Deep Space
Just Outside the Phindar System
Aboard the Chelandion-class Warship Varl's Archon
"Listen, you stubborn fools, I do not care for your pointless grudge against a leader and warrior of Master Solo Fel's stature. All of us are here to help you purge the Sith and their puppets from your sector, and right now, you cannot afford to turn away anyone's help. The Neo Hidden Chain and rogue Imperials are blockading your sector and squeezing the life out of your people, so we must act fast before they can complete their work." Parella Jiramma Baco, Hutt kajidic and leader of the Hutt Grand Council's Mandalore task force, gruffly stated to the assembled Mandalorian clan leaders.
Much to everyone's surprise, and Parella's amusement, the Hutt clan leader had not been like most members of his species and did not care for politics when they interfered with a mission. And the Mandalorian Protectors, still in an uproar over Jaina's difficult decision to help reorganize the Galactic Empire, was proving to be a greater obstacle for the stubborn warriors, especially the warrior clan leaders.
No one expected Jaina to appear with this force, not unless she arrived with a strong force to give the Protectors the strength to crush Lecerscen's blockade. But since Jagged, in his position as Head of State, had her open a wormhole to take a battalion of Imperial commandos a galactic sector bordering the Mandalorians', the first wave of Imperial aid was either a much-needed bit of relief, or a time bomb waiting to blow up in everyone's faces.
In the meantime, Jaina would help oversee the preparations for the remainder of the Empire's Mandalore task force, along with twenty of her best Jedi and their apprentices. While she wished she could help her husband deal with the political front in this war, they both agreed that her talents would better be suited on the battlefield, so she quietly slipped away during the chaos of the interrupted summit.
While the summit between the Jedi, Galactic Alliance, and Imperials tempered many of the warriors' disgust with the comprehension of the Empire's precarious position, it still left many uncertain of allying with a Jedi-dominated government. Those doubts only grew with the Maladians launched an attack on the capital world of Coruscant, and even a failed assassination attempt was enough to make many minds think twice of working with Force users.
And the Hutt's blunt and unrepentant tongue threatened to destroy any chance of an alliance between the various factions. It was only thanks to Boba Fett and Bardan Skirata's wise words of counsel on the need for a counterbalance against the Sith and Lecerscen's blockade that kept the meeting going.
But before Parella could utter another scathing remark to the prideful Mandalorians, a tanned human woman in an Imperial Special Forces uniform barged her way into the meeting, and she did not look very happy with the state of these negotiations.
"What do you want, you kriffing Imp chakaar?" Noroc Vevut spat.
"The name's Iden Versio, Sir. Commanding Officer of Inferno Squadron, and I'm here to knock some sense into you idiots and remind you all exactly what it is you're fighting for." Iden stood her ground. "While you're all quarreling over politics and what-ifs, your families and friends are preparing to face oblivion at the hands of the Sith and their dupes. I would have thought such renowned warriors such as the Mandalorians would have their priorities sorted out when it comes to war."
"And just what do you know of our people?" Venku irritably challenged.
"I study all potential threats to the Empire in case we have to go up against them, and that includes your people and even the Jedi, with the both of you and your fallen members in the top five in my list of possible future enemies." Iden admitted with a ghost of a smile crossing her lips.
"Cute. But it doesn't change the fact that we've got our own set of problems and allying with the Jedi will only amplify them to the boiling point." Baltan reminded the female Imperial.
"You are going to have to work with us sooner or later. I'd suggest using the next eight days to bring your people into line, because the rest of the Imperials will be ready to attack Lecerscen's blockade by then." Jaina objectively pointed out.
"So, you still think of yourself as a Jedi? Even after the possibility of you becoming Galactic Empress if your election fails?" Sintas suspiciously asked.
"If the worst comes to pass, then I'll only leave the Order after this war's over." Jaina stated. "I can settle my affairs with them after we give the galaxy a bit of stability. It's the least I can do to help manage a peaceful transition for both the Jedi and Empire."
"But right now, we need to put our differences aside and stop doing exactly what the Sith want us to do. They've got us so wound up fighting each other that we can't see past our blasted tunnel vision and realize what we can do when we work together."
"I know that better than anyone, because I was like that for a long time." Jaina admitted. "All I could see was one battle after another throughout so many wars, and constantly losing friends or loved ones to all sorts of evils. It blinded me to the possibility of reaching out to people outside my comfort zone and forming new bonds."
