Star Wars Jedi Resistance (IC/Invite Only)

[New Emphillon]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Deception! Darth Sidious, the evil Sith Lord that masterminded the Clone Wars, has finally revealed himself to be Supreme Chancellor Palpatine after the Jedi Order attempted to arrest him. His secret identity foiled, Sidious advanced his plans to destroy the Jedi by issuing Order 66 to the Grand Army of the Republic, which declares the Jedi as enemies of the Republic. Within hours of the order being issued, thousands of Jedi were slaughtered at the hands of their former allies. To make matters worse, Anakin Skywalker, having taken the title of Darth Vader, led the 501st Legion in a raid on the Grand Temple on Coruscant, ensuring the destruction of the next generation of Jedi and the legacy of the Order.

Now, with little to stand in his way, Darth Sidious has declared himself the Emperor of the new Galactic Empire, quickly turning the Old Republic into a dictatorship. As democracy died with thunderous applause, the Clone Army attempted to destroy the Jedi that had managed to avoid death during the initial phase of Order 66. Within the coming days, many more Jedi would be killed, with Darth Vader leading the charge against them. The destruction of the Order seemed immanent...

But hope is not lost. Some Jedi have managed to escape the clutches of the Empire and are now on the run. With the Jedi Order torn apart and the Empire destroying the crumbling remains of the Republic, the survivors face the increasingly impossible challenge of reversing the damage done by Darth Sidious. As the last battles of the Clone Wars come to an end and the Empire consolidates its power, the Jedi are lurking in the shadows, preparing themselves for the conflict that will tear the galaxy apart once more. The Jedi Resistance has just begun...

OOC: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=378347

[New Emphillon]

Venator-class Star Destroyer Vigilance, Approaching the Zhar system
Approximately 12 Hours After the Execution of Order 66
Darkness. There was only darkness in the Force. Krass frowned in concentration, beads of sweat dripping down onto his furled brow. The light in the galaxy was all but gone, consumed in the vast sea of darkness and extinguished, like a fire being smothered. Pain echoed through the darkness, reverberating through the sea in waves and crashing into the shore of Krass' mind. The Jedi Master felt the pain lance through him, causing him to lose his focus. He awoke with a start, initially unsure of where he was.

Krass sat in the middle of his personal quarters, trying to grasp the vision he had seen. That was no vision, he assured himself. It was far too real to be a vision. And the pain... it still clung to him, lancing through his body weakly but ever present. What had caused such a great disturbance in the Force? A knock at the door disturbed Krass from further thought on that question. Still reeling from his vision, Krass let his senses drift to the other side of the door to identify his visitor. He sighed with some relief after he confirmed who it was.

"Come in," he said, getting to his feet. His legs were numb from the discomfort of sitting in a meditative position for several hours and from the pain of the vision.

The door opened to reveal a clone trooper standing at attention with his helmet tucked underneath his arm. Physically, the trooper did not differ much from his brothers- a squared jaw, short dark hair, and black eyes that gave the troopers a haunted look- though Krass knew who it was before him.

"Sergeant Dev," Krass saluted. The trooper returned the salute briskly, before returning to his stiff posture.

"Sir," Dev replied. "I came to inform you that the admiral wishes to speak with us immediately."

Krass nodded and walked toward the door, losing his balance for a moment as another wave of pain lanced through him. He quickly recovered and met his colleague in the hallway.

"Are you alright, sir," Dev asked.

"I've been meditating for quite a few hours, Dev," Krass stated flatly. "My legs are just beginning to regain some feeling in them."

The trooper grinned slightly and shook his head. "I don't understand this Force thing, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to meditate so long that your legs fall asleep."

Krass understood the attempt at humor and ordinarily would reply in kind. Instead, he forced himself to grin kindly. "Meditation is essential, Dev," Krass said. "Though I will agree that it could be a bit more comfortable." Trying to change the subject away from him, he added quickly, "Why does the admiral want to speak with us?"

Dev took the hint. "The captain wants to discuss our course of action once we drop out of hyperspace," he replied. "Though what exactly he wants us to discuss, I haven't a clue. We have so little intel on this shipyard, that we might as well be walking right into a trap."

Krass nodded at that. It was quite possible that information that led Krass to send a small force to Zhar in search of a Separatist shipyard could simply be bait to lure them into a trap. Nevertheless, he was willing to take the risk, if it meant shortening the war by dealing the Separatists another blow.

"That idea has crossed my mind," Krass admitted, "but I have a feeling it won't be."

Dev pushed the controls for the lift to the command bridge and turned toward his commanding officer. "Another bit of information from the Force," he asked, half-joking.

"You could say that," Krass replied in a similar manner.

---

The bridge of the star destroyer Vigilance had an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation for the battle that was to come following the fleet's departure from hyperspace. Sitting behind the trapezoid-shaped observation deck that held the crew pits was the command room for the vessel. Flight grids, sensor readouts, and various other equipment lined the walls of the room, with a large holo-projection pedestal sitting in the center. Crewmen bustled about the control room to gain information from the equipment, feeding what they received to their commanding officers.

Standing by the holo-projection pedestal was the admiral of the small fleet, Nex Arlyal. The admiral's hawkish features and trim figure gave the man an intimidating appearance, a trait he used to his advantage when he felt it necessary. Next to him stood a clone who went by the alias of Skip (short for Skipper), his charcoal black eyes focused on the hologram before the two officers. From what Krass could see upon his arrival, the image was that of Zhar with its several moons and satellites. The two men turned their gaze away from the projection of the gas giant and saluted the Jedi master and his companion, which Krass and Dev returned in kind.

"You requested us, admiral," Krass asked as flatly as he could. The pain from the mysterious disturbance continued to sap him of his strength, but he dared not show that.

Admiral Arlyal nodded and motioned for the pair to join him and the captain at the projector. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, general, but we still need to address the matter of how we wish to go about destroying the enemy shipyard. We have yet to formulate a plan."

Krass grimaced internally. Prior to the disturbance he felt, Krass had gone to his quarters to come up with a plan to eliminate the Separatist shipyard thought to be under construction above one of Zhar's moons. However, he got side-tracked by his vision. Now that he was supposed to present it, he was not sure as to how to proceed. Using a Jedi calming technique for the tenth time since he had left his quarters, Krass proceeded to explain his plan.

"I'm afraid that I do not have much," he admitted. "But it is hard to formulate a plan when we have very little information about what is ahead of us. We have no information regarding the size, the internal layout or the defenses of the shipyard. We have no idea as to the security of the facility nor do we have its production capabilities. All we do know is that it is there"- he gestured to the hologram before the four of them- "at Zhar.

"However, I do have a couple ideas. The first option relies on the fact that the shipyard is completely undefended or slightly defended. In this case, it would be a simple matter of using the task force destroy the facility and leave before the Separatists know what had happened. The second option, should it turn out that the shipyard is heavily defended, will require that we send a small strike force to board the shipyard and destroy it from the inside."

The admiral frowned at that. "And how do you intend for this small strike force to cause any damage when we have no idea of the internal layout of the shipyard, as you yourself had just said?" The two clones at the projector stared at their commanding officer for an answer.

Krass was silent for a moment before he answered the question. "By stealing a ship," he replied.

The hawkish Arlyal raised a bushy eyebrow at the answer. "How does that help destroy the facility," he inquired.

"Simple," Krass said, thinking the plan through as he went along. "The strike force would have to capture a vessel of sufficient size, no smaller than a frigate. Once the team is aboard, they can set the ship's reactor to self-destruct, which will cause severe or even fatal damage to the shipyard, depending on its size. The strike team should also meet very little resistance, as most of the security would likely be aboard the shipyard itself. Once the shipyard is destroyed, the fleet can mop up what security forces are left defending the smoldering wreck."

Now understanding Krass' plan, the men nodded in agreement. "General, do you have the strike team picked out already," Skip asked.

Krass nodded. "Aside from myself and Dev, I will take Sabre and Dagger squads," he said, referring to the two clone commando squads under Dev's command.

The admiral folded his hands behind his back as he straightened himself. "Then have your men prepare themselves, General Udelles," he said. "We will be arriving at Zhar within the hour."

With that, the two pairs of officers saluted each other and dismissed. As Krass and Dev departed, Arlyal and Skip went back to observing the hologram of the planet, searching for any points of interest that might prove useful to the fleet.

"Sir," Skip began after the blast door closed behind Krass and Dev, "do you really think that they will be able to pull off the general's plan?"

Arlyal thought on that for a moment. The plan itself, it seemed to him, still had a few holes in it, which could prove fatal to both the strike team and the task force. And it was no surprise to the admiral who Krass would be choosing to accompany him on the mission; the general often chose Saber and Dagger Squads for such operations, probably because they were the only clone commando squads in the entire detachment the Jedi commanded. Despite his misgivings, the admiral reminded himself that no matter how bad a plan may be, if anyone could get it done, it was General Udelles.

After a moment of analysis, the admiral replied with a simple, "I know they can. The general hasn't let us down yet."

---

As the blast door closed behind them, Krass and Dev went to the lift and took it back down. As the lift drifted down the shaft, Dev turned to Krass. "Do you really think we can pull this off," he asked.

Krass returned Dev's gaze. "I know we can," he said with confidence. "Besides, we pulled off a similar plan at the Separatist refueling station on Anbar."

"Sir, I think stealing a starship and rigging its reactor to blow is different from commandeering a repulsor train, filling it with explosives, and sending it straight into the nearest fuel line."

Krass gave a slight shrug. "I will admit that it will be a bit more difficult, but it will end the same way."

Dev had to grin. "Yes, sir," he agreed. "It'll end with one slagged station and several scrapped droids."

