Saga Final Stand (sequel to Seeds of Resistance)

Jedi_Liz: Nah, Sly Moore was headless. Not that that would have stopped any remaining Ventress supporters from throwing her into the lava though.

lost_lauries_grapes: LOL, well, he's also exhausted. And he didn't say no.

Lady_Jedi93: That one was hard for me to write. I love me some Mace. I wanted to give him a better death than he got in canon though.

DarthCambius: The Techno Union certainly has the resources to fake dental records. But...Wat Tambor is in jail. So...we'll see.

Lady_Misty:

PadmeSkywalkerSHM: No, not weird. I got the idea from all the talk about Obama refusing to allow publication of Osama Bin Laden's picture.

Whoever is in charge of the government, will always have opposition. It depends on how strong that opposition is.

The-Solo-Smirk: More on that, not in this post but the next. And Luke might have some issues but he was able to come back pretty quickly.

iceaffinity: Leia is by far my favorite female Star Wars character. I even wore my hair like hers when I was a kid.

I agree with you about Mace, and I don't think I could have written him being defeated in battle if he weren't in his late 70s.

I hope things really are about over, and the Resistance really is finished.




Sorry this one is a bit short. The next one should be longer. This story has two more posts, the last being the epilogue. Hoping to wrap it up by the end of the month.

Thanks everyone for reading.

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Chapter 8


The holocameras, at least five of them, focused directly on Padme, who sat behind her desk, several sheets of flimsiplast in front of her.

?Fellow citizens of the Galactic Republic,? she began. ?It is with great pleasure and pride that I come before you tonight. For 21 years many worlds have been threatened or terrorized?in some cases, both?by a resistance movement born from the Separatists of the Clone War era and led by Asajj Ventress. Ventress and her minions have been responsible for several small and large scale attacks on Outer Rim and Mid Rim worlds. She has also been responsible for coercing several Senators to her side and with the assistance of those Senators, plotting to overthrow the Republic.? She paused. ?Ventress was arrested almost three years ago by the Jedi, and tried and convicted of treason, espionage and murder. However, six months ago, she escaped from prison. The Jedi and the Republic Navy were forced to resume a pursuit that they thought long resolved, and the pursuit turned up many dead ends. Ventress took great pleasure in leading Republic officers on a wild bantha chase around the Outer Rim, diverting resources from an economy that is already sluggish on many worlds.? She paused again. ?Two weeks ago, I was given a lead from miners on Subterrel. Citizens had come to that planet looking for work, citizens from another mining world, Mustafar. I dispatched four Jedi to that planet to confront Ventress, and I gave them authorization to use lethal force.? She swallowed. ?On that planet, the Jedi met Ventress and her assistant, Sly Moore, an aide of the late Chancellor Palpatine, in a fierce and heavy battle. When it ended, three were dead: Sly Moore, by lightsaber wound. Ventress, who burned alive after falling into one of the planet?s lakes of lava.? She swallowed again. ?It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that the third death was one of the Jedi Order?s greatest members, a leading member of the Order?s High Council, and the man who killed Palpatine and ended his totalitarian regime. Master Mace Windu.? She gazed at the cameras one by one. ?I will also add, however, that if Master Windu were here, he would insist that we celebrate this hard-earned victory for the Republic. He would insist that we honor his sacrifice by not dwelling on it, but rather, dwelling on the victory won. That is what I ask you to do tonight, and I hope that this ending of the resistance signifies a beginning?of

 

dm1: Glad you liked the part about Tatooine, I figured they would have much to celebrate there, particularly the moisture farmers and other settlers. And Mace--I read Shatterpoint and got an entirely new perspective on him. He was tough, but there was a lot of love underneath and he did his best to bring Depa Billaba back.

Lady_Misty: Thanks!

Luna_Nightshade: I'm glad everyone liked the memorial; I did it the way I think a funeral should be done, with everyone discussing their favorite memories of the person.

The-Solo-Smirk: Not sure which EU source originally had the Jedi mantra but I found it on Wookieepedia.

PadmeSkywalkerSHM: I think so too. Or maybe I hope so.

Jedi_Liz: Thanks! That was my reaction when I wrote it, and for some reason, Yoda's segment hit me the hardest.

DoubleEO: Thanks! The end of ROTJ and the end of TPM were my inspirations for that segment.

lost_lauries_grapes: Thanks!

DarthCambius: Thanks, and yes, he will be.

iceaffinity: Thanks, and seeing the responses throughout the galaxy, particularly on places like Tatooine, would mean a lot to Padme.

And yes, the worst part of all this is definitely over. More on that in a couple of posts.

Character death, at least of "good guys", is really hard for me to write; one and only thing that made it easier in this case is that any death I gave him would be better than he got in canon.


Thanks for reading and replying everyone. And I was wrong. This post and one more, then the epilogue. At least that's how it looks right now.

A/N here: Shayla Paige-Tarkin is an EU canon character, a Senator in the prequel era and a big supporter of Palpatine. Beyond that I don't know much, and the fleshing her out was entirely on me. Wilhuff Tarkin really did marry a Motti. But the other Tarkins are OCs; I pictured them being a large family but can't find anyone else's name.

**********

Shayla Paige-Tarkin looked around at the members of her family seated in the luxurious conference room of Eriadu Governor?s Palace in Eriadu City. They returned her gaze, wondering why she was scowling, knowing that they would get the answer only on her time.

