Chapter 28 The Fire Rises (Part 2)

Imperial Palace, Coruscant…A Few Days Later…

The newly constructed Imperial Palace and private residence of the Emperor was an enormous structure from where the Empire could be run, standing near the now empty Jedi Temple it was put firmly in its shadow, as a triumph to the Emperor's victory over the Jedi.

Palpatine himself was proud of his palace as while twisting the Jedi Temple had seemed tempting the structure was just too dull and sickeningly light in its atmosphere, so he had this enormous palace built for himself and top Imperial figures so he could keep an eye on them. He could command the entire Empire from here and the palace was now his permanent residence, its towering shape, similar to the Sith Temple's of old which only helped him enhance the reach of his powers.

Palatine sat on his towering throne, glad very much for the success he had achieved with his cunning and mastery of the force. He had started taking unruly worlds back under the Empire's heel and asserting his dominance over all things.

But recent failures were now starting to worry him, more worlds seemed to be rising up in rebellion against him. Not just former Separatist worlds but now some outer Imperial worlds too were starting to reject his authority, many of them had been forced by his growing Imperial military and servants back into line but some were beginning to slip through his fingers and that he thought with great rage building up inside he could not allow.

Even the clones, who had once been useful to him were now a liability he thought with disgust at the pathetic copies that thought they were real people. They had shown far too much defiance and over five thousand of them had defected to the rebels. Most had gone their own way and he was ordering the ISB to hunt down and execute any errant clones they managed to find. But some of the clones had according to current intelligence joined the growing resistance movements across the galaxy like this 'Liber8' that people were whispering about.

Not only that but some of the clones within the Empire had done the same, defecting or running away.

The ISB was now arresting any clone that they even suspected of potentially defecting and had them imprisoned before being killed. Some had stayed loyal as they were programmed too but others were angrily moaning about their treatment.

That complaining didn't worry him, but the fact the experienced soldier clones were joining up with Rebel units across the galaxy…that was something to worry about. They had all the training and combat experience those seeking to cause trouble needed to become a genuine nuisance to the Empire.

This was how Resistances went from a mere annoyance, to a real threat.

Palpatine was truly disturbed as he had failed to foresee the defection, nor this rising tide of rebellion across the galaxy. He could feel the future was slowly growing shorter for him, like outcomes favouring him were getting smaller and smaller.

That he could not allow, Palpatine thought with anger and knew he must act swiftly to reclaim his rightful place as master of the Force itself however much it tried to work against him. He would replace Valin Draco with Sha Koon, who was eager to rise up the ranks and become one of his 'elites' and was reasonably capable.

Palpatine made a decision to make a proper demonstration of the price of defying him, he thought with a scowl on his drawn face. He would again deploy Vader again and he had been assured that this new Vader was stronger than the last one and far more effective as a weapon. Palpatine had ensured they knew that failure on Vader's part would mean failure on their part too and how he treated those that failed him.

If only he could be as ruthless with his own body, he thought with disgust at his own weakness, a hacking cough coming almost at the same moment he thought about his own frailty.

His battle with Talzin the utter fool that she had been had warped more than his face, his body had been hit with a wave of dark side energy which had on one hand strengthened him but it was corrupted by her own idiot mishandling of the scepter which still to his annoyance hadn't been found.

The long-term effect of the blast was a decay of his organs and of his body, meaning he would continue to get frailer and lose his power in the force. Palpatine fumed at that, that which gave him power was now slowly killing him.

He was of course refusing to allow this…sickness to be the end of him! Palpatine thought with determination, he had a team of the best doctors and scientists working on a cure and they had found a solution that would keep it at bay, cloning fresh organs for him based on his own genetic material. The corruption would spread to them eventually but this approach would gain him years to work on a more permanent solution.

Palpatine had been delving into all the holocrons he had access too and he had sent his servants far and wide in the galaxy to find more, looking for a technique that would allow him to transfer his body into another body free of the corruption. One younger and more powerful than his current limited form he thought with great anticipation but so far, the exact method eluded him.

Still, he was working to ensure he had a suitable body ready for him, Palpatine thought with anticipated satisfaction at having a healthy young body for himself again. He could of course just clone himself but that was far from all he wanted; he wanted a body that would be even stronger than the one he had before…a body that was suitable for the Emperor of the galaxy.

To that end he had raided the Jedi Temple Medical Vault, a place where genetic samples of the entire Jedi Order had been stored, even ancient samples kept from hundreds if not thousands of years ago held in stasis in case it was needed for some reason. Already his scientists were at work preparing to clone some of the Jedi and even Sith from samples he had acquired to see if they could improve his own future body. This might take time and he had made sure they knew he expected results but it was something he honestly was looking forward too very much.

