she knew extremely little about her maternal grandfather beyond that he was rich and had sent her expensive presents on her birthday.
"He was the Grand Duke of Phripalmur, its a world half way between the Mid Rim and the Expansionist Region. Very sunny and temperate with nice oceans and a single large continent. The planet was settled by people from the Republic a very long time ago but was forgotten and pirates took over given its proximity to the shipping lanes. They restored the planet to prosperity and became its new nobility while making alliances with other criminal organisations to use their planet. A safe haven but also a fence and banking world for the Underworld, more than that since no one asks questions the corporations and other bodies started doing business there. Even opened a few resorts for the mega rich and well connected where they can get whatever they want when they want it. A lot of the biggest companies in the galaxy have offices there to store their secrets and even now some of the Imperials hide their own wealth and secrets there. Your grandfather was the ruler of the planet and the major shareholder in most of the planet's businesses, your mother intends to press a claim to gain his wealth while your father intends to use the secrets held there to advance his own position in the Empire. If he does that then a lot of people will try to take the planet to protect their own secrets and worse the Underworld Alliance might be compromised since they do business there a lot." Ara explained to Nila before Haron took over.
"Under the rules of the planet you can also press a claim for your grandfather's position, we can help run the planet if that is what you want but to keep the Empire from getting hold of Phripalmur we need you to stake a claim. The Mandalorians and the Underworld Alliance are willing to back you along with other members of the Rift Alliance. We don't expect you to run the planet yourself yet, we can help with that. I know its a lot to ask of you, but will you do it?" Haron asked her. Both hated having to subject a thirteen year old to this kind of choice and responsibility but it was the only way.
Nila was torn, she had never met the man who was her grandfather but he had paid for her education among giving her rather fine presents, not to mention the idea that her father might use Phripalmur to undermine the forces fighting against the Empire was repellent to her. She was disgusted at their selfishness and rotten ambition, so the chance to stop him was enticing.
Too enticing to pass up.
"When do we leave?" She asked while they smiled at her with sadness, knowing she too was growing up.
- x -
Space Port, Phripalmur...
The massive skyscrapers that dominated the poor slums beneath it were a harsh contrast in how some of the real estate on the planet were the most expensive anywhere in the galaxy while others were the poorest.
The Mandalorians given their business here landed in the richer part of town and also considering the danger to their charge they were taking no chances and went straight to the Continental Hotel under heavy guard, externally a luxury hotel but also a key player in the Underworld Alliance.
Haron, Ara and Nila led their escort through the doors and approached the front desk, placing a special bunch of golden coins before the dark skinned human male on duty who smiled before saying.
"Ah yes the Ordo party. I have you for one week." He said to confirm the length of their stay. Haron nodded but did add.
"We may need to stay longer in case our business here is troubled." Haron said, knowing that for awhile at least they should be safe here, the Continental had strict rules and so no killing could take place on its grounds or the offender would die. This would he hoped keep anyone that might try to interfere from pushing their luck but they were ready in case that happened.
"Indeed sir. Now Rooms 57 through 64 are yours. Do enjoy your stay." The Desk Man said and Haron gave the keys to the others before pressing a good tip to the him before leaving.
They settled into their rooms when a knock came at Haron and Ara's door, their weapons in hand in case someone had decided to break the neutrality rule they opened it and an older human male stood there, their contact for this mission.
"You must be Winston, this may be strange for me to say since you run the Continental but please come in." Haron said and Winston nodded with a smile before coming in.
"Indeed but your manners are a nice touch." Winston said with quiet confidence as he walked into the room and smiled as he stood opposite Haron and Ara. "Now, the good news is that the nobles will want things to stay the same here, to get them on side all we need to do is convince them that young Miss Nila will do just that. I have met a couple already and they are onboard." Winston told them. Haron and Ara nodded, grateful for his foresight.
"I see the Underworld Alliance was right to ask for your assistance. You do not disappoint." Ara said, impressed at his efficiency.
"I aim to please, it comes from running the best hotels in the galaxy." Winston said and they all knew that the Continental was much more than a mere hotel.
"Regardless we have you to thank for having such a good start. I won't state the obvious but I am keen to make this go as smoothly as possible." Haron said knowing they could not let Vist get control of this planet.
"Please, any more praise and I will have to start blushing." Winston said with a smile. Haron poured each of them a glass of an alcoholic drink that was similar to scotch and they all had a drink while talking about the situation.
Nila eventually came in and met Winston for the first time, he smiled as he looked at her before saying.
"Well young lady, you will certainly cause a stir. Your parents have been saying loud and clear that you are dead, largely so they can claim your grandfather's estate unchallenged. Rules cannot be broken and your parents have broken a number already. The High Table is not pleased especially as your father has put a lot of faith on selling secrets held here to the Empire to maintain his own position now that he has lost his main backer. Do you understand what we are asking of you?" He asked her, even looking her in the eye before she nodded.
"Rules must be enforced and obeyed regardless of how high you stand. Otherwise there would be anarchy and please stop referring to them as my parents. They abandoned me to die a long time ago." Nila said with nothing but disgust for the two miserable excuse for people and calling on the lessons her adopted parents had been drilling into her head since she had been rescued by them to calm herself and be reasoning. Be it Mandalorians or in the Underworld, rules had to exist along with punishment to make sure people obeyed them otherwise the whole system would break down.
Winston smiled as he heard her say that, happy she understood.
"You remind me of another young person that I had the great fortune to meet and mentor a long time ago. Your adopted parents have taught you well." He said with a glimmer in his eyes before getting back to business. "The meeting is tomorrow."
"We'll be ready." Haron said with certainty, putting a hand on Nila's shoulder which she took comfort from as tomorrow it was time to claim her inheritance and face her former family.
- x -
In the large estate of the Grand Duke the next day the guests began to gather, nobles from across the planet and then the entourage of the late Grand Duke's daughter arrived.