[Cainesland]

Footsteps. Heavy footsteps marched through the mud of the rainforest floor of the separatist mining world. Jabiim. The humidity was already working wonders and curses on verdaugas men. The droids were beginning to squeak, while the men's sinuses squeezed no more. A massive migraine pounded in Verdaugas head as an aftershock of order 66. The darkness had snuffed out the light in one fell swoop. "We must stop and rest" declared Verdauga, and his men took no time waiting for further instructions after a ten second wait out of respect for their Jedi general.

To their left sat a cliff face which protruded not just must and steam, but also the sound of manufacturing and droids. It masked their presence above ground. But they could see the above ground facilities not far off. They looked very similiar to the one on Geonosis 3 years prior. A small landing strip sat on the north side of the above ground facility, and had a ship landed on it. Verdauga, still suffering from an ear splitting headache, called his men to him.

"We must disable that separatist droid manufacturing station." He looked around for any interruptions and found none as they all listened intently for his plan. They had been scouring the planet for days, and this was their first major discovery. Hidden deep in the rainforest,MIT was no doubt built for its secrecy and strategic value as a back up way out in the outer rim. And to enlarge the separatist capacity for droid manufacturing to remove yet more planets from the republics grasp. He couldn't allow that, as he'd been ordered to look for this facility, and now that he had, he needed to remove it from the equation. He still couldn't believe that the Emporer would order the deaths of his fellow Jedi just days prior, but it was clear to him, that he was no decent man. As he hoped most living Jedi would realize before it's too late, if more yet persisted. Too that end he was glad that his personal retinue hadn't consisted of clones, but loyal non-clones, who hadn't betrayed him.

"Inside the facility is a power core. Just like all separatist facilities. Master Mundi had taken one just like it from Mygneeto during the clone wars for the Chancellor. Today we must do the same, not for the Chancellor, but to strike once more against the separatists. We must do this with stealth. Let's go."

[New Emphillon]

Dev and Krass found the two clone commando squads in a gymnasium toward the front of the vessel, each one of the eight clones going about their exercise routines and using the various equipment in the room. Unlike their fellow "brothers", the clone commandos were easier to distinguish from each other based on their movements and personalities, things that regular clones did not have much difference in. They were also more physically fit to deal with the demands their missions required of them. It impressed, and slightly unnerved, Krass how much the commandos tried to keep at their peak efficiency.

As the doors hissed shut, the clones stared at the two new arrivals and quickly snapped to attention. "Attention! Commanders on deck," one barked, with all of the clones saluting in unison.

Krass and Dev returned the salutes, though Krass did it with some effort; his arm felt numb from the bombardment of pain. As Dev went to inspect the cluster of commandos before them, Krass tried to slip away quietly; Dev could handle the debriefing while he tried to comprehend the disturbance in the Force. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so.

"The general will explain what the mission is," he said, turning toward the Jedi master. All eyes shifted toward him, the haunted gazes of the clones burrowing deep into him, making him even more uncomfortable than he already was. He tried to size up, preparing to deliver the debriefing without giving any hints to his ailment.

"Commandos," he began, "we are about to depart hyperspace for the Zhar system. As you know, we are about to drop ourselves into hostile territory without even the slightest hint of information. In other words, this will be a blackout operation." The clones seemed to stiffen slightly at that, but it quickly passed. Krass continued, ignoring the sense of anxiety that emanated from the clones before him.

"Our part will be the most important, as I have chosen all of you to be a part of the strike team that will board the shipyard and destroy it, which will be led by me and Sergeant Dev. Unfortunately, as we have no data on the internal layout of the facility, we are going to have to improvise. Using a stealth gunship, we will proceed to board a vessel docked with the station and capture it. From there, we will rig the vessel's reactor to go critical and abandon the vessel as soon as we have ensured that our sabotage will not be undone. I don't think I need to explain to you what the results of such an action will be. After that, it will be a simple matter of clearing the system of the remaining Separatist forces." He concluded his statement with, "Any questions?"

The clone commandos continued to stare at Krass, acknowledging his debriefing of the mission ahead with slight nods. They knew what to do- they were commandos after all. With no misunderstanding between them, Krass saluted the commandos once more for dismissal. "Get yourselves ready and meet in the hangar in one hour," he said before turning to Dev.

"I will be in my quarters if you need me," Krass said.

Dev nodded, putting his old Phase I ARC trooper helmet on his head. "We'll meet you down in the hangar, sir," he said through the speakers of the helmet.

As he turned away, Dev took note at the haste in which his colleague left the room. Something was wrong, but he didn't wish to pry. Not yet, at least.

---

The walk back to his quarters allowed Krass some peace to comprehend the disturbances he had been feeling, albeit with some discomfort at odd intervals. In his mind, Krass went through what he knew so far: the light in the galaxy- the Jedi, from what he could gather- was disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving behind nothing but an eerie darkness to take its place among the stars. With each flame that was extinguished, a wave rippled through the Force, crashing into every being that was attuned to it and leaving behind nothing but echoes of death.

But what is causing it, Krass thought. There were a number of possibilities, which Krass tried to rattle off in his head, though none seemed to make much sense. Even the idea that the Separatists had developed a new weapon did not stand up to the facts at present. Nothing the Separatists developed could cause so many deaths in the Jedi Order; a droid was simply no match for a trained Jedi and his/her clone forces, no matter how sophisticated. This fact has been proven time and again, yet the members of the Confederacy of Independent Systems still poured their research into developing weapons that could turn that fact into a lie.

That left very few explanations left, but Krass quickly dismissed them as well. Frustrated, Krass opened the door to his quarters and behind him activated the privacy lock. He needed to be alone with his thoughts.

With no explanation coming forth to present itself, Krass sat down on his bunk, resting his chin against his cupped hands. He sat there, motionless, letting his mind wander, though the question still remained in the back of his mind. As Krass's mind began to drift, a new thought emerged from the depths of his mind; a new explanation was creating from the pieces of the puzzle Krass already had. He went over it in his head, though he did not like it. Yet it made sense, no matter how much he rebelled against it. He just wished it wasn't true. It couldn't be. It can't be! And yet...

Adrenaline rushed through him now, his senses enhanced expecting danger at any moment. Krass retrieved a mesh bag from a compartment in the base of his bunk and started going through the other compartments, retrieving his personal belongings. There wasn't much to gather: a sack of credits, a few pairs of clothes, a datapad, and a few ration bars. He quickly through them inside, knowing that he had little time before meeting Dev and the others down in the hangar. As he opened the last compartment, Krass stopped for a moment.

Inside lay a wooden case the length of Krass' forearm. Made from the wood of the wryoshr tree on Mrkyr, it was presented to Krass as a gift by his former master, Aldus Jeth, for completing his journey to being a Jedi master himself. Krass had held on to it all these years, his only possession aside from the robe on his back and the lightsaber at his hip. He removed the case from its hiding place and held it, examining the craftsmanship of it. He opened the case, the hinges squeaking as they scraped each other.

Inside, nestled on a red cushion sat the lightsaber of Krass' master. Its pearl grip gleamed in the light, casting a pink-silver glow that was amplified by the plasteel inlay that kept the cylinder together. The controls for the lightsaber sat in the center, juxtaposed by red and green buttons. The internal workings of the lightsaber hummed with energy from the crystal power source, ready to unleash the weapon's deadly potential at a moment's notice. Above it, etched into the inside of the lid, was the final line of the Jedi Code: "There is no death; there is the Force."

Tears stung Krass' eyes and a lump formed in his throat, which he struggled to swallow. He never truly got over the loss of his master, despite the fact that Jeth had passed away eleven years before. Since then, Krass had secluded himself from others, which was not too hard, given that he had little contact with the Order during his missions anyway. However, some missions would prove to be very difficult, and it was then that Krass regretted his solitude. Krass returned his focus to the present and slowly closed the box, placing it gently inside his bag.

With that, Krass got up and went to the door. As he opened it, he stared back into his room for the past two years, getting one final look; he was not coming back. He closed the door behind him and made his way toward the armory. If Krass just walked to the hangar with his bag slung over his shoulder, it would seem odd, especially since it had all of his belongings. Krass knew better than to do that. It was for that reason that he grabbed a few spare charges and placed them in his bag over his belongings. At least then, no one would question him, assuming he was just carrying extra equipment for his mission.

---

Dev paced the floor, waiting for Master Udelles to arrive to join him and the clone commandos in the hangar of the Vigilance. He checked the chronometer on his helmet's HUD. 1 minute, 53 seconds before the ship came out of hyperspace. Where is he, Dev thought to himself. Something was wrong with the general, he could tell, even if the Jedi master tried to hide it from him. He noted Krass' strange behavior since he had retrieved him from his quarters, though he just couldn't tell as to why the Jedi master was acting that way. It was frustrating, especially given the importance of the mission ahead of them.

Trapper- Dagger Three- looked up from his DC-17m rifle at the ARC trooper. "Relax, sir," he said. "He'll be here in time."

Dev turned on the commando, the blank expression of his helmet preventing the latter from seeing Dev's frustration. "Focus on your weapon," Dev said letting some of his frustration seep into his voice. Trapper shrugged slightly and continued to examine his weapon.

Seeing that he had a little time left, Dev went through the list of equipment he and the commandos had procured for the mission. Eight DC-17m interchangeable rifles for the commandos, one DC-15A rifle for Dev, nine DC-15S carbines (in case someone's weapon was lost in combat), nine DC-15s pistols, plenty of ammunition for all weapons, ten thermal detonator charges, and four thermal detonators per trooper. In addition, each commando was outfitted with his set of Katarn-class stealth armor, while Dev had his Phase I ARC armor (a bit outdated, but Dev preferred it over the Phase II). Finally, the troopers had a stealth gunship at their disposal, which would allow them to slip past the enemy fleet's sensors and board the shipyard without any resistance.

Upon finishing his inspection, Dev heard approaching footsteps and turned to see Krass as he came toward the gunship, a mesh bag slung over his shoulder. A flash of pain appeared on the Jedi's face before it disappeared behind a blank mask. Dev folded his arms across his chest as a small sign of displeasure.