For the moment though, Palpatine thought with a sinister grin, it was time to unleash Vader once again. Oh, he was going to take a great deal of pleasure from seeing this world crumble under his will.

Cato Neimoidia, The Colonies Region…

The Neimoidians had enormous wealth, generated from their greedy and exploitative business deals on the part of their various enterprises not least of which was the Trade Federation. The loss of Nute Gunray had shocked the organisation but they had swiftly recovered, pulling their own forces back to defend their home world Neimoidia and their purse worlds Deko Neimoidia, Koru Neimoidia and perhaps the richest of all Cato Neimoidia. They had hoarded all their wealth here and guarded it with considerable droid forces although they had refused overtures from San Hill to join his Separatist holdouts as they were confident that they could negotiate favourable terms with the Empire that would allow them to do business across the galaxy again. After all peace could be far more economically useful to them than war and they had much to offer the Emperor, they reassured themselves. It was far better and smarter move to side with the Empire than a rebel movement that was sure to be crushed.

Why launch a messy invasion when you could just absorb them harmlessly into your own Empire and make considerable profit while doing so? They thought, sure of themselves that they had chosen the right side.

They were soon to realise much like Nute Gunray had done, that you cannot trust a Sith.

The reports of incoming Imperial vessels they had received at first were dismissed as trade vessels, they even had the spaceports prepare for them and thought of their current economic plans and how to make them suitable for the Emperor and themselves, offering him huge wealth in their minds would easily make him more willing to accept them.

It was only later that they realised as the ships dropped out of hyperspace that they realised they were not cargo ships or even diplomat vessels, they were Imperial warships! Dozens of them over each of their worlds and none of them had any intent of being peaceful.

The Neimoidians did order their battle droids and modified cargo ships now warships to engage the Imperial Forces but they had been too complacent in their defence and some of them had actually been partly disarmed to appear less threatening and in anticipation of returning to normal freight duties.

Against the Imperial War Machine, they were no match.

The mass of Tie Fighters rushed forward and started dogfighting with the Vulture droids the Trade Federation was able to muster and the Imperial Star Destroyers turned their heavy turbolaser batteries on the warships that stood in their way.

The Trade Federation officials were businessmen, not soldiers and had little idea of military tactics or strategy, they left that to their Tactical droids but they had no time to formula a workable strategy as the Imperial forces moved relentlessly forward, smashing their way through the Trade Federation picket lines with overwhelming firepower.

They were not going to accept defeat this time!

Having crushed the ships in orbit the Imperial landings began, on the bridge cities the Neimoidians, their servants and their slaves all looked up with fear as a massive formation of Imperial ground troops and walkers landed in their streets while overhead the screaming sound of Tie fighter engines could be heard.

The flimsy B1 and sturdier B2 battledroids marched forward to face them, accompanied by their own familiar beige Armoured Assault Tanks as usual. The Stormtroopers meanwhile had their more modern walkers and hover tanks with them, moving forward with relentless momentum. The flimsy droids were easily taken down although the B2 droids were able to withstand some punishment before going down, the Stormtroopers did take losses but the Empire just kept pressing more and more of them into battle but the worst thing was to come as on Cato Neimoidia the Imperial ground assault was led by none other than Darth Vader himself.

The relentless cyborg moved ahead of the invasion, his red lightsaber acting like a beacon for the stormtroopers and walkers to follow as they went through the city streets and cleared each building out one by one, ruthlessly executing anyone they found.

Vader was radiating the dark side as he craved a bloody path through the city, his rage was stimulating with an improved batch of chemicals being injected straight into his brain and he was grabbing whole tanks and forcing them into the buildings or if they were close enough, off the sides of the city into the murky depths below.

The Imperial Officials before the slaughter was even finished began to loot the vaults containing all the wealth of the Trade Federation, loading it onto transports to return to the Emperor. Those that did survive the initial assault found themselves being loaded onto Imperial prison ships where they would find a new life as slaves to the Empire, being forced to work on Imperial Construction projects across the galaxy, including a highly classified one in orbit of Geonosis.

The Empire was careful to paint the invasion of the former worlds of the Trade Federation as a victory against their enemies while advertising new opportunities for those willing to settle on the now largely vacant worlds of the former Trade Federation. Jobs a plenty for the hard-up economy and opportunities for advancement to draw people from the Core Worlds that were overcrowded to these new worlds.

Any notion of the cost of this was swiftly buried under layer upon layer of propaganda and misinformation, those who did see through what had happened found few willing to answer their questions or stand with them to try and hold those accountable for their crimes.

Jedi Grand Temple, Ossus…

Master Yoda sat in the deep meditation, inside the now restored Eye of Ashlanae, a meditative retreat built inside the now being rebuilt city of Knossa. It was a nexus of great power and allowed for those that had a deep enough connection to see much.

