Star Wars: Episode X – Edge of the Galaxy. A Fan Fiction Novel By Matthew Holmes
The Star Wars saga continues in Episode X of my fan fiction novel, set 20 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
STAR WARS
Episode X
EDGE OF THE GALAXY
THE GRAND REPUBLIC is restored and rapidly growing since the decisive victory over the Imperialist FINAL ORDER and the destruction of Emperor Palpatine.
With new expansion into the Unknown Regions, numerous Republic ships have recently gone missing, fueling rumors and fears of a new threat, prompting THE GRAND REPUBLIC to send a fleet to the mysterious region.
At the edge of the known galaxy, a scout ship piloted by Rey Skywalker is flying out ahead of this fleet. Surrounded by the vast darkness of space, the Jedi Master does not sense anything unusual in the Force….
STAR WARS: EDGE OF THE GALAXY
PART I
56 ABY: 56 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The Unknown Regions
“Alright, let’s make sure we have our game faces on for this mission. If there’s any truth to these rumors, I’m not about to get sucked up into darkness while making jokes about it,” says Jedi Master Rey Skywalker. “Oh, c’mon Rey, we all know the best way to go is with a fun sense of humor,” replies Captain Bridgewater. Rey smiles, “yeah, sure,” says the one in a big cruiser, not leaving the galaxy.” “You’ve got me there,” Bridgewater concedes. Rey’s ship is out ahead of the Grand Republic Fleet. Bridgewater had agreed to go on the mission because she believes in the Jedi and specifically Rey herself. As their heart-to-heart conversation ends, Rey Skywalker’s tiny scout ship disappears from the Republic Fleet’s view, and they lose contact.
Several massive crafts appear where Rey’s scout ship had just disappeared from their point of view. The odd-looking unknown crafts are slowly closing in on the Grand Republic Fleet from a distance. “Rey, are you there? Rey, can you hear me?” Questions Captain Bridgewater on their broadcast. Feeling apprehensive, Lieutenant Claaz reports, “unknown crafts approaching, shall we hold?” Captain Bridgewater answers, “yes, of course. You know the drill, Lieutenant.” Claaz adds, “Captain, we’re scanning these things, and they’re organic?” Bridgewater has a confused reaction, “okay, so these ships are alive? So, did they just eat Master Skywalker?” A confused Claaz says, “Captain, I don’t like this.” Bridgewater agrees, “I know. I don’t know what to do.” She thinks about it deeply while slowing down her breathing. Bridgewater looks out at the menacing crafts and states, “we’re going to make a stand, and we’re not going to leave Skywalker.” She gives the order to Claaz, “send this message to the Chancellor. We have made contact with a group of unknown large crafts. If they’re hostile to us, and we do not survive, prepare the Republic for the worst. End message.” After a short moment of computation, Claaz replies, “message is sent to the closest Republic planet. They’ll hopefully receive it, Captain.”
With no provocation by Captain Bridgewater and the Grand Republic Fleet, one of the unknown large craft shoots a single blast at a Republic ship next to the lead cruiser. Instead of blowing up, it swirls unto itself, breaking apart, separating into different directions as an energized concussion is felt by the entire crew. Captain Bridgewater yells out, “Full alert! These crafts are hostile! All ships fire main guns!” As the Republic firepower hits the hostile crafts, the blasts are absorbed with no damage being inflicted to them. “Nothing, Bridgewater! It did nothing to those crafts!” Captain Darragon from another Republic ship yells out, “we’re getting out of here! All ships retreat!” Captain Bridgewater answers angrily, “we’re not leaving Skywalker, Darragon!” “Yes, we are!” Yells the other fleeing officer. The five remaining Republic ships turn around to make a run for it, yet one by one, they’re being destroyed by the unknown hostile crafts. Once hit, each ship similarly swirls unto themselves, breaking apart into destruction.
Scared for his life, Claaz yells, “Oh no! It’s just us! What do we do!?” Captain Bridgewater calmly gives an order, “sound the alert, Lieutenant. We have no choice. Abandon ship. We must get to the escape pods and save as many of the crew as we can.” Captain Bridgewater messages to all on board, “all personnel, abandon ship! Get to the escape pods!” Bridgewater moves towards her Lieutenant and reaches her hand out, “follow me, Claaz, we gotta get off this ship!” They both run to an escape pod when their ship gets hit by one of the large crafts! The blast throws Bridgewater into the pod, knocking her out, as Claaz holds onto the opening while slamming the button down to close the door. Claaz pulls a lever, and their escape pod blasts away! It gets knocked out of the swirling debris like a rock being thrown out of the wreckage. In the distance, their once large, perfect Republic ship is breaking apart while swirling into destruction. The other escape pods with Republic soldiers in them are being sucked into the swirling energy of the blast. An unconscious Bridgewater, a scared Claaz, in their escape pod and a missing Jedi Master in a scout ship are all that’s left of the Fleet. All other ships and escape pods are being wiped out by the blasts and the vacuum of energy, debris, and destruction of the one-sided battle.
Chandrila: Capital of the Republic
On the planet of Chandrila, the Republic Capital, a young Jedi Knight, Mace Skywalker, is walking in the gardens of the Jedi Temple. A teenager in age but an old soul at heart, Mace enjoyed his young life as a Jedi. His famous parents are an annoyance at times, Finn and Rey, but both inspire him to help continue the long line of Jedi leadership in the Republic. Mace’s close group of friends also happened to be the New Jedi Order, whom his mother Rey had sent out a calling for years earlier during the fall of the First Order. Parents of Force-sensitive children had answered her call and sent their children, as others came on their own to Chandrila in the hope to learn the ways of the Force, serve the galaxy, and defend the Grand Republic from potential threats from the dark side of the Force. Mace is quietly stepping on a path beside plants of all kinds. Deep down in his feelings, he senses danger. This sensation he had never felt before. It’s a tingling of uncertainty that he may never see his mother again. He knew, and the whole galaxy knew of the mission of the Grand Republic to check out the edge of the known galaxy. Everyone thinks it’s a waste of time and just a ghost chase that will turn out to be nothing. Perhaps he and millions of Republic citizens are wrong. Maybe everything just went wrong, but still, it’s just a feeling and a sensation in Mace’s body and mind. “Hey Lew!” As Mace sees Lewbacca up ahead on the path near the Jedi Temple. Lewbacca, who is a Jedi like Mace, but a Wookiee whose lineage is the nephew of the galactic hero Chewbacca, turns and stops, roaring back, “what just happened Mace?” Mace replies to his friend, “I know, Lewbacca, I felt it too. What could have happened? Let’s go get an update because maybe it’s just us.” Yet their feelings were not off. On the Holonet channel, Queen of the Core, the galactic news is reporting that the Republic Fleet led by Captain Bridgewater had messaged Chancellor Cala O’Taz about a large group of unknown crafts that were possibly hostile, but communication was cut off, and now O’Taz believes the Republic Fleet could be lost.
Jedi Master Kyle Phyto, a human male from Sulon and a former First Order stormtrooper like Finn, is sitting in meditation. In order to prove his loyalty, following the fall of the First Order, he and many others performed numerous special missions for the Grand Republic. Whether it was spying, sabotage, or fighting Republic enemies, Phyto always knew he was Force-sensitive, but only with the Grand Republic and help from Rey and Finn had he trained and learned to become a Jedi. These days, he is advanced enough to be a Jedi Master and teaches at the Jedi Temple on Chandrila. As Mace and Chewbacca run in on Kyle, meditating in a small side chamber to tell him the news, his anxiety and struggle become clear to him. There is a new threat in the galaxy. What it is, Kyle can’t put a finger on it, but it’s big and dangerous, and he worries about what to tell the two teens who clearly look scared in front of him after what they had just heard on the Holonet.
Master Kyle Phyto gently and quietly says, “Now, boys, before you start, please know you have interrupted a master by barging in without the manners we teach you. Understood?”Sorry, Master Phyto,” Mace looks down at the floor, embarrassed. Lewbacca roars, “Sorry.” Kyle, sitting quietly and looking at the two, asks without it even sounding like a question, “what has the Chancellor said about the situation out there?” He is the calmest Jedi that Mace ever knew, thinking to himself. Mace says loudly, “Master, the fleet and my mother! They’re all thought to be killed! O’Taz heard that it was a large group of ships, and they were hostile! Then nothing and the Republic Fleet disappeared!” Kyle looks at Mace, suffering, and wants to ease his pain, teaching, “we can only assume two positions, Mace and Lewbacca. One, Master Skywalker, and everyone has become one with the Force, and if so, we should honor them and remember them with our love. Two, your mother and the others are still alive, and they need our help. Don’t overthink every possible thing that could have happened. Understand, my young ones?” Mace, with teary eyes, says, “Yes, sir.” “We understand,” Lewbacca says. Sensing Mace’s anguish, he roars a cry, “What do we do?” Kyle stands up and finishes by saying, “Let’s believe the latter, go fetch Master Finn, and go figure this out ourselves. How does that sound, boys?” Mace and Lewbacca both have big smiles upon hearing him, wiping the tears from their eyes. If Master Phyto has hope, then there’s hope.
The Chancellor’s office is buzzing in Hanna City, near the Jedi Temple on Chandrila. Cala O’Taz has been stressing the importance of today’s event about the edge of the known galaxy, labeling it as “Wild Space,” to the media, his aides, and disillusioned Senators. His warnings are met with skepticism. No one thinks much of it, other than it doesn’t affect them, and nobody knows what to do about it anyway. Luckily for the Chancellor, sitting across his desk, was the determined robed Jedi Master Finn, who still felt Rey’s distant presence since she disappeared from the Republic Fleet. Finn is certain Rey is still alive. As Chancellor O’Taz pauses in thought, Finn is beginning to realize that it’s going to be up to him and his Jedi allies to actually do something about the current events. Yet despite this, Finn continues to be there for O’Taz, as he knows that’s what his wife would want him to do.
Even though the Jedi Knights are mostly young, O’Taz, being from Alderaan, began his service in galactic affairs at an even younger age, so he believes age is irrelevant in many respects and knew the importance of the Jedi Order in preserving peace in the galaxy. In his older years now, Cala O’Taz was elected by his peers as Chancellor, and although the New Republic was decimated from the war with the First Order, his Alderaanian leadership has grown the Grand Republic to power with peaceful commerce. Now, today’s trouble could be an act of war in the Unknown Regions of wild space, having lost their Republic Fleet. O’Taz comments to Jedi Master Finn, “Typical galactic politics, and nothing is done until the enemy is already at our doorstep.” Finn replies, “an enemy we know very little about. You must let us go, Chancellor. This is Jedi business. Our knights are up to the task. Give us the clearance and resources. Rey is still out there, and she needs us.” O’Taz looks somberly at the Jedi Master, thinking things over.
Dantooine
Aboard a large organic living ship as it approaches the planet Dantooine, “Warmaster, what do we do with our prisoners?” says a Chazrach soldier. “Send her back to our home world and keep the other two on board to bargain if need be.” “Yes, Master,” replies the soldier. The Warmaster claims, “These planets are full of species who are abusing life itself. Their machines and waste are destroying the universe. And the evil of all of it, the Jedi.” Another soldier yells out, “Master, we’re coming up on a new planet!” The Warmaster smiles and orders, “start with this pathetic place, and wipe it out. We will take over this region and cleanse it of these species. It’s finally time for the Chazrach to rule this galaxy. Send down our ships. We will conquer all of them.”
“We must surrender,” says the aide of Zaz El, who’s scared for their lives. El is a tribal leader on the farming planet of Dantooine. Their small population with a scarce defense force is a perfect starting point for the Chazrach invasion. “There are massive ships in our skies. Our weapons have no impact on them, so I will go out myself to end this,” says Zaz El. As a large ship approaches the ground, Zaz El approaches it. The mouth of the ship opens up as a party of three, and one Chazrach is clearly a leader. Being dressed more extravagantly than the others, he walks toward the Dantooine leader.
“This is Warmaster Chokar, and you will bow before him or die,” says one of the beastly guards. Zaz El’s aide bows down as El is still standing proudly. He is shaken by this but begins to explain his side of things. “I am here to officially surrender to your forces, Warmaster, so please let us live, and we will lay down our arms.” Chokar smiles upon hearing this and begins to speak in a menacing deep voice, “you will abandon your machines and begin working for me and growing our life. We are now your masters.” Zaz El, in stunned silence, thinks on his words and counters, “what if we don’t follow your subjugation?” “Then you will die,” says the Warmaster. “Very well, and what can we do to help you?” Zaz El asks. Chokar angrily answers, “You will not be helping us with anything. Your subject, who has honored me with bowing to my rule, is now your people’s voice. You have failed to listen to my first order.” With that, the Warmaster walks up to Zaz El and grabs him by his head, picking him up and squeezing his head into itself, crushing him to death. His aide falls down in a stunned reaction of pain and sorrow. “What is your name, young one?” Chokar asks the aide. “I’m Maraz El, and you just, you just murdered my father!” Chokar is satisfied with himself even more. “Would you like to have the same fate as your father, or are you willing to serve me?” asks Chokar. “I will serve you, Warmaster,” Maraz says, trembling on the ground. “Then you will order your people to begin growing our life here immediately,” Chokar says with delight.
Bimmiel
Bimmiel is another planet in the Outer Rim territories of the galaxy with an elliptical orbit around a primary star. As it nears its sun, its ice caps melt, increasing the moisture and plant growth of the planet, and it’s another perfect launch point for Chazrach conquest. They already took Dantooine because it was easy pickings with little resistance, and now Bimmiel is going to be the best place for them to grow their technology in the new galaxy. “Warmaster Shimrach, this is a perfect place for our life,” says a Chazrach soldier to the side of him aboard the lead ship at Bimmiel. “Yes, my brother, we will occupy this world and base our growth here to replenish any losses we may have against these species,” says Shimrach. The Chazrach are taking planet by planet as they spread throughout the Outer Rim. Their forces are so plentiful that they’re in multiple places with Warmasters leading each group with many ships and thousands of Chazrach soldiers. The invasion of the galaxy had begun in full swing.
Due to its distance from the Core Worlds, the galactic Outer Rim lacks the Grand Republic’s control to a large extent. Throughout its history, the Outer Rim had little authority due to the vast expanses of space in the region. Once the Holonet in the Core Worlds broadcast the news that Dantooine, Bimmiel, Ithor, and Dubrillion have been conquered in a matter of hours, it comes to no surprise for many in the galaxy. So, Chancellor O’Taz had not only agreed with Finn but decided to go with him and the Jedi on their mission. They’re already on their way to the Outer Rim to make contact, but the politicians on Chandrila are waiting for an update from the Chancellor, who was correct of the situation that had arisen. The Senate had spun the bad news that the Chancellor did not give them enough information, and he was acting unilaterally with the Jedi in an ill-advised attempt at peace. How quickly politicians in the galaxy flip-flopped is stunning to those who knew how against they were fighting a war earlier in the same day. The Holonet continues to broadcast how one by one the Outer Rim planets had fallen to the hands of the Chazrach, who are super strong beings from the Unknown Regions of wild space and are now clearly hostile to the Grand Republic. They resemble humans in form, although they are much larger and have reptilian features. The Chazrach are religious fanatics worshiping a power from wherever they come from and are brilliant at building organic and genetically engineered ships, weapons, and creatures. Yet for all of the Chazrach’s technological advances, they view all other species of beings who aren’t them as blasphemous and weak, which must be either wiped out or ruled over forever.
Hyperspace on the way to Obroa-Skai
Aboard the Chancellor’s personal ship, there’s a disagreement about who’s to be the pilots, but Chancellor O’Taz wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have the two best pilots in the galaxy,” O’Taz claims. Dash Raksen and Tycho Raksen are brothers from Obroa-Skai, and they have outperformed the very best the Grand Republic has to offer in talent. Both had been assigned to the Chancellor as an honor of their skills. Kyle still argues against a ship full of Jedi being piloted by two non-Force sensitives. “Dash and Tycho will be up for the job, Master Phyto,” asserts O’Taz. “We won’t let you down, Chancellor,” Dash answers. His brother Tycho checks the mapping, following up with “we’re coming up on Obroa-Skai and we grew up there, so we know it better than anyone. You can trust us, Master Jedi.” The Raksens were making sense, and Kyle knew to trust the Force. It could not be mere coincidence that the very pilots they have were from the planet they’re now approaching. By the Force, whatever is ahead of them, they may need their knowledge of the planet to survive the day.
Meanwhile, in the galley of the ship, Mace, Lewbacca, Corran, Raef, Chase, Temiri, Hal, Azuree, Soles, Anna, and Forisa are arguing, while Finn is listening in silence. The boys are explaining to the girls how to build a lightsaber and which colors are the best. The girls disagree wholeheartedly, arguing that just because a lightsaber is pink or purple doesn’t mean it’s a weaker weapon. The one to break up the argument is Mace. “Now listen, everyone, there was a Jedi by the name of Jedi Master Mace Windu. I’m named after him, you know,” Mace shares. “We know,” interrupts Raef. Mace looks at him and continues, “he had a purple lightsaber, and he was one of the strongest members the Jedi ever had. He was on the Jedi Council and was a warrior like no other. There is nothing wrong with what color a lightsaber is, so stop being jerks,” Mace says. Finn smiles in pride at his son’s reasoning but says nothing. Everyone else stops and pauses in thought. Hal says, “Mace is right. He’s named after a Jedi that has a purple lightsaber. That explains everything!” The boys laugh, and the girls even chuckle and smirk, except for one of the girls, Soles. She looks at Mace fondly and says, “I think it’s really cool that you’re named after Master Windu. I read about him in one of our classes. Everything is true about him.” Mace felt the warmth radiating from Soles’s words, as she had always comforted him. Smiling, he is about to say something to her, but Master Phyto walks in with a worried look on his face. Finn stares at Kyle, and they nod to each other.
Signaling for them to be quiet, Kyle begins speaking in a soft, gentle voice. “We are at Obroa-Skai, but we’re surrounded.” The group of Jedi all look at their masters in terror. “It’s okay,” Kyle soothes, whispering, “Stay calm because this ship has a brand new cloaking device and new technology to hide our life signatures. All of these surrounding ships do not know we are among them.” Master Phyto continues very softly, “you all stay where you are and don’t make a sound. Practice your meditations, but do not reach out from yourself. I’m going back to the front and will update you when need be, and may the Force be with us. Finn, can you come up to the cockpit with me?” Finn nods, and they leave the Knights. The teens look at one another with a new sense of companionship as their lives are now in danger together. This was their first test. None of them thought meditating was going to be how they started their war careers serving the galaxy, but they followed Master Phyto’s commands and sat down, focusing to stay within themselves as instructed. Back in the cockpit of the ship, Chancellor O’Taz is finishing up a message to the Senate on Chandrila, whispering, “and once this Declaration is official, please send the order for all Republic ships to gather where you are at Chandrila. You must defend the Republic Capital at all costs, but send our Fleet to attack if you think you have a shot at stopping the invasion. This is Chancellor O’Taz signing off.” “Nice speech,” Finn says quietly, chuckling, “you really brought the fire on that one.” “Very funny,” a smiling O’Taz says. One of the pilots, Dash, turns back and whispers, “I thought it was inspiring, especially not sending the Republic Fleet to save us part.” Kyle looks at all of them in concern. Dash is right. They have to figure out what to do and how to do it fast. This is a dangerous situation, and he knows they could use help to pull off whatever they’re about to face. At least what they have going for them is a strategic advantage of Dash and Tycho knowing their home planet of Obrai-Skai.
Obroa-Skai
Obroa-Skai is famous for its libraries and wealth of galactic history. It’s also populated with many Republic citizens and large buildings and structures reaching tall heights. The Jedi mission is already changing because Dash and Tycho are pleading to go to their homes in an attempt to save their families and friends. Then, if possible, make a run to the Celebratus Archive to save galactic historic records. Kyle and Finn agree with the pilots’ reasoning to put people’s lives ahead of the archive records. Their small cloaked ship makes its way towards the surface ahead of the incoming force of slower, larger invading Chazrach ships. Upon landing on Obroa-Skai, the two Jedi Masters order the group to stay on the ship as Dash and Tycho run past them and down the ramp to their neighborhood in a medical facility area of the planet. Chase is the youngest of the teens at thirteen years old, so when he says, “I’m fine being on the ship,” the others agree and laugh at the truth that Chase isn’t the only one who’s apprehensive. Meanwhile, in the plaza, there are digital screens of leaders issuing an evacuation to the Celebratus Archive. This is the very place the brothers had argued to go to second after this rescue effort of their family and friends. Frustrated and hurt, they begin running back to the ship while in the skies above, numerous transports are taking off in an attempt to escape the Chazrach invasion.
At the bottom of the landing ramp, Kyle and Finn watch a desperate scene unfold in front of their eyes as ship after ship is being hit with blasts of energy they have never seen before from the large invading craft. The impact of the blasts is troubling too because the mechanical fleeing transports are not blowing up but being sucked into themselves, breaking apart in a swirl of debris, a certain death sentence to all on board. Dash and Tycho make it back to them without anyone. “We gotta get to the Celebratus Archive! The evacuation order needs to be there! There is no one here! We messed up,” yells Tycho. The four scared adults run past the confused group of teens in the ship, and Kyle quickly explains what is going on more loudly than usual. “We’re heading to the library where we think the most civilians are! There is no one here to help! Stay put for now because we’re taking off! Get ready for our next landing!” “Yes, Master,” says Mace as the others are shocked at Master Phyto commanding so loudly and frantically for the first time. This was war, and lots of things could happen. Soles thought to herself as Azuree comments, “I love libraries, but I never thought I’d be fighting a war in one.” Forisa answers, “if all else fails, we can study for our tests!” Not even Master Phyto could be calm about things, yelling out the plan, but Raef, Hal, and Corran are convinced that they’re being deliberately misled. After Forisa’s joke, Raef says to the group, “First, they tell us to meditate on the way here, and now we land in a place empty of people. What’s going to happen to us next?” Hal agrees, continuing Raef’s line of thought, “if it were up to me, we would be getting out of this mess.” Then Corran tops it off, saying, “I’ve got a bad feeling about what’s going to happen to us.” The others don’t say a word, not wanting to argue at a time like this. They all know Raef, Hal, and Corran like to stir things up and question their Masters’ decisions. The ship makes its way to the library as fast as it can fly low and lands at the plaza in front of the main entrance.
At the Celebratus Archive on Obroa-Skai, the doors are opened by Kyle using the Force, along with Finn and the others who enter the building with him. Following closely behind the group is Chancellor O’Taz, with Dash and Tycho, now in position as bodyguards. “They left us!” Yells a woman who is running towards them in the library. She runs into Kyle’s arms, weeping and frantically saying, “they left us! They left us!” Kyle embraces her and asks, “Who left you?” The woman steps back from him, wiping the tears from her eyes, and explains, “everyone left us, from our council to our leaders to our defense forces. They took the only ships that we had in this entire sector of the planet. We have nowhere to go!” A puzzled Kyle questions, “who is ‘we’?” The woman signals them to follow her, “I’ll show you this way.” As the group walks down staircase after staircase, going further into the massive structure that was this library, Kyle and Finn could feel an enormous amount of fear and confusion below them. Finn looks back at Mace and Lewbacca. “I feel it too, Dad,” says Mace, and Lewbacca moans, “so much suffering. What is going on?” Finn looks at the Wookiee, saying, “I don’t know, Lewbacca. There’s something not right here.” They finally get to the underground level the woman was leading them to, and upon her opening a large secured door, an open auditorium as big as a large hall or temple appears before them. The space was massive, but that was not the shocking part because it was completely full of thousands of Republic civilians.
After the initial shock of seeing the refugees, they walk through the crowd of people that are gathered. They ask questions and listen intently. One man says, “we saw the broadcast to come here immediately and not leave the planet on our own. We thought we were going to be evacuated and not stuck down here.” Another woman asks Soles and Anna, “What is coming for us? Monsters from an unknown galaxy? What do we do?” The two teens don’t have an answer, but Anna assures her, “we’re going to do everything we can to help.” Soles talks to the woman’s little boys, asking light questions about the library to help keep their minds off things. “Do you have a favorite animal?” One of the boys answers, “I like tauntauns.” Soles said, “I bet your mom can find you lots of tauntaun books upstairs in the library once you and everyone here are safe.” The little boy says, “Okay, that would be fun,” and he smiles, feeling better. Soles looks at the boy’s mother as they smile and nod together. Chancellor O’Taz is busy talking to Kyle, Finn, and the woman who’s clearly the leader of the refugees. O’Taz states to them, “this is where we make our stand. I don’t like it, but we can’t abandon these people and the rest of the planet. There is too much to lose here in life and history.” “Agreed,” said Kyle. “Thank you, Chancellor. These people will hopefully be backing your next election if we survive to do so,” says the woman with a smile. “So what can I do to help?” O’Taz pauses and then asks, “Would you happen to know where the communication station is in this library to get a message out to the galaxy?” “I’m the Head Curator of Celebratus, Marieene Arista. Of course, I do. It’s on the main level, but I’ve already tried so many times, and nobody has answered my pleas for help.” O’Taz answers, “Hmmmm… this invasion must be worse than we thought. Who knows how many planets and systems are falling as we speak.”
“Admiral Dameron, you’re a hard man to find these days, but it’s reassuring to hear your voice,” says Chancellor O’Taz at the communications monitor on the main floor with Marieene listening at his side. “I know, Chancellor. My Fleet has been tied up at Bastion cleaning up the last of the First Order Remnant as the Senate had decided some time ago. It proved to be more difficult than we thought, but with current events, it all seems irrelevant now,” Poe sadly replies. “The past is the past, Poe, and now the stakes could not be any higher, so where are you currently?” O’Taz somberly asks. “We’re now at Chandrila following the orders of the Senate,” Poe answers. “The Senate has been pushing me to stay here and defend them, obviously,” Poe says with a chuckle, then switches to a more serious tone. “I really wanted to hear from you personally, and I am relieved that you are okay at the moment.” O’Taz knew they didn’t have much time where he and the refugees would be okay, as Poe put it, so he began to explain the situation. “I am among thousands of refugees hidden on Obroa-Skai at the Celebratus Archive, and who knows how many more are hiding around the planet. The invasion is here now, and we don’t have much time. Please show the video clip I’m sending to you to the Senate. My hope is they see that Obroa-Skai is where we have to make our stand. The Grand Republic is bigger than one planet, and everyone who lives in the galaxy matters. We have already lost and given up so many planets and people falling to these menaces, and it’s time we do some saving.” There is a pause on the other end as Poe Dameron is taking in the stunning situation the Chancellor is facing and says, “I’m with you one hundred percent, O’Taz. I will do what I can to convince the Senate to send us to you. If approved, I’ll bring everything I have.” Grateful and satisfied with Poe’s answer, O’Taz says, “thank you, Admiral. We must save the people here at all costs. May the Force be with you.” Poe ends the message with, “may the Force be with you, Chancellor. Admiral Dameron out.”
Supreme Overlord Chazra walks off his personal, organically living craft on the surface of Obroa-Skai and says, “This planet has a lot to offer us.” He is larger than the other Chazrach and similar in appearance, but has black spikes protruding out of his body. “There are structures here and places of trade. What a large society of species, but no one is left here,” speaking to his subordinates. One being Warmaster Loor, as he follows up with, “we must have destroyed all the species here in their desperate escape attempt, my Lord.” Chazra smiles and instructs them on his plans, saying, “begin connecting our ships to the buildings and the Obroa-Skai surface.” The organic growth moves like a virus from the ships, spreading out and turning everything into green and orange vines and dark plant life that is living and deadly. In a matter of minutes, the area is unrecognizable as being a city and looking more like the forests of Endor. Chazrach soldiers are also marching off of the ships and beginning to search for any survivors that could still be on the planet. All Chazrach, who are taking over planet after planet, are fulfilling Supreme Overlord Chazra’s strategic invasion orders.
Chancellor O’Taz and Marieene make their way back to the underground level where the Jedi and refugees are waiting for their report. “The Grand Republic is going to send what they can,” O’Taz says, telling a half lie to keep the crowds calm. At times like this, comfort and hope mean more than telling the truth that there may be no help coming at all, rationalizes O’Taz in his mind. Marieene nods at O’Taz in agreement and says to the crowd, “we’re going to stay here, but we need to get supplies. I’m asking for volunteers to go with me across the plaza to the local market.” Kyle smiles at her in delight. Marieene is an impressive leader for being a librarian, he thought. It seems like maybe things could go somewhere if it wasn’t for the invasion of an enemy from another galaxy raining down on them. As Kyle drifts away in thought, the Chancellor stands silently in command as Marieene gathers a search party for supplies. The youngest Jedi, Temiri from Canto Bight, speaks out loudly, “What if we surrender to them!?” The crowd noise hushes to a sudden halt. They all look at Temiri as he gulps and continues, “so we can meet with their leader. It would only be us Jedi to go out and surrender and say nobody is here but us. Then, if we can get close to their command, maybe we can put a stop to the invasion at least here and now to save everyone.” Faces in the crowd seem to agree with him, and the other Jedi like the sound of his proposal. In Temiri’s utter amazement, Finn walks up to him and nods in approval, saying, “Temiri, I think that’s the best thing we’ve heard all day. You are wise beyond your years, young one, and I am very proud to be you.” Kyle nods in agreement and turns to Chancellor O’Taz, commenting, “What do you think, Chancellor?” O’Taz has a big smile on his face and nods as the crowd of refugees cheer and come over to hug and high-five Temiri and the young Jedi Knights. “Hey, this hero stuff I can get used to,” says Hal. “Oh, this is the easy part of being a hero. The hard part is sacrificing your life,” cracks Corran as people hug them, shake their hands, and thank them.
Finn walks over to Mace and Lewbacca because he notices they’re being quieter than usual. Finn assumes Mace is worrying about Rey as he is, too. Lewbacca is standing quietly beside Mace in solidarity with his friend. “Mace and Lewbacca, I have some good news and some bad news,” says Finn. “What is it, Master?” Roars, Lewbacca. Finn exclaims, “The good news is we’re going as a group to face these invaders. The bad news is if something happens to me and I don’t make it out, you two will need to follow Master Phyto’s orders. Is that understood?” They nod in silence. Finn hugs his son Mace as Kyle shouts out to the group, “Let’s move out! May the Force be with us! Chancellor, you stay here with the civilians and stay in touch with the Grand Republic. We’ll take care of these invaders.” They begin to leave the auditorium to go to the main surface level, and while they depart, the crowd cheers and claps for them as heroes of the Republic. Every Jedi waves, smiles, grins, or wipes happy proud tears from their eyes. It’s an emotionally moving moment where the refugees of Obroa-Skai give the Jedi some real hope.
The Jedi leave the library building and are now out in the open plaza of the city. In the distance, there are Chazrach ships that have landed on buildings and a growth of unrecognizable vegetation in green and orange colors spreading out from their massive crafts all over the cityscape. Kyle looks around, and there are landspeeders parked in an area adjacent to the library that the refugees had come in on, so he signals for them to go to the vehicles. “We’re going to take the fight to them as Temiri said,” Master Finn says out loud to the group, and he continues to instruct, “we’ll take two of these speeders. I just hope we can get enough distance away from here so the invaders don’t know where we are coming from.” Master Phyto adds, “I’ll pilot one. Finn has the other.” Half of the Jedi pile in the speeder following his lead, and the other half follows Finn getting in the other speeder. “Are we ready?” asks Master Finn. “Ready and willing,” Mace says upon sitting down in the front passenger seat next to him. Everyone holds on as the two landspeeders take off at a fast speed and begin making their way down the streets of Obroa-Skai towards the impending doom of the Chazrach. Finn and Kyle weave around abandoned vehicles and debris, driving fast.
