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Chapter Text

STAR WARS
Fight the Future

It is the darkest time in Galactic history. The Yuuzhan Vong 25 years after their defeat at the combined forces of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s empire, Grandmaster Luke Skywalkers NJO, and the New Republic have returned with a powerful Darkside entity at their head. A surprise attack has left the Galaxy’s militaries and the NJO reeling. Grandmaster Luke embarked on a strike mission with his arch rival Darth Krayt, and members of, the lost tribe of the Sith; nearly succeeding before his rival tried to kill Luke as well as Abeloth. Faced with annihilation Luke has taken what’s left of the Jedi order to there secret base on Ach-to home of the first jedi temple deep in the unknown region. In what will likely be the final council meeting ever what remains of the Jedi high council decide on a desperate course of action that will change the face the galaxy forever. Meanwhile across time and space the Clone wars are rapidly coming to a thunderous conclusion. Grandmaster Yoda desperately seeks a way to avoid the darkness he sees to come.

20BBY weeks before the Empire Rises
900 years is a long time to live but for the Grandmaster not long enough it was to learn what he needed to stop the rise of the Sith. Win or lose this fight two Sith lords and an acolyte managed to set the galaxy on fire through war. These were the thoughts that plagued him as he meditated on the future, hoping to find an answer in the darkness that surrounded him. The tired Grandmaster sighed and was about to pull out of the eddies of the Force before he heard a voice “Yoda.” The grandmaster tilted his head “speaking who is”
“Follow the light and you will know the answer” Replied the unknown yet kind sounding Male voice. Deep in the eddies of the force with the shroud of the darkness clouding his vision Master Yoda saw a tiny shimmer of bright light shine through and follow he did. The moment he followed he immediately sensed a powerful presence. It struck him that perhaps this was a trap of Sidious; but a moments contemplation made him realize with some shock that not only was this presence light it was far more powerful than his adversary. “a dreamscape usually requires a bond between two individuals and know you I do not” Said the diminutive Grandmaster who was following the light down a tunnel where he was starting to see the entrance.
“Perhaps from a certain point of view Master Yoda” was the amused reply. Master Yoda by this point had hobbled far enough down the tunnel where to his surprise the light that filled the tunnel and the presence were two separate things. The light itself was coming from a sun that the speaker was watching as it set. The grandmaster reached the tunnel entrance and saw that it was in fact a binary sunset that the speaker was watching. The sight was breathtaking the binary sunset was falling over the ocean west of an idyllic island where the grandmaster noted there were younglings and adults practicing with lightsabers on a plain below them. Reaching out with the force the grandmaster was stunned to realize there were family bonds among the jedi? Force users below him. More astonishing the Grandmaster sensed it felt right and was more than a little shaken by the revelation of what he was seeing. “Family the answer to the darkness”? the Grandmaster thought to himself temporarily forgetting the speaker who was by his side as he contemplated the scene before him. “Many years have I wished you could see what is presently in front of you but I never imagined this would be the way” The hooded force master said wistfully.
Master Yoda turned away from his contemplation and observed his companion for the first time. The Master, for what else could he be, took his hood off revealing a clean-shaven middle-aged man with blond slowly greying hair wearing black beneath his cloak. The eyes were weary, yet Yoda could see the hope and inner determination of the man in front of him.
“Where is this place?” Yoda asked.
“This is the planet Ach-to deep in the unknown regions where I have taken the survivors of the Jedi and what people we could rescue from the great tragedy; to be safe at least for a time.” Was the reply.
“You are a jedi? Know you I do not were you not trained on coruscant”? Master Yoda asked.
“No Master I was taught on the most miserable swamp planet in the galaxy.” Was the bemused reply.
Master Yoda reached out with his senses the man’s presence was more powerful than any he had ever sensed, yet it did seem strangely familiar in a way that he could not quite place a claw on. The man was clearly happy to see Yoda but it was strange to notice the melancholy that was attached to the emotion like seeing a long-lost friend.
“Search your feelings Master Yoda and you will discover the truth” said the Man smiling “you will forgive me for not revealing all but our time is limited and there is much to discuss. For the moment I am merely Luke.”
Master Yoda decided he would contemplate the meaning of his words later. “Happy to meet you I am Master Luke for what reason am I here? You mentioned a great tragedy.”
“Indeed, subtly reach out with your senses beyond the planet, but do not make your presence known” Luke replied.
Master Yoda reached out to feel the galaxy beyond the tranquil feel of Ach-to and immediately shuddered. The darkness was beyond anything he had ever felt in the clone wars the death and destruction were rampant. Shaken the Grandmaster inquired “what is the cause of this?”
“This was caused by an ancient force user who allied with a vicious warrior race beyond the unknown regions.” “We were beaten before we knew it existed in a surprise attack that decimated us we were forced to withdraw.”
Master Yoda considered this the darkness he felt was great at this isolated position in the unknown regions it was possible the darkness would head towards the Republic or perhaps ignore it either way was risky. “Request the help of the Jedi council do you? Send someone out here to you perhaps a republic fleet?”
Master Luke seemed surprised by the question and looked like he was about to laugh. “hmm I had not considered that you would ask that with what you felt, but either would be impossible as it would take 60 years to reach us.” “No, it is I who must help you to receive help”
“help us how would you” Master Yoda asked kind of annoyed that the Force master was speaking in platitudes and being vague perhaps he should reconsider his own teaching methods when it came to that if this was how his own pupils saw it.
“It is possible to send a couple of people to you. In order to help us Anakin Skywalker must complete his training and learn balance; I am sending two of my last Knights my son and daughter in law to take him on a journey and complete his training.” “I would ask that Master Obi wan Kenobi and Senator Amidala join him in this journey.”
“Complete Skywalkers training is by Obi Wan except for the training one does throughout one’s life” Yoda replied confused
“Really can Skywalker or Obi-Wan defeat the Sith Lord” Luke responded.
Master Yoda thought back to his own battle with the Sith Lord in another dreamscape 6 months prior Skywalker was put out of action rapidly and it had required sacrificing himself to defeat Sidious. “Know of the Sith Lord do you?”
The blonde Masters eyes changed to a distant look “Yes I encountered him when I was a student I only survived due to the sacrifice of another Jedi.”
The pain behind the statement was clear for Yoda to behold “Know his identity do you.”
“Yes, but help you it will not without proof, I can however tell you are in a trap and he’s about to close it, I cannot stop him from winning, but I can give you enough information to mitigate the damage he will cause.”
Yoda contemplated his words and considered what he knew, here was a powerful lightsider who was providing information critically needed in exchange for the help of two of his people. Luke somehow knew Skywalker was not yet not a true match for Sidious, raw potential power maybe, but Skywalker was prone to use his lightsaber in all battles without it he would be finished in seconds.
“I agree to your terms Luke” Master Yoda said “but sure you are that training Skywalker is all that is needed to help you in your battle against this darkness?”
“It is not but providing the information to you combined with Skywalker finding balance I hope will put us on the road to a fighting chance.”
“Watch out for my son and daughter and law please this is probably a one-way trip they are going on and I will likely never see them again.” Luke said. “They should arrive within a day your time.”

Yoda could sense the meeting was ending as he gazed on the sunset. “Do this for you I will.”
“Thank you, Master Yoda,” Luke said and gazed out the sunset as the first sun was starting to dip below the horizon. “My son will have the information you need” Luke then chuckled “my master once accused me of always looking out over the horizon, but sometimes it is a comfort.”
The diminutive master chuckled “Especially when the view is nice.”
The master and former padawan gazed on the horizon as the lower sun fell below the ocean and the vision began to fade. “Oh one last thing master Yoda if an impatient student of yours ever runs away to save his friends without waiting to complete his training don’t despair the experience will teach him patience.”
With those final words the vision faded away and Master Yoda was once again on his meditation cushion.

Welcome to my first written full length story. It is completed at 90k words and 303 typed pages currently with adjustments were looking at 30-35 chapters
Some Rules for this story
It is not a Jedi bash fic
PG rating
Canon KOTOR, AOTC-Mandalorian Season 2. The Heir to the Empire series begins 6 months after the end of the rescue. canon follows the EU up until Survivors Quest then diverges thus the events of NJO dark nest trilogy LOTF and FOTJ are not canon or have changed significantly. Characters and ideas from the sequel trilogy may be used but will be heavily modified like Rey being a member of Luke's NJO but would have had proper training.
Since Legends up to when the phantom menace was released is being followed and not canon alternate explanations for the chosen one prophecy and the Skywalker family history will be heavily explored so don't be surprised when a certain Dark Lord of the Sith had something to do with Anakin being born.
For Readers on my cross post on Fanfiction.net I am happy to announce I have found a beta for grammar I would still maybe be interested in someone to beta for more description and more smooth lightsaber battles etc. Once we have finished with grammar improvements I will be posting regularly on here and fanfiction.net.

Chapter Text

Master Yoda started to contemplate what he had seen and been told by the Force user when a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in"

In came the master of the council, Mace Windu. "Forgive me if I'm interrupting, but I sensed a disturbance in the Force."

Yoda reached out and felt for the disturbance. Yes, there it was. "Hmm, guests we will be receiving. Inform the guards we are to expect a man and woman, probably wearing lightsabers, within 24 hours. Tell them to inform me immediately when they arrive."

"Of course, Master. Do you know these guests?" Master Windu asked.

"Know of them I do. Their Grandmaster and I were just conversing. A group of Jedi from the unknown regions, likely established there before the Russan reformation, are sending two of their people to train Master Obi-Wan and Skywalker."

"Why would a group of Jedi we have never heard of before want to train Skywalker?" Windu asked skeptically.

"A great darkness this group faces, greater than the Clone Wars. Believe training Skywalker will help put the darkness at bay, they do." Yoda replied

"Wonderful. As if the Sith and Separatists aren't enough. Is this darkness a potential threat to the Republic?" Windu asked with consternation.

"Not for the present based on what their leader told me. In the future, though perhaps. Agreed, however, I have to the exchange." Yoda replied.

Windu looked like he was quickly developing a headache. "Very well, I will inform the guards of our guests' imminent arrival."

Yoda watched as his exasperated colleague left the room and sighed. The war had made them all a little too paranoid. But Windu was right. Why Skywalker and Kenobi? Why now? He sunk back into the eddies of the Force and felt out the stable Jedi master's presence. He was currently in the room of the thousand fountains, where he had often been since the Duchess of Mandalore was killed by Maul. His thoughts then turned to the young knight who had been doing better since his apprentice Ahsoka Tano mysteriously said she had been knighted by a pair of Jedi sentinels some 8 months prior, within hours of her leaving the temple. Skywalker had been so happy Yoda hadn't had the heart to tell him he couldn't figure out the identity of any sentinel within the area who matched her descriptions. Ahsoka had told Skywalker the sentinels had given her a mission in the outer rim and she had left Coruscant the next morning with sufficient funding for her "away mission". The only thing that had stopped Yoda from telling Anakin was the fact he could sense she was in no harm and, truthfully, the council had just offered her knighthood. If she accepted her place as a knight from another, he frankly wasn't going to stop it. He would, however, encourage Skywalker to hold a more conventional knighting for "tradition's sake and, of course, embarrassing holopics" when she returned.

Master Yoda frowned just then,wondering where that train of thought had come from, then shook it off to consider Skywalker. He reached out with the Force and found the somewhat unstable yet bright presence of Kenobi's pupil in the senate building, in the offices of a certain senator of Naboo. Yoda snorted- as if that was a secret from anybody. He himself had made a snide remark to Anakin more than once on the subject that sailed right over his thick skull. In truth the presence of the senator had been a calming affect on his life. Yoda considered the Jedi on Ach-to. "Hmm perhaps Skywalker can learn a thing or two from the couple who are coming here."

He then sensed the senator whose presence was specifically requested, the brave young queen, if a little too impulsive at times, who….. Yoda almost jerked back and then reached out again. No, there was no mistake. He would never forget that presence. Yoda's eyes opened wide stunned. After a moment the small green master started laughing hysterically. Anyone who had entered at that moment would have thought he had finally lost it. After a few minutes he finally got control of himself, as the situation became crystal clear. The bond typically needed for that kind of communication across time and space needed to be at least that of master and padawan. "That's going to be a very swampy planet, Master Luke Skywalker. A lesson in impertinence, perhaps, will also be scheduled."

So the padawan hadn't stopped his old master from his obvious incorrect assumptions- a lesson he had apparently taught, mistakenly. Oh, how he was going to rectify that. As things became clear Yoda grew more concerned. The timing obviously wasn't a coincidence. The Sith Lord's endgame must be upon them. How fitting, though. If one padawan had led them into this war, then he would take the key his future padawan would give him to get out of it. Now to meet the grand padawans. He set back and waited.

In the Chancellor's office the Dark Lord of the Sith had felt the disturbance as well, but was caught up in another tedious meeting with some senator that thought he was important. Usually his frustration at these meetings was covered by his thoughts of his future empire, but the dark lord had better things to be doing at this moment than to give his best smile, usually while thinking of killing the person in front of him. By the time he got privacy, the disturbance had disappeared and, to his frustration, had hidden itself on the tides of the Force. Within weeks of his ascension to ultimate power in the Galaxy, he didn't need anything unknown interfering with his plans. Everything was on track. The only thing that hadn't worked was executing that brat Tano, but then she had left the order. Sidious frowned. Wait. Skywalker told him she was back within 24 hours. Why had he not pursued that loose end? Disturbed by his lack of oversight, he tried to contemplate how that had occurred, but strangely came up blank. He hadn't even asked where she went. No matter. It must not have been important at the time, he rationalized, as the brat is off Coruscant anyway. With that thought, he returned to his paperwork.

8 Months prior 20BBY

Ahsoka Tano was miserable. Miserable and alone, her future taken away as a Jedi- mope, mope, mope. Ahsoka couldn't help but feel that she was experiencing teenage high school drama, something which she should be better at, especially as a commander, well, former commander, of the GAR. As she trudged aimlessly through Coruscant's back alleys after dark, she couldn't help but feel bad about feeling bad. As these thoughts plagued her, she wasn't especially paying attention to her surroundings and so the Force warning she received came way too late.

Force lightning dashed her against the wall.

"Stupid," she said to herself. She glanced around for her adversary when she noted the hooded figure nearby with a barely concealed smirk under the hood.

In pain and desperate, Ahsoka's mind raced. She had come face-to-face with a Sith lord, and she had foolishly handed back her sabers to Anakin just 2 hours before. Battle analysis quickly went through her mind and through the Sith lord's as well. She saw the smirk grow; they had come to the same conclusion. She was toast.

"So, the little baby Jedi is just going to give up."

Ahsoka's brain slowly considered. That was a female voice, but this presence was far more powerful than Ventress. Not good.

"What do you want? I'm not a Jedi anymore." Ahsoka said, stalling- the best, albeit temporary - reprieve that she could come up with and hoped this Sith loved to talk.

"Do you really think that matters?" was the reply.

"I would think a former Jedi padawan would be underneath the notice of a Sith Lord,"Ahsoka retorted.

"Oh, it's not you the Sith want. It's your Master," the Sith replied. "Did you really think it an accident that you were the one framed for the bombing, that the Senate pressured the council to surrender custody, that all this happened mere weeks after your grandmaster's long time girlfriend was murdered in front of his eyes?"

"What does Obi-Wan have to do with this?" Ahsoka asked, horrified that she had fallen into a bigger trap than she had considered.

"Easy. Master Kenobi is emotionally compromised and had to abstain from voting. Without Kenobi, Masters Koon and Yoda could not drum up enough support for you," the shadow replied, stalking her through the alley. And now, with you found dead on the streets of Coruscant, abandoned by the Jedi, your master will go into a spiral into darkness."

Blood rushed through Ahsoka as her predator nature took over. This was never about her. They were attempting to lead her master into a trap and she had fallen for it- hook, line and sinker. "You won't have him. My master would never fall."

"Oh, really? Everything is going according to plan and what is a Jedi washout going to do about it, other than make the 6 am holonews?"

That was it. Without thinking, Ahsoka launched into an attack with her fists against the darksider in front of her. Punch, kick, uppercut. The Sith merely dodged the attempts to land a blow against her.

"I really expected better from an apprentice of Skywalker," the Darksider mused, dodging a force push. "Unfortunately, I'm on a tight schedule and we might be able to get you an early appointment with the 11:00 news."

The darksider once again lashed out with lightning, knocking Ahsoka right back into the wall. Ahsoka's blurry vision could make out the dark boots and cape strolling towards her and she made a feeble attempt to get up. "No, you won't have him. I'll protect him with my dying breath."

"A rather poor choice of words," was the sardonic retort as a lightsaber activated. "Why would you bother to save him?"

"Because that's what a Jedi does," Ahsoka said, "even if they get it wrong they try to do better next time and I won't leave him to the darkness."

"So, Jedi, I guess this is the end," came the voice of the Sith.

On the edge of Ahsoka's senses, she realized a new presence had appeared- a familiar, powerful presence. Hope filled her.

"Master," she thought to herself. The presence walked into the area dimly lighted by the Sith's, oddly enough purple- now that she had time to notice, lightsaber. The newcomer walked alongside the dark presence and Ahsoka hopes were dashed as she realized the second presence was not there to fight the darksider. The second figure lit a lightsaber and Ahsoka awaited the strike. It didn't come

"Ahsoka Tano," a male voiced stated solemnly, "by right of the council and by the will of the Force I dub thee Jedi Knight."

Ahsoka raised her head slowly as the male figure got down on one knee in front of her and put his hand on her. Almost instantly, she felt her injuries leave. Ahsoka stood up slowly. "I don't understand- the Sith," she said, looking at the other figure.

"Once upon a time that was true, but no longer," the female figure said as her presence became light.

Ahsoka blinked. "How did you do that with your Force presence"?

"Simple camouflage. I used the darkness on Coruscant as a mask for my force presence."

Ahsoka blinked, surprised that was even possible. "Who are you?"

The male answered, "I am Master Ben Solo and this is Vestara Khai, once a dark lord of the Sith, now Jedi knight, a tale we do not have time for the telling. Suffice it to say that your master is truly in danger and everything that Vestara said, we believe to be true."

"How come she still uses lightning"? Ahsoka retorted.

Ben grinned. "Electric judgment, actually. A light side variant of Sith lightning, though it's still rather painful.You may not have noticed, but it was green and not blue."

Ahsoka huffed in annoyance. "You try it sometime."

"No thanks, I have been on the wrong end of Sith lightning a few times too many already."

"So, if this is true about Anakin what do we do?"

"For now it's simple, go to the apartment of Padme Amidala and stay there tonight. Tell her and Anakin that you have become a knight and are leaving on a retreat in the morning." At this point Ben pulled out two lightsabers and a holopad. "Here is sufficient money to buy a good ship, upgrade it and keep it going. For now go to Tython on your meditative retreat and regain your balance. We will call you when you are needed, but do not tell Anakin where you are going."

"How do I find Tython? The location was lost centuries ago," Ahsoka asked.

"The holopad includes a safe hyperspace lane to reach the system," Ben replied.

"How is me going on a retreat going to save Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

"For the simple reason that to help another you yourself must not need help. You have been through much, and this is the calm before the storm. We will summon you when it's time to help Anakin, but knowing you're around will be enough for now."

Ahsoka considered, "Why go to Padme, she's done so much already?"

"Ahsoka, your Master has been married to her since the Clone Wars began, that's likely where he will be tonight."

Ben and Vestara saw her wince which indicated, to no surprise of theirs, that she had already suspected the truth.

"Alright, I'll go but if you hurt him in anyway with this information, you will answer to me," Ahsoka said.

Ben smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Here is a communication frequency we will use to contact you for now enjoy your vacation, Knight Tano."

Ahsoka turned to leave walked a few steps away and turned around. "What if I need to….."

The Jedi master and the former Sith were gone. Ahsoka stretched her senses and turned every which way- no trace of either of them.

"Shadows," she said. The mysterious group of Jedi that were a somewhat notorious and secretive group. "What else could they be?" she thought as she walked towards a road to catch a cab.

Chapter Text

Three figures watched her walk away from the other side of a portal.

"I think you enjoyed that a little too much, Ves," said an adult Ahsoka. "You weren't taking it out on me for all those exercises I put you through on Ossus were you?"

"Of course not, Master," Vestara replied innocently. "Exercise regiments are a fundamental part of what we do; those research projects on the other hand."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Still, you almost pushed her a bit too far. At that age I was still rather headstrong."

"Of course, at that age, Master," Ves said in her best innocent voice.

This time Ben rolled his eyes and sighed. "If we could get back on the subject, I believe there's one more thing to do and we shouldn't tarry too long in here, from what I recall of Master Tano's last visit to the World between Worlds."

"Indeed, the longer we stay, the more prone we are to discovery by anyone actively searching for this place," Ahsoka replied.

Padme's apartment, the night of Ahsoka's release

It was unusual that Anakin was this distraught. Padme was sad to see her husband upset over the loss of his padawan. After his victory over the fallen Jedi healer Bariss, he would usually be giving a blow by blow account of the fight. Padme sighed when her bell rang. Anakin and Padme looked at each other and after a moment decided to answer it.

"Who is it?" Padme asked over the com.

"Senator Amidala, it's me, Ahsoka," the familiar voice of Anakin's apprentice said.

Skywalker nearly flipped his chair over to get up.

"Please do come in Ahsoka," Padme said. Padme looked at the jubilant Anakin. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Anakin said. "Maybe we can her get a job as your security until she decides whether to come back."

Before Padme could reply a knock on the door was heard and she opened it. "Ahsoka, do come in."

Ahsoka walked in with two new lightsabers on her belt. "Hi, Padme," she said as she hugged her. "Hello, Master."

"Ahsoka! We're happy to see you," Anakin said as he watched her limp to the couch, " but you're hurt!"

"A minor injury, Master. I got some sense beat into me by a pair of Jedi shadows, but some aspirin would be nice," Ahsoka said.

"Does that mean you will rejoin the order?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka took the medicine and glass of water from Padme and swallowed. "Kinda hard to rejoin an order I'm a member of. I was knighted an hour ago by the sentinels. I must admit a dark alley on Coruscant would not have been my preferred place to be knighted but that's how it happened."

She then recounted the story to the married pair while excluding the fact that the shadows knew of their marriage and where she was going.

"Wow," Padme said. "So they believe all that's happened recently was to strike a blow at Anakin"?

"Yes, and they stressed secrecy," Ahsoka grimly acknowledged.

"Well, the important part is, you're back," Anakin said, grinning,"with paid vacation time. No one has deserved it more."

"Thanks, Master, for the support." Ahsoka said.

The next morning in the temple Obi-Wan came across Anakin under his freighter the Twilight II.

"Good morning, Master," said a cheerful Anakin.

"Good morning, Anakin. How are doing this morning?"

"Oh, excellent - especially now that Ahsoka is back."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Really? That's excellent news, Anakin."

"Really, news I figured you knew by now," Anakin said.

"No, I hadn't. I guess we have a knighting ceremony to arrange."

"Huh, you really haven't heard? A pair of sentinels knighted her last night."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Sentinels?"

Anakin related Ahsoka's story finishing up with, "I would have thought it odd if I hadn't seen the permission strip and stipend for the retreat."

"Yes, odd indeed. Yoda or Mace must have authorized it, though I'm surprised at the lightning, but then sentinels are indeed a strange lot." Obi-Wan said thoughtfully.

"They said it's a light side variation. Speaking of which when were you going to teach me that trick, Master?" Anakin jabbed playfully.

"I would need to learn first, my former padawan. Besides, haven't you been hit by it enough to develop a distaste for it?"

Skywalker shrugged "It would have been helpful in our last battle with Dooku. Maybe he wouldn't have escaped."

"So is Ahsoka around?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, she took off this morning on her meditative retreat," Anakin said.

"Well, looks like you will have to suffer with just me around for a while," Obi-Wan joked. "I'll catch you later. I have a council meeting."

Outside the Council Chambers

"Happy young Skywalker is this morning, Master Kenobi."

"Yes, Master, after Ahsoka was knighted last night by a group of sentinels who then gave her a stipend and means to go on a meditative retreat."

Master Yoda looked wide-eyed at master Kenobi "Know of this I did not. Know the identity of these Jedi did Skywalker?"

"No, but he said one of them used green force lightning?"

Master Yoda closed his eyes and contemplated. "Hmm, a Jedi knight she is then but green lightning used was by Jedi in the Sith wars of old, the secret of which was lost a millennium ago.A word I will be having with our sentinels about sharing the rediscovery of old secrets. It was considered too dangerous to experiment and rediscover given the nature of the ability, but if taught correctly no danger of corruption it was said to cause the student."

The Night after the Battle of Coruscant

Disturbed by his visions Anakin Skywalker was up watching traffic. "Ani, are you alright?"

"It's just dreams," Anakin replied.

"You know the child and I are all right. Could Obi-Wan help you with the dreams?" Padme asked him.

Anakin nearly replied then stopped and thought the question through. "I don't know if he could help; he has known about us for a long time even if he pretends not to. He left me a note the night of the Hardeen incident that stated as much. But I would hate for him to get into trouble for us, especially after losing Satine."

Padme looked at him."I didn't realize he knew."

Anakin smiled. "I'll have to show you the letter sometime. It's actually rather sappy, especially for Obi-Wan. I read part of it to Ahsoka that night. She was flat down crying." Anakin thought a bit more about it, contemplating why he just now remembered. "You know I don't know why I hadn't thought to show you. I guess with the outer rim sieges, it slipped from my mind."

"It's good to know he has your back," Padme said hugging him, while watching the night traffic.

"Indeed, he always has, but this time I think I'll go ask Master Yoda first. He usually has a better grasp of the theoretical."

Padme looked at him.

"And then I'll ask Obi-Wan if I don't find his cryptic advice useful," Anakin said.

Yoda's meditation chamber next morning.

Master Yoda was contemplating the conversation he had the evening before with Skywalker's soon-to-be son, when he sensed the nervous father slowly approaching his chamber. The master contemplated whether to leave him in the dark about his knowledge or whether to make enough subtle hints that he would eventually get the picture that his not very secret secret was the subject of every betting pool in the temple. Most of the pools were simply on when they had gotten married, not if, and the few that put money on not married was only due to the 1,000-1 odds they could win in the unlikely payday. He knew Ahsoka had put her money on very early in the Clone Wars and Obi-Wan had pretended that he didn't know what anyone was talking about as he slipped his credits alongside Ahsoka's. Mace and a few council members were likely the only members who suspected nothing. The Grandmaster was generally prohibited from betting on the pools but suspected they were correct. In fact, one of the reasons he had insisted on Ahsoka being Skywalker's apprentice was to teach him the patience of raising a child.

All these thoughts went through Yoda's mind before Anakin got the nerve to knock on the door. "Good morning, young Skywalker," the Master said as he opened the door with the Force. "Expecting to see you today I did but not quite this early."

Anakin sat down. "Because of the Chancellor's request, Master?"

Yoda frowned and picked up his long-neglected data pad and scanned the request from the chancellor. "No, I had yet to see this request, but worried you are about something coming in the near future perhaps," Yoda said coyly.

"Yes, Master. I have had premonitions of someone I cared about dying," Anakin said, voice shaking. Anakin didn't notice but Yoda started to really key in at this moment.

"At war we are, even if the close soon appears to be upon us," the master said, seeing if he could pry more information out of Skywalker.

Skywalker contemplated the Grandmaster's words and nodded. He had seen many friends die in the Clone Wars. "True, Master, but this appeared to be medically related, outside of a wound found in war."

That description narrowed down Skywalker's list to Padme. If it were the Chancellor or Tano, Skywalker would have come straight out and said it. Anakin watched as Yoda closed his eyes and began to meditate, hopeful the wise master would come to a decent solution. Yoda contemplated what Skywalker said to him. If he had not known Anakin was soon to be a father, he would have suspected that Anakin had seen a friend die in the war. As such he would have given his longtime speech of letting go- a speech that had taken him several centuries to accept and teach. Most Humans didn't understand it well at first, but if you live 900 years, you continually lose friends. Without the belief of them being better off, he would have gone insane centuries ago, watching thousands upon thousands of his old friends pass away. This moment though, it wouldn't help with Skywalker concerned over his wife's future health and ,frankly, Yoda was concerned about Luke.

"Did your vision indicate when this might happen?"

"6-8 weeks, perhaps, not likely any longer," Anakin replied.

"Careful we must be. Remember, we only see possibilities. Rush we should not, or cause the very future we are trying to prevent," Yoda said, "but prepare we can."

Anakin looked relieved. "So you will help me?" he asked.

Yoda nodded.

"Master Yoda, it was recently told me that the Sith might have had a way to heal people using the Force," Anakin said, "is that anything you would know about?"

At this saying the old master's ears perked up. Someone had been trying to play on Skywalker's fears already.

"Hmm, from Jocosta Nu you learned this?" Yoda asked innocently.

"No, from the Chancellor who said he had been told of a legend where it was possible," Anakin stated.

Yoda closed his eyes. One of the Chancellor's inner circle had been suspected of being the Sith Lord for well over a month. Sage Prestage was a prime suspect with his oily Force signature. Now Skywalker was being fed deliberately vague "Legends" and according to his datapad was being sought as the Chancellor's personal envoy to the council along with a demand/request for the position of council member and the rank of master. The request along with Luke's warning and his battle with Sidious on Coruscant 6 months prior were starting to have an uncomfortable rhythm. The Sith Lord knew Anakin was a long-term threat and was actively moving against him and for some reason wanted Skywalker on Coruscant. No, this needed nipping in the bud.

"Legends rarely are accurate on details. Force healing was said to be strictly a light side power. The ancient Jedi were known to be quite phenomenal at it. The Sith targeted those with the ability and the after the fall of Ossus the ability was largely lost, though our healers do use a form of it. Speak with Master Che perhaps we should," Yoda said. "Also, deny the request from the chancellor I will."

Anakin looked shocked. "But, Master, why? After everything I've done in this war haven't I done enough to earn the title?"

Whack the gimmer stick went across Skywalker's knees. "The future of the one you care about, more important than politics is. You also cannot take care of this on Coruscant." Yoda reprimanded. "Sending you away on a mission I am, much like the one you helped me sneak off on, perhaps.The title of Master you will earn, not be given for political games. A Sith Lord you have defeated, yes, but so had your master and only granted the title Knight, he was. Training you must still receive and get."

"Training? Master Obi-Wan taught me everything," Anakin said.

Yoda sighed. "Everything he knew, yes, and enough it has been for you and your former padawan to survive the Clone Wars thus far. Against the Sith Lord, however, you are not ready," Yoda said sadly.

"I'm fairly certain I could take him on, Master." Anakin said.

"Oh, really? Show me you will. To the training center we should go." Yoda jumped off the couch and hobbled to the door.

Anakin followed the diminutive master, not quite certain what he had gotten himself into. They reached the halls, and the master entered his personal code for a large private room, to the disappointment of the younglings who watched them go by. The room's walls, Anakin noted, were cushioned, as was the floor. "I have never been here before, Master."

"No, used this room has not been much since I was a young knight. The story of which you will be told after our spar," Yoda answered. He tossed him a training saber as he put his real saber down on the mantle so it wouldn't get in the way. Anakin did the same, still confused but eager to finally to duel Master Yoda after all these years.

"Don't hold back," Yoda said."

Anakin nodded.

20 seconds later Anakin was staring, open mouthed at the diminutive master on his chest with a lightsaber at his throat.

"If to a draw you cannot bring me, survive ten seconds in a fight against Sidious you will not," Yoda said to the wide-eyed, humbled knight.

The last 20 seconds of Anakin's life slowly flashed before his eyes. Yoda had been a blur, but he had been able to keep up with his lightsaber until Yoda unceremoniously threw him against the wall then the floor, at which point the green troll pulled something from his pocket and electrocuted him midair, knocking him to the floor on his back. The barely conscious knight vaguely registered the green meteorite as it soared through the air and landed on his chest.

"Still think yourself ready for the title of master? Or ready for more training are you?" Yoda asked, disengaging his lightsaber and flipping off of Skywalker's chest.

"Forgive me, Master. I always thought Mace was more powerful than you," Anakin said, slowly sitting up.

"Oh, received I my title from a cracker jack box did you think?" Yoda asked amused.

Anakin shook his head. "I thought it was your wisdom that was the reason you were head of the order."

"Experience, young Skywalker. Over 32 generations of Jedi knights I have watched and seen wisdom comes in many forms. Your own master, wise he is, seen much in his life he has, even before his knighthood. But young Master Kenobi, even if he were one of the only knights I had left, I would not send him against the Sith. Not powerful enough to beat him is he."

Anakin looked at him. "How do you know?"

"Fought him I did, in a force vision 6 months ago. If not fought in the Force, defeated the Sith Lord I would have, but neither of us would have survived."

Anakin considered the spar, if you could call it that. Yoda had not used anything he couldn't theoretically, but where his fights with Ventress and Dooku had been attempting Force throws and throwing objects, they were generally feints or attempts to gain distance. This was weaponized. The discipline, concentration and power to this was phenomenal.

"Why is this not standard training?" Anakin asked.

Yoda did not answer him straight out, but Skywalker felt the Force in the room change and everything not bolted down be lifted up. Skywalker stretched out with his senses and felt shock throughout the temple and realized the Grandmaster was lifting every object in the temple not bolted down including the ships. After a moment Yoda sighed and put everything down. Anakin was shocked at this display from the Grandmaster. All his years living here and he had never seen anything quite like it. Yoda looked at Skywalker and said, "Come back to my chambers and I will tell you a story."

Anakin, now stunned, followed the master as he hobbled back towards his chamber and was now very curious as to whether he needed the gimmer stick or whether it was a prop to trick people like him into thinking he was old and crippled. His thoughts turned to his wife, and he considered what other powers the Grandmaster was hiding. He wondered what kind of mission he was about to be sent on and how it would save Padme. He also was having an uncomfortable sneaky suspicion that the old troll knew more than he was letting on. As they slowly reentered the room and took seats Yoda began, "Now tell you the story of the end of the era of Force Masters, I will."

Chapter Text

The final war with the Sith empires ended on the planet of Ruusan. Knowing the Sith had gathered for a final stroke, the Jedi Grandmaster of the time led 100 of his most powerful knights against the Sith. In a battle that was said to crack the planet, the Jedi were victorious before treachery struck the Sith. In a bold move a Sith Lord had constructed and tricked the others into using a Force weapon that would destroy them. The Sith were slain and the Jedi knights fell with their enemy. Despite the loss of the knights, the long-sought victory over the Jedi's bitter rival appeared to be final at last. The Republic Senate then ordered the Russan reformation, demilitarizing the Republic and preventing the Jedi from holding sovereign systems, except for Ilum. With the losses of the war and having already lost Tython and Ossus in the Sith wars, the Order returned to the central point on Coruscant as their headquarters. There a debate was held about whether the Order would continue to train what some called Force Masters. Many of the heroes of old would have been considered Force Masters: Revan, Bastila, Satele Shan, The Hero of Tython. The feats of the time were legendary, but documents of their accomplishments prove the accuracy.

The Force Masters were considered the strongest Jedi of the order and the first defense against the Sith. In fact, it was said the Sith feared these knights as a child who checks under his bed for monsters. Only the most powerful or arrogant of the Sith would dare stand their ground against them. After Ruussan, though, the Republic feared the Jedi would become like the Sith and asked the council to put restraints to prevent another incident such as the one with Revan. The dispute went like this. With the enemy gone there was no need to seek the power that was once needed. Others, however, believed that the enemy was not truly gone. As such, an uneasy decision was reached that the decision to train or not would fall on individual masters. Since many of the Order's Force Masters died on Russan it was decided that it was a moot issue. Some of the masters, such as Fay, wanted nothing more to do with war ever, but believed it foolish to not give their students the tools for the eventuality. When a youngling by the name of Yoda arrived in the temple, Fay took him as her own padawan after he had been there 80 years, since both were from long-lived species, except Fay looking like a human-sized elf. After 30 years of training, Yoda was knighted during an era of peace, despite having been trained for war just in case. On the eve of his knighting, the high council received notice that several members of the Jedi Order on Bpfassh had fallen.

750BBY

The training facility on Bpfassh had continued to teach and train their members to be Force Masters. What happened wasn't clear even centuries later. What was known was that several of the most powerful members had decided to take over the sector. Any member who disagreed was cut down by the Dark Jedi. Concerned and worried, the council sent in every one of the Force Masters to put them down. Yoda followed along despite having just been granted the rank of Knight, as he had been trained for this.

Yoda and Fay were assigned with their strike team to Sluis Van where it was reported that several of the Dark Jedi had went to spread terror across other sectors. Yoda was given the task of staying with the ship in case the others needed a quick pick up. The young knight waited beside his ship, meditating on the currents of the Force and his team as they left the area of the Sluis Van's shipyards. He sensed them engaging with the Dark Jedi several hours later and was so in tune with the fight that he almost missed the darkness coming closer to him. Sense it, however, he did in time to see half the ships in the yard pulled off their dock and smashed to pieces. To the knight's surprise, he realized that it was no random member of the Bpfassh Dark Jedi on the docks. It was the master of the facility and leader of the insurrection, Master Sebastian Chi. Knowing there were thousands of workers on the docks whose lives were in danger, Yoda engaged the deranged master with a Force push and rushed to close the several hundred-yard gap between the two of them. Master Chi looked at his approaching foe with a smile. "I'm insulted you believe you can defeat me they should really have left you some help, baby Jedi."

"More insulted you will be when defeat you I do," Yoda retorted jumping to clear the last level between them.

The deranged master laughed as blue lightning crackled at his fingertips. Instead of aiming at Yoda, though, he aimed at a large ship overhead. The ship's engines were instantly distressed and it began to fall from the sky. Yoda looked up and reached out to stabilize it. The ship righted itself and the engines reactivated as the lightning dissipated. Yoda turned to face the Dark Jedi, but was hit by a full blast of lightning. Thrown against a wall, the Young knight heard the Dark Jedi laugh at him.

"The weakness of the Jedi. Put a few civilians in danger, and they ignore the threat in front of them."

"If so powerful you are, why do you need a shield?" Yoda asked igniting his saber.

"I have better things to do than waste my time on a young upstart like you. They should have sent your master," the Dark Jedi replied, throwing a single-person ship at Yoda.

Yoda caught the ship and set it down to see his opponent taking off in a fighter. The young knight, not thinking, leaped in the small ship that had been thrown at him and rapidly activated the engines and pushed the throttle forward after his foe, who was breaking for space. Yoda's fighter was faster at sublight and managed to close the gap to weapons range before the gravity well had been reached. Sensing his closing, his enemy turned to fire on him. In a 10,000-miles per hour game of chicken, the two raced at each other, laser guns blazing. Shields on both ships kept them from blowing up but didn't prevent damage. A quick scan of his systems showed Yoda his nav computer was gone, while his enemy's engine appeared to have been damaged. The Dark Jedi made for the edge of the gravity well, apparently intent on attempting a jump despite the damage to his engine. Yoda followed, desperate to not allow his enemy to escape when he saw the ship make the jump. Yoda frowned and reached for his own hyperdrive lever and did the most reckless thing he ever did in over 9 centuries - he pulled the switch with no functioning computer.

The ride through hyperspace was not smooth. Yoda had to rely on his Force sense to keep from running his ship into objects and to keep behind his enemy. Yoda was not certain how long he followed his enemy- minutes, days, hours- but eventually his enemy's ship succumbed to the damage and fell out of hyperspace. Yoda came out right behind, way too close to an oddly colored green planet. Both ships went down too fast towards the planet's surface. Yoda was forced to keep his mind on his own survival as a mist covered the planet's surface and he couldn't see where he was going. With the engines out he was having to use the Force to slow his ship and hopefully cushion his crash. All he could do was wait for the sudden stop as his poor ship's engines had been pushed too hard in the non-procedural hyperspace flight. Yoda was feeling the strain of using the Force to the max for a large amount of time and was quickly growing weary. Finally, the ship crashed into a tree, taking off a wing before the ship settled into a bog. Yoda collapsed in his seat and barely had time to put himself into a healing coma before he went unconscious.

How long he was out, he was uncertain, but when he awoke it seemed clear either his enemy had landed far away or had also been injured in his crash. In the dim daylight of what now appeared to be a swamp, Yoda finally opened the hatch and exited the vehicle. His masters' teachings now came back to him as he realized ruefully he had not brought along any kind of kit with rations. At least water didn't seem to be an issue. Digging through the ship's limited contents, he did finally find some food. Yoda decided he was going to spend more time in the future on survival classes involving being stranded in locales like this one. Yoda, still exhausted, fell asleep with the coming of nightfall, but his sleep was disturbed by the angry shadow he could sense searching for him, thankfully still distant. The next morning, he awoke, sensing the shadow was growing nearer. Yoda decided that it was better not to prolong the inevitable. Even if help was on the way, he didn't even know what planet he was on. Food was an issue, so time would likely make him weaker and not stronger.

Gathering his strength, he walked towards the shadowy presence, stopping in a clearing near what seemed to either be a cave or depression- it was hard to tell in the fog- and wait for his enemy. The Dark Jedi entered the clearing after about half an hour later. He was still hooded yet his clothes had suffered from the crash and jungle trip and his anger was radiating like a dark supernova. With no introduction more than a rabid cry ,the Dark Jedi shot an intense beam of Force lightning at his enemy. The young knight repulsed the attack with his hands and the enemies were knocked away from each other by the explosion. So began the battle of the millennia, although most observers didn't know it. The Battle was felt in the Force by every Force user in the galaxy, Jedi or Sith. Both stopped and observed the battle with keen interest. The battle lasted over a day and every tree within 10 miles of the combatant's starting location was flattened or burned. Lightsaber and lightning flashed through the fog, no quarter nor respite was given nor sought. Yoda's master was able to discern the location and tried to reach the battle in time to help, but it was over before she entered orbit. The Force users across the galaxy felt both the shadow and light rise against each other in a symphony, crashing suddenly with the fall of the shadow. Moments later, the light dimmed, and it was like nothing had happened. The Sith gritted their teeth and knew their revenge would be a long time coming because there was no way two Sith could stand against the Jedi yet. The Sith would not dare intentionally risking the fate of the galaxy in a fistfight with this knight. Yoda himself would never know his battle with the Dark Jedi would be the main reason the Sith would hide until he was old.

When his master landed, she found her former padawan on his back, bleeding and unconscious. Her companions found the body of the Dark Jedi a hundred yards away in a cave, where it had already begun to disintegrate. The best they could determine was that Yoda had pushed the Force lightning back onto his opponent without the use of a lightsaber and the positive feedback had caused an explosion separating the two. Either way, Yoda was unconscious when he left the planet and only later did he learn its name was Dagobah. Nearly a millennium would pass before another Dark Jedi would take an injured crewman from a hijacked ship to the planet where his dark hero passed, only to find the same Jedi knight that would in turn cut him down.

The incident, however, caused the Jedi council to institute a ban on teaching new Force Masters and instead teach only what was needed to survive peacekeeping missions and lightsaber techniques. The abilities and teachings of the Force Masters could only be seen by the Grandmaster and were locked in the vault while access to that portion of the great holocron was also locked. With that the order felt it would prevent the galaxy from falling into darkness. However, the Sith were not bound by those rules and taught every generation until Palpatine the full scope of their abilities. Palpatine not wanting to share power, never taught his apprentices any of these abilities.

Yoda's meditation room

Yoda looked out the window as he finished his story. "A full-fledged Force Master, if fallen, was every bit as dangerous as a Sith Lord. Therefore few were taught the secrets over the next 800 years, though several were taught against the order of the council. Jorus C'Baoth was taught by an aged force master and several of the Bpfassh Jedi it is believed were taught, though it was never proven. Of the two suspected members, one has chosen exile on Al'doleem. You remember Master Fay from early in the Clone Wars? She sacrificed herself for Kenobi, thus I am one of the only ones left in the galaxy."

"So, I will be trained?" Anakin asked.

"Yes," Yoda said.

"You will train me, Master?"

"Uncertain that is. Perhaps that is my path; perhaps it is the path of another," Yoda mused. "The first step, however, to becoming a Force Master is balance of oneself. An issue it is that war has caused you to become unbalanced. Also, your concerns over the future, yes; these must be dealt with first, before you begin your training.",

"So, this mission is a meditative retreat of sorts then?" Anakin asked

"Of sorts, perhaps, though I anticipate you will have your hands full?" Yoda replied.

"May I ask how this will help my friend?" Anakin asked. "Or can this wait until the crisis is over?"

"Nope, no waiting. Today you will go, and your journey will be guided by two Jedi from the unknown regions, learn much from them, you will. Take with you Master Kenobi and Senator Amidala, you will," Yoda said and waited to see the reaction.

Anakin flinched noticeably.

"I'm not certain, Master, that the senator can leave her duties for so long," Anakin said tentatively.

"A choice she will not be given, inform her you will, that critical for you this is," Yoda stated. "If she complains, have her talk to me."

"Should we inform the Chancellor of her taking leave from the Senate?" Anakin asked.

"No, deal with the Chancellor I will personally when the time comes," Yoda sighed. "In fact, you are to have radio silence on this trip. Return to Coruscant you will not until your teachers deem you ready, so prepare yourself and your companions for a long journey."

Anakin turned white. "I'm not sure the senator's health will sustain a very long trip."

Yoda heard the silent plea but decided not to directly intervene. "Rest will do her good. The Jedi accompanying you are quite capable, so I hear. Better off she will be away from Coruscant."

Anakin could not disagree with the master's assessment on rest, but decided he had better see when the old master had started planning this trip - before or after his visions. "Master Yoda, when this trip was decided on?"

"Over the last few hours. In fact, only while we were talking did I decide certain timing of the trip, for example. When you came in, I would likely have waited some time, but our discussion proved the necessity of here and now and with whom."

Anakin considered this. Perhaps he had been off on this trip when the children had been born. Yes, that made sense. Now he had a strong possibility of being with Padme when they came. "Who are these Jedi, Master?"

"Their names I know not; I know only they are more akin to you as a Jedi than they are to Obi-Wan," Yoda said cryptically. "They are from a group that, as far as I know, is not bound by the Russan reformation, and they will be shocking to see in some ways. Anakin, one more thing. You may have to defy the council on this matter."

"Why, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Approve of this they may not. Go with them anyway and take the senator with you and Obi-Wan, if you can," Yoda said gravely.

With that the old master got up and walked towards the door, their meeting obviously finished for now. Anakin was more than a little surprised at the events of the meeting but was more hopeful knowing that the old troll was on his side.

Chapter Text

"Just so I understand this correctly, the conclusion of a meeting about your nightmares involves us going with two unknown Jedi and Obi-Wan on a retreat of undetermined length leaving today," a perplexed Padme Amidala asked with genuine confusion.

"Well, when you put it that way, yes. He also practically said he wasn't accepting a 'no' from you and to take it up with him if you had a problem with it," Anakin said hoping the troll wouldn't throw him under the bus when invariably she called him telling him her schedule wouldn't allow it.

"This would be better if this was only with Obi-Wan. The other two Jedi may throw us under the proverbial bus if they realize we're married," Padme said.

"I know, but Yoda said he would help, and he seemed to think these particular Jedi would help in some way," Anakin said.

Padme sighed. "Let me call the little troll and see what we can do."

Yoda had meanwhile found Obi-Wan and had the master stunned when he told him he was leaving with his padawan, whether the council approved of the journey or not. Obi-Wan had agreed, of course, but Yoda had been forced to use the "Trust me do you?" guilt trip that he always had up his sleeve. It came as no surprise when he received a transmission from a slightly confused senator.

Padme's point of view

The green master came to view on her table. "Greetings, Senator, always happy to hear from you I am."

"A pleasure as always, Master. I am a little confused as to a request from Knight Skywalker. Surely the council knows my schedule will not allow me to be gone from Coruscant for an unknown length of time," Padme said.

"Time you need away from work. As a vacation perhaps you should view this," Master Yoda said.

Padme wasn't sure what to make of what appeared to be mirth in his eyes. "We all do our part in this war and for that reason I cannot go away for so long. I have already scheduled leave here shortly."

At this the Master Yoda looked at her seriously "I know, but go away you should. Coruscant will become too dangerous for both of you, and you now have more than yourself to be worried about."

Padme felt her eye twitch. He knew. Somehow the little troll knew their secret. Anakin either was not as vague as he thought he had been this morning, or Yoda had had always seen right through him. It was a low blow to be sure and, frankly, blackmail, but the comment about danger had her attention.

"What danger could we have on Coruscant?"

Master Yoda sighed. "Unsure I am that this war will end the way we believe. Regardless of who wins, danger is growing rapidly for both of you here; it may be a long time before you see Coruscant again."

"Could security help us?"

"No. As great a danger as young Skywalker himself is in, far greater it is for you. No one must know when or where you are going. In fact, it would be best for no one to know until you have left. After you leave, make no communications with Coruscant."

Padme paled. Whatever danger Yoda was indicating was indeed dire.

"I will make preparations to leave today," Padme said

"Good. Good day to you, Senator."

Padme sat stunned at the holoprojector. It sounded to her as if someone was targeting their whole family. She grimaced. Her child was possibly in danger. No. She would have to leave. She summoned her most trusted double to make it appear she was still on Coruscant for as long as possible.

Garden on the roof

Yoda was sitting in his favorite sunny patch when he received word that the visitors had arrived. A quick call to the guards had them escorted to his present location. Yoda got his first look at them when they were presented as Master Ben Solo and Knight Khai. Ben was a short statured redhead with a clean-shaven face who looked incredibly like his father in all other respects. Khai was 5'6' with what appeared to be dark hair under her hood and a shadow in her dark eyes. Both were either late 20's or early 30's. Yoda sensed that the knight had been deep in the darkness at one point in her life. Master Ben's force presence was not as impressive as he had hoped for, having sensed his father. As if sensing his thoughts, the young Skywalker's Force signature briefly exploded into a supernova before calming down.

Having dismissed the guards, leaving no one around them, Yoda finally spoke. "Safe we are to speak, young Skywalkers."

Ben nodded his head. "Thank you, Master Yoda. It is a pleasure to meet you. My father anticipated you would know who we were by the time we got here."

"Hmm, yes, but a few lessons perhaps more for him I will plan."

Ben smiled. "He would be disappointed if it wasn't that way."

"Hmm, your Force signature, dimming you are," Yoda said to Ben. The young Skywalker was not as powerful as his father, at least yet, but was still likely more powerful than Sidious.

"Yes, a lesson my own master taught me. We believe it is best not to advertise to our enemy that our presence could be a threat," Ben answered.

"How long has marriage been allowed in the Order?" Yoda asked.

Ben looked tentatively at the horizon and sighed. "This will be hard to hear, but it comes along with the information we are to provide. The rule has not been in effect since my father rebuilt the Order."

The answer had its expected effect on the master as he sighed and closed his eyes. "How many?" was the question.

"With the exception of a few my father found in hiding or in unusual ways, you and Master Kenobi were the last," Ben answered sadly. "My father's training was not completed. He taught himself from what records he could find along with visiting many other groups of Force users through the galaxy. The no marriage thing was not a rule he even knew about until well after the Order had been reestablished and if he had of tried to institute it the other masters would have collectively picked him up and threw him into the nearest lake until he came to his senses."

Yoda could not help but giggle at the image of the current council dunking him or Mace in a lake. "So, it was time for the Order to move on from that rule. Likely it has been time for many a year, but time for this conversation it is not. The enemy is about to make his final plans. How much time do we have?"

"I don't know, but not long. Taking my grandparents off of Coruscant is critical. He may intervene to stop that." Ben pulled the center of a holocron out of his pocket and handed it to Yoda.

"Even if not, our actions may cause him to speed up his plans, so time is critical. This holocron gives suggestions of what you might do, but regardless get the children and the archives off Coruscant and don't allow anyone to return," Vestara said breaking her silence. "Whatever happens, though, if the council decides to move against the Chancellor make sure you have taken care of the things we have mentioned."

Yoda placed the heart of the holocron in his pocket "Where can I find you?"

"If the Sith win, we will go to a place where you should be able to communicate with us. We will return every few weeks to that location from that day," Ben said. "As of now I do not expect us to return to Coruscant, but from what I'm told, you would likely retreat to a particular swampy planet."

Yoda looked at the pair with a come on, really? face and sighed. "Yes, I would imagine so. I expect we will soon have a council meeting on this"

"May I ask why? From a certain point of view the council has already decided our course of action regardless of what's said today," Vestara said.

Yoda giggled "Yes, decided it may have, which is why if they say 'no' today, you still have council authority to leave." Yoda got serious again "Anything there is from here that should be taken with you on your journey?"

Ben and Vestara looked at each other.

"I don't know," Ben said. "Perhaps you could get me access to the archives, and I could look to see."

Yoda stood up. "Let us go then. Some time left we still have. Make use of all of it we must."

Yoda noted the wonder on the faces of the two Jedi as they walked through the Temple. "Been here before have you never?"

"We have been here, but only certain parts of the building were used, as it was mostly the administrative office to liaison between the order and the Galactic alliance. Before we had to retreat to Ach-to, our primary headquarters were the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV and Ossus," Vestara said.

Yoda stopped. "Found Ossus you did? Lost were the coordinates to us many millennia ago."