He had seen the events of the wider galaxy and it troubled him deeply, the great loss of life and more places falling under the oppression of the Sith. True many were starting to see the Empire for what it truly was and had taken up the fight against it, led surprisingly by the Mandalorians and many Jedi were doing their best to help those the galaxy but just as many had turned their backs on the Order or like those that allied with Saw Gerrera who went down a dark path that would lead to a bleak and dangerous place.

Yoda was greatly worried.

Again, he wondered if his decision to withdraw from the conflict was the right one. The Jedi Order could do more, even in its weakened state but he just felt the Order needed to recover and to deeply reflect on itself and its future before they committed to this fight.

Some Jedi here he knew were not happy about this, especially the younger ones who were eager to go and fight the Sith and their Empire but they couldn't afford to let anyone go because if they did and they were captured it would bring the Empire right to their doorstep.

Breaking his meditation, he got to his feet and started walking along the ancient stone until he reached the edge of the ziggurat shaped temple. He looked out at the city they were rebuilding beyond, a smile coming to his face as he felt the force so strongly.

He took his hover chair down the large stone steps towards the Great Library Building, which was at last now restored, another sight that brought a warm feeling to his heart. Entering the structure, it was busy with a quiet calm as Jedi were busy studying and training themselves to deepen their connection to the force, Yoda himself spent much time doing the same and he had already learned a great deal more than he could ever have though possible.

Seeing Master Tuwan instruct the younglings in force forging while Master Morne taught several younger Jedi in telekinetic combat techniques and his old friend Master Sinube was enjoying his own new role as Head Librarian, maintaining the enormous collection of lore held here.

They and a few others had joined him on the newly established Ossus Enclave Council while they spread out from Knossa and started working on the other Jedi sites across the planet in hopes they could make this planet a true home for the Jedi Order again.

That was the moment his mind wandered to another wonder of the library, something that could be even more effective than the Eye of Ashlanae.

The Crystal Meditation Chamber.

The chamber had laid untouched since they had discovered it while the Grand Library was being restored, Master Tuwan had been very worried about the chamber as he said they were not meant to have that kind of insight and had made it clear he didn't want anyone to use it as he felt it might be too much for anyone to handle.

But right now, Yoda honestly was tempted to use it…to see what he should do.

He knew this was not something he should do, temptation for more power often led to the dark side but guidance was what he really needed right now and so in that moment, he made his decision.

He made his way to the chamber and opened the door with a wave of his hand, it easily parted for him so he could walk inside. The simmering crystal surrounded him and he could feel its pull but closed his eyes and sat in the centre, letting himself be drawn into the force which began to swirl around him. The crystal walls too began to move as the simmering grew brighter and Yoda now deep in meditation started floating off the ground.

At first Yoda was in control, he could see the force much like he had always done. It was comforting and familiar.

But then everything changed.

Suddenly it felt like he had been thrown off a cliff and sent into a vicious free fall, he felt he was spinning like the walls of the crystal chamber, lost in a sea of noise and images that raced passed so fast it was almost impossible to make sense of them.

- x -

Outside the chamber, Tuwan who had just been finishing his class seemed to sense something and looked towards the crystal chamber in alarm before sighing as he realised there was only one way for people to truly learn and that was to make the mistake in the first place.

- x -

Yoda honestly had never felt this lost or overwhelmed before, not even when he had been a padawan had he been this confused and overwhelmed when faced with the force.

He could see not only the paths of the future and the past but also it was like he could see everywhere all at once. All across the galaxy he could see things happening and places he had never even imagined before.

He could see the Mandalorian force users practicing their powers, shocking even him with how advanced they were in the force arts. Nor how powerful their fighting forces had become. He saw the blonde human female teaching them look up suddenly as if sensing him.

He saw a planet ruled by a Hutt wielding a lightsaber, hidden away from the rest of the galaxy.

A planet where an entire Sith colony had evolved, cut off from the rest of the galaxy for nearly five thousand years!

The Chiss with their cold worlds in the Unknown Regions.

A moon where Jedi in humble and simple robes worked the fields and lived the simplest of lives in seclusion from the galaxy so that no matter what the Jedi would survive after splitting from the order nearly four thousand years ago.

Then another species…one unlike any he had ever imagined with technology that was grown rather than built, like something out of a nightmare that was just waiting out there on the edges of the galaxy.

Yoda was completely horrified at all that he was seeing, the sheer scale of things happening all at once not to mention he was being confused by events and how they had gone but then seeing how they might have gone. Seeing how the Jedi stopped Sidious only to be banished from the Republic, or how they had failed and been decimated like he had feared with only a handful of survivors scattered across the galaxy. He saw a timeline where the Jedi took over all power in the Republic and ruled over it as Palpatine did now.