"I have been waiting so long for this." Karmelia Vist said with a greedy smile on her face at the incredible estate which had the height of luxury and incredible wealth on display. She had been eagerly waiting for him to die for years so she could claim her rightful inheritance. Her husband Bili at her side was interested in the wealth but more so the secrets that this would allow him to access, secrets that could secure his future as with the disappearance of Grand Moff Tarkin and no real accolades or other useful connections to his name, he was in a difficult position. Their stormtroopers were nervous at being on such a dangerous planet but as they made their way to the throne room and pushed open the doors, a nasty surprise awaited them.
There was already someone sitting on the throne and the sight of a thirteen year old girl with long dark hair and a piercing look in her eyes made both of them freeze with shock.
"Greetings...mother." Nila said with a disgusted voice as she looked at her biological parents who had long said to everyone she was dead.
"My daughter!" Karmelia proclaimed after a moment to realise that the child she had been so eager to get rid of years ago had not been killed as she had hoped. She quickly put on a smile and acted as though this were the best news in the universe but Nila's Mandalorian guards stepped between them and at the side of the throne was Haron, Ara, Winston, nobles from all over the planet and representatives of the different Rift Alliance powers.
"Save the performance Karmelia." Nila said with a cold and disgusted voice that she shared blood with this woman. "You wanted me dead! We have the proof that you abandoned me to die and then when the Mandalorians tried to return me you said that I should be killed!"
"Daughter!" Bili said with a sudden panic as he realised that if the Mandalorians had spared his daughter that they must have intended to use her.
"Don't call me daughter!" Nila said with a cold calm as she looked down at them. "Do you even remember my name? You have never called me by my name. You came here to trade the secrets on this planet to advance yourself in the Empire now you can't ride on Tarkin's coattails any more. Your wife only desires money to satisfy her materialistic desires. Neither of you can be trusted with the rulership of this planet. The nobles have chosen me." She said before telling the guards with a cold smirk. "Put them back on the shuttle that they came on."
The guards in the room immediately shot the Stormtroopers down before seizing the two who were dragged kicking and screaming out of the room. Winston smirked himself and said.
"The air certainly seems better with them gone. There are still some details to be worked out but I think we can make a good deal here." Winston said with a hopeful smile and Haron shook his hand.
"You are as good as your word and I cannot think of a better man to represent Nila here until she is old enough to lead." Haron said, knowing he was putting a lot of trust in Winston but the man was legendary for his adherence to the rules and they had made a mutual promise to help his Continental with a new branch on Mandalore.
"I will look forward to that." Winston said with a smile, knowing this young lady was going to be really something when she was ready.
Sometime later that night, Winston made a call to a special friend of his. The hologram of a tall middle aged man with a beard appeared.
"Winston." The man said and Winston smiled.
"Jonathan, it is good to see you." Winston said warmly to the man that was like a son to him. "Now if it isn't too much trouble, I was hoping you might take time out of your busy schedule to do a little job."
"If it were anyone else asking I probably wouldn't." Jonathan said with some resignation as he owed Winston way too much to not help him. Winston smiled before telling him.
"There are two people, Admiral Bili Vist and his wife Kamelia. We need them dead." Winston said and Jonathan nodded.
"Consider it done."
"I would expect nothing less from the legendary John Wick." Winston said before he sent the details and closed the transmission. Better to be safe than sorry he thought before going back to business.
Rebel Base, Yavin 4...
Ahsoka was busy helping co-ordinate rebel missions across the galaxy and hearing about some of Luke's early exploits she could only smile. He was so much like his father and she hoped he never lost that.
Her thoughts turned to her own family back on Shili, she missed them but she had been restless and her husband bless him had known it. He had said to her that it was her calling to help others and so to get out there and do what she had to do as long as she was there when they needed her.
She called up the hologram she kept of her husband and their two children, Kol Fragr had been persistent she thought with a smile, he had been patient and not taken her surface rejections as a challenge but instead a means of proving himself and he had managed to charm her with his warm and loving heart.
Then there were their two children she thought with a smile as she looked at them; Yin Fragr-Tano who was so like her in looks but instead had the warm and steady presence of her father while her son Zek Fragr was a dreamer, always looking to the sky with wonder for what lay beyond. She called them whenever she could but it wasn't the same as being with them. Zek was always asking for stories of her 'adventures' but she was worried a rift might form between them if she was away too long so she would be heading back home for a visit soon and who knows maybe see the rest of her family if there was time.
She missed them all so much she thought with an ache in her chest that was so bad from being so far away. She knew to give them a better future where they were free to experience their lives in peace and freedom then she would need to make sure it happened, fighting was the best way she knew how to do that.
Sorgan, Mandalorian Space...
Din woke up that morning and was in a good mood, his wife was sleeping next to him and she was as beautiful to him now as the day he had married her. He got up and went to see to their boys breakfast as they should be up soon.
He looked out of the window of their newly constructed home, a building that could easily house their small family and some guards while having all the facilities you could want. He could see the new spaceport taking shape in the distance, it was a great project, one that would secure prosperity for this planet for years to come. Given all the territorial gains that their people had made since the beginning of the war they needed a place where ships could go to refuel, repair or off load/on load cargo for this area of space.
He had never imagined that he would have a clan of his own one day or that a world and in fact one that was about to become very important would be his. He just thanked the fates or the force or whatever had given him this gift.
Earth, Wild Space...
Luna was leading her students on another trial of the spirit and to see if they were going to find their crystals, sitting outside while the students were inside she could sense the way the force flowed through this world and it was equal part light and dark, meaning the force was at balance here. She smiled as the energy invigorated her but then a familiar song reached her ears. Her eyes opening wide in shock before leaping to her feet and looking around for the source of it.
She turned to the large pile of stones that had once been one of Hogwarts towers and saw a pair of magnificent birds sitting there, singing to each other. She was speechless as she had never expected to ever see the sight of those incredible creatures again but a creature that can be reborn from its own ashes would be incredibly hard to kill.
She smiled especially as she saw a pair of younger Phoenixes with the older adults, a family he thought with awe that they were not only surviving here but seemingly thriving. They were the only non insect or plant life that they had seen on this planet so far, but it was a great sign she thought with a song in her heart.