"Indeed, my father found it quite some time ago, along with a few ancient Jedi knights." Ben said.

"Know the coordinates do you?" Yoda asked.

"Indeed, in fact, once things settle a bit with our training, we intend to use it as our primary dwelling place. There's a decent civilization there and the old ruins are in relatively decent shape," Ben stated. "We will give them to you in our first communication."

"If succeed the Sith do in toppling our Order as you say, what of the Republic?" Yoda asked.

"The Republic, for all intents and purpose, fell the same night, though officially it was several days later before the Empire was formally established," Vestara said.

At this point the group entered the archives. Ben audibly gasped at the sight. While the ancient library of Ossus was indeed larger than what was before him, this was still an impressive sight to any person with a passion for research. Vestara was notably less impressed, observing the other Jedi in the room rather than the books. Not that books and learning were not important to Vestara, she could out-research most PhDs when it was something she needed to know, but it wasn't her passion.

"Good morning, Master Yoda," said a voice and from behind the stacks walked Jocasta Nu, lead librarian. "I don't believe I have met your friends."

"Friends from a long way away," Yoda replied. "Masters Ben and Vestara from the unknown regions. They are here to see the archives for the first time. Ben, Vestara, meet Jocasta Nu our head archivist."

"A pleasure to meet you, Master Nu," said the young Jedi in unison.

Ben suddenly gasped. "The great holocron!"

Jocasta Nu looked at him. "Yes, indeed. It is housed here."

She looked at Yoda who said, "Do not be concerned, Master Nu. They have full access to the archives and even the holocron vault. They are far enough out that their own Jedi council they have. Master Ben is a representative of that council and has full access and can even borrow anything from the library to return later." Yoda then turned to Ben and said pointedly, "Even the great holocron."

Ben bowed to Master Yoda.

Jocasta was understandably visibly confused at the conversation. "Does Master Ben wish to borrow the great holocron?"

"He does," Yoda answered for him, "and I will personally give him several holocrons he could need, to return, of course, at a later time."

Jocasta's eyes went wide at the statement. "Master Yoda, a word with you in private, please."

"Of course, Master Nu." Yoda looked at the young Jedi. "Feel free to browse and download anything you need onto a data pad."

Yoda walked off leaving the Ben and Ves alone for the first time since they reached this time zone.

"Well, let's make the most of it while we can," Ben said, walking to a terminal.

"Should we insert the signal while were waiting?" Ves asked.

"No, I plan on creating a distraction long enough for you to do that later. I don't think we have time before they come back," Ben replied as he chose a terminal away from any other Jedi. "Have you noticed anything else while we're here?"

"Yes, enough to be concerned that our plan will not work as expected," Vestara stated.

"The usual kind of chaos that enters any Skywalker plan or do you sense our enemy detects our presence?" Ben asked, looking at her.

"Neither. This location's Force nexus and your grandfather's proximity will naturally shield you from Sidious. I'm concerned by the fact that the average student on Yavin IV is more powerful than most knights here."

Ben looked up concerned and reached out with his senses "Perhaps that is because the stronger ones are on the battlefield."

"Is it possible that this why they fell?" Vestara asked. "I'd take a group of younglings from Yavin before any of this crew against the Sith Lord."

"Yoda's very powerful," Ben answered. "Not as powerful as Dad or Kyp, but he could certainly take Kyle or Corran. I'd personally wager on Yoda against Kyp with 900 years' experience, I'd dare say he would win in his prime at any rate. I also sense at least another couple of presences who are strong enough to be masters. However, you're right. With 500 Jedi in the building, that is concerning. It's like looking at Christmas lights in the Force instead of the sun you see coming into either Yavin or Ossus. Do you think the Sith are somehow responsible or is this complacency after 1,000 years of not having an enemy to fight other than crime families? You know, we never really knew much of the Order before the fall of the empire as the Coruscant archives were destroyed, and the empire pretty much destroyed anything else. Dad, of course, was largely self-trained and most of what we know came from the library of Ossus and what little Yoda and Obi-Wan taught him."

Vestara thought about it. "I would say they had lost much of what they once knew, and complacency made them think they had it figured out. The Sith have also likely been slowly tearing at them for 1,000 years via Republic laws. As much as your father would hate to hear it, his Order was built, perhaps subconsciously, for the sole purpose of defeating Sith Lords. Between the Vong war where hand to hand fighting was critical, the One Sith, and the Imperial Dark side warlords, the Grandmaster made sure his Jedi knights were prepared to fight a Sith, and in the process his Order was perhaps better built for war on a galactic scale than the Jedi of this time era."

Ben looked troubled at the thought. "Yes, my father would hate the idea that his Order is better at war than his teachers'. War does not make one great, but that is how we survived against everything that came against us."

While talking, Vestara had pulled a disc file from her pocket and had been downloading the archives. Fortunately, the tech they brought was superior to the computer tech of this time and Vestara slid right by security and had 85% of the archives already downloaded. She had nearly completed her task by the time Yoda and a clearly upset Jocasta Nu had returned.

"You will, of course, return the master holocron soon, correct?" Master Nu said.

"Yes, I plan to return it to its place hopefully within a month," Ben said. Ben did not mention that its actual resting place was the Library of Ossus before the Jedi of the Old Republic had to quickly evacuate the planet.

"Patience, Master Nu, great the payoff will be of them borrowing it," Yoda stated.

Master Nu didn't look convinced but decided not to fight a losing battle. "So, Master Ben where abouts are you from?"

"Ach-to." Ben answered the academic, hoping the archivist wouldn't find a hole in their cover story.

Fortunately, Master Nu was more interested in Ach-to's secrets and the lore of the ancient Jedi temple. She and Ben talked for a while of the items of interest on the planet. Ben politely didn't tell her where the planet was but offered to instead take her there at some point in the future, if possible. The ecstatic librarian forgot her frustration and set about on the task of prepping the holocron for travel.

Yoda watched her walk away and sighed. "Take her will you?" he asked Ben.

"If she makes it, and I can find her, yes," Ben answered softly, handing the Grandmaster a small disk. "I just made this. I believe it contains almost the entire archive. I don't know what secret artifacts you might have hidden but remember anything left will become the property of the Sith within a matter of weeks, so get anything critical out of here."

Yoda nodded. "Time for our meeting with the council it is."

Council Chambers

"I understand that you claim to be Jedi from the unknown regions of space," said Master Kit Fisto.

"Indeed, our Order is currently located on the planet Ach-to," Ben answered.

"It is obvious that there is a bond between you and your companion- that of husband and wife. Does your Order agree with this and for how long has this been allowed?" Master Ki Adi Mundi inquired.

"Long before I was born was it allowed, in fact the rule against marriage was abolished by our order since the Jedi Purge when the only Jedi that were known to survive were two masters and the children of a knight who was secretly married," Vestara answered.

The council members looked at each other in some surprise. The Jedi purge, that they were aware of occurred well over 2,000 years prior. Mace Windu was himself very surprised by the statement as he sensed the honesty of the answer. Yoda meanwhile had his eyes closed.

"Has attachment never caused one of your own to fall to darkness?" Mace asked.

"I will not say it has never come close, but we have no record of any of our order falling permanently," Vestara replied. "There are, of course, rules like a spouse cannot join the hunt for one who killed his or her significant other." If one is killed, a task force of 12 Jedi are dispatched to deal with the situation. Our enemies learned fairly quickly that it was a bad idea to intentionally target a spouse. These rules amongst others we have found successful in keeping people from going over the edge."

The council collectively could find nothing to say, as opposed to the somewhat breakaway Correlian group, this group, from what they could piece together, had been established around the time of Revan.

Mace deciding further discussion on this issue was useless for the present and decided to switched topics. "Master Yoda indicated you needed our help."

Ben bowed slightly. "Indeed. Though it might be better to show you, if you will allow."

Mace glanced at Yoda who nodded. The council members leaned forward to watch a video when to their shock the room went dark with a fog. In the fog, the council could see images of unknown foes and ships of strange appearance causing mass destruction such as they had never seen even in the worst of the Clone Wars. They saw images of their fellow Jedi knights fighting warriors who used deadly staffs as weapons. They then felt rather than saw a darkness great and an image of a foe who used the Force to destructive purposes that their worst nightmares couldn't imagine. With that the images faded, and the room restored to normal.

Vestara then spoke to the council. "What you saw will be a threat to you as well, though you have time to prepare. That is why we were sent. Only a few people can go either way given the great distance between us. Therefore, our Grandmaster has sent us with the purpose of teaching two of your members the necessary skills to fight these invaders. We were specifically instructed to train Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker. The Clone War is practically over. The importance of immediately starting the training is crucial."

Shaken, Mace said, "Thank you, the council will now deliberate your request."

The two Jedi bowed and departed the room.

Obi-Wan was the first to speak "I have heard of these enemies, many years ago, on the living planet Zonama Sekot. Just a few of them were more dangerous than the Jedi master that was there at the time. If they are being led by a darksider, it could be more disastrous than the Clone War."

"I agree," Plo Koon stated via hologram. He had seen the images even across the galaxy. "One thing I must ask, however, is how did they create the images?"

The council collectively looked at Master Yoda.

"A simple illusion. Difficult it is not when learned, though it's a skill known only to few." He did not mention that he suspected that, as opposed to the Force illusions that he himself had some skill with, these were Fallanassi illusions, learned from a group deep in the outer rim. The old master had not even thought of them for many years.

"Did it strike anyone they were leaving out information?" Mace asked. "These invaders I have personally foreseen in the past though it seemed they were hiding critical information."

"Harm us it will not," Yoda stated bluntly. "Tell all in time to their students, they will."

"Then we are agreed," Master Ti said from Kamino.

Mace put it to a vote and the majority voted 'yes'. Mace and Ki Adi Mundi abstained.

As the council broke up Yoda inquired to the two why they had not voted. Mundi explained as he himself was allowed an exception for marriage it would be biased for him to vote on the matter. Mace, on the other hand, was not completely convinced and asked Yoda for permission to challenge the master to a duel. Yoda acquiesced as he hobbled to the door to find the knights. Mace followed and they found the pair watching the skyline pointing out landmarks to each other.

"The council has agreed to your request," Mace announced. He did not miss the look of surprise that went across their faces if only for a second. "I would however ask that Master Solo spar with me before you make any further preparations."

Ben looked surprised and agreed to the request. Vestara excused herself to go to the archives.

Mace watched her go. "She has been exposed to darkness."

"Indeed," Ben said. "She was raised on a planet of darksiders. I crashed there in an emergency hyperspace jump into the unknown regions and after a series of extraordinary adventures I would never undo and yet would prefer to never do again, she and I left the planet together as a married couple, alive by the skin of our teeth."

Mace felt a mixture of pride, joy and pain and a slight bit of fear in the casual statement. It was obvious whatever had happened there had been a formative experience.

"My father took her on as his private student to learn the light and balance herself. Once he had succeeded, another Master took it upon herself to finish her training on away missions."

"It is unusual for a person steeped in the dark for so long to turn to light. Master Yoda says that once you have gone down the dark road, forever will it dominate your destiny," Mace stated as they walked down the corridors.

"Master Yoda sites a very old proverb. However, it is perhaps better translated to say that once one falls down the dark road, forever you will deal with the consequences. The guilt of things one does in darkness will forever be something one must live with," Ben replied. "That does not mean people cannot choose to turn away from the destructive path they are on. But most will not, to avoid the responsibility of the things they have done."

Mace contemplated the words as they came into the training area. Ben noticed Master Yoda had discretely followed behind. Ben reached out for a practice saber and tested it to ensure it would not cut anything.

Mace appeared surprised and at the query he replied, "Usually knights and masters here spar with their real lightsabers."

He pulled out a training saber as well.

"Oh, we quit the practice after some younglings saw their teachers practicing with the real thing, and one of them got a hand cut off. Happened well before I was alive," Ben said.

"Very well. In that case, don't hold back," Mace said.

The crowd in the gym stopped what they were doing to watch Mace have a duel with the newcomer. The duelists saluted each other and began.

Mace's point of view

The kid was good, very good. The master was surprised at the intensity of the duel, but what confused him most was the form. The lightsaber form Ben was using was not any of the 7 known forms, it in fact appeared to be a mesh of II, III, and V. With his mind distracted he almost missed a jab from the knight that would have finished the match, but Mace managed to avoid it at the last second. One thing was increasingly clear as the fight continued. These Jedi were not trained to fight with restraint. Ben was actively going for strikes and jabs that were lethal, trying to finish the fight quickly. Mace recalled the vision in the council chamber and remembered they were vastly outnumbered by an enemy that battled them in hand-to-hand combat as opposed to the blasters that were the main danger of the Clone War. Pragmatically, it was probably the only option available, but it made the Jedi flinch at the thought of killing sentients in a major war as opposed to the scraps of metal they fought most of the time. Once again, his thoughts almost made him miss a slash towards the wrist.

"Ok, this kid isn't playing around," Mace thought. "Time to stop playing with the fish before I lose because I'm not paying attention."

At that thought, the Jedi master quit pulling punches and upped his speed on his strikes. To his shock, the other Jedi changed gears with him and was able to match the increased tempo of the clashing blades without a pause. For a fraction of a second, Mace realized the Jedi was shielding his full Force signature from him.

"Where did they find this kid?"

Sweat started beading on his brow. Mace decided the best way to end this was to use Vaapad and use the kid's shatterpoints to find a weakness, his wife perhaps. With that grimly in mind he rapidly changed forms to end the fight. The fighting became more intense as visions of shatterpoints flashed through his mind most of which he didn't understand. The Republic on fire, a cyborg rising out of darkness with a red blade, an evil laugh. A blue, no, a green blade rose against the darkness and prevailed, in time it was met with many others all collectively rising to stand with the first. Mace could tell this was history to the young Jedi before him and tried to tack onto a path more personal. He saw a powerful Jedi with a green blade protecting a trapped young one of Yoda's race from what appeared to be robots. He saw an image of the Jedi meeting with a red-haired woman. Ahh, family- the Jedi's parents, perhaps. The wife, oh, there she was meeting Ben, perhaps for the first time. Mace saw the sickly yellow around the irises of the girl and the ones she was with. Sith Lords, he realized with a shock. Following the pathway of the shatterpoint, he saw the Jedi with a blue blade, desperately battling it out with several Sith Lords in an arena. Mace could sense rather than see the boy believed the girl's life was dependent on the outcome of the battle. Fear. Oh, something that he could manipulate with Vaapad. He continued to follow the trail and saw an image of the young Jedi releasing lightning from his fingertips. There. Yes, Mace had what he needed. He prepared to have a final Vaapad maneuver at his opponents only dark spot and struck.

Onlookers' perspective

The fight had rapidly gotten so fast that it was difficult to see the individual strikes. The younglings were openly oohing and ahhing. The Jedi Battlemaster was watching the battle with a keen eye and interest in the style of the visiting master. The duelists appeared to be evenly skilled. Every time Mace upped the ante, the master responded in kind, as if he was allowing the Master of the Council to set the pace. He saw when Mace decided to try to end it with his Vaapad style, an excellent form that few Jedi would ever master. Vaapad was an excellent style good for both defense and offense, but got its strength from the opponent's darkness by channeling it back on the user. In theory, a darksider against a Vaapad user would effectively be fighting themselves. Drallig noticed with his eye, though, something that Mace was missing; he was losing ground quickly.

"Target fixation," Drallig observed and watched as Mace went full in with a strike that was clearly meant to end the battle. Drallig was the only observer not surprised when Mace overextended and got disarmed by the other Jedi. Mace fell backwards a few feet and had a blue training saber at his neck.

"Solah," Mace said, shocked.

The young master nodded, shut off the saber and reached out to help him up. Cheers rang up from the children for a fascinating fight as the Battlemaster went up to congratulate the winner.

"How did you beat that?" Mace asked somewhat shaken that his for sure winning strike lost the battle.

"I can answer that," the Battlemaster said, coming up to him. "You attempted a Vaapad strike, you obviously were trying to use shatterpoints to find a weakness and thought you had one. Vaapad, however, as you know loses its primary advantage without darkness to power it and his weakness was not darkness in a Jedi master who has learned balance. So, you overextended yourself like a youngling and got disarmed."

Before Mace could say anything further, Skywalker came up through the crowd with Yoda and Obi-Wan.

"Need to go back to class, I believe many of you do," Yoda said to the stragglers who turned back to their previous lessons.

Ben had not noticed but apparently most of the temple had shown up to watch the spar.

"Young Skywalker, meet one of your guides, Master Ben Solo."

Anakin looked excited at the prospect. "That was an incredible lightsaber display."

"Thank you, Knight Skywalker, though I thought he had me beat for a minute, Ben said shaking the proffered hand. "As soon as Knight Khai returns, we will prepare to leave."

"Knight Khai is here," said a voice from behind and the three masters looked to where the voice came from as her Force signature came back to visibility.

Mace twitched as he saw the shatterpoints amongst the three. So much rode on this arrangement that he was having second thoughts about the lack of oversight on this training. "It's a good thing Obi-Wan is going along," He thought grimly. He also wasn't happy that there was a reformed Sith Lady (Or was the title still lord? He wasn't sure about that particular history.) in the mix. "I believe Knight Khai failed to mention her past association with the Sith," Mace stated with some coolness.

Anakin turned and looked at her, surprised.

"A long time ago, Master Jedi." Khai said equally as cool.

"How many Sith are there in this Galaxy?" Mace asked.

"Oh, somewhere around 250-300, I would imagine." Ben stated matter of factly from the side. "The rule of two only applies to the Bannite Sith Lords, though as a whole they are generally far more powerful than the others, with maybe the sole exception of Darth Krayt himself who died several weeks ago. The One Sith organization numbered around 150 until about 15 years ago when it was dismantled. And then there was a group stranded on a planet in the unknown regions that numbered around 150-200 easy."

Mace at this point decided it might be a good time to quit asking questions before his head exploded but asked one more. "I imagine these Sith were your enemies. And hopefully are no current threat to the Republic."

"The One Sith organization was our main adversary before being destroyed due to one of their own members exposing their order to us prematurely. The others were too remote and had no hyperdrive capable vehicles, so they were not a problem unless you accidentally landed there by mistake. They also never joined forces because they saw each other as beneath them," Ben answered. "But neither should pose any immediate threat to the republic."

"Finally, some good news." Mace grumbled. At this he walked away muttering under his breath.

Vestara watched him go and said, "Perhaps we should leave while we have a chance."

Yoda nodded. Anakin and Obi-Wan confirmed they were ready, but Anakin said they would have to wait for two others who would be joining them. Ben and Vestara stopped.

"Who?" Vestara asked with a slightly chilled voice.

"Republic protocol requires that a senator away from her job must be accompanied by at least two troopers if not going to her home world," Anakin said. Anakin noticed the look Ben and Knight Khai gave each other, which didn't make sense.

"Do you trust these troopers?" Vestara asked.

Anakin had known Rex and Jesse since the early days of the Clone Wars and vouched for them both.

"Perhaps this would be for the best," Ben said thoughtfully.

Vestara didn't seem convinced after a moment of what appeared to be a mental conversation Vestara nodded. "Very well, they're your responsibility, Skywalker."

It was at this point Ben noted that his namesake had been rather quiet through their conversation. He gave a quick glance at the Jedi master and noticed a contemplative look on his face. "Are you alright, Master Kenobi?" Ben inquired.

"Yes, sorry," the master said, coming out of his thoughts. "You just reminded me of …oh well, never mind."

"How many people were required to ask permission for these troopers to follow us?" Vestara asked.

Anakin was getting a little tired of the knight's suspicious attitude and wondered how they had paired this master-knight duo. "It's like me and Kenobi." Anakin thought briefly. He often was the "bad cop" to Obi-Wan's "good cop", though this pair acted like that even in front of fellow Jedi. Anakin then reassured the knight that as the General of the 501st division there was no one he needed permission from. The surprise from both was clear that he was the General of the 501st division but neither stated anything.

"I hate to ask this, but can we borrow a ship from here?" Ben asked.

Anakin looked at him. "Yes, we can borrow the Twilight II," he said as R2 came out of the hanger door.

Vestara's eyes grew wide at the sight of Luke's droid. Ben had long known that R2 had once belonged to Vader. Anakin walked over to the Twilight, which from the outside appeared to be a hunk of junk. Ben sensed amusement from Vestara and suspected that it came from the similarities with the Millennium Falcon. "So Grandfather and Uncle Han both share a love of junk vehicles," Ben thought with amusement.

Anakin sensed the amusement towards his ship. "Hey I will have you know this ship has it where it counts," he said seriously.

The remark brought peels of laughter from the pair. As the befuddled knight watched them get on board, Kenobi put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, they will appreciate it more when you crash it.

Anakin gave him a side look. "Everybody's a comedian today."

A slightly disgruntled Anakin got in the pilot seat. He lifted off and headed towards the GAR main base where they were to rendezvous with Padme, Rex and Jesse.

Still giggling in the corner, Ben stated to Anakin, "Forgive us, my uncle has a ship nearly a century old and that's the line he always gives, usually when it's about to have a hyperdrive breakdown."

Anakin turned red at the saying. Obi-Wan was having trouble staying calm in the co-pilot chair.

"What kind of ship runs a century?" Anakin asked.

"A YT-1300. He has put so much money into that ship in repairs that he could have bought a fleet of cruisers," Vestara said.

Anakin figured the century line was facetious as they had only been developed 40 years prior and were starting to age. Still, one could put some serious modifications into the ships. He nodded as he slowly headed into low orbit where the GAR base was located to dock with his cruiser.

Vestara and Ben looked at each other at the sight of the star destroyers coming into view. While it was not a rare sight in the Galaxy and frankly Ben had been on more than one on various missions, his mind went to his parents telling the story of how the Caadmas crisis ended with Captain Paellon and the still-alive Grand Admiral Thrawn appearing to shut down the fake grand admiral. Admiral Thrawn had agreed to the terms of a peace agreement negotiated by Ben's Aunt and Paellon, only adding in a mutual defense clause against an outside invader. The New Jedi Order had been a signatory, with the agreement of eventually adding a school in Imperial Space.

Still, the stories of his parents and family sneaking around or running away from star destroyers all went through his mind. It wouldn't be long before the same was true for them, just hopefully not today.

Anakin brought the Twilight onto its usual docking point on his cruiser. Outside was Padme dressed as Sabe with Sabe dressed as Padme, along with Rex and Jesse, as well as Admiral Yularen.

"Uh oh," Ben flashed to Vestara, "we got trouble."

"What kind?" Vestara sent back.

"That Captain will become the original head of the ISB. He is likely already in the Emperor's pocket," Ben replied in their mental conversation. "I wonder if the that's how the Emperor kept up with my grandfather so well."

"So much for our leaving to be secret," Vestara mused. "Hopefully we can avoid a firefight."

Obi-Wan was the only one who seemed to notice the internal conversation as he walked down the ramp. The couple had been slightly unnerved by the sight of the star destroyers and he noticed a tinge of discomfort at the sight of the captain. Why anyone would be unnerved by Yularen was beyond him- Tarkin, yes, but not Wulf.

"General Skywalker, hopefully not another insane mission where we nearly get blown out of the sky yet you manage to pull it off last second?" the Admiral inquired.

"Not today, Admiral. I only need a couple of men. This is a mostly Jedi operation," Anakin replied good naturedly. Anakin then introduced the two Jedi to his admiral.

Obi-Wan had been watching Yularen, but he showed absolutely no recognition of the two Jedi, and was in fact quite pleasant with them. The master did notice the Jedi's excitement over meeting the senator. The clone troopers were next. Vestara was especially respectful of Rex, he noticed. For now, he would trust that Yoda knew what he was doing but he couldn't help but suspect there was more going on here than at first glance.

It didn't help that Ben was strangely familiar, after 10 years of living with Anakin. If his eyes were not green and he wasn't short, Obi-Wan would almost think Ben and Anakin were related. Perhaps they were distantly, he reflected that neither he nor Anakin knew anything about his family. Casually, he considered Qui Gon's usual trick of getting a blood sample from anyone but decided it would be a breach of privacy for only his personal speculation. Not to mention the thought of another Skywalker running around made him cringe. Padme was obviously disguised, as usual. Having been introduced as the handmaiden, she looked resolved if not a bit shaken. A casual observer would never see it, but Obi-Wan had been around long enough to know Padme's tells. A few minutes later they were finished stowing away the new gear and, in the seats, approaching the edge of Coruscant's gravity well. Obi-Wan casually observed that Ben and Vestara were watching the commlink somewhat anxiously and saw the obvious relief on their faces when they made the jump to hyperspace.

As soon as they made the jump, Ben trickled an enormous amount of relief over the bond to Vestara. They had made it off the planet with comm silence now mandatory. Vestara nodded. Regardless of what happened now, their enemy had either been unaware of their manipulations or too slow to stop them.

Chapter Text

Chancellor's Chamber

Taking a moment to congratulate himself on a plan nearing completion, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He reached out to see what the warning was when he felt Skywalker's Force presence leave the system. Eyes flew open wide. "No." This wasn't foreseen. Skywalker was supposed to stay on Coruscant as his personal liaison to the Council. He would be unable to manipulate his dreams with him off planet. His mind rushed through certain scenarios as he stood and began pacing the floor. There was little time before his final plan would be enacted. Granted, he could delay a week or two if needed. Why would the Council send away Skywalker now, after the request he had just made? The possibilities were endless and Sith are traditionally paranoid, but Sidious considered himself a logical thinker. There was little likelihood the Council had discovered his secret; otherwise, Yoda and Mace would be at his door- a possibility he needed to ensure didn't happen. Perhaps his men saw something that would point the way towards an answer. First, Skywalker's faithful Admiral Yularen. The Admiral was an old soldier loyal to his office with a keen eye for detail. Without his knowing it, he had been chosen as Skywalker's captain to keep the impulsive youth out of trouble, although that didn't always work. Still, he could always be counted on to give a report.

Yularen answered the comm of the bridge within a few minutes.

"Good evening, Admiral. I trust your men are enjoying a well-deserved shore leave."

"Indeed, Chancellor. We are wrapping up a few minor details before myself and the bridge crew go on leave ourselves."

"Excellent news, after your long campaign, you and General Skywalker certainly need a rest," Palpatine said smoothly.

"The General actually just left on a private mission," Yularen said.

Palpatine looked surprised. "Oh, dear. I was hoping your general would have time to enjoy his rest. I'm surprised the Council would allow Skywalker to leave so quickly."

"This appeared to be a Senate mission your excellency," Yularen said. "Probably a more calm mission than most we have been on."

Palpatine was now more confused than ever. "A Senate mission? I don't recall giving an order from my office."

"Certainly appeared to be, sir. Several Jedi including Kenobi and a small detachment of Clone troopers to escort a Senate aid, sir. Given the recent protocol on a travelling diplomat, there was ample protection and they left in an unmarked transport, sir," Yularen replied.

Palpatine paused a second to digest the information. "If you could give me a report on the personnel of this mission and any updates, I would appreciate it, Admiral. "

"Of course, your Excellency, good day, sir." Yularen cut the transmission.

As much as he wanted to interrogate Yularen about the personnel of this Senate mission, he knew it didn't make much difference. Skywalker was off on a crusade of some kind and there were only a few senators that wouldn't ask permission first- namely Amidala, Organa and Mothma. He seethed but what mission could be so important it required several Jedi? There were only two possibilities, and both made his blood boil. Either some slime on the Separatist council, probably that coward Gunray, wanted to make peace talks before he finished the war or the Senate had gotten word that his now completely useless former apprentice had retaken Mandalore. Regardless of whether it was Maul or Gunray, or both, they would be wishing they had never been born by the time he was through with them. Especially, if they cost him an apprentice.

Hyperspace, Twilight II

The good thing about escaping Coruscant was the numerous hyperspace lanes available. This made it impossible to block outgoing traffic from the deep core. As such, after Vestara had quietly made sure there were no homing beacons placed on the Twilight, she was convinced they were safe for a while. Due to a left-over part of her Sith upbringing, Ves was by far the more serious and paranoid of the pair. Ben had inherited his father's optimism, yet thankfully still possessed his mother's ability to not rush into a situation without thinking first, at least usually. So why flee Coruscant instead of confronting Sidious? Orders. Ben was as powerful as his father was at his age, but they were specifically directed by the Council not to seek a confrontation with the Sith Lord. Why? Time. It all came down to timing. Not everything was known as to why Skywalker fell. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Yoda had many theories but no proof of any of them. Even with R2 being Anakin's droid, the only thing for sure that was known was that the switch seemed to come overnight. How does one avoid becoming an alcoholic? You keep him away from the bar. And that was exactly what they were doing now. Keeping Ben's grandfather away from the Emperor seemed the surest way to avoid a fall. Also Luke believed Anakin would be ultimately responsible for the fall of the emperor. So no confrontations with the Dark Lord until Anakin was ready.

Other reasons were more pragmatic. First, as much as no one wanted to admit it, the galaxy needed to be armed to face the coming Yuzang Vong invasion. Sidious would love his Navy even if his megalomania insisted on super weapons at a later point. Also, more importantly no one knew what kind of contingencies Palpatine had in place. Order 66 would almost certainly go out as soon as the news hit that the Chancellor had been killed. The list of information Ben gave Yoda should keep Sidious from destroying the Order as completely as he did the last time. The Order would still suffer a serious wound, but this time their destruction should not be so complete. While Ben was duelling with the master in the Temple,Vestara had personally installed Master Kenobi's recording telling the Jedi to go to cover. The signal was set to piggyback on the "return to Coruscant" signal so that away from Coruscant the warning would broadcast instead. Hopefully, any on-planet Jedi would see the Temple going up in smoke and stay away. The final reason was that any changes made had to be last minute so their enemy had no time to change his plans. It was like waiting for a tie fighter to commit to a strafing run before dodging the other way. Vestara was grim over the future they would have to face but was confident there would be few pure rivals to the group.

Yoda, in his journal, had made many comments on the Sith of this time. Maul, for all his ability to kill Jedi in a straight lightsaber fight, was not a very powerful a Force user. His lack of ability to use Force lightning suggested strongly he had only been trained to be an assassin, like Ventress, possibly before Palpatine had ascended to the top of the rule of two. It was a clever tactic. The Sith had secretly added a weak third non-member to hide the true Master of the Sith order. It had kept the Council blind to the fact Dooku was only the apprentice for the first two and a half years of the war by employing Ventress.

Dooku had been a powerful Jedi before he became a Sith and had fought Yoda, Kenobi, and Skywalker through the course of the war. Yoda noted that his Force powers in their duel, while stronger than they once had been, were still no match for the likes of Sidious. Yoda initially suspected he had simply learned Force lightning and in his fallen state believed himself stronger than even him. Yoda even mocked him for it. Later, once Yoda had battled the Emperor, he strongly suspected the Sith was instead not teaching his apprentices anything that might prove a threat and was deliberately holding them back. Vader never even used Sith Lightning despite being more than strong enough to use it- probably after being lied to that it would affect his suit. He suspected Palpatine taught Dooku Force lightning only because he had to give his new apprentice some crumb of power he didn't have as a Jedi master. Dooku was out of the equation with his death at the hands of Skywalker, Ventress was keeping a low profile and would likely not be an issue. Maul could pose a problem, for despite his relative, to a Skywalker, lack of Force power he was still a cunning and dangerous enemy. That left Sidious, his Inquisitors, and his Hands.

The Hands were trained only as assassins. Mara Jade, the best of the Hands, still required years of Force training at a later point. Ahsoka and many others noted the Inquisitors were not especially strong, due to the Emperor's fear of them ganging up on him. The main problem would be whoever the Emperor chose as his new apprentice, as the Emperor rarely, even in the later days of the empire, left Coruscant. Training a new apprentice would take quite some time, possibly several years. Hopefully, by that time they could make a move against the Empire.

Vestara returned to the center room where everyone was gathered at a table. Obi-Wan saw her and called everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone, now that we are all here maybe we can get a semblance of what is being planned on this trip?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Very well," Ben stated. "For those of you not Force users, I apologize for the long periods of boredom you will have to endure for quite a while."

"So this is a vacation?" Jesse asked.

"Not quite," Ben replied. "Though I recommend taking full use of your down time. Everyone here is on what is perhaps the most important mission of the Clone Wars though as far as most will be concerned the war will be effectively over for you."

Rex looked at him sideways. "Does this mean if we succeed the war's over but if something goes wrong we get shot at?"

"Pretty much, but expect to get shot either way but hopefully no time soon," Ben answered as he looked at the troopers. "Gentlemen, the mission we are on will either end with us either saving the Republic or running for the rest of our lives as traitors if we fail. Do either of you have a problem with that?"

"Could we have some clarification on 'traitors'?" Jesse asked.

Vestara noted the entire room got uncomfortable at the statement.

"Sure. To put it simply, there is a high ranking official in the Republic who is the Sith Lord behind the Clone Wars. Our mission final is to expose him for what he is- a manipulator who has ordered the Invasion of Naboo, several times tried to assassinate Senator Amidala, and been the sole chess player behind the Clone Wars. If we fail, he will have us on every wanted poster from Coruscant to the outer rim to silence us. Succeed and we save the Republic from a Sith Lord. Any other questions?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan had both known this for some time but were unaware that these Jedi knew it. Anakin himself was surprised that Sidious had not been apprehended the day of the battle of Coruscant.

"How high are we talking?" Rex asked.

"Nosebleed levels," Vestara put in. "But for now, our only mission is the training of one Knight Skywalker. And keeping the senator safe."

"Why isn't hunting this Sith a priority?" Rex asked.

"It is," Obi-Wan said."The Council has dispatched several people to look into the possible identity of this Sith Lord. Our friends here are to help teach us how to deal with a more dangerous enemy from the outer rim. I was unaware that dealing with this Sith was part of this trip."

"Only the fact we may have to deal to with him ourselves or the fallout of his presence if the worst should occur," Ben answered and looked at the troopers.

The two men looked at each other. "There's no way I'm going through the Clone War just to answer to another Sith," Rex said with Jesse nodding in agreement. "You suspect he will attempt a coup d'etat if the war doesn't go his way?"

"Something like that," Vestara answered.

"The Jedi would be there to escort him to a cell if he tried," Anakin stated.

"I hope you're right," Ben said softly. "However, I believe you will soon need a location for our first stop on our grand tour."

Anakin nodded. "Yes, we're coming up shortly on where we make course adjustments."

"Excellent," Ben said and handed him the coordinates of a planet only a short jump away.

Anakin nodded and went to make the necessary adjustments.

"Gentlemen, in the meantime I suggest everyone have their gear. We will be changing ships rather abruptly," Ben said with an innocent smile and followed Anakin to the cockpit.

"You know I'm not sure what bothers me more: that the Republic has a high-ranking traitor or that that smile looked just like General Skywalker's when we're about to do something crazy that he considers fun," Jesse noted.

Padme laughed from her seat. "I saw that, too. Maybe we should be prepared for something crazy."

Cockpit of the Twilight, 1 hour later

Anakin brought the ship into the atmosphere of a planet only a short jump away from Coruscant. He was confused when the people on board were asked to stay near the ramp. The planet was itself unremarkable- lightly populated for a core world as it had no hyperspace route leading anywhere other than into the deep core. With no necessary resources, the side of the planet they were on wasn't even populated nor had a control tower.

Master Solo was in the co-pilot seat making the necessary course changes. Once he was satisfied, the master pulled out a comm link and said, "Seven for pick up."

An acknowledgment came through the other side.

"Alright let's go," Master Solo told Anakin as he stood to leave. "What do you mean? I got to land the ship."

"We're not landing the ship. We're crashing it and I don't want to be on board when we do," Master Solo said calmly as he opened the back hatch and left the room quickly.

Anakin's eyes went wide as he followed. In the back the hatch opened as a Corellian ship came into view.

"I knew it," Jesse muttered under his breath. "Going to have to watch that kid."

"Surely your training included in-flight transfers," Vestara said, walking up to the group gathered.

"Of course, sir," Jesse said standing up straight. "Just commenting on the fact there is little change in the command around here."

"I will jump first, Kenobi will jump with the two of you, and Skywalker has the senator. Any more questions?" Vestara looked pointedly at Jesse.

"Uh, no sir," Jesse replied.

Vestara nodded. As she looked at the ship coming up under them, her face went pale with surprise. She shrugged it off almost immediately and jumped down onto the other ship.

"I wonder why they would pair up those two," Jesse wondered aloud, now that the scary girl was off the ship.

"Because I married her." Master Solo walked into the room with Anakin in tow.

Anakin and Padme both looked shocked at the casualness of the statement. Obi-Wan already knew. The troopers just looked at each other.

Master Solo continued,"Our courting involved being chased by Sith Lords, lots of lightning, and a tournament to the death where we were married on me being named the winner. I will give the full story one day when we're not on a crashing ship. After you, gentlemen."

If their helmets had been off, the troopers' mouths would have been wide open by this point, but they were able to maintain their professional calm as they jumped next with Kenobi. Skywalker followed with Padme. Ben was last. R2, of course, used his rocket boosters. Vestara was on top of the other ship slowing down the fall of the non-Force users, so they didn't hurt themselves upon landing. Ben had been so preoccupied by the others' reactions to his story that he only registered the lower ship when he landed on it. "How in the Galaxy," he thought to himself when he realized he was somehow standing on his uncle's beloved Millennium Falcon. He glanced at Ves, who confirmed with a nod. Somewhat shaken by the coincidence, he followed the others down the stairs into the ship.

Anakin, Ben, and Obi-Wan made it to the cockpit quickly enough for Anakin to see the Twilight II go up in flames.

"Another successful crash-landing, Master," said the voice from the pilot's chair.

At the sound of the voice, Anakin turned from watching the flames of his third-most-beloved ship. "Snips," he said, as he gave Ahsoka a bear hug.

"Guys, who's flying?" Ben said, as he dived into the copilot's chair, straightening up the controls and making for space.

"Master Solo," Ahsoka said. She reached around, activated the nav computer for their jump. Ben kept the Falcon in the planet's shadow where the planet's only control tower couldn't see which way they were jumping. The current nav computer was not as fast as the one his uncle had apparently installed, but it did its job locking in the jump. And like he had done dozens of times without thinking about it, he reached over and pulled the lever, launching the ship into hyperspace. Their journey was now truly begun.

Coruscant, Jedi Temple

Kit Fisto was enjoying his break from the front lines. He, like so many others, had been trapped in the outer rim sieges for the better part of the year. Word now was hitting the front that after the Separatists had lost so much material in their attack on Coruscant, the Republic armies had finally broken through. He sincerely hoped that meant the war would be over soon and maybe he would take on another padawan learner. For this reason, he was casually watching the initiates train in the courtyard when the Grandmaster came up behind him.

"Anyone in particular you are thinking of?" Yoda inquired.

"Not yet. I was thinking it was perhaps time to start looking, though," Kit answered with his trademark smile.

The Grandmaster humphed as he sat down on the bench next to him and watched the younglings play. "Perhaps help you I can in this regard," Yoda said cryptically.

"Oh no, not another Qui Gon Jinn moment where you pick the apprentice before the teacher is ready," Kit said with mock horror.

Yoda gazed on the crowd. "Nothing like that. A mission, perhaps, with the younglings where you can spend time and decide for yourself."

"Any particular ones in mind?" Kit asked, still partially believing he was being set up with someone that had already been chosen.

Yoda nodded and whispered conspiratorially, "All of them."

Kit's eyes widened. "All of them?"

Yoda nodded. "Along with a few other masters, the teachers, of course, and some knights who all need to take an apprentice."

"Alright, when does this field trip leave?" Kit asked.

"Tonight," Yoda said.

Kit blinked. "Is there a reason for this haste or was I simply the final person you had to convince?"

"A combination of both," Yoda answered. "A few other things I need to gather. See you off on your journey, I will."

With that, the Grandmaster left the bench and walked back towards the building. Kit Fisto wasn't sure what to make of it, but being naturally good natured, he decided to roll with it. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

Jedi Archives

Master Nu was not having a good day. It began with a group of children deciding to reorganize an entire section based on the color of the book covers. Then her top aide had called in sick from the healing halls and she hadn't had time for her coffee. She was finally brewing a fresh pot when the Grandmaster came in with an order to further throw her day into shambles.

"Master Yoda," Jocasta said in greeting. "Please do not tell me Master solo has lost the great holocron."

Yoda looked at her and sighed. Obviously, this was going to be a day when she was cranky and frankly, he didn't need it. "No, he has not," Yoda answered. "A vacation you need, perhaps."

Jocasta huffed. "Of course I need one. I think this place is about to go to wreck and ruin."

Yoda would have paled if he could at the remark. "Yes, a vacation mixed with work might suit you. Too long you have been inside these walls, Master Nu."

"Really, Master Yoda, this is hardly the time. My work…," Jocasta started.

"I insist, leave tonight you will," Yoda interrupted a bit harsher than he meant. "Take with you the secret artifacts and the items our enemies must never get their hands on and scatter them throughout the galaxy. Take your aides with you and any initiates you think might be best for archivist work." At this point he reached into his robe and pulled out a device. "This device is set to your Bioscan. It will allow you to delete the entire Jedi archive from anywhere in the galaxy if you can get a holonet connection."

"Master Yoda, will you tell me why I'm doing this?" Jocasta, by this point, had gone pale.

"Because if the unimaginable happens, I don't want to get caught completely unprepared," Yoda said firmly and walked out the door, leaving a befuddled archivist alone with her thoughts.

Yoda was sorry he had to give his old friend the harsh treatment, but they had no time for the committee which Jocasta would invariably have demanded. The device he gave his friend to delete the archives had been given to him by Ben before he left. With luck the Temple would be empty of its younglings and the archive's secrets before midnight. He wasn't sure how to get the healers to leave. If he attempted to further evacuate the Temple, the Sith Lord would undoubtedly notice something was wrong with his plans. He could only hope they would be ready when the storm struck.

Chancellor's Office

Sidious was seething mad. Yularen's report only further convinced him someone was deliberately undermining him. To no surprise at all, it was Amidala that left with the Kenobi-Skywalker team. Oh, it was supposedly an aide, but he had seen the old "Amidala switcheroo holofilm" one time to many for it to work on him anymore. A few more Jedi meant they would be expecting a fight, which lent more credence to Maul being to blame. His spies in Death Watch indicated that Maul had set the whole thing up to get a rematch with Kenobi. The problem with that theory was finding the reason for taking Amidala with them, unless they wanted her to negotiate with the planet's governor. Surely neither Kenobi nor Skywalker would want to risk Amidala in a firefight with Maul after the Duchess had been killed. For that reason, it still made more sense to blame Gunray or one of his ilk,but so far Grievous's spy network hadn't found any evidence that the coward had gone beyond thinking of betrayal. However, Gunray could always be counted on to look after his own hide and, with his vast fortune, it was still possible that he had paid off someone. Palpatine seriously hoped Skywalker or Kenobi would finish off which ever one it was. He hoped Skywalker would do it in anger. Wait. Now there's an idea! Gunray or his cronies could critically wound the esteemed senator with a carefully calibrated weapon- one that would have her lingering long enough for Skywalker to come crawling back on his hands and knees for more information. Palpatine sat back and paused. It would be a little more problematic if their destination was Mandalore, but it wouldn't be too difficult to have a bounty hunter waiting for them. "Yes." A smile crossed his face. This might work out better than he hoped and if Kenobi died, all the better. He frowned. He was sensing more and more that something was astray with his plans. The typical dark nudges from the Force were more frantic than usual, saying that he shouldn't delay. However, he was denied any vision of what could be wrong with his plans.

No, he couldn't delay much longer. It would take at least ten to twelve days for Skywalker's junk ship, the Twilight, to reach the outer rim, meet with Gunray, then return to Coruscant. The Twilight also wasn't receiving messages, so he had been unable to manufacture a crisis to make Skywalker turn around. It would be much more difficult to turn Skywalker after order 66, provided he survived. That was always a risk. 10 to 12 days, he thought grimly, didn't leave much time and the population may start wandering why the war was continuing and demand that the Senate engage in peace talks. While that problem could be dealt with easily, it would make it more difficult to stage his rise to Emperor. No, he would have to position his bounty hunters and hope for the best. The last thing he needed was Mace and Yoda both walking in, demanding his resignation before he was ready. His battle with his "little green friend" six months prior showed him the old troll was, unfortunately, still roughly his equal despite his advanced age. No, he wasn't going to risk losing all the power of the galaxy in a fistfight with Yoda. While Skywalker was powerful, he had not yet aged into anything close to his full power. At this point in time, Anakin was more powerful than most of those on the Council. He often stoked the boy's ego by saying he was the most powerful Jedi, but in truth he and Yoda still had Anakin beat in pure power by a parsec. When Anakin grew into his full power, however, he and Yoda would be dwarfed. The thought of that much power at his command was extremely tempting and he had spent years attempting to mold him into his own apprentice. The thought that Maul or Gunray might have ruined everything caused his holopad to shatter. He forced himself to calm down. No, it would do no good to reveal himself by accident.

He had to continue with his plans. Skywalker had 12 days to get back to Coruscant. Everything must be ready by then, with or without him. In a few days he would unleash one of the last Separatist armies against the home world of the Wookies. The agreement the Republic had with their leadership required Master Yoda himself to lead the GAR forces in the event of an attack on their world. He would also reveal the location of General Grievous, requiring the Jedi to send one of their other Council members to kill him. That would leave Mace with only a couple of masters left to try to arrest him, hopefully unaware he would be coming in against the Sith Lord. Those were odds he could handle. Mace would be perhaps more of a challenge than any of the others, but if his new lightsaber form proved problematic, Sidious could always simply throw him out the window.

With that thought he pulled out a replacement pad to see what bounty hunters were available for work on Mandalore.

Chapter Text

The Millennium Falcon came out of hyperspace above the planet Ben knew as Tython, believed in legends to be the home world of the Jedi. Ben knew that wasn't true. Ach-To was, in fact, the original home of the Jedi Order. The myths and stories about this planet were legion. The Jedi scholars of his time were confused as to the origin of the myths and stories that surrounded the planet. Ben thought about the story Grogu once told him of his adventures with the Mandalorian warrior on this planet. His father had heard his call for help and had barely been in time to rescue the youngling from Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers. His father had trained him several months, long enough to grasp his powers. Grogu had then returned to journey with the Mandalorian, promising to come back one day.

This proved fortuitous as the first Thrawn crisis hit about this time, and it would not have been a good thing for Luke to have to carry the tiny Grogu around the jungles of Myrrk with Ben's mother Mara holding them prisoner. Ben smiled at the image as the the ship came above the scenery. Instead of the ancient ruins of the temple, they were going to a lessor known site next to an ocean on the planet's southern hemisphere. It was here that Ahsoka had stayed during the previous months after getting her hands on the Falcon.

Vestara had questioned her about the ship and discovered Ahsoka had bought it off a dealer in Nal Hutta where it had been adrift after a crash. (Why she was out there and not in the inner core, they would have to ask later.) The planet's crime lords had planned for it to have the best in all things smuggler, including the illegal .5 hyperspace drive. Ahsoka managed to purchase it with a generous portion of credits. She learned the ship's name from Ben, who told her he knew one of its owners but had assured her that he would not mind them borrowing it for the foreseeable future. Ahsoka landed alongside a small uninhabited village that was in remarkably good condition, despite not having been inhabited for the previous millennium.

The group scattered to find the best lodging places, with Ben and Vestara choosing to reside in one of the Falcon's rooms. Ahsoka chose a cabin at the top of the village overlooking the ocean. Obi-Wan chose the accompanying cabin while Padme and Anakin secretly took the cabin on the other end of the village, the furthest one from the ship. The Clones decided to rough it. What had once been the common house in the center was chosen as the site for meals and training sessions.

Hilltop over the Village- Tython

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat down beside Ahsoka to gaze over the ocean. It was the first time he had spoken to her since she left the Order. "This planet is an amazing place," he said. "It's so peaceful. I'm amazed the Order doesn't have a presence here."

Ahsoka looked at him. "Don't you know where we are?"

Obi-Wan nodded in the negative.

"We are on the planet Tython," Ahsoka explained.

Obi-Wan's eyes went wide. "How did you find this planet? It was said that the hyperspace lanes had become unstable, and the Order lost it a millennium ago."

"When Master Solo knighted me, he gave me the coordinates to a stable hyperspace lane that could access the planet," Ahsoka answered.

Kenobi blinked at that. "I was under the impression that you were knighted by a pair of shadows."

Ahsoka looked at the couple in the distance."Is that not what they are?" she asked. "Granted they never told me they were, but it seemed a safe guess at the time."

Kenobi relaxed at the answer. "No, they are from a separate Jedi Order, deep in the unknown regions. It is said only a few can travel the distance at any given time. But based on what you say, they apparently have knights occasionally running around even in the deep core."

Ahsoka looked out at the ship. "How has another Order avoided the notice of the Council for so long?"

Kenobi shrugged "Apparently, they were established just after the Purges. Maybe they believed isolation would keep them safe. In a galaxy with trillions of people, the sight of two Jedi running around wouldn't necessarily be a cause to report, especially if they kept a low profile." He looked out over the ocean. "Ahsoka, I want to say I'm sorry for what happened and that I didn't do enough to help you."

Ahsoka shook her head. "There's no need to apologize. The Sith targeted me to get to Anakin. From what Master Solo said, the timing of my trial so soon after what happened on Mandalore was no coincidence. It was timed so you couldn't help me."

Kenobi paled visibly. This was news to him. "You're saying they targeted you and Satine to get to Anakin?"

"I'm not sure if the Temple bombing was simply taking advantage of the situation or whether Maul's attack was coordinated with the bombing," Ahsoka said. "Either way, you paid more than I did."

"I believe I will be having a chat with Master Solo about his knowledge," Kenobi said, visibly shaken by what he had heard.

Ahsoka nodded and looked at the ship. "Perhaps we should learn more about our new friends. It would appear they have secrets."

The Skywalker cabin -Tython

"I got to admit, this is a nice-looking place," Padme said as she looked out the window. "Is this where we will be staying for the duration of your trip?"

"I'm not sure but given where we are, we can reach decent medical centers within a few hours, given the hyperdrive that ship has," Anakin said, placing the bags around the room. "I would love to know how Snips got a ship with a .5 hyperdrive. The Twilight is only rated to 1.2." Anakin geeked out over the ship's engines. "She can make it to most of the outer rim in probably a mere 3 days.

"I noticed that the Jedi with us are married. Are they from the Correlian Temple?" Padme asked.

"No, I believe they are from much further away," Anakin said.

For some time, the pair had discussed Anakin switching over to the other group after the Clone Wars, due to their allowance of marriage amongst their members. The primary issue with green Jedi - other than their Correlian daredevil attitude, which was the opposite of what Anakin needed- was that they never went out of the system, working mainly with Cor Sec and dealing with crimes and smugglers. For a couple living either on Naboo or Coruscant, Correllia wasn't exactly close enough to commute. Anakin was friends with several Correlian Jedi who had joined the main Order for the duration of the Clone Wars.

"So, no chance of a transfer," Padme said ruefully.

"Don't know. Maybe if they allow people to work within the core worlds. Maybe as a liaison with the Coruscant Order," Anakin replied thoughtfully.

The couple continued the chat, wondering what the end of the war would be like.

Millenium Falcon

Lounging on the couch in the main room, Vestara waited while her husband did his bout of ADHD pacing of the floors. Generally, boredom took hold of Ben if he was neither actively researching, reading a book, or sparring. This, though, was his thinking pacing, trying to work out a puzzle. Vestara knew what was likely on his mind.

"Your grandfather's not as dark as we expected," Vestara said.

"Yes," Ben answered,"there are certainly some dark patches, but, frankly, they're little different than one sees on any Jedi who has been in conflict for a long time. How did he go from this point to a full blown Sith Lord that killed every Jedi in the galaxy in the matter of a few weeks?"

"Perhaps the changes we made have had more effect than we anticipated," Vestara mused. "We delivered the letter and got Ahsoka back in the order 30 years earlier than in our timeline."

Ben paced thoughtfully. "Perhaps. Though, those are rather small things in the long term. Kenobi said in his journal that by Mustafar Anakin had fallen hard- harder than he had been on Mortis, and he couldn't talk him out of it. On Mortis Kenobi said that he was still thinking rationally even if his conclusions were sorely lacking, but on Mustafar he was hysterical and arrogant."

"The power rush would have had him very off balance on Mustafar, with his conscious being eaten away as they fought each other," Vestara said. "The darkness would have made him think he was invincible. I'm still surprised the Emperor let him go out like that without knocking him down a peg or two first, like the teachers at home did."

"The Emperor was likely riding a high himself, having executed Order 66 and his plans coming to fruition, and he thought himself invincible," Ben stated. "Yoda's journal indicated he was cocky with him at the beginning of their fight until he threw him against the wall. Father said Palpatine's weakness was his arrogance in believing he had everything planned out."

"Hence our plan to come in and ruin his perfect plan at the last second before he could plan a contingency," Vestara pointed out. "Hence the blackout so there are no 'distress signals' conveniently sent to draw us back in. Pity we have to leave Mandalore in Maul's hands, though."

Ben shrugged. "The Emperor will not allow Mandalore to remain in Maul's hands long. He will order troops to Mandalore, probably before the week's out, with a Jedi at the head- hoping to take both permanently out of commission. What do you think about Anakin's current power levels?"