So many other followed, some almost paradise while others descended in hells unlike anything he had seen in his worse nightmares. Yoda was desperate for it to all stop but he couldn't even tell where he started anymore, lost in a storm of visions that mortal minds simply couldn't comprehend.

"Oh my, someone has gotten into trouble, haven't they?" A deep and old voice called out with a chuckle. Yoda didn't know just where the voice had come from till, he found the vortex he was trapped in slowing down and come more into focus as a figure emerged from it all.

A huge figure with almost rocky growths on his long arms and back, his fists on the ground like how some monkeys walked and a huge red coloured beard dropped from a face that had sightless eyes but somehow you knew he was looking straight into you and nothing could be hidden from him.

"Who…are you?" Yoda asked tentatively, grateful for this strange being's intervention on his behalf but he could feel great power within him, far more than any other being that he had ever known and it was not all with the light side of the force. He looked at him with a smile and humour, before answering his question.

"You Jedi and Sith, so busy with Ashla and Boga. I'm the one in-between, the Bendu." The large creature said. "And I see you are rather lost at the moment. Delved in too deep and got lost in the currents, like an ocean the force is and even beings such as I cannot see all of it. This chamber you have entered, it gives you an insight beyond your kind but still, to endure it as well as you have is remarkable in one so young." Bendu said with a small amount of respect. Yoda given his roughly nine hundred years of life hardly considered himself young but the creature before him was so ancient that he felt a new born youngling in comparison.

"Foolish I was to think I could control such things. Need help I do to return to the present." Yoda said with a hopeful look towards Bendu who smiled and told him.

"Worry not young one! I will help you and maybe later when you have reflected on what you have experienced, we can have chat." Bendu said with a smile before putting his huge hand with surprising tenderness to Yoda's head.

Then abruptly, Yoda found himself back in the crystal chamber, falling to the floor of the chamber as the crystal slowed and finally stopped, breathing hard in rapid breaths but thankfully out of the maelstrom he had been caught in.

Yoda got his feet, almost stumbling in his rush to exit the chamber and when he finally got out of it, he collapsed on the floor. Trying to calm his racing heart he saw a figure standing to his right, turning his head he saw Tuwan standing there with a concerned look on his face and said sadly.

"I warned you that such things are not for our kind. I am just glad he was able to help you." Tuwan said with relief.

"He?" Yoda asked, confused at how Tuwan seemed to know about Bendu but Tuwan merely smiled sadly and told him.

"The Jedi might be the best known of all the force traditions in the galaxy but we are neither the oldest or the most developed. Other paths in the force exist and today I think you found one, perhaps one of the oldest. Come, I think some dinner will be the best remedy before you think on all you have seen. I should be interested to hear all you saw and felt during your dive into the force." Tuwan said as he led Yoda off to the dining hall for some food.

Yoda followed, still shaken by his experience but in some ways…elated Yoda thought as he was able to look back on what he had experienced more clearly. Seeing deep into the force he had seen and felt things he had never imagined and he had to admit, he had learned things about it that honestly, he wasn't sure just how to put into words.

He now saw more clearly than ever how little the Jedi had truly learned about the force, how so many disasters and their own fear and bias had curtailed their development. Not to mention involving themselves as they did in galactic events, that too had hindered them and led to them becoming corrupt and stagnant.

The Jedi, he realised needed to evolve. They needed to take a fresh look at themselves and see what it was they wanted to become, for good or ill they couldn't stay as they were now or had been.

Maybe the current separation of the order was a good thing Yoda thought with consideration as he ate his meal, left to find their own paths in the force as they were finding their own way here. While they in places like this and in others kept the spirit of the Order so did those still out there fighting for a free galaxy. The Jedi had been more than peacekeepers in their time, they had been teachers, healers, engineers, scientists, explorers, gardeners, craftsman and more. The Order had flourished like that, when the individual was free from dogma such as they had been forced to conform too after the Order had taken a more active role within the Republic.

By focusing on only one, by enforcing a rigid and inflexible standard on their entire order…they had doomed themselves to stagnate and decay.

Yoda smiled, sure now of a way forward. The Order would survive and it would do it by allowing those within it to find their own path, as would those outside. He had noticed many Jedi were starting to interact more freely with the Ysanna and each other, the younger generation even going a step further to start relationships between them.

Some, he sensed even taking a romantic direction Yoda thought and would ensure that they were left alone to such things. If their colony here was to survive then allowing for families was the right thing to do and he would allow it.

Yoda, now much more at ease wondered just how Tuwan knew of Bendu and would hopefully chat with him again soon, thinking it would be a real experience to speak with a being of such wisdom.

