Star Wars Star Wars: Legends End: Dark Beginnings

Star Wars: At Legends End: Dark Beginnings

It started on Tatooine, about three months ago, we suspect, if our extrapolations are correct.

For some reason, most of these stories do.

Why Tatooine, you ask? We don’t know. Possibly something to do with Anakin Skywalker being born there, as either in response to Darth Plagueis’ manipulations of the Force, or at his behest. That’s the only theory we have.

It started as a orb of white energy, apparently growing, in fits and starts, in the Jundland Wastes.

Anyone absorbed by it did not re-emerge, as if consumed. Anyone who brushed it became instantly an amnesia case, if they were not taken into the void, and, more strangely, their records vanished from everything bar memory – no database would remember them, no séance could detect them, no method of recording could recall them.

From there, it expanded, until it encompassed the entire solar system, and it continued on, absorbing the entire sector, and then moving on. We tried to launch probes into it to no avail. We tried to use Force users to hold it at bay... with no success. The Imperials even turned over the specs for a quantum torpedo, and we used it on a star near Christophsis at the point it met the Void, and the supernova vanished with little impact.

We literally have no idea how to stop it.

A report filed by the Voren Science Institute, or a variation thereof, at various points after 4 ABY​

---

Welcome to Legends End.

A cosmic event is consuming the Star Wars Galaxy throughout time and space. At any point after 4 ABY, at the turn of the new calendar year, a void of white nothingness has opened in the Outer Rim, and is expanding. It is anticipated that it will consume the galaxy in a year.

There are nine months left before the galaxy is gone.

Or... some argue, it begins anew... restarted, perhaps, the religions are arguing, the philosophers brooding, the scientists fearing. How? We do not know how. Why? We know even less of that.

But welcome to the End.
---

When the End doth come, the Celestials will arise, Time will be surpassed, and Everything shall Die.

A lost verse of the Killik ‘Song of the Universe’​

---
Bothawui, Bothan Space, 50 ABY

Luke Skywalker grimaced slightly as the anomaly appeared in the street. Not just in the street, but at waist height. He momentarily reached out and felt his sister yank at him with the Force, pulling him back from the white ball of energy which opened in the stomach of Derek ‘Hobbie’ Klivian. “No!”

Those utterances came not from his mouth, but over the headset he wore, the voice of Wedge Antilles as he flew his fighter overhead, shredding another piece of falling masonry with his weapons even though he was in grief. From the landing team they had lost Wes and Hobbie now, and Tycho had crashed into the larger anomaly when a piece of flying debris had damaged his fighter; flying into what was effectively a hurricane was beyond even the best pilots.

Bothawui was being torn apart by a plague of anomalies, which were appearing throughout the system. A larger one had shorn off a chunk of the upper atmosphere, and that, coupled with the loss of another planet closer to the systems primary had caused the delicate balance of the planet to be thrown asunder. Han’s jaw was set, hard, as he used a blaster to pick off a Rodian looter beating down a defenceless Bothan; a problem throughout the galaxy as social order collapsed in the face of this unimaginable disaster. “We need to get off here before a void rips open the Falcon.”

“No,” said Luke, shaking his head. “We need to figure out a way to defeat the void, here, and now.”

Leia scooped up, gingerly, the artefact that Luke had recently dropped in the masonry. In breach of the request of the Aing-Tii monks, they had broken into and stolen the Codex, the only item that still existed which could amplify a Force users power. They had brought it here, to Bothawui, the most populated of the planets threatened by the rift in space – the most impossible to evacuate. It was as bad as the Yuuzhan Vong War – sectors were sealing their borders, old rivals were settling old scores, entire systems were committing suicide, fratricide, and so many other kinds of self-destruction. Chief of State Dorvan had been unable to stifle the panic, and several Moffs were in open rebellion against the Emperor. And so Luke had gathered what allies he could and sought to confront the problem head-on, without informing his son nor the Jedi Council.

“It reminds me of Sernpidal,” said Han, grimly. “I’d rather not be here.”

Another gust of wind blew them back, and Lando scowled. “Fine!” he shouted, as if to the elements. “The cape was impractical!” He detached it, let it vanish into the maelstrom.

“Luke,” said Wedge, his voice harder than Luke had ever heard it. “If you are going to do this, you need to do it now. Bothawui is starting to go – it’ll fall apart before the rift gets it.” As Luke looked up, a rift emerged just in front of his fighter, and Wedge vanished into it, or, the fuselage did – the X-wings s-foils carried on, flapping in the wind, and grief wrapped around Luke, choking him slightly, and at the next reverberation of the planet he dropped to one knee.

Leia held the Codex out, and Luke went to place his hands on it with her. She pulled it slightly from him, as he hesitated. “You can’t beat yourself up about this. We don’t know if this is what the Dark Man intended. We don’t know if it is connected.”

Lamenting, Luke shook his head. “No, we don’t. But it feels like it.”

“And then what?” said Han, crotchety, firing a few bursts into the nearest anomaly for the sake of it. “Hand the galaxy over to him and accept it? We didn’t do that with Yammka, Abeloth, Daala, Caedus, Shimmra or Sidious, so why should we with him?”

Luke smiled, softly, closing his eyes and releasing his breath as the elements battered him, reaching with the Force to upright Artoo with a soft smile, Threepio still fussing and declaring lamentations, unwilling to leave his counterparts side and insisting he translate his readings. “Fine. Together then.”

Threepio threw his arms into the air. “Us, too?”

“We were in this together at the start, after all, Goldenrod,” said Han, wistful.

Artoo whistled encouragement, and reached a claw out to grab Luke’s clothes, as if forming his own connection. Han stabilised Threepio at the shoulder, Lando bracing the other side of him, while Han used his free hand to squeeze Leia’s. “The old gang, back together for one last threat.”

Luke thought of his friends, of his family, of his losses and his victories, of Mara, of Ben, of Anakin, Jacen and Jaina, of so many people, all who had filled his life, and reached out one hand to the Codex, felt the ancient artefact cause his awareness to expand exponentially, felt Leia, Han, Lando, Threepio and Artoo, all together, all joined by the strength of their bonds, and he turned, reaching his hand out to the void as it expanded towards them.

He channelled the very Force itself through him, an exertion of balance, of hope, of life itself.

For a brief, terrible, moment, his palm met the growing rift, and the clouds parted, the wind stopped, the shaking of the very ground itself ceased, a moment of pure clarity and peace emerging around them.