"I had to lose countless of my friends and come to the Empire before I started to see things through another lens. Suddenly, there were people outside my circle of trust that needed help, and I saw things not through a skewered lens or judged them by the mad few, but through a clear lens."
"I learned not to judge its citizens through old history or its arrogant elite, but I got to know so many of them as individuals. And that helped ground me and help me see what the galaxy needed if it's to achieve a new era of true and lasting peace."
"And what's that? A giant outpour of light from the Jedi and the Force? Or maybe more mysticism and another crusade against the unrighteous?" Ghes bitterly and sarcastically asked.
"Nothing so drastic, Ghes." Jaina seriously answered while shaking her head. "We just need more everyday people standing up for what's right and looking beyond their own interests to put others first, whether they're loved ones or even complete strangers. That's why so many people are rallying towards the Alliance of Light, a cause a single Jedi Knight spearheaded. They all just want an end to the fighting and to protect those they care for, or at least honor their memory going forward."
"Bold words, but I wonder how much they're worth since they come from those who fight alongside Hutts and other rogues." Goran suspiciously pointed out. "Even if this particular Hutt is an athletic aberration amongst his people."
"It can't be any worse than working alongside mercenaries who are said to work for the highest bidder without any morals." Iden quipped, before reminding the clan leaders, "Maybe you should take a page from your sector's previous leader, and work for a higher cause, whether it's for your sector's prosperity and protection or the defeat of longtime enemies of yours."
"What do you know of Fenn Shysa, Versio?" Baltan growled at the careless mention of the previous ruler of the Mandalorians.
"Enough to know that he was a rare leader amongst leaders and knew how to change with the times to help his people maintain their honor in the process. It's time for you all to take a page from him." Iden calmly answered.
"These Sith started a civil war to take over your society, so it'd make sense for you to find allies of your own to neutralize their advantage. And if any of your people disapprove or doubt you, then you can either get them to fall in line or send a message to the dissenters that will make them see the price of mutiny." Parella concluded, surprising everyone with his diplomatic tongue after his previous brutal language.
Venku, surprising everyone, chuckled at the remarks, "I see the three of you have spines of genuine beskar. A shame none of you are Mando'ade. You'd probably fit right in with all our people."
"But what does that mean for the future of this alliance?" Iden pressed.
"It means, as insane as it sounds, that you're right in your crude assessment." Boba gruffly admitted. "We'll get our people in line for the Alliance of Light, but it'll take us a few days to get word to all our battlefronts."
"And you'll have to uphold your end of the bargain and get us the breathing room we'll need to stay in the game, at least until you can send us enough force to deal with our nest of traitors." Sintas added on.
"How long do you need to settle your affairs?" Jaina questioned. "If my people stay here for too long, they'll only be a giant target for the One Sith. And they'll need to conserve our fuel and energies for when we engage Lecerscen's blockade. No sense in blowing resources on small fish when we can go for the pack's head."
"Give us five days to get our people on board, and then you can come charging in like the kriffing heroes you desperately want to be." Goran amusingly acknowledged before the Mandalorians closed their transmission and left Iden, Jaina, and Parella to their devices.
"And now, we wait?" Parella disappointedly asked. He craved a glorious hunt and having to delay his task for even one week could alter his entire strategy. Still, even he knew better than to take on an impossible battle on his own.
"And now, we wait." Jaina confirmed. "At least this way, you'll be able to hit Lecerscen and the Sith from two fronts when you guys and the Protectors assault the blockade."
"And we can still send out a few scouts to probe the blockade's strength. After all, there's no sense lounging around like a bunch of lazy Lurmen when there are so many wars raging." Iden insightfully pointed out.
Falleen
Lajinda Outskirts
Aboard the Mon Adapyne
Han Solo could hardly believe how deeply his family was wounded by tragedy and loss. He already lost his two sons, Anakin and Jacen, to war and betrayal, his best friend, Chewbacca when he sacrificed his life to save dozens aboard the Millennium Falcon when Sernpidal was destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and his sister-in-law Mara when Jacen killed her to complete his Sith ascension.
But the losses might soon add on, for Jaina might be leaving the Jedi behind for her Imperial throne and start her own Force order, and according to General Farlander, Luke was waging a fight for his life on the edge of known space from the toll those damned the Force wormholes and the toll they took on the Jedi.
