Chapter 41 Thrawn's Campaign Part 4 (Part 2)

Death Star, Classified Location…

An Imperial Supply Ship made its way towards the enormous structure…not long now the Imperials who looked at it all thought proudly. It was nearly ready and in a couple of months the crew would begin to arrive as the need for secrecy was now nearly gone. With this the ultimate weapon, no one would dare defy the Empire again.

That was feeling shared by those that worked on board the incredible vessel, it was a marvel of engineering and it was just a shame some of them thought that none of the scientists would ever get to see it in action, having been killed in an enemy attack some time ago.

The supply ship docked and off loaded the various containers aboard into the storage bay and then departed, the containers sat there for hours until one of the large storage container opened on its own, slowly at first as small droids appeared that used ion blasts to disable the security cameras before the doors opened fully and Mandalorian warriors emerged.

They made sure that the area was secure before the leaders came together.

"Location?" Haron ordered, he would never ask any of his people to lead such a risky plan as this without putting himself in the same kind of risk. Vysa at his side was here to quote 'make sure his stupid ass made it home'. Bo Katan then joined them and Professor Erso with Jyn at his side in full protective armour however much he might hate it.

"Storage Bay 233-4." Vysa said as she called up the schematic they had of the Death Star.

"Nearest computer access?" Haron then asked, knowing for their plan to even have even the slimmest chance of success they needed to get access to the station's computer network.

"Auxiliary Fire Control, two decks down." Galen Erso said feeling extremely nervous about this plan but it if worked them they would not only have struck a big blow and taken away the Empire's most wasteful weapon.

"Vysa and Caz, plan the virus. The rest of us get ready." Haron ordered before adding. "Stealth is priority, at least until the virus has done its job."

"Understood." Both women said before casting the invisibility spell over themselves, combined with a notice me not charm. You could cloak yourself with the force but this was much easier, they had been practicing hard for this mission and quickly made their way out of the corridor. The Death Star was almost complete they realised as there was hardly any building work going on that they saw beyond small minor things. That only increased their sense of urgency to get this mission done one way or the other.

Reaching the Auxiliary Fire Control room there were a few technicians on duty, mostly running system tests, the pair grimaced knowing that they would need to wait for them to finish their test before they could act, if they planted the virus now then the effect would be marginal as the network was closed off for the test.

They needed the network to be fully accessible, the virus had to spread and do its work before they could risk exposing themselves.

So, all they could do both of them thought with anxiety was wait.

- x -

On the command bridge which was the only part of the Death Star that was fully manned two figures stood; one was Director Krennic proudly watching as his creation came to fruition but the other was there as a representative of the Emperor himself…to keep an eye on the construction project and more importantly the people there for any sign of trouble or treason.

And he was not comfortable, he could sense something was wrong in the force…not sure exactly what but something was not right.

Unable to contain himself he left the bridge to seek the source of his irritation and ignored all attempts by Krennic who deeply irritated him at the best of times and were it not for his orders not to kill him…he would have long ago.

- x -

After what seemed like an eternity the test finally ended and Vysa was able to plug the slicer's kit she was holding into the console while Caz beheaded the technicians with a swing of her lightsaber. The process of uploading the virus was agonisingly slow, it seemed to take forever but thankfully it was at last uploaded to the network. It was a modified version of the Armageddon Virus that they had used before but Professor Erso had spent the last year reworking it for the Death Star's computer system, so it would cut through their firewalls with ease and know just where and how to attack the systems they needed and do what they needed it to do.

Now they had only to return to the storage bay and rejoin the others, but as they did so the door opened and a chill ran through them. Frowning as none of their intel had said anything about a force user being stationed here, they turned to see a tall and heavily armoured figure appear at the door. It wasn't a Vader; they both could see that as the armour design was very different and looked far heavier. He also had a different lightsaber, a much bigger hilt that they would have found awkward to hold with both hands let alone one. He ignited it and a red blade appeared before he leapt at them.

Both jumped out of the way and he sailed past them but landed on his feet, they blasted him with the force into the wall nearby but he struggled against it and righted himself, throwing a force wave back which caught the pair by surprise, sending them backwards in the wall. They both had to recover quickly as whoever he was attacked again straight away.

They ignited their own lightsabers but the warrior shocked them again by literally slamming his saber down so hard that they both shuddered under the impact and with a back handed punch he forced Vysa away so he could turn his attention to Caz. The other warrior had no time to react as he grabbed her by the throat and with great strength snapped her neck with a single twist.

Vysa was horrified and quickly deployed her blasters, shooting the lightsaber hilt which broke in half with the twin shots from her shoulder mounted blasters. She kept on shooting and that bastard just staggered but didn't fall, making to charge at her again but she kept shooting with both magic and blasters, he staggered to his knees as she kept on hitting him, his armour buckling and with one last try she used a spell that she had been told to only use in an emergency.

"Avada Kedavra." She said and a sickly green light burst out of her kyber crystal glove. The curse hit dead on and the enemy warrior stopped still for a moment before falling to the ground dead.

Vysa looked at him and her hand for a moment as she contemplated the killing curse, it was powerful but the coldness of the dark side ran straight through it. She shuddered and hoped to never have to use something like that again, she knew that Haron hated it in particular although he had never said why.

But checking on Caz she confirmed sadly that she was gone, Vysa sighed with grief as the virus finally did what they needed it too.