A few minutes later she finally spoke. ?I suppose you have heard the news by now,? she said. ?The Holonet is buzzing. Ventress is dead. Killed by the Jedi. On Amidala?s orders.?

?Amidala did not order them to arrest her?? Abric, one of the elder members, asked.

Shayla sneered. ?Apparently she is not as spineless as Wilhuff thought.?

Abric nodded. ?I see. And what of Sly Moore??

?Also dead. Beheaded by Skywalker if my sources are correct.?

?Is there anyone in the resistance who is still alive and not in prison?? Atlan, one of the younger members, asked.

?Us,? Shayla said. Then she scowled again. ?Of course it will take us years to recover our reputations and our dignity. It was obviously a mistake to send Wilhuff to Coruscant. I tried to warn everyone at the time that he is an imbecile and his ineptitude would quickly display itself. But even I never expected him to attempt to assassinate the Chancellor, blame Ventress for it, and then get caught.? She slammed her fist on the polished table in frustration.

?Wilhuff worked for himself,? Argon, another elder, said. ?He had little loyalty to the Tarkin family or the people of Eriadu, and even less loyalty to you.?
Shayla?s scowl deepened. ?Ah, yes, I am fully aware of that. He thought he should take my place as head of the clan as it was no place for a woman. Of course what he didn?t realize is that this chair is no place for a complete and total idiot.?

?What of Terius? And the trial?? Laertes asked.

?The Mottis hired Terius. I did not. Apparently, they are blissfully unaware that he is an impediment to their success, not an asset to it. Because Wilhuff married Thalassa, they see him as a way to join forces with us, and elevate themselves as the most powerful family in the Quintad.? She stood, and began pacing

 

lost_lauries_grapes: Definitely out with the old, in with the new. And thanks!

ccp: Thanks!

Luna_Nightshade: They've been peeved for 20 years over not gaining the amount of power that Palpatine promised them. (That coming from canon, in which Wilhuff had control of most of the Outer Rim.) The baby...coming in the next post.

Jedi_Liz: I don't think they are being framed. I am sure they did it themselves.

So am I. That will be addressed more in the post after this one.

Lady_Misty: How about a screaming dance?

iceaffinity: I saw Tarkin in canon as a bit sexist, given his mannerisms and attitude towards Leia.

It's interesting how you've portrayed them here; they're clearly the bad guys, and we know they were/are supporting Palpatine and his ideals, which are deeply wrong, but I couldn't help but see their point in regards to the Skywalker family seeming to become so very dominant, and with the military aligning behind them as well. Though the Tarkins are obviously not a group you'd want in power, it does raise the question of how much power should one family have, even if they're the Good Guys?

Glad you caught that--that was intentional. My thinking is that a true democratic government will have dissension, and for that reason I have not and will not eliminate all opposition to Padme. She would not be Chancellor if I did, she'd be the Empress. And I think the Tarkins' questions about the nepotism are valid, although in their case it's the pot calling the kettle black.

PadmeSkywalkerSHM: Two months early. I had issues with my first pregnancy and my doctor said he was trying to make sure I made it to 36 or 37 weeks, a normal pregnancy is 40 weeks. I made it to 38 weeks, Leia is at around week 32. But...it's GFFA technology.

The-Solo-Smirk: Wow, don't know what's more exciting, Leia being in labour or the bad guys demanding Han's head on a plate

I had not been planning a sequel but a plot bunny just bit me. I'll see where it goes.

Here's the next post, epilogue should be up this weekend.

Thanks everyone for reading.



**********


Padme turned off the com and stood, turning to Novar. ?Thank you for your hard work. I will contact you later. But I do need to cut this meeting short.?

He nodded. ?Of course. And ma?am, I hope your daughter and her baby will be alright.?

?Thank you. So do I.?

Novar left. Anakin was on his comlink, frantically contacting Luke and Obi-Wan. When he was done, he took Padme?s hand and together they ran to the speeder.

In the medical center waiting room they found Han pacing, twisting his wedding band around on his finger. His hair stood up on clumps; he had obviously been dragging his fingers through it. Lando sat in one of the nearby chairs, Chewbacca stood against one of the walls, and no one spoke.

Upon seeing Anakin and Padme, Han stopped pacing and looked up. ?She?s in there,? he said, indicating the glass window behind him. ?Her emdees shoved me out so they could poke at her.?

Anakin walked to the window and looked in. ?Is she sleeping??

?Between contractions,? Han replied. He checked his chrono. ?She?ll be awake in, oh, five minutes or so.? He ran his fingers through his hair again and resumed walking the room.

Padme stepped in front of him and laid her hands on his forearms. ?Stop,? she said. ?Listen to me.?

He obeyed, meeting her brown eyes with his grey ones.

?Relax,? Padme continued. ?She?s going to be fine. Women have babies every day.?

?Not my babies,? he said. Anakin gave him a look that showed that he understood.

?The contractions had been getting worse since 0300 but we were both trying to pretend they weren?t happening?I was just getting ready to leave for work when her water broke in the ?fresher?? Han continued. ?She?s eight weeks early??

?Luke and Leia were six weeks early, and they were twins so they had less room to grow anyway,? Padme said. ?Luke barely weighed five pounds, Leia was