"He is powerful," Vestara said, going into her analytic mode. "Probably about the same power level as you when I met you. I guess I thought he would be as strong as your father is, but that was dreaming, as your family typically gets more powerful the older they get."

"As Vader, he was never as strong as the Emperor, probably a result of Mustafar, or he would have overthrown him once he found he lied about his family. Father said Vader believed he needed his help to overthrow him," Ben said. "But we should not underestimate the Sith Lord's powers. He had father completely incapacitated and it cost my grandfather his life to save him. Can I help you, Master Kenobi?"

Vestara looked back to see the Jedi master at the doorway. It was a common Jedi problem. While a Jedi can feel presences, the Force doesn't always send an alert when the person isn't a threat.

Obi-Wan walked into the room. "My apologies for intruding, but I believe you may have answered some of my questions. I couldn't help but overhearing that your father fought this Sith Lord."

"Yes," Ben said, "He was just a student at the time, but he had just defeated the Sith apprentice when the master incapacitated him. My grandfather, a powerful Jedi knight, intervened and saved him but died of his injuries."

"My condolences. My own master was killed by a Sith Lord," Obi-Wan said, sitting down. "Does your Order know the identity of this Darth Sidious?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, we cannot move against him. He is too established in the Republic hierarchy to arrest him without him proof, and even if we did, he would have his armies crush the Republic and the Jedi," Ben said solemnly. "We gave Yoda the information we could, so we hope he can use it to his advantage. However, am I correct in believing the Council thinks he is playing both sides?"

Kenobi nodded grimly. "Indeed, we had hoped that was a false trail to follow but evidence we found proved conclusively that Dooku was, indeed, the apprentice."

"Whatever you are thinking, I can assure you it isn't bad enough. We believe he will soon openly proclaim himself as Emperor of the galaxy if perhaps not as a Sith Lord," Vestara said.

"The coup d'etat you alluded to," Kenobi said. "Any proof you can provide?"

"None that will hold a candle in court," Ben said.

"That's too bad," Anakin said, walking in. "It would be nice to arrest him and have this war over. Would you care to let us in on the secret?"

Ben and Vestara looked at each other.

"No, you wouldn't believe us if we told you," Ben said slowly "He will reveal himself shortly. I will say you will be in for a nasty shock. I will ask you to remember that this is the individual that ordered Senator Amidala's death several times over, ordered the Naboo invasion, and started and prolonged the Clone Wars for his sole benefit."

"How about a clue to let us figure it out?" Anakin pressed.

A quick glance from Ben, and Vestara answered, "Very well, but this is all you're getting."

Kenobi and Skywalker leaned forward expectantly.

Vestara leaned in and whispered, "The Sith Lord still gained his ultimate objective in the Naboo crisis, despite losing the battle and his apprentice."

Kenobi and Skywalker blinked, confused.

"Are you sure?" Kenobi asked.

"Positive," Ben answered. "Remember, we know who he is."

"The Sith control everything, you just don't know it." The words of Count Dooku in his hideout on Naboo came to Anakin. Three times during the Clone wars, the Jedi had to stop the CIS forces from some form of intrigue on the planet.

"Either way, we gave Yoda everything we could, so the ball is in his court. Hopefully, he can do something. For now, you guys need to be concerned about your training," Vestara said.

"Great." Anakin jumped from his seat and pulled out his lightsaber. "Let's go."

"Not so fast," Ben said, amused. "Lightsaber training will indeed be a part of what we do but first, meditation."

Anakin's face fell at that while Obi-Wan chuckled.

Vestara looked at Anakin. "I would have thought you would enjoy it."

Anakin looked at her. "It's so boring."

Ves and Ben looked at each other. "You won't think that by the time we're done with you."

"If you can do that, you're a better teacher than me," Obi-Wan said.

"We will see first thing in the morning," Ben said. "Training begins at sunrise on top of the hill."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both left the ship.

"What do you think of the fact they have secrets?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "There is more about them than we know, but Master Yoda seemed to know more about them and trusted them."

"Still for a group that's located deep in the unknown regions, they seem to know an awful lot about what's going on," Anakin said.

"True, but based on your adventures in wild space didn't you say another group out there was interested in the Clone Wars?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin thought back to his and Padme's adventures with the Chiss commander Thrawn. "Yes, and he was aware of stories about Jedi and Sith. Perhaps this group is where the tales come from," he said thoughtfully.

"Then perhaps it makes sense for these Jedi to also keep a closer tab on the core with the Clone Wars ongoing, if they believe the Sith are involved," Obi-Wan mused. "As to why not reveal the identity to us, I don't know, we already know it's someone with a lot of power in the Senate and who likely resides in the Senate's apartments. But they don't seem to think we would believe them."

"It could even be Mas Amedda, perhaps," Anakin said.

"Perhaps. I personally suspect someone close to the Chancellor," Obi-Wan said. "Someone could even be influencing him to increase the power of the Chancellor's office so that person can take the reins of power."

"If the Chancellor dies, doesn't the chancellorship revert to Amedda?" Anakin.

"Usually, but it sometimes falls to the Chancellor's council, in which you have characters like Presage and Doriana," Kenobi said. "And I'm not sure if any of the emergency measures haven't placed the election of a new Chancellor into the hands of that council instead of the Senate."

Kenobi didn't mention that he suspected the Chancellor went along with these war time measures because he enjoyed power way too much and based on what they were hearing, it might cost him.

"At least Yoda was informed," Anakin said. "I imagine he could take the Sith Lord down alone if needed."

"I had heard you had a brief match in the training center. How did that go?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It was very enlightening, my old Master. I'm hoping to convince him to show me some of his tricks," Anakin said.

"So, you were beaten out of sight, in other words," Obi-Wan said.

"Basically." Anakin replied.

Kenobi laughed as he headed towards his hut. "Good night, my former padawan."

3 Hours later

Anakin stirred in his sleep, troubled by seeing the visions he had been seeing for some time. Padme was first to stir and noticed he was having trouble. Across the camp in the Millennium Falcon, Vestara, the former Sith, sensed darkness and rapidly awakened her husband, who sensed something was off.

"The Sith," Vestara spat as they dived out of bed towards the door.

Obi-Wan could sense something was troubling his padawan and decided since they were going to have the conversation about Padme anyway, it might as well be now. Ahsoka also sensed her master having trouble and headed down the hill, meeting Kenobi coming out of his door.

"Ahh, Ahsoka, I guess we might as well make this a group effort," Kenobi said, trying to not show his concern.

Ahsoka nodded and sighed as they continued. They, however, grew alarmed when they saw the strange Jedi couple with lit lightsabers, racing for Anakin's cabin.

"Are we under attack?" Ahsoka asked.

"Don't know, let's find out.' Kenobi lit his saber and started running down the hill with Ahsoka right behind him. Anakin had awoken, feeling disturbed, despite the dreams not being as vivid as they had been and had just sat up when the door to the hut flew open with the Force. To his surprise, the married Jedi dashed in, looking around with lightsabers drawn.

"Clear," Vestara said.

Ben nodded and shut down his saber. Anakin and Padme were now seriously confused and tongue-tied, but thankful their pajamas were decent.

"Is the presence gone?" Ben asked.

Vestara walked around. "I still feel a trace. But perhaps it wasn't from an intruder."

Kenobi and Ahsoka dashed in about this time, furthering the busted couple's silence.

"What's happening?" Kenobi asked.

"The presence of darkness.," Vestara responded. "It was very strong for about 40 seconds, and it came from in here."

"I didn't sense darkness, but I knew Anakin was disturbed by something," Kenobi said with Ahsoka nodding in agreement.

All eyes turned to the couple sitting awkwardly on the edge of their bed.

"He was having nightmares," Padme said quietly.

"How long has this been happening?" Vestara asked, perhaps a bit more harshly than she meant.

"A week or so," Anakin said. "What does darkness have to do with this?"

"Perhaps everything. Sit," Vestara ordered.

Realizing there was no way to recover the situation, Anakin sat as commanded.

Vestara put her hands on him and closed her eyes.

How long she did that was anyone's guess, but she reopened them slowly and sighed.

"You have been under mental attack by the Dark Lord of the Sith," Vestara said.

Padme, Kenobi, and Ahsoka tensed at the comment.

"Does he know where we are?" Ben asked.

Vestara shook her head. "I don't think so. This was not as bad as previous dreams, was it?"

Anakin nodded in affirmation.

"I thought as much. This was a residual imprint left by his previous attacks. I can fix it so the next few nights are not a problem, though. It should disappear completely within a day or two, as long as he is not near," Vestara said calmly. "May I ask what he had you dreaming?"

Anakin looked shaken. "I saw Padme dying."

Ben and Vestara looked at each other as if a final puzzle piece had been placed.

"The Force shows us only possibilities, not certainties. Even the Dark Lord of the Sith cannot make it lie, but it can be twisted to show only the possibilities of how our greatest fears may happen," Vestara said more gently than she had previously."We will need to discuss this in the morning before we begin our training," she added. "For now, everyone get some more sleep."

Kenobi was the last out the door but tried to lighten the mood. "By the way, how am I supposed to get the proper gift as a uncle, if I haven't been told what the baby is yet?"

With that Parthian shot, he closed the door behind him.

"I guess he sensed the baby. I hadn't had a chance to tell him yet," Anakin mused.

"Yes," Padme said. "How long did you say he had known for?"

"Since before he went under cover with the Hardeen incident. His letter, which I still have, said as much," Anakin said, yawning. "Maybe with what she did, I can get a decent night sleep."

"It doesn't seem they were surprised," Padme mused. "I wonder if Yoda picked them because they are married."

"Yoda knows?" Anakin asked, looking at her wide-eyed.

"He heavily implied it, as well as the fact that I'm expecting," Padme said.

Anakin thought back to the moment Yoda had lifted everything inside the Temple. "Its difficult to say what all he knows, I recently discovered he is far more powerful than I believed him to be. He lifted every object inside the Temple that wasn't bolted down, even the starships. There's no telling what all he can sense."

Padme nodded as they tabled the elephant in the room until morning.

Millennium Falcon

"Ok, so I believe we now know the answer to our questions," Ben said, sitting at the holochess table and absently moving a character.

"Yes, he has been targeting Anakin's fears," Vestara replied, moving her own character to block Ben's check.

"How does it work exactly?"

"It targets the subject's fears and shows them only the possibilities of how that event might happen. The sender is largely unaware of the images but often can know the subject matter, say wife or children."

Ben moved a piece. "I wonder why it wasn't used more often by the One Sith in our battles with them."

"Because only the most powerful of Sith are capable of doing it, also it generally requires some form of bond between the parties. The Emperor has likely formed a bond with Anakin in their years of knowing each other but not one strong or dark enough for another Jedi even as powerful as Yoda or even Anakin himself to be aware of. Just strong enough to filter a tiny bit of darkness into," Vestara said, bringing the game into checkmate."Which also will keep him from knowing where we are."

Ben started another game. "That's a lot of dark influence to filter out, especially from one believed to be a friend. The bond with the Emperor will have to be broken. That will have to be priority one."

Vestara nodded. "We may still have to take Anakin to Ahsoka's contact."

Ben grimaced. "Yes, I suspect this makes that more certain. Getting his balance back will be a much more long-term process than I had hoped for, given I had believed he wasn't as much in danger as we thought. Though, we need to get him back firmly on the light end of the spectrum before showing our faces around that planet. I have absolutely no desire to get lightning thrown in my face because my grandfather can't keep his temper in check."

"It will help him, though," Vestara pointed out.

"Oh, I have no doubt, but we will have to wait before we can do that. These dreams have obviously left him unstable and from what Ahsoka indicated of this individual's concept of 'psych treatment'," Ben signaled in air quotes, "his therapy sessions are just as likely to throw grandfather off the edge the wrong way. Especially if he puts Padme in what appears to be danger.

"True, which is why we decided on Tython as our first stop, but we cannot remain here long," Vestara said.

Ben sighed. "I know. It is perhaps fortunate that Ahsoka decided to buy supplies in the Outer Rim when she could have easily bought from Coruscant itself or another core world. If our plan worked the Emperor will think we are in the outer rim on some mission. Few Jedi masters knew of our mission and only Yoda knows our real objective is to stymie the Sith Lord."

"I can feel the Emperor's anger and his haste from even here," Vestara said. "Perhaps it is a side effect of his bond with Anakin, but I believe it is the darkness realizing the Sith grand plan has an unforeseen fatal flaw."

A side effect of her upbringing left Vestara still vulnerable to the darkness, but it also made her more aware of it. She, for example, could sense the Dark Lord's presence on Coruscant where the shroud of the dark side prevented even Yoda from sensing his presence.

"Tomorrow I guess we can start to see what problems have been caused by Anakin's long-term exposure to the Sith," Ben said. "His meditation comment tonight is suggestive that perhaps his connection to the Force has been damaged."

"Indeed, so no teaching advanced topics like flow walking or electric judgment," Vestara warned.

Ben shuddered. "No, not unless I'm sure he will never be Darth Vader. Still, how long do you think the Emperor will take before looking into the deep core for us?" Ben asked. "I would hate to run into his agents looking for us when we do head for the Rim. At the same time, we don't want to get bottle-necked here."

"After Order 66," Vestara said. "We know the Emperor found Tython, probably looking for hidden Jedi, and he made sure all navicomputers in the galaxy knew the secret location of the Jedi. For now, I would imagine he believes we are going after Maul. Ahsoka did indicate this was the time frame of the siege of Mandalore."

"Perhaps he will actually do us a favor and remove Maul from the picture," Ben stated. "You know he caught up to Kenobi years later. We certainly don't need him after us since he could just as easily turn us over to the Empire."

"All the same, while we can't predict when the Emperor will trigger Order 66, we probably shouldn't be here when it occurs. We are still less than a day from Coruscant. The last thing we want is Kenobi or Skywalker getting any ideas of heroics or going after the Emperor," Vestara stated.

"The Emperor's spies will probably be primarily located on places they expect us to be, but it's a big galaxy after all. And even at the height of its power, the Rebel Alliance was still able to operate, despite Naval Intelligence and the ISB. Don't forget the phantom group that ran out of Lothal, despite heavy Imperial attempts to catch them," Ben said. "But for now, we should probably be aware of any assassins. Odds are, Sidious may decide to take Padme out of the picture."Us hiding the inner rim for a week or two should stymie most would be pursuers and bounty hunters. By the time we do head out that way most should have decided it's not worth the credits looking for us."

"Do you want to stay awake the rest of the night or go back to bed?" Vestara asked, yawning.

Ben smiled. "A full cycle on Tython is 28 hours. We have 9 left to go before sunrise."

Vestara looked at him, unimpressed. "You knew that when you picked sunrise as our starting point?"

"What can I say? I enjoy my beauty sleep," Ben said, as he shut off the chess table, "especially after time traveling and skydiving."

Ves rolled her eyes smirked and headed back to bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 Parabellum Part 2

Jedi Hangar,11pm, Coruscant.

The younglings and sleepy initiates were all led into separate ships for the convoy to safety, although only Yoda knew that they would likely not be returning. He gave a holopad of instructions to Kit before he launched and bade the master a safe journey. Master Nu and her aides had left a bit earlier. Yoda watched as they staggered out the ships one at a time to avoid suspicion and felt when the last one had made the jump to safety. He had read Master- well, Grandmaster- Skywalker's holocron. Unfortunately, Luke was unaware of many details due to the Empire's destruction of many documents and his own bare education on the subject. He did, however, include the name of the Sith Lord and the details of Order 66. They were, indeed, caught in a trap. Yoda could piece together what Luke could not. Dooku had been involved in the creation of the Clone Army, which meant the Clones were compromised by the chips that would force them to attack their friends and allies.

Having the final piece did not help the situation. In fact, Yoda saw how the Order would have been caught no matter what choice they had made. Had they not joined the war effort, the Clone army would have been ordered to attack them in the Temple for treason to the Republic, probably after the attack on Coruscant. Jedi across the galaxy on various planets would have been attacked by troopers, or even the Droid army. However, by leading the army, the Jedi would have little to no warning before they were shot in the back. They were caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. Yoda sighed. His enemy had not won yet and the future of the Jedi was now a little more secure than it had been. Based on the holocron, he believed he could time the arrival of Order 66 to within a half hour. Sidious was not the only one with tricks up his sleeves. He could only hope it would be enough time to play his last card.

Chancellor's Office

Palpatine's frustration was increasing. His spies and assassins had been set in place, but the Force was starting to get cloudy even for him. It was almost like there had been a slight rebalancing, only enough that you would almost not notice. But he had made it a point to notice certain things and on the cusp of his victory he was not going to get careless now. He had an increasingly sinking feeling that his plans for Anakin were slipping out of his fingers. If Maul got lucky and killed him somehow, he would make him pay. More likely was the nagging feeling that Skywalker would not return before he issued Order 66. He would have to make a special order to keep troopers from killing him, but accidents could still happen. Skywalker was prone to leap into starfighter combat whenever he could.

Frustration gnawed at him. He was typically patient, but time was running out. He wanted desperately to know where Skywalker was, and his little green friend was ignoring his questions about his location, saying only that he was on an important mission.

Palpatine had for years dreamed of the day he could shoot lightning at the ancient Jedi master but his encounter with him 6 months ago had proved the prudence of the previous 900 years of Sith Lords in keeping the troll far away. Tomorrow he would order his armies to attack Kashyyk. It would take two days for his troops to attack the planet. At that point he would give the Council the location of Grievous.

He could wait no more. The Grand Plan was in danger if he waited any longer, he could feel that. Time to cut his losses for the moment.

Outer Rim Sieges

Jedi Master A'Sharad Hett was perhaps the most powerful and formidable warrior in the Jedi Order not on the council. He had been passed over for promotion for Obi-Wan Kenobi, due the latter's knowledge of leading others into war and his reputation for killing a Sith Lord. Hett, however, was not an overly ambitious person and had no desire to sit back and drink tea on the council. He certainly had no grudge against Kenobi. No, out here in the field is where Jedi should be, as his own father before him had been. He had even befriended Obi-Wan's apprentice early in the Clone War when many believed Kenobi had died at the hands of Assaj Ventress. As a fellow native of Tatooine, he had taken it upon himself to reach out to the young Jedi. He still kept tabs on him when he could, though he had not spoken to him in several years. He had often reflected that, had Skywalker been accepted as an initiate, he would likely have taken him on as his own apprentice. It was to some surprise to Hett while going through hyperspace in his fighter on a hit and run mission that he received a rather disturbing Force vision of what appeared to be the near future.

The pictures were vague, but it appeared to be himself and several Jedi running from an unseen foe, Skywalker somehow rushing in at the last second to save them. He saw the twin suns of his home world. Skywalker and he were on Tatooine together and he sensed a balance come into place.

With the Clone Wars coming to an end, he had hoped he could rest a bit and go explore the galaxy for a while, doing the job a Jedi was meant for, namely helping the individuals of the galaxy on a more personal level. What he saw did not lead to that right now, though he must finish the Clone Wars. With that resolve he turned his attention back to his fighter's display, despite the bad feeling he had about this.

Tython, 1 Hour before Sunrise

Rex was the first to realize that dawn did not come so early on this planet as he relit the fire of his and his brother's campsite. Jesse awoke at the same time, refreshed by the extra sleep he had received. Tython's two moons were setting on the western horizon- one white, the other red.

"So, do you think they had it planned out for the extra sleep?" Jesse asked.

"I'm getting the feeling more and more that those two know exactly what they're doing," Rex replied.

"That story Master Solo gave about them being married- do you think it's true?" Jesse asked.

Rex shrugged "The Correlian Jedi are known to allow marriage amongst their members, so that's probably where they're from. They both kind of act Correlian."

"I would have thought she was Mandalorian personally," Jesse mused. "I get the nasty feeling she is especially good at killing people."

Rex just shrugged his shoulders. While troopers typically refrained from talking about superior officers, the two Jedi had not been introduced by rank, so he was a little unsure of whether that rule applied to them. Master Solo was nice enough, but Knight Khai acted a little too dark -not to the point of Pong Krell, but anything down that line had his troopers especially wary. That was what had Jesse on edge. Both Jedi knew a little too much about everything and everyone and that had Rex's guard up. He was also certain they knew about Skywalker and Amidala. Knight Khai certainly had more respect for him and his brother than Krell did, but he couldn't help but notice she was constantly watching them over her shoulder.

Perhaps the direct approach would work, but he didn't think it was yet time. Perhaps a few days together would get everyone to loosen up.

Ahsoka came over to the campfire.

"Good morning, Commander," Rex said.

"Morning," Ahsoka replied.

"Restful night?"

"Not really. Not after the excitement in Anakin's cabin," Ahsoka said.

"What happened?" Rex asked, alarmed that he had slept through a crisis.

"A Jedi thing. Apparently, he has been under attack by the Sith. Knight Khai was able to put it at bay for a time," she said as she watched the moons dip below the horizon and the eastern sky start to brighten.

"That's good," Rex said slowly. Jesse nodded noncommittally.

"Yes, I imagine we had better join the others if we want breakfast," Ahsoka said, not noting the suspicious looks the troopers were giving.

Village Community Center, Tython.

The building was nice enough, despite the fact there had been no occupants for the previous millennia. Obi-Wan was curious about how the buildings had been left relatively intact for such a long period. These thoughts were running through his mind as he sipped a cup of caf from a caf machine someone had had the foresight to install in the building. Probably Rex, he decided. Anakin and Padme walked through the door. With the pair knowing they were officially busted, Anakin grimaced as he trudged over to his master's table.

"Good morning, Anakin. You might try the caf. I hear it's great for when babies are up all night," Obi-Wan said, all too happily.

Anakin groaned. "I was going to tell you, but I only found out after the Battle of Coruscant."

Obi-Wan raised his eyes. "Really? I thought you were married on Naboo several years ago. I assume my invitation got lost in the mail?"

Anakin again groaned. His brother was apparently now deciding to have the fun he had obviously been holding back for several years. "With you joining the Council, I thought it would be best not to rock the boat," he said, wanting the earth to swallow him and now realizing what a dumb excuse he had made at the time. "I didn't want you to get into trouble."

"Hardly trouble. You're not the first Jedi that up and married, even in the last few decades. Generally, they either quit or are quietly transferred over to the Green Jedi." Obi-Wan sipped his caf. "In your case I figured you would go with the transfer, especially with a couple dozen Green Jedi joining the ranks for the Clone Wars."

"What about you?" Anakin asked.

Kenobi sighed. "I told you a long time ago I would go with you, even if you left the Order. In this particular case I likely would have waited until the Clone War was over. If Satine hadn't died…," Kenobi trailed off.

Padme arrived with two of cups of caf.

"Ahh, Anakin's hero," Kenobi said, turning his thoughts to happier things. "Just in time to save him from more humiliation."

"I didn't realize there was a pipeline to Correlia," Anakin said.

"I didn't either until I joined the Council, but it's been in place for centuries." Kenobi said. "It's definitely not promoted, but it's the reason you have never heard of anyone being removed as a Jedi over marriage."

Further grilling of his former padawan was halted by the arrival of Ben and a few minutes of small talk, it was time to begin.

"There's been a change in plans, due to last night's incident," Ben explained. "I will need a private talk with Anakin before we go deeper into training. Vestara can get you started on the more hands-on aspect of fighting Yuuzhan Vong warriors."

Kenobi nodded and left with Vestara down to the beach, followed by Rex. Jesse and Ahsoka volunteered to guard Padme.

Ben and Anakin reached the top of the hill right as the sun crested the horizon. They sat down and watched the sunrise for a bit in companionable silence.

"Now then, let's start with your dreams," Ben said, "obviously they have you shaken."

Anakin looked at him. "What more do you need to know? Your wife identified them as an attack by the Sith Lord."

"True; however, even that has not removed your fear that they might be true. They, after all, involve your wife," Ben countered. "It would be best to give me the details and let's see if there is any pattern to them. Or perhaps a pattern the Dark Lord wanted you to act on."

Anakin watched the sunrise and sighed. "The dream shows Padme dying in childbirth."

Anakin sees Ben turn pale.

"Are there any details in the dream, anything at all -places, locations, people?" Ben asked.

"Very little, Master. I see Padme on a medical bed, and she is screaming for me to help her. I hear a baby crying, and I see her die. I cannot even see if the child survives."

Ben closes his eyes and stays silent. Anakin watches him do the same thing Master Yoda did and waits patiently. Since Knight Khai did whatever it was the night before, he indeed did feel better. The edge of his fear had been removed.

"Show me," Ben said suddenly.

Anakin looked at him strangely. "How, Master?"

Ben sighed. "We shouldn't be doing this so soon, but understand what we see is only a possibility that may give us some piece of information that could be vital."

"What are we doing?" Anakin asked, concerned

"We are going to see if we can see more of what's happening. Do not attempt this on your own," Ben warned.

"Very well, Master," Anakin said, confused.

"Very well. Sink into a trance and let me guide you. I will do all the work- just let it flow," Ben instructed.

They did so and Anakin, unlike most times he did this, saw people and images around him. He also saw the Jedi master's true Force signature. It shocked him to realize the Jedi master was more powerful than any Jedi he had ever seen.

"Mind on our task, Anakin. My directions from my Council were to keep a low profile," came the mild chiding.

"What do we do now?" Anakin asked in awe.

"Put your thoughts on the dream you saw, but do not allow your fear to intervene. We must stay objective to glean any useful piece of information."

Anakin did so and suddenly Ben and Anakin were standing in the med room with a screaming Padme. Anakin turned white.

"Anakin, remember, this isn't happening. Don't let your fear override us," Ben said calmly.

Anakin nodded. "What are we looking for?"

"Anything of use," Ben said. He walked to a computer and looked at the data. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan was holding Padme's hand, begging her to hang on.

Tears welled up in Anakin's eyes at seeing the scene before him.

"Anakin," Padme said.

He rushed to her and stretched out a hand, but the hand went right through the vision. "I'm here, Padme."

"Anakin, that's it," Ben said.

Anakin looked at him. "You have something."

"Yes, what's missing here?"

Anakin looked around. At that moment the scene switched. He saw a droid come up to Obi-Wan and apologize, saying there was nothing physically wrong with her, but they were losing her anyway.

"Master Solo, is there any power you know of that I can learn that can help her?" Anakin asked with tears in his eyes.

"Wouldn't help," Ben said

Anakin looked at him angrily. "Why?" he growled.

"Where are you in this picture?" Ben said.

Anakin froze and looked around.

"Looks to me like in this possibility something happened to you and she has lost the will to live," Ben said quietly. "So, to stop this possibility we simply need to keep you safe."

Anakin blinked. "I would have been on Coruscant when this happened."

"Likely you had an encounter with a Sith Lord that went poorly," Ben said. "Remember, this is only the possibility of your worse fears coming true."

The image faded but not before Anakin spotted through his teary eyes that the child was being taken care of by Obi-Wan.

Moments later they were back on the grassy hill of Tython.

Anakin continued crying for quite some time and Ben stayed quiet.

Finally, Anakin spoke through his tears "The child survived. Obi-Wan was taking care of it."

"That's good news. In the unlikely event of a worse case scenario, your child lives," Ben said.

Anakin nodded.

"Anakin, it's somewhat obvious this has you shaken. The fact that the Sith Lord is capable of influencing your dreams suggests he has some sort of connection to you that you may be unaware of," Ben said gently. "With your permission I will attempt to break that hold over you, when you're ready."

Anakin nodded, still sniffling. "Today, if we can."

"I don't want to push you too fast," Ben said. "We can take a break if you need one."

Anakin sighed. "Let me go talk to Padme and I'll be back."

Ben nodded. "I'll be here."

Ben felt a worried feeling over his bond with Vestara.

"I may have pushed a bit quick," he sent over the bond

"What did you do?"

"I let him think we were seeing more of his vision that he couldn't see, but his dreams were identical to what R2 showed us."

"So?" came the tense response.

"So, I might have actually flow walked us to see the birth of my dad and aunt. He, of course, was thinking we were seeing a more detailed version of his dreams," Ben answered.

"Did anything slip that maybe shouldn't have?" Vestara asked.

"No, in fact, it may have helped. Padme died because she lost Anakin. He saw that and I may have inferred he probably came out on the wrong side of an encounter with a Sith Lord."

"Vader, though he inferred Sidious, no doubt," came the reply. "Listen, Obi-Wan Skywalker, we should keep the 'certain point of view' thing to a minimum. We're on thin ice already. You may not have noticed, but Obi-Wan's suspicious that something is up and so are the troopers. Rex is no fool as Ahsoka can testify. It's also only a matter of time before Padme gets objective, despite her fears for Anakin, and starts snooping."

Ben agreed. He opened his eyed and watched his despondent grandfather walk down the hill to the community center.

Sensing his padawan in distress, Obi-Wan excused himself from the training he was receiving. It was quite physically demanding. Apparently, their foes fought with extremely dangerous staffs oftentimes laden with poison. He met Anakin at the bottom of the hill next to the community house. Anakin collapsed on Kenobi's shoulders, crying like he hadn't seen him do since he was a small child.

"Are you alright, Anakin?" Kenobi asked, once he had calmed down a bit.

"Thank you, Master, for always being there," Anakin sobbed. "I have been unappreciative of your training and many other things."

"Anakin, you are strong and wise, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could hope to be," Kenobi said softly.

"But you are always there for me and will forever be," Anakin said, still sobbing.

Kenobi was distressed by this point. One didn't often see Anakin break down like this. His fear often led to anger rather than tears. Something had broken his apprentice down.

"Forgive me for asking again -Anakin, what's wrong?"

Anakin got himself together. "Master Ben requested me to show him the dream from the dream attack. By the way, he is much more powerful than we were originally shown."

Kenobi noted the observation but realized it was also being used as a stalling tactic. "So, you showed him the dreams?"

Anakin nodded.

"Using the Force?" Kenobi asked.

Anakin nodded again.

"Only, Master Ben was able to get more of the reality to show itself to us. I saw you trying to comfort Padme. She didn't make it, but the child did," Anakin said blinking through his tears. "I wasn't around. Ben thought, based on what Padme was saying, that in this future I had not survived the battle with the Sith Lord. Either way, I caught a glimpse of the future as the vision was ending. You were taking care of the child."

Kenobi blinked, concerned. Anakin falling against a Sith Master would be his worst nightmare, one he had envisioned on many long nights since the Battle of Naboo. "Still," Obi-Wan said, trying to calm him down, "remember what Knight Khai said about this particular vision, that it was only a way to make your worst dreams come true."

"True, Master, "Anakin said, "but I know you would be there for the child if I couldn't be."

"Let's try to keep that from happening. I'm not sure I could survive raising another Skywalker," Obi-Wan said, trying to raise the spirits of his padawan. "But, yes, I would do that for you, if it was ever necessary."

Anakin hugged him tighter after this. "We're going to try to break whatever bond this Sith has on my mind."

"I think I will join you when you do this," Kenobi said.

A couple of hours later, to Ben's surprise, Anakin and Kenobi both came up the hill. Ben truly had suspected what Anakin had seen that morning would keep him from trying anything else that day.

"I want to get whatever the Sith Lord has done to me out of my head," Anakin said.

"Very well," Ben said. "I will tell you he has likely been at this for years, so eliminating his influence will not be the work of a day or possibly even a week."

"The dreams only started a few weeks ago," Anakin pointed out.

"He wouldn't start with that; he would almost certainly start smaller with slight nudges, nothing big that you or the Jedi around you would even notice unless you were actively looking for it. The dreams indicate he was trying to engage in an endgame plan to drive you to desperation."

"Ahsoka told me you believe that the Sith Lord has been working on a long game to get him to fall, including the bombing incident and Mandalore," Kenobi said. "Do you suspect that his plans were almost ripe?"

"Sidious apparently believed so," Ben answered. "But the important thing is that once we start, we see this to the end no matter how long it takes. It will possibly be uncomfortable and perhaps dangerous at times."

Ben knew Anakin's face all too well. It was the stubborn Skywalker "going-to-do-it-no-matter-what" face.

"Sidious, you're toast. You just don't know it yet," Ben thought to himself. He knew that look and if Anakin kept that determination, the Dark Lord wasn't getting his hands on him anytime soon.

Chapter Text

48 ABY

Any person who knew a fraction of galactic history would be stunned by the irony of the moment. The wounded and unconscious Jedi Grandmaster was being protected by a Dark Lord of the Sith. With Krayt's death a few minutes prior, he was likely the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy, but he had more important things to be worried about or he wouldn't survive long enough to care. The sight was one to behold. The Grandmaster was being carried over the shoulders of Mara Jade Skywalker. His nephew's wife, Tahiri, used her lightsabers to block blaster bolts that were getting through the screen. Luke's nephew Anakin Solo and the current Dark Lord of the Sith, Lord Gavar Khai, led the retreat. At the back were Kyp Durron's apprentice, Rey Palpatine, and Khai's dark acolyte, Kylo Ren, along with a few lost tribe members and Jedi knights- all that was left of the strike force.

After what felt like hours but was less than ten minutes, the group successfully made their way to their ships. A final blast of Force lightning from Anakin and Khai cleared the way of enemy soldiers. Their pilots had already prepared the ship to launch. Once the last of the vanguard got on the ship, the pilots raced for the safety of hyperspace.

No one said a word as Mara and Tahiri rushed the Jedi Grandmaster to the medical unit. Silence prevailed on the ship until they reached hyperspace. Finally, the silence was broken by a young Sith acolyte who had stayed on the ship to protect it. "What happened?"

Without responding, Khai punched through a box near him. The acolyte took a few steps back at the display of anger.

"That fool Krayt betrayed us all and in the process has left us all to deal with the consequences," Khai said with a quiet fury. "Let this be a lesson for each of you aspiring Sith lords of what happens if a Sith allows the darkness to consume him. Since the day Ben Skywalker crashed onto our planet and fulfilled the prophecy, our people have been striving to reach more for the light than the dark. Today marks the day we rue the time the first Sith ever listened to the darkness because it may just kill us all."

Mustering what courage he had, the acolyte asked, "What did he do?"

Khai growled. "The fool wanted revenge on Skywalker for destroying his misplaced ambition. He tried to kill him just when we had nearly succeeded in defeating Abeloth. A few moments more and we would have been successful. Instead, the fool cost us everything and the monster killed most of us, including Darth Vol. The only good that came of this is that Krayt paid for his treachery with his life. Thankfully, Skywalker was able to wound Abeloth before he collapsed. Otherwise, we wouldn't have escaped."

The acolyte looked towards where Anakin Solo had collapsed from exhaustion. "Could Solo not have kept the fight going?"

"Perhaps, had he been with us, but he and most of our surviving comrades were busy at the door, keeping her thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors from overwhelming us," Khai said pointedly. "You should remember your lessons on the uselessness of dwelling on might-have-beens; otherwise, you might consider your fate if you had gone with us."

With that the acolyte gulped, nodded and hurried away from the Darth's view. While the tribe's members were not as murderous as they had been several decades before, accidents still happened.

Khai released the frustrations of annoying pupils into the Force before going to go check on Skywalker. He entered the ship's medbay, where Tahiri and Mara were watching the Jedi healers look after their Grandmaster.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Despite his injuries, a few hours in bacta and a healing trance ought to be enough to get him back on his feet," Mara said. "Do you have any injuries that need looking after?"

Khai nodded in the negative. "I have several cracked ribs from being thrown like a puppet and some lightning burns, along with some negligible cuts and bruises. The creature did not view me as a threat and had her honor guards fighting me. She was mainly focused on Skywalker, Krayt, and Vol. More importantly, what do we do now? The galaxies navies are broken. Coruscant, Bastion, Hapes, Ossus, and Kesh are all burned. And most of our remaining people that could fight we just lost, due to Krayt's treachery."

Mara looked grim. The Jedi had lost all but 250 members, most of whom had either been on individual missions across the galaxy or in the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV, which they had evacuated before it could be destroyed. Luke had left his old friend Master Kyp Durron in charge of the survivors along with Master Tano in case they failed the mission. In retrospect, they had done better than the Old Jedi had before the fall of the Republic when 98% of the Order had been wiped out in hours. This time, most of the Jedi had fallen in a lost battle with the re-invading Yuuzhan Vong, alongside the combined fleets of the Empire and Galactic Alliance. They had not realized a Darksider would rip the fleet apart. With the fleets lost in a single knockout and no survivors to warn of the impending doom, the Darksider then led the assaults to destroy Ossus and Kesh, sending her armies to level the capitals of the Galactic Alliance, the Empire, and the Hapes Consortium. It had been a heartbreaking week.

Jaina had not survived the fall of Bastion, and Jacen, her twin, had sacrificed himself to save his wife, Queen Tenel Ka Solo, and his daughter, Amelia, when Hapes fell. Anakin was the final Solo child left alive. They had barely restrained Han from going on a one-man mission to deal with the invaders by giving him the responsibility of getting his granddaughter and the other Jedi children safely to Ach-to. Mara's son, Ben, and his wife, Vestara, had been on Ach-to when the disaster hit, overseeing the reconstruction of the ancient Jedi facility. Thankfully, the council had listened to Ben's excited scholarly spiels after the discovery of the Jedi home world and had decided it would be prudent to reestablish it as a site for archaeological research and a potential safe spot. The decision had been made not a moment too soon and construction on the site was almost complete when the Order had to evacuate to their beta location.

Mara looked at her son's father-in-law. "We may soon be left without a viable alternative. Even were we to kill Abeloth now, we do not possess the numbers to drive back the YuuzhanVong and keep them from conducting galactic wide genocide."

"What are you proposing- pulling back to the unknown regions and hiding forever?" Khai asked.

"Something far more radical. The Order believes we may be able to send two of our members back through time," Mara said.

Khai looked at her. "You know both of our orders rarely agreed on anything, but even attempting time travel was forbidden by both of our ancient ancestors, though perhaps for different reasons."

The Jedi order forbade time travel since they believed it would cause chaos throughout the galaxy. Even with the fall of the Jedi, Master Yoda would never dream of using the World between Worlds to change time. The Sith forbade even experimentation, not because they didn't want the power, but because they feared their rivals getting their hands on the ability and possibly erasing them from existence. If Palpatine had gotten his grubby hands on the power, he would have grabbed it with both of them. What he would seek to use it for was a mystery- other than to see futures and their outcomes. But in the face not of Jedi extinction but of galactic genocide, Luke Skywalker told the council to give it some thought.

"Neither side has ever faced Galactic destruction before," Mara said.

Khai was still not satisfied. "How would I know whoever you send wouldn't lead the ancient Jedi against my ancestors?"

"By sending our children," Mara said quietly.

Khai paused. "You would send Vestara and Ben."

Mara watched as the Sith sat down, visibly holding back tears. "We would likely never see them again," he whispered.

"No, but you know neither Ves nor Ben would bring harm to your people and it may be the only way we can save their futures," Mara said. "It hasn't been decided yet. Of course, we will attempt to find another solution before we do anything of that nature."

"Except we both know we won't find one," Darth Khai said grimly. "As I am now leader of my people, I will agree to the suspending of the ancient compact between the Jedi and Sith in this matter only if my daughter goes."

With that statement he stood and walked towards his quarters.

Mara sighed. She was no happier than the Sith was- well, not really Sith. Since Ben had crashed on their planet and showed off the power of the light and overwhelmed those who opposed him, the Sith, in their typical desire to gain more power, had all jumped on the light side bandwagon. It was still a rocky road that they were on, but Ben had discovered that these Sith genuinely loved their families and had already unconsciously been tapping into the light for centuries. Ben's report mused that this fact had prevented the Kesh Sith Order from wiping itself out like most Sith.

Mara turned back at the unconscious Luke who was suspended in a bacta tank. "Farmboy, you had better be right about this." Not that she had any better solutions.

Jedi Council Chamber, Coruscant; Final days of the Clone War

Yoda did not show the alarm that he felt over the meeting's topics. He was seeing the Sith Lord tie the final nooses around the galaxy. This morning, the Chancellor had sent a courier, informing the council that GAR intelligence had located General Grievous. This report came within hours of the news that Kyshyyk had been invaded by the droid army. And all of this on top the Senate authorization of intervention into the Mandalore system just yesterday.

Yoda listened as the Council mused that Kenobi would have been the perfect person to send after Grievous if he were here. Since Yoda was duty-bound to go help the Wookies, he realized just how well the events had been orchestrated.

The Sith would have left Anakin without any support or his friends in the Order. His mentor would have been sent to kill Grievous and while Yoda went to Kyshyyk, leaving Anakin alone to face a Sith Lord who had been playing games with him. Yoda was starting to suspect he may have been wrong about Sidious's plan for Anakin. Perhaps he had planned to blackmail Anakin into being his apprentice rather than kill him. Luke had been vague on that part and the young Skywalkers were in a noticeably big hurry to get off the planet. Not that he blamed them. No, he had the all the pieces together and was still stuck. He marveled at how well the trap had been laid. Just as when they discovered the Sith had been involved in the creation of the Clone army, this was not the wisest path, but it was the only path forward. Now his enemy was prepared to strike and only wanted a pretext. So, Yoda would play this game to the end and hope he could pull the rug partially out from under Sidious. It was the only thing he could hope for.

He sighed when the meeting closed. He had not informed the Council that the holocron vault had been emptied by Jocasta and taken away from the Temple. He had kept back a few holocrons for himself; everything else had gone with the archivist. He hobbled away from the chambers, pausing for one last look, unsure when or if he would ever see it again.

Chancellor's Office

Palpatine gritted his teeth. He could not shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. Even with confirmation that the little green troll was on his way halfway across the galaxy, he could not shake the feeling. His spies had reported no sighting of Skywalker or his crew. They had also reported that neither Gunray nor his aides were doing anything other than what Grievous was telling them. Perhaps he had gotten this wrong. With Dooku gone, Amidala may have decided this was time for another plea to the CIS Senate body. Still, taking along the killer of their leader was hardly a way to start a negotiation, and Padme was no novice. Perhaps he had misjudged the member of the Separatist high council that was wanting to engage in negotiations. Uncertainty wasn't something he was used to facing. Only once in the Clone Wars had Palpatine been truly concerned his future apprentice would get killed and that was when he disobeyed orders and went looking for the Malevolence without a fleet. No, this was as infuriating as the time Kenobi and Skywalker had boarded Outbound Flight and Doriana hadn't told him until after the ship had departed on its ill-fated voyage. That time he had been forced to personally intervene as Chancellor; otherwise, his ambush would have had to been canceled.

It was a strange fortune that had recently crossed Skywalker's path with that of the Chiss commander who had destroyed Outbound Flight. Unfortunately, between them, the rash young Jedi and the Chiss commander had successfully ruined one of his contingencies to Order 66. Of course, in a worst-case scenario, having enemies with cortosis armor could have backfired, so he was not overtly upset when they had succeeded in destroying the cortosis armor facility. Still, incidents like these showed that not everything went to plan and now it felt as if that was happening again. He gritted his teeth again. He could not afford to leave Coruscant to check up on his minions and see if they were backstabbing him. If Maul was still kicking after everything went down, he might have to pay him a personal visit. This was the first time he rued losing his most recent apprentice. Skywalker had refused to kill him outright, but having to choose between carrying the Count and Kenobi, he had easily left the Count to his demise. Palpatine stared into the Coruscant sky, hoping nothing more went wrong with his plans.

Chapter Text

Tython

Several days went by, and Ben was concerned about the lack of progress. He was also concerned about Anakin's growing frustration. Anakin's ability to meditate was certainly problematic as was his growing impatience. It seemed certain to both Ben and Vestara that sometime in the past Anakin had had a disastrous brush with the darkness and had come back with a damaged connection to the Force. Ben and Vestara decided it was time for a change in plans. Sometimes one must run before you can walk. Vestara had continued to teach the more hands-on portions of the training, which Anakin took to like a fish to water. This morning, they decided it was time to dazzle Anakin with what exactly he was missing out on.

Anakin and Ben were once again at the top of the hill overlooking the ocean. Ben always started the time by talking to his grandfather, trying to learn more about him and Padme. He was a treasure trove of information. One irony of time travel is that you only have information from the future and one often has little knowledge of the past. In this case Luke and his family knew very little about his parents- only what Obi-Wan and Yoda had written in their journals and what they were able to eventually get out of R2. The faithful droid was still very reluctant to divulge much information. Ben had learned more about Anakin's past in the last few days than he had in his whole life. Now here again they were overlooking the ocean when Anakin had divulged the story the Emperor had given him of the "secret Sith healing power." It sounded to Ben like normal Force healing although he did not say as much. Most Jedi, including his parents, could generally heal a person to a degree, although if you didn't know what you were doing it was best not to attempt it, unless the wound was critical.

"Have you ever heard of anything like that, Master Ben?" Anakin asked.

"Not from a Sith Lord. Sith are generally not very good healers," Ben answered. "I suspect that it was a legend from the ancient past if it ever truly existed. I imagine anything like that would have been destroyed when the Sith archives were destroyed, at any rate."

"By the Jedi so no one could get their power?" Anakin asked, somewhat disapprovingly.

Ben noticed his tone and replied,"Oh no, by a Sith Lord- arguably the most powerful Sith Lord ever."

Anakin seemed somewhat surprised. "Why would a Sith Lord destroy his own archive?"

"An excellent question for another time. But it's certainly not a story a Sith would tell. I imagine they have tried to bury that tale into myths and legends," Ben mused.

Anakin couldn't help but notice the same language that Palpatine had used. "Is that line always used by teachers when they don't know something?"

"Oh, no. I'm happy to tell the story, but right now we need to get moving on today's lesson before Ves and Obi-Wan think we're slacking," Ben replied.

Anakin sighed. "More meditation?"

"Yes, but different. I can not help but notice you have trouble with the basics. Is that something that has always been the case or something more recent?" Ben asked.

"It has always been boring to me. I am much better concentrated when I am working on a machine," Anakin said.

Ben sat back and thought about it. "Alright. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to lead the way and go into the Force the deepest you can."

Anakin sighed. "Alright."

Clasping his hands, Anakin sunk into the flows of the Force until he hit the white room that always seemed to appear when he dived deeply into the Force. Kenobi and others could stay here for long amounts of time to clear their thoughts. Sometimes one could receive visions in here.

As he sat cross legged in the white room, he thought back to when he was a child and had made a toy pod racer appear. He kept his eyes closed but could still feel the Jedi master with him who was curiously, he sensed, behind him instead of in front of him, as he was in the real world.

"Inner peace," Anakin said a couple of times.

"What are we doing?" the Jedi master behind him asked, sounding perplexed.

Anakin turned to find the master sitting in a comfy red chair and wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses.

Anakin blinked at the image. The Jedi Master also had a book in hand for … boredom?

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked.

"The point of being this far in is to go do stuff," Ben said.

"What do you mean? This is where everyone goes in their joint meditations," Anakin said, confused.

"If this is what you guys consider meditation, no wonder you can't handle it," Ben said, closing his book, "Anakin, will you allow me to take the lead here?"

Anakin nodded, his confusion clear on his face. Ben walked in front of Anakin and reached a hand out when a series of shelves went by and stopped.

"This is now officially the most confusing meditation session I've ever been in," Anakin said.

"This is an equipment shelf. Even though it's illusory, as long as you are in the meditation, everything will feel real. For that reason we can get equipment we are used to handling," Ben said, reaching for a lightsaber on the shelf and a Jedi tool belt.

Anakin did the same, noting the shelf held his own and Kenobi's lightsabers.

"How are you doing this?" Anakin asked.

"This entire place is the Force. You could manifest a bucket of sand if you wanted to. Some children actually do that in fact. I mentally have it set up as a garage of sorts, with the hanger being next door," he said as he walked through a door that appeared in the middle of the room.

Anakin's curiosity had caught up with him as he followed the Jedi master through the door into a hanger with many starships of an unknown variety. He recognized the Falcon in the corner. Since it was Ben's Force space they were in, the hanger was that of the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV after they had expanded it during the Yuuzhan Vong war.

Ben selected the Falcon to take and pulled it off the ground. "Now then the rule of not getting lost is to always choose a point to you that is home. When we leave the garage, we head home then to who knows where. I'll let you decide our homecoming spot."

Anakin focused for a moment and nodded that he had it. It was some surprise to Ben when they left the mindspace for the wide open Force that they were on Tatooine above the Lars Homestead. Ben and Anakin vanished out of the Falcon and were on the sands of Tatooine before Anakin could shout at the difference in locations.

"This is home for you? Tatooine?" Ben asked softly, raising his hood to keep off the sunlight.

Anakin gazed at a hill above the homestead. "No this is where my mother was buried," he said with a far away look in his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come, there is much to see," Ben said.

An instant later they were in the Falcon and off to space. Anakin could not help but notice the instant travel between places that they were viewing. It wasn't all space travel. At times they were above jungles. Other times they were above oceans and snowy mountains. Anakin marveled at the sight and was uncharacteristically quiet as he watched the scenes constantly change.

"How do you know where you are going?" Anakin asked.

"I don't," Ben replied. "Right now I'm simply going on one of the Force's currents, letting it guide the ship. But if I came here with a destination in mind, I could either take a ship or teleport myself there instantly. It's a very strange as well as amazing place. One never knows where they will wind up, who they will see or anything. Some places are more consistent than others and we take our children on group field trips to those locations, since time flows faster here than the outside, its actually possible to take a mini vacation." Ben's grin turned serious. "Of course, it can also be dangerous to those who don't know how to use it properly. One can also be observed by enemies here as well. I have taken part in several duels with enemies here, though in truth it's rather a futile gesture. One can neither die here nor be captured, since you can teleport away or simply wake up at any time. There are also places strong with the dark, ones we typically keep away from so it doesn't overwhelm our senses."

The Falcon continued on its strange journey through the eddies of the Force as Anakin considered the new information.

"If I had known this was here all those punishment sessions of meditation would have gone a lot quicker," Anakin said, grinning.

"Or slower. Your teachers would have been like 'He's extra patient today. He's been in there 5 hours longer than necessary'," Ben said, "It's one reason why we don't teach our younger children that there's anywhere in here but the training ground. Don't forget: time is also a bit faster in here. It might take a day in here what a hour would be outside."

"Still, I think even my younger self could have enjoyed a day of exploring in here," Anakin said with awe in his voice at what he was seeing.

Anakin heard Ben suck in a breathe and turned to see what was the most awesome sight he had ever seen in his life. A palace of pure rivers of light flowed from what appeared to be a beautiful castle on a mountain up ahead.

Anakin's and Ben's mouths were both opened wide.

"What is this place?" Anakin asked.

"That is the Palace of Light, or, as some call it, the Fountain of Light. Some believe it is the source of all light in the galaxy. Either way it is a wellspring of light- whether the source or merely a conduit, I am uncertain it matters," Ben said with awe in his voice. "I have seen only once when I was small, I have never again found it until today."

Ben followed the Force, guiding the ship to a small landing point just outside the castle. The sight was so amazing that Anakin was actively having to hold back tears. The castle was tall and had light flowing from many points. Anakin could not help thinking that this was far more amazing than anything he had seen on Mortis. The sight of a familiar Condor had Ben looking at Morai who was watching them from a tree. Anakin missed the bird by being astounded by the castle itself.

It was impossible to feel danger in a place like this. Despite the fact the grounds were empty of any appearance of being inhabited by people, there was an all-around peaceful feeling settling over the area. The feeling had Anakin wishing he had left his lightsaber behind as they went through the castle's front entrance. The inside was well lit from sources they could not see, but the feeling of safety persisted to the point that Anakin and Ben both left their sabers on a table by the entrance. How long they remained there, neither knew nor cared. The two family members explored everything from the bottom to the view from the tower. They had nearly circled back to the entrance when they sensed a darkness approaching in the Force. Outside, the birds quieted down. Night was falling, but that only made the light coming from the Palace seem even grander. Neither Anakin nor Ben had ever sensed this presence before, though Ben recognized it as a Sith Lord, so they took up a hiding place near the entrance.

As the presence approached, Anakin was starting to wish he hadn't left his lightsaber near the entrance. The over all feeling of the lightside around, made him certain a Dark Lord would have an extreme disadvantage in a fight.

Ben cautioned. "Let's not get into a fight with whoever is coming if we can help it."

Anakin nodded it would be pointless anyway from what Ben had said. "Sidious do you think?"

Ben was confused. "I don't know. It's certainly one of the most powerful darksiders I've ever felt."

The presence reached the front of the castle and hesitated. After a moment of fear that was radiated strongly enough for Anakin and Ben to feel, the presence wrapped itself up with pride and entered the Palace of Light.

The male figure stepped into the entrance and lowered his hood. Shock and recognition went through Ben as he recognized the person in front of them.

"Someone you know?" Anakin whispered.

The figure, at that moment, looked right at them as Anakin realized that neither of them had their presences shielded. To his shock though, the Sith shrugged and kept walking deeper into the Palace.

"He can't see us," Ben said, standing up and stepping out in the hall the Sith was walking down.

Anakin looked between them and said, "How do you know?"

"Because I figured out who he is. We are seeing a vision of an event that happened 6 centuries ago," Ben answered and followed the Sith down the hallway.

Anakin followed Ben. "Why would he be here?"

"An excellent question. Remember that story I said I would tell you later? Apparently, you needed a front row seat of what happened," Ben replied, still following the Sith Lord.