- x -

On the command bridge Krennic was growing increasingly frustrated by the absence of the Dark Disciple, he was honestly wondering if he was going to report to the Emperor that he was going to betray him so that he could take the Death Star for himself. His own paranoia over losing control of his creation building with every moment which only made what happened next more ironic.

"Sir…the hyperdrive is engaging." One of the technicians reported in surprise which confused everyone as there was no test on the hyperdrive scheduled for today.

"Well shut it down." Krennic said with annoyance not wanting some stupid officer to ruin his day with an unauthorised test but the technician on the console worked his controls but with a look of fear coming on his face reported.

"I can't, the controls are locked! Making the jump to hyperspace in three…two…one." He reported and then the enormous engines of the Death Star roared to life and sent the enormous vessel jumped into hyperspace, leaving the sentry ships behind and in a deep sense of confusion.

Krennic was feeling increasingly anxious as he knew that this shouldn't happen.

"What is the destination set?" He demanded, needing to know just where they were going. But the technician just told him.

"I can't access it…the entire navigation system is locked out! And we just lost internal and external communications." He reported with a look of fear that was shared by just about everyone on the bridge. They had no means of contacting anyone inside or outside of the ship and they had no idea just where they were going. To make matters worse they couldn't launch a shuttle in hyperspace so until they got wherever they were going they had no means of summoning help. They had a full legion of Stormtroopers aboard, twelve thousand eight hundred of the Empire's best and about twenty thousand technicians and other officers but that was it. They hadn't even test fired the superlaser yet and most of the turbolasers either, the defence shield worked but that was about it. They didn't even have most of the airwing aboard.

"Get someone down the engineering decks and shut down the hyperdrive! Ready a shuttle to launch to contact any local Imperial units for assistance." Krennic ordered but because they would need to get there physically to make any changes it would take up to half an hour just to get to the engineering decks and another to get back even the turbolifts.

- x -

"Jamming any potential Imperial communications." Deera said as she emerged from the container with the necessary equipment. "We are now patched in, internal sensors now reporting all personnel locations. We have about fifty thousand scattered across the station."

"Good, then we have a good chance. Ready our invasion force and send them out to hunt down the Imperials. Secure engineering decks first, we need to make sure they don't force us out of hyperspace until we reach the rendezvous point." Haron said as they called up the map of the Death Star and pointed to the relevant area.

"If we take primary control in Engineering then we can control the whole station from there." Galen Erso said nervously, never having expected to get into this situation where he would be helping warriors take over the Death Star. Jyn at his side held his hand to comfort him, her presence all the reassurance that he needed.

"Deera, that's your job. Make sure we have control of engineering, take Professor Erso and Jyn with you. The rest of us will fan out across the station and eliminate all Imperial Personnel." Haron said wishing he could be more positive but given the loss of Caz he was more serious in case of any other surprises here.

"Good, it makes things simpler." Another voice said and they looked to the container and saw a surprising addition to the invasion force. Ijaa Yusagi who had come out of retirement although no one quite knew why, he had demanded to replace his youngest son which admittedly could be part of it but he had never done such things before and it was out of character. All of the people that had accompanied them on this mission had an heir to carry on their name if they died with the exception of Bo Katan who didn't really need one given her position in House Kryze.

"Good. The droids and our warriors are ready." Bo Katan said, still in complete awe of this enormous structure but at the same time eager to get on with this. She still had trouble believing that they had managed to create a space so large within a shipping container, wooden lined with large kyber crystals dotted around. It was only a regular cargo container that would only be just enough to hold a single Basilisk war droid but instead she thought with confusion at how it was possible…inside that container was a small army! She thought with amazement, twenty thousand Skytroopers, Five Hundred Basilisk War Droids and ten thousand regular warriors. It had internal life support and all the facilities they needed for the three days that they had been inside until they had reached the Death Star.

She had never been one to give much faith in the force but right now…she honestly was reconsidering that opinion.

"Get started, we have only half a day to clear this station. Be alert, there is still great danger." Haron reminded them. They all nodded and went off in smaller units to spread out from the storage bay, the Basilisks moving carefully through the corridors as they were only just able to get through although the warriors and Skytroopers did so with much more ease.

- x -

Ijaa was leading his squad of warriors, his old body aching more than it had in his youth but he was determined to make his last battle count…his very last he thought with a mounting sense of inevitability. The doctors had diagnosed the illness too late for any potential treatment and he was not going to go down in a hospital bed on drugs to reduce his pain.

He would die as he had lived, as a warrior.

He charged like a man possessed, pushing past any discomfort as he came across some Imperials and gunned them down without even blinking before he encountered a squad of soldiers that was a significantly greater challenge than the regular rank and file.

They had red armour and were wielding force pikes, the Imperial Royal Guard. They had heard of them but never actually seen them before now. Probably stationed here to ensure the loyalty of the crew here, Ijaa reasoned and his own honour would not let him just shoot them so he pulled out his beskad sword. It was made of pure beskar and was incredibly strong so he wasn't too concerned.

He charged in and found that the royal guard were far from the weak nothings that made up most of the Imperial Army. They were agile he realised and as he found able to work as a group. They ducked around him and moved quickly to avoid his strikes, but as they surrounded him, they jabbed at him with their force pikes. Being made of phrik and having been sharpened to a point they managed to pierce through the bodysuit Ijaa was wearing. He felt the pain and managed to surprise one by impaling him through the chest with his beskad.