The speeders come to a stop as Chazrach soldiers surround them. Kyle steps out and puts his hands up in the air. “We surrender. No one has to die here,” he calls out to the large-sized invaders with weapons ranging from odd-shaped blasters to thick, strong staff. “We are the Chazrach, and you will bow before us,” says a lead soldier, walking up to them. Kyle plays the part of a defeated civilian, kneels in submission, and bows his head. “Of course, my new masters,” Kyle calmly says. “Get out of your mechanical abominations,” another Chazrach soldier orders. Finn and the young Jedi follow Kyle’s lead and slowly exit out of the landspeeders, and all kneel down and bow their heads in similar submission. The Chazrach soldiers check the group for weapons, finding lightsabers on all of them. “They’re Jedi!” One yells out. “Jedi filth!” another yells. They take the lightsabers angrily and hold onto them. “Aha, so there are Jedi here, excellent, take them to our Supreme Overlord, he will want to see this,” the lead soldier orders with a big smile on his face. Finn smiles back as they are grabbed and picked up. “I’ve got my eyes on you, Jedi!” A Chazrach soldier comments to Finn. The Chazrach walked them closer and closer to the large ships and growing life that had been taking over the buildings all around the area. So far, so good, the two Jedi Masters thought. Temiri’s idea was working.
“Why do you bring these children before me?” Asks Supreme Overlord Chazra. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” The lead soldier who brought the group to him answers, “I present a gift to you, my Supreme Overlord: The Jedi.” Chazra is surprised looking at Kyle and Finn and says, “and I suppose these older ones are the Jedi Masters?” Chazra stares at Master Phyto. “What is your name, Jedi?” Kyle states proudly, no longer acting submissive. “I am Master Kyle Phyto of the Jedi Order, and you have made a grave mistake.” Chazra angrily says, “Oh, have I, Jedi? This galaxy is now mine. Did you think you were going to stop me? These children are all that is left of your order,” chuckles Chazra, and the Chazrach soldiers all around him laugh in delight. One soldier hands Chazra Kyle’s lightsaber. Chazra explains, “we have known about these for quite some time. Powerful in the right hands but merely a light show for all others. They are no match for our Chazrach staff.” “We’ll see about that,” answers Finn. “Children of the Jedi, you may say your final goodbye to your Jedi Masters,” Supreme Overlord Chazra menacingly says. “No!” yells Soles. Mace follows with, “You won’t win! My Mom is strong!” “Ah, so you are the Jedi family of the other Jedi Master,” says Chazra, looking at them. “I can assure you she will be taken care of in due time.” “So, Rey is alive,” thought Finn, but then his feelings change back to dread as Chazra ignites Master Phylo’s green-bladed lightsaber. The Chazrach soldiers grab Kyle and knock him down in front of their Supreme Overlord. “This has turned out easier than I thought,” Chazra says while lifting his arm up with the ignited saber in his hand, preparing to strike down Master Phyto. Master Finn puts up his hand, about to use the Force to save his friend, when from above loud booming sounds in the sky.
From a sky filled only with large Chazrach crafts to a sky full of the entire Grand Republic Fleet, Chazra and the Chazrach soldiers all look up in shock. They take their eyes off their captives, and the Jedi reach out with the Force, grabbing their lightsabers from the hands of the soldiers as the unlit Jedi weapons fly through the air and into their hands. Kyle’s Force grab is so strong that it turns off his lightsaber in Chazra’s hand and flips into Kyle’s hand, igniting as he catches it! “For, the Republic!” Yells Kyle. He swings at Chazra, chopping off the Supreme Overlord’s hand! The large Chazrach looks back down at him fast enough and spins to Kyle’s side, grabbing his left arm and ripping it off. In excruciating pain, he yells and falls down. The other Jedi, seeing their Master hurt so brutally, ignite their lightsabers as colors of blue, green, yellow, and white knock the soldiers back in surprise and fear. Finn runs at the Supreme Overlord with his blue lightsaber lit, attacking him so he can no longer go after his badly injured friend on the ground. The other Jedi fight the Chazrach soldiers, swinging away. The Chazrach, with their staff weapons, clash with them as their blaster fire is blocked by their lightsabers. “At least the firing weapons could be blocked,” thought Finn. Mace runs at one of the Chazrach leaders, jumping and swiping. “Ah, Jedi. How exciting to finally face one!” Warmaster Loor says. He blocks Mace’s move, and they clash saber to staff. All the Jedi and Chazrach soldiers are in similar close combat fights. The teens are faster and smaller, using acrobatic moves to dodge and maneuver, yet the Chazrach are larger and stronger. It is a large ground battle that no one has been winning yet. Above in the skies of Obroa-Skai, Grand Admiral Poe Dameron is leading the command, yelling, “Fire everything we have at everything! Send out all squadrons! I want maximum air attacks on their ground forces!” Poe gets a flurry of replies, “yes, Admiral!” This time, there is so much firepower at the Chazrach organic ships that they begin to falter and separate, having to use all of their energy to self-repair to avoid destruction.
Back on the surface, Lewbacca takes out three Chazrach in a row by throwing his green bladed lightsaber at them. It spins in the air, connecting to each one differently but with similar consequences. Mace finally gets the upper hand on Warmaster Loor and strikes him down. Soles crouches down against her adversary and spins to the side, chopping off the legs of the Chazrach with her yellow bladed lightsaber. Screeching in pain and upon dying, the soldier aims his weapon and fires, hitting her shoulder. Soles winces but does not fall and starts to fight another enemy soldier. Lewbacca faces off against the largest Chazrach soldier they’ve seen yet. The soldier knocks Lewbacca’s lightsaber out of his hand and knocks him down with a blow to the head. As Lewbacca hits the ground on his knees and hands, a pulse of energy goes out from him, and the Chazrach growth vegetation lights up like a spark. In a circle around Lewbacca, the growth turns colors from green and orange to blue and yellow as the vines begin flowing in the air gently. Finn sees this as he’s still fighting the Supreme Overlord in close combat.
“Combine the Force!” Yells Finn. While on the ground lying in pain, he saw what Lewbacca had done by changing the Chazrach growth back to normalcy around himself.
The rest of the Jedi hear Finn and see what Lewbacca did to the growth.. Mace, Soles, Forisa, Temiri, and Anna are the closest to Lewbacca and turn off their lightsabers, dropping to their knees, putting their hands to the ground, and focusing their energy into the Chazrach growth. Their bursts of energy spark up and connect like lightning, and the other Jedi follow until all are on their knees, pushing their Force powers into the unstable menacing growth. The surrounding Chazrach get blown off their feet by the outburst and get entangled in the electrically lit up growth as it turns blue and yellow in color. The plant life floats in peace and then follows with attacking the Chazrach.
Finn gets up and into an attack stance to Force push Chazra away from the knights so he can’t interfere. The overlord gets knocked to the ground by the swift attack. He gets up, knowing he’s lost this battle, and runs away from the growth. A mechanical black and red painted First Order ship flies down from the sky overhead. Finn wants to pursue Chazra to find Rey, but Kyle is suffering in pain, having lost his arm. Finn decides to go to his aid instead. The other Jedi watch in awe at what is going on around them. The Chazrach growth is taking care of the Chazrach soldiers, swallowing them up in the vines and plants, and the Republic Fleet has wrecked the Chazrach ships enough where they’re now slowly descending from the skies in defeat. Some of the large crafts were already crashing into buildings and the surface. Chazra scurries into the First Order mechanical ship and takes off, leaving behind the remaining Chazrach invasion force. The Grand Republic Fleet lands all over the city as Republic soldiers take the remaining Chazrach soldiers into custody. Grand Admiral Poe Dameron’s Cruiser lands at the plaza of the Celebratus Archive. Poe walks towards the library and is greeted by a relieved Chancellor O’Taz. “I knew you’d come, Grand Admiral,” O’Taz says. Poe jokingly says, “Well, the Senate thought it would be best to save their Chancellor this time around.” O’Taz pokes fun at this, replying, “now we shall rule the galaxy!” Poe, looking startled, says back, “I think we’ve had enough people wanting to rule the galaxy for a lifetime, Chancellor.” O’Taz goes back to being serious, “agreed Poe. Thank you for saving the refugees here.” After the Chancellor says this, the refugees led by Marieene begin to exit the library through the main doors and spill out onto the plaza. Murmurs and talking in the crowd about the Jedi leaving to battle the Chazrach are going around, and it’s making Poe and O’Taz nervous about what could have happened to their friends.
Two far away landspeeders make their way to the library plaza. Masters’ Finn and Mace are driving the two speeders with the Jedi partying aboard, with their hands in the air, singing songs together. Master Phyto is in the passenger seat, bandaged up in pain but with a smile on his face. The New Jedi Order had survived the battle! All of them! It was quite a sight to see for everyone. The Jedi pull up in the speeders and get out to cheers and hugs from the refugees and Republic soldiers, rejoicing for a long time, visiting with one another, and chants of “Jedi Knights” ring out from the plaza. The Battle of Obroa-Skai had been won, and the possible turning point of ending the Chazrach invasion.
There is great news on the Holonet on Chandrila and around the galaxy, as two other Republic Fleets had made their way to Dantooine and Bimmiel, and chased away the Chazrach who had lost the upper hand in those battles. The news reports are that the Chazrach are currently retreating back to the Unknown Regions of Wild Space. Senators from the Core Worlds are calling for restraint, but the Senators from the Outer and Mid Rim Worlds are pleading for an invasion of the Chazrach galaxy to take the fight to them and end it. Meanwhile, the Chazrach growth is being burned off everywhere with fire on the affected planets. Most galactic happenings are getting back to normal other than a new debate on what to do about the Chazrach themselves. Also, the heroic stand at Obroa-Skai was making the teen Jedi into new heroes. At such a young age, some of the Jedi are enjoying the glory of being famous and liked, while others are taking the time to see Master Phyto recovering in a medical center and being present at the Jedi Temple on Chandrila.
Hanna City, Chandrila
Mace is sitting next to a laid-out Kyle Phyto in a bright white medcenter room in Hanna City on Chandrila. Jedi Master Phyto had lost his entire left arm in the battle against Supreme Overlord Chazra. Lewbacca and Soles are sitting in seats alongside the wall as they had spent the night with the Jedi Master. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I can’t stay here much longer,” says a concerned Mace. “I hope you can understand us going into the unknown galaxy to search for my Mom.” Kyle opens his eyes and answers, “I called an old friend to be here when you arrived to see me. He could be another volunteer to go with you and your father to find Rey.” Mace stands up in surprise, wondering who it could be. Kyle presses a button with his remaining hand, and the door is opened to the room as Poe Dameron walks in with a big smile on his face. Mace smiles back and says to Poe, “I know she’s still alive. I can feel it. We’re going to save her.” Poe answers, “all of us together.” Kyle, Poe, Lewbacca, and Soles smile at one another as Poe hugs Mace. Noticing his old jacket that Finn passed down to Mace, he says, “Nice jacket, kid. It suits you too.” They smile as the group of Jedi with Poe are together talking about their mission to the unknown as their friendship and love is as strong as ever.
The newly modified and updated Millennium Falcon is streaking through hyperspace towards the Unknown Regions, where Rey and the large Republic Fleet had disappeared just days ago.
Poe Dameron, the Grand Admiral of the Grand Republic, decided to give his lofty title a break as he’s now piloting the famous ship that helped overthrow the Empire along with the First and Final Orders, years ago. He wasn’t sure what Han, Leia, and Luke would think about all of this, but he felt their presence on board in a comforting way since they left Chandrila. Another friendly reminder of the past was sitting next to Poe in the co-pilot’s chair. C-3PO, the human cyborg relations, hadn’t stopped talking about all the modifications that R2-D2, BB-8, and he made while Poe was away fighting the First Order Remnant on Bastion. “Admiral Dameron, I’m pleased to tell you we have made it to the edge of uncharted space. The navigation computer is at its maximum reach,” C-3PO explains. Poe is wearing his old grey jacket from his days in the Resistance and looks over at his droid friend and says casually, “3PO, you can stop calling me Admiral for now. It’s just Poe, alright, buddy?” The droid legend, with a surprised tone in his voice, answers, “yes, Admiral Poe. I mean, yes, Master Poe.” Poe chuckles and says, “There’s nothing out here,” while at the same time thinking to himself that he’s getting too big for his old jacket as it’s uncomfortably tight. He tries to stretch it by moving his arms around to no avail. He asks 3PO to pilot the Falcon and to keep it steady. Poe then makes his way to the main cargo hold where the group of Jedi are anxiously awaiting an update.
Master Kyle Phyto, a bearded, average-built man in his older years, is in a one-sleeved green jacket with his lightsaber on his right side. He had lost his entire left arm just days before in battle. A grey and black mechanical arm and hand were in its place, fully exposed, not being covered by anything. Poe looks to the two Jedi Masters, Phyto and Finn, and gives an update: “3PO says we are currently passing into the Unknown Regions of wild space. I think that we need to all be on high alert and ready for anything.” He looks around at everyone staring at him. Poe defensively says, “I want to save Rey more than anyone else in the galaxy. She is our family, but we have to take care of ourselves.” Poe stares at Finn and continues explaining, “we can’t help her if we’re dead. So, I want to take precautions.” Mace answers first, “Poe, nice and slow, might be too late. We have already taken so much time just getting to this point. I don’t want to lose our chance!” Mace, wearing his father’s jacket, which was once Poe’s, slumps over in sorrow with tears running down his face. Finn walks over to his son and puts his arm around him. “We’re going to find her, okay,” reassuring Mace. Kyle and Poe didn’t know what else to say. Neither of them had a plan or knew what was ahead. The other Jedi Knights who didn’t make the trip elected to stay back to defend Chandrila in case of an attack. In reality, it was because there was a lack of a plan going forward. Soles Sarkin walks over to Mace and Finn and sits down next to them. She speaks up to the group, “What if the planet or place we choose to go to is not the planet Master Skywalker is on? Or what if it’s a trap? There are a lot of questions we don’t have answers to, but at some point, we need to have a real plan.” Mace looks up to his side at the beautiful young woman who is dressed in black robes with flowing colorful hair and is amazed by her concern and care but also her practicality. He likes the way she thinks, rationalizes, and is an honest person, too.
Another Jedi Knight, Azuree Minzler, is a muscular, strong, and built young woman with short hair. She is wearing a blue top Jedi robe and says to the group, “Soles is right, but I say we let the Force guide us on our mission. I have a feeling we will find answers soon enough.” Master Phyto takes a moment to ponder her words and follows with, “then may the Force be with us.” They all nod and voice their agreement. Poe then tells the group he is heading back to the cockpit to be on the lookout. In the co-pilot’s chair, C-3PO had seen a distant speck of something in the very far distance as Poe entered. 3PO says, “There is something out there, Admiral Dameron, far off ahead of us.” Poe corrects him, “it’s just Poe, 3PO,” then he agrees, saying, “it’s small, but I see it too.” As the Millennium Falcon approaches this new mysterious green planet, Chase Brakniss and R2-D2 are working on the latest modification to the Falcon. “No, R2, it goes there,” says Chase, who is the youngest of the Jedi with messy hair at thirteen years old. He loves the color orange, as his Jedi shoulder wrap robes are orange and brown. R2-D2, the famous white and blue Astromech droid who once belonged to the galactic legend Luke Skywalker, beeps back at Chase an affirmative, and Chase answers with, “yes, perfect. I think our chances of blending in should be improved.” Poe’s favorite droid is also on board as BB-8 watches the two work. The small orange and white ball with a free-moving domed head is curious about just about everything. BB-8 beeps happily at Chase with the work finished. “Yeah, it was hard for you too, wasn’t it, BB-8,” Chase says jokingly.
Also, a Jedi Knight on the mission is Corran Tian. He’s one of the older knights who wears a white, blue, and black vest. His hair is slicked to the side in a stylish haircut. Corran got the worst news of his life when they returned to Chandrila from winning the Battle of Obroa-Skai. His long-time boyfriend Dazan had been killed during the invasion of Chazrach on their home planet of Dantooine. The funeral plans had not begun due to there being so many civilian deaths from the uprising against the invasion, and the Chazrach growth destroying the planet is another obstacle. The authorities and everyone on Dantooine can only do so much in organizing anything. So Corran, feeling pain, sorrow, and anger, pleaded to go on the mission to get payback for what the Chazrach had done to his family. Kyle had his reservations but agreed that Corran was free to make his own decision on the matter. Corran is still feeling unsettled about everything, leaves his friends in the main cargo hold, and goes to see Poe and C-3PO. “Hi Poe,” Corran says. “Oh hi, Corran,” Poe replies. They’re looking out at a large green planet with no Chazrach ships around it, and Corran comments, “I see we already found a planet. That was fast.” Poe tells him, “You should probably sit down and buckle up. I’m going to take us to the surface.” So, this was it. Corran thought it was time to bring justice to this new galaxy and its murderous inhabitants. Poe notifies the others through the Falcon they are making the descent to the planet surface as C-3PO, Corran, and himself are watching in amazement at the slow-moving thick Chazrach growth as far as the eye could see. “I didn’t know there could be so much Chazrach life in one place,” says Corran. Poe comments, “Yeah, but besides all of this stuff, I don’t see any signs of the Chazrach themselves. This isn’t making any sense. I don’t even know where to land.” C-3PO speaks up, “may I suggest we find anything out of the ordinary, and if not, we leave this dreadful looking place.” Poe comments, “I’m going to fly us low and you two keep on the lookout for anything, but we’re not leaving this planet until we find out if anyone or anything is here besides all this green and orange growth.” Corran then reassures the concerned droid, “it will be okay. 3PO we have a team on board whose specialty is Chazrach growth extermination.”
The Millennium Falcon flies low over the surface for a long time until, in the distance, a constructed complex comes into view. “Okay, now we’re talking. It could be a Chazrach outpost,” Poe says and then adds, “it’s time for us to land and check it out, but we need to be far enough away so hopefully they won’t see us.” The Falcon hovers down slowly in a low area covered by tall, plant-like trees and vines with spikes. As the ship touches the surface, it is immediately grabbed by the hostile living growth, and loud bangs and pops start to rock the Falcon, shaking it and everyone on board. Poe jumps out of the pilot’s seat and shouts to 3PO and Corran, “Follow me, we have to get outside!” The group of Jedi are already making their way, running down the ramp onto the surface. They ignite their lightsabers and begin hacking away at the Chazrach growth that is attacking them and now pinning the Falcon to the ground. They’re yelling to one another in desperation, but thankfully, their powerful lightsabers are cutting through the vines with relative ease. Mace yells to his dad, “I should switch my career to flora scientist!” Finn yells back, “I don’t think they’d like your resume of what you’re doing to it, son!” Forisa Mis from Corellia and Lewbacca from Kashyyyk are the other two Jedi Knights who made the journey. They expand out to provide a perimeter for the group. Forisa is dressed in a white tunic with black Jedi robes, but the heat of the planet made her throw off her black robes and leave them to be swallowed up by the Chazrach growth. She senses something in the large plant-like trees and motions for Lewbacca, a Wookiee who is Chewbacca’s nephew and wearing grey and green Jedi robes, to look up to where she was looking. Lewbacca sees large-sized lizard creatures with fangs that are blending into the growth. He roars to Forisa, “This is about to get really bad.” Forisa answers, “if the Chazrach weren’t enough of a foe, now there are Chazrach animals, too? This new galaxy keeps on giving!”
The pack of large lizard creatures, which were bigger in size than the Jedi, with black spots, big eyes, and huge mouths of sharp, pointy teeth, start to descend down the plants and onto the surface where Forisa and Lewbacca are positioned. Standing their ground, the two Jedi Knights get into combat-ready stances and prepare to do battle with the creatures. At the Falcon, the rest of the group is now failing to get the ship released from the vines. The growth is in a continual pattern of growing and wrapping around it. They have to give it up and let the ship be stuck in its place. Poe asks, “Why don’t you all just use your Jedi powers and turn this stuff into happy stuff?” Finn answers, “I wish we could, but we need to stay undercover until we know what we’re up against, and besides, later on, we can free the Falcon.” The group looks out in panic at Forisa and Lewbacca, who are about to do battle with a group of giant lizard monsters and run to their aid. Poe stays back at the ship, not knowing what to do since he doesn’t have a weapon on himself. The lead creature runs at Forisa, roaring in anger. She jumps at it, doing a sideways flip in the air high above and lands on its back facing forward. It angrily tries to turn its head to bite at her. Forisa yells out, “I knew practicing on banthas was time well spent!” She then voices her apologies to the beast and ignites her white-bladed lightsaber into it, and it dies instantly, collapsing to the ground. The other large Chazrach lizards surround Lewbacca, snapping their jaws at him but begin acting confused, seeing a Wookiee for the first time. Lewbacca’s voice scares the lizard monsters, and this delay gives time for the Jedi group to surround them. Now, from all sides, Finn, Kyle, Mace, Soles, Azuree, Corran, Chase, and Lewbacca ignite their lightsabers of all different colors and attack the beasts. Chase gets in trouble first as the least experienced Jedi in the group, getting a slash on his side and goes down in scorching pain, but Soles cuts off the clawed arm of the attacker with her yellow-bladed lightsaber and kills the lizard, saving him. Lewbacca continues to stand surrounded in the middle of the action, not knowing what to do. Mace yells to his Wookiee friend, “Lew, get out of there!” Corran and Azuree team up on another lizard with Corran force pushing it right into Azuree’s blue-bladed lightsaber. Finn runs at another one and slides underneath it, pushing his blue-bladed lightsaber up into its body. He yells, “Four down and one to go!” Mace sees an opening to get to Lewbacca and gets to him just in time to take down the last of the deadly creatures with their combined purple and green-bladed lightsabers, slashing at its legs and body, killing it quickly without harm to themselves.
“Phew, that was a lot of close calls,” Master Phyto says as he watches the action, still struggling with being one-armed. “Chase!” Yells Mace as he goes over to him and Soles. She takes out bandages and a small bottle of liquid from her pocket to apply to Chase’s side, as the claw marks are not life-threatening but are deep enough to cause bleeding and pain. Mace asks, “Is there anything you need, buddy?” Chase answers, “I could use a snack. I’m getting hungry.” The group laughs out loud and agrees with his assessment of the situation. “Jedi have to eat too, not just save the galaxy,” Chase continues to reason with them jokingly. Poe had been watching from a distance in awe of the New Jedi Knights in action and couldn’t believe it. The group is making its way back to the ship, and Poe says to them, “You all are amazing. I was going to get my blaster, but I couldn’t stop watching you cut down those beasts like they were nothing. The Republic would be so proud of you.” Kyle answers, “our Knights can get the job done with or without the Grand Republic’s respect.” Poe answers, “yeah, I’ll say, wow.” Everyone comes to the realization they’re all hungry as Chase got the group thinking about food with his earlier comments. Luckily, the Chazrach growth had stopped attacking them around the ship because it seemed satisfied with being wrapped around it in every way imaginable. So, their plan before heading to the complex is scarfing down Nerf steak sticks and washing it down with cups of caf and hot chocolate. Afterward, Master Phyto asks, “Are we ready, Knights?” “Ready, Master,” says a happy and full-of-hot-chocolate Chase. “Ready and willing, Kyle,” Poe chimes in. “Let’s go find Rey,” says a confident Finn. “I just hope she’s here,” cautions Soles, looking at Mace. He looks back at her and nods. The group sets out to the complex, besides the three droids C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8, who Poe orders to stay on the ship to message him if anything else happens around it. The sunlight had started to fade, and before they knew it, they were traveling by moonlight in the dangerous growth that wanted to grab them at every turn. As they hike, the Jedi realize if they focus their energy from the Force in their hands, they can grab an incoming attacking vine and turn it into a neutral blue and yellow-colored vine, like they did on a much grander scale on Obroa-Skai.
After hiking for a while, they approach a battle station that is large and clearly a structure of significance above the thick Chazrach jungle growth. The group of Jedi and Poe immediately noticed a large monster chained up outside the entrance. “A bull rancor, and I didn’t know they would be anywhere other than Felucia and Dathomir,” Forisa explains to the group. Azuree adds, “Yeah, but look at its coloring. Green like the Chazrach growth, but it has thin orange stripes.” Lewbacca asks what they should do about the rancor because it was going to give their element of surprise away. “We’re going to have to go another direction to get inside,” Kyle comments. The group takes their time and moves quietly around the beast, hiding in the tall growth that wasn’t causing them hardly any problems anymore to the back entrance. “I don’t sense anything or anyone guarding this side,” a relieved Finn says. “Let’s check it out and be on the ready,” Kyle says as they make their way into the structure. “There is nothing here,” a surprised and frustrated Forisa says. Inside the building, it looked like nothing had been there besides the structure being built itself. A stumped and confused Kyle tells everyone, “I think our best course of action is to stay here until the sunlight comes back and then we make our way back to the Falcon when it’s safer and get out of here.” Forisa frustratingly says, “this planet has been nothing but trouble,” and walks away from the group. Mace and Lewbacca tell the others they’re going to keep an eye on the bull rancor. Poe and Chase volunteer for guard duty at the back entrance, leaving Soles, Azuree, Finn, and Kyle to the central part of the complex.
Finn volunteers to do a sweep of the area around the complex. Kyle tells Soles and Azuree he’s going to check out a side passage, and the two Jedi women sit down next to one another on the floor to take a break. “So, here we are,” Soles says and then asks Azuree, “How are you feeling?” Azuree answers, “I could be better, you know?” Soles replies, “yeah, things are hard for us, Jedi,” as she thoughtfully looks over at her friend. Azuree continues, “When I became a Jedi, I left behind my girlfriend, Kashi, on Coruscant. We met at a party and have been together ever since. She understands my decision to serve the galaxy, but we’ve had to endure a long-distance relationship, and since this war broke out, I worry about not being there for her.” Kyle walks out of a faraway passage, having detected nothing and makes his way to the two women. He asks if he could sit down and join them, not wanting to intrude. Azuree answers, “Of course, the more the merrier.” Kyle smiles and says, “Thank you, Azuree,” sitting down across from them. “So, what’s up?” Kyle asks. Azuree shares, “I was just telling Soles that I miss my partner and that I’ve been worried about her since this whole Chazrach thing.” Kyle says with a smile on his face, “Oh, to be young again.” Soles looks at Kyle and follows up with, “if we can make it out of here, I think we could all use some family time off. What about your family, Master Phyto?” Kyle thinks on it and replies, “Oh, for me, I don’t have what you all have. Once you’re my age, you lose more than you gain. Being a Jedi Master, you don’t always end up with a family like what Finn, Rey, and Mace have. I know it’s never too late, but with everything going on, I don’t know.” After Kyle’s remarks, the three sit in a quiet, somber silence, thinking about many things and are tired from everything they’ve been through already.
Jedi Master Finn had been walking around the perimeter when he heard a faint, distant voice calling out to him from beyond the growth. Whispers saying, “Bring the balance,” and “Trust the Force,” he keeps hearing the repeating phrases slowly with pauses. Finn is curious and open to it, so he follows the voice and comes across a stream of water. It’s echoing off it, becoming louder and louder as he follows the voice down the stream. He’s now a ways away from the structure as it leads him to a clearing of the growth on a cliff with a waterfall. Standing at the edge of the waterfall is a Force Ghost of a Jedi Master with his arms crossed, staring at Finn. It’s Jedi Master Mace Windu of the Republic Jedi Council. “You’re not alone, Finn. Out here in the Chazrach galaxy beyond our galaxy’s edge.” Finn is staring back in shock and surprise. Finn replies, “Master Windu. It’s an honor, sir.” Mace Windu answers, “the honor is mine, Finn. I’ve been watching you for some time. That’s a strong boy you have raised alongside Rey and with a strong name too,” Mace Windu’s smile turns to concern as he continues. “You must bring balance as the galaxy requires it.” Finn says, “I don’t understand how?” Mace Windu says, “trust the Force, and the galaxy can be saved. You must use your best judgment no matter the cost. The Force is diminished out here, but not your spirit. Do not give into fear or the dark side. I’m proud of you, Finn. May the Force be with you….” As Mace Windu’s Force Ghost nods and disappears, he leaves Finn alone on the cliff of the waterfall to ponder what was just said to him by his Jedi hero.
Back at the complex, Mace and Lewbacca decide to approach the bull rancor, and the animal is not happy about this at all. It isn’t roaring, but it’s trying to swipe at them with its large claws. “What do we do, Lew!?” yells, Mace. Lewbacca begins to answer him when the rancor takes an interest in his roaring voice. The animal stops swiping at them and sits down in sudden interest in Lewbacca. “Oh wow, Lew, this thing likes you! It’s amazing!” Mace shouts out to him. Lewbacca calls out to the rancor to put its arms up high in the air and on command the beast does it. Lewbacca then calls out to wave its hands, and then the rancor begins to wave its hands. “This is awesome!” Mace calls out happily. Back in the abandoned battle station, Corran catches up with Forisa and asks, “What is wrong?” Forisa answers, “I don’t know, Corran. We’re on a wild bantha chase for Master Skywalker, and we don’t know where she is or if she’s even alive. I feel lost on this planet.” Corran adds, “and we’re in an entirely new galaxy, too.” Forisa laughs in agreement, “yeah, it’s crazy.” She then asks, “How are you holding up, Corran?” There is a pause, and he says honestly, “not so great. Since I found out about Dazan being killed during the invasion, all I’ve wanted to do is kill every last Chazrach on sight for the rest of my life. I want the nickname Chazrach Hunter.” Forisa, feeling sad for Corran, says, “I’m sorry about you losing him. I can’t imagine what it feels like.” She pauses in thought and continues, “it’s a cool title, Chazrach Hunter. Are you sure I can’t have it?” He answers, “Nope, it’s already taken. You’re going to have to come up with your own war name.” Forisa chuckles, feeling better about things despite what this new war was taking from their lives.
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, C-3PO was making sure the Chazrach growth hadn’t sucked up the ship any more than it already had, but 3PO honestly didn’t know what to do if it did. His only idea was messaging out to Poe with his hand-held radio comlink if there was a problem. The first incident happened in the middle of the night when 3PO least expected it. R2-D2 was stubborn about keeping the Falcon locked down where no droid went in or out, but BB-8 had other plans. The curious little ball droid found the top hatch and proceeded to exit the ship, being almost swept away by the vines that were wrapped around it. If it wasn’t for R2’s practical thinking of following the mischievous droid wherever it went like an overattentive babysitter, the astromech droid wouldn’t have been there to burn back the vines with fire using the side rockets, saving the smaller ball droid. 3PO was scared out of his mind upon hearing the rockets blasting on top of the Falcon and BB-8 beeping up a storm, so he picked up his hand-held comlink and called out to Poe in desperation. Poe and Chase are keeping watch to protect the group from any surprise attacks from the entrance they entered in earlier as Poe is calmly explaining to 3PO over the comlink, “it’s okay, 3PO. Let R2 handle it, and I’m sure they’re fine. I’ll make my way back if anyone goes missing, okay? Just keep me informed, buddy. Poe, out.” Listening in on 3PO freaking out over the comlink, Chase adds, “that droid is always stressed out. Does he run only on caf and hot chocolate for his energy source?” Poe chuckles, saying, “perhaps, Chase, and that would explain a lot. So, things look fine out here. Let’s go back inside with the group.” The Jedi are back together in the center part of the complex, listening to Mace talk about how Lewbacca tamed the bull rancor outside by being his Wookiee self. The others were surprised and relieved, asking what they could do with the animal. “If we let it go, it could come after all of us who aren’t Lew,” Forisa reasons. “Forisa is right. We need to be careful about this,” Azuree says, contemplating what to do. Lewbacca gives his answer, “I will take the rancor into the jungle far enough away from here and command it to run away from the direction of the Falcon as you all are making your way to the ship. I’ll then get back to you all, and we can leave this place.” Kyle says, “Lewbacca, are you sure you want to do all of that for us and the rancor?” “Yes, I’m sure,” Lewbacca confirms. “You’re the best of us, Lew,” says Mace, patting his friend’s furry shoulder.
