Star Wars: Jedi Odyssey Rewrite Kesh Prologue - SWEULover2007 - Star Wars Legends (2024)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Elona 3rd, 58 ABY
Outer Rim Territories
Seswenna Sector, Near Eriadu
Aboard the Carrack-class Light Cruiser Winged Dagger

‘How did this simple and routine raid go so wrong?’ Sith Saber Iolo Luzo continually asked himself the same question as the Lost Tribe strike force found itself systematically dismantled by his pursuers.

Prepared to capture a convoy of dozens of rare minerals and gases used to construct warships and create another mobile fuel depot for Kesh and the One Sith, the war band and its malleable pirate vassals found itself ambushed by a large fleet from the Confederation’s sectorial authorities, backed up by maybe thirty Jedi commandos and many more well-known of the latter’s allied privateers. Unable to jump away with the gravity well projectors the Confederation laid throughout the area, Iolo knew his people’s only hope to survive was in finding a weak spot in the enemy’s formation and break through before the trap snared shut.

But the Jedi and their friends moved quicker in blunting the maneuver, striking the engines and many other key systems of all four Sith-occupied light warships before the Confederation moved in to mop up the pirate-owned vessels. Within two hours, all but three of the cowardly raider captains surrendered, with the rest quickly detonated and taking several of their enemies with them per their code to prevent capture. Iroel and his fellow Sith would have followed suit, were it not for the enemy being one step ahead and disabled virtually all systems on the flagships.

Well, if the Jedi wanted each of these vessels in one piece and their crew captive for interrogation, they were about to be sorely disappointed. Always ready for a fight, Iolo, his fellow Sith, and all their hired guns and servants prepared for enemy boarders, resolved to take as many of the enemy down along with them. Against the Jedi and their fellow do-gooders, they knew not to underestimate them.

Unfortunately, the Jedi did not underestimate the Sith either, instead going for overkill with the squad of Yuuzhan Vong Hunter battle droids and company of Mandalorian commandos accompanying ten of their best warriors in storming the Winged Dagger. As professional and well-experienced as the Lost Tribe band was, their lines were quickly and inevitably broken by the superior numbers and firepower.

One after another, the Lost Tribe Sith and their mercenaries were defeated and immobilized, with twelve of the twenty Sabers initial surviving the fight as captives and Iolo being among the last five to remain able to fight. Knowing they couldn’t match such power, the Sith synchronically raised their lightsabers to commit suicide, only to find their efforts stymied by a single Jedi’s superior command of the Force putting them all in a stasis field.

Barely able to turn his head towards the man keeping the Sith Sabers frozen, Iolo recognized the lead Jedi, and shivered in horror at realizing how Kyp Durron was about to lead the interrogations of all the Jedi Order’s latest batch of prisoners.

Shot with a dart of unknown contents by the Mandalorians, Iolo found himself quickly losing consciousness, barely able to stand as the lead mercenary calmly stated, “I believe that completes our latest contract, Master Jedi. A pleasure for once again doing business with your estimable order, and I hope you find what you need from this batch of Sith.”

“You and your company did excellent work, Captain Seii.” Kyp approvingly noted. “As promised, I’ll have the rest of your intel and supplies ready for your people by tomorrow morning. But we may have another job for you over the next few weeks, if we can finally finish pinpointing Kesh’s location.”

‘Unbelievable.’ Iolo grimaced before he lost all awareness of himself. ‘Beaten by an alliance of Jedi and an army of their knowing and willing dupes.’

Elona 12th, 58 ABY
Shedu Maad, Jedi Temple
Operations Planning Center

Working to contain his anticipation as each of the representatives made their way into the Temple’s center of operations, Kyle Katarn, Grand Master of the Jedi Order, desperately hoped this emergency summit worked, a sentiment the rest of the Council shared. As the chosen Jedi Knights and Masters worked to protect the chamber from any prying eyes, he took stock of the ambassadors who heeded the summons.

Since the Jedi Order’s current base of operations resided in the Hapes Consortium, the independent government’s ruling monarch, Tenel Ka Djo, a former Jedi Knight, was making a personal appearance. Knowing what this meeting would discuss, she was prepared to offer her people’s support in this military endeavor and convince any holdouts of the merits of supporting this operation.

With the bonds between the Jedi and Galactic Alliance almost fully mended, the democratic government was willing to send two of its best civil servants to meet with them: the husband-and-wife ambassador duo of Wynn and Desha Dorvan. And their military counterparts were Rear Admiral Kara and Commodore Kral Nevil of the GA Navy, along with General Jan Ors of Galactic Alliance Security. Each of them staunchly pro-Jedi and lauded for their strong and undisputed loyalty to the principles of the GA and its citizens, they were among the growing number that Chief of State Kajin Bar Yimmon trusted implicitly to do what was right instead of merely following the popular sentiment.

Among the Galactic Empire’s retinue was Jagged Fel and General Armitage Jaeger. Working as Head of State Vitor Reige’s ambassadors for the Jedi, the previous Imperial leader and commander of the Five-Oh-First Legion respectively served as the civilian and military representatives of the GA’s rival democracy. And with Jagged married to the Jedi’s youngest Council member in Jaina Solo Fel, he was among the most sympathetic to the Order’s plight and likely already knew of this new operation.

And with six of the galaxy’s best independent privateers and organizations, including the mercenary fleets of Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II, along with representatives from the Jedi offshoot society of the Jensaarai, everyone was accounted for.

Kyle cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention and allowed him to begin, “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We’re all very busy and I imagine you’re all wondering why I asked you here, so I’ll get straight to it. We need your assistance in liberating Kesh from the Lost Tribe’s dominion.”

The chamber growing completely hushed at the disclosure, Jagged broke the silence, “So, we finally found the elusive headquarters of the Lost Tribe.”

“How, in the name of the gods, did you pull that off?!” Kara astonishingly pressed. “We haven’t been able to find that world after turning the galaxy upside down three times over throughout the last fourteen years!”

“Through process of elimination and bits and pieces we’ve picked up from capturing Sith war bands and their databases across the galaxy.” Tionne Solusar, Jedi Council member and lead historian of the Order, began while activating the chambers’ main holoprojector and presenting an image of a maroon-colored world surrounded by dozens, perhaps hundreds of warships surrounding it. “We’ve been actively working with our contacts to put together a complete picture of the Sith’s intelligence network, slowly but surely gathering more intelligence on the Lost Tribe and its new coalition. And they’ve become more dangerous as they’ve allied with many of our supposedly other beaten enemies.”

“What are you talking about?” Wynn skeptically asked. “Who’s mad enough to join forces with the Sith after all the pain they’ve inflicted on the galaxy?”

“Aside from the other Sith Order we’ve had far more trouble in tracking down, they’ve allied with the Iskalloni, Zygerrians, Raze’s criminal syndicate, and a dozen other Dark Side orders that have come out of hiding to fight us.” Kyle answered.

“The number of enemies doesn’t matter.” Armitage resolved. “What does matter now is how long we take to mobilize in eliminating this growing threat before they get the chance to flee and scatter.”

“Just like that?” Kyp Durron amusingly questioned with a chuckle and a relieved smile. “You’re all willing to accompany us in crushing the Lost Tribe for good, even if the GA hasn’t repealed its insane neutrality act?”

“It won’t be as simple as you suggest, we all realize that.” Kral steely acknowledged. “Invading a planet full of Sith and their lackies will be a massive undertaking and carries as many opportunities as it does risks. But this is our best chance to remove this troublesome thorn in our side and deal a crushing and decisive blow against many of our enemies while hopefully forcing the hand of the rest.”

“And you can leave the legal repercussions of our decisions to those that have studied and enacted law, Master Durron.” Desha humorously retorted. “I have a feeling that sentiments are changing throughout the Alliance, and we can convince most that our actions were just.”

“Getting back to the matter at hand…” Kyle brought everyone’s attention to the meeting before continuing, “There’s much we need to do, and much more we still need to discuss and clarify while rallying our armies, so I must advise everyone that we get to work immediately.”

Elona 16th, 58 ABY
Grand Master’s Chambers

“You sent for me, Master?” Edaan respectfully greeted Kyle in his quarters. Briefly gazing at the various trinkets and mementos of the Jedi Grand Master throughout his long and complex life, stopping at the picture of him embracing his wife, long serving freedom fighter and intelligence leader Jan Ors, a sense of longing gripping him with an intensity never felt before. Quickly getting the new feeling under control, he saw his teacher amusingly smile back, making him feel ashamed of losing his focus so easily, especially if the rumors he heard were true regarding the Jedi Council’s latest batch of meetings.

“Come. Sit.” Kyle beckoned Edaan, offering him a chair and a cup of tea accompanied with several light snacks. “I know the last few months have been arduous, and I wanted to catch up with my apprentice a bit before we talk of your next long-term mission.”

Quickly accepting the request, Edaan sat across from his master and sampled several biscuits and other refreshments. After a few slow minutes of eating, Kyle asked, “How is Allana these days?”

“Fine.” Edaan cautiously answered. “She’s been good, been helping Anji ween some of her cubs for adoption and mentoring a bit for the Initiates. Seems she’s taken a knack for teaching.”

“Something you seem to be doing quite well at also.” Kyle agreed before changing topics, “And you’ve been spending a lot of time with her outside of work and training. Which makes me wonder if-”

“Oh, no! No.” Edaan quickly cut in, flustered by the insinuation. “I mean- she’s incredible and all, and I love her like a twin sister, but we’re not close like that.”

“Ah. But does she know that?” Kyle cautioned. “I know how she looks at you, and I don’t want to put you in a mission with her if your teamwork falls apart in the heat of battle.”

Edaan caught something off there, and his anticipation spiked, “It’s true, then? We’ve found Kesh.”

Eyeing his willful pupil, Kyle gravely nodded, “Yes. And I’m putting you and Allana together in one of our forward strike teams, which is why I want to make sure you two won’t let hormones or your personal stakes interfere with what needs to be done.”

Not speaking for a minute to gather his thoughts, Edaan privately rejoiced at the opportunity he was given. Finally, after fourteen years of being with the Jedi and helping knit a broken galaxy back together, the chance he was waiting for had finally come to fulfill the promise he made in saving Vestara Khai. Though he knew the task he set upon himself would be monumental, with pressure most could never endure, saving the woman who inspired him to become a Jedi in the first place was paramount to all he strove for. No matter who would dare stand in his way, nothing would stop him from redeeming her, and woe to any who interfered.

“Edaan.” Kyle broke into his student’s thoughts, somberly handing him a datapad and continuing, “I know what you’re thinking, but there’s plenty you need to know before you get lost in your hopes.”

Cautiously reading through the device’s contents, Edaan’s heart sunk at the reports the Jedi had accumulated, and he felt his throat go dry as he hoarsely asked, “You trust this intelligence?”

“It’s all true.” Kyle acknowledged. “Vestara’s now the undisputed Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe of the Sith, and she’s made Kesh a bastion for a galactic region’s worth of our most high-profile enemies. But there may be hope for us to prevent the annihilation of the planet’s citizenry and innocents.”

“These anti-Sith rebels that we’ve been hearing whispers about for the past six months?” Edaan skeptically recalled, before he realized the rest of Kyle’s orders. “You want me and Allana to find and embed ourselves with them.”

“Not on your own, but that’s the general idea.” Kyle clarified before reminding Edaan, “You know it’ll be next to impossible to save her. There’s little hope she remembers you, and even if she still loves Ben, there’s little hope he can reach her now.”

“I know.” Edaan sadly acknowledged before he firmly added, “But I’m still going to try, because I won’t know unless I give it my all. And don’t give me Master Yoda’s teachings of ‘do or do not, there is no try’. All of history’s greatest achievements are won by men and women who were simply willing to try.”

“I’m not going to dispute that, Edaan.” Kyle cracked a small smirk. “But I owed it to you to warn you of the stakes from what’s coming.” Finishing his cup of tea, the Grand Master informed Edaan, “We set out for Kesh in three days, so I’d suggest you use your last bit of rest wisely.”

“I will, Kyle.” Edaan acknowledged before bowing at Kyle, “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

Before he could leave the chambers, Kyle interrupted, “I almost forgot. There’s one more thing we need to discuss. It involves you and many of the Order’s best and most experienced apprentices.”

A new surge of excitement ready to course through him, Edaan breathed out his anticipation to composedly ask, “Is this related to the invasion of Kesh?”

“We both know what I’m speaking of, Edaan.” Kyle wryly answered. “I’m talking about whether or not you and all the twenty-nine other prodigies of the Order are ready to take up the rank and responsibilities of Jedi Knights. And the coming fight with the Lost Tribe will decide if you all can stand on your own. This mission will be your trial by fire.”

“Then we’ll just have to make sure none of us will let the Order or the galaxy down.” Edaan promised.

“It’s about so much more than that.” Kyle sternly chided Edaan. “It’s about whether or not you all will let yourselves down and stay true to the light within your souls. Everyone here has complete faith in you all, but we need to be sure you have faith in yourselves as well in the most extreme of circ*mstances.”

“I understand.” Edaan genuinely answered. “I’ll be sure to prove it to everyone, especially myself, that I can do what’s right on the front lines of war.”

“I know you will.” Kyle agreed, this time allowing Edaan to exit the chambers, praying to whatever powers existed that his hopes would be validated over the next several months.

Elona 18th, 58 ABY
Wild Space, Kesh
New Tahv, Sith Citadel

“And you’re certain of this information?” The Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe challengingly asked her liaison with the One Sith. Knowing that the last seven of her war parties had failed in their exploits due to betrayal was bad enough, but also now aware of the Jedi capturing three of them and interrogating them in their precious Hapan fortress world was a gigantic disaster waiting to erupt.

“Beyond any doubt.” Darth Invidious, a rising star in the One Sith’s Intelligence division, forlornly answered. “Our spies in the Jedi confirmed this not thirty hours ago, and I did some digging with our Imperial assets. Your home is about to become a whole lot more crowded in two or three weeks.”

Inwardly paling at the fears she once thought implausible, Darth Kitai hoarsely acknowledged Invidious’s warnings, “Thank you for letting me know right away. I’ll be ready to make the Jedi regret ever coming near my people.”

“I know, Vestara.” Invidious agreed, ignoring the heated glare at using Kitai’s old name before suggesting, “But if you’ll take one piece of advice from a friend, you may be able to use this opportunity to rid yourself of a few growing nuisances that are impeding your rule over your world.”

Seeing what Invidious was inferring, Kitai wholeheartedly agreed, “An excellent proposal. I’ll get right on that once I inform my subordinates.” Disconnecting the holocomm with the Arkanian Sith Lord, she fell back into her chair and allowed herself to dread whatever came next for her people and their home.

Finally, after five millennia of isolation and security from the galaxy, Kesh was about to come under siege by the Jedi and their allied armies. And when they came, Kitai had little doubt of the genocide that they would wreak for its allegiance to the Sith and the fifteen years of harm they wrought on the galaxy.

How ironic, the idle conversation that Kitai once held with her only love was about to come true. And remembering that moment from a lifetime ago and a different identity, it filled her with unabashed pain that had not diminished with the passage of time and devotion to the Dark Side. Just thinking of the Jedi that she wholeheartedly loved and the battles they would soon wage, it tore at her tattered heart a little more. And the dreams she was having, the recent nightmares she had that were speedily intensifying, they filled her with a fear she had not felt in many years.

‘Lady Kitai, what is it that troubles you?’ Ship well-intentionally intruded on Kitai’s ruminations. Hearing the Sith creation that could think for himself, it filled her with annoyance, but mostly a warmth that took away her fears at her greatest confidant looking out for her.

Ruefully smiling at her mechanical friend’s concern, she knew better than to keep secrets from him, and admitted, “The Jedi know where Kesh is, and they’ll be coming here in force in a matter of weeks.”

‘Ah.’ Ship understood. ‘Do not be worried about the Jedi, my friend. You and your followers have done much to rebuild the Lost Tribe after its decimation, and you will do well against them. But I sense that is not all that disturbs you. Your soul suffers dearly from old wounds.’

Knowing she couldn’t hide anything from the vessel of darkness, Kitai enigmatically admitted, “Yes. The wounds of a broken heart.”

‘So, you speak of Jedi Ben Skywalker.’ Ship knowingly clarified. ‘You fear that this might be your last confrontation with him, and what it will mean for your commitment to the One Sith and the Dark Side.’

Silent for a moment, Kitai elaborated, “There’s more to it than that. The nightmares I’ve had, I fear they tell of Kesh’s death, and the return of one we both dread infinitely more than the Jedi.”

Remembering how the visions started with the Lost Tribe’s original capital city of Tahv being destroyed by Abeloth, the devastation of several warring worlds between the Jedi and Sith, and a tsunami of power eclipsing virtually all Sith and Jedi from a world she did not recognize, Kitai knew what it all meant. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she remained a practical woman and visionary Sith, speaking out loud. “And if Abeloth is regaining her power, we know what that means for the galaxy, and what we will have to do to stop her, for good this time.”

‘Be careful of these thoughts, Lady Kitai.’ Ship cautioned her. ‘Most of the One Sith will not accept your visions as truth now, not with your people amassing their power and bent on waging war on the Jedi. For now, I would advise you to focus on readying your people to survive and repel the Jedi’s onslaught.’

‘Channel all your emotions, experience, and wisdom into this, for this invasion will be a certain crucible of fire and death that will test us all and alter the course of this war, perhaps the entire galaxy as well.’ Ship counseled his longtime friend before he left her to her own devices.

Sighing at how pathetic and helpless she felt, Kitai knew Ship was correct. Her lingering love for Ben and fear of the inevitable battle were secondary compared to ensuring her people’s survival and preparing them for whatever came next in serving Lord Krayt. When the Jedi arrived to try and uproot the ancient culture, they would find plenty of surprises in store for them. Hopefully she could take Invidious’s advice and use it to remove a troublesome nuisance from her side before it grew in power and danger.

And if the need for allying with the Jedi was needed in stopping Abeloth’s resurrection and next rampage, well, then Kitai and her followers would do their part in that endeavor. Though the armies of light had been mortal enemies of the Sith since the dawn of its order, that feud was secondary compared to the threat the fallen Celestial spawn represented. And honestly, the prospect of working alongside Ben again sent a sharp thrill of exhilaration through her very being, and a hope she hadn’t felt since leaving him. Though she couldn’t determine how, she knew that soon, they would be together again, a hope that she would make possible no matter what she had to sacrifice.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Kelona 3^rd, 58 ABY

Wild Space, Kesh System

Aboard the Jade’s Legacy

Ready to finally break through the Sith blockade protecting Kesh, Ben readied a pair of baradium missiles through a damaged trio of both Iskalloni and Zygerrian-commanded heavy cruisers and the Golan III Space Defense NovaGun station near the planet’s equator. Backed up by half a squadron of Jedi StealthXs and their allies’ elite fighter teams, he powered his ship’s engines up to full throttle and flew towards the vulnerable defense formation.

After two days of engaging the Lost Tribe of the Sith’s blockade over their capital world, with both opposed coalitions suffering heavy casualties, the toll of war was beginning to take its toll on everyone. Even with the Jedi growing perilously close to the final few lines of defense, their mortal enemies, backed by dozens of warships from many smaller criminal enterprises and rogue worlds, were not relenting under the pressure. And attempts to demoralize the Sith with more Force-based techniques, such as the rare art of Battle Meditation, or through precise strikes on key warships, were quickly negated by those proficient in the Dark Side and well-entrenched defenses and incredible coordination between their command ships.

Somewhere down on the planet below, someone who was once very close to Ben, whom he loved, and still did, with all his heart, was taunting him through her personal Sith meditation vessel. Vestara Khai, now reportedly calling herself Darth Kitai to symbolize her full devotion to the enigmatic One Sith and dedication to the Dark Side, was utilizing Ship to command her forces and wear the Jedi down through attrition. He had to find a way to break through the pall of darkness and snatch the first victory for the Jedi coalition against this enemy force.

Sensing the taunting voice of Ship call out to him, a voice without words, but whose emotions could easily be read, Ben decided to fight back with the Force also. Reaching out to the vessel which he discovered many years ago on Ziost, where he formed a unique bond with the construct that had endured to this day, he challenged the entity, ‘You won’t win this, Ship. You’re all alone, surrounded by a galaxy hostile to your masters, and they will fall to the galaxy which has rallied against your kind.’

Hearing Ship’s derisive laugh, the Sith-made creation shot back, ‘Your false bravado will do you no good here, Jedi Skywalker. I sense your fear, your anger, your hate, all bubbling up to the surface. You know this war is unwinnable, yet you persist in carrying on this fight.’

‘Perhaps I will fail.’ Ben allowed, surprising Ship with the bold admission. ‘But even if I fall, others will rise up to carry on the struggle. And they will not make the same mistakes as their predecessors.’

Banishing the connection with Ship, nearing the seven targets of his assault, Ben felt his personal vessel shake from the barrage now aimed towards him by the wounded capital ships’ fighter escorts and nearby defense platform. The Jedi-led flotilla quickly took evasive action to avoid the firepower and led four simultaneous attacks on the nearby enemy formations to take what pressure off Ben they could.

But even with the enemy’s ranks depleted, Ben could sense their reinforcements arriving to bolster their position, and knew he’d only get one shot before he was taken down. Preparing to take aim and fire, he found his comm system chiming, and at recognizing the frequency, he quickly answered, “This had better be good news, Captain Ithano!”

“Ask, and you shall receive, Master Skywalker.” Edaan’s gloating voice came through, surprising Ben with how jovial he seemed with the carnage raging around the system before he seriously warned, “Be ready to deliver your payload the second we give you the opening.”

Seeing Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II’s private fleets taking the lead over Ben’s ship, unleashing a payload of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles to cover his approach, he realized this was the opportunity he needed. Pouring all available power into the Jade Legacy’s thrusters, he flew as close he safely could before he unleashed the two baradium missiles against the Golan III station.

Turning his ship around in reverse, Ben warned all nearby allied ships, “Payload away. Get the kriff away and be ready to move in once the dust settles.” A few moments later, a spark could be seen emerging from the station, with an inferno quickly arising that devoured it and five ships in close vicinity to it and damaging another six that were further away.

The Jedi and their allies, seizing the opportunity while the shock was still fresh, advanced on all fronts, inflicting heavy damage on the Sith blockade and throwing it into havoc. Amid all this chaos, dozens of landing craft, corvettes, and escort capital ships began to descend into Kesh’s atmosphere, bearing the first ground forces that would step foot on this Sith stronghold and begin liberating the planet.

‘Get ready, Vestara Khai, Darth Kitai, or whatever you now call yourself.’ Ben resolutely swore while providing cover fire for the first wave of aggressive emancipators penetrating the planet’s biosphere. ‘We’re coming for you and your masters, and I’m not stopping until you answer for all you’ve done or find your way back to the light!’

Kelona 10^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Keshtah

In the Port Town of Eorm

‘Man, Edaan and his friends weren’t kidding when they said this war would be a long and treacherous slog. Kinda reminds me of a few of the Outer Rim Sieges.’ Kix bitterly and nostalgically chuckled while trudging alongside Edaan, Allana, Sidon, and Akku through the remains of the dilapidated port that served as the Jedi Order’s sole foothold on Kesh. After they and their allies managed to break through the Sith blockade and seize the moderate trading center that served the planet’s three continents, everyone had been hard at work over the next six days securing the beachhead. And that was a task that all the would-be liberators were hard-pressed to accomplish.

Between the initial Lost Tribe defenders having dug in a hard defense that endured three days of a heavy siege before their lines were broken, the Sith leaving very little salvageable material for the Jedi to utilize, and the displaced civilians’ blatant mistrust for the occupiers, everyone was teetering on the edge of pandemonium while the occupiers worked to consolidate their first gains. And everyone was watching carefully to see who would make the first mistake in this prolonged Jedi-led campaign, whether they were among the Jedi or their allies, the Sith and theirs’, or the civilians or the purported anti-Sith resistance movement that the group was looking for information on.

Given the Lost Tribe’s vast spy network and firm hold over most of the populace, the five-man group was taking all necessary precautions when meeting with the purported contact Robonino had uncovered. Edaan and Allana, knowing the Sith still had a few Sabers and trying to undermine the Jedi where they could, donned the more practical set of armor than the Jedi’s conventional garb, wearing Mandalorian armor provided by Akku, and concealed their lightsabers to instead use spare blasters and viboswords Sidon gave them. And while Akku wore his trademark Mandalorian armor, forged in the warrior culture’s beskar armor, and Sidon used his trademark red-painted Kaleesh mask to distinguish themselves, Kix used a more unconventional approach to differentiate himself. Wearing a modified version of the Katarn-class Clone Commando armor gifted to him by a wealthy Old Republic-era collector, painted black and red to honor a long-lost squad of Grand Army of the Republic Clone Commando squad who rebelled against the Empire to forge their own path, he carried himself with the professionalism and honor a soldier should possess.

This anonymity, however brief it was, gave the two longtime friends a chance to see the Sith-held planet with unblemished eyes. Most importantly, it allowed them to observe how the Lost Tribe treated their regular citizens versus the many records the Jedi held on how previous Sith Empires abused those they deemed lesser than others. While there was obvious discrimination and the typical arrogance laced within many Sith and their higher-ranked servants, their ambitions were tempered by their meritocratic society and the occasional recruitment of everyday civilians into better roles, allowing for advancement without the traditional betrayals involved.

And after they suffered terribly from the Jedi and Abeloth fourteen years ago, the Lost Tribe was apparently forced to undergo another reformation, this time valuing every citizen, Force-Sensitive or not, and training them to replenish their decimated ranks and prepare for this inevitable moment. Given how most of the higher ranked Sith were killed on Coruscant by the Jedi or by Abeloth when she destroyed the capital city of Tahv and its millions of citizens, no one was too surprised by this discovery, even if they all grieved at the death wrought by the Celestial abomination on Kesh’s innocents. But when Vestara Khai arrived two years previously, along with her many offworld allies and backed by the few remaining experienced Sith still serving the Tribe, it was then that she was virtually unanimously anointed Grand Lady of the Sith and overhauled the planet’s entire society.

These drastic changes, ranging from all but outlawing the blood feuds between Sith, uplifting many of the planet’s enslaved denizens to be given a chance to earn their emancipation, and modernizing many of its archaic practices, it baffled virtually all, but helped consolidate Vestara’s reign. And by recruiting thousands of rogue Mandalorians to help train the Lost Tribe in many modern combat arts and weaponry, it was clear that she was putting her many years in the galactic underworld to productive use.

But not all of Kesh’s people blindly accepted these changes, and it was over the last eight years that these dissenters had coalesced into a more united movement, one that had given the Tribe much grief. Led by a Keshiri woman who called herself the “Shadow Reaper '', the Neshtovar had become a significant problem to the Sith, who had an extensive system of contacts and friends that helped her mostly elude her enemies’ detection. Whether this rebel network could be willing to ally with the Jedi, well, that was what the group was attempting to uncover right now.

Nearing their rendezvous point, a local but large tavern that was spared the worst of the destruction, Akku and Kix subtly took point, with both Jedi in the middle and Sidon bringing up the rear. Seeing the Keshiri natives, Human immigrants, and the few other races belonging to the Jedi and their allies traversing the establishment, along with a presence inside that Edaan and Allana immediately recognized, they figured this must be the place.

Casually walking in, the quintet observed the simple décor of the diner, with a wide range of conversation underway by dozens of patrons of many origins, before finding their friend conversing with a middle-age Keshiri woman and human man, both wearing travelers’ garb befitting either sailors or Uvak riders. Seeing the Patrolian mercenary conduct himself so modestly, without any fights underway or insults being hurled, it only underscored the seriousness of the meeting. Approaching the three wanderers, Kix lightly jibed, “I see you’ve been behaving yourself well, Robonino. That’s a rarity for us all.”

Chuckling at the crass greeting, Robonino was prepared to greet the Clone Trooper before he spotted Akku and his escorts and held his tongue. There would be plenty of time for insults later, once the introductions were out of the way and contact information was exchanged. Ushering his friends to sit, he introduced his two new friends, “This is Sara Elda and Horo Card. They’re connected to our… potential partner and are amenable to deliver a message to her, provided the price is right.”

“Then let’s get right to business.” Edaan resolved, surprising the duo.

“You let your subordinates talk like that?” Sara, the Keshiri woman, surprisingly asked Akku and Sidon.

“No, but they’re your way to work with the Jedi.” Akku simply explained, astonishing their contacts before elaborating. “This was simply a precaution against any unwanted prying eyes and ears.”

Horo, regaining his composure first, asked the armored Edaan, “We can take the message to our patron. But if you really want to talk with her, then you’ll need to give us proof of your affiliations and a way to contact you all if she agrees to meet you.”

“We figured as much.” Allana surmised. “How well versed are you two in high-profile Jedi?”

“Quite reasonably so.” Sara answered, before Edaan and Allana briefly took off their helmets, allowing both Keshiri and human to realize exactly who they were dealing with. “Oh… We weren’t expecting such young and prestigious individuals to discuss an alliance.”

“Let’s just say I have a personal stake in doing this.” Edaan alluded as he and Allana put their helmets back on. “One I’ve been waiting a very long time for.”

“Vengeance?” Horo guessed.

“No. Redemption of an old friend of his.” Allana corrected. “And I’m along to help a dear friend out and provide backup for if and when it goes wrong.”

“But that’s beside the point.” Sidon cut in. “What we need to know right now is if you can make contact with our ally, and how long it’ll take to hear from her.”

Sara, glancing at Horo before receiving a nod, answered, “We’ll make the necessary arrangements and report back to you all within four days. But you need to understand, this… partnership won’t be as easy to create as you assume. There are many within the cause who hate both day and night equally, and they have plenty of sway across the planet and the boss lady. Do you understand what I’m inferring?”

“Yes.” Edaan solemnly answered, knowing the feeling all too well, just as Allana did from her forlorn emotional state. “We know that feeling better than you yet realize.”

Seeing something in the two Jedi’s postures, the duo began to believe this group might be able to convince the Neshtovar holdouts to join the greater anti-Sith movement. Nodding, Sara agreed, “Then let’s enjoy tonight and have a good Kesh delicacy. We’ll go to our clients tomorrow and relay your offer.”

“Sounds good to me.” Robonino eagerly agreed.

Kelona 12^th, 58 ABY

Takara Mountains

Mountain Temple

Overseeing her followers’ fierce deliberations, Darth Kitai found herself wondering how the previous Grand Lord of the Lost Tribe, Darish Vol, would have handled the borderline infighting between the Circle of Lords and their One Sith allies. Between those that advocated immediate retaliation against the Jedi for setting foot on their ancestral homeland, and the several prudent High Lords and their acolytes that saw the situation as it was and preferred wearing the Jedi down through attrition and cunning, it was a miracle the meetings hadn’t yet devolved into outright war.

Finally losing her temper at the seven High Lords and their many lesser-ranked Lords and Sabers, Kitai, after sending a subtle warning to her aides and supporters, amplified her voice to high enough octaves to make everyone’s ears bleed when she suddenly and deafeningly shouted, “SILENCE!”

Once she was certain everyone had been verbally chastened enough to listen, Kitai breathed out her frustrations, and coolly ordered them, “Are you all so blind and obsessed with being right that you cannot see what is right before us? The Jedi, our most ancient enemies, have arrived to eliminate us all, and instead of rallying together to repel this invasion, you fight each other over the correct course of action.

“Is this not what Darth Krayt and his seers foresaw when we formed our pact with the One Sith? Will you prove them right and doom us all, or can we agree to channel our ambitions and passions towards a common goal we all can agree upon?”

“What you say is true, Grand Lady Kitai.” Jesko Umarn, a former advisor of Darish and one of the few Sith that Kitai wholeheartedly trusted, deferentially agreed, with three of his peers, Sammul Sharsha, Takaris Yur, and Ysadria Kaladris showing their support. “But many of the younger Sabers and Apprentices, they don’t have your experience or foresight on these matters. And with the Jedi breathing right at our doorstep, they hunger for immediate action.”

“Which is why we must find a way to convince our entire populace to take up arms against the Jedi and their minions.” High Lord Year advocated. “We have been preparing for this eventuality since you took control of the Tribe two years ago and brought in all these outsiders to train our subjects to wield modern weaponry. Combined with the many allies we have acquired-”

“Even the Iskalloni, Neo Death Watch, Zygerrians, and our many criminal allies cannot last long against the Jedi and their professional armies, good as they are.” Takaris firmly interrupted. “To defeat them, we must fight more with cunning and foresight, rather than with simply brute force. And that especially holds true with the rebels that are nipping at our heels.”

“Which is exactly what Lady Kitai and I have been devising a plan for.” Ysadria interjected. Earning a nod from Kitai to continue, she carried on. “As High Lord Yur stated, we need to use our minds and skill, not mere heart alone. Remember, there are still many elements throughout the galaxy that resent or distrust the Jedi, and we have many spies and allies that can keep us one step ahead of their plans.”

“All we need to do is sap the galaxy of its resolve to fight us, and that will open up new avenues of opportunity to us and our partners.” Ysadria paused, activating a hologram of the planet before zeroing in on a specific portion of the smaller continent of Keshtah, stopping at a series of lakes near the western edge of the island territory. “But before we do that, we need to knock a few troublesome nuisances off the playing field before the true war begins.”

“My scouts have discovered that most of the rebels have taken refuge near the Ragnos Lakes, and our spies in their ranks revealed how some of its members are advocating for building ties with the Jedi.” Kitai took over, ignoring the derisive and hateful curses coming out of several Lords and Sabers. “We’ve also confirmed that the Neshtovar’s leader is among those gathered here, and that she is undecided on the matter.”

“Where are you going with this?” A Saber cautiously questioned. “If we attack the traitors outright and they manage to escape, then it’ll only give them more incentive to offer all they know to the Jedi and give them many new advantages over us.”

“Yes, but if we can implicate the Jedi for murdering the Neshtovar, proving to the skeptics how they only wish the complete eradication of all who ever followed the Dark Side, it will whip the planet into a frenzy and allow us all we need to massacre the enemy.” Kitai viciously smirked, causing many surprised murmurs from her disciples.

“We’ll need at least seven days to ready ourselves, and secrecy is paramount for this plan to work. That means no one outside your trusted advisors can know of this attack until I deem that the time is right.”

“Do you think so little of us and our discretion, Grand Lady?” A Lord offendedly challenged.

Sammul, taking over the meeting, commandingly countered, “No. But she recalls the Time of the Rot and the murders and destruction the fractured Tribe committed against itself after our origins were uncovered by a pack of drunk Sith.” Everyone growing silent at the shameful blot in the Lost Tribe’s history, remembering how a millennium of stagnation and machinations between the twenty opposed factions erupted into full-scale pandemonium at their ancestors’ humble beginnings before Varner Hilts ushered in a time of restoration and conquest for them, no one wished to repeat that disaster.

Kitai, flashing a grim smile that underscored her commanding presence, advised everyone, “I would highly encourage everyone to avoid excessive drinking or other such luxuries for the war’s duration. Our traditional backstabbing and hedonism will not save us here, and we cannot afford to let old vendettas or personal ambitions undermine our fight for survival.”

“Yes, Grand Lady.” All the assembled Sith agreed, though some were more discontent than others at the tight watch and anti-traditionalist command Kitai utilized over them. She would have to work especially hard in keeping the traditionalists and aggressive members of the Tribe in line, at least until they could gain a few good victories.

Kelona 15^th, 58 ABY

Eorm, Jedi Headquarters

“You’re certain you found them?” Kyle scrutinized his apprentice as Edaan and Allana finished packing the last of both their equipment to store aboard Sidon’s personal ship.

“As certain as we can be, given the treacherous battlefield we’ve all found ourselves in.” Edaan shrugged, earning him an annoyed punch on the shoulder by Allana for his elusive behavior.

“What Edaan is trying to say here, Grand Master, is that Akku, Sidon, and each of their agents did most of the deep investigative work here. We just sifted through the information and put the pieces together after meeting with his informant.” Allana quickly clarified for Kyle. “But they all report the same information: this resistance movement, these Neshtovar, are regrouping at the Ragnos Lakes and are deliberating over their next course of action. This is our best and possibly only chance to reach out to them and solicit their help.”

Wearily shaking his head, Kyle surmised, “You’ve all already reached out to them, I take it?”

“More like simply expressing a willingness to talk and say our piece, Master.” Edaan nodded before handing him a piece of flimsipaper with exact geographic coordinates. “If you don’t hear from either of us in the next three days, assume us captured or missing and do what you have to.”

“Why doesn’t this exactly fill us with confidence?” Octa Ramis, Allana’s teacher and Jedi Council member, sarcastically spoke up. “How do you plan on getting that deep into the continent with just a handful of ships?”

“We’ll go part of the way in the air and take speeder bikes for the other half. And if it turns out to be a trap, then we’ll have to improvise and make our way back to you.”