"You made it," he said with a hint of disappointment.

"I'm sorry that I took so long," Krass said, tugging at the bag on his back. "I just had to grab a few extra explosives in case we needed them." He noted Dev's negative body language and sensed his suspicion. "Is something wrong, Dev," Krass asked.

Dev opened his mouth to say something, but the hull shuddered around them as the Vigilance decelerated from hyperspace. Alarms rang out across the hangar, with calls over the speakers for various personnel to go to their assigned stations. Now was not the time to have the discussion.

"We can talk about this later," Dev said turning to board the gunship.

Krass nodded in agreement and joined the clones. The doors of the gunship closed, hissing as the ship's cabin pressurized itself for the journey through space. Dim red lights flickered on inside the cabin as the ship's engines whined to life and brought the craft off of the deck. Everyone braced themselves as the gunship lurched into the depths of space.

[Pantorrum]

Master Kirax Kitomo
Mon Calamari

---

Master Kitomo had been in Mon Cala City, discussing the terms of peace with the Quaren Representative and the King of Mon Cala. It had been going well, and they were about to sign the treaty, when suddenly Kitomo felt a deep pain move through the force. He rose from his spot before falling to the floor beneath them, face down on the ground. Horrible visions flashed through his head. Death, pain, Misery. Something terrible had happened. Something that would change the Galaxy as they knew it.

Rising again, he looked at the two disturbed parties. He was weak suddenly, and began to frown.
"I have sensed a grave disturbance in the Force. Something has gone terrible wrong, I sense the pain and misery of thousands of Jedi. I beg you, let us end this business now and get back to peace here on Mon Cala. I need to make an urgent transmission."

Both members of the opposing delegation nodded. They had been working on the deal for hours on end, making one amend after another. Finally they had reached a compromise where the Qua'ren had more leadership roles and economic opportunity than before, but the Mon Cala remained on the throne.

After the agreement was signed, Kitomo immediately returned to the surface to try and contact Coruscant.
He leaped out oft he water, landing in the hovering ships door way and walking in. He was greeted by the Captain of the Senate Guard complement he was sent with.
"Master Kitomo, back from negotiations are we? How did things go?"

Kirax was hesitant to respond.
"The negotiations went well, but something is terrible wrong elsewhere. Have we received any transmissions, Captain?"
The Captain shook his head no.
"Well then, I need to contact the temple at once."

The swiftly moved to the bridge, and Master Kitomo opened up a transmission with the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Unfortunately, after multiple attempts, they were unable to reach anyone.
He remained patient, and in a few moments a transmission came through from the temple. The Council was ordering everyone back to Coruscant, but it simply didn't make any sense. He had been unable to reach them at all, and now they send out a transmission? Unlikely.

Turning to the Captain, he gave him a worried look.
"Take us into orbit, Captain. Hold there."
As the ship began to ascend, he left for his chambers to meditate on the situation.

[New Emphillon]

Despite the silence and eerie calm inside the cabin, Krass could sense the clones' stress. Small gestures, such as checking a weapon's power cell or thumbing the safety, gave this away. Yet, the clones stood still, silent white knights waiting for the doors to open and for them to strike. The lights inside the cabin flickered as more power was drawn toward the engines and weapons, but no one seemed to be bothered. Krass tried to keep himself as calm and prepared as the clones, drawing on the Force for strength and peace. The pain that gnawed at him continued to do so, but with less of an effect as before; whether Krass was becoming accustomed to it or his techniques were working, he couldn't decide.

A voice crackled over Krass' headset. "Sir, we are approaching the shipyard," Dagger Two reported. "So far we have not been detected."

"Any vessels we can capture," Krass asked.

There was a slight pause. "Yes sir," was the reply. "There's a Recusant-class destroyer coming out of a berth now. If we can catch up to it, we might be able to still use it for the mission."

Krass didn't hesitate. "Do what you have to to get us aboard that ship," he ordered. In response, he felt more pressure slamming into him as the gunship increased speed.

---

Dagger Two pushed the accelerator forward, immediately feeling himself being pushed further into his seat. In front of him hung the target vessel, its skeletal structure giving it a fragile appearance. However, the clone knew that looks could be deceiving. The insect-like vessel boasted a large array of weapons and dozens of droid fighters; inside, it carried nearly 40,000 battle droids, armed and ready to strike. Alone the vessel posed a nasty surprise to any Republic vessel that it crossed. In groups... the result was lethal.

"Hawkeye, are the weapons charged," Dagger Two asked. A blue light in the upper-left hand corner of his HUD flashed. Affirmative.

"Good," he replied. "Then let's kick in the door."

The gunship shuddered slightly as two mass driver missiles launched toward the vessel. The twin missiles impacted against the ray shield generator for the ship's hangar, forcing the shield to collapse. Immediately, blast doors rushed forward to close off the opening into space. One hundred meters separated the gunship and its target, forcing Dagger Two to apply even more power to the gunship's engines to cover the distance in time. The droid brain operating the ship took notice of the gunship and it wasn't long before the auto-turrets of the destroyer turned to bear on the gunship, powering up to eliminate their target.

"Evasive maneuvers," Dagger Two exclaimed, jerking the ship to the right.

The turrets rained down laser fire, trying to anticipate the gunship's erratic movements. Fortunately, the droid brain operating the vessel was too slow at reacting to the ship's maneuvers. The gunship quickly closed the distance and rushed inside the hangar. Inside, Dagger Two pulled back on the controls to decelerate the ship before it exited the capital ship on the other side. A few stunned battle droids were quickly gunned down by Dagger One as he trained the forward laser cannons onto them and blasted them away, green bolts rushing out of the muzzles to vaporize their targets. Dagger Three and Four operated the bubble turrets and sliced through a few vulture droids that remained in the hangar for additional security.

Dagger Two hit the door control to release them as he fought to slow the ship down even further. The ship tilted sharply upward as it decelerated. It was now or never.

"Go, go, go," he cried over the comms.

---

Krass, Dev, and Sabre Team rushed out of the gunship as soon as the doors were released. Krass hit the deck with his shoulder, using the momentum to spin him onto his feet. In one fluid motion, he stood up and activated his lightsaber, the bright yellow blade extending out to its full length. He rushed toward a set of large doors and motioned for the others to follow.

"Sir, where are you going," Sabre One asked. "Engineering is toward the stern of the vessel. You're heading toward the bridge."

Krass turned on his companions. "We can destabilize the reactor from the bridge. If we do it from there, we can assure ourselves more time to escape before it goes critical. Now, come on!" He let the Force slip into his words, trying to coerce the clones' thoughts without provoking a fight.

"You heard the general," Dev said to Sabre Team. "Let's move out!" The commando team merely shrugged and did as ordered.

---

It didn't take long to get to the bridge. As Krass had suspected, there were few security forces aboard the ship, which made the team's mission a lot easier. What few battle droids were encountered were quickly dealt with. The difficult part was navigating the network of corridors and hallways toward the bridge, as there was little difference in their appearances. Finally, the group managed to find their way to the bridge. Two droids stood guard outside of the heavy doors.

Krass withdrew a couple small EMP grenades from his robe rolled them down the hall, using the Force to guide their path. The two grenades hit the droids' feet with a soft ping, forcing the two droids to stare blankly at the devices. Blue sparks rushed from the small spheres, rapping their tendrils around the droids until they hit the deck with a loud clatter. A few sparks still rolled across their metal plating, dissipating as quickly as they appeared.

Two commandos rushed toward the door and planted charges at the proper points. The four charges chimed tones as the internal chronometers counted down from their ten-second delay. As the commandos retreated and took up their positions, the rest of the group hid and braced itself. The explosions ripped through the doors, nearly sending them off of their supports. Krass and the clones rushed in to the gap.

Inside, four battle droids sat in their appropriate stations, turning to see what the disturbance was. A tactical droid stood before a hologram projector that was placed at the top tier of the bridge, his blaster already raised in a defensive manner. Krass raised his lightsaber in a similar manner as the clones raised their rifles.

"This vessel is now under Republic control," he stated.

"You will never have this ship, Jedi," the tactical droid stated in a monotone mechanical voice. It fired a bolt from its blaster.

Instinctively, Krass deflected the bolt and used the Force to grab the droid and pull it toward him. As the droid rushed toward Krass, he lowered his lightsaber enough to pierce the armored chest plate as the droid rushed into the blade. The droid twitched for a moment before it shut down. Krass let it fall to the deck, limp and lifeless. Focusing his attention on the remaining droids, he stretched out his senses to find the droids' deactivation switches. Upon finding them, he hit them, forcing each droid to deactivate simultaneously.

"Bridge secure," Dev declared.

Krass moved toward the navigation console and plotted a random course into the ship's navi-computer. After processing the request, the console chirped to confirm the coordinates. The vessel began to list to starboard as it brought itself about to arrange itself with the proper heading.

Dev took note of this. "Sir, what are you doing," he asked.

"Merely making a course correction," Krass said, trying to reassure the clone.

"But we are supposed to destabilize the reactor, not focus on the ship's current heading." Now Dev couldn't hold back his questions for Krass. "Sir, what is wrong with you?"

Krass' face darkened at that and he turned on the clone before him. The commandos turned their attention away from the hallway to the confrontation behind them. All of them stared at Krass with the blank expressions of their helmets, silently demanding an answer. He sighed, allowing his pain and exhaustion to show on his face.

"Something is wrong, Dev," he said. "For the past fourteen hours, I have felt nothing but pain and suffering as all the light in the galaxy is extinguished one flame at a time. It is unlike anything I have felt before. I know you don't understand the Force, but believe me when I say that the Jedi Order is in danger. I need to find out why."