Finn returns, not telling anyone about the Force Ghost encounter, and the group agrees they need to rest. Everyone besides Master Phyto gets set up to sleep on the floor. Kyle takes the first watch, guarding the group by keeping a lookout while they get as much rest as they can. Several hours later, Finn switches with Kyle, and he continues guard duty so Kyle can get some sleep. The sunlight comes fast, and the group is slow to get up. “I guess there really are no Chazrach on this planet,” Kyle comments. “It’s not what I was expecting this galaxy to be,” Poe says, confused. “Same here,” Finn adds. The group shakes off their soreness by stretching out as a couple complain about being hungry, and then Soles says, “I guess we get out of here? What do you say, guys?” Mace smiles and nods. The group also agrees with her sentiments. They begin to follow Soles as she takes the point position. Kyle looks to Lewbacca. “Are you up for this, Jedi Knight?” Lewbacca answers, “yes, Master.” Kyle replies, “then may the Force be with you and your rancor. We’ll be waiting for you at the Falcon and be careful.” “Admiral Dameron! Admiral Dameron!” C-3PO is heard by everyone yelling out from Poe’s radio comlink. “What, 3PO!?” Poe asks loudly. “Chazraaaach! Chazraaaach! They’re approaching the ship! We need your help!” Poe is stunned at the second incident with the droids because this time it’s a full-blown emergency. With shocked faces, Finn yells for them to run, and Poe yells, “we gotta get to the Falcon! The Chazrach are here! We were wrong! We were so wrong!” They all begin in a sprint as the Jedi focus their Force powers to run faster as they go. Lewbacca hears the yelling and running as he’s leading the rancor in the opposite direction from the group and gets an idea of what he can do to help. Mace and Corran are side by side in the back of the group, running hard as Mace says, “I can’t keep up! I’m too fond of sweets and cakes!” Corran laughs out loud then yells, “Mace, there are more sweet things in the galaxy than food!” Mace questions, “who, me!?” Corran laughs more and answers, “You’re not my type, Mace, but Soles likes you!” As he smiles big at his friend as they continue to run side by side together, keeping up with the group ahead of them.
The Chazrach had already surrounded the Falcon when the Jedi arrived with their weapons drawn and looked very angry. The droids had resolved to hide with everything turned off and locked down. It almost seemed too easy, and Kyle couldn’t believe it, saying to the group, “surround the Chazrach just as we did the lizard beasts to take advantage and win the battle.” They branch off and make a large circle around the intruders and the Falcon and begin to close in, ready to fight. “Hey Jedi!” A Chazrach yells out at them. “Yeah, we see you,” says another Chazrach, continuing with, “come out of the growth. We have a proposition for you.” The Jedi Masters and Knights are confused and look at one another. “It’s most certainly a trap,” whispers Soles. “I second that,” Azuree quietly says. “There is no such thing as neutrality with the Chazrach,” Corran comments. Finn is thinking about what the three Knights closest to him said and decides to take the chance, explaining, “I’m going to go alone and see what they have to say. You all can back me up. If something bad happens to me, you attack them with everything you’ve got and then get out of here by freeing the Falcon by combining your Force powers again, understood?” They give him disapproving stares. “Okay, I’m taking that as a yes, master,” Finn awkwardly says and motions the group to not continue with him. Kyle puts his hand on Finn’s shoulder and wishes him luck. Finn nods and walks towards the Chazrach, feeling apprehensive but open about what Mace Windu had told him and what he can do to bring balance. “Well, here I am,” said Finn, walking out of the thick growth and now completely exposed to the small group of six Chazrach.
One of the Chazrach speaks up, “Thank you for your bravery and gesture of peace. My name is Gorda, and these are my brothers in arms. We have been here on Zanatarium for most of our lives. The Supreme Overlord left us as a hunting squad to make sure any lost ships and their species were to be destroyed, keeping our galaxy a secret. We have done many awful things to many innocents over our lifetime, but now the Jedi have arrived on our planet, and we have seen what you can do to our life. It is, as you say, peaceful and beautiful.” As Gorda is talking, Lewbacca shows up with the bull rancor ready to do battle and attacks the Chazrach who are responsible for chaining it up. Finn and the Jedi watch helplessly as the rancor steps on a Chazrach and grabs two more by the claws and eats them one by one. Kyle is yelling at Lewbacca to try to help stop the carnage, but the rancor is too occupied to listen when Lewbacca calls out to it. The Jedi and Poe spring into action, and with the igniting of all of their lightsabers and Poe firing a shot at its body, they scare the rancor, and it runs off wildly into the growth, roaring as it disappears. “That is one upset rancor,” Poe comments dryly. “Especially after you shot it,” a frustrated Lewbacca roars at him.
Gorda, having survived the rancor attack, falls in sorrow as he just lost three of his soldiers. “That’s what happens when you chain up an animal, Gorda. It looks like the Force has its ways of evening things out in every galaxy,” Finn comments. Following up with what he says, Corran walks up to Gorda and speaks to him in a mean tone, “you need to give me one good reason why I don’t stick my lightsaber into your gut. Your people killed my partner, and I want justice like the rancor.” Gorda apologizes, “I’m sorry for your loss, Jedi, but I am not at fault for what others have done. I can only be myself in this war among the galaxies.” Corran thinks on this and asks, “So do you know where your Chazrach take high-value prisoners?” Gorda answers, “of course, they go to Rachia, our homeworld. We can come with you and help navigate. We have been abandoned by our leaders here for too long. Let me talk to my two soldiers.” Gorda goes and talks to his two fellow Chazrach, named Borka and Sorla, who survived the rancor attack. They quickly and happily agree to help the Jedi so they may leave Zanatarium behind. The Jedi and their new Chazrach allies begin to walk up the ramp of the Falcon, and Gorda chants and grinds his feet on the ground as the entangled vines begin to loosen and fall away from the ship. Everyone is happy and relieved upon seeing this great turn of events. “Then it’s set. Next stop, Rachia,” Poe says as he waits for Gorda to finish commanding the vines and pats him on the shoulder as they both head up the ramp onto the ship.
The Falcon takes off with ease as Poe is once again in the pilot’s seat, with a worried 3PO in the co-pilot seat and Gorda the Chazrach behind him to help with navigation. Forisa is behind Poe to back him up in case someone else needs to take over piloting. “Go towards the green moon,” says Gorda. Poe calls out, “Roger that, Gorda. Then what?” Gorda answers, “straight out from this direction towards Rachia,” as he points the way and continues, “it will take us around two sleeping cycles to get to Rachia.” Poe goes, “what?” Gorda explains further, “it will take us a very long time for a ship this small.” Poe responds, “then you obviously have never heard of this ship. It’s the Millennium Falcon. This is the ship that made the… Oh wait, you don’t know what Kessel is, do you, Gorda?” The Chazrach answers, “What is Kessel?” Poe and Forisa both chuckle out loud at Gorda’s question, and C-3PO goes into explaining the entire history of Kessel, confusing the Chazrach even more. They’re flying up to the green moon of Zanatarium, pointed in the direction Gorda had instructed, and Poe says, “hold on, Gorda, we’re about to go really fast,” as he pushes the levers to go to lightspeed. The Falcon blasts beyond the moon and into hyperspace! “I’ve never seen anything like this!” Gorda says with wide eyes, looking in awe at the spiraling blue and white lights of his galaxy streaking by. Poe says for everyone to hear, “I’m flying completely blind with no navigation computer or lanes to follow, so we could end up in bits and pieces if we’re not careful. I’m going to stop here and there to see if Gorda can help us out. I’m recording our path so we can get out of here the way we’re going in, so hold on and be ready for anything, Poe out.”
The Jedi and the two other Chazrach were in the main cargo hold, patiently waiting since leaving the planet of Zanatarium. The conversations were few and far between because it was awkward. Soles felt like the atmosphere had turned into a public transport ship, where there were different beings going to different places but were all in the same confined place. Chase manages to ask one of the Chazrach, “So, what are the three of you going to do when we get to Rachia?” The Chazrach Borka answers Chase, “there are places Gorda, Sorla, and myself can go underground and disappear from the powerful in our home world, but we want to help you first for getting us off Zanatarium. Anything is better than being stranded there, don’t you think?” Chase answers, “yeah, I’d have to agree with you on that one.” The Falcon comes out of hyperspace and is met with a faraway greenish asteroid belt with large organic Chazrach ships sprinkled throughout the asteroids. “Looks like I took us out of lightspeed just in time,” comments Poe, feeling pleased with himself and telling the others, “we wouldn’t have made it through this weird-looking asteroid belt, that’s for sure.” Speaking up, Gorda reveals, “this is Rachia.” Poe disagrees, saying, “I don’t think so, Gorda. I mean, sure, there are Chazrach ships, but this is what we call an asteroid belt. You know, big rocks with nothing on them except those ones look green from here. Is everything in your galaxy green?” Gorda answers, “well, yes, it is the color of our growth and life. This is our homeworld, Rachia, and I know where they have kept prisoners for generations.” Forisa comments, “they’re asteroid monsters? Can this get any weirder?” “I think it can get a lot weirder,” Poe says as little flying crafts are taking off from the asteroids, making their way towards the Falcon.
“We’ve got company!” shouts Poe to the main cargo hold. Kyle immediately springs up from meditating, goes to a turret seat to prepare to fire on the incoming crafts, and asks Soles to go to the other turret. Finn, Azuree, and Chase run to the cockpit to see what is going on, while R2-D2, BB-8, and the two Chazrach stay put in the cargo hold, along with the two remaining Jedi Knights, Mace and Lewbacca, who are keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t do anything to sabotage the mission. Poe flies the ship away from the slower and smaller Chazrach crafts as they begin firing at their ship with small energy blasts that begin to shake and disorient everyone on board. The Falcon pulls ahead, being much quicker than the Chazrach’s, Poe asks, “Okay, Gorda, now for the moment of truth, where would our friends be in all of this Rachia stuff?” Gorda, the Chazrach, stands up and hollers something strange and jumps on Poe, hitting the controls, making them change course, now flying towards the small and large Chazrach crafts and asteroids. It’s a scramble in the cockpit, with Finn trying to pull Gorda off of Poe. C-3PO is flailing his arms and yelling for help, while Forisa is trying to get to the controls. Chase and Azuree are watching the whole thing in disbelief just outside the scramble of bodies in the completely full cockpit. Upon hearing Gorda yelling, the other two Chazrach get up and attack Mace and Lewbacca. It is two scrambles at the same time, with the fate of the ship and the crew on the line. “What are you doing, Gorda!?” Finn yells at him while they are wrestling. Gorda answers, “Your companion must be dead! Chazrach, don’t keep prisoners!” Once Finn pulls Gorda off Poe, the other Jedi drags him out of the cockpit, and Azuree asks, “Why did you lie to us? What’s wrong with you?” The Chazrach replies, “I wanted to get off Zanatarium, and that part is true, but I thought killing you I could be rewarded.” Kyle and Soles are sitting in the gun turrets, and both yell to Poe and everyone that they’re still in trouble. Having regained his composure, Poe sees the danger of running into the asteroids themselves, and an energy blast is fired from one of the large Chazrach ships. Poe steers the ship on its side, banking downward, getting closer to the surface of one. The energy blast misses and hits another large Chazrach ship across the way, and instead of blowing up, it gets swirled unto itself, breaking apart and separating into different directions as the concussion of the power rattles everyone onboard. Those in the group who watch the blast are shocked and scared of what could happen to them. Meanwhile, Forisa, Azuree, and Chase are dragging Gorda to the main cargo hold, where the other two Chazrach are knocked out from Lewbacca, smashing their heads together in the scramble for control of the ship.
Two of the Jedi, Kyle and Soles, are firing from the gun turrets at the incoming Chazrach ships, and Soles is knocking them out one by one. Soles yells, “These little ships are no match for us!” Kyle yells back, “How are you connecting hits on so many of them? I haven’t shot one down yet!” Soles, with a big smile, answers, “it’s all in the Force, Master!” Also, their legendary speedy ship is so fast that the small crafts can not keep up, yet there are big threats from the larger Chazrach crafts that Gorda had talked about before his failed mutiny attempt. Poe is flying them faster and further into the asteroid belt of planets, getting closer to them. The ship is weaving around each rock that is full of Chazrach’s working, running to their crafts, and firing weapons. Poe continues dodging and spinning the Falcon from large cannon blasts and energy beams being shot at them from the surfaces of the asteroids. “Woohoo, 3PO!” Poe shouts out. “Oh dear, I can’t watch,” says C-3PO. Everything is being hit by everything else besides them! There are explosions and Chazrach being wiped out by their own energy weapons. One of the large crafts’ energy cannons hits an occupied asteroid, and it begins breaking apart, being destroyed. The concussion expands out and knocks into the Chazrach crafts, blowing them far away. “That was way too close,” Poe comments. Up ahead at the end of the asteroid belt, there is a massive storm in space that has energy bursts with clouds of unknown vapors and gas. Poe says out loud, yelling, “What is this storm up ahead!?” The group looks at Gorda. He answers, “it’s the Storms of Chazra. No Chazrach goes in or out besides the Supreme Overlord.” Poe answers, “great, well, we’re going to be the Supreme Falcon today,” and flies towards the storm to get away from the attacking Chazrach. The Millennium Falcon disappears from the Rachian asteroid belt and into the storm. The Chazrach do not pursue because of the same beliefs that Gorda has, that only their Supreme Leader may enter his own named “Storms of Chazra” and that anyone besides him would be destroyed. The group begins to feel the ship shake and rock up and down in the storm. The Falcon is getting pulled in different directions, and there are loud pops and bangs. Then suddenly, a bolt of energy hits the ship, and the lights and instruments turn off. The engines slowly stutter to a stop. Poe is trying to turn things back on as they move forward in a fast floating motion. “I have a really bad feeling about all of this,” Poe says to 3PO, who is still sitting in the co-pilot seat.
R2-D2 plugs into the system in the main cargo hold, trying to figure out the problem, while BB-8 is beeping away, telling R2 what to do. The group joins back together in the middle of the ship. “So, Rachia was not what we expected,” Finn says. Mace follows up with, “These Chazarch are also not what we expected. They tried to stage a mutiny.” The group looks at Gorda, and the two knocked out Chazrach. Just then, Corran walks out of the Captain’s quarters and asks sleepily, having awoken from a nap, “What happened? Are we on Rachia yet?” Everyone turns from looking at the Chazrach to looking at Corran, not impressed. Corran says, “What?” They come out of the other side of the storm still out of power, and the view from the cockpit is a startling one. There is a white moon with both north and south poles in black and a structure of buildings in the middle region. The Falcon is still moving towards it, floating directly at it. “I think we need to check this out. I also don’t think we have much of a choice,” says Poe to 3PO. The Falcon’s power comes back on as R2-D2 reboots the system, and BB-8 beeps happily, taking credit for it. A relieved Poe starts the engines and begins to fly towards the structure. A short time passes, and they are coming up on a large landing pad in front of what looks like a castle with black and red mechanical ships and one large black winged ship. Kyle enters the cockpit to see what’s going on. “This isn’t Chazrach stuff,” he comments. “No, it’s not, and it looks like we have a greeting party,” Finn says as he sees Supreme Overlord Chazra and numerous figures in black hooded robes with Rey and another prisoner on their knees in the custody of the Supreme Overlord and others. The Falcon lands on the elevated surface in front of the large castle structure. “Stay here, 3PO,” Poe says. “Yes, Master Poe,” he replies. Poe, Finn, and Kyle leave the cockpit and go to the main cargo hold where the group is waiting for them. “I have a plan, so be ready, Knights,” Finn tells the group. “This could go south pretty fast, so I’m going to lead us out and start the talking.” Soles, Mace, Azuree, Corran, and Forisa nod in approval of Finn, and Lewbacca roars, “I’ll keep watch of these three Chazrach.” Chase adds, “I’m going with you all.” As they are walking out, Finn tells Mace, “Your Mom is out there, but don’t do anything irrational, okay?” Mace’s eyes widen, and he smiles in relief and nods to his Dad with happiness.
They walk down the landing ramp, and Finn calls out to the group of beings, “we are the Grand Republic’s Jedi Order. I call for a prisoner exchange for the release of your two prisoners you have illegally captured and held for too long.” Supreme Overlord Chazra walks forward towards Finn and laughs loudly, saying, “This is war, Jedi. There are no rules.” Master Kyle Phyto adds, “we have three prisoners from Zanatarium, and we’re willing to trade for your two prisoners.” As Kyle is saying this, the Jedi Knights are walking behind him and Finn. They see Rey and a Republic officer bound up and on their knees. Rey is relieved upon seeing Finn, Mace, and the group alive and okay. Mace has tears in his eyes. He never knew he could miss his mom so much. Chazra answers them with, “There’s no one on Zanatarium worth a trade for these two. I want to demonstrate what we’ll do if you fail to lay down your weapons and surrender.” One of the lead black hooded figures walks towards the Republic officer prisoner, who was Captain Bridgewater, and crouches down in a squat before him. Everyone stops moving in sudden alarm. The Jedi sense the dark side of the Force in the hooded being’s intentions. Finn yells, “What are you doing!? Nobody has to get hurt!” The hooded figure pulls out a small silver weapon and suddenly ignites the red-bladed lightsaber into the chest of Captain Bridgewater. The woman yells in terrorizing pain as the robed figure keeps it stuck in her and then turns it off. The stab painfully kills Bridgewater as she falls over, landing on the hard ground. The black-robed figure stands up and pulls his hood back, unveiling a smiling bald human face with red and black streaks of paint as Grand Lord Tyro states:
“The New Sith Order has begun!”
After a long pause of shock, with the Jedi reeling from the Captain’s death, Finn questions, “A new Sith Order!? Huh. Well, that’s over the top, yet catchy,” igniting his lightsaber at Grand Lord Tyro. The Sith ruler says, “I’m the Grand Lord of this galaxy, and I’ll soon be the ruler of yours.” Kyle chimes in and says, “the only Masters in our galaxy are Jedi, so you’re going to have to start out as a padawan to achieve master status.” Tyro gives Kyle a menacing smile and goes on, saying, “I’ve been growing my Chazrach war machine for a generation. I now finally have what’s left of this Jedi Order in my possession. It’s time to take back what’s rightfully mine. You know what to do, Sabers.” The dozen black-robed hooded figures around the landing pad take off their outer robes and are revealed as Sith warriors with the same red and black streaks of paint on their faces. They ignite their red lightsaber blades, ready to attack. The group of Jedi with Poe Dameron pull out their weapons in front of the Millennium Falcon and prepare to do battle with the Sith. Rey is still bound and kneeling with Grand Lord Tyro next to her in a defensive position. Tyro wants to keep her as a hostage if things were to not go his way, Finn thought. Meanwhile, Kyle has steely eyes staring down Chazra. “What are you going to do this time, Master Jedi? Would you like me to take off your other arm? It’s time for everything to have balance,” quips Chazra as he laughs. “Yeah, everything could use some balance once in a while!” Kyle answers, using the Force to push Chazra high up into the air. He jumps and dives forward in a barrel roll directly under Chazra. The Jedi Master then lets go of the Chazrach ruler with the Force onto his green-bladed lightsaber, skewering right up through him. Chazra screams in terror as the battle breaks out all around them, with Finn and the young Jedi Knights taking on Tyro and the Sith. Poe shoots at Grand Lord Tyro as he blocks the shots with his red-bladed lightsaber while still guarding Rey. Finn runs at Tyro across the landing pad. Mace and Soles see him while they clash with the three Sith attacking them. In the mayhem, Poe runs and slides on his back behind Rey, unhooking her from the bindings, and takes off the wrapping around her neck and mouth. Rey immediately forces Tyro, spilling him onto the ground and sliding him away from Finn. The three of the galaxy’s greatest heroes are together once again! They all smile with one another in relief. Rey and Finn look at their son Mace with pride as he is now fighting Sith. Also, Soles joins Mace in fighting back the Sith Sabers. Rey yells for everyone to retreat to the Falcon! Kyle, having turned off his lightsaber after defeating Supreme Leader Chazra, rolls over on the ground and signals for Azuree and Corran to come towards him as they were defending themselves against Sith Sabers. Lewbacca grabs Chase and starts to make a run for the Falcon as Forisa follows them from behind, keeping the Sith at bay. Everyone is slowly making their way back to the landing ramp of the ship. As Grand Lord Tyro stands up, signaling for the Sith to stop, the battle is at a standstill.
“Get on board. I’ve got this,” Poe tells the entire group. Finn replies, “we’re doing this together, Poe.” Poe firmly states, “You have your family, Finn. My mission is to get you out of here and save the Jedi Order.” Poe looks to them, saying, “My friends, you are Jedi Masters who need to take care of these young ones for the survival of our galaxy.” Grand Lord Tyro, hearing the conversation from a distance, replies across the platform, “how sentimental of you after killing my Supreme Overlord! How about we kill you all!” Poe yells, “Go!” The Jedi Knights run up the ramp with Rey looking at Poe and Finn desperately. She hesitates, looks at the two men, and then finally runs up the ramp to get to the pilot’s seat to get them out of there. All of the Sith Sabers and Tyro are running towards the Millennium Falcon with their lightsabers drawn. Poe shoots his blaster at the landing platform in front of the charging Sith. It fires up debris into the air, hitting and knocking them down onto the ground, making them scream in pain and agony. Tyro dodges the shooting debris, extending his hand out at Poe’s blaster while running at them, focusing on the Force. Finn reaches out at Tyro to block Tyro’s Force grab, but Tyro is too powerful! Rey fires up the Falcon’s engines. The Jedi Knights are yelling for Poe and Finn to get up the ramp as the Falcon is starting to take off. Poe’s blaster turns completely inward on himself. Finn jumps towards Poe, but Poe’s trigger finger already presses in without his control, firing directly into himself. Finn catches Poe in his arms as the blaster falls away. Finn holds him up, falling back into the ship as the ramp closes and they take off. “No! Poe!” Finn is yelling, “somebody get a medpac, Poe’s been hit!” Poe, struggling to breathe, says, “it’s okay, Finn, they’re safe. We did it together.” With tears rolling down Finn’s face, he says, “Stay with me, Poe, we’re a family. You’re family.” Poe smiles and nods, coughing, “you’re my best friend, Finn. I’m glad we got Rey back. Take care of them. Take care…” and passes away gently in his arms.
The Millennium Falcon takes off with Rey piloting, yet Grand Lord Tyro and his Sith Sabers have their own supercharged ship that uses coaxium, giving it more power. This was how they stayed hidden and undercover for so long. The Invincible was a sleek, arrow-winged black ship built for stealth and speed. The dozen Sith and their leader had recovered from their wounds and made their way onto it, preparing to take off. Finn joins Rey in the cockpit and sits down behind a worried C-3PO. “He’s gone, Rey. Poe didn’t make it. He saved us all by firing at all of those Sith or whatever they are,” Finn says with a sad look in his eyes. Rey doesn’t say anything but looks back and takes Finn’s hand, and they have a quiet moment together. Rey turns back and plots the navigation that Poe had made sure to record on their way in so there was a way out. The invincible flies right past them, going even faster, and instead of engaging in a fight, the Sith ship flashes brightly and goes to hyperspace into the storm that divides Tyrania and Rachia. “What the heck was that!” Rey calls out. C-3PO replies, “It appears, Master Rey, that they want to get somewhere faster than us.” Finn chimes in, “yeah, but why?” Rey comments, “I don’t feel good about this.” Kyle joins the group and sits behind Rey quietly.
“That’s crazy,” answers Kyle after the explanation of the Sith flying by them, leaving Tyrania like a mynock out of a cave. “What do we do? Go after them without knowing where they are going, or do we stay here and try to figure this place out while they’re gone?” asks Kyle. The two parents are concerned about their son Mace and the young Jedi Knights not belonging in a place like this. Rey speaks first, saying, “we’ve been here long enough and should let the Grand Republic deal with all of this. We need to get the Jedi back home.” Finn echoes Rey’s words, “Rey’s right. This is no place to be lost forever.” Kyle replies in agreement. The Falcon goes through the storm without any consequence. Coming out of the storm, their view is a partially destroyed Rachia that was now empty of Chazrach ships and soldiers. From the coordinates where Poe had flown them in, Rey and C-3PO push the levers forward to launch them into lightspeed towards Zanatarium.
Meanwhile, in the main cargo hold of the ship, the group of young Jedi Knights, Mace, Soles, Azuree, Corran, Lewbacca, Chase, and Forisa, along with R2-D2 and BB-8, were paying their respects to Poe, with him wrapped up in blankets. Poe’s favorite white and orange ball droid, BB-8, hadn’t stopped sobbing and beeping in distress. R2 was consoling the little droid, explaining that all life passed on and how R2 had lost Luke many years ago. Corran was talking about how much Poe had meant to him, “he made us feel like we could all save the galaxy and fly and fight anything without even needing special powers.”
As the remembrances continued, they came out of lightspeed in front of Zanatarium, and there’s a large Chazrach ship right in front of them. “It looks like we have a welcoming party,” Rey comments. The Chazrach large organic ship turns and heads down towards Zanatarium’s surface. “What do we do with this?” asked Rey. “We follow it because maybe this is the break we need,” Finn answered. “Yeah, hostile or not, we could find out where the Chazrach went and especially those Sith,” Kyle says. Rey was still flying. The Falcon trails the ship to a large clearing as it lands before them. A group of Chazrach are walking out from it and moving towards them. Rey begins the slow landing process, staying cautiously distant. The vines of the Chazrach growth began to grab the ship, pulling it down to the ground. “Here we go again! Everybody out!” yells, Kyle. The Jedi empty out of the Falcon and turn on their lightsabers, ready to cut at the vines when surprisingly, the vines stop and recede backward. The Chazrach are commanding their growth to stop the aggression as they walk towards them. The Jedi turned to face the Chazrach soldiers and prepare for battle. Rey and Finn walk off the ship, ready to back them up, as Kyle is about to call out to the Chazrach when they call out first to them saying, “Jedi, we come to you as new friends of the galaxy.”
Warmaster Wonar bows and continues, “we have seen for ourselves that our masters wield the same machines as you do, but have used us for a generation as slaves. All I ask is that you leave us in peace here on Zanatarium, and we will tell you all that we know.” A surprised Kyle says to Wonar, “How do we know you’re not just lying to us?” Wonar answers, “because we have abandoned the invasion of your planet to Ord Mantell. Although we were the only deserters, I have told my soldiers we are no longer fighting for false prophets and lords. We want to live free and not kill anymore.” Kyle continues, “Ord Mantell. Who is there?” Wonar answers, “Warmaster Chokar, who is now the Supreme Overlord. He was already the strongest, most powerful Warmaster who wiped out your planet of Dantooine.” Corran, who lost his boyfriend on Dantooine, yells to everyone, “Chokar must pay! We need to go now!” Wonar looks at Corran and says, “Many more will perish under Chokar.” A confused Rey asks, “What about your rulers? How did you find out about them?” Wonar answers, “after your ship wrecked our home world of Rachia, we flew into the storm and saw for ourselves the planet of machines and men who were there the whole time lying to us. We will never again raise our arms against any Jedi. You have shown us the light.” The group of Jedi stare at them in disbelief. Wonar smiles and begins to walk back to his ship with his group of soldiers. He stops and turns to say, “Our living life will be with you.” Soles turns to the group and comments, “did he just say in their words, ‘may the Force be with you’?” The group smirks. Mace replies, “I think so. This trip is getting weirder and weirder.” Chase speaks up, “next stop, Ord Mantell?” Kyle says, “Yes, Chase, let’s get back to the ship and get out of this galaxy once and for all.” Finn follows with, “Yes, and we need to get Poe home as well.” They all gather around the landing ramp and go back up into the ship, all still feeling the loss of their friend and a determination to keep fighting.
Finn and Mace stay next to Poe as the others scatter around to get some much-needed rest. Rey goes back to the cockpit as Soles and Forisa join her, along with C-3PO. The Falcon easily takes off as the Chazrach growth is no longer attacking it. Their trip from Zanatarium back to the Republic galaxy was a smooth one. Rey made sure their course was the same as Poe’s, and before they knew it, their navigation was back up and running to safely arrive in their own galaxy. “Finally, we’re out of the unknown,” Soles says in relief. Then Forisa asks, “Master Skywalker, how long will it take us to get to Ord Mantell?” Rey guesses, “well, the planet is in the Bright Jewel System of the Mid-Rim, so it could take a while. You two should get some sleep.” Soles answers, “I can’t sleep, and certainly not at a time like this when so many lives are at stake, and we have a chance at saving the galaxy.” Forisa adds, “I feel the same.” Rey looks back at two of her Jedi Knights and nods in approval. The coordinates are plugged in, and Rey says, “3PO, are you ready to jump to lightspeed to Ord Mantell?” C-3PO answers, “yes, Master Rey.” Rey says, “let’s do this in 3, 2, 1,” and she pushes the levers forward, and they jump to lightspeed as the blue and white streaking stars come into view flashing by. Hours pass by as the Jedi rest up for another possible battle with the once-again invading Chazrach.
Chancellor Cala O’Taz is sitting in another meeting with his staff and a few Senators, trying to get a handle on what is going on not only in their galaxy, but also in the unknown galaxy of the Chazrach. O’Taz is worried about Poe, the Jedi, and the Republic citizens far away from protection, so he sent out several scout vessels to planets in the Outer Rim to gather any information on another possible invasion. Additionally, he’s hoping for any news about his friends. The Holonet and galactic reports had been absent of any Chazrach trouble since their victory on Obroa-Skai days earlier, with a complete retreat by the menacing foes. The Senators are spending all of their time fighting over recovery spending and how many credits their own planet deserves. The consensus of what to do about the actual Chazrach threat itself is to send the Grand Republic Fleet to wherever the Chazrach show up again, and then achieve a quick and successful victory as the Grand Fleet did above Obroa-Skai. The senators vary in opinions, but most say the Jedi only assisted as ground soldiers and were not the reason for the Republic victory. Re-election is always the most important thing to each senator, and they are not going to give too much glory to the Jedi. To them, calling themselves the war’s heroic leaders is all but guaranteeing their positions of power to continue in the Grand Republic Senate.
The thundering sound of a ship’s engines blasting by the Chancellor’s office stops everyone in their tracks. “What was that!?” O’Taz asks. “It must be a Republic ship flying out of line,” comments an aide. Then, several minutes pass, and the sound comes charging back even louder this time. Flying towards them is the Sith ship, the Invincible. The arrow stealth ship has made it to Chandrila! It begins to circle around and is preparing to land next to the grand office building. “That is not a Republic ship,” answers O’Taz. The group in the Chancellor’s office yells, freaks out, and runs out in fear, leaving O’Taz by himself with thrown about papers, trash, and disheveled furniture. Grand Lord Tyro walks off the Invincible’s landing ramp and sees Chancellor O’Taz staring at him from the large pane windows and begins to make his way towards his office. The guards in place are quickly strangled to death from afar by Tyro’s force chokehold without even getting a shot off. Tyro walks up the one staircase that leads from outside to O’Taz’s office and enters the Chancellor’s trashed room. O’Taz presses a button on the side of his desk, sending out an emergency alert that he and the Republic Capital are under attack. “Hello, I’m Cala O’Taz, Chancellor of the Grand Republic. What can I do for you on this fine day in our beautiful capital?” O’Taz calmly asks, trying to delay enough for more of his soldiers to arrive and wanting to figure out who this intimidating person was in front of him. “My name is Grand Lord Tyro, and you will be stepping down as Chancellor as now I am the galaxy’s new ruler,” Tyro opens up with. A surprised O’Taz says, “it’s not that easy, Tyro. We are a galaxy that votes who’s in power. If I step down, our government will never honor you as its ruler. They don’t even let me be their leader at times, and they’re my friends,” O’Taz answers with an awkward chuckle. “I’m not here to be a part of a government. I’m here to be the only government. Now you will give in to the New Sith Order, and I will have my revenge for the death of my Master, Snoke!” Tyro states. He puts his hand out and pulls O’Taz into the air as he flies right into Tyro’s grasp by his neck. “Time to step down,” Tyro says as he holds a struggling O’Taz straight out from him with one hand. “You will lose, just like Snoke, and this Sith Order will never rule,” answers a muffled but still defiant O’Taz. Tyro walks out of the office to the edge of the staircase, still holding him high in the air. He throws O’Taz down the stairs so hard that the Chancellor hits his head numerous times, tumbling down violently, and his lifeless body hits the hard ground at the bottom of the stairs.