"Didn't you say he was the most powerful Sith Lord in history?" Anakin asked.

"A debatable ranking, truthfully, but this guy has a strong claim," Ben said. "The Sith of the Bane order claim to be the strongest Sith ever, with each generation being more powerful than the previous. The current Sith Lord, Sidious, would say that makes him the strongest, and he certainly has some justification to the claim. This guy, however, was the last Sith Lord to possess all of the ancient knowledge of the Sith order."

"Because a Sith Lord destroyed it correct," Anakin said.

"Correct," Ben said as they followed the Sith into the depths of the Palace.

"So why is this guy here?" Anakin said.

"For what all Sith are good at: destruction," Ben said solemnly.

"To what purpose?" Anakin asked.

"The Sith Lord in front of us is named Darth Gravid, the ruling Sith Lord from about 6 centuries ago. He decided that he wanted to take over the galaxy himself and not wait out in the shadows. What you are seeing is his grand plan to weaken the Jedi order if not destroy it," Ben said.

"He wants to destroy this place- is that even possible?" Anakin asked.

Ben chuckled. "No, it's not, but he had a plan for that. As the ranking powerful, arrogant Sith Lord he is, his plan is to either destroy this place or failing that, to corrupt the source of the Rivers of Light from whatever source they spring from in the castle. As a side note, this castle may actually physically exist in the galaxy, so I'm unsure whether he tried this or in the actual physical location."

Anakin nodded as they went through a place in the castle they had not yet been in and followed the Sith down a set of stairs that led deep underground. Finally, the Sith lord reached the bottom where a set of doors were. Ben and Anakin stopped on the floor above, both feeling that they should wait where they were and not follow. They watched as the Sith Lord once again paused and felt his fear.

After a few moments they watched the Sith Lord gather his strength in the Force and project an air of invincibility. "Today I, Darth Gravid, Dark Lord of the Sith, will destroy the weak light and lead to millenia of the Sith ruling the galaxy and the universe beyond."

They felt the Sith draw heavily on the Force and sent a wave opening the doors in front of him and proceeded to enter the chamber. All that Anakin and Ben could see was Light coming from the chamber doors. Anakin and Ben watched, breathless, for several moments at the doors that had been pushed open. The suspense was killer, especially for Anakin, who was fighting his inner habit of rushing in to stop the Sith Lord. He was about to rush the room anyway when they heard a loud scream. Moments later, the Sith Lord came staggering out and and collapsed.

The Sith Lord whimpered from the floor, covering his eyes. "Such power, how could we have been so blind to it?"

He started crawling towards the stairs as Anakin looked on in shock.

"The hatred of the Sith will destroy us, we must change, we must be able to tap this power as our own or we will be destroyed. I must change this." With that determination in mind, the Sith Lord got to his feet and Force dashed his way up the stairs past Anakin and Ben, desperate to simply get out of this place.

Anakin looked at Ben with wide eyes at what had just happened before them. "That's something I thought I would never see. What happened to him?"

Ben looked at where the Sith had disappeared. "He attempted to enact his plan to draw on the light of the Force."

Anakin and Ben started back up the stairs

"I'm guessing it didn't work out like he planned," Anakin said thoughtfully.

"No. The most innovative Sith Lord in history was nothing more than a much-reviled footnote after his death. His attempts at using the light are admirable; unfortunately, he was not used to handling his new powers and was unbalanced when push came to shove."

"How so?" Anakin asked.

"When a Force user changes sides of the Force it takes a period for them to be able to use it instinctively in battle or meditation. Vestara was the same: it took my father quite some time training her to bring her to balance before she could be trained as a Jedi knight. During this period it is important for the user not to fall back on habit or if they do to be trained out of the habit. Say for example, as a Sith Lord she would have been trained to sacrifice a teammate by killing him or her to save me from a situation. As Jedi we do not trip others so we can get away from a rancor. As such, we do not lose our power necessarily when we change sides, but we do lose some skill for a while. A lightsider is more prone to danger coming from the dark side because the temptation is still there, and we can often have difficulty feeling the Force correctly. This happened to my father when he mistakenly joined a Sith Lord once to beat him from the inside. The attempt was a disaster and it took a long while to regain his proper connection to the Force.

"Darth Gravid immediately implemented his plan by going to wherever the stronghold of Sith Lords was at the time and proceeded to use the Force to destroy the Sith Archive. You name it: documents, holocrons, ancient artifacts, anything and everything. While in the process, the apprentice showed up and Gravid couldn't persuade him it was necessary. Darth Gravid was still unbalanced and while it was close call, he ultimately lost the fight but not before crippling and disfiguring the apprentice. As you can imagine, the apprentice wrote that Gravid was an insane traitor and many Sith Lords through the years have held him responsible in effigy for their grand plan being delayed by centuries."

Whether by some chance that the conversation was longer than he believed or simply the nature of the place, when Ben finished talking, the pair was back at the entrance of the Palace. The Jedi picked up their respective lightsabers and silently walked out the front towards the Millennium Falcon. They had just reached the ramp when Vestara and Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared out of the air.

Sometime earlier, Tython Beach

It was nearly time for the midday meal when Vestara called a halt to their exercises. Obi-Wan and Rex, who had decided to join in, both stretched out their muscles to cool down.

"I wonder if General Skywalker and Master Solo are lounging on the beach while we sweat up here," Rex muttered good-naturedly.

"Yes, my former padawan has managed not to get down here to exercise today," Kenobi replied. "I wonder if Master Solo has resorted to tying him up to make him to meditate yet."

Vestara rolled her eyes. "We may have to go get them. It's very easy to lose sense of time with what they are doing."

"For me, yes. Usually, though, meditation is Anakin's worse enemy," Kenobi said.

"Today they are attempting another way," Vestara said. "Come; let's go get them."

Kenobi followed while Rex headed for the community house. When they crested the top of the hill, Kenobi was shocked when he saw Ben and Anakin in deep meditation, levitating off the ground a few feet.

"Anakin, what are you doing?" Kenobi asked.

Anakin didn't even twitch at the statement, proving he had finally achieved a very deep meditation.

"Showoffs," Vestara muttered.

Kenobi dimly thought she muttered something about Skywalkers but was too absorbed by the sight to really pay attention. The other Jedi master's Force presence was wide open to anyone standing nearby, and Kenobi realized what Anakin had meant by Ben being more powerful than they had believed. He was shocked to discover that Ben was the most powerful Jedi he had ever met.

Meanwhile Vestara had seated herself in a meditative position when apparently she decided to do something different. "Join me Master Kenobi." she said, "let's go get them and remind them it's time for lunch."

Kenobi joined her. "Why are we simply not shaking them awake?"

"We could but this is easier," Vestara said.

She then proceeded to lead Kenobi down into the depths just as Ben had done with Anakin. Unlike Anakin, however, Obi-Wan's quiet place was a small glade with a pond instead of a white room.

"You're in my dreamscape," Obi-Wan said. "How will this help us wake them up?"

Vestara proceeded without a word to create a tastefully designed shelf of equipment that fit in with her surroundings.

"I didn't know you could do that," Kenobi said reaching for his lightsaber on the shelf.

"This is simply the front entrance you have made, Master Kenobi," Vestara said, walking through the trees into a hanger.

Kenobi was stunned but continued to follow the knight. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Quite safe. All our children over a certain age are taught this method," was the reply.

Kenobi had to admit when he came down here it was for peace and quiet, he had never considered that one could explore.

Vestara quickly selected a ship whose design was unknown to Kenobi. The pair were quickly airborne in the Force world that was surrounding them.

Kenobi didn't say much as he watched the world go by. "Ok, how do we go about finding them in a place this vast?"

Vestara smiled and switched the controls over to Kenobi. "Search your feelings and feel for your student."

Kenobi closed his eyes and moments later they had appeared, without their ship, in front of a tall ivory tower with ribbons of light streaming away from it.

"That's something you don't see every day." Kenobi said with his dry wit. Vestara had noticed that was how he coped with his fear, though this time she suspected it was awe. She herself had never seen anything nearly this beautiful.

"Welcome to the Palace of Light." Anakin's voice said just up a path from them.

Kenobi and Vestara looked up and saw the two walking down to them.

"We were just leaving," Ben said. "We would however be happy to give you the tour while were here. The Palace of Light is difficult to find, even when searching for it."

"You have been here before?" Vestara asked.

Ben nodded. "Once when I was young, I have tried many times to come back, but this was the first time I have ever managed it."

Then instead of heading for lunch, the group turned around and headed back up the hill to the Palace.

Chapter Text

Tython; Skywalker Cabin

Padme Amidala was bored. Because she was pregnant, Vestara had flat out refused to allow her to join Rex and Kenobi in weapons training. Unfortunately, she was a lousy cook and C3PO, whose assistance was invaluable in the kitchen, had to be left on Coruscant to give the illusion that she was still there. So, she was busy rearranging the furniture in the cabin for the 100th time. Their location was beautiful, although not as beautiful as her home on Naboo. The ocean provided a different form of beauty and she hoped she and Anakin could come back by themselves to enjoy the scenery. She was appreciative of the fact that the two odd Jedi were married. Ben and Vestara made sure they had time in the day to just go explore by themselves.

She was thinking these things when a piece of flimsi dropped from the pocket of one of Anakin's identical Jedi robes. She picked it up and saw Obi-Wan's free-flowing script. "I wonder if this is that letter that Anakin mentioned," she wondered to herself. Bored anyway, she opened it and started to read.

Coruscant; 1 hour after Kenobi's "death" at the hands of Hardeen.

Ahsoka was crying in the corner of the room the three had shared since she had been accepted as Anakin's padawan. Anakin himself was at a loss and completely numb, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. They had been here waiting for any kind of news for the last half hour since the medical staff had declared Obi-Wan dead. Dead. A word Anakin couldn't believe. Taken down by a lucky shot by a second-rate assassin. The doorbell on the apartment rang and Anakin dashed to the door. When he opened it, a messenger bot was outside.

"My apologies, Master Skywalker. This message was delayed." The robot handed him a letter and turned away.

Anakin closed the door and walked back inside.

"Is that news, Master?" Ahsoka said, jumping up from where she had been sitting, ready to spring out the door.

"I don't know Ahsoka," Anakin said as he opened the letter and scanned the first few lines.

Ahsoka watched as he went from upset to confused to relieved as he started pacing the floor. Finally he sat down and let out a long sigh of relief.

"What is it?" Ahsoka said

"Good news, Snips. Hang on. Let me read this in full before I say anything further," Anakin said. He took in a deep breath and started reading the letter slowly from the beginning.

Dear Anakin,

If this letter has not gone astray, it should find you shortly after your return from the temple after my "death" at the hand's of the bounty hunter Hardeen. Rest assured, it was a setup job so I can take Hardeen's place on an undercover mission where GAR intelligence believes Dooku is planning an assassination of the Chancellor at the Naboo festival of lights. I do apologize for not informing you beforehand, but your initial reaction, it was believed, would be critical to selling the story and keeping anyone from being suspicious of me as I try to infiltrate Dooku's plot. Unfortunately, I will be beyond the ability to receive backup on this mission until we reach Naboo. If you could water the plants while I'm gone, I would appreciate it.

On a more serious note, Anakin, you and I both know the dangers of undercover missions. We both know it is possible that I may not return. As such there are a few things I would like to tell you that I have never been sure how to bring up. By now you know I would have left the Jedi order if Satine had asked me to, all those years ago on Mandalore. That, my friend, is still true to this day if she were to ever ask. I know you and Padme have been married since at least the beginning of the war. Congratulations on that. I'm assuming my invitation got lost in the mail. Both of you have been amazing in your ability to have a committed relationship and still conduct your duties in your respective positions. How she does that is beyond me, but then she was always a remarkable person. If something happens to me know I would support you in anything you choose to do in life, as I told you before our Carnelion IV mission, even if it means leaving the Jedi order or at least the Jedi order on Coruscant. While I believe you are a great Jedi and will become an even greater one, many other options lay available to you. There are many things I wish I had done differently with teaching you. Perhaps I should have taken us to join the Green Jedi, but then we would have been stuck on one system.

With that said, I would ask your patience for one word of warning to you that Qui Gon once gave me. Qui Gon himself was in love with a woman who I looked up to as a mother. She died on a mission, and it left Qui Gon adrift for quite some time. It occurred before our year long mission on Mandalore and Master Qui Gon told me something when I was trying to make a decision. "Obi-Wan, it is not wrong to love or to be loved. It is when we care so much about a person we would sell our souls for them that is wrong."

Anakin, you are my brother in all but blood. Please listen to me when I ask- no beg- this of you. Padme is a sensible woman. If she ever feels that it is necessary and tells you that you are in over your head, and she pleads with you to run away with her: DO IT! RUN away! Please. Even if you have to choose Padme over saving the Chancellor, get away from any situation where the Sith have you attempting to compromise. I speak, I believe, for myself, Ahsoka, and Padme. Do not turn to the dark to save us. Even were you to succeed, I don't know that we could pull you back. If Ahsoka and I are ever in that situation, take Padme and run for the Rim- get away. If Padme is in that situation, find Yoda or me and we will go rescue her and then I want you to run away with her.

Time, unfortunately, is short as I write this letter. There are many things I wish I could tell you, but know I am proud of you. You have become an amazing person. You are my brother, Anakin, and I love you. Keep Ahsoka and Padme safe and listen to Padme's advice. She didn't rule a planet because of her looks.

Love,

Your Brother, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

P.S. I will deny any knowledge of this letter if I make it back.

P.P.S. You really didn't think you could get away without me knowing you were married, did you? I practically raised you, and you two are not as subtle as you think you are.

P.P.P.S. You better at least get a grandchild named after me.

Anakin blinked back tears as he finished it. So Obi-Wan had known the whole time he was married and here he had thought his Master was unaware of what was going on. But the important part was that his brother was alive.

"Master, is everything alright?" Ahsoka said, worried.

Anakin hugged his apprentice. "Yes, everything is going to be alright."

Tython, Skywalker Cabin

Padme finished the letter with tears in her eyes. So Kenobi had probably known since the beginning and had done nothing to hurt Anakin. Not that she believed he would. Anakin had always been worried about it although Padme was curious as to why Anakin always said he would get thrown out of the Order

Nighttime, Tython

At the brother's campfire Ben regaled the Clone Troopers with tales and myths of the planet Tython and what the ancient legends said about the moons, Ashla and Bogan. Jesse and Rex had read some and had believed that the Jedi originated on Tython, a point which Ben had to let them down on.

"So, your telling me all those stories of the Jedi and Tython were myths?" Jesse exclaimed, mortified.

Ben laughed. "I'm sorry. We believe those were actually ancient versions of holovids. The Jedi Order may have had an ancient copyright law not allowing them to appear on screen."

"So was any of it true?" Jesse asked, crestfallen that some of his favorite reading material was all fake.

"The Rakkattans were real. We know they were darksiders," Ben said, "but the Jedi order actually started in the unknown regions on the planet Ach-to. The Sith Order began on Exegol and Drommand Kaas, though I'm not sure which of those came first. Places like Morriband, or as it was known in the old Sith wars, Korriban, came later when the first Sith empires rose in the downfall of the Rakkattan empire."

"Did the Sith cause the empire to fall?" Rex asked

Ben looked thoughtful. "Perhaps. It is actually my personal hypothesis that the first Jedi and Sith were runaways from the Rakkattans, either former slaves or refugees. The Sith code heavily leans on the line of broken chains, so it's not without basis that one could draw the idea they were originally former slaves. They obviously got so caught up in revenge and darkness that they emulated their former masters though and attempted to enslave the galaxy, but the Jedi stopped them time and time again."

Ben gazed into the campfire. His thoughts drifted back to the day his old master died. Ben had been on Ach-to overseeing the reconstruction of the old temple, when he had felt his master die across the galaxy. Jacen Solo, he found out later, had been trying to get his wife, Tenal Ka, and his daughter, Amelia, to the Millennium Falcon. He had succeeded but had to cover the ship's departure. Ben was there when the Falcon had arrived on Ach-to, carrying the students of the Jedi Praxeum and his cousins Tenal Ka Solo and Amelia. He had never seen his Uncle Han look so devastated. Losing the twins had aged the man considerably from the last time Ben had seen him. Ben had taken on his cousin's last name on this mission in honor of him, instead of the usual Skywalker alias of Lars.

It was about this time that Ben sensed on the edge of his mind's eye a darkness and delved deep into the Force as he had with Anakin and to his surprise arrived at the campfire. He felt a nudge and followed it for awhile away from the camp. How long he walked, he was uncertain before he arrived at another campfire on the other side of the hills. He approached the fire at the nudging of the Force despite his personal doubts that this was a smart thing to do. A figure in a hood with gloved hands was sitting by the fire appearing to be in meditation.

"Good evening. It's a chilly night; do I you mind if I sit by the fire for a few minutes?" Ben asked the figure.

The stranger looked up surprised at being disturbed and nodded. Ben could not make out any features of the person beyond the fact it was a human. After a moment of silence the stranger spoke.

"It is strange to meet a Jedi here. I had come to this place to find a Jedi," he said in a very upper-crust accent.

"Found one you have," Ben answered.

"Indeed. Though you are not the one I am looking for; how you got into my meditation, I am unsure."

"Lucky, I guess," Ben said, not offering any information. He was not a fan of the predatory gleam of the stranger and was certain this was a foe. Thankfully, where they were no one could truly harm another, so any fight would be short.

"I imagine you will think otherwise shortly. But I believe you are with the one I am searching for, and I cannot have you returning to warn him," the stranger said, rising to his feet.

"Really, who are you looking for?" Ben asked

"Skywalker." The voice was almost growl as the stranger took off his hood and revealed an older man, who Ben recognized, to his shock, as Count Dooku of Serenno.

Ben instantly rose to his feet. "How are you still alive?"

Dooku's eyes took on a red glare as he stared at him. "Skywalker didn't finish me, though he took my hands and my future. I plan on returning the favor. As for you how you got to this place, I don't know. You probably think this is a dream. I will leave you spinning in a nightmare!"

With that the Count took on a bat-like form and hundreds of dark bats surrounded the pair, all with red eyes and big teeth. The Count, who had had nobody to unleash his pent-up rage for days over his betrayal at the hands of his master, took it out on the pitiful weak Jedi who had blundered into this world. With a hand motion from Dooku, the shadow creatures surrounded the powerless Jedi who had put up a hand in defense. The creatures covered the Jedi until the swirling bats appeared like a black hole in the Force. The Count laughed at the predicament of the weakling, knowing that Skywalker and crew would not move until this Jedi had come back to consciousness, which would only happen when ever he chose to let him out of the abyss of flying bats.

"ENOUGH!" the Jedi yelled from the center of the dark hole and a supernova of light exploded from the center, disintegrating the bats and sending the Count flying backwards.

Stunned, the Count tried to shield his eyes from the light but was unable to move as he felt the heat start to burn his body. He watched in detached horror as the Jedi emerged as a figure of light from what was once shadow and approached him.

"Your thoughts betray you, Count, if you think the light is weak, I will personally show you how weak the darkness is and that all who use it are cowards! Now stay away from me and my friends. This is your only warning: begone and take your bats with you," the Jedi said.

At that moment, the light exploded again. The Count screamed as the light burned his body away. He awoke next to his own campfire in a cold sweat and for the second time in as many weeks feeling the strange sensation of fear.

Ben awoke from the meditation in a rush, panting. Vestara had come over, sensing an issue, as had the other Jedi. The Clones were looking at him.

Ben took a deep breath and looked at Anakin. "I thought you killed Dooku."

Vestara's eyes opened wide as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka looked at Anakin.

Anakin looked at Ben a bit sheepishly. "No, I mean, I didn't save him from the Invisible Hand. I picked up Obi-Wan and carried him away, but I couldn't kill an unarmed man in cold blood."

Ben took in the unexpected news and nodded. "Good. That tells me a lot about you. Perhaps the galaxy will be reliant on that mercy."

"He's alive," Ahsoka said.

Ben nodded. "And he is on Tython. We need to leave immediately."

Anakin nodded and Force-dashed back towards his cottage to get Padme and get ready to leave. The rest also ran to get their stuff, with the brothers going to assist Padme and Anakin.

Vestara looked at her husband. "Are you all right? You're not usually this shaken when you encounter a Sith lord."

"Bats," was Ben's short reply

"Ahh," Vestara said. "What did he do, pull the old Sith lord Vampire trick?"

"Yes, the cliché bats and black hole of darkness," Ben answered, not amused.

"It's a classic," Ves said

"Classically annoying. I hate bats and spiders, and, of course, we have to be headed towards a planet full of those," Ben said, still panting a bit as he stood.

"Did you do the tornado trick?" Ves asked.

"No, fountain of light," Ben said. "I was in no mood to play and just let him have it."

"Oh, yes, like that's any better. A cliched trick pulled from a cheap holofilm," Vestara said.

"Hey, that signed holofilm was Jacen's most treasured possession other than his family," Ben said. "Uncle Han let me bring it to remember what we were saving."

"I seem to recall your father saying that it was one of the worst holofilms ever," Vestara said.

"Yeah, well it wasn't very accurate and Dad, at the time, thought the investigator was going to charge him with war crimes, not figure out the events and sell it as a movie with Dad as the hero," Ben said grinning. "That incident, though, was the reason he gave up his military commission."

Ben and Ves had made it back to the Falcon at this point. They immediately went to the cockpit to get the ship warmed up and ready to go.

"Anakin didn't kill Dooku. I wasn't expecting that," Vestara said.

"No, it was a surprise for me as well. That means we have another foe to deal with eventually, unless he takes my warning to heart," Ben said.

"I'm surprised by how much of a difference it made just knighting Ahsoka and making sure that letter got delivered," Vestara mused. "I wonder what other changes we are going to find."

"Hopefully not too many other than Yoda being able to do something about Order 66," Ben replied.

"What if we went after Dooku?" Ves asked.

"I don't see how that would do anything. Handing him to a republic that's going to be an empire very rapidly wouldn't do any good. But it does mean we have another psychopathic Sith lord to watch our backs over. I figure he won't be in any condition to fight if we did find him but keeping him a prisoner ourselves around Padme probably isn't a good idea," Ben answered.

The others were packed and on board within a few minutes and Ben took the Millennium Falcon off like a shot from Tython. Within a few minutes, they were safely in hyperspace.

Chapter Text

Kashyyyk

Yoda watched his former apprentice Mace Windu, who was discussing that it may be necessary to remove the Supreme Chancellor if he refused to surrender his emergency powers that almost made him a dictator. The Council had sent the Jedi Battle Master to catch Grievous and word had trickled back that Grievous had fallen.

"When are you going to confront the Chancellor?" Yoda inquired.

"Immediately," Mace answered.

"Careful you must be. The Sith Lord has played both sides of this war; reveal himself he may," Yoda said.

"I will take the Council members who are here to confront him," Mace answered.

Yoda closed his eyes and sighed. "Do not rush to get there and may the Force be with you."

Mace nodded and closed the transmission.

Yoda sighed. Time to play his last card. He reached deep into the Force.

Outer Rim sieges

Master A'Sharad Hett could not shake the nasty feeling that something was about to happen, but so far things were going according to plan. His task force, made up of several Jedi commanders and their padawans, were in their fighters preparing to land and give support to their troops. The plan called for each commander to take a separate part of the task force and break through the lines. If the planet could be opened it would break the last of the sieges and leave the Republic a straight line right into the heart of Separatist space.

Master Hett was about to land his ship when he felt the presence of the Jedi Grandmaster reach out to him, and, to his shock, from halfway across the galaxy send a message. "To all Jedi: we have been deceived by the Sith. Get away from your troops. They all have chips that the Sith lord is about to use to send an order to kill all of you. The Republic is about to fall; do not attempt to engage with this Sith lord, and do not return to Coruscant. Get to safety quickly and may the Force be with you."

Master Hett registered the message slowly and opened a com unit to Depa who was in the task force. "Am I losing it or did you hear that too?"

"I heard it," Depa said grimly. "I take it we need to make a hasty retreat."

"Indeed." Master Hett said, as he pulled his yoke back to send the ship for space."

"It appears everyone heard it. I see our companions also breaking off," Depa said.

"Good," Master Hett said. "Do you think we should split up or try to stick together?"

"Together for now probably, if we keep to small groups," Depa said. "Any idea of where we should go?"

After a moment of thinking, Master Hett gave her coordinates to a remote location in the outer rim. She sent an acknowledgment and he watched to make sure she and Caleb made it into hyperspace before entering it as well.

Chancellor's office

Palpatine was getting more nervous by the second. He could sense that Mace and his gang were on their way over when he felt a shift in the Force. He had no time to discover what was going on, but it was obvious something in his plans was off. Anakin had not returned to Coruscant, and he could find no indication of where he was. He had this one last act to go through before he could claim the Jedi were attempting a coup d'etat.

Mace Windu walked in with several other Jedi masters.

"Ahh, Master Jedi. I assume we have had good news from the front," Palpatine said.

"Indeed, General grievous is dead. The war, for all intents and purposes, is over," Mace said

"That is indeed excellent news," Palpatine answered.

"Since the war is over, it is now time to surrender your war time power and resign from the role of Supreme Chancellor."

"Well, these things take time, Master Windu. There are the negotiations to engage in with the Separatist leaders, the naming of war heroes, and the celebration that the war is over- not to mention, it will take some time to transition the Senate back into taking on these powers," Palpatine said.

"Not in this case. You said you would surrender your power when Grievous was dead; he is now dead, so either immediately resign and surrender your war powers or be escorted out of the building."

"So it's treason, then," Palpatine said darkly.

With a war cry, the Sith leaped from his seat and ignited his saber, rapidly killing the three other Jedi. Mace advanced, attempting to use his Vaapad form on the darksider. Sidious, however, had other plans in mind. Without Skywalker nearby he had no reason to engage in a full lightsaber duel with Mace. He Force choked the Jedi master, who instinctively closed off his lightsaber and reached for his throat. The Dark Lord hit him with a major blast of Force lightning before throwing him out of the window.

Sidious breathed hard. He had thought, based on the shift in the Force, that the fight would have been a lot more difficult than it was. He wasted no time in raising his hood and going to the communication terminal to contact Commander Cody.

"Commander, the time has finally come. Execute Order 66."

"Yes, my Lord," was the response from the commander of Kenobi's legions.

The order would play out across the Grand army of the Republic with special orders not to kill Skywalker.

When Palpatine finished sending the message, he frowned at a new communication from his mole in the Jedi Temple. Palpatine read it quickly and his blood froze. The troll had figured it out. Approximately 15 minutes before Order 66 went out, the Grandmaster had sent out a message saying to get away from the Clone troops.

Millennium Falcon Hyperspace

Everybody was in the living area except for Ahsoka who was sleeping so she could pilot the Falcon on the next watch when the Jedi all heard Yoda's message. Anakin and Obi-Wan both turned pale as Anakin said in horror, "Fives was right."

Rex looked up quickly. "Did you figure out what he was talking about, sir?"

Before Anakin could answer, Vestara threw both troopers hard against the wall and knocked them unconscious.

"Was that necessary?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Until we certain they won't murder us in our sleep, yes," Vestara said as she grabbed Rex by the shoulders and dragged him towards the med bay, while Ben did the same with Jesse.

"Why would Rex and Jesse want to kill us?" Padme said, watching the scene with confusion.

"They wouldn't. The chip in their brains, though, wouldn't give them much choice," Ben answered.

"Tup," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin was still detached, running the strategy scenarios in his head. "Not a parasite, the last person Fives talked to was- oh no! It can't be."

Obi-Wan, by this point, had caught on to Anakin's train of thought and was similarly horrified by the implications.

Anakin looked on as Ben and Vestara worked with the ship's medical droid to remove the chip from Rex's head. "You knew. Why you didn't tell anyone?"

"We did. We told Yoda," Ben said, concentrating with the Force as he searched for the chip. "Which is why we are getting a warning message in the Force and not the feeling of 9,000 Jedi knights dying in an instant moment of time."

The medical computer scan finally detected the anomaly and Rex went into the machine to receive his surgery.

Padme, by this time, was furious. "Could someone tell me what is going on?"

"He gained his objective in the Naboo crisis," Anakin said in a whisper with a tear rolling down his eyes. Padme looked at him for more explanation.

"The Sith Lord behind the war was involved in the Naboo crisis all those years ago. We thought we won with Maul being defeated, but he accomplished his main objective," Anakin said. "All those times he tried to assassinate Padme. He had Qui Gon killed ." The horror in Anakin's eyes was growing as was his despair.

Padme was concerned and said, "I thought we already knew that the Sith targeted me multiple times. But what was his objective for the Naboo crisis?"

Anakin looked at her, barely able to speak. "To become Supreme Chancellor of the Republic."

Padme's eyes opened wide. "I was the one who called for the no-confidence vote on Chancellor Valorum."

Ben winced when he heard that last bit. He hadn't known that. Padme's record had been somewhat scrubbed during the Imperial days. Meanwhile, Rex's operation was finished, and they laid Jesse down for his.

"And a Senator named Binks gave him his emergency powers," Vestara said. "I'm afraid the blame game can go on to infinity."

Padme paled. "Senator Binks was my hand picked representative while I was in protective custody. Which the Chancellor also ordered."

Anakin shook his head. "No, this doesn't make sense. If he was the powerful Sith Lord, why didn't we sense him?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know. The Council suspected the Chancellor was starting to crave power and would try to hold onto it when the war ended, but we never thought he was Darth Sidious.

"That question is actually rather easy to answer, I'm afraid," Vestara said.

Padme, Obi-Wan, and Anakin all looked at her. Vestara closed her eyes. Within a moment, in spite of themselves, Anakin's mouth dropped open, and Obi-Wan gave a low whistle.

"What are we looking at?" Padme asked.

"Knight Khai is a very powerful Jedi. Looking at her through the Force, I would say she is as powerful or has the potential to become as powerful as most of our Council members. But she just made herself appear in the Force as a non-force user," Obi-Wan explained.

"Did you know that was possible?" Padme asked.

"No!" Anakin said. "It's possible to close off our Force presence so it appears someone is dead or to sneak up on someone. But this is not a matter of opening or closing up our Force presence. This is like camouflage. Normally you can sense a person attempting to sneak up on you when they get close enough but it always shows that person as a Force user. What other kind of weird powers do you guys have?" Anakin asked.

Ben noted the remark as likely trying to avoid the implications of the subject at hand.

"That's for us to know and for you to learn," Ben said as lightheartedly as he could now.

At this moment, Rex began to stir and groan as he felt his head. Ben reached and administered a dose of painkiller to his neck. "Sorry, Captain. I believe you will forgive us when we explain."

Rex opened his eyes. "Yeah, well, it better be good."

At this moment, Rex's com link lit up with a prerecorded message. The Chancellor appeared in a hood and spoke, "Captain, execute Order 66. That includes Ahsoka Tano, but leave Skywalker alive."

Rex stared at the com link for a moment. Vestara looked ready to blast him into the wall again.

"Fives, the chips. That slimy critter." Rex took his helmet and threw it into the wall. He looked at Ben and Vestara. "You don't exaggerate when you say nosebleed levels, now how did you know?"

"My father had the displeasure of running into him in his non-public persona," Ben answered. "He barely survived the encounter."

"Too bad he didn't kill him," Rex muttered.

"Just a student at the time, I'm afraid. But we believe Palpatine has only been the ruling Dark Lord since just before he become Chancellor. We don't know who his master was other than his by his Sith name."

"What was it Darth Monstrous?" Rex asked.

"Darth Plagueis," Vestara said

Anakin turned pale at that. "That was the Sith's name that supposedly discovered the power of healing via midi-clorians."

Ben looked at him. "The so called 'legend' who hasn't been dead fifteen years?"

"Hego Damask of Damask holdings," Padme said grimly. "I remember he died the night before Palpatine was sworn into office. He gave a moving speech for him."

"That doesn't surprise me, but I bet he didn't mention he killed his 'friend' in his sleep the night before," Vestara said.

Padme shook her head.

Anakin, at this point, had his head lowered. He started to walk to the door.

Kenobi saw him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, I'm sorry, but don't blame yourself. He had us all fooled."

"Yes, Ani," Padme said, "I've known him since I was a child, I believed him to be my mentor and friend. He helped make sure I was elected Queen."

Anakin sighed. "But neither of you trusted him like I have; especially over the last few years."

A sharp yell from Ben woke them from their pep talk. The Jedi Master was on the ground. The great power he possessed and inherited was turned on him as he felt multiple bright lights winking from existence.

Vestara knelt next to him, worried. She put her hand on his shoulder.

Ben looked at her, shaken. "It's begun."

By this point, Anakin had started to feel it as well.

Rex looked at him. "Sir, what's wrong?"

Ben looked at Rex. "What are the chips made for now that you have the pieces together, Captain?"

"The entire Grand Army of the Republic has been ordered to hunt down and kill the Jedi knights," Rex said sadly. "You can feel their deaths even from here?"

"Yes, trained Force users have large presences even if we can't sense where they are. Feeling so many of them be snuffed out so quickly is something I've only felt once before, and it was too recent for me to rebuild my shielding properly apparently," Ben said, as Vestara guided him to a chair.

It was about this time that Ahsoka flew into the room. "Something's wrong! I can feel the Force screaming. But there's no news over the holonet of anything going on."

She looked at Ben, who was sitting in a chair shaken, and at Jesse, who was on the operating table. "What did I miss."

"Did you not receive a message from Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"I felt him speak in a dream but I thought it was just that- a dream or a vision," Ahsoka said.

"No, it wasn't. He communicated the same message across the entire Jedi order," Obi-Wan said.

"Is that why Jesse is on the table?" Ahsoka asked.

"Why am I on the table?" Jesse murmured, coming conscious.

"Brother," Rex said, "You're not going to like this."

"That's always a reassuring way to start a conversation," Jesse said.

"We are now probably traitors," Rex said.

"On what justification?" Jesse asked.

"On the justification that a Sith Lord now controls the Republic and the entire GAR has been ordered to hunt down and kill the Jedi knights," Rex answered.

"Wonderful. Don't tell me our brothers are obeying that order," Jesse pleaded.

Rex looked down. "The chips. That's what fives figured out. It was a conspiracy to wipe out the Jedi knights,"

Jesse blinked. "Ok. So, tell me who the traitor was so I can put a blaster bolt between his eyes."

"Palpatine," Rex said.

Jesse looked at him blankly. "Well that isn't good. Too many Senatorial guards, and you have that weasel Commander Fox in the way."

"Assuming the younglings were evacuated from the temple beforehand, how long would it take to evacuate the Temple?" Vestara asked Obi-Wan.

"Normally an hour, but with the Order stretched so thin by the war, the Temple has been relatively empty of all but the Temple Guard and the ones on leave. I would say under half an hour."

"There was a little over 15 Minutes between the time the warning came and Order 66 came down. Assuming they had to organize an army to raid the Temple, that would take how long?"

Anakin looked thoughtful, having temporarily gone into General mode. "The Senatorial guard and the legions on leave being the 501st and 212nd, assuming the Council didn't send them after Grievous. It would take probably another 10 minutes to organize and least another 10-15 to move into position. The bigger question is, how quickly they were able to put up guns to stop ships from evacuating."

"How long would it have taken you?" Vestara asked.

"Given the Temples defenses, an attack by air would be futile so gunships or fighters are out, at least in the vicinity of the temple. You also risk getting impeded by Coruscant traffic, so it would have to be a ground assault. Once the order came down, there would be a question of who is in command. With me, Rex, and Jesse off Coruscant, the 501st would likely fall under the command of Commander Fox. The guns would have to be retrieved from deep storage since this is Coruscant and they're not on standby. That's 5-6 minutes, with transportation another 3-5, and set up time which could be up to a minute. So, under optimal conditions, anywhere from 8 to 11 minutes minimum. Knowing an attack was coming, I imagine the Temple Guard would have put up a fighter screen quickly

"So, let's just say 23 minutes to safely evacuate they should have been able to evacuate most of the Temple by that point," Obi-Wan said hopefully. "With the traffic on Coruscant though having been normalized after the battle, there's also no way the Navy can blockade the planet."

"Let's go help them," Anakin said.

"We won't make it in time, and keeping you and Padme away from Coruscant is important in disrupting whatever plan he was hatching," Ben said.

"So, the Sith have won," Anakin said bitterly.

"Sure, they have won the battle and taken over the galaxy, but they haven't won the war. Yoda's message should be enough for many Jedi to escape when they certainly would have perished, and that will make it so the Sith will have a very difficult time sleeping at night," Ben said.

Coruscant

Kollama Ree Captain of the Temple guard was in charge in the few situations like now when Cin Drallig was on assignment. Of course he had to be gallivanting on the other side of the galaxy just when history would remember who was in charge when, for only the second time in history, the Coruscant temple fell to the Sith. With luck he might live long enough to regret it. The Temple was nearly evacuated, so far his pilots and the automatic turrets had kept artillery and ion cannons from being installed to stop their ships from leaving. Fortunately the Sith had apparently not yet gained complete control of the military, just the Clones. The Coruscant air fleet was still largely civilian and had a longstanding history with the Order. Master Che and the hospital staff and patients were the first out with the elderly and guards followed by everyone else. As of now they had less than 20% of the Temple, including the Guard, to evacuate. He would be the last out the door. He almost wished they had a self-destruct system built into the temple. The Temple's automatic weapons systems should keep out a major assault long enough to get the rest out if it came to a firefight. As of now his sources were saying the 501st was gearing up for a ground assault and would be here shortly. Ree's calculations indicated the evacuation would take less than 10 more minutes. The Temple's ion cannons and shields would deter orbital bombardment, and they should be in the clear. With that thought, he activated the Temple's point defense systems and was about to leave when he heard a lightsaber ignite. Looking down, he slowly realized a yellow lightsaber had run him through as he slipped unconsciousness.

The figure behind Ree turned off his lightsaber to let the body of the Captain fall before deactivating the Temple's defenses. He also pressed the button, sealing the blaster door to the hanger. He pulled out a commlink and the Chancellor stood before him hooded. "It is done. The defenses are down and the remaining Jedi are trapped in the hanger bay."

"Good. Lead the assault. Commander Fox has orders not to kill you. Spare only those who may be willing to join the new order."

"It will be done, my master."

Chancellor's Office

Sidious could feel the turmoil Order 66 was causing throughout the Galaxy but he sensed rather than knew this would not be the victory he had long believed it would be. Many had already escaped the Temple and though he could feel the death toll on the Jedi, he would be lucky if 60% of the order would die today. Those numbers sounded good, but it was a far cry from the estimated 98% that were expected to die within 12 hours. His hands clenched into fists. Yoda figured it out. There was no other explanation. But how? He paced his office. It all started to fall apart about the time he sent an order asking for Skywalker to be put on the Council and appointing him as his liaison. Instead of listening, the Council sent him out with Kenobi, two green Jedi, and Senator Amidala for who knows what and where. Unfortunately, his source on the inside was very low on the totem pole since Skywalker was usually the one he got information out of. Dooku had supposedly taken care of the Sifo-Dyas trail, supposedly being the operative term, though it's possible he was sloppier than he thought he was. Sidious frowned: Dooku. Perhaps he had underestimated the old man's treachery, and he had prepared for his own death with a kill switch. A kill switch that would send all the information about Order 66 and the Sith grand plan to one little green master.

That would imply, though, he knew that Skywalker was to be his replacement, rather than the new third wheel that Sidious had implied. Dooku had certainly tried hard enough to kill him in the past against orders. It was either that or Yoda had finally figured it out. He wondered if that was the case, why didn't Yoda come himself to find out? Palpatine flipped to the other side of the mental chess board to see what he would have done if it were himself on the other side. He grudgingly acknowledged he would have don: e nothing differently: no, a strategic retreat right when your enemy is committed. 1,000 years of planning, and for himself, several decades of waiting for the right moment and the enemy wised up just quickly enough to figure the plan out. Too late to stop him, but perhaps even more dangerous, too late for him to improvise, He must proceed on with the plan as it was, even though there was still a Jedi order in existence filled with war veterans who would all now see through his schemes and be collectively motivated to destroy all the Sith in the galaxy. The thought filled him with dread.

Chapter Text

Alderaan Senate Office

Senator Organa was watching worriedly the Temple out his window at the which had smoke rising from it he had noticed some time ago many ships leave rapidly he was still uncertain of what to do. With him was Padme's double as they watched the smoke rise.

"Do you think they were warned?" she asked.

"Perhaps; it's the only explanation I can think of for the sudden departures, followed by this attack," Organa replied grimly. "I believe I would be more useful elsewhere."

"You're not going down there, are you?"

"I normally would but seeing as it's likely almost everyone got out, I don't think it would do any good. No, I'm going to go find Yoda and maybe Padme," Bail asserted.

"Take C-3PO with you," she replied. "My Lady's absence has already been noted."

Cockpit of the Millennium Falcon

After the slightly tense decision to head for the rim instead of returning to Coruscant, a message flashed through the secret Jedi channels.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force. Do not return to the Temple…that time has past. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust. Our faith. Our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always.

"Master Kenobi, how are you transmitting this when you're with us?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm not. It must have been someone in the Temple using it as a warning that the Temple has fallen," Kenobi said.

"Prerecorded message? Master, how long have you guys believed something like this is possible?" Anakin asked.

"I don't recall ever making it. Certainly not with that kind of foresight, but we have had a recall message at the Temple on Coruscant since the Old Republic," Kenobi answered, confused.

"Maybe an old message using your voice, then," Anakin said. "At least that means Yoda's message was reiterated so no one will return to the Temple to get killed."

Ahsoka nodded.

At that moment a familiar voice came across the channel.

"Hello, can anyone out there hear me?"

"Bail, this is Master Kenobi; we hear you."

"Its good to hear from you. It's been a disaster," Bail said. "I'm sending you coordinates to meet me."

"Understood. We are on our way," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded, He took the Falcon out of hyperspace and plugged in the new coordinates and made the jump. The door opened and Ben walked in.

"Why did we leave hyperspace?" Ben asked.

"We got coordinates to meet with a friend," Ahsoka said.

"Someone reliable?" Ben asked cautiously.

"Yes. Bail Organa, Viceroy of Alderaan," Kenobi said.

Ben visibly relaxed. "Very well. I assume this meeting will not be on Coruscant."

"No, he's meeting us a few hours away," Anakin said.

Vestara walked in. "Anything the matter with the hyperdrive?"

"No, slight detour to rendezvous with Bail Organa," Ben said.

Vestara nodded. "Good. I was worried we would have to make a pit stop on Cloud City or something." She then left the cabin.

"Inside joke?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah, of the morbid variety. A left over of her upbringing, I'm afraid. My aunt and uncle got caught by a Sith lord on Cloud City and my dad had not completed his training. He raced in to rescue them and lost a hand. My aunt had to save him," Ben said flatly.

"Your dad doesn't seem to have a very good track record with Sith Lords," Anakin noted.

"Yeah, not when he was a teenager. His batting average improved as an adult, though," Ben said. "Now there isn't a single Sith Lord in the galaxy that dare come near him; even Darth Krayt didn't show his face around him if he didn't have some serious backup."

"Any reason he didn't come help us?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah. He has an order to lead into an impossible battle against a foe that would make Sidious run away in fear," Ben answered eyes becoming distant.

Silence took over the Falcons cockpit for the remainder of the journey.

Tantive IV

Bail Organa watched as the stars resumed normal shape when Captain Antilles informed him they were being hailed. A Correlian freighter was waiting for them at the rendezvous point and was quickly directed to dock.

A few minutes later the Jedi and Senator Amidala, along with her troopers, were onboard.

Ben wasn't too surprised to see C3PO, aka goldenrod, aka the bane of his uncle's existence. He had long known that the droid had belonged to Bail Organa and had in turn faithfully, if erratically and somewhat annoyingly, served his aunt Princess Leia Organa Solo for years. He figured now would as good a time as any to find out where in the galaxy Bail Organa had picked up the accident-prone droid.

"Have you had word on survivors?" Kenobi asked Bail.

"I know at least most of the Temple was able to evacuate before the Clones moved in. I heard also rumors that many Jedi had disappeared before their troopers turned on them. While that alone isn't much to go on, there has been an increase in Clone presence around the Senate building and 500 Republica which indicates the Chancellor believes the rumors," Bail said.

"Hopefully the younglings were already out of the temple by the time the order came," Kenobi said.

"The younglings were out of the temple nearly a week prior," a voice said from the doorway. "The secret archives were as well."

Everyone turned around to see the Grandmaster himself hobble into the room.

"When the incident went down, I went searching for Master Yoda," Bail said.

Yoda nodded at Bail. "Good to see you it is my padawans and their friends." He took a seat and sighed. He looked at Ben and Vestara. "Put to good use your Grandmaster's warning I did. Hopefully a better future we have because of it." Yoda looked at Skywalker. "Still a long journey you and your friends have to complete."

"Master, should we not focus on the matter at hand?" Anakin asked.

"Nothing to do is there for any save me.,Yoda said sighing. "I have one final part to play. No, the Order is in hiding until the pressure eases off a bit. On the run they are, us hunting them down while searching for hiding places would only trip everyone over each other. No, a plan is needed before searching for survivors."

"The Chancellor will need to consolidate his power within the Core before he can afford to send his army looking through the Outer Rim," Bail said. "If the Jedi all bail for the Outer Rim, most should be able to find safety at least temporarily."

"How long before he consolidates his power?" Anakin asked.

"A while," Padme answered, "With Order 66 not being as successful as the Chancellor likely hoped, his political power is more strained than it might appear."

"He could just formally take over without the Senate, using the clone army," Vestara said.

Padme and Bail both shook their heads.

"Not practically," Bail said. "While a bill was passed to make regional governors, they are too new and do not have the legitimacy nor the power to run the bureaucracy. He will need the Senate to manage the local systems, at least for a considerable amount of time."

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Anakin said.

Yoda sighed. "The plan is for you and your companions to complete your journey. When you are done, contact me, you should. While on your journey, look for safe places to take the Jedi to survive. On the political war front, wait for the enemy I'm afraid a long time we may need to."

"So we're just going to sit back and let him take over the galaxy and not do anything about it?" Anakin said angrily.

"No, I'm going to make it so he will never enjoy his rule. But," he looked hard at Anakin, "if we take a few thousand Jedi into Coruscant win we may, but at the cost of many innocents." He pointed his gimmer stick at him. "Especially your men who are guarding the Chancellor because he betrayed them. Angry you are, because you have been betrayed In line get; your men were all betrayed by a leader they were supposed to obey without question. I was betrayed by a colleague who called me friend to my face while he twisted my own padawan into a weapon against his own family. Betrayed into leading my children into war I was, so we would not make the same mistake the Order did when it refused to go to war against Mandalore the Great. Instead, we were led to war so he could kill them all. Betrayed your wife was by he who acted as a friend and mentor too, all the while plotting to use her in his schemes and kill her when he was done with her. Betrayed we all were."

At that Anakin sat down.

Padme asked, "Speaking of deception, if the chancellorship is what he wanted, why bother having his apprentice attack us on Naboo?"

"Know for certain I do not, however I would guess it was so he could at least pay lip service to delivering his side of the bargain to Gunray and Company. Likely, care he did not, which way the battle turned out," Yoda said. "Lose and Naboo would be celebrated and he could ride the celebration parade to the chancellorship. Win and he could have used your funeral to ride a sympathy vote to the top."

"The slimy weasel had it all planned," Rex said.

"Yes, but thanks to a timely warning ,he stumbled when he reached for victory," Yoda said.

"What about the clankers?" Jesse asked.

"He will likely order them shut down within a few days to end the war so he can disengage the GAR from the front lines," Yoda said.

"What do you need me to do?" Bail asked.

"We play the long game," Padme answered. "Pretend to go along with him while blocking him when you can and see that any surviving Jedi gets transferred to safety."

"Very well," Bail said. "We will do our part."

"Yes," Yoda said. "Time it is for your journey to continue."

"Padme, I brought you back C-3PO," Bail said.

Padme looked at the protocol droid and her heart sank when she said, "Keep him for now, Bail. I don't know if being on the run will be the best for him."

"As you wish, Padme, but we will have to wipe his memory. There's no telling who he will discuss this encounter with," Bail said.

"I understand," Padme looked at 3PO sadly.

"Oh, dear. A memory wipe," 3PO moaned. "It's not funny, you little bucket of bolts," he said to R2.

Anakin also looked sad at the moment, as he never liked wiping his droids, but he knew 3PO was a chatterbox.

Ben walked through about this moment. "Where did you get that droid anyway?"

Anakin looked at Ben. "I made him for my mother when I was 9 years old."

Ben looked shocked and then shock turned into peals of laughter, not unlike when they had first seen the Twilight.

"For real, you built that stuffed shirt, fluent in 6 million languages droid." Ben bent over laughing. "That's awesome. Ves will love that one," He said as he made his way back down the hallway where the Falcon was docked.

"You know, every time I think I understand those two they wind up laughing at my engineering skills," Anakin said looking where the departed Jedi Master had disappeared.

"Hmm, at your skills they laugh not; irony is what they laugh about," Yoda said, suddenly appearing beside Anakin and Padme. "Understand you will in time, be not in a hurry to learn secrets- a lesson I believe you have learned the hard way."

Anakin shrugged. "I guess, though I wish I knew why they kept so many secrets."

"Necessary it is for them. Want to do so they do not. But keep them if needed, otherwise they will not or dead most of our Order would be," Yoda said. "Revealed all will be in time. Good luck on your journey."

"One last thing, Skywalker. Safe the child is, if keep the mother away from the Sith lord you do. Do not attempt to return to Coruscant. Or in danger all will be," Yoda said.

"I understand, Master. Good luck on your mission," Anakin replied.

Yoda nodded and hobbled of on his cane towards the Falcon. "One last conversation with our friends I will have before you go."

Millennium Falcon; engine compartment

Vestara was taking care of some, thankfully for the Falcon, minor maintenance and was almost done when her husband walked through the door laughing like he had just been told the best joke in the galaxy.

She pulled up her welding goggles. "Ok what did I miss? I've only been gone 5 minutes."

"3PO." Ben stammered, not able to catch a breath.

"Ok, who did he trip, splash liquid on, or step on this time?" Vestara said.

"No one," Ben said, "but you will never guess who made him."

"I figure he was built in the droid factories where most protocol droids came from, though he's somewhat peculiar for a protocol droid," Vestara said.

"Darth Vader built him," Ben said.

Vestara blinked at him. "Come again? It sounded between your attempts to breath that Darth Vader built him."

Ben just nodded.

"Seriously?"

Ben nodded again.

Seconds later, Vestara was in peals of laughter. "Your uncle Han would throw him out the airlock if he ever figured that out."

"He would probably think Vader programmed him to get on his nerves on purpose because he married his daughter," Ben said in reply as they continued to laugh.

"Let me in on the joke can you, young Skywalkers?" Yoda said, walking into the room.

Seeing Yoda, Ben sobered up. "There's a lot of history there, that doesn't look to be happening again that I would need to explain."

"Young Skywalker fell, didn't he?" Yoda asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, and became a dangerous Sith Lord but an injury crippled him and forced him into a somewhat terrifying looking life support outfit," Ben said. "My aunt, who should be on the way here shortly with my father, inherited C3PO from her adoptive father, Bail Organa. My aunt and uncle's few run-ins with my grandfather were unpleasant, to say the least. My uncle still has nightmares. Either way, 3PO gets on his nerves rather quickly especially when their alone, so the fact that my grandfather, the terrifying Sith Lord, built him is rather amusing."

"Hmm, sense there were twins I did not," Yoda said.

"Not surprising, my aunt has always had a strange ability to shield her presence," Ben said.

Yoda nodded. "Believe he will fall you do not."

"If he does, it won't be for the same reasons. He had already fallen hard by this point last time around. But he came back in the end. He sacrificed himself to save my father. He also killed the Emperor, though it cost him his life," Ben answered. "Hopefully, our journey will bear more fruit and he will be fine for the long-term."

Yoda nodded. "Very well, proceed with your plan."

"Master Yoda, if your about to do what I believe you are, be careful and don't throw everything away. My father needs you." Ben said.

Yoda nodded and hobbled out the door on his stick.

Vestara watched him go. "He's going after the Emperor, isn't he?"

Ben sighed. "It's his duty as head of the Order, just as it was Dad's to face Abeloth. He will be fine, I'm sure."

Vestara had finished her work when the rest got back in the Falcon and was waiting inside the cockpit with Ben. They detached from the Tantive IV and headed into the deep Outer Rim.

Note: Since this story follows mainly the old EU minus the chips in Order 66, we are going with the story of Starkiller starting the Rebellion. I know some people don't like the Force Unleashed but having old Palpatine being the unwitting author of his own demise is just too much fun.

Senate Rotunda

"In order to ensure security and continued stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! (applause) For a safe and secure society." Thunderous applause roared through the building as all of Palpatine's puppets lauded the move and rapidly voted to install the new dictator for life. Bail and Mothma looked on, slowly clapping while feeling the sting of the loss of democracy in thunderous applause. The motion passed almost unanimously, and Bail was certain whatever brave individual had voted no would die very quickly in some obscure corner of a Coruscanti alleyway.