Seeing the resolute gazes in both Apprentices and remembering how both of their bloodlines were exceptionally stubborn, Octa sighed, “As a precaution, I insist you bring a few Knights or at least one Master with you.”

“Do you already have a suitable candidate in mind?” Edaan skeptically inquired. Seeing the anxious glean in Kyle’s eyes, he quickly grasped who Octa was suggesting, and protested, “Well, I’m not sure if Master Skywalker is the best suited to negotiate with these individuals, given his previous… dealings with the Lost Tribe.”

“This won’t be like he’ll be going after Vestara, Edaan.” Octa began. “And as for his vengeful fury for her, it’s been calmed a great deal over recent years, replaced by a slim hope that he can still save her, in no small part due to your influence and example.”

“If you want to engage in diplomatic entreaties with the Lost Tribe’s deserters, you need to have the position of strength and a back door to escape, should these talks prove inconclusive. And Ben Skywalker is the best suited for the task.” Kyle firmly stated. “This is nonnegotiable.”

Glancing at Allana, who only gave a helpless shrug back, Edaan defeatedly sighed before agreeing, “He can come. But Akku, Sidon, and a few of their trusted friends and bodyguards will stay for the talks and keep an eye on Ben to keep him from doing anything too reckless.”

Letting out a boisterous laugh, Kyle good-naturedly reminded his pupil, “As opposed to what you’re about to try and undertake?” Growing serious, he warned both Jedi Apprentices, “Don’t do anything too stupid, and may the Force be with you both.”

“Same to you, Kyle.” Edaan bowed before his master before he boarded the Meson Martinet and the ship prepared to take off towards the first rendezvous point.

Twelve Hours Later

Kelona 16^th, 56 ABY

Ragnos Lakes Outskirts

Neshtovar Headquarters

“They’re coming. They’ll be here in just under thirty minutes.” The sentry leader informed his leader, who acknowledged the warning with a nod and quickly worked to finish the burial rites for the last of the deceased or dying.

“How many?” She asked, dreading the worst even as she prayed for the Jedi her people contacted to keep their word.

“Three Jedi, two companies of their mercenaries, and they’re keeping their ships as close to us as they can without risking the Tribe’s detection.” Pausing, the sentry added, “They’ve identified the Jedi as Master Ben Skywalker and Apprentices Allana Djo Solo and Edaan Palpatine.”

Well, this was it. After six years of fighting the Lost Tribe and the offworld allies the current Grand Lady brought with her two years ago, the Neshtovar, named after the last resistance movement of over five thousand years ago, they were about to begin talks with the Jedi to fight their common foe. But she never thought they would send the most well-known and infamous of their order to such a classified meeting. It was all so surreal for Adari Thayn, that she had to shake herself before her fears took control.

Reminding herself of all that she lost because of the Tribe, how her fellow Keshiri had suffered at the hands of the Sith and how countless of their own had been indoctrinated by the Dark Side, and how Adari nearly fell into that same trap before she broke free, it nearly overwhelmed her. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like the strong woman she had matured into, but the little girl who was a Sith Tyro and lost her family and all she loved due to Darish Vol and his incompetent Circle of Lords who underestimated the greatest enemy Kesh had ever faced.

Banishing the memories of those traumatic months to the deepest recesses of her mind, Adari reminded herself to focus on the present and prepare for this crucial summit. Although many of her fellow rebels still doubted the wisdom in allying with the Jedi, she recognized the necessity of finding allies of their own to counter the Lost Tribe and their new friends. After all, no one in the Neshtovar, nor anyone born on Kesh, wanted a repeat of the Jedi and Old Republic-led holocaust in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War occurring here.

Having studied what she could of the greater galaxy’s history from what records she could scrounge up from countless sources, she knew that many homegrown rebels and freedom fighters often received aid from offworld sources and their powerful allies. And although most thought the Tribe a united front, if the Jedi and their allies could see that there were those that held doubts over Kesh’s Sith masters, that some were prepared to strike against them, it could be just what the Neshtovar needed to save their home and loved ones.

Sensing the Jedi approach, their immensely powerful signatures in the Force all but cloaked to avoid discovery by the Sith, Adari completed the preparations for her fallen friends’ funerals before she briefly debated whether to clean herself up for the guests. Deciding against it, she figured they ought to see what the Keshiri have suffered at the hands of offworlders, and the gravity of the decision being thrust upon them.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Kelona 18^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor

Ragnos Lake Outskirts, Neshtovar Headquarters

Two days. There had been two days of near-ceaseless diplomatic talks between the Neshtovar and Jedi ambassadors considering an alliance between both factions. Aside from the five hours of sleep and two brief meals a day, the negotiations were proceeding further along than anyone originally believed, even with the initial arguing and accusations being hurled by both parties. Between the natural suspicion of both groups and the difficulty of establishing common ground beyond their mutual disgust for the Sith, it was a miracle the discussions hadn’t been derailed by now.

Adari had to acknowledge how her people hadn’t been entirely fair with the Jedi and their mercenary allies, realizing how the offworlders had been patient with the constant questioning of the rest of the galaxy and their intentions after the Tribe was destroyed. But the Jedi, in turn, had learnt much of Kesh and its intricacies from sympathetic minds among the Neshtovar, and she dared to hope that her people wouldn’t trade one form of slavery for another when this war ended. She was especially impressed by the three Jedi’s patience and cooperation since they arrived at this hidden fortress.

When Adari learnt that the Jedi, specifically Edaan Palpatine and Allana Djo Solo, had reached out to her contacts to discuss an alliance, she was stupefied at their boldness and courage. After the fifteen years of bad blood between the Lost Tribe and Jedi Order, she initially believed both orders would only seek the utter destruction of the other without any regard for collateral damage. And Ben Skywalker, who had once loved Vestara Khai and had pursued a vendetta against her and killed any Sith that dared interfere, he was so calm and relaxed, even as he keenly observed everything occurring around him. If he was still out for blood, he was doing quite a good job of hiding his hatred.

But from her informants within the Sith’s infrastructure and the Jedi-controlled territory, she had learnt how her one time enemies were nothing like the marauders that the Keshiri were taught by their so-called betters. She was especially stunned to learn how the two Jedi Apprentices were renowned across the galaxy for their virtuous deeds and herculean efforts to heal and reunify a wounded galaxy, giving her hope that her people could reinvent themselves as a free society.

And Adari had to admit, aside from Edaan being an intelligent, strong, and charismatic human, he certainly was a handsome man. If they weren’t in the middle of a war, she might have considered courting him. It certainly didn’t help how he seemed to be an earnest and giving soul, spending most of his time learning whatever he could of the Neshtovar, helping tend to the wounded that trickled in from previous missions, and regale the assembled partisans with tales of his missions and greater knowledge of the galaxy. Either he was a masterful deceiver, just like his ancestor was, or he truly was the Jedi prodigy the HoloNet portrayed him as.

Unfortunately, the fight for liberation didn’t stop merely for one woman’s fantasies. Nor did it stop for old wounds or doubts. Remembering how she lost most of her family and home to Abeloth’s destruction of Tahv, and the planet’s downward spiral since then, she wondered if any others in the Lost Tribe’s long history suffered from such disillusionment as she. Remembering the spiritual meeting she had a mere three years after Kestah Minor lost its capital city, how she learnt of her noble heritage and the destiny that was bestowed onto her and her commitment to destroy the Sith’s hold over her people, it renewed her weary soul and allowed her to persevere after all her losses. And knowing how Kesh was now home to dozens of criminal cartels and so-called warriors that were under Vestara Khai’s control, how her people and non-Force Sensitive humans suffered greater than ever before by their Sith overlords, it only helped her see how the Jedi and their friends would be key to stopping these depravations and saving their world.

But before Adari could retire for the final day of talks tomorrow morning, where she would work to convince the remaining holdouts to work with the Jedi, she felt a bright star in the Force approach her. Wondering what Edaan could want with her at this late hour, she briefly feared she was about to meet an untimely end or would try to get seduced for a one-night stand. Quickly grabbing her glass shikar dagger and ancient Lightsaber, imbued with the tainted Lingan crystal from the fateful mining mission above Phaegon III over five millennia ago, she prepared for the worst before hearing a firm knock on her doors.

“Adari, it’s Jogan. Jedi Allana and Edaan and Captain Ithano wish for a few minutes to speak with you.” Hearing her most trusted lieutenant’s voice come through the cracks, Adari breathed a sigh of relief before opening the door.

Seeing the unharmed friend and his company, Adari rhetorically asked, “I take it this discussion can’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Apologies, Miss Thayn, but it’s a rather delicate topic, and we needed to speak with you in relative secrecy.” Allana neutrally began. “We have certain crucial details that we’ve withheld from you until our delegation could assuage enough of our doubts.”

“What kind of details?” Adari suspiciously asked.

“They’re claiming that Vestara Khai and her followers are allies of a second Sith Order, one that’s been controlling the Lost Tribe for some time after its decimation on Coruscant.” Jogan anxiously elaborated, stunning Adari into silence.

“We realize this is a bold accusation, and we wouldn’t present this claim to you without sufficient proof.” Sidon promised, glancing around before he asked, “Is there anywhere more private in this redoubt of yours we might be able to get a modicum of privacy?”

Finding her voice, Adari carefully answered, “Not enough to host your kind of meeting.” Hesitating, she quietly amended her statement, “But I have a ship housed a quarter of a kilometer away. We can talk freely there.” Wearily staring down the delegates, she warned them, “For all our sakes, this intel had best be the genuine article.”

“It is. And it’ll convince all your remaining holdouts to agree to ally with us, just as you are strongly considering.” Edaan intuitively pledged, something in his voice making Adari’s heartbeat speed up a little. But for reasons she couldn’t identify, he continued, and her heart sank a little, “Hesitating now will only ensure both our causes never meet common ground, and it will be that much harder to stop the Sith from further despoiling your world.”

“Yes. Duty comes first, no matter how bittersweet it might be.” Adari solemnly agreed, noticing the concern and sympathy creasing Edaan’s entire face, and she wondered if he truly understood everything of what she was inferring.

Two Hours Later

Kelona 19^th, 58 ABY

Eorm, Jedi Headquarters

“Take a few deep breaths, Knight Bhixen.” Kyle humorously counseled the wheezing Togorian Jedi. “Whatever information you’re delivering isn’t worth acting like a raving lunatic.”

After taking a few moments to gather his breath and thoughts, Bhixen slowly answered, “The Sith, General Ors and her informants working with the Neshtovar just reported that the Sith are preparing to send a strike team to the Ragnos Lakes.”

“The purpose and strength of this enemy force?” Kyle asked, even as he instinctively knew what the Sith were after, or rather, whowas hidden away near the large body of freshwater.

“They couldn’t determine that, but they figured out how the Neshtovar were hiding in the general area, and that they were meeting with,” Quieting his voice to a whisper, Bhixen added, “Three of our order and Privateer Commanders Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II.”

“How many people are aware of this?” Kyle quietly asked Bhixen, even as his mind raced to consider how quickly the Jedi and their armies could muster their own force to blunt the Lost Tribe’s.

“Aside from General Ors’s trusted agents and myself, only seven Neshtovar, and they’ve all gone to ground.” Bhixen answered. “She ordered me to deliver this to you straight away.”

“And you did good.” Kyle commended Bhixen, gratefully patting the tall man’s arm. “Come on. We need to convene an emergency meeting with our leaders and assemble a rapid-response force.”

“Then it’s true.” Bhixen softly realized. “You sent them all to negotiate with Sith renegades.” Much to Kyle’s approval, there was not recrimination in the young Knight’s voice, only shocked contemplation.

“I did.” Kyle earnestly confirmed. “Because the last thing we need is to have a repeat of the Great Hyperspace War’s horrific aftermath.” Remembering from the Jedi Order’s ancient records of how they and the Old Republic had all but wiped out the entire Sith Empire’s population in a revenge-seeking frenzy and set in motion the chain of wars between both religions that lasted to the present day.

Eager to avoid another holocaust for a wide variety of just and moral reasons, not least among them to partially atone for the first set of atrocities, the Jedi had prepared for this invasion since its last major battle. By recruiting among many of its wide array of allies to enact a different kind of campaign against the Lost Tribe, one of wills while working to enlighten its denizens to a better path in the Light Side, it was hoped that such a tragedy could be avoided this time around.

But if the Sith could implicate their sworn enemies in decapitating its grassroots resistance movement, then their efforts to save Kesh would be all but impossible, and total would be virtually inevitable. Which was why, aside from rescuing all those in danger, Kyle needed to lead the rescue efforts and show the Neshtovar how different the Jedi Order of today was from its predecessor. He only hoped it would be in time to make a lasting difference for everyone.

Hurrying to Jan’s encampment, Kyle walked past all security guards to inform the general, “We need to get word out to Jedi Skywalker and have him warn the Neshtovar.”

“Already on it.” The Alpha Blue commander offhandedly assured her husband. “And I’ve been reaching out to our commands and gathering the people and ships to reach the Ragnos Lakes in time. We’ll be ready to move in thirty minutes.”

Gently smiling at Jan’s typical efficiency and professionalism, Kyle requested, “Then, with your permission, I’d like to join the task force.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Grand Master.” Jan regretfully denied. “I’ve already assigned Masters Solo Fel and Ramis to this mission. We can’t afford to put too many high-rank Jedi in this rescue effort if we want to avoid showing the Sith our hand.” Showing sympathy, she encouraged Kyle, “Edaan and the others will be fine. They’ve faced worse than this before.”

Nodding in understanding and gratitude, Kyle acquiesced, “Very well. But when they extract the targets, be sure to have them give my diplomats my regards and compliments. I have a feeling they’ll deliver on all fronts.”

Five Hours Later

Ragnos Lake Outskirts

Barely able to stifle a yawn, Adari knew the next few minutes would be key to ensure the Neshtovar began to build strong ties with the Jedi and free galaxy. Seeing Jogan arrive among the last few stragglers, and observing how equally exhausted he was, it renewed her anxiety over this final meeting. Suddenly, eradicating the Sith and their minions on this outlying world seemed so insignificant compared to what was out there, waiting to emerge and devastate this wounded galaxy.

After three hours of Adari and Jogan learning from their three unexpected guests of the veiled hand controlling the Lost Tribe, how the Jedi were hunting for evidence to unite the galaxy against this secret Sith Order, she realized how lacking her knowledge was of the galaxy. And according to the Jedi and the sympathetic Neshtovar elements she would have to give strong words towards, the Sith were sending their executioners to destroy them and capture the Jedi.

All this, coupled with the worries of Abeloth’s eventual resurrection and the cancerous corruption seeking footholds on every world, Adari’s original plan to address the Neshtovar was wiped clean off the board. Instead, she realized she would have to improvise and tread carefully here, more so than ever in her life. She was so stressed over what to do, she could barely sleep the rest of the night, let alone consider how these next few minutes would go.

Clearing her throat, signifying that the meeting was set to begin, Adari solemnly began, “Everyone here knows what the Neshtovar are for the people of Kesh. More than five thousand years ago, they were an assembly of elders that dictated the future of the Keshiri of Keshta Minor and upheld the traditions and superstitions that defined their culture. But with the arrival of the Omen and its crew, everything changed.”

“After the Sith upended our entire culture and appropriated our people to serve them, a brave few saw the truth of the evil that came upon us and banded together to try and destroy it. And the leader of this heroic movement was Adari Vaal, the same woman who led Yaru Korsin and his people to their new domain. Although their rebellion failed, her will was carried on in the people of Alanciar, who, for two thousand years had prepared for the Lost Tribe’s eventual invasion.”

Hearing the confused murmurs throughout the crowd, Adari pressed on, “And though the planet slowly fell to the grip of the Dark Side through subtlety and intrigue, some of our people still clung to belief that their home would one day be free of Sith tyranny and we could decide our own fates once again. My own family was one such group, and we kept the embers of hope alive until this day.”

Belot, a Keshiri Neshtovar captain, patiently interrupted, “I’m afraid I don’t see how this passionate speech applies to our current situation and the decisions we now face.”

“It applies to us in every way, my friend.” Adari interrupted the elder woman before continuing, “Because I know many of you see no difference between the Jedi and Sith, and that we would all be best off without either party involved in our matters. Well, I am here to regretfully inform you that you are all wrong on both those points.”

“I know most of you once believed that the Jedi are constant perpetrators of indecisiveness in governance, and bigotry against those that do not adhere to their rigid and often confusing views. But in the past three days we have been with these five brave souls,” Taking a moment to gesture at Ben, Edaan, Allana, Akku, and Sidon, Adari carried on, “I have seen many here, including myself, begin to consider if our preconceptions were wrong and that our mistrust was misplaced.”

Knowing this was the point of no return, but realizing what must be said, not only to flush out any potential traitors in the Neshtovar and drive the point home of the depths the Sith would go to in winning, but to decide if the insurgency deserved to function at all. If they couldn’t see how the galaxy was nothing like how the Keshiri believed it to work, how there were numberless souls willing to stand up for right and that there was so much this planet could learn from its neighbors, then their planet deserved to fade away as a shameful footnote in history.

Breathing in her courage and knowing what to say, Adari earnestly admitted, “Last night, the Jedi and Captain Ithano came to me, and unveiled the truth of the Sith’s shadowy hold over the galaxy.” Sensing the dismayed and betrayed glares that she and the outsiders were now getting, she pressed on, “But they did not come to me out of deception or opportunism, but to warn me of the Lost Tribe now being nothing more than a puppet state of another Sith Order, one far more dangerous than those we fight.”

“This One Sith, as this mysterious order calls itself, has been using our home as a distraction while building up its strength and carrying out its own designs on the galaxy. And it is for this reason, along with the realization that we cannot hope to stop them and free our home on their own, which I am ordering that we open talks with the Jedi on forming a full alliance with them once this meeting concludes and we’re in safer territories.”

Raising her voice to be heard over the cacophony that erupted amongst the Neshtovar’s leadership, Adari bellowed, “SILENCE!” Surprising all with her booming voice, she continued, “I need you to understand this; Right now, we are not a democracy or legitimate movement, but a group of freedom fighters wanting to liberate our world. And remember, I was the one who found you all and united our disparate factions and causes into a singular unit. I was who made us the fighting force we are now, and if we hope to survive to help usher our people into a better age, we need to adapt yet again to meet the changing times. That is especially true with the Sith sending a force to capture or eliminate us all.”

Seeing the flabbergasted looks plastered across everyone’s faces, Adari elaborated, “A few of our contacts intercepted orders from New Tahv not eight hours ago, and they relayed the message to the Jedi’s command in Eorm, who then sent the details to me. It seems we might have a few traitors in our ranks.”

As soon as the accusation left her lips, Adari found herself flung away, pulled to the ground by a burst of telekinetic energy by Edaan’s quick maneuver, moments before a shikar shattered against the stone walls. Seeing Belot, who hatefully threw the glass blade, and four other lieutenants draw arms against their former comrades, it broke her heart at the heinous betrayal.

Starting to cut their way through the vulnerable Neshtovar, killing or wounding anyone in their way, one of the Sith spies was gunned down by Sidon, with another losing an arm and getting knocked out by Akku and his beskar vibro-daggers. The remaining three were a nimbler and cleverer bunch, splitting up and moving deftly to avoid being trapped while looking for a way to finish whatever mission they were given. But by then, the still-able resistance fighters and the Jedi were quickly regrouping, and they were moving the wounded to relative safety while finishing off the remaining traitors and their evacuation procedures for just this sort of occasion.

One was prepared to set off a homemade explosive the Neshtovar built for this redoubt, based on a combustible formula while utilizing fertilizer and several dozen grenades as the trigger, but he found himself meeting an unceremonious end through a quick slash through the chest by Ben Skywalker. The other tried to make a break for freedom and was intercepted by Jogan and Allana, who threw him against a wall to knock him unconscious and ready for interrogation.

That just left Belot, but she was proving to be the most difficult of them all to defeat while she tried to kill Adari. Her Neshtovar training aside, she also brandished a crimson lightsaber and was making effective use of it against Edaan, revealing the full depth of her Sith allegiance.

“I was hoping to decapitate the rebels’ leadership and implicate you Jedi for the deed. But I think I’ll just make do for killing you all and tell whatever tale I wish afterwards.” Beloth viciously snarked, pushing her blade against Edaan’s, who was holding strong and protecting Adari.

“You won’t be walking away from this one.” Edaan heatedly rebutted, pushing Belot away and twirling his lightsaber around to taunt his opponent. “You won’t be the first Sith I’ve killed.”

“But you’ll be my first Jedi.” Belot animatedly smirked before she unleashed a barrage of lightning on Edaan, who caught the attack with his lightsaber. Deactivating her own lightsaber, she pulled out a hook-bladed parang and leapt at the fatigued Jedi. Barely able to dodge all the blows, he could sense the rest of her compatriots growing closer, and knew desperate measures had to be taken now before the escape window vanished.

Before Edaan could enact any daring plans, Adari came up from behind and launched herself at Belot with enough speed to bypass her defenses in time to land in several good blows before the inevitable counterattack. He was astonished to recognize a few techniques from the martial art discipline of Teräs Käsi in her maneuvers, even felt the Force enhance her movements, making him wonder exactly who this young rebel leader was. But knowing time was of the essence, he forestalled any questions and joined in on the barrage, helping to break several of the Sith’s bones before landing a strong blow on her nose, making blood spill out and knocking her out cold.

“Nice hit.” Adari complimented Edaan before requesting, “Help my people finish cleaning this place out, then meet me on my ship. We’ll get to Eorm from there after I come around to pick you up.”

“We’ve already gotten everything we need from the hideout.” Jogan called out, coming in with Ben and Akku, “But we need to get out of here right now, while the Jedi are keeping the Sith’s attention solely on them.”

Hearing explosions and fighter engines a mere handful of kilometers away, Adari breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her guests, “I guess we’re committed now.”

“I guess so.” Edaan warmly smiled back.

Glaring at Belot, Ben asked, “What do you want to do with her? Should we take her back for interrogation?”

“No time.” Adari answered. “Leave her to face her masters with this failure.”

“Not kill or question her?” Edaan questioned as everyone headed outside, where several transports awaited the final few stragglers. “Seems like an odd choice, considering how she rose so far in your ranks and gained your trust.”

“I already have a plan to flush out whatever traitors are still in my ranks, and you’re all going to help me do so.” Adari promised, the angry and determined glean in her eyes unsettling Edaan more than he cared to admit.

Kelona 21^st, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar/Keshtah Major

City of New Tahv

Seeing the ensemble of the Lost Tribe’s leadership and its offworld allies, Kitai took note of the overall dispositions of those meeting within the Sith Academy and worked to temper her disappointment over many of them bearing a more annoyed mood. Among the dozens of representatives meeting to report the status of the Jedi’s encroachment or their pet projects for the Lost Tribe and One Sith, she recognized how her next batch of news wouldn’t do much to engender confidence in her war strategy.

Among the Dark Side orders that had fully allied with the Sith, the strongest and most high-profile among them being a clan of Dathomir Nightsisters, the elusive Mecrosa Order of assassins originating from the Tapani Sector, the elemental-wielding Shapers of Kro Var, and the destructive cult of Vahl Force Users simply known as the Ember of Vahl, they had made excellent progress in preparing the Lost Tribe for working with Darth Krayt and his more versatile order. It had been a long and arduous journey for Kitai, journeying to many of their hidden bastions and convincing them to send many of their best to aid in Kesh’s recovery, but her people needed to evolve quickly before the Jedi found and destroyed them. And thanks to the Dread Lord and his many agents, the job of gathering the thousands of Force Users needed for the monumental task before her was feasible and manageable. They were certainly a livelier and more fun bunch than most of those who made up the Lost Tribe’s Circle of Lords, though she would never admit that to anyone.

As for Kitai’s mercenary and criminal contacts and servants, they were a more frustrating bunch to manage on account of their divided hatred of each other. It was honestly a miracle she had rallied them together this long as it was. With the Zygerrian Slave Empire and Iskalloni that had evaded interdiction by the Jedi and their foolish vassals, an army’s worth of Yaka Spice smugglers and their occasional rivals in the Sith sympathizer/criminal consortium leader Raze that each suffered from the Jedi’s interference, along with the Mandalorian renegades in the Neo Death Watch, keeping them focused on their shared enemies and on a subtler approach to war was a monumental task.

Coupled with her assassin failing to eliminate the Neshtovar’s leader and convincing their surviving leadership to forge an alliance with the Jedi, the stress was almost too much for Kitai to bear without any kind of medication. This imminent meeting was sure to make her headaches far worse.

Taking a moment to take in the windowed view of New Tahv, Kitai appreciated her people’s resilience and loyalty after the Tribe’s original capital city was destroyed. After Abeloth destroyed Tahv and Coruscant was devastated by her and the Sith who were mad enough to follow her, Kesh had stagnated with precious few leaders capable of reconstructing its fractured society. Not even its handful of survivors of Darish Vol’s inner circle were able to quell the doubts among their troubled populace. It was five years later that Kitai, operating as an emissary of the One Sith and Darth Krayt, that the Lost Tribe had been promised a chance to rebuild and enact vengeance on the Jedi.

It was here, in Alanciar's capital city that was once called Sus’Mintri, where they made their next capital city and renamed it in honor of the millions destroyed fourteen years ago, all while modernizing its defenses and capabilities for when they were eventually discovered. And seeing the sun start rising from the bordering forests to the east, it stiffened Kitai’s resolve to protect her home and people from further Jedi encroachment.

Learning to work alongside the galaxy’s many outlaws and undesirable elements had been an arduous journey for Kesh’s people, but it had allowed them to grow beyond many of their outdated stigmas and be revitalized as a reborn Sith order, one worthy of eventually helping to govern this unruly galaxy. It certainly did much for the woman who was once Vestara Khai to recover from her heartbreak and reinvent herself as a far more lethal Sith Lady than she ever could be under the Lost Tribe. And through her lessons she imparted on her people and their renaissance, they would soon be ready to unleash their centuries of darkness and power on the galaxy.

But first, Kitai and her supporters needed to convince the Lost Tribe and its many allies to continue to follow her. If they fractured now, then it would only be to everyone’s detriment. Seeing the last stragglers arrive and get settled in, she used the Force to dim the lights of the governor’s palace, and her voice echoed throughout the halls, “Thank you all for coming at this early hour. I assume you’ve all heard the news from my agents in Eorm.”

“Your plan completely failed, Kitai.” An Iskalloni leader bluntly summed up. “The Neshtovar are preparing to ally with the Jedi and make our jobs that much more difficult. They even captured two of your agents and left one of your trusted Shadow Hands a bloody wreck.”

“Then your information is lacking, Orel.” One of Raze’s lieutenants stiffly interrupted. “It wasn’t a total loss. The rebels lost more than a third of their leadership and we managed to implicate the Jedi for kidnapping the survivors.”

“That’s all well and good, but if we don’t take preventative measures now, we’ll soon find ourselves facing steep opposition on two fronts when the Neshtovar eventually get word out to their contacts and the populace learns the truth.” A lead Mecrosa assassin pointed out, proposing to Kitai, “Let me take a squad of my best to Eorm and silence the traitors now, before they compromise all our plans.”

“A simple assassination will not be enough, not against the numbers you and whoever you’d take would undoubtably face.” Takaris pointed out. “No, to discredit the Jedi and dismantle the Neshtovar, you’ll need something far more intricate and cleverer.”

“And I assume you and your fellow Sith have such a plan in the works, High Lord Yur?” Mirta Gev, supreme commander of the Neo Death Watch, insightfully guessed. Attending this meeting through hologram on account of her waging a civil war in Mandalorian space, she was participating as much to support her longtime friend in Kitai as offer aid to the Sith who had been good to her people.

“The makings of one, Commander.” Kitai professionally alluded. “But I’m willing to accept all manner of constructive suggestions amongst you all in helping refine this strategy.”

“Democratic leanings from a Sith? What other horrors are in store for us out here?” A female Yaka cyborg blithely joked, earning a few nervous chuckles from her rivals and a couple Sith, and even earning an amused smirk from Kitai before the spirited strategic discussion began in earnest.

Kelona 23^rd, 58 ABY

Eorm, Jedi Headquarters

“I take it you’ve been here before?” Edaan observed after he and Allana finished playing chaperone for Adari in the bustling town port. “What do you think of our activity here?”

“It’s certainly not what I expected. But I’m surprised in a good way, Jedi Palpatine and Solo.” Adari slowly admitted. After evacuating her surviving Neshtovar cell leaders to the Jedi’s forward base of operations and seeing their conduct, she was grateful to be proven wrong in her fears.

Although the local Keshiri and human neighbors were understandably wary of the influx of offworlders, they had been treated fairly and with respect by the occupation force, at least from what Adari could see. From providing the farmers with all manner of cuisine and crops to help replenish their damaged farms or taverns, to aiding the wounded and offering to help traveling drifters contact their relatives from across the planet to assure them of their safety, the Jedi force was proving to be a true power for Kesh’s freedom.

Of course, there were dissidents and Sith loyalists among the townsfolk, but most had been placated by the Neshtovar or allowed to leave and seek out other towns to ply their trade for however long the Lost Tribe remained in power. And by preparing to spread word that Vestara and her followers tried to assassinate the resistance movement and implicate the Jedi, the enemy’s propaganda would soon be challenged and thereby undermine their rigid and deceitful foundations.

Truth be told, she also enjoyed spending time with Edaan and Allana, getting to know the two scions as individuals rather than distant symbols or celebrity icons. It was clear from the banter and occasional bickering that they were close friends with an almost-sibling relationship, even if it was clear that the latter held stronger affections for her friend than mere amicable ones. Along with learning more of their missions and their experiences with the greater galaxy, it began to expand her conceptions beyond a single world and appreciate the vast educational opportunities this war would provide her people.

And yet, there was something unusual and secretive about Adari’s two tour guides, especially Edaan. Although both he and Allana carried their spiritual weights with dignity and honor, working hard to redeem their family names after the infamous atrocities of at least one of their relatives, there was another burden the Palpatine Jedi held and the Hapan princess knew of, one they kept secret, likely from everyone else.

What could Edaan be hiding that left such a terrible scar on his soul? Did he carry a secret shame of his own, or had he experienced such loss just like Adari and countless others throughout Kesh’s bloody history? Well, one way or another, she would figure out the truth and determine if it impacted her ongoing talks with the Jedi. The last thing she wanted was to trade one treacherous occupation for another.

Reviewing her timepiece, Allana suggested, “Adari, perhaps we should head over to meet with Forward Command. We’ll need your input on navigating Kesh’s… treacherous minefield of Sith occupation and politics.” Getting a questioning look from Adari, she acquiesced, “I probably could’ve phrased that better.”

“Yes, you could’ve. But the assessment is accurate, I’ll admit.” Adari humorously agreed, earning a chuckle from both human young adults before they started hearing back towards the town hall that was being used as the Jedi’s first makeshift base of operations.

Although Adari knew the road ahead in freeing her people had only just begun, now she realized she wouldn’t have to carry that burden on her own any longer. Now, she had two new friends to help save the home and people she loved so much. And it replenished her resolve more than she could yet understand.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Kelona 26^th, 58 ABY

Keshtah Minor Farmlands

Town of Rees

Everything happened so fast, there was no time for their enemy to rally. Sneaking into the large village in the dead of night and silencing anyone who neared too close to sound the alarm, the small army quickly began their bloody work.

Having been tipped off to their quarry’s exact location by double agents, the first teams ignited their lightsabers of many different colors and commenced the attack alongside their military auxiliaries.

Catching everyone’s attention, the Neshtovar and their allies, long expecting such an inevitable battle and had spent many months preparing for the eventuality, rose to meet the challenge with whatever weapons and tools they were able to scrounge up. From many modern weapons to far more of the traditional tools of the Kesh-born natives, the town, a major hub of activity for its proximity to the center of crops for the continent, was a small but strong fortress whose inhabitants would defend their way of life to the death.

If the Jedi wanted to finish eradicating the Neshtovar just as they had the leadership, then they would find it a costly war. But before the two forces could meet in battle, the town found itself bombarded by a barrage of attacks, this bunch unlike any the town’s citizens had ever encountered before. From fireballs to gusty icy storms that wrought havoc on the defenders, it seemed the elements themselves had turned against them.

Unfortunately, the madness didn’t stop there, with blood curdling screams echoing throughout dozens of buildings as the death squads carried out their heinous work. Eliminating many of the Neshtovar’s key leaders and contacts, the assassins had swiftly crushed the head of this troublesome nuisance, and now all that remained was to destroy its twitching corpse.

Caught between the two main assault forces and left leaderless, the Neshtovar and their sympathizers were quickly routed and destroyed to the last fighter. In less than an hour, with less than fifty casualties of their own, the larger force had triumphed and removed another troublesome obstacle toward their ultimate objective.

After the invading horde departed the area, the leader of this force, a veiled woman with hateful yellow eyes, pulled out her holocomm and reported to her master. Seeing the hologram of an expectant Darth Kitai, Belot quickly began, “The Neshtovar and all their allies have been eradicated in Rees, and everyone will believe the Jedi are responsible for this deed.”

“And our allies?” Kitai stoically asked.

“They all performed above all expectations.” Belot gleefully answered. “The traitors never knew what hit them, and no one can trace them back to us.”

“Good. Report back to base to receive your next assignment.” Kitai solemnly acknowledged, confusing her apprentice at the lack of emotion over what should be a jubilant occasion before the Sith leader closed the comm channel.

After the disaster of trying to capture or destroy the Neshtovar and implicate the Jedi, the Lost Tribe had been hard at work turning this potential disaster into a great opportunity. And thanks to Kitai’s liberal and unorthodox strategy and excellent use of her allies, especially the Shapers of Kro Var, Mecrosa Order, Ember of Vahl, and Raze’s private military outfit, the rebels had found themselves utterly decimated while implicating the Jedi for the recent string of murders. And by hitting over thirty rebel-allied villages in the last two days, this would be a disaster no one could ignore, and with the proper guidance, the public would be sent into a frenzy and the invaders would soon be outmaneuvered and overpowered in every way.

So why, then, was Kitai lacking the joy Belot was now feeling? Was she feeling misplaced sympathy for the traitors and the rest of the Tribe’s victims, or was it something else bothering the Grand Lady? Perhaps, when the opportunity next arose, she should ask her and determine how she could best help her people attain the glory they rightfully deserved, all while seizing some for herself and a well-deserved promotion.

Kelona 27^th, 58 ABY

Eorm, Town Hall

“It’s the same as all the other towns.” Jogan exhaustively informed Adari and the Jedi assembly. “Every Neshtovar and their friends in Rees are dead, and the remains…” He bitterly paused, catching his breath before finishing, “Well, there won’t even be enough for a cremation this time, let alone a proper burial.”

“Thank you, Jogan. Go and try to get some rest.” Adari gently dismissed her longtime advisor and companion. Seeing her friend depart, she bitterly warned the Jedi, “This is all the work of Vestara’s allies, and we’d soon best be ready to retaliate. That’s thirty-five villages or cities her followers have raided over the last two days all over the world, and it’s only going to get worse unless we can stop her soon.”

“And we will strike back, but we also need more information and be prepared to defend ourselves and the people here.” Kyle patiently reminded Adari. “She’s whipping the populace into a frenzy against us, and if we go after her now, we’ll be playing right into her hands and whatever ambush she’s preparing for us.”

“That assessment is all well and good, Grand Master, but it won’t do us much good if the Sith retain control of our home and my people. And while we deliberate over the best course of action, they’ll continue using their death squads to enslave my people again and send their armies against us.” Adari curtly countered, opening the way to a new round of arguing between every commander. Many argued over the course of action the Jedi Coalition should take, while an almost equal number tried to seek calm.

“Then let’s stop yelling at each other and start planning our next move.” Allana firmly interjected, briefly igniting her lightsaber to put an end to all the quarreling. “We know Vestara and her Sith are leading a false propaganda charge against us, so let’s do what we can to undo her case and turn the public to side with our cause.”

Edaan, seeing what Allana was trying to do, picked up on her proposal, “Adari, you know this planet inside and out. You know where and how the Tribe and its hired guns work and fight, and you run a blasted good information network that can operate in virtually any condition.”

“Where are you two going with this?” Desha curiously inquired, the well-honed gears in her mind working overtime to figure out a way to retaliate against these massacres. “Considering how this planet is currently dominated by the Sith and they control all forms of communication across all the continents, I doubt typical methods of speaking the truth to this populace.”

“I believe they’re inferring that the Neshtovar can help us identify the Sith’s weak points and show us how to outmaneuver their forces, just for starters.” Akku inferred. “As for proving to the public that the Neshtovar and Jedi haven’t been behind these attacks, I’m sure we can find a communications hub that can help spread our own message to the planet’s citizens.”

“I can help with that.” Adari agreed. “I know of at least three such regional outposts on this side of the continent, and I’ve got a few contacts that can help us get close to any of them.”