And Allana, she played her whole family by siding with Edaan in his lunacy of "redeeming" Vestara Khai and helping him prepare his demented mission. He could not believe she would do so after Vestara nearly got her killed, and how the Sith schutta had killed and clawed her way to power after fleeing the repercussions of her actions.
How could everyone not see what Vestara truly was? Sure, the Sith smooka might be on the up-and-up for now, but it was only a matter of time until she betrayed everyone once again and got so many people burned in the process, and that was if they were lucky.
Fortunately, Han was not going to be fooled by her beguiling tricks or whatever pathetic excuses she or her Mandalorian partner might conjure up this time. And when the two of them revealed her true colors for the last time, they would have nothing to look forward to by the cold muzzle of a blaster against each of their cranial cavities.
But until then, he'd have to keep his guard up around everyone if he did not want them to catch onto his plans. That was why he was working hard on customizing the YT-5100 Shriek-class bomber Allana had procured for him. While it might be a horrible bribe, it would do the Solos well as a temporary substitution for the Falcon until it was repaired from their adventures on Honoghr. And it could help him deal with his mounting stress over the danger his daughter and brother-in-law were in across the galaxy.
But before he completed his modifications, he had to come up with a good name for the vessel. After all, just referring to it by its serial number was anathema to the old scoundrel. But he would wait until Leia was back from her mission, and he was ready to hear Allana's desperate plea to give the Sith woman another chance, since this would hopefully be a vessel they would be using as a family.
He might be holding a terrible grudge, but he fiercely loved his family and would not deny them this rare moment of simple joy during this mad war.
Within the Port of Huor
Inside the Rude Awakening
"You'll take good care of our client's ship, right?" Atai diplomatically asked the port master as he provided the access codes for the Rude Awakening. The Zygerrian, while seeing the flawless logic in taking the rest of the journey to Port Nowhere in civilian craft, felt anxious at leaving Edaan's vessel out of the entire crew's trusted hands. "None of us can afford to lose his prized possession, or he and his wife may very well try to murder us."
"Relax, Molec." The port master calmly interrupted. "We're on the same side. A certain exiled noble informed me of this arrangement with the Jedi and your secondary team and paid me a hefty sum to keep your vessels in prime condition for your return."
"It's good to know the prince has many friends all across the planet." Akku stoically answered, slightly unnerving the elder Falleen with his trademark calm before reminding her, "I expect you to keep our friend's ship in pristine condition. Not a single scratch or bit of tinkering outside of the standard maintenance by your crew."
"Oh, relax. I'm a professional."
"Good. However, if you or any of your employees try to make a little extra bunch of credits with any harebrained schemes regarding us or this vessel, well… they might very well lose their minds." Akku's tendrils slightly poked out from his cheeks, and that instantly got the woman's attention and dread.
"R-right. I'll give them the message." She urgently spattered before taking Atai's datapad and bolting away.
After the woman fled, Ben, disguised behind his blackhair dye and pilgrim garb, warily glared at Akku, "I thought you abstained from drinking a person's Soup."
"He does, but the dock master doesn't know that." Lona pointed out. "Now she'll be extra vigilant for any spies in her ranks over the next couple of weeks while we're gone."
"Still, that might have been a bit excessive. Too much fear could easily backfire in our faces." Atai warned.
"I'll be sure to take it under advisement." Akku chuckled. "We'd better get going. The mission leader will not be pleased if we make everyone late for our commercial flights."
"Never thought I'd hear a Mandalorian of your caliber and reputation say that." Ben chuckled as the last of the crew departed the pinnace infiltrator. Hopefully, the repartee between the mixed crew could continue to grow as they undertook their first reconnaissance mission.
Just Outside the Falleen Throne Capital City
Aboard the CEC Consular-class Cruiser Dark Beauty
"What's eating you, Phasma?" Darth Nashtah, Lady of the One Sith and onetime Jedi Youngling Aurra Sing, queried her younger Sith peer as her corvette departed for Port Nowhere, snapping the human woman out of her treasonous thoughts. "Thought you'd be eager to go into battle again after your resounding success last time."
"I'm fine." Phasma automatically replied. "Merely contemplating what kind of mercenaries King Redhan has for us. They had best be a tough bunch if they hope to stand up to some of the Alliance's elite."
"I heard they're a mixed bunch of rogue Noghri, Dashade, and Nikto from the Morgukai order. They'll be a tough bunch for Palpatine Jr.'s crew and our turncoats to deal with." Soonpaa commented.