Selonia, Core Worlds…

Drake Lo'gaan and Ekria had been lucky, having not only managed to escape Order 66 and the initial hunt for Jedi survivors, but they had found each other and another surviving Jedi Padawan Zonder. They had tried their best to fight back against the Empire and to help the people living in the lower levels of Coruscant before finally they had lost Zonder when they had been confronted by the Inquisitors. He had given his life to save theirs and they had brought his body back to his homeworld to give him a proper Jedi funeral.

Only to discover they had failed to give the Empire the slip, as a team of Inquisitors got onto their trail.

Trapped now in the remote regions of the planet Drake and Ekria held their lightsabers aloft, ready to go down fighting as they found themselves confronted by three Inquisitors; none of them were recognisable although two did have Jedi roots.

"Give it up Jedi. You've nowhere left to flee too." Nolor taunted them with a wide grin. "You failed, just like every single member of your order failed." Using his favoured tactic of using mind games to put the Jedi off balance before they fought.

"The only one that failed was the Emperor, he failed at least twice." Ekria said with gritted teeth, holding her blue lightsaber in ready position as she prepared to probably go down fighting.

"And how is that?" Lanu Pasiq asked with an actually interest in what they had to say as she was probably the most well adjusted of all of them. Still dedicated to killing them but interested all the same.

"First he failed to kill all the Jedi." Drake said smirking broadly with his purple bladed lightsaber humming intensely. "Second, he chose all of you to serve him."

"Clearly he has no standards." Ekria added, now smirking herself as they taunted the Inquisitors.

They certainly didn't like that, the Jedi noticed immediately as they went from confident, to astonished at the taunt to nearly foaming at the mouth.

"At least we are going to live Jedi! You die here and now!" Wiffa Zett, the final member of the trio said with spit flying from her mouth.

The Jedi knew they were about to charge before they actually did it but then much to their surprise, they were flung back by a powerful force wave. The Inquisitors stumbled to their feet in time to see two cloaked figures leaping down in front of Drake and Ekria who were happy for the help but mystified at who their rescuers were.

"Three against two? Most uncivilised." A male and familiar voice said, pulled back his hood to reveal the face of Obi-Wan Kenobi while Kalifa his padawan did the same. Seeing him and his apprentice made Drake and Ekria's spirits lift as they had been worried the Inquisitors had been right that all the other members of the Order were dead.

"Kenobi." Nolor said with a painfully tight grip on his lightsaber and his teeth gritted in fear of the great master who had downed more than one Inquisitor. "The Emperor wants you dead in particular."

"Then tell him to try himself rather than sending such unimpressive lackeys like you." Kalifa said with a challenging smirk.

"Now my young padawan, remember we all have to start somewhere." Obi-Wan mockingly scolded her but in fact putting the Inquisitors off balance was a good tactic.

Wiffa Zett who had already been humiliated by the Jedi during the Clone Wars when she had been one of Dooku's Acolytes by letting herself get captured was so enraged she just screamed in anger and leapt straight at them.

Kalifa had her blue lightsaber in hand and easily met the older girl's attack, blasting her back with a force push before running forward to meet Wiffa in the middle, crossing their sabers again, Kalifa was smirking which only angered the Inquisitor more, renewing her assault with some Form 2 Makashi. Kalifa though was trained by the 'Master' of Form 3 defensive fighting and easily parried, deflected and sidestepped her clumsy assaults.

Obi-Wan meanwhile showed his mastery of defence by fending off both Lanu and Nolor on his own. The two Inquisitors thought that together they could kill the Jedi Master but Kenobi had sharpened his skills against the likes of Darth Maul, Count Dooku, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress.

Compared to them, these two were mere amateurs.

He easily blocked each of their attacks even when they tried to strike at him from different directions at the same time, he just seemed to be moving so fast it was like they were standing still next to him.

Nolor tried to break this by throwing objects at him with the force but Obi-Wan just carved them all in half without even trying, Lanu out of frustration tried to use her own very limited Form 5 to break through his defences but this had been exactly what Kenobi had been waiting for and he easily deflected the rough swing away before lightly cutting with surgical precision at Lanu's arm and legs.

She cried out in pain as she lost her footing and fell to the floor not to mention her lightsaber slipped from her grip, her limbs injured but not severed leaving her disabled and out of the fight.

Nolor was now alone against one of the best swordsmen the Jedi Order had produced in decades.

Kenobi then changed tactics since they were now one on one, he went on the attack with swinging sideways cleaves and while engaging in saber locks, summoning nearby rocks to smash into Nolor from the side but then just as Nolor was reeling from that he began a rapid series of one handed feints that was completely out of character for Kenobi and all they had read about him, but as Nolor struggled to defend himself he fell victim to a single thrust by Kenobi right through the chest.

Kenobi didn't gloat nor seem pleased by his victory, instead he simply pulled his lightsaber out of the man's chest, letting him fall to the ground dead.