She watched them fly away and wished them to have the best life before checking on her students, she would have to organise an expedition to probably look to see if any other magical creatures had survived but for now she was going to leave them in peace. This was their world now, and they deserved it.
Royal Palace, Hapes...
The last year had been a difficult one for the Hapes Consortium, the wedding of Prince Isolder to an outsider had been a hard pill to swallow but then to make matters worse only a month into the marriage, the Queen Mother had died meaning that their new foreign Queen Mother had taken the reins of power well before anyone had expected.
But apart from that things were actually going very well for the small independent nation, their trade and wealth was increasing due to their new alliances with the Rift Alliance, their fleet was being overhauled and made stronger than ever and the new Queen Mother was proving different from the arrogant and stuffy Ta'a Chume...the new Queen Mother Astoria was outgoing and doing things all the time to benefit the people while charming the nobles of the Consortium at the same time.
In short she had grown popular and a reassuring presence for the people who were excited as the day when the next heir to the throne would be born.
Astoria was at all times surrounded not just with the royal Hapes guards but also a squad of highly skilled Mandalorian warriors at all times, her father the Mandalore had insisted on it. He and Ara were here today to greet their first grandchild and so while Ara was in the royal sickbay helping Astoria giving birth, Haron was intimidating Isolder with every cry that came from Astoria.
But in truth he was as nervous as the young man in front of him, he couldn't help it as all the times he had been with Ara as she went through this same experience. The intensity of the process and all the worry that came with it followed by the incredible reward at the end.
But the waiting for it to be finished was slowly driving them both insane.
Finally though after what seemed like an eternity the door finally opened and Ara smiled as she emerged, sweat on her brow but Isolder didn't ask her anything before rushing into the room. Haron walked to his wife and kissed her on the forehead as he took her in his arms before both walked in and Haron saw his first grandchild for the first time.
The experience was an incredible for him as it had been for any of his own children, Astoria included who was sitting on her bed with sweat covering her body but the baby cuddled in her arms, a simmering red hair like her father on top of her head. Astoria looked up as she saw her parents while allowing Isolder to hold his daughter.
"Mother, Father...meet Constance." She said with a warm smile on her face as she turned back towards her baby who was completely entrancing her father without even trying too. Both Haron and Ara smiled as they came over and saw she was apart from the hair a mirror of her mother at that age. Gently Haron took Constance from Isolder as she started to get fussy and looking up at the same green eyes that she had the baby was confused for a moment before smiling and swiftly going into a relaxed sleep, feeling that she was safe.
Haron proudly held his granddaughter with a smile as Ara peered at her little face with adoration. Gently rubbing a finger across her small cheek as they marvelled at their first grandchild, it honestly was so heart-warming that they couldn't find words that expressed just how much they loved this little baby. She was a bright star in the universe and they would die to defend her in a heartbeat. She was perfect they thought and knew that she would be a real heartbreaker when she grew up but for now, they just didn't allow any thoughts of the future or the present to affect them and just lived in this one perfect moment.
The Maw Installation, Kessel System...
The hidden research lab established by Tarkin where the Empire's most dangerous weapons were created and the original Death Star prototype was held there. Bevel Lemalisk had been in competition with Galen Erso to make the superlaser work first but had been bested by the other genius by a matter of months, Tarkin had therefore assigned him to this facility to create the best technology under the watchful eye of his protege and possible lover Natasi Daala who he had made an admiral and given command of four Star Destroyers to see its protection.
A supply ship arrived with all the right clearance codes and off loaded five large containers, one to the Maw Installation itself and one to each of the Star Destroyers. They also were told that Grand Moff Tarkin would be arriving in a day or so for an inspection. So while Daala had her crew scrubbing the ships clean from bow to stern, each crate ejected a small spider droid that crept to the nearest computer terminal and used command codes that Tarkin had purposefully had installed into each of the ships and the station to take control of their systems. On the station they merely had all systems except life support shut down, leaving the crew and scientists blind and helpless to what was going on.
But on the Star Destroyers the droids kept the ships in orbit of the station but shut down all heat so it evacuated quickly, artificial gravity and life support without any warning.
The crew and especially Daala were caught off guard by this and despite frantic efforts to restart life support, they were all soon gasping for breath while freezing to death at the same time. Daala herself was struggling to breath, trying in vain to understand why Tarkin would do this to her, she could see his access code was used to shut down their systems. She fell to the deck, knowing she and her entire crew were about to die and had no idea why.
An hour later, after all the Imperial crew on the Star Destroyers were dead the crates opened and a team of Mandalorian warriors emerged from each one, sending the signal to their droids on the ships to reactivate life support once they were certain that there were no survivors left. Walking over the bodes of the dead they reached the bridges of each ship and Tyus on the Gorgon was smiling broadly as he marvelled at the prizes that they would be bring home today. Four fully intact Imperial class Star Destroyers and all the scientists and their research at the same time.
His sister called from the nearby Hydra called him up and smirking herself. Their bond letting them know how much they were both enjoying this.
"All ships secure." She told him and he smiled before saying.
"The occupying forces will be here soon, now we have four star destroyers and all the scientists and their research as a prize." Tyus said with eagerness, he was the youngest son of possibly the greatest Mandalore to rule their people since ancient times so the expectations on him were great, on all of his children Tyus thought with some nervousness at the weight that came from trying to live up to the family name. But today would be a good step in that direction Tyus thought to reassure himself.
- x -
Omwat, Outer Rim Territories...Same Time...
The planet of Omwat was a world that had never really had any impact on galactic events, Tarkin had used the planet as part of an experiment to create great scientists for his super-weapons projects and threatened the cities that the chosen children came from as motivation to succeed or they would be destroyed. He had wiped nine cities of hundreds of thousands of people just to achieve that end and only produced one scientist of note...Qwi Xux had ever been produced.
The sheer ego and foolish wastefulness of Tarkin was just staggering.