The Royal Guard kept on jabbing at him and they were good enough to manage to aim between the plates of beskar, Ijaa kept on fighting though and managed to get a few of them but soon they knocked the beskad from his hand and swarmed him to continue to stab him until he was dead.

Ijaa, now knowing death was at hand smiled as he let them surround him before activating the grenades he had on his belt, detonating them all at once and killing not only himself but the Royal Guards at the same time. Smiling as he gave up the fight, knowing he had gone down as a true Mandalorian.

- x -

Deera as she moved through the engineering decks, clearing them out one by one was actually impressed at the engineering scale of the Death Star if not its actual construction. It was impressive to build something this big but to do it for the sole purpose of destroying planets was pathetic in her mind…how many ships and weapons could they have built with the resources plunged into this incredibly wasteful project? She pondered before using her lightsaber to cut down the technicians that were trying to drop the ship out of hyperspace. It was cruel, cold to simply kill them like this but they needed to secure control and removing this Imperial scum who knew full well what the Death Star was built for didn't exactly make her feel very sad.

Ensuring the Empire had no chance of using this enormous waste of manpower and resources was a win in her book and she was not going to waste time and energy by making herself feel sorry for the Imperials…they were the enemy and that meant taking them down.

Finally, though after ending the last Stormtrooper she conjured her patronus, a Reijar sparrow and told Haron.

"Engineering is secure."

- x -

Krennic was pacing the bridge with increasing anxiety as he had no idea just what was happening out there. They still had not managed to get any kind of communications going and internal sensors and security systems had gone down not long after. He had sent men to find out just what was happening but none of them had returned and the ship was still in hyperspace. He was getting more and more concerned with each moment before finally the door to the bridge was blown open.

The explosion threw all of them to the ground, their ears ringing but through Krennic's throbbing head and blurred vision he could see figures in non-Imperial uniforms enter the bridge, he was so stunned by the blast that he didn't have the mental capacity to understand that the Death Star had been invaded.

That was until a woman in dark blue and grey armour stood over him and he heard her laughing slightly at him before hitting him with a stun dart.

- x -

When Krennic finally did wake up he was heavily restrained and at the controls of the command bridge were Mandalorians!

He tried to yell but found that he had been gagged and looked to see the woman that had stunned him smirking at him as she stood over him. She had removed her helmet and was revealed as a middle-aged woman with red hair cut to her shoulders.

"Well done Bo Katan." A voice from the side said and it was horribly familiar, Krennic had heard several times and it was not the sort of voice you could ever forget. Turning his head slightly in the desperate hope that he was wrong but the familiar face of Haron Ordo, albeit older than he remembered but he was still there.

"Happy to oblige, now what do we do with him though?" Bo Katan asked before they both looked in his direction, he glared at them but they and the two blonde women standing with them were utterly unaffected and told her.

"We keep him alive, as this dream of his is taken apart…piece by piece. We funnel the resources into building up our own fleet and army…we can even divert some of it to civilian projects while giving some to our allies to increase their own forces. There is enough material to build thousands of capital ships alone. And he will be here to see every moment of it. Is that punishment acceptable Professor?" Haron Ordo asked a man that was looking through the different displays. Krennic's eyes widened as he saw him when he and the rest of the galaxy had thought him dead!

"Yes, he took my wife from me, and separated me from my daughter to force me to work on this abomination. Forcing him to live to see it dismantled is certainly a just punishment." Galen Erso said with disgust as he looked at the man that he had once considered a friend. Jyn too at his side looked disgusted at the man who had killed her mother and would delight in his misery.

The fact they were going to dismantle his beloved project horrified Krennic who struggled and tried to yell but he was too well restrained and they all just smirked at him. Haron Ordo turned to Galen and told him.

"Then we will leave the dismantling of the Death Star in your capable hands Professor, an army or worker droids and engineers will be at your disposal. I understand that Deera and Professor Mors are quite eager to work with you on some of our energy generation projects. Clean energy for all, a goal that I can get behind." Haron said and Galen nodded, knowing that taking this station apart would take quite awhile but he was more than eager to begin not to mention discuss some genuinely good science with a pair of minds as bright and engaging as Mors and Deera…not to mention spend some long overdue time with his daughter, he thought putting his arm around Jyn's shoulder and she leant into him in response, just glad to have each other in their lives again.

Already they had a large number of engineers scouring and disabling any beacons that could allow the Empire to track the Death Star and had moved into Wild Space where they would never look. It was a victory and a heist unlike any in history and they had pulled it off Haron thought proudly. His people had a right to celebrate as they had vanquished an enemy and taken their greatest weapon from them to fuel their own growth. They had lost a lot of warriors against Thrawn and more against this but they had won the day.

It was cause enough to be thankful, he thought with pride.

Naboo, Mid Rim…

Naboo being the home world of Palpatine was a highly important world in the Empire, it was at all times defended by three Imperial Class Star Destroyers with accompanying support ships. There was not much active rebellion on Naboo so they were supremely confident in their position.

The Rebel Fleet dropped out of hyperspace just short of the gravity well of the planet, the Profundity at the head of the taskforce which charged forward. Anakin in the cockpit of his customised T-70 X-Wing leading Rogue Squadron which formed up behind him.

"All wings report in." Anakin called out. His own pilots calling in including Luke and Leia and now Mace, then followed by.