"I wish everyone had your kind of enthusiasm." Phasma ruefully admitted, even as she knew these auxiliaries would be little match for Jedi of Ben Skywalker and Tyria-Sarkin Tainer's caliber, never mind the One Sith's notorious defectors. "I'm sure it'd do wonders for our floundering morale."
"What's gotten you so depressed all of a sudden?" Meeka disbelievingly asked. "I thought you're a rock of iron for this army and a true leader, not one of those Jedi weaklings. You don't want Malleus seeing you so ashamed over a few small misfortunes."
"Sure, we missed the Chief of State and didn't get Palpatine Jr. or Daala right now. But we still have the Jedi's little friends stretched thin, and all our enemies will crack when placed under enough pressure. Then we'll reap the rewards of all our efforts and get what we deserve."
Reap the rewards and get what we deserve. Phasma lamented. How could everyone be so eager to spread more chaos and misery throughout the galaxy, all to claim a supposed "Throne of Balance" Lord Krayt deemed essential to stopping Abeloth once and for all. Misery and death only beget more of the same, and it would lead the galaxy into absolute ruin unless it was nipped in the bud.
Hearing how the One Sith's proxies were stooping to outright terrorism to try and destroy their enemies, the news filled Phasma's heart with even more turmoil, and a deeper regret over the day she would disappoint all her friends and beloved brother with her bleeding heart.
Something needed to be done to stem the madness devouring the galaxy, and she needed to talk to her fellow doubters before this ambush could begin. But how could she satisfy her honor and conscience without betraying her oaths?
Dathomir
Allya Mountains
Within the Jedi Praxeum's Medical Wing
"We were lucky Artoo warned us of their condition, and we were able to get them into bacta tanks when we did." Solana Ti, Jedi Master of Dathomiri descent, breathed a sigh of relief to Kirana Ti, her aunt and one of the three founders of the Jedi Praxeum as they observed the two Palpatines float in one tank each.
"Another hour or two left untreated, and Adari's heart would probably have given out from the stress of the Red Twin System's destruction. And don't even get me started on Jedi Palpatine's internal bleeding and organ damage from opening the wormhole. They'll need at least eighteen hours recovering before they're able to wake up." Solana continued.
"Calm yourself, Solana. You're making quite a scene in front of your superiors." Tekli, a diminutive Chandra-Fan Jedi Master and one of the Order's lead healers, squeakily pointed out.
"Sorry. I'm just on edge from everything that's going on." Solana apologized.
"Aren't we all?" Kirana ruefully agreed. "But we all know that the worst is yet to come."
Glancing at Edaan, she additionally mused, "And Artoo warned me, Masters Streen, Damaya, and Tekli of Edaan's unique circumstances, and we'll need to prepare him for the new set of trials he'll be set to face once he is back on his feet and can begin his honeymoon with Adari."
"If he's the shatterpoint of the galaxy that you and so many on the Council believe, then he'll have to rise to the challenge and win against these new demons. But then again, he has managed to overcome every other challenge that came before him, so we shouldn't expect anything less of him." Solana reflected.
"But this will be the ultimate test of his soul and resolve." Kirana reminded the youngest Jedi woman. "He'll need the support of all his loved ones to win this war for his spirit."
Everyone just hoped that Edaan would be able to win this fight. Otherwise, the consequences would not just devastate the Jedi and their allies, but the entire galaxy. The last thing anyone wanted was a new Darth Sidious running rampant across and spreading fear and misery throughout every world.
Batuu, Black Spire Outpost
Inside Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities
Fascinating. Dok-Ondar mused. According to the information his informants were picking up from the Sith's stray transmissions, the Alliance of Light, at least two divisions of their soldiers and ships, were landing in the Batuu Resistance's probable headquarters after breaking through Dician's planetary blockade.
This could give him the perfect opportunity to help strike back against the Sith and their puppet cult for co-opting and purging his network of informants, never mind his cripple his business and devastate his collection of Force artifacts to fuel their senseless war.
But first, he had to determine if the Jedi would be willing to bargain with him and honor his commitment to respecting and studying both sides of the Force, as the Je'daii Order of the ancient Tython System one did. Knowing from his old academic contacts how the Galactic Alliance refused to publish Professor Hextrophon's last work, Supernatural Encounters, over political trivialities and academic modernity infecting so many rival institutions and minds, he knew the galaxy wasn't ready for the coming tribulations.