But the isolation he had kept Omwat in allowed the Mandalorians to take full advantage, Cera Ordo smirked as she oversaw the invasion and occupation of Omwat and began to institute the program that would make its people Mandalorians, many would call this cultural indoctrination or even brain washing but the Mandalorians thought long term and saw their potential as a species. Besides the Mandalorians would not wipe out entire cities like the Empire had merely because a talented child had failed to meet Tarkin's ridiculously high standards, not to mention the Mandalorians invested in the worlds that they held to make sure those that lived under them accepted the new status quo.
Codal, Mid Rim...
Once a planet with a thriving Jedi Sect with its own unique robes and lightsaber crystals Luke Skywalker had ventured to this planet in the hopes of finding an alternate source of Kyber crystals for the Jedi Order since this temple had been famous for them until it had been abandoned in the wake of the New Sith Wars and eventually forgotten. Hopefully the Empire had forgotten about it too as they needed new crystals and this was one of the few places where they might find some.
The temple was an old building, one that had been made thousands of years ago and was falling apart from lack of attention. He cautiously left R2 outside as he went in, the floor was too unsteady for him and inside he saw the elements had taken a toll on everything inside, statues were crumbling like the building itself and no trace of the Jedi seemed to be left that was recognisable.
Luke was wondering just where the supposed crystals were as this temple was supposed to have them but without the archive they had no guide to follow. But then he was shocked alert by the snap hiss of a lightsaber and swung around, pulling his own from his belt just in time to block the attack from a woman in dark leather armour. Her face was covered by a mask but the purple blade was all too clear and she pressed her attack against him, his blue blade meeting hers in a fierce flurry of jabs that resembled Form 2, Luke having been trained in Form 5 for years by his father knew it lacked kinetic energy and so fought back with a furious barrage of heavy cleaves and parries that she to his surprise recovered quickly from but their duel was interrupted when they both felt the floor give out from beneath their feet, leaving them both falling into the dark abyss below and losing consciousness.
- x -
Luke when he woke up felt a knife at his throat, looking up he saw that his attacker had discarded her mask and was glaring down at him but despite the fact that she was threatening his life he could not help but stare at her in awe.
She was easily the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, her incredible red-gold hair hung in gentle waves around her head and shoulders, her skin was fair with a dusting of freckles here and there but what captivated him the most was her eyes, they were an amazing shade of piercing emerald green and staring at him with anger.
"Congratulations Skywalker!" The woman snarled at him with fury that he had never really seen in a woman. He was concerned that she might kill him with that much anger and the knife at his throat but he still snapped at her.
"You attacked me!" Luke said trying to stay calm. "I didn't know you were here! You could have just ignored me and I would have never known. Who are you anyway?" Luke demanded, not sure what had gotten into him but he would not allow her to make him the bad guy here!
She didn't like that but her hesitation allowed him to push her off of him with the force and spring to his feet but as he did he saw the broken hilt of his lightsaber nearby, smashed by falling rocks and hers was in a similar state not too far away. Now he understood the knife but as she looked ready to lunge at him the cavern they were in shook slightly, showing it was clearly unstable. The light around them came from rocks that seemed to glow and cast a cold blue light around the place which now he was able to see more clearly were clearly not natural, they must be in some catacombs under the temple he realised. Not wanting to risk them being buried alive Luke tried to reason with her.
"Look, this place is unstable so until we can find a way out can we avoid fighting? At least until we're somewhere which isn't likely to cave in on us?" Luke said, holding up his hands in a placating way which was followed by another tremor.
The woman was still angry and looked ready to attack him anyway but the shaking tunnels made her pause and with an annoyed sigh she slid her knife into her belt and told him.
"Fine Skywalker but the moment we get out of here I am going to kill you!" She said with a snarl and he didn't feel that she was kidding.
"What's your name? You know mine clearly so I should know yours unless you want me to give you one." Luke said and he had no idea why but this woman just got a rise out of him so quickly. She told him with a sharp retort.
"Don't you dare! My name is Mara, Mara Jade. Got it?!" She said, her hand going towards her knife again and he said with grim look.
"Crystal clear, now let's get moving." He said and making sure to walk beside each other as neither was ready to turn their back on the other, they walked through the seemingly endless tunnels with no luck or even any chambers. It seemed to go on forever and the silence was becoming unbearable so Luke finally asked a question to break it.
"So what are you? You're trained in lightsaber fighting and have the force but with those tools." He said looking to the belt that had pouches for all kind of gadgets on her belt. "You're not a Jedi, but you don't have full Sith training either. So what are you?"
Mara seemed to want to snap at him but instead she seemed to reel in her temper, not sure why this pretty boy seemed to make her so mad but the fact her heart had skipped a beat when she saw him made her furious at herself for such weakness, going all gooey for a guy. What was it about him that made her so giddy or even willing to answer his questions? She asked herself and could not come up with an answer.
"I serve the Emperor as his personal spy and assassin. I am the Emperor's Hand." She told with a sense of accomplishment for all the work and training that had gone into getting that title and all of the trust and care that the Emperor had bestowed on her. She had been sent here by her master to prove she was worthy of becoming his true apprentice by finding a relic he was interested in. Luke blinked for a moment before he remembered something that the Mandalorians had released to the Rebellion.
"You mean one of the Emperor's Hands? I know of at least two others." Luke said and Mara immediately got angry at that, she punched him with impressive strength.
"There is only one! I am the Emperor's Hand! Me! The most trusted!" She yelled but as she went to punch him again the world around them warped and a figure appeared that was tall and spoke to them but they could not make out anything about him.
"Mara Jade." The strange voice said as they could see a beard swinging as he moved. "Your life is nothing but a lie. See for yourself." He said as both Mara and Luke felt like they were falling again until they landed on a hard metal floor.
They got up and saw that they were in a space port where a man with green eyes like Mara's while a woman with the same red-gold hair were running from a squad of Death Troopers, the woman had a small child in her arms and was hugging her close to her chest before both were brutally shot, they fell down and the Death Troopers came forward and took the still breathing little girl from the dead woman's arms, both Mara and Luke watched in horror as they saw her being brought before Palpatine who sneered and used the force to make her forget the murder of her parents and be replaced with one where he simply took her from her home with her parent's blessing.