And then the void swelled, as if burping, as if it was merely dining on their final efforts, and consumed them.

They were gone.

It was over.

But what they did do is signpost the way for hope.

For us to find a way forward.

Or, perhaps more accurately...

Backwards.

---

So, we all know what happened, a few months ago. Disney purchased Star Wars, and, with it, declared the current Expanded Universe to be Legends. On that basis, it has been rebooted. How far, we do not know. What we do know is that the films, the Clone Wars TV series, and the novelisations of the films themselves, are canon. Of uncertain canonicity are the Clone Wars books, and the Old Republic MMORPG. If so, with the latter, it will bring with it almost everything from 45,000 BBY to 3960 BBY anyway by reference. So in that respect how hard a reboot this really is, we couldn’t say.

The premise of this game is simple.

It has happened. It is happening right now. But what of characters we have loved, or made, or forged from events within the Legends arc? Will they make it across? Can they be salvaged? Should they be?

Every person who plays this game will have the same opportunity as every other. They may reach into any point in time from 4 ABY to 600 ABY and use a character from the Expanded Universe or from their own fanon. Each player may have up to two characters, one EU and one fanon. So if you wanted to grab a character from a game set in 100 ABY, go for it, or one in 128 ABY you may, and so forth. You may even make use of characters who have died in ended games, or died in the EU, as long as you pick them out at a year where they were still alive. So if you miss a character, grab them too! If you want to simply create a new character, go for it, they need not be existing, but they will be considered a fanon creation.

The only limit will be that you cannot pick film or Clone Wars related characters. Any character who is now canon is off limits. If you need a hand, PM me with any questions.

---

Character Sheet - send to me for approval please.
Name (and/or title):
Picture: (Optional)
Age:
Species:
Homeworld:
Year of Choice:
Force Sensitivity – Yes or No.
Alignment: Alliance, Imperial, Jedi, Sith, Underworld
Personal Effects, including weapons:
Bio:

---

Rules:

1. No God-modding.
2. The Force does not have levels. It does, however, have limitations depending on who you are, and where you are. I do not expect moons to be thrown.
3. GM’s word is law. If he veto’s your sheet, please don’t ask why, just assume it’s plot-related (there are precisely three characters who cannot be used for plot reasons and I would be pleasantly impressed if anyone chose them)
4. Have fun! Or else.
5. No, seriously, just have fun.
6. If you are unable to post, please tell me. If I do not hear from you within a fortnight I shall assume you are not playing any longer. I appreciate people are busy and I will make allowances for that.

 

Dramatis Personae

5 ABY

Kyle Katarn, by Ramza
Stark, by greyjedi125

8 ABY

Talon Karrde, by Peng

9 ABY

Joruus C'Boath, by RandomComments

14 ABY

Tionne, by Ktala
Kam Solusar

19 ABY

Mitth'raw'nuruodo, by Thrawn1786

27 ABY

Anakin Solo, by HanSolo29

29 ABY

Gilad Pellaeon, by Imperial Hammer
Mara Jade Skywalker, by Skywalker_T-65
Miat Temm

41 ABY

2nd Month, beginning of

Jacen Solo, by The Great No One
Hob Bob, by WINKWINK
HK-47, by WINKWINK
Lumiya

6th Month

Jaina Solo, by Mitth-Fisto
Tenel Ka Djo, by spycoder9
Kyp Durron
Ivaar Workan

100 ABY

Thuwistan Zawahul, by Mitth-Fisto

108 ABY

Subject 25739, by The Great No One
Quillan Herdstrom, by Chukles38
Subject 83247, by Shira_Adola
Subject 17467; Mirai Matalina, by Thrawn1786

136 ABY

Cade Skywalker, by Chukles38

146 ABY

Lenea Sandstrider, by Skywalker_T-65

Bail Antilles

600 ABY

Lora Skywalker, by DarkLordoftheFins
Darth Tod

1000 ABY

Yammka
Jaden Korr
Valin Horn

 

GM Approved!

Name: Anakin Solo
Picture:

Age: 17-18
Species: Human
Homeworld: Coruscant
Year of Choice: 27 ABY - just prior to the Myrkr mission
Force Sensitivity: Yes
Alignment: Jedi/New Republic
Personal Effects, including weapons: Lightsaber, blaster, assorted tools, vibroblade
Bio: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Anakin_Solo

 

Prologue

There was one thing which was apparent from the Apocalypse..........entropy was an entity personified ...The Force directs the flow of time....because the Force is life, it adheres itself to those do-gooders, in that they often represent life....Time is the Force....not been a wound large enough to break time?...Perhaps a galaxy needs to die?....This galaxy is surrounded by more than half a dozen satellite galaxies. Only one has been partially explored due to gravitic anomalies seeding it. A second has received visitors and was the origin point of the respective invasions of the Nagai and the Tof, neither of which had fully mapped their home galaxy before ....how to destroy a galaxy?

An intercepted recording from 48 ABY, origin point unknown, intended recipient unknown


Ramza, greyjedi125, Peng, RandomComments, Ktala, HanSolo29, Imperial Hammer, Skywalker_T-65, The Great No One, WINKWINK, Mitth-Fisto, spycoder9, DarkLordoftheFins, Chukles38, Shira, Thrawn1786, The Great No One

 

Chapter One - Praxis

IC: Jan Ors
Nar Shaddaa, Alliance corvette Eridain, orbit, 5 ABY

A mottled moon of metal twirling around one of bogs and green, Nar Shaddaa was as good a world as any for a rendezvous. Officially neutral in the Galactic Civil War between the Rebel Alliance – the New Republic – and the Galactic Empire – the Imperial Remnant – the Hutts and their holdings were, of course, just as prone to join one side as the other. Having reclaimed more than half of their pre-Imperial territory, they were content to remain a source of all manner of graft for both sides, parlaying weapons and mercenaries to both.

Jan Ors had nonetheless chosen to meet Kyle Katarn here in a Corellian corvette, a vessel which could be feasibly argued to belong to any one of the dozen factions vying for control of the galaxy right now. Turning up with the Home One would have likely been difficult for the Hutts to beg off, even if Admiral Ackbar wanted any excuse to bring his fleet on a bombing run of Nal Hutta, the world of sludge and muck that Nar Shaddaa orbited.

That, and Jan felt like she needed somewhere neutral to meet with Kyle.

He had gone and faced a venerable cabal of Dark Jedi led by a Dark Jedi Master named Jerec, and she knew such a confrontation would have changed him. Her aide, Lylithe Kya, herself a SpecForce operative, had mused that the further along the route of Jedi someone strode the further they were from the mundane existence that Jan craved.