But there were others that held true to the old ways, and the old Ithorian was already making strides in contacting and preparing them to lead the galaxy through the trials before them. Through reaching out to Lando Calrissian, Luke Skywalker, Kajin Bar Yimmon, and other defenders of freedom and the champions of the light, the groundwork was being laid to combat the True Sith Empire and their proxies. However, the enemy had millennia to prepare for this war, and there was still much to do in building a grand coalition to protect all life, including ferreting out what of their servants he could, if only to prove to the skeptical public that the danger before them was the genuine article.
And verifying his claims meant he had to figure out if Xasha Xizor was genuine in her desire to atone for her complicity in the One Sith's plans, or if his hunch on her being a Rhandite agent was correct. The timing of her latest actions and behavior, and the Resistance's coordinated attacks on fifteen of the Sith's depots was too well-planned out to be labeled as simple coincidence. But she was also pilfering many artifacts from Dician's collection and hoarding them away in a secret location, several artifacts of purported Rakatan origin, surely related to the vault locked away inside the Black Spire Ruins.
Whatever Xasha's motives and true allegiances, stopping the One Sith from getting away with their prize was top priority for Dok-Ondar and his remaining informants and spies. Better for the Jedi to get hold of it and lock it away than to let the bounty be unleashed on this wounded galaxy.
From what little he managed to decipher of the structures before the One Sith moved in, it was an old Rakatan vault of some kind. Whether it was, if it held blueprints for a facility like the Star Forge, the droid-producing Foundry facility, or other various terraforming or xenoforming engines that could reshape life to whatever suited the users' needs, or held weapons of mass destruction, it didn't matter. Even Dok-Ondar, in his boundless curiosity and research into the Force, knew that every piece of Infinite Empire technology must be destroyed once the facility's purpose was understood.
Every bit of the extinct civilization's technology was too out of balance to be safely used by anyone and would only drag everyone it encountered into the dark side's eternal grip. He only hoped the Jedi could convince their greedier allies of this inevitability. One thing the galaxy never needed to experience again was another Rakatan entity threatening to enslave every mind and body to its whims like when Vitiate's Sith Empire rediscovered The Imprisoned One on Tatooine near the Cold War's end, or when the Rakata warlord Soa was nearly unleashed upon the galaxy from Belsavis's Eternal Vault a few years later.
Three Hours Later
Csilla, Cssplar
Within the Defense Fleet Headquarters
"Well, I didn't think the Syndicate would vote three-to-one in our favor." Khedryn approvingly noted to Jan and Kyp as they awaited the arrival of Ba'kar, Sev'eere'nuruodo, and their final representative that was kept mysterious for security reasons. "Usually, they take at least a week to make a decisive decision like this one. Guess they're in even dire straits than they're letting on."
"How would you know about that, Faal?" Jan noted. "You've got favors all the way out here?"
"I lived among Chiss for a while after everyone was rescued from Outbound Flight's ruins, and one hears plenty of rumors and news from fringe elements on Fhost and other fringe worlds." Khredryn explained.
"I think the bigger question is why the three of us are all that's needed for a follow-up meeting." Kyp suspiciously piped up. "This seems too much like a conspiracy meeting to my liking."
"I would not go that far, Master Durron." A hologram of an Chiss male, possibly in his mid-forties and in a Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet senior captain's uniform, appeared and abruptly appeared and apologized. "I ask your forgiveness for the sudden interruption, but time is of the essence for us all. You might have won the first victory on the battlefield of Chiss politics, but the real war is about to begin, and the three of you need to be briefed on certain matters within my home territory."
"But where are my manners? Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Kivu'raw'nuruodo, senior captain of the Chiss Ascendancy Expansionary Defense Fleet. But you can refer to me by my core name of Vurawn if it is easier for you." Kivu'raw'nuruodo politely introduced himself.
"It is an honor to meet you all: Alpha Blue chief and general of the Galactic Alliance, Jan Ors Katarn; Jedi Council Member and chief of the Order's Starfighter Corps, Kyp Durron; and smuggler and salvager chief and returning Jedi ally Khedryn Faal. I have heard many impressive things about you all from my patrons, and I look forward to working with you and your people in the months to come."
"As much as I appreciate your friendly nature and knowledge of us all, you have us all at a disadvantage." Jan respectfully pointed out. "I take it your patrons are the ones responsible for the six white noise machines embedded throughout the room and have us meeting with Aristocra Sev'eere'nuruodo and Supreme General Ba'kar."