Luke turned to see Mara who was looking at the bodies of her dead parents in complete shock, not able to believe what was happening but then the visions continued, showing all the years of harsh training she had endured but this time seeing Palpatine praise himself for how he was turning her into his perfect little puppet. How little he truly thought of her and even laughing with how she thought she was up to being his apprentice.
Tears gathered in her eyes but she refused to let Skywalker see them, doing her best but he saw them all the same and he went to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her but she shrugged him off, she was hurting but she would not allow someone to pity her...she just couldn't bare it!
But then to add insult to injury she saw other hands being trained when he had sworn to her that she was the only one. Her world honestly felt like it was ending but then to add insult to injury, one last vision came to her.
Palpatine was speaking with some of the scientists that worked for him, she and Luke both saw the throne room clearly and heard clearly what was being discussed.
"Once we have her ovaries it will be a relatively simply procedure your majesty." The scientist said with a cold and clinical voice. "The DNA from Vader can easily be used to impregnate the eggs."
"Good." The Emperor said with a cold shark like smirk. "She is powerful but I need a better and more powerful agent for the future, hopefully the power of Skywalker will make the next model more useful." He said with a sneer.
"YOU'RE LYING!" Mara screamed at the figure, not able to take it any more. "THIS IS A TRICK!"
"Sadly it is not Mara Jade." The figure said calmly. "You know this is true, you can feel it in the force and within yourself. Why if he wanted you as an apprentice has he taught you no powers of any consequence? Why do you hide in the shadows while he walks in the open? Here the truth is made clear, he wants the secrets myself and my children held to empower himself. He dreams of ultimate power but could never even conceive of the sheer depth of the force."
"You and your children? Are you the Father?" Luke asked, remembering the strange tale his father had told them about when he Master Kenobi and Ahsoka had gone to answer an old Jedi distress call and met three incredibly powerful beings that defied comprehension.
"Indeed I am young Skywalker. I see your father has taught you well." The figure said before finally coming into focus as a very tall humanoid with grey robes, an extremely long beard and strange eyes the likes of which they had never seen.
"But you died!" Mara said having heard much about them given Palpatine's obsession with them. It was a relic of them that she was supposed to find here.
"Death is not as much of an end as your kind believes young one." The Father said with a knowing smile before telling her with a more serious tone. "But here with some help from me, the bond to the foolish one can be broken. Will you free yourself and find your own destiny? Or stay a puppet forever?" He pressed her.
Mara was deeply torn, a part of her was still loyal to Palpatine and knew the danger of trying to break away from him but at the same time she knew that what she had been shown was true. Given all that Palpatine had done what would manipulating her mean to him?
The answer that she came too, absolutely nothing.
She knew what she had to do and took a deep breath before nodding. The Father smiled before placing his hand on her head and closing his eyes. Mara moaned with pain as she felt the bond being broken but surprisingly it was only for a moment and then she felt the absence of Palpatine in her mind as she felt him every moment of her life.
"That's it?" Mara asked in confusion. The Father nodded with a small smile.
"Given his current weakness he can no longer maintain such things, he hides this but the force is a living thing with a will of its own and his perversions of it are bringing its wrath down on him." Now go, and know that you will see each other again." He said with a knowing glint in his eyes that showed he knew something they didn't.
Then a flash rendered both of them unconscious again, Luke and Mara woke up separately on other sides of the temple next to their ships. Luke looked around and saw R2 looking over him making worried sounds he got up but didn't see any sign of Mara anywhere and then realised he had something in his hand. Opening it he saw a turquoise coloured crystal, like this planet had been known for once. He was amazed and it was just in time as his broken lightsaber was somewhere down in those catacombs and he wasn't going back for it he thought before getting to his feet and putting a hand on R2's dome to reassure him he was okay, but at the same time he was wondering if the Father had been right and he would see Mara again. A part of him hoped so as they were not done with each other, he could feel that.
Elsewhere Mara was taking off in her ship, a similar crystal in her hand and wondering just what life had in store for her now that she had broken away from Palpatine but a part of her also dwelled on Skywalker, like him she could feel they were not done with each other and a blush came to her cheeks before she suppressed it.
Exegol, Unknown Regions...
The lost bastion of the Sith Exegol was the sight of a Sith Cult that Darth Sidious had long ago taken control of. He had centred many of his efforts to clone himself here as it was a world that none of the Imperials knew about and would be his place to flee to if all else failed except for Byss which he was still counting on.
But the planet was in reach of another species, ones that had their own plans for it.
Ships of unknown origin had appeared above the planet and were bombarding the Sith buildings, blue skinned Chiss soldiers landed and began to systematically move from area to area, slaughtering all of the Sith cultists without mercy. They needed the planet as a base especially with the possible return of the Far Outsiders and these Sith cultists were in their way.
But a single shuttle emerged from the destruction, flying towards the Outer Rim region, doing its utmost to avoid the Chiss attack. It leapt to hyperspace just in time to avoid its own destruction.
On board was a single guard of the cloning facility who breathed a sigh of relief at his escape, turning around to see his five year old daughter Miramir clutching her blanket with a terrified look on her face but he smiled to reassure her while the other escapee an eleven year old boy named Dathan that had escaped in the chaos from the cloning lab looked out of the window at the lanes of hyperspace with amazement having never been out of the lab before. He set course for a planet he had learned of called Hyperkarn where he hoped they would be safe at least for the time being. He looked over at Dathan again and wondered why he and the other boys had always looked alike but that hardly mattered as Dathan was the only one still alive now. Who knew what the future held for them he thought with worry for all that might be lurking out there but they just had to go on he thought and went back to making sure they were on course before putting the two children to bed for their long journey.
- x -
Imperial Palace, Coruscant...
Palpatine was meditating when the shock through the force of what had happened on Exegol reached him, he gasped in shock as he saw the destruction of the cult and the usurping of the planet by the Chiss. The death of the cult did not concern him as much as the destruction of the clone operation there that was supposed to secure his immortality and the loss of the hiding place for him to flee too. True he still had Byss but the vision of what was happening on Exegol was accompanied by another vision, this one of the future...his own personal future.