And, arguably, hoped for from Kyle.

She had suggested a different meeting spot, closer to Tatooine, as it had been closer to where the Eridain had been operating, but High Command had been unable to raise several outposts in the sector and had diverted the corvette to Nal Hutta. It was an odd thing, but apparently the diversion had been noticed, which argued as to why those outposts were now silent.

Lylithe folded her arms over her pocket-laden jacket, tapping her boot on the deck. “He’s late.”

“It’s not abnormal,” said Jan, more quietly, unconsciously seeking to avoid attention as the bridge crew, such as it was on a corvette, bustled about and kept a keen eye on pirate threats; this was hardly friendly space.

Lylithe suddenly stiffened, and Jan knew it was about to become a lot less friendly. “Incoming.”

A moment later a vessel popped into existence in the solar system; an Imperial Interdictor, the Sentinel. “That’s one of Pellaeon’s ships,” said Jan, frowning.

“Doesn’t make a big difference to us,” said Lylithe, undoubtedly referencing how it was twice the size and had a squadron of fighters that they did not. It was in a slightly higher orbit, but pointed elsewhere, towards another ship, but the cruiser began to right itself to pin them more perfectly in system, promptly dispelling the assumption that it wasn’t here for it, but also giving it plausible deniability if the Hutts raised an issue about the obvious intrusion into their space. “We’ve been sold out.”

“And we’re about to be in a lot of trouble,” yelled Captain Aban, as the gravity well generators pinned them in place. “Short of your boyfriend running interference we’re in no position to take that on.”

Biting back the desire to clarify that Kyle was not her boyfriend, she strode over to the Captain. “What about our escort?”

“Four Y-wings against twelve TIE Fighters and an Interdictor?”

Jan scowled. “Just focus on getting the shields down. Kyle will be here any minute from now, and we can coordinate from there.” She turned to face Lylithe, poised to ask about her X-wing and how useful it would be following its recent scrape with TIE Defenders on the Corellian Run, but Lylithe was looking at Nar Shaddaa, an even deeper frown.

“Who the hell...”

There was a flicker, again, and the most beautiful that Jan had ever seen appeared – the Moldy Crow, in all its glory.

“They’re jamming us, Captain,” chimed comms.

But Jan knew that he would hear her breathless word.

“Kyle.”

--
Nar Shaddaa, surface, Corellian quarter

This was not the first time an Imperial vessel had appeared above the Hutt moon and threatened the system. Last time had been nearly eight years and more than two dozen capital ships had arrived, and they had been swiftly repulsed by an alliance of smugglers. But this time there was no alliance, and when four TIE fighters buzzed the city, strafing what had nominally been functional shield generators, panic broke out.

It was a panic that Vima Da-Boda, the old, disgraced, former Jedi, knew all too well, and she slowly picked herself up from the floor where she had been busking, tell fortunes – begging, Vima knew – and made her way to the underground tunnels which would be safer, as long as the Ganks were not about. “Vima will be safe, safe she will be,” she muttered to herself.

A presentment in the Force had her pause before she turned the archway, and she looked back, seeing him. An amnesiatic by the name of Stark, he had been here for several years now, going on beyond half a decade. She had felt the Force in him, and done what she could, but he was a mess, tormented by nightmares and memories which were no longer his own, belonging to the man he had been.

“Come, Stark, come. Safer down, it will be.”

As if on cue, the TIEs circled back and hit a small ship as it was looking to break into orbit. It had barely cleared the hangar in the middle of one of the larger, Hutt-owned, skyscrapers, and it promptly dipped down towards the street. In the rush, Vima was bowled over, and she barely had chance to pull herself closed as people panicked.

As she glimpsed up, the freighter, damaged, came down in the street, a long fuselage creating an L shape with the engines at the end, the cockpit at very opposite end, weapons aligned in that direction. There was a gaping hole along the side, and as it set down, just about under control, Vima felt old impulses kick in as she peered over to check they landed safely and were unharmed.

That was before the two men jumped out and the Force shone with danger. One, a man whose face was swaddled with cloth, and radiated pain in a way which suggested burn victim to Vima, had a blaster in a holster on either leg, but the other was fully kitted out in Mandalorian armour, who briefly scanned the area as the first moved to check the damage, cursing fluidly.

Even Vima knew who this one was.

Boba Fett.

And he would remember Stark’s face, if he saw it. And, potentially, Stark would remember his. But, equally, would he be focused on that, or instead upon the sudden voice in his skull, another one, or a new one?

Who the hell are you? You’re not who I expected.

Vima felt something shift, something tectonic, and, grasping her heart in surprise, collapsed.

Ramza, greyjedi125
---
IC: Mara Jade
Krant, Bothan Space, Wild Karrde[/i], edge of the Krant system, 8 ABY[/i]

Mara wasn’t happy.

But, then again, she didn’t have a reason to be. The smuggling run was going pretty poorly, and a Customs frigate was en route to see them. The Wild Karrde could probably handle it if it came to a fight and their cargo manifest couldn’t cope with the scrutiny, but at the same time, it was an unnecessary risk to her.

She was on comms today, one of her many roles as she pushed to become Talon’s second-in-command. It was standard Karrde policy that all his crew be able to take any post, in case the need arose. Essentially they were meeting Aves, Karrde’s current second-in-command, from a standard drop-off near Lok, and also to poke around this relatively quiet area of the galaxy, what with all the action taking place in the Borderlands as Ackbar, Rogriss and Teradoc duelled over the scraps of Zsinj’s fiefdom. The HoloNet was reporting about the fall of Kuat, and how Republic forces had bested those of the Empire, Drommel and the Pentastar Alignment respectively at Ord Mantell, Ketaris and Generis. In short, it looked like the Empire was done, to Mara, and attention would shift to other quadrants – and knowing where it would shift in advance allowed Karrde to move his operations as necessary. It was smart, she had to credit him that much, and explained how Karrde had filled the shoes of Jabba without anyone really knowing as much.

With a flicker of pseudo-motion, Mara saw a freighter decant from hyperspace, and instantly recognised it as the Starry Ice. Aves current command. Mara frowned. “Um, we have Aves in-system… which I think we’re going to struggle to explain to our friend.”

The Chev on sensors piped up. “The Ice is damaged, Karrde.”