"Red Squadron, standing by." Garven 'Dave' Dreis, Red Leader reported.

"Gold Squadron, standing by." Jon 'Dutch' Vander, Gold Leader reported.

"Green Squadron, standing by." Arvel Crynyd, Green Leader reported.

"Lock S-foils in attack position. Accelerate to attack speed." Anakin said and the X-Wings all opened their wings into the signature four 'X' shape. Anakin honestly was having a great sense of déjà vu as he had fought in a starfighter above Naboo yet again, for the third time he thought with detached amusement.

"Incoming." Leia broke in as Tie fighters came in and the battle began, all the fighters breaking formation to engage the enemy fighters.

"Frigates and corvettes move in to support the fighters; cruisers engage those Star Destroyers." Raddus commanded as his ship and the heavier Assault Frigates moved in to engage the Star Destroyers.

The battle between the fighters was intense, although outnumbered the rebel pilots were better flyers and had in terms of the X-Wing at least better ships, the lack of Tie Interceptors also meant that the A-Wing was the fastest ship on the field and easily able to dominate alongside their heavier counterparts.

The bombers not being able dogfighters instead began to harass the light cruisers accompanying the Imperial fleet, they would have used ion torpedoes but none had been available so it would not be possible to use that particularly useful weapon. They instead resorted to using their regular proton torpedoes and bombs against the lighter warships.

The corvettes and Nebulon-B frigates engaged with the rest and the enemy Raider class ships but as they pushed forward, they found to their great distress that they weren't making as much progress against the enemy. The Star Destroyers were too strong, the heavier ships didn't have the firepower to overwhelm them.

Anakin was aware around him, shooting down the Tie fighters that came his way but they just couldn't force their way through the Imperial blockade, he saw as Red Five was shot down and then another three of different squadrons and wondered how the intel had been lacking about the number of Star Destroyers, they had only expected two not three! And that was assuming that reinforcements hadn't been summoned he thought as he saw Gold 6 be blown apart right in front of him but the worst was about to come.

The Profundity was coming under extremely heavy fire, the MC75 cruiser was not built as a warship and had some rather big vulnerabilities that the Imperial gunners were taking full advantage of and then they saw the command bridge which was underslung from the main hull be blown clean off!

May the Force be with you Admiral Raddus Anakin thought with sadness at the passing of them commander but the situation was now far worse as that had been the only capital ship they had with them. Anakin hated the idea of a retreat but without Raddus and his ship they would have no other choice.

Then he felt a surge in the force, announcing an arrival and just a short way off he saw a small fleet of new ships drop out of hyperspace, he fully expected them to be more Imperial Ships and was fully prepared to call for the retreat but then he saw to his delight that it was not Imperial reinforcements at all!

"All ships this is Admiral Ackbar aboard Home One, press the attack." The familiar voice of the Ackbar said and the sight of not only the distinctive hull of Home One, but three MC80b cruisers and squadrons of B-Wing and ARC-170 fighters were a truly welcome sight for the rebels as the presence of the Mon Calamari turned the entire situation around but more than that a large group of Thranta-class light cruisers and Foray and CR90 corvettes accompanied by Vanguard class heavy gunships baring Corellian markings had come with them.

"Gunships use ion torpedoes to take down those star destroyers." Another familiar voice said as Garm Bel-Iblis joined the fight.

Anakin saw the large but well-armed gunships use the powerful torpedoes to shut down the star destroyers before the MC80 cruisers ripped into them with their own turbolasers.

The Imperial fleet fell into disarray, now they could clear a path for the ground forces to approach Anakin thought with gratitude for the unexpected aid, thanks to the late arrival of the Mon Calamari and the Corellians they were finally in a position to continue the battle.

- x -

Theed Space Port, Naboo…

The enormous space port built under the cliff on which Theed sat was built with reparations from the Trade Federation after their invasion so many years ago, it was a perfect place to land all kinds of ships and therefore was the prime target for the invasion force. But the Empire of course strictly controlled the spaceport and those coming and going. The Naboo Security Force had been shrunk to a fraction of its previous size and kept well away from the docks but many were in league with the Naboo Resistance as was the queen, older members who had been forced to retire had secretly kept their weapons and uniforms and the gungans who rarely ever ventured out of the swamps these days had been approached, eager to not have the Empire trying to destroy their underwater cities like they had done on Manaan to make them more controllable, the gungans had agreed to aid the Naboo in the uprising. A good number of them had been quietly moved into the city with their weapons disguised to help.

But there was something else planned to galvanise the rebels and the locals, a recording of Padme had been arranged to be broadcast to the entirety of Theed and other Naboo settlements. Even after all these years Padme was still held in high regard by her people so it was hoped they would respond to her.

All the inhabitants of Theed all saw the transmission break out over the public information network, a hologram appeared of a woman that many of them had only seen in history lessons.

"People of Naboo, some of you will know me…some of you will not. My name is Padme Naberrie, known otherwise as Padme Amidala and once many years ago I had the honour of being Queen of Naboo and then later serving this world as its senator. I have been gone a long time due to rise of the Empire as I did not wish to bring any hardship to my family or any citizen of this great world. But now I have gained allies of my own and I have returned to see this world liberated once again. Stay safe in your homes if you don't want to fight." The Hologram of Padme said.