He saw the galaxy, so many people rising up against him and as his fleet and palace burned around him he turned to see a blue lightsaber blade coming straight at him.
He broke from the vision before he could get any more details but his fear despite ruthless attempts to suppress it was tearing at him and he felt a cold sweat on his brow. This made the second Death Star all the more important he thought and ordered his people and Xizor to speed up the production as fast as possible, secrecy be damned they needed it! He thought with a terror of that blue lightsaber coming at him again.
Shumari, Outer Rim Territories...
Shumari was a barren and insignificant planet but it was for that reason that the Jedi had set up one of their hidden temples there, they had lived there in peace for many years but now the Empire had discovered them and Death Squadron under the leadership of Darth Vader was making sure that nothing was left alive on the entire planet.
While Stormtroopers used their seemingly endless numbers to wear down the Jedi defenders, Vader stood there on the field with Sidirri at his side slicing his way through the Jedi without a shred of mercy. Nearby his second apprentice Shira Brie was making use of her unusual new weapon, a lightwhip which Vader had given to her as it had once belonged to the stupid Nightsister Silri, it was an extremely dangerous and hard weapon to master but it suited Shira and it was so unusual that the Jedi that she came across did not know how to fight such a weapon.
When all the defenders were dead, Vader smirked in satisfaction before returning to his ship with his two apprentices and ordered Piett.
"Bombard the surface, leave nothing alive." He said and Piett, keen not to be meet the same fate as his predecessor bowed and said quickly.
"Yes my lord." Piett said with quick efficiency.
"Return to your quarters and meditate on your experience, let yourself feel the dark side to increase your ability to wield it." Vader said to his two apprentices who both bowed and replied.
"Yes master."
Solaest, Outer Rim Territories...
Solaest was in the middle of a fierce uprising against the Empire and the Rebellion was doing its best to equip and support the locals and weapons were being provided by the Mandalorians who seemed to have a massive stockpile all of a sudden.
Leia was here to do whatever she could to help the uprising, including leading several battles against the local garrison. Her frustration was growing at being here while Luke got to go off and have big missions either by himself or with Rogue Squadron while she was forced on this low priority missions. She couldn't even complain about it as her parents were working with Mace to over come his recent loss and adjust to having a mechanical arm.
So she was left on her own, her frustration growing with each small assignment but there was one upside she thought with a smirk as she lay on her bunk in the house she was using, wrapped in the arms of her lover who was gently running his hand along her face.
"I don't know how most of the galaxy has missed you. Chasing after others while you are here. It's criminal." Markus said as he held Leia in her arms, loving her soft skin against him, her warmth against his own.
"Few can keep up with me." Leia said with a teasing smirk as she kissed him gently which he returned, they were getting passionate again when the most unexpected person that her mother had forced her to bring barged straight in.
"Mistress Leia, your mother is calling...of my goodness!" C-3PO said as he came in and the pair immediately broke apart with Leia clutching the blanket to cover her nakedness. Markus reached her his blaster but Leia put her hand up to stop him while C-3PO made his escape to no doubt tell everyone what he had just seen.
"Well the loth cat is out of the bag now." Markus said as he pulled his pants on sat next to Leia, his arm around her shoulder. She leant into him now worried at just what her parents were going to make of this!
"Why did my mother make me bring him?" Leia asked with frustration as she reluctantly put her underwear back on, Markus got up and took her in his arms, his around her waist while hers went around his shoulders.
"Probably to keep an eye on you. My father made me go with others for years before letting me out on my own." Markus said with sigh as Leia rested her head against his chest. The steady beat of his heart was a reassuring thing in that moment as she was worried at just what the hell she was going to have to say to her parents. He saw her worry and kissed her forehead while holding her tightly in his arms. "We'll figure something out. Before your dad kills me for touching you." Markus said not liking the fact that Anakin Skywalker was certainly going to be after his blood for daring to sleep with his daughter.
"Or your mother for sleeping with a Jedi." Leia said, a chill running through her as she thought at just what Ara Ordo would do to her for being the Jedi hussy that slept with her son. "I think we had best tell them before C-3PO does. To try and cut this off at the knees." Leia suggested hoping to at least get some control of the story, Markus nodded in agreement before telling her. "Whatever happens I love you." Markus said that with resignation as they knew that things were really about to change. Leia smiled slightly and replied.
"I know." Before kissing him again.
Reluctantly they separated and made the calls they knew that they had to make but were dreading worse than anything.
Markus called Reijar and his mother was the one that answered.
"Mother, the girl that I've been hinting about...It's Leia Skywalker." Markus said before he became too nervous to speak.
His mother stayed silent for a moment which was somehow worse than her yelling at him although he was sure that would be coming soon enough.
"I'm waiting for the punchline." Ara said with cold calmness that Markus knew meant she was absolutely furious but keeping it under control for the moment.
"That's it, Leia is my girlfriend." Markus said, waiting for the explosion of anger that was surely building inside his mother over dropping this on them. But instead her eyes narrowed dangerously and she told him.
"Your father and I will be heading to Naboo to discuss this with you, Leia and her family. Be there, or I'll make you into putty." She told him with a cutting edge that scared the hell out of him before she cut the transmission.
"I'm a dead man." He said out loud with a nervous chuckle.
Leia was no better as she told her mother.
"Get back here now! Young lady we need to talk." Padme said with burning anger in her eyes before cutting the transmission.
Both of them looked at each other and sighed as they honestly felt that they were facing an execution squad.
Ghost, Rebel Base, Atollan...
Sabine had been hauled up in her room most of the time since she had been stripped of her armour, going on missions was rare as she stayed at base, feeling powerless as she had lost the thing that had made her strong and knew there was only one way to get it back.
She made the call, hoping that he would take it.
To her surprise the image of her uncle appeared and he frowned as he faced her.
"Sabine, this isn't a good time." Haron told her with annoyance. He had to deal with Markus and his girlfriend and to be honest he had expected to hear from her months ago.
"I know, and I know I don't have a right ask for my armour back. But please...I need it." She said desperately and Haron seeing her emotions sighed.