Mara quickly keyed herself into the standard Imperial channel, pressing her earpiece closer to her so she could drown out the excess noise of the crew. “The Customs frigate is interrogating the Ice, demanding to know why they are infringing on Republic territory.” She paused. “No response.”

“The Ice is heading straight towards us, Captain.”

Mara bit her lip. “The Customs frigate is hailing us, demanding we tell them if we know anything about the Ice.”

“The Customs frigate is powering up shields and weapons, Captain! We’ve been made!”

Not necessarily, thought Mara, but she had long known not to make suggestions to the Captain. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Talon, curious as to how he would jump.

Peng
---
IC: Grand Admiral Thrawn
Aboard the Chimaera, two light minutes out from the Nkllon system, 9 ABY

'I require better conclusions than that,' Grand Admiral Thrawn said smoothly, calmly, with more than a hint of displeasure in his voice.

'I'm sorry sir,' said Captain Pellaeon, taking another step towards both the Grand Admiral and his command chair - and the protective bubble of the ysalamiri around it. 'But Intelligence corroborates what Delta Source is stating - that Skywalker and Solo have vanished, without approval of their High Command. Equally Lando Calrissian has gone missing from Nomad City and four pilots from Rogue Squadron have also born absent without leave. There is an unconfirmed report that Wedge Antilles literally vanished in front of Corran Horn, too.'

Pellaeon had no choice but to finish with a conclusion, and winced slightly. 'It would appear that, somehow, they were aware of the plans to snatch Leia Organa Solo before she have birth. It is the only conclusion Intelligence has.'

'Impossible,' Thrawn's eyes flashed, but it was practically a murmur, as if he was deep in thought. 'The confusion in Rebel High Command suggests something more to it - there is no way that so many prominent Rebels could simply vanish without some trace. We shall need to put more bounty hunters on it, and soon.' Thrawn smiled tightly. 'Three months without sight of any of them is unacceptable.'

Pellaeon cast his eyes back towards the other side of the room, sweeping them across Rukh, Thrawn's bodyguard, towards Joruus C'Boath, the Dark Jedi Master who had only agreed to assist them on the basis that they could supply him with the Jedi children. Without his help matters would become more complicated, especially if he returned to Wayland and saw the operation there. With the Empire poised to hit Nkllon and steal the mole miners necessary to steal a fleet from Sluis Van, C'Boath was needed more than ever, at least for now.

Pellaeon absently wondered - feared - if now they would see a bout of clone madness that would not end, if the Chimaera itself was in danger.


RandomComments
---
IC: Kam Solusar
Tatooine, Mos Espa, 14 ABY, early year

This was not quite the trip Kam Solusar had envisioned. He and Tionne were on an artifact hunt, following a series of rumours.

Following the discovery of the Scepter of Ragnos in a collection on Commenor and it subsequently falling into the hands of Dark Jedi Tavion, Master Skywalker had directed his Jedi Knights to fanout in teams of two and dig through the underworld for other threats waiting to catch them unaware. The scepter had transformed the hunting surviving Reborn Dark Jedi into the resurgent Disciples of Ragnos, a Sith cult that had struck Yavin 4 and now we're fanning out across the galaxy with the assistance of various Imperial factions allying with the Sith just to spite the New Jedi Order.

Today they were following a small pyramidal artefact called the Sithcelaphon. Rumoured to have been secured by a private collector during the early days of the craze after the Battle of Ruusan, when Sith memorabilia was promptly made illegal by the Republic, it had been offered at an auction house on Tatooine, and Kam and Tionne were waiting to speak to the owner to convince him to donate it to the Order for safekeeping. Kam had been hoping for some more private time with Tionne but thus far they had not had a chance to talk privately, having been roped into transporting a group of stranded musicians along the way.

So it was almost the first time they were alone together when they were sitting in the waiting room of the owner, one Cicil Roth, the Twi'lek who had put the artifact up for auction after falling on hard times. As in, he was now a billionaire as opposed to a trillionaire, and that was inconsistent with his lifestyle choice, evidenced by his ability to secure not only rooms for him, his family and servants in the hotel, but also throw around enough credits to secure a room just to convert into a waiting room for his visitors.

Kam was about to speak up, when the door opened and admitted another, a tall human male who had his face partially covered by a scarf and hood which had to be sweltering in the Tatooine heat. Kam have him a brief once over while he took a seat opposite and to the side of them, closest to Roth's room. Kam scowled and simply turned to Tionne. 'You do know I'm attracted to you, right?' He frowned as he realised how that sounded, and the other occupant of the room snorted softly. Face reddening, he stammered on, 'I mean, I like you, and we seem to enjoy each other's company, and I'd like to spend more time in your company, and, and...'

The door to the waiting room flipped open, interrupting Kam before he could continue or Tionne could respond, and a green skinned Twi'lek pushed his head through the gap. Kam briefly wondered if this was Roth before he angled his head to the scarfed man. 'Master Roth will receive Pedric Cuf now,' said the Twi'lek, and Kam widened his eyes.

'But we were here first!'

The Twi'lek adopted a look of disapproval. 'But Mr Cuf's appointment was before yours, to discuss the artifact. So you shall have to wait to discuss it.' The servant smiled, all teeth, 'If of course there is anything to discuss as I understand Mr Cuf's offer was quite generous.'

'On the condition I need not haggle for it at the auction,' the sacred man - Pedric Cuf - said, as if repeating himself. 'And I would remind you that my name was to be kept in confidence.'

'Certainly,' added the Twi'lek, looking apologetic, before adopting that arch look again. 'It is not as if Jedi walk in your high circles anyway.'

Pedric froze, and promptly waved a hand. 'No more of my time is to be wasted.' He hurried through the doorway, not sparing them a second glance. The Force betrayed no emotion, but Pedric's body language was definitely agitated at the mere mention of Jedi.

Kam frowned when they were again alone, thinking on the exchange, beyond the obvious hurdle another private collector created. Then he remembers what he had said, and, deadpan as ever, looked from the doorway back over to Tionne, before grinning sheepishly. 'Well?'
Ktala
---
IC: Baron Soontir Fel
Depths of Nirauan, Wild Space, 19 ABY

'I don't care about excuses,' said Baron Soontir Fel, sharply. 'Clear the debris and find them Jedi.' By them Jedi he of course referred to Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade, who had been harassing the Hand of Thrawn fortress on Nirauan. The primary base of operations of the Empire of the Hand, they had made a careful overture to Mara Jade, the former Emperor’s Hand, when rumours spread that Thrawn was back from the dead. Of course, that information had been a hoax and an unfortunate coincidence, they had since found out – a conman impersonating Thrawn had been created by a rogue Grand Moff and nearly tore the galaxy asunder… and almost saw the Empire of the Hand rejoin the mainstream Empire – such as it was – and reignite the Galactic Civil War, now finally ended at the Bastion Accords.