Kalifa was less experienced than her master but was proving all the hours she had trained with him were not wasted. She easily parried the clumsy and unfocused strikes Wiffa threw at her and began using a similar if rougher version of her master's new hybrid form.

Incorporating the solid defence of Form 3 that he was famous form, but then switching to the modified Form 4 employed by her master's master Qui-Gon Jinn with cleaves and counterattacks before changing again to the focused fencing of Form 2 that her master had learned from Count Dooku's holocron.

Wiffa tried but Kalifa, using much more dance like moves rotated her blade so the overpowered lunge of Wiffa went straight passed her with momentum but Kalifa took advantage of her moment of helplessness by stabbing her lightsaber through the Inquisitor's back.

Wiffa felt to the ground dead, leaving only the disable Lanu laying on the ground, staring up in fear of Kenobi and his apprentice. Drake and Ekria were honestly staring in awe of the two, clearly seeing what the more skilled members of the Order could do.

"Master Kenobi." They both said with respect before looking down at the cowering Lanu. "What should we do with her?"

Obi-Wan looked at her with some pity, he couldn't remember her specifically but he had learned a number of the Agri-Corps had fallen into the Empire's hands and maybe that was where she had come from. He could feel the dark side within her, but also she did still have some light inside, buried beneath it.

He wanted to give her a chance, it was also not the way of the Jedi to kill unarmed prisoners. He knew however he could not take her with them without bringing great danger to those he was trying to protect.

So, he made his decision, levitating her much to the surprised of everyone, her equipment flying off before he floated her into a nearby cave. Laying her down gently inside he released his grip on her and Lanu's eyes were wide with terror as she realised what he was going to do.

"NO! PLEASE!" She screamed but Kenobi shook his head before explaining his intentions.

"I am not going to kill you, nor am I trapping you, that is something the Empire has done by turning you into an Inquisitor. I am giving you a choice." He said with the other three Jedi watched in shock and worry, not sure just what the Master intended here. "Your injuries disable you; the stone might trap you but the force can free you. If you let it, the force will help you find your way out of the darkness and into the light, mend your wounds and regain your strength. Find your freedom, but only if you can let your anger and fear go. Or keep them close, and be trapped there forever. It is your decision." Obi-Wan said with regret, he would much rather prefer another path but he just couldn't risk bringing her with them.

Lanu's eyes were wide with fear but she could only scream as Kenobi moved a large rock in front of the entrance. His face fell but he could do no more for her, she had to face this trial alone. He could feel in the force this would not be the end of her, he just hoped she would find a new and better path for herself.

"Master! I know she's enemy…but we can't just leave her in there." Kalifa said with worry directed at the cave. Drake himself had a different opinion.

"She can breathe, and while she's injured, she still has the force. It can sustain her if she trusts it too and open the cave. Either way though, she won't be able to stop us leaving." Drake having been hunted by these people had little sympathy besides as he pointed out, she was a force wielder. She could free herself with time.

"Its not right master." Ekria said with worry, almost ready to intervene and free the woman herself but Master Kenobi put his hand out to stop her.

"Some lessons are hard to learn, but if she is going to free herself from the Empire and from the dark side…this is something she must face." The three Jedi nodded, albeit reluctantly on the part of Kalifa and Ekria and all of whom followed them back to the waiting ship. Kenobi commenting as they went. "You both are lucky we intercepted the transmission saying the Inquisitors were coming here, our new associate is looking for signs of the Jedi."

"Associate?" Drake asked with suspicion before they arrived at the ship that had brought Master Kenobi here. Waiting outside was an older man with simple spacer clothing on but a lightsaber at his waist, but accompanying him were an older woman, a younger man and a younger woman. The younger woman had a youngling in her arms and they felt the force in the little boy too. While they were dealing with this Kalifa made the introductions.

"This is Master Morvet Storm and his family. We managed to find them like you before the Inquisitors got them, while we were looking for somewhere to hide though we were found by this man." She said, indicating another human male that had come out of the ship. Darker skinned with a trimmed black beard he was quite relaxed and smiling too at them all before he introduced himself.

"Greetings, I am Kawlan Roken. I represent an organisation that is working to find a safe place for not only surviving Jedi but also force sensitive innocents that are being targeted by the Empire. We are setting up a series of safehouses to help those like yourselves get to safety."

"Do you have a name?" Drake asked with curiosity and caution, he trusted Master Kenobi but was unsure of this new man. He smiled gently to reassure him before saying.

"Not as such, but we call ourselves the Hidden Path."

- x -

A week later, Antinnis Tremayne arrived, the rival for the position of Grand Inquisitor who had dispatched the three lesser Inquisitors to hunt down the two Jedi Padawans that had arrived on Selonia, he was looking for not only the Jedi but his own underlings as well.