The Millennium Falcon comes out of lightspeed at Ord Mantell. There are large Chazrach ships making their way down to the planet’s surface, but none are out in open space. “Looks like you took out a lot of their forces back there,” Rey comments to Soles and Forisa. “We certainly made our mark in the unknown,” Soles smiles with satisfaction. Forisa says, “Yeah, Soles was hitting everything but a womp rat as Poe flew us through Rachia to get to you.” C-3PO adds, “I had never been so scared in my life.” Rey looks at the droid and warmly smiles, saying, “it will be okay, 3PO,” and then asks her two Jedi knights what they think of the situation. Forisa offers, “we go to the surface and find this Chokar, and if we can stop him, maybe they will give in and retreat like last time.” Soles says, “I agree because we need to save as many civilians as possible down there.” Rey looks back at them and nods, saying, “You got it. Next stop, Chokar on Ord Mantell.”
The Grand Republic Fleet had been patrolling the Core Worlds to protect against Chazrach attacks and was currently above Coruscant because the population was the largest in the Grand Republic. The emergency alert from the Chancellor prompted this Grand Fleet to begin the hyperspace jump to Chandrila. The remaining Jedi Knights who did not take the trip to the unknown with the group were already on Chandrila, spread out at their places of residence when the alert went out. Raef, Hal, Anna, and Temiri all joined up at the Jedi Temple and were deciding what to do. “I think we should get over to the Senate building and the Chancellor’s office to find out what happened,” Anna offers to the other three Jedi. “I agree, but without the others, we could be in over our heads,” Raef concedes. Temiri adds, “I say we go.” Hal looks to his friends and states, “if we do this, I guess we will prove we are more than heroes in name.” They head out of the temple together and make their way to the Capital buildings. Grand Lord Tyro walks back to his ship as his Sith Sabers are waiting for his orders. “Lord Tyro, what is our next move?” asks Sith Saber Donte. The Sith Lord looks to Donte and says to the others, “We’re getting back on the Invincible to destroy this place and its people. I’m certain that once we do this, we wait for the Jedi and destroy them. I will then take my rightful place in this galaxy.” Donte smiles and nods at his Master, and Tyro smiles back. The Sith hurry back into their ship, and the Invincible takes off.
Rey tells Soles to go wake the others from their rest aboard the Millennium Falcon because the Chazrach ships on Ord Mantell have spotted their approach and have begun to move towards them. Forisa moved into the co-pilot’s seat because C-3PO followed Soles to the main cabin area. “What do we do?” asks Forisa. Rey answers, “I’m going to pilot us past these incoming ships and get us planet-side. Then we need to have a team to go after this new Supreme Overlord Chokar. My gut feeling is that he is at Ord Mantell City. So that’s where I’m flying us to.” Soles comes back with Kyle, and they look out at the Chazrach ships with concern. Rey says, “Master Phyto, you should go tell the others to get ready for a bumpy ride, okay?” Kyle adds, “I agree. Good luck, Master Skywalker.” He leaves them to go tell the others, and Soles sits down in the seat behind Forisa and buckles up. Rey stretches out her arms and then closes her eyes, focusing on the Force. “The Force will be with us,” she says out loud. The lead Chazrach ship fires its energy blasts at the Falcon, and Rey opens her eyes and starts to spin the ship at an angle, dodging the blasts. In the main cabin, the group is holding on for their lives, and Mace and Lewbacca are ready to go in the gun turrets to defend the ship.
The Invincible takes off and immediately attacks the buildings around it, but a group of Republic X-wing fighters are flying towards the Sith. Tyro, piloting his ship, switches into a near invisible stealth mode. He fires upon the X-wings. They scatter not knowing where he went, and one by one, Tyro takes each Republic ship out. He turns the Invincible to the Senate building and fires his main cannon at the super structure, hitting the top of the Senate building. It starts to collapse in on itself, crashing to the ground. Those who are inside are killed or buried instantly. “Behold the end of the Grand Republic once and for all,” a pleased Tyro says to his co-pilot Sith Saber Taizon. The young Sith comments, “My Lord, this is your day of victory. The Jedi will fall.” The four Jedi get to the Senate building too late. The building had been destroyed by an unknown attack. Raef, Hal, Anna, and Temiri immediately begin to start looking for survivors in the rubble as many others have already started doing the same. Other survivors around the building are in utter shock, covered in dust and debris, trying to get away from the horrific scene. Grand Lord Tyro and the Sith are now making their way to the middle of the city in their ship. The Invincible, where they know a HoloNet headquarters, is located. Their covert missions in the shadows over the years had taught them a lot about the Republic and how its propaganda was sent out. The Holonet was a large communications system with several channels, and The Queen of the Core network had a large studio on Chandrila. Tyro knew this was where he could convince the galaxy to join him in taking down the Republic government and the Jedi by proclaiming his justified rule to billions of new subjects.
Rey is flying underneath the lead Chazrach ship as it misses every opportunity to hit them from long range. Mace and Lewbacca are firing everything they have at the large organic ship but doing little to no damage to it. “I’m going to swing us around to get in between those two ships,” Rey says to the Jedi women. Soles adds, “When we went through Rachia, Poe’s brilliant flying made their own weapons take one another out!” Forisa continues, “as the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!” Rey smiles, thinking of Poe, and puts the Falcon in the line of sight from two Chazrach ships. “Once they fire, I’m turning upwards! This is for you, Poe,” Rey says with confidence. Soles turns behind her and shouts out to the others in the main cabin, “Hold on back there!” The Chazrach blasts away multiple shots at the Falcon, and following this, Rey turns the ship sharply up. The energy blasts go by one another, and the turning Chazrach ships are not fast enough to get out of the way of their own approaching doom. The two ships are hit on their sides and begin to break up in a swirling, crushing implosion. The few remaining Chazrach ships turn and make a run for the surface. “Oh no, you don’t!” yells, Rey. She flies the Falcon towards them in pursuit.
“This is Governor Radsow of Ord Mantell’s Central Authority. We see what you’ve done up there, and on behalf of my people, thank you. Our delegates and I were being held hostage, but when you showed up, Chazrach Supreme Overlord Chokar ran away, and our soldiers are now looking for him. We will take care of the rest of the Chazrach ships. If you don’t already know, the Chancellor has put out an emergency alert that Chandrila is under attack,” says the Republic Governor over the broadcast. “This is Jedi Master Rey Skywalker of the New Jedi Order. My team will help with the search. You’re going to need Jedi to take down this Chazrach. He has a reputation for being mean and strong,” she comments to the governor. “Hi, Master Skywalker. Yes, he has killed many of my soldiers, and we could use the help. Please land at Morro Spaceport as I will send you the coordinates. There’s no time to waste, and I will see you when you land,” Radsow says. Thinking about the alarming situation on Chandrila but the need to help where they are, Rey says to Forisa, “The Sith must be on Chandrila. Take over the controls and get us to the Morro Spaceport as fast as you can. I need to go talk to the group.” Forisa answers, “Sure thing, Master Skywalker.”
Rey enters the main cargo hold where the group has been waiting. “What’s the deal?” Azuree asks first. Rey says to the group, “the deal is Chokar is still on Ord Mantell and has gone into hiding, so we need a team to go after him, but I believe the Sith have made it to Chandrila and are attacking O’Taz and the Senate. My proposal is that we split up and kill two porgs with one stone.” Lewbacca chuckles. “What do you think, Lew?” Rey asks. Lewbacca looks at Rey talking about how his Uncle Chewbacca and Han Solo would want them to think practically about how to split up the group and not get sentimental about things. “Great advice, Lewbacca, and I think we can all agree with that. What do you all think?” Kyle asks Corran, Azuree, Chase, Soles, and Mace, and they agree it’s a sound assessment. Kyle looks over at Finn, who has been taking care of Poe’s body, and asks, “Are you okay, Finn?” He struggles to find the words, having lost his close friend of so many years. “I don’t want to lose anyone else, but I understand we need to put an end to this once and for all,” Finn says proudly and gets up and walks over to Rey and stands by her side. “Who’s going where?”
Rey gives the orders that the search party for Chokar will be Kyle, Corran, Mace, Soles, C-3PO, and R2-D2, with the rest staying on board the ship to make the jump to hyperspace to Chandrila. Rey goes back to the cockpit as Forisa is landing at the spaceport. “We’re dropping off a group to go after Chokar, and we’re heading to Chandrila, okay, Forisa?” Rey says to the Jedi Knight. “Okay, I hope we can get there quickly enough,” Forisa answers. “We’re going to have to hope that there is still a Chandrila left when we get there,” Rey comments. “That bad?” Forisa asks. “Yeah, it could be that bad,” Rey says. The group runs off the ship, and Rey gets back in the pilot seat with Forisa next to her, and they take off for Chandrila.
On Chandrila, the Sith have murdered thousands of lives, and the government has been wiped out. The Chancellor was assassinated by Grand Lord Tyro, and the Senate building was destroyed, killing most of the Republic Senators and many Republic military officials. Meanwhile, the Sith had arrived at the HoloNet headquarters of the Queen of the Core network in the midst of all the chaos. Tyro and his dozen Sith Sabers are making their way into the building. There are only several guards and workers scrambling for their lives, running for the exits. The Sith ignite their red-bladed lightsabers and block the shots of the guards, and cut them down quickly. They make their way to the broadcast room and take over the live feed that had been going on before their arrival. Donte and Taizon, who are two of Tyro’s best Sabers, adjust the setup, and a defiant Tyro stands before the galaxy to begin to tell his tale:
CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC
MY NAME IS TYRO
I HAVE COME TO YOU TODAY AS A MESSENGER
A BRINGER OF PEACE AND STABILITY
NOT AS A RULING GOVERNMENT
NOT AS A CORRUPTER OF RESOURCES
BUT AS YOUR SAVIOR
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IS UPON US
I WILL BE YOUR LEADER OF JUSTICE
YOU WILL ALL BE FREE
FREE OF BUREAUCRACY
FREE OF RULERS OF YOUR PLANETS
WE SHALL RISE TOGETHER
AS THE FREE ORDER SHALL BE……
The transmission is immediately cut off to billions in the galaxy. Grand Lord Tyro and his twelve Sith Sabers take a direct missile hit from the just-arrived Grand Republic Fleet overhead the HoloNet headquarters. The building crashes down onto the Sith, and explosions ring out in the plaza and city around the area.
Ord Mantell
On the planet of Ord Mantell, the governor tells the Jedi the area where Supreme Overlord Chokar had run off to and left it to them to find the Chazrach leader. The authorities are happy to have the Jedi go after him. They have their hands full, taking out the last of the Chazrach ships and soldiers who landed and scattered upon their arrival. The streets of Worlport are tough going since the city ranges from tourist filled areas to gambling districts. It is the largest city on Ord Mantell, so Chokar could have gone anywhere. Kyle thinks the best approach is to ask around if anyone has seen anything, but they haven’t gotten a lead yet. “There are too many civilians. How are we going to do this without collateral damage?” Soles asks Kyle. He looks down the street they are currently walking on and says, “we’re going to have to be careful Soles. So, if we were Chokar, where would we go?” R2-D2 offers some advice and C-3PO translates.”R2-D2 thinks the best course of action is to let him plug into the government authority’s system and see if anything out of the ordinary has happened.” “That’s the best we got? What about one of the casinos?” Mace questions. “Why would a Chazrach go to a casino?” Corran questions, Mace. “That’s a fair point,” Mace answers. Kyle smiles and comments to Corran. “He wants to improve his odds?” The group laughs. C-3PO says, “I don’t get it.” The group laughs even more.
They walk together along the Path of Coins in Worlport, not knowing what to do since they couldn’t agree on any one plan. The Jedi find a clean and beautiful elaborate staircase to sit down on to take a break. A still-standing C-3PO looks up at the building they’re sitting in front of and comments, “the Lady Fate Casino.” Kyle comments, “There you go, 3PO. You can do all of your odds calculations for the patrons if things ever get back to normal.” C-3PO realizes the joke earlier and says, “the casino has the greater statistical odds, so Chokar going into a casino will not improve his odds! I get it! I understand the joke! It’s very funny, of course.” The group looks at him, and 3PO suddenly stops talking and freezes, besides pointing his arm out at something behind them. “C-3PO stopped talking. Now that’s overcoming a great statistical odd,” Soles jokes. Mace, Corran, and Kyle laugh along with Soles, and they turn to see what 3PO is pointing at. It’s Supreme Overlord Chokar standing behind them up the staircase at the entrance of the Lady Fate Casino, dressed in a dark brown hooded cloak. The laughing turns into panic as they jump up and turn around to face the Chazrach ruler.
Chokar announces, “If it isn’t the Jedi. You have destroyed everything from my home, my soldiers, my ships, my army, and even my galaxy. Everything, and now you hunt me down thinking I will give up and let you destroy me as well? I will end you as I have ended all who have challenged me.” Corran steps up two of the stairs to meet Chokar face to face. Kyle takes one step up the stairs, motioning with his mechanical hand for Mace, Soles, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to stay back. Corran states boldly, “You murdered my partner on Dantooine. He was my family, and you destroyed my life and his. I will get justice, and you will surrender to us now. No one else has to get hurt here.” Kyle takes another step up, so he’s next to Corran and looks at his Jedi Knight with pride, saying, “I’m proud of you, Corran. We’re going to bring in this monster together.” They both look up at Chokar, and The Chazrach says, “You won’t be able to lock me up if you’re dead!” He rushes at Kyle, tackling him down the stairs, and Corran jumps on his back. Chokar throws off Corran, flipping him over and breaking his arm. Corran yells in pain. Then Chokar grabs Kyle’s mechanical arm and rips it off! “Ahhhh, not again!” Kyle yells. The Chazrach ruler laughs, but he doesn’t see the other two Jedi, Soles and Mace, rushing in on him. He was so focused on having Kyle’s mechanical arm in his grasp in delight that he didn’t see they both had already ignited their lightsabers. Mace jumps low through the air and cuts off Chokar’s legs at his knees, thumping him down just head high of Soles’s lightsaber. He has a startled angry look on his face as she winds up and swings hard, chopping his head off. It tumbles away, and Chokar’s body falls over on its side, landing on Kyle, who is still on the ground. Corran yells, “Finally, justice, ow my arm!” Kyle comments, “at least you still have an arm!” C-3PO asks, “Is everybody okay?” R2-D2 is chirping happily. Corran answers, “Define, okay?” Mace and Soles turn off their lightsabers and walk up to one another. “You were great,” Mace tells her. “Thanks for bringing him down to my size,” Soles says warmly to Mace. “Sure thing, Soles, anytime,” Mace answers, smiling. They both hug and embrace one another, having survived so much and bringing an end to the Supreme Overlord of The Chazrach swiftly.
The Millennium Falcon arrives above Chandrila with a shocked crew on board. The Grand Republic Fleet is positioned around the planet in a defensive stance against any possible Chazrach attack. However, what they don’t know is that the remaining Chazrach have been defeated at Ord Mantell. Rey is piloting with Forisa in the co-pilot’s chair, and Azuree and Finn is in the two seats behind them. “This doesn’t look good,” Rey comments as they approach the planet, passing by the Republic Fleet. “Millennium Falcon, this is Admiral Kaydel Ko Connix. How are you all doing?” She asks with hopeful concern. “Hi, Kaydel, this is Rey Skywalker. I was rescued by the Jedi and Poe Dameron, but the Sith turned Poe’s blaster on him. He didn’t make it,” she says sadly. Connix replies in grief, “Poe has been with us for such a long time as our close friend and leader. That is devastating news. I hate to be the bearer of even more sad news, but the Chancellor has been killed by Grand Lord Tyro. “Oh no!” Rey interjects. “He killed O’Taz?” Finn questions. “I’m afraid he did, Master Finn,” Connix says as she explains further, “Tyro also destroyed the Senate building, taking out most of our leaders and countless civilians. “We were too late,” Rey looks down in pain. Connix continues, “we pinpointed his location at the HoloNet Queen of the Core headquarters when he began a transmission out to the galaxy. I followed his lying threats with a missile attack on the building, and ever since, our search party has found nothing but rubble and several Sith bodies, but no Sith Lord. Again, my heart goes out to Poe and you all. Good luck finding Tyro because we can’t find the menace in all the mess he created down there.”
Rey lands the Millennium Falcon on the plaza near what is left of the HoloNet headquarters. Raef, Hal, Temiri, and Anna reunite with the group of Finn, Rey, Lewbacca, Chase, Forisa, Azuree, and BB-8 in front of the ship. There are lots of hugs and concerns as the group of Jedi walk towards the destruction searching for survivors with Republic soldiers and citizen medical workers. “Any sign of Tyro?” Rey asks a soldier. “No Master Jedi,” he answers. They reach the building site where Anna and Raef meet up with them. “It’s great to see you, Master,” Anna says. “We’re sorry we didn’t help rescue you,” Raef apologizes. “No apologies, Jedi Knights. You are always right where you need to be, okay?” After this exchange, Rey answers and looks out at the rubble. She reaches out with the use of the Force, closing her eyes, and several slabs of stone are lifted out of the middle of the rubble. Rey sets the rocks aside and motions for Azuree, Temiri, Forisa, and Chase to follow her, then gives Finn the look. He knew what the look meant, but he’s still concerned. “I’ll be right here with BB-8 and the others,” he says. Rey nods and leads a smaller group of Jedi to the now open hole in the middle of where the building had once stood.
A blackened and burned body of Grand Lord Tyro is at the bottom of the hole. He’s still alive, dragging what is left of his body out of the hole by his hands. Tyro sees Rey and the four Jedi looking down on him, and he stops moving. “You don’t deserve the Force!” Tyro yells in anger and pain. “This galaxy will never learn, but now the Free Order is bigger than me! I have told your galaxy what is possible!” Rey smiles and looks at Chase and says, “Go ahead.” The youngest Jedi Knight walks down to Tyro. He is infuriated and slowly turns over on his side and then onto his back. Tyro yells, “You’re sending a child to kill me!?” Laying on his back, he reaches for his lightsaber, but it’s not there. Chase already has it in his hand as he uses a speedy Force grab as Tyro is struggling to turn himself over. A HoloNet team arrives and begins broadcasting the scene out to the galaxy, peering down on Tyro and Chase. Also, Finn, the other Jedi, Republic soldiers, and rescue workers all move forward to watch what is happening. Chase announces, “In the name of the Grand Republic and the New Jedi Order, you are under arrest for your crimes against all life, the murder of my friends, and countless innocent lives.” Chase ignites his lightsaber, tossing Tyro’s saber hilt in the air and chops it in half, then looks up at the HoloNet camera and says, “may we find peace and justice for all those he’s hurt across the galaxy. May the Force be with us all.” Everyone smiles, cheers, and claps around the rubble as they had beaten Tyro and had achieved victory in the Chazrach War.
TWO DAYS LATER
Chandrila and the Grand Republic had been dealt a severe blow to its infrastructure, and thousands of lives were lost in the brief war with Tyro, the Sith, and Chazrach. Along with the start of building a memorial for the fallen, Chancellor O’Taz and Grand Admiral Poe Dameron were laid to rest at the center of the site. Kyle, Corran, Mace, Soles, C-3PO, and R2-D2 had hitched a ride to Chandrila from Ord Mantell the day before and were present along with the rest of the heroic group that saved the Grand Republic. Jedi Master Rey Skywalker is speaking to a crowd that came to honor the heroes. “Our Grand Republic is more than just a government or Jedi Order. Our citizens are empowered with freedoms, liberties, and economic possibilities across the galaxy. We’re here to serve and protect every Republic citizen, to maintain the peace, and cultivate harmony among all beings. I dedicate this memorial to the fallen and to our lost friends. To every heroic soldier and citizen we have tragically lost in this war: We love you, we remember you, and may the Force be with you, always.” Rey finishes her speech, and there is silence among everyone. She joins Finn, Mace, and the Jedi Knights, standing at the side. Jedi Master Kyle Phyto says quietly, “we’re going to have to move the Republic Capital somewhere else. This needs to be a place of peace and reflection.” Rey and Finn look at Kyle and nod in agreement. The rest of the day and in the weeks following, they assist the Chandrila workers in prepping the grounds for the fallen and help construct monuments. In addition, a decision was made by the new Grand Admiral Kaydel Ko Connix to move the Capital to Coruscant. Also, all Republic planets were given the order to send a representative to Coruscant. Connix and the military had made sure it was an immediate transfer of power back to the new Senate and an eventual Chancellor that had yet to be named. The Grand Republic was going to survive.
CORUSCANT: THE NEW CAPITAL OF THE GRAND REPUBLIC
In the months following the war, Kyle made the trip back to Obroa-Skai to meet up with Marieene Arista, the head curator of the Celebratus Archive. She was happy to see him again, and he gathered the courage to ask her on a date. Before long, their relationship grew to the point where they wanted to get married. On Coruscant, their wedding party is taking place on an open deck overlooking the city planet at night. Everyone who is close to Kyle and Marieene is there: All of the Jedi Knights, Rey, Finn, the three droids, and Marieene’s family and friends from Obroa-Skai, who got to take the trip from their planet to Coruscant aboard the Millennium Falcon. The droids and Jedi Knights are dressed up in formal attire and have gathered around the large table of food. R2-D2 comments with beeps that weddings are his favorite because everyone is so drunk they end up talking to him about their deepest secrets. “R2-D2, that is enough of your silliness. Let them drink in peace,” C-3PO replies. The now fourteen-year-old Chase says, “R2 isn’t going to get any secrets out of me. I love hot chocolate too much to ever get into drinking.” Finn stumbles in on the conversation, “have any of you seen my son?” Azuree answers, “Nope, we haven’t.” Finn looks puzzled but continues his search. Lewbacca, Corran, Forisa, Raef, and Azuree look at one another and smile.
Mace and Soles are kissing inside the hallway of the open deck party when Finn walks up to them. “Are you two going to join the party, or are you going to get married in this hallway?” Finn asks. They stop kissing and look at him. Finn continues, saying, “Come on, you two, we need you for the group photo, okay?” Mace says, “Okay, Dad. We’ll be right there.” Finn walks back to the party. Mace looks at Soles and asks, “I guess we could continue this another time?” Soles answers, “maybe we’ll see where the galaxy takes us.” They both smile and hold hands, walking out to the deck party where the group is gathering for the photo.
Kyle and Marieene are slow dancing to a tune the live band is playing. The music stops to signal it’s time for the photo as the married couple finishes their dance and kiss in happiness. They walk over to the other Jedi Knights who are already in position for the photo. Temiri, Anna, Hal, Lewbacca, Corran, Forisa, Raef, and Azuree are smiling and hugging one another. “Where’s Rey?” asks Finn and says,”My family keeps disappearing on me!” Rey hugs Finn from behind. “I’m right here, big deal.” Finn smiles. “Where’s Mace and Soles?” Questions, Chase. “We’re here!” says Soles as they both run up to the group. “Come on, BB-8, get in front,” says Kyle. The ball droid beeps happily and rolls out in front of the gathering group. C-3PO and R2-D2 make their way alongside Rey and Finn. The Jedi crowd around in front of Kyle and Marieene as everyone is close together. Kyle asks, “Now everyone shout out, Jedi Knights!” They all say the words with big happy smiles, and the photo is taken.
END OF PART I
PART II: THE NEW JEDI KNIGHTS
The CHAZRACH and SITH have been defeated, while Lord Tyro remains locked up on the planet Coruscant for his crimes. Despite these events, several systems of THE GRAND REPUBLIC are collapsing due to the devastation and battles lost in the war.
One of the systems hardest hit is the Five Brother Worlds, including the major shipyard planet of Corellia, but THE GRAND REPUBLIC has elected not to rebuild its fleet there for political reasons.
From this fallout, along with feeling sympathetic to Lord Tyro’s pleas on the HoloNet, a group of Corellians is on a secret mission to break him out of prison. Onboard a disguised light freighter, they are approaching Coruscant from space with the aim of shifting the balance of power in the galaxy….
1 Year Later, 57 ABY: Years After The Battle of Yavin
“How can we trust these Jedi?” Ailyn Vel asks aloud to her group of mercenaries aboard the disguised modified freighter, the Aggressor. She is the daughter of the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett, so Ailyn was taught to be cautious in trusting anyone. “You can trust them because one of them is from Corellia and the other can’t stand their masters,” comments an armored soldier wearing a helmet. “How the hell do you know anything about this?” An angry Ailyn protests. “Because I’m not just a soldier,” says the figure, taking off his helmet, revealing Thrackan Sal, the Head of State of Corellia. “Sorry, sir, I had no idea that this mission was of this magnitude,” Ailyn immediately apologizes. “That’s alright, Vel, and as for our mission, I want to make sure I am the first to greet our new Co-Head of State,” Thrackan explains. Making sure Ailyn Vel and her group are going to the right place, Thrackan set up a meeting with two of their conspirators in a cantina on Coruscant. The two had already sent Thrackan a message in good faith that Lord Tyro of the Sith was being held at the Grand Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. “Follow the coordinates to the Lost City cantina, and we will land nearby,” Thrackan orders Makin Marec, the pilot of the Aggressor. “Yes, sir,” he replies as their ship enters the endless skyline city of Coruscant. Both Ailyn and Makin want a relationship together, but being bounty hunters didn’t leave a lot of time for love and settling down. Besides, they need the credits to put fuel in their ship, food on the table, and to build up enough savings to eventually retire. Ailyn, thinking about their future life together, is focused as ever to get the job done right, saying, “you know the plan except now our Head of State will join Makin and I to make contact with these two Jedi. The rest of you stay on board until we hear what they have to say. If we’re lucky with these two wild cards, the assault on this detention center could be easier than we thought,” Ailyn tells the group with determination in her eyes.
Coruscant: Capital of the Grand Republic
The Lost Cantina is a dump in the eyes of many, but to the two bounty hunters and Thrackan it is the perfect place to not be bothered and discreet so the Republic officers won’t think twice to be looking there for enemies of the state. At a table in the corner are two Jedi Knights. Raef Seinna and Forisa Mis disguised in moderate clothing, and both are wearing a neck wrap around half the bottom of their faces. Thrackan, Ailyn, and Makin sit down opposite of them, and Thrackan is the first one to speak. “I assume you know who I am?” he questions. “Yes sir, it’s nice to see you on Coruscant in person,” Forisa answers. “Can you vouch for your friend here?” Thrackan asks. “Of course he’s with me, and he’s ready to prove himself,” Forisa speaks in a casual way. “Good,” says Thrackan. “So how can we help pull off this little job?” Forisa asks. Ailyn speaks for the first time saying “to prove your loyalty to the cause we were hoping you’d run point for us and we will take care of a diversion to help you out. To be honest, we’re leaving it up to you and our fearless leader here to meet him.” “Very well,” answers Forisa. A droid approaches the table. “Can I get any of you a drink?” “We’re just leaving,” Makin says. The group gets up and walks out into a crowd on a bustling run down street. “Getting in is the easy part, but getting out will be the hard part,” Raef quietly tells the group. Thrackan explains in a hushed voice, “we’ll have our ship standing by to pick him up. All you have to do is take this communicator, ” he hands it to Raef,”and tell us what floor you’re going to be coming out of, and that’s it. We fly out of here before anyone knows where to look because they won’t be expecting a sky extraction. My hope is that you will not betray me.” Raef smiles and says,”The only obstacle we may face is one of our own. He likes to look after the prisoner because he feels it’s his responsibility. Nevertheless, Forisa and I will get the job done, and you will be safe with us.” Forisa puts her hand on Thrackan’s shoulder and assures him saying “it’s time for Corellia to take back its power, ” and he smiles back, feeling better about the mission. Forisa then adds, “and you need to change your clothes, sir. I have just the outfit for you.”
The Grand Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center was a high-security prison. There are multiple levels, cell blocks, a workout area, guard stations, and an open mess hall. The more dangerous inhabitants are kept separate from the population as the Sith Lord, Tyro, is the prison’s number one galactic criminal. Forisa and Raef know the drill to get to him because they had practiced visiting the prison as two of the Jedi Knights who were responsible for locking him up a year ago. In essence, the guards knew them and trusted their actions to be just and part of the Republic defense forces. It is a perfect setup to easily infiltrate their own system. They enter the prison and are being cleared one station after the next as Thrackan is alongside them disguised as a Republic official. Before he knows it, they’re up six stories of the prison and enter the floor where Tyro is being held. There are a dozen armed guards, and they’re playing a makeshift card game of sabacc on the floor. There is one Jedi Knight sitting in the corner watching the game, and he looks up at the three entering the chamber. “Hi, Chase,” Forisa says. “Hi, Forisa, what are you two doing here?” Chase asks, who was the youngest of the Jedi Knights now at fourteen years old, who gained his fame by taking down Tyro in front of the HoloNet broadcast. “We want to talk to Tyro,” Forisa comments. Just then, Thrackan pulls out a side blaster and begins to gun down the guards who are scrambling from the shots. Chase ignites his lightsaber and yells, “What are you doing!?” Thrackan shoots the last couple of guards and says, “like Forisa said, we want to talk to Tyro.” Raef walks up to Chase and sternly says, “turn your weapon off, Chase.” The young Jedi doesn’t know what to do, so he turns off his lightsaber, asking, “What is going on, Raef? Why are you going along with this traitor?” Raef explains, “the only traitors are going along with this government that controls the galaxy. It’s time for a shake-up, kid.” Chase defiantly states, “not on my life, Raef.” Chase ignites his lightsaber, pointing at Raef, but he dodges it and grabs the young Jedi by his hand that is holding his lightsaber. Raef squeezes his hand so hard it breaks, dropping the weapon. Chase struggles in pain and looks to Forisa, saying, “Don’t let him do this, Forisa. You are better than this!” She looks down and begins to walk away towards Tyro’s cell. Thrackan looks to Raef and says, “For the Free Order, Raef.” He grabs Chase’s arm and takes out his own lightsaber. “What are you doing, Raef? Let me go! Please stop it! Don’t go down this path!” With determination yet struggling on Raef’s face, he ignites his lightsaber into Chase’s chest and quickly turns it off. The young brave Jedi drops softly onto Raef, and he catches him to slowly set him down on the floor.
“It had to be done. He was going to sound the alarm for sure,” Thrackan comments. Raef looks down at Chase, realizing he just murdered his friend, but for some reason, it felt good to him: a release of the past and the control the Jedi had over him for most of his life. There was no going back now. “Quickly, we have to get to our Lord. Come on, Raef,” Thrackan continued. Forisa is already at the empty guard station and opens up Tyro’s cell. He walks out of it and turns to see Thrackan looking at him in an official Republic uniform. “Looks like the Republic is about to lose another one of its commanders,” Lord Tyro comments. “I’m not with the Grand Republic. I’m disguised and here to break you out,” Thrackan argues. “Is that so?” Questions, Tyro. “Yes, that is so,” Forisa says, walking out of the guard’s station. “I suppose you’re the one who just opened my cell up, and your friend killed the guards along with the young Jedi. Interesting,” Tyro states. “Yeah, interesting. Tyro, let’s get out of here,” Raef angrily comments as he walks up to them. Tyro smiles in delight, feeling the dark side energy emanating off of Raef and says, “Where are we going?” Thrackan answers, “Corellia, and I’m Head of State Thrackan Sal. I wanted to be the first one to welcome you to your new Free Order, and we are currently six planets strong and growing in size as I speak.” Tyro smiles, satisfied with what is coming to fruition. His plans are working.
The mercenaries in the Aggressor who are waiting for orders didn’t have to go far because Forisa messages to fly to the sixth floor and wait for them in mid-air. Raef walks up to the wall at the end of the cell block and ignites his lightsaber. He sticks it into the wall and starts slicing it in a large circular pattern. Before long, the prison opens up to the outside, and the debris falls off the building to the ground below. “I see you have planned this escape out for some time,” a pleased Tyro comments. “Of course, my Lord, you’re a very big deal to us,” says Thrackan to him directly. The Aggressor flies to the opening and opens its landing ramp. The group quickly hops into the ship, and they fly away from Coruscant with no one in pursuit. The prison alarms do not sound until it’s too late. Once the prison is exposed by Raef’s lightsaber job, all personnel are ordered to the sixth level, but the escape had already been achieved by the criminals. Tyro is gone. What the guards and Republic security forces can’t fully grasp is how there are markings of lightsabers everywhere from the dead Jedi Knight’s body to the cutting open of the prison wall.