"Do you need it? Or want it? They are two separate things Sabine." Haron said wisely. "A Mandalorian is not defined by their armour. It is a part of our culture but it is not the only part, the heart of a Mandalorian is where they where true strength is found. Our passion, our drive, our loyalty to each other and to our cause. That is where true power comes from. This is not a lesson that can be taught but must be lived to be understood, to find that those parts of yourself can be a lifetime of searching but you can only find them if you really keep looking. I will not give you a quick route to your armour if you want it, you know what you have to do to get it back. So put the hard work in and do it now, before you really waste away." Haron told her before cutting the transmission.
Sabine sighed but smiled as the words of her uncle had been hard but she needed to hear them.
She got up and dressed before going to request a ship to take her to Krownest, she had to make things right with her family and rediscover just what it meant to be a Mandalorian. She needed to be away from her rebel family for awhile to see just who she was at her core.
She was a rebel she thought with a smile, but she was more than that. Like all of them she had another side to her that she had been neglecting...it was time to be a Mandalorian again.
Naboo, Mid Rim...
The transport arrived on Naboo, met by Rebel soldiers which was completely unnecessary as Haron and Ara exited their ship and walked the rest of the way to the palace.
Seeing Anakin would normally have been a good thing for Haron as they didn't meet very often but the circumstances poisoned that feeling. Haron and Ara could feel Markus was close by and so they didn't waste time with pleasantries and walked straight in, he was nervously standing there as he and Leia were being yelled at Padme who was almost incoherent with anger, she quickly turned that anger on them when she saw them.
"YOUR SON! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE!?" Padme yelled at them but Ara silenced her with a wave of her hand, Padme kept yelling but now no sound came out of her mouth, making her clutch her throat in astonishment.
"Just a spell, wear off in about an hour." Haron said before anyone got any ideas and sighed as he looked at the two offenders. Shaking his head as she looked at them before he told them. "I'm not going to ask how long this is going on but I will ask you both just how serious is this relationship of yours?"
Anakin while wondering just what they had done to Padme was eager to hear this himself. Leia and Markus shared a look before admitting.
"It is, we were going to tell you...maybe even marry." Markus said not liking the fact that Haron and Ara were not wearing their helmets, meaning they wanted their faces to be seen. His parents did not do this often with non family members around which meant they were they were completely serious.
"Marry?" Anakin said with a strangled gasp as he had not wanted to imagine his daughter getting married. Ara was now the one that started yelling before Haron interrupted after letting her go on for awhile .
"You both need to think on just what that means. You are the heir to House Ordo and she is a Jedi. What will that mean for you both?" Haron said before he and Anakin left the room to talk in private while Ara was left behind with Padme, Markus and Leia took the opportunity to get away so they could talk in private.
Anakin and Haron went to the balcony that looked out over Theed, leaning against the railing as they sighed.
"How did we get here?" Anakin said with a tired expression as he and Haron both felt their years catching up to them. "I mean our children are grown and we've been fighting wars for twenty years."
"I just became a grandfather this year, Astoria my daughter just had a child of her own. I have six children biologically and two adopted but now the youngest is thirteen. I'm a father and a grandfather now." Haron said with similar exhaustion to Anakin's. They both were in the mid forties now and had spent many of those years fighting wars. They both sighed as they were getting to old for all this.
"And yet we know we're going to keep on going." Anakin said with resignation which Haron nodded in agreement with.
"Because we have no choice if we want even a vaguely peaceful universe for our families and then to maintain that peace when the next threat rears its head." Haron said and they both sighed, staying quiet for awhile as their situations sank in. But eventually they had to discuss Markus and Leia.
"We can't keep them apart." Anakin said especially he knew first hand what it felt like to have to hide a relationship. Haron nodded in agreement however much it pained him.
"The question is what will they do to be together. My son is the heir to House Ordo and possibly the next Mandalore if the force is willing. Leia is a Jedi Knight who serves the galaxy. If they want to be together then something has to give." Haron said with a frown as he didn't want to lose his son and force that burden on Corridan since Astoria had the Hapes Consortium to worry about.
"Leia has always struggled with the Jedi way." Anakin said with worry that had been building for a long time. "She has too much impatience even now."
"Sounds like the fruit didn't far from the tree then." Haron said with a smirk as he remembered another young Jedi who he had met long ago with similar issues. Anakin couldn't help but smirk back and then Haron made an admission. "The Akaan are focused much on the war but we could use someone to help us manage affairs inside our culture. Maybe a special class of Akaan, Leia could be the one to found it." Haron suggested.
Anakin thought about that and nodded in agreement.
"I don't want to lose contact with her." Anakin said but added. "Leia is a natural leader and she loves politics and things like that, gets that from her mother. She relishes a challenge."
"Don't worry about that." Haron said with a smile. "Family means a great deal to us and her family would always be welcome."
Haron and Anakin both sighed in relief as despite being a tricky situation, this was not as bad as they had once feared. Yes it would be hard to sell a Jedi Knight as the next Duchess Ordo but if she adopted their culture and proved herself then it would be accepted especially as Li'anna, Tyus and Siri were all involved with Mandalorian families and they had other connections through their extended family.
The question is whether Leia and Markus would be willing to make the sacrifices they needed to make this work.
- x -
Markus and Leia had fled to royal garden where thankfully they could be alone. They were just relieved and Markus took Leia in his arms, holding her to himself and she leant into him.
"I thought we'd never get away." Leia said with exhaustion while Markus just took held her.
"I know, and as much as we don't want it...we need to discuss if this is going to go on." Markus said before gently taking hold of her face and looking her straight in the eye. "I love you, I want to have you with me...but I am going to be the leader of my family some day."
"And I'm a Jedi." Leia said with the feeling of her heart breaking as she felt this could be the end of the most passionate relationship she had ever known.
"Would you accept being a Jedi for the Mandalorians? Becoming a Duchess?" Markus asked her with desperation not to lose her. "Leading our people? Having a family? Those are kinda important." Markus said with a hopeful look in his eyes.