"But sir," Dev said, "our loyalty is to the Republic-"

"My loyalty is to the Order," Krass interrupted. "And right now, it needs my help." He took a deep breath before making his final appeal to the trooper. "Dev, you know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was important. I have served the Republic tirelessly for the past two years, doing my best to help win this cursed war. Now it is time that I serve the Jedi Order once more."

For a moment, the clone said nothing merely staring at the man before him with an unblinking gaze. Finally, he sighed. "Sir, we have fought together and never once have we questioned your orders or your motives." He walked toward Krass and placed his arm onto the Jedi's shoulder. "And we are not going to now." Krass let out the breath he had been holding and, for the first time in a while, grinned.

The Jedi master walked over to the navigation console and prepared to send the ship into hyperspace. He took one final look out the viewport. In the chaos of the heated battle, Krass could see the wedge shape of his flagship spinning on its horizontal axis, flames licking the hull after several breaches. Brief flashes appeared from the base of the command towers as escape pods were launched into space in a desperate attempt to escape, though many were torn apart by laser fire from encroaching swarms of vulture droids. A volley of fire from an enemy cruiser cut apart the rest of the destroyer, causing its reactor to explode. A bright flash of light marked the vessels last known location, leaving nothing but vapor and debris. The Vigilance was destroyed.

Krass felt a sharp pain in his chest, though he couldn’t determine if it was another shock from the Force or the guilt for letting so many of his own men die for nothing but a suspicion. Without further need to stay, he pushed the throttle forward, sending the ship into hyperspace. As it lurched, Krass fell to the floor, his legs numb from the pain. Dev and Sabre Squad rushed to help Krass into the commander's chair, sinking into it as he sat down. Dev removed his helmet and looked at his commanding officer with genuine concern. He never acts like this, Dev thought. There really must be something that's wrong.

"Sir, are you alright," he asked. Krass looked up at him, his bright blue eyes standing out against his pale skin.

"I'm fine for now, Dev," Krass said with some strain. "I just need some rest."

Dev nodded. "Then we won't keep you," he said. "Anything you need, sir?"

Krass shook his head. "Just find the rest of the droids on this ship and deactivate them."

Dev gave one final nod and replaced his helmet on his head. "Alright Sabre, you heard the general! Let's go find us some clankers!"

As Sabre Squad departed with Dev, Krass turned his attention toward the streaks of light outside the viewport, trying to get himself to relax. The Jedi Master still felt guilt for what he had done, but he knew there was no other way. Maybe I'm wrong, he thought. Maybe there was some other way. Krass shook off those thoughts and closed his eyes, his exhaustion finally catching up to him. As he drifted to sleep, one final thought appeared in his mind. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter; I made my choice. I only need to focus on finding out what has happened. Beyond that, nothing else matters...

[Alotopia]

Jedi Master Aborak Rathon
Mon Calamari
One Hour after Order 66

*heavy breathing* He sat quietly in his meditation chambers on the small Consular-class vessel, breathing in and out. Master Rathon could feel the disturbance in the force, it felt as if darkness was overtaking the light at an alarming rate. He envisioned each Jedi being a star in the night sky, and suddenly those stars were blinking out of existance. One by one, they disappeared. And the darkness was slowly overtaking the light. *quick inhale*

Rathon's eyes opened as the Captain of the vessel entered, "My Lord, we have received orders from the Temple to return immediately. They say the war is over."

"Yes, the war is over for the Jedi... I have felt something deeply disturbing in my meditation. Tell me Captain, has there been any abnormal Republic chatter?" Rathon responded

"All seems to be normal, however we did pick up transmissions to all major clone commanders on the various worlds. It was on a highly encrypted and secured channel and it wasn't long enough to hack into." the Captain said, looking at the data pad in front of him.

"Interesting, get a message to Admiral Czer, tell him that the forests look wonderful this time of year." Rathon said, "He'll know what it means. Also, I have heard Master Kitomo is on Mon Calamari, incentives we needed to refuel here and seeing the most recent turn of events, I believe it would be most prudent to contact him..." They sent a quick message to Kitomo, informing him of their arrival and that they are in system.

[Pantorrum]

Master Kitomo
Mon Calamari

Master Kitomo had been meditating for a almost an hour. He had felt only pain, time and time again. It was as if he was feeling the death of the Force itself. None of his visions made any sense at all, everything was clouded by the Dark Side of the Force. Even a Jedi Master as powerful and wise as Kitomo, who had been offered a place on the Council 3 times, could not cut through the fog.

He was interrupted by the Senate Guard Captain, who had urgently entered his room.
"Master Kitomo, we have a message from Master Rathon. I request you come with me to the command deck." Master Kitomo nodded, leaping to his feet and following the captain in a hurried manner. Reached the comms, Kitomo began to speak to Rathon.

"Master Rathon, it is good to see you. The odds of both of us being on the same planet are slim, but the Force must be with us in these troubling times. Have you sensed it?"

[Alotopia]

Jedi Master Aborak Rathon
Above Mon Calamari
Refueling Station

Master Rathon heard his response, it was good to see Kitomo was still okay. I'm these troubling hours, any sign of hope was welcome.

"Indeed, I have sensed it Master Kitomo. I was on my way back from my mission to Baros and stopped here to refuel before getting on the hyperlane...", he paused, as if listening to the force, "It seems the force was indeed with us, as much as it can be at this hour. Have you heard anything from the Temple? Or your forces in the field?

[New Emphillon]

Unknown location, aboard stolen Recusant-class destroyer
Approximately 36 hours after the execution of Order 66
Krass sat at the navigation console on the bridge of the destroyer, his head resting in his cupped hands. He stared at the multi-colored array of streaks in hyperspace, deep in thought and healing from his ordeal. After the ship entered hyperspace nearly a day before, Krass practically collapsed from exhaustion, his body numb from the pain he had endured. After some well-deserved rest, Krass moved to the seat at the navigation console, where he had remained since. Dev and the commandos tended to rounding up the remaining battle droids that roamed the few corridors of the vessel. With the occasional chirp from a console on one of the tiers of the bridge, it remained quiet, allowing Krass to delve deep into his thoughts and try to get a grip on the current situation.

With many members of the Order killed by some unknown cause, Krass had to assume that only a handful of Jedi managed to escape their fate. Under that assumption, he could not and would not try to get into contact with them, lest he draw attention to them and himself in the process. In other words, he was completely alone, forced to use his own resources to accomplish his mission, though the exact objectives of said mission were still vague. He just had to find out what was the exact cause of the deaths of so many Jedi and how best to preserve the Order.

Krass was shaken out of his thoughts as the ship decelerated from hyperspace, the bright streaks of light vanishing to reveal defined dots of distant stars in the black void of the cosmos; symbolic of the current times, Krass thought. He rose from his seat with the support of the console, his legs still numb from the pain. He moved toward the hologram projector at the top tier of the pyramid-like structure of the bridge and punched in a few commands. A small ball of light in the center of the projector grew into a large three-dimensional image of the surrounding space- initial readouts from the ship's navigational systems as it tried to determine its current location. Slowly, the random dots that blanketed the projection were labeled, lines forming around them to define their borders. Finally, a green triangle appeared in the center of the hologram, indicating the destroyer's position.

As Krass examined the display, the sound of heavy footsteps increased as Dev entered the bridge. He took off his helmet and placed it under his right arm and whipped sweat away with his gauntlet hand. He was glad to breath something other than the stale air from the air scrubbers in his helmet. He stared at the display as well, trying to orient himself. According to the display, the destroyer was just on the border of the Inner Rim and Expansion Region.

Krass didn't turn to notice the new arrival. "How much progress did you make," he asked, still examining the hologram and thinking of the various options before him.

Dev scratched his short black hair. "We managed to deactivate about two hundred battle droids roaming the halls, but we left the OOM droids in the engineering section alone. They're going to be needed to run this ship and they won't pose too much of a threat if they see us."

Krass nodded at that. At least that was one problem solved.

"Any ideas as to where we're going next," Dev asked, setting his helmet down onto the projector.

"Several," Krass said, leaning onto the projector. He keyed in another command into the projector, which hummed as it processed the request.

The projection zoomed in on the nearby star of Wroona. The small dot that was once displayed grew into a more appropriate size for the scale of the image, with a few smaller spheres coming into focus as they orbited their home star. Text scrolled over each sphere, identifying it, giving details about terrain, rotation and orbiting periods, climates, and various other miscellaneous information. The planet that had the most promise to it was Wroona, a large ocean world separated by giant continents, making it a famous tourist attraction for its brilliant sandy beaches. It was also a major trading hub along the Rimma Trade Route and Harrin Trade Corridor, which helped to benefit the planet even further.

Krass turned to his friend. "But Wroona is the best option I can think of," he said.

Dev cocked and eyebrow and stared at the projection of the planet above him. "I'm not too sure why we would want to go there," Dev said with some hesitation.

"Mostly out of convenience," Krass explained. "Since Wroona is the closest system to our current location, we can jump there to get supplies and gather information before we set out on the rest of our journey." Wherever that may take us, he didn't say.

"Which begs the question of where are we going," Dev said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Rhen Var," Krass said, as if the answer was obvious.

He put in the coordinates for Wroona into the navigation console and stepped back toward the projector as the console chirped in confirmation. The chronometer on the console began to count down as the droid brain realigned the ship for the jump. Within another few minutes, the ship made the plunge into hyperspace.

---

Wroona, Wroona System, Inner Rim
38 hours after the initiation of Order 66
The insect-like shape of the Recusant destroyer came out of hyperspace above Wroona's atmosphere, scaring many pilots in the hyperspace lanes. A path was cleared for the large vessel as many pilots tried to avoid colliding with the large ship, though the destroyer made no attempt at preventing collisions on its own as the droid brain and pilot droids deemed the civilian vessels as of little importance. Outside the viewport, Wroona sat draped in a thin veil of pale blue atmosphere that separated it from the harsh depths of space. The crisp azure oceans made the planet appear like a sapphire, the light of the sun glittering off of the surface. Large, flat continents split the oceans apart, mottling the surface with greens, browns, and grays.