“What say you Master Phyto?” Yoda’s force ghost asks Jedi Master Kyle Phyto, who’s in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant in a meditation chamber. “I’m saying although we have won and our Jedi Knights have restored peace and order to the galaxy as you once achieved, I still feel a distant disturbance in the Force.” Yoda looks at Kyle fondly and tells him “visions of a possible future you see. At these things do not look too far ahead. The present moment. Your attention. This needs. Careful you must be of young ones. They know not what to always do as do all beings. May the Force be with you, Kyle.” Yoda’s force ghost disappears, leaving Kyle to think on what Master Yoda had said to him. Mace and Lewbacca barge in on Kyle as he is quietly sitting in contemplation. Mace is one of the young Jedi Knights and Finn and Rey’s son. Kyle disapprovingly says “boys what did I say about manners? You do know that a year ago, you did exactly the same thing.” Mace apologizes, “I’m sorry Master Phyto, but we bring more bad news.” “What is the bad news?” Kyle questions. Lewbacca, a Jedi Knight Wookiee who is Chewbacca’s nephew, roars in his own language Shyriiwook, “Tyro has escaped!” Kyle looks at them in shock.
Barab I in The Outer Rim
On the planet of Barab I in the Outer Rim territories, the Chazrach invasion had driven the natives of the planet, the Barabel, underground. Barabel were a species of sentient reptilians and were avoided by many for their reputation of violence. Their world was left in ruins by the Chazrach invasion, and it was already a dark and murky place that had its own climate problems. Barab I had been liberated from the First Order by the New Republic, yet the Barabel avoided any galactic alliance with anyone. A young Barabel in her twenties had led the fight against the Chazrach invaders and lost all that she loved. Her family, friends, and most of her fellow warriors were slaughtered by the beings of the unknown. Saba Sebatyne is strong in the Force, and that’s how she survived the brief war with the Chazrach, but fashioning her own green-bladed lightsaber to defend her planet had come at a cost. The blade had accidentally turned on and flashed next to her face, blinding her in one eye, but that had not deterred her from following the ways of the Jedi and becoming the greatest warrior among the Barabel. No one knew of her power besides those on her planet and her close friends among the stars. She lives to keep it that way, too. Spending her l in low-tech communities above and underground, and with a radiation climate that kills everything in its path, there certainly isn’t any reason for anyone to want to come to Barab I.
Bothawui
The planet of Bothawui is a Mid Rim planet and the homeworld of the Bothans. A major center for information gathering, they have the best spying apparatus in the galaxy. Many Bothans sacrificed themselves for the greater good years earlier, stealing Imperial plans for the Death Star II and helping out behind the scenes in many galactic events. They are long-time supporters of the Rebel Alliance, the New Republic, and the Grand Republic. Bothans are a furry mammalian species, with an extremely smart and power-hungry ideology, and are largely represented in the current Senate and have great political clout across the galaxy. That’s why when word of Tyro’s escape gets around, it isn’t the only shocking HoloNet story of the day. The Bothan government formally renounces the Grand Republic in a political maneuver, pledging their allegiance to the Five Brother Worlds of Corellia, Selonia, Drall, Tralus, and Talus.
Coruscant
“I can’t believe all of this has been created by Tyro. It’s ridiculous!” Soles says as she watches the HoloNet with Azuree and her wife, Kashi, at their place on Coruscant. Soles has been staying with the couple for the past year due to her and Mace being so busy that they haven’t committed yet to a full live-in relationship. “Looks like you two need to get to the Jedi Temple,” Kashi comments. Both are wearing street clothes, so they change into their traditional Jedi robes. As they leave, Azuree hugs and kisses Kashi goodbye. Azuree and Soles go out into the hallway and wait to meet up with their Jedi Knight friends who live a few doors down.
Hal, Corran, and Temiri are three young men in the Jedi Knight group and live in the same building just down the hall from the women. Chase is also their roommate, but he spent most of his time at the Jedi Temple or at the prison helping to guard Tyro. They are in a similar situation with the news on casually hanging out in casual clothes. It’s only when the emergency broadcast begins that Hal and Temiri know the protocol to change into Jedi robes and get to the Jedi Temple as fast as possible. C-3PO, BB-8, and R2-D2, who are three of the galaxy’s most famous droids, are staying with the Knights for the time being. The youngest Jedi Knight, Chase, had been upgrading them with parts and programs. Soles, Azuree, Hal, Corran, Anna, and Temiri meet in the hallway with worried looks on their faces. Anna is the first to ask, “Where’s Chase?” Hal answers, “the last I knew, he’s at the prison for another overnight watch, so I think he could have been present when the breakout happened. He certainly could have helped with an escape if he wanted to.” Soles asks, “so, you think that all of a sudden he could be a traitor? Is that what you’re actually saying?” Temiri added, “we don’t know anything yet, and speculation isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Azuree said, “Temiri’s right, so let’s all get to the Jedi Temple and see what the Masters have to say.”
The new small meeting hall of the Jedi Temple is already occupied by Master Rey Skywalker, Master Finn, Master Phyto, Lewbacca, and Mace. Rey begins the meeting to say, “First, how much should we get involved in this new political war as peacekeepers? We are not soldiers or pawns to be manipulated by politicians. The Jedi made that mistake decades ago, and I intend not to make the same one. Secondly, if we participate in this potential war, what should our mission and priorities entail? Third and most importantly, we need to have a plan to recapture or stop Tyro from destroying our galaxy. He is manipulative and smart, and with his dark side powers, I sense great danger in what he could do to us.”
The open discussion begins as Finn, Mace, and Lewbacca agree with Rey that the path is clouded and confusing. Kyle walks up to Rey and Finn, motioning for them to follow him to the side of the room away from the others. “I have something to tell you both. I found out something terrible moments ago from our new Chief of State, Fyzo Rodron, who sent me a message,” Kyle explains. “Why didn’t we get any message?” Finn asks. “What happened that it has to be so secretive?” Rey questions. Kyle moves closer to Rey and Finn and quietly whispers, “Chase was killed by a lightsaber attack at the prison. Rodron says they aren’t making it public in fear of what this could mean for our position in the Grand Republic. We need to get over there and find out what happened.” The Jedi Masters are heartbroken and feel terrible about losing a member of their Jedi family and the youngest Knight. Rey quietly says back to Kyle, “we shouldn’t tell the group until we know more facts. We don’t need rogue Jedi hunting down ghosts.”
At this moment, six of the Jedi Knights enter as Soles, Azure, Hal, Corran, Anna, and Temiri make their way to the other side of the hall. The consensus is that nobody should make any predictions or spring into action until the Jedi Masters assess the situation at the prison.
Kyle and Marieene, who married a year ago, are talking via hologram on Kyle’s backseat ride over to the detention center with Finn driving and Rey in the passenger seat. Marieene is now the head curator at the Bureau of Ships and Services Heritage Museum on Coruscant. She had taken the new position upon leaving the Celebratus Archive on Obroa-Skai to be with her husband on Coruscant. “They’re saying this is going to be an all-out war, Kyle,” Marieene explains to him. Kyle reassures her, “I know, and I’m going to do all I can to stay out of it. We’re heading to the prison now because one of the knights has been killed and two more are missing. Duty calls, but I miss you already.” Marieene comments, smiling, “Don’t forget you are loved by more than yourself, so stay safe.” Kyle smiles back at her and says, “I will, and you the same. If Coruscant becomes a battlefield, we can always retire to Obroa-Skai, right?” Marieene answers, “Yes, I’d like that very much. I love you, Kyle.” “I love you too,” Kyle says as they both end the message together.
Finn is first to comment on Kyle and Marieene’s message “I didn’t know Jedi Masters retire? Did you get what he just said, Rey?” Rey looks at Finn disapprovingly and back at Kyle and comments further, “we’re all getting old, Finn. That’s why our Jedi Knights are so important. They will be Masters in the future.” Finn replies, “we must keep the balance. Whatever the cost.” Rey and Kyle look at Finn as he sighs deeply as they pull up to the damaged Grand Republic detention center. The awkward moment ends with them seeing debris on the ground everywhere. They exit their craft and look up at a large circular hole cut out of the side of the building. “It was a flying ship extraction,” Rey says. “That explains how they got out of there so quickly,” Kyle adds.
They walk up to the entrance of the prison, and Rey says, “Luckily, we have clearance for this mess because we were given the credit for locking Tyro up in the first place. We should meet up with the security team who is in charge here. I also want us to look at the crime scene for ourselves.” The prison is full of criminals and anti-government terrorists. Many of them are cheering, roaring obscenities, and repeatedly chanting “THE FREE ORDER!” The security guards are explaining the hostility while alongside them, Rey, Finn, and Kyle make their way to the sixth floor where Tyro had been kept. Once there, on a carted stretcher, lay Chase’s body under a blanket as the three check to identify him. “That’s our Chase Brakiss,” Kyle sadly states on the record to a Grand Republic official. Rey is looking closer at Chase and comments, “That’s a lightsaber stabbing right into his chest. Do you see how the wound went through him cleanly?” Finn says, “Clearly Tyro stole Chase’s lightsaber and used it on him and also sliced open the wall, escaping quickly and easily. I would say the case is closed.” A Grand Republic official walks towards them from down the hall, saying, “If only that were so. Tyro had two visitors, and we have surveillance proof of what happened here.”
Corellia
Meanwhile, on Corellia, plans are already underway to build ships for the upcoming conflict they are hoping to have with Coruscant. The Bothan Government and the four other brother worlds of Selonia, Drall, Tralus, and Talus joined the fifth brother world of Corellia to gain their freedom by ending the Grand Republic. The Bothans had also switched tactics, building smaller and faster frigates instead of the Republic’s slower star destroyers. The other worlds were following this line of thought. The idea was they could build smaller ships quicker, and in combat, the quantity could overwhelm the large Grand Republic fleet, but none of these tactics had been tested yet. Overlooking the main Corellian shipyard with the Aggressor nearby, Lord Tyro stands in his new black, dark blue, and red colored robes with Head of State Thrackan Sal behind him. The group who had rescued him, including the two renounced Jedi Raef and Forisa, are waiting down below from the two leaders. Tyro didn’t have his lightsaber because the Republic destroyed it when he was captured. He knew it was his top priority after he established his role as the secret leader of the six planets to build a new one. Tyro’s Free Order was a nice cover title he had thought up to exploit his subjects and rule the galaxy by his own rules, making a lawless and ungoverned galaxy. Everyone would be forced to follow his orders, fight his wars, and look to him for support and protection. He liked the idea of becoming the next great Emperor as Grand Lord became a galactic joke since he lost his Sith Sabers a year ago. When he was in prison, he heard the guards gossip and chatter about things like that.
“This all looks very well, Thrackan, but I want assurances you will follow through with our cause,” Tyro says to Head of State Thrackan Sal, who is standing behind him, overlooking the largest shipyard on Corellia. “There is no reason for us to be doing all of this with spending our resources and credits if we were not going to carry out the attack, my Lord,” Thrackan answers Tyro accordingly. “Good,” says Tyro and further explains, “As for your title, I want you to keep it and be the ruler here. The Jedi won’t come after you if we keep this a political and multiple planetary struggle for only your rights and freedoms. I will make my way to another brother world and base my operations there secretly. I will also take my two new Jedi and build up my forces to fight any problem the other Jedi or the Republic might give you. Soon, they will fear the Free Order as all who have power do. Goodbye, Thrackan.” Tyro walks down the open stairs that lead to the surface where the Aggressor crew is waiting. The Captain of the ship, Ailyn, is in her Mandalorian armor with a blaster, guarding it, and alongside her is Makin and two other armor-covered mercenaries. Lord Tyro walks up to the group and asks with a smile, “You’re my bodyguard now?” Ailyn answers him through the speaker in her helmet, “that’s right. According to our boss,” she looks up at Thrackan, “you’re the most valuable man in the galaxy, and we intend to keep it that way.” Tyro asks, “where are my Jedi?” Makin answers through his helmet, “well, they’re both on board waiting for your love and guidance. I think they are two lost porgs without their Mommy, if you ask me.”
Coruscant
“Like I was saying, it was two of your young Jedi,” says the Republic official to Rey, Finn, and Kyle, and continues explaining, “also, Corellia’s Head of State, Thrackan Sal, had made the trip shown here as a disguised Republic official. We now know it was the Corellians who were responsible for the prison escape. It’s an indirect act of war, according to Chief of State Rodron, but at the moment, our Grand Republic forces are being held back from attacking Corellia.” The group continues to watch the scene unfold from the guard’s room camera, and Rey is heartbroken over losing her youngest Jedi Knight, Chase, by his friends killing him. Rey sadly states, “This is terrible. I had no idea Raef and Forisa were capable of carrying out murder. It’s more than this political conflict and Forisa being from Corellia. The dark side has pulled them into an allegiance with Tyro, and now we must stop them from hurting anyone else.” Kyle comments, “I should have seen this coming. Master Yoda had warned me to look after our young Jedi with care, and our disagreements have now led us down a darker path than I ever thought was possible.” The Republic official answers, “this footage will be destroyed, and I have orders from the top to keep this under wraps. Your secret is safe with us, Master Jedi. All we ask is you take care of these rogue Jedi of yours and bring them to justice on Coruscant. We will then have to make this story public, but we will be able to get a better handle on the situation when they are no longer a threat.” Finn looks at the officer and says, “You just make sure there are no leaks and give us plenty of time to find them. You got that?” The Republic official stands at attention, saying, “Yes, Master Jedi.”
The three are leaving the prison, and Admiral Connix messages Finn, needing his immediate help. He has to get on a shuttle to reach the Grand Fleet above Coruscant. Finn says his goodbye to Kyle, saying, “may the Force be with you, my friend.” He then hugs and kisses Rey, saying, “Rey, I’m sorry, but I have to do this. Take care of the Knights. We have to restore the balance in this brewing conflict and that of the dark side.” Rey replies, “I’ll be okay, but don’t save the galaxy on your own. We’re a team. If you need anything, you reach out to me.” Finn smiles, hugging his fellow Jedi wife again, and turns to leave, saying goodbye, and hops into the shuttle, taking off for the nearest spaceport. Kyle looks over to Rey, staring at Finn leaving, and says, “I know we’ve lost so much today. Surely, the Force won’t be any more cruel than it’s been. Let’s get something to eat and then get back to the Jedi Temple and regroup.” Rey answers, “I’m not hungry, Kyle. All I know is we have to get a team immediately prepared to go after Tyro, Raef, and Forisa. Let’s regroup back at the temple and eat on the way to Corellia.”
Sadrus Koyan, who is the Chief of State of the Five Brother world of Tralus, welcomes Lord Tyro and the group disembarking from the ship the Aggressor. Koyan introduces himself, saying, “Welcome, my Lord. I am Koyan, and I am the leader here, but with your arrival, I relinquish my title, and I assure you we are all faithful to the cause of the Free Order. My resources and army are at your disposal.” Tyro answers, “excellent, Koyan, and we shall take the galaxy back in the name of freedom. I don’t want myself to be known here, so you will be keeping your leadership title. The Jedi can not find out that we are here. Also, my Free Order will need warriors, and so I’m looking to you to provide us with kyber crystals for our lightsabers.” A surprised Koyan says, “Of course, my Lord. Anything you want, we shall be of service to you.” Raef and Forisa look to Tyro, and he says, “Follow me, young Jedi. We have a war to plan, lightsaber construction, your new titles, and Force training. You will be more powerful than any Jedi, including your old, dim-witted masters.” Raef smiles and says to Forisa, “Now we’re talking.” Forisa is hesitant about dark side powers but knows her allegiance is to Corellia, and whatever she has to do to win, she is going to have to change herself and train for the inevitable upcoming confrontation.
Three red kyber crystals are dispatched to them, and before long, in a workshop in an underground cave, Tyro has fashioned the sabers into working Sith red-bladed lightsabers. They are not flashy or shiny hilts, but they could get the job done. Before long, Raef and Forisa are sparring with them outside the workshop. The flashes of red are reflecting off the walls as the two are highly skilled with a lightsaber. Blow by blow, they block one another and match stroke by stroke. Tyro walks out to meet them with his lightsaber hooked onto his side and says, “impressive. And since now you have your new Sith lightsabers, you are no longer Jedi. You are now Lords of the Sith Order, the true order of things and not this Free Order I keep telling the galaxy about.” Raef is happy to hear this and nods in approval. Forisa questions, “I thought there could only be two Sith at a time?” Tyro laughs, “ahhh, you know about the old ways. The Rule of Two. I have ushered in a new era where there are many Sith. I had an entire Saber group of Sith apprentices before they were murdered by those luck-filled Republic bombs. Do not be duped by the Jedi and their fear-mongering. They do not know the power of the dark side as we all have it inside us. It’s just waiting to be released. Take a knee, my young ones.” Raef and Forisa turn off their lightsabers, hook them onto their side, and kneel before their Sith Lord.
Tyro states, “Raef is a powerful name, but they will soon fear you even more. That is why the galaxy will now know you as Darth Faero. Now my new Lord Faero, how do you feel?” Faero answers, “good, my Lord. Very good. I am ready to do your bidding. The Jedi are weak and will crumble,” as he smiles in satisfaction. Tyro continues, “Forisa is the name of a young woman with strength and desire to protect your home world from invaders. You will keep your promise to Corellia and become more powerful in the ways of the Sith. Henceforth, your new name is Darth Ziyra. Are you pleased with it?” Ziyra answers, “it will do, my Lord.” Tyro says, “then Lady Ziyra, you will be the most powerful woman to ever walk the galaxy, and I encourage you to use your Darth title as well. Do not question Sith titles because you are now one. Not so bad, is it?” Lady Ziyra smiles and says, “I feel less scared of it, like I was always destined for this. Thank you, my Lord.” Tyro tells his new Sith apprentices to stand and feel the Force around them and to welcome all of their passion and feelings Tyro’s dark side energy begins to radiate out as he focuses his powers into them, and his two new Sith apprentices feed off it and feel the raw power of the dark side as electricity begins to spark around the three Force users. The lighting, equipment, and vehicles in the cave begin to turn and flicker on and off as their powers are affecting the whole area around them. “The Sith will take this galaxy back in the name of peace!” Yells out, Tyro. Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra look at one another and smile in delight.
Rey and Kyle each drop to their knees at the same time and hold onto their own chests in front of the Jedi Temple. Rey, catching her breath, says, “something terrible has happened.” Kyle gets back up off the ground and tries to make sense of the surge of energy they felt. “I felt our two lost Jedi,” Kyle says shamefully. Rey doesn’t know what to say. She’s still on the ground in silence. “I’m afraid, Rey. What does this mean for our Jedi Order? We’re exposed as being capable of succumbing to the dark side,” Kyle continues to talk, shaking his head in frustration. “I should have seen this coming. Why didn’t I reach out to Forisa and go see her on Corellia? Then, with Raef, I was always too hard on him. I could have given him more freedom and even promoted him to do greater things,” Kyle says, going on and on with different scenarios playing in his mind. Rey finally gets up off her knees and looks at Kyle saying “there’s nothing you could have done to prevent their path. They chose it themselves, and they have decided not to be Jedi anymore. Not after what Tyro is doing to them. Kyle, you’re going to have to let them go.” Kyle is shocked by what Rey is saying and follows up with, “what about redemption? We can bring them back to the light. Can’t we? They can stand trial for Chase’s murder and be kept peacefully locked up.” Rey looks away and says, “I went to great lengths to redeem someone before, and you know how that turned out.” Kyle shakes his head in regret and says,”I understand. Kriffing Sithspit!” Rey looks back at her troubled friend and says,”we need to get the group together and see where everyone’s heads are at, so c’mon sithspit follow me.” Rey jogs up the temple stairs, and Kyle follows, looking down at every stair he is going up, not wanting to talk about his outburst.
The young Jedi Knights are gathered around the Great Hall as Rey and Kyle make their way to them. Everyone has concerned faces. The two Jedi Masters arrive and stand with the group. “I don’t want anyone losing their marbles over this, but it’s bad,” as Rey begins the impromptu meeting. Soles asks boldly, “What could be worse than Tyro being set loose? And where’s Master Finn, Forisa, Chase, and Raef?” Rey looks at Soles and the others and says, “Master Finn was needed with the Republic Fleet. As for the others, they are the ones who set Tyro free and killed Chase.” They all look at her in shock, and Temiri speaks up, “killed Chase? How? Why? What happened?” Kyle answers Temiri, “Raef and Forisa.” Lewbacca roars, “what!?” Kyle continues, “we saw the surveillance video of Raef using his lightsaber to kill him with Thrackan goading him on.” Hal asks, “where was Forisa? She would have never let that happen.” Rey answers, “Forisa was letting it all happen, and at the same time, she was busy releasing Tyro from his prison cell.” Everyone breaks up from standing close together and looks in different directions, trying to process the stunning tragic news. Azuree sits down and begins to cry with her head down between her knees. “I know it’s difficult to comprehend, but we now believe Tyro has converted them to the dark side of the Force. Master Phyto and I felt it earlier,” Rey explains. Mace looks up at them and says, “That was the burst of energy we felt earlier.” Rey says, “I’m afraid so.”
The new Chief of State, Fyzo Rodron, has already made his way to the government war room with his generals, several Senators, Admiral Connix, and Finn, who are now with the Republic Fleet above Coruscant and present via hologram. “What more do we have on Thrackan Sal and his Insurrection of Corellia?” Rodron asks the group assembled around the large table. General Garm Ablasa comments, “Enough to go after these traitors and stop them before they bring down the rest of the Republic.” General Ablasa motions for a screen to turn on as it shows images of the massive amount of shipbuilding on Corellia. “If this isn’t warmongering, I don’t know what is, as they’re preparing an attack force here,” pointing, and he shows the last image of the battle-ready Corellian Fleet above the planet. “What does the Senate think of this intelligence? Surely they see what we are seeing?” asks Rodron. Senator Cilghala from Mon Calamari speaks up, “Our meeting was quick and agreeable for once, Chief of State. We will authorize an attack if you deem it appropriate for the survival of our democracy. From the Chazrach to now this, we can’t afford complacency any longer. We are with you all the way.” Rodron takes a serious hard look at the image and stands up, putting his hands on the table and says, “we can’t afford another division or another weakening of our power. It is imperative to stop this before a Free Order grows to be another First Order. Admiral Connix and Jedi Master Finn?” Connix answers immediately, “yes, Chief of State?” Rodron says, “if we get Senate approval, jump the fleet to Corellia and take out their assembled ships above the planet, and we’ll see if that’s enough to pacify this uprising Maybe if they get a taste of our strength, they won’t want to take another bite, and we can end this conflict quickly.” Finn answers, “we must be mindful of all actions we take. The Republic should not be starting wars, but the Jedi Order is here for your support on these matters.” Inwardly, Finn knows his first move needs to be to tell Rey about this attack as soon as possible. The Jedi might need to get out ahead of this aggressive plan of all-out war.
Afterward, Finn messages Rey to explain the situation. “I understand. Thanks, Finn, and please take care of yourself. I love you,” Rey says as they finish up talking to one another on a secure channel. Finn replies, “I love you too and be careful. I’m going to be busy, and I’m not sure what kind of support I can give you there.” Mace walks up to Rey and says hi to his father and wishes him well. The transmission ends, and Mace asks, “What’s happening, Mom?” Rey says, “Your father is going to Corellia, but we’re going to go out ahead of him and the Republic Fleet. If we can get to their criminal leader before the battle, we may have a shot at ending this without a shot being fired. Go tell the others to get to the Falcon, and I’ll see you there in a minute. Make sure it’s clothing, food, and lightsabers only.” A surprised Mace answers, “okay, I’ll go gather up everyone.” As Mace is walking away, Rey comments, “it’s time to pay Thrackan Sal a visit and find Tyro.”
The Jedi Knights already boarded the Millennium Falcon by the time Rey rushes up the ramp, saying to the group in the main cabin, “we’re going to Corellia, and we’re going to end this now.” She enters the cockpit, and Lewbacca is already in the co-pilot seat prepping for takeoff. Rey jumps down in the pilot seat, and they take off, leaving the bustling cityscape of Coruscant. Once the ship clears the planet, the two push the levers to lightspeed towards Corellia, and the stars begin to streak by in hyperspace. Soles and Mace are behind them, strapped in and looking at one another with concern but smiling at each other. All they knew was Rey was going to come in hot and close to the Corellian surface right out of lightspeed to avoid any entanglements with the warships defending the planet. They all have confidence in their Jedi Master’s flying ability and in their other master’s calm influence, Kyle Phyto, who is back in the main cabin with Azuree, Hal, Temiri, Corran, and R2-D2, the group’s astromech droid. Their other two droids, C-3PO and BB-8, were now with Finn, assisting him and keeping him company on the bridge of the lead star destroyer that had not left Coruscant yet, still waiting for the Republic Senate’s approval of the proposed attack on Corellia.
Head of State Thrackan Sal was unexpectedly waiting for them by himself as the Millennium Falcon came out of hyperspace right above the city and made the approach to his capital landing area and lands softly without incident. “This is too easy. Something’s not right,” Rey comments. “I have a bad feeling like we’re being set up,” Soles worriedly says. “Not to worry, we have R2 and the gang,” Lewbacca roars jokingly. The other three in the cockpit look at Lewbacca and then chuckle. “That’s right, Lew, and whatever happens, we’re going to need all of us to be on the lookout for Tyro,” Mace says. “Indeed. So, let’s go meet up with our friend Thrackan,” Rey announces as they leave the cockpit for the main cabin where the rest of the group is waiting for them.
She leads the entire group off the Falcon and is greeted by Thrackan. He begins by saying, “Hello, Rey, or should I say Master Skywalker. I’m afraid to inform you that you have just invaded our sovereign, independent planet, and you will be put under house arrest and stand trial for your assassination attempt on the Head of State, which is myself.” Rey replies, “Like it or not, Thrackan, you’re still a part of the Republic, and this is no assassination attempt. This is quite the opposite. You’re guilty of breaking out a war, and you’re the one who will be coming with us to Coruscant to stand trial for your actions.” Meanwhile, as Thrackan, Sal, and Rey are speaking, a Corellian Holonet News crew is hiding nearby, broadcasting the conversation in a delay out to the galaxy. The timing difference is giving them enough working time to cut and edit the conversation, so it’s coming out as Rey saying this is a planned assassination instead of her saying it’s not. The Corellian Holonet News is cutting out her words and switching words from “you’re still part of the Republic” to “you’re no longer a part of the Republic.” Years of Rey being on the Holonet gave them a treasure trove of her voice saying hundreds of words that they can easily add and subtract in the conversation and then minutes later send out the altered broadcast to the galaxy.
“The only trial is going to be with you and your Jedi husband answering for your failed invasion and assassination attempt,” Thrackan counters Rey’s argument. She begins to feel a sense of danger when the Corellian Head of State mentions the ‘failed invasion’ and stops her thoughts of arguing with him. She reaches out with the Force to sense what could be going on around them. Rey thinks to herself, “it was foolish of me not to consider if this is not only a trap for me and my group here, but also for Finn and the Republic Fleet. Of course, Corellia would know about the Republic’s move to war before I did. I just hope they didn’t have too much time to prepare.” Thrackan continues, “what’s the matter, Rey? You didn’t think this whole thing through?” He motions for the camera crew of the Corellian Holonet to come out from hiding. They appear, and immediately Rey figures out what Thrackan is actually doing to her since they began their conversation. “I have to hand it to you, Thrackan, that is a move I didn’t see you stooping that low to do to me,” Rey concedes and speaks to the camera, “the Jedi are not a threat to Corellia or anyone for that matter. I will surrender, but let my group go free. They’re not responsible for my orders and actions to come here to meet with you.” Thrackan smiles and looks at the camera, “meet with me? I think you want to kill me, Master Skywalker, like the corrupt Jedi who have come before you. I am unarmed and only a mere mortal compared to your invincible Jedi strength and power.”
Rey answers, “Like I said, I’m surrendering, but please let the Jedi go in peace on the Falcon.” Thrackan explains, “I’m afraid the Millennium Falcon stays here at its home on Corellia. You’ve had enough time with a ship that was never yours to begin with, and it now belongs to us Corellians once again,” and he continues looking at the camera. “As for the Jedi, lock them up. All of them.” Thrackan motions for his bodyguard troopers in dark blue armor and grey helmets to come out of his building as he nods to the Holonet camera to turn off and for them to get out of the way of the possible upcoming clash. “Nice move with the broadcast, Thrackan. It was thoughtful and slimy after what you pulled on Coruscant. Do you really think Tyro is going to let you be in power?” Rey questions. “Enough talk, Jedi. Put your weapons down and remember what the galaxy is going to think of you if you attack us,” Thrackan says and points to the Holonet News crew on the side. “We’ll be okay, Rey. We must trust the Force,” Kyle says loudly to her among the group who was a ways behind her as they had taken a defensive stance. “I trust you know what to do from here, Kyle, but the Falcon and I stay here because of the optics from the altered broadcast. You’re going to have to find another way off this corrupt place. I’m sorry. May the Force be with you all,” she says back to him and the group. She drops her lightsaber to the ground and puts her arms up as a few of Thrackan’s troopers surround the Jedi Master and take her into custody. The remaining troopers begin to walk towards the other Jedi. In a sudden instant out of the sky above them, the Republic Fleet booms out of hyperspace and begins attacking the Corellian fleet, startling all who are on the ground and on the planet. Kyle sees the advantage and yells to the Knights to run away with him off the landing pad to get away from Thrackan’s guards. R2-D2 was already ahead, opening up a sealed door to another area for the group to get to safety, but leaving Rey, as she said to do, is hard for Kyle and the young Jedi Knights. With no other option, they have to let her go and hope for the best.
As the group hastily enters through the door, R2 opens it. There are A-wings lined up in a long row in a hangar staging area with an open roof and an X-wing off to the side that has seen better days. “Looks like we found our way out of here, and now we’ll get to join the fight up there,” Kyle says, smiling at the ships, and looks to the Jedi Knights. “Let’s hop in these and get out of here.” The group has no hesitation as Mace, Lewbacca, Soles, Azuree, Hal, Temiri, and Corran run to the nearest seven A-wings, run up the ladders, and jump into the pilot seats. “R2, you’re with me, big guy,” Kyle says to the astromech droid, and the mechanism works to lift R2-D2 into position behind the pilot’s cabin to run the diagnostics, but it won’t start. “Now let’s see what can be done with this busted old ship,” Kyle comments. “You all take off and go! Don’t wait for me and R2! We’ll be fine! Get out of here!” Kyle yells to the group as he runs up the ladder and hops into the X-wing. “Okay, you heard Master Phyto! Let’s go!” Yells Soles. The others salute, Lewbacca roars in delight, and they all begin the takeoff procedure, first with closing the ship hatches, putting their ship’s helmets on, and begin tuning in their communications link to one another. “This should be easy,” Mace says to himself as they begin to take off, as the door R2-D2 shut down gets blasted open by Thrackan’s Corellian guards. “I’ve got them in my sights, R2!” Kyle yells and fires at them using a blaster gun he found in the X-wing, knocking them back to the sides of the door, but the ship was still motionless. “Oh no, we don’t have much time, R2. What could it be!?” Kyle says worriedly as he can’t get the ship to start from the cockpit. R2-D2 beeps that the X-wing is out of fuel. “Great. Out of fuel. Perfect,” Kyle says to himself. Just then, Rey runs through the opening of the door, blasts out of her handcuffs, and uses the Force to unroll the hangar’s gas hose, grabbing it in mid-air, running over to the X-wing with a shocked Kyle staring down at her. She hooks it into the ship and uses the Force to switch the lever to begin fueling. “You have got to be kidding me,” Kyle says. “How did you get away?” Rey says, “I’m a Jedi, Kyle, or do you forget how powerful we are?” Kyle nods in agreement. “Okay, so you know you can get out of here with me! Come on, Rey, don’t stay!” Rey looks up at Kyle and says, “I have to stay here for the Jedi’s sake and reputation. It will be okay. They’re not going to kill me. I’m a figurehead of the Republic. This will all work out. Plus, I can buy you a lot of time for you all to get out of here.” Kyle answers, “and what if it doesn’t work out? What is Finn and I supposed to do!? What about Tyro, Raef, and Forisa?” Rey answers calmly, “do what’s in your heart. I will keep my eye out for the Sith here. Take care of the Knights. May the Force be with you, Kyle.” She turns off the fuel with the Force and physically takes out the hose. “Now get out of here and tell Finn I love him.” Kyle quietly nods and gives Rey a worried look. “Okay, Rey, okay. Take care of yourself.” He starts up the engines, and Rey begins to walk back towards the blasted door with her arms and hands up in the air with Thrackan’s troops surrounding her. The Jedi Knights were already flying away from the area as Kyle and R2 fly the partially fueled X-wing out of the hangar through the roof opening. “She better know what she’s doing, R2,” Kyle comments to the droid. R2 beeps replying, “lately nobody knows what they are doing.” Kyle chuckles. “Yes, that’s exactly what’s going on these days. Thank you, R2, someone who gets me.”