Chancellor's/Emperor's office

Sidious was euphoric. Just moments ago those slimes in the senate had just handed him ultimate power. He was the Emperor of the Galaxy. Even if the somewhat botched Order 66 had left him unpopular in some of the systems, it wasn't enough for the Senate to attempt to turn on him. Not that it would have done any good, he would have marched the 501st inside and had them make him Emperor at gunpoint if he needed too. He was waiting for his chilled bottle of Naboo wine to toast with his new Grand Vizier who had faithfully served him for years, when he heard the sound of his guards hitting the floor.

He turned around in his seat and there was his "little green friend"

"Master Yoda, you survived," the Emperor said bitterly. "How did you discover my plan?"

"Chose your apprentice poorly, you did," Yoda said.

"I should have known Dooku would betray me," Sidious hissed. "Well, let's not stand on ceremony."

Mas Amedda fled the scene and neither the shadow nor the light even glanced at him as he left.

The fight was short but brutal. Yoda and Sidious were both left devoid of their lightsabers quickly. In the end, the Jedi master was able to turn his opponents lightning back on his face, but the feedback loop blew them apart from each other. Yoda was about to reengage when a blaster shot narrowly missed him. He glanced up to see the Clones starting to storm the Senate rotunda. Yoda threw a Force blast at the Clones and one at his temporarily fallen enemy and made his escape by jumping down to the bottom of the Senate chamber. The Grandmaster escaped using the vents and jumped into the awaiting speeder of Bail Organa.

The Clones, meanwhile, came up to the Emperor. "Are you all right, my lord?"

"Yes, I am fine," The emperor said calmly

"Sir, your face! We need to get a medic," The trooper yelled.

In the visor's reflection Sidious could see his face had been disfigured by his lightning in the fight. He clenched his fists. If only that had happened when Mace had attacked him, he could have used it to dredge up a sympathy vote. Now being attacked and disfigured in the center of his power could lead to the belief that he was vulnerable.

"Search this place from top to bottom. See to it that my attacker doesn't escape," Sidious hissed the order.

"Commander Fox, you are in charge of security, are you not?" Sidious asked the commander who had just came through the door.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Not anymore," Sidious said and motioned towards two troopers.

The troopers gunned down the former commander instantly.

"Send a message to the troops. Tell them to double their efforts to eliminate the remaining Jedi," Sidious said, pulling up his hood and walking out of the Senate chamber.

Chapter Text

Millennium Falcon Outer Rim

The planet below them was a desert by all appearances. It had taken a couple of day's travel to reach this location even with the .5 hyperdrive. Anakin had gotten more quite and secluded during this portion of the trip, which had Ben worried.

"I liked the look of the last place we were at more," Obi-Wan quipped.

"Wait until you meet the wildlife," Ben muttered. He landed the ship on a plateau near a depression filled with rocks.

"Alright everyone, before we open the door, a few ground rules. Leave your weapons on board, except for Vestara and Master Kenobi.," Ben said.

"What if we're attacked?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah, about that. Everyone, this planet is home to an indigenous very threatening-looking spider. The fact of the of the matter is that they are harmless if you do not provoke them, hence why we are leaving our weapons. We are here to meet someone who we hope will to help Anakin find balance. "

"We should be out fighting the Sith not running around the Rim," Anakin muttered.

"Yeah, I also would recommend we keep our thoughts to ourselves. This person is a decent person, but the last guy who made him mad got run off the planet with a Force storm," Vestara said.

"A Force storm?" Kenobi said. "That's a darkside method only known in legend."

"Yeah, well, let's not find out. Just don't make him mad and we should be alright," Ben said.

"Who is this person? Is he a darksider?" Anakin asked.

"A rather interesting individual, and, no, he is not a darksider. In fact, he doesn't much care for them. I would suggest to you his knowledge of Force abilities is greater than that of Jocasta Nu. I would pay good money to see him and Yoda talk. Thankfully, for all his power, he really doesn't much care about anything in the greater galaxy. I would actually trust him with a Sith holocron. He would find its content interesting, but- beyond academic interest- of little use. He is incorruptible, because he has no personal ambition. So don't expect him to fight for us. In fact, don't ask. We go for knowledge and assistance, not strength in arms," Ben said.

"Padme, it might be best if you stay in the ship for the moment, along with the rest of the non-Force sensitives," Vestara said.

The Jedi went down the ramp and walked towards a depression.

"Why are me and you disarmed, Master Solo?" Anakin asked.

"Because I'm afraid of spiders and it's better to not overly panic and activate a lightsaber around them. You are similarly disarmed to avoid any unnecessary confrontation," Ben said

Anakin was about to reply when the rocks in front of them began to move. To his shock, he realized the rocks were a creature and not actually rocks.

The Creature stared at them for a second and said, "You have disturbed my slumber with a great imbalance, not to mention the presence of two people who shouldn't be here. What do you call yourselves, and what," he said, looking at Ben and Vestara, "are two Jedi of the Galactic Alliance doing here?"

"Abeloth," Ben said.

The Bendu looked at Ben and Vestara for a moment and sighed.

"Ahh, I see. So you come for help to maintain balance," the Bendu said.

"Indeed, which is why we brought him," Ben said. "My name is Ben and this is my wife, Vestara Khai."

"Should I assume your presence means you have exhausted all other attempts to keep the dark at bay?" The Bendu asked.

"Yes, we lost most of our colleagues and allies. We no longer have the strength to fight her or her minions openly," Vestara said.

"In your journey against the destroyer of worlds, you will have my assistance than. Forgive my earlier assumptions," the Bendu said.

Vestara and Ben both bowed.

"Now then, as to your friends," the Bendu said, looking at them.

Kenobi stepped up. "I am Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is my former apprentice and Jedi knight, Anakin Skywalker, and his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. May I ask who we have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Master Kenobi, Jedi knight, the Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and the Bogan, the light and the dark. I am the Bendu, the one in the middle. Your friends the Knights of the Galactic alliance will tell you that to train a Force wielder to use both is a dangerous exercise and an excuse to use the dark. They are correct. Only three individuals have ever managed the balance. One of these you met on the Mortis monolith. The second was both a Jedi knight and Sith lord in the ancient Republic. I am the third. The one you met on Mortis put the galaxy in peril in his efforts to maintain said balance and the Knight burned the galaxy to achieve it. Neither, as you may imagine, are inspirations to follow."

"How do you manage it?" Kenobi asked.

"A tool cannot make one evil. It is what one does with it that makes one evil. Forbidden knowledge or even the power to help others can lead one down the dark path," the Bendu replied. "But the balance that the Jedi of the Galactic Alliance seeks to bring to the one among you is not found through power; this they know."

"Excuse me, but were you talking about me here? What is it that everyone wants?" Anakin asked.

"Ahh, for those here there would be different goals and objectives. For your former teacher it is to see you happy and not bound by the chains of the past. The same as it is for your own student, whom you yourself wish the same happiness on. The knights of the Galactic Alliance hope that by you achieving your balance, you will have a better future than the one they foresee so you can be with your family and be happy, and in turn help them better face the onslaught they see to come," the Bendu said.

Anakin looked somewhat shocked at this remark.

The Bendu sighed. "Will you leave me with Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, for a talk?"

Ben and Vestara nodded and headed back for the Falcon. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, who nodded, and they did the same.

The Bendu looked at him. "How long has the Sith Lord been trying to poison your relationships with the people who care about you?"

Anakin looked down. "I came to the point where it seemed everyone only wanted me for my power. I thought the Sith Lord was a friend and was my only true confidant."

"Were these his words or what you have perceived to be the truth after he was discovered for what he was?" the Bendu asked.

"The Jedi only took me in because of a stupid prophecy. It was a long time before me and Kenobi had a decent relationship because I believed he only took me on because had promised Qui Gon."

"Does he believe it?"

"I don't know I think he wants to too much. The Mortis inhabitants certainly did and they wanted only my power," Anakin said.

"Hmm, one of the many differences between the Jedi and Sith are that the Jedi truly want their own students to exceed them. To fulfill this prophecy would be a great honor for you. As to your belief that it's not true, the Jedi of the Galactic alliance certainly would agree with you. I assure you, they have never even heard of it. However, did your master encourage you to stay on Mortis to fulfill some prophecy?"

"No," Anakin said, "he wanted us off quickly. I do not question the fact that Master Obi-Wan wants and has always only wanted the best for me."

"So, of the many chains that bind you one of them is this prophecy which some believe you will fulfill? The burden of which you do not seek?" the Bendu asked.

"Yes, they believe it because we know nothing about my father," Anakin said.

"I see. Then perhaps it is time we fix that and relieve you of your burden," the Bendu said.

"How would we do that? It's not like we can un-write the prophecy," Anakin said.

"That is for you to figure out on your journey," the Bendu said. "Your journey to regain balance will be hard, but perhaps the person that will gain the most from this is yourself. Unwrap yourself from the chains of your past and your burden, and then you will be at peace and the find the balance your teacher has so desperately tried to help you find."

At that moment Ben reappeared next to Anakin.

"Ahh, good you heard my call. Take Anakin Skywalker, Jedi knight, to the island where balance is found above the sea," The Bendu said. "That is the next stage of your journey."

Ben looked at the Bendu. "You want me to take him there?"

"Indeed, it is the path to enlightenment," the Bendu said. "Farewell on your Journey, Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. Farewell, Knight of the Galactic Alliance."

With that, the audience ended, and the two Jedi returned to the falcon.

"That was strange," Anakin said.

"So is where we are going," Ben said

"Where is this island?" Anakin asked

"Deep in the unknown regions, quite on the other side of the Galaxy," Ben said.

They came up the ramp as Vestara met them. "So, no Force lightning. I'm assuming everything went OK."

"Yes, and we have the location of our next stop," Ben said

The Millennium Falcon rose into the air and headed off into space on its next mission.

Jedi Safehouse, Outer Rim

Master Hett was once again thankful his father was not a conventional Jedi. Being raised as a Tusken Raider, he had a bit of a paranoid streak, including but not limited to, placing safehouses around the galaxy. This one was one of the more comfortable ones, on a relatively secluded planet off the beaten path with a nice view of water. Having lived on Tatooine himself before he had been found and trained by Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, he appreciated his father's love of water. He had felt his old master die after Order 66 had been issued, apparently being unable to escape before his troops had cut him down. Thankfully as he reached out into the Force, he could still feel the light of many of his brothers and sisters. Surprisingly, he felt the light of a couple of new people he didn't recognize, but that was OK. The Grandmaster's warning had apparently been enough to get many to safety and for now that was the important thing. Master Depa Billaba and her padawan, Caleb Dume, were with him. It hadn't taken much of a disguise to pose as a married couple with their child. He had only started wearing Jedi robes since the beginning of the clone war anyway, preferring his native Tatooine garb, so that wasn't much of a loss.

Despite the feeling of darkness within the Force, the remaining light gave him hope. Now was the time to wait before striking back. He sensed it would be a rather long wait, though. He came out of the meditative state. Master Billaba sat across from him, watching him with some anxiety.

"I cannot make out the individuals who survived, but I know that many still live. The grandmaster's warning seems to have been in the nick of time."

"That is good," Master Billaba answered. "This tragedy has not happened since the Jedi civil war."

"Yes, the infamous Jedi purge," Hett said grimly.

"Ironically, the purge was a topic of discussion amongst the high council only about two weeks ago," Depa said.

"Really? Anything specific that brought it on?" Hett asked.

"A few Jedi from the unknown regions seeking help against a great darkness requested the help of Master Kenobi and Skywalker, " Depa said. "They departed with them."

Master Hett looked thoughtful. "Then they almost certainly are among the survivors. Do you know why these Jedi were in the unknown region?"

"From what I understood, they are part of a Jedi order established after the Jedi Purge. Like the Correlians, they allow marriage in there ranks," Depa replied.

"Interesting. I wonder if they could perhaps grant refuge for our members," Hett mused.

Depa shook her head no. "Apparently, the travel is so treacherous only a few people can travel at any given time and taking conventional routes would take 80 years."

"That's unfortunate," Hett said. "Still, that's at least 4 Jedi that should be beyond danger. Have you been able to sense your master?"

Depa nodded in the negative again.

"Disappointing, but he was probably one of the last to leave the Temple, so that leaves three members of the high council that we can safely say survived: you, Master Kenobi, and Yoda," Hett said.

"Four, Master Fisto had taken the younglings on a field trip off Coruscant. The last council meeting we had he was not on planet," Depa said.

"How many younglings?" Hett asked.

"All of them, Master Yoda never really said why and he didn't ask the Council's permission before asking Kit to take them off Coruscant. But given that the war seemed all but over, I didn't really think anything of it at the time," Depa said.

Hett looked at her thoughtfully with a slow smile forming on his face. "That is indeed good news that the younglings are safe. It seems the Grandmaster had a premonition that something was going to happen and prepared for the eventuality."

"I wonder why he didn't inform the council, though," Depa said.

"Probably to avoid panic and keep from tipping off the Sith," Hett muttered. "Since the Sith Lord is almost certainly our beloved new Emperor, even if a strike team had succeeded, the chips were likely to go off anyway. I thought I sensed a battle last night in the Force. I suspect Yoda went after Palpatine, though he must have not been the victor."

"Do you know if he is in danger?" Depa inquired.

"No, I do not sense Master Yoda is in any danger, He must have escaped after the battle," Hett said.

"You know, I always wondered why I got appointed to the Council and you didn't," Depa said.

Hett snorted. "Depa, could you really see me sitting in one of those chairs, worried about everyone's business? I told Mace years ago if I ever got appointed, I'd fake my death and run for the Rim."

Depa looked out the window. "To go from active warfare to waiting is going to be a difficult transition, I fear."

"One that will be necessary, or some may find themselves dead if they push to action to quickly. The Emperor certainly knows his plans have failed to a degree and his fear will push him to hunt us down quickly. I hope in his haste and fear he slips and makes a tactical mistake," Hett said. "For now we train young Caleb, as well as others we find but keep a low profile. When the time comes to remove the Sith, we will be ready."

Jedi Training Vessel, Hyperspace

Master Fisto was disturbed to say the least. Somehow, he had gotten left (stuck) with the most important job in the galaxy: taking care of and protecting the younglings. He was now wishing the Grandmaster had simply been trying to arrange a padawanship. The more he thought about it, especially with the notes he had found on his datapad, the more certain he was that Yoda had this all planned out. He kind of felt he could have been warned- "Hey Kit, the order is about to fall. I'm leaving the responsibility and the safety of the Order's future completely in your hands." On second thought he knew that would never have happened. He wasn't concerned about the care of the children. The Creche Masters had that well taken care of. No, it was his responsibility and burden to try to find safe refuge for the younglings. That was not a task he relished because even though he had long been responsible for his troops and the Order, he had never had so many lives dependent on him not messing up.

At that moment Initiate Katooni knocked on his door. "Master Fisto, are you OK?."

Kit gave his best smile. "As best as can be, we are rather fortunate all things considered. I believe many survived. No, I am trying to find us a safe place to go to."

Katoonie nodded. "Its just like when we were by ourselves trying to save Ahsoka from Hondo."

Kit smiled. "Very like that indeed. Out by ourselves in the Outer Rim with others that need help and unable to call for backup. I just wish we only had Hondo's crew to be concerned about. But we will get through this together."

Katoonie nodded. "That's how most of us feel, especially the ones that were caught by Hondo. Too bad Hondo couldn't help us. He seemed to like us quite well."

"Yes, unfortunately, we can't trust his crew not to sell us out. Though," he said, cocking his head,"that gives me an idea. I have an old contact in the fringe who might know where to lay low for a while."

Katoonie smiled and went skipping out the door. Fisto watched her go. Perhaps the old master had picked his next apprentice after all.

Chapter Text

Ach-To

The familiar sight of the planet brought back memories to Ben. He and Vestara had stumbled upon the homeworld of the Jedi while pursuing a lead in the unknown regions. He took the Falcon into the landing zone that existed before the Order had built one on top of the plateau.

"Any wildlife warnings this time?" Kenobi asked.

"Not really. It's about a 20 minute hike up to the abandoned Temple. There's a native critter which is rather annoying and tasty at the same time. They get into everything," Vestara said. "The locals maintain upkeep on the building and the Temple itself."

"Fascinating," Obi-Wan said. "Is there anything in particular about this place that would indicate why we came here?"

"I honestly have no idea," Ben said, "but whatever it is will likely be found in the Jedi temple."

The crew all walked up the hill. Anakin was reaching out with the Force. On at least one occasion, he thought he heard his name.

"The Force is very strong here," Kenobi said, "not as strong as the Palace of Light or Mortis, but stronger than Tython."

"I noticed I also get the feeling of being watched," Anakin said.

"Don't say that," Ahsoka said, "that usually means trouble."

They reached the top of the hill and took up residence in the various huts situated on the top.

Anakin was noticeably distracted by something he couldn't quite sense. It was a strangely peaceful place. He could sense the island was largely a light side nexus, with a smaller dark side nexus somewhere below the island's surface. He contemplated using the method of mediation that Ben had showed him. He had been secretly using it several times hoping to get back to the Palace of Light, to no avail. Maybe if it did exist in the galaxy, he could find it with Padme. He was certain it wouldn't be visible solely to Force users. Being able to show her how he could see and feel all the time would be an experience educational, if nothing else.

He suddenly realized he had been walking without even thinking towards the hill. He looked around and saw Ben watching him.

"Do you know what were looking for here?"

"No, I'm afraid my ability to predict the future with any certainty is running a bit thin at the moment," Ben said lightheartedly. "However, I will tell you this island contains one of the oldest Jedi temples in the galaxy. There's also a few books which detail ancient Jedi powers, including a rather dangerous form of Force healing."

Anakin looked around. "I feel drawn into there." He pointed towards the cave entrance into the temple.

"Well then," Ben said. "Go and face whatever you need to. I just recommend avoiding the dark side nexus near the water's edge."

Anakin nodded and turned towards the cave.

Ben sat down and watched as his grandfather entered the cave, he sensed this was the reason they had come here. Of course, he had not told Anakin his ability to predict the future was diminishing because the changes they had made were already making things different. Ben could sense there were still thousands of Jedi in the galaxy. Dooku was still alive and unless he had sensed wrong, he believed Darth Maul had fallen in Order 66.

He sat back as Kenobi came up, looked towards where Anakin had entered, sighed, and sat down across from Ben to wait. Neither spoke. They didn't have to. This was Anakin's journey and his alone.

Millennium Falcon

The brothers were more than a little restless. They hadn't had this much downtime since the war had started. Padme was too frankly as they sat around the table.

"You know," Jesse said "The kids' information was good and all, but I would kinda like to know more about them and how they got their hands on the information."

"You suspect them still?" Rex asked. "Their info saved much of the Order."

"Sure," Jesse said "But why wait til the end of the war not before Geonosis?"

"They said they didn't have any proof that would hold up in court," Padme said. "But I would like to know why they are more interested in us. They seem to know an awful lot about us."

"Agreed," said Jesse. "But how do we find out more?"

R2 at that moment came up whistling.

Padme looked at R2. "What is it?"

R2 projected footage of Ben and Vestara

"No, fountain of light," Ben said. "I was in no mood to play and just let him have it."

"Oh, yes, like that's any better. A cliched trick pulled from a cheap holofilm," Vestara said.

"Hey, that signed holofilm was Jacen's most treasured possession other than his family," Ben said. "Uncle Han let me bring it to remember what we were saving."

"I seem to recall your father saying that it was one of the worst holofilms ever," Vestara said.

"Yeah, well it wasn't very accurate and Dad, at the time, thought the investigator was going to charge him with war crimes, not figure out the events and sell it as a movie with Dad as the hero," Ben said grinning. "That incident, though, was the reason he gave up his military commission."

"A holofilm of his father," Jesse said. "Well, well, and they have it in their possession."

"What say we stroll into their room to collect and watch said holofilm? We are rather bored aren't we?" Jesse said, walking towards their room.

Padme and Rex looked at each other and didn't say a word. Maybe they could get some information on these Jedi.

Always helpful droid, R2 unlocked the room for Jesse.

Jesse took a quick look around. He saw some packages, some holopics of what he believed to be Ben, Vestara, and his family, strong box, and what he was looking for on a shelf. the disk was old, with faded signature on it that he couldn't make out.

He returned to the table and said, "I got the goods. Let's see what we got."

They inserted the disk onto the table and watched as a large orchestra gave bombastic music, and an opening crawl went across the screen.

STAR WARS

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor

Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are dead. The Empire has been toppled by the triumphant Rebel Alliance, and the New Republic is ascendant. But the struggle against the dark side and the Sith Order is not over. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and their faithful comrades have had little time to savor victory before being called on to defend the newly liberated galaxy.Remnants of the vanquished Empire, hungry for retaliation, are still at large, committing acts of piracy, terrorism, and wholesale slaughter against the worlds of the fledgling New Republic. The most deadly of these, a ruthless legion of black-armored Stormtroopers, do the brutal bidding of the newly risen warlord Shadowspawn. Striking from a strategically advantageous base on the planet Mindor, they are waging a campaign of plunder and destruction, demolishing order and security across the galaxy–and breeding fears of an Imperial resurgence. Another reign of darkness beneath the boot-heel of Sith despotism is something Jedi knight Luke Skywalker cannot, and will not, risk, but the Jedi does not realize he is being drawn into a trap by design of Shadowspawn- one of the Emperors dark acolytes, who seeks to destroy the light of the Jedi.

Rex paused it right as the crawl was coming to an ending.

"What was that? Emperor Palpatine, Luke Skywalker?" Rex asked bewildered.

Padme looked bewildered as well. "I have no idea. How long ago this was made?"

R2 chirped and on his translation screen it said, "Data disc is at least 35 years old. The dates indicated in the disk use a calendar other than Republic standard, listing the date as 5ABY."

Rex looked at Padme and they both looked like they had no idea.

"Do you think the kid's related to the General?" Rex asked.

Padme nodded. "We know nothing of Anakin's family. It's possible they are cousins. Ben kind of acts like Anakin when he gets excited, but he's much more even tempered."

Jesse nodded. "Remember that grin as we were about to do something crazy? Definitely General Skywalker though he is rather short for the General."

"Let's watch the rest of the film and see if we can glean anything," Padme suggested.

"Don't figure there's anything to be gleaned from the cast. They got a bunch of nobodies in this film. Let's see: Mark Hamill, Carrie fisher, Harrison Ford," grunted Jesse watching as the film resumed.

Padme and Rex said nothing as they both pulled out holopads to take notes.

Jedi Temple Ach-To

Anakin had never been anywhere quite like this place. He was uncertain of where to go when all of a sudden, a door appeared in the wall. Figuring that was his cue, he stepped through to find himself in a room overlooking a majestic forest. He recognized the landscape as Dantooine from old paintings in the archive. In the room was a Jedi with longer black hair and a short beard. He sat in a meditation pose with two lightsabers clipped to his belt.

The man looked up at Anakin. "Well, I never expected to see you here, but I'm proud of you for making the journey," he said in a calm voice as he rose.

"Who are you and where are we?" Anakin asked.

"Well, we better pace ourselves with the answers. I don't think you can handle it all at once." the man said with a slight smirk, "but if you want to know who I am, I figured my good looks would give me away. Anakin, I'm your father."

Anakin stumbled backwards at this statement as confusion and anger were starting to mix into his emotions.

The Jedi looked on calmly "Yeah, you inherited that emotional streak from me unfortunately."

Anger started to get the better part of Anakin. "You're a Jedi!"

"Guilty as charged," The man said calmly.

"Where were you why didn't you help my mother? How could you leave her and me in slavery?" Anakin shouted.

"I'll start with the simple answer that I was long dead before your mother was ever a slave," the man said calmly.

The anger deflated partially from Anakin but not completely "Why did my mother never speak of you then?"

The man sighed. "Yeah, this is where things get confusing. We never actually met. I promise, if I had been alive, I would never have left either of you in slavery."

Anakins anger at that statement grew. "What did you do to my mother?" At this Anakin lost control of his anger he dived to attack the man in front of him. The man dodged the attack that was meant to knock him on the ground. He Force pushed Anakin into the wall and lit his two lightsabers. Anakin responded in kind, lighting up his blue lightsaber. The two clashed but Anakin, especially in his anger, easily lost to the unusual Jar Khai form he had never seen. Within half a minute, the man had Anakin on his knees with his lightsabers across his neck.

"Nothing, I didn't do anything. However, I guess you could say I was ultimately responsible for you being born," the man said calmly as Anakin eyed the blades that were eerily similar to how he had the Count at his mercy several weeks before.

"It is an extremely long and complicated story," the dark haired man continued calmly.

"Looks like you have all the time in the world," Anakin retorted.

The man grinned. "I wonder if this is how people used to see me when I was young."

Anakin glared at him. He would have threatened if he thought it would do any good.

"Very well. Let's start at the very beginning I was born with the name Evan Starkiller, a name long forgotten by many, including myself."

Chapter Text

Millennium Falcon

The holofilm had wrapped up with Padme crying at the conclusion of how the hero Luke had risked everything to save his sister from utter darkness at the hands of the Sith acolyte and had stayed to comfort the thousands of innocents the Sith had killed with his own passing. Those pregnancy hormones were really getting annoying.

Rex and Jesse were both watching sort of detached.

Jesse looked at Rex. "Ok, can General Skywalker do any of that kind of stuff and how much of that was real?"

Rex just shrugged, Jesse was fanboying out. It was obvious he had a new favorite film. The fact that they were on the Millennium Falcon that was depicted in the film was one of many things that made little sense to Rex.

"Ok, so things that don't add up. This is nearly 40 years ago and they're talking about Emperor Palpatine, the ship we are on is depicted in the film and we have a Skywalker running around, played by an actor does favor the General," Rex said.

Padme looked at Rex. "Maybe it's a Sith tendency to name their Emperors Palpatine or they're related. For all we know this ship was named after the holofilm, but another Skywalker means that Anakin likely has family in the unknown regions.

"I would have paid to have seen Ben using that fountain of light thingy on Dooku though," Jesse remarked.

"So why disguise the name Skywalker?" Rex asked

"Probably to avoid questions or if the film is true, the sister married Han Solo, so Ben could be her son, but I doubt it since he said it was his father who was a Jedi."

The trio continued the discussion for a while before deciding to head back up the mountain.

Jedi Temple, Dantooine

"I was probably the most famous Jedi of my generation, much like you are," The man who claimed he was Anakin's father said. The lightsabers had been turned off and the man was facing a nearby window. Anakin hadn't moved and watched him. The brief duel had taken the edge off of his temper.

"Really? Where I'm from none of the people old enough to be your peer has ever said anything about you," Anakin said.

The man laughed. "I assure you, your master Ben would pay to be here in this talk."

"Yeah, maybe he would but from where I'm from, you're a nobody, and you haven't answered any of my questions," Anakin said his frustration at the pointless conversation getting on his nerves, even if he knew fighting this man would be a bad idea.

"Oh, I doubt that seriously. In fact, I'm sure I am as familiar to you as I am to Ben," he said still not turning.

"I'm pretty sure I would remember a dumb name like Evan Starkiller," Anakin retorted.

The man turned around. His eyes grew hard. "I said that was my birth name and even I forgot what it was. My parents were murdered before I could even talk properly. For one of the favorite times of my life I was known as Elijah Zakaynian. But as to why its important: a Jedi master found me, a lone survivor in the carnage that was my village and took me back to the temple. The only thing I could say other than mother and father was a childish lisp of my name."

"And this is important to this discussion why?" Anakin asked.

The man's hard gaze continued and he said, "Because a two-year-old would pronounce Evan as Revan."

Anakin's face turned pale at the implication. "No, that's that's not possible."

"Search your feelings; you know that it is true," Revan said.

(Cue Imperial March)

Anakin asked in shock. "How? You lived thousands of years ago."

"I told you it was a long-complicated story," Revan said. "It is true, nevertheless."

"How?" came the subdued voice.

"For that, we need to look at a period of time I am not at all proud of," Revan said.

The room around them changed to a dark throne room, with Revan on his knees, in his dark, iconic armor.

"This is the throne of the Dark Emperor Vitiate or Valkorian depending on what part of history you look at. At the end of the Republic's war with Mandalor, I defeated Mandalor the Great in open combat. In his last breath I discovered the whole war had been a plot by a reborn Sith empire to weaken the Republic in advance of a planned invasion. Me and my friend Alek went into the unknown regions to find the Sith, and we discovered their Capital on the planet of Drommand Kaas. We snuck around the capital and discovered the empire was led by a Sith emperor so we did a very stupid thing. We had just came out of war undefeated and believed we could kill the emperor ourselves." Revan paused. "It was the worst mistake we ever made. We were beaten and subdued in seconds and he had us under his sway. We were sent back to the main galaxy as his puppets, reborn as dark lords of the Sith to wage war on the galaxy. We managed to break free of the mind control, but the darkness we were in continued to cloud our minds and we made the second worst mistake. We decided to avenge ourselves and thought we needed to conquer the galaxy to stand against the emperor. Every terrible thing we did was aimed at the destruction of the emperor, but we were too blinded by our own power and the need for revenge to question our methods." Various scenes of battles and planets went by.

"The humiliation of my defeat at the emperor's hands made me crave enough power to defeat him. I sought to be the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, studying ancient Sith artifacts and many other sources of knowledge. My power and my arrogance indeed increased until my own apprentice turned on me in battle. I believe you probably know the story: how I was brainwashed, turned into a republic soldier became a Jedi again and defeated my former friend and apprentice, married and had a child before heading back out to defeat the emperor. Here is the part that few know except the Sith and the Revanites. In my time as dark lord, I experimented on my own blood to try to increase my own power; these experiments were not successful. However, I was able to discover a way to increase the midoclorian count in the samples. I collected many liters of my own blood with increased counts and had them stored in a safe location. With these experiments, I attempted to make a clone of myself to transfer my mind into, believing it would be the key to defeating Valkorien."

Anakin stared at Revan. "Are you saying I am your clone.?"

Revan looked at him. "Are we jumping ahead of ourselves? No, you're not my clone. All my clones were complete disasters because cloning Force users is a skill no one has. The few clones that survive with Force abilities are either mentally ill or physically deformed. Either way, after some time it become obvious that was not going to be a solution, and I gave up."

"However, my samples were not destroyed and remained in the Revanites' and Sith's hands. It was a forgotten experiment for millennia until the former Dark Lord and Sidious stumbled upon the idea and believed it might have merit with improvements to clone technology. Their attempts all failed as well; even the Kaminoans were not up to the task." At this point, Revan laughed. "Irony is perhaps the most amusing of things in this life, but the fact that their own peril may come about at their own failure is amongst the best of them. The Sith Lord Sidious kept a batch of samples back from his master, having hired a promising young scientist with revolutionary ideas to make the attempt.

"The cloner failed across the board as well when he stumbled upon a rather simple solution. If the goal was simply to make a powerful Force user, why make a clone when it's far easier genetically to use the genetic samples and have a son? The cloner did not inform his employer of this fact and secured a young woman for the task of being the mother. The mother was chosen because of a mild Force sensitivity, thus increasing the genetic odds of success. The mother was told she was being experimented on for a revolutionary medical breakthrough for a cure of the Hive virus which destroyed the personnel of the Katana Fleet and was to be properly compensated for her troubles.

"Obviously, she was lied too. The cloner had his operations on the Ring of Glavis where the woman was from. Sidious had chosen his cloner not only for his brains but for the fact he was in desperate need of money, as he owed gambling debts to the Hutts, and he could control him. One day as she had come in for a checkup, the Hutts attacked the ring. As you can imagine, she was carried off and the cloner was killed with all information regarding the experiment being destroyed when the Hutts blew the lab. The Sith never learned what happened and simply wrote off the failure. It's hilarious actually. The Sith have been going crazy for years, wondering where you came from, and it was their own failure that allowed you to stop many of their plans. The rest of my samples were destroyed when the crime families used an atomic device to destroy Hego Damask's secret laboratory on Sojurn. And I think you can glean the rest."

"The Jedi believed I was part of a prophecy," Anakin said shakily.

"That was Qui Gon; the rest of the council were rather dubious," Revan said.

"But they still took me because of it," Anakin said.

"No, they didn't." Revan said turning and looking at him "What convinced them was your own actions in the battle of Naboo. Kenobi thought he would have to defy the Council to take you on and said as much, but they had actually already decided."

"I didn't know he defied the Council," Anakin said.

Revan chuckled. "Kenobi almost defied the Council one too many times in his teenage years. In fear of getting kicked out he went from rebel to the strict rule follower as a sort of self-imposed probation. Kenobi was never given an explanation as to why you were allowed in, either."

"You said the Council didn't choose me because of the prophecy," Anakin said.

"Pretty much, yeah. In fact, the only one who thought it was possible was Mace Windu," Revan said.

Anakin was really shocked at that reveal. "Mace. I didn't think he ever liked me; Yoda, I would have thought was the one."

"Then you would be surprised to know Mace was one of Qui Gon's best friends. They didn't agree with each other much, but Mace listened even if he didn't agree," Revan said. "Master Yoda never bought it and still doesn't for that matter."

"But why care if he doesn't believe in me?" Anakin asked, somewhat shaken by the revelations that were being thrown at him.

Revan sighed and knelt down and put his hand on his shoulder. "He cares you for the same reason Padme and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan care about you- because you are Anakin Skywalker. They don't need a special reason or prophecy to believe in you or believe you're special, because you are to them. You should never have been told the prophecy and that was a mistake on the part of Qui Gon Jinn that put too much of a burden on your and Obi-Wan's shoulders. Yours because you strived towards an ideal that you didn't understand and Kenobi desperately trying to not fail you as a teacher."

"So, what did Qui Gon see in me?" Anakin asked.

Revan chuckled. "How much of what I told you did you actually hear, Anakin? You're not my clone, you are my son. My son, with all the potential of having far more power than I ever had, and I am considered one of the most powerful Force users in history along with your children and grandchildren. Qui Gon was a rare and powerful Jedi, very attached to the Living Force, where Kenobi and Yoda are more attached to the cosmic Force. Qui Gon felt the Force tugging him to you, sensed your potential, and, hearing your mother's story, jumped to conclusions; However, the fact that you were willing to sacrifice everything for your new friends also tugged at his heart and was the reason he pushed so hard to get you off Tatooine.

Anakin was internally struggling with everything that was being thrown at him. For years despite always denying the prophecy as a myth even to the Force wielders on Mortis, it had always impacted his psyche in many ways. Strangely a hypothetical prophecy was easier to shake off to people than being the son of one of the most notorious Sith Lords in history. Mace would have a field day with that one.

"Come on. It isn't that bad. The Jedi all know the story of my rehabilitation and your half-brother Vaner Shan and your great niece Satele Shan are not bad company to be in, if I do say so myself. Plus I did defeat the emperor eventually though that story, I noticed, got eclipsed by the hero of Tython myth."

Anakin looked up puzzled. "The hero of Tython defeated the emperor after it was said you went mad in an attempt to kill Vitiate."

Revan again chuckled. "Remember what I said about the only clones that survived went mad? The strike team defeated a clone of me that had some memories imprinted, but did you ever notice the hero of Tython didn't have a name?"

Anakin's eyes went wide. "You were the hero of Tython?" Revan just smiled at the comment. "Wait, how come Satele Shan, Scourge, or Vitiate never knew?"

"Spending a couple of centuries in the emperor's prison will do quite a bit to your physical appearance the rest was made up of the healing and surgery I required after I escaped. But Satele knew. That's why she never told anyone and she as Grandmaster created a fictitious backstory. Scourge just recognized my new appearance from a vision and didn't make the connection and Vitiate flat out didn't care."

"All the stories say the hero of Tython just disappeared after the emperor's death," Anakin said.

"Yes, in order to torment me for centuries the emperor attached me to his life force so when he died, I no longer have much of his Force power sustaining me and frankly, without Bastilla I dont have a reason to continue hanging around," Revan said with a laugh. "Im using the remnant of his life force that was left in me to talk to you across space and time. While I once could do that myself with our bond his death means my time is limited. I was gifted by the force the visions to allow me to see what had happened to my children and their descendants when I stumbled upon you and all the things that had happened up to your present." "But the point is ,Anakin, that you are yourself the son of Revan and the son of Shmi Skywalker, you are the student of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who you would know would do almost anything for you, you are the proud husband of Padme Amidala, and soon to be a parent. What more do you need to believe in yourself?"

Anakin looked up at him. "So I'm not the one the prophecy spoke of?"

Revan looked at him and shrugged. "Who knows who cares? It hasn't happened yet maybe it will never be necessary or maybe you did it on Mortis already. Maybe I did it when I defeated the emperor or Meetra when she defeated Darth Nihlus. Don't tie your life to some obscure prophecy that's vaguely worded. Maybe Ben's father and aunt did it by fulfilling the son of suns and daughter of moons version of the prophecy. Maybe you will do it later. My advice is it doesn't matter. Maybe you are; maybe you're not. But you are my son, even if this is the first and likely only time we meet.

"I've never been a big fan of prophecies ever since Scourge stabbed me in the back because he had a vision of me from the future defeating the emperor. If he hadn't stabbed me, I could have had him right then and there, it was only due to his actions I had to do it later," Reven said. "Rather a self-fulfilled prophecy. My only advice is, don't do what I did and turn Sith and burn the galaxy down. Even if the Sith Lord wasn't truly your friend, you have plenty of people that truly are your friends and family. Don't let them down just because one person betrayed your trust."

Anakin said,"You didn't name Ben or Vestara as a friend."

Revan tilted his head back and laughed. "A bit more than friends, actually. I shouldn't be saying this to you but I was never one for rules. I'm going to tell you not to pry more info from me or Ben, but Ben is a Skywalker."

Anakin looked shocked at that statement. "Really does he know this?"

"Oh yeah. See Solo is his uncle's and cousins' name. He took it on as an alias in this mission, since he didn't want it slipping to the Sith lord there was another Skywalker hanging around," Revan said. "But seriously, don't ask him more on the relationship; he will tell you everything when the time is right. I will tell you though, he and Vestara would both give their lives for your child."

Anakin nodded.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" Revan asked.

"I'm not sure, Ben has been working with me to finish my training, Master Yoda said. Other than that I don't know. Find a place for the remaining Jedi to be safe and plan from there," Anakin said.

"Sounds like a decent plan," Revan said wistfully. "I wish I was there to journey with you. It sounds like the time me and my friends were trying to find the star forge." Revan looked up ."Looks like it is time for me to go. I don't know if we will meet again."

Anakin stood up to leave when Revan said, "Tell Ben I said hello."

Anakin nodded and walked out the door back to the cave on Ach-To.

Chapter Text

Takadona

Kit Fisto was used to dealing with smuggler hangouts. It had been a long time, however, since he had taken a youngling with him on one of these expeditions. Katoonie had been in several such hangouts, most prominently, Hondo Ohnaka's old fortress on Florrum before it had gotten ravaged by General Grievous. Looking around, Kit sighed. He would have likely have picked another day if he had known who would be in this place today.

"I tell you I get no respect! All I ask for in this life is to create and make a fortune on a fine beachfront 5-star luxury hotel and buffet, but, no, my cousin says I got to mine asteroids for a few more centuries," said the voice of Graballa the Hutt from around a corner. "I tell you, family means nothing these days except to boss everyone around if you're younger. Plus, I'm stuck with the second-rate bounty hunter Dengar, who, let me tell you, is no Boba Fett."

"Graballa, my friend, if you think that is trouble, my entire crew abandoned me when this new Empire formed, saying they didn't believe my leadership skills would suffice for these uncertain times."

Katoonie let out a low gasp at the familiar voice of Hondo Ohnaka.

Kit whispered in her ear, "Try not to let Hondo see you. As loud as he is, he would let everyone in here know we are here. I especially suspect that Graballa would sell us out pretty quickly."

Graballa the Hutt was a relatively harmless character, as Hutts went, and one of the few who just spoke basic. Kit was fairly familiar with his reputation. Graballa's problem was that he was always trying to find enough money to start a legitimate luxury resort and get out from under the thumb of his cousin Jabba who had him stuck on an asteroid overseeing a mining operation for the last 4 centuries due to a minor slight when he was a huttling. If one had credits it was easy to get in Graballa's favor, especially if one feigned interest in his business ideas. Kit certainly had enough credits, the Grandmaster having secretly transferred the bulk of the Order's assets into untraceable accounts across the Galaxy in the days prior to Order 66, but he didn't want to risk Graballa going the easy way and just selling them out to the new Empire to curry favor with them.

With their hoods raised, Kit led Katoonie into a corner booth to wait on his contact.

"Are you sure your friend will show?" Katoonie asked.

Kit smiled. "Of course. She owns this place."

On cue, Maz Katana, the owner of this private vacation spot for smugglers arrived at the table. Taking a glance at the two, she simply said, "Follow me."

Kit and Katoonie followed Maz into the backroom where they could have a more private conversation.

Maz sat across from Kit and said, "Kit Fisto, my friend, you have no idea how happy I am that you are alive."

"Thank you, Maz. I was fortunate enough to be with the younglings off planet when the tragedy struck. I am still not exactly sure what happened," Kit said.

Maz shook her head. "The official story is that the Jedi launched a coup d'etat against the Chancellor. Perhaps it's even true if the new Emperor is indeed a Sith Lord like I now suspect."

"He is," Fisto said grimly. "The Grandmaster sent a warning out shortly before the killing started, implying as much. Do you know of any other survivors?"

"None have come through here, but rumor is half the Order got away before their troops turned on them. I had one person who came in from Coruscant saying he personally saw that the Temple was largely evacuated before the army attacked," Maz said. "If that is true, there are still thousands of Jedi in the galaxy." She looked at Katoonie. "So you want my help in finding a safe place for the children?"

Kit nodded."For all I am familiar with the galaxy, I must admit my places are all far to close to where we could be discovered or too close to the Core. The Jedi were knights of the Republic, few of us worked outside of Republic space because it was feared our presence would start unnecessary wars or conflicts."

Maz sighed. "Unfortunately, I have been here for several hundred years so my personal knowledge may be outdated, but perhaps amongst my clientele I may know someone who can help you."

Kit nodded in appreciation. "Whatever you can do, Maz. The further from the Core, the better."

Maz nodded and walked out into the bar.

Kit couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.

Dagobah

Yoda sighed as he finished building a hut with the Force. It was a very good thing he had taken those survival classes all those hundred years ago after he had first wound up on this planet, so he knew how to make use of the local shrubbery to make a nutritious, if not at first appetizing, stew. That kept him from having to leave the planet for supplies; however, a part of him knew that he would not remain on this planet long. He sensed, though, that was a result of the changes that the young Skywalkers were causing. Much of the Order had fallen but many were still alive due to Grandmaster Luke Skywalkers interference in time. He sat back and closed his eyes. Yes, this was one of the many paths possible for the future, even if he sensed this was one of the least likely to have happened. He smiled. Perhaps he could live long enough to see Master Skywalker's Jedi Order.

Ach -To

Anakin walked out of the door and found himself back in the cave. He was about to return towards the entrance when he sensed a tug of the Force pointing him another way. Anakin reached out to sense better what he felt and shuddered. It came from the dark side nexus on the island. He recalled his speech with Qui-Gon on Mortis telling him to go to the one there, but it had obviously been a disaster since he couldn't remember what happened other than waking up to Obi-Wan helping him. He decided it probably wasn't the galaxy's greatest idea to go and turned around and headed for the entrance.

Ben and Obi-Wan were waiting on him when he came out of the cave the suns were setting behind them. Ben and Obi-Wan both sat up straighter when he came out.

"Well?" Obi-Wan asked him.

Anakin shrugged and took a seat next to him. "That was certainly enlightening if nothing else."

"That seems a bit of an understatement. Your disposition is certainly lighter than when you went in," Ben said.

"I had some very interesting revelations about my family, Master Skywalker," Anakin said with a smirk.

"Now that's cheating," Ben said. "How much do you know and how?"

"My father told me you were a Skywalker," Anakin said.

Kenobi chuckled "I had suspected the relation for some time, even if you're far calmer than Anakin. But Anakin you said you met your father?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, indeed. Like we met Master Qui-Gon on Mortis."

"A Jedi. That makes sense I guess," Ben muttered to himself.

"Interesting," Kenobi said stroking his beard. "I guess age-wise he would have been in Qui-Gon's generation."

"Actually, no. He was born in the Old Republic," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan and Ben both looked at him with open mouths at that statement.

"Just exactly how is that possible?" Obi-Wan said.

Anakin shrugged. "Apparently some cloner had some old, yet well preserved, genetic material and put it in my mom under the guise of medical research."

"This Jedi didn't happen to have a name did he? We have access to the Jedi Temples archives and can look him up," Ben said.

"Yeah, his birth name was Evan Starkiller but he was better known as Revan," Anakin said.

Ben's mouth dropped and eyes went wide at that revelation. Obi-Wan was also surprised.

"Oh and, Ben, he said to say hello," Anakin said.

"Wow, you never do anything by halves, my old padawan." Kenobi said smiling. "I guess it makes sense that your father was one of the most powerful Force users in history- that clears up the mystery of your power level."

Ben was, meanwhile, too busy geeking out at the implications to be paying attention.

"I guess we can put that whole prophecy stuff behind us once and for all," Kenobi said, "I know you will be glad of that."

Anakin nodded. "Yeah. That will be a relief. I'm only the son of one of the most notorious Sith Lords in history. Wait til the rest of the Council hears that."

Kenobi died laughing at that statement. "I think they can handle that."

Takadona

"Katoonie, my friend, have you decided to join me and be a Jedi pirate?" The loud voice of Hondo Ohnaka rang out through the thankfully soundproof walls of Maz's backroom.

Kit was meanwhile groaning internally. Of all the people Maz had to choose it would be the rather loud and obnoxious Hondo Ohnaka.

"No, Master Fisto has graciously accepted me as his apprentice, but it is good to see you," Katoonie said.

"I'm glad to hear you escaped from those crazies." Hondo said flinging his arms. "Bad for business this empire."

"Thank you, Hondo. Right now we need a place to stay safely," Katoonie said.

"You and the other younglings?" Hondo asked.

"Yes," was the reply.

"Well, everyone knows I love children. I just so happen to know the best place in the galaxy," Hondo exclaimed.

"Really?" Kit said, hiding his skepticism.

"Oh yes! Only I know the location and it's a lovely place to boot," Hondo exclaimed. "A final gift from my dear mother."

Coruscant

Sidious had just finished frying his lackey with lightning. In truth it wasn't really his fault but Sidious needed to let out some growing anger at the way that the situation had continued to slip through his fingers and his Grand Inquisitor was just very convenient. Sidious was staring out a window in the former Jedi Temple as the still-smoking form of his lackey struggled to regain his full senses.

"Rise. Your failure to notice that Jocasta Nu had removed the great holocron amongst the other artifacts is perhaps not completely your fault, given Jocasta's distrust of you. However, as a Temple Guard you should have been aware of her and the younglings' departure on the same night and informed me of such. At least you were somewhat successful in preventing the entire temple from evacuation with the death of Kollama Ree; however, it cannot be called a complete success given only a few decrepid individuals and the Temple Guards were the only ones left. Still it was not exactly a complete failure, as you were successful in bringing some of your former Jedi to the cause of the new order. Your loyalty will be rewarded with the title of Grand Inquisitor." Sidious's face turned grim. "But in the future your position will be based on your continuing merit. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my Emperor," the Inquisitor said as he was finally able to rise.

It was about this time that the electronic books on the shelves of the great Coruscant archive went blank.

"No!" the Inquisitor yelled.

Darth Sidious' hands went tight. Jocasta Nu had once again struck.

"My Lord, I will find whoever is responsible and they will pay," the Inquisitor said.

"No. you won't," the Emperor said philosophically. "Your efforts will be futile. Jocasta Nu has very middling Force powers, but I can tell you she is not present in the Temple. No, she has done this remotely."

The Emperor turned and walked down the hall without another word. The Inquisitor breathed a mental sigh of relief. Now he had to figure out the next step. At that moment he found himself flying into a shelf which fell over over with the force of the blow. As he raised his head, he heard the echoing laughter of the Emperor, who called out, "Have your sources searching for Jocasta Nu and bring her to me alive, and Skywalker, as well. If either of them have so much as a bruise, well, what you just experienced will be looked back at with fond memories."

The laughter continued to echo through the halls as the Inquisitor shuddered at the power this Sith had.

The Emperor walked back to his office. He felt he should try to control his impulses a little more, but it had all been in his pocket until Dooku died then the treacherous ilk had the gall to backstab him while he backstabbed Dooku. His mental bond with Skywalker showed he was still alive, but he had never risked increasing it in case he was discovered by Kenobi or Yoda. As such, he could not influence him from afar, nor did he have a decent sense in what direction of the galaxy he was even in. The bond had also gotten weaker recently- probably Skywalker putting two and two together and subconsciously or consciously closing his end of the link. Dooku was dead and Maul was dead. Order 66 had had to go down too quickly for him to reconsider whether Maul would have been a useful hunting dog.

Now he wished he had played straight with Dooku. In keeping him alive this disaster wouldn't have happened. Now he was stuck with a bunch of low Force level dark side assassins that needed training and he didn't even have an apprentice to teach them. Oh, they would be useful for his purposes, but none possessed the strength to ever become a Sith. It galled his ego that his chess board had been set up perfectly but instead of his opponent going for a last-minute "Hail Mary" pass, Yoda had gone for stalemate. That was unforeseen. He had always suspected that the Jedi Grandmaster would attempt to go for broke, but, no, when the troll had, finally, seen through all his deceptions he opted for survival and came after the newly installed Emperor himself. He wondered why Yoda had been willing to sacrifice Mace and the council members who had come with him. Perhaps he figured if Mace couldn't beat him no one else would have had a shot.

These thoughts and others plagued him. His vision had been dimmed as of late. He was certain the balance of the Force had turned against him. It was almost as if some Jedi had pierced the shroud of the darkness. But he would have to make do. The Jedi were still outnumbered by Clone Troopers 200-1, but he felt a sinking feeling as he stared into the Coruscant sky. Perhaps his old teacher had been right in one regard. Perhaps it would have been better if the rule of two had of been extinguished, because right now the treachery of the rule could be their undoing. This war was going to last a long time. His final blow had failed in its purpose. All he had succeeded in doing was driving his enemy underground. The revenge of the Sith had been completed. The Sith ruled the galaxy once more, but its arm was shortened. Travelling from Coruscant could be dangerous. There were more than enough powerful Jedi masters left to form a strike team and someone might get lucky. His anger rose at the thought that his Empire was not safe for him. Even the ultimate weapon would be rather useless for this threat- sure, taking out a planet could eliminate a few Jedi, but not all of them. He was not used to feeling the emotion of fear.

Chapter Text

Ach-To

Padme had just returned to the Skywalker hut when Anakin returned. She quickly hugged him.

Rex had followed Anakin in. "Sir, we need to discuss a situation."

"Of course, Rex," Anakin said.

The group set down at the table, with Anakin wondering what Padme and his commander had discovered as he sensed a fair amount of confusion from the two of them, rather than fear.

"It's about Master Solo, sir," Rex said.

"You mean Master Ben Skywalker," Anakin said.

Rex looked at him sideways. "You knew?"

Anakin nodded in the negative. "Force thing. I found out about half an hour ago, but I'm also not supposed to press for more information. Obi-Wan suspected the relation, however. How did you guys find out?"

Rex looked a hair guilty. "We kind of looked through their stuff and found a holofilm about Ben's dad whose name is Luke Skywalker.

Over the next few days, Ben and Ves had restarted their training of Anakin and Obi-Wan. They had, once again, had dived into the Force and were training on a far away planet. Ben and Vestara were giving Anakin and Obi-Wan a demonstration of their Force powers in two sparred using electric judgment amongst other Force tricks. After their impressive demonstration, they turned to Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"So, questions or comments?" Ben asked.

"Are you going to teach me to do that?" Anakin asked.

Ben laughed. "All in good time. Some of that requires you to be more balanced, though you are improving greatly."

"I have seen a form of lightning that was green used by Master Plo Koon?" Kenobi asked. "I'm curious if this is the same."

"Not exactly." Ben said closing his eyes briefly he opened them a second later, lightning lighting up his eyes. Ben reached out his hand and green lightning shot into a rock and exploded.

"I believe that is what you are referring to, Master Kenobi," Ben said.

Kenobi looked at the rock and replied, "Yes only he had more control over it. I was unaware that the Kel Dor taught that method to outsiders."

Ben laughed. "I would imagine he did. But they are willing to teach any student that goes to their school as long as you are not a darksider."

Anakin watched "What's the difference?"

Ben looked at Anakin. "The Kel Dor have a natural affinity to electricity. What you just saw is channeling static electricity from my surroundings and releasing it. It's more powerful than electric judgment but it is difficult to control, and, frankly, it's a one-shot deal. And it's exhausting."

"I'm surprised your Order allows the use of any form of Force lightning," Kenobi mused.

"Necessity, I'm afraid. Our foe is Force void and the usual Force push and pull do not work on them. Force lightning is the only Force power that they are not resistant to," Vestara answered. "Not to mention having to deal with Sith Lords on a semi-regular basis."