This was all information that had flowed to the Hand of Thrawn before they had even noticed the damage to the lower levels by some kind of flooding. On closer investigation it became apparent that the two Jedi and the local vermin had discovered a secret chamber that not even Admiral Parck, who had been with Thrawn for even longer than Fel, was aware of. So far they had found a set of wrecked computers that rivalled those the Empire of the Hand had access to, as if it was a kind of area for someone to reconnect with the galaxy, or monitor it, for a time, well stocked and supplied so the occupant need not head upstairs for several months.

'I don't believe they are here anymore,' said Cem Fel, charric drawn, part of the four man team, commanded by Soontir, that was surveying the lower levels. Soontir shone his flashlight the way of his son, shaking his head at the damage but drawing a similar conclusion. A ship had made it out, after all. Cem called again. 'Battle droid remains ahead, sir, be careful.'

'So why didn't Lieutenant Drow mention it?' Soontir said, a frown to his tone. He looked beyond and saw Cem shining his own flashlight further on, stiffening slightly. “Lieutenant Fel?” When Cem still not respond, Soontir allowed himself a small concession, as he picked over the battle droid remains, casting an eye down at them; he did not recognise the design at all. “Cem?”

“Srach, is that who I think it is?”

Soontir would have criticised Cem for using Srach Drow’s first name during a mission, but he had just done the same, and the other two members of the team, searching the opposite end of the cavern, let alone Admiral Parck himself, were patched into the comlink chain. Hypocrisy would not even be strong enough a word at this point.

Instead, Soontir pulled his own charric and stepped up beside Cem, who was pointing his flashlight beyond the winsome Srach Drow, another human woman on his otherwise Chiss team. Her mouth was slightly ajar, as she pointed her flashlight on. Soontir followed the beam of light to what had drawn their respective gazes, thinking at first it was the broken wall further on, or the glittering glass twinkling in the darkness –

- And then he saw it.

Or, rather, Soontir saw him.

“Impossible,” he uttered, just as one of the other Chiss in the team, Stent, came over the battlenet.

“I’ve found the emergency lights. Brace your eyes, everyone -”

And then the cavern was lit again, and Soontir blinked briefly, wondering if in the darkness he had mistook the naked Chiss on the floor, red eyes boring into them. A thousand thoughts rushed into his mind, acknowledging the remnants of the glass cylinder – a clone, the dead ysalamiri, the flash imprinting cables trailing from the roof of the shattered Spaarti cylinder, the flicker of a memory that nobody truly knew how much was actually remembered from flash learning, how many skills were retained or innate, and then his eyes darted, taking in the cavernous room with more supplies stacked on either side, before remembering what he was supposed to do before a superior officer -

“Grand Admiral,” said, Soontir, breathless, before straightening and saluting. “Welcome back, sir.”

Thrawn was back.

But, Soontir lamented, how much of him had came back?
Thrawn1786

 

IC: Tahiri Veila
Aboard Eclipse, 27 ABY, two months in

The Voxyn threat was spreading throughout the galaxy, and after a great deal of effort and work, Anakin Solo, his siblings, friends, and girlfriend Tahiri Veila had ascertained the location of the Voxyn production center; Mykyr, deep behind enemy lines and well protected.

They were on their way to the main chamber of the Eclipse base to present Clighal's findings to Master Skywalker and the others, and as they reached where he and various other Jedi and pilots were gathered they were forced to stop as they watched a transport slam into the deck, spitting sparks and flame. A team quickly managed the situation, before the ramp dropped and Talon Karrde, Shada and a host of other smugglers poured out of the ship with a dozen Hutts in tow, one of which was undoubtedly recognisable as Borga the Hutt, the leader of the Hutt clans, such as they were.

Han, Luke and the others were there, helping the wounded and moving away with Talon, Shada and Borga discuss what had happened. Ganner wrinkled his nose. 'I don't see how this place is supposed to say secret with that Hutt smell...'

Jaina frowned. 'Or with all those smugglers here.'

'Come on,' said Jacen. 'I have a bad feeling about this.' The group, including Tekli, Raynar Thul and the Barabel trio, joined the conversation which Anakin's uncle and parents were having with Borga the Hutt and Karrde.

'It was a disaster! First the Yuuzhan Vong drive us from Nal Hutta to that horrendous dirtball of a planet -'

'I was born on Tatooine,' Luke said mildly to Borga, who ignored him.

'- and now this superweapon consumes the planet!'

Karrde interjected, looking haggard. 'It's probably a good thing you moved the capital there, otherwise we may not have found about it before it had consumed whole sectors...'

'And how do you expect us to stop a planet eating void today?' Han added, all sarcasm. 'It's a bit above Death Star or even Galaxy Gun level, and we have a small intergalactic invasion to stop still.'

'The Voxyn still exist...' Leia said, a tone to her voice.

'They're not as important as this. The people I left behind have confirmed that it has consumed the whole sector,' said Karrde, 'in the time it took to get from the Rim to Eclipse.'

Luke nodded, turning to Anakin and the others as they joined them. 'Clighal told me about the Voxyn on Mykyr by comm when I asked for her analysis of the data Karrde has brought us. So I also know that you guys want to me to authorise you to head there.' He raised a hand to forestall any commentary. 'But what you don't know is that Karrde intercepted a signal and tracked it to the Dune Sea on Tatooine, which was the origin point of what happened.'

Borga was visibly wobbling with rage. 'I don't see how this helps my kind and our -'

Han cut across, also cutting across whatever the youngsters were going to say. 'It doesn't. It's bigger than the Hutts. Look,' he said, wagging a finger at Anakin. 'Clighal says you guys want to head to Mykyr, and Luke says he wants to send you into the Unknown Regions hunting the source of the signal which opens voids in space.'

Leia raised her voice slightly. 'Enough, Han. Our kids are Jedi, they do this all the time. We're at war, and either they go to Mykyr or after this. We can't protect them anymore from this, not without letting down everyone else and them especially.' Han worked his jaw, but obviously saw the truth in what his wife was saying. Leia looked back at Anakin, aware that he was the leader, in all but name, of the Jedi Order's young stars. 'Anakin, we need your opinion on this.'