The large Republic star destroyers are finishing up the remaining scattering Corellian cruisers by the time the Jedi Knights make it out of the atmosphere of Corellia and into open space. The smaller-sized Corellian Fleet didn’t have a chance against the turbolasers and X-wings of the Republic. Also, the Republic pilots are better trained and have more experience in combat. They are still mopping up the battlefield, firing on anything that isn’t with the Republic. “You have lost the battle, Corellian A-wing squadron, surrender now,” Finn broadcasts out to the approaching Knights, not knowing it’s them. The transmission makes a few tweaking noises and beeps in a different frequency. “Dad, it’s Mace and the Jedi Knights in the A-wings. We made it off the planet, but Mom had to stay because Thrackan broadcast our mission at finding Tyro as an assassination attempt,” Mace explains to his father. “Oh, Mace, I’m glad to hear your voice and to see the others are okay,” Finn expresses relief, “and your mother knows what she’s doing. A person of her stature won’t be harmed.” Kyle, flying the old X-wing, finally catches up with the group passing by to lead the A-wings and comments over the broadcast, “looks like we won.” Out of hyperspace, two Tie Interceptors appear from the black void of space as Darth Faero, who was once Raef, and Lady Ziyra, who was once Forisa, have made the trip to Corellia from their secret base on Tralus under Grand Lord Tyro’s orders. Kyle’s smile fades to utter horror as he knows what they must do and says, “Knights, this one’s on me. Stay back, and I’ll make first contact.” There is silence across the board except for Mace, who says, “we’re right behind you, Master, but be careful.”
Kyle locks the S-foils in attack position, flying towards the two lone ships, sending his communication out to all broadcasts. “Listen, you two. I’m sorry. I wasn’t a good enough master or a close enough friend,” Raef speaks out. “This is Darth Faero, and this is the end of you and the Jedi forever,” Kyle answers. “Raef, you’re still Raef. I don’t know what Tyro put in your head, but it’s not the way of the Force. Please, there is a peaceful way out of this,” Lady Ziyra speaks up to Kyle through the broadcast. “There is a peaceful way out of this, and that is this.” With her spoken words, three entire fleets of medium to small crafts appear on different sides of the Republic fleet, surrounding them, and then another menacing fleet right behind Faero’s and Ziyra’s Tie Interceptors. “Oh no, I think we’re in trouble!” Kyle says in a knee-jerk reaction, seeing the surrounding fleets and the fleet that just appeared right in front of him. The two Tie Interceptors take off right at Kyle’s X-wing and fire each of their four laser cannons as he begins his maneuvers, calling out to R2-D2, “Hold on, R2, but eject if you have to! I don’t know how much fuel we have left,” and upon saying that, his fuel runs out, and his X-wing turns off. “Me and my big mouth,” comments Kyle as he focuses on the Force around him. One of the lasers hits the nose of his tailing ship, and the whiplash of the blast breaks Kyle’s restraints. He smashes against the pilot’s console, knocking him out. “Master Phyto’s in trouble!” Soles yells. “Hurry, we gotta save him!” Hal calls out. The A-wings are making a run to engage the two Tie Interceptors, but it’s too late. “You know what you have to do to stop the invasion of your planet, Lady Ziyra!” Darth Faero calls out to her. She replies, “I’ve got him, Faero,” and lines up the shot and takes it. Hearing R2 beeping in agony trying to wake him up and sensing imminent death in Kyle’s mind, he focuses on his wife, Marieene, and speaks out to the galaxy using the Force, “I’m sorry, my love….” and with a moment until the laser hits, R2-D2 ejects and the blast connects, exploding the ship.
The Jedi Knights are in shock, watching their master’s ship being blown apart. All they can do is react, screaming and firing their two laser cannons and concussion missiles at the Tie Interceptors and the incoming small craft of the Tralus Fleet. The other Brother World Fleets are firing at the surrounded Republic fleet. Admiral Connix and Finn don’t know which way to turn their Fleet to fight, but they decide to go in the direction away from Corellia towards the Jedi Knight ships who are fighting in a desperate attempt to escape. “Swing our forces around towards the A-wings! If we’re lucky, we can break through this one Corellian Fleet and get out of here!” Connix yells out the order. The Republic’s lead star destroyer gets away from the other three attacking fleets, but the following destroyers and small crafts are too close to them and are caught in the crossfire and are being destroyed and blown up to pieces. “Our shields can’t take this kind of sustained firepower from so many cruisers, Admiral! What do we do!?” Yells a Republic Captain in a trailing destroyer being pummeled. “Abandon the battle! Get out of there, Captain!” Connix yells out in desperation.
The Republic Fleet begins to scatter, which makes things even worse for them as the medium cruisers of the Brother Worlds fire missiles at them, connecting and destroying the ships one by one. The remaining X-wings try to defend them but are overwhelmed by the smaller craft and are being taken out. Finn calls out to the Jedi Knights in their A-wings and anyone else in their Republic Fleet to, get on board our ship, the Liberator, now! We’re getting out of here!” Mace replies, yelling out, “you heard my Dad, retreat!” The A-wings disengage and begin flying fast to the Liberator with the two Sith Tie Interceptors in hot pursuit, but Finn is relieved to see them coming towards him. Just then, a tiny speck of metal is seen by Finn and the bridge command as R2-D2 is fleeing to them with rockets blasting on the sides of the astromech droid. “It looks like R2 made it,” C-3PO comments in relief, who was watching the whole battle unfold near Finn, and with BB-8 by his side, beeps in agreement. The Tralus Fleet is now flying directly at them, but Admiral Connix has an idea and says to her pilots, “as soon as the A-wings and that droid are on board, I want you to bank us to the side in a slide maneuver and jump to hyperspace.” One of the officers asks, “But Admiral, we won’t know where we’re going to end up, and without safe coordinates, we could run into a planet, an asteroid, or anything in the way.” Connix answers, “anywhere is better than here. We have to take that chance.” Everyone on the bridge is silent for a moment, but they all agree. R2-D2 and the A-wings enter the hangar of the destroyer as the two Tie Interceptors are in close pursuit but still outside the hangar. “Okay, now Lieutenant!” Connix yells out the order. The large Republic ship begins to shift to its side at an angle away from the incoming Tralus Fleet and the others in pursuit. Connix yells out, “jJumpnow! Get us out of here!” With that, they disappear into hyperspace, leaving the two Sith and the Four Brother Fleets in the dust, but the fight above Corellia was over, and the Republic had lost the battle.
“As you can see, Rey, your pathetic grandiose Republic is no more. Without your Ffleet the war is already over,” a smiling Head of State Thrackan Sal says to the Jedi Master. Rey is looking up in sorrow, knowing her close friend and fellow Jedi Master Kyle Phyto has passed away in the Force from the darkness of the Sith, along with all of the destroyed specks of ships and debris burning down into the atmosphere of Corellia. She senses that Finn, Mace, and the Jedi Knights had survived and gotten away just in time, so for that, she felt a sense of calm and determination to not give up. Rey answers Thrackan, “we’ll see about that, you monster. A lost battle does not equal a lost war.” Thrackan looks at her in disgust and says to his guards, “tTakeher away and lock her up.” He looks at her with a big grin and states, “we’re going to have some fun with you. I guarantee it.”
Meanwhile, in hyperspace, the Republic leadership group is trying to process what had happened. “This is a mess. How did we not see this coming?” An Oofficercalls out from the control board. “We were arrogant, Lieutenant, and we didn’t see the tactics coming from them using only small ships,” another officer comments. “They also ended up having four fleets to our one in such a fast amount of time, and it was clearly coordinated,” another officer comments. Admiral Connix feels shame and says to the group, “it’s like they knew we were coming before we even decided to go.” Finn adds, “now Republic planets are exposed to attack.” The bridge of the star destroyer goes silent as Finn and the officers are processing the events that have unfolded. Just at that moment, the Jedi Knights enter the bridge, and Mace runs over to his dad, and they embrace in a hug. “Mace, thank goodness you’re okay,” Finn says. Mace looks at him with tears in his eyes and says, “it’s good to see you, Dad, but Master Phyto didn’t make it. They killed him.” The Jedi Knights all begin to process what had just happened to their late Master, no longer being in the heat of the battle. Azuree and Soles hug and weep. Corran sits down on the floor in shock. Lewbacca looks down with his hands on his hips. Hal starts to pace back and forth, reliving the horror, and Temiri squats down and begins to cry. Mace continues, “Mom had to stay on Corellia. Thrackan used his Holonet media to paint our intervention as an assassination attempt.” Finn looks at his son and the others and says worriedly, “tThisis more of a mess than I could ever imagine. It’s like the Force is moving more out of balance with each step we take.”
On Corellia in a single prison cell, Rey sits on a slab of concrete, she guessed, was the bed with her head dropped down with her hand on the side of her head. Her thoughts were in a flurry of grief and worry for her family and friends. It’s all too much to take at times without feeling guilt. First Poe, then Chase, and now Kyle as the Sith are taking them out one by one, and now she is locked up, s an enemy of the state of Corellia. She knew the Jedi Knights would be hurting, too. Luckily, she felt them leave in peace to hyperspace along with Finn and Mace. She knew she had to surrender to give them time to get off Corellia, regroup with the Republic, and beat the Sith, but now she feels like she needs to be with them more than ever. Rey utters out loud to no one, “I’m beginning to think I made the wrong decision to stay. So, stupid. I’m sorry, Kyle. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.” As she lays down on the concrete slab with her hands on her face with tears rolling down her cheeks, a familiar echo of a voice says,”I am with you, Rey.” She springs up and goes back to sitting, looking out around the cell. “Kyle? Is that you?” Kyle’s Force voice answers “yes Rey, it’s Kyle. Master Yoda taught me how to communicate from the netherworld of the Force. Are you okay, Rey?” Rey is in shock but quickly answers, “yes, Kyle, I am, but you aren’t because of me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Kyle. Marieene is going to kill me.” Kyle says,”she already knows about my death, Rey, and she understands it was my sacrifice to make. It’s not on you at all. I have to say I will miss being with her, but having a family just wasn’t in the cards.” Rey says,”I can’t tell you how sad that makes me feel.” Kyle continues.”All I’ll say is you and the Jedi don’t have time to be sad. You must keep delaying here on Corellia.” Rey yells out, “I’m going to go after Tyro right now!” Kyle slowly cautions, “you could stay here and put on a show of distraction. The future is always in motion, yet that might be what our loved ones need the most at this time. Trust the Force, Rey, and May the Force be with you.” Rey feels Kyle’s presence vanish as the cell door is unlocked and opened as Thrackan’s guards file into her empty cell. A guard asks, “Who were you talking to?” Rey answers while brushing a tear from her face “myself. I like to talk to myself. A lot. It passes the time. What do you want?” The guard says,”Thrackan wants to see you. Come with us.”
On the city-wide planet of Coruscant, things are not going well either. The Bothans have shown up with their fleet of medium to small-sized ships and are landing in the capital center. Their goal is to shut down the Republic government, take over the detention centers, lock up the politicians, and take out the Republic ground defense forces. With their large invasion force, not much is standing in their way. This, in turn, would give Corellia and the Free Order all the power in the galaxy as the new government and controlling body of power. The Republic Chief of State, Fyzo Rodron, has been in a panic in his office since word of the Republic Fleet was destroyed from a surprise attack by the combined fleets over Corellia, and the most damaging fact was the enemy knew they were coming instantly once Senate authorization took place on Coruscant. That is the thing about republics and democracies as everything takes lots of patience and time. It isn’t as easy and dangerous as a dictator instantly calling the shots to war or proclaiming a new law. Rodron is proud to be part of the Republic’s laws and rules. It makes him a better leader, more thoughtful, and caring of all living sentient beings rather than using them like expendable pawns as the Emperor had done for decades. A Senator from Fondor bursts in the door, “Our Fleet is gone because of you! My planet just had those star destroyers built, and this was all your idea!” Chief of State Rodron answers calmly, “Senator, it was your body of colleagues who voted and approved our mission. All I can say is I’m sorry, but we have bigger problems than just losing our fleet.” The Senator stops and ponders what Rodron had said and walks to the side looking out the window as Bothan ships are flying by and landing on the Capital grounds. “I’m sorry, Fyzo. My temper got the best of me. What are we going to do about all of this?” Rodron answers, “we either fight, hide, or surrender. I’m responsible for the lives on this planet, so we must do what’s best for the population, but for the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do without a fleet to protect us. Also, our Jedi seemed to disappear, probably going after Tyro, who knows where.” The Senator answers, “it looks like Thrackan Sal is going to get his Free Order after all.” Rodron says, “it appears so.”
The aptly named Liberator, a Republic star destroyer under Admiral Connix’s command, has just come out of hyperspace after hours on the run. They were hoping to evade tracking by enemy fleets, star systems, and any smaller crafts in pursuit whose hyperfuel would run out before them. The good news is they didn’t collide with anything and be blown into stardust, so the Force has been with them, thought Finn. “First things first, Captain, where are we?” asks Connix. The officer checks the navigation system and pronounces, “Admiral, we’re in the Bothan System.” Connix shouts out, “what!? Of all the places we could have jumped to, we are at the enemies’ doorstep!? What are the odds?” C-3PO comes out of hiding with BB-8 and says, “according to my calculations, the odds of us coming out of lightspeed near a place of danger were ‘1 in . . . .’” Finn cuts him off immediately, “3PO, just chalk it up to the Force.” C-3PO answers, “certainly, Master Finn. I know Captain Solo never seemed to like my odds calculations anyways, but where is R2-D2?” Mace says, “R2 was led to get a check over down at the droid station. I think Master Phyto saved R2 by saying to eject from the X-Wing before it was over.” Corran says, “That would be very Master Phyto. I think Mace is right.” A Republic officer finishes up with his appraisal of what’s left of the ship’s crew and says, “my estimates are we’re at about a one-fourth capacity of remaining soldiers who survived the battle, and many areas are locked down and blown out from the attacks. Our fighter squadrons didn’t make it back to us once the other fleets came in and destroyed them, so we have left what we didn’t send out and your group’s A-wings. Maybe a couple of dozen light crafts are left, probably mostly X-wings. I don’t know, but it’s not good.” Azuree speaks up, “so, what do we do now? I, for one, don’t think we should stick around here with the Bothans so close by.” Soles continues her point, “Azuree’s right. I’d say we should look into what is practical, but far enough away, so the Bothans won’t find us or know we’re here.” Lewbacca speaks up and roars, “I’ve been to Barab I before, and although it’s in the Outer Rim, it’s in this part of the galaxy. Plus, I know someone who is from there who could be an ally we desperately need.” Finn and the Admiral think it over and agree that it sounds good enough. “Send a transmission to where we are and see if we can get assistance from any nearby Republic allies,” Finn says. “I don’t know, Dad. We can’t afford the Bothans finding out our location,” Mace says. “I know it’s risky, Mace, but we can’t take on the Free Order alone. Besides, we’re not going to be in Bothan space much longer. In fact, we are leaving once this message is sent,” Finn answers his son sternly. A few minutes pass by as the officer sends the message, and the other officers put Barab I in the navigation system. Then the ship streaks into hyperspace again, leaving their location behind.
“Rey, Rey, Rey,” says Head of State Thrackan Sal, standing in front of his desk in his headquarters as Rey enters with her guards. “I heard about Master Kyle Phyto. How unfortunate. I kinda liked him in a weird, half-robot Darth Vader kind of way,” he comments, chuckling, and continues, saying, “and it looks like your precious Republic will be surrendering as well. It looks like everything is lost for you and your Jedi. Speaking of Jedi, you wouldn’t happen to know where they ran off to, do you?” Rey looks at him with the most serious face and says, “If I did, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” Thrackan quips, “ouch, and I thought we could get along while all of this is going on, Rey. I’m keeping you alive so I can put on a good show for the galaxy. You will be put on trial for your crimes against the Free Order, and lastly, with your assassination attempt on my life, and it will be broadcast on the Holonet for all to see. How does that sound, Master Jedi?” He laughs at the end of his explanation. “Sounds great. Head of nothing. When do we begin?” Rey says sarcastically, looking away from him and out the windows, thinking about her loved ones. “Soon, Rey,” he answers, smiling in delight, and then seriously says, “soon.”
The Liberator has been making its way to Barab I in hyperspace for quite some time. The Jedi Knights are in one of the cafeterias on board, the large destroyer, scarfing down nerf steaks and drinking caf to try to stay awake from the day that seems to never end. Soles says, “I know we lost Master Phyto today, but he would want us to not give up and to finish the job of finding Tyro and ending this nightmare.” Temiri puts down his cup of caf and begins talking about how Master Phyto took him in like a son when he came from nothing on Canto Bight. “I had not known my family, and I was hopeful to join the cause, but I never thought I’d gain a family becoming a Jedi. The stories of Luke Skywalker saving the galaxy from the Empire and the First Order inspired me to use my Force powers for good, but it was the Jedi Masters who showed me the ways of the Force, and I’m forever grateful to them. I hope Rey is doing okay.” Azuree comforts him, saying, “I’m sure she’s okay, Temiri, and I’d like to think her being on Corellia will give us the element of surprise in finding Tyro. Speaking of which, where do you all think he’s hiding?” The group thinks about it in silence, trying to put the pieces together. “The Tralus Fleet appeared behind Raef and Forisa coming from the same direction, so could Tyro be there?” asks Mace. “That does make the most sense,” Corran quietly comments as he is chewing on a piece of nerf steak. “It sounds like that’s our only lead, so we should think on it and decide what to do once we come out of hyperspace,” says Hal. Both young men have grown a lot in the past few years when it came to having wisdom and being calmer when bad things would happen, and especially how to go about fixing things. As Mace sips caf, he thinks to himself that Master Phyto would be proud of them. It’s amazing how far they had come along and grown up from their early days of learning the ways of the Force. From being skeptical, ignorant kids to putting into practice the Jedi values of serving others. Mace asks Lewbacca, “What do you know about this ally you mentioned on Barab I, buddy?” He smiles and roars, “she’s a great Barabel warrior, a leader of her people, and has Force powers like us!” Soles jokes, “sounds like an amazing gal. If she’s so great, where has she been all this time?” Anna adds, “and how can we trust these Barabels?” Lewbacca thinks on it and answers them, roaring, “one of the places the Chazrach invasion was stopped was at Barab I.” Soles cautiously asks, “Okay, so how do we find this great warrior friend of yours?” Lewbacca happily and boldly roars, “once we land, she and the Barabels will find us!” The two young women look at one another with concern in their eyes, and the group quietly finishes up eating their meals, not knowing what else to say, but it felt concerning
Lord Tyro is still on Tralus, in hiding, while all the events are proceeding as planned with the transfer of power from the Republic to the newly forming Free Order. Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra, having returned from Corellia in their TIE Interceptors, are giving an update to Tyro on what happened. “Their Master is gone. Ziyra killed him,” Darth Faero says with a satisfied look on his face. An impressed Tyro explains, “he could have taken your dream away of having a safe and free Corellia. You did excellent, Lady Ziyra. Well done, my young apprentice.” Ziyra had been looking down in shame while the two were speaking, but listening to Tyro’s rationale gave her the lift she needed. “I did what is required, but it doesn’t feel good,” she comments. Tyro answers her in a mean tone, “becoming who you are meant to be won’t always feel good or be easy. It’s part of growing up, Lady Ziyra.” She replies, “Yes, my Lord. I know I helped save my planet from the Republic and the Jedi invasion of it.” Darth Faero continues his line of thought, “and you know they would have imprisoned us along with all of Corellia who stood up to them. Besides, I enjoy seeing our old friends running for their lives. They’re scared and don’t have it in them to destroy us.” The three talk more about how Rey is the most foolish of the Jedi, and how they are a fake idealistic cause that needs to be extinguished. Lord Tyro then instructs his two new Sith to rest while he goes and talks with the mercenary crew of the Aggressor, who are nearby as bodyguards and his mode of transportation when needed.
“Did you see the Holonet news, my Lord?” asks Ailyn Vel, who was the leader of the bounty hunter crew. Tyro questions, “And what news is this?” Makin Marec, Ailyn’s pilot and companion, continues, “a star destroyer sent a coded Republic message out near Bothawui for help.” Tyro perks up with joy and says, “excellent. That is our missing Jedi. It looks like our plans have changed. We’re taking a trip to Bothawui to hunt them down while they’re down, and they won’t expect us. Prepare the Aggressor, and I will go fetch my apprentices and send a message on the Holonet. Perhaps I can lure the Jedi to meet us on the planet to have a chat. You all will be greatly rewarded when this is all over,” as he turns and leaves the crew looking at one another. “Maybe we shouldn’t have told him?” says a regretful Makin, since now they have to risk their lives and ship again for a Sith Lord. “He would have found out anyway. It might as well have come from us so we can profit from this mess and finally retire, Makin,” comments a determined Ailyn.
The Liberator has finally arrived over Barab I in the Albanin Sector in the Outer Rim. Admiral Connix says to her officers on the bridge, “If any coded messages come through, let me know. We need all the allies we can get, and I, for one, am skeptical about these Barabels.” At her side, Jedi Master Finn replies, “I’m skeptical of them too, but we must be open to them. Also, let’s hope anyone aligned with the Republic heard us and can help.”
Luckily, aboard the large star destroyer, there is still a functioning medium-sized transport for bringing soldiers to and from the ship to the surface of planets. The Jedi Knights have piled into it with Azuree and Lewbacca in the pilot and co-pilot seats and are just taking off for the surface of Barab I. Finn has let the Knights lead the mission to find Lewbacca’s warrior friend and, if possible, Barabels to join them on their mission to find Tyro. In the meantime, Finn, R2-D2, BB-8, and C-3PO, along with the officers on the bridge, are doing a walk-through of the star destroyer for a damage report and to see who and what needs assistance. The transport is on its way to the surface of Barab I as Mace asks, “What more do you know about the Barabels, Lewie?” Lewbacca roars, “not much. But I know they evolved from lizards, are as large in size as us, and have really big appetites because when I met my friend, she said they have two stomachs and she out ate me. That’s never happened to me before.” Soles comments, “I just hope they can help us, and we don’t end up on their menu.” Lewbacca roars, “we won’t. At least I don’t think we will be eaten.” The crew looks at him with displeasure, and Lewbacca uncomfortably roars, “I’m joking, I’m joking.” The group sighs in relief together and go about prepping their gear and flying the ship. Lewbacca looks at Mace and gives his friend a worried look, as if he didn’t know if they’re going to be eaten or not. Mace rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath. Just then, Soles comes over to him and asks if he has a moment to talk. He agrees, and they go to a quiet spot towards the back of the transport ship where nobody is around. “I’m sorry I haven’t been closer to you these past few days. I think what happened to Raef and Forisa scared me into thinking that it could also happen to us. Our passion can lead to the dark side, and you know as well as I do the Jedi way is non-attachment and relationships used to be forbidden because they can be selfish and have their dark moments and times.”
Mace takes her hand in his and says, “I know the feelings you’re having because I have felt the same fear of losing myself in loving you and loving my Jedi family as well. It’s been hard to know what to do, especially without our Masters, but I think if we stay vigilant and mindful of serving the greater good, we can still love one another without losing our minds. What do you think, Soles?” She hugs him and says, “I don’t want to lose you or anyone else. It’s already so hard without Chase, Master Phyto, and with Raef and Forisa, I’m afraid to say what we should do with them. They were not only our friends, Mace, but part of our family, and they betrayed us.” Mace is still holding on and hugging a teary-eyed Soles, and he finishes up saying, “when we get to that point in time, we’ll do what we feel is right, okay? They chose their own path, but we get to choose ours too.” Their arms go to their sides, and they slowly kiss one another. Just then, Temiri walks up to the two of them as he sips on some hot chocolate and comments, “I guess there’s still love in this galaxy, after all. With everything going on, it’s a nice reminder that all is not lost, don’t you two think?” Mace and Soles, stop kissing and look over at him seriously for interrupting their moment. Temiri says, “What? I think it’s nice. You two are great for one another. You remind me of Masters Rey and Finn, always trying to keep a secret but very unsuccessful.” Mace scoffs, “my parents? Come on, Temiri, really?” He laughs and says, “I think it’s a compliment. Those two are the toast of the galaxy. So, cheers!” Temiri lifts his cup in the air and continues to sip his hot chocolate in front of them, smiling. They stare at him in disbelief for not leaving them alone. “This is really tasty. Do you guys want some?” Temiri asks as he happily slurps down the drink, “there’s plenty on board if you’re tired of caf.” Soles finally says, “Sure, Temiri, how about you show us the way to the wondrous hot chocolate.” Mace chuckles at the awkward situation, and Temiri excitedly answers, “Follow me, you two lovebirds! To the hot chocolate!” Mace says quietly to Soles, “he’s pretty funny, isn’t he?” She gives him a look and says, “Oh, hilarious.”
Azuree and Lewbacca fly the transport ship into the dark atmosphere, and it’s pouring rain. “I’m having a hard time knowing where the ground is to land,” calls out Azuree, and just then, she sees the murky surface that’s near a large body of water. Lewbacca comments, “I say we fly until we see the opening to Alater-Ka.” Corran looks at their Wookiee friend and asks, “How do you know this place, Lew?” He says, “I don’t, but that’s the only habitat spaceport here, and it’s mostly underground, according to my friend. Also, we don’t want to be on the surface when it’s daytime or else we will be fried by radiation.” Corran answers, “this place keeps getting better and better.” Azuree chuckles while flying low, looking for any signs of civilization, and replies, “first we could be eaten, and now we could be melted to death. This planet is officially stoopa.” It takes them a while, but finally, through the rain and darkness, there are lights showing an opening to a massive cave. Hal says, “this must be it, so shall we enter like a mynock to its home or land outside this place and greet them in person?” Lewbacca answers, “they could attack us if we fly in unannounced. I say we walk in and hope for the best.” Azuree sarcastically says, “You got it, Barabel whisperer,” and she proceeds to softly land their transport ship next to the entrance.
After checking to see if the air is breathable and finding that it is, the Jedi Knights exit the transport ship as the ramp had already descended onto the swamp-like surface with the rain pouring down on it. “This place is sketchy and smells bad too. Do you all sense something close by?” Corran asks, as he has a keen Force connection to animals. From the side of the ship, a gigantic creature with many clawed legs and arms with tentacles at the tips appears and roars at them in anger. “It’s a durgolosk,” Lewbacca casually comments. “A what!?” yells Hal. “A big creature with lots of legs and eyes, colored white with brown stripes. Yup, a durgolosk, and it looks hungry,” Lewbacca explains. Hal shouts out, “Why do I think everything on this planet wants to eat us!?” Mace says, “because so far, this side trip is turning us into a buffet. Let’s take this durgolosk down before it durgolosk’s us!” The Jedi swing around to the side and take out their lightsabers in a half circle around the hungry beast. It grabs Hal before he has a chance to turn on his lightsaber, and the tentacle paralyzes him instantly. Luckily for him, Azuree jumps at the large creature and chops off the arm, dropping Hal to the ground. The durgolosk roars in pain and is more determined than ever to grab Hal and eat him with its other arm, knocking Azuree to the ground with one of its legs. At that moment, the other Jedi reach out with the Force and push the monster away from Hal. It stumbles and falls on its back. The durgolosk rotates its body 360 degrees and gets up after a short amount of time being knocked down, but it has taken too much time to recover. Soles sprints at the beast, ignites her lightsaber, and chops its left legs in half, and Mace follows suit and chops its right legs in half with his lightsaber. Following behind them, Anna turns on her lightsaber and throws it spinning in the air as it chops the head off the durgolosk. The battle is over, but Hal is lying on the ground, unable to move after being grabbed by a tentacle. His friends surround him in a hurry and start to clean the poison off.
“Excellent! Wonderful! Now that’s how you take down a durgolosk!” A mysterious being loudly proclaims, walking towards them from the large opening of the cave. “Oh no, here they come! They’re going to eat us! I need to find my lightsaber!” Yells Temiri, who is stumbling around in the dark swamp looking for it. “Eat you?” The being comes into sight of the Jedi and the lights of their transport ship. Lewbacca roars happily. “Saba! It’s Lewbacca!” Saba Sebatyne, a reptilian Barabel with Jedi robes on and a lightsaber clipped to her belt, chuckles at the group, then gives Lewbacca a big hug, saying, “how’s it going, Lew? It’s been so long, but now you’re here and the famous Jedi Knights on my planet, good stuff.” Soles quietly says to Mace, “Good stuff?” Mace smiles and quietly answers, “at least I don’t think she’s going to eat us.” Saba cordially welcomes all of them to Barab I as Lewbacca introduces her to each Jedi. “What happened to your eye? It’s gone,” asks Temiri, who is usually too honest at times, hurting people’s feelings. Corran says, “Don’t mind Temiri; he’s an inquisitive one. You don’t have to answer it, Saba.” The Jedi Barabel states, “it’s okay, Corran and Temiri. I will happily answer the question.” They all listen with interest as she begins to tell the tale. “I was putting my own green-bladed lightsaber together to defend my planet against the Chazrach, but it had come at a cost. The blade was accidentally turned on before I knew how to work the mechanism. It flashed next to my face, blinding me in the eye, so I had no more use for it. I popped it out and stitched it up.”Ow,” comments Hal. Saba continues, “I tell the other Barabels it’s a battle scar, but there would be no fooling you Jedi. I messed up my eye building my lightsaber, but it also did not deter me from following the ways of the Force and saving my planet from the Chazrach. They are vicious beasts, but luckily, we are more vicious.” Soles says, “we could use a Jedi like you to join our team. There’s another vicious beast out there, and he’s a Sith Lord.” Saba casually comments, “Oh, I know. Tyro’s actually on his way to Bothawui because he wants to kill all of you.” The Jedi stare at her in disbelief; first, she knows Tyro, and second, Tyro knows where they are in the galaxy, meaning someone had intercepted a message and told the ruling Free Order. Saba continues, not realizing the shock on all of their faces. “I need to gather up my best warriors, and we can take your ship up to the big ship up there and be on our way to Bothawui to face this beast of yours,” as she chuckles, not being scared at all of the dire circumstances, and turns around and heads back to the cave. It was still raining but not as hard, and the sky was getting lighter. “This is crazy,” says Anna. “You think?” sarcastically questions Soles. “They must get the Holonet here too as Tyro announced it out to the galaxy,” answers Azuree. “Yeah, and I guess we would have fallen into his trap on Bothawui. Also, I’m sure Raef and Forisa will be with him too,” explains Mace. “Trap or no trap, I think our moves are to either run and hide, wait for Master Rey, or face them ourselves,” says Soles to Mace. “I say we go after them and end this!” A loud and proud Temiri announces. “Okay, so who agrees with Temiri?” Asks a concerned Mace to the group. Lewbacca raises his hand first, and every Jedi slowly follows suit, raising their hands. “Majority rules!” Calls out Temiri with a big happy smile on his face. “So, we wait for Saba and her soldiers to come out of this underground cave city, and then we get out of here before we fry to death from the day’s radiation,” Azuree says. A determined Temiri states, “Next stop, Bothawui! It’s time to get payback for what happened to Poe, Chase, and Master Phyto!” The Jedi Knights nod in approval and gather on the ramp of the transport ship to sit down to rest and wait for the Barabels to join them. Their thoughts drift off with memories of their fallen friends in this new battle against the Sith Lord.