Anakin nor Kenobi had not yet been trained to use any of these powers. Ben and Vestara were only showing him and Kenobi their battle prowess. Anakin and Kenobi both would need to learn other Force techniques and improve their Force endurance to sustain these powers for long periods of time. Unfortunately, neither Ben nor Vestara believed Obi-Wan would ever have the Force power to be able to do much against Sidious, still they believed training would at least give him the chance to fight long enough to survive.

"Part of the training will include using the Force more often and for minor things," Ben said.

"Isn't that misuse of the force?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Never heard it phrased that way," Ben said. "Why do you not use the Force in everyday tasks?"

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan who simply replied, "You just don't." He then kind of shrugged. "I've never been asked that question before."

"Interesting. You don't know why?" Ben said.

"Do you?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, though I find it interesting that you know longer remember," Ben said.

"The Force is an energy field. It's not like you can run out of it. A Jedi or any other Force user can do one of two things. You can consistently use the Force to the max and accomplish great feats. In engine terms this would be like using the Force at 100% power. However, there is a consequence to using it at full power, at least constantly, and that is the fact that you get so much feedback around you that you can no longer hear its promptings like you should," Ben explained. "In our situation, the plan is to teach you how to run at 100% power. That way you can use it in the circumstances when it is needed, without exhausting yourself to the point of unconsciousness."

Ben had just finished speaking when they all a felt a darkness come upon them.

"Get out," Vestara said to Kenobi and Anakin

"We can help," Anakin said.

"Not necessary. Remember what I said the rules of engagement in here are. Now go. We will deal with the Sith," Ben said.

Kenobi and Anakin disappeared right before a cloaked figure appeared.

"How interesting. Force Masters and Force Masters in training. The little troll has been keeping secrets from the senate; how unfortunate, though inconsequential." Darth Sidious laughed.

"Darth Sidious, I presume," Ben said.

"Indeed, though I am at a loss as to your names, which is strange since I believed I knew the name of every Jedi in the Galaxy," Sidious said as the three stood facing each other.

"Well since the identities' of the Sith have been secret for the previous millennia I figure that makes us even," Vestara said.

"Hmm, another mystery. I believe you were trained as a Sith, though I know you were no apprentice of mine or of my previous apprentice. No, you are as powerful as Dooku was and will grow stronger still. Why have you given up your power?"

"I didn't. I broke my chains and am now free," Vestara retorted.

"Implying that I am not even though I am Emperor of the galaxy," Sidious mused. "How quaint, yet so much power and potential," his gaze went from Vestara to Ben, "to be wasted on the Jedi. Such a waste."

"Tell me where to find Skywalker and I will allow you the opportunity to join my Empire and become part of my vision," Sidious said.

Vestara lit her lightsaber. "Sorry, but I've already foreseen that your vision ends up down a shaft."

Ben decided that it would be better to start a fight than to let any information slip and lit his lightsaber as well.

Sidious seeing this, shot lightning at the two Jedi. Ben was able to hold back the barrage better than Vestara, but they were both able to hold their ground. Ben took a step forward towards the Emperor, who was surprised to see him be able to do so.

"Apparentl, Jorus C'Baoth trained a few students I was unaware of, otherwise I would have seen to it that you all would have been on Outbound Flight," Sidious gritted through his teeth.

"No such luck," Ben said with a smile, taking another step forward.

Sidious saw the lightning starting to come back towards him and stopped shooting Force lightning. He was, however, surprised when both Jedi immediately reacted with their own lightning. He barely dove out of the way when the lightning hit right where he was standing.

Furious, he pulled out his lightsabers. Both Ben and Vestara got into ready positions of their preferred forms- Ben with medium form and Vestara with strong, forms developed by Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn. After the Order was reborn, the new Jedi order taught three forms which used parts of the the original 7, while trying to make up for the weaknesses.

Sidious however deactivated his sabers. "We will meet again for real, Jedi, and you will beg to join me." With that parting shot, he disappeared.

Ben and Ves looked around to make sure he had truly left.

"I think it's time to leave this planet for a while," Ves said.

Ben nodded in agreement. Their time on Ach-To was over for now. Even though their enemy couldn't see where they truly were, it was better not to stick around long enough for him to get an idea of where in the galaxy they were. Where they would head next would naturally hide their presences from a foe.

Chapter Text

Millennium Falcon, hyperspace

Nobody was overly thrilled that they had to move off of Ach-To. Despite the somewhat frequent rain showers, most of them had enjoyed the place. Before they left, Ben showed Anakin the ancient Jedi texts which included a rather dangerous form of Force healing, for use only when necessary. Vestara had used the island's Force nexus to communicate with Master Yoda and they decided to change plans and rendezvous with the master on Dagobah for the next leg of their journey. So here they were on the way to Dagobah, the long way around. Unfortunately, the Unknown Regions' hyperspace lanes were unstable at best, so while it would seem easier to slide straight to galactic south, the hyperspace lanes required going the long way around and they needed supplies. There was no way Ben or Vestara were going to show up around Takadona, no offense to Maz, with Skywalker or Kenobi in tow. Since both had a reputation with the lowlifes that hung around the place, they were certain they would be spotted in an instant. No, for some reason the Force was insistent that they go to Dagobah via Correllia, which made absolutely no sense on any galactic map.

Now contrary to popular opinion, Jedi robes are not all that distinctive. In fact robes were so common around the galaxy they were the favorite clothing of many spies and intelligence services, so no one was bothered by the thought of disguises. Ahsoka was manning the cockpit as she had often done since the start of the journey and was reaching out to the dispatcher for a landing pad when Ben came in.

"Remind me why were on a planet that the empire is no doubt scouring for Jedi as an entire order was here?" she asked.

"No idea, unless we're supposed to help someone escape. I don't plan on being here long. Thankfully, the Empire doesn't know this ship, so we're not on any radar," Ben said. "The plan is simple: the two married couples will go get supplies. Even though the Correlian order is mostly married, most GAR forces don't know that and Corsec won't sell out the green Jedi to Palpatine. Just be ready to get going if things get hot. Rex and Jesse will infiltrate to try to get some info while were here."

The Falcon came out of hyperspace right about then and Ahsoka headed for their landing site in one of Corrrelia's larger towns but not the capital.

City Space docks, Correlia

Correlia: old, boring. The only thing the planet had going for it, if you were a teenager, is the sight of the many vessels going to and from the docks going on adventures to who knows where, seeing impressive sights, finding fabulous treasure, and of course rescuing princesses. The boy watched the ships come in and out with a sigh, knowing he would one day be the captain of one of those ships and go on adventures. He had come down to the docks after seeing a YT freighter fly overhead. An old Correlian design, the ship was beautiful and still ran extremely well, if properly maintained. He sighed after not being able to find it. He decided he better start doing his job or it would be trouble if he returned to Shrike empty handed. He glanced around for an easy mark. His eyes spotted a married couple in the crowd with a slightly uncomfortable look on their faces. He figured they were unused to the crowds of Correlia. Oh well, he would have to give them a lesson at the cost of their pocketbook, of course.

Vestara and Ben were walking through the crowd a couple hundred feet away from Anakin and Padme. The brothers had left to go see about information. Ben was getting a fairly uncomfortable feeling through the Force- like a itch he couldn't scratch.

Ves looked at him."What is it?"

"I don't know. A presence, familiar yet not at the same time, in the crowd and I think it's stalking either us or Anakin," Ben said, slightly befuddled.

Vestara cast her senses out for danger but didn't pick up anything unusual. The few security guards were bored. The few clones in the area were weary and not really paying much attention. She sensed no darksiders, either. She then scanned for the usual thievery. Oh there it was, almost as if the Force was laughing at them. A pickpocket and, yes, familiar yet not familiar at the same time, stalking her and Ben. Too far back to see if she turned, but obviously trying to decide between her and Ben or Anakin and Padme. "Shall we apprehend this person?" Vestara asked.

Ben paused a second. "Yes, let's do it if we can without making a scene."

The teenager was 100 feet behind them walking well, casually, like he didn't have a care in the world. Actually he was trying to decide between two groups of outsiders dressed remarkably the same. Instinct from having done this since he was young made him choose the younger couple as the older couple especially the woman walked like some form of security, they had training and he suspected they had seen him or another person working the crowd based on the side glances at windows. All very clever. They had been taught by a professional pickpocket, he assumed. However, they were not clever enough to realize he had picked up on it. So he chose the younger couple that were walking towards the fruit market and waited until the older couple had entered into a parts store to proceed. He followed them into the fruit market, observed where the woman kept her money while her husband did the haggling with the merchant. The pair turned around right when he stepped in at the perfect moment.

Anakin and Padme had finished bargaining with the fruit dealer when Padme collided with a man- a young man, though still taller than she was. The teenager had managed to catch her before she fell to the ground.

"I am completely sorry, ma'am," the teenager fumbled out, "let me get your stuff", he said as he picked up the fallen fruit off the ground.

"Hey, kid, next time walk a little further back from the stalls where people are going to turn around," Anakin growled at him, hood raised.

"Absolutely, sir, won't happen again, but if you would let me make it up to you, you're getting gypped here by these merchants- better to go to the town marketplace 8 klicks east of here. Much better local produce," the teenager said with a charming grin.

"Why thank you, kind sir," Padme said. "You wouldn't happen to know where to pick up some decent camp equipment, would you?"

"Of course, ma'am. Old man Farlo has the best equipment in this parsec, but his prices are a good 50% to high," the teenager said.

"Thank you for help," Padme said.

"Yeah, thanks, kid," Anakin said threateningly. "Now get lost."

"I would, sir, but I'm very good with directions, sir," the teenager said.

"Not what I mean, smart mouth. Make like a banana and split." Anakin shoved the kid by the back towards an exit.

"Understood, sir. I wont bother you no more," the kid said, taking his cue to leave and hurrying towards the proffered exit.

Padme watched him go. "Think he bought it?"

"Oh yeah." Anakin said with a grin. "I can feel the smugness radiating from here." He raised his com. "Traffic control on your way."

"Acknowledged."

Behind the Marketplace by the exit was an alleyway that connected the market with the industrial section. This was the exit the teenager made for since it was conveniently located next to the fruit market and he been pushed towards it. There were several convenient trash bins he could lose the incriminating part of his loot. As he caught the ditzy woman he conveniently pocketed her pocketbook. The usual routine: husband annoyed his ditzy trophy wife could have been hurt and he acted the innocent teenager. Both oblivious he pocketed their cash. He didn't enjoy the work, but there was a bit of a thrill in the execution and escape and no true blooded Correlian wasn't a daredevil. He grinned as he slipped around the corner to freedom. Right as he sighed in relief, he felt himself pushed face forward against a wall.

"Well, well let's see what we got here, hopefully for you not just a thief against the wall," a female voice said menacingly.

The teenager looked around and surprisingly to him the woman wasn't that tall. One look into her eyes however and the boy knew better than to attempt escape.

"Smart boy," the woman said, apparently sensing his thoughts. She relaxed her grip on him a bit and spun him around.

"Well, well, if it isn't Han Solo," the woman said in surprise.

The boy started at the name. "Never heard of him."

"Don't get cute with me, kid. I was taught by the best and I know all the tricks from pickpocketing to assassination. You've got yourself in a pickle and I'm not sure whether you're stuck in it or not yet," the woman said with a smile Han was sure he didn't liked the looks of.

"Listen, lady, I'm pretty sure I haven't ever pickpocketed you before, so how about I let you have the loot and I'll get out of your hair. I'll even throw in an extra 10% from what I picked up this morning," Han said trying his best smile.

"You need to try that on the Hutts if you think that line is going to work," the woman retorted. "Besides I'm not interested in the paltry sum the esteemed senator let you take from her at the fruit market a moment ago, and, yes, you have pickpocketed me before."

Oh, he was dead very, very dead. Some senator had an assassin as a bodyguard who was going to dispose of his dead body here and now in the industrial district if he didn't come up with something fast.

"Listen, lady, how about you don't kill me and I'll do anything you ask," Han counter-offered.

"Hmm, what do you think, guys?" the woman said as three others came around the corner including the ditzy woman and her husband.

"I say let the kid go," Anakin said.

The kid gasped at the voice. He hadn't been paying much attention earlier. Now, potentially facing death, his senses were heightened and he recognized that voice from all his childhood dreams the last few years: the Hero with No Fear. The one he hoped and dreamed would come save him from Shrike. He daydreamed of being a starfighter pilot just like him- General Anakin Skywalker.

"General Skywalker," Han blurted out before he could stop himself. "I thought you were dead. Not that I wanted you to be. I figured there had to be a mistake with you being declared traitor and all."

"No, I don't think so," the other man said grimly, ignoring Han. "He's coming with us and will be a lot better off because of it."

"How are we going to keep up with a pickpocket?"

"Because this pickpocket's name is Han Solo. He has a natural aptitude for flying with training he could be an excellent pilot. His parents are dead and he is currently in a form of indentured servitude to a criminal named Shrike and he dreams of getting away and having adventures. Well, his dumb luck just blundered him into one," the red-haired man said.

Han's eyes narrowed. "How do you know all that?"

"Because Republic Intelligence has a very thick file on you," Vestara said she pulled a blaster out of Han's pocket and squeezed off a stun round at Ben's very young uncle. "Just so you don't pull any tricks between us and the Falcon."

"Ves," Ben sighed. "Was that really necessary? I wanted him to see the ship."

"We can give him a stim shot on the way to the ship," Ves replied. "And, yes, it was necessary."

Ben did a facepalm. "You mean you were having fun. What did we say about revenge is not the way of the Jedi?"

"Unless it's harmless pranks, besides he might have run," Ves said with a rather smug grin on her face.

"Like he would have gotten far," Ben sighed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20 Spectre of the Past

Outer Rim

"Does Hondo Ohnaka deliver or not?" Hondo exclaimed as he swept his arms like a Realtor at the surprisingly picturesque mansion and grounds that were not occupied except by the staff robots. The planet was basically unoccupied. In fact this appeared to be the only place on the moon except a trading outpost in the other hemisphere. It was nighttime local when they landed, and the outside showed the giant gas planet that the moon orbited, not unlike Yavin.

"You have indeed done well, my friend," Kit said as the children and their keepers went into the mansion to prepare the place for their stay. "Are you quite certain, however, this place is uninhabited?"

"Well, it's inhabited now," Hondo said laughing. "But seriously, no. It belonged to my beloved momma who unfortunately is no longer with us. And she left it to me. Look at this place, though. Artistic beauty, slight minimalist taste- hardly my style."

Kit refrained from asking if he had a style other than ostentatious.

"The place is yours to remain as long as you need it for, I simply require a place to crash if I'm coming through the area," Hondo said.

"Are you sure we cannot pay you?" Kit asked.

"Tutt, tutt, tutt! This is for my good friend Katoonie! Besides, I do not deal in Republic credits or any currency you are likely to have," Hondo stated. "And well, also because Maz said she would never allow me back into her place if I did."

Kit watched as the children were already sliding down the banisters. "Thank you."

Correlia shipyards

The group had met up with Jesse and Rex. Rex had slung the kid over his shoulders to keep anyone from thinking it was a kidnapping. Padme hadn't said anything, but she caught even under their helmets the looks directed at her when they informed the troopers of the boy's name. Her mind was spinning at the coincidence- or was that just the world spinning? This late in the pregnancy she couldn't decide. Either way, Ben had administered a stim shot. Before reaching the ship, Han had come back to consciousness within time to see the Falcon. The boy was stunned when he realized where he was heading, to Vestara's surprise he kept his mouth closed. Ben had walked ahead to get the boy some more suitable clothing: leather jacket, vest, ect.

Dagobah system, Several days later

The Falcon came out of hyperspace near the planet with Han and Anakin at the controls. It had taken all of two hours for Han to go from the mandatory griping about being kidnapped to being the galaxy's biggest fanboy. Ben wasn't quite sure what to make of that. He had never heard of Han being a fan of either Anakin or Obi-Wan, but he figured several decades and Bespin hadn't done any favors for Anakin's popularity, though his cousin was named after him. Vestara couldn't believe the two actually got along, but the two bonded over their love of ships and apparently Han had been in the docking area to get a closer look at the Falcon. Anakin and Ahsoka had both been showing Han the Falcon's controls which he took to like Mon Calamari to water.

Anakin, however, controlled the helm going planet-side as the weather made it impossible to see. Surprisingly, though, the instruments worked perfectly well. Ben wondered if Yoda had been the one to interfere with his father's instruments on his original landing on Dagobah since he never had a problem landing on the planet again.

The master was waiting for them on the landing as the group stepped off the ship.

"Young Skywalker," he said looking at Anakin, "much calmer you are than when last we met, though I expect you to be panicking in the not-so-distant future," he said laughing as he looked at Padme, who was well past the point where she could hide being pregnant. "A comedian, I predict one to be to his teacher. Come, young Skywalkers, follow me." He pointed to Ben and Anakin and hobbled into the woods.

They followed, Ben getting the uncomfortable feeling he knew right where they were walking to. Sure, enough, several minutes later they came to the clearing in front of the cave of evil. Ben looked down at Yoda suspiciously.

"No thanks. I'll skip the rush if you don't mind," Ben said.

Yoda cackled. "Not for you it is, it is he who must enter." He pointed his gimmer stick at Anakin. "You, I brought for company."

Anakin shrugged, gave a dubious look at the cave and entered, leaving Yoda and Ben alone.

Once he was out of earshot, Ben looked at Yoda and said, "I've been learning about our family history, namely who my great grandfather was."

"The son of Revan, Anakin is," Yoda said firmly.

"You knew?" Ben said, surprised.

Yoda nodded. "Since the day I first saw him."

"You never told my father," Ben said, again surprised.

"I never told Anakin either. Big and hard enough heads Skywalkers have already," Yoda said.

Ben laughed. "Dad said you made him stand on his head for two hours, allegedly to soften it when he was annoying you."

"Very mysterious are the ways of the Force," Yoda replied.

Jedi Council Chamber 32 BBY

The council eagerly though hesitantly waited for the arrival of the boy that Qui-Gon had gone out of his way to bring back to the Order. Yoda was very interested in what his grand padawan had found but he was not prepared for what he sensed when the boy entered the room. His colleagues were all interested and intrigued by the potential they saw, but Yoda knew this was no vergence.

Flashback, secret Archives of the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order

Despite trying for centuries to avoid this job, Yoda had finally been forced to accept the position as the most senior Jedi whose whereabouts was known. He should have known his master wouldn't show up so he could throw the job on her. All she did was send a "cute gift" from a location that was unknown, but he knew she had done it. Now he had access to the secret holocrons of the most sensitive secrets of the Order. Most involved the training of Force masters, but there was one unusual ancient holocron that was listed as priority. Intrigued, the Grandmaster activated the holocron.

A woman appeared. "To the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order I bequeath this knowledge, to remain in the shadows except to leader of our Order. I am Grandmaster Satele Shan, descendant of the notorious Jedi Master, and sometime Sith Lord, Revan. The information is banned at the behest of my ancestor Revan to prevent the uprising of any more Revanchists movements. I am here to inform you that the Hero of Tython was no other than Revan himself, the Revan that the strike team defeated was a clone due a series of experiments when he was still the Dark Lord."

A man then appeared in the projector. "I am Revan, now called the hero of Tython. I have imbued a portion of this hologram with my Force presence so that the Grandmaster of the Order can detect if the Sith or Revanchists have attempted another clone." Yoda felt the powerful presence emanating from the holocron. Yoda meditated on memorizing the presence as the speaker continued. "As you are aware, a powerful Force user can generally detect when a child is the son or daughter of a Force user, until the child is of age and the signature becomes more his or her own and less that of the combined parts of the parents. My own son was not Force sensitive, but many others of my family are. The greatest danger of these clones is that they were mentally unstable." The holocron Revan then proceeded to tell the story of his experiments.

Jedi Council Chamber

Yoda was instantly disturbed upon sensing the boy. Either the Revanchists or the Sith were playing games. The fact that Qui-Gon believed a Sith Lord had attacked them upon them leaving the planet was either a major coincidence or some form of conspiracy. Either way did not inspire a great deal of confidence in the situation. As Mace conducted the examination Yoda probed the boy deeper. To his relief the boy was not a clone. In fact, he had the Force presence of a normal child. This boy, though, was clearly the son of Darth Revan with all his father's power and more. Yoda thankfully also didn't sense any form of Force training which would suggest a spy or trick. He was powerful, having taught himself the skill of piloting. Yoda firmly believed if this boy ever achieved his full potential, he would be far more powerful than perhaps any Force user in the galaxy, but at what cost? Yoda reached out into the Force hoping to get some glimpses. He received many not very inspiring scenes most involving battles and lightsabers. A warrior the boy would be, a great warrior if the council accepted his training. Qui-Gon had saved the boy from a terrible fate perhaps one darker than he realized, but to take a slave and make him a warrior? That could break him. The boy cared deeply about those around him and his friends, even new friends. He proved this by risking his life on Tatooine in a pod race. Yoda and his gimmer stick would be having words with Qui-Gon about that when everything settled down. To put this boy though in a situation where those around him would die, what would that do to his soul? His father had burned the galaxy down in a vain attempt to protect the galaxy from Vitiate.

The boy was too old to be taught appropriately the manner of controlling one's emotions the way most Jedi learn and attempting to reconcile them could prove disastrous. Even now he sensed the boy's fear for his mother. Yoda internally sighed. The power the boy possessed would make him a powerful Jedi yes, but he would not risk the kind-hearted boy's soul because he possessed the power of his father. Better it would be to be to find him a home with one of the galaxy's other Force user schools, such as the Guardians of Jeddha, or fight fire with fire, the Correlian Jedi. Both would welcome him in as one of their family as each accepted older members. The Correlians had actually perfected the art of teaching older students and though they were reckless, they rarely ever fell to the dark. The Guardians would teach him enough control to keep his powers from becoming a danger to himself and the organization assisted many through their sector, a good fit for the kind-hearted boy. The Correlians, being daredevils, would be scrambling over themselves to be able to teach the new hot-shot pilot. Since the Green Jedi usually only operated with Cor Sec against local smugglers, it would still be by far a safer, more comfortable environment for Anakin. The Greens also hadn't lost a Jedi on a mission in decades (at least not caused by their own reckless stunts). Yes, too old. A good reason to convince the Council not to accept his training, Qui-Gon he would have to convince that Jedhha or Correlia was by far better choices for young Skywalker when things settled down a bit from the hornets' nest he had stirred up.

Post Battle of Naboo

For the first time in his life, Yoda wanted the power to bring someone back from the dead for the solely selfish purpose of smacking them upside the head with his gimmer stick. "Qui-Gon Jinn, you headstrong stubborn idiot." Yoda fumed. "You got us in a pickle and then shipped off to the afterlife before fixing it." The Council had turned against Yoda in this matter after hearing about the boy's exploits in the battle of Naboo. To the Council it was all the reason they needed to allow him to be trained, along with him risking his life on Tatooine to save the queen and Jinn. To Yoda it was another reason to smack Jinn over the head and even more reason to send the boy to Correllia where they could properly teach him to get out of a bad situation you jumped feet first into.

Then to top it off Jinn had to gall to choose Obi-Wan, who hadn't even been knighted yet, to be the boy's teacher. The boy wasn't even a Jedi knight yet nor ready to be a teacher to young Skywalker, but he still had the recklessness of youth and was convinced he was ready. But Mace and the Council would take the last breath of Jinn's defiance to heart. Doing so had prevented Yoda from attempting to find a better teacher for the boy because frankly Kit Fisto or Plo Koon would have been a better choice with their enjoyment of robotics and natural piloting skills. Frankly though if he had to have picked, he would have dug through the Rim for his own former master and dragged her back to Coruscant by her pointy ears if he had to. It would serve her right for sticking him with the job of Grandmaster. Yoda closed his eyes and sighed. It would do no good to worry about this situation; he had to do the best could with what he had. The Sith were the more important thing to worry about at this second and for the first time in the half millennia since Darth Gravid's death he had a trail to follow.

Tatooine 31 BBY

It had taken far too long for Yoda's liking to be able to do his own searching for the Sith Lord. The Sith killed on Naboo had been a dead end but with the new chancellor's election, Dooku leaving the order, and the court case against the Trade Federation it took nearly a year for Yoda to get some personal leave to search. He feared the trail had long gone cold. Mos Espa spaceport wasn't quite as bad as Mos Eisley and was surprisingly frequently travelled to by commercial flyers. Thus no one batted an eye at the small green alien in the hood, hobbling around the town. That is until a group of local thugs thought they had an easy mark.

"Hey, traveler, you need to pay your toll," said a large man who came up to the elderly alien.

Yoda was about to give the thug a lesson in "size matters not" when a voice behind him called out, "Leave him alone."

Yoda turned his body so he could see both the rescuer and the thug. The rescuer was a middle-aged man with a beard. Instinct told Yoda to let this play out and after a moment the thug grumbled and turned away. After he had cleared out Yoda turned to his "rescuer".

"Thank you, sir," Yoda said.

"You're welcome. Travelers, though, should be wary about being by themselves in a rough place," the man said.

"After 900 years you live, worried about death you will not be," Yoda said laughing.

The mans expression lightened and he started laughing, too. "No, I don't figure I would be. What is your name, Elder?"

"Minch," Yoda said, as it was his favorite alias.

"Well met, Elder. I am Cliegg Lars," the man said. "Please join me and my son for mealtime."

Yoda went with the family and ate with them. There he learned more about the family. The Lars were moisture farmers out past Anchorhead. They were here in town because about 8 months ago on a yearly business trip Cliegg had fallen in love with a slave and he come back to town to see her. Yoda informed Cliegg that he was simply passing by not sure where his destination would be. He, however, skillfully implied since he had lived so many years, he should allow him to meet his prospective wife to ensure she was a good choice. Cliegg laughed and bade him to come visit with them.

Watto's junkyard

Watto had truly lost nearly everything in his disastrous bet at the podrace. The boy's mother was about the only thing he had left as his liquid assets were gone and the boy had far greater skill as a mechanic than his mother. And here was this farmer who kept coming by to interrupt in the middle of the workday. Granted, he always paid but he was becoming a nuisance and here he was with a small green alien who was wearing a robe. The Toydarian grimaced to himself. He wasn't fond of people who wore robes, especially since that Jedi had swindled him.

"Farmer, I hope you have more than a drill bit to have fixed this time, instead of wasting my valuable worker's time," Watto said with a glare at Cleigg and Yoda.

Yoda had hopped up on the table and was returning the shop owner's glare with one of his own.

"Tell me how valuable the worker is to you and I'll take her off your hands," Cliegg growled back at Watto.

Yoda meanwhile could sense the woman in the shop was in earshot but not noticed by either party. She was listening with great hope and was noticeably heartbroken when Watto gave a price greater than two years revenue of the Lars moisture farm. To Yoda's greater surprise, though, he could sense that the woman Cliegg had spoken of was Skywalker's mother. He had hoped that the woman could tell him where Skywalker could be found; he wasn't expecting to come straight to her. Listening to the conversation, he was getting more and more annoyed at the greedy Toydarian. He sensed Cliegg, outwardly calm and collected, internally struggling with despair at the price set by Watto. That's when he stepped in and said, "Done".

The other two looked at him, shocked as was Shmi from the back. Yoda pulled out a pocket full of large denomination coins of the local currency from and handed them to a shocked Cliegg.

The shocked Cliegg looked at him. "Elder, are you sure?"

"The price of dowry, I gladly grant you, Cliegg Lars. May you and your wife be happy."

That afternoon Yoda helped the family pack what few belongings she had onto their hovercraft and at the insistence of the bride, he went with them to the Lars homestead out past Anchorhead. That evening in a sunset ceremony the couple gave their marriage vows, unknowingly, with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order presiding over the wedding. Yoda stayed for several more days through the traditional Tatooine wedding feast. On the evening before he departed, Shmi came out to speak with him as he watched the stars appear.

"May I ask a question, Elder?" Shmi said.

Yoda replied, "Indeed if you answer some for me as well."

"You did not come to Tatooine for a wedding party," Shmi said.

"No, an unexpected pleasure it was though."

"I must ask because I have a strange feeling that you were here because of me," Shmi said.

"Get these feelings often, do you?" Yoda inquired.

"Sometimes. Not as often as my son did though, but his freedom was won by a Jedi, and I am grateful that he will not live a life of slavery," Shmi said.

"Lived always on Tatooine have you?" Yoda asked.

"No, Elder. I was born and raised on the Ring of Glavis. My father had died of a terrible disease and my mother was the only family I had left. I was approached by a young scientist who said he thought he had discovered a cure and wanted help. My mother and I were poor and he offered a lot of money for testing a cure to the disease that killed my father. I accepted but one day as I went in to check my bloodwork his lab was attacked by the Hutts. I passed out from an explosion and woke up in chains. I felt my mother pass away sometime after," Shmi said.

Yoda closed his eyes. "How long ago was this?"

"About eleven years ago. I was only a teenager. The suns of Tatooine have an enormous aging effect on humans though, so I am younger than I look," Shmi said to Yoda.

"What was the name of this scientist?" Yoda inquired.

"Jost Eronoss. This is a curious line of questioning, Elder," Shmi said gently.

"Perhaps nothing," Yoda said, "but joy it brings me to see you happy again, Mrs. Lars."

They then watched the stars in companionable silence.

Yoda left the next morning with a friend of Cliegg's who had drove in from Mos Espa for the wedding after he once again told man he need not repay him as he wasn't hurting for money. He also didn't tell him he had secretly stashed most of his local cash in the Lars' savings box. He then bid the couple a good marriage and fond farewell.

Once he returned to Mos Espa, he sent a message from Shmi to Anakin telling him that she had been freed and where she lived, leaving his part out of it. That a dark force ensured no message ever made it from Tatooine to Anakin was never known to Yoda, who was unaware that the message never reached its recipient. But it was in this way that Yoda knew Skywalker's family and knew one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy would be well taken care of.

The Jedi master made his way to the Ring of Glavis where to his disappointment but not shock, the trail was too old to discover whoever had funded the lab. Yoda then tried to trace back Jost Eronoss who he followed to the university of Naboo where he discovered a series of gambling debts had left the man destitute and desperate. He had even turned down an invitation from then Senator Palpatine's office to become a member of a premier Coruscant medical institute on the hopes he could make his fortune elsewhere. All records had been destroyed so there was no trace or trail back to the Sith or Revanchists. He couldn't even discount the possibility that Eronoss hadn't stumbled onto a cache of research by accident and saw it as his ticket to the big time. With the trail cold he was forced to return to Coruscant empty handed. For his new friend's sake though he kept up with young Skywalker eventually becoming a confidant and in time a good friend- a friendship that, had a honey-tongued Sith Lord not been undermining, would have perhaps kept Anakin on the straight and narrow in any timeline.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21 The Cave of Evil

Dagobah, Present

Anakin didn't like the feel of the cave. He could tell it was obviously a dark side nexus as he walked by the deformed tree. The fact that it looked like the local lizards were sticking their tongues out at him didn't improve the general creepiness of the place. It felt a lot like the dark side location him and Snips had come across on Mustafar as they were saving the children from the bounty hunter Bane. This place, however, felt much more ancient. Yeah, ancient not unlike one would expect to find on Moriband or Dromand Kaas. It was strange to Anakin that a place like Dagobah would have a location that felt so hostile. The abstract historical thinking also helped keep Anakin from spending too much time thinking about how creepy this place was and the constant and growing threat at the corner of his mind's eye. He rounded the corner, starting to wonder why the old troll would make him walk in here and why Ben was apprehensive of the place, other than the fact it was just creepy. He was about to turn around when he heard the sound of breathing. It was a strange, almost mechanical, breathing.

"Who's there?" Anakin asked. He stepped forward towards a bend in the cave when he got a warning and barely dodged backwards. A red lightsaber came down on where he had been only moments ago. Quickly he activated his own lightsaber and placed it into ready position when the figure came around the corner: an intimidatingly tall Sith in a black outfit with a skull type mask, the sight of which gave Anakin shivers. Vaguely, he realized the Sith in front of him was a cyborg. The breathing had to be some form of an iron lung. Anakin's usual nature would be to attack fast and strong but observation of the size of this mechanical terror had him deciding strength wouldn't win the day. Also, this place reeked of the dark side. He would be at a disadvantage in a fight down here since the cave's size would prevent him from using acrobatics. If he could get the cyborg into a narrow spot, though, his opponent's armor and size would become a liability.

As Anakin paused, the Cyborg lifted a hand and threw him into the wall. Anakin hit the wall with a grunt before he managed to get his lightsaber up in to time to block a strike that came surprisingly quickly from the large Sith. Anakin backed down the tunnel as the Sith came on with one heavily powered strike right after another.

"You are weak, Skywalker," the Cyborg said as the two blades locked. "You do not have the power or vision necessary to save your loved ones, especially her."

"Shut up," Anakin growled as he blocked another strike

"You weren't powerful enough to save your mother from Tuskens. What makes you think you can save your family from the Sith?" the cyborg said, continuing his assault.

"Embrace the darkness. It's the only way you can defeat me and save your family. Perhaps if you had embraced it sooner, you could have saved your mother," the Cyborg said.

"Enough from you." Anakin charged, wildly swinging his saber and hoping to land a blow before the cyborg could move. But the dark figure merely brushed the strokes aside and Force lashed Anakin back into the wall and clenched his fingers together. Anakin reached for his throat, lightsaber forgotten.

"If you do not embrace the darkness, then I will kill you right here and now," the cyborg said. "It is my destiny to destroy you, but it need not be now." Anakin was starting to lose his vision as his thoughts went to Padme. Padme. His mind briefly thought back to some of the things Ben and Vestara had shown him and Kenobi. He reached deeply into the Force and the light of his love for Padme and released the emotion. Green lightning shot from his hands into the control panel of the cyborg.

"Aaaaaagggggghhhh," the cyborg cried as it went flying into the other wall.

The explosion of the panel knocked the helmet off the Sith and Anakin called for both of their sabers before the Sith could regain it's senses. In a flash Anakin had the sabers at the throat of the kneeling Sith.

"Surrender," Anakin said.

The Sith raised it's head and Anakin saw with horror a twisted horrible version of himself looking back at him with yellow eyes.

"As long as she lives, I will always control you," Vader said.

The vision then disappeared as Anakin found himself waking up with a start. He was still in the cave. He reached for his saber to find it still on his belt and hurriedly rushed back towards the entrance of the cave. Fortunately for Anakin while the cave never lost its ominous feeling it appeared it was done with its tricks. He stumbled out to Yoda and Ben who were waiting for him and collapsed at their feet, panting heavily.

"Hmm, passed the test, young Skywalker, you have," Yoda said.

"What did I see? It was me somehow," Anakin asked, still breathing heavy.

"Your dark side it was," Yoda said matter-of-factly. "A battle we must all face our whole lives. Better than me you have done when faced the test 6 months ago I did after escaping the hospital with your help; you did not deny it was yourself like I did at first. But know this lesson young Skywalker, only power over you it has if you allow it. Never allow it to destroy everything you love: your family, your apprentice, your master."

"It said it would always control me as long as Padme lived," Anakin said, slowly getting back on his feet.

Yoda stood and snorted. "It will always claim to be more powerful than you, to be what you need to be, claim to be the master. But you should always rule it." The trio then walked back to the Millennium Falcon and, without further interruptions, lifted off from the swamp and made for Hyperspace.

Chapter Text

Coruscant

Emperor Palpatine stretched his senses deep into the Force, desperate to forestall any plans his enemies might make against him. The Force was attempting some form of balance against the darkness, but it still held sway over the galaxy. He was deep in the streams when he finally saw a clear vision: a battle being played out by the Imperial fleet. It was obviously a future vision as these ships were more advanced than the current fleet. He saw the ranking Imperial officer, whose face was clouded from him, watching the battle play out, when out of the blue he was stabbed in the back by one of his own bodyguards. With the commander out of the way, the vision showed the battle quickly turning from evenly matched to a rout. The vision ended with Sidious opening his eyes to the darkness of his throne room.

He looked up through the skylight into the night sky. It was obvious that this battle was crucial, perhaps to the survival of the Empire. That commander must live. His mind traced back the memory to the bodyguard who had stabbed him. The creature was familiar in a way he had not considered in a very long time. His master and he had long ago considered many different warrior races for the creation of the clone army. One of them was the Noghri, an fierce, indigenous warrior race said in tales to be vicious even against Jedi or Sith but without space capable technology.

He carefully weighed his options. The Noghri were relatively few in number. While an alliance might prove useful in the extermination of Jedi, it might also put the traitor in the position to kill his commander. All in all, a few thousand Noghri lives versus his Empire was nothing, a mere hour's casualty rate in the Clone Wars. He activated his commlink and gave the order that a ground campaign should be underway on the planet Honohr.

Ossus

The Millennium Falcon had touched down a kilometer away from where Ben and Ves knew the entrance into the old Jedi archives was. Anakin and Han were once again at the controls, bringing her down to the surface. Han had picked up the Falcon's flight patterns fast enough that he was the primary pilot when Anakin and Ahsoka were not at the controls. The ramp opened, allowing the Jedi to walk down the ramp.

"So, what is this place?" Ahsoka asked.

"I will save that as a surprise," Ben said. "But first we need to have a talk with the natives before the others come out."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Yes if your intentions are bad, they are very dangerous. We need them to realize we are Jedi, and we are not here to harm them. So if they engage without asking first, use non-lethal methods and delve deep into the light. and they will know us for what we are,"Ben said.

"Hmm. A simpler way to things there may be young Skywalker," Yoda said.

"And how is that Master Yoda?" Ben asked.

Without answering, Yoda walked over to a stone and sat on it and closed his eyes. Ben felt Yoda's presence encompass him and spread out over the area.

"Well, that will work if you want to do it the easy way," Ves said.

"Skywalkers always wanting to do things the hard way." Yoda said.

It was only a few minutes before a member of the Yasanna ( the native people of Ossus, descended from the knights who were unable to evacuate Ossus when the cataclysm occurred) popped a head above a nearby bush.

"Come young one," Yoda said, "harm you we will not."

The young one, a girl Anakin noted, maybe eight or nine, approached with a combination of giddiness and wariness.

"Are you Jedi?" the girl asked in a whisper.

"Jedi we are," Yoda said affirmatively.

The girl turned around and with the use of the Force let out a celebratory shout.

The shout was echoed and repeated throughout the mountain valley they were in.

"Umm, is that a good thing?" Ahsoka asked.

"Why, Snips they're welcoming us to dinner," Anakin said

"Hopefully we're not on the menu," Ahsoka muttered as a crowd of people were rushing their direction.

Yoda giggled. "Have faith, padawan. This one here would not be dancing if we were in danger."

There are eyes briefly went back to their greeter who was skipping around them still, seemingly oblivious to the wave of people heading their direction.

Ben called up into the Falcon, "No one panic over the throngs of screaming people coming this way. This will probably be the friendliest greeting we get for years.

Padme and the brothers walked down right in time for the members of the village to reach them. Yoda was still stretching out his Force presence for those nearby to feel.

Before Rex or Jesse could say anything the entire group had been lifted off their feet into the air.

"I don't remember your dad and Master Kam getting this kind of reception when they landed on Ossus," Ves sent to Ben

"They showed up with Imperials on their heels and Kam had only recently got pulled back from the darkness so he felt tainted. It was in their battle when they realized they were drawing on the light side of the Force and halted hostilities. They were actually going to have a celebration, but that got crashed by Imperials. Fortunately for us, Palpatine never found Ossus and the planet's Force nexus should be sufficient to shield even the entire Order unless someone pops out of hyperspace near here," Ben replied.

Yassana Village

Yoda and the village elders spent a long period of the night discussing the return of the Jedi to Ossus, including the danger the galaxy was in under the control of the Sith. It was also that night, as the festivities were dying down, that Padme went into labor. As Yoda predicted on Dagobah, Anakin panicked and subsequently got kicked out of the healing center by the midwives. Panicked, he went and woke Ben and Ves. Ben wasn't terribly amused to find out at 2:00 AM that Padme had just started labor, and Anakin was already freaking out. He was certain he could hear the midwife yelling to just knock him unconscious, which he was considering doing. Yoda came by and took him off Ben's hands to go spar and get his mind off the situation.

Padme's Bedside

The midwife was seeing to Padme as Vestara walked in to check on her, having been woken up by the terrified husband and having to listen to the voice getting higher in octaves while Ben was failing to calm him down. Last she saw was Yoda intercede for her husband's help. Ben had three cousins and spent enough time in the temple nursery that childbirth didn't phase him to the degree of panic it was causing Anakin.

"How's it going?" Ves asked Padme.

"They say its going very well. The child should be here soon. It's just a question of whether it's a Luke or a Leia," Padme said. "I think it's a Luke. What do you think?"

Ves just smiled at her. "It wouldn't be fair if I told you, now would it?"

"Maybe not. I do find it odd, though, that your father-in-law has the same name I had already chosen for my son. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Its not my secret to tell," Vestara said.

"Hmm, well. I find it awfully suspicious- the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo and soon to be my son Luke Skywalker," Padme muttered through the pain medications she was on. "But the disk is over 30 years old, so the Luke on the disk must be a cousin, unless you're time travelers. Which would make Ben my grandson." Her eyes widened at the thought and she looked at Ves, who was watching her.

"What medications exactly are you on?" Ves asked.

Padme just narrowed her eyes at her.

Ves sighed. "Even if what you said was true, the secret must never be discovered by the Sith, who could use it to disastrous effect."

Padme leaned back and sighed and nodded. "You're not telling me I'm wrong, though."

"No," Ves said, "but I'm also not telling you you're having twins."

Padme's eyes opened wide as she looked at Ves, who was setting on a chair between the two twin beds in the room. She was about to speak when the door opened with the Force. Yoda hobbled into the room.

"Ahh. good evening, Senator. Your husband needed to get his mind off the present for once." He giggled as he walked in further and both the women's mouths dropped open as Anakin's prone body floated in flat behind Yoda. He used the Force to move the covers on the other bed and placed Anakin on the bed, then replaced the covers over him.

"Some peace and quiet we can have now, especially him, out for twenty-four hours he could be, but awaken him I will when ready to arrive the children are."

"What did you do- take the midwifes knock him out statement at face value?" Ves asked looking at him.

"Mysterious are the ways of the Force as the ways of healers." Yoda giggled and left the room. "Good for the children his stress was not nor for the peace of the village residents," was the call they heard as the door slid back closed.

Ves examined Anakin. "He's going to have a headache when he wakes up, I imagine. Looks like Yoda whacked him in the back of the head with a blunt instrument."

About 8 Hours Later

Anakin woke up in a daze of confusion. The last thing he vaguely recalled was Yoda jumping over his head dueling with a lightsaber and it was lights out. Slowly, as his eyes opened, he also realized he had been placed in a sleeping command. He turned on his side briefly as he heard Padme say, "Luke." His only partially conscious brain registered the small bundle, and then he saw a second bundle being handed to her and she said, "Leia". Consciousness came flooding back about this time as heard the old Grandmaster tell Padme that Anakin had been awake as the children had been born. Anakin bolted upright but his shoes got hung in the covers and he tumbled into the floor.

"See?" Yoda said.

"Wait, what happened?" Anakin said, standing as Padme pushed a baby into his arms.

"Distracted you were. Easy to defeat you were. Nearly missed the children's arrival you have," Yoda said chiding him softly. "Leave you alone I will."

Several Hours Later

Ben, Ves, and Yoda were all waiting for Anakin to emerge with a baby, Obi-Wan having been admitted to the only one visitor room some time earlier.

"Disappear you have not into the Force," Yoda commented.

"No, the way we traveled here protects the traveler from paradoxes caused by their actions, even from running into themselves," Ben said. "But we cannot return to the future. as it would have been erased or we have taken time down a separate path or branch and any future travel will continue along that branch."

Yoda nodded. "Very dangerous should the Sith discover that."

"Indeed, though few Sith would likely ever mess with the past for fear of uncertainty. Sidious, though, would be extremely dangerous if he were able to see the future with that much clarity," Vestara said.

Anakin walked out about that time, holding Leia. He came and sat in front of the other Skywalkers. He had that look in his eyes of a father of a newborn holding the most precious thing in the galaxy. He looked up at the others.

"So young, so innocent. How do we keep them safe from the Sith? They tried kidnapping Force user children years ago; they can do it again," Anakin said. "I won't always be around to protect them."

"Actually," Ben said, "I have an idea about that, until they are trained as full knights and can protect themselves."

Chapter Text

Chapter 23 Imperial Order

Millennium Falcon, Honoghr System, Several Days Later

Leaving Yoda and Ahsoka behind on Ossus to be with Padme and check out the temple, Ben figured Anakin's fear was best nipped in the bud. The best way to do that was to employ the best bodyguards in the Galaxy for his dad and aunt, as well as general bodyguards for the Order, though how they would buy their loyalty he was uncertain. These thoughts were running through his mind when the Falcon dropped out of hyperspace.

"We got trouble," said Han. "An Imperial Corvette is up ahead."

Sure enough, an Imperial Corvette was in orbit over the planet. An early version of the vigil class Corvette, it was designed for patrolling the Outer Rim against pirates and putting on a show of force in the Rim where Star Destroyers would be considered a waste of resources. The later models had a crew of about 200 people with a stormtrooper complement of 100 or so. This Corvette was in the process of firing an orbital bombardment of the planet. Thankfully, unlike a full-blown Star Destroyer, the damage would be a little more limited. The Corvette also did not have a ready supply of TIE fighters. Ben hoped a late Republic era model would be even smaller and quickly changed places with Han in the pilot's chair. Ben turned down the initial dampeners to 95% and opened the throttle to full sub-lights. Han, now in the copilot's chair without questioning, rapidly raised shields.

"Alright, way to commit," Han yelled with excitement as the Falcon raced towards the Corvette.

"Anakin, Ves, get on the quads. Take out their turbo laser batteries and communications array," Ben yelled into the back.

The pair, who had been heading into the cockpit, raced to the quads and strapped in quickly. Ben Kept an eye on the sensors to see whether a tractor beam was being readied, but it didn't appear that this model yet possessed a tractor beam.

"Probably were cutting some corners in the Clone Wars," Ben thought.

Ben brought the Falcon in from the direction of the local sun to minimize the time the crew of the ship would spot them. He figured by this point the crew though should have seen them or they were definitely not the Empire's finest troops. The Falcon closed to within 15 miles before the Corvette seemed aware of them and started firing. By this time the Falcon's quad turrets were within range with their targeting computers while the front cannons had to be much closer. Anakin and Vestara used the turrets to devastating effect, taking out both of the Corvette's two turbo laser positions, with Anakin spinning around and taking out the communications turret on the way past.

Ben spun around for another pass and Ves and Anakin were able to score a hit on the ship's bridge on the way back through.

"This doesn't make sense," Ves thought. "The captain should have raised shields before they spun around; even the smaller imperial warships shields should have prevented the damage the Falcon was currently doing."

With the second pass in and their foe made relatively useless, Ben spun the Falcon planet-side since it would be pointless to continue the bombardment.

"I sense a lot of killing planet-side," Anakin said.

"Yes," Vestara replied, "our job is to stop the Imps from killing the natives, though why are attempting to do so is a mystery."

Honoghr

The creatures from the sky had come down upon them and started killing them for no reason whatsoever. The clan Matriarch was at a loss for a reason for the senseless violence done to her people. There were traders who came to the planet from regularly and many of her people, including herself, were conversant in Basic for this reason. However, the intruders quickly learned with their lives that the Noghri were just as capable of being warriors as these creatures in white armor. They were even beating back the intruders to their ship when fire came spitting out of the sky into their ranks, splitting the Noghri advance into a rout. The Matriarch and her son Khanopher were trying to rally the troops. Thankfully for the last minute or so the firing had stopped. Her people were getting regrouped, but her son's position was in severe danger of being overrun. She watched helpless as her son and his few followers were overwhelmed. She was too far away to come to his aid. That's when she heard another ship approaching. Looking up, she saw a flat ship diving towards the village where they were making a stand. She was about to yell a warning when the ship opened fire into the ranks of the invaders. The ship quickly passed overhead firing, passing to the southwest. It quickly came back over, and the Matriarch watched as a man with a flaming blue sword leaped out of the back next to her son's position. She watched as the warrior deflected the bolts of the enemy and rescued her son from danger. Two more figures with flaming swords jumped from the craft- one with a purple saber, another with blue - landing 10 meters in front of her and deflecting blaster shots. Without thinking, she yelled for her followers to assist the blade wielders in pushing back the foe.

Within minutes the troops had retreated back to the shuttle and lifted off. The Falcon pursued them into low orbit to make sure they were departing. The smoking command ship left orbit as soon as the transport was on board.

Imperial Corvette, Hyperspace

The smoking bridge had the remaining staff crew coughing when the ground commander reached the bridge.

"Captain Konstatine, what do we tell our superiors?" The ground commander asked.

The ship was from one of Admiral Tarkin's fleets that had already begun removing Clones as the primary troops of the new empire.

Still coughing, Captain Konstatine said, "We inform them the mission was a success and we were attacked by Separatist holdouts. If you even think about saying otherwise, remember you were beaten by a bunch of savage natives. I doubt you would live too long if you told that to Admiral Tarkin."

"I guess the question is how do we get our crew to go along with that story," the commander said doubtfully.

"Promotions and a week's furlough for a job well done ought to keep them happy, as for any others, well, training accidents do happen," Konstatine said as he walked away from the commander.

Honoghr

That evening the Noghri clans were celebrating around the campfire. The clan Matriarch had already promised a life debt to the Skywalkers and Obi-Wan, especially Anakin since he had saved her son. Anakin was being honored by being named the leader of the Noghri people and the clans were busy trying to find a suitable title for their new distinguished leader. Ben had heard vestiges of how they were choosing their new leader's title. The title would be two names for simplicity for the outsiders. An Old Noghri word would be the second word and the new name for Anakin among the Noghri, but the preceding title would be from Basic. Ben thought back to his aunt's Noghri bodyguards.

"What has you going with the 500-yard stare?" Ves asked.

"Just thinking Aunt Leia would likely have preferred the daughter of whatever there about to give Anakin in this timeline," Ben answered, "as opposed to being Lady Vader or Daughter of Vader."

Ves was about to respond when she was interrupted by the Clan leaders signaling for attention. The Noghri announcer got everyone's attention and Ves and Ben watched as the villagers watched with rapt attention. They could tell Anakin, on the other side, was uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. Obi-Wan, however, was getting an enormous amount of pleasure from watching his protégé be embarrassed by the awards and the from knowledge he had discovered that apparently Anakin would be essentially dictator for life on this small Outer Rim planet.

"As you all know we owe our lives to our heroes this day, especially to this young man who jumped into the deepest part of the enemy's fire and saved the son of our village's clan Matriarch." The crowd erupted into applause. The speaker held out his hands to quite the crowd after a few moments. "After consulting with the companions and teacher of this young man, we have ascertained we are not insulting any of our heroes by presenting the most treasured prize of the Noghri to Anakin Skywalker. We have already heard from the clan Matriarch and her son on his bravery. Is there anyone here that does not deem this young man fit to be honored with our allegiance?"

Anakin's eyes got big and round this point and Obi-Wan was openly chuckling.

"Therefore, in honor of the Noghri tradition, we have chosen a name for our leader and since he is from outside we have also given a known title from Basic as a new tradition, so outsiders will better understand the title." The crown murmured in acknowledgement of the idea. The speaker continued, "As such, when asking about our new leader, we discovered he was a father, so we have chosen a name to reflect that fact." The speaker paused for emphasis and pulled out a ceremonial dagger. "It is then with great pleasure that I award this token of our duty to Lord Vader."

The crowd erupted in cheering, except for Ben and Ves, whose mouths were wide open. Ben could have heard sworn he could hear the Imperial March* in the crowd's cheering as they carried Anakin over to the speaker.

"You were saying?" Ves sent Ben.

"Never mind, " Ben sent back.

That night Obi-Wan was able to use Anakin's new high appointment to secure Noghri bodyguards not just for Padme, but for the Jedi Order's new establishment on Ossus.

Outer Rim, Master Asharad Hett's Safe House

Master Hett had just finished meditating and was disturbed by what he saw. He looked up at Depa, who was watching worried.

"The children are in danger," Master Hett said. "I must go to them."

"How will you find them?" Depa asked.

"I will follow Kit's trail we were good friends. I have some ideas where he might have gone to cover," Hett answered.

"I will get Caleb ready to leave," Depa said, standing.

"No, the Empire wants the children. Taking Caleb would place him in danger greater than necessary. I must go alone. Kit should have enough help with him to hold out for a time," Hett replied. "There are enough credits and supplies here to live comfortably. Stay off the radar and this place should be safe for years to come. I will return when I am finished.

"May the Force be with you. my friend." Depa said as he picked up his luggage and ran for his ship.

Takadona, Two Days Later

A'sharad Hett had his hood up as he entered Maz's cantina. He was still uncertain after all these years how the light sider put up with the low-lives that hung around the place daily without giving into the darkside. But then again perspective was everything. He grew up with Tusken raiders and was hardly a "kill on first sight" person. Maybe Maz liked the thought of adventure, but was a homebody -type that read fiction holo novels, but never went past the borders of their small towns. Either way, he sat down in the corner booth and waited for Maz to come to him. It didn't take long for her to sense the Jedi master and scoot him into the same backroom that she had taken Kit.

"Master Hett, it good to see you," the diminutive alien said.