Krass and his soldiers formed around the hologram projector as the pilot droids worked silently to keep the ship running smoothly. Now that the ship was in a safe position and near a communications hub, Krass wanted to look into the local HoloNet to get a better understanding of recent events in the galaxy, perhaps find clues to what had caused so many Jedi to die with more to follow.

The projector hummed for a moment as it tried to establish a link to the HoloNet. Finally, a large hologram of a Wroonian news caster appeared suspended above the group. The reporter rattled off a list of local stories that were of little concern, mostly discussing local crime events, expectations for the coming tourist season, economics, etc. Finally, the reporter brought up a story that sent shivers down Krass spine.

An image of the Grand Temple of Coruscant appeared, smoke billowing out of several openings around the structure. Chunks of stone and duracrete were torn out of the building, leaving gaping holes for smoke to escape. The large statues that once stood proudly at the entrance to the temple sat in pieces along the staircase. What had once been a symbol of the Jedi's power was nothing but a smoldering ruin on the skyline of Coruscant.

Krass felt a lump of ice form in his stomach. He suspected that the Jedi were being killed, but he had hoped that the Grand Temple would have been safe. When the next story appeared discussing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's declaration of a New Order and crowning himself Emperor, Krass could feel the lump grow even larger. Something about the Chancellor's eyes seem to catch his. The tinge of yellow to them was undeniable, even in the blue veil of a hologram. So that's where you were, Krass thought in horror. The Sith Lord we had been chasing for ten years was under our nose the entire time! Now things were starting to make sense. Though one thing still puzzled him.

"What is Order 66," he asked aloud.

Each clone turned to each other, the sharpness that characterized their charcoal eyes vanished under a sense of concern and disbelief. They all appeared to be having a silent conversation that Krass couldn't hear, talking with their eyes and slight gestures. It was the first time Krass ever saw his men act in such a way.

Finally, Havoc- Sabre Two- spoke up. "Sir," he said quickly, as if to not lose the confidence he just gained. "Order 66 was one of numerous directives drilled into us during our training, though we never thought we would ever use it." He stopped seeming to have lost his nerve to continue.

Dev picked up for him. "Order 66 states that should the Jedi Order ever attempt to overthrow the chancellor or the Senate in a bid for their own power in the Republic's government, the Order was to be treated as hostile and be destroyed by the Grand Army of the Republic and the Republic Navy. However, the order can only be given by the chancellor and he has to have good reason for it." He paused. "Sir, the Order didn't do that, did they?"

Krass shook his head. "Of course not," he said defiantly. "The Jedi Order does not care for politics. The last thing we would want is to place even more of a burden on ourselves by becoming the leaders of the Republic. We're the Republic's defenders, not its leaders and that is how it is meant to be. No, there is another explanation."

"Which is," Dev prodded.

Krass took a deep breath and released it silently. "Thirteen years ago," Krass began, "the Jedi Order came into contact with the first Sith we had encountered in over three hundred years. This Sith was slain by a Jedi Knight on the planet of Naboo. Immediately afterwards, the Order tried to figure out who the Sith was and whether or not it was the master or the apprentice that was slain. As we searched for clues, one of our own disappeared and came back ten years later as Count Dooku. When that happened, the Council was certain that the master of the Sith was still out there and we were even more determined to find him or her. However, that was disrupted when the Clone Wars began. The master's identity remained a mystery until now." Krass gestured to a still-image of Supreme Chancellor- now Emperor- Palpatine as he stood on his podium in the Senate chambers.

"That is the Sith Lord," he said. The clones glanced at the image and back at Krass, disbelief evident on their face.

"How do you know," Trapper asked.

"I don't have solid evidence to support the claim," Krass admitted. "However, it would make sense. Why else would the chancellor have given out Order 66 if he didn't feel that the Jedi were finally onto him? Why would the chancellor, in the wake of his victory against the Jedi, suddenly declare himself the emperor of a galactic empire? It seems too convenient to be anything else."

The clones nodded at this, as they began to make the connections. Fortunately for Krass, commandos and ARC troopers were bred to be more free-thinking than the standard clone trooper. After the connections were established, the rancor in the room was finally addressed.

"So, what do we do now," Hawkeye- Dagger One- asked.

Krass sighed. "We continue on our mission," he said. "We have to save the Order, that takes priority over everything else. Once we have ensured that, we will have to strike against this Empire. And we will start that by going to Rhen Var."

"Why there," Dev asked.

"From what I remember reading in the Archives," Krass explained, "there is an old Jedi tomb there that could provide us some information about how to best complete our mission. But, there is a small Republic listening post/supply base on the planet and a large command station along the border of the sector. We will have to knock out both targets simultaneously if we want to remain hidden. For that, we'll need help."

"Mercenaries," Havoc suggested.

"Pirates," Krass corrected, deactivating the holo-projector. "Wroona sits along two major trade routes and bars Republic vessels from entering its space in a show of defiance toward Palpatine's grant of emergency powers. This place is the perfect spot for a pirate group to hide." He gave a wry grin. "And I know how to find them."

[Pantorrum]

Master Kirax Kitomo
Mon Calamari
In orbit above the planet

Master Kitomo took a deep breath.

"I have received an order to return to Coruscant, but I have yet to comply. Something is not right here. I tried several times to reach the temple and failed. Then the Council suddenly issues this order? Something is wrong, but i cannot sense what. The Dark Side clouds everything. It makes us blind to the truth. Its power grows with every cry of pain and sorrow that I feel. It clouds my thoughts more and more. I fear the Jedi Order is in danger, and though I cannot sense the nature of this event, my feelings tell me there is a trap for any Jedi that return to Coruscant."

He then closed his eyes and began to think.
There was only one way that the Jedi Order could have been injured so much, and so quickly. There was only one way that so many around the Galaxy could have been suffering all at once. It was a thought he tried not to process, a terrible idea that hopefully wasn't true. Could the clones have betrayed the Republic? If so, the Sith must be involved. The Dark Side was far to present in the events at the moment.

[Alotopia]

Master Aborak Rathon
Above Mon Calamari
Blind Fury

"I fear you may be correct about something being amiss at the Temple. I feel that returning to Coruscant at this time would be extremely risky, as the Dark Side seems to be overpowering the light and clouding all...", Rathon seemed to be interrupted and his concentration shifted from Kitomo to the person who interrupted them, "Right... This is very disturbing news, thank you for bringing this to me Padawan Jarquen. *he paused* Master Kitomo, I have received word from an associate on Coruscant. He sent this via secure channel..."

Master Rathon paused, surprised by the ferocity of the attack on the Temple. Separatist Attack? Couldn't be, the temple guards could have stopped them and the Republic Fleet in orbit wouldn't have allowed them to land. This is much bigger...

He continued to speak after he sent the message, "My friend took this from his apartment window. He says that Chancellor Palpatine has spoken of an attempt by the Jedi to seize power for ourselves. Saying in his speech to the Senate, "The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!" I suspect the Grand Army of the Republic has something to do with the sudden and massive disturbance in the force. Master Kitomo, what do you suggest we do? Can you trust your guard?"

Padawan Elisee Jarquen

Elisee was usually Rathon's errand girl, a job she didn't quite enjoy, but one that had to be done. The five Spec Ops clones aboard were busy doing cloney things and the pilot was listening in on GAR HoloNet transmissions. They have important jobs, she keeps telling herself...

Even though she wasn't in the "action", Elisee still knew what was going on. There had been rumors of clones being implanted with these chips to ensure their loyalty, and the same ones were used by her Master to endocrinate his clones. However, the ones in Rathon's clones were obviously not loyal to the Republic, but rather him personally. The clones in the ship had received Order 66, and had promptly ignored it. But that would remain a secret.

Padawan Jarquen watched and listened to her Master communicate with the other Master known as Master Kitomo. She knew little about the other Master, only remembering he had refused a seat on the Jedi Council three times. A smart move? Probably, seeing the current situation for Jedi. Master Kitomo was probably one of the few remaining Jedi, but would he survive the coming storm?

He knows what is happening, but he plays dumb to Kitomo. Probably a smart move, why give out information for free? Give out small bits of information at a time, allowing you to gain information in return.
She smiled into the background as Rathon spoke, He acts surprised by the Temple burning and all that, but it was coming from the moment Sifo Dyas placed the order for the Clone Army and the inhibitor chips were installed. I didn't expect it so soon though, but nows a good of time as any. With Grevious dead, Dooku dead, and the war almost over, the Senate would want it's power back from the Chancellor... A well laid out plan.

[Pantorrum]

Master Kirax Kitomo
Mon Calamari
In orbit above the planet

Kitomo looked on in horror. It was true, his suspicions. They had to be. The war was nearly won, they were one the verge of victory. The Separatists were on the run. And then the Chancellor. Likely the Sith Lord, having orchestrated everything. Kitomo knew to full and well that the Jedi would never try to seize power over the Republic. It was lie, it had to be. Kitomo was to intertwined into the Order for such a plot by the Council to be kept so secret. He knew the Council far to well, being great friends with several members. None would dream of such an idea as seizing control.

"I suspect the Grand Army has betrayed the Jedi Order, and so has the Chancellor. I am fortunate to not have accepted the Council appointment made most recently. I would have been at the temple when this happened." He paused, saddened by the likely death of the Jedi Order. "There are to few of us left to mount an offensive against the Chancellor and the Clone Army. We need to stay hidden, locate other Jedi, and keep from letting any return to Coruscant. My guards are Senate Guards, loyal and trustworthy as they come. I am not in danger. Are your men trustworthy, Master Rathon?"