On Corellia, the trial of the galaxy is in full swing. Rey is making sure to use her time defending herself as story time, telling everyone the long history of the Jedi Order. Her tactic of delaying and diversion is working as hours have passed by, and she is just getting to the creation of the Jedi Council. “That’s how Yoda came to be the Head of the Jedi Council,” Rey is prolonging things, talking about one Jedi at a time. “Enough!” Yells, one of the judges. “These statements have nothing to do with you, and I find it odd that my colleagues are letting this charade continue,” one of the side judges comments. “I’m afraid to inform you, Jedi Master Skywalker, that unless you can tell us where this is going and how the history of the Jedi pertains to your defense, I will grant you no more time and we will have to proceed with the prosecution,” the lead middle Judge informs her. Rey says, “I assure you the long history of the Jedi and myself defending courts and governments like this very esteemed Corellian court will show and prove my innocence to these charges against me. So, may I proceed with my speech, your Honor?” The lead judge thinks it over and bellows out, “you may proceed.” Rey smiles and says, “Great!” She continues her speech, making sure to add even more descriptions and digressions about far-flung Jedi stories.
The Aggressor has been flying through hyperspace for quite some time with Lord Tyro, Darth Faero, Lady Ziyra, and the mercenary crew all on board. Tyro announces to the galaxy on the Holonet, in between Rey’s trial being broadcast, that he’s going to a so-called “Alliance Summit” on Bothawui. In reality, he found out the Jedi Knights are near the planet by an intercepted transmission sent out from them calling for Republic help. Tyro knows they’re coming for him if they get his Holonet message, but with his two new Sith and the Bothans being on his side with the Free Order, the advantage is his, and he is confident with his plan. The Aggressor comes out of hyperspace with Makin Marec piloting the super-fast ship. “We’re here, Lord Tyro. Bothawui,” Makin comments. “Good bounty hunter. Your talent for fast and accurate flying has been quite useful,” replies Tyro. Makin says back, “Well, I have a few years under my belt.” Ailyn says, “Yeah, too many years.” He gives her a troubled look because they still haven’t been able to retire together to enjoy a safe life of luxury and happiness. Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra are in the cabin behind the cockpit and are talking about what to do with their old Jedi friends when Lord Tyro walks in on them. “I must speak to you about something more important than childish friendships run amok,” boldly states the Sith Lord. “What would be more important than ending the Jedi and being the only power in the galaxy left to rule as we see fit?” asks Darth Faero. “Oh, there is more than our power out here in the cosmos. There is a place that I call the beyond. That is where I want both of you to go,” Lord Tyro says as he pulls out a data card and holds it up in the air. “In my galaxy, going past where my Chazrach had staged their invasion force and my planet, there lies a place that holds the gateway to a massive force power that has not only birthed the Chazrach, but has given us Sith more powers to grow stronger in the Force and help vanquish the threats in my galaxy.” Tyro hands Darth Faero the data card. “On this data card are the coordinates to this place and information about the gatekeepers there. You will need their assistance to go to the beyond,” Tyro explains. “The beyond? It sounds like a ghost story,” replies Lady Ziyra. “Exactly, except this ghost story is real. You must go and find this dark side power. I had the powers to rule my galaxy for a generation because of it,” answers Lord Tyro. The Aggressor makes its landing on Bothawui, and the two young Sith feel confused about what’s going on and why Lord Tyro wants them to go so far for something that seemed so trivial when they should be helping their Master take on the Jedi. The Sith Lord walks off the ship and turns around, looking at the crew of the Aggressor and his two Sith apprentices. “You will go to the beyond and find Abeloth. Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra, you will become more powerful than any being ever in the history of this galaxy. Once you have completed your journey, return to me on Corellia. Now go, and I will take care of what’s left of these Jedi children. Once more, the Sith will take over this galaxy, and just as I had ruled from the powers of Abeloth from my own galaxy,” proclaims Lord Tyro. He gives them a menacing stare and turns walking away as the landing ramp begins to go up on the Aggressor. Darth Faero comments, “I guess if that’s where the Chazrach are from, this place in the beyond must be very powerful.” Lady Ziyra says, “we’re going to need all the power we can get going up against Rey.” He looks at her in anger. “You’re right.” Darth Faero looks at Makin and hands him the data card and says, “Let’s move out and follow these coordinates.” Makin asks, “Where are we going, my Lords?” Darth Faero boldly states, “The Unknown.” Their ship takes off as Lord Tyro doesn’t even watch them fly away. He’s busy on his way to meet with the Bothan leaders and how to take out the one remaining Republic star destroyer left from the earlier battle that includes Jedi Master Finn with the remaining Jedi Knights on board.
Above Barab I, on the star destroyer the Liberator, the group of Barabels unload from the freighter and find their way to the large cafeteria. They look at all the food and begin chowing down everything in sight. The Jedi, along with their new Jedi friend Saba, are on the bridge going over the plan to go to Bothawui and confront Lord Tyro. Finn and the Republic officers had already seen the Holonet message meant for them, but they just had played it back to the Jedi. “He’s an arrogant son of a Sith, isn’t he?” says Corran. The crew first looks at him seriously, and then most of them laugh at the comment. “Well, yeah, he certainly is,” chuckles Finn. Mace continues talking about their plan, “so, we go in at lightspeed as close as we can get, preferably some distance from the city, and then use the star destroyer as a diversion while we grab a land transport of some kind to go after the Sith.” Finn brings up a complication, “we know the main Bothan fleet is on Coruscant, but they’ll have a massive amount of firepower from land and in the sky. All I’m saying is we don’t know how much time we can buy holding them off from attacking.” Temiri adds, “it will be what it will be. I say we get going to Bothawui now and improvise if need be.” Azuree adds, “I agree. Tyro could already be there plotting who knows what.” The command had already set the navigation computer system for Bothawui, and on Connix’s orders, they left Barab I straight into hyperspace. “We’ll be there before you know it,” Finn assures the Jedi Knights.
Tyro’s plans on Bothawui are fairly simple and odd to the Bothans. He demands that they land their attack ships and wait for the lone Republic destroyer to come in close. When spotted, he wants them to take off and stay low, surrounding the destroyer on all sides. He figures the Jedi will want to be dropped off and then use their large ship for cover. “It’s too easy, and they are so predictable,” Tyro says. He is going to wait in a small light craft and fly to them once their star destroyer is targeted. Tyro knows the Jedi will be weakened from their losses, immature, and easy pickings, so he isn’t concerned about not having his two apprentices. They weren’t very strong in the dark side, and Tyro knew this. That’s why he sent them to find Abeloth in his galaxy to hopefully increase their Force using output like it had done for him and his Sith Sabers many years before.
Day one of Rey’s Corellian trial is finally over, and she is resting in her cell, sitting on a cement slab bed. She is talking to herself, saying, “I hope the Jedi are going to be okay without me. Something doesn’t feel right, but it’s distant, like something is calling out from the Force. I don’t know what it could be.” Just now, another voice echoes out in the prison cell. “It’s a long-lost power from beyond. Only Tyro was there many years ago, and there he found where the Chazrach had come from and how to use them to conquer his galaxy,” answered Luke Skywalker. It had been a long time since she heard from him, and hearing his voice made her smile in surprise. “Luke, what is happening?” asks a relieved Rey. She stops herself with a realization to focus her thoughts on questioning Luke and rephrases it, “There’s a galaxy-ending emergency. What could it be if it’s not Tyro and it’s from this beyond?” Luke says, “There are darker things that exist than Sith, just as there are lighter things than Jedi. I can only tell you to continue your path and trust your young Jedi who are left. They have good hearts and have made all of us proud. I’m sorry to hear about Raef and Forisa. Rey, you know about my failings with Ben. You need to remember that each person makes their own decisions, whether for good or bad. As a Jedi Master, our greatest burden is when they grow beyond our grasp and teachings, where we must let them go.” Rey smiles and says, “You got that saying from Master Yoda.” Luke’s voice chuckles, echoing in the cell, “Perhaps I did. Leia and I are so proud of you, Rey. Take care, and remember the Force will be with you, always.”
The Liberator comes into Bothawui hot out of lightspeed with moments to spare, just before colliding with the surface. Luckily, they have plenty of area to work with before coming up on the Bothan city where Tyro has said he would be at his so-called “Alliance Summit.” Admiral Connix orders out their next move, “that open area down there looks good with plenty of ships and speeders. Bring the ship down, and let’s make this as quick of a drop-off as we can make it. Who knows how fast the Bothans will detect our large star destroyer and come after us. You know they are famous for their covert operation and encryption skills.” The ship lands in the open area, and the Jedi Knights, C-3PO, R2-D2, the Barabels, and a large group of Republic soldiers unload, ready for a fight. They get clear of the ship with Master Finn, BB-8, Connix, and her team of Republic officers staying on the bridge so they can protect them from above, and Finn being the Jedi Knights’ eyes and ears in the sky. Without provocation or any attack in the far distance on multiple sides of the Liberator, there are numerous large ships appearing as specks flying towards them. “We’re going to have a lot of company faster than we anticipated. Find cover, knights!” comlinks Finn to Mace. “We copy, Dad. Be safe up there,” replies Mace. Finn says, “You be safe down there too, son.” The approaching ships are now in range to fire on them, but none are doing so. Finn, Connix, and the officers decide not to fire back because they are vastly outnumbered anyway, plus stalling the battle gives more time for the ground team to safely get away from there. A small cruiser breaks free from one of the Bothan groups and is flying towards them, accelerating at their star destroyer. “What does this ship think it’s doing? Going up against us alone? Prepare to blow this thing out of the sky,” orders the Admiral. Over their loudspeakers, Lord Tyro’s voice bellows out, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Unless you want your ship and your lives to be a distant memory to those you love.” Finn yells out, “Tyro! It’s him! Admiral, fire everything we have on that small craft!” Connix replies, “you heard the Jedi Master! Fire!” The Liberator begins to fire its main laser guns at him. Tyro flies into maneuvers that only a Force user could pull off, from fast multiple barrel rolls to spins that would dizzy the best of pilots. “Is that all you have, Jedi?!” Laughs a very satisfied Sith Lord. Tyro makes his move to go to the surface just as from all sides of the Liberator, Bothans fire their guns and cannons. The A-wings and X-wings take off out of the star destroyer with Connix’s command, trying to save them and defend the Jedi group. The last Republic star destroyer from the Battle of Corellia can’t take the firepower, and it begins to blow up in numerous parts. The bridge is losing power, and the systems are going offline as fires break out everywhere. BB-8 beeps to Finn that “it’s scary” as he gets to one knee to put his arm around his longtime little droid buddy. Fire and explosions surround the Jedi Master and droid. Finn looks around in desperation to run while holding onto BB-8, but the front view port collapses, trapping him and BB-8 inside the inferno prison-like bridge. Finn thinks slowly and calmly and calls out on the comlink, “My Jedi family. Stay on the light side. Keep this balance of the Force in your hearts and minds. You must defeat Tyro. I’m sorry, Mace. Take care of your mother, Soles, and all of the knights. I love you. Dad loves you, Mace. May the Force be with you, always.”
The entire ground team is receiving the message as Mace looks up at the star destroyer as the explosions grow bigger and bigger as it crashes downward at the surface of Bothawui. Mace yells out, “No!!!!” Soles grabs him and holds him back so they aren’t spotted by the Bothan ships. “This can’t be happening!” Yells Mace as he collapses to his knees. In front of them, the star destroyer hits the ground with a huge explosion into the area with debris, dark clouds of smoke, and a blast of wind throwing everyone back into the air. The remaining A-wings and X-wings, piloted by Republic soldiers who flee off the star destroyer, are being picked off one by one and exploding above the ground team. C-3PO and R2-D2 are in shock. For the first time, 3PO was speechless. As they get up from the blast, Soles is trying to console Mace. “I know. I know. We have to stay alive for them and win this battle. Focus on our mission and finding Tyro.” Mace is teary-eyed but looks directly up and says, “I think Tyro has found us first.”
Rey feels Finn’s presence fade as his star destroyer crashes on Bothawui. Feeling him gone, she suddenly jumps up in a panic and runs right through the prison cell door, breaking it down. Sprinting through the hallway, she fights the prison guards using her Force powers as they’re quickly knocked out and thrown about. Rey grabs the steel sliding bars to the entrance, rips them loose, and pushes them aside. She continues to run, trying to figure out how to get out of there and off-planet as the alerted authorities begin to chase her in vehicles and on foot. Rey makes it to the large platform the Millennium Falcon was grounded on and where she was once arrested days earlier. She yells out in frustration, “Where could it be!?” Above her, the Corellian authority ships appear and surround the Jedi Master with their spotlights on her. “Blast it! You’re a fool, Rey! A fool! Why did you stay here at this hopeless place!?” She yells out in anger. “Ah, Rey, you awoke me from my nap. I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere,” casually says an approaching Thrackan Sal. Rey grits her teeth in angry frustration but starts to focus her feelings by closing her eyes in a rapidly meditative process of calming herself with purpose and resolve to avenge losing Finn.
Lord Tyro exits his small craft as the Bothan ships surround the area from the sky, almost as an audience watching the show that’s about to unfold. “Well, what do we have here?” States a laughing Tyro as he looks at the Barabels. “Lizards? That’s your big answer to saving the galaxy? Lizard people and droids? I expect more from Jedi, but you are just children after all,” Tyro continues talking down to them. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done to our family!” Mace yells out. “I’d like to see it, Jedi child,” Tyro answers him. Saba couldn’t take any more talk and yelled in the Barabel language to attack. Before the Jedi and Republic soldiers could even react, the Barabels were already on the run towards Tyro, but up above, a Bothan ship rains laser fire down upon them, blasting them to pieces. Saba had taken the lead and was the only Barabel left as she was close enough to Tyro. She jumps and claws at him as he ignites his red lightsaber simultaneously. He misses her head with a swing as she ducks and spins around his backside behind his other arm and slashes it off with one huge swipe! Tyro yells out in pain, losing his arm in an instant but swings his lightsaber around with the arm that he still has, cutting off Saba’s tail. The pain knocks her down with her back, oozing blood as she scrambles to get away. The Republic soldiers and two droids witnessing all of the carnage are frozen in fear and looking to the Jedi to do something about Tyro. “We got this,” a confident Temiri says to them. “Do we?” asks Hal. “It’s either him or us,” Soles answers. “Let’s finish this,” Anna yells out. Lord Tyro orders the Bothans to not fire on the Jedi as he puts it, “I want to kill them myself, one by one!” The Jedi run at him without being fired as the Republic soldiers do not follow because they’re too scared by Tyro and overwhelmed to do anything. Corran, Anna, and Azuree are the first ones to reach Tyro, and they pull out their lightsabers. They clash blades and begin fighting with clouds of debris being kicked up by all of the Force powers being leveled against one another. The other Jedi, being Soles, Mace, Lewbacca, Temiri, and Hal, surround the three in a half circle. Fighting a Sith Lord is no easy challenge, and Corran and Azuree are blocking stronger and more experienced Tyro attacks from above them using their advantage in speed. It gives them an upper hand in dodging his swinging death blows. Their lightsabers are clashing and smashing one another repeatedly, and finally, Azuree gets a lightsaber strike that knocks Tyro’s lightsaber out of his remaining hand and arm. They both jump back, joining the group of Jedi who are now halfway surrounding him.
“I’d say it’s time for target practice, Knights!” Yells Soles. Tyro, in immense pain and anger, yells back, “You have no idea what Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra will become! They will unleash evil across your galaxy! You’re a bunch of brats!” Mace with resolve shouts out to Tyro, “we’re a bunch of Jedi Knights!” All seven Jedi throw their lightsabers at Tyro. They keep each of their lightsabers lit in the air by use of the Force. With only one arm left and without his lightsaber to defend himself, there is nothing Tyro can do but try to dodge the incoming weapons. He spins around as one lightsaber misses, but Mace, using the Force, turns his lightsaber from the air into Tyro’s side. The Sith Lord falls to one knee with a surprised expression on his face. Soles and Lewbacca’s lightsabers connect with Tyro’s other leg, following with Temiri’s and Hal’s sabers piercing into his torso. Tyro is in shock as the other lightsabers from Azuree, Anna, and Corran go into his shoulders that were guided through the air by their use of the Force. With all the lightsaber jabbing into Tyro’s body, he falls over, landing flat on the ground. The evil Sith Lord Tyro is dead.
Meanwhile, above the Bothan ships, a Republic Fleet appears from open space as it’s the long-awaited help that’s finally answered by the long-standing Republic planet of Naboo. They fire at the Bothans from space as the enemy ships turn upwards to face Republic forces leaving the Jedi safe on the ground. Lewbacca runs over to Saba and immediately begins to tend to her wounded back. The rest of the Jedi, seeing their new protection above, slowly walk up to Tyro, looking at his body lying on the ground and turning off their lightsabers using the Force and picking up their lightsabers. “Make sure he’s, you know, gone,” says Temiri. “He is, I can feel it,” answers Soles. “I think we did it, Knights,” assured Azuree. They nod together in approval and high-five feeling a sense of relief that none of them have felt in a long time, but it has come at a massive toll of losing their family and friends. It is a somber celebration. The battle above was already over as the Naboo Fleet was coming in to get the Jedi out of there, as Republic soldiers behind the Jedi had communicated with the new fleet to let them know they’re allies while the Jedi were facing Tyro. They help Saba get on the Naboo transport ship to get her to the medical bay that had come down to pick them up. Once everyone is on board, droids included, the ship takes off, and they begin to rise up with the Naboo fleet. The Captain of the Naboo ship asks, “Where to now, Jedi Knights?” They’re looking out at the view of the massive fleet around them flying in perfect formation towards the stars of space. The Jedi are close together, and as Soles puts her arm around Mace with Lewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 on his other side, Mace says, “Coreilla. We’re going to Corellia.”
END OF PART II
PART III: DESTINY OF THE FORCE
The SITH Lord Tyro is destroyed! Yet, war rages on between his FREE ORDER and THE GRAND REPUBLIC, with the Jedi Knights on their way to Corellia in an attempt to rescue Jedi Master Skywalker and expose Head of State Thrackan Sal’s evil plans.
Meanwhile, Tyro’s two SITH Apprentices, Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra, are searching in the CHAZRACH Galaxy for Abeloth, a mysterious dark side Force user.
Wanting more dark powers for themselves and needing guides, the two SITH have followed Tyro’s final orders and are nearing the planet of the Flow-walkers….
57 ABY: 57 Years After The Battle of Yavin
The Unknown Regions of wild space are harder to navigate than the crew of the Aggressor initially thought. The coordinates that Lord Tyro gave his two Sith apprentices, and subsequently the ship’s crew, have them flying past a planet that looks like a thick jungle covered in the Chazrach growth, colors of green and orange. After that, they hyperspace jump to a cluster of asteroids that had seen better days, there are stations and ships, but are obliterated. Makin Marec, who is one of the leaders of the bounty hunter mercenary team that was hired to escort the Sith, has finally enough of the mystery and gets out of his pilot’s seat to go ask the two Sith in the main cabin what in the world they are doing out here and why there is so much destruction everywhere.
Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra are in the main cabin, still trying to come to grips with the fact they felt a flash of energized anger that Lord Tyro died at the hands of the Jedi. Darth Faero is lying down on a bench, and Lady Ziyra is sitting in a shaking meditation. Makin Marec hastily intrudes on their alone time and blurts out, “What in the tauntaun’s behind are we doing out here!?” Both Sith do not answer or even look at him, as if he isn’t even there asking them a very important question. Makin speaks again, “All I want to know is, are we going to be getting there any time soon, and is my crew going to be safe?” Lady Ziyra answers angrily, “I’ve been to this galaxy, as you can see out the window, and took care of the Chazrach. You’ll be safe with us out here, bounty hunter.” Makin gives Darth Faero an upset look. “I’m not worried about Chazrach. I’m worried about where we’re going and why you aren’t telling us anything about it. I don’t like to fly blind to an unknown place in an unknown galaxy with an unknown plan. It’s too many unknowns, my Lords.” Lady Ziyra sternly says, “Go back to flying, Marec. We’re almost to the Storms of Chazra.” Makin, wide-eyed, repeats, “Storms of Chazra? I don’t even want to know.” He leaves them as they both look at one another, smirking. Darth Faero says, “I like being a bad guy. It’s easy and you don’t have to care about other people’s feelings.” Lady Ziyra says jokingly, “I second that, my Lord.”
Corellia is the center of the galaxy. All remaining systems capitulate to the Free Order once news of Coruscant being sacked by the Bothans and the capital planet being locked down, with all Republic government officials arrested and imprisoned. Chief of State Fyzo Rodron formally steps down, relinquishing his position on the Holonet for all Republic citizens to witness. Republic systems and planets follow in surrendering, knowing what was left of Republic forces couldn’t defend them. Many leaders think Head of State Thrackan Sal is not such a bad switch, considering he’d been a part of the Republic for so long anyway, and the hope is it will be business as usual. Especially because news had come out of Bothawui that Tyro was killed by so-called ‘Rogue Jedi’ and the galaxy is better off with a man like Thrackan Sal, who’s not a Force user, to be in power and lead. Most politicians and citizens reason he is not bad like a Sith Lord or Sith Emperor, thus bolstering his reputation in the galaxy.
Jumping out of hyperspace at the edge of Corellian territory is the Republic Naboo Fleet. In the lead ship are the Jedi Knights. Mace has been quiet on the long ride from Bothawui, and everyone has given him space and time since losing his father during the battle. C-3PO is talking to R2-D2 and the Jedi Knights about their adventures with BB-8, who perished in the battle alongside Finn. C-3PO is telling the tale of the Battle of Crait and how they reunited there, and against all odds, Luke Skywalker had saved them. “Yes, R2, I was just getting to that. Master Luke winked at me, and I was rather speechless. I had not seen him in so long,” 3PO is saying. R2-D2 beeps at him, cutting him off, telling him how they then met up at the Falcon as the last of the Resistance at that moment in time. 3PO finishes with “How do you say? Those were the good old days? Is that it, R2?” R2 beeps in approval. The group of remaining Jedi sit quietly, thinking about their current situation and not being able to reunite with their lost loved ones.
On the Corellian planet, Rey’s trial is in recess, and she’s sitting back in her cell, awaiting the next volley of accusations and attacks. Earlier, she had attempted to escape, so there were triple security guards and advanced security droids in the hall and outside. With time on her hands, she had tried to summon any possible way to talk to Finn or any other Force ghost that wanted to talk, but she had been unsuccessful. Yet, something feels peaceful to her; she feels that her son and the other Jedi are okay and are close by, so she took a seat in the cold prison cell. There is a knock at the locked door, and a fuming Thrackan Sal comes storming in, shouting at Rey, “he’s dead! Your stupid Jedi killed Tyro! What am I going to do now!?” Rey answers mockingly, “I don’t know. Head of State, maybe you should stop this insanity and restore the Republic and let me go.” Thrackan says, “Ha, very funny. You do know your son and his friends are at the edge of our system right now. I can blow them all away with one order.” Rey stands up and says, “I have a better idea. You stop this war. You become the hero. The Republic is yours. As long as you let there be a democracy, release your political prisoners across the galaxy, and let the Jedi serve in peace. I will support you and Corellia. Call it whatever you wish. Your own Grand Free Order or anything your heart desires. What do you say?” Rey reaches her hands out that were cuffed in a gesture to shake hands on it. Thrackan Sal takes a long, hard look at the Jedi Master. He motions over one of his guards to unlock her hands. She is freed by the guard as her cuffs fall to the ground. He reaches his hand out to shake her hand, startling her, and with a determined look, says, “Why not, Jedi. It’s a good deal.”
The Storms of Chazra are difficult yet successful for those onboard the Aggressor as the ship did not short-circuit, nor has it lost its flight through the powerful storms. The ship has already passed Tyro’s moon planet, and they are heading further into the unknown. Darth Faero makes his way to the cockpit. He tells Ailyn Vel, Makin Marec, and their uneasy crew his orders that “you’re only needed for the return journey, so you’ll wait on the ship, and Lady Ziyra and myself will not be disturbed on the planet of the Flow-walkers.” The crew nods in quiet agreement as Makin spots up ahead a clouded planet with mist wrapped around it and ascending into a light source. He points and says, “Up ahead. I think that’s the place, my Lords.” Darth Faero gives a nod and replies, “good bounty hunter. See, that isn’t so hard. Take us in.” Ailyn comments, “we must be the furthest anyone has ever been from our galaxy.” Lady Ziyra states, “I’m sure Grand Admiral Thrawn has the record.” Darth Faero replies, “I believe you’re right. The Imperials were so expansive that if they had stayed in power, our known galaxy could have been filled with even more riches and splendor.” Makin says, “and I heard they paid the best, too.” Ailyn continues his line of thought, sharing, “my father, Boba Fett, would tell me the riches he could fetch working for them. What a time to be a bounty hunter back then in the golden age of the Empire.”
The Aggressor flies into the clouds of the bright planet that is lit up by a massive energy source above it. Between the Storms of Chazra and the bumpy entry to the new planet, Ailyn and Makin worry for the ship and their survival getting out of this unknown galaxy of dangers. The clouds finally part as the Aggressor’s view is a misty sky with a mountain-filled landscape, and on top of that, it’s snowing. Also, it looks like the mountains reach up to the light energy above them, and the ship’s crew and bounty hunters are stunned in amazement. Lady Ziyra is the first one to comment, “What an interesting place.” Darth Faero delights to see what looks like a settlement ahead up the slope of one of the largest mountains, and he says, “up there. Take us in and remember not to leave without us, or you’re not going to get paid by Thrackan Sal.” Ailyn answers, “of course, my Lord, we understand the job.” The ship lands near the settlement as the two Sith exit the ship and walk out in their black, blue, and red robes, each with their hoods up. It starts snowing harder, but there’s no wind. Lady Ziyra questions Darth Faero, “How can we be so high up in elevation, and there’s not even a slight breeze?” He answers, “I’m not sure, but it looks like you can ask the locals about it yourself,” as a species of white bony plated beings are walking towards them. They have two legs and two arms and are clawed and have long tails. Their heads are armored with two large eyes, no teeth, but they have numerous tongues. Once close enough to the two Sith, the group of beings stop, and there is complete and utter silence. The falling snowflakes are the only movement. One of the beings starts clicking its tongues together in different noises and continues doing it for a while. A frustrated Lady Ziyra finally yells out, “we can’t understand you!!! Can you speak!!??” Then out of nowhere in Lady Ziyra and Darty Faero’s mind, a loud voice booms in their galactic basic language clearly, saying, “CAN YOU LISTEN?” After the initial shock fades, Darth Faero asks, “How did you do that, and who are you?” Again, the being starts clicking its tongues, but this time its voice is directly heard in their minds. “We can speak through the Force. Once I heard your language, I adjusted my frequency so we may understand one another. We are the Aong-Tai, and we are the guardians of the Force.”
Lady Ziyra had her initial doubts about all of this, but she realizes there’s a possibility that what Tyro had instructed them to do could be true. She looks at Darth Faero as he nods in approval to begin to weave the tale they had practiced while on their way to the desolate planet of being the good guys in front of the Flow-walkers. Lady Ziyra begins to speak gracefully, “My name is Ziyra, and this is my friend among the stars, Faero. We have come to you in peace, but we are hoping you can take us to where you brought our Master years ago. His name is Tyro. Do you remember or know of him?” The Aong-Tai, who spoke to them first, speaks through their minds again by use of Force powers, replying, “my name is Bahua, welcome Ziyra and Faero, and we know of Tyro, quite well. He came a generation ago wanting to understand the ways of the Force and had an interest in going with us to the realm of beyond.” Darth Faero interjects, “so, he did go with you?” The Aong-Tai, Bahua, answers, “yes, he did, and at the beyond, he defied our rules of observation and opened a portal with his powers and a being who calls itself Abeloth, who answered his calls for power. Once we returned home, we banished Tyro from entering the beyond again due to the rule breaking, and then he left us. Fearing the threat of the dark being, we decided to close the path by shutting our flow-walking gate and practices to prevent Abeloth from ever fully entering our realm, but its growth and life did come to our galaxy, and with his new abilities from the beyond, Tyro created the Chazrach. An extension of Abeloth’s energy and power. Ever since, we have not known what else to do, but to guard our home and protect this balance.” Darth Faero blurts out, “but that is exactly your problem. You’re scared of a whole other realm of existence because of this Abeloth beings’ power? Surely, if you believe there is a balance, there are both dark and light possibilities within this realm. There’s no need for fear or worry, my friends. We’re here to return to this great beyond and defeat Abeloth with you together! That’s what Tyro’s last orders were for us before he tragically died.” Bahua looks at them puzzled and replies, “I suppose we Aong-Tai don’t know as much as we think.” Lady Ziyra steps up closer to Bahua and says, “Take us, and we promise to fix your problem. Faero and I are strong in the Force, and we can do what Tyro could not. Trust us to bring balance to the great beyond and find what else there is in that realm besides Abeloth. We can free you from your doom!” Bahua turns and looks at his group to signal to huddle. They click their tongues together, talking in a language only they can understand. The group turns to face Lady Ziyra and Darth Faero and speak as one in their minds, “we will permit you to enter, but you both will do so at your own risk. If there is darkness, there must be light. We hope you can help us bring balance to the beyond. Bahua will be your guide.” Darth Faero gives Lady Ziyra a facial expression of satisfaction and comments, “lead the way, my Aong-Tai Masters.” Their deceptive plan has clearly worked.
The Jedi Knights are surprised by an incoming message from Thrackan Sal, explaining to them that he has canceled Rey’s trial and a new peace has been agreed to, as long as they do not attack Corellia. Thrackan says in the message, “the newly named ‘Galactic Alliance’ by yours truly will go forward, and politicians on Coruscant will also be freed on the condition that they immediately move to our government, with me as the Alliance Chief of State. I don’t like you, Jedi, and you don’t like me, but we have no other choice, as your powers far exceed my own personal capability while my forces exceed yours. I will see you soon and send my condolences about your losses. That is war, and we must move on for the greater good of the galaxy,” with the message ending on that note. Lewbacca is the first one to speak up and roars, “it looks like Rey finally got to Thrackan.” Anna angrily comments, “if we had only taken out Tyro earlier.” Saba, who is a reptilian Barabel from Barab I and the newest member of the Jedi Knights, replies, “it’s not good to dwell on what-ifs, Anna. I know it hurts, but the sacrifices made by your loved ones have gotten us to the point where we’re at now. I’m glad things are finally settled.” Mace is sitting on the floor to the side of the group as Soles walks up and sits down beside him. “How are you feeling, Mace?” she asks. “I’m proud of my Dad for what he sacrificed for us, but I already miss him.” Soles answers, “I miss my family too. I know distance is not as permanent as death, but ever since I left my family and home to become a Jedi, it feels like in a way I have lost them, or maybe they lost me. I don’t know, but it doesn’t feel good, and I struggle with it.” Corran is looking out at the stars but is close enough to hear the conversation and adds, “I have lost a lot of relationships. None have hurt more than the Chazrach killing my boyfriend Dazan a year ago. I even gave myself the title ‘The Chazrach Hunter’ because all I wanted was revenge for what they had done to him. I guess I feel like there’s a part of me I’ll never get back, but I’ve learned we all have to do the best with what we have left, which is the people around me here.”