Leia didn't know how to answer his question, it was big leap for her to join the Mandalorians but the idea of having such a voice after all her feeling like she was in the shadow of others it sounded like the opportunity she had longed for. She wanted a chance to make her own mark but was wondering if it was ever going to come, this could be her chance. She knew the Ordos would never cut her off from her family as that meant so much to them.
"Well, are you going to ask me to marry you or are you going to just stand there?" Leia asked him and Markus took a moment to accept those words before kneeling before her.
"Leia Skywalker, you hold my heart in your hand. I want no other woman to share my life with. Will you marry me?" Markus asked her and Leia smirked before telling him.
"Here's your answer."
Then she leapt on him, kissing him for all he was worth while pushing him so they fell behind a hedge row and did not emerge for some time.
There we are, hope you all enjoyed the new chapter, please review and let me known what you thought.
The new Pasdishah Imperium warship designs come from Gean Roddenberry's Andromeda series, the battleship is of course the Glorious Heritage class like Andromeda (named in this story has Leto-class) and the Missile/Drone Cruiser is the Righteous Fist of Heaven or Wrath of Achilles (known in this story as the Freman class).
The Asari and Turians of course are from Mass Effect but they were recommended to me by some readers and they have a great use here for making a new political system and for other reasons.
Phripalmur is based somewhat on Madripoor from Marvel Comics.
Omake by HowlnMadHowie...
On Endor's moon Deadpool is playing host to Where the Wild Things Are
Deadpool: Today we are going to see our favorite cuddly teddy bears, Ewoks! We're going to see them in the wild! Look! THere's one now!
Wicket is crouced down looking at the ground holding his spear
Deadpool: (in Emer Fudd voice) Wook! Wabbit twacks! Shhh! Its wabbit season!
Wicket looks up to Deadpool and tilts his head
Deadpool Aww, these guys are so cute I should take one home with me!
Wicket pokes Deadpool with his spear.
Deadpool Ow! Hey, watch where you- OW MY EYE!
Wicket chitters and thrusts his spear at Deadpool
Deadpool Hey! Stop that I'm not a wascally wabbit! Damnit I should've stayed with Palpy!
Imeperial throne room after Thrawn's defeat
Pellaeon: Your majesty, I beg your forgiveness the fleet ws defeated by a superweapon
Palpatine: (dismissively) It was Thrawn's fault. I already have a bigger superweapon. You will be promoted to Admiral- What?
Deadpool taps Palpatine's shoulder to stage whisper: About that superweapon, your Death Star, y'know that one that was just about done? It's not yours anymore, sorry!
Palpatine WHAT! (Force lighting blast kills Pellaeon) Look what you made me do! What do you mean it's gone?
Deadpool: Well, turns out it was hijacked, it's not really destoryed...yet. Word is Mandalorians are stripping it down. I know, right? THere's no strip clubs on the thing! How do you have a stripping down of it without the strippers?
Palpatine: (Force lighting blast at Deadpool) DIE!
Deadpool: Well, you had to find out sooner or later (shrugs)
Naboo Naberrie family reunion:
Jobal Naberrie: Padme! So you finally decided to return home, Hmm? Well I suppose if you want to run off and save the galaxy that's fine but you could at least let us know you were alive!
Padme: Um...Hi Mom! I brought you your grandkids!
Jobal: Grandkids? (sees Luke and Leia) Oh my! All grown up! (Takes closer look at Leia) Weren't you on the Holonet news recently? Something about some masked lunatic talking about you in a gold bikini?
Leia: What? I sliced that picture up to pieces! Dad!
Anakin: Wait, why would you let yourself have pictures taken in a bikini?
Leia: Um...bye!
More Review Responses...
kalibre – Thanks, I thought using her vanity was a good way to do it.
Chao-hellsing – Maybe that was where they got the idea from.
61394 – I know, I was only introduced to it when I was looking into other sci fi fandoms for this story, the Hapes Consortium is a powerful faction so Astoria will be its ruler in her own right. A lot of the Rift Alliance powers might not want to join a New Republic and this chapter hints that Padme could be planning something different. Indeed, I wish Disney would stop making the New Republic look so stupid and incompetent and the Empire look so smart. Its terrible writing. Indeed, I don't like Saw either and think it was a fitting end for him. Thank you for your review, I was glad to read it! This is the way.
gryphan. master900 – The crystals from the Death Star? There is a plan for them. As for the resources pretty much spot on. The Kalderans? Not going to happen. They are too far gone for anything logical like that.
Morkail – Thanks! I will admit that the New Republic isn't going to happen. Its hinted in this chapter. Luna's idea of their different sects sharing knowledge and skills would possibly scare some Jedi but they are only really getting their stuff together after Order 66 so there isn't much they can do. Things like the killing curse would probably be one of the things they don't share, like you say its dangerous among other things. You're probably right.
Star Wars – I know, I am just taking parts from the new stuff that I can actually use and the old canon is much more fleshed out and useful.
DeluxeHipster1945 – Glad you liked it!
Dragon master 124 – Good point although they might not have children just yet. But like you say they will be extremely powerful in both the force and otherwise. You might be surprised by Anakin and Haron. Killing characters is never easy but I hope I did them justice. The Infinity is a ship that I like a lot. Pellaeon is a man that I think prefers being on the bridge of a ship rather than being in an office at fleet command. He might not like fighting against Anakin and I have something planned for them in the future.
Seawurm – Indeed, Ara is definitely dangerous in another way than her husband, on the battlefield he is a terrifying opponent but she will come at you in ways you never see coming.
Regtech – Probably but don't think the Mandalorians are lightsiders, they are grey as are the Nightsisters and other force groups they are affiliated with. As for the dark side, well something is planned for the end of the story to redress that balance. Palpatine's loss of ability is somewhat down to his age but also his dependence on things like the spice, if you compare Palpatine from how he was in Revenge of the Sith and then in Return of the Jedi there is some serious loss of power there so his own powers were already going anyway and the other things are just accelerating it.
Next Chapter – A wedding is to be held, Kyle Katarn confronts his Jedi legacy as Jerec arises, Vader deals a great blow and the Ghost crew returns to Lothal.