Using the limited information that he was able to obtain he tracked them all to a remote mountain range, accompanied by a party of Purge Troopers he eventually found two graves which contained the bodies of two of his Inquisitors and no sign of Lanu Pasiq or the two Jedi. He went further up the mountain, looking for more evidence of what might have happened but all he discovered as an echo in the force centred around a cave. A large rock had been pushed away from the entrance and inside he could feel a trace of Lanu's presence, but she like the Jedi was long gone.

He frowned, feeling something had happened in that cave which had forced some kind of change in Lanu but he couldn't feel what. But what was clear was that she hadn't stayed around and had vanished, he couldn't sense her anywhere nearby.

He was sure to note in his report that her body had been found alongside the two Jedi, not wanting to give his Pau'an rival any satisfaction in his own servants failing him…or worse Tremayne thought with worry turning back to the light side of the force.

His vanity, not to mention fear for his own life made him cover up any possible hint that the Jedi and Lanu were still alive and he just hoped if they were that they met a quick and brutal demise for placing him in danger.

Formidable, Mandalorian Lucrehulk, Deep Space…

Meeting in deep space and away from any planet or space station was hardly practical but it was the best security for those that didn't want to be observed.

Haron who was intent on keeping the Rift Alliance a secret for now, had impressed as much onto the other powers that formed the Alliance although they all took turns in providing ships to host their meetings on. This time it was the Mandalorians turn as Haron had brought the Formidable out.

He sat at the round table, there being no position of leadership so the table was shaped like this so they all were equal. That being said Haron opened the meeting as he was the designated host this time.

"We are all aware of the events in the Mid Rim, the Empire is cracking down hard on any potential Rebellion. Our response is something that we now gather to discuss but after we make proposals for new members." Haron said before turning to the Salient representative and saying. "General Pykkl. I believe you and your people have been in communication with the Than Hegemony?" Haron asked as he turned to their representative from the Salient who nodded, his purple military robes and golden insignia showing his rank as a general in their armed forces.

"Yes, the Than Hegemony is quite content to stay isolated but they had expressed interest in acquiring improvements to their turbolaser technology and ordinance. It was in this capacity my people managed to open a dialogue with them, our president then made the suggestion they may benefit from an alliance with other factions that oppose the Empire. They are interested in acquiring intelligence and upgrades to their weapon systems and offer some of their impressive sublight engine secrets in return."

"Are there any objections to this trade?" Haron asked, looking around the room and nobody said anything and just shook their heads, giving their silent approval so Haron asked the next part of this. "Or to their membership of our alliance?"

Again, every shook their heads before Haron opened the door to their right, allowing a Than with a dark emerald green carapace to enter, signalling they were of the warrior caste. Fitting for a general of their people.

"General Sky Falls in Thunder." Haron said, standing as did the others at the table. "We are honoured by your presence and your interest in joining our hidden alliance."

"My people are naturally unwilling to commit forces outside our own borders, but a trade of technology and information would be a good way to start." The Than general said, being hermaphroditic like the rest of their species it was without gender in the conventional sense.

"Then we welcome you as an ally. Joining together will only make us all stronger." San Hill said with a self-serving smile that honestly unsettled everyone but they ignored it and Haron decided to retake control of the meeting.

"Indeed, the Than are a worthy ally to have and we are truly grateful you and your people have seen fit to join us. Please general, your seat." Haron said with a gesture towards one of the three new empty seats at the table.

The general nodded and with their bodyguards standing at the wall like all of the others she went to stand at her seat.

"Two other planets have declared their interest in joining our alliance, Dornea along with its own colonies and the planet Namzor." Haron said, getting back to the point of this meeting. Turning to Admiral Ackbar, one of the leaders of the Mon Calamari who was now representing his people and their king. Since his people were sponsoring the Dorneans, it fell to him to make their case.

"The people of Dornea were great in their resolve to not bow down to the Empire and have shown their great military prowess. Their small fleet has managed to hold off much larger Imperial forces and with only some reinforcements from us. Those abilities could be vital in the future battles with the Empire." Ackbar said and then turned to San Hill who was sponsoring Namzor.

"Namzor might not be a military power like some of us present, but they have significant natural resources and a great abundance of Coaxium, a highly efficient hypermatter fuel. While we do have other sources of fuel for our fleets but this world is potentially a major source for us all of high-quality fuel. By investing our own resources here, we secure it for our own use but also deny it to the Empire. It is something of a long-term investment, but worth it to us in the long run." San Hill said, making his case.

They all listened and a vote was made, all in favour of admitting both races to the alliance.

"Welcome Admiral Etahn A'baht, your prowess as a military tactician and strategist is exceptional." Haron said in greeting to the Admiral that had managed to fight off the Empire with only a fraction of the forces they had. The male Dornean nodded in greeting and returned the compliment.

