Beyond - Legends Endgame (AU: Mara, Corran, others, some OCs) 02.22.04 - New material on its way

Hello all. This is my first fan fiction posted here. It's called "Endgame," the ninth story in a series written by myself and a friend of mine. These stories were originally written for our JK/XWA gaming clan, so the personalities of the characters are meant to reflect those of the members more than the novel characters. My website has a bit of background information and all the previous stories if you'd like to read them, but I'm not sure that's entirely necessary to understand "Endgame." (Don't let any of this scare you off?please read and reply!) If you do have any questions at all, feel free to send me a PM or an e-mail.

Now, onto what we all care about?the story!

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[b]Title:[/b] Endgame
[b]Author(s):[/b] Roland_Hill
[b]Timeframe:[/b] 16-18 years post RotJ
[b]Characters:[/b] Mara Jade, Corran Horn
[b]Genre:[/b] AU, angst, squad fic
[b]Summary:[/b]

The Guardians of the Force have reclaimed [i]Kalidor[/i] Base from the Terronic Empire after a long and bloody conflict. Feeling that new tactics are needed to make progress in the war, Mara Jade remodels the structure of her organization, scattering the Guardians across the galaxy in a resistance movement.

Two years later, Corran Horn returns from a mission deep inside Terronic space, bringing with him shocking data on the Empire's new war machines. Mara issues a recall of all personnel, and GotF begins planning the most daring attack in their history. The target: Taalreau, the heavily defended capital of the Terronic Empire.

But GotF's list of tasks soon becomes overwhelming. They must halt a Terronic advance, defend against an attack at a secret GotF facility, and neutralize a plot to frame them in the eyes of the Imperial Remnant. Meanwhile, untrained Jedi Roland Hill takes off for Dromund Kaas, a planet of Sith magic and unspeakable evils.

But all of this pales in comparison to GotF's final challenge: the battle of Taalreau. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Guardians must rely on innovative tactics and cunning strategy in order to win. But no matter the odds, neither side will stop until the other has been eradicated?

[hr]

[b]DRAMATIS PERSONAE[/b]

Iton Berett; Terronic high admiral (male human)
Brandei; Terronic admiral (male human)
Brasck; GotF major (male Brubb)
Tycho Celchu; GotF general (male human)
Chewbacca; GotF colonel (male Wookiee)
Soontir Fel; GotF lieutenant-colonel (male human)
Roland Hill; GotF major-general (male human)
Corran Horn; GotF fleet admiral (male human)
Bror Jace; GotF lieutenant (male human)
Mara Jade; GotF grand admiral (female human)
Talon Karrde; GotF major (male human)
Lobot; GotF major-general (male cyborg)
Tetengo Noor; resistance fighter (male human)
Gilad Pellaeon; Imperial admiral (male human)
Ton Phanan; GotF admiral (male human)
R2-D2; GotF lieutenant-colonel (R2-series droid)
Dack Ralter; GotF major (male human)
Anakin Solo; GotF lieutenant-colonel (male human)
Annika Tanbris; GotF lieutenant-colonel (female human)
Terron; Sith Lord (male Zabrak)

- - -

[b]PROLOGUE[/b]

There is a galaxy.

To some it is nothing more than a spiral discus making its way through the universe. To twenty million sentient species it is home, lit by the dazzling glow of four hundred billion stars. Most of these are red or yellow dwarfs, young stars with billions of years worth of hydrogen to consume before they die out.

A corner of this galaxy remains dark.

It does not appear this way in the visible light spectrum, nor the infrared or the ultraviolet. Any untrained eye can see the hundreds of stars here. The darkness is deeper, more profound. Invisible, but altogether present.

[i]Evil[/i], races with language call it.

The darkness reaches out to consume one more star. From this remote place come ripples, like a stone hitting the surface of a pond. Those who hold the greatest communion with the galaxy flinch and recoil.

There has been a disturbance in the Force.

- - -

Jindoba, with its lack of moons and only one other pla

 

CHAPTER ONE

Blackness. Mara Jade craved it.

It had been an excruciatingly long week. Three days ago, the Guardians of the Force and the Imperial Remnant had undertaken a joint operation to reclaim Kalidor Base from the Terronic Empire. They had succeeded, but at great cost. Of their twenty-one ships that had participated in the attack, GotF had lost four, including the Star Destroyer Sutherland. Aboard it had been Rear-Admiral Nyushu Kisal, a peculiar man whom Mara had only known a short time but had considered a friend.

A massive funeral ceremony had been held in the Kalidor's Grand Foyer for the benefit of former Neo-Imperium personnel among GotF's ranks. Kisal had been the leader of the Imperium before he chose to merge his organization with the Guardians, and his death left many Neo-Imps wondering if their status would be affected now that Kisal could no longer represent them as a member of GotF's Command Staff.

But Mara didn't care, at least not right now. She'd gotten very little sleep over the past few days and her body was screaming for rest. Anything that needed doing was Corran's business until the morning. She stretched out on the bed in her luxurious quarters, still wearing her uniform. She had just removed her rank pin and tossed it on the night table when the comm unit began to blare.

Not a moment's peace, is there? Mara thought as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and groggily walked over to her desk. "Yes?" she answered, hiding the tiredness in her voice.

An image of the Kalidor's comm officer, Second Lieutenant Phillip Trebeau, appeared on her monitor. "Forgive the intrusion, ma'am, but Admiral Pellaeon is requesting communication with you. He says it's urgent."

Mara repressed a sigh. "All right, put him through."

As she waited for Trebeau to make the connection, her mind tried to fathom why Pellaeon could be calling
her. She did not have long to wonder; within moments, the elderly admiral's face swam into focus on her display. She recognized the bridge of the Chimaera behind him.

Mara did a quick calculation in her head and converted the Kalidor's time into Bastion time. "Good evening, Admiral."

"Afternoon," Pellaeon corrected her. He peered at her face. "Did I catch you at a bad time, Mara?"

"I'm awake," she told him, deftly avoiding the question. "What's the problem?"

"That would be the most accurate word, I'm afraid," Pellaeon said. "The Moff Council has declared that Imperial losses suffered at the Kalidor battle were too high. They have ordered me to stop assisting you with your operations."

Now Mara did sigh. Without the Imperials, GotF stood almost no chance of defeating the Terronic Empire on its own. The Remnant's involvement had been needed just to regain territory that had been lost. What would happen if the Guardians decided to make a push?

"I assure you that General Seabern and I will protest this action," Pellaeon went on.

Suddenly feeling even more tired, Mara could only smile. "Thank you, Gilad. I'll contact you again in the morning."

Pellaeon's image nodded and winked out.

Mara stood staring at the blank screen for a few moments, then smacked her hand against the tabletop. The war had become a lot more difficult, but not a lost cause. Mara Jade does not lose, she told herself.

With that thought, she worked her way back to her bed, tossed herself on top of the sheets, and plunged into a deep and dreamless sleep.

- - -

The following morning, Mara gathered the Command Staff in one of the Kalidor's briefing rooms and appraised them of the situation.

"So the Remnant backed out on us," General Tycho Celchu said bitterly.

"Looks like you were right about this being our worst situation ever," Fleet Admiral Corran Horn remarked.

Mara nodded. "Still, we have to continue on." She turned to Lobot. For a moment, her gaze flicked to the cyborg's neck and the extra star there. With the loss of Kisal, she?d felt it necessary to promote Lieutenant-