"You as well, Maz, forgive me for rushing, but has Kit Fisto been through here recently?" Hett asked.

Maz nodded. "He was in here 6 weeks ago or so. I was able to find him a safe spot for him and those with him."

"I don't think they will be safe for much longer," Hett said. "I had a vision of them in danger."

Maz sighed. "I don't know exactly where they are. With a little bit of time, I could figure it out. How the empire could discover them, I don't know unless he betrayed them, but he knows better than to do that."

"Who?" Hett asked.

"Hondo Ohnaka," Maz replied.

"Perhaps its best to find Ohnaka," Hett answered.

Maz and Hett exited the room when they heard a voice yell, "Everyone drinks on me."

Cheers went up through the room at the proclamation. Master Hett turned his head and saw Graballa the Hutt slide into the room accompanied by his company of second, well third-rate, thugs. A feeling of dread went through Hett and the Force seemed to justify the suspicion. Hett knew Graballa was farily harmless, as Hutts go- a little slimy, but usually too incompetent to pull off anything major. He had himself often used Graballa as a source for information. But he also knew Graballa was also usually rather broke as far as Hutts go. Where did he get the money to pay for everyone's drinks?

Graballa had gone to his corner celebrating his apparently new-found wealth. Hett used a mind trick to convince his posse to go to the counter and drink their drinks. Graballa had just sent his Toydarian associate to the counter for his order when Hett slipped into the booth in front of the Hutt.

Hett used the Force to put up a sound shield around them.

"Graballa," Hett said

Realizing who was in front of him, Graballa jumped back "Uhh, Master Hett it's a good to see you. You wouldn't be looking for a job, would you? I could use a man of your talents better than the dingbats I got working for me now."

"No, but I see Lady Luck's been looking your way," Hett said.

"Oh yeah, the new boys on the block don't like pirates. Smugglers they will turn a blind eye to, if you're not carrying anything too elicit," Graballa said.

Hett was a bit perplexed by that statement. Graballa, for his faults, was a horrible liar and wasn't generally known to be one. While he always looked out for himself, he always kept his bargains. What he said rang completely true, so he pressed further.

"Anybody in particular they're looking for?" Hett inquired.

"Hondo Ohnaka," Graballa said.

Hett felt the chill he had sensed earlier grow. "I thought Hondo was a friend of yours."

"Oh, that's not an issue," Graballa said, waving his hand. "All they needed was accurate information on possible whereabouts. See, Hondo's mother gave him this palace on a planet in a sector near Bothawui. Its artful and tasteful, so he absolutely hates the place and never goes there. So, I gave them completely accurate but totally useless information and got paid well for it. Not well enough to buy a resort, mind you, but a generous amount none the less."

Hett, on the other hand, sensed that was exactly where Hondo would have taken Kit. "Where is this planet?"

Graballa gave him the information and after a quick solicitation to fund his resort, Hett managed to escape. He gave the info to Maz and headed for his ship.

Chapter Text

Ossus

It had been quite the sight when Anakin and company brought back a contingent of armed guards for the Jedi facility on Ossus, not to mention bodyguards for Padme and the children. Rex was the first to ask the Noghri at the entrance of the nursery what they were doing.

"We are protecting the Son and Daughter of Lord Vader," they responded.

"I see." Rex was certain he developed a twitch at that statement. He decided it was time for some real answers and went off to find Master Skywalker.

Ben was with Yoda and the ancient Jedi Master Ood Bnar, a treelike Jedi who had been awakened by Master Yoda from a several millenia long Force induced cryo-sleep. They were exploring the ancient library and found, like most of the structure under the surface, it had been largely preserved from the weapons of the ancient Sith wars. Ben had placed the Great Holocron on the pinnacle where it had originally been housed millennia ago. The only thing missing was students. Rex walked in to find them all looking at a map of the galaxy that was housed in the archives and noting the similarities and differences of the entries with their own.

"A word, Master Skywalker," Rex said stiffly.

Ben winced since he had a good enough idea of what was coming and excused himself from the ancient masters. "What can I do for you Rex?"

"Lord Vader," Rex said to Ben.

Ben grimaced. "The Noghri titled him that based on their ancient word for father."

"How was that name, Han Solo, and the Falcon on a holofilm made over 35 years ago?" Rex said. "I want some real answers."

Ben sighed and pulled out a medical kit, he had anticipated this for some time. Master Tano had been clear that Rex would ferret it out of them sooner or later. He took a blood sample from himself and gave it to Rex. "Run a comparison of my blood with the senator's, Anakin's, and Luke's, then come see me."

15 minutes later

Rex was staring at the screen in front of him squinting as if it would make the results come out any different. The computer was saying Ben was the grandson of Anakin and Senator Amidala and even more ridiculous, he was the son of the infant boy who was in the next room over. It had to be some kind of force thing so he went looking for Ben again.

"Well?" Ben asked

"Well with either you're manipulating your DNA with the Force or you're a time traveler. And I checked my DNA just to make sure you hadn't played with the computer, Rex said.

"So, your conclusion?" Ben asked.

"Ridiculously, time travel. You act close enough to the general to make it all fit. General Kenobi was certain you were related from the start," Rex said. "Speaking of the General, has he asked?"

"No, I imagine that he figured it out and doesn't want to ask as our presence here would not foretell good things," Ben said.

"Wouldn't he want the information for a plan? Rex asked.

"Most of what I know was no good the second we escaped Coruscant. Time is moving in such a way that the past is no longer a good predictor of the future," Ben said, "There will be a foe much greater than the Sith to deal with in the future, but there is time to prepare."

"I don't want to know do I?" Rex said.

"No, but uhm, Master Tano said hello," Ben answered.

Rex smiled and walked away.

Vestara came up and sat down next to Ben and put her hand in his. Ben sighed.

"You're not looking forward to going back to a planet with spiders, but we have delayed that trip long enough," Vestara said.

"I'm afraid you're right. I think just us, Han, Anakin, and Obi-Wan should make the trip. Han's getting the teenager restlessness and Anakin needs Obi-Wan. Besides Yoda, Ahsoka, the troopers, and the Noghri would be overkill in the unlikely chance the Empire discovers Ossus. After, all they didn't even find it last time until years after Endor."

Attolan

Despite Ben and Vestara's best efforts, Padme had insisted on coming anyway leaving Luke and Leia with Ahsoka and the nursery on Ossus. To Han's chagrin, C3PO had followed R2 up the ramp of the Falcon and had come along on this trip, in spite of orders to stay. The Falcon's piloting, by this point in time, had almost been hijacked completely by Ben's very young uncle who had Anakin or Ben in the copilot's spot. So, despite Ahsoka staying on Ossus, the Falcon still had the same amount of people when it landed on the dusty planet of Attolan. To Ben's relief no spiders could be seen in view of the Falcon's windshields. It was a quick walk down the hill to where the Bendu was waiting on them.

"Ahh, you have shed your burden, Anakin Skywalker, Jedi knight," the Bendu said.

"Yes, I met my father. Seems Master Qui-Gon made a mistake," Anakin said.

"Depends on the definition of a mistake; however, one should careful when jumping to conclusions. If one does not have all the data, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts," the Bendu replied. "You have, however, stepped back towards balance, but you have yet to achieve it."

"What must be done to achieve it?" Anakin asked.

"You possess greater aptitude towards the living Force than to the cosmic Force. This tendency makes you naturally more impulsive because it moves rapidly and is more changeable, like a wave on the ocean, unlike the cosmic Force which flows more like a planet rotating its sun. Thus, your natural tendency to think before you act, you will have to work on but you will be prone to impulse for life."

"Rats," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.

"However, that makes you susceptible to misunderstanding the difference between your feelings and the Force and that, my young Knight, is where your imbalance began, where you gave into darker impulses and allowed the darkness a corner of your heart. You didn't listen to the spoken warning you were given. However, you and a guide have already began the pain of healing that rift. Find the guide and return to the planet of the twin suns and only then will you find balance. Once this task is complete, the Knights of the Galactic alliance quest will be made more certain in their fight for the future."

With the audience over, the Bendu disappeared.

Kenobi turned to Anakin. "What did he mean?"

Anakin looked at the sand and answered slowly. "My mother was killed by Tusken raiders. I killed them- the entire tribe."

"Tell me you told someone and haven't been letting this fester for years," Kenobi said.

"I told the Chancellor," Anakin said, his eyes closed.

"Anyone other than a Sith Lord?"

"Padme and Master Hett," Anakin said.

"Let's go find him, then," Ben said.

The Jedi returned to the Falcon and Han punched in a course for the nearby system of Lothal.

In the back the tension in the room was noticeable even by the non-Jedi. Anakin was looking at the floor and Obi-Wan was lost in his thoughts wondering how he had messed up so badly. Obi-Wan had long suspected he knew who Master Skywalker really was and how he was related to Anakin. The fact that it would require time travel - a notion the order ago gave up long ago, due to uncertainties and risk of causing worse damage than whatever caused the future one was trying to prevent- showed just how badly things had gotten. He had finally managed a look at Ben's DNA results when the doctors had run blood tests in case Padme or the children needed a transfusion. Ben had thought he had destroyed his sample but Obi-Wan had swapped the labels on their vials.

The truth was he really didn't want to know, because he was afraid it would show just how badly he had messed up training Anakin. He had strived so long to be the stable part of Anakin's life. He had read many books to try to help with his young charge. As a teenager his form of teenage rebellion against Qui-Gon was to become the rule follower in part because it was steadier than Qui-Gon's "always in the moment rash impulses" that were never explained, but somehow managed to usually work. However, it left them reeling from one disaster to another. From his research and given Anakin's background, Obi-Wan believed that stability would best thing for someone who never was certain what would happen from one day to the next. Instead, what had happened- largely due to the Chancellor's interference, he now realized - was that the two had become the team of last resort and were constantly sent into the worst situations where, inevitably, instead of Obi-Wan chasing Master Jinn around, he was chasing Anakin.

Even when he asked the Council to lighten up on the dangerous assignments, the Chancellor showed up, requesting the help of the Sith Killer and the Hero of Naboo. As he considered this fact, an incident some years ago came to mind. Obi-Wan and Anakin had been temporarily assigned to the Outbound Flight Project, in part to monitor the unstable, in Kenobi's opinion, leader Jedi Master Jorus C'Baoth who was leading the project to expand beyond the known galaxy. Chancellor Palpatine had personally appeared at one of the vessel's preplanned stopping points to request his and Anakin's help for what turned out to be a rather mundane negotiation. For some reason the parties had personally asked for them to negotiate a settlement. Outbound Flight suffered some form of catastrophe within days of their departure. The Council had felt the deaths of the Jedi aboard the Flight, including C'Baoth but no search parties were ever able to find any trace of them. How long had Sidious considered Anakin a potential apprentice? It was a dark thought he never even considered before and it made him sweat. He shuddered, thinking about how long a Sith lord had been monitoring their every move.

The Tusken incident was so closely tied to other events that he never had time to really talk to Anakin about his mother's death. Geonosis, Anakin losing his arm, the beginning of the Clone Wars and, Obi-Wan's own capture by Ventress, after a physically exhausting campaign on Jabiim just weeks later, and the torment he suffered at Ventress's hands. When he got back, Anakin was almost immediately knighted and Yoda had Ahsoka's training placed in Anakin's hands. Now he wondered, along with everything in their life, how many of their situations happened because a Sith lord had them in his sights. Obi-Wan could only wonder why he hadn't been assassinated early on. By the time Kenobi had gotten released from Ventress's trap, Anakin had seemed much better. Now he knew Master Hett had apparently been helping Anakin. Hett had long been a friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi, so he was glad an actual Jedi had discussed the issue, but still he felt that he should have made more effort to talk.

Author's note

I apologize to everyone that I forgot to upload a chapter Friday. So you guys will get two chapters this week. This chapter had the misfortune of being lost and I made a story change here and decided to make what would have originally been the next chapter a seperate short story in the future titled Ben Skywalker and the Shadows of Kesh.

Next chapter at the end of the week.

Ben

Chapter Text

Chapter 25 Under Siege

Hondo's once secret mansion

Master Hett jumped into the system and was relieved to see no sign that the Empire had beat him to the punch. However, the feeling of discomfort still had not disappeared. He shook it from his head as he took the ship into atmosphere. A radio controller challenged his entry, and he gave what would be a recognized alias. Moments later, the familiar voice of Kit Fisto came online.

"Hett?"

"Kit, yeah, it's me. Nice place you found, but you're going to have to leave. The Empire probably isn't far behind me."

"Set down on the east wing pad, I'll meet you there," Kit responded.

Kit got off the radio with Katoonie watching him.

"What's wrong?"

"We may have been discovered. Have everyone start preparing to leave. I'm going to meet Master Hett," Kitt said as he headed for the door.

Master Hett sat the ship down on the landing pad on the side of a mountain that looked out on the vast plain that stretched for miles, only broken up by an occasional lake, river, or set of trees. But the Jedi Master was in no mood to enjoy the scenery. He had just reached the edge when Kit Fisto came out.

"My friend, how did you find us?" Kitt asked.

"The Empire's after Hondo. Graballa sold this place out to them to stay on their good side- in his defence, he thought it was unoccupied," Hett said. "So the Empire will be here sooner rather than later."

"I've already started the evacuation process," Fisto said, walking beside his friend into the compound.

Hett nodded, then stiffened.

Kitt had a sinking feeling when he saw Hett's actions. "They're here, aren't they?"

Hett nodded, realizing this was the sinking feeling he had been having for several weeks.

Imperial Star Destroyer, Orbit

A nervous lieutenant walked up to the strange man in dark garb. "Grand Inquisitor, we have arrived."

The Inquisitor opened his eyes and looked out the window. "It would appear we have found our ultimate prey and not the lowly scavenger we were searching for."

"Shall we wait for reinforcements?" the lieutenant inquired.

"No, the Jedi will have escaped us by the time they arrive; we will need to proceed immediately prepare the troops for landing," was the reply.

"At once, sir."

Mansion Basement

Scout was furiously working the controls of the shield generator to get it online when it finally hummed to life.

"It's about time," she muttered.

One of the older initiates was peering over her shoulder. "Can we escape with the shield on?"

"Not while its running. The plan will be to shut it off when we make the escape, but we don't want that Star Destroyer blowing our ships up from orbit before they get off the ground," Scout replied.

Scout was fifteen years old and had lost two masters in the Clone Wars. However, she had been given an exception from the general rule of aging out since she had, in fact, been chosen. Due to her losses in the Clone Wars, Yoda had said that she would be given peace from the war until its end, when she would be able to find a new master. The Old Grandmaster had taken on much of her teaching himself in the meantime when he was on Coruscant, with other older Jedi teaching her when he was off planet. Thus, she was still technically given the rank of padawan learner, she just did not officially have a master. This didn't bother her as it had when she was younger. Several masters had stated an interest in taking her on after the war was over. Right now, though, she was concerned about their current situation.

Kit Fisto and Hett were in the makeshift command room, feeling rather grim at what they were seeing. A Venator class Star Destroyer was in orbit and it was dropping assault ships to the surface. It didn't take a general to figure out the strategy. Send in wave after wave of troops and take down the shield, then blow away the starships and force a surrender or, in this case, likely kill everyone in the building. One Star Destroyer in the Clone Wars was 1/3 of the invasion force for a planet. Right now they were only hoping this Star Destroyer did not have an entire battalion and was only equipped for naval battles.

"What's the plan, Kitt?" Hett asked.

"We have nearly two dozen starfighters, each with a Jedi pilot, and the transports for the younglings. We have two dozen Jedi masters and a score of knights along with the younglings, most with a lightsaber. We can manage a battle against a single Star Destroyer as long as we're not in the open and the shield holds. Once the troops engage, we have the children in the transports ready to go. We take down the shield, fire two shots from Hondo's hidden ion cannon into the Destroyer, then use the starfighters to clear a path for the transports and break for hyperspace the second we clear the grav well."

"Are you sure this won't be like Geonosis?" one of the younger knights asked nervously.

"No, on Geonosis we were out in the open against 30,000 battle droids of various kinds, with over a million more behind them. Essentially, we had 1,000/1 numerical odds against us. When the troopers came it cut the numerical advantage down to 100/1, which was the normal ratio on battlefields throughout the Clone Wars and we prevailed, usually. Right now, assuming they have 1,000 troops, we have approximately 20/1 odds, just by the numbers, but we use the building and the shield to lower that number even more. Besides our goal is not to win but to escape," Kit said, smiling.

Hett, meanwhile, was running through what his friend was saying. Everything sounded good and the plan was sound, yet that nagging feeling had not disappeared.

Then the shields fell.

Star Destroyer

"Status change," a lieutenant yelled.

"What is it?" the captain asked calmly.

"Shields around the target have dropped."

"Grand Inquisitor, shall we not just blow them off the planet?" the Captain inquired.

"The suggestion has merit," the Inquisitor responded when the com system went off.

"Priority communication from Coruscant," said the Comms officer.

The Emperor's silhouette appeared in the hologram.

"My lord, the shields have fallen. The captain was just inquiring whether we simply blast them from orbit. Several very powerful Jedi masters are below," the Inquisitor said.

Sidious looked thoughtful, and the Inquisitor thought he detected the smallest hint of doubt. "No, we need the children alive, but be wary. This was unforeseen. Kill the others."

"So it shall be done." The Inquisitor looked at the captain. "Prepare the troops for landing and don't permit any ships to leave the planet."

Hyperspace

The Millennium Falcon screeched through hyperspace at full speed, the occupants desperate to arrive in time. After stopping in the Lothal Jedi Temple to have an across the Force communication with Master Yoda, the crew had briefly returned to Ossus. But Master Yoda had seen a vision of impending peril for the younglings, so with the crew back together the Jedi had meditated, and Ben and Vestara had recognized the planet that the children were on. Now the Falcon crew, including Padme, were hoping to beat the Imperials to the children. Ben was at the controls, with Han in the copilot chair.

"1 minute out; everyone strap into your seats," Ben said "I'm going to bring her in on the edge of the system."

While Ben would have to preferred to bring the Falcon in as close to the planet as possible, a close hyperspace point would register on any Imperial warships. The Falcon could beat any Tie to the surface and likely evade target fire from any Imperial Dreadnaught, but the Falcon crew didn't know exactly where Hondo's mansion was located on the planet. Therefore, stealth in this case was preferred. The Falcon came out of hyperspace.

"Uh oh," Han said, "we have a Star Destroyer in orbit over the planet."

"That isn't good. Did the Jedi get away?" asked Padme.

Ben closed his eyes and was about to reach out in the force to see if he could detect any Force sensitives when he felt several Force signatures reaching out to him. Ben stiffened and rapidly punched a set of coordinates into the hyperspace computer.

"What are you doing? Our people are down there; I felt them," Anakin said.

"Yeah, there's a Sith Lord down there, too. We got to get down fast," Ben replied with more fear in his voice than Kenobi or Anakin had ever heard before.

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other. "We can handle the Sith."

"Not a chance; he's out of your league. Leave him to me and get the kids out," Ben muttered typing in a few last calculations. "Ves, stay with them."

Anakin frowned. "Are you sure? I felt the presence of an acolyte like Ventress, but not a full-fledged Sith Lord."

"Yes, I would know that presence anywhere," Ben said.

Ves eyes were boring a hole in the back of Ben's head and she sent, "Who's down there that we can't take together?"

"Darth Krayt is on the planet," Ben sent back right before he activated the hyperdrive.

Chapter Text

9 ABY Nightside Space Station 6 months prior to Dark Empire

Lando Calrission was many things and he considered himself a very patient man. After all, creating multiple galaxy-spanning corporations from what Han derisively called get rich quick schemes took a certain amount of patience in order for things to work out. Mining for gemstones rarer than diamonds in the gas giant of Yavin, his daring mining operation on Nkkllon. However, waiting on a Jedi master and his apprentice to show up when there were a bunch of goons around that might try to put him on ice made him itchy. Especially if those goons were attached to some crazy Sith wannabees or Imperial fanatics, as his sources had informed him. Still, the pressure was not enough for him to develop a tic, though. He calmly finished his game of sabbac with his trademark customary smile and excused himself after winning the relatively modest pot that had been collected in this trading port. As he left for the exit of the gambling establishment, his commlink buzzed, informing him his backup had finally arrived. Keeping an eye over his shoulder, he returned to the Lady Luck to find that Luke and his teenaged student, Kyp Durron, had arrived.

Lando internally sighed with relief. "Luke, buddy, I didn't think you were ever going to show."

Luke laughed. "If you could find places a little closer to Yavin, it might be a bit quicker to get here. But with the praxeum going, hopefully in 5 to 10 years we should have Jedi ready to respond in most corners of the galaxy within a few days."

"Yeah well, let's go inside," Lando said as he walked up the ramp. "More comfortable."

Luke nodded, recognizing it as a ploy to go somewhere where their conversation wouldn't be overheard. Lando quickly led them to his living room with its luxurious lounge chairs. Kyp quickly lay down on the couch, not caring in the least about the grownups' amused reaction, after 4 days in the much sparser Jedi academy ship.

"Don't get too comfortable, we're probably about to leave," Luke warned.

Kyp grunted noncommittally.

"So your transmission was a bit sparse on details, but something about a family being chased," Luke said.

"Yeah, by a group of Sith wannabes," Lando answered. "My information has it the family landed here in the last half hour, now whether or not their pursuers are here might be another story."

"Let's go find them," Luke said "Come on, Kyp."

Kyp groaned but stood nonetheless. Lando followed. As they headed through the streets, Lando quietly relayed that his sources in the New Republic had alerted him to a battle with Imperials in Wild Space that was extremely unusual because it was led by an elite unit of the Imperial Remnant. The unit had attempted to capture a single passenger ship. During the battle a Lieutenant had made contact with the vessel, saying they were fleeing the Sith. The fleet commander had disregarded the statement, but filed a report with his superiors where it had fallen on the desk of one of Lando's old subordinate had informed Lando that the flight lieutenant had given this location as a safe getaway. Though in truth, Lando could have thought of at least a dozen better places between here and Wild Space, including several New Republic bases, that would have been safer. Being in the general region, Lando took it upon himself to show up personally, having business on the station, and had contacted Luke. What had made Lando nervous, however, were rumors in the underworld that the Sith had reemerged and were actively seeking a husband, wife, and little girl. Anytime Lando had pressed anyone for more information the source always clammed up. Lando was continuing his conversation when Kyp Durron suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Kyp?" Luke asked questioningly.

Kyp stopped as if to listen, then looked over the edge of the banister they were next to. "There," he said. "3 stories below us. Three humans, one of them a child."

Luke and Lando both glanced over the rail.

"That's them," Luke said, then looked confused. "But the Force is drawing me away from them. What about you, Kyp?"

"Towards them or at least towards the child for some reason," Kyp said, "It's like we're connected somehow."

Lando mentally refrained from saying that Kyp qualified as a child as well.

"Alright, you and Lando head down there and get them to safety. Something else must be going on around here," Luke said.

Kyp darted for the nearest escalator and Lando rushed to follow.

Luke continued his way forward, suddenly sensing the presence of a dark Jedi. He sighed. Apparently, today was going to be one of those days.

Dathan was sliding through the crowd of the space station. Both he and his wife both knew they couldn't stay here long. The trick was going to be securing another vessel. He didn't know, however, where to go once he found one. The galaxy was a dangerous place. From the Deep Core to Wild Space, the scattered Imperial remnants were spread around the galaxy with toeholds in each major region of the galaxy. The fledgling New Republic was able to keep things together largely because the Imperials had been unable to agree on a single united leader. Thrawn could have pulled it off if the entire Moff council had aligned with him, fortunately they were too greedy to pull together. Dathan had enough cash to secure a trip to somewhere, but where? It was either that or steal a ship. He wasn't overly fond of that idea, but he could manage it if needed. It was right about this time that his danger senses went on high alert. While he himself was not a Force sensitive like his father, he had been accustomed to being able to sense danger. A cursory glance told him they were indeed being followed. Hopefully it was just some local muscle and not a dark Jedi from Byss. Either way, that eliminated plan one so now to find a suitable ship to borrow, without permission.

He quickly spotted just what he was after: a courier ship, probably for a mid-level manager at an up-and-coming corporation- either that or someone new to this end of the galaxy. Either way, the ship was about to be borrowed. He slid his way towards the ship. His wife, a former pirate, realized what he was doing and guided their daughter towards their new destination. Right then he saw one of their pursuers go for his blaster. Dathan's wife pulled hers first and shot the man down. The three then ran for the ship, firing blaster shots at their pursuers. "It's going to be close." Dathan thought grimly. He fired from the little protection provided in the hanger, covering his daughter as his wife worked the security lock on the ship. The firefight was getting fierce as their pursuers were desperate for them not to get away when Dathan saw something he never believed he would ever see.

A teenager fell from the floor above, but instead of pancaking when he hit the concrete floor, he rose quickly and ignited a green lightsaber. Dathan's mind went wide he knew for a fact dark Jedi and Sith only used red lightsabers. It was some weird thing about making crystals bleed or something. The figure had the blade deflecting blaster shots coming at them, shielding them from the incoming fire.

"Who is he?" Miramir asked ,glancing up from the console.

"Don't know but they could have rushed us by now, so I'd say that makes him a friend, at least for now," Dathan said. The teen was not wreaking havoc like Vader, nor acting ruthlessly like the Inquisitors. His answers would come soon as the teen backed towards them.

"What's wrong with the panel?" the teen asked.

"We don't have the codes. Who are you?" Miramir said as Dathan provided some cover fire.

"Kyp Durron, Jedi apprentice to Master Skywalker," Kyp answered.

"I thought the Jedi were extinct," Dathan said.

"Not quite all of us. There's a few left and more in training," Kyp answered.

Dathan was a bit shocked. The answer to his family's safety had been in existence all this time if what this kid was saying was true.

Kyp pulled out acommlink with one hand and kept blocking blaster shots with his other.

Two Stories Above

Lando was racing to get downstairs to help, hoping Kyp wouldn't get himself hurt. When Kyp saw the blaster fire start, he had simply jumped over the edge and leap-frogged the 4 stories in between himself and the people they were here to protect. Lando had to go the long way around. By the time he was nearly to the stairs to take him down to the last floor separating himself and the others, his commlink went off.

"Yes," he said while running.

"Lando, it's Kyp. I need the security override codes to one of your ships. We're stuck in the corner of the hanger with one of your courier ships from Bespin behind us."

Lando stopped and considered his options before giving Kyp one of his low-level override codes for his ships.

Kyp placed the code into the terminal. "Get in, get the engines started, and yell at me when we're ready to go."

He continued to block the increasing number of bolts, though they were more scattered as the goons had gotten nervous that their prey was escaping and a Jedi had appeared. Within a short time ,he got the call to get in. He did so, closing the doors behind him. He felt the ship lift off the platform and head into space. Kyp rushed into the cockpit to find the family waiting for him.

"Where can we find the other Jedi?" said the man.

Kyp slipped into the pilot's chair, glancing at the fuel. He grimaced. Lando was skimping on fueling his vessels, other than his own, for cross galactic trips. He did a quick check on the galactic map and realized Bespin was close enough to jump and refuel for a trip to Yavin IV.

"We don't have enough fuel to make it that far, but I know Lando won't mind us refueling his ship at his facility on Bespin. We will fuel up and head for the Jedi Praxeum."

With that he pulled the lever, taking the ship into hyperspace.

34 ABY

In all of his short 14 years of life, Ben Skywalker had never felt so hopeless. He and Jacen had been investigating a distress call on a planet when they were ambushed by the One Sith. Darth Warlock had personally led the charge on the orders of his master, the elusive yet deadly Darth Krayt. He was rumored to exist, yet few had seen the man and lived. All Jedi knights who had been rumored to have encountered him were presumed dead or their bodies found.

It had been nearly a decade into the tumultuousness of the Yuuzhan Vong war when this hidden Sith organization had been revealed. Grand Admiral Thrawn himself had discovered the likelihood of the organization's presence and had revealed that information privately to Luke Skywalker. With the Grand Admiral, the New Jedi Order was able to deduce the hiding point of the Sith organization and, as they had been found tampering in the affairs of the Empire and the Galactic Alliance, the had been confronted.

Luke, perhaps naively, had tried to talk the Order down and maybe coexist, but the Sith were arrogant and frightened by the Jedi's discovery of them. With Krayt being in stasis, they attacked the NJO on their approach.

The Sith lost over 60% of their effective strength that day, after which Krayt reduced the order by another 15 % personally after their lopsided failure. Agents had been detected and picked off through the years until the One Sith numbered no more than a few dozen.

This was the first time the One Sith had appeared since their last attempt at subterfuge had been exposed by a sloppy agent in yet another Corellian crisis with Centerpoint Station.

Now it was obvious to Ben that he and Jacen were their targets. Ben believed Jacen had escaped, though whether that was through strength in arms or that he was the target, Ben wasn't sure.

Neither thought was super comforting as he found himself faced with an Embrace of Pain on the other side of the room, with the writhing vines of the Yuuzhan Vong device Jacen had said that his old "teacher" had used it to try to get him to succumb to her teachings. t The best-case scenario for Ben was that Jacen was going for help ,but he had better hurry.

The door opened and the feared Dark Lord of the Sith walked into the room. Ben sucked in his breath, The room had chilled considerably in front of his powerful presence. Ben noticed that Krayt wasn't as good at concealing his Force signature as Jacen was. Krayt was one of the most powerful Force users Ben had met, but he believed that his father and Kyp Durron were stronger still.

"The Skywalker family line is blessed with great power," the armored man intoned looking him in the eye, " My power has taken me a lifetime to attain, yet I will never attain what you and your father can."

"Why would a dark lord admit weakness?" Ben inquired.

Warlock reached out to smack Ben but Krayt blocked the blow with his armored gauntlet.

"Our guest is not one of us and deserves an answer. Discipline he will learn all too soon," Krayt growled to Warlock and motioned to the door.

The other Sith bowed his head and left the room.

Krayt looked at Ben with his discolored eyes, one green and one yellow. "The reason you are not dead before you can become a threat is because a very specific prophecy says the two of us must join sides to survive along with the galaxy. And the only way I would be on the same side as you is if you were one of us."

"The prophecy would also come true if you joined us," Ben replied.

He had been taught since his youth the story of his grandfather's redemption and while it was an extremely long shot it was worth a shot. Ben saw what he believed was a flicker of doubt in Krayt's eyes. And hoped.

After a moment's wait Krayt responded, "It's much too late for that, young Skywalker. If your grandfather had possessed your naïve optimism and belief in others that you share with your father, perhaps this path would not have been necessary. Unfortunately, it will also make this process more time consuming and painful."

With that final word blue lightning emerged from the fingertips of the Sith Lord. Ben was completely engulfed by the pain of his nerves frying.

So started the never ending nightmare it seemed. Endless bouts of torture: either lightning or the Embrace. The Dark Lord was attempting to break him with his taunts and his lack of access to the Force. In the Embrace it was only made worse.

Then came the day that Krayt took Ben to a training room after being subjected to hours of the embrace . He was given a lightsaber.

Ben looked at the saber through the fog of pain and up at the towering giant.

"If you wish to see your family again, you will use your hatred against me and strike me down. I am unarmed and my followers have been given orders to allow you to depart in peace if you do."

Struggling, Ben reached for the saber. He shakily got to his feet and ignited his saber. He could sense the Dark Lord's sense of triumph. But the man he feared greatly was now at his mercy. Ben drew on the force for strength. He prepared to strike. But then his family and teachings came to his mind. The Dark Lord was tempting him. He was an unarmed man. If he struck him down in anger, he would be giving into his own fear and anger at the torture.

Ben shut down the saber and threw it away. "No. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." He reached out a hand to the Dark Lord and continued, "I sense you were a good man once. It's not too late to turn back."

Krayt was stunned and speechless for a moment. Then his pride and anger got the better of him.

"It has been 50 years since I would be what you would consider a good man," Krayt growled. "I am going to bring order to this galaxy so no one will suffer from a corrupt government where the rulers can take my family away from me again and I will let no one, no matter how misguided, stop me."

Ben felt like this was the end. The Dark Lord's anger was great. He closed his eyes expecting this to be the end as he felt the lightning starting to course over his body again. All of a sudden it quit.

Ben opened his eyes shakily. And his heart lifted.

His father's lightsaber stood between him and lightning pouring from the fingers of the now afraid Sith Lord.

Luke, dressed in his black outfit and armed with his lightsaber, withstood the assault his eyes looking determined at the Sith.

"No one messes with my child," Luke said.

Ben felt hands around his shoulders. He looked up and saw Jacen and Kyp. Jacen lifting him and Kyp with his lightsaber at the ready. It appeared that Jacen had hidden their Force signatures from the Sith, allowing them to penetrate the facility.

Luke was able to send the lightning back at the Sith lord and expedited by a timely Force wave from Kyp Durron, sent the Sith through the room's wall.

"Let's get out of here." Luke said and led the way out of the room. The other Sith, thankfully, were too occupied with their Master's injuries to pursue the unknown foes through the facility.

Ben struggled to stay awake. He was barely conscious as they approached the Jade Shadow and the Falcon and what he dazedly perceived as a wing of X-wing fighters.

He was escorted to the medical room on the Falcon. Blinking, he saw his aunt and Cilghal and heard his uncle yell, "Chewie, tell Wedge we need to get him out of here. The others will cover Luke and the strike team as they hit the Sith."

Ben felt a needle in his arm and shuddered. He heard the Jedi doctor tell him to sleep. Fear, however, was difficult to master. The two of us must join sides to survive along with the galaxy. As the meds went into his system, he feared the day when he knew he must face that monster again.

Author's note

The first half of this chapter is an in universe adaption of the events of Shadows of The Sith but 50 times smarter for purposes of ,cough, plot Luke didn't have his apprentice with him in that story. Here in this universe Lukes is taking his apprentice like a jedi master should and Kyp Durron can save Rey and Family. Thus Rey Palpatine is still a jedi with all the workouts and training actually required.

See you guys next week.

Ben

Chapter Text

19 BBY

The Falcon came out of hyperspace almost as soon as it had entered.

"A microjump," Anakin muttered in surprise.

A microjump was a hyperspace jump across relatively a small area, in this case, half-a-solar system. They were generally considered dangerous because of the precise calculations needed to keep from running into the sun or other objects. Ben had brought the Falcon just outside the planet's grav well. He proceeded to head on the fastest trajectory to the planet's atmosphere.

Several Minutes Before

The Grand Inquisitor had just reached the ground when he felt a tremor in the Force. He reached out and felt the familiar Force signature of Skywalker. "This could complicate things," he said to himself. He quickly brought up the captain of the ship. "Captain, General Skywalker is almost certainly in the sector and may attempt to interfere in our affairs. Inform me if any ship approaches the area."

"Shall I scramble fighters to shoot him down?"

"No. Anyone who kills him will not live to see the sun fall. The Emperor has personally ordered his capture, unharmed," the Inquisitor stated.

"Very well. In that case should we move to intercept his craft to bring it aboard?" the captain inquired.

The Grand Inquisitor considered the question. "No you don't have enough troops onboard to hold him. He was traveling with at least three other Jedi the last time he was seen. He may even attempt to capture the bridge. Allow him to land, but send ships after to make it look good."

Mansion Several Minutes Prior

"We need that shield up!" one of the Knights said in a panic.

"Then you get down here and work on it," Scout muttered under her breath, trying to get the machine back to life. While Hondo's mother had spared no expense on the location, the shield generator, on the other hand, was apparently stolen and had not been maintained well. Scout was able to hide her overall fear under her frustrations with the machine she was working on.

Upstairs

Masters Kit and Hett were watching the Star Destroyer drop a legion's worth of troops to the surface on the tactical screen. What had seemed a good plan only a few minutes ago was quickly looking unattainable without the planetary shield. Kit was about to say something when he noticed a far-away look in Hett's eye.

"What is it, my friend?" Kitt asked.

"Skywalker is here," Hett replied.

Kitt reached out with his senses and felt Skywalker but not Skywalker. He looked at his friend in confusion.

"He's become more powerful," Hett said

"I saw him not even 6 weeks ago. This is rather strange, to receive a power boost that quickly. Will he even be able to wield it?" Kit said.

"I'm not sure. But it felt different, almost fearful," Hett replied contemplatively. "We will need to make sure they can get to ground safely."

As the statement came out of his mouth, they felt a darkness gathering. The two Jedi masters rushed towards the part of the compound where they felt the presence and came face to face with a dark Jedi who was staring out over the cliff at the view behind the mansion.

The Grand Inquisitor turned to the two masters. "Ahh, Masters Fisto and Hett, how does it feel to be at the end of everything? Today the Jedi orders- future and past- will be no more."

"Not exactly much of a parley," Fisto commented.

"There is no parley. Surrender the children and I will make your deaths quick," The Inquisitor stated, "or refuse and I will kill you right now."

The Inquisitor ignited his double bladed lightsaber. Hett and Fisto looked at each other and Fisto spread out his palms in an "after you" gesture to Hett.

Moments Later

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" came the scream of the dark Jedi as he fell towards the valley below. On the summit above Kitt watched over the side and casually remarked. "He might make it. Is it just me or does the dark side make you stupid?"

"I'm not sure. I never bothered to read the texts on the subject. I would predict it makes you arrogant, though. Did you recognize him by chance?" Hett asked.

Kitt nodded grimly "Yes, he was a Temple Guard though I don't know his name."

"Must be how they were finally able to break into the temple," Hett mused. "Strange. Why are his troops not attacking? What are they waiting for?"

As if in answer to his questions, a Correllian YT freighter came into view, pursued by imperial fighters. The freighter was pulling maneuvers that should have been impossible in a ship of that style, but Hett and Fisto watched opened mouthed as the freighter not only held off its foes but was successfully picking them off one at a time.

"Skywalker," Fisto said.

"Uh huh, who else is that reckless?" Hett said

As if a signal had been given, the troops began firing on the compound.

"I'll need to secure the main entrance. Stay here. After that dark Jedi another group may try coming in through here," Fisto said and dashed away to join the fray.

Hett nodded. A feeling that been on him for weeks was still over him and growing. He had thought it was the attack but that hadn't taken away the feeling of dread and anticipation that something was coming. Whatever its cause was, Master Hett felt destiny was upon him. He only hoped it didn't come in a pine box.

The Falcons sublight engines roared as it passed over the compound. To Ben's chagrin many of the more advanced weapon's systems had not been added to the ship. Ruefully he realized that many of those had been emplaced during and after the Yuuzhan Vong war. At least the turbo lasers packed a punch. He brought the ship around for another pass.

"Alright Han, same as last time. You have the controls. Keep it steady over the mansion while we jump." Ben then dashed for the door. "Try to avoid a firefight with other ships and keep the shields up."

"Roger that," Han said, if a little too enthusiasticly for Obi-Wan's taste. Unfortunately, with the Jedi having to bail Padme was the only one left to man the guns, which meant that Han was the only pilot of the ship. Ben seemed to think that was a good idea for some reason. Obi-Wan could only hope that would prove accurate.

The Jedi successfully jumped onto different sections of the roof with Obi-Wan and Vestara landing on the boundary near the front gate, Anakin landing in the center, and Ben towards the back. Each went the way that the Force pulled them towards.

Main gate

Kit Fisto and a score of knights were having a decent degree of difficulty of not getting overrun. Only the number of knights and the relatively small entrance kept the invaders at bay. Too few troopers could enter at a time as the Jedi reluctantly took lethal aim with the blaster bolts they were reflecting back. Still, they couldn't hold out forever. The Empire could keep throwing away manpower for centuries and they wouldn't even feel the decrease from the trillions of citizens across the galaxy. Kit felt the presence of two Jedi coming behind before he ever heard them: one familiar, one not.

"Master Kenobi, come to join the party, huh?" Fisto said as Kenobi and Vestara joined the knights. Kitt recognized the woman once he saw her. "Any secret tricks you have that might get us out of this situation?"

"Yeah, but we need to wait until right before we pull back to use it," Vestara said.

"How long until we can evacuate?" Kenobi asked.

"A few minutes. We need to get the younglings to the ships, then we need to get a corridor to break through with the fighters," Fisto said over the sound of blaster fire.

"Well, at least we have a plan, "Kenobi said.

Youngling Classroom

The younglings could see the soldiers lined up to invade the mansion when they heard heavy footsteps coming up the steps towards them.

Sors Bandeam turned and saw the panting, hooded figure of most of the younglings' hero in the doorway. "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What are we going to do?"

Anakin looked at the kid seriously for a moment then smiled. "There's not enough of them! Stay behind me and we will be safe- everyone hold hands and to the hanger."

Cliffside

Unfortunately, Kitt Fisto was correct. Troopers began storming the back way that the dark Jedi had come over. Also unfortunately, since most of the Jedi were evacuating the children or protecting the main gate, the only one in the way was one Master A'Sharad Hett. And he was starting to feel the strain of keeping up with the number of troopers that had been sent when he felt it. A Jedi nearby had uncloaked his signature and it could be felt by any Force user on the planet. The presence was a supernova in the Force. The sheer weight and power could not be denied. The presence was nearly enough for Hett to not pay enough attention to the bolts flying towards him. The presence was also coming towards him. What confused Hett was the fear that was underlying the presence. This person was Skywalker but not? There wasn't a Force user on this planet or perhaps the galaxy that was a match for this user in sheer power unless it was the Lord of the Sith and Hett doubted that was the case. The distracted Jedi Master, however, was unable to see the troopers behind the wall calling in support.

The presence was almost upon him when an orbital turbolaser blast fell to the ground 10 yards from him and broke the hillside he was on. This happened simultaneously with the troops breaching the wall with an explosive charge. Master Hett started to fall over the cliff when an invisible hand caught him in midair. Two scores of troops immediately took aim and fired on the helpless Jedi master. Hett closed his eyes for the inevitable end, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked up at the troopers who were yelling frantically and was stunned to see a wall of blaster bolts suspended in midair in between him and the troopers. He turned his head and saw the Jedi with one hand holding him up the other holding back the wall of fire. He could tell there was some strain on the Jedi when the Jedi pushed back and the blaster bolts all reversed course back at their shooters.

The troops fell as one and there was a hush. Then the Jedi's eyes met and Hett saw a strange vision of a young boy, maybe a teenager, being attacked by a Sith with a red lightsaber and strange armor. He could tell the boy was desperate to escape with little hope of achieving it, when a man with a green lightsaber interceded and beat back the Sith. The vision ended with the fear in the Jedi's eyes receding and a decision, and what Hett felt was judgment being made, before the Jedi brought him over to the cliffside near him.

"My apologies," the young Jedi said, "I confused you for another Master Jedi."

Master Hett just looked over at the bodies of the fallen troopers that surely would have killed him without the newcomer's help.

"I think we're good, you might not have showed up in time otherwise," Hett said with some amusement. "I'm Master A' Sharad Hett."

The younger Jedi smiled back and reached his hand out to help him to his feet. "I'm Master Ben Skywalker, but known as Master Ben Solo." Master Skywalker picked up his communicator. "Han, we need pick up. Come to my location."

"Skywalker. Any relation to Anakin?" Hett said, still puffing over his near-death experience.

"Yep, a couple of times removed," Skywalker replied dryly.

That's when the Jedi saw the shield rise over the compound.

"Never mind I didn't see that coming," Ben said to the comlink.

Mansion Basement

Scout finally had it going. A few more seconds and- there- the shield generators power was back to life, and the planetary shield was rising. She let it stay on for about 20 seconds, then brought out the secret weapon and powered it up. Hondo's ion cannon was, thankfully, in good condition but with the shields down, powering it up would have alerted the crews above to its presence, and they almost certainly would have conducted an orbital bombardment.

"Master Fisto are we ready?" Scout asked.

"Yes, fighters prepare to scramble," Fisto ordered. At the signal a hidden hanger door opened in the cliff side . "All personnel begin evacuations."

Fisto looked at Vestara. "Knight Khai, if you could deliver that trick."

Vestara nodded and, to Fisto's and the troopers shock, unleashed a stream of green lightning. With their armor plating acting as a conduit, the entire group attacking the main door were electrocuted.

Kitt blinked. "I didn't know anybody but a Kel Dor could use emerald lightning," he remarked as he signaled the pullback.

"It's actually electric judgment, not emerald lightning. I would have risked frying us as well, as close as were to them, if I had used the other." Sensing Kits hesitance, she added, "they will survive knocked out for a few hours, but they will be OK. I didn't use a lethal amount of amps."

"It can be controlled?" Kit said.

"Yes. It's going to be painful, but survivable unless in a situation where lethal force is required," Ves stated.

The crew came into the hanger. Through the open door ,Obi-Wan was able to see the Falcon do insane stunts against pursuers outside of the shields on the horizon. He watched for a moment and remarked to Vestara, "How is he able to do that? He's crazier than Anakin."

Vestara glanced out and shrugged. "Ben's father always suspected his luck was some form of Force sensitivity that we didn't fully understand.

Millennium Falcon Gun Pod, Several Minutes Prior

Padme was an expert shooter from guns to ships' weapons, but with the stunts Han was pulling she couldn't always level her shots correctly.

"Han, could you fly a bit more level? I'm having a hard time getting a straight shot with these maneuvers you're pulling," Padme asked into the com.

"They can't either, which is rather the point, " Han called out as he took the Falcon into a canyon with two pursuers behind.

"Han, you really need a lot more experience or be a Jedi to expect to survive a trip through a canyon at this speed. My droid would tell you our odds of survival would be 3 million two hundred and seventy to 1," Padme called out, taking out one of there pursuers with a well-aimed shot.

"I'd tell him to either shut up or shut him off, besides we only need the one," Han yelled back through the com and to Padme's chagrin she felt the Falcon increase its speed as Han shouted a "Wahoo!"

Thankfully they cleared the canyon walls- unlike their last pursuer- as Padme sighed in relief because this kid was crazy.

"Didn't Ben call us to pick them up?" Padme asked now that they were temporarily clear of foes.

"Yeah, but a shield generator went up about that point around the compound," Han called out.

Padme glanced over in the direction of the compound and saw the shield up. She knew it would temporarily keep out any ground troops, at least until they landed walkers and prevent an orbital bombardment. "That complicates things a bit."

"Yeah, I'll circle within 20 seconds of the mansion until we get new orders," Han barely said before the shield went down. "What happened?"

Padme was afraid something had gone wrong when 4 green blasts of light went skyward rapidly. "Ion cannon," she thought to herself. "Han, now!" The Falcon swung hard left back towards the mansion.

Cliffside 500 Yards South of Hondo's Mansion

The Grand Inquisitor had just managed the climb back up the mountain. Pride had kept him from calling for assistance and anger had fueled his exhausted limbs. He had just reached the top some way from the mansion when he saw the shield drop and ion shots go skyward. Fear replaced anger as realization dawned on him that his enemies were going to escape. A YT freighter came in fast over the top of him as he gazed upward at what he knew was his now crippled Star Destroyer. It would take the engineers 15 minutes at least to get the systems back online and an hour to be completely battle ready. Worse, the hangar bays and unlocking mechanisms would fail, thus no more fighters could scramble. In his desperation he finally reached for his commlink only to realize it had broken in his fall.

He watched helplessly as the Freighter picked up two Jedi on the cliffside 300 yards from him and descended into the canyon. He felt more than saw one of the two Jedi gaze his way. This being's presence was equal to or greater than that of Master Yoda. With as much burning light as he saw this Jedi was maybe even a match for his new master. He knew instinctively it was not Master Hett who had thrown him into the canyon with ease. He also realized his master would not be pleased with this failure.

A few moments later the freighter reappeared over the cliff, leading a squadron of fighters behind which were the transport ships flanked by the rear-guard fighters.

Imperial Star Destroyer

The Captain watched helplessly as the incoming Jedi ships tore right through his limited fighter screen before making the jump to hyperspace. His hands had been tied by the requirements to capture the people below alive. His Star Destroyer could have blasted the entire complex to atoms. Now he was likely to be given the blame for this fiasco and the fault lay at the top with the person who had given the orders. As if on cue, a nervous lieutenant informed him that they had a priority communication from Coruscant. Sadly, he reflected that one of the first systems back online after the ion blast had been the communications. The hologram came online with the Emperor looking at him under the hood he had taken to wearing.

"Report, Captain."

"The Jedi had a hidden ion battery on site and waited until our forces were on the ground before launching their evacuation," the Captain said.

"Was the ground campaign in any way successful?" the Emperor asked, his voice growing cold.

"We have not had communications with the Grand Inquisitor since before the ion blast, your Majesty," the Captain replied.

"Though disappointing, one single ship of the great Imperial armada was unlikely to be successful against the number of Jedi on the planet. It was a calculated risk that would have paid off if successful, but costs us little in the end. Next time there will be a fleet, and I'm sure they won't escape again Captain. I will be watching your career with great interest." With that, the Emperor cut the line.

The Captain didn't change his facial appearance to the crew, but he had heard the unspoken threat and gazed out at where the enemy had escaped his grasp.

Rendezvous Point, Several Jumps Away.

The Jedi fleet had stopped in transit and waited nearly 20 minutes to dock along the largest of the transports to ensure they had not been tracked by the Imperials. Even the transports that had been sent had a meeting room, and all the Jedi masters gathered to make plans for their next move. The group listened as Ben and Vestara had told of the recent efforts by them and Yoda to get the Jedi settlement on Ossus back to standards. The place had, surprisingly, been in relatively decent condition. The Sith had used a Force bomb to cause the local star to undergo a nova (not to be confused with supernova) several millennia ago. The sun blast had devastated the planet, but the atmosphere and planet had remained intact with survivors of the incident living on the planet until modern times. Jedi scholars after the Vong war theorized that the planet had survived due to the natural Force nexus on the planet. The old temple on the inside was largely underground and had survived the cataclysm relatively unscathed.

(*Scientific note a nova is a powerful blast from a sun/star that does not destroy the star unlike a supernova. They are observable via telescope. They are most common in the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, but they do occur in the Milky Way. Some blasts have been observable to the naked eye in the last few centuries.)

The Jedi Knights listened eagerly to the two newcomers, who had Obi-Wan and Skywalker backing up the strange tale. Hett and Fisto listened quietly until the Jedi had finished their story.

"So we have a home," one of the Jedi knights said.

"Yes, and the planet's Force nexus will shield us from the Sith," Obi-Wan stated.

It was a strange thing, a Force nexus. Ben knew Yoda had gone to Dagobah near the dark side cave to nullify his Force signature: positive plus negative neutralized out his signature. However, planets that were either dark or light generally could hide large numbers of sensitives from a long distance in the force. The Sith had been able to hide the large numbers of their orders on planets steeped in the dark : the One Sith on Korriban/Moriband for decades and lost tribe on Kesh for millennia. The reverse was planned here: to hide the Jedi order on Ossus. The Sith and Jedi had both lost Ossus after Exar Kun's followers had set of a series of novae and supernovae off in the sector of space where it was located. Other than some fast trips in and out to grab what they could from the archives, the Jedi order had rapidly fled the system. It was fortunate that the Banite Sith did not possess any of those tools in their arsenal. They had become lost amongst other lost secrets when Gravid had torched the Sith Archives - and good riddance. The best Palpatine could manage was a Death Star. Oh, he could probably have attempted to bring Centerpoint Station online, but his lust for power was tempered by his fear for survival. Centerpoint could too easily have been used as a weapon against himself as his personal notebook had made clear he had ensured that Centerpoint was never operable in his lifetime.

Palpatine's fear almost made one wonder why he even wanted to rule the galaxy. It was long a speculation of why most of his imperial hierarchy were human with noticeable exceptions like Mas Amedda, Sly Moore, and Grand Admiral Thrawn. The answer was, not surprisingly. fear. It had nothing to do with any anti-alien hatred per se. His own Sith Master was an alien, as was one of his apprentices. As a Sith lord, he naturally viewed all others as beneath him. The answer was simply that humans all had roughly the same reflexes and aliens sometimes, depending on the specie, were naturally faster. While a Sith or a Jedi should have no difficulties with this, the risk of assassination he deemed too great to have to constantly have to monitor. The few aliens around were within his inner circle and he kept close tabs on them. Besides, Mas and Sly well knew their places and they enjoyed the power they had along with the knowledge the whole thing would fall apart without Palps being there. This and many other things were true about the Emperor, and as a time traveler it sometimes paid to visit a library and pick up his diary and drop by a bookstore and purchase a copy of his treatise on politics. The man wanted to be known by future generations. His ego was such he wanted to be remembered for thousands of years. In this case he might as well have given an autographed copy of his plans to Ben and Vestara. This made the plans they had come up with all the better. Kit Fisto, however, was not entirely comfortable with the plans.

"While I'm indeed happy to hear the Jedi will have a home going forward, I am cautious about placing all our personnel, including the younglings, in one place," Kit stated, "We could be trapped if the empire ever found us. With thousands of knights, we potentially could hold off a siege for years perhaps, but that's going to be a long term loss."

Ben and Vestara looked at each other and nodded. Their council had considered this as well in the days leading up to their departure and had a plan and potential ally they could recruit.

"There is a empire of sorts beyond the Outer Rim we may be able to ally ourselves with and gain a hiding place beyond the Empire's current and potentially future reach," Vestara said slowly.

Hett looked at the pair. "In the Unknown Regions?"