[The United Empire of Exucular]

Hyperspace

Master Cosmos woke up from a rather long sleep aboard his Jedi Starfighter. He was quickly greeted with a series of electronic sounds from his astromech droid. "I had a pleasant sleep, thank you." That was a lie. Even in his unconsciousness he could still feel the Force as it flowed around him. The Force was still clouded, still dark, still wounded. Even though its been several hours since the first major disturbances in the Force began to happen, the Jedi Master could steel feel the damage. The only thing that could have sent such a ripple through the force would be the deaths of countless Jedi all in quick succession. How many he didn't know, he only knew that it must be in the thousands for the Force to be affected this severely.

While he sat in his starcraft Cosmos thought back to his last battle alongside his fleet. That was where he first felt the affects of Order 66. Cosmos nearly slammed into the enemies flagship when it happened. If he had not recovered when he did, he would have went straight through the Separatist command bridge. When the battle was won in the Republic's favor Cosmos returned to his command ship. He stayed only long enough to refuel and rearm. The Jedi master left the Azure System leaving his fleet in the command of his good friend Admiral Vlad. As soon as the fleets communication capabilities were repaired Vlad was required to contact Cosmos immediately. Cosmos snapped back into reality as he heard his astromech signal that repairs to his starfighter's communications were complete. "Good work B3, how soon until we exit out of hyperspace?" A series of beeps and boops answered him. "That soon? I was asleep longer than I thought." In only a few short minutes they would arrive in a Republic held system. A small garrison was stationed on the surface of the planet. Nothing more than an out of the way listening post. Nevertheless the base would be where Cosmos could find information on what had happened to his fellow Jedi in the Order.

[Alotopia]

Jedi Master Aborak Rathon
Above Mon Calamari
Blind Fury

Master Rathon thought for a second about Kitomo's last statement. They were indeed trustworthy, having the same chips that forced the clones to carry out Order 66 in them, but reprogrammed for his men to be completely loyal to him. How to respond to the question? He could not tell him this, lest he unravel more...

"They are indeed trustworthy. Ifor they were not, I would already be dead. They received the Order to kill all Jedi mere hours ago, if they had planned on following it, they would have already done it. My men are ruthless and cold-hearted, they would have carried it out with deadly precision. Lucky, it seems they are not swayed by some political ruler's orders."

He paused and thought of how many others were not so fortunate to be in his situation. If he were back on his Flagship... Yes, his flagship and the legions on it were loyal to him, but the battleground itself was not. By now Admiral Czer would has slipped away from the battlegroup and would be making his way to the Endor system....

"Where do you think we should go? I would suggest we avoid major planetary systems and old Jedi Temples. The Chancellor is probably having his soldiers poor over old records looking for any mention of temples on other worlds. That would be my first move if I was hunting Jedi." he chuckled, trying to bring lighten the mood, even tho it was likely in vain.

[New Emphillon]

Wroona City, Wroona
38.5 hours after the execution of Order 66
The streets of Wroona's capital city hummed with activity: pedestrians of various species walked in clustered groups along the streets, lanes of spacecraft extended between the curved exteriors of gleaming skyscrapers, neon signs and advertisements cut through the encroaching darkness of evening. Among this activity, Krass and Dev marched in-step with the bustling crowds, blending in as well as they could as they searched for the pirates. The two had been walking for a half an hour, venturing not too far from the capital city's eastern neighborhoods, where the Sabre Squad dropped both men from the stealth gunship.

Dev tugged at the tunic of his jumpsuit, feeling uncomfortable outside of his armor. "So where do we find these guys," he asked Krass. "We seem to be avoiding a lot of the obvious places."

"You have to know where to look, Dev," Krass said. "While, yes, those places do attract a lot of shady characters, you will have more luck finding a pirate drowning himself in a bottle somewhere, while gambling away what treasures he acquired."

"A cantina," Dev pointed out. "If that's the case, then why have we passed several of them without entering one?"

"Pirates don't usually venture too far away from their ships," Krass explained, "in case they ever need to make a hasty escape from authorities. You'll have more luck finding one at a cantina near a spaceport." He gestured to the large dome structure before them.

---

The smell of coolant and oil clung heavily to the air, stinging the men's nostrils as they walked through the narrow corridors of the spaceport, passing signs advertising various commodities local to the planet. After passing a sign advertising cosmetics, Krass and Dev found a dazzling neon sign, which lit up the words Crimson Comet Cantina in Aurebesh.

"This is the place," Krass muttered to Dev. "Just follow my lead."

Inside, the cantina resembled the sign that advertised it: bright and overwhelming. A few red lights illuminated the room just enough to make out the details, flashing to match the rhythm of the music blasting over the audio system. Booths lined the walls of the circular room, with a break toward the back wall for restrooms. A dance floor filled with writhing figures took up most of the front section of the cantina. In the center lay a small bar with a rather bored-looking bartender cleaning glasses with a filthy rag. As Krass and Dev approached the counter, he looked up to inspect the glass in the dim, flashing light and noticed the two arrivals.

"Come on in, have a seat," he offered, waving the two men in. Krass and Dev obliged and took a pair of seats at the bar.

"What'll it be fellas," the bartender asked.

"Spiced ale," Krass said flatly.

"Same thing," Dev copied, not sure what else to say.

The Devaronian nodded, his horns dropping dangerously close to the men's faces for a moment. A couple glasses appeared from the cupboard underneath the counter and the bartender brought them to the dispensers. The pipes hissed as the liquid ran through them into the glasses. In no time, the glasses were placed in front of Dev and Krass.

"Fresh spiced ale, Corellian-style," the bartender announced.

Krass took a sip and placed a few credits on the counter to cover the first round. The bartender wasted no time plucking the credit chips from the counter, where they disappeared into a pocket on his apron.

"So where are you two from," the Devaronian asked. "I don't remember ever seeing you guys around here, and I remember everyone that comes here."

Krass put his glass down, feeling a warm sensation run through his body as the ale slid down his throat. "We just came back from a delivery run to Nar Shaada and we decided to make a stop off here for a bit, lighten our pockets," Krass explained, trying to be as convincing as possible.

The bartender grinned, exposing yellow pointed teeth. "I understand," the bartender said. "How long have you been in the business?"

"About five years," Krass said. "It's gotten pretty profitable for me and my partner"- he nodded toward Dev- "these past few years, since the war increased the price of our products."

"I'm sure," the devil-looking creature agreed. "I can only imagine how profitable smuggling has been these past few years."

Dev nearly choked on his drink at the mention of smuggling. He coughed for a moment then regained his composure. "Drank a bit too fast," he explained, giving Krass a judgmental look.

The bartender returned his attention to Krass. "You're smart for coming here on a return trip," he said.

"Why is that," Krass asked as he finished his drink.

With a clawed thumb, the bartender pointed to a booth to the left of the bar. "Because of him," he murmured, barely audible above the base of the music. "I don't like to gossip, but that Trandoshan over there is the top pirate in this part of the sector. If he caught you, you can kiss your cargo good-bye and your life, as well."

Krass and Dev turned to look at this "top pirate". Even in the dull light, the blood-red scales of the reptile were evident. Yellow eyes seemed to pierce through the dimness in the room, appearing to be focused on other things beside what was going on in front of him. A vest of combat armor clung to his body, adding to his intimidating appearance. The alien bellowed with laughter as he won against unseen opponents at a card game.

"He certainly looks the part," Dev murmured.

The bartender nodded. "He's got every security official and politician in this city in his pocket," he said. "No one can touch him."

"Are they playing sabaac," Krass asked.

The bartender nodded. "Whenever Cassk strikes it big or just wants to show off, he comes in here with his guards, buys enough alcohol to drink a Zeltron under the table, and plays sabaac with some poor suckers. Beats them every time." He flicked his serpent tongue out in both disgust and admiration.

Krass tossed a few more credits onto the counter. "The next round is on me," he said, getting up from the bar with Dev in tow.

As they moved toward the booth, Krass sensed the guards in the neighboring booths shuffle as they watched the two strangers walk toward their boss. A few went to touch the butts of their hidden blasters. Krass paid them no heed and tried to avoid provoking them. Should anything go wrong, he had his lightsaber at his side, though he would rely on the heavy blaster he stole from a battle droid to fight.

As they approached, Krass could hear a bit of the conversation at the table.

"Too bad, Yarl," Cassk chuckled. "What does that make your debt to me now? 30,000?"

It was then Krass noticed a man sitting across from the Trandoshan, a scowl creasing his forehead. "I nearly had you that time," he growled. "If the randomizer went my way, I would be the one with the broad grin on my face."

"Hey, there's no need to be a sore loser," Cassk said, before directing his attention to a Bothan sitting next to him. "And Tylana, I was sure you were going to be a challenge tonight!"

The Bothan's fur stiffened with embarrassment and anger. "You got lucky, Cassk," she spat, barely containing her rage.

Cassk chuckled, soaking in his victory. "I'll tell you guys what. Why don't we play one more game? Maybe you'll both get lucky."

"I've got nothing left, Cassk," Yarl grumbled.

"Really? What about that old junker you keep bragging about?"

Yarl stiffened at that. "You mean the Ranger," he gasped. "No way. She's all I got left and she means more to me than a sabaac game."

"Even if it means that you could beat me," Cassk goaded. The man stared at the pile of chips in the center of the table for a moment, contemplating his choices. Finally, the glupper fish took the bait.

"Alright Cassk, you old pirate," Yarl submitted. "I'll wager the Ranger."

"And so that you don't feel worse, I'll wager my ship," the Trandoshan said in mock sympathy. He stared at Tylana. "What about you? Are you in?"

Tylana straightened herself in her chair, sizing herself up. "I suppose," Tylana said, a fire in her eyes. "Get ready to lose that junker of your's, Cassk."

"Mind if I join," Krass asked, stepping up to the booth.