HanSolo29
---
IC: Miat Temm
30 ABY, years very beginning, en route to Naboo

It was New Year's Day, across certain parts of the galaxy. It was more than just a celebration of a new year arriving, but being alive at all to see it. The Yuuzhan Vong War was finally over, having been won months after at the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar. The protracted mop-up was ending, and Gilad Pellaeon had presided over the first expansion of the Empire in a decade. Leaving the position of Head of State to Grand Moff Sarreti, the Empire was more balanced than it had been since he had assumed control.

Now with two permanent Stormtrooper bodyguards, the retired Grand Admiral was en route to a much needed break on Naboo, visiting the Emperor's homeworld. aboard a heavily modified shuttle craft, fit for a former Head of State. Vitor Reige was piloting the TIE Defender that Sarreti had supplied, and Miat Temm, his aide, was piloting the shuttle.

The shuttle very briefly shifted from hyperspace to reorient along the hyperlanes, decanting near Arkanis, and Miat did an ordinarily painless update from the HoloNet. What she read made her stiffen. On the Admiral's private channel was an impossible message... And on her own encrypted line was an urgent distress call from her Master, and authority to reveal the Order's secret.

She frowned, trepidation filling her as Miat opened a channel to Vitor. 'Hold here, Reige.' Miat stood, her Stormtrooper armour clattering as she did, briefly debating whether she should she replace her helmet so she could master her expression, but knew the aged Admiral deserved better than that. Releasing a breath, she strode into the passenger compartment, helmet in her hand.

'Sorry to interrupt, Admiral, but I have a message that has appeared in the databanks from your son, now the HoloNet is back up and running. It was recorded before Mynar headed off to Bilbringi with Captain Solo...' Her voice trailed off. Captain Mynar Devis of the Interdictor Star Dreadnought Wrack, had been a close personal friend of her, in her capacity as Gilad's aide.

'... And I have a message from Master Brandl of Trulalis.' Miat erased all emotions from her face. Adalric Cessius Brandl was a former Imperial Inquisitor and she knew him, too, in a personal fashion. 'Requesting your presence immediately, if at all possible.' She smiled sheepishly.

The shuttle suddenly rocked and Reige's voice rang out of the helmet in her hand. 'Yuuzhan Vong light frigate analog above us; it's launching Coralskippers, we need to pull out right now!' Miat didn't stand on ceremony, rushing to the cockpit and quickly scanning the area. Sure enough, there was a two hundred meter long frigate before them, four Coralskippers rushing forward. Reige was holding beside them, lacing the formation of skips, as pilot parlance called them, with long range fire.

'Orders?'

Miat briefly scanned the system they had decanted in. Arkanis was in the same sector of Trulalis and Tatooine, and they were at it's fringes. The population centre was deeper in-system, on the plane below to them. The jump point to Naboo was behind the frigate. Coordinating a jump to Trulalis would require them to advance toward the skips and divert port at a right angle, and the frigate was oriented to point starboard so there was that. Returning where hey had came was possible, but turning full-circle would be slow in this shuttle, even with the advanced engines and shields. The fringes of the system were occupied by minimal debris bar a comet off to starboard, which if they turned in the next few moments would cover them past the frigates guns as long as it did nothing unremarkable.

Miat scowled, and patched the data through to Gilad. 'Admiral, thoughts?'

---
Arkanis system edge

The Jedi XJ3's emerged from hyperspace behind the frigate, obscured by the sensors of Gilad's shuttle. The Wraiths had traced a leak in Gilad's route from Bastion to Naboo and had elected, when they could not reach him by hypercomm as he was in transit, to pass the details to Luke and Mara Skywalker as they were in the area meeting with the Errant Venture as it dropped off Jensaarai students back at their academy. Yuuzhan Vong efforts to retake the galaxy were effectively reduced to organised piracy at this stage, but there remained some wily commanders who had not died at Gyndine, Commenor, Ord Mantell or Tholatin.

And although the three XJ3's decanted from hyperspace, Tam Azur Jamin, the third pilot in their standard shield trio, instantly knew there was a problem; he could not feel Luke Skywalker in the meld. Not could he see Artoo in the socket. It was if they had vanished, impossibly. A quick goose on his whines bought him side by side, and he could see the cockpit was unmanned. A chill filled him, and he reached out for the third XJ3 and found Mara Jade Skywalker, which slightly eased at the chill within him. The Yuuzhan Vong frigate, however, cared not, and it's port side weapons quickly arranged themselves to fire, it's remaining eight Coralskippers dropping off the frigate to engage them.

Tam winced, knowing Luke's XJ3 was sailing towards the incoming fighters with no sense of manoeuvring. He opened fire at maximum range, spraying low energy bolt over the skips, who deployed voids to catch the bolts, effectively slowing down their advance enough for him to think, opening a channel to Mara. 'Master Skywalker?'


Imperial Hammer
Skywalker
---
IC: Lumiya
Orbiting Kavan, Hapes system, 41 ABY, early year

All was conflict, and conflict was all.

And for Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, that was fine. But now Ship, the Sith Meditation Sphere which Ben Skywalker had found on Ziost, was furious, considering swatting Jacen Solo out of the sky for attempting to destroy him.

Lumiya was having much less of an impact on Ship than Ben Skywalker was, who had convinced Ship not to kill Jacen - as if Jacen's destiny would allow such a thing - and had also convinced Ship that she was an apprentice and as such he would ignore them all if it deemed it necessary.

Lumiya was on the verge of calling in backup, some of the various underlings that were within her financial empire. Invisible in comparison to the previous one she had served but all the more effective for it. Alema Rar was nearby, no doubt, but she was as inconsistent as she was irritable, and there were no guarantees that she wouldn't interfere with Jacen's upcoming fight with Mara.

Lumiya needed reasonable but effective. Swiftly, she opened the comm to two potential agents who she knew were nearby and mused on their chances against Ben Skywalker. Satisfied by their credentials, she initiated contact...

---
Hapes system, Hapes

As a world recently subject to rebellion, Hapes, the capital of the Hapan Consortium, was a sea of intrigue and violence, mostly barely contained.