“Then we’d best get started planning this operation immediately, as well as our defense of this region.” Kara wisely proposed. “While you all work to spread the good word, we need to hold the line and keep the peace while preparing for the Sith’s inevitable attack on us.”

“Whoever we send will need to go under complete radio silence for this mission to have a chance of success.” Sidon warned everyone. “That means no communications or Force signals, so you’ll be going in dark and without virtually any support.”

“We’ve done many more dangerous missions with worse odds than this.” Ben indifferently shrugged, his calm demeanor hiding the coiled-up anticipation he felt at the risk of facing Vestara again. If he faced her during this mission, he feared what he might do to everyone around him. But he knew there were more important things than retribution, and if Edaan was right and there was a slim chance of saving his one time girlfriend, did he not owe it to the woman he loved to try and save her? “All we need to decide now is when do we start.”

“Well, first, I might suggest that you record a message for the populace, one which details the truth of our arrangement with each other.” Wynn wisely suggested. “From there, we pick our target and learn all we can about it.”

Kelona 32^nd, 58 ABY

Continent of Keshtah Minor

Sessal Spire

Listening Post Takara

Silently navigating their way through the mountainside facility, the Jedi-Neshtovar squad could hardly believe their good fortune in making it this far without any complications.

After the Jedi Coalition decided on hitting the Sessal Spire, a mountainous region centered around a now-dormant volcano that had long served as a sacred site to the Lost Tribe and Keshiri, plans were made to infiltrate a troop transport and utilize the region’s sole observation center for their counterpropaganda.

Thanks to the Jedi’s privateer allies and their informants in the Sith’s criminal backers, they had found a prime target to intercept and occupy without anyone being the wiser. And with their veteran help in Mirax Terrik Horn and Akku using theirs’ and the Neshtovar’s information to bluff their way through the enemy defenders and stall them with a healthy dose of off-world delicacies and entertainment, the ten-man team had been given ample time to proceed to their objective.

Arriving just outside the data vaults while evading or incapacitating the few remaining on-duty guards, Zekk Zel and Adari, two of the three leaders for this joint operation, stood guard while Sidon, the final commander, worked to bypass security and deactivate the many defenses that protected their target. After ten minutes of anxious waiting, the laser motion sensors and durasteel doors were disarmed, and the data vault was laid bare before the eager seekers.

Slowly entering, all while on the lookout for any remaining traps or concealed defenses that might be lying in wait, the unlikely squad saw the layout of the data center, with Adari recognizing its layout from the replication of the ancient Sith mining vessel Omen’s bridge. Having studied the ancient designs of the Lost Tribe’s most sacred vessel, she was able to lead the team to the main computer, allowing Sidon and Robonino to start their work.

By utilizing technology well beyond Adari’s limited experience, Sidon’s custom “computer spike” would work its way into the central network and locate all information on the Neshtovar’s systematic decimation before sending a copy to the Jedi’s headquarters on Eorm. And thanks to Robonino’s prodigious slicing abilities and the Keshiri’s few like-minded practitioners, the Sith would be none the wiser until it was too late.

After five minutes of dramatically slow progress, Sidon told Zekk, “Phase One is complete. We’re in and undetected.”

“Good.” Zekk nodded, stepping towards the console to start his part of the mission. Typing a series of commands into the computer, he swiftly found what he was looking for. Pulling out three more spikes, he implanted the first one next to a ventilation shaft, which began hissing from a high dose of anesthetic gas. Everyone firmly placed their air filtrates on, the Jedi Master handed the second spike to Robonino, telling him, “Put this one into the main server. It’ll upload our virus into the entire comm network and allow us to intercept over 20% of all the Sith’s signals and give us a way into their entire data network.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Robonino enthusiastically promised before scurrying off to complete the task.

Adari, growing more anxious with each passing moment, impatiently implored, “How much longer until we can upload our broadcast?”

“That’s what this final spike is for, Commander Thayn.” Sidon calmly assured his fellow leader with her newly appointed rank before escorting her to the secondary communication terminal and uploading it. “We just need to get back to our transports before the message starts, or this whole place will become a lot livelier very quickly.”

“And I would advise you to endeavor to stay calm under pressure. If your fellow rebels see you panic so easily, they will follow suit and leave you all at risk to defeat.” Sidon counseled Adari.

“Sorry.” Adari apologized. “I’m just not as proficient with this advanced technology as you all.”

“Well, when we make it back to friendly territory, we’ll gladly give you plenty of lessons in a wide array of skills, especially in using our more advanced technology.” Sidon offered before his comm gauntlet beeped, signifying that Mirax’s distraction was almost over. Seeing that Robonion and Zekk were completing each of their tasks, the Delphidian privateer added, “Let’s get moving.”

One Hour Later

Kelona 33^rd, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar/Keshtah Major

New Tahv, Sith Citadel

“Everything is proceeding just as you predicted, Grand Lady.” Takaris commended Kitai as they oversaw their ongoing operations against the Jedi stronghold of Eorm. “The Jedi can’t withstand our siege for much longer, not without dropping their restraints and fall to our traps.”

“Save the compliments for only after we emerge victorious, Yur.” The Lost Tribe’s leader implored her trusted advisor. “There are still too many variables in this strategy that could yet be compromised.”

“True enough.” Takaris conceded, acknowledging how even the best-laid plans could fall apart from an infinite number of influences.

After the last heated deliberations between the Lost Tribe’s allies over their retaliation strategy, every member had been working overtime to undermine the Neshtovar and deprive the Jedi of a crucial ally in any conceivable way. And thanks to the Mecrosa and Shapers of Kro Var leading the extermination of the rebels while Raze’s syndicate worked to disseminate the Sith’s message, public sentiment had sharply turned against their shared foes while ensuring the public’s fidelity to their betters.

And with all but a handful of Kesh’s civilians and serfs now unwilling to offer shelter to any of their enemies, the time was ripe to unleash hellfire on their disloyal brethren in the Jedi’s sole stronghold on the planet. Between the regular raids on Eorm’s outskirts, infiltrating the port for countless possible acts of sabotage, and spewing a constant barrage of demoralizing propaganda, it was only a matter of time before the resistance collapsed and their benefactors were forced to devise a new strategy. That would especially be true when the Lost Tribe and its partners brought their full power down on the enemy and drove them all off-world for a while longer, at least until another invasion force arrived, larger and ready to eliminate any who stood in their way. But by that point, the planet’s population would be long gone from this world and ready to fight to establish their rule over the entire galaxy under hers’ and Lord Krayt’s guidance.

Mysteriously, though, there were several prominent figures in the Jedi’s army that were not present in their failing defense of Eorm. Edaan Palpatine, Allana Djo Solo, Jagged Fel, Akku Seii II, Adari Thayn, and her dear Ben, were all missing from the battles raging, and none of Kitai’s people could locate them through any means. Not even her Sith seers nor Ship were able to find the unaccounted enemies, and that troubled her more than she cared to admit.

Blazing through the two Sith’s thoughts, Ship mentally called out to both Kitai and Takaris, ‘I have located all your missing quarry. They are fleeing the Sessal Spire and heading back towards their occupied territory.’

“The Sessal Spire?” Takaris confusingly repeated. “What could they want out there…? The data vaults.”

“It’s worse than that.” Kitai bitterly figured out, berating herself at how vastly the Jedi and Neshtovar had outplayed her this time. “Takara Outpost has a fully equipped comm center that can reach across the entire planet and has connections to all our major strongholds and auxiliaries. They’re going to dispel our propaganda, turn the planet against itself, and learn all they need on how to pick our alliance apart.”

Just then, Jesko’s hologram intruded, with the Sith Lord warning his superior, “Forgive me, Grand Lady, but we have a dire situation erupting across the planet.”

“I already know exactly what you’re calling about.” Kitai grimly acknowledged as dozens of comm signals could be heard buzzing in the control center, each coming from a regional outpost. Switching her feed to the Tribe’s primary HoloNet channel, she bristled at seeing Adari Thayn, leader of the reborn Neshtovar, standing before the holocam as she addressed the entire world through their hijacked comm station.

“Most of you only know me as Adari Thayn, the leader of the Neshtovar, a supposed terrorist organization that is bent on destroying the Lost Tribe of the Sith and all the foundations of our civilization. And that we would sell out our home and guardians to their sworn enemies, the Jedi Order.” Adari imploringly began. “But that is only a small and heavily distorted piece of the entire story.”

“For more than five thousand years, we faithfully believed in the Sith, thinking them to be the servants of the Protectors of our religion. We allowed ourselves to be little more than slaves to the Lost Tribe, building their monuments and cities while most of our people languished in serfdom and suffered from countless betrayals and intrigues on all sides.”

“I too once believed in the lies the Sith told, believing that power belonged only to the worthy and that all others deserved to serve in whatever capacity they desired. Like hundreds of thousands of Keshiri before me, I shared their convictions, being the only belief system that we held. And when I was a young Tyro, preparing to journey to our founders’ Sith Temple and begin my training in the Dark Side, that was when tragedy struck all of Kesh.”

Kitai, turning back to Jesko, heatedly ordered, “Shut down Takara Station’s comm capabilities immediately. Better to lose one station for a little while than let the planet slip into chaos.”

“I’ve already given the order, but the crews are locked out of all essential systems. I’ve redeployed three of our heavy cruisers to strike in just over four minutes.” Jesko faithfully stated.

“-hungry for vengeance against the Jedi and desperate to seize control of the galaxy, that we entered into a pact with Abeloth, a monstrous entity that betrayed our hospitality and destroyed the city of Tahv, killing millions of our own before enslaving the rest to serve her whims. And among those destroyed were my family.” Adari heartbrokenly continued, shocking everyone at the daring admission.

‘So, that is the reason she rebelled against the Sith.’ Kitai concluded, her heart gripped in sympathy for the defector, herself having suffered dearly from the Celestial monstrosity’s betrayal and act of spiteful destruction. It wasn’t simply out of an ideological divergence that Adari left the Tribe, but a broken heart over the deaths the Sith invited against their own.

Suddenly, the explanation over how the Neshtovar grew so numerous and dangerous since its recent revival was also made clear to Kitai. Adari had played on the bitterness and hopelessness of tens of thousands of lost souls to rally them all to her cause, using her training and whatever she could learn from the rest of the galaxy on how to whip them into an effective fighting force. And now they had enacted a pact with the Jedi to ensure another disaster like Tahv’s annihilation never occurred again.

“Many of you might believe the lies the Sith told on the Jedi, and that they seek our annihilation alongside their mortal enemies. For that is what you were told when you learnt of the dozens of massacres that have been transpiring across our world, and when they allegedly kidnapped me and my subordinates as Grand Lady Vestara Khai claims. Well, I am here to disprove all those allegations and set the record straight.”

“The Neshtovar were invited to secret talks with the Jedi to discuss our grievances and see if it was possible to lay aside our differences in pursuit of a common goal. And as the summit was nearing its conclusion, Vestara and her agents sprung their trap and tried to eradicate us all and implicate her enemies for the heinous deed.” Switching the holofeed to an image of the dead left behind at the Neshtovar’s old hideout at the Ragnos Lakes, Adari paused for a moment to allow the audience to process the visual feed.

“It was only through the Jedi and their escort that any of us survived and were able to deliver this message to you all. But this is not the only recent lie the Sith have told.” The holofeed changing again, Kitai felt herself turning pale to see a recording of her disguised forces assaulting the Neshtovar hideouts. Seeing the carnage her followers and allies unleashed, how the Shapers of Kro Var and Vahla used the Force to incinerate many resistance fighters and civilians, it filled her with sorrow at a level her hardened heart did not know she was still capable of possessing.

Just then, the signal cut out, and Jesko addressed his leader again, his voice laced with exhausted relief as he answered, “It’s done. The outpost array is destroyed. I’ll be sending in teams momentarily to ascertain the extent of the damage and see what the Jedi uncovered there.”

“Don’t send anyone in yet.” Kitai hastily ordered, stunned at how afraid she sounded before composing herself to amend her command, “I will be journeying there myself to learn what advantages we’ve lost. We don’t know what surprises the Jedi might’ve left behind, or who we can trust with many of the secrets the outpost possesses.”

Seeing his mistress’s point, Jesko nodded, “I’ll set up a guard detail over the Sessal Spire immediately, then.” Hesitating, he asked, “But what of your followers still fighting at the Jedi’s headquarters?”

“Recall everyone. Instruct all team leaders to make sure that none of our own are left behind to be captured by the Jedi or their collaborators.” Kitai sadly ordered. “I don’t think any of our enemies will be in a merciful mood, nor will many of our supporters tick with us once they all learn just how deep our betrayal of our people goes.”

Selona 3^rd, 58 ABY

Eorm, Jedi Headquarters

“This is a historic day for the people of Kesh!” Adari joyously proclaimed to her fellow Neshtovar and the regional mayors that had agreed to this impromptu meeting. “No longer will our people be enslaved to evil, no longer will we ignore the injustices that have permeated every fabric of our planet and culture! By working with those that truly stand for righteousness amidst the evils of war, we will all rediscover what it means to be a valorous people and find our genuine place in the greater galaxy. And it will be through our just and lasting pact with the Jedi that our salvation is at hand, just as it was with the Yuuzhan Vong twenty-nine years ago.”

After the last of the Lost Tribe forces withdrew or surrendered, the Jedi and Neshtovar had spent the last five days reaching out to the region’s villages and cities. Adari and her supporters had informed them all about the Lost Tribe’s orchestration of the systematic targeting of rebel-sympathetic cities and the full extent of their depraved alliance with the criminal element.

While most local leaders could barely believe the full implications of what this deception meant, along with the understanding that the Sith’s rule was coming to an end, the Jedi had done well in convincing them of how they did not seek the planet’s razing, but rather its liberation. And by vowing to work with them and the Neshtovar in expunging the Lost Tribe and their many allies from Kesh, the Jedi’s confederation now had the cooperation of most mayors and their deputies, with the few holdouts agreeing not to interfere in their war or offer aid to their shared enemies.

“And to mark the occasion, I wish for you to meet those that from the stars will work alongside us as we expunge the Lost Tribe from existence.” Adari gestured towards the off-worlder assembly. Allowing the local leaders to turn towards Ben Skywalker, Edaan Palpatine, Allana Djo Solo, Jagged Fel, Sidon Ithano, Akku Seii II, Zekk Zel, Wyn and Desha Dorvan, and the rest of the twenty dignitaries, she continued, “These brave individuals have agreed to work as liaisons between both our powers as we establish a new government on Kesh and help integrate our world into the galactic community.”

“It will not be an easy endeavor that we are setting out to accomplish, this is obvious to all of us.” Adari warned everyone. “There will be many who doubt our sincerity or remain loyal to the Sith and seek to undermine this great movement, and there will be much upheaval as we experiment with methods, concepts, and ideas we’ve never considered before. This will especially be true as we set out to dismantle the Lost Tribe’s hold over our people and forge a new unity among our many cultural divisions.”

“But through our commitment to the people we swore to represent and serve, and the counsel of those that have experience with forging a new path from the ashes of a corrupt system, we will flourish in the years and decades to come.” Adari promised. “And it starts right here, right now!” Hearing the cheers and applause erupt from the audience, it filled her with renewed hope that her dream would soon be within reach and her people could finally take control of their own fates again.

One Hour Later

Eorm’s Spaceport, Aboard the Light Courier Raven’s Claw

“How does it feel to be an official ambassador in the middle of a war, my latest pupil?” Kyle casually asked Edaan. “Is the weight of responsibility I’ve thrust upon you starting to set in yet?”

“More like crushing me.” Edaan faux-dully responded. But noticing the serious glint in his teacher’s eyes, he sighed, “What’s this meeting actually about, Kyle?”

“It’s about your so-called secret goal, and how you’ll have to proceed more carefully than ever before in your desperation to save Vestara Khai.” Said a voice Edaan dreaded to hear more than any other. Seeing the new arrival of Ben Skywalker as the Jedi Master entering Kyle’s personal ship, the last Palpatine barely restrained himself from unleashing a dying groan.

Slowly turning to face Kyle, Edaan despairingly asked, “Why is he here, Master?”

“Because you’re going to be working with Master Skywalker quite frequently while we’re here, and there cannot be any secrets between you two in such a crucial multi-faceted endeavor.” Kyle simply explained. “And since he’s willing to work with you in trying to save his first love, I felt it best to tell him everything about your personal mission, just so you’re both on the same page before this intricate war progresses any further.”

Every verbal comeback dying on his lips at the disclosure, Edaan’s mouth remained slack open as he stared at Ben, unable to speak at all. The Jedi Master, an amused smile creasing his face, politely told Kyle, “I guess this wasn’t a scenario your apprentice ever could’ve anticipated.”

“Well, you have been trying to capture or kill Vestara for about fourteen years, Ben.” Kyle humorously agreed. But he quickly grew solemn as he loudly addressed his student, “Edaan.”

Snapping out of his reverie, Edaan bitterly glared at Kyle, “Why would you tell him this? Forgive me, but Master Skywalker, he’s been steeped in hate for so long, obsessed with destroying Vestara and anyone who follows her. And you swore that my quest would remain a secret from him and his family until the time was right.”

“You’re right.” Ben ruefully acknowledged. “And, truth be told, there’s a part of me that still wants to make Vestara pay for her crimes and betrayals. But if I kill her out of hate, I’d be dishonoring everything I’ve fought for and open myself up to the Dark Side.”

Seeing Edaan silently nod to concede that point, Ben earnestly continued, “Besides, if a young man who only talked with Vestara once, when she tried to walk a better path and showed you kindness at one of your lowest points hasn’t given up on her, how could I do anything less in the name of love and forgiveness?”

“So, you’re saying you want us to work together in saving Vestara?” Edaan skeptically concluded. “How do I know you won’t renege on your promise later on?”

“Because I’m not going to give up this time.” Ben earnestly stated. “When Vestara needed me the most, when she was slipping back into her old roots, I did nothing but abandon her and write her off as a lost cause. And because of the decision, millions are dead or ruined and the Sith have grown that much more powerful because of my hypocrisy and her misdeeds.”

“It’s long past time that I take responsibility for my failures and help heal the wounds of the past, no matter what might happen to me.” Ben firmly resolved. “And I’m going to need your help in that regard, Edaan, because you’ve kept that flame of hope alive through all these years where I refused to.”

“Edaan, you’ve done more for the galaxy in the last thirteen years than most leaders could do in a lifetime. You’ve been helping knit this broken galaxy back together without compromising your principles and beliefs, all while building up an impressive network of friends and favors to help the Jedi. Only now, you don’t have to carry this weighty burden on your own anymore.” Kyle implored the conflicted young man before both older Jedi.

Starting to deeply pant, Edaan sat down in the adjacent chair, and began weeping from overwhelming joy over what he was hearing. Finally, he would no longer need to keep the secret from everyone any longer, nor would any of his confederates both within and beyond the Jedi Order. At last, he could open his heart and show his resolve without reservation. Sure, his quest would still need to be confidential from the greater galaxy, especially as the war on Kesh progressed, but now he and his trusted friends could work together towards their shared goal.

And Ben had finally seen the error of his hateful rampage and would dedicate his energies to redemption over vengeance. That alone encouraged Edaan more than he could possibly measure.

Wiping the tears from his face and regaining control over his emotions, Edaan profusely told both Ben and Kyle, “Thank you.”

Gripping Edaan’s shoulder in gratitude, Ben kindly clarified, “I think I’m the one who ought to be thanking you, Edaan Palpatine. Now, let’s see what we can do in saving all those we can out here, especially our mutual target.”

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Telona 12^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Southern Hemisphere

Continent of Eshkrene

Arduously climbing up a fifty-meter ridge, utilizing the breathing techniques Edaan had taught her, Adari at last pulled herself up above the ledge before falling face first into the abundant snow covering Kesh’s southernmost continent. Panting deeply while drawing on the Force to maintain and replenish her body’s natural heat, she slowly rose back onto her own two cold feet, glaring daggers at both Edaan and Ben Skywalker, the two Jedi overseeing her training to hone her limited training in the Force.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Adari accusingly asked Edaan who smirked behind his cold-weather gear before they hurried back to their makeshift camp. “Seeing me freeze to death in the icy tundra while you’re both all bundled up and drinking hot chocolate.”

“Actually, we’re drinking a simple broth of your people’s own recipe.” Edaan glumly corrected. “Hot chocolate’s too valuable a commodity to ship into a war zone, and not a luxury we can afford, especially so close to the Sith’s regional command center.”

Over the previous month, after the Neshtovar officially allied itself with the Jedi and worked to disprove the Lost Tribe’s propaganda by utilizing their diminished contacts to spread the truth throughout all of Kesh’s continents. Seeking to undermine the Sith’s deceitful hold over their people and pave the way for the planet’s eventual liberation, this unlikely coalition had spent two weeks probing the Sith’s defenses and territories to hit them where they could do the most damage. Among the seven continents that percolated the planet, each were protected by a heavy presence of Vestara’s Sith, Dark Side cults, and underworld allies, making any endeavor a costly enterprise.

Eventually, it was decided that the Jedi Coalition would strike not just one continent, but three at once to try and keep the Lost Tribe off-balance and show the natives that this power was not going to play by the Sith’s rules. And as a show of solidarity with the Neshtovar, their leader and two battalions of the free galactic powers would work to investigate the enemy’s presence on the remote continent of Eshkrene, closest to the South Pole.

But as a greater gesture of unity between the Neshtovar and Jedi Coalition, Edaan and Ben would train Adari in the Jedi Arts, not only to give her a better chance of surviving against the higher-ranking Sith, but to draw other Force-Sensitive Keshiri towards the Jedi and away from the Lost Tribe’s iron grip. Allana would have been involved in this endeavor, but she had joint responsibilities with the Hapans, Jedi, and working as a liaison with the Neshtovar networks across each continent.

So far, Adari had been an excellent student with relatively few hiccups, aside from her occasional complaints and rarer outbursts. She had learnt many techniques from among dozens of martial arts forms from across the galaxy, had become moderately proficient with many weapons, including a training lightsaber, and was beginning to find a measure of peace in her heart, even as she helped lead her people out of indentured servitude. Given a few more months of experience, and she might be willing to join the Jedi as one of their own and serve as a herald of great change for her people in a noble fashion.

And it certainly helped how Adari and her primary instructor were developing a solid rapport and learning a great deal from each other. Edaan, by learning all he could of Kesh’s people, language, and fighting styles, it gave him a new window into Vestara Khai’s world and how to undermine her hold over her people while hopefully bring her back to the Light. In addition, while helping aid the beleaguered Keshiri colonists of Eshkrene and try to uncover the Lost Tribe’s particular interest in this frozen tundra, both Jedi and Neshtovar leader were slowly developing a mutual attraction to one another. The signs were subtle, but they each stole silent glances to each other, playfully flirted with each other, and took occasional excuses to be near each other when they could.

Ben, overseeing the training, he felt a pang of envy and remorse at how well Edaan and Adari got along, and hoped that this future relationship turned out better than the one he once had with Vestara. But he knew he couldn’t talk about this with his female charge, knowing how she didn’t share the same hopes that he and Edaan held for her. In fact, since last week, when the three Force Users had stumbled upon the final few remains of a pre-Lost Tribe city that seemed to be the focus of the Sith’s attention around the region.

An area strong in the Force, the ancient ruins seemed to be serving as a training facility for many of the Sith’s apprentices and secular allies, and once Ben had infiltrated the area to uncover the truth, it was clear why. The City of the Doomed, a stronghold of descendants of Jedi and Sith that came together after the Second Great Jedi Schism to keep watch over Kesh and protect its inhabitants from the Sith, the true Destroyers of Keshiri legend. And equally important to them was guarding the Oubliette, a Sith stasis casket that contained Remulus Dreypa one of the original founding Dark Lords of the Sith from the Old Sith Empire, where it was hoped that he would remain imprisoned for all eternity.

Unfortunately, whether it was the Will of the Force or a mischance, Dreypa was set loose just over three thousand years ago, when a rogue Sith anarchist released him and set in motion a chain of events that nearly destroyed the Lost Tribe but also eradicated the Doomed and left their incredible sanctum icy rubble in a matter of weeks.

But even out of such tragedy, hope was still kindled, and opportunities arose for those willing to seize them. Recognizing the value of this land from the visions Ben and Edaan were gifted, seeing the Followers of the Doomed and their balanced approach to the Force while keeping vigil over Kesh, they realized that this area, perhaps even the entire Sith-held continent, could make an excellent pilgrimage for all Force Sensitives who wished to train or meditate and reflect on their lives. Just as significant, which Adari agreed to, was that the long-destroyed sanctum could serve as a Jedi Temple or Praxeum for the planet’s Force-Sensitive citizens and ex-Sith after their current form of government was dismantled.

Of course, this was all depending on if the Lost Tribe and their concealed backers could be defeated, and the populace still lived to reinvent themselves. And to do that, they needed to finish rooting out the remaining citadels and outposts that dotted the landscape of this frigid continent.

Finally returning to the Jedi’s outpost after thirty minutes of intense hiking, Adari asked both her teachers, “How do you think our chances are of capturing Vestara and her Circle of Lords to put them on trial?”

Having prepared for such a question during his stay here, Edaan reminded Adari, “It’d be a miracle if we could even get a handful of them alive. But it’s not going to stop me from trying.” Seeing the suspicious gaze, he elaborated, “We need to find out what they know of the One Sith and their own designs, and to best accomplish that is to take as many we can alive and help the people realize that they don’t need to be ruled by them any longer.”

“What about Vestara Khai?” Adari continued, venomously adding, “Personally, I’d love to put an end to her myself if given the chance. Put a blaster bolt between her eyes, beheading her, I don’t care as long as she’s done for good.”

“If you’re trying to get a rise out of me, Adari, it won’t work.” Ben ardently stated. “I’ve been hunting Vestara for fourteen years, and I’m prepared to do what’s needed to stop her. And so’s Edaan.”

‘If only I could believe that.’ Adari reluctantly mused. She could tell that the topic was deeply troubling Edaan, and the unusual elusiveness he held towards killing Vestara made her wonder just what he wanted with the Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe. Given his ease with which he fought and killed dozens of Sith across Kesh, it should be easy for him to want to destroy their leader.

So why, then, was Edaan so hesitant to discuss killing Vestara after all the grief she gave the Jedi and the galaxy? Adari had to figure it out soon before she found herself too deep into a trap to fight her way out. She just hoped it could be done while saving her homeworld from all corrupting influences.

Telona 16^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar

New Tahv, Sith Citadel

“Jesko, am I right?” Kitai tensely asked, hiding her apprehension behind a mask of stony frustration. After receiving only ten all-clear signals from Eshkrene’s fortresses, less than half the number that reported back at the start of the month, it was clear what was happening to her facilities and people. But she wanted to believe that it was merely a result of the inclement weather that typically buffeted the region.

Jesko, trying to refrain from showcasing any weakness, failed to hide all his anxiousness as he admitted, “It would appear so. We’ve lost contact with thirteen outposts on Eshkrene, and another seventeen across the Northern Hemisphere. The Jedi are advancing against us on every possible front and are tying us down.”

“Even with our agents reporting on their every move?” Kitai reminded her advisor, knowing how the One Sith’s spies were well-entrenched within the Jedi and their confederates and enabling the Lost Tribe to enact heavy casualties through many of their battles.

“I’m afraid it’s simply not enough, not with the numbers our enemies brought against us. And our spies report that the Imperials and Hapans are each preparing a fleet to invade Eshkrene and seize the territory.” Janus anxiously acknowledged. “What are your orders?”

Refraining from showcasing any anger or petulance in front of her followers, Kitai knew she had to retaliate before the Jedi gained any more ground. But the only way to do that was to personally enter the war, a precarious move when the Sith were under attack from three fronts. On the other hand, if her people saw her fighting alongside them as an equal, it could rally them and give her more time to maneuver everything into position for her endgame. And nothing said she had to fight this war on her own.

Knowing what her next move was, Kitai curtly ordered Jesko, “Summon the Council of Lords and our auxiliaries by the end of the day. I have new instructions for us all, and we must convene right away. It’s long past time that we all personally enter this war to defend our home and way of life before time runs out.”

“That will take time, my Lady.” Jesko emphasized to Kitai. “Mobilizing enough ships to repel each of the three invasions will-”

“I’m well aware of the logistics needed for this endeavor, old friend.” Kitai impatiently stressed. “I will help however I can, but this must be done while we still have the strength, numbers, and capabilities.”

‘And it will be a good opportunity for Belot to make up for her past failures.’ Kitai mused, knowing her apprentice burned for revenge against Edaan Palpatine and the Neshtovar for their previous humiliation of her. She just hoped her Shadow Hand could keep her composure and stay focused on the big picture over her personal desires.

Telona 19^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Eshkrene

13 Kilometers North of Command Center Hilts

“You’re sure of this?” Kyle pressed Ben amidst this impromptu meeting of the Jedi Coalition’s leadership.

“It’s the only conclusion that makes sense, Kyle.” Ben simply answered after informing the Jedi’s Grand Master of the intelligence reports the Neshtovar informants had provided Adari before she delivered them to him and Edaan. “The rest of the Sith’s outposts and strongholds on this icy island are fortifying themselves with all their remaining defenses, and we intercepted several transmissions from Vestara and her Circle of Lords and off-world subordinates. They’re preparing for several major counteroffensives of their own, and it’s easy to guess where one of their conquests will be.”

“Then what do you propose we do to stop them?” Kara cautioned Ben. “If the Sith are readying to reclaim the territory we’ve worked so hard to capture, we need to be willing to meet them in battle. And our current numbers will not be sufficient to fight the enemy on so many fronts.”

“We already have a plan in place to weaken Eshkrene’s fortresses and ease its liberation.” Edaan enigmatically began. “Thanks to the Neshtovar and the intelligence coup we acquired last month, we now know just how to shift the odds plenty more in our favor. All we need from you all is to move a bit faster than we originally planned.”

“Forgive me, Jedi Palpatine, but that can’t be all you and your allies need from us.” Jagged challenged. “If we hope to capture and secure all three targeted continents before the Sith can resupply their positions, you’ll need more than reliable information and a network of contacts to uproot the Lost Tribe’s control.”

“We’ve got this under control, Commander Fel.” Ben rose to Edaan’s defense while addressing Jagged by his military rank Head of State Reige gave him. “Right now, stealth and reliable information will suffice for us much better than simple force or military might. You should understand that better than most.”

Chastened by Ben’s subtle reprimand, Jagged acknowledged that point with a nod while Tenel Ka tactfully suggested, “Then, it would be wise for us to focus our efforts on accelerating the liberation of our targets and repelling the Sith’s retaliation force. And that means we need to finish readying our armies and fleets before tomorrow concludes.”

“Agreed.” Kyle concurred. “I suggest we return to our preparations right away before we dither away too much time getting caught up in nitpicking every detail of this campaign.”

Quietly voicing their agreement, everyone quickly signed off this holoconference, aside from Kyle and Jan, while Edaan departed to give Ben and the two holograms the privacy to discuss the confidential details of this operation. Although he knew the outline of their plan and suspected who would soon be arriving to reinforce the Jedi, it would be a terrible breach of trust if he eavesdropped, never mind the disaster that would erupt if the wrong people found out too soon.

Besides, Adari would soon be done with her latest scouting run, and she would need plenty of warm beverages to recover while briefing someone on the citadel’s defenses. It would be best not to leave anything to chance when the next phase of Kesh’s liberation began.

Telona 26^th, 58 ABY

Above the Continent of Eshkrene

Aboard the Turbulent-class Star Destroyer Bloodfin

Jagged knew his fleet couldn’t afford to drag this fight out for much longer, not if the Allied fleets hoped to break the Lost Tribe’s chokehold in time to minimize casualties and ensure a speedy surrender. Having begun the invasion of Eshkrene five days ago alongside the Hapans, striking with such fierceness and speed to force the few remaining outlying defenders to surrender, both they and the Imperials had worked quickly in establishing a foothold within striking distance of the continent’s central command.

Aided by fifty Jedi and half a battalion of the Galactic Alliance’s best marines, the joint force rapidly reached the final layer of defenses that protected the Sith’s regional headquarters. But they were held back by both a large enemy fleet and a firm line of gun emplacements layered around the area, concealed by the wintery elements below. And having suffered significant delays from the stubborn resilience of the Lost Tribe and Neo Death Watch’s defenders and their desperate stalling maneuvers, including the Jedi Coalition’s resources being stretched thin by its two other continental campaigns and the few rumors they’d intercepted of Kitai and her council preparing to retaliate on a grand scale, time was running out.

Unfortunately, no word had come through on the Neshtovar or any of the Jedi on their purported stratagem to undermine the enemy’s defenses, nor had the Sith made any mistakes in their strategy. No matter how effectively the Jedi or their allied strike teams fought, regardless of how much damage they inflicted on their fleets, the enemy would not take the bait and engage them in a full-fledged battle.

Jaina’s predictions on the Sith having learnt from their previous mistakes and improved from their many dark allies were spot-on, and now the Jedi were paying the price.

Interrupting Jagged’s musings, the hologram of Tenel Ka Djo blazed to life from aboard the Bloodfin’s command center, and the Imperial ambassador and interim fleet commander greeted his former peer, “Any notable progress on your front?”

“Not by my people.” Tenel Ka began before she changed the holotransmission to an image of Eshkrene’s surface, with the multiple emplacements subtly changing positions across the landscape. “Master Skywalker transmitted his all-clear signal to me and requested that I immediately relay all relevant information to you and Master Solo Fel. He also advised us to attack once I deliver the message but insisted on us leaving their commandeered defenses behind for our own use.”

Before Jagged could respond, he heard the familiar sound of turbolasers firing, and the holoscreen began showing the images of seven Sith-crewed warships suddenly vanishing. And Jaina intruded on this brief meeting, her voice as clear as it was in person, “Looks like the Neshtovar and Ben came through for us. Half the Sith’s groundside defenses are starting to fire on their own.”

Seeing the opportunity before them, Jagged opened a fleetwide transmission, ordering all his ships, “We have our opening. The Sith’s groundside defenses have been compromised. Move in and focus your attacks on the enemy fleet and their remaining functional emplacements.”

Telona 28^th, 58 ABY

Inside Command Center Hilts

Finishing a meal of the off-worlders’ delicacies alongside their steak from a creature she never saw before, Adari excused herself to return to her duties. Although the enjoyed the wide variety of foodstuffs and drinks the Sith held, they didn’t hold a candle to the homegrown herbs and meats that defined her and her people.

And even with the recent and crucial victory for the Neshtovar and Jedi Coalition, the time for celebrations was not yet here for Kesh. After the last Sith defenders within this stronghold surrendered twelve hours ago, having been hammered from three different angles, it was a wonder they had not yielded sooner. With the Sith’s regional command center sabotaged by enemy infiltrators, half their turbolasers turned against their creators and the remaining defensive positions destroyed by the Jedi’s precision with their bombing runs, and their fleet either having been destroyed or fled to avoid surrender, the rest of the continent would soon be free of the Lost Tribe’s control.

That is, if the reinforcements the Jedi promised would soon arrive, and make it in time to help blunt the Sith’s inbound fleet that was prepared to try and retake their central regional base, along with the two other fleets sent to each of the besieged continents. And if the rumors the Neshtovar heard were any indication, this Lost Tribe armada would be led by none other than its Grand Lady herself. Which was why Adari had to find Edaan and Ben and confront them on whether they could be trusted to deal with Vestara Khai when the opportunity came. If they held any reservations about killing or capturing her, after the harm she wrought on her people and the galaxy, then the Neshtovar and Jedi were going to have quite a problem in their alliance.

Utilizing her growing connection to the Force to find them, she was able to pinpoint Edaan and Ben’s location to a private conference room in the lower levels before she made her next move. Recognizing how if the Jedi sensed her coming, they’d end their conversation and she couldn’t prove her suspicions, she earlier decided to take a cleverer approach. Entering the security wing, secluding herself by a central console able to access every camera in the facility, she quickly found the room where the Jedi were having their secret meeting, and tuned into the listening devices that they had yet to remove or disable with their white noise machines.

Seeing Allana and Kyle Katarn attend this meeting with Ben and Edaan via hologram, Adari recognized that what she was doing might very well undo their alliance, but she needed to assuage her doubts and make sure the Jedi understood what was best for her people. After millennia of servitude to the Sith, the Keshiri and Human serfs needed to be free of their vile influence, and if that conflicted with the Jedi and their admirable virtue, then she would do what was needed to save her people from all threats, no matter the risk. Listening in, she prayed that her fears were misplaced, but knew in her heart that this meeting would irrevocably change her relationship with the galaxy and its denizens forever.

“-really believe that you can capture Vestara here and now?” Kyle challenged Ben and Edaan. “This won’t be as simple a hunt as when you were a teenager, Master Skywalker, nor will it be as you imagine from your hopes, Apprentice.”