Gleaming yellow eyes examined Krass thoroughly, trying to size him up. Satisfied, Cassk grinned. "Provided you can match the wager," he said.

Krass took a seat in the booth next to Yarl and dropped a small bag on the table, followed by a disc no larger than the palm of his hand and a deck of cards.

"Twenty-thousand credits," he said, pushing the bag toward the center of the table. "And one starship." He hit a control on the side of the disk and a small blue image of a skeletal insect hung over the metal disk.

Everyone at the table went wide-eyed, and Tylana nearly choked on her drink. Cassk's jaw dropped. "You're bluffing," he hissed.

"I'm not," Krass said.

Dev went wide-eyed with the others at Krass' offer to gamble away the Recuscant-class destroyer they stole. He wanted to ask Krass what he was thinking, but he remained silent, taking a seat at the bar to watch the game unfold. The bartender came over to the table and handed out drinks to everyone. Krass took a sip of his ale.

"So," he said, "are you ready to play?"

---

The game went on for what seemed like hours, with each player trying to reach 100 points. The tension at the table was so thick that it could have been cut with a vibro blade. Despite that tension, Krass tried to size up the Trandoshan that was considered to be the "top pirate" in this part of the sector and the proud Bothan mercenary to his right. The three began to talk about a "job" Krass got from a mysterious client that required a sizable force, while Yarl focused intently on his hand, sipping nervously at his drink every now and then.

"I’ve heard that your crew could handle such a job," Krass said.

"Of course they can," Cassk said with pride. "We've killed our share of scum. The question is, what's in it for us?"

Krass frowned as he drew another card. "Isn't half of the reward good enough," he asked.

"I won't do it for anything below seventy percent," the serpent-like creature hissed.

"I have to agree with Cassk on this," Tylana admitted. "Fifty-fifty is too low for me."

"Sixty-forty, no higher," Krass countered.

The Trandoshan flicked out its tongue for a moment in thought. "Fine," he agreed. "I'm sure I'll get enough from this match that I won't have to worry about that extra ten percent."

"Don't be too sure of that," Tylana muttered under her breath.

"And I'll hold you to your latest offer, Cassk," Yarl said. "If I win this, my debt is wiped clean."

"Yes, yes," Cassk said impatiently, waiving a clawed hand in the air dismissively.

Krass looked at his cards. Right now, he was at seventy-seven points, while Cassk and Yarl had seventy-four and seventy-nine respectively. Tylana was at seventy-six, dangerously close to Krass' score. In order to win, Krass would need a perfect twenty-three; anything above or below that would cost him everything. He let the tendrils of the Force slip into the three other players' minds, trying to gauge them. Yarl seemed slightly annoyed at his hand, though seemed reassured that the randomizer would go his way this time. Cassk was confident, feeling that he was sure to win. Tylana was pleased with her hand, though she was unsure whether the randomizer would ruin her chances at winning.

"Everyone ready," he asked. The other three nodded.

All four players stared at their cards after they hit the "Randomize" button at the bottom of the cards. Once more, the tension hung thickly in the air as the cards finished shuffling. Krass stared at his cards and was amazed at what he saw, though his face didn't express it.

Cassk hissed. "Positive 21," he said, displeased.

Yarl growled. "Negative 19," he spat, slamming his cards on the table.

Tylana folded her hand in disgust. "Positive 12," she spat.

Krass allowed a small grin. "Idiot's Array," he said, placing three cards onto the table. He won.

"What," Cassk shouted, smashing his fists onto the table and jumping up from his seat. "That's impossible."

Yarl lost his anger at the sight of Cassk's displeasure and began to chuckle under his breath. "He's just very lucky," he said between chuckles. "Don't be such a sore loser, Cassk."

The Trandoshan gave the older man a glare that would have stopped a rancor in its tracks. "I don't want to hear it from you," he growled.

"And you." He jabbed a sickle-like nail at Krass. "This isn't over. If you think I'm giving over my ship to you, you're mistaken." He pulled out a blaster to emphasize the point.

Krass could feel the guards in the neighboring booths tense at the sight of the blaster, ready to spring into action in a moment. He appeared to care little at the blaster pointed at his face, staring down the bore of the blaster as it were nothing but a harmless toy. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Dev tense up and reach for the grip of the blaster at his side, ready to jump behind the bar for cover should a firefight break out.
"Fine then," Krass said. "You can keep your ship, on the condition that you help me on my assignment and you get my rate."

The Trandoshan thought on that for a moment, tasting the air with its tongue to "smell" any fear or stress sweat on the human before him. Not sensing anything but the sour taste of the bar, he put his blaster back in its holster.

"My ship, one hour," he said. "I'll meet you in orbit."

With that, the pirate leader turned and left the bar, the guards following behind him, trying to get a look at the man they were now working for. Tylana followed suite, agreeing to meet Krass at the same time designated by Cassk. Now that Cassk and Tylana were gone, Yarl began to laugh even harder, his flat gray hair bouncing into the hair and landing back into place. He wiped away tears that built up in his eyes, turning toward the man left in the booth with him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Cassk so upset," Yarl said as he calmed down. "You're lucky to be alive, my friend."

"It's just like you said, I'm very lucky," Krass said, as he replaced his items back onto the utility belt beneath his cloak. "You can keep your money, by the way. I'm not interested in holding a debt over someone's head."

Yarl seemed to brighten at that. "Well that's kind of you, but a deal's a deal. If you won't take my credits, the least I can do is give you my ship."

He got out of the booth and motioned for Krass and Dev to follow. “Come on, she’s this way,” he said.

Krass put a few credits on the counter in front of the stunned Devaronian. "Keep the change," he said.

---

"What is that," Dev asked in slight disgust.

In front of them, a small freighter sat in the middle of the docking bay, blotches of blaster scars and scratches evident across its surface. The ship was like a miss-shaped circle, with two wedge-shaped prongs jutting out of the main structure. In between these prongs sat a conical-shaped structure that had viewports over the top half of it. Large landing gear extended from the ship's belly like legs.

"That's the Ranger," Yarl said with pride. "Yep, she may not look like much, but she is the best ship I've ever had." He patted the hull with affection.

Krass noted the quad laser cannons on the belly of the ship. "You must have been carrying something that needed protection," he observed. "A smuggler?"

Yarl grinned at that. "As sure as Tatooine is a ball of sand," he said. He hit a control on the outer hull, which caused a hatch to hiss open, and reveal a boarding ramp just beneath the cockpit. "Come on in."

Inside, the ship looked remarkably well-kept. The floors were polished, the walls gleamed a soft tan color. The upholstery on the furniture in the lounge area was a fine nerf leather, which had no tears and only slight wear. A holographic chessboard sat in the center of the lounge, ready to be used at any moment. The refresher and the kitchenette were both well-constructed and stocked. Finally, the quarters, with the exception of the captain's, had four bunks in the room. Organized, yet cramped, the room was obviously meant to transport passengers on a short-distance journey. The room to the right of the quarters was the storage area, where crates lined neatly in piles. Krass inspected one, but found that nothing was in them. After touring the ship for themselves, Krass and Dev rejoined Yarl at the cockpit.

"Impressive," Krass said. "Though, from one smuggler to another, where do you keep the contraband?"

Yarl went into the cockpit and flipped a switch underneath the pilot’s seat. The floor panels popped up, revealing a hidden storage compartment that encircled the entire ship. Dev and Krass stared down at the space beneath their feet.

"I used the maintenance ducts as hidden storage compartments," Yarl explained to his surprised guests. "The authorities could board the ship and search every corner for my cargo, but they wouldn't even scratch the surface." He flipped the switch again and the panels fell back into place.

He handed Krass the activation codes and a bag that rattled with credits. "And she's all yours," he said.

"I said I didn't want your money," Krass said, trying to give the bag back.

Yarl raised a hand in refusal. "Keep it," he said with a slight edge in his voice.

Krass did so begrudgingly. "What will you do now," he asked.

The old man shrugged. "I'll retire from smuggling and get myself a nice loft here on Wroona," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "And don't tell Cassk this, but I've got enough credits to pay off my debt a thousand times over. I just like to make him think that I have less so that my victory- well, your victory- would be all that much sweeter." He walked down the boarding ramp, sticking his head into the ship one last time.

"Good luck, gentlemen," he said. "And don't worry about the dock payment, I've already got that covered."

Krass and Dev raised the ramp and took their positions in the cockpit, beginning the pre-flight checks.

"Do you know how to fly one of these things, sir," Dev asked.

Krass shrugged. "I've never flown a YT-1000 before," he admitted, "though I've flown a couple Corellian ships. They're generally the same in their controls."

The engines began to whine as they gained power. After waiting for a luxury cruiser to take off, the battered smuggling ship took off from its berth in the spaceport and flew skyward, gaining speed quickly. Both Dev and Krass worked in silence for a few minutes before the former broke it.

"You seemed to really know what you were doing back there," Dev said.

"I've done that sort of thing enough times, I should have been convincing enough," Krass said.

Dev raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean," he asked.

"Let's just say that not all Jedi walk around in the open," Krass replied. "Some hide in the shadows, trying to keep attention away from themselves while they work to defend the Republic."

Dev nodded at that. Krass tried to change the topic. "You did pretty well yourself," he said.

The clone huffed at that. "Really," he asked.

"Sure," Krass said. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were Jango Fett's twin brother."

Dev had to chuckle at that. "If only that were true," he said.

For the remainder of the short flight back to the destroyer, neither man said a word.

[Cainesland]

Verdauga led his men forward, stealthily, down the hill. 6 soldiers, and 4 droids followed him. As he neared the bottom, he signalled them to stop as he noticed seperatist battle droids standing out on the Tarmac. Quickly he motioned for his 4 droids to set up sniping positions, and his 6 soldiers to follow him. They carefully began moving forward. When the droids didn't move, he got confused. Suddenly, auto-defence turrets rained down on them. Verdauga reacted automatically, deflecting the blasts on the 2 turrets, destroying them and raining sparks down on the surrounding wall.