The sight of the transports in the atmosphere above made all of them share looks and words, not sure what to make of it. The local Imperial Garrison of course was on alert because of what was happening in orbit and ground-based Tie Fighters scrambled to intercept them. Blue Squadron was escorting the transports and ready to meet with them but the Naboo Resistance managed to force their way into the Royal Hanger and deploy their old N-1 Starfighters to aid in the fight.

The ships moved towards the landing zone while ships fought in the skies, both taking losses as the AT-AT walkers on the space port fired at them, their heavy blasters doing damage despite the shields and a few transports crashed before the U-Wing pilots came in to take them down.

The gungans and Naboo rebels fought hard and managed to clear the landing zone as the transports managed to land, the ramps descending and letting the rebel ground forces disembark. The light AAC-1 speeder tanks and the T2-B Repulsor tanks floated down accompanied by the heavier T4-B battle tanks just behind, the latter rumbling down on their tracks with heavier lasers and missile launchers ready. Accompanying them were the rebel troopers, now wearing a slimmed down version of the COG armour wore by the soldiers on Sera, otherwise known as Gears. The armour was much more efficient than what the Alliance had used before and now they had the Foundry they could issue it to all units along with ground vehicles for support.

The rebels charged out, relieving the beleaguered Naboo and Gungans with their better weapons and equipment, forcing the Empire out of the landing port as more rebels came in. Meetra Surik who was personally leading the assault took a hard look at the situation and gave her orders.

"AAC-1 tanks move forward with infantry support. T2-B just behind, heavy infantry and T4-B bring up the rear." Meetra ordered as she looked at the confined streets and gritted her teeth as this was going to be a difficult fight especially if they didn't want to level the city in the process.

Their units began to press up the street, encountering Imperial units as they forced their way up into Theed.

- x -

An Hour Later…

The city had quickly turned into a warzone as the rebels combined with locals who were willing to fight fought with the Imperials for control of the city. The Rebels held the palace and a good portion of the area but the Imperial garrison was being particularly stubborn and refusing to give up the fight. So, it carried on in the city streets with increasing brutality but thankfully the rebels had air superiority.

Vel, Cinta and Cassian were leading a squad of soldiers over the Bassa Bridge, the hope being that they could use it to outflank the Imperials that were holding the Pergola's Bridge and take them out from behind.

The Stormtroopers had set up E-Web repeating blasters on the other side which making progress painfully slow as they couldn't just charge at the position without being gunned down and they had only grenades but the bridge was too long to throw a grenade along its length. They remained stuck on the other side and grimaced as another of their troopers get cut down.

"We need air and armour support!" Vel called out over the comm channel but the response, while slightly muffled was clear enough.

"None available!" Cassian said with frustration as they were now stuck and pinned down on the bridge. A second sentence did come through but they had no idea just what it had said because of explosions drowning out the sound. Cinta with frustration leapt up without saying anything and Vel was about to grab her to pull her down but Cinta in what seemed to be a suicidal attack, ran forward with a grenade and threw it at the emplacement on the other side of the bridge. Vel was about to run after her but Cassian grabbed Vel and pulled her back into their limited cover as he knew being out there too long was suicide but Cinta, clearly thought otherwise although Cassian was tragically proven right when a surge of blaster fire hit her just as she was throwing the grenade, the shock screwed up her aim and the grenade went straight into the river on either side of the bridge rather than the other side. Cinta's armour didn't hold up well under the attack and she fell down dead before she hit the floor.

"CINTA!" Vel screamed in anguish as she saw her girlfriend go down, Cassian had to hold her to stop her running out into the line of fire herself. Vel struggled like a madwoman but for her sake Cassian held on.

The moment was tragic but then the second communication that they had missed was repeated and it seemed that although no armour or air support was available, they had been sent some help.

A woman in Jedi robes appeared, a Chalactan and ignited a green lightsaber and with a speed that was too fast for them to follow the woman leapt over the length of the bridge and landed on the far side, she moved just as quickly cut down the stormtroopers and cleared their path.

"A Jedi is coming." Cassian said with grief, wishing Cinta had been more patience and Master Billaba who he now recognised would have cleared the way for all of them. Or that they had been able to hear the first try, Depa had cleared the emplacements with ease in a matter of moments and now the path was open for them to flank the Imperials and hopefully collapse their remaining resistance. Cassian was worried about Vel and her state of mind after Cinta's death but she shrugged him off and continued the charge…determined to see this through so with some reluctance he and the rest of their troopers ran after her and now joined by Master Depa, attacked the Imperials from behind.

Taking the bridge allowed them to do exactly as Cassian had hoped and with the lines now broken and exposed, Imperials began to surrender, knowing the battle was lost. Some fought on out of loyalty or desperation but it made no difference as the day drew to a close and Theed was now free of an Imperial presence for the first time in years.

At the Royal Palace Padme met with Queen Dalne, the current monarch who had regretfully done little in her brief reign as the most loyal Imperial Quarsh Panaka had ruled the planet in Palpatine's name. The fact her once loyal protector had become so strong a supporter of the same tyrant that strangled the galaxy made Padme sadder than she would have thought possible but regardless it was a fact and he had commanded till the end, only stopping when he had been killed sadly. Also present was the new leader of the gungans Boss Rull. They both bowed slightly to her but she just smiled as she returned the gesture.

"It is an honour to finally meet you. I have only heard about your exploits." Queen Dalne said and Padme just smiled and told her.