The agents of that violence today were Hob Bob and HK-47, the latter millennia old in comparison to the former, by virtue of being a droid. Their objective? A single bunker on an isolated island far from the hubbub of the capital city, such as it was, covering more than half of the planet. It had nominally been classified as out of touch since the Hapan Heritage Council made their move against Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo, and it was only following the repairs to the communication grid that it was apparent that the local commander, one Shinzo Ful, had sided with the rebel council and subsequently hoped they would bounce back before their treachery was discovered. A low tech affair, it nonetheless had ample air defences, and its own self-contained shield generator to go beside the high walls and two hundred Hapan soldiers that were evident there. It doubled as a prison for the most dangerous of Hapan threats, and the Queen Mother, loath to expose the secret Lorellian Order to the Consortium with a massed assault, unable to guarantee the loyalty of all of her nobles, and with relations between her and all the Jedi bar the extremely busy Jacen Solo at an all-time low, had contracted out the problem to these two, asking them to recapture the bunker-come-castle, even going far enough to provide them with a space-capable speedboat and supplying them with a secret route into the island, relying on them to keep to themselves the information that the scanners were fed false readings along a long chain of smaller islets leading up to the main base.

With the communications grid also disabled by the Crown for this entire section of the planet, they would know something was coming, but unless they had independent hypercomm, which the Crown's analysts doubted, otherwise an extraction would have surely occurred by now, they would not be able to find out what.

As such, the blackout did not stop the hypercomm in their possession from relaying a simple message from an old contractor:

DARK LADY HAS JOB OVER KAVAN WITHIN NEXT EIGHT HOURS. PAYMENT FOR ASSASSINATION OF JEDI TEENAGER, HALF ON TAKING JOB, HALF ON COMPLETION. FAILURE NOT ACCEPTED, CONTRACT ON STANDARD TERMS. RESPOND SWIFTLY.

So they had a few things to do in a short time frame; the least pleasant way for bounty hunters to operate.

---

Jacen Solo, for his part, would be surprised by a sudden and proverbial absence in the Force. Not caused by Mara, potentially Lumiya, if he had killed her, but instead by the complete inability of him to sense his Uncle, Luke, nor Mother in the Force. It was not a tectonic shift, and Ben, unskilled in the Force as he was, would not detect it, and Lumiya, without the familial bond that he had, would equally not. But it would bring him to a pause, potentially.

Ship, infinitely more sensitive to the vagaries of the Force than Lumiya, primarily by design than inheritance as with Jacen, detected it all, and realised that, somehow, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo, the great traitors to the Sith, were gone.

And it was pleased.
The Great No One, WINKWINK
---
IC: Ben Skywalker
Kashyyyk, Shadowlands, 41 ABY, mid-year

It had been nearly fifteen years since the Solo and Skywalker family had last gathered to this grove of wroshyr trees on Kashyyyk. Then it had been five years, but not to the day, of the passing of Chewbacca, and nearly three years since Anakin Solo had joined him in the Force. And now they were here to remember two other members of the family who had since passed – Mara Jade Skywalker and Jacen Solo.

The grove had changed quite a bit since they had last visited, and for new additions to the extended family such as Tenel Ka Djo, Amelia Solo and Ben Skywalker, it was a sad sight to behold. Their retinue included Chewbacca’s widow, Mallatobuck and their son, Waroo, as well as Chewie’s nephew Lowbacca. Several of the other Wookiees who had met them there fifteen years ago could not join them – Ralrra was missing, Jowdrrl was searching for his mate at the fringes of the raging inferno, which still had yet to burn out and Attichitcuk had exiled himself, for the sins of his extended family. Somber, they had trekked for a day from Thiss, near the burnt out remnants of the village of Rwookrrorro. The fallen branch that had served as a memorial to Chewbacca was similarly burned, having been caught in Jacen’s pyromania over five months beforehand.

Han, with Lando at his side, was peeling away at the branch, which had folded inward in the heat. The trunk of one of the trees that supported the fallen branch was concealed, and as Han pulled away at the dead wood he found that the likeness of Chewbacca, which had been carved into the trunk to remember him, had survived the cataclysm.

Tears touched at the edges of Han’s eyes, and Lowbacca explained. [The branch had protected Chewbacca’s memorial, by folding itself around as it burned.]

Leia crouched down beside her husband, tears in her eyes. Luke was somber, and Ben had no doubt that Jaina was the same, having been pale and withdrawn since killing her brother. Amelia huddled near her mother – Tenel Ka – while her ‘adopted parents’ grieved. Ben squatted down by Chewbacca’s face. “Do you think that the Wookiee’s will ever forgive us?”

[All wounds heal with time], said Malla, sadly.

“And learn,” said Luke. “Learn from our mistakes. We will find out what happened to Jacen, for all of us, and the galaxy.”

“Redemption,” said Leia, softly. “That is what our family is known for. The family which redeemed Darth Vader.”

As Han pulled clear more debris from Chewbacca’s face, a lump of wood came free, revealing the lightsaber of Anakin Solo, unharmed, and untouched. He reached down for it, and saw, beneath the brittle and burned exterior of the great felled branch, there was pristine, untouched wood, even insects and other creatures within the nooks and carved-out burrows. The family took in the significance of that as one – even under the devastation that Darth Caedus had caused, there was life still beating beneath.

It was a somber occasion, and a necessary one. Behind them was a body which needed to be cremated, and it was an occasion which few would lament; the last Solo son.

The extended family today included Kyp Durron and Jagged Fel, who were both hovering near Jaina Solo, though Kyp was nominally close by to unobtrusively keep an eye on Luke too. Jagged however was closest to Jaina, just on the verge of what Ben considered to be acceptable considering she had just killed her twin.

Conspicuous in her absence was Tahiri, currently imprisoned by the Galactic Alliance. No amount of wrangling with the new Chief of State, Natasi Daala, could secure the release of the last Sith, potentially on the path of redemption or not, to Ben's disappointment.

They split for an hour and them the ceremony was about to start, though strictly speaking there was nobody officiating - it hadn't felt appropriate. But when they returned, Ben found himself not staring at the body draped under the cover, but frowning. He briefly surveyed their surroundings; the fold-out repulsor table which had a handful of snacks and the three lightsabers of Anakin, Jacen and Mara on; the body itself; the grove of trees and of course the one showing Chewbacca's face engraved, the clearing itself filled mostly by the mass of the Millennium Falcon and Lady Luck respectively. 'Um, Jag, have you seen Dad? Or Aunt Leia and Uncle Han?' Ben's frown deepened. 'Or even Uncle Lando?' His eyes briefly widened. 'Or Threepio and Artoo?'

Ben turned to Tenel Ka Djo. 'Didn't you leave Alla, er, Amelia with Uncle Han?'