“We’re well aware of the incredible burdens we’ve placed on ourselves, Kyle.” Edaan acknowledged. “But right now, it’s not important that we capture her as make her doubt herself. If Ben and I want to save her, then we need to undercut the darkness that grips her and help her see that redemption is still possible.”

“That’s if we can win this war and help free Kesh from the Sith while uncovering Vestara’s remaining backers.” Ben prudently reminded everyone. “Your fourteen-year obsession with saving my old girlfriend will have to wait a bit longer.”

“As if you’re any better, Ben, with your former obsession with trying to kill her.” Allana retorted, Adari completely mortified and enraged by what she was overhearing. The Jedi, after trying to hunt down Vestara Khai and her followers across the galaxy, after enduring fourteen years of scorn and borderline persecution from an ungrateful and petty galaxy, they had decided to turn around and offer her another chance at becoming one of them.

This madness that Adari was hearing, it was an affront to everything the Neshtovar had endeavored and sacrificed to accomplish. Redemption for a Sith and war criminal that had terrorized the galaxy and murdered countless souls, it was a mockery of justice and a betrayal to every principle the Jedi claimed to espouse. How could they endanger so many for a woman who had repeatedly scorned their compassion, and risk letting Vestara poison more people with her lies and treachery?

“A valid question, Adari Thayn.” An ethereal voice called to the Neshtovar leader. “One that Edaan would be grateful to answer, if given the chance.”

Almost instantaneously, a human man appeared before Adari, one with long greying hair, wearing formal robes identical to the Jedi Order’s, and kind but weary blue eyes, just like those Edaan held. Not recognizing the ghost before her, he introduced himself, “Ah, please forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. Jedi Master of the previous Jedi Order, teacher to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and currently one of many instructors to Edaan Palpatine.”

Realizing what this meeting signified, Adari anxiously took several steps back, ready to bolt if this spirit attempted anything malicious. But Qui-Gon did not make any suspicious moves, only patiently gazed at her before sympathetically answering, “I understand the rage you feel. The helplessness at seeing the world and people you love be threatened by so many dangers, and the betrayal you feel from those you trust and believe in. But there is much you have yet to understand about the galaxy, and the inbound evils that endanger everything you cherish.”

“If you walk away from this fight now, then all that you have striven to achieve, all you hope to accomplish for your people, it will disappear as quickly as the sun sets, and you will never get this opportunity again.” Qui-Gon warned Adari. “And you will lose so much more than you can imagine and feel nothing but regret and shame for what you failed to do in the hour of need.”

“Why does it matter to you?!” Adari heatedly challenged. “You’re dead, and this isn’t your fight! It is the blood of my people that is being spilt, and my world that is being ripped asunder. Why should I accept the help of those who show mercy to one that has brought misery and destruction to countless innocents?!”

“And how do you hope to combat the Sith and their legions on your own? Can you hope to defeat their darkness with what strength and guile you currently possess?” Another man’s voice intruded, this one far firmer and darker than Qui-Gon’s as an armored man appeared, one Adari recognized as Darth Revan, redeemed Dark Lord of the Sith and the Prodigal Knight. “If you wish to prepare your people for the coming wars and ensure their survival, then you must swallow your old wounds and do what is right, not simply what is easy.” Shoulders sagging in deep regret, Revan wholeheartedly acknowledged, “It was a lesson I had to experience repeatedly as my recklessness, anger, and pride endangered the galaxy many times over. But there are evils out there that surpass the Sith of your time in power and wickedness, and they must be met with light if the galaxy hopes to survive.”

“Don’t lose hope for this fight, nor lose sight of the light within your soul, Adari.” Qui-Gon implored her. “There is more to you and your future than you can yet see, and it will be filled with more joys than you can’t yet imagine. All you need to do is open yourself up to the boundless possibilities out there.”

Vanishing as quickly as they appeared, the two deceased Jedi spirits left the chambers, leaving Adari alone with her thoughts. But before she had a chance to gather them, she heard a gentle knock on the door, seeing an ashamed Edaan outside before he ushered himself in and anxiously suggested, “I think we need to talk.”

Sensing the fear and penitence coursing through the Jedi Apprentice, Adari recognized that something had changed between the two, irrevocably in ways that she could not yet determine, silently nodded in agreement. But whether this inevitable change was for the good or ill of all of Kesh, that was something she hoped to find out before the next battle came upon them all.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Nelona 3^rd, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Kehstah

Tapani River, Along the Jungle Highlands

Jedi Forward Headquarters

“What do you mean, the reinforcements we were promised haven’t arrived yet?” Edaan exasperatingly asked his longtime friend. “Things are already difficult enough with Adari and holding Eshkrene as it is with our current numbers, but Vestara and her people will be here in two days to retake all their lost territory. We can’t stave off their assault for long unless we get plenty of help.”

Refraining from questioning Edaan’s prioritizing Adari’s well-being over the war effort, Allana, wiping the sweat off her brow from the intense humidity, apologetically elaborated “I’m afraid your battlefront isn’t the only one about to come under attack, Edaan, nor is Kesh the only world suffering from the Sith. It seems Vestara and her superiors have more proxies than we realized. They’re striking across seven sectors of the Outer Rim, and everyone’s being forced to redivert most of the original fleets meant for here to quell those fires.”

“As for right here, we’ve got word from the Neshtovar that Vestara has redeployed two fleets to help her retake the continents we’ve seized. We’re going to have to hold the line on our own until other forms of help can come to us.” Allana resolved. “It’s fortunate for us that we both helped the Jedi make so many friends across the galaxy over the years.”

Understanding crossing Edaan’s face, he instead asked, “How long until they arrive?”

“It’ll take two or three weeks, at the most.” Allana grimly answered. Changing topics, she candidly asked Edaan, “How is Adari faring these days?”

“She’s busying herself with getting her people ready for repelling the Sith and tending to the wounded among her people when she has the time.” Edaan wistfully answered. “I’ve been helping her when I can, but it isn’t easy ever since… she found out.” Seeing the expectant look in Allana eyes, he wearily sighed, “Honestly, I don’t know if Adari will ever trust me again. I certainly wouldn’t blame her if she did so.”

“Well, you managed to convince my cousin Ben to forgo his vendetta, and you’ve helped change many people’s lives for the better.” Allana patiently reminded Edaan. “All you need to do is live and lead by example and trust in the Force. And be sure to have faith that things will work out for the best.”

“That’s easier said than done for me, old friend, and that wasn’t the most Jedi-like saying you could’ve preached.” Edaan knowingly pointed out, earning an amused chuckle from his fellow Jedi Apprentice and Chume’da of Hapes.

Checking his timepiece, Edaan told Allana, “I need to go soon. We’ve got plenty more repairs to finish before the Sith start their attack, and we’re nowhere near ready.”

“I understand.” Allana agreed. “I’d tell you to stay safe, Edaan, but that won’t be possible for either of us in our line of work. Just stay try to alive and in one piece.”

“You too, Allana.” Edaan warmly smiled at Allana before she turned off the holocomm. Pocketing the device, she exited the ramshackle cabin that she was using as her temporary residence while the Jedi Coalition scouted out possible paths to the northernmost part of Keshtah Minor and the Sith facilities dotted across the region. Knowing that before they could strike at the Takara Mountains and the Sith temple at their peak, they had to deprive the Lost Tribe of as much support they could, and that meant liberating as much of the planet over the next few months.

Equally important was to show the populace how the Jedi were not seeking to conquer Kesh but help usher it into a new age of freedom and prosperity, which was why they needed to make local contacts and help turn the civilians against their Sith masters. For that task, Allana was assigned to work with the Neshtovar in rebuilding their broken network and resuming their original operations.

But while Allana’s new mission kept her quite occupied, it didn’t do much to keep her mind from worrying over her family and dear friends. Especially since Ben and Edaan were about to come face to face with Vestara and her hordes of evil followers, and she was powerless to help them halfway across the planet. With both her cousin and dear friend struggling with the issue of love in the middle of a war, it made her yearn to be with them, to help them in any way she conceivably could, no matter how much her heart ached at seeing the man she cared so much for fall in love with another woman.

Oh, Edaan could deny it all he wanted, but Allana recognized the signs of blooming love all too well. She could see the new joy in his eyes, how he lit up every time he talked about Adari, and how he worried if she would ever forgive the deception. And although a part of her, a small, childish, and jealous part, wished she could’ve been the one to steal her crush’s heart, the rest of her recognized that he had his own path to follow, and that they each had different journeys in life and through the Force.

Still, that didn’t mean Allana couldn’t worry over her longtime friend’s wellbeing and properly warn Adari of the consequences of what would occur if she broke Edaan’s noble and gentle heart when she next saw her. It was the least she could do for the man she loved as a brother.

Nelona 10^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Eshkrene

City of the Doomed

It was good to be back on this continent, even though the frigid blizzards and battlefield wreckage strewn across the tundra forced Kitai to remain in the safety of the Doomed’s rebuilt sanctum. She long admired the simple but innovative beauty of the Lost Tribe’s most recent and southernmost temple, how it utilized the elements and the Force to stay undetected from any prying eyes while spying on the planet’s people.

And since Kitai took the reins of leadership as Grand Lady, she had reevaluated and rectified many glaring flaws in the Lost Tribe’s training of all its members. Recognizing the Jedi’s versatile and adaptable regimen helped them prepare for virtually any scenario, while the Sith of Kesh used old fighting styles and overcompensated for their unfamiliarity with new environments with the Force, she worked to prepare them for resuming their ancient goals. By recruiting hundreds of trainers from the One Sith’s many underworld contacts and several of their best combat instructors, she hoped that her people would be more prepared to face the Jedi and their many allies and triumph this time around.

So far, the results of their instruction had yielded many promising results, especially with the Grand Lady working alongside her subordinates and rivals to make their apprentices as prepared as possible for the war consuming Kesh. Seeing Kitai work alongside her people as equals, willing to toil in labor alongside them, it confused many and led them to assume her time with the Jedi left her tainted and unfit to lead, but invigorated far more and made them rally behind her strong reformist governance.

All these preparations meant that when the Jedi had finally located Kesh and assembled an invasion force to try and ‘liberate’ the Lost Tribe’s ancestral home, they were ready to defend it. And with the One Sith’s generous patronage, the ancient Sith Order had rebuilt their war fleet while employing the services of dozens of auxiliaries to improve and bolster their war capabilities.

Utilizing all they learnt and the many allies they had gained from the rest of the galaxy, the Sith had now drawn their enemies into a quagmire they couldn’t easily escape from, not without suffering severe humiliation and disgrace before both their supporters and detractors. Now that the Jedi had spread themselves across four of Kesh’s seven continents, the time had come for Kitai and her people to show their revitalized strength and renewed cunning to decimate the would-be occupiers.

Deploying fifty warships inspired from ancient Sith warship designs, the Lost Tribe’s new vanguard had launched their counteroffensive across the three contested island landforms, while Kitai took a force of twenty capital ships to retake Eshkrene and destroy two troublesome thorns in her side and capture another. Knowing from her spies that Edaan Palpatine and Adari Thayn had led the offensive to conquer the land of pilgrimage, she would relish the chance to eliminate them and whoever else she could find, save one. One she still cherished in the deepest and concealed corners of her heart, the man she yearned to one day have by her side, even as she knew Ben Skywalker would never join the Dark Side.

Banishing her reflections from her mind, knowing the war wouldn’t wait for Kitai to try and let go of old memories and passions. Heading back into the City of the Doomed, where the Lost Tribe had built their temple, she observed her people carrying out or overseeing dozens of operations within the sanctum, all while shedding most of her winter gear. Whether they were reactivating the facility’s full capabilities, kept concealed from the Jedi to prevent its razing, coordinating the reoccupation of the region, or working to move dozens of artifacts and Tyros, the Sith’s equivalent of the Jedi’s younglings, to safer havens, no one was being idle now.

Brusquely making her way towards the central command, built into the stone itself and buffered by modern technology to shield the temple from the Force, Kitai quickly made it to the top of the tower. But to her surprise, more than just her representatives from the Circle of Lords awaiting her arrival. Attending this briefing via hologram were Mirta Gev and Darth Invidious, and both of which were deeply troubled by whatever they were divulging to the Lost Tribe’s leadership.

Seeing Kitai arrive, Mirta politely put the discussion on hold by greeting her longtime friend, “I’m glad to see your fortress still stand as strong as you, Grand Lady Kitai. Lord Invidious and I were just being brought up to speed on your war’s progression. We’re quite impressed with the results, and relieved to see that all your endeavors to prepare for this day have paid off.”

Glancing at her retinue, how each of her five Lords or Sabers were wary of whatever news their offworld allies had provided them, Kitai respectfully recognized Mirta’s delaying tactic, “Good to know that you’re pleased with our efforts. But what exactly is the real purpose of this meeting? You wouldn’t be taking away time from your many campaigns unless something dire was in the works.”

Face growing somber, Mirta ruefully nodded, “We’ve received word from our mutual benefactors’ agents in the Jedi Order. Apparently, they’ve been calling in a lot of favors and friends to reinforce their invasion of your home. That’s what we were bringing your staff up to speed on.”

“Then give me the rundown.” Kitai stated, listening intently as both Mirta and Invidious briefed her on the many allies the Jedi had asked to aid their conquest. Hearing how their shared enemies brought up many favors they called upon, from friendly or rival galactic powers they had previously avoided using, to independent privateers and several outlying Force Orders, it impressed and galled her that so many would answer the call to war. Equally concerning was how she knew her people wouldn’t be able to fight the enemy on so many fronts, especially since Lord Krayt had ordered that the One Sith’s true potential be concealed a while longer.

If the One Sith agents’ reports were accurate, then the Lost Tribe had less than a week before Kesh would become a lot more crowded, and Kitai acknowledged that they couldn’t reconquer or hold their reclaimed territory long enough to make the most or best use of it.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kitai knew the orders she had to give, even if they tore at her wounded heart. Grinding out through gritted teeth, she disgustingly ordered her staff, “It’s time we reevaluate our strategy, and prepare to adopt a more defensive war for now.”

Expecting a series of attacks from all sides, Kitai was relieved when none tried to countermand her decrees. Thankfully, they all saw things as clearly as she did, or were given enough evidence to break through any denials or delusions. She only hoped the rest of her fellow Sith and commanders were as perceptive and realistic as everyone in attendance here.

Nelona 13^th, 58 ABY

Kesh Orbit

Aboard the Victory-class Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar

Working overtime to maintain the Jedi Coalition’s weakened defenses of Kesh, Kara had been using her cybernetics to run through hundreds of scenarios in her mind in a matter of nanoseconds, allowing her to predict the enemy’s strategies and counter accordingly. For the last seven days, this strategy had bought the free powers crucial time in shoring up its overstretched lines and allowing their reinforcements that much more time to arrive. But now, the enemy was adapting too quickly for even the Aporthad to effectively anticipate.

Over the last eleven days since the Lost Tribe launched their counterattack, the carnage had spread across five of the planet’s seven continents, with Vestara Khai’s Sith faction showcasing all their offensive capabilities across all the battlefields. Aside from Kesh’s wicked overlords and their many partners having the planet’s terrain advantage, the Force Orders that had allied with them were being used to devastating effect against the Jedi’s alliance.

The Shapers of Kro Var especially, with their masterful command over the elements, were wreaking havoc on Kesh’s southernmost continents by creating blizzards to isolate their enemies and leave them cut off from virtually all reinforcements. The Mecrosa Order would then move in and recapture the bulk of the territory their patrons had lost since the ground war began. And the Sith fleets, now under Ship and Belot’s coordination, they were reestablishing their space superiority over virtually all their governed planet, with all but the fastest fighters unable to slip past the blockade. Any attempts to break the interdiction would be too costly an endeavor, especially since the planetary guardians had released over forty fresh warships and decloaked more than twenty defense platforms across their world.

For the first time since joining the Galactic Alliance, Kara was at a loss on how to turn this approaching defeat to her advantage. With the Sith countering all her strategies and cutting off their ground forces from virtually any relief, everything likely depended on the Jedi Coalition’s next move.

Receiving four transmissions originating outside the star system, Kara mentally began responding to it before she paused, almost startled by the message’s contents. Provided the sender and their dispatch was valid, then the Jedi Coalition’s options were about to greatly expand, possibly enough to turn the tide in this war.

Intruding on her musings, the holograms of her peers in this motley alliance rematerialized, and each appeared eager to retaliate against their mutual enemy collaboration. Sidon Ithano quickly broke the ice by stating, “It seems our reinforcements are set to arrive any minute, and right in the nick of time to make the most difference.”

The tactical monitor coming alight with four different fleet formations about to exit hyperspace, with the Sith deploying several warships and flights of fighters to each reversion point to hold their enemies back. Seeing their allies arrive, Kara was astounded with exactly who was coming to the Jedi’s aid.

The first fleet was composed of eight Bothan Assault Carriers and three Corellian Strident-class Star Defenders, both belonging to key members states of the young Confederation born from the Second Galactic Civil War. The arrival of the Galactic Alliance’s former secessionists and enemies would rile many servicemen and their veteran fleet commanders, but Kara knew they couldn’t afford to be picky in their allies right now. And the transponders of the Ralroost and Defender, the flagships of respected Admiral Traest Kre’fey and Corellian Prime Minster Denjax Teppler, both ardent friends of the Jedi and respected rivals of the GA, helped alleviate her concerns that the parliamentary government sought to resume hostilities.

But the second fleet was an even greater surprise for Kara, for she recognized the insignia of the Hutt Cartel among its five Chelandion warships, ten Tarrada frigates, and seven Batil corvettes. What in the blazes were those galactic slugs and crime lords doing out in this Sith hellhole?! Upon further examination of the Hutt ships’ markings, she recognized them from her time in the underworld as belonging to the Anjiliac clan, making her wonder what favors or promises the Jedi called in to get their traditionalist clan leader in Vedo Anjiliac Atirue to actively join this war effort.

The third fleet was an odd compilation of ships usually associated with slaver societies and or long-defunct organizations or guilds. At least three dozen Invincible-class Dreadnaughts, five Venator-class Star Destroyers, and four Lucrehulk-class battleships, all marked with the insignia of two hands bearing broken shackles and blood dripping down the arms. It seemed the Outer Rim Alliance had been called to help the Jedi liberate this den of Sith Lords, their cohorts, and their multitudes of slaves.

Finally, the fourth arriving force was composed of seven dozen corvettes and gunships, forty of which marked with the symbol of the Crimson Corsairs, each bristling with weapons illegal in most sectors. Remembering how Sidon Ithano had promised reinforcements to ensure the Lost Tribe’s stranglehold was shattered, Kara recognized how the Delphidian’s influence was far stronger and widespread than the Galactic Alliance’s intelligence communities realized or officially acknowledged.

Another twenty of the fourth fleet’s ships belonged to the Rodians, more specifically, their Grand Protector Janek the White, if the clan markings on the lead ship were correctly analyzed. What the planet’s leader was doing here, along with his personal fleet, that was a mystery that Kara would gladly leave unsolved if it helped the Jedi Coalition attain victory.

But the rest of the privateers’ ships, they were bearing insignias that Kara didn’t recognize before her cerebral implants received transmissions from five different frigates. Reading how the Jedi had called upon several allied Force Orders to counter the Sith’s own cohorts, she recognized how this war was about to cross the decisive turning point.

Silently responding to the messages, Kara addressed her peers, “It’s time to remind our enemies why they’ve been reduced to hiding in the shadows since their humiliating defeats by all of us.”

“Just make sure everyone sticks to the plan.” Jan lightly scolded the rear admiral. “We need to move quickly and strike even harder before our window of opportunity closes.”

Nelona 15^th, 58 ABY

Eshkrene, Regional Base Hilts

Nearly falling to his knees from exhaustion, the two Jedi defenders were sure the end had come for them both after covering the withdrawal of their fellow defenders. Knowing that the Neshtovar and Jedi Coalition needed to live beyond any single fighter or leader, Ben and Edaan agreed to serve as a distraction to ensure the cause survived. With Vestara and the Lost Tribe dividing their forces to recapture their facilities and capture the leadership, the only way to ensure that some escaped this disaster was to create enough distractions to split their focus.

Full of regret for making Adari leave against her will by knocking her out cold with a well-placed Force-induced suggestion, he wished he had more time with her, and everyone else he forged strong bonds with. Allana, Akku, Robonino, Kix, everyone he made a lasting friendship with, no matter where they came from, he would have gone to the ends of the galaxy to help them in any possible way. And he was grateful to finally let go of his long-standing revilement of Ben and start to form a strong brotherly bond with him. He only hoped that whatever torture Vestara and her people would wreak on the two Jedi would give them both the opportunity to reach her before it was too late, if it wasn’t already.

But now, there was something unusual proceeding throughout this base. After striking over half the domed regional base, with their dozen commandos and six Jedi working with them being killed off or captured over the last twelve hours, Edaan and Ben were sure Vestara would have come to deal with her two adversaries in person. Instead, the Skywalker heir sensed the Sith retreating from the facility, a move that perplexed him deeply.

“She’s… leaving.” Ben confusingly told Edaan while the younger man used his lightsaber to seal the giant durasteel doors guarding the command center. Stopping his actions from fatigue, the young Palpatine nearly fainted from the sheer shock, hardly able to stand at all with his body bruised and battered, his armor dented all over, and his mind barely functional over the last three days of constant fighting. Repeating himself, if only to reassure himself, he told the Jedi Apprentice, “Vestara and her people are withdrawing.”

“Why?” Edaan rasped, taking the opportunity to guzzle down the last of his water canteen, his voice regaining some of his strength, “We… we’re beaten. We’re the last line of defense for this facility, and we’re all worn down from the carnage. Now is the perfect time to take us out.”

“Apparently, she doesn’t think so.” Ben disagreed before the command center’s main console chimed, indicating that someone was attempting contact. Hurriedly walking past the torn-up facility, with all but the most essential systems gutted to deny the enemy their prize, he and Edaan made it to the holotable before the caller’s hologram came into focus, stunning both into silence with who was addressing them.

Smirking in vindictive joy, Vestara greeted her old love, “Well, I see that you’re still down in the trenches, Ben. But the exhaustive carnage looks good on you, I must say.” Turning to Edaan, she venomously addressed, “And you, Edaan Palpatine, you’re… well, I was expecting so much more from a Jedi hero of such renown. But the HoloNet does tend to exaggerate on such minor details.”

“What do you want, Vestara?” Ben found his voice first, defiantly asking, “Why are you calling us now, when your people are in full retreat?”

“Is that what you believe?” Vestara amusingly chuckled. “Clearly, your vendetta against me has clouded your judgment even more than I believed possible.”

“No, I simply wanted to see you, one last time, before we meet on the battlefield again.” Vestara stated, her voice growing solemn as she continued, “You don’t know what you’re unleashing out here, Ben. The war you think you’re stopping, it won’t end here, even if you’re able to get me.”

“You mean the One Sith and their leader?” Edaan assumed, catching Vestara’s full attention. “Oh, yes. We know a great deal about your patrons and their operations, and we’ll be ready to stop them once we take you down, Vestara Khai. And I’m going to be in the front, helping to lead the charge against your Lost Tribe and your allies and benefactors.”

Stonily staring at Edaan, seeing the unbridled resolve in his eyes and face, Vestara answered, “Then I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield.” Almost as an afterthought, her brown eyes narrowed while turning a blazing yellow as she added, “One more thing. It’s not Vestara Khai any longer, but Darth Kitai.”

‘Not if we have anything to say about it.’ Edaan defiantly thought before Kitai concluded the call, and he felt his body give out from enervation. But before he lost consciousness, he made a brief prayer to the Celestials that his quest to redeem his target was not a lost cause now.

Nelona 30^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Keshtah

Town of Eorm

It was astonishing for Adari to observe the bustling activity that was underway in this onetime dinky port town, even as she silently navigated her way through this Jedi outpost. Seeing all sorts of ships, both ocean-based and spaceworthy ones, permeate the area, it was an obvious sign of the changing times inbound for Kesh and its denizens, both terrifying and exciting her.

With the incredible influx of reinforcements working to regain the ground the Jedi Coalition lost over the last month, Eorm was barely able to accommodate all the newcomers while rebuilding from the Lost Tribe’s retaliation campaign. It was only through the construction crews in assisting the townsfolk in architectural work by remodeling dozens of the town’s modern structures the Lost Tribe recently created that there hadn’t been a housing crisis or local riots. And the work the Galactic Alliance’s civilian contractors had done in offering to modernize the town’s economy, ushering in hundreds of tons of much-needed supplies, and preparing to build several thousand temporary residences to house the wounded and refugees helped ease concerns of a resource crisis.

Never, in all her time of learning of the greater galaxy, Adari had realized how efficient and well-prepared the Neshtovar’s recent friends were for aiding the civilians and their struggling infrastructure. But while she quietly snuck past the bustling activity and tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and Force Users hurrying about, making her way to the docks over the course of thirty minutes, she wondered if this course of action was truly the best way to serve her people and not too great a risk.

After Vestara and her people were narrowly forced into a fighting retreat across the three contested continents, the Jedi Coalition had slowly retaken the territory they lost and resecured it before looking to make any further gains. By working to rebuild and establish new supply lines and safe houses, while preparing new raids and probes into Sith-held lands, the army of Light Siders would not make the mistake of overconfidence again in this war. Hopefully, the rest of the galaxy would also learn from this near debacle in their shadow war on the One Sith.

But that still left the problem of Kesh’s freedom up in the air. Which was why, while hundreds of starships worked to deliver crucial resources and fresh troops for the war effort, the Keshiri’s twenty-five wooden ships, each over 100-meters in diameter and capable of lasting six months in the ocean from provisions, were preparing for a duty equally as important to the Jedi and Neshtovar’s united cause.

Recognizing that Kesh’s freedom was all but guaranteed now, thanks to all the legions of allies its freedom fighters had gained so quickly, the most important factor now was to minimize collateral damage while swiftly dismantling the Lost Tribe and One Sith’s power base across the planet. And the best way to do that was to head right to the enemy’s pinnacle of power and make plenty of distractions they couldn’t afford to ignore, no matter the risks such a mission entailed.

Fortunately, the Jedi and their friends were more than willing to pull their weight in this mad infiltration task alongside the Neshtovar. By sending twenty-eight Jedi, a select group of one hundred commandos and freelancers, and thirty well-chosen spies to help reconnoiter the main continent, this off-the-books mission would hopefully lay the groundwork for breaking the Sith’s heart of power. Also accompanying them would be twenty members of the four Force Orders allied with the Jedi, composed of five Witches of Dathomir, eight Jensaarai, three Matukai, and Kashi Mer Guardians of the Breath, all specializing in covert operations and well-versed in healing and other crucial skills needed for this long-term mission.

Sensing her friends awaiting her arrival, Adari knew everything was squared away for their departure, and all that remained was to finish her trek and board the giant wooden boat. But there was another reason she was so keen to journey to Alanciar, where the Lost Tribe had rebuilt itself after Abeloth’s devastation on Keshtah Minor, a far more personal one that she would not reveal until everyone was underway. Right now, the more important task of weakening the defenses of the planet’s largest continent would be of more importance than looking for her last surviving relative.

Seeing the two burly Jedi overseeing the entrance to the docks, Adari made sure she was still carrying her marque of passage and showed it to the guards. Inspecting the document, one of the guards confirmed, “Everything’s in order. May the Force be with you on this journey.”

Nodding her thanks to the two Jedi, Adari hurried towards the ship bearing the name Sky Hunter across the bow. Walking aboard the vessel, she took stock of the surroundings, impressed with the modest but stylish interior. Reminiscent of a merchant fleet flagship with the economical accommodations, a dozen or so sea maps plastered across the walls, and many navigational instruments and financial records scattered through the main floor, she hoped their cover would hold up inspection when they arrived at the nearest Alanciar port.

“Everything’s already prepared.” A muffled and familiar voice playfully called out to Adari from underneath her. Turning her head to see Edaan, fully recovered from his woiuld-be last stand, emerge from an opening cargo compartment to her left, she smirked at their antics before the latter elaborated, “We’ve found a captain and her crew willing to smuggle us to Alanciar and the nearest Neshtovar outpost. It’ll take us about two or three weeks to sail to Port Melephas, but we’ll use the time to formulate our infiltration strategy for New Tahv.”

“That’s all on the hope that your contacts are still in place by the time we get there.” The Keshiri woman, approximately fifty years old and sporting several grisly scars, grimly pointed out. The middle-aged lady, accompanied by Ben, warned them, “The Grand Lady’s tightening up security and increasing inspections all over the planet, and we’ll need a lot of luck and good sailing to get us to Alanciar before the war resumes.”

“Which is why we’ve agreed to pay you five times your regular fees, Captain Saar, including all the rare goods you’ll need to slip past any Sith-backed inspectors.” Ben promised her. Sensing Adari’s anxiety, he suggested to Edaan, “Why don’t you show Adari her temporary quarters? I think she could use the opportunity to get accommodated to the rest of the ship, anyway.”

“Of course, Ben.” Edaan respectfully nodded, remembering not to use Jedi titles for this mission’s duration. Taking Adari’s two duffle bags of clothing and other items, he led her through a brief and small maze of galleys and hallways before stopping at a medium sized cabin. Ushering her in, he offered, “We set out in two hours. If you need anything before then, just let me know. I’m just around the corner.”

Preparing to leave, Edaan stopped when Adari gently held his hand and quietly asked, “Can we talk for a bit? I… have a few things I need to talk to you about.”

Seeing the nervous and fragile look in Adari’s eyes, Edaan recognized the importance of whatever she was about to say. Silently nodding while taking a seat by the desk across from the bed, he waited for her to start bearing her heart out.

Eventually, after several minutes of struggling to speak, Adari began, “I owe you an apology for my frosty behavior before, Edaan Palpatine. A greater one than I can give you. When I learned of your determination to save Vestara Khai, I couldn’t comprehend how any Jedi would ever consider such a mad proposal, even if it was born from an old childhood promise and an old act of kindness. In all honesty, I thought you lost your mind.”

“That’s fair.” Edaan nonchalantly acknowledged. “I’ve heard that one plenty of times while gathering my allies, so I’m used to it.”

“But there’s more.” Adari interrupted, defeatedly sighing, “After all that Vestara has done, I don’t hold much faith to her ever seek redemption, whether it’s accomplished by you or Master Skywalker.” Holding up a hand to forestall any arguments, she added, “But I believe in you so much more, and that’s why I’m willing to give you all a chance in proving me wrong.”

“When we were trapped on Eshkrene, I saw you care for the wounded to the point of pushing yourself to exhaustion, and risk your life, repeatedly, to try and hold back the Sith’s advance for even just a few more hours. You couldn’t have known that your friends would’ve arrived in time to save us, but you held onto that hope when most would’ve given up. Whether it was from your Jedi training, determination to do the right thing, or because you’re just krething crazy, it was enough to inspire the rest of us to keep fighting until we couldn’t resist anymore.”

“And… Force, I hate how seeing you gets me so confused and riled up!” Adari swore, regretting those words as soon as they came out. Seeing the confused and hurt glance in Edaan’s eyes, she quickly amended, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” Wearily sighing, she confessed, “I want to understand why I feel this way when I’m near you. I want to get to know… well, everything I can find out about you. And… seeing you help those who most I know wouldn’t dare look at, it gives me hope that I can change more than myself, but save my people and home from the dark fate it’s been forced onto for over five millennia.”

“Adari, what are you trying to say?” Edaan curiously asked, before determining the signs from his friend. Seeing the fear of rejection in her eyes, to the twitching in her hands, and the faint blush in her cheeks, he recognized the truth. Adari Thayn had a crush on him if she wasn’t already falling in love with him.

Normally, Edaan would kindly reject such advancements, having dealt with hundreds of swooning and infatuated young ladies over the course of his apprenticeship. He even had to let Allana down when she admitted her feelings for him, but out of that firm rejection was born a great friendship and occasional rivalry.

However, when it came to Adari, Edaan couldn’t help but acknowledge that something was different about how he felt about her. When he was with her, he felt his burdens lift a little, and he felt more at ease than he had with anyone else. Whether it was a simple crush, enjoying a friend’s company, or the start of something real and beautiful, he couldn’t determine right now. Unfortunately, since they were in the middle of a war, with Sith and their cohorts attacking them from all sides and the Jedi about to sail into the enemy’s domain, entering a relationship with an ally now would be a terrible idea.

But even crazier, Edaan, for any number of reasons he couldn’t identify, he was finally prepared to take a chance with love. Gently placing a hand on Adari’s, he placed a kiss on her lips, a sweet and gentle act that filled him with so much joy that he thought his heart might burst from joy. Even more exciting was when she returned the kiss, allowing tears of joy to start welling up before they poured down her face.

Eventually breaking the kiss to come up for air, Adari ruefully spoke, “I guess you figured out what I was trying to say, Edaan.”

“Yeah. And I feel the same way as you, Adari Thayn.” Edaan bashfully admitted with a chuckle. “I’m sure we’ll have to figure this out as we go. I’ve never had a girlfriend before.”

“Well, I’ve never had a boyfriend before either.” Adari acknowledged. Sighing, she suggested, “We’d better get back to the others before they start to get suspicious. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later, especially after I hear some severe warnings from your friend in Allana.”

Awkwardly laughing at the advice, Edaan agreed, “No argument there. The last thing we need is people, especially Allana, to be thinking of us like that for a long time.” For some reason, that thought brought him more comfort than he understood, and it deeply puzzled him. Still, he knew that would be a mystery for another day, especially with the long journey everyone onboard for this mission was about to undertake.

Nelona 35^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar

City of New Tahv

Within Ship

‘Your apprentice performed well in the last battle, Lady Kitai.’ Ship commended his longtime friend and commander. ‘Her coordination of your fleets and tactical withdrawal inflicted many casualties on the enemy while saving many lives on your side. You should be proud of her.’

‘I am indeed.’ Kitai conferred with Ship. ‘Belot has grown into a fine young woman and capable leader, and she will one day make a far greater Sith Lady when we rule over the galaxy. But now is not the time to discuss such mundane and long-term matters, not with the Jedi about to come right on Alanciar’s doorstep.’

Thanks to Kitai and her seers, each of them trained by Krayt’s Inquisitors and Sorcerers to probe the Force for any discenrable glimpses of the future, she had the advance warning of the Jedi Coalition preparing a mission to infiltrate and enact a campaign of subversion on Alanciar alongside their Neshtovar associates. While the One Sith’s spies, as numerous and well-entrenched as they were, couldn’t find any official word of this operation, she was clever and perceptive enough to put the pieces together from a dozen pieces of small and otherwise unrelated information.

The Jedi, recognizing how a frontal assault on the Lost Tribe’s holdings would be too costly after their last major engagement, had pulled more than two dozen of their best members and far more allies to conduct a clandestine mission. Among the Jedi supposedly being redeployed to help pacify their temporary gains and seek out additional off-world help, they included Allana Djo Solo, Tesar Sebatyne, Tyria Sarkin-Tainer, Octa Ramis, Seha Dorvald, Edaan Palpatine, and Ben Skywalker. Along with over one hundred of their mercenary, military allies, and outlying Force Acolytes, the leader of the Neshtovar herself would be accompanying this ill-fated incursion on a small fleet of medium-build Keshiri boats.

Given the incredible amount of traffic occurring over the port of Eorm, it was easy to realize from the visions that the Jedi had bought passage on from a few sympathetic captains to smuggle them into Kesh’s largest landmass. A dangerous gamble, but since the skies were unavailable to them at the present, approaching from the seas was the Jedi Coalition’s only option. And, in all honesty, Kitai was impressed with the enemy’s boldness and ingenuity in creatively continuing their fight. Still, respect for her foes would do little to detail their infiltration. She needed to determine where on Alanciar they would make their arrival and prepare a suitable welcoming for them, and for that, she needed more than maps, loyal local guides, and strong and capable Sith.

Knowing what she had to do, Kitai ordered Ship, ‘Convene the Circle of Lords and our auxiliaries first thing tomorrow morning. We need to prepare a suitable reception for the Jedi when they arrive, and work to protect our remaining territories as long as possible.’ Pausing, she added, ‘And see if Invidious and Dician will be able to attend. I think their insight might be quite useful in delaying what we might have to do to protect and preserve our way of life.’

‘As you command, my Lady.’ Ship obeyed, almost hesitating to try and say something encouraging to Kitai, but stopped itself, knowing how dire this war was about to become, and how she couldn’t afford doubts or distractions at this vital juncture. There would be time for counsel and sorrow later, after the Lost Tribe fought as long as it could before it fled its ancestral home with as many loyal citizens and resources that they could take with them when the exodus commenced.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Helona 28^th, 58 ABY

Wild Space

Kesh, Continent of Alanciar

New Tahv Outskirts

“I can’t believe your people snagged us the papers we needed for those last two checkpoints.” Edaan quietly marveled at Adari while the fledgling couple worked to blend in with the influx of Kesh’s refugees, even as he struggled against the migraines of being near so many Sith and their dark proxies. His girlfriend, ever a caring and observant woman, handed him a pill he gulped down to help mitigate his pounding headaches and stay steady on his own two feet.