"I'd be more surprised if those two aren't his patrons." Kyp added. "This whole thing seems too much like an off-the-books meeting from a spy holofilm."
"And everyone is sure you know much about those from your own maverick dealings during the Yuuzhan Vong War, Master Durron." Ba'kar spoke while he and Sev'eere'nuruodo entered the room. "If you could take a seat, we have a great deal to discuss in order to give our forces the best chance we'll have against our mutual enemies."
"And we will not have much time before they make their move on the Chiss Ascendancy." He warned the off-worlders. "Senior Captain Kivu'raw'nuruodo and his agents have intelligence on the Sith's entire strategy, information that could determine the course of this war."
"And how did one captain and his crew do what your entire secret police could not?" Khedryn suspiciously questioned.
"That, Captain Faal, is the real reason we called you here." Sev'eere'nuruodo gravely answered. "We needed allies we can trust to work alongside the last living genetic relative of Mitth'raw'nuruodo."
The shock that emitted off the three humans was obvious to all the Chiss, and Kyp took the initiative to break the ice by dumbfoundedly saying, "Well, I think we'll need a lot more information here for this bombshell of an admission."
"And we will be more than happy to provide it, Master Durron." Vurawn agreed. "Now, let's get started."
Shedu Maad
Jedi Temple
Within the Grand Master's Office
"Thank you for delivering our wounded Jedi back to us." Kyle gratefully bowed to Kopri and Sidon. "They'll need plenty of rest and recuperation after everything you all went through. I just wish we could have anticipated the Sith and this new batch of players that entered the mix. It might've allowed us to save Vice Admiral Remal and the rest of our people."
"You can give thanks to Master Skywalker and his followers' wormhole once they recover." Kopri clarified. "Without that bunch of crazies, none of us would be here right now. We got lucky today."
"Yes." Kyle solemnly nodded. "What will you do now? There are plenty of war fronts out there, and we'll need every able-bodied and experienced fighter we can."
"As soon as our ships are repaired and all our crews get a couple days of rest, we'll head out to Falleen and Batuu. We need to take out Dician and her anarchical cult before they can do anymore damage to the galaxy." Sidon explained.
"A sensible strategy." Kyle agreed, before enigmatically requesting, "But perhaps both of you and a few of your elite teams can stick around for a few more days, and hopefully help the Jedi Order with a bit of a, how shall we say it, housekeeping issue in our staff."
"What exactly are you talking about?" Sidon skeptically questioned.
"He means the Jedi have a nest of traitors in their ranks and staff, and you two would be perfect for helping us wrangle them in." A young woman, dressed in mercenary armor of a design foreign to both Sidon and Kopri, answered as she spoke for the first time, surprising the two mercenaries.
"Did you have to say it so freely and nonchalantly, Grace?" Kyle sighed.
"Hey, it brought the point home for them, didn't it?" Grace shrugged.
"And just who are you to be involved in such clandestine matters?" Kopri raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"I'm the lead investigator of the Aquillian Republic's advance force sent to aid the Jedi Order in its war against the One Sith." Grace answered. "Anything else is classified for the time being."
"Then that's why you asked for us." Kopri knowingly accused Kyle, ignoring Grace for the moment. "With Masters Skywalker and Horn in intensive care, you're going to need us to help root out the traitors before they can sabotage any more of our plans."
"Exactly, and we don't have much time before we have to move against them." Kyle confirmed. "So, are you in?"
"If the price is right." Kopri shrugged while being kind enough to grace the Jedi Grand Master an amused smile. "I gotta pay what's left of my battalion somehow throughout this mad war."
"I'll talk to a few crews and see if they're willing to stay and exchange information and tricks with your Jedi." Sidon added. "It'll be a decent cover for giving you more manpower in capturing your traitors and using them against the Sith."
"Thank you both." Kyle gratefully acknowledged. "We only have a few days, six at most, to finalize our plans before we arrest the traitors, and we'll need all the help we can get."
"Then we had better hope that your wounded Jedi can pull through." Sidon grimly reminded Kyle.
Well, I think this would be a sufficient place to end the chapter. And like all the others, it was a diligent labor of love and determination, so I hope that you enjoy it. As for the connection to Thrawn, well, I'm going to take a page from Timothy Zahn and use an idea he mentioned off-handedly in his Legends novel, Survivor's Quest and was featured much more prominently in The Hand of Thrawn Duology. I think most of you can guess what I'm talking about, but I'll make it clear later.