"It is more of an honour to meet you both…I have done all that I have in an attempt to help others. That is all the reward I need." Padme said and they both were now able to see her humility was truly a thing of legend.

"Then the people are lucky to have you." Dalne said and added. "Other planets have risen in revolt when they learned what's happened here. More people than ever are starting to stand up to the Empire, I have even learned that the Rift Alliance has reconvened and reaffirmed their involvement in this fight, now with the Hapes Consortium and Pasdishah Imperium as members. They have said their ships will pass through from time to time to ensure our protection from the Imperial military. Victory is seeming more likely every day." Dalne said with a hopeful smile.

"Yes, but wesa must remember, bombad Empire is still strong." Boss Rull mentioned, he looked so much like Boss Nass that Padme was almost certain that the two must be related somehow but just nodded.

"The plasma sales will be put back into the betterment of the people again, Palpatine has made it so he got the majority of the credits we made for them but from this point anything he held here is being taken back for the people." Dalne said with disgust that Palpatine actually came from this world and from this moment he would have nothing from Naboo people or on the planet.

Sometime later Padme stood in the palace and looked out over the city but despite the damage to the buildings the people seemed to be elated at their liberation from the Empire. The fireworks lit up the sky and honestly Padme despite what had happened with Mon had never felt better as at last…she was home! She thought with joy after being away from Naboo for so long.

A knock at the door announced Sola's arrival but she wasn't alone, two older people followed her and their faces brought a lump to Padme's throat. She had feared that she would never see them again. They looked at her with astonishment, even though Sola had told them it was still a shock after so many years.

She stood rooted to the floor but they did not and walked over to her and just like they had when she was a child gathered her into a hug, she quickly hugged them back, tears running down their cheeks as they were reunited for the first time in nearly twenty years. Sola soon came in with her two daughters and her granddaughter…Padme smiled as she saw her nieces for the first time in years, they looked a lot like their mother Padme noticed straight away and they seemed mystified by her but that was probably because they had only been very young when they had last seen her and so didn't remember her well. That stung Padme more than she thought it would but she hoped that they might have time to change that.

Then from behind Ryoo, a little girl peaked her head out. Honestly it was like a before and after picture since Wila looked just like her mother at that age. Long dark brown hair and the same adorable features, she looked at Padme with confusion as she had only seen pictures of her before and after greeting both of her nieces, Padme knelt down and extended her hand to Wila who looked to her mother to make sure it was okay before shaking her hand.

Few words were said as they just exchanged hugs and greetings with each other the emotion was too high in the room until Anakin and her own family arrived. R2 was with them and Wila looked immediately interested and started playing with the astromech…like mother like daughter Padme and the others all thought as it was just like when they had visited just before the Clone Wars started, Ryoo and Pooja had loved playing with R2 then too.

"Mother, father." Padme said with a warm smile. "You remember Anakin."

"Indeed, and thank you for keeping her safe." Jobal said to her son in law even if she didn't know that yet. Anakin smiled before shaking her hand.

"She has kept me safe more than once herself." Anakin told Jobal and Ruwee who shook his hand also. Luke, Leia and Mace all looked them with interest before Padme finally made perhaps the most emotional introduction of her entire life.

"This is my sons Luke and Mace and my daughter Leia." She said with some worry as she had no idea just how her parents would take having three nearly grown grandchildren that they had never met.

Ruwee and Jobal were stunned at first, never having expected this. Luke, Leia and Mace too were struggling to know just what to say to the grandparents that they had never met. Ryoo and Pooja too were stunned at the arrival of their cousins but Ruwee and Jobal did not let the silence last for long and walked over, gathering the three of them up in warm hugs that they returned with some awkwardness but that was soon forgotten.

"I am so very happy to finally meet you." Jobal said with tears in her eyes as she had missed so much of their lives but she was just so happy that she not only had her daughter back, but three grandchildren to get to know! She immediately began planning for a family dinner, the first that she had held in a long time where all of her family would at last be around the table…she would need a bigger table she realised and decided it would be better to have it out in the garden. Her mind was already making plans. Ruwee meanwhile was taking in his grandchildren and quietly asking them questions in the hopes that they would get to know each other.

Anakin meanwhile looked down at Wila who seemed to stare at him, Luke, Leia and Mace, subconsciously feeling they were like her. He knelt down and held a ball before gently floating it over to her. Wila smiled as she caught it with the force, making it float before returning it to him. She showed her inexperience as she sent it back with a little too much force and he had to stop it before it smacked straight into his hand but smiled as he would be glad to teach Wila to harness her power.

They spent a long time just enjoying each other's company before Master Billaba came in with her own former student Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. The master nodded to Anakin who returned it to his fellow former council member. Kanan looked somewhat in awe of Anakin while Ezra was confused at the gathering.

"Master Billaba, it is good that you survived the purge." Anakin said as he left the Naberrie family to talk with his own children, she too smiled knowingly as she saw his children and knew they were his straight away.

"Master Skywalker, I have heard much of your own exploits and congratulate you for all you have achieved." Depa said with a gentle smile before introducing the two at her side. "My former and somewhat current apprentice Kanan Jarrus and his own student, Ezra Bridger."

"A pleasure." Anakin said and extended his hands to both of them and while it took a moment for Kanan to take it he did and you could feel the nervousness he had over meeting such a legendary Jedi. Ezra just gave his usual charming smile.