"My people thank you for the aid Mon Calamari has been so kind to offer us and the improvements to technology as well. Your reputation as a strategist is equally impressive." Etahn said which Haron nodded respectfully before turning to Minister Kyburn of Namzor's government.

"Greetings Minister, I hope our alliance will be long and profitable." Haron said to the human female who was a stern looking woman who reminded him in some ways of Professor McGonagall. Stern but only because she wanted the best from you.

"Indeed Mandalore, I should hope so too." She told him and Haron couldn't help but smile, he might have been scared of McGongall back at Hogwarts but underneath all that hard exterior was a woman who loved teaching and bringing out the best in her students and would give her life for them if she had too. Kyburn would do the same for her people.

With the new members now sworn in they all took their seats again to discuss recent events.

"The fall of the Trade Federation was a rather worrying development; it means the Empire will prioritise conquest over any other kind of warfare." San Hill said with concern as while limiting that did put them at something of a disadvantage given the size of their enemy.

"That was partly down to their own lack of preparation and determination to make some kind of deal with the Empire, had they been more careful or sought out the help they needed, the outcome might have been very different." Pykkl offered, knowing a lot of their shortcomings had caught up with them that day. Ackbar echoed that statement.

"Indeed, they were too used to solving their problems with economics, so sure the Empire would value credits over establishing fear. They neglected their own defences." Ackbar said and Tarfful who was representing the Wookiees now made his feelings known.

"And now they've done it, many more will likely submit rather than risk the same treatment."

"Or rise up, the other side of fear is anger." Sky Falls in Thunder said, knowing her people had been angrier rather than scared when the Empire had turned its attention to them.

"But how many would choose to face their fear rather submit to it?" Etahn said with a frown on his face, knowing some among his own people had been ready to betray them out of that fear and they had needed to confine them to keep them from becoming a threat.

"Then we must find those that will, perhaps like this new group that has formed…Liber8." Haron said getting the meeting back on track. "We must keep them in the fight, aiding rebellions around the galaxy, perhaps by supplying weapons and equipment while we fortify our own borders. It's only a matter of time before the Empire tries to invade again." He said and let then think about that before moving to his next point.

"Now, the Mon Calamari will be familiar with this…but for those who might not be. During the battle of Dac City, we encountered…this." Haron said, turning on the centre projector to show a holorecording of Vader that they had captured. Those who hadn't seen the footage before had no real idea just what to make of it.

"Was he a Jedi?" Pykkl asked, not being that familiar with such things he didn't know what else it could be.

"No. He's not Jedi. He's Sith." San Hill said with some unease, knowing that much from his own research into the matter. However, the term Sith didn't seem as familiar to all of those present.

"What's a Sith?" Minister Kyburn asked in confusion. Haron answered, knowing more on the subject than anyone else at the table.

"There's an old saying. 'For every force in the universe, there is an opposite'. Well for the Jedi this is no less true." Haron said, having looked into many accounts of history and it seemed in the Republic at least ancient history had not been something taught widely, maybe due to the Sith themselves so few would even know just what they were. "The Sith are the ideological opposite of the Jedi, where the Jedi preach peace, they preach conquest. While the Jedi suppress their emotions, the Sith exploit them. The Jedi use the light side of the force, the Sith use the dark. Count Dooku and the Emperor himself are both examples of the Sith. They manipulate others to achieve their goals and revel in their passions. They now rule the galaxy, and cannot risk any of us staying outside their control because if we did then there is even the smallest chance of being overthrown. That is why he framed the Jedi as they were the only ones that he felt could defeat him." Haron said, needing for them to understand this before carrying on.

"This…Vader, is a creation of Palpatine. My people have spent a considerable amount of time studying the corpse and discovered he is a clone. A clone that can use the force and is supplemented by chemical stimulants and cybernetic implants while encased in durasteel armour that has been designed after ancient Sith warriors to scare others. The chemicals and implants not only improve his strength and resilience but keep him a continuous state of heightened adrenaline and in constant pain, fuelling his rage which only makes him stronger." Haron said with some trepidation.

The rest of the room was silent as they absorbed this information and decided in their own time to research the Sith on their own. This was something out of the norm for all of them and made them really wish more Jedi were around.

"But…you killed him in Dac City." Ackbar said, having known that already but while Haron nodded, he had to give them the real big point.

"That I did. This Vader anyway, since he is a clone its not impossible for the Emperor to recreate him as many times as he likes, giving him a dangerous and unstable killing machine that come back from the dead. A legend that can't die, see the issue." Haron said with annoyance, knowing that unless they found the source of the Emperor's cloning operations there wasn't a great deal they could do except kill him again and again till they could convince the galaxy of what he was.