The Dark Side, in all its insidious and corruptive influence, was stronger here than anywhere else the Palpatine Jedi had traversed on this planet, and it was all Edaan could do to avoid toppling over and vomiting up his stomach’s contents, even with Adari’s medicine. And knowing how precious few pills were left after traversing Alanciar’s difficult terrain and avoiding the increasingly regular patrols that protected the continent over the last two weeks, the duo was low on both funds and strength to keep going.

All they could hope for was that the rest of their allies would make it to the rendezvous point without as many problems as Edaan and Adari endured. Aside from dropping off a few Jedi Coalition agents and learning what they could of Alanciar’s defenses, the duo had done all they could to reach the island nation’s capital city while avoiding detection. And they hoped their efforts were not in vain.

Thanks to the Jedi’s years-long intelligence campaign and their new partners, their alliance now knew how the Lost Tribe subjugated Kesh and those who dared to resist. Learning how the Keshiri of Alanciar had fought the Sith over three millennia ago, only to fall victim to their dark and brilliant manipulations, it both disheartened and invigorated the Jedi and their allies to know that there were those that had resisted the Lost Tribe’s subjugation of their world. Hopefully, this effort would work better than the few fights for freedom that came before today.

Still, even as Edaan made a private war against the darkness that pervaded Kesh, he made it a note to observe and learn the landscape of the planet’s capital city. Knowing from the Neshtovar and the pilfered data the Jedi Coalition had gathered, the Lost Tribe had built upon Sus’Mintri’s original foundations to turn it into a more modern fortress and economic hub for its many allies and servants. Using a mix of their ancient style of governance, the implementation of modern military, architectural, and commercial concepts, and a combination of all the above to accelerate the planet’s defenses for this very day, when the Jedi would step foot on their ancestral home. He had to admit, for all the Sith’s depravities and disregard for life, they and their vassals certainly knew how to build a city meant to last.

Keeping a vigilant lookout while Edaan and Adari discretely made their way to the Neshtovar’s nearest safe house, making sure they weren’t being pursued or that their disguises wouldn’t give and expose their identities. Nearing a bazaar in the eastern side of New Tahv, they paused to blend in with the crowds and get a few small refreshments before discretely escaping the increasing number of patrols.

Purchasing a couple fruits that Adari chose for her and Edaan, they sat down on a bench and took in their surroundings. Seeing the thousands of citizens, Human and Keshiri, try to maintain a semblance of their everyday lives amidst the threat of war and occupation while being overseen by another off-world coalition reminded the duo how people struggled to cling to something familiar amidst all forms of change.

“Guess some things are the same, no matter where you come from or call home.” Edaan observed before changing topics, “So, are you looking forward to seeing your aunt at her old shop again?”

“Is that a trick question?” Adari playfully rebutted before getting serious, quietly saying, “There are more patrols than my friends said would be.”

“You think we’ve been uncovered?” Edaan guessed, before his headaches flared up, and he recognized the familiar tinge of darkness from one of the inbound enemies. “Scratch that. We’ve definitely been found out.”

Trying to pull out his comlink, Edaan found it snatched away by Adari, who quickly berated him, “All comm signals and Force signatures are constantly monitored by the Sith and their cohorts. We’ll have to get out of this mess on our own.” Getting her weary boyfriend onto his feet, she allowed, “But it would have been nice if we could’ve gotten a few of your friends sent our way to help us out.”

“Well, you’re the one who wanted to see your aunt with as little trouble as possible.” Edaan playfully bantered, before gripping his head and falling onto his knees, retching up the chewed-up fruit he just finished. His vision blurred, he could hardly make out a squad of Sith Sabers and Neo Death Watch mercenaries scouring the area and knew what he had to do. Pushing Adari away, he urged her, “Go… I’ll keep them distracted a little while. You get to-”

Edaan’s imploring interrupted by a nearby explosion, Adari gasped in horror at recognizing the area of the blast, the same subsector her aunt’s old shop was still stationed. The human Jedi, recognizing the implications of this, altered his plans by ordering his girlfriend, “Get yourself out of here and find the rest of our friends. I’ll give you your opening.”

Seeing Edaan wobble right towards the Sith, Adari knew what he was about to do. Before she could knock her lunatic of a boyfriend out cold and carry him away, he ignited his violet lightsaber and charged at the enemy. Now knowing that any chance of getting him to safety was impossible, she made a vow to get word back to the Jedi and save him, his aunt, and everyone else they would be holding captive, before giving him a verbal and physical lashing of a lifetime for pulling such an idiotic stunt.

Helona 30^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Keshtah Minor

Town of Sharv

Jedi Outpost Nomi

“We’ve just received word from Master Skywalker and Commander Thayn.” Jan informed the Jedi Coalition’s leadership while everyone took stock of their armies’ latest conquests. “They’ve made contact with the Neshtovar in Alanciar, but they’ve hit a major snag.”

“What happened?” Armitage warily asked, everyone else sharing a similar sentiment.

Whether they were attending via hologram or in person, the Jedi Coalition’s commanders were all coordinating their soldiers a duty for the war effort. Whether tending to the wounded and offering aid and comfort to the town’s displaced citizens, rooting out any scattered Lost Tribe agents prowling about, and preparing for the next series of strikes against the continent’s remaining enemy-held strongholds, no one was slacking off. But everyone knew that they were still a long way from fully freeing Kesh from Sith domination since there were still three continents to finish liberating.

And high on the Jedi Coalition’s concern was for Alanciar, the most secure of the Lost Tribe’s territories, especially since the infiltration team they sent to the largest island nation had been out of contact for virtually the entire month. Aside from a handful of scattered reports, intercepted enemy communiques, and the Neshtovar’s courier system of messengers, the strike team sent was essentially cut off from all allied forces. This dispatch was the first solid major communication that had breached the Sith’s interdiction.

“Kitai and her people utterly shattered the Neshtovar on Alanciar.” Jan started off. “They’ve tracked down most of their bases, captured their leadership, and driven the survivors into hiding. And they managed to capture Jedi Palpatine in the process.”

Before anyone could utter a snide or negative remark, Jan carried on with her briefing, “But there is some good news. Before the Neshtovar were broken, a few of their agents were able to make off with a copy of a complete layout of the continent’s bases and all major facilities. They then managed to pass it on to our team and get a transmission through.”

Inputting the data card into a mainframe, Jan waited until a holographic projection of Alanciar was visible, with over seven dozen red dots scattered across the surface. “These represent every military installation they have across the continent, with the capital city of New Tahv guarded by fifteen thousand soldiers and well over two hundred emplacements and warships. And that’s not accounting for their allies and Sith scattered throughout the region. It’s basically the Tribe’s bureaucratic seat of power after the original Tahv was destroyed by Abeloth.”

“The scale of this, it would require at least a month of preparations and a twice the number of ships than we have to break through the blockade alone.” Armitage warily pointed out.

“Then we’d better make the most of this opportunity while we have the chance.” Kral resolved. “The longer we wait, the more time we give the enemy to entrench themselves.”

“And how do you propose we fight our way through the sheer numbers Kitai has under her command?” Kara objected.

“I have an idea.” Allana proposed. All eyes turning to the young princess after she returned from a scouting run on the Takara Mountains and the Sith’s first temple on Kesh, she calmly explained, “If we can’t overpower our way through the enemy, maybe we can misdirect them into doing some of our work for us. And since Edaan is in enemy custody, he’s the perfect agent to help us with that task.”

Jaina, realizing what her cousin was inferring, warned her, “You’ve never done anything like what you’re suggesting before, and certainly not on a planet so infused with the Dark Side like Kesh.”

“That’s why I’ll need all the help I can get with my plan, Master Solo Fel.” Allana enigmatically agreed, much to everyone’s rising consternation. “But first, we’ll need to get back in touch with Alanciar and coordinate our preparations to free the continent. And I’ll need to get as close to New Tahv as possible if I hope to get a message through to Edaan.”

Comprehension dawning on Jagged’s face, he warned the Chume’da, “Allana, if the Queen Mother or any of her people learn of this, then-”

“It’ll be all the more reason no one outside of this group can learn of my plans until everything’s in motion.” Allana firmly resolved. “My friend’s in trouble, and this is the best way to rescue him and break the Sith’s hold over the planet.”

Seeing that nothing could break Allana’s determination, Jagged relented with a nod, and Jaina promised, “I’ll start gathering volunteers to reconnoiter Alanciar’s defenses.”

Melona3^rd, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar

NewTahv

Within the Devore Prison

“So,you’rethe Jedi that has caused me and the Tribe so much trouble over the last three months.”VestaraKhai, Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe and agent of the One Sith with the moniker of Darth Kitai, curiously appraised the imprisonedEdaanPalpatine. “Honestly, considering you are supposed to be the last heir oftheDarth Sidious and such a galactic celebrity, I was expecting something more… well, more powerful and commanding.”

“Well, you know what they say about big things coming in small packages.”Edaanquipped, hiding the awe and fear at seeingVestaraagain after fourteen years of preparing for this encounter. Countless missions, building up contacts and preparing to assemble a team for when he would go off on his own to find and save her, and now she just walked up to himto visit the Lost Tribe’s newest Jedi prisoner.

Even hooked up to a table with periodic electric shocks and hung in a 90-degree right angle,Edaancould not help but marvel at the strong and beautiful womanVestarahad become, even with the darkness pouring off her like a torrential downpour.

Recognizing something familiar in the Jedi Apprentice’s gaze,Ktai, preparing to unbalance the Palpatine prodigy, insultingly asked, “You don’t look like one of the Jedi that’ve sworn a blood oath against me and all Sith, and I’ve fought against a lot of Jedi.”

Hurt clouding his eyes,Edaanreluctantly sighed, “I should’ve guessed you’d forget all about me, even if you were my inspiration to become a Jedi in the first place. Ithasbeen over a decade since we first met on Coruscant.”

Perfectly concealing her surprise at the claim of once meeting the Palpatine heir before this point,Kitairebutted, “Whether or not we met before now is irrelevant. What matters now is that I drive back your Jedi invasion of my people and help them take their rightful place in the galaxy.”

“We’re trying to liberate them from your ancestor’s ancient cycle of slavery and manipulation. And that includes you as well.”Edaanearnestly countered. “Whether you know it or not, you and all your people need help to be free from the darkness gripping this world and everyone’s hearts.

“Already, your own people are starting to crave true freedom and liberty away from this evil, and soon they will rise up against the Lost Tribe and join the galaxy on its own merits, not through deception and allegiance to a dark order that’s kept its people in bondage and suspicion against each other for over five millennia.”

Kitai, unleashing her anger with a strong bolt of lightning on the captive Jedi, quickly demanded, “What do you know about my people outsideof what those mongrels of traitors have told you?”

Anger flashing across his face for howKitaiinsultedAdari, the young woman with a brilliant passion, sharp mind, and boundless devotion to giving her people a true voice in the rest of the galaxy,Edaancarefully warned, “Tread carefully,Vestara. Eventhe gentlest spirits have a breaking point, and I am no exception.”

“I think I hit a soft spot. In that case, I look forward to finding your breaking point, young Palpatine, and finding that foolish rebel leader you’ve got your eye on and torturing heras well.”Kitaivenomously smiled, her voice carrying an unspoken promise of wrath and agony ahead for her latest batch of captives. “I look forward to the many conversations we’ll have over the next few days.”

“Or maybe I’ll find your breaking point and save you from this terrible path you’re on.”Edaanearnestly called out, earning him another bolt of lightning before the Grand Lady walked away, leaving her torturers to do their gruesome work on their enemy captive.

‘Hang in there,Ves. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, Iwillsave you from your past and give you back your future.’Edaanvowed before the agony began in earnest, all the while promising that he would return toAdariand help her heal from the loss of her final relative at the Lost Tribe’s hands. The memory of Isari Thayn dying right beside him, her body swiftly giving out from the torture she endured over the last six days, it filled his heart with sorrow at the heartbreak for when his love eventually found out about her aunt’s death.

Retreating into his mind to shield his mind from the horrendous pain, Edaan was astonished when he found himself in an exact replica of his quarters in the Jedi Temple. Even more surprising was when he saw Allana materializing beside him, sitting on his bed and gasping for breath once she fully formed.

“Finally!” Allana breathed in relief. Hugging Edaan, she quickly explained, “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to talk with you, Edaan. I’ve been trying to reach you for the last three days, and-” Seeing the suspicious glare in his eyes, she reassured him, “Edaan, it’s me. This isn’t a Sith trick.”

“Tell me something only Allana would know.” Edaan stated, slowly rising from his bed and stepping away from Allana.

“How about when you helped me forgive my father when I barged in and saw you communing with him and the rest of your deceased masters? That ringing any bells?” Allana irritably fired back. Seeing the understanding and shame in Edaan’s eyes, she graciously acknowledged, “It’s all right. I’d be more worried if you weren’t suspicious of this situation. But right now, I need you to listen.”

“We have a plan to divide and shatter the Sith’s defenses, but this will require you to suffer a great deal before we can break you out.” Allana began, laying out the Jedi Coalition’s plan to Edaan, who agreed to carry out his part when called upon.

Melona 5^th, 58 ABY

“The boy has a strong will; I have to give him proper credit where it counts.” Belot glumly remarked after she and Kitai learnt from Sammul and Ysadria how Edaan finally relented and began to confess all the information he knew on his masters, succumbing after the three mind probes and many more bouts of torture inflicted on his body. From suffering electrical shocks, extreme heat and cold, and attacks on his very psyche, the Jedi Apprentice bravely endured for thirty-six hours of torture before he surrendered.

“It’s to be expected from the Jedi Order’s most renowned and promising apprentice. They train their best well.” Kitai patiently reminded her apprentice. “But now we’re about to have all we need to set a trap for the Jedi and give our people a bit of breathing room.”

That is, if Edaan’s capture and admissions weren’t a trap meant to lure the Lost Tribe and One Sith into another humiliating defeat. Knowing how there were well over a hundred Jedi Coalition agents still hiding amongst Alanciar’s dissidents, with only six of their mercenaries or commandos uncovered but committed suicide before they could be apprehended, it unsettled the Grand Lady of the Sith more than she would ever admit.

Even more unsettling to Kitai was how the Jedi were encroaching closer to the Takara Mountains, with her receiving reports of their scouts being sighted near the Lost Tribe’s forward bases. If the enemy was planning an imminent attack of the Sith’s most sacred and well-fortified stronghold, then now would be the time to do it when their forces were spread across their three remaining continents. Mighty numbers aside, the Jedi Coalition knew more than simple brute force as a tool, and they could be deceptive and ruthless when required. Their infiltration of Alanciar was proof of this dark assessment.

“My Lady, the reports from High Lords Sharsha and Kaladris on interrogating the Jedi captive.” A Sith Saber reported. Handing Kitai both a set of datapads and a small stack of paper, the Grand Lady quickly read through each report’s contents, confused at what she was evaluating.

Storming into the interrogation chambers, surprising her two subordinate High Lords, Kitai walked right up to the captive and heavily scarred Edaan, intently demanding, “What kind of game are you playing with my followers? You expect us to believe that the Jedi are preparing an invasion force to take the Takara Mountains while sacrificing you all?”

Gazing upon Kitai, Edaan only conveyed a sorrow when staring at her, even with his one good eye, broken nose, and many small cuts plastered across his face. “You underestimate what lengths my people will go through to take you down, Kitai.” Venomously spitting out the Sith’s moniker, he reminded her, “You betrayed the Jedi so many times, killed so many, doesn’t it only make sense that they’ve learned a great deal from you, just as you learned much about us at the same time.”

Eyes narrowing in suspicion and the reminder of her long-buried past, Kitai was prepared to strike at Edaan before remembering she was in company. Instead, she searched into the Jedi Apprentice’s mind, slipping past his wounded defenses and went into his very being. Sensing much sorrow and heartbreak inside the young man, the Sith briefly wondered what was troubling him so much, if it wasn’t the sting of his confession on his friends’ plans.

Scouring through Edaan’s mind, Kitai was able to learn of the Jedi Coalition’s mobilization of ships and forces to strike a major target. And given the enemy’s slow advance on Kehstah Minor, the Sith Temple in the Takara Mountians could very well be their next objective. But she also realized that Ben and dozens of the Jedi’s best fighters were still hiding in her own capital city, and she couldn’t let that threat run rampant for much longer.

Deciding to take a calculated gamble, Kitai shocked Edaan with enough lightning to knock him out cold, before ordering her lords, “Prepare all cities for a possible attack by the Jedi. I’ll be taking Divisions Three, Five, and Eight with me to reinforce the Takara Mountains, just in case they attack there.”

“Belot, you will be operating under the direct command of High Lords Sharsha and Kaladris until the Jedi make their move.” Kitai ordered her apprentice. “Ship will be under your command until I return from ensuring our first temple’s defenses. Use him wisely in delaying the Jedi’s approach.”

“Don’t you want to destroy the Jedi, especially your old lover boy, on your own?” Belot confusingly questioned her teacher, earning a rebuking glare from Kitai.

“I have more important things to worry about a Jedi’s old vendetta. If you can capture or kill them, all the better. But maintaining the stability of our remaining territories and defending our own needs to be top priority.” Kitai firmly reminded her apprentice. “Besides, I doubt Ben Skywalker and his allies will fall so easily as you might think. Just keep them off-balance and away from our center of power until I can return. If he manages to stay alive and free until then, that is when I will deal with him.”

“Guess some things never change.” Ysadria comically drawled, earning a few chuckles from everyone present, even an amused smile from the otherwise stoic and composed Kitai before the Grand Lady took a momentary glance at Edaan.

Knowing he was an invaluable prize for the One Sith, Kitai would prefer to take Edaan with her to deliver to Lord Krayt on Korriban. But she also knew that he could still serve another purpose before being taken to whatever fate the self-proclaimed Dragon of the Sith had planned for him. Under the proper guard and sedated long before the Jedi made their rescue effort, he could draw in more Jedi and their soldiers before they too were part of a great gift to the Lost Tribe’s patrons.

Only after Kitai used up the Palpatine heir for all he was worth, then would she deliver him to her masters. And she’d start by making sure he couldn’t interfere in her plans going forward, subjecting him to a punishment few beings had ever underwent and survived. Carbonite was a barbaric way to store a prisoner, but best to take no chances when dealing with a Jedi of Edaan Palpatine’s caliber.

Melona 10^th, 58 ABY

Alanciar’s Outskirts, Near Port Melephas

Aboard the MC80B Mon Adapyne

“I would’ve hoped the Jedi’s plan resulted in the diversion of more forces from the Sith’s lines.” Kara Farkus, XO of the Mon Adapyne and captain of the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet, quietly commented to Keyan.

“It’s enough to give us a narrow window of entry.” Keyan responded before directing his attention back to commanding his fleet in the Jedi Coalition’s multi-pronged assault to try and shatter the Lost Tribe’s defenses of Alanciar.

Working with the intelligence provided by the Neshtovar and the insertion teams the off-worlders placed within Alanciar, the troops and ships of Keyan Farlander’s task force, three battalions of the Empire’s Five-Oh-First Legion, Tenel Ka’s personal fleet, and Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II’s personal militias were assaulting four targeted regions throughout the continent to divide and hopefully break the Lost Tribe’s defenders.

And although the last two days had considerably worn down the enemy, pushing the Lost Tribe’s criminal allies to the brink of surrender and inflicting heavy casualties on its Sith defenders, there was no telling if the opening everyone in the Jedi Coalition was promised would materialize in time to make a difference. The remaining emplacements and military facilities were too well-protected to risk a long-range strike, meaning that it was up to their ground agents to make the decisive move.

Reviewing the holofeed of the ongoing assault, Keyan was prepared to risk a bomber squadron to hit what targets they could reach before the sensors reported seven large explosions across the coast, exactly where most of the defenses resided. Just after receiving the data, the Mon Adapyne’s comm officer reported, “We’re getting word from the Eskellen Mountains task forces. They report that they’ve broken through the enemy’s lines.”

“Excellent.” Keyan nodded. “And our northern forces?”

“They’re conducting their sixteenth raid of Alanciar’s industrial centers and expect to conclude their diversionary task by the day’s end.” The comm officer answered. “And Jedi Ben Skywalker and Tyria Sarkin-Tainer are reporting in from their strike against Port Melephas’s defenses. They’re requesting immediate extraction.”

“Then we’d best work to get them to safety before we start our advance.” Keyan surmised. “We still have a long fight to the continent’s capital city from here.”

“There is one more message ready for you, Sir.” Kara informed her superior officer. “It’s from the city of New Tahv.” After the Arkanian Offshoot captain handed Keyan the datapad that contained the communique, the general quickly read through its contents and acknowledged his longtime friend and subordinate’s diligent efforts.

‘Seems we’ll need to pick up the pace before we miss too much of the action.’ Keyan mused, recognizing how the eighty agents and fifteen Jedi still hidden inside the Lost Tribe’s center of power were about to jumpstart their own anti-Sith campaign. Hopefully, all the Jedi Coalition’s fleets would arrive in time to make the difference.

Melona 13^th, 58 ABY

NewTahv, Devore Prison

He was close. Adari could feel his resolute presence, sensing him through the pandemonium and deep miasma of darkness that blanketed the capital city, and she wouldn’t stop until she saved the Jedi that helped show her a galaxy of possibilities outside the Dark Side and freed her heart of grief and misery. The last five days were a testament to her determination, backed by the Jedi and their many allies in penetrating so deeply into the Lost Tribe’s territory.

After the Jedi Coalition’s fleets broke through the Sith’s lines, they quickly utilized the intelligence the Neshtovar provided them on Alanciar’s key foundries and strongholds. By attacking three dozen targets across the planet’s largest continent over the last five days, the Lost Tribe’s defenders had been forced to redivert many key assets and defenders away from New Tahv, leaving the capital city vulnerable to a different kind of liberation.

Adari, backed up by Jaina, Allana, three dozen Jedi, and Edaan’s wide menagerie of fringe world allies, ranging from the Outer Rim Alliance to his Mandalorian friends and Sidon’s crew, they would utilize the distraction to start to free New Tahv’s only Sith-run prison, thereby rescuing the tens of thousands of poor souls trapped inside. Already having slipped past the outer defenses and deactivated the prison’s primary generators, the riots the Jedi were creating would help them rescue their captured apprentice and the fifty other key prisoners and dissenters. Among those people, she hoped that her aunt Isari, her last surviving relative that allied with the Neshtovar and became the regional commander of the growing resistance movement, would be among those that she would yet rescue.

Honestly, though, the Keshiri freedom fighter expected her boyfriend and aunt to be well on their way to freedom on their own by now. Hopefully, Adari would run into Edaan and Isari soon, at the rate she and her friends were decimating the prison’s guard and taking over the oppressive facility.

“Adari, we’ve located Edaan.” Jaina told Adari through her comlink. “He and another couple dozen high-priority targets are being escorted by two High Lords and their bodyguards to the prison’s main hangar. We need to move fast before they’re all taken away.”

Momentarily wondering whether her aunt was among those captives, Adari brusquely acknowledged, “I’ll be there! Don’t wait for me in going after them!”

Nimbly evading most of the fighting underway, aside from a stray Sith or one of their guards who got too close for Adari’s comfort, she stealthily made her way through the facility until, after ten minutes of quick sneaking she started to hear the familiar sounds of lightsabers clashing against each other. Slowing her approach, she stayed within the shadows and observed the ongoing carnage beneath her.

Seeing seven Jedi and Akku’s company of Mandalorians face off against the Lost Tribe, more specifically, two of its High Lords in Sammul Sharsha and Ysadria Kaladris, with eight of their escort Sith Sabers and ten times the number of Neo Death Watch Mandalorians and five cybernetically altered Akk Dogs, while a dozen of their guards ferried eighteen slabs into their cargo shuttle, it made Adari wonder what good she could do in helping this fight. But upon seeing a nearby rifle with a sniper scope, she quickly saw her opportunity and took up a suitable vantage point to start helping.

Seeing Ben and Allana working seamlessly to fend off Ysadria and two of the Akks, Adari considered helping them before she felt Edaan’s presence, albeit a miniscule whimper amidst the tumult of this brawl. Remembering the slabs the Sith’s flunkies were loading onto the ship, she took a second look with her sniper rifle and recognized them as blocks of carbonite. Realizing what the Sith had done to her boyfriend, and likely her aunt and many of her friends, she immediately grasped what she had to do to help save the prisoners.

Quickly sending a coded message to Jaina and Sidon with her comlink, she took aim at the nearest guard, augmenting her aim through the Force, Adari used her sniper rifle to take out the first guard with precise accuracy. Immediately turning to the next foe, she repeated the process four times over the next ten seconds before moving to a new position, avoiding return fire from the seven remaining soldiers. But through a stray shot, a blaster blew right through her leg and left a clean hole in her upper thigh.

Shortly before Adari passed out, she felt a familiar presence in the back of her mind, just before she saw Jaina and her Jedi arrive to reinforce the outnumbered fighters, with a dozen or so of Sidon’s people engaging the seven remaining guards protecting their masters’ prisoners. As her mind quickly blacked out through the pain, she knew the Jedi had won this battle, and her people were one step closer to liberation. She just hoped she would live around long enough to enjoy the final fruits of this long-awaited victory.

Melona 28^th, 58 ABY

Keshtah, Takara Mountains

Sith Temple

“The latest dispatch from Alanciar, my Lady.” Jesko grimly handed Kitai a datapad. Reading through the reports, the Grand Lady gruffly nodded at before the Sith Lord excused himself, not wanting to be caught in the path of his better’s wrath after delivering yet another piece of bad news to the Lost Tribe’s leader. With her falling for the Jedi’s deceptive strategy in their seizing of Kesh’s largest continent, and the loss of two of her High Lords and most trusted supporters - whether it was capture or death, she couldn’t find out – and the enemy’s recovery of Edaan and twelve of the Neshtovar’s commanders or sponsors, it was a humiliation she wouldn’t easily erase among her followers.

After Jesko departed her personal chambers, Kitai was ready to start venting her anger out on a dozen apprentices or twice as many training droids but stopped when she felt Ship calling out to her, ‘The Voice of the Sith wishes to speak with you immediately about Kesh’s untenable situation.’

Untenable… No, that couldn’t be what Ship just said, Kitai simply refused to believe that. Pulling out a certain holobook from her small bookshelf and entering the smaller chambers, she keyed in her master’s holofrequency and knelt before the image of the One Sith’s second in command, Darth Wyyrlok.

Knowing how Wyyrlok served as the mouthpiece for Lord Krayt’s edicts while he dreamt in stasis, Kitai recognized that whatever the Chagrian said next would not be his words. Eventually, the Sith Regent commended her, “You have done well to hold the Jedi off throughout these months. Many of our Sith brethren thought your people would fall in a matter of weeks, if not even less.”

Knowing how rarely Wyyrlok gave out praise to anyone, Kitai neutrally thanked him, “I’m grateful to have exceeded the expectations of so many of our own.” Daring to hope that Ship’s warning was wrong, she then requested, “But I fear that my people cannot stave off the Jedi for much longer, not at the rate the Lost Tribe is suffering through simple attrition. If we hope to save this stronghold, we need much help.”

“Then I am afraid our master will have to disappoint you.” Wyyrlok shook his head. “He has ordered me to order your people to start pulling away from Kesh and regroup with the rest of the One Sith.”

“Pull out…” Kitai stammered, unable to comprehend what her superior was ordering. Recovering her voice, she carefully protested, “Forgive me, but after all the time and resources we expended in allowing me to take over the Lost Tribe, I fail to see how abandoning our stronghold now would do the Grand Design any benefit.”

“The fall of your capital city to the Jedi, along with five of your seven continents capitulating to our enemies’ coalition, and the loss of Edaan Palpatine when you had him in your custody, all say otherwise.” Wyyrlok sharply contradicted Kitai, before calming enough to explain, “Our master wishes to preserve you and your followers for the coming campaigns, as he has envisioned how your people will be key in restoring Sith rule upon the galaxy.”

“But to finish laying the groundwork for our order’s inevitable ascension, we cannot afford to keep expending our resources into a quagmire we cannot control.” Wyyrlok patiently continued. “Your followers and allies will need to be fully integrated into the One Sith, and we will need to readjust our strategy accordingly before all your efforts for us are lost.”

Every fiber of Kitai’s being wanted to refute Wyyrlok’s accusations, that her people were more than capable of saving their home from the Jedi’s unholy desecration. But as much as she wanted to deny it, she could only realize that without the rest of the One Sith’s aid, the Lost Tribe had no chance at saving itself from annihilation, not unless it fled its ancestral home for an untold period of months or years.

Reluctantly relenting, Kitai acknowledged, “I will begin making the necessary preparations right away. But a planetary evacuation of our remaining forces and loyal citizenry, it will still take time. A month, maybe two, at least before everything is in order.”

“Then I will ready our forces to cover your withdrawal when all is in place.” Wyyrlok resolved, earning a nod of gratitude from Kitai. “Make sure to stay alive and free from the Jedi until then.” He then closed the transmission and left Kitai with the unfortunate task of informing her people of their incoming and now-inevitable exodus. But afterwards, she would take out her anger on dozens of training droids, to prepare herself to take out Edaan Palpatine, Adari Thayn, and all the Jedi and their sympathizers she could possibly kill before the final evacuation ship withdrew from Kesh.

Melona 31^st, 58 ABY

Alanciar, Sus’Mintri/New Tahv Outskirts

Aboard the Mon Adapyne

“You shouldn’t be walking yet, Adari.” Allana sternly advised her charge while the Neshtovar leader tried to use a cane to limp out of her medical cabin. “Your leg hasn’t fully recovered from-”

“Kreth, you’re acting like I’m trying to run a marathon, Allana.” Adari bitterly whined. “I’m trying to check up on Edaan, that’s it. Once I make sure he’s healed up, I’ll return right back here to rest up.”

“I can patch you into Edaan’s cabin speakers and you can talk with him directly. He is still recovering from carbon casing.” Allana firmly suggested before she gently pushed Adari back onto her bed. “Or better yet, we can have a little chat before you have that conversation.”

Suspicion creeping into Adari, she warily asked Allana, “What about?”

Face softening in genuine sympathy, Allana kindly began, “I wanted to start by offering my sympathies about your aunt. I… understand how much you must be hurting right now, and I felt you needed someone to talk to about this when you’re ready.”

Awkwardly fidgeting, Adari gruffly acknowledged, “Well, you would know about the kind of trauma I’ve experienced. I guess that’s why you and Edaan get along so well.”

“Yeah.” Allana chuckled. “He’s like a dear brother to me. But that brings up the other matter I wanted to talk with you about.” Adopting a deathly serious glare, she warned Adari, “I know how much you care about Edaan, and I can tell he cares about you quite a lot. More than he can afford to in his situation.”

Tensing up at her wording, Adari angrily challenged Allana, “And just what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just trying to look out for a man that I love like my own family.” Allana answered, before she started elaborating, “There was a time, not so long ago, that I had the same kind of feelings for Edaan that you’re experiencing. But I could never get through that stubborn wall he built around his heart while he’s so focused on saving Vestara, so I resigned myself to just being his friend and protector. Force knows he needs both of those with how hard he pushes himself in all he does.”

“But you, Adari Thayn, you managed to get him to open his heart up and find a measure of peace when no one else could. And that, is nothing short of a miracle.” Allana, trembling from an untold terror, then fiercely warned Adari, “Which is why, as Edaan’s surrogate sister, I need to say this. If you break his heart or hurt him in any conceivable way, you’ll have to answer to mebefore anyone else, and I won’t be nearly as merciful as the rest of the Jedi might be.”

Seeing Allana’s deep worry and pain in her voice and eyes, Adari recognized how the Hapes Chume’da was only trying to watch over a man that so deeply touched her heart, just as he did to countless other souls. And after losing so many members of her family during her father’s ill-fated rampage, among them her aunt Mara Jade Skywalker, her grandfather Isolder, and her father in a last act of saving her and her mother, she didn’t want to lose anyone else precious to her. It was a feeling of helplessness the Neshtovar leader knew too well from her own family’s collapse, and she had no intention of wishing that agony on virtually anyone, well, aside from the Sith and most of their accomplices.

Slowly nodding, Adari began by acknowledging, “I can see why many across the galaxy fear you, Allana Djo Solo. You have the makings of a strong leader, a great Jedi, and a loyal friend. But I can assure you that I have no intention of hurting Edaan. I care about him too much to even think of doing otherwise.”

“How I care for Edaan… I can’t even begin to explain how he makes me feel.” Adari defeatedly sighed before going on, “It’s just… when I’m near him, it’s like my burdens are lightened, and I have a sense of innocence and joy that I never thought I could have again. And I can feel that he has the same experiences as I do when he’s with me.”

‘Sounds like a Force bond.’ Allana suspected, both elated for Edaan and worried if her hunch was correct. Either way, she would need to talk to Grand Master Katarn about this, if only to make sure his apprentice was prepared for the responsibility thrust upon him. While she was sure Adari wouldn’t knowingly hurt the man she was falling in love with, that didn’t mean something still couldn’t happen by accident, and it was better to be there for Edaan if the need arose. And with the war between the Sith and Jedi swiftly approaching its climax on Kesh, now was an inopportune time to deal with a budding romance.

But all this was theoretical or in the future. Right now, Adari was a young woman in love with a good man, and Allana was getting in the couple’s way. And with the Jedi Coalition’s elite members enjoying a two-week furlough after the Lost Tribe’s crushing loss of Alanciar, with only six of those days left, worrying about the war could wait at least an hour or two.

Banishing away thoughts of the ongoing struggle for Kesh, Allana suggested to Adari, “Well, perhaps I should help make sure you can talk with Edaan undisturbed.” Offering a hand to the Keshiri rebel leader, the human princess proposed, “I’ll help you see your boyfriend in person for a little while.”

Warily raising an eyebrow, Adari skeptically asked, “What’s with the sudden change in demeanor and your last decision? I thought you said I could only talk with Edaan through technological means.”

“I guess you could say I had a change of heart.” Allana mischievously answered. “Just think of it as a gesture of friendship between two kindred spirits and a quiet bucking of authority while I still can do so.”

Genuinely laughing at the joke, Adari took Allana’s hand while placing another hand on her cane, knowing that this would be the start of a long and lasting friendship. Truth be told, she would enjoy having another friend who wasn’t impressed by her Jedi or royal status and appreciated who she really was as a person.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

Yelona 14^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor

City of Zandi

Surveying the damage done to the Sith stronghold, the devastation wrought by the Jedi Coalition wresting the last major defense bordering the Takara Mountains and the Lost Tribe’s original Temple, Kyle Katarn knew how swiftly reconstruction efforts progressed across the planet would determine how quickly Kesh integrated into the galactic society. Observing how nearly half the small city’s buildings were decimated or destroyed, with the other half being temporarily commandeered by Kesh’s enemies, and hundreds of emergency camps were set up to house the surviving refugees, the Grand Master recognized this tragic war was a sobering experience for most of this planet’s inhabitants. Never mind how the regions’ farmlands were badly razed by the Sith’s auxiliaries to deny all those resources to their foes. It was only thanks to the Imperial Mission’s humanitarian efforts and the privateers’ unique suppliers that there hadn’t been mass starvation.

But this war had to end soon, while there was still a planet for its people to call home. Which was why Kyle was prepared to approve his apprentice’s unique mission. Walking through the Jedi-occupied district of Zandi, after helping distribute food and supplies to many refugees and the Jedi Coalition’s small number of civilian allies, he mentally recalled all the progress this diverse force had made in freeing Kesh from its longstanding Sith occupation.

With five of Kesh’s seven continents firmly out of the Lost Tribe’s grip, and the sixth island nation having all but capitulated, the only major Sith bastion yet to free was the Sith Temple deep within the Takara Mountains. Unfortunately, all the remaining enemy forces had coalesced in the mountainous area, with a frontal assault likely the only option, if a highly costly, long, and very bloody outcome for the Jedi Coalition. That is, if this reconnaissance mission he agreed to would reveal a few flaws in the enemy’s defensive formations, provided the unlikely duo agreed to his nonnegotiable conditions.

Arriving at his personal starship, the same transport that served Kyle well for over four decades and underwent dozens of tune-ups over its long career, he entered the Raven’s Claw, where Edaan and Adari were already waiting for him in the small main hold. Sitting down in the command chair, he asked the new couple, “Have you both agreed to all my terms?”

Emphatically nodding, Adari wholeheartedly promised, “We’ll accept whoever you desire to accompany us and operate on your timetable, if we get permission to scout out the Takara Mountains.”

Scrutinizing both Edaan and Adari with an unreadable gaze, Kyle acknowledged, “High Command has assessed your plan, and it’s a solid piece of work. Provided you maintain stealth and can return in time for the final push, it should be easy for everyone to approve your request.” Seeing a jolt of relief cross both their faces, he sternly reminded them, “But remember, once you’re behind enemy lines, you and your team will essentially be on your own. So, no fancy stunts or taking any needless risks, because the lives of your subordinates will be in both your hands.”