"How you doing?"

"Ezra!" Kanan said with exasperation at his casual attitude. "This Master Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with Fear. The strongest Jedi there has ever been!"

"Do not worry about. I am not one to stand on ceremony." Anakin told them with amusement at the hero worship Kanan had for him.

"Master Billaba." Anakin said turning back to Depa who gave him her full attention. "My son and daughter." He said indicating Luke and Leia which made Kanan and Ezra widen their eyes in shock that he had a family. "They are ready, I can't think of any trial that they haven't passed already and I can't exactly knight them myself." He said as he was their father and it could easily be considered nepotism. Depa immediately understood just what he was saying and told him with a nod.

"It would be a pleasure." She told him and without wasting anymore time went over to the twins. Anakin made a quick introduction.

"Luke, Leia…this is Jedi Master Depa Billaba, one of the most skilled the order has ever produced." Anakin told them quickly but Depa was too humble to accept such praise and told him.

"I have merely done what was best at the time as you have." Depa said modestly and then told Luke and Leia. "And your father has asked me to do something as a Jedi Master. So please, kneel." She told Luke and Leia who both shared and uncertain look before doing so with a nod of agreement from their father.

"By the will of the force and the way of the Jedi, I Depa Billaba hereby bestow upon you both the rank and title of Jedi Knight with all of the responsibilities it brings. Stand and be recognised." She told them kindly and they both in shock did as she said and Padme and Anakin smiled proudly at their two eldest while Mace looked at his older siblings with admiration and some jealousy at not being knighted too but his turn would come in time.

"Luke, there is something else that I intend to give you." Anakin said as he had come to this decision after deciding to accept Wila as his latest apprentice. "I now have other responsibilities now that I will be teaching Wila to develop her abilities…so I am making you Rogue Leader. They're your squadron now Luke, I wish you luck." Anakin said knowing that leadership of Rogue Squadron was a challenge and they had some big missions to carry out.

Leia was glad for her brother if a bit jealous that she hadn't been chosen to lead Rogue Squadron but she had her own ambitions and to be honest would probably have left the squadron anyway. All she could say for certain was times were changing and it was up to them to change with them. Leia congratulated her brother all the same and wished him well before going back to talking with her grandparents and cousins, enjoying the feeling of finally getting to know her family.

- x -

Cassian was walking through the city streets, smiling as he saw many of the locals were happy with their new liberty and bonding with the rebels. He saw a bunch of their soldiers drinking with some Naboo security volunteers and waved at them as he passed and they waved back.

But as he passed a small back alley, he saw a figure that had collapsed into a heap on the ground, fearing someone might need medical help he rushed over but saw to his shock that it was Vel and she wasn't hurt but she was sobbing while considerably drunk.

"Mon…Cinta. Both dead." She said as tears ran down her face and Cassian immediately gathered her up in his arms. She resisted but only for a moment before collapsing against him and sobbing, for Cassian it was strange to see her like this. She had always seemed so strong and collected but this was a reminder that she was only human and had lost two of the people that meant the most to her in the last couple of weeks. He just held her and let her cry, it was clear that she needed it and what else were friends for but to comfort you in your darkest moments he thought as he cradled her and let her release all of the misery and pain inside her.

Reijar, the Ordo System…

Naboo was not the only planet celebrating, across all of Mandalorian space their people were enjoying their triumphs of recent days, not only had they slayed the seemingly unstoppable Grand Admiral that had been messing with them and their allies for several years, they had now reclaimed their dominance of space warfare and had taken the Empire's greatest toy away from them! Soon enormous amounts of resources would be pouring into their factories and their moral had never been higher!

Haron had gathered his entire family around him to celebrate this moment, he sat there with Ara smiling as they saw their children, now all adults with Siri and Tyus having turned seventeen just this week. Astoria had brought Isolder with her and seemed content as they spoke with Corridan and his new bride the Princess now Queen Nyssa of Trak'el Sigma. Both Astoria and Corridan had happiness radiating off them and neither Haron or Ara could be happier for them.

Markus was speaking with Din; the loneliness of their eldest son had caused them a little concern but he had hinted recently of a girlfriend who he wanted to get to know better before inviting her to meet the family. Despite questions he would not reveal more about her and so they would have to wait until he was comfortable telling them. Din on the other hand was thriving, Sorgan was a small planet in the scheme of things but he was loving his new home and had now two small sons of his own with his wife who were playing at their feet.

Li'anne was chatting to Nila who was now a teenager, having just turned thirteen last week and was doing so well in her training. Li'anne's boyfriend, a noted painter was happily saying he would be only too glad to make a family portrait of them all. Siri and Tyus stood with their boyfriend and girlfriend who were from Ordo's own vassals and of course were all but falling over themselves to make a good impression but they made their children happy and were free of any potential scandal so that was enough for the moment.

Deera and Zara were enjoying time with Eliza and Vysa while their respective daughters Mari, Amili and Cera all played games together with Grahuur's now grown cubs who were with them. Grahuur himself was speaking with Lelia who had left her boyfriend Julian at home as he was somewhat ill recently and it was better for him not to travel.

Nevile, Hannah and Luna were all celebrating with their own families but the size of his own made Haron smile, he had long dreamt of having a family of his own but this one had grown so large! He thought with amazement, larger than he had ever dreamed and all of his children were grown now he thought but not sadly anymore, they were all proving themselves ready to step out of his and the others shadows and make their own dreams now.