"Yes, have you ever heard of the Chiss?" Vestara asked.

Hett and Fisto shook their heads, but Anakin paused looking at her. "Yes, I encountered one of their commanders on a mission out towards Wild Space some time ago. Commander Thrawn was his name. He was a brilliant tactician and saved me and Padme from the CIS troops they had out in that region."

"It may be beneficial to renew the acquaintanceship in that case," Ben said.

"How would we find them?"

"I know the approximate location of their capital planet of Csilla," Ben said. "We send a narrow beamed message from the edge of Wild Space to meet at a location several rotations in time later and see if he shows. Worse thing they can do is say 'no'. They generally are isolationists, so its unlikely they have any direct communication with the Emperor himself."

"If they believe in isolationism, how would we get them to meet with us?" Hett inquired.

"We barter. As Jedi its likely we have knowledge or skill that would be in great demand by the Chiss Ascendency," Ben replied.

"All in favor of sending a team to meet with the Chiss and for now sending the children and their teachers to Ossus for the time being?" asked Kit.

The small number of Jedi masters in attendance all raised their hands. It was decided that the Falcon crew and Master Hett would go and meet the Chiss.

Chapter Text

"A wise warrior always anticipates a trap, especially when one offers him something he desires. This fear is also true when one makes an offer because of fear of another. In this case, the warrior must consider whether what he gains will also create an enemy and whether the gift is worth an enemy. The only time a warrior will take the gift is when he needs or desires it more than anything else."

Grand Admiral Thrawn to the Jedi Council on Ach-To.

Ach To future

The Grand Admiral had seen his greatest fears come true in the days that had proceeded. It was only due to luck, as Han would put it, that Thrawn had not been with either the fleet that had fallen or on Bastion as it had fallen to the enemy. Now he was faced with the fact he would have to surrender the Chiss's greatest secrets to the Jedi for the galaxy and his people to survive. He would make no hesitation to do so when the time came, but in private his thoughts betrayed the fact he had kept these secrets his whole life and had not even divulged them to the late Emperor Palpatine. He had considered that all these plans may fail in the end, but for now he had no choice but to start making his strategies.

19BBY Edge of the Unknown Regions

The Falcon arrived on the edge of the Unknown Regions and sent a tightly beamed message in the direction of Chiss Space. The Falcon was parked several star systems beyond Batuu to avoid any interception of the message by the Imperials. Given, even during the time of the Empire, these regions were under Imperial control in name only, and odds of an interception were slim, but since the message could not be encrypted better safe than sorry. Since Anakin was already known to the Chiss by reputation, he was the speaker of the message. The message was short, inviting the Chiss commander to a meeting in a nearby star system in 13 rotations. This was actually a bit more than should have been needed, since it was only a 3 day trip to the Chiss capital from their current location. However, there was no way of knowing where the Chiss commander was on assignment, nor how long it would take the politically cautious Chiss higher command structure to give approval for the meeting, so it was better to play it safe. Ben thought it would take less than 5 days to give approval. Vestara calculated 10 and permission would be granted last minute.

Either way, on the given day a small Chiss defense force ship came into orbit: the occupant, one Commander Thrawn, and, perhaps more importantly to the gambit, his pilot. Ben had visited Csilla many times since he was young, both on official and unofficial business. The Ascendancy had been a party to the last Vong war, along with the Galactic Alliance and Thrawn's Empire. Ben's cousin Jaina Solo had married a human member of the Chiss expeditionary force named Jagged Fel, and Ben had visited them on multiple occasions. It was a major loss that Jaina had been on Bastion and not Csilla when the purge came.

After introductions in the lounge section of the Falcon, Anakin explained the fall out of the Clone Wars to the commander, who said nothing as he listened.

When Anakin finished speaking, Thrawn said, "Since the Chancellor was running both sides of the war, the fortress we destroyed was almost certainly a contingency plan for Order 66."

"Cortosis armor. It shut off lightsabers." Anakin reflected "You're saying it would have been used by the Coruscant guard on the Temple."

"Likely in the case of a failure to secure the government by political power, the Sith would have used the troopers. They would have been immune to your blades and largely impervious to blaster fire. They would have attacked the Temple and likely the senate building at the same time," Thrawn said. "They had enough armor for at least 20,000 troops from the amount of Cortosis that I saw personally. I do find it strange, though, that this would have been allowed since the Emperor himself would be vulnerable to these troopers."

"Another weakness may have been present that he could exploit, like the chips," Anakin shrugged.

"How much of the Jedi Order survived?" Thrawn asked.

"We're uncertain," Obi-Wan Kenobi answered, "Based on preliminary numbers we think around half of the Order survived."

Thrawn closed his eyes and leaned back silently. Ben and Vestara watched in silence. Both had fairly good ideas of what the commander was thinking. Mostly because Thrawn had told them himself.

Ben was able to get Thrawn to test out their abilities to navigate the star systems without a computer, as the Chiss's skywalkers did. As such it was mere formality that the Ascendency's families agreed to an alliance, only posturing and prolonging acceptance, so it didn't seem that they were desperate. A planet was given to the Jedi within the borders of Chiss space. Several Jedi were called in from Ossus to make immediate preparations. The plan was to move the Order's children and elderly to Chiss space beyond the Empire's reach. Though war may eventually come to the Ascendency, it was a long way off. The Empire could never totally get the Outer Rim within its grasp and with the fledgling empire's political grasp tenuous already they could not afford another Galactic scale war. When the Jedi relief had arrived the Falcon and its crew finally left for the Planet of the Twin Suns.

Chapter Text

Tatooine

The Millennium Falcon had landed near the Lars homestead just after sunset. The Lars were happy to discover Anakin and Padme had survived the fall of the Republic and invited everyone in for the night.

Sunrise

Owen and Anakin had stood by their mother's grave in silence before Owen spoke. "As happy as I am to see you alive, you did not come all this way to hide or tell us you had lived."

"No," Anakin replied not taking his gaze off of his mother's tombstone. "Something happened that night that's been festering in me. I don't know if I'm here to seek atonement or to seek peace."

"The villagers?" Owen asked.

"You know?" Anakin replied.

"A scouting party went out after you had come back when we informed our neighbors. We found the village." He paused. "It didn't take a fancy core detective to figure out what had happened. May I ask why it's important?"

"It was the first time I had ever given into darker tendencies and I lost control. There are consequences for oneself, especially a Jedi when he goes that far. The Sith Emperor is all that hate and anger personified all the time. He would give no more care to a planet's population than what I did that night to that village."

"So the slippery slope." Owen nodded. "From where me and the locals stand we have been at war with the Raiders now time out of mind and there have been atrocities on each side. We lost most of the rescue team that was assembled after that raid. Many were my friends. As such I can't help you there. Most of the scouts wished they had been able to do it themselves. But if whatever it is that you're doing keeps you from turning into a psychopathic mass murdering Galactic conqueror, then I won't advise against whatever it is you do. Whatever it is, I hope you find it."

The crew had refrained from identifying Jedi Master Hett as having lived with the raiders in his youth; he had politely only said he had lived on the planet as a child. Anakin nodded as the suns had lifted above the horizon. Master Hett was approaching the two men with a couple of satchels of water and his pack. Owen, without another word, nodded and headed towards the house.

Master Hett came up beside Anakin. "I can still feel the darkness. It's faint but the echoes are still there."

Anakin sighed as he put on his hood as the suns were starting to rise higher along with the temperature. "I feel it. Do you have a sense of where we should go?"

"No, but I believe we should start where it occurred. I believe we should not travel by speeder in the event that we have to enter any territory that is conspired special to the Tusken tribes."

"I wish I knew what it was we seek," Anakin said.

"Like with most things in life, who knows what tomorrow may bring," Hett answered.

"You're rather enjoying playing the part of Yoda," Anakin accused.

"I'm practicing for a future student," Hett replied with a smile, "However, I sense our ride is nearby."

The two, with their limited baggage, walked into the desert. It was not long, as Master Hett sensed, that they had come upon a pair of dewbacks which interestingly had saddles on them, despite their being no riders evident nor sensed by the pair. Master Hett changed into his native Tatooine garment that he had long possessed though had not worn since he and Anakin had met early in the Clone Wars. He opted not to wear the Tusken head wrapping but kept the hood.

They traveled until nearly noon when they sought shelter from the suns in the hottest part of the day. The pair talked little, taking rations of water and resting to conserve energy. It was towards evening after they had resumed when they felt the presence of figures who were unseen. Anakin was reaching instinctively for his saber.

"No!" Hett said quietly but sharply. "Allow me to handle this."

Hett dismounted from his dewback, threw the reins to Anakin and went forward several yards. Anakin witnessed Hett giving off a series of hand signals. Two raiders appeared in the dusk and approached Hett. The three then communicated in the language of the Tuskens that Anakin did not understand and though the Force could be used to learn languages quickly he had no interest in learning this language. After a while Hett handed to the Tuskens a package he had brought with him and the two had disappeared into the dark.

"We camp here for the night," Hett said. "We have been guaranteed safe passage through the desert by morning. All Tusken camps will be aware of our presence and will not bother us on our journey."

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Anakin inquired.

Hett sighed. "Yes, and they will not go back on their word. I know it's difficult for a former settler to realize, but the Tuskens, while a primitive civilization, have a sense of honor."

Anakin said nothing, trying to keep his thoughts from returning to that night and allowing the anger and despair that he had felt that night surface.

Hett waited in silence for a bit before continuing. "As Jedi knights we have both tried to bring peace to many worlds through meditations. Often I have found that the hardest to solve were ones where two groups had been fighting back and forth for generations. This I fear is the case here, and I suspect we are not meant to find peace between the settlers and the Tuskens, though I hope one day that will be true."

After a fire had been lit Hett continued. "A war going back 100 generations or more. Neither remembers the reason it was started. Casualties and war crimes committed by both."

"Do you believe the Tuskens are in the right?" Anakin asked.

"Not necessarily," Hett said. "What I said to you the last time we parted still holds true. The darkness will consume you unless you first accept that what you did was wrong. And you haven't done that yet. Tuskens are still animals to you, aren't they? In your heart, you believed they deserved to die. Perhaps they did. But did you have the right to kill them? Would you do it again?"

Anakin made no move to answer. The last time Hett had confronted him with the question he had said yes to himself after he had walked away. Now he was hesitating to again say it, even to himself. The vision in the cave of Dagobah was still fresh in his mind. That horrendous monster could have been or even could be him if he allowed the darkness to fester.

When he had left Coruscant, Vestara had discovered he was under a mental Darkside attack to break him and perhaps cause him to fall. The now Emperor had foolishly been told the story of the Tusken raiders. How does one let go of the grief of watching a loved one be murdered? He perhaps could ask Ben or Vestara since they were knights with families. But for some reason he was being dragged into the desert back to a place he wished never to see again.

Hett remained silent, sensing the conflict within Anakin. How this conflict was to be solved he was uncertain, but at least he was struggling more with the concept then the last time they had spoken. They spoke little more before turning in for the night.

The next several days saw them go further into the desert. The previous time Anakin had made this journey on a speeder bike he had journeyed at full speed, and it had still taken several hours. At last one evening just as the second sun was setting, they could sense through the Force they had arrived. Visibly there was nothing there. The sands had swept in and covered all trace of the past, but the echoes were still audible in the Force. Anger, despair, sorrow, fear- mostly Anakin's, but also of the villagers.

Hett and Anakin gazed silently on the wasteland. Both dismounted and walked through the twirling sands at their feet. Hett was contemplating the feeling of the villagers not just the end, but prior the celebration that had been ongoing before the fear when he noticed that Anakin had stooped down to the ground and had begun digging slowly with his hands. Intrigued, Hett walked over to him. Anakin dug slowly, almost as if sifting, Hett noted when he inquired what he had found.

Anakin stopped momentarily. "Can you hear it?"

Hett paused and listened. He, a child of the desert, could hear things few others except those born on the planet could hear. Most believe deserts are uninhabited wastelands. And while true they are often teeming with life. He could hear the winds of the desert blow every which way, the singing sands, the sounds of the creatures of the desert going to their nests for the evening, the distant call of a Krayt dragon in her cave. The sound of nocturnal creatures coming out. But whatever it was that Anakin could hear was absent to him.

"No. Apparently it is for you alone, Skywalker," Hett replied.

Anakin sighed and nodded in response and resumed his task. How long they spent neither one knew, but when the three moons had entered the sky Anakin found what he was looking for. A small pebble no larger than a kyber crystal became visible in the moonlight.

"A Krayt pearl," Hett whispered in excitement, the surroundings momentarily lost due to the rare but extraordinary find. "They, like kyber crystals, can channel the Force. It is said they can even be used in a lightsaber instead of a kyber."

Anakin put his hand on the pearl and suddenly went stiff. Hett looked at him and realized that his young friend was seeing a vision.

It was not 10 seconds later that Anakin started and looked down at the Krayt pearl in his hand.

"What did you see?" Hett inquired.

"I am uncertain. It's a place on this planet and a cave, I saw my father entering into it. It looked like the Eastern Dune Sea; it was in a canyon range beyond three hills," Anakin replied.

Hett contemplated the location. "That's on the other side of Anchorhead, we are deep in the Jutland wastes. The Eastern Dune Sea is dangerous for most travelers. The Tuskens protect it much more fiercely than any others, the climate is harsher and there is little water. Because of this the settlers will not go out there except in the greatest of need. There is a place there that the Tuskens will not draw near. They say it is the origin of evil. Though if Revan was involved, I would imagine it is the location of the Rakatan temple where Revan and Bastila found the star map."

"You knew it was there?" Anakin asked.

"No, I knew that Revan had found a piece of the map that led to the star forge on Tatooine, even the fact it had become a Krayt dragon cave. But the actual location I never knew until you mentioned it."

"Seems like we need to go there." Anakin said.

Hett bent over and examined the Krayt dragon pearl. "I suspect that this pearl is from the greater Krayt that Revan and his associates killed."

Anakin gazed at the pearl in his hand. He could feel the Force flowing through it. It throbbed more so than a kyber crystal, teeming with life and power: waiting, expectant. Expectant of what, Anakin wasn't sure but he sensed the pearl had waited eons for a purpose. There was nothing more to glean from the area though. Since night had fallen the dewbacks would require heat. They would have to camp for the night though Anakin was loath to do so in that location.

While Anakin struggled to sleep Hett used the Force to infuse the area with the light side to wash the darkness away. The process also helped Anakin finally get to sleep. By sunrise the two were ready to begin their journey onward. During the night the taint of the darkside had been lifted from the area, and although it would leave an echo, the creatures of the area would likely no longer sense much if any change to the surroundings. In time perhaps like all pain the sands of time would heal the scars. If only it was that simple people Hett reflected

But perhaps like the echo it was a necessary process of the healing if only a person chooses to be healed.

Chapter Text

Tatooine, Eastern Dune Sea

It had taken some time to ride the dewbacks into the Eastern Dune Sea from the Jutland wastes. Between infrequent sandstorms and being unable to travel at night with the dewbacks, they made the journey rather slowly. Yet made it was until finally they had reached the mountain range Anakin had seen in his vision. Anakin and Hett entered the canyon, feeling a pull from a nearby wall covered in rubble. The pair used the Force to remove the rocks from the cover and discovered the entrance to a cave along with fossilized remnants of a Krayt dragon.

The two then entered the cave after lighting their sabers. The walls of the cave were not natural they could tell even after all this time that the cave had been built by machine.

"Have we even found the temple?" Anakin asked. "It just looks like a cave. The entrance to the temple must be hidden or the Krayt destroyed it."

"Certainly not the Krayt dragon. The Krayt was killed before Revan found the map to the star forge," Hett answered. "The map was certainly part of the temple complex. I imagine we must find it first." Hett ran his hands over some oddly-shaped rocks to investigate when latch opened revealing a doorway.

Anakin and Hett stepped through finding within the map room to the ancient forge. To their surprise the map was still functional.

"This must be powered by the Force," Hett said in awe at the map before him. "It was written by the ancients that the Rakattans had figured out how to use the Force in their technology, but I didn't anticipate it was quite this literally."

"But they lost their connection to the Force it was also said," Anakin replied.

"Indeed though how that came to be, either because of a sickness or it was a backlash of the Force itself is unknown," Hett replied. "With their access to the Force gone, they lost the ability to use their technology, and slave revolts across the galaxy put down their empire within a few years. But surely this map room isn't all there is."

The two Jedi looked through the room carefully before finding a panel that led to another room. The entered the door and gazed down in amazement. At the bottom of a long flight of stairs was a Rakatan temple.

"They built a temple in the bedrock," Anakin noted. "Why would they go through the trouble of putting a temple here beneath the sand?"

"The Force is strong here. There must be a nexus of the Force here on Tatooine," Hett said.

"I'm rather surprised since there is little life on the planet," Anakin said.

"It is almost certainly like Ilum, a nexus of the Cosmic Force as opposed to the Living Force," Hett answered, "The strange thing is, while I do sense the darkness ,it is much lighter than I expected for an ancient Rakattan temple."

Anakin nodded in agreement as the two descended down the stairs. "It's strange to think that for a group of galaxy spanning conquerors that Tatooine would have played any role in their empire much less the point at which they would bother to place a temple," he remarked gazing on the infrastructure.

"Rakatan hyperspace technology could only go between points that were strong with the Force," Hett answered. "While Tatooine isn't known for being a place strong in the Force that may not have always been the case; it's possible we will find the explanation here."

The temple was lit with a strange light- red and green- that seemed at odds with the way the light was shown around the temple. The structure was not large, being less in size than the hanger bay of the Jedi temple on Coruscant. It was a ziggurat in structure with a drawbridge leading to an open door. Despite the darkness, neither felt that there were any threats present, even though the door was open instead of closed as they gingerly crossed the bridge alert for any traps.

Hett said out loud what they were both thinking. "Do you find it strange this whole place is just wide open?"

Anakin halted briefly reaching out but still sensing nothing amiss. "Based on what you say of the Rakattans, it was likely deemed a symbol of their power and they didn't anticipate any resistance. Where did you learn about them? We were taught little about them except they had an empire predating the old republic and that was in passing." Anakin inquired.

"I had several teachers. Ki Adi Mundi you would know. I also had another as well: a less orthodox teacher, known as the dark woman in Jedi temple gossip, who was vastly interested in ancient dark side civilizations. I dare say the council tolerated Qui-Gon Jinn better than they did her." Hett said amused at the thought. "She however forsaw the galaxy getting darker, and in her paranoia sought out dark places to flush out any would-be Sith Lords.

"Seemed to have a point," Anakin noted with a huff.

"Yes, but she was looking for the monsters of legend not backstabbing politicians who say one thing and mean another," Hett answered. "In a way the council was right. The stuff she pursued were for tourist attractions and treasure hunters: Morriband, Dromand Kas. Places no actual Dark Lord of the Sith would have ventured openly, knowing that the Jedi would be observant of those places if they ever sensed their rise in the galaxy. Coruscant and, I suspect, Sojurn, which was glassed by the crime syndicates, would have been the places to have looked. But who would suspect people who have day jobs and are important influential ostensibly respectable people?"

By this time the duo had entered into the actually simple structure with an obelisk in front of them. The two approached the obelisk and realized on it in the center of the stone on a stand was a red kyber crystal.

"Is it a trap?" Anakin asked.

Hett closed his eyes and felt outward after a pondering on what was in front of them he opened his eyes. "No, the Rakattans were attempting to darken the Force nexus into being a dark side nexus. By funneling the nexus through the kyber, they wanted to imbue the area into the dark."

"I can feel it here inside the building but not outside of this area," Anakin responded.

"Yes, the experiment was a failure. They could not completely cap the nexus, thus only a sliver is tainted which goes through that kyber crystal," Hett said.

"Do we remove the kyber or would we alert the Dark Lord to this location by changing a nexus?" Anakin asked.

Hett considered for a moment. "The nexus itself is a light side nexus. Removing the tiny sliver will likely not be enough to cause a shockwave through the Force large enough to cause any major ripples. The light side nexus will also blind the darkness creating a natural camouflage. It's likely why you were not sensed by any dark-sider off planet when you were young."

Anakin slowly reached for the kyber crystal to remove it from the focal point of the nexus when he withdrew his hand and reached in his pocket. He withdrew the Krayt pearl and with the same hand reached for the kyber crystal and grabbed hold.

The last words he heard before the world went black were his friend yelling Anakin.

Chapter Text

Anakin's Point of View.

The world went spinning out of sight and all he saw was stars. His vision cleared, and he was on a spacecraft, seeing two amphibious-type creatures. He couldn't understand their language, but he knew what they were saying. They were discussing the issue of a planet's Force nexus and how they were incapable up to that point of getting it to go dark so they could fuel their machines off the dark side of the Force. The creatures were also discussing the issue that they believed that the people of the planet had created a plague that had harmed them and they sought ways to gain vengeance on the people of the planet while also accomplishing their goals. He watched scenes go by of ships soaring through space until a ship on the outside of a sun's orbit stopped. He then saw the creatures place what appeared to be Sith holocrons into a photon torpedo. The creatures then fired the torpedo into a local sun. He watched with horror upon the realization that the torpedo was causing the sun to go nova. He watched as an extremely intense flare radiated out from the sun through the entire quadrant of space. He watched as the flare diminished over time before hitting a planet that was lush and green with vast oceans.

The vision changed again. He was witnessing through the eyes of someone the coming solar flare. He watched as everything around him began to burn- the trees and the buildings. Everyone who could had fled underground. He knew the end was upon him. He saw through eyes not his own the devastation of the flare had burned all green things on the planet. He witnessed the satisfaction that the attackers had over the planet's state. Time had gone by and the flare had knocked the planet enough off of its course that the oceans had melted away. He saw a large fleet of ships around the planet begin an unceasing orbital bombardment on what was left of the planet. He watched as everything was turned to glass. The only survivors were within a protective shield but the invaders did not care nor touch them, soaking in the desperation and despair they could feel off them as they turned the planet into glass. He then saw the Rakattans (as he now suspected them to be) begin the deed of capping the nexus on the planet using what appeared to be a Sith holocron, but he somehow knew that the Rakattans had been the ones who created the holocron. They then left the planet and never returned.

His vision then changed to the survivors, worn down by the defeat of their once proud people. In his shock he saw them mutate from normal humans to beings greatly disfigured by the solar flare. He watched in horror as the rains had dried up and the planet was dying. They covered every inch of their bodies to hide their disfigurements. He watched as this progressed through generations and then realized with horror that the clothing was becoming familiar. The clothing got more primitive until he saw through a mirror a Tusken raider.

Anakin now found himself drawn to another image; he was once again inside the Rakatan temple where a couple of Sith Lords were inspecting the holocron on its stand. The master and young apprentice gazed at the holocron, the master's eyes greedy for the knowledge it might possess.

He reached for the holocron when the apprentice said, "Master, should we not leave it? After all it is serving a purpose to make the dark side predominant here on this planet."

"Power comes at great cost to my young apprentice," the Master said, "A lesson you have had difficulty learning. However, you may be right about leaving the dark side artifact in this place."

"Master, I would not endeavor to tell you how to do something-" The apprentice started then gasped and looked down to see a red saber going through his chest. Moments later the apprentice fell to the floor, dead. The Master summoned the apprentice's lightsaber to his hand and cut it in half. After doing so he removed the kyber crystal and swapped out the crystal for the holocron.

"You have questioned me for the last time, my former apprentice. I told those fools on the dark council that kidnapping Jedi teenagers would be a fool's errand," the Master intoned, glaring at the body of his former apprentice. "Even if you sought the power of the Sith and were not a spy, you always subconsciously tried to tie my hands with your ingrained philosophies. We were on the edge of great power, yet you feared my taking it would put me forever beyond your reach. However, a broken chronometer is right twice a day and I will leave your kyber here forever to be a substitute as a monument to your failure forever."

The Sith then picked up the body with the Force. "Your body I will leave with the Krayt dragons."

The vision changed again, and he spotted his father entering into the map room, both as a Sith Lord and as a Jedi Knight. The visions changed again. He saw again the Tuskens who had seen their world crumble to pieces. He witnessed the first settlers on Tatooine, witnessed the first confrontation caused by fear. The Tuskens feared the sky-raiders had come again, and the settlers feared the creatures that appeared out of nowhere. Thus began the vicious cycle of war between the settlers and Tuskens. Over a hundred generations of war with no end, Anakin thought, all because the Rakattans had attempted to purge the planet in their hatred. The constant cycle of violence made him sick.

He then felt a pull and once again he was seeing through the eyes of another. This was a child, he knew, running through the sands of the desert. He was running away from a monster. Anakin could feel and was sickened by the fear of the child. He could hear the child's thoughts, that the monster had killed his mother and family, and it was pursuing him. The child ran around the corner of a dune, and to Anakin's shock and horror, he was staring at himself with a lighted lightsaber. He witnessed in his eyes the beginnings of the corruption he saw in the vision on Dagobah. He witnessed the pain as the child was pulled forward with the Force and thrust through with his own lightsaber. He screamed in pain. And suddenly he found himself knees down on the sand in his own body at that place in Tatooine with the moons overhead.

He could hear the sands blow and feel the sand beneath him. He sensed the presence of three Force nexuses and sensed he was in the center. He could feel the pull of his anger, the anger that had happened that night. The anger was however dulled; did he wish to hang onto that anger? The words of Master Hett came to him: "You must first accept that what you did was wrong. And you haven't done that yet. Tuskens are still animals to you, aren't they? In your heart, you believed they deserved to die. Perhaps they did. But did you have the right to kill them? Would you do it again?"

Anakin hung his head low. Could he feel this anger towards the people who had suffered so much, yet had caused in their own pain, fear and suffering. What would become of him if he went through life lashing out like the Tuskens did for what they did to his mother? As if in answer he felt the darkness grow and a new vision had begun. He could see Coruscant back before the fall of the Jedi. He witnessed not being promoted to master yet being given a seat on the council. He witnessed Obi-Wan informing him he needed to basically spy on the Chancellor because the Council was beginning to suspect Palpatine wouldn't give up power.

"How right they are," Anakin thought.

He witnessed himself discover Palpatine was a Sith Lord, saw the indecisive decision to follow Mace and watched as Mace had Palpatine at his mercy and, for no reason Anakin could discern clearly, witnessed himself chop off Mace's hand. He saw Palpatine go from whimpering coward to full-fledged Sith Lord. He watched as he bent the knee to his new master. He then watched as he attacked the Jedi temple at the head of the 501st division. Anakin watched without being able to stop anything as he slaughtered the younglings just as he had the the Tuskens. He continued to watch as his life went further down the drain: images of him choking padme and fighting Obi-Wan. He witnessed as he foolishly jumped over Obi-Wan's head and got struck down; he witnessed his body burned. To his shock he did not die. He watched as he saw the Emperor come and save him, watched as he was placed in the familiar suit, watched as Palpatine said he had killed Padme .

The vision then followed the path of the new Dark Lord of the Sith on his quest for power in the galaxy, leaving the bodies of countless victims behind him and blood soaking his hands in the desperate and useless search and quest for power that had no end.

He witnessed himself killing children and civilians on the sidelines to do nothing more than draw Obi-Wan out of hiding. He saw himself putting someone in carbonite. The vision changed to witnessing a sword fight between himself and a young man who was reminiscent of Ben. The young man was doing his best but Vader was obviously toying with him before cutting off his hand.

"Don't make me destroy you," Vader intoned to the beaten Jedi.

"I'll never join you," Luke answered

"Good going kid, keep it up," Anakin thought approvingly.

" If only you knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."

"He told me enough, he told me you killed him," Luke responded.

"No, I am your father," Vader responded.

Anakin and Luke were both shocked: Luke at the prospect that the most evil man in the galaxy is his father, and Anakin that he would ever chop his son's hand off to get him to turn to the dark side.

Anakin watched as Luke jumped off the platform and was rescued by his friends. The vision ended with Anakin again tumbling to the ground in the deserts of Tatooine under the moons. He was dripping in sweat despite the chill of the evening.

"You still see them as animals?" the voice of Master Hett said.

"No," Anakin said. He could see them as animals harmed by the ancients dark-siders so long ago. The eyes of the child viewing him as a monster- the child didn't deserve that and had done nothing to his mother other than being a member of a tribe of people long since harmed by a dark-sider. The vengeance of the dark side played out over millennia. He could not become the specter of darkness that he had witnessed- very powerful, yet totally miserable, having nothing to seek in life except power. But what was the good of power when it was only for the subjugation of others? He was still under the thumb of the Emperor who was still greater than he. Yet how, how does one let go of hatred? One that was rooted deep in an event that had defined his life.

Suddenly he felt the pull of the Force again and this time it wasn't the darkness that called.

He once again found himself witnessing the events of Luke's hand being cut off and desperate escape. He then watched as Luke over the next year grow and become more of a Jedi. He watched in shock as Luke willingly turned himself in to his vision counterpart. Pride and despair filled him as he watched his son committed what looked like suicide by Sith in the rash hope that his love for his father would break Vader free of the Emperor's chains. He watched as Luke said he would not fight him and felt despair as his counterpart still struck at him. He watched as Luke's anger finally got the better of him in protection of his twin he watched as Luke defeated his counterpart. He was certain the killing blow to save his sister would be coming in short order, yet he watched as Luke's face turn from rage to horror over what he almost did and turned to the man who was egging him on. He thought Palpatine had overdone it and had he kept quiet he could possibly have committed the deed in defense of his sister.

Instead his son defiantly, rashly in Anakin's more worried opinion, threw away his lightsaber and confidently told the Sith master that his plan had failed. Anakin's momentary feeling of pride was overclouded with worry; he wanted to shout at Luke to watch out. Palpatine had fought Yoda nearly to a standstill and Yoda was more powerful than Anakin. Anakin knew the old man's pretense of frailty, like Yoda's, was nothing but just that -an act. "So be it Jedi," came the spiteful hate filled reply. The emperor quickly had his son disabled with Sith lightning, taunting him while killing him. Anakin wanted to rage at his counterpart who was just standing there.

Finally when hope seemed lost, his counterpart got his act together and intervened, throwing the old man over the side of an oddly uncovered abyss. Anakin then watched as his son attempted to save him and watched his final words as Luke dragged his lifeless body into a nearby shuttle. He then watched his son give the terror of the galaxy a more dignified funeral than he deserved. All the pain he caused Luke; harming his family and friends, the hatred he could so easily have held in his heart. The vision ended again with him on the sands of Tatooine.

Anakin wept. His son had fewer reasons not to hate him than he did the Tusken warriors. While the Tuskens were an always shadowy threat to the settlers of Tatooine, Vader was an active threat to his son and his friends, killing multiple friends and family. Hett's questions were now in his head and he had his answer: he had no more right to kill the tribe than Vader did the occupants of the Jedi temple. That it could have been a future his path would have led to was frightening. It actually made little sense why he had descended into the darkness as quickly as he had seen, from wanting to imprison Palpatine to being his loyal attack dog. A thought crossed his mind, as he still had trouble letting go his anger, of whether Luke's kindness to himself had solely been because he was family.

The Force, as if it heard, responded with yet another vision. He saw Luke being chased in a fighter by a woman with red hair who was desperate to kill his son. He recognized with shock he had seen the woman as one of Palpatine's minions in his interactions as Vader. He watched the fighters crash into the jungle. He witnessed the two crossing a jungle with the woman holding a blaster on his son and her fury that she couldn't kill him radiant. He then watched as his son for some reason kept putting himself in danger to either rescue her or her friends. He then watched as they encountered a crazed Jorus C'baoth clone and watched as she killed a clone of Luke instead of his actual son and freed herself of the final command of the Emperor who had spent his last thought wanting revenge on Vader for his betrayal.

He noted with an oddity that the Noghri were accompanying them in their missions and were calling Luke "the son of Vader". Also these visions showed how much of a friend his old pal Palpatine really was. The visions then showed Luke helping a padawan of the old Jedi who had become an dark Jedi turn his life around and become a Jedi again. The vision eventually showed him that Luke and Mara got married as the vision came to an end and Anakin found himself back on the sands of Tatooine once more.

Chapter Text

His son was a much better man than he was and he was proud of that fact. That didn't keep him from wanting to talk to the man his son would become. He smiled. Luke wouldn't be very talkative right now and it would be a rather one way conversation. He felt the Force shift again as he noticed the eastern sky begin to brighten. Ahead of him he saw a figure approach. As it approached he saw that it was a barefooted Tusken . Anakin wasn't sure what was happening, but decided to play it through. He did what he had seen Luke do, removing his blade and throwing it away. The figure saw the action and did not hesitate to come within 10 feet of Anakin.

The Tusken seemed surprised to see Anakin in the sands. To Anakin's surprise a woman's voice came from behind the mask. "Why are you here in the desert, settler?"

Anakin raised himself from the ground. "I come to face the repercussions of my actions."

The Tusken looked at him. Strangely, he felt as if he were being probed with the Force for his intentions.

"What actions do you speak of?" The Tusken asked.

"In vengeance of my mother's death I slaughtered a tribe of your people," Anakin answered, getting the words out only with great difficulty.

"How was one man capable of destroying many warriors by himself unless you did it in a sky machine?" The Tusken inquired.

Anakin was having difficulty reading this figure in the Force and suspected she was Force sensitive.

"With my weapon." Anakin pointed at it lying in the sand some 10 yards away.

The Tusken reached out her hand, summoning the lightsaber to her.

She gazed at the weapon and activated the switch revealing the sapphire blade. After a few moments' inspection, she closed the blade.

"Why was your mother harmed by the raiders?" The Tusken inquired. "To kill women and children is not their way."

"I don't know, I only know I found her dying in a tent after being tied up and beaten nearly to death."

There was silence for a moment.

"To kill those who enacted the torture of your mother would be deemed normal within the culture of the Tuskens in a battle. The beating of a defenseless woman to death for no reason is not a thing tolerated within the culture at large. The village you came across were almost certainly scavengers or angry at the loss of a leader.

"This does not excuse your actions however. You went beyond the parameters of justice and turned to slaughter. It would normally be upon a member of the Tuskens' family to pronounce judgment- either banishment or death. None are available; therefore it is upon me, by the will of the Force, to pass judgment it would seem."

The Tusken lit Anakin's saber and paused. "It is my judgment you will never again raise a weapon against any Tusken ever again except in defense of others. You are known amongst the Tuskens as the Off-world Demon or Vengeful Ghost. You will never harm another child again or defenseless woman, and from this day forth you will consider yourself the protector of any child that you are able to save. Lastly you are forever banished from the Jundland wastes, except to save someone at great need, wherein you will also be required to be accompanied by another who can vouch for you. Will you swear by the sands of Tatooine and the moons in the sky that you will forever abide by this judgement?"

Anakin paused a moment before answering. "I do."

"Then if you fail to maintain your oath may the sands of Tatooine bury you forever," the Tusken said. With that the Tusken removed a lightsaber from her robes, lit its green blade and split Anakin's in two. "Anakin Skywalker, child of the twin suns, I further charge you to never again walk on the darkened path. Only misery will happen to you, your family, and your friends. Will you follow forever the light side of the Force and be its servant and not seek to bend the Force to your will? Will you never again allow your anger to cause you to become the terror of innocents?"

"I do," Anakin answered.

"If you fail to keep this oath may you never find shade from the suns," the Tusken intoned. "Remember your oaths and keep them well and let vengeance and hate never have a place again in your heart. Farewell, child of the desert."

The Tusken turned to leave when Anakin stopped her.

"Wait. You are a Jedi. Do we know each other?" Anakin inquired.

The Tusken turned and removed her mask revealing a blond woman 12 years or so older than Ben. She looked at him. "No, we have never met before, and whether we will meet in the future- that will be up to you, yet I deem it will be a long time before that happens."

" "What's your name?" Anakin asked.

"Tahiri," the mysterious blonde answered. "Farewell, Anakin Skywalker."

He felt himself hurled across space-time, seeing Luke and Mara's wedding and the years that followed. He saw as their son was born and watched him grow. It was with shock that he realized he knew a grown up Ben.

It was with this realization that much of what had happened recently become clear. Yoda's implicit trust in the two strangers and the seemingly coincidental journey that they had gone on. Images went by of Ben and Vestara with an adult Ahsoka in a strange world with gateways to the past. He watched as they entered and left the world to knight Ahsoka.

He watched as Ben gave a messenger bot Kenobi's letter on the night of the Harkeem incident. He saw an older Thrawn speaking with a Jedi council including his son, whom he had previously watched become the Jedi after the fall of the empire.

He watched and understood that his seemingly random journey and training had been anything but random, even if events took their path. The Palace of Light showing that even the strongest Sith lord saw that light was more powerful. The Bendu sending him to Revan so his mysterious past and the prophecy would no longer bind him. Yoda sending him into the cave to confront his darker impulses and see what could have been his future if he did not heed the lessons he learned on Tython and Ach-To. And the Bendu sending him to Tatooine to confront the night it all began and his first steps towards the dark.

His thoughts drifted to his mother when the images of Yoda secretly freeing his mother years prior went by leaving the young Skywalker dumbfounded that he was unaware of that courtesy. The spies and minions of the Dark Lord of the Sith concealing the communications from his mother. The images faded back to him being on the sands of Tatooine with the sun beginning to rise.

He pondered and realized that Ben and Vestara had been one step in front of Sidious the whole time because not only were they time travelers, but they had the greatest minds of the galaxy making this plan. Mara and Thrawn both knew Sidious personally and could counter his plans. Luke and Snips planned everything on the Force side of things, drawing on ancient knowledge of the Jedi that was lost even from the current broken Order.

Anakin then felt another shift but this felt more ancient. With a blink he found himself standing on a green mountain overlooking an ocean.

He turned and saw a hooded figure gazing at the sunrise. The figure sensed Anakin with some surprise and turned. The figure removed his hood to reveal none other than his son who had aged to midlife.

"Hello, Father," Luke said.

"How is this possible?" Anakin asked, going forward to hug his older son.

"I honestly don't know, but I suspect it's what Ben and Ves went back to handle," Luke said with a smile.

"How-" Anakin started.

But Luke cut him off. "It doesn't matter; it could only be done because the galaxy is in danger of absolute destruction."

Anakin paused for a moment. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Luke asked.

"Come back for me on Endor?" Anakin asked.

"I didn't see a choice. Even on Bespin after much reflection I still sensed a glimmer of light in you and the conflict," Luke answered. "Throwing away someone into the dark is not what Jedi are for, even though it is true that most darksiders will never come back. But you, I had to believe that the good man that Ben and Yoda talked about still was alive."

"Quite a risk," Anakin said.

"My wife has long said I need better impulse control," Luke said.

"Yeah, we might live longer if we listen to our wives," Anakin said.

They both laughed at that statement.

"Is there something about the future you need to tell me? Is that why I'm here?" Anakin asked.

"No, I think this is a gift," Luke said. "Your future is down a different path now. I don't know what it will be, but when is that different from any other day? All I can say is make it a good one."

Anakin nodded as he felt their time was growing short.

"Farewell. I hope to meet you like this on the long way around," Luke said. "Take care of Ben and Ves for me, will you?"

"I'll do that," Anakin said.

The father and son turned and watched the suns rise to meet a new day and the vision disappeared.

Attolan

The Bendu raised his head at the stars above and laughed. "Balance is restored."

Coruscant

Sidious watched the night lights flicker on the planet that never slept and felt a shift in the Force. Compared to the galaxy, the shift was minute, but he had long known a single pebble can leave a big wake. He sunk back in his seat in fear. What were the Jedi plotting to do?

Tatooine, Rakatan Temple

"Anakin! Anakin, are you alright?"

Anakin blinked his eyes and saw the face of his friend over him. He groaned and tried to turn over.

"Easy, you have your lightsaber in your hand."

Anakin looked down at his hand. His saber had not actually been broken, but it felt different.

"You might want to open the crystal chamber of your lightsaber and inspect it for flaws," Hett said.

Anakin sat up and allowed the Force to disassemble the lightsaber. When he opened his eyes, he was astonished. There were two crystals. The Sith crystal had turned a beautiful white, and it was in place with the Krayt pearl.

"The crystal was healed," Hett muttered, "I am uncertain how that happened, but it has."

Anakin closed the saber and stood up. He looked A'sharad Hett in the eye and said, "No, I would never do it again." "

Hett looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Come, let us leave this place."

Lars Home, Near Sunset

Ben was sitting on the dunes, meditating with visions of possible futures coming and going through his mind; he even saw one that would require an enormous unlikely change in the timelines where his friend Rey Palpatine was burying something. Earlier in the afternoon Yoda and Ahsoka had arrived from Ossus with the babies and escorts, saying they had sensed the children wanting their parents.

Padme came up behind him with Vestara, each of them carrying a baby. When they reached Ben, they spotted two figures on the horizon. Padme ran down the hill towards the two.

"I think we need to hold onto Aunt Leia for a moment." Ben smiled as they watched the pair embrace.

"Do you think we have succeeded.?" Vestara asked.

"Who knows? Time will tell," Ben said. "But either way, this is better so far."

Anakan and Padme went up to the dune behind the Lars house.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Padme asked.

"Yes, peace from that night," Anakin said, running his hand through Luke's hair, then hugging Padme. "I also got a souvenir."

Anakin unbuckled his saber and in the dimming light lit up a new greenish white blade. Exclamations of amazement could be heard from onlookers before Anakin placed it back on his belt. "Now we look forward instead of backwards for our family, friends and the galaxy."

Anakin and Padme, holding Luke, gazed out at the sunset, looking towards a brighter future.

The End

Chapter Text

Luke Skywalker was fading fast. The battle with this monster had taken a toll on him, not to mention the betrayal by Darth Krayt moments ago that had cost him the ability to deal the monster a mortal blow.

His allies were down. He felt that he had reached his limits.

Abeloth glared at Luke. "We could have ruled the galaxy together. But now you will suffer great pain before you die."

"Funny. I don't remember ever hearing that offer," Luke muttered, hoping at the minimum to have the last word.

Abeloth flashed purple lightning from her hands and aimed it squarely at Luke's chest. The lightning poured forth and Luke put up his hands to attempt to redirect it when a whitish-green lightsaber appeared and blocked the lightning.

Luke looked up and was stunned to see his father in the flesh holding a lightsaber and blocking the attack.

"Impossible," Abeloth said as her anger grew greater. "You died years ago after you killed my family."

"Your family died because they attempted to bring about a prophecy. A prophecy that was self-fulfilling," Anakin stated, glaring at the creature before him. "Now I will finish the job and bring balance to the Force and spare the galaxy from your destructive behavior once and for all."

"You cannot kill me, even with all your power. I am invincible and will conquer all. I am the Queen of the Stars!" Abeloth yelled.

"No, you are not," Anakin replied, taking a step closer. "You are a woman who was afraid of losing everything you had to the mortality of time. I can sympathize with those feelings, but you caused the loss of your family yourself. You lost yourself to the dark and lost your adopted family, years before your mortal death would have killed you. If I knew a way to bring you back from the darkness, I would, but you have allowed yourself to be consumed by it."

"They were not adopted," Abeloth's eyes glared. "I was their mother! I gave birth to them, but neither the Force nor the celestial nature of their bodies flowed through me. I took the Force and made it my servant because it would deny me my family, and it was tearing them apart in conflict."

She fired another blast of Force lightning at the others in the room to distract Anakin, but it was intercepted by Master Ahsoka Tano. Luke blinked as he saw Master A'sharad Hett assist her. He could also see she was assisted by her condor, Morai.

He glanced from his prone position to see the elderly- yet still powerful- Jedi Masters Ben and Vestara Solo change into his son and daughter-in-law . He was sure he was hallucinating because he now was thinking he was seeing old Ben Kenobi with Anakin Solo.

He watched as his father took another step closer to the creature flickering in lightning of her own making.

"Then you have my true sympathy; however, you have torn family after family apart in your quest to be complete. That I cannot allow to continue any more than I could allow your son to escape Mortis," Anakin said. He made another step forward when, materializing into shape in his hand, the dagger of Mortis appeared.

"How came you by that abomination?" Abeloth screamed.

"Your husband gave it to me in the final moments before Mortis collapsed. It's been part of my body ever since, waiting for this moment to appear and restore balance to the galaxy once more," Anakin said.

The dagger of Mortis was now reflecting the lightning back onto the miserable creature before him. Her fear was causing the lightning to intensify despite it beginning to harm her.

"Now!" yelled Master Hett and a streak of electric judgment leaped from his fingers at Abeloth. Master Tano raised her hand and white lightning escaped her fingers as well.

Abeloth stared at Master Tano, holding up her hands to defend herself from the onslaught. "You as well, Daughter?" The voice was full of sorrow.

From deep within Ahsoka, another voice said, "There was no other way. Let go of your fear and your hate."

There was a moment's hesitation in the eyes of Abeloth, and for a moment Anakin could see past the monstrosity and see the woman she was before the fear of loss had driven her to desperation. She had sought a power beyond her ability to control, a power which had corrupted this once good woman. Anakin's mind rushed back to the day he and Hett were in the ancient Rakkattan temple and had seen the possible future for himself if he had pursued a similar path.

The corrupting changes of the Font of Power were too great, though, and Abeloth had been in their sway for millennia. The eyes hardened, and she screamed as the electricity flowed from her, greater than before, causing all the Jedi but one to falter under the onslaught.

Anakin Skywalker, with all the power and knowledge accumulated over nearly a century of living, walked forward into the storm unabated and plunged the dagger into Abeloth's chest.

Abeloth screamed. As the dagger appeared to take power from her body, a dark steam seemed to flow into the blade along with a steady stream of light. The unnatural light disappeared from the woman's eyes, and the dagger of Mortis evaporated into thin air, leaving the body of an old woman on the floor.

To Anakin's shock the woman was not quite dead, but was stripped of the Force powers she had been using.

The woman looked slowly at Anakin's lightsaber

"My beautiful daughter once drew a picture of a knight who would bring balance. With that color saber," the woman said, panting for breath.

The onlookers watched breathlessly as Anakin deactivated his saber and knelt next to the dying woman.

Ahsoka Tano walked over and Morai flew from her shoulder onto the woman's side.

"Morai, old friend," the woman said quietly, "what has happened?"

Morai chirped.

"No. Darkness has covered my path for so long, I don't remember," she answered. "The last thing I remember is drinking from the Font of Power."

Morai gave a sad chirp.

"Forgive me, old friend. I was doing only what I believed I needed to, even if I knew it was foolish," she said with tears in her eyes. "But it appears I lost everything that day instead of cherishing the time I had."

Morai chirped sadly again.

"Then, thank you, old friend. for being here at the end." Her voice lowered, her eyes closed, and the Jedi felt her final passing.

Anakin bowed his head for a moment as everyone still on the ground got on their feet.

Luke walked over and touched his father's shoulder and said cautiously. "Father, how are you hear?"

Anakin, shaking free of memories of his visions in the Rakkattan temple, realized the implication of what Luke was asking.

"Do you not remember the world in which I didn't die on the Death Star?" Anakin asked.

Luke was about to shake his head no when he started to remember another world than that which he knew. He looked up at his father and said, "It worked."

Anakin rose to his feet and clapped Luke on the back and said, "Indeed, my son."

"I'm not sure what specifically you guys are talking about," Master Hett said. "But, Anakin, why were you holding out on us that you possessed the dagger of Mortis? I thought you and Kenobi said it was still on the obelisk if it existed anywhere in the galaxy anymore."

"I didn't remember until I was within 10 feet of her," Anakin replied. "The Father sealed off those memories as I was running to the shuttle. It required a specific set of circumstances to reach those memories and access the dagger once more. But this time the dagger is truly gone with the last of the Mortis Force wielders. The dagger was tied to their lives."

"That was a risky plan on his part, hoping that you would somehow be the one to confront her when the time came," Hett said.

"He believed the prophecy to the point that he couldn't see past it," Obi-Wan muttered as he came up. "He could see no way for Anakin to die before he confronted her. As such he, for the second time, nearly risked the fate of the entire galaxy on a single hope."

Anakin looked at the woman at their feet. "Her fate could have easily been mine. I pity her a great deal. The promise of power beyond that which she had, so she could be with her family."

"As it could be said of many people, myself included," Obi-Wan said. "Come, brother, let's get out of here."

Ach-To

With Abeloth dead, the armies she had been leading had fallen at the moment she had died. Danni Quee determined that even though the Vong inability to be sensed with the force had prevented Abeloth from assimilation, it had not prevented her from controlling their minds. The final effect was still the same with the invading armies now dead across the galaxy in an instant. Therefore it was some time before the Jedi were able to hold a funeral for all of the fallen and even the woman that Abeloth had been at one time.

As the fading fire of the ceremony died down towards the sunrise, Luke and Anakin found themselves on top of the mountain watching the Eastern sky brighten. Luke noted that both of his hands were flesh now as opposed to robotic. He couldn't say the changes were regrettable.

"I have never asked Ben or Vestara, but was the change worth it?" Anakin asked. "There's no telling how many minor changes we made into major ripple effects."

"That's why we only permitted the attempt when all else had failed," Luke replied. "The Galaxy was dying. Everyone everywhere was dying, or going to do so. You saw what she could do."

Anakin nodded grimly. "The time travel change kept me from going down a similar path, though, and that's the part that bothers me. We were akin in many ways." Anakin looked to the horizon "She sought power greater than she possessed to change a path she could not alter. I have seen in visions the path that was waiting for me down the dark road. Are we all just one bad decision away from doing what she had done?"

Luke took a moment to contemplate before answering "No, her decision was her own. One mistake led her to the dark path, but it was ultimately her choice to continue down the path of darkness. You even attempted to stop her, and I felt she was on the whisker length of a different decision. The choice to make things right instead of allowing her fear and anger to consume her was always hers." Luke then turned to Anakin. "You finally chose to make the right decision and that is what defines your legacy."

Anakin took his son and embraced him. After a while he said,"By the way, you can have the Grandmaster job back."

Luke blinked and had to think a moment before remembering in this reality his father was the Grandmaster since he had taken on the role after Yoda's passing.

"Well, I think I may have some experience with that." Luke said with a grin.

They laughed and continued to watch as the sky brightened.

A few hundred yards away, Ben and Vestara were also waiting for the sunrise.

"How does it feel not to be old?" Vestara asked.

"A bit shocking to be frank. I didn't expect to not have grey hair this morning," Ben said with a grin.

"You ready to live another life?" Ben asked more seriously.

Ves smiled. "One day at a time."

The two smiled and kissed right as the sun came above the horizon.

Epilogue

It was discovered that Luke, Mara, Ben, Vestara, and Anakin were the only ones who remembered both timelines, and Anakin only because he had seen it in the Rakkattan temple.

Ben and Vestara had merged with their younger selves in the final battle. Despite not being present in their original timeline, the older versions had joined the fight. No one else knew anything unusual had occurred. Obi-Wan had known for years Ben and Vestara's true identities and had eventually asked them about it, but he did not have any memories of the timeline where he fell on the first Death Star.

Master A'sharad Hett had never fallen to the darkness in his despair after the fall of the Order.

Obi Wan Kenobi married a widow from the planet Tatooine and in addition to the step-children, they had several more children, who would become Jedi.

The final battle with the Emperor was epic, with Anakin and the Emperor facing each other in a full blown Force battle sans sabers, but Anakin was victorious. Anakin spared the Emperor so he could receive a fair trial. But the treachery of the Sith persisted even with the fall of the Sith order. The Emperor was found in his ysalamiri-surrounded prison with a lightsaber through the chest. The only clue was an unlit candle at the scene. Yoda dropped his ears and sighed when he was told, yet said nothing further.

Han Solo had grown up in the Jedi temple on Ossus, but spent much of his time with the pilots that had come into the Order. He eventually become the Order's best non-Force user pilot. On one such mission, he and the Skywalker family had been trapped in the Unknown Regions for an extended period and after a large amount of arguing between them, he and Leia Skywalker got married so they could resolve their arguments more conveniently.

Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Tenel Ka, and the whole gang still become students at the Jedi temple. It is needless to say, with the Order's fall it become common for Jedi to have families. There was no Council debate; it just happened.

Anakin Skywalker become Grandmaster of the Jedi Order after the death of Master Yoda in what would be 20 ABY after the Emperor's fall. Not needing to reside near a dark side nexus which took a toll on him, he lived long enough to teach two Skywalkers to knighthood, then muttering good-naturedly something about needing a break from Skywalker antics, he passed.

The Vong invasion still occurred, but with the Chiss and the rest of the galaxy working together, along with over 10,000 Jedi knights, the galaxy was prepared. The war's toll was still greater than that of the Clone Wars of old; however, it was confined to the furthest points of the Outer Rim..

Young Ben crashed landed on Xiost and ran into Vestara lots of lightning fights and running yet they left the planet a married couple much as in the original timeline their older versions had come from. With the defeat of abeloth the two merged and retained both sets of memories.

Scout found a master with Master Asharad Hett after he was assigned to protect the younglings in the unknown regions. The two spent most of the apprenticeship exploring the unknown regions and chiss space earning the jedi a reputation of military greatness and compassion.

Graballa the Hutt with the backing of Jedi order money founded his 5 star resort and given the seedy nature of hutts the empire never suspected his resort was a place to gather info.

The younger versions of the Ben and Ves met each other the same way with Ben crashing on Kesh but thats another story.