“I won’t disappoint you, Master.” Edaan earnestly promised, fully comprehending the titanic risk his master was placing in him by giving him command over this vital scouting run. But before he was dismissed, the Jedi Apprentice hurriedly added, “But there is something I should make you aware of that may be of note for this mission.”

“Go on.” Kyle carefully answered, recognizing an ulterior motive when he saw one. Well, at least Edaan was being forthright in it instead of keeping it a secret.

“There’s something hiding in the Takara Mountains, something that shouldn’t be so close to the Sith’s first sanctum on this world.” Edaan nervously began. “I’ve been carefully meditating on this, and I felt an echo of a Jedi’s presence in the mountains’ jungles, a presence that’s been calling out to me.”

“You want to investigate, then.” Kyle factually stated.

“If we can spare the time before you launch the final attack.” Edaan quickly elaborated. “I know it’s a dangerous gambit right now, but I’ve got a good hunch on this one, just like back on Odessan.”

‘Odessan.’ Kyle silently ruminated. It was thanks to Edaan’s unauthorized trip to the Wild Space world that the Jedi were able to learn about the Chiss Ascendancy’s internal divisions and their secret alliance with the Aquilian Republic, allowing the three powers to start a new partnership. And it was all because he followed the call that Davin and Lana Beniko Hawkes sent out to him, all while reinvigorating him in his quest to redeem Vestara. If he was sensing another presence like that now of all times, it might not simply be a mere coincidence like many others would believe.

Using his ship’s holotable to create a holomap of the Takara Mountains, Kyle ordered Edaan, “Show me the general area where you sense this disturbance.”

Briefly searching for the area with his eyes, Edaan eventually pointed to an area deep in the jungle highlands that were near the edge of the mountains. Assessing the options, Kyle knew that scans would be hard at work penetrating a lush area, which would be a boon and curse for anyone hiding out in there. But if the Jedi Coalition strike force he had in mind took a few Neshtovar scouts as a precaution, those that knew the area extensively, then the risks should be minimal, at best.

Adari, as if reading Kyle’s thought process, offered, “I have a few old friends and contacts in the area that managed to avoid the Sith’s purges. If we get in contact with them, it should be possible to keep our ships concealed for a day or two while we search for this disturbance.”

Kyle, seeing the logic in Adari’s proposal, finally told Edaan, “Very well. You have my permission to investigate this call, after you complete your scouting run. It should be easy enough to avoid being sighted by any enemy patrols, and it leads out of the mountains easily enough, so you can reach Adari’s friends in time to reach friendly lines.” Hoping this choice wouldn’t come back to endanger anyone, he firmly instructed his pupil, “But if the Sith get too close or it turns out your senses were wrong, you pull out immediately. Do you understand me?”

Tension exiting his body that he didn’t know he was holding onto, Edaan confidently nodded. Knowing the point was made, Kyle ordered him and Adari, “Good. Then get a good night’s rest. You’ll meet your team tomorrow and set out in four days afterwards. May the Force be with you all.”

Yelona 24^th, 58 ABY

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

Within the Main Hangar

“Are you quite certain of this approach, Grand Lady?” Takaris carefully cautioned Kitai. “Our morale, such as it is, it’s barely holding on among our forces, and if we were to lose you now-”

“The Jedi aren’t sitting idle while we deliberate, old friend.” Kitai coldly cut in, gathering a wide array of supplies and weapons to store aboard Ship. “They’re not taking the time to bind their wounds after capturing virtually all our holdings, they’re already making incursions on our outskirts before they make their final push on us here. We need to show them that we will not surrender our world, people, and culture without a fierce fight and force them into making terrible sacrifices.”

“Besides, it would do everyone well to see their leader continue to resist their enemies, even if we are preparing a mass exodus from our ancestral home.” Vestara added, with a lightness entering her tone as she finished loading her supplies into the sentient Sith Meditation Sphere. “And the longer we keep the Jedi focused on me and not everyone else, the more time we can give our allies time to usher our deliverance. Never mind the invaluable stress relief it’ll give me from all the losses and burdens of leadership that we’ve endured.”

Seeing the stubborn logic in his mistress’s words, and knowing when Kitai wouldn’t relent from her position, Takaris conceded, “Then, I must insist you take a sufficient guard. The Jedi will jump at the chance to capture or kill you before their final push.”

“Of course they will.” Kitai wholeheartedly agreed. “But all they’ll do is waste valuable time and resources in hunting me down.” Pausing for a moment, she ordered Takaris, “Keep a close watch on my angry apprentice. I believe young Belot is rather angry with herself regarding her string of defeats and will soon make a rash and dangerous stunt to try and redeem herself before us.”

“Then, perhaps you ought to give her a greater role in our defense.” Takaris proposed. “Lord Umarn and his division are sending out patrols to search for any possible infiltrators and sympathizers along the highlands. Maybe all she needs is a mission to blow off steam and help her regain stability, rather like you plan to do right now.”

Mulling over the idea, Kitai nodded, “Have her report to Jesko immediately after I depart. Tell him to give Belot command over a squadron but instill in her that my apprentice is to do nothing without his direct order.”

“Of course, Grand Lady.” Takaris complied, grateful that his words still had an impact on the younger generations of Sith. He only hoped that the lessons he crafted for his thousands of pupils would remain in their hearts after they fully integrated into the One Sith led by Darth Krayt. No matter how much he told himself that this choice was necessary for the Lost Tribe’s survival, he couldn’t help but fear that this decision would eventually spell doom for all that he held dear.

Yelona 33^rd, 58 ABY

Takara Mountain Outskirts

Aboard the Bantha-class Shuttle Harbinger

Reviewing their options inside their means of escape, the Jedi Coalition infiltration squad, tasked with surveying the Lost Tribe’s final layers of defense before their last stronghold, struggled to decide on how to proceed going forward. From their fifteen days of scouting the Sith’s external defenses to finding just under one hundred Neshtovar contacts and sympathizers, even utilizing several listening posts to intercept dozens of key transmissions, the strike force had made the most of their covert operation.

But what everyone on this ship had to do now was make a choice on was if they depart now with all they had accomplished, or risk staying longer while Edaan and Adari tried to complete their pilgrimage towards the concealed Force signature. The couple had just under fifty-five hours left until the squad were ordered back to Zandi to prepare for the final push against the Sith, but there had barely been any word from them. Whether they were too far in the jungle highlands to get a strong enough signal, laying low to avoid Sith patrols, or… well, Tyria, Akku, and their five Jedi, ten commandos, and ten Neshtovar agents, hardly wanted to consider the worse possibilities that might be the case.

Well, there was still a little time before the team had to depart, and until they had the time to return, they would remain and give their teammates a lifeline. But before the Harbinger could send a subspace transmission to High Command, the holotable activated, and the fuzzy forms of Edaan and Adari could be discerned. Akku and Kix, the nearest to accept the communication, listened intently as the technicians struggled to boost the signal so they could better hear what their last two members needed to report.

The moment the transmission concluded, Tyria, who had been communicating with the Jedi Coalition’s forward command and reporting their progress, appraised the two disgruntled souls, “What did our two wayward youngsters have to say?”

“That the Sith are tightening their patrols of the surrounding areas, and that this might be our only chance to withdraw. They asked us to return to base without them so they can complete their odyssey and await recovery when we begin our assault.” Kix angrily answered, seething at having to consider the idea.

Tyria, understanding Kix’s anger from his time as a Clone Trooper and unbendable resolve to never leave a comrade behind, emphatically reminded the soldier, “They might not have a choice. If the Sith are swarming over the area, we don’t have near the numbers needed to attack them head-on. And we need to get the information we’ve gathered back to everyone right away, so it can be of the most use to our people in the coming weeks.”

Akku, seeing the cold military logic warring with Kix’s compassionate nature as a medic and friend of the Jedi and their compatriots, promised the human soldier, “We’re not abandoning our friends, and they aren’t as defenseless as you think. Edaan’s one of the best fighters and leaders I’ve seen, and Adari knows this territory well enough so they can avoid detection until we come back, never mind the stealth fighter they have if they need to take shelter in. Besides, they have their location beacon to call for reinforcements if they run into trouble they can’t handle.”

“That doesn’t make any of this right.” Kix reluctantly conceded.

“No, but it is necessary.” Bhixen regrettably agreed before he advised Tyria, “If we’re going to make our escape now, we’d best let the Grand Master know once we get in the air, just so he can have a little time to cool off after he learns what we did to Edaan.”

“Honestly, I’m sure Kyle suspected his apprentice might’ve pulled a stunt like this and will dispense the appropriate disciplinary measures when they’re both recovered.” Tyria chuckled, earning a few laughs from the others before they prepared to give the rest of their crew their new orders.

Yelona 34th, 58 ABY

Above the Sea of Flames

Aboard Ship

Meditating aboard her longtime friend, letting the ebbing currents of the Dark Side take her away, Kitai observed the Jedi Coalition scouts scurry back to whatever forward base they were using. This was the fifteenth sortie she had personally been involved in since she left the Takara Mountains, and she knew the enemy had to be close to scoping out their adversaries and finishing their siege preparations.

But even knowing how Kitai’s followers were in relatively good spirits now with her direct intervention, all that would soon change when the Jedi made their final thrust against the Lost Tribe. And given the last conversation she had taken with Invidious, the One Sith were still holding back their evacuation force until Lord Krayt issued the direct order, the Kesh-based Sith order was facing utter annihilation unless a dark miracle was achieved.

‘Lady Kitai, you are receiving a message from Lord Umarn.’ Ship’s call reverberated through Kitai’s mind, surprising her before she recomposed herself to accept the communication.

Seeing the middle-aged human Sith, Kitai firmly ordered Jesko, “Report.”

Dutifully nodding, Jesko began, “It appears we might be facing a small team of infiltrators ahead of schedule. Belot was able to track an unknown engine signature to the Jungle Highlands, and we identified it as belonging to a Galactic Alliance military troop transport.”

Intently listening, Kitai silently bade Jesko to continue, the High Lord carrying on, “Our findings indicate that the shuttle left no more than fifteen hours ago, but interrogating the local farmers revealed quite a few valuable pieces of information. The Neshtovar still have a foothold in this region, and they’ve been providing intelligence to the Jedi, including the two key leaders that stayed inside our lines.”

“Who is the quarry?” Kitai asked, knowing Belot would be chomping down for a bit of action after being stuck on patrol for the last two weeks. And the Grand Lady would be more than willing to oblige her for good behavior and capturing whoever was mad enough to try and sneak into the Lost Tribe’s domain.

“Jedi Edaan Palpatine and Neshtovar leader Adari Thayn.” Jesko immediately answered, stunning Kitai and causing her to leave her jaw agape in genuine shock. But he wasn’t done talking. “Apparently, they found something of value in the Jungle Highlands and remained behind to investigate while the rest of their team returned to their forward command center.”

Her mind running at an accelerated speed, Kitai tried to wrack her brain to remember if anything of value was within the dense foliage that would warrant two of her fiercest adversaries to risk death or worse at this pivotal juncture. To her disappointment she couldn’t recall anything aside from the proximity to the Sith Temple.

But that didn’t mean Kitai was prepared to let the Jedi Coalition search for anything that could potentially undermine the Lost Tribe, never mind let the Jedi’s poster boy and chief Keshiri ally run around free in her domain. Even if she couldn’t personally intervene, since she had to keep up the raids on their foes and buy more time for their escape, she wouldn’t let this problem remain any longer.

Deciding what course of action to take, Kitai ordered Jesko, “Then take Belot and two platoons of your choosing to apprehend or eliminate the intruders. If we can capture them and claim whatever they’re searching for, all the better for us. But no matter what, don’t let them escape with their prize. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my Lady.” Jesko acquiesced. “I’ll be ready to move out by the day’s end. We won’t disappoint you again.”

‘Just make sure you and Belot come back alive.’ Kitai silently ruminated. Though she would never admit this out loud, she valued the few friends and trusted servants far too much to bear losing any of them, her own apprentice among that number. Sadly, though, aside from Ship, Mirta Gev, Takris, Belot, and the like minded underworld contacts she had built a rapport with throughout her journeys, that list of confidants and reliable souls was not too long.

But fearing their inevitable victory over Edaan and Adari wouldn’t change anything. Right now, Kitai had to conduct a few punitive raids across the Lost Tribe’s shrinking borders and discipline the farmers who dared collaborate with the Sith’s sworn enemies. Then, she would recall every disciple and soldier she could reach and prepare for the coming siege.

The next few weeks would be amongst the bloodiest Kesh had ever seen, and Kitai had to make sure the final preparations were in place to continue her people’s civilization, all while severing her final ties to her past.

Relona 1^st, 58 ABY

Takara Mountains, Jungle Highlands

10 Kilometers West of the Sea of Flames

“The echo is close.” Edaan warily told Adari, clipping his lightsaber back onto his belt, seeing the foliage recede enough for him to stop using his best weapon to cut a path. After four days of traversing the dense highlands, avoiding the few patrols that came perilously close, the duo was almost ready to concede defeat and return to their two-seater StealthX fighter and wait out the hunt.

But barely six hours ago, the call that brought the couple here returned, stronger and more desperate than ever, guiding them through the treacherous landscape and into a barren plot of land, devoid of any signs of life. Finally arriving at their destination, both Edaan and Adari winced from whatever tragedy occurred her that left such a strong and enduring lasting impression on the landscape. Both could hear the final screams of the Sith’s victims, and the cries of a terrible betrayal that destroyed a family, save one that joined the Dark Side as a member of the Lost Tribe.

Somehow, both scouts knew the other was seeing glimpses of the past, barely over four thousand years ago, and the realization confounded them beyond any previous experience.

Edaan, growing protective of Adari after seeing her stumbling, sympathetically cautioned, “You’d better get a bit back. This disturbance, it’s affecting you far more than I, and we’ll need to keep an eye on our path back to the ship.”

Barely offering any resistance, Adari slowly withdrew, giving her love a single look of worry before retreating into the jungle’s relative safety, with Edaan uttering a silent prayer to the Celestials to protect her. As she left, he could feel the Force’s power swirl around him, with a gust of wind rushing past him before the spectral forms of a man, a woman, and two teenaged children – presumably their son and daughter - appeared. But unlike the last encounter he had with deceased Force Users, he did not recognize any of those he ever met before.

As the Edaan cautiously began approaching them, the mother said, “Well, well, well. Who would have thought that the person who answered our call through the Force would be such a young Jedi, and an extremely powerful one at that? The Force does work in mysterious ways.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Who might you be?” Edaan politely said, keeping a hand on his unlit lightsaber if this encounter turned hostile.

“Well, Edaan Palpatine, my name is Orielle Kitai Marrian, but you can just call me ‘Ori.’” The Sith woman graciously answered. Gesturing to the man before her, she continued, “And right next to me is my lovely husband, Jelph Marrian, a former Jedi Knight and member of the long-dead Jedi Covenant. Oh, and I can’t forget our two beautiful children, Darius and Takara Marrian.”

Even after learning of all that he could of the Jedi-Sith animosity from his explorations, Edaan could hardly believe what she had just heard, recognizing both the family name Kitai and the renegade Jedi Covenant: A Sith, and the daughter of a Grand Lady, no less, had taken in and married a member of a covert Jedi sect that was dedicated to destroying all things Sith. She even sired two children with him when in hiding.

Edaan, recovering quickly and finding his hope renewed, felt a small smirk grow over his face, “So, yet another Jedi and Sith put aside their ideological differences to find love, huh?”

Jelph, quickly grasping the meaning behind Edaan’s remark, cheerily recalled, “Ah, yes. You did see Davin Hawkes and Lana Beniko about six years ago on Odessen.”

Orielle adopted a grimly serious look on her face as she warned him, “Edaan, you need to listen carefully. If you want to save Vestara Khai, my last descendant, from the same path that my mother fell into and that I nearly took, you must hear our story, as it is the key to saving her from the darkness that is consuming her.”

This was it; Everything Edaan had worked towards, all the sacrifices he made, every mission and alliance he undertook, and all the bonds he forged, had all led to this moment. And the soon-to-be Jedi Knight was not going to waste this opportunity in any way. Finding a rock to sit on, he feigned nonchalance while admitting, “Well, I’ve got a few hours to kill before Adari and I need to return to prepare for our siege on the Sith’s final fortress here. But in all seriousness, I’d be honored to hear your story.”

Edaan listened intently, with his heart experiencing every possible emotion to feel in this hour-long lesson. He heard the shortened explanation of how the then-Grand Lady of the Sith, Lillai Venn, framed Orielle and Candra for an attempted assassination attempt on her life. The Tribe immediately condemned them to slavery and forced Orielle to hide out with Jelph in his farm while her mother was forced to shovel manure and animal excrements in Tahv’s zoo.

After Orielle lived in the farm for a few days, she discovered his estranged affiliation with the Old Republic and Jedi Order through digging up his personal starfighter. Quickly informing her mother, she told her how to contact the four remaining High Lords that opposed Grand Lady Venn’s rule. After she did so, she had a brief scuffle with Jelph, with the two of them quickly acknowledging their feelings for each other, and Orielle renounced the Dark Side to be with Jelph after realizing that what she truly wanted to help her mother escape slavery, and that she could be strong without having to rule the galaxy.

The two lovers then discovered that Candra betrayed her own child in exchange for what Orielle called “improved working conditions.” The selfish and treacherous act sickened Edaan and made him hope the self-serving wretch was rotting in Chaos like she deserved, and her rule over the Lost Tribe was short and traumatic for her.

The duo then stopped Grand Lady Venn’s attempt to escape Kesh by triggering Jelph’s homemade anti-theft system for his starfighter to explode and completely obliterated her and her entire retinue in the process, preventing any other Sith from learning of these events.

That horrendous day for the Tribe was one Edaan knew quite well, for thanks to his lessons from Adari and her historians, it was soon called the Night of the Upside-Down Meteor. The dark day immediately led to the thousand years of turmoil and chaos that was dubbed the Time of the Rot by later Sith and their servants. He also learned that, after Jelph learned about the Jedi Civil War, the two resolved to forget their past lives, and live in exile together, where they founded a family of three children.

Edaan, preparing to call Adari back and tell her of all he learnt, recognized the discrepancies in the Marrian family’s tale.

“Hold on.” Edaan interrupted, challenging the family “You said that you had three children. But I only see Darius and Takara. What happened to the third child?” Seeing the mourning cross everyone’s faces, he knew he would not enjoy the answer in any way.

Jelph, validating Edaan’s suspicions, answered “Ulic was the oldest child that we had, and he was the strongest of our children in the Force. He was also the darkest of them, and as he grew older, he grew increasingly hungry for the trappings of this world, and completely fell to the Dark Side of the Force at the age of sixteen. He then betrayed us to the Lost Tribe, forming a cover story to protect himself from the slaughter. After he helped kill all of us, he adopted the last name of Khai, which led to the lineage that gave birth to Vestara Khai.”

Edaan could hardly believe the revelations he had just been divulged. Finally, after thirteen years of grueling training and desperate hope, here, on a world drenched by the Dark Side and the Sith’s pervasive influence, he had been given the keys to saving the woman who inspired him to aspire to greatness. Somehow, all the pieces fit together in forming his final plan to redeem Vestara Khai, even if it was as mad as it was daring.

“Adari’s just gonna love this. And don’t even get me started on the rest of the Jedi” Edaan reluctantly ruminated, before returning to the moment and asked the ghosts, “So, what other words of wisdom do you have to impart upon me?”

“That you are on the correct path, Edaan. You have gathered a wide array of friends and allies, and that you and those that follow your path can undo the legacy of mistrust and pain that your ancestor created for so many decades. And that the time to strike out on your own to save our last descendant draws near, as you will have to go rogue from the Jedi Order to pursue your destiny.” Orielle cryptically said, confusing the Jedi Apprentice.

“What? I don’t...” Edaan disbelievingly said before he sensed the truth in the former Sith Saber’s words, and then said, “How will I know when it is time to leave?”

“When you see the seas boil, and billions of lives die in a Sith-purported genocide.” Orielle vaguely replied, further confusing Edaan before he realized she was referring to a Force vision.

“Well, that’s so much help.” Edaan cynically said before gratefully bowing before the four spirits, then saying, “I appreciate everything that you’ve told me, and I hope to one day see the two of you again.”

“I’m afraid that you won’t see us again, Edaan. But we will speak with Vestara when you bring her to her lowest point, and you must not be there when we speak with her, as she will need us, as well as Revan and Tau in order to remember what she could be.” Jelph said as he began to fade away, with Orielle, Darius, and Takara quickly following.

“May the Force be with you, Edaan Palpatine.” The two children both said as the family completely faded away, letting the young Jedi walk aimlessly, contemplating all the compelling revelations he had uncovered. He was so lost in thoughts and plans to get close enough to Kitai to impart this knowledge to her, that he was oblivious to where he was walking until Adari silently grabbed and violently shook him by the shoulders.

“Blazes, Adari, don’t be so rough!” Edaan cursed before Adari released him, just as a distant explosion could be heard, one the human recognized as that of a starship being obliterated by a larger war vessel. Recognizing the general vicinity of the blast, about six kilometers eastward, he nervously assumed, “I would suspect us to have Sith pursuers on our tail any minute now, correct?”

“That’s right.” Adari stoically confirmed, before continuing, “I sent out a distress signal to Forward Command ten minutes ago, but they’re saying it’ll take them at least twelve hours to get a task force together, let along break through the Sith’s blockade.

Knowing help would come, but pragmatic enough to know that time and numbers were not on the duo’s side, Edaan agreed, “Then we’ll have to get as close to the border as we can before the enemy hunts us down.”

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind.” Adari alluded, leading Edaan down the path before taking a sharp turn south, deeper back into the dense grass and hejarbo shoots that would hopefully cover their escape. But opening himself up to the Force, just enough to get a general sense of who was set to pursue the couple, only to sharply withdraw after recognizing one key individual and the strength of the Dark Side permeating through many of the group. Apparently, Kitai and the Sith under her weren’t taking any chances with this enemy endeavor, and she sent her own apprentice, along with ten other Lost Tribe members, fifteen Shapers of Kro Var, and another fifteen Mecrosa assassins, to deal with her order’s shared enemies.

One thing was certain, these next few hours, or more likely a couple of days, were going to be quite perilous for the two allies of Light, and they’d surely need a miracle to live past the impending vicious encounter.

Twelve Hours Later

Relona 2^nd, 58 ABY

Jungle Highlands Outskirts

Jesko had to admit, for such young and impudent souls, his two targets were performing more spectacularly than he ever could’ve expected. Having found the trail of the Jedi’s galactic celebrity and their most notorious Keshiri collaborator eight hours ago, after stumbling on a site incinerated and reeking of Dark Side energy which no one could determine when from, the Lost Tribe and its allies had been quick to pursue and apprehend them. But the High Lord acknowledged that capturing them would prove far harder than a simple duel, with their quarry choosing the hunting grounds quite well.

So far, the Palpatine Jedi and his Keshiri consort had evaded detection, but Jesko and his lieutenant both knew their skill and luck would not last much longer. And judging by Belot’s slow pacing, impatiently waiting to hear back from their platoon, who had been herding them towards their predetermined ambush point and should be arriving within the hour, she was just as eager to see this task done as he was.

“Calm yourself, my friend.” Jesko firmly counseled the Sith Apprentice. “My agents report they have everything firmly in place. All we must do now is wait a few more minutes, and we’ll have everything we came here for.”

Feeling his comlink vibrate, Jesko smiled in satisfaction before answering the message, only to hear utter carnage from the caller. “We’re under attack and need immediate assistance! We’ve lost eight men already, and two of your Sith!”

“The targets?” Jesko presumed, surprised at the urgency from the Neo Death Watch squad leader while Belot, overhearing the communication, began issuing orders to her squad.

“In command of Uvaks and Mountain-Demons!” The woman yelled, before she let out one final shriek and a dying groan before the signal disconnected, leaving Jesko bewildered at this brewing disaster and wondering how the Jedi had taken control over enough predators to endanger his followers. But he was perceptive enough to know a genuine distress signal when he heard one, and that there was more to this brazen attack than he first perceived.

Knowing Belot would not like the commands he would give, Jesko contacted the main gunship under his command, and ordered, “Prepare to open fire on the forests, Sector A-15. If we can’t flush them out, then we’ll likely have to settle for the enemy’s burnt remains.”

“But, My Lord, your men are still-” The captain protested, before Jesko impatiently countermanded, “Get your shuttles down there and save those you can before you begin the attack! But we can’t afford to spend any more time on this hunt, not with the Jedi right on our doorstep!” Closing the comlink, he ran a hand over his forehead before ordering Belot, “Have our remaining people work to cordon off the affected area, and work to get our remaining brethren out of this mess.”

Belot, silently seething at the commands, nevertheless complied with a loyal and curt nod. But Jesko realized that obedience could easily turn into defiance if the Jedi Coalition made their final push for Kesh before this troublesome operation concluded.

Instead of rebelling or protesting, Belot afterwards suggested, “If I could have a moment of your time before we raze our forests to the ground. I may have a plan to help us capture our quarry quickly.”

Jesko, seeing the determined glint in Belot’s eyes, offered, “Tell me your idea as we make our way to the gunships. You have until then to convince me otherwise.”

Thirty Minutes Later

5 Kilometers Northward

Adari knew the odds for survival were nearly nonexistent, but she refused to let her mortal enemies win this battle without fighting for every inch they might gain from her death, as evident by her struggle against the two Mecrosa and their Kro Var ally. Keeping out of their reach while the beasts under Edaan’s command wrought havoc on the Sith’s main lines, she was quick to throw the enemy off balance by getting in close when their ranks were thrown into disarray, allowing her to knock out or kill four of the Lost Tribe’s collaborators before engaging her current adversaries.

With the mountain crawlers and Uvaks, all answering Edaan’s summons and attacking the Sith, it allowed Adari to discreetly plant her signal beacon just before they entered the fight, letting the Jedi Coalition know exactly where to find them. And she could sense their forces nearby, which only meant they had simultaneously begun their invasion while launching a rescue operation. All they had to do was hold out for just a little longer until their deliverance arrived.

Meanwhile, Edaan was deep in concentration, drawing upon his vast reserves of energy and all his training to survive this dire brawl. This group of Sith and their vassals were far stronger and smarter than any others he had faced before, which confirmed Kitai and her followers were no longer underestimating their foes.

Working with perfect coordination and impeccable skill, the enemy had nearly finished boxing in the Jedi Apprentice and his few animal bodyguards, with Adari and her protectors faring barely any better. Utilizing the Mecrosa’s vast array of poisons to disable or kill many animals under Edaan’s control, while the Shapers of Kro Var used their command over the elements to keep their foes in disarray and unable to properly retaliate. At this rate, it would not be long before the duo was captured or killed by the Sith, barring salvation by their friends.

Barging into Edaan’s desperate thought process, he heard the familiar sound of gunships and their turrets opening fire nearby. However, this attack was not against the battlefield, he realized, but throughout the surrounding area, making him discern the enemy’s change of tactics with great terror. But he also sensed something else, someone he was immeasurably grateful to sense, even knowing the punishment he’d get for disobeying his orders so blatantly.

Grand Master Katarn was coming, and he had brought an army with him to start liberating the Lost Tribe’s final set of holdings. Edaan only hoped relief would arrive in time to turn this disaster into a strong victory for the Jedi Coalition. Weary senses picking up on more Sith arriving onto the battlefield, one keenly familiar to the Jedi prodigy, he acknowledged that the likelihood of being rescued was all but impossible now.

Thrusted against a tree, bones nearly cracking from the force of impact, Edaan felt his hold over the creatures all but severed and was barely able to turn his head to see Belot and an older man, at least a Lord, according to his garb and what Adari instructed him on the Lost Tribe’s power structures, approaching him.

Appraising the Jedi with a scrutinizing glare, the middle-aged human Sith commended Belot, “Well done, Saber Belot. Your plan worked far better than I ever could’ve hoped.” Seeing the astonishment and pride crossing the younger woman’s face, Edaan recognized an impromptu promotion when he saw it, and painfully realized how his luck had finally run out.

As his mind slipped in and out of consciousness, Edaan heard the familiar sound of shuttles roaring in, with lightsabers and blasters blazing to life around him, and a strong arm wrapping around him and carrying him away from the renewed battlefield.

Barely able to recognize Bhixen as the one ferrying him to safety, Edaan slowly slurred out, “What… what about Adari?”

“We’re recovering her right now, Edaan. Try not to move or speak until Kix can get you looked over and we give you a good dip in a bacta tank.” Bhizen generously told his friend before gently placing him on a medical gurney. “Oh, and Grand Master Katarn wanted me to let you know that you’ll be personally disciplined by him after we finish freeing Kesh.”

If he was able to put Vestara on the path to redemption, reunite her with Ben, and help free the galaxy from the Sith’s grip, Edaan would endure whatever punishments Kyle could plan for him. It would all be worth it in a few more weeks, he knew it down to his very core, and he was about to help write history and deal the death blow to a five-thousand-year-old Sith Order. This was going to be a busy and bloody siege, and he would do what needed to be done to finish the mission. That was his final thoughts before he let his pain overwhelm his senses and he withdrew into a healing trance.

Relona 5^th, 58 ABY

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

Within the Grand Lady’s Quarters

Hearing from Belot how the most recent disaster occurred, even as Kitai felt the dozens of calls try to reach her within her private chambers, it did not make the festering fury any easier to bear. In fact, the older Sith was barely able to control her fury at the Jedi for humiliating her apprentice and killing so many of her most trusted and capable friends and followers.

Jesko and his elite detachment of Lost Tribe Sabers, the best Shapers of Kro Var, Mecrosa Assassins, and Neo Death Watch commandos that were all under his command, all sixty of them were slaughtered by what had to be a well-conceived ambush on the Jedi Coalition’s part, it left a gaping hole in the Sith ranks and severely undercut its morale at this crucial moment. Even her shared experiences with the Skywalkers did not let her believe that this terrible loss could be a sheer stroke of luck, or a “Force-ordained miracle”, as Ben might have called it. But Edaan Palpatine and Adari Thayn, had grown from a simple problem into a full-scale threat for the One Sith, and if the Dark Side was gracious, it would let her dispose of them in this temple sometime over the next few weeks.

After Belot finished speaking, she mournfully bowed her head and said, “I failed you, Master. We lost-”

“Stop.” Ktiai harshly bade her apprentice before calming herself down to emphatically instruct Belot, “You need to understand this right now: What happened to High Lord Jesko Umarn and his detachment was not your fault. The Jedi and those that follow them, they all have countless ways of turning certain defeat into a miraculous victory, and this defeat is no exception.”

“That does not excuse me for my failure.” Belot protested, her head still bowed in shame and unable to even look at her master.

“You’ll have your chance to seek retribution against your humiliators soon enough.” Kitai earnestly promised her student, making Belot whip her head up to stare at her better. “The Jedi Coalition launched their attack on the mountains, and I’m going to need every strong fighter and sharp mind to help the Tribe send our enemies a lasting message before we fully join the One Sith. And make no mistake, you’re going to be by my side through this process.”

“Master?” Belot bewilderingly asked, confounded by the respect and compassion the Sith leader was giving her right now. She would have expected Kitai to have beheaded, or at least demoted, mutilated, and humiliated her for taking part in such a colossal catastrophe, not offering kind words of counsel and a chance for redemption.

“You’d best try to enter a healing trance for the rest of the evening.” Kitai compassionately advised Belot. “You still haven’t fully recovered from your injuries, and we’ll need you and everyone else at full strength for what’s to come.” Quickly recalling how busy the temple would be with activity, she added, “You can use my quarters for your meditation, but make sure it doesn't take more than six hours. We’ll have something for you to do to help our defenses before you arrive.”

Rendered speechless by the act of compassion, Belot silently nodded before sitting down to begin her healing meditation. But while time slowly passed, with her senses temporarily dulled while her body accelerated its recovery, she sharpened her rage and mentally prepared herself for the next time she fought the Jedi. And if she was fortunate enough to run into Edaan Palpatine or his Keshiri wretch of a girlfriend one last time, it would give her great satisfaction to kill them both in whichever order she preferred.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Relona 15^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor

Takara Mountains, Jedi Forward Command Center

Aboard the Jade’s Legacy

If one were to say that both Edaan and Ben were anxious, that would be a terrible understatement. A mere twenty-five kilometers south from the Lost Tribe’s Sith Temple, perched deep inside the Takara mountains, where their shared quarry was commanding her people’s faltering defense of their last stronghold, both Jedi instinctively knew that something was bound to go wrong soon in this siege. Having spent the last two weeks advising the Jedi Coalition on Darth Kitai’s strategies, her followers’ remaining assets and fighting strength, and their likely escape vectors, they were eager to rejoin the fray, take the fight to their enemies, and work to save the woman they both cherished, if it was for different reasons.

While the Jedi and their grand alliance had made significant strides towards penetrating the Lost Tribe’s ancient domain, breaking the resolve of many rogue Zygerrian, Iskalloni, and Yaka legions and forcing their surrender, the rest of Kitai’s forces were helping fill the land with countless corpses. Among the deadliest were her allied Dark Siders, with the Shapers of Kro Var using their unparalleled command of the elements to down many vehicles, while the Mecrosa assassins, renegade Mandalorians of the Neo Death Watch, and her Sith Sabers coordinated their part of the defense to slow their enemy’s advance while killing dozens of top Jedi and officers., never mind the hundreds of everyday soldiers dying every hour.

But what puzzled most among the Jedi Coalition’s leaders was how Kitai, her surviving High Lords, and the rest of her elite servants had not made one single appearance since the siege began. If the Lost Tribe’s Grand Lady wouldn’t make an appearance in defending her home, then she had her sights set higher than one major battle. Which was why Adari and her people’s latest divulgence would be crucial in preempting the enemy’s plans, and hopefully lead to a decisive victory for the followers of the Light.

If the Neshtovar’s intelligence its spies provided was accurate, then there was a network of hidden passageways and a main hangar into and out of the Sith Temple, each recently constructed by Kitai and her people as a secret backdoor if events like these ever came to be. And apparently, one of her few agents embedded inside was able to secure a set of clearance codes to enter the small shipyard, giving the Jedi the perfect means to launch a sneak attack on their old foes. Tremendous risks aside, this might be the only way to minimize casualties on both sides and capture Kitai before she and her key followers escaped their falling home.

Finishing up loading their supplies and armaments aboard Ben’s personal ship, the aforementioned Keshiri woman emerged from the co*ckpit and informed both Jedi, “Everything’s prepared. All our teams are loaded and ready to fly on your order, and my spies have confirmed that the entire Circle of Lords is still securely hidden away inside the Mountain Temple.” Pausing in apprehension, she advised the veteran Jedi Knight, “But are you certain that taking this ship is the best course of action? If Ship recognizes your vessel, or senses your presence, then our surprise attack could very well get us all killed before we even get to seethe target.”

“The Jade’s Legacy is tougher and stealthier than you give her credit for, Adari.” Ben defended his ship. “It can take a good pounding if we’re prematurely discovered. And we can vanish in the Force long before we reach the temple, which will minimize the chances of us being detected to near-zero.”

Appearing mollified, Adari acknowledged with a nod before asking one more question. “But are you sure you both are ready for this? Facing hundreds of lethal and highly experienced Sith aside, you’ll both go up against the Grand Lady, and she’ll do everything she can to kill you the second she lays eyes on you. You’d better be ready to face her again, because this’ll probably be your last chance to try to save her.”

“Master Yoda once said, ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’” Edaan countered. “So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do when we face Vestara one last time.” Checking his timepiece, he narrowed his eyes in frustration, before impatiently stating, “We need to do our final systems checks and take off. The strike force will be setting out in a few minutes, and I’m not going to be left behind on this mission because of negligence or sloth.”

Seeing Edaan hurry to the co*ckpit to help get the Jade’s Legacy ready for takeoff, Adari amusingly smiled at her boyfriend’s youthful eagerness and noted to Ben, “Your order is lucky to have him in your ranks.”

“In more ways than you can imagine.” Ben solemnly agreed before he took the pilot’s seat and finished readying his ship for this fateful journey. Even as he worked to get his ship in the air, he felt a trepidation he hadn’t felt in many years at facing his first, and likely only love, again. Remembering the last heated encounter he had with Kitai, it filled him with such dread that he worried what he would do when he saw her again. If he froze in battle or let his old emotional baggage take hold over him… well, he would just have to make sure neither occurred.

Glancing at Edaan, seeing the determined glint in his eyes while helping run the final systems check, the excitement his posture presented, and the unbridled hope in his eyes, Ben recognized that feeling perfectly from his adolescence. Feeling the sensation slowly return to him, he somehow knew that this next encounter with Kitai, whether she was captured, driven off, or convinced to lay down arms and start atoning, she would soon be back on the path to redemption.