His thoughts turned back briefly to the losses they had taken, some seasoned warriors like Fenn Rau would be hard to replace but they would manage, already they had renamed the Flight School that Fenn had founded in his honour, the staff that he himself had trained would carry on his work Haron thought sadly.

But he turned his mind back to the family gathering and smiled as the love of family flowed through the room freely and without care. This was what he fought for Haron thought as he pulled Ara closer, for moments like these.

Dac, Outer Rim Territories…

Admiral Ackbar and King Lee-Char both looked out over the enormous shipyards of Mon Cala or Dac as it was known. They were easily the greatest asset of the planet and today they were beginning work on a new ship for their fleet that would provide themselves, the Rift Alliance and the Rebellion with an answer to the Super Star Destroyer.

Officially they were calling in the MC85 cruiser but it had also been labelled as the Viscount-class, a super dreadnaught of their own which while nowhere near as crew intensive or as large as the enormous Imperial leviathans would certainly be a match for it and help overwhelm any enemies that they would face in the future.

It was a matter of pride to their people and would vastly improve their own abilities, vowing not to be caught off guard again.

Odessen, Wild Space…One Month Later…

Luna was proudly sitting at one of the main seats in the circular camp that they had established on this planet, being neutral in the force it was the perfect place for her grand conference.

"Greetings." Luna said as she got to her feet and looked at the gathered guests; Lady Jessica of the Bene Geressitt, Merrin of the Dathomiri, Wialu of the Fallanasi and Nenn of the Theran Listeners plus some others of their respective orders.

"We have gathered today so that we can not only discuss and debate on matters of the force, magic, white current or whatever else we call it, but also to exchange techniques with each other. It is my hope that not only will we gain a better understanding of each other but also each grow stronger. In a galaxy dominated by Jedi and Sith, I refuse to be sidelined by them any more and I hope that you all feel the same."

Luna saw that many of them had the same feelings, the Dathomiri having been hunted and hurt badly by the Empire and the Separatists so it would do them all good to get stronger, Luna thought to herself. The others too wanted to have more of an understanding of the great mystery and hopefully it would allow more outlooks on the force to thrive than the limited views of the Jedi and the Sith.

Imperial Palace, Coruscant…

Palpatine had been in a dark mood all day.

The lost of Thrawn had been unforeseen and a minor annoyance but the Death Star's disappearance was enough to send a cold child down even his spine. The worry that someone would turn his perfect weapon against him honestly was making his own personal fears expand and he had all of the Imperial Fleet looking for it but there was no sign of just where it had gone. Construction of the second Death Star was going to need to be accelerated as the danger of it being turned on them was too real to ever take the chance…after all he thought who could ever resist having that kind of power.

But there was something else that was soiling his mood, something that he had hidden from every single person around him especially those that knew of his identity as the Dark Lord of the Sith. His ability to see the future had now completely deserted him, he thought with fear his own power was failing. He also had found it harder to maintain a bond and therefore control with his agents, the Hand of the Emperor as he referred to them. His senses were weakening and he could never admit this even to himself but he was completely terrified of his followers now rising up against him.

The burning hunger inside him roared to life again and with it his only hope for regaining his lost powers, he saw the container containing the Melange Spice and eagerly consumed it. The satisfaction hit him immediately but he looked at his hand and saw to his disgust that it had changed into a distinctly red colour and two fingers had fused together and become more clawlike, he scowled at it and sent the command for his cloners on Byss to have one of his clones killed and the necessary parts taken…a few new organs too wouldn't go amiss he thought with casual disregard for the clones as they served their purpose in keeping him alive.

He would also demand more of the spice, he needed it to restore his powers he thought with desperation.

Knossa, Ossus…

Yoda was deep in meditation when he felt the force shifting, its control slipping further and further from the dark and away from Sidious, he could feel it was punishing him for doing all the disgusting and unnatural things that he did and Yoda could not help but smile as it was poetic justice, he was slowly losing not only the power that he had been working towards for his entire life which was slipping away from him but his own personal power in the force was being taken away from him piece by piece.

Yoda despite his own advancing age was content, glad that finally the winds were changing.

Fountain Palace, Hapes, Hapes Consortium…

Ta'a Chume was quite happy as she learned of the victories achieved with her intervention, the Hapes Consortium would become a major player on the galactic stage and with time she would ensure the deaths of the rest of the Ordo Family, her granddaughter would be a useful puppet in making sure that the Mandalorians were there to back her power and authority as soon as Astoria had given birth to an appropriate child.

She was finally rather proud of herself and donned her usual head dress and a new pair of electrum bracelets that were studded with Corusca gems. It was an extremely expensive pair of jewellery but only the best would do she thought with smug satisfaction.

But as she allowed herself some fruit from the side bowl near her throne, she felt a sharp pain in the side of her head, her vision began to blur and she fell forward, struggling to stand and her guards ran forward while the royal doctor was called immediately to tend to her but before she could even reach the hall, Ta'a Chume…was dead.

Far away Ara smirked as she saw the results of her handy work through the force, a cursed pair of bracelets were all you needed to remove a power hungry but vain person like Ta'a Chume and leave the path open for Astoria to become the Queen Mother she thought, amused that she had thought that she could mess with her family and get away with it, Ara thought with dark humour. No one messes with my children she thought to herself with satisfaction.