Bahua led the Sith above the Aong-Tai settlement to the top of the mountain. Among the mist and clouds is a bright white light of energy shining all around them. A circular structure with massive rocks standing up is the gate that Bahua had explained to Faero and Ziyra while on their trip to it. “Please, now lay down on each side of me in the middle of the gate to the beyond, and I will join you,” explains the Aong-Tai guide. The three settle down on the stone ground, and Darth Faero asks, Noww what?” At each rock pillar, Aong-Tai appear and begin to use the Force, turning the large stones in different directions, and the floor begins to rotate. Sounds of rock grinding and energy begin to swirl around as the two Sith are slowly spinning with the rock while on the ground. Bahua says, Holdd on to my sides, close your eyes, and think about releasing your feelings. Make sure to steady your breathing, and I will lift you up from your body.” Lady Ziyra startlingly questions, “Wait, what? We’re lifting up from our bodies? That’s flow-walking?” The Aong-Tai replies, “no more questions, but yes, we leave our physical self behind when we go to the great beyond. I hope you’re okay with out-of-body experiences.” Bahua chuckles with personal delight.
As their Force Ghosts are being lifted out of them, Darth Faero, Lady Ziyra, and Bahua’s bodies go limp, cold, and motionless. The gate shuts off, and their faded outline of life energy, yet still themselves in appearance, begin to float up towards the light. They hold onto Bahua as they ascend, flying up and feeling weightless. Once they enter the light of the new realm, the clouds above the mountain planet become darker and darker. The white light begins to fade into grey clouds with a heavy mist that surrounds their Force Ghosts. “We are almost there,” echoes Bahua to the two Sith. They break through the thick grey clouds and settle on a surface that their Force Ghosts land on. “What is this place?” Lady Ziyra asks. In front of them is a lake with no waves, currents, or ripples on it, and above it is a swirling black hole-looking portal. Bahua answers, Thiss is part of the realm of the beyond. This reflecting pool holds those who have come or been lost to this part of the beyond. You may approach the reflecting pool to see if any spirits will speak to you, but we are here for Abeloth and not spirits.” Darth Faero and Lady Ziyra walk to the edge to look down into the calm and quiet clear water. A face rises to the surface as if someone is coming closer to a mirror.
It’s a Jedi Knight, Chase Brakiss. The young slain Jedi’s face reaches the surface, and he says, Helloo, Raef and Forisa. I’m sure you probably don’t want to see me right now, but there are some important things you must know before going any further.” Lady Ziyra says, “Chase, I’m sorry for what happened, but you didn’t give us any other choice.” Darth Faero says, Doon’t apologize to him, Ziyra. I didn’t think I’d see you again.” Chase looks at him, sadly. “I know you ended my lif because you were lost and hurt by a corrupt teacher. You aim for power with your greed, ye I still forgive you, Raef. I miss both of you and so do your friends.” Darth Faero looks at him, confused and speechless, not thinking that was what he was going to say to him of all people. Chase continues, “I must warn you about Abeloth. She’s a powerful being and has taken over this realm. You must leave now.” Lady Ziyra answers, “we’ll take our chances,” and Darth Faero comments, “typical Chase, always worrying even in the afterlife, so long Jedi.” The two Sith Force Ghosts leave his face in the reflecting pool as they join up with Bahua as the Aong-Tai points up at the portal that is beginning to swirl and move. “We can still go back if you want,” says Bahua. “Not a chance. We’ve come a long way to meet this Abeloth,” Darth Faero replies, grinning.
“I’m not feeling so good,” Lady Ziyra says as her Force Ghost begins to convuls, and her eyes turn white. “What’s going on, Bahua!?” Yells Darth Faero. The Aong-Tai says, “beings who aren’t strong enough in the Force are susceptible to Abeloth’s powers, my dear friend of the stars, Faero.” Lady Ziyra screams and begins to swirl into hersel, becoming a bright white light of energy that shoots through the air into the portal above the calm waters of the reflecting pool. Back at the gate, Lady Ziyra’s body convulses and is electrocuted in front of the watching, helpless Aong-Tai. “Abeloth is here,” Bahua sadly comments. A dark figure floats out of the portal where Lady Ziyra’s beam of light had just gone. The shadow figure flies down, approaching the two remaining Force users. It transfigures into Lady Ziyr but has white glowing eyes and longer hands with claws. The being says, “I am Abeloth. Thank you for the energy, Forisa. Her powers are most welcome. Hello, dark side chil. Youu are powerful enough to join me in my crusade as your Master Tyro had done. Now Bahua, do you really think you can keep me here forever?” Bahua answers, “that’s the plan!” The Aong-Tai jumps at Abeloth, but the being grabs Bahua and begins to electrify his Force Ghost. Bahua calls out to Darth Faero as he struggles, Helpp me, young one, we must stop Abeloth, please…” Darth Faero stands in silence and watches.
Abeloth throws Bahua away as the Aong-Tai guide blacks out from the struggle and is suspended above the reflecting pool lake. Darth Faero looks at her and says, “I know the way back. Let’s go.” Abeloth smiles and says, “lead the way, my dark side child.” They leave Bahua behind and fly fast downward to the gate to the beyond. Darth Faero’s Force Ghost goes right back into his body, and he wakes up. He looks to his side, and Bahua’s body is unharmed, but Lady Ziyra is nowhere to be found. The gate is powering down as the movement comes to a complete stop. Bahua is left in the realm with the gate now closed. Also, there’s no Aong-Tai around to reopen the gate. Below the mountain, Darth Faero can see lightning and hear thunder and explosions at the settlement where the Aggressor is waiting as he leaves Bahua’s body behind and begins running down the mountain.
Darth Faero makes his way down to the Aong-Tai settlement and finds them spread about dead from electrocution. He hears the engines of the Aggressor fire up and sprints to the ship. At the landing ramp, there are bodies of the Aggressor crew, but Ailyn and Makin aren’t there. Abeloth is waiting at the top of the ramp for him as Darth Faero approaches her cautiously. In the form of Lady Ziyra, the being says, Helloo again, my dark side child. Your realm is not what I thought it would be at this point in time. It’s full of weakness.” Darth Faero replies, “that’s just the Jedi way, and I abandoned it for Lord Tyro. He told me you could bring us power to conquer and rule this realm.” Abeloth smiles wide with her sharp teeth as Lady Ziyra’s robed body is slowly transforming into more of Abeloth. She says, Wheree is Tyro now?” A surprised Darth Faero says, “the Jedi somehow killed him, but his body is on Bothawui.” Abeloth answers, “then we will go to Bothawui, and Tyro will join us. The power you seek will soon be rewarded to you, my young Faero. Now, come and join me on my new ship.” He agrees as they walk up the ramp and to the cockpit as a very worried Ailyn and Makin are in the pilot and co-pilot’s seat. Abeloth yells at them, Youu will fly us to Bothawui or die!” Ailyn looks over to Makin and reaches her hand out. He holds it softly, and they have a moment together, looking into one another’s eyes. Makin then lets go of Ailyn’s hand and nods in assurance that it’s going to be okay. He finally replies, Nextt stop, Bothawui.” Seeing the full exchange from the two people, Abeloth says, “love is so pathetically weak in every realm.” The Aggressor takes off and leaves Bahua and the dead behind.
Corellia has changed from a battleground to the central hub of galactic peace talks. The Jedi Knights and Naboo Fleet were welcomed to land safely on thecapitall grounds of Corellia, and Thrackan Sal has accepted Rey’s truce and is running with it, knowing Tyro is dead. Thrackan declares his new title as Chief of State of the new ‘Galactic Alliance’ that will hopefully bring the galaxy peace. On Coruscant, the Senate and other political prisoners, including Fyzo Rodron, the former Chief of State, are freed and on their way to Corellia to unite with Thrackan’s government. Many leaders and high officials of prominence are coming together from numerous planets and systems to celebrate the end of the short-lived, costly war that nearly destroyed the democracy they had fought so desperately to achieve against the First and Final Orders a generation ago.
Rey is out of prison clothes and back in her Jedi robes, with her lightsaber attached at the belt, waiting for her son Mace and the Jedi group to enter the government plaza where the speeches and celebrations have been going on since the announcement by Thrackan. The Jedi are told they’re free from government rule and will not operate as a branch of power, but rather as its own autonomous group who will have enough authority to assist the Galactic Alliance as its peacekeepers. Now, with the Jedi Order having an established role going forward, Rey feels a slight sense of relief and is looking forward to reuniting with the Knights, especially after losing Finn, whose heroics helped save the galaxy. The crowds are large, and it takes a while for Mace, the Jedi, and the droids to get to the plaza, but once they do, Mace and Rey hug it out, and a teary-eyed Mom apologizes to her son for not being on Bothawui. “I’m sorry, Mace. I’m sorry. I wish I had been there,” Rey says while they’re hugging. Mace replies, “Dad loved us, and he knew what had to be done, but I wish I could have saved him.” Rey replies, “we both have to be strong now.” The other Jedi walk up to the two, and Rey hugs each Knight one at a time, talking with them in grief. After the hugs, she explains to the group who are now closely standing around her, Youu took down Tyro and saved our galaxy. Ican nott tell you how proud I am of each of you,” as she smiles with tears running down her cheeks. Just then, trailing behind, C-3PO and R2-D2 are seen by Rey. The golden droid 3PO was explaining to R2, Noww see all of this celebrating because of Master Finn and BB-8,” R2-D2 chirps back beeping, “but I miss them.” 3PO answers, “Me too, R2, and we were most fortunate to survive.” The two droids see Rey, and 3PO begins waving in the air at her as the two make their way to the group. “Over here you two,” Rey calls out to them. 3PO replies, “Master Skywalker! Good to see you indeed! Thank the make. Youu are okay!” R2 sends out many happy beeps seeing her. As they are united in the plaza, the Jedi Knights and mostly 3PO tell Rey about what they had been through, catching her up with all that had happened since she was locked up on Corellia.
The crowds dissipate once the speeches and revelry are over, and the Jedi are told by Thrackan’s soldiers that the Republic delegation is on their way and they show them to their quarters. That night, the Jedi sleep in luxurious accommodations, and it’s Rey’s first night out freely in the galaxy without her husband, Finn. The emptiness she feels is only filled by Mace snoring on the couch, Soles and C-3PO making dinner, and R2-D2 setting the table. She enjoys being out of her prison cel and away from the cement slab she had called home ever since Thrackan locked her up. Now, she’s staying at the best comfort dwelling Corellia has to offer. The times were strange indeed, she thinks to herself, but she has her son, the Jedi, and the droids to take care of and be with. The Jedi are having fun together in one of the rooms down the hall. Pillow fights, dancing, and games of truth or dare ensue, and Lewbacca is roaring so loud with delight that the Corellian hotel security checks on them to see if everyone is okay. It’s a fun time to be a Jedi with the war seemingly over as their partying continues into the late night.
In the late morning, the Jedi gather outside and make their way back to the plaza. The plan is to meet up with the former Chief of State Fyzo Rodron and the other Republic officials who arrived at Corellia during the night. It seems like everything has worked out thanks to the sacrifices and struggles they all had endured, bu suddenly, Marieene runs up to the Jedi, startling all of them. “I have really bad news, my friends,” she says sternly and continues to explain, “the Sith and a being calling itself Abeloth are now on Bothawui!” With a concerned tone, Rey asks, “Marieene, where did you hear this?” The long-time librarian of Obroa-Skai replies, “I heard you were here, so I came as fast as I could fly. Kyle visited me in a dream and told me about what the Sithhade been up t, and they released a dark side Force user called Abeloth!” Anna comments, “what a unique name.” Hal says, “I knew Raef and Forisa were up to no good.” Soles shakes her head in frustratio and says, “I guess we now know even Tyro answered to something bigger than himself.” Corran asks, Aree you sure they are on Bothawui?” Marieene answers, “according to Kyle, that’s where they are, and they mean to take over the planet and our galaxy.” Rey says, “then there’s no time to waste. We have to get to Bothawui and end this darkness.” The Jedi look at one another and nod in agreement. Rey continues, saying, “and I know just the ship to get us there the fastest.” Everyone perks up, knowing what Rey means in getting back the Falcon from Thrackan, and then C-3PO excitedly says, “maybe we could get the Millennium Falcon back and take it to Bothawui!” The Jedi look at the droid, and everyone laughs at his delayed response. “Way to state the obvious, 3PO,” a smiling Mace says. “To the Falcon!” Shouts a happy Temiri. Marieene says, Andd I’m coming with you. This is personal.”
Bothawui is a bright blue and green-colored planet, with grassy plains, large mountain ranges, and scarce polar ice caps. There are settlements, urban areas, and large plazas where the Aggressor has landed close by under the orders of Diabaloth, who is still possessing Lady Ziyra’s body. Abeloth is sensing Tyro’s body on Bothawui, closing her eyes and ordering Ailyn and Makin where to fly the ship. Nobody on board dares to question it. Darth Faero assumes, in his thoughts, that in the realm of the beyond, Tyro and Abeloth connected in powerful ways. The two surviving bounty hunters, Ailyn and Makin, have other thoughts about what to do. They secretly signal to one another that once on Bothawui, they’ll do everything in their power to get out of this dangerous situation. Tyro is dead, and they both know payment is likely gone as well. Since the horrors back at the flow-walking planet as they helplessly watched their entire crew be zapped to death by Abeloth, it was survival mode for the two bounty hunters.
They arrive on the planet, and Darth Faero and Abeloth go down the ramp of the Aggressor and onto the grassy field beneath them. Ailyn and Makin know this is their only chance of escaping. They don’t even close the landing ramp as they fire the engines up and launch their ship into the sky. While on the grassy field looking up at the Aggressor, Darth Faero comments, Whatt shall we do with them?” Abeloth doesn’t answer and begins to hover off the ground, moving towards Tyro’s grave in the near distance.
Flying high up in the sky, a smiling Ailyn looks over at Makin and shouts out, “looks like we’re going to retire after all!” Makin reaches out for her hand, takes a hold of it, looks in her eyes, and profoundly in the moment asks, Willl you marry me?” A surprised and relieved Ailyn replies, “yes! Of course! Yes, Makin!” Once they enter the space above Bothawui, Ailyn yells, Okayy, my love, go to lightspeed in 3… 2… 1… now!” The two bounty hunters push the levers together and away the Aggressor goes, disappearing into space.
Tyro’s body was buried and decayed, and his wounds from the Jedi’s lightsabers had mangled his body to a certain extent, but to Abeloth, it did not matter. The dark side Force user rips the corpse up and out of the ground and is hovering above Tyro’s body. Red electricity begins releasing out of Abeloth all around the area. Darth Faero looks around in confusion, not knowing what’s happening, but he’s seeing his true fears and failures in his mind. Above Tyro, Abeloth’s energy transfers from it to Tyro in an explosion of power, leaving Lady Ziyra’s body to fall out of the electrified air and land on the ground. Darth Faero snaps out of his scary visions. He runs over to Lady Ziyra to see what happened to her and kneels down to see if his long-time friend is alive. He checks her vital signs, hoping she outlasted the possession, but she’s dead. “What have you done!?” He yells out as Tyro’s body turns into a blistering white and red with Abeloth’s white eyes opening. The body of Tyro sits up, and his mouth begins to widen with sharp teeth protruding from his face as red electricity is sparking in the air around it. Claws begin to grow where once Tyro’s hands had been as he becomes larger in size and stature than that of any human. Darth Faero looks at Abeloth in horror and then looks up to the sky. The once calm blue atmosphere begins to turn dark red with swirling clouds and wind. Abeloth, who is now Tyro, yells out angrily, “Forisa was a weak child just like you! With my new powers, I, Tyroth, will now take over this world and all worlds!” Darth Faero yells out, “Tyroth!? What are you going to do!?” Tyroth looks at him and says, Thee first thing I’m going to do is kill you!” Darth Faero jumps up, pulls out his red lightsaber, ignites it, and replies, “over my dead body!” Tyroth comments, “that’s the idea, foolis, weak child!” Darth Faero runs at the being and swipes at it missing dreadfully. Tyroth puts out its clawed han, and Force-grabs Darth Faero out of the air from his position as it has a hold of his chest. Gasping for air, he yells out, Pleasee! Spare me! I’m on your side, Tyroth!” The powerful being says, “I don’t need anybody on my side!” He digs his claws into Darth Faero’s chest with his sharp fingers extending into the young man’s body, crunching into his rib cage. Darth Faero feels himself as Raef again and valiantly yells out in anguish, Longg live the Jedi!” Upon hearing this, Tyroth gets even angrier and electrifies him with his red energy blasting into his body, and Raef’s face goes blank, and his struggling stops. Tyroth pulls his claws out of him, and his dead body hits the ground next to Forisa.
“Stupid Jedi! I hate them!” Tyroth yells out and walks towards the city, positioning his clawed hands down to the ground. Tyroth starts to transfer his energy onto the surface by emitting more of the red Force electricity. Red and black growth replaces the lush yellow fields and grey plaza structures. The skies are turning into an apocalypse of red darkness and storms. The mountains in the distance begin to shake and turn from snow-covered tops to black rock cascading down with eruptions of smoke and lava. Bothans begin to panic in the cities, trying to escape buildings shaking and earthquakes with lava rising up from underneath them. Many structures are falling into the planet’s core as openings are being created by the shifting planet’s mass. Emergency escape ships begin taking off and are hit by red lightning strikes in the churning dark skies, exploding them in the air. Nothing is getting away from Tyroth’s powerful energy. “There will be no survivors! I am Tyroth!” Yells out the combined Force powered up Abeloth who is now walking down the main street of Drev’starn city, attacking Bothan civilians and soldiers by shooting out electric red energy beams at them. The shots fired at Tyroth are bouncing and ricocheting off of him as a Force field of energy surrounds and protects him. Bothan ships fly down in attack formations at Tyroth, yet are being hit by thunderstorm red lightning strikes in the sky and crashing into buildings. The planet is engulfed in darkness and explosions that kill life and destroy nature. The dark side is becoming a visual reality for Bothans to see before they die as Bothawui transforms into Tyroth’s planet of explosive energy in the skies and destruction on the surface.
Meanwhile, Bahua’s body lay lifeless on the ground at the center of the gate on top of the mountain in the Chazrach galaxy. The planet of the Flow-walkers is dark, cold, and shrouded in a heavy fog. The once gatekeepers of the realm of the beyond are no more, and the bright light of the realm above has since disappeared. Bahua’s head twitches, and his chest begins to slowly move up and down as he breathes. His arms and hands, which have been down at his sides, are moving out in a wide open stretch. He starts to mumble through his many tongues, words that can not be heard, but is saying, “I am the Force. I am the Force. I am the Force. I am the Force.” There is a small ball of light that appears from the dark black sky above him. It grows in size, and from this ball, it sends down a beam of white light that touches and connects with Bahua’s chest. He stops mumbling, and his body stops moving. The ball of light expands more and more, becoming a cloud of light over him and the mountain. The energy is so powerful; its swirling winds begin to lift Bahua’s motionless body up from the ground and pull him into the cloud’s light. The energy flows into Bahua, and his eyes open as he stares into the whiteness of the beyond, floating up into the sky. He disappears into the cloud. The bright white light suddenly explodes out into nothingness and disappears, leaving the planet dark, cold, and in a night of cloudy fog.
The Millennium Falcon is handed back over to the Jedi on the one condition that it can’t be owned by anyone but will belong to a museum on Corellia for the galaxy to see and visit. As long as the mighty ship is not needed in galactic emergencies, that’s where it will reside. Presently, Rey is flying the Falcon, streaking through hyperspace on the way to Bothawui with the Jedi, droids, Marieene, and the former Chief of State of the Republic, Fyzo Rodron, on board. In the main cabin, Marieene is showing off her metallic gold lightsaber to the Jedi. She had built it with help from Kyle back when he was alive, and they had trained and sparred together for a year while they lived on Coruscant. When Marieene turns on the orange bright blade along with the gold hilt, it lights up the whole section of the ship. “It’s beautiful,” comments Soles. “I didn’t know a lightsaber could be so bright,” says Azuree. “I say we do a lightsaber swap,” Temiri jokingly offers as they laugh together. “Not a chance,” a smiling Marieene replies. Off to the side, Mace and Chewbacca are drinking caf to see who could drink the fastest, with R2-D2 beeping at them in delight. Rey, Fyzo, Corran, and C-3PO are in the cockpit of the Falcon, hanging out and listening to Fyzo’s story of what had happened on Coruscant.
The Millennium Falcon is so incredibly fast that the trip to Bothawui from Corellia feels like a skip and a jump to a system far closer. They come out of hyperspace, and the view of Bothawui is grim. The planet is a deep red with black clouds covering portions of it, and flashes of red lights and electrical charges of energy are pulsating everywhere. “Are you sure this is Bothawui? It looks more like Mustafar,” comments Fyzo. Rey checks the navigation and answers, “I can’t believe what we’re seeing. It’s Bothawui, alright.” A worried C-3PO says, “I believe we may be in great danger.” Corran, who had been quiet for a while, speaks up and replies, “you could say that, 3PO, but we’ve come to do a job, and we should see this thing through.” Rey says, “Corran is right. I think the best starting point will be the city of Drev’starn where there are the most Bothans and their defense command.” Fyzo adds, “I don’t know, Rey. It doesn’t look like there’s anything left of the defense force or the planet.” Rey replies, “Well, we will have to start somewhere, Fyzo, so I’m going to take us in.” The crew in the cockpit braces for a bumpy ride as Corran goes to the main cabin of the ship to tell the others where they’re going and explains to them the situation as the Falcon makes its way to the planet. The bumps and jolts begin instantly as the ship enters the atmosphere, and loud bangs and pops of electrical charge are all around them. Rey was flying as best she could as the Falcon was dodging and maneuvering through the darkness of red and black clouds. Soles enters the cockpit as she’s curious about what is going on and sits down behind Rey. “Hold on, everyone! We’re going in hot!” she yells out as she pushes the Falcon harder and faster towards what is left of the city. They finally break through the dark clouds and red electrical storms. “Everything is destroyed,” comments Soles, looking out at the unfolding scene on Drev’starn. “Oh dear, it doesn’t look safe to land anywhere. What should we do?” says C-3PO. “Where there is a will, there is a way, 3PO,” Rey replies. She brings the Falcon down, flying over what is left of the buildings and structures, looking for any signs of life. “Does anyone see anything out of the ordinary?” she asks. The crew is quiet and doesn’t answer as they begin to see bodies of the dead strewn throughout the streets, most of them burnt, and vehicles on fire. Also, large cracked openings of the planet are everywhere. They keep on flying above the once bustling and beautiful city, but low enough to see if there’s anything other than the carnage and wreckage of what the Sith had apparently done to the planet. “Abeloth must be stronger than we thought,” says Rey. Nobody comments as the crew continues to look out at what is left of the city.
Rey has an odd feeling inside her as she slows the Millennium Falcon down to a hover at the edge of Drev’starn city, and below lay the bodies of Raef and Forisa. “Oh my goodness,” C-3PO exclaims upon seeing them. With a serious tone, Rey says, “I’m taking us down and be on the lookout. We don’t know if this is a trap.” The Falcon settles on the surface but shakes as the ground is unstable. “3PO, stay here and get ready for anything. Let’s go see what happened,” Rey says as she, Fyzo, and Soles make their way to the main cabin where the rest of the group is awaiting instructions. “It doesn’t look good out there. Raef and Forisa appear to be dead, but I don’t know if it’s a trap or if they were killed by Abeloth.” The Wookiee Lewbacca roars his sorrow, and Azuree hugs Soles. Temiri and Corran look at one another and shake their heads. Marieene asks, “What are we going to do, Rey?” She replies, “I don’t know yet. I was thinking we should head out as a group and hope for the best.” Mace says, “Mom’s right. We go together.” Everyone slowly and cautiously walks down the landing ramp of the Falcon, besides the droids who stay on the ship. They look up at the sky, and its dark red, with black clouds swirling around and mountains in the distance exploding and pouring out lava. The city behind them is on fire, with ships that had crashed into buildings, and there are blown-up vehicles. Bodies of Bothans are strewn out in the streets, torched and burned. Raef and Forisa are dead, their lifeless bodies lying next to one another. The group is quiet, trying to make sense of the whole awful scene. Rey squats down next to her two former Jedi apprentices and begins to weep, with the group watching her from behind. The two bodies disappear into nothingness, surprising Rey and the group. Rey looks back at the group and says, “they have moved on into the Force.” Looking around, Soles comments, “I’ve never seen so much carnage.” Mace follows her up with, “the planet is being completely destroyed, but by what?”
Six figures blast out of the ground in a large circle around the Jedi. “I shouldn’t have asked!” Shouts, Mace. Rey calls out for everyone to pull their lightsabers out and ignite them in a defensive position. Fyzo pulls out his side blaster, ready. The six beings all resemble Tyro but are larger and have glowing white, yellow, and red eyes, elongated arms, and large frightening claws. “We are Tyroth! You will all die!” Rey yells out, “Take defensive positions!” The six Tyroths reach out their arms and claws, and red electricity fires at all of the Jedi. They deflect and block the blasts with their lightsabers and use the Force. Soles manages to block a blast with her lightsaber while Force pushes another blast out of Marieene’s path. They regroup as a battle pair and run together at one of the Tyroths. The others also group up in twos and charge at the Tyroths. The battle erupts all around the area, with Jedi lightsabers missing and connecting with the evil beings, flying all around them. Energy and sparking bolts flash upon hitting the Tyroths, but it isn’t destroying them. Azuree and Corran get knocked down by two of the Tyroths swiping at them. Anna, Hal, and Temiri are fighting one, but Temiri gets electrocuted from behind as another Tyroth attacks him. Rey uses the Force and drives another Tyroth onto the ground, holding him in place as he yells with his large mouth full of sharp teeth. Fyzo’s blaster only ricochets shots off the sixth Tyroth, while Lewbacca, Saba, and Mace are trying to surround him. They and the others are being hit with more red electrical charges, wounding them on their arms, legs, and sides that knock them down onto the ground. Everyone is struggling, whether they have the upper hand on a Tyroth or not. The surface is being blasted and destroyed all around them in a windstorm, with the sky getting darker and darker. Rey yells out, “I don’t know how long we can do this! They’re too strong and there’s too many of them!”
A bright white flash lights up the sky, and the red coloring instantly disappears all around the Jedi, the Tyroths, and the area around them. Above the planet, a gigantic light appears and is expanding out as a mass of clouded energy with mist falling down through the atmosphere. “It’s bright light side energy,” says Rey, “but where is it coming from? And, how?” The six Tyroths stop attacking and look up in anger at what’s forming above them. Beams of surging white light shoot down and connect with the surface next to each person, and from the beams, the shapes of figures can be made out standing on the ground next to each of them. Walking out from the light towards Marieene is Jedi Master Kyle Phyto’s Force Ghost. Appearing in front of Rey is Finn’s Force Ghost and Poe Dameron’s Force Ghost. Azuree sees a smiling Force Ghost of Chase Brakiss walking towards her from the light. Corran’s boyfriend, Dazan, appears as a Force Ghost, startling him in happy, shocked relief. Raef and Forisa walk out of the light as Force Ghosts next to Anna and Hal and nod their heads in smiling support. Saba is greeted by her father’s Force Ghost. Next to Fyzo, the once Chancellor Cala O’Taz walks out of the beam as a Force Ghost, and pleasantly says, “We see you all could use some backup down here.” Fyzo, with his mouth dropped open with surprise, asks, “How is this possible?” O’Taz smiles again and points up to the sky in the middle of the reunited group, and a large beam of white energy shoots down, and Bahua appears out of the light.
The Flow-walker, back from the realm of the beyond that is now above Bothawui, speaks out into the Force with a booming voice: “My name is Bahua, and we’re here to take back this galaxy and the beyond realm.” The Tyroths rage in reaction to Bahua appearing and all run and fly at him! The Jedi and their loved ones Force Ghosts intercept each Tyroth as lightsabers and white lightning energy blasts at the dark side beings, who are finally being hit with massive amounts of Force powers. Poe and Finn grab one Tyroth and hold him down while Rey and Mace swipe at him with their lightsabers. Bahua blasts another one apart with Force lightning powered from the realm above. Marieene throws her lightsaber at another Tyroth, and Kyle electrifies it in mid-air with his Force electricity that hits the dark being blowing him out of the sky. Corran, Dazan, Raef, and Forisa run at the Tyroth that hurt Temiri and take him out with more electrified lightning, and Corran’s lightsaber finishes that Tyroth off. Chase begins to heal Temiri with a Force touch powered from the beyond with Azuree, Anna, Hal, and Soles hacking down another Tyroth with their sabers. Saba and her father jump on another, clawing at him with all of their might. One by one, a Tyroth is being taken down and destroyed, disappearing into thin air, leaving the original Tyroth as the only one left. “This is outrageous! Stupid Jedi! Your loved ones belong to me! I will not be defeated!” Yells out Tyroth as he shoots out red electricity out of his legs and arms, hitting the ground all around the group of warriors and the surrounding area in red beams of lightning. The ground begins to shake and break with rocks cracking and shifting, but large white figures appear at the places where the red electricity is hitting the ground, and they are Flow-walkers from the beyond. The lightning hitting the ground begins to turn white as their arms reach out with their own Force powers, pushing back Tyroth’s red lightning back at him! All around the area, the beams of red are turning white, with light energy flying through the air, going back at the evil dark side Force user. In a stunned moment of hate and surprise, Tyroth turns back into Abeloth screaming in angry terror as she’s hit and electrocuted in all her physicality with a dozen beams of white lightning hitting and exploding her body outwards in a gigantic blast of energy into nothingness.
The Flow-walkers stand in silence at their positions around the group of Jedi, and Bahua speaks out through the Force into the minds of the Jedi, “Abeloth is now gone. It is time to heal this planet of its wounds and your own wounds with your loved ones.” The Republic leader Fyzo, who witnessed the entire battle, asks, “What are they saying? Is it destroyed?” Kyle’s Force Ghost says, “Yes, it’s gone for good, and so is Tyro.” Rey tells Finn, “I miss you so much.” His Force Ghost smiles, replying, “I miss you too, Rey.” As the Flow Walkers sound out a collective voice, saying, “may the Force be with you all, Jedi,” as they look up and watch the Flow-walkers fly up into the white light of energy above the planet, back into the realm of the beyond. Just at that singular moment, the sky begins to turn blue, and the dark clouds lift to a lighter gray of scattering clouds surrounding Bothawui. The massive bright light of the realm of the beyond is channeling itself into the planet. The rain and mists of energy, along with rushing waters, begin to pour down, and upon touching the surfaces from the mountains to the cities, it puts out fires and lava flows. Also, new vegetation growth replaces the dark rocky surface as the planet’s natural life sprouts back up. It’s a beautiful sight for everyone to watch as they’re comforted by their loved ones and friends, seeing the magnificent scene unfold across the landscape. Marieene and Kyle’s Force Ghost sit down together, looking up at one another and up at the sky in awe. Finn’s Force Ghost is chatting to Rey about achieving balance in the Force, Mace and Soles are sitting and cuddling while watching the light side powers all around them. Poe, Lewbacca, Temiri, Anna, Hal, and Azuree are all talking and congratulating one another with Raef and Forisa’s Force Ghosts. Fyzo is walking around in amazement with Cala O’Taz’s Force Ghost at his side, reassuring him the galaxy is going to be okay, and Corran is catching Dazan’s Force Ghost up on everything he had gone through and how much he missed him. Saba and her father’s Force Ghost are reminiscing about old times. Chase is in the middle of Raef and Forisa’s Force Ghosts, smiling, talking, and watching the planet transform into beauty. Eventually, they’ll all have to move on with their lives without their loved ones who passed away, but not on this day. On the day they saved the galaxy, they got to be with their loved ones again.
As the New Jedi Knights’ story of saving the galaxy would become legendary alongside the heroes of the Rebellion and the Resistance, their bravery gets told and celebrated throughout the Galactic Alliance for generations of current and future citizens and Jedi Knights. They achieved victory together, defeating the dark side of the Force and restoring the light side of the Force, thus bringing a balance and this destiny of the Force to the galaxy.
THE END
Thank you for reading my Star Wars fan fiction novel, and I hope you enjoyed it. May the Force be with you. Sincerely, Matt
matthewholmescifi.com 