‘I’m coming to save you, Ves. And this time, I’m not stopping until I finally and fully break through to reach your stubborn, hardened heart, mind, and soul.’ Ben resolutely vowed as the Jade’s Legacy’s engines roared to life, the ship blazing off into the setting sun towards the final confrontation between the Lost Tribe of the Sith and the Jedi Order.

Ninety Hours Later

Relona 19^th, 58 ABY

Sith Temple, Strategic Planning Center

Even as she observed the entirety of the Jedi Coalition’s siege, saw and assisted her former master where needed, who gracefully oversaw the defense of the Lost Tribe’s final redoubt on Kesh alongside her subordinate Lords and High Lords, Belot still could hardly believe the war had come to this point. Knowing the Sith would abandon their ancient bastion by the month’s end, and that was if they were lucky to hold out that long, for such dreary worlds like Korriban, it saddened her more than she would ever admit, even to herself.

After all Kesh had achieved, all its people had accomplished in creating a great meritocratic society based upon Sith teachings, was it truly its fate to simply be absorbed by tattooed fanatics like those of Darth Krayt and his growing army of followers? Quickly banishing such heretical thoughts, Belot refocused her mind on the immediate danger, taking note of the Jedi’s advances within the Takara Mountains, just as Kitai tasked her with after her recovery from her disastrous hunt for Edaan Palpatine and Adari Thayn.

By observing the tactical feed from both the ever-changing holomaps and dozens of comm reports coming in every minute, Belot acknowledged that the Jedi Coalition was advancing just as the Grand Lady told everyone that they would when the siege began. Despite the Lost Tribe’s forward units putting up such fierce resistance, and their auxiliaries performing marvelously in conjunction with the Sith against their shared foes, forcing the enemy to sustain increasingly higher casualties, they were slowly being pushed deeper into the Takara Mountains with every passing hour. Provided their current pace could continue, the Jedi would be within striking range of the temple by the end of next week, and that was being extremely generous when considering the Tribe’s dwindling supplies, growing number of wounded, and their increasingly unsustainable defensive positions.

But this precarious situation didn’t mean the Lost Tribe wouldn’t go down without a gruesome fight to the death. Despite the overwhelming odds, the Jedi Coalition had yet to breach their inner defenses, and once Kitai’s promised reinforcements arrived, the defenders and all their loyal servants would be able to escape and regroup with the One Sith. And that didn’t account for all the reinforcements and hidden assets the Korriban-based Sith order was gracious enough to provide their elder cousins. When they were unleashed upon the Jedi, the carnage and chaos they would soon unleash would be a joyous sight to behold before this shameful exodus finally began.

Sensing Ship intruding on her dark ruminations, Belot brusquely responded, ‘I take it there’s been a dire new development.’

‘Lord Krayt and his spies have just uncovered and provided us with new information on the Jedi’s attack strategy. It is quite urgent.’ Ship calmly answered, oblivious to or ignoring Belot’s sarcasm before transferring all intelligence into the minds of her and Kitai in a handful of seconds, astonishing both women with the Jedi’s sheer audacity. By the Dark Side, were there any of the Lost Tribe’s most valuable secrets that the Jedi couldn’t get their hands on?

It was bad enough that Kesh was about to fully fall under the Jedi’s control, but now they were bold enough to try and infiltrate the Lost Tribe’s first Temple, never mind how they learnt of the secret passageways from deep inside the mountains. And leading this surprise attack were none other than Ben Skywalker, Edaan Palpatine, and Adari Thayn. At least the Tribe had a chance to avenge their humiliation on three of their most hated enemies.

Kitai, silently beckoning for her newest Saber to follow her, quietly ordered her, “Assemble seventy of our best Lords and Sabers, have them converge with me on the hangar. And have twice as many of our allies join us if they can spare the people. If the Jedi’s best fighters are about to try and break into our old home, then it’s only fitting we give them an appropriate welcome.”

“As you decree.” Belot faithfully obeyed before inquiring, “But do you believe we should accelerate our evacuation?”

Pausing for a moment, almost as if Kitai was considering how to adjust her strategy, she agreed, “Yes. Inform High Lord Yur and his retainer and have them make the necessary adjustments to our strategy.” Squarely looking Belot in the eye, she immediately followed up, “Once the orders have been conveyed, you’ll come with me to help repel the Jedi’s assault and capture Jedi Palpatine and Skywalker alive. Lord Krayt has special plans for them both. The rest, we can deal with as we see fit.”

Her eyes betraying the anger at the orders to keep Edaan and Ben alive, after every grueling humiliation they wrought on her, she nonetheless complied with a crisp bow, and briskly walked towards the main spaceport where Takaris would be ensuring the evacuation of the Lost Tribe’s essential staff and artifacts.

But even as Belot followed Kitai’s orders, her mind quickly drifted back to the massacre of sixteen days earlier, when the Jedi destroyed two companies of the Lost Tribe’s best Sith and agents, and instinctively shuddered at the bitter and brutal memory. To think that her plan to finally take two of the Tribe’s most dangerous foes out of the way backfired so terribly, it embittered her and replenished her resolve to redeem herself. She did not know why the enemy spared her back then, but before she left Kesh, she would be sure that they deeply regretted the fainthearted decision.

Belot still perfectly remembered how the ambush turned against the Sith so swiftly, with the Jedi, led by their Grand Master and an armed host twice the size of Jesko Umarn’s. Engaged the Lost Tribe’s force and recovered their targets in the immediate chaos, Kyle Katarn and his subordinates worked quickly to overwhelm the defenders, their numbers already depleted by their hunt for Edaan and Adari, with the leader of the Jedi himself dispatching the High Lord after a brief ten-minute duel.

And the Mandalorian Protectors’ company that devastated the Neo Death Watch squads, with its leader using two beskar daggers to cut up several of his adversaries, also living up to their lethal reputation. The company commander and two of his best soldiers even managed to hold their own against several Mecrosa and used their poisons to incapacitate or kill three of their Master Assassins shortly after dispatching the Mandalorian supremacists.

As for the Shapers of Kro Var and the remaining Sith Sabers, though they knew the terrain best, their home field advantage was useless against the gunships’ barrage that ripped apart most of them and left the surviving few completely exposed to the Jedi and their allied Force Users. Unwilling to surrender, the Dark Siders fought to the death, unable to take any of their enemies with them in the final five minutes of this one-sided slaughter.

Belot, the only one still conscious but unable to fight due to the numbing pain of the Mecrosa-made poison that one of the Mandalorian Protectors pilfered, she was prepared to kill herself before betraying her people. But she was unprepared for when the Jedi, rather than finish her off, let Kyle simply hit her with his deactivated lightsaber’s pommel and knocked her out cold. She might not know why the Jedi Coalition left her alive to suffer such horrendous humiliation, but she would avenge the disgrace tenfold on all her enemies. And she’d hopefully start by being the one to attain the glory of capturing the One Sith’s most important quarry before anyone else could.

Back in the Present

Relona 20^th, 58 ABY

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

Deep Within the Lower Levels

Reeling from the Dark Side’s terrible power, with its cancerous infection trying to enter the souls of every intruder of the Lost Tribe’s ultimate domain, every member of the invading strike force struggled to press on as they entered the chambers of what could only be an ancient dungeon. But every intruder was still alert, fully aware that behind every corner, an ambush may be lying in wait for them in this vile fortress.

After the Jedi Coalition ships dropped off their troops near the Mountain temple not six hours ago, the band of three hundred infiltrators moved quickly and prudently to arrive at the series of entrances Adari’s spies provided the intelligence on. Using the clearance codes the Neshtovar gave them, the agents deactivated the rearguard defenses for the Lost Tribe’s last temple and allowed the teams to split up into three separate groups, ready to finish this brutal war and decapitate the Sith’s leadership with one final stroke.

Each company had a vital task to complete for this mission, and even one mission failing could result in death for all. With the group led by Ben and Edaan, their task was as simple as it was blatantly suicidal, for they were to try and reach Kitai through a forward attack on her Circle of Lords and secular cohorts. Numbering two hundred and seventy people in strength, this small army would be the most dangerous, but not the most important in terms of the campaign.

Meanwhile, the second Jedi Coalition division would quietly work to cut off the Lost Tribe’s escape route, destroying every ship and hangar in the temple they could reach to prevent their adversaries’ escape. Thanks to the old transcripts and newer records they and the Neshtovar had acquired to build a working map of the Tribe’s first home, they should have a good enough overview to know where all its major facilities were located. One hundred brave souls, they would prove equally crucial as the frontal attack in containing and eradicating this batch of Sith from Kesh’s surface.

Finally, the third Jedi-led task force would work with the most secrecy and speed, where its thirty members would hack into the temple’s computers, crack their encryption codes, thereby giving the main army vital intelligence on the Lost Tribe’s tactics and shifts in strategy so they could quickly counter. A terrifying risk, but necessary to accelerate the Jedi Coalition’s victory and complete Kesh’s liberation.

But this dangerous stratagem only worked if Kitai and her people took the bait, and the main unit kept her attention solely focused on them and not their secondary teams. To accomplish this, Adari’s people needed to have played the part of the loyal servants and alerted the Lost Tribe to the incursion. Otherwise, they would have to do this diversion the old-fashioned way.

Making their way up to the lower levels where the service personnel would make their abode, Adari, cloaking her presence in the Force along with the rest of the Force-Sensitive, pressed on her comlink repeatedly in sending a coded message to her compatriots. But when she finished, the reply she received was one that sent shivers down her spine in a voice she despaired to recognize,

“I’ll give you credit where it is due, Tyro Adari Thayn. You and your offworld compatriots certainly weren’t lacking in courage and ingenuity. But this, I’m afraid, is where your story ends.” Kitai’s smug voice filtered through the comlink, before the darkness, erupting from a simmering shroud into a full-scale volcanic eruption, swept over everyone and nearly made the Jedi-led force collapse before they heard dozens of footsteps running towards them.

Everyone among the strike force, recognizing a well-timed ambush when they heard one, pulled out their weapons and prepared to take the fight to the Lost Tribe and their would-be allies. The Jedi, all sensing well over a hundred Sith and far more mercenaries and slavers, were ready to finish this fight. And Edaan and Ben, sensing the woman they were desperately trying to save leading the retaliation, they were prepared to break through to the woman who was once Vestara Khai, or die trying.

Relona 21^st, 58 ABY

Kesh Orbit

Aboard the Galactic-class Battle Carrier Dodonna

“Sirs, multiple ships are exiting hyperspace at the system’s edge.” A sensor officer alerted Kara and Kral. “Looks to be composed of at least twenty warships and at least five dozen large passenger craft, each of a different configuration.”

The Aporthad rear admiral and Quarren commodore, with both their fleets overseeing the blockade over the entire planet of Kesh and ensuring the Sith’s attempted evacuation route was cut off in the Jedi Coalition’s final push, acknowledged the warning before Kara, through her cybernetic implants, received a new message. Glancing at Kral, she quickly informed her subordinate and friend, “General Farlander and his Jedi report about one hundred Sith scattered throughout the enemy fleet.”

Quickly realizing the implications of this development and vital opportunity, Kral advised his superior, “I’d suggest you send a message planetside immediately, and inform them that our hidden Sith targets have revealed themselves.”

“Already done.” Kara almost-smugly stated, before she began to violently shiver, almost as if she was having a seizure. Kral, seeing his friend quickly collapse onto the ground, breaths coming in heaving pants and her mechanical appendages twitching in every possible direction, bellowed out, “I need a medic and tech team up here for the Admiral! NOW!”

“Raze…” Kara hoarsely breathed out while grasping Kral’s uniform at the ankle and warned, “Be… be careful of my old mentor. He’s… he’s here.”

Raze? Wasn’t that an old crime lord and information broker back during the First Galactic Civil War? Yes, Kral remembered now. The old Aporthad was a menace to both the Empire and Rebel Alliance before his consortium was decimated and he was driven underground for decades. He eventually recovered enough to regain a terrifying foothold across half the Outer Rim and made a pact with the One Sith before he was exposed and driven off Taris seven years ago. And if he recalled the reports correctly, several Jedi and the local authorities were crucial in removing that cancerous influence off the planet. If he was here now, then it appeared this batch of Sith was far bolder and more widespread than he first gave them credit for.

Prepared to give the order to open fire on the Sith and Raze’s fleet, Kral was interrupted when Keyan’s hologram burst into the Dodonna’s bridge. Before the commodore could reprimand the general, the onetime Jedi anxiously began, “Shut down all nonessential systems on your ships and fall back to the secondary- karking Sith Sorcery- Heading for Kesh’s surface any minute.”

“General? General Farlander, the transmission’s cutting out on your end. Please repeat.” Kral called back before he felt a terrible shockwave rock his ship, systems across the Dodonna’s shorting out, sparking, or outright failing altogether before a light with the strength of a supernova came over the battle carrier. Seconds later, he felt himself being flung across the bulkhead and felt at least two bones break in his left leg on impact, nearly rendering him unconscious from the sheer pain before the light vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Panting heavily while clutching his knee and doing his best to hold back the screams, Kral felt utter relief when a medic eventually rushed over to him and applied a bacta batch to his broken knee and injected him with a high-dose painkiller. Glazed eyes seeing the medic, he ordered her, “Get me, get me back to the bridge.”

“Out of the question, Sir.” The medic firmly denied. “Neither you nor the rear admiral are in no condition to give orders to anyone, and our fleets aren’t in any position to help anyone but ourselves right now. We were flung halfway across the system, and it’ll take us all at least a week to get our systems even halfway operational, if we’re lucky and work quick enough.”

The Force. Of course the Sith weren’t going to play fair now, for when have they ever played by the long-established code of conduct in any war? As the painkillers and sedatives that the doctor injected into Kral’s bloodstream started to take full effect, he only hoped that the rest of the Jedi Coalition’s forces weren’t in the same predicament and that the ground defenders would be ready to drive away the enemy fleet when the chance came around.

Six Hours Later

Relona 22^nd, 58 ABY

Kesh Surface

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

Ktiai, as fatigue slowly crept in, and her few remaining reserves of energy were rapidly depleting from the last forty-eight hours of continuous fighting. And her followers were faring no better - well, those of them that were still alive and making their attempted escape away from Kesh.

She was prepared to deal with the Jedi storming her people’s most sacred domain and trying to prevent their escape. The Lost Tribe and One Sith were even ready to halt their shared enemies’ technological sabotage of the mountain defenses and scorch the region when all their goals were accomplished. Better to obliterate a small piece of Kesh’s history if it meant wiping out so many of the Sith’s deadliest opponents at once.

However, what baffled and infuriated her beyond measure was how the Jedi and all their comrades simply refused to give up. No matter how many of their number died on any front, the rest pressed on, sometimes stepping over the corpses of their friends to move forward, and their tenacity oftentimes was enough to overcome the traps, superior positions, and Sith war beasts they faced, even if they were aided by the technological ingenuity of many freelancers of the Jedi Coalition employed. Between the few Mandalorians on good terms with the Light Siders and hardened mercenaries like that insipid Patrolian demolitions expert and the Delphidian privateer Sidon Ithano, their creative thinking allowed them to stay on relatively even ground with their superior foes and oftentimes overcome them.

Though it galled her to admit it, Kitai had to give Edaan Palpatine credit in gathering such a massive and versatile number of favors and allies to his side. The young Jedi had obviously planned for this endeavor for many years, employing such cunning and patience rivaling that of his ancestor and the most infamous Sith of modern history. This acknowledgement helped her begin to see just why Darth Krayt wanted him alive, for if he were to join the One Sith… well, then everyone would tremble at the thought of another Palpatine employing his full potential for galactic conquest.

As for Ben, the only man that she could ever truly love, she recognized that this was her last chance to draw him over to the Dark Side, and the brutality of what she would attempt tore at her heart and made part of her wish she could never touch the Force. Knowing what she was about to try could destroy his mind if he refused to surrender, she vowed to put him out of his misery if he was rendered catatonic, unable to do anything else for him aside from that single small act of mercy.

But all these reflections would be for naught if her quarry failed to reach the Grand Lady’s personal spaceport, the only area of the temple that the Neshtovar’s spies had been unable to scan or inform the Jedi of. Accessible only by members of the Circle of Lords and buried in the heart of the mountain, the dozen vessels, including her longtime friend, teacher, and personal method of transportation in Ship, were primed and ready to launch once the last stragglers were secure aboard. And, if her former apprentice was quick enough, she would be aboard one of the vessels before time ran out.

‘Grand Lady, Lady Irola and her people are insisting us to finish our evacuation immediately.’ Ship persisted in Kitai’s mind. ‘They cannot maintain our escape vector for no more than thirty minutes.’

“Not until we finish the job and get more of my followers to safety.” Kitai sternly ordered him, sensing several familiar presences nearing her position along with at least ten Jedi in hot pursuit, helping her to banish her exhaustion to prepare for one last battle today. Unwilling to put her people in any further danger, she ordered the few Sabers and Lords standing guard, “Get yourselves aboard and out of here. I’ll take care of these intruders with the help of our more esoteric associates.”

Baffled by the seemingly senseless orders, the Grand Lady’s fifteen protectors quickly obeyed and headed for one of the near spacecraft. Not bothering to ensure her people boarded, she reached out with the Dark Side, connecting with the Shapers of Kro Var aboard their enigmatically designed ships and commanded them to begin the ritual meant to subvert and twist Ben’s mind to join the Sith. While the exact process of the spell eluded her complete understanding, she recognized enough from her studies to know how few could resist the attack on their soul, even fewer emerging whole from such an ordeal. If this failed to turn him to her side, then her heart would be truly broken for good soon enough.

Wait… something was terribly wrong. Kitai could now barely sense Belot’s vibrant presence and sharp mind, and she wasn’t moving with any urgency. A new sense of fear appeared, she tried to reach her former apprentice through their connection in the Force, only for the durasteel wall protecting the hangar being blown wide open by several explosives and a terrifyingly strong telekinetic burst of energy, interrupting any such efforts. Barely able to shield herself from the rubble being blown across the hangar, she knew what was coming next and ordered the Shapers through Ship to hurry with commencing their spell.

The instant the smoke cleared enough to allow her visibility, she expected the Jedi to charge in and try to finish off their delirious enemies. Instead, she heard at least ten individuals behind the debris begin screaming, making her realize her allies were fulfilling their part of her plan. And among that number, she lamented at realizing that Ben was among those suffering profusely right now. Closing her eyes for a moment, bitterly regretting how keeping her love alive came to this ultimate betrayal, she opened them again when she felt one singular bright light in the Force still pursuing her, and she recognized just who the chaser was.

By the Dark Side, just what was it going to take to stop Edaan Palpatine from hunting her down?! But before Kitai could lash out, she saw Takaris Yur and three of the Lost Tribe’s apprentices hurrying away, the High Lord carrying a limp Belot in his arms. Fearing the worst for her friend and charge, she was prepared to forget corrupting Ben and leave Kesh behind, but reminded herself that there was one last loose end to tie up, preferably in Beskar chains, if she had any aboard Ship.

Seeing the Jedi prodigy charging ahead in hot pursuit of his prey, Ktiai interrupted him by hurling repeating barrages of lightning on Edaan, all while painfully screaming, "Are you happy, Palpatine?! You, your entire damned Jedi Order, and all the ungrateful rebels among my people that you allied with, you all took my home away from me for good, after I spent years working to return! Whatever happens to the galaxy next is all on your hands!"

"Oh, would you stop and listen to yourself!?" Edaan heatedly shouted back as deflected blow after blow with either his lightsaber or the Force, "You have allowed this Darkness inside of you to twist your mind, and for what? Look around you! Your people rebelled against you!"

"No, because of you and the Sith you blindly follow! Think of Ben! Think of how you've hurt him over and over for them, despite the fact you love him!"

"I am a Sith--"

"No, you are a lost and confused girl trying to be one!" he threw the next bolt right back at her, smashing the wall above her and sending her tumbling to the floor in a sprawl of stone. He didn't advance however, Kitai feeling a pitying shake of his head, "And you don't have to. You can be so much better than this. Leave behind the Sith, Vestara, and come with me. Be with the man you love... and be happy."

She looked up at him, tears pouring from her reddening eyes as for a moment, she considered his words. More than anything she wanted to be with Ben, to beg his forgiveness, forget the war between Jedi and Sith and they could just be people living everyday lives and enjoying the galaxy’s countless wonders.

But as quickly as the thought entered her mind, a dark rage overcame her at remembering all those under her care and who died on Kesh, and whatever he did to Belot, filling her with a terrible presence as she got back on her feet and hatefully snarled, "You're an idiot, Edaan. You can't trick me, not after what you and your Jedi have done. I will make you and the rest of this galaxy pay for what you've done. The Sith will rule, as we always do... and if Ben will not stand beside me, then he will die with you.”

"You can't beat me, Vestara, and I don't want to hurt you anymore." Edaan brokenly warned her, his own tears streaming down his face and presenting a desperation and determination she hadn’t seen in any Jedi before.

"THEN DIE!" she screamed as she unleashed a single, powerful electrical torrent that turned the air ablaze. However, to her horror, she hit only the air. She found Edaan far above, sending her flying into the wall with a deafening blow before he landed on top of her. He grabbed her by the throat, slamming her into the wall again before he pressed his hands into her temple.

Sensing the Jedi preparing to direct the Force into her, she instantly realized his plan. He was trying to brainwash her with an influx of Light Side energy, fueled by his very essence.

"NO!" she snarled as she drew upon both the darkness inside of her and the very power being poured into her. With both, she channeled them into a concentrated repulse of energy, sending Edaan hurtling back with a cacophony that brought the roof down upon them. As her last bits of strength left her, she only hoped that Belot and her people could survive and continue the Lost Tribe, no matter what path this hostile galaxy forced them to walk going forward.

Two Days Later

Relona 24^th, 58 ABY

Hyperspace, On Route to the Stygian Caldera

Aboard Ship

Her mind slowly recovering from the incredible influx of Light Side energy forcibly pressed into her being, Kitai struggled to open her eyes, only to wince when she saw and felt a beaming light shining down on her that resembled a sun’s rays at full strength. She heard the familiar voice of Ship enter her mind, and his voice was as joyous as she had ever heard him speak,

"Ah, Good! You are awake, Lady Kitai! I feared that Jedi Palpatine would have destroyed your mind with his mental assault. He is very powerful, with almost as much raw strength as the Dread Lord himself, perhaps even his ancestor.”

"Yes... I felt it," she groggily replied, turning over to see no more than twenty of her fellow Sith in various stages of recovery in the meditation sphere’s central chamber, "How many of us escaped?"

"Just over five hundred Apprentices, Sabers, and Lords. The rest either fell in battle or succumbed to the Jedi's lies. As of now, twenty-two thousand humans and Keshiri are all that remains of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. We received orders to journey to Darth Krayt's stronghold to learn how to take revenge upon the galaxy for their affronts on us.”

She nodded, tears flowing down her face as the losses they'd suffered. She focused her will, keeping her voice from breaking. "Order all ships to set course for Korriban at once. Kesh is lost to us. Our only option left for the Lost Tribe is to truly become a part of the One Sith now."

She rose and felt something in her robe pocket as she felt Ship’s bitter acknowledgment. It was a message written in old paper, the ink a kind of Kaminoan design. As she read though, she was filled with a terrible, swirling concoction of rage and guilt. The latter left her despising that flickering weak side of herself even more.

Vestara, I encourage you to heed these words well.

Just as Master Yoda said to Count Dooku during the Jedi Grand Master's mission to Vjun to try and redeem the latter during the last six months of the Clone War, 'When you fall, catch you I will.' I will continue to have faith that you will make the right choice when the time comes. When that time comes, I know I will be there alongside Ben to guide you into the Light, no matter what it costs me. Until that day, may the Force be with you."

Forever your friend, Edaan.

Quickly using a small jolt of lightning to immediately incinerate the offensive note, Kitai slowly rose off the cot, testing her balance before getting back onto her own two feet. Nearly falling from numb legs before righting herself with the Force, she walked towards the Sith with her on this exodus, and noted one of great importance to her that was missing from the group. ‘Ship, where is Belot?’ Sensing Ship’s hesitancy, she demanded of a bandaged up Takaris, “High Lord Yur, what happened to my former Apprentice?”

“She’s alive, Grand Lady.” Takaris regretfully started. “But her mind… the injuries she sustained from Jedi Palpatine and Skywalker sent her in a coma, and nothing we or our doctors can do has been enough to help her regain consciousness.”

Gripping her rage in a tight vise, Kitai resolved to unleash her fury on the Jedi and their friends when next presented the opportunity. But meanwhile, she had her final few thousands of Kesh’s free people to look after. And there was only one place left that would welcome them and help them one day retake their homeland.

Discarding her final shreds of regret for every crime she committed to return to Kesh, never mind the horrendous attack she committed on her love, Kitai felt Ship’s approval and sympathy, and prepared to enter a meditation to focus her distressed mind and reforge the many shards of her broken heart. And after she did that and helped tend to her wounded, she would throw herself to the task of eradicating the Jedi and ensuring the Sith’s inevitable dominance over all the galaxy’s worlds, societies, and peoples.

Two Hours Later

Wild Space, Kesh

Continent of Keshtah Minor

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

“VES!” Edaan terrifyingly shrieked, abruptly bolting upward from the comfortable bed he was on, heaving deeply and feeling a shadowy pall of despair wash over him. The last few moments when he was conscious coming back to him, his failures to reach Kitai and fully implant the Light Side energies and memories needed to start her redemption, the raw emotions alone nearly overwhelmed him before he remembered Ben’s deathly ill condition.

Before he could try and rise from the bed, Edaan felt his body be immobilized by a familiar Jedi, whose voice could be heard just outside the door, “If you’re trying to slip away before you’re clinically discharged, then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, my able and willful apprentice.”

Seeing Kyle enter the room, his gaze piercing through Edaan’s exhausted eyes, the young man knew he could not overpower his teacher and released a defeated sigh. “I wasn’t trying to escape, Master. I just wanted to see how Ben was faring and…” Ceasing to speak, sensing nothing but the Lost Tribe’s echoes remain in their ancestral abode, he solemnly asked the Grand Master, “We won, didn’t we? The Sith are gone from Kesh, right?”

Placing a firm hand on Edaan, Kyle gently answered, “Yes, the Lost Tribe has been shattered and its followers have either been captured, killed, or driven away. And it seems Kitai and five hundred of her followers escaped during the chaos that raged above Kesh, along with over twenty thousand civilians and the remnants of their allies.”

A cacophony of emotions flowing through him, Edaan did not honestly know what to feel right now: joy that the planet had finally been liberated from Sith dominion, regret over all the lives lost throughout this arduous campaign, doubt that Kitai could ever be redeemed, or worry over what came next for the Jedi and galaxy. But one thing that was at the forefront of his mind was his concern of a friend, and he asked Kyle, “Master, how is Ben?”

His face appearing mournful, Kyle knew his pupil wouldn’t accept any lie and truthfully answered, “He’s not in a good place right now. Whatever Kitai and her people tried to do to him during that battle, it terribly damaged his mind and left several holes in his memory.”

“What do you mean?” Edaan anxiously asked. “How bad is he?”

Reluctant to answer, Kyle admitted, “Kitai’s spell wiped away his resolve to redeem her, and his heart is full of anger and hate for her again. Our best guess, she was trying to corrupt him to the Dark Side, but his mind resisted the efforts and caused the wounds to his psyche.”

Recognizing the determined glint in Edaan’s eyes, Kyle admonished him, “Don’t even think of trying to talk to Ben now. Our healers are working to cleanse him of the darkness infecting him, but it will take time. Never mind how long it will take to help him recover his lost memories.”

“But if he goes after Vestara now-” Edaan argued, only for Kyle to interrupt him,

“He won’t. I’ll see to it personally.” Kyle assured his student before ordering him, “But I need to know just what transpired in this temple after you launched your attack. We all felt a great disturbance in the Force when we were making our final push, and Iknow you had something to do with it.”

Knowing no deception or omission would do anyone any good, Edaan warned Kyle, “It’s a long story.”

“I have nowhere else I’d rather be right now.” Kyle wanly smiled before pulling up a nearby chair and sitting down, biding Edaan to start the impromptu debriefing. The elder Jedi listened silently and intently, not once interrupting as his student recounted how the ambush failed, forcing the strike teams to launch a frontal assault against the Sith’s trap and divide their forces. He heard how Edaan injured Belot and killed dozens of Sith and their allies in his zealous drive to reach Kitai, and how he was able to face the Grand Lady one last time before they were separated by a collapsing ceiling. But the final words, how the Jedi Apprentice tried to redeem his target, that was where the trouble lay, even as he regretted having to bring this up.

“Unless you give me a very good reason as to why you tried to brainwash Vestara, I may have no choice to expel you from the Jedi Order.” Kyle ominously warned Edaan after he finished listening to his pupil’s personal debriefing on the last battle.

“I wasn’t trying to brainwash her, Master.” Edaan earnestly corrected his master before further elaborating, “I was trying to implant memories from all my travels and my other masters in order to show her that she has more options than she believes.”

“I’m not seeing much of a difference, Edaan.” Kyle objectively raised an eyebrow.

“When I confronted her a month ago back in New Tahv, she believed that she was doomed to live as a Sith because of her lineage and her past sins, that she didn’t deserve to have happiness. But if I can show her that she has more options than she thinks, and that she can still rise above her dark past to make something new for herself, then there is still a chance.”

Sensing that his master was running out of his short patience, Edaan got to the point, “When I was journeying with Adari into these Mountains to try and find a hidden path to this temple, I discovered four more Force Spirits here. And not just any old ghosts. They gave me the final bits of knowledge I’ll need to save Vestara after all. She just needs to listen to the Will of the Force and let it guide her to the truth and what she needs to know, not what she simply wants to hear.”

“So, you’re leaving it all up to what most think to be mere chance?” Kyle ruefully surmised.

“I’m going to believe that when the time comes, she’ll rise out of the Dark Side to seek a brighter path. And if she can’t do that, then I guess I’ll have to be the one that will have to put her down for good.” Edaan reluctantly confessed.

“Truly? You’d go that far if it came down to it?” Kyle pressed, surprised at Edaan’s change of attitude and his shifting resolve.

“I can’t have Ben do that, because in his current mindset, he’s too filled with anguish and thoughts of vengeance. If he kills her now, it’ll propel him straight into the Dark Side. I’m the only one left that can free her from her suffering out of pure love.”

Seeing the earnest mixture of hope, determination, and dread in his eyes, Kyle knew that Edaan would carry through with his promise, even if it tore his heart apart.

So, instead of having him focus on what might come to pass, he’d prioritize on giving Edaan what support he could for the future. “Then you’ll need to get some rest and put together a workable plan and team for going after Vestara and her confederates. I won’t have the Order’s newest and most famous Jedi Knight gallivanting across the galaxy alone to track down the rest of the Sith.”

That threw Edaan for a loop, and he nearly stumbled before he stammered out, “You-you’re promoting me to Jedi Knight? But what about the Trials?”

“Edaan, you showed great courage and skill with your final confrontation with Vestara all on your own. In addition, you showed incredible insight in forging an alliance with Adari and her resistance, which gave us the inside edge we needed to free this world without repeating the genocide of the Great Hyperspace War. And unless you received those scars outside of the torture Vestara placed you under when you were her prisoner in New Tahv, you passed the Trial of Flesh.”

“And the Trial of Spirit? How do you believe I passed that?”

“You lost your family when Abeloth escaped Coruscant, and you felt their deaths along with the billions of others she killed, right?” Kyle sympathetically reminded his now-depressed pupil.

“You could have lost control and lashed out at the galaxy such an injustice, but instead, you have borne the scars she inflicted on you without letting them weigh your soul down. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a Jedi Knight in all but name already. And it’s about time the rest of the Order realized it.”

“But there is one question I must ask. These four ghosts you met on this world; who were they, Edaan?”

“You’d have to ask that, Master.” Edaan ruefully chuckled. “Well, long story short, they’re Vestara’s long-dead ancestors. They walked away from their predetermined paths in the Force to start a simple life of their own together, and that gave me the final piece I needed.”

“I assume there’s more to it than that, correct?”

“Yes, but I’d rather keep it a secret in case it somehow fell into the wrong hands. Something just doesn’t add up about this campaign.” Edaan remarked, his gaze becoming more contemplative as he mentally replayed the war’s progression.

“What are you talking about?” Kyle recognized the change in Edaan’s mood and focus before inquiring of his apprentice.

Seeing that there was nothing he could do to dissuade his master from voicing his suspicions, Edaan admitted, “Don’t you think it was strange how Vestara and her armies were almost always one step ahead of us in so many of our battles and costing us more casualties than all but our worst estimates? It was almost as if she had someone feeding her inside information about our strategies.”

“Are you suggesting that someone within the Order-?” Kyle incredulously began.

Thankfully, much to Edaan’s credit, he clarified, “I honestly don’t know about that. For all I know, it could be a network of spies from our support staff or among our allies. Or even pure dumb luck, if we’re that unfortunate or incompetent. But even so, I think we ought to investigate this, quietly.”

“It may turn out to be nothing, but if there’s even a chance that someone is leaking our plans to the Sith, then we need to figure out who, and quickly. Maybe we can use this to our advantage somehow.” Edaan mused, before hearing the amused chuckle of his master - former master, he frightfully realized – and gave a perplexed stare.

“Even after learning of such world-shaking events and carrying such a heavy burden, you still remain faithful to the cause which you’ve pledged your life to.” Kyle proudly remarked before soberly adding, “I’m honored to have taken you this far on your journey in the Force, Edaan Palpatine. But soon, I sense you will have to walk your own path, one different from every other Jedi.” Holding up a hand to forestall any questions, he detailed, “I have not had any visions, my friend. Only hearing what small whispers I can get from the Force and by trusting my instincts.”

Silent for several moments, taking in the words, Edaan bowed in pure gratitude to his master, earnestly answering, “Then I am honored to have had you and all others to guide me in this journey for as long as you have. I will see your faith in me is well-rewarded when I finish the task that I have only just begun.”

Placing a firm hand on Edaan’s shoulders, Kyle, his voice full of pride for his pupil, firmly reassured him, “You already have. All you need to do now is have more faith in yourself for whatever lies ahead.”

Chapter 10: Chapter 10 (Epilogue)

Chapter Text

Relona 29^th, 58 ABY

Continent of Alanciar

Above the City of Sus’Mintri

Aboard the Dodonna

No one was comfortable hosting the Lost Tribe’s surrender aboard this warship; whether one worked for the Jedi Coalition, the Neshtovar, or the most high-profile civil authorities that worked under Darth Kitai, everyone was on edge over the tense meeting about to begin in discussing Kesh’s reconstruction. If even a handful of these guests were hidden Sith or disguised agents and a massacre broke out, the fighting could resume and choke this world in the blood of countless innocents. But it would have been even more dangerous to have this meeting in the enemy’s citadel, where countless traps or opportunities to destabilize the planet’s occupation might arise.

After spending the last seven days rooting out the final pockets of enemy resistance and tending to the wounded among both factions, the Jedi and their allied galactic powers were finally ready to give Kesh’s inhabitants their official terms of surrender. And representing the planet’s populace would be three members of each of the seven continents’ civilian leadership. These twenty-one civil authorities, Kesh or Human, would be the first to realize the full cost of collaboration with the Sith, and how their people’s future would now irrevocably be changed.

Ushering the Dodonna’s diplomatic guests throughout the carrier, taking care to show the Sith’s servants how the Jedi were prepared to enact punitive measures on the Lost Tribe’s remaining wartime facilities at the first sign of treachery, the escort led them to what had to be a mess hall, full of reporters and bodyguards to both broadcast events across the galaxy and keep the peace. And awaiting them in the center of the room were the leaders of the Jedi Coalition.

Kyle Katarn, Grand Master of the Jedi Order and veteran of many wars and campaigns dating back to the first years of the First Galactic Civil War, with every member of the Jedi Council attending this historic act either in person or holographic form.

Tenel Ka Djo, ruler of sixty-three worlds of an independent region of space and staunch friend of the Jedi, for she was once a Jedi Knight herself and currently the mother of Allana Djo Solo, who was still recovering in the Takara Mountains alongside the rest of her fellow Apprentices. Many among the Lost Tribe’s delegation squirmed a little at seeing the icy monarch, remembering how their Sith masters repeatedly tried to assassinate the Chume’da and Queen Mother, filling them all with terrible dread.

Also in attendance were every military commander and diplomat the Galactic Alliance, Confederation, and Galactic Empire sent to help liberate Kesh, with everyone scrutinizing each guest and awaiting even the slightest hint of treachery. And watching over them were the privateers and independent powers the Jedi called upon to supplement their numbers and guarantee victory, especially Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II.