Before she could respond, Lowbacca came down the ramp of the nearby Falcon, with a giggling bundle that was Amelia. [Not here].

Amelia paused to look briefly serious in the way a six year old only could. 'Threepeep was walkin' about inside but we for he was outside.'

Ben turned to face Kyp, the ranking Jedi, whose face appeared uncertain as he stepped towards the Falcon, but it was Lowbacca who spoke, still holding a suddenly fearful Amelia. [Master Durron?]

'Don't talk to me! You're not even real!'

That was too much for Kyp, it seemed, and he flung his hand out, a powerful Force wave slamming into Lowbacca and sending him flying in one direction, and Amelia the other. Ben flicked his gaze up to the flying toddler, and Kyp raked his hand to the side, and Ben felt himself sail that direction, incredulous but possessing enough wit to tuck himself up into a ball before slamming into the tree, gasping as the breath was drove from him, black nibbling at the edge of his vision. He watched from the ground as Kyp tug down a tree towards Jaina and wave a handful of vines towards Jagged even while Amelia was still sailing through the sky, completing his turn. Then the black in his vision was consuming it, and his final thought pretty summarising the situation before consciousness was robbed from him.

What the kriff?

spycoder9, Mitth-Fisto
---
IC: Jedi Master Bacora Sel
Rodia, jungles, 100 ABY

In a way, Bacora Sel approved that it had taken him weeks to trek through the jungles of Rodia, to find Thuwistan Zawahul. Bacora had heard the Tyia had a keen ability to bring calm and peace to a soul, to broker any disagreement wherever he should find it. Bacora needed that tranquility, needed to find someone to help him deal with the disquiet in his soul. Further, his ship was a beacon call away, making his decision to trudge on all the more significant for him.

Deftly pushing apart an interfering branch, he mused on what had brought him here. Thirteen years ago the Jedi Civil War had commenced following discord in the Order. Initially festering since the passing of Luke Skywalker and escalation of Ben Skywalker, it had gone supernova when the government insisted the Jedi, separate since 44 ABY, rejoin the Alliance as part of the judicials when a group of younger Jedi caused the deaths of hundreds of children in a battle with Dark Jedi, themselves dropouts from the Jedi.

The New Jedi Trials attempted to rebrand the Order to the galaxy, and the Guardians of Light sought to escape restrictions. A few misunderstandings later and a war had broken out, and Bacora, as a Trial Jedi, had hunted down his kin beside Dark Jedi who had been tagged so they would be shocked if rebellious, and the Trial victory had ushered in a Force arms race as unaligned and allied governments sought to recruit their own Force using organisations... Eventually causing a conflagration that had seen whole worlds raised by Sith who took advantage of the entire situation, solely caused by the Jedi being shackled, by choice, to a hopeless government entity that was rife with corruption of it's own. One Sith in particular loaded baradium on several major capital ships and civilian centres, killing billions through the galaxy...

... And that selfsame government sought to draw a line under everything that had happened in the last decade, restore the status quo from before the Civil War, and the whole fiasco, having achieved nothing more than resulted in a great deal of death, had undermined Bacora Sel's determination and resolve to be a Jedi, let alone a Master on the Council. He had resigned and headed out to find a new path, a new inner balance...

... And was still looking two months later. And had just spent several days here. Alone. Well, not entirely, but he did not muse on that. But alone enough that he could reflect on the fervour in which he had pursued peace, and order, acting within Jedi precepts and seeking accountability but also reacting and reacting badly. Even as the heat assailed him, it simply reminded him of the trials he had completed as a Padawan, defanging his own fears and demons, some forty years after becoming a Knight, straining against the elements but also beside them, working with nature to learn and relearn himself.

Mopping sweat from his brow, he absently reflected that he should have ditched his baggy robes days ago, not just yesterday. Now they had been shredded into a loose fitting cape, a thick breechclout protecting his modesty and his feet swaddled with the excess fabric. His lightsaber, decanter and various implements hung from his belt, as much as the breechclout was dangling from it too.

There was another rustle beside him, and noted a void in the Force. It could be a Yuuzhan Vong or one of their biots, now hunted for sport by Rodians. The Yuuzhan Vong shared Rodia, their largest contingent in the galaxy, larger even than that on Zonama Sekot. Allowed to spread, there were Yuuzhan Vong colonies throughout this sector and also near Mobus, the gas giant where Sekot had settled, but Rodia, for these particular Yuuzhan Vong, was home, and they had been here for over seventy years. Bacora had minimal exposure to the Yuuzhan Vong, unlike Council master Lowbacca, or other longer lived species. Bacora refocused as he sensed more than just background jungle life; a Force user - Zawahul?

There were more voids ahead too, and, his ears could hear, loud voices, interchangeably between Basic and guttural Yuuzhan Vong, but only one entity he could detect in the Force. Bacora found that curious, but reasoned that the Yuuzhan Vong were arguing - it was relatively well known that the former Shamed Ones, the Extolled Ones, were constantly putting down the defeated warrior castes. And as the standard Yuuzhan Vong lived for three centuries the social changes imposed by the Yuuzhan Vong War were still relatively new for the former invaders.

'This area belongs to us!'

'Whether it does or not does not mean you may kill our biots! Just return them to our pen!'

'Why should we, as are warriors, not cattle herders!'

Bacora reached the clearing, and although he was a fair distance away, he could sharpen his vision with the Force, across the field, littered with corpses of livestock. The smell of decay briefly assailed his nose, but Bacora applied some of his Jedi control techniques to deal with his gag reflex - he was relatively dehydrated anyway, so throwing up what little water was in system work not be pleasant, and reapplied the adjustment to his vision, just as the shouting reached a crescendo.

He could see the two crowds, one obviously Extolled Yuuzhan Vong that had rotting implants, and one full of variously well-built Yuuzhan Vong, some of which were missing limbs or obviously had been wounded in the past - Bacora assumed they were warriors. The latter group numbered four and were outnumbered three to one, but considering how sickly many of the Extolled looked, it was probably an even match. Between them, very much out of place, was a Tyia, and Bacora assumed that to be Zawahul.

Bacora was too far away to assist currently, especially when one of the warriors, spat something guttural in Yuuzhan Vong and an Extolled One launched forward, wielding a crude baton. And Bacora knew, unless Zawahul had something up his... Leaves, as opposed to sleeves, he guessed.

Deadpan humour was not his thing, and so Bacora simply winced at it and hoped he wasn't about to watch a massacre.

Mitth-Fisto