And the Neshtovar, those few dissidents among Kesh’s population that abandoned millennia of tradition and fidelity to the Sith to side with their most hated enemies, they were here also, with their young leader, Adari Thayn, standing right beside Kyle and betraying nothing in her guarded glare.

But the most perplexing to the twenty-one Lost Tribe envoys were the twenty unidentified individuals that completed the Jedi’s delegation. Five were garbed in crimson armor and wore lightsabers of a design none of the Sith vassals recognized, with the rest either utilizing actual swords or carried no weapons at all, garbed in robes and uniforms none could identify. These individuals had to be allied with the Jedi, but what role did they serve in forcing their will on the planet below.

Once the Kesh-born citizens took their seats, the Jedi Coalition followed suit, while Kyle took the initiative to commence with the humiliation, gesturing to the Dodonna’s guests, “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. Force willing, this will be the start of reconciliation and recovery for all our peoples.”

“One would think that with your victory over us, Master Jedi,” An old Keshiri woman defeatedly intruded, “We could dispense with the pleasantries and speak frankly. You’ve beaten and driven away those that have watched over us for hundreds of generations. Now you can do whatever you see fit with us, all while you eradicate everything we’ve built so you can replace it all in your cultures’ image.”

“Delea, please withhold your comments until we have heard the Jedi’s terms of surrender.” A human man patiently urged his compatriot. “If their conduct during their invasion is any indication, they have something else in mind for our people that may allow us to keep some of our honor and traditions intact.”

“You would be correct, Alderman Noor.” Adari addressed the young man. “Everyone in the Jedi and Neshtovar’s ranks have carefully discussed this matter, and the decision we came to was not an easy one but will help reform our civilization while preparing to integrate Kesh into the galactic community.”

“This from a defector.” One town mayor sneered at Adari, who only calmly gazed back.

“Instead of hurling insults and making things harder for your people, you could listen and learn just how we all differ from the Sith.” Adari reminded the insulter. “And what I did was for all of Kesh’s people.”

“Then deliver your terms to us.” A banker urged, her anxiety evident with her frantic twitching before a chime could be heard in the datapads before them, text steaming down the monitor in both Basic and Keshiri. Reading through the message’s contents, the middle-aged woman sternly warned, “This will not go over well with many of our people. We’ve modeled our lives around the intrigue and machinations of the Sith for so long-”

“Which is why the Jedi have brought several of their friends here, to show you the many paths that exist to utilizing the Force without sacrificing the very qualities that can make your people great again.” Adari patiently gestured to her side before the ten armored individuals came forward, allowing her to introduce them, “These twenty people represent three different Force Orders, each allied with the Jedi but uphold their own traditions and beliefs while serving the people and a greater good above the interests of a few. They are going to help educate our Force Sensitives in more than just Jedi teachings, but in those of the Jensaarai, Blackguard, and the Guardians of the Breath.”

Seeing several of the Kesh delegates gasp in shock, just as everyone knew they would at the Jensaarai’s mention, Corran Horn took over, “Believe me, I was shocked just like you when I discovered the Jensaarai, a group that combined Jedi and Sith traditions and teachings into something truly unique. But over the decades I’ve had the privilege to fight alongside them, they’ve proven to be just as passionate about justice and freedom as any Jedi I’ve met.”

“And the Blackguard have been a group that, until recent years, focused exclusively on acquiring knowledge and using it to advance their own goals. But now, they believe in sharing knowledge and benefiting from cooperation with other cultures and individuals, allowing their conception of the Force to expand and grow their numbers greater than ever before.” Jaina Solo Fel insightfully added.

“As for the Guardians of the Breath, they are an order focused on healing and stimulating the growth of life in ways modern technology still has trouble keeping up with. With their help, you can regrow your crops and heal your wounded at rates that most agricultural and medical facilities can only dream of.”

“That’s all well and good, but how do you expect our people to just accept such radical changes so quickly?” A young human man asked, his garb indicating he was formerly a constable of New Tahv.

“The results won’t be immediate, Parlan.” Adari urged the peacekeeper. “We, both Lost Tribe and Neshtovar alike, will have to extemporize and experiment with many forms of government from countless worlds, all while we work hard and long to discover how we can cooperate with others as true equals. And we’ll need a select few individuals to start representing and advancing our world’s interests before the galactic community.”

“And you’ll be the first of those ambassadors, correct?” Parlan knowingly guessed. “It’s only fitting, after all you did in leading the Neshtovar while aiding the Jedi throughout this war.”

“She’ll be working as a liaison with the Jedi, yes.” Desha Dorvan confirmed. “But she won’t be alone too long, for once Kesh’s transition progresses far enough and we establish our criteria, your people will be sending out many more brave souls to represent your world and rebuild culture across the stars.”

Seeing and sensing her people’s caution mixed with optimism, Adari began to believe that the Jedi’s plan to redeem Kesh just might succeed. With that brightening hope returning, it filled her with a joy she hadn’t felt in many years, it was almost enough to make her cry. And as the deliberations continued, with the generous terms the Jedi Coalition laid out before their guests intriguing most, she privately hoped that Edaan was recovering well after his failure to redeem Kitai. But if she knew her boyfriend well enough, then he was prepared to go after his target soon, no matter who stood in his way.

Relona 34^th, 59 ABY

Horuset System, Korriban

Sith Catacombs, Within the One Sith’s Citadel

No matter how many times Kitai had journeyed into Darth Krayt’s underground fortress, she couldn’t suppress the shiver run through her body from the mausoleum-like architecture that covered this Sith bastion, nor forget the cold ice that ran through her bones every time she walked these halls. While walking through the many hallways and observing the esoteric inspiration for the citadel’s foundations, reminiscent of the ancient myths and legends associated with the Sith species’ old gods and the galaxy’s origins, she felt like she was entering the maws of death itself. But she would not let jitters and her last remnants of weakness stop her from preparing the galaxy for its destined rulers’ ascension.

Recognizing the stark contrasts between the Lost Tribe and One Sith’s diverging foundations, approaches to the Dark Side and governing, and how these Sith were more in tune with the old ways than the Kesh branch ever was, Kitai repressed her regrets and steeled herself for her meeting with the Dread Lord. Eventually approaching the heart of the fortress, after being inspected by dozens of Sith and sniffed by their loyal Tuk’ata hounds, she was granted entry into the antechamber where Lord Wyyrlok awaited her.

Silently approaching the Sith regent, being among the few who knew of Lord Krayt’s weak state from the Yuuzhan Vong’s experiments on him, she patiently awaited the Chagrian to acknowledge her as he communed with their master. And her patience was well rewarded soon enough, when Wyyrlok rose to greet the disgraced Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe by starting, “Lord Krayt is grateful to have you return to us, even if your endeavors with the Lost Tribe were not as successful as we would have preferred.”

Not in the mood for light condescending or dancing around the issue, Kitai tartly urged, “Why don’t we stop beating around the matter and get right to the punishment? I failed the One Sith, lost our master countless resources and people when we lost Kesh, and now the Jedi will soon be on the hunt for us all.”

Before Wyyrlok could say anything, Kitai knelt before him and resignedly said, “I have made a disgrace of myself before Lord Krayt and jeopardized everything he has worked towards with the Grand Design. I will accept whatever punishment he deems fit, but I ask that you spare my final few followers and allow them to help make up for my unforgivable failures.”

Appraising his withering subordinate, Wyyrlok raised his head in finality, but to Kitai’s eyes, his eyes seemed distant and glassy, making her realize he was telepathically conversing with Lord Krayt. Daring to look at the Yuuzhan Vong stasis chamber, keeping his body unaged and preventing the Coral Seeds fused to his being from consuming him, she saw the biotechnology’s lights changing colors in unison and realized that its occupant was awakening and would emerge in a mere handful of hours.

Wyyrlok, breaking his trance, calmly informed Kitai, “Rest easy, Lady Kitai. Lord Krayt will not punish you for the Jedi’s actions against the Lost Tribe. In fact, he is well prepared to utilize you and your people to their fullest for the Grand Design going forward, as we will need to accelerate our plans for war to beat the Jedi at their own game.”

Relief washing away her fears, Kitai gratefully acknowledged, “We will be at his complete disposal.” Daring to brave ahead, she humbly requested, “But there are many of my followers that are terribly wounded from the Jedi’s final attack, and they will need intense medical care to ensure a swift recovery.”

“You’re actually referring to your apprentice.” Wyyrlok deduced. “Ship told me of Belot’s coma that Edaan Palpatine inflicted on her. A surprising turn of events from a virtuous Jedi Knight such as he.”

“Renowned and charismatic as he may be, there is a deep darkness residing in his heart.” Kitai contemptuously gritted out, hating the very mention of the Jedi prodigy for every humiliation he wrought on her. And yet, there was a part of her that regretted confessing that fact, even as she yearned to break him as he tried to do her. But Wyyrlok was scrutinizing her every move, and she could not deny the truth now if she hoped to live past the day and protect her remaining followers a little while longer.

Carefully scanning Ktiai’s expression and emotions through the Force and decades of reading people, Wyyrlok knew there was more to her admission than she would let on. But right now, the Dread Lord trusted her, and since he had many vital uses for her in enforcing his will, his right hand would let her keep whatever secrets she held, at least for now.

Instead, Wyyrlok concurred, “That would match up with what our spies in the Jedi can glean on Edaan. But we’ll still need a full report from you on the final battle while the details are still fresh in yours and your peoples’ minds.”

“I’ll deliver it to you by tomorrow’s end.” Kitai promised. “But as to our wounded…?”

“We will tend to those we can here, and send the most critical patients, like your former pupil, to several of our secondary facilities to avoid being compromised.” Wyyrlok promised. “They’ll be safe.”

Kitai wanted to believe that with every fiber of her being, but she spent enough time in the galaxy’s underbelly to know when she was trying to be conned. Unfortunately, she knew there was nothing she could do to negotiate for better terms for her wounded, not after losing the One Sith such a crucial bastion and several of their best proxies. Feigning humility while bowing, she relented, “I have no doubt of that.”

“Good.” Wyyrlok nodded, satisfied with the arrangement and dismissing Kitai, “I would advise you to go and start gathering testimonies from your fellow Sith. You’ll be very busy soon with advancing our master’s great dream. I will tend to our awakening lord and master.”

Hiding her annoyance at being treated like a common foot soldier or Lost Tribe Sith Apprentice, Kitai firmly nodded before walking out the way she came, all while planning ways to get Ben Skywalker back with her so they could be together again, all while making Edaan pay tenfold for every humiliation and violation he wrought on her people and her very being.

Welona 4^th, 58 ABY

Coruscant, Senate District

Senate Building, Chief of State Office

“I assume your meeting with the Senate went well, Sir?” Wynn Dorvan optimistically verified with his superior. Knowing how much the Galactic Alliance’s current Chief of State, Kajin Bar Yimmon, hated calling emergency sessions with the Galactic Senate, his predecessor and currently the GA’s most celebrated and trusted ambassador hated to add more pressure to the poor Cerean’s already all but unbearable workload.

“It went better than I initially feared, much to ours’ and our friends’ relief.” Kajin wearily sighed. Having convened the Senate to convince them to refrain from pressing against the “rogue elements” that aided the Jedi Coalition in crushing the Lost Tribe, he was ready to drink a large brandy and fall asleep on his apartment’s couch shortly afterwards. But first, he needed to check base with his trusted people and begin to lay the groundwork for Club Bwua’tu and the Jedi Order’s next collaborative piece of legislation. And this one would be far more pivotal and decisive on the Galactic Alliance’s future anti-Sith efforts.

“The Senate, by a wide margin of fifty votes, failed to pass a resolution to condemn General Farlander, Rear Admiral Kara, and Commodore Nevil’s fleets for helping to liberate Kesh.” Kajin informed Wynn. “Apparently, most of the senators still recall the Lost Tribe’s brief takeover of this planet and still hate the Sith far more than the Jedi.”

“The usual band of troublemakers making things difficult?” Wynn knowingly guessed, playing along for the official records until their protective barrier was erected.

“With ten fewer members in their ranks than usual.” Kajin perceptively noted. “Seems the political winds are shifting once again, but in our favor this time. In fact, it might be opportune to repeal a few troublesome pieces of legislation that tie our hands in certain areas of protecting all our citizens and the institutions every representative swore a solemn oath to uphold over their corrupt interests or possible treason.”

Realizing just what Senate decision Kajin was hoping to finally abolish and give the Jedi and free galaxy the Galactic Alliance’s full cooperation in fighting the Sith, Wynn patiently waited until the white noise machine was established, the maintenance droids reporting through binary code reporting their task done. Not a moment later, the ambassador reminded the Chief of State, “The vote will require a three-fourths majority to repeal the Neutrality Act, Sir. And that’s only if Senator Sauron and her peers don’t raise the criteria even higher.”

“Which is why we’ll need to wait until the Sith and whoever else they have on their payroll show their hand first.” Kajin patiently pointed out. “Unless we have ample evidence to show the Senate and our populace that the One Sith are still active and seeking our destruction, then we’ll be facing a steep uphill battle to end this accursed anti-Jedi bill.”

“I’ve already passed along word to our most important allies and assets to be vigilant for any subversive acts against us, and we’ll quietly funnel the Jedi and our sister governments what aid we can until the Sith make their move.” Kajin handed Wynn a small stack of datapads before asking him, “In the meantime, Ambassador Dorvan, I have a task for you that will rely on your pivotal blend of integrity and meticulous organizational talents.”

Reading the first datapad, Wynn, to his credit, did not give away any astonishment other than a brief blink and raised eyebrows, and approvingly noted to Kajin, “I see you’ve already determined how best to diplomatically build on the military’s unsanctioned actions against the Lost Tribe’s homeworld and help start integrating Kesh into the galactic community.”

“Through the use of planetary governments and wealthy individuals and groups that have strong ties to the Jedi and humanitarian organizations, of course.” Kajin calmly pointed out. “No sense getting our friends in the Senate bogged down on every minute detail and having the opposition frame it as an abuse of the Executive Branch, or some other poodoo.” Sharing a warm laugh with the previous Chief of State, the Cerean quickly added, “I’ll also need you to assemble a list of ten ambassadors you deem capable enough to handle this assignment, all under your direct oversight.”

“Will you want me to personally accompany them to Kesh?” Wynn asked, working through mental hurdles to shuffle and manage his workload if he was rediverted to Wild Space now.

“Not as of now.” Kajin answered. “You may have to make a few trips every few months or so, but this should be a job to help train the next generation of diplomats and leaders. For now, you’ll be more of a distant overseer than take a hands-on approach.” Then adding a bit of steel to his voice, he instructed Wynn, “I’ll need the list of candidates in the next eleven days. The sooner we have the representatives on the ground, the better the odds are of us rebuilding ties with the Jedi.”

Loyally and diligently saluting the Chief of State, Wynn eagerly promised, “I’ll see the assignment complete within seven days, Sir.” That daring vow earned a hearty laugh from Kajin, making him wish that all public servants would hold Wynn Dovan’s unstoppable work ethic and simple but unbreakable sense of loyalty and integrity.

Welona 10^th, 58 ABY

Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor

Takara Mountains, Sith Temple

“While remembering and honoring the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to liberate this wondrous world, to free its people from the chains that shackled them to darkness for over five millennia, we now turn a watchful eye to the future and the boundless opportunities that now lie before us.” Kyle sagely continued, having addressed Kesh’s populace as the main coordinator of this great ceremony.

When not spending the last three weeks aiding Kesh’s slow transition towards a democratic government, the Jedi Grand Master and the Council was preparing for this significant marker in the Order’s history, and a way to demonstrate more differences between the Jedi and Lost Tribe to the planet’s citizens. And by taking a page from Chief of State Cal Omas and Luke Skywalker’s public ceremony for promoting nine Jedi into full-fledged Knights after their devastating mission against the Yuuzhan Vong, the people would get to glimpse the twenty-five Jedi who would be rewarded for their valor in just the same way. Also attending this occasion were not only the leaders of the Jedi Coalition and Neshtovar, but dozens of officials and civilian workers in the Lost Tribe’s infrastructure to show the galaxy’s generous policy of reconciliation and firm and peaceful integration alongside countless other worlds.

“And to celebrate Kesh’s bright future, the Jedi Order will now present its members that risked their lives and souls to give you your freedom and reward them for their valor and devotion towards freedom, redemption, and justice.” Kyle proclaimed before the stone doors to the Jedi’s newest academy opened, allowing the twenty-five Apprentices to file out, each garbed in simple Jedi robes and clipped with their lightsabers across their belts before coming to stop at the edge of the steps leading to the mountain path.

Gesturing towards the silent learners, among them Allana and Edaan, Kyle announced, “For helping free this world from the Sith’s dominion, for upholding the Jedi Order’s principles amidst this war, and for helping save countless lives when most would have never considered it, the Jedi Council has unanimously decided to reward these noble souls by promoting them to the rank of Jedi Knight.”

“When I call each name, the Apprentice will step forward and kneel before me, and rise anew, ready to serve the galaxy and the Will of the Force in a greater capacity than before.” Kyle spared a minute to proudly glance at each adolescent, preparing to let the Force guide his next words, for they would be catered to each Knight’s character and deeds. And the last one to walk up the steps would be Edaan, not only to show his lack of favoritism for his student, but to help show everyone that the galaxy’s future did not depend on a handful of individuals, but on the combined efforts of every person doing what was right.

Two Hours Later

Only two Jedi Apprentices remained in this momentous ceremony, a testament to Kesh’s long-denied freedom and a symbol of its new bonds of fellowship with the Jedi Order. And both young adults, each an heir to a mighty bloodline and an immense connection to the Force, were doing their absolute best to maintain their composure over officially becoming Jedi Knights.

After patiently waiting for their turn, standing at attendance while observing their twenty-three fellow learners be anointed as full-fledged Knights, bearing the brisk cold winds and the many observers broadcasting this event to Kesh’s curious populace, the Grand Master rewarded both their fortitude by loudly calling the red-haired woman up, “Come forward, Allana Djo Solo!”

Flashing Edaan a brief apologetic glance, Allana regally walked up the steps of the Sith’s taken headquarters, braving the elements and gracefully handling the reporters and holocams surrounding her, kneeling before Kyle humbly spoke, “Your life is among the most difficult of them all, Allana. Being pulled from multiple directions from your many responsibilities, working to maintain your beliefs while keeping an open and loving heart, and having to protect the Hapan people from slipping back into comfortable isolation, your path as a Jedi will only grow harder. But take heart, for you are not alone in this struggle, and when you are at your lowest, those you love will be there to help you back up, and you will inspire them in turn.”

Fighting back tears, Allana bowed her head and allowed the Grand Master to place her robe’s hood over her head and take her place alongside the newly promoted Jedi Knights. That left just one Apprentice to speak to.

Kyle, allowing a little pride to enter his voice, used the Force to carry his voice throughout the mountains, calling out, “Edaan Palpatine!” Seeing his pupil slowly walk up the stone path, each footstep carrying both humility and anxious anticipation, the Grand Master knew the wait’s intended effect was slowly taking root inside his thickheaded mind.

Knowing they would have to privately talk later, Kyle placed a hand over Edaan’s shoulder, and gratefully told him, “Your path is the one I never doubted, for your soul, even when touched by darkness as it has been, was always destined to live in the Light. And your light will continue to reach countless others for decades as long as you remain true to yourself, trust in others as much as you do for your training, and never give up the fight for protecting all life.” Rising the hood over the young man’s head, the Grand Master, his joy shining through the Force and beaming from his face, Kyle gratefully ordered him, “Take your place amongst your fellow Knights. For it is time for you all to begin the next phases of your lives and service to the Force.”

Once Edaan stepped to the end of the line, each standing perfectly still and awaiting the final bit of the ceremony, Kyle instructed them, “Draw your lightsabers,” he said, “for the first time as Jedi Knights!”

The familiar sound of twenty-five igniting lightsabers hissed through the air, captivating all with a sight many had never seen and would treasure the rest of their lives and remind the rest of a time when the Jedi were accepted by the galaxy, filling them with hope that the days of the Jedi working alongside the galaxy as equals would soon return. Kyle turned to face all the newly minted Jedi Knights and drew his own lightsaber, as the rest of the Jedi attending ceremoniously drew and ignited theirs.

“We salute you for the first time as colleagues,” he said, and he and the council members performed a ritual salute with their lightsabers.

“Face front,” he said, turning toward the audience, “and recite with us the Jedi Code.”

“There is no emotion; there is peace,” Every Jedi said as one. “There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force.”

Right after the words were chanted, applause blanketed the area before the ceremony moved inside the mountain temple, with refreshments and conversation of many types began. But not long into the celebrations, a dire tragedy occurred in the Jedi stronghold that immediately sapped everyone’s joy.

Welona 15^th, 58 ABY

Hyperspace, On Route to Shedu Maad

Aboard the Dragon Queen II

Edaan awoke as suddenly as he collapsed, but he found himself in a very different and sterile environment than anywhere he ever visited on Kesh. He wasn’t even sure he was on the planet anymore, given the vibrant hum of a ship’s active engines and hyperdrive. Turning his weary head to examine the area, he allowed his eyes a few moments to adjust to the bright but dimming lights, making him realize he was once again in a medical cabin. And judging by the IV unit feeding him nutrients into his bloodstream and oxygen tubes attached to his nose, he must have been unconscious for a long time.

Suddenly remembering the visions that he saw just after the Jedi Order promoted its most promising Apprentices to the rank of Jedi Knight, how he collapsed from the poisoning and deaths of dozens of worlds and countless innocents at the Sith’s hands, it brought back the pall he had spent years trying to defeat. But interrupting his dark ruminations was the door opening, with Kyle walking in with a 2-1B medical droid escorting him. The Grand Master, stopping to sit in a seat right by his former student, gratefully put his hand over the young man’s and told him, his voice full of relief, “Welcome back to the realm of the living, old friend.”

Swallowing to moisten his throat, Edaan slowly acknowledged, “Good to be back. How long was I out this time, and where am I?”

“About five days, and you’re aboard Tenel Ka’s personal flagship on the way back to Shedu Maad.” Kyle answered, before ordering the medical droid, “Bring in my two guests. I think they’d like to see Edaan right now as much as I would.”

“As you wish, Master Jedi. The Chume’da and Ambassador Thayn will be glad to see their friend again.” The droid acknowledged, leaving Kyle and Edaan alone before Allana and Adari were allowed in, with the latter struggling to control herself from rushing to hug her boyfriend. Instead, she settled for a gentle kiss on his forehead and a grateful smile.

Allana, being the more composed woman, settled on asking, “How are you feeling, Edaan?”

“Better with each passing second I’m awake.” Edaan said, his voice stronger than before. Seeing the worry in each of their eyes, he resolved, “You need to know what happened just before I fainted.”

“Edaan-” Kyle tried, willing to let him rest a few days before bringing that topic up, but he beat the Grand Master to the point,

“I need to tell people I trust what I saw in my visions while the insights are still fresh in my mind.” Edaan interjected. “And it has everything to do with my quest to save Vestara and our war with the One Sith, because I’ll need to set out soon to start searching for her.”

He told them everything, how the One Sith, led by the dark man who aided Luke Skywalker in destroying Abeloth in Beyond Shadows, took over the galaxy alongside a stronger and reinvented Galactic Empire, how the Jedi were once again subjected to a galactic Purge, and the Sith more numerous and stronger than they had been in millennia. But there was more to his premonitions that became clearer now, with him seeing the seas of many ocean worlds choke on the poisoned blood of countless innocents, how a fleet of civilians and the Sith’s enemies worked together to evacuate those they could save from the doomed world of Dac in time, and how far worse threats were waiting in the galaxy’s darkest corners, preparing to strike and claim all creation for their wicked cause and horrific manners.

And all that stood in these evil’s way from galactic domination, who held the Shatterpoint for the salvation of all sapient life and their worlds, rested in the woman he had dedicated his life to saving. It was perfectly clear to him now on what he had to do.

Vestara Khai had to be redeemed and reunited with Ben Skywalker, and the enemy had to be preempted before they could finish advancing their diabolical goals, which meant his time to depart the Jedi and call upon his many friends was about to come.

A credit to everyone’s training and understanding, no one present challenged or doubted Edaan for his prophetic warnings or bold resolution. They all knew how determined he was to save Vestara, no matter what she called herself now, and how he felt saving the galaxy rested on his shoulders alone. And if the Force granted him these visions about the One Sith ruling the galaxy and destroying entire worlds, they needed to take heed and learn all they could of these revelations before they could come to pass.

But still, Kyle wouldn’t thrust all the responsibility onto his former student, and he would let him know just that. However, Allana beat him to the punch, sternly warning Edaan, “Don’t be so willing to throw yourself into the abyss alone, old friend, not unless you want to repeat my father’s sins and fall to the Dark Side just like him.”

“You’re not the only one with an interest in stopping the rest of the Sith and redeeming Vestara Khai.” Allana paused, a forlorn glean in her eyes before amending, “And Ben, as damaged as he is right now, he can still help save her. For karking sake, Edaan, he should be trying to reach her and help her atone!”

“If she and her friends hadn’t tried to forcibly turn him, he’d still be looking to redeem her. But now, he’s… he’s just a shadow of himself.” Adari reluctantly added. “And to think, I was finally starting to respect and trust that crazy Jedi.”

“Don’t count him out yet, Adari.” Kyle reminded her. “Once he recovers and regains his lost memories, he’ll be ready to get back into the fight.” Turning his attention back to Edaan, reminding him, “This isn’t your fight alone, Edaan. Don’t forget that you’ve got so many friends in and outside the Jedi Order that will be able and ready to help you when the moment comes, so you won’t need to do this all by yourself.”

“I know, Mas- Kyle.” Edaan assured the Grand Master. “I already know what I need to do, including putting a team together to help me.” Sighing, he elaborated, “All those missions I went on, the favors and contacts I’ve been assembling, I undertook them not just for the Jedi, but to help me when this day finally came. And I’ve already selected my partners and friends to aid me.”

“Once we get back to Shedu Maad and I’m back on my feet, I’ll run everything by our group and see if there’s any fine tuning that might be done for my plans.” Edaan then yawned, exhaustively asking Adari, “But, if you’re up for it, I’d like you to help me by being a part of my team.”

Surprised by the sudden offer, Adari was unable to respond, leaving Allana to sympathetically answer, “Edaan, she can’t join you because of her role as liaison with the Jedi. How do you think it’ll look if Kesh’s first ambassador for the galaxy abandons her role to go off galivanting on a personal crusade with her boyfriend, no matter how noble it is?”

“We’ll figure something out, but I believe it would be a good idea for Adari to go with Edaan.” Kyle interceded, surprising all with his affirmation of support for Edaan’s proposal. “For now, though, we’d best let our good friend rest at least a few more hours before we arrive back to Shedu Maad. Once we return and get everyone situated, we’ll be quite busy the next few weeks with many crucial war preparations and outreaches before we can have another meeting between us again.”

Eyeing Edaan, Kyle roguishly grinned, “And once you’re back to full strength, you’ll be spending your first few weeks as a Jedi Knight teaching the Initiates and instructing the Apprentices in the tactics the Coalition used against the Lost Tribe, helping figure out where we could’ve improved on our strategies and operations. Consider it your punishment for staying behind in the Takara Mountains when you and Adari were supposed to have pulled back with the rest of the strike force.”

Seeing Edaan pout, everyone laughed at his immaturity and enjoyed this rare moment of peace and levity, knowing they wouldn’t get many of those soon enough.

Welona 25^th, 58 ABY

Nihil Retreat, Perann Nebula

On the Planet Rhand

Within the Planet’s Catacombs

Inside the Central Ruins

Concealed within the galaxy’s darkest recesses and holding horrors few minds could ever comprehend in their most terrible dreams, the Sorcerers of Rhand and their Lich Kings were hard at work, manipulating the galaxy in their never-ending quest of eternal destruction. Across the Nihil Retreat, by utilizing countless alchemical experiments on slaves to perfect their craft for their acolytes, reactivating their foundries in arming their armies and fleets for their endgame, and conducting eldritch rituals to tip the Force deeper towards darkness, the True Sith Empire was preparing for its grand return to the greater galaxy. Having readied for this day after millennia of exile, working in the shadows while manipulating their lesser Sith brethren to weaken the galaxy and break the seals holding their Immortal Gods, everyone was excited for dealing death on all the unworthy and spreading the Way of the Dark.

And one of the True Sith Empire’s oldest and most venerable servants, Tor Valum, an orchestrator of countless plots and dedicated to the cause like few others, was hard at work to ensure the order he gave everything to fulfill its ancient edicts. After hearing of the Lost Tribe of the Sith’s defeat at the hands of the Jedi Coalition, especially due to a meddlesome Jedi Knight who the Grysk sage had long observed as a potential convert, this unforeseen surprise required him to once peer into the future to uncover Edaan Palpatine’s role in this imminent war.

He already anticipated the Kesh-based Sith Order’s fall from his agents in the Shapers of Kro Var, an inevitability he expected when learning of the power the Jedi brought to bear against their more numerous adversaries. Even with the One Sith’s covert backing and the lovestruck Darth Kitai leading the intrigue-obsessed and superficial culture, those neophytes never stood a chance at prevailing against a war-hardened galaxy. But they still were useful as a distraction for the Rhandites’ own designs.

By identifying prospective converts and indirectly eliminating many targets that could impede the Way of the Dark, the Lost Tribe helped allow many of their betters’ access to the higher echelons of power in the galactic community and paving the way for the inevitable return of the Father of Shadows and his progeny. The visions he received of their eventual return heartened him beyond measure, even if he dreaded the possibility of succumbing to old age long before their liberation. By using the highly coveted power of Darksight, the ability to not merely see the future but forcibly shift it to whatever outcome the user desired, many bitter would-be defeats for the Dark Side had been turned into decisive victories. And from the gleanings Tor had seen, among them the return of the Rakata as faithful servants of the Dark, to using Mnggal-Mnggal and Abeloth as pawns in their sacred mission, and drawing in countless weaker souls to the cause, their victory would soon be all but assured.

Even so, this did not ensure a quick victory, for there were still many obstacles standing in the True Sith Empire’s way, warnings brought to Tor from additional visions the Father of Shadows blessed him with. The Jedi and One Sith, though they were trapped in a bitter struggle for momentary control over the galaxy, if they uncovered incontrovertible evidence of the Rhandites’ existence and plans or heeded Professor Hextrophon’s last testimony, they might put aside their differences to unite against their shared adversary. Niphal and Eipha did the same when imprisoning Abeloth in the Maw with the help of the Killiks, and that set back Bogan’s return by at least fifty millennia. And new fighters were rising to challenge the armies of darkness, one young man repeatedly appearing in the Rhandites’ visions.

Edaan Palpatine, the final heir to a powerful and infamous bloodline, rich in the Force and worldly genius dating back to Darth Sidious, but was squandering his talents in a frivolous obsession to “redeem” Kitai and rebuild the galaxy’s trust in the Jedi. And the scariest part was that he could very well succeed in both those endeavors. Already, the seeds for salvation for Ben Skywalker’s old flame were sown into her very being, and they would only find root in the turmoil wracking in her love-starved heart. And the friends and favors the Jedi Knight had built was amazing for one so young and idealistic, impressing Tor even if he deplored this young human’s pathetic and childish dreams.

But far more terrifying to Tor were the gleanings he received on the Palpatine Jedi’s future, if he read the portents accurately. For in these few visions that he dared to interpret alone revealed that Edaan and those that followed in his bloodline would, if allowed to remain in the Light, present a danger to the Way of the Dark equal to that of the Skywalkers. Seeing the young human face off against Darth Krayt and Abeloth, possibly swaying them away from their role as pawns for the founder of Bogan, the mere thought terrified the normally stoic Grysk like no one had seen, well, had witnessed and lived to tell the tale.

And there were other glimpses Tor was blessed to see, with Edaan meddling in the Father of Shadows’ orchestrations on other worlds within other dimensions, for his master coveted more than just Skyriver, but all realities that the Father of Lights and his weak-willed creations made and let fall into decay. This Jedi, if he remained on his current course, could help doom everything he and his fellow acolytes had spent ages preparing for.

One way or another, Edaan Palpatine needed to fall, and Tor Valum and his fellow Rhandites would see it done before the next year ended. Opening his weary and bloodshot yellow eyes, he prepared to go and address the Lich Kings, urging them to move ahead with their plans and prepare the Nihil Retreat for war, one that would herald the True Sith Empire’s great return to the galaxy and defeat of all its opponents.

Welona 28^th, 59 ABY

Shedu Maad, Jedi Temple

Within the Grand Master’s Chambers

“This plan of yours is… Well, it’s certainly not lacking for bravery, Edaan, I’ll need to give you that.” Kyp Durron anxiously noted after listening to Edaan outline his plan for going after Kitai. And the rest of his fellow Jedi felt similar apprehension at what they had heard, worried for many reasons whether his proposal was worth the risks.

Sitting inside Kyle’s personal quarters, the six Jedi Edaan trusted most with his passion patiently listened as he detailed the visions he recently received, and how he came to believe that saving Kitai would be key to stopping the One Sith and preventing the genocides he foresaw. Beside Allana and Kyle, the secret group included veteran Jedi Knight Jaden Korr and Jedi Councilors Saba Sebatyne, Kyp Durron, and Corran Horn, and each was apprehensive at letting their club’s central member enact his idea.

They were among those that held Edaan and his convictions in such high regard, that saw him as not only the ultimate redeemer of his family name, but a man who could reunify this broken galaxy and heal the bitter wounds of loss and anger that infected the Jedi Order. But they worried that if he went on this mission, even with the friends and his wonderful girlfriend fighting by his side, it could leave him wounded in ways that might never mend, just as when he lost his family to Abeloth’s rampage.

Oh, sure, these fears could easily be summed up to worry over a close friend and student choosing his own path, and that was indeed a great part of it. But added with his incredible power, deep anguish residing within Edaan Palpatine, and the unrelenting darkness and temptations represented by the One Sith, it would test even the most purehearted individual that ever existed throughout the annals of time.

Allana, breaking the uncomfortable silence after carefully appraising her longtime friend, solemnly insisted to the Masters, “We have to let him go.” Lacing a little humor into her voice before anyone could question her sanity, she patiently reminded everyone, “He’d only run off anyway to save Vestara Khai when our backs were turned, and then we’d have little to no hope of keeping him honest.”

Jaden, the next to speak, concurred, “I know what it’s like to be haunted by old ghosts, and the need to settle one’s doubts and fears. And though I resolved mine differently than how Edaan plans to, and I hold doubts if Darth Kitai can be saved at this point, I’m more than willing to at least let you give this quest your all. After all you’ve done for the Jedi Order and the galaxy, putting our trust in you at your greatest hour of need would be the least we can do.”

“Same here.” Kyp agreed. “I mean, I have no room to talk about someone not being beyond redemption after my stint with the Sith, but I trust that he’ll do what’s right and just when the moment comes. And if he’s willing to risk it all to save the woman who inspired him to become a Jedi in the first place, then we owe it to him to help him in any way we can.”

“Wise wordz, Master Durron.” Saba amusingly sissed before bobbing her reptilian head. “And this one is confident that Jedi Palpatine will serve our cause far better on the front linez than being relegated to being a Temple instructor.”

“Of course, we’ll need to make sure everything is prepared for when Edaan and Adari set out for their quest, especially since both are vital members and representatives of the Order and our presence on Kesh.” Corran reasonably cautioned before acknowledging, “But I believe that, if our dynamic duo keeps in regular contact with us and stay true to the Jedi Code, we can trust them to follow this different path.”

Touched beyond words at the votes of confidence, Edaan silently glanced at Kyle, who could only warmly laugh and jovially admit, “Don’t look at me like that, my old friend. I was always going to let you go. I just wanted you to see that you’re not alone in this war.”

Unable to help tears of relief and joy start pouring down his face at these supportive words, Edaan, feeling a warm hand grip his, turn to Adari and, after seeing her unconditional faith and growing love for him, he slowly wiped his watery eyes and earnestly swore, “I promise you, everyone, I won’t let anyone down.”

“Just be sure you don’t let yourself down, most of all, Edaan.” Allana gravely reminded her fellow Jedi Knight and closest friend. “A mission of this, it could break even a man as stalwart and kind as you.”

The mood darkening, Kyp quickly interceded, reminding all, “Okay, I think that’s enough for now. We stay here much longer, then people are going to start asking questions. There are too many things we all need to do that can be a better use of our time than predicting the worst.”

“Wisely stated, Master Durron.” Saba concurred. “This one believes we have many preparations to make if we hope to get Jedi Palpatine and Ambassador Thayn ready to begin the hunt in a few weeks, and we all have essential duties to fulfill in the interim.” Amusingly sissing, she added, “Edaan especially needs to get back to teaching the younglings on our triumphs and follies while freeing Kesh.”

“Sure, punish the wonder boy while you still can.” Edaan jokily complained. “Mark my words, you’ll all get your comeuppance one day soon for all the times you joked around at my expense.”