"Let's check out the ship before we delve into our mission. We will need a way out after.". His soldiers nodded; his 4 droids still keeping a watchful eye over the area. It was a separatist transport. It could carry (maybe) his troops. Verdauga decided to ask 4 of his troops to go into the ship, and look around, and try and get it running, while he and 2 others enter the manufacturing plant.

[Alotopia]

Admiral Czer
Endor System
Forest Moon

The flagship of Rathon's former battlegroup, an Imperator-class Star Destroyer "Shadow of War", exited hyperspace near the Forest Moon of Endor. It was accompanied by two Acclamator-I Transports and two Venator-class Star Destroyers. They were all that remained loyal to Master Rathon after Order 66...

It had been a journey to get to this place. When word had come down from the Emperor to execute Order 66, Admiral Czer was surprised. He had never expected this from the Chancellor, or anyone for that matter. But, when it did come, Czer could not abandon his friend and turn on him...

14 Hours Earlier...

"Admiral Czer, we have received word that the Jedi have attempted to overthrow the Senate. We have been told to execute Order 66." Spoke a bridge officer as the transmission came in from Coruscant. A younger officer, hand picked from the Academy of Cardia by Master Rathon, he owed a lot to the Rathon family and to the Sith Lord.

"I have heard. Master Rathon is not aboard at this time, however I do believe we will be hearing from him very soon. Prepare to disable all locator beacons on the Shadow of War, and instruct the Venators Republic's Fury and Harbinger of Peace to do the same. The Acclamators that carry the 891st and 892nd will be already preparing to do so. As soon as you are ready, we will all do it at the same time and make micro-hyperspace jumps to prevent any followers..." he paused, staring at the large battlegroup surrounding his ship...

"Yes sir, it will be done with all due haste." Responded the officer, saluting before rushing off to carry out his orders.

Vice-Admiral Jarquen will likely assume command after my disappearance. He is a loyal friend to the Rathon family of Kuat, and uncle to Padawan Jarquen; he will not attempt to follow me. He will likely remain in the Republic Navy, serving as a spy for Lord Marouk and ensuring he has an ear into the internal workings of the new Empire's Navy.. his thoughts trained off as the young officer returned...

"All loyal ships have signaled they are ready, Admiral."

"Then let us begin..."

Present time

The Acclamators soon began taking care of their landing duties, as they prepared to land on the surface of the moon...

Several months before, Lord Marouk had ordered the construction of a hidden base on the Forest Moon. It was to have four landing docks, where ships as large as Venators would be able to land and then be lowered into the hidden bunker, hiding them from any surface scans. The base would also have a cloaking generator and a shield, enursing it's protection. It would be completely self sustaining, with generators and food supplies.

The bunker itself would extend 500 meters down into the surface, protecting it from orbital bombardment. It was to have barracks space for 200,000 people, with armories to match. There would be even larger storage rooms and warehouse spaces, allowing for Lord Marouk to continue with Phase-II of his plan.

"How is construction coming Commander Hura?", asked General Tolfin, stepping of the first of the Acclamators to land.

"Construction is proceeding as expected, the slaves and droids are proving most useful. If I may, what brings you here General?" responded the Clone Commander incharge of construction.

"There has been a major change in the government in the Galaxy and it is no longer safe for Lord Marouk to remain in the open. You must double your efforts here. The 891st and 892nd will assist, but these are combat troops first. If they get tired, let them rest."

[New Decius]

Docking Bay for Venator Star Destroyer Justice; Coruscant Military Spaceport
Approximately 12 Hours Post Order 66 being Initiated

After returning from Rhen Var having beat the Separatists all the way back to their factories, and finally arriving back on Coruscant, it quite surprised Jedi Master Byron Arklight when instead of the Jedi Council greeting him, a company of Coruscant Guards met them, with their blasters pointed at Byron.

They weren't even speaking but they just aimed at the Jedi Master whilst the Clones whom had stepped off the ship with him had different reactions; many drew their own blasters and also pointed them at Byron, with only 23 Clones not doing so and also staring around in confusion, including Commander Striker and the nine Troopers of the ARC I Team. Byron looked around him as his hand slowly and subtlety lowered to the hilt of his blade. "Men what's going on-" A Coruscant Guard Captain suddenly interjected. "Per the Initiation of Order 66, all Jedi are hereby declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. Men fire!" And then they began to fire at Byron.

In a flash both of his blades were up and all one could see of Byron was a blur of white as he blocked bolt after bolt of energy and for several minutes it remained such until Byron had to stop out of slight exhaustion and the clones to change out their energy packs. However, then two blaster bolts flew past Byron and slammed into the Guard Captain, as he fell back dead. Byron turned to see Commander Striker holding two smoking blaster pistols. Byron looked over at him as he caught his breath. "Commander Striker?" Striker walked up to stand next to Byron as the rest of the clones who had not drawn their blasters on Byron followed, with ARC I covering their rear. They formed a circle.

Striker slowly aimed his pistols around while waiting for their enemy to make the first move. "We may not know what is going on sir. But we do know one thing. We've fought alongside you through this hell of a war for over two years and you've brought us through it. We'd stand by your side no matter what sir." That brought a smile to Byron's face even if his mask hid it. He resumed his defensive stance and then shouted out orders. "Hurry, to the Excelsior, it is still attached to the Justice!" And with that the battle resumed.

The Jedi Master and his Clone comrades slowly made their way back to the docking port, cutting down men of the Coruscant Guard and the 861st alike as they managed to make it back to the docking port. Six Clones were lost from their group as Byron shut and locked the docking port. They could hear the Clones banging on the door on the other side as the group rushed down the tube and towards the ship. Two Clones blocked their path and aimed their blasters but Byron pushed them aside with the Force.

They fought their way through the ship until they reached the docking port leading to the Excelsior, a Consular-Class Corvette attached to the Justice. According the Striker, they had just enough room beneath the Star Destroyer to launch and then enough room to clear the edge of the warship and head skywards. Along the way to the Corvette they had lost seven more Clones leaving their group at just Byron, Striker, and the nine Clones in ARC I. They rushed along the tube to the Corvette and boarded the ship, and seeing as the crew had been among the Clones the group had been forced to kill, they had to man the crews positions at the helm.

Within minutes they had detached and were soaring along the underside of the Justice before they broke clear of the edge of the massive Star Destroyer and soared up towards space. Now Byron took notice of the smoke coming from the Jedi Temple and he felt a strain at his heart. He went to the communications station and sent out a Jedi Code across the galaxy reading:

Code: Select all

This is Jedi Master Byron Arklight. Clone Order 66 Initiated. Jedi have been declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. I have escaped Coruscant with several Clones from the 861st who refused to obey the Order. To all Jedi receiving this message, get clear of your Clone Legions and do not attempt to return to Coruscant.

Byron began to think of where they could go to flee the reach of the Republic, and decided to go to the one place where in reality the Republic had stayed away from, the edges of the Outer Rim where neither the Republic or Separatists had ventured to due to lack of military value. Specifically the planet Hoth, ignored since the Great Galactic War thousands of years ago.

So he decided to send out a message on an encrypted Jedi Code, stating that if any Jedi wished to find each other, to go to the Hoth System. He only hoped his old Padawan, Kite also received this message.....


Bridge of the Venator Star Destroyer Sun Storm; 78th Star Corps; Orbit over Tatooine
Approximately 12 Hours after Initiation of Order 66

Kite sensed the Clones approaching him whilst he sat cross legged at the viewport meditating, before any of his physical senses registered them. He could tell their intentions already were to kill him, and that made him angry. Yet he also lived for the thrill of battle, he hated being idle. So a smirk was brought to his face as he continued to meditate but spoke to the Clones. "Silly, Silly Clones, thinking you could sneak up on a Jedi." His eyes bolted open. "What fools you are."

And then he leapt up into the air, drawing his bright green Lightsaber as he did and slicing the heads of the three Clones as was in the air and then as he landed he turned and used the Force to blast over a dozen Troopers back into the Communications Center with one flying right into a console and being fried. Kite then noticed that some of the technicians were drawing blasters so he jumped down into the tech area to his right and began to cut through the Clones like they were paper, until that was finished and he got on to the other side.

After he was finished with that, a number of Troopers had come to the Bridge and so a battle ensued. Kite went through the ship over the course of an hour, killing any Clone he came across as he made his way to the Hanger. He'd already set the ship to self-destruct before leaving the Bridge. He intended to take his Starfighter down to Tatooine while the fleet was distracted with the destruction of their flag ship.

Soon enough the Eta-2 Starfighter was soaring down to the planet of scum whilst the fleet was searching the wreckage of the flag ship. Now Kite was receiving several coded messages from Jedi around the galaxy, several from his old Master, with one asking surviving Jedi to go to Hoth. Well that would be difficult for Kite to do since his Starfighter's Hyperspace Ring was destroyed with the Star Destroyer, so it looks like he'll have to find some scum and/or pirates on this rock who he could manipulate into getting him to Hoth.

Separatist Base on Mustafar

Taruk Kaizer slowly crawled away from the command center where the entirety of the Confederacy of Independent Systems had just been ended and where he had been outdone by none other than Sidious newly christened lackey, Lord Vader, whom was Skywalker at that! That whelp hadn't matched up to him during the war, so how was he able to now?! He had seemed to possess some new power but as far as Taruk knew, switching sides from Light to Dark did not gift you with much in the way of new powers. But he could worry about that later, right now he had something else to worry about. Such as his two missing legs and half of his right arm having been cut off.

"Curse you Vader! Damn you to the depths! And you can toss your Master in the fire with you!" He knew shouting these insults did him no honest good but if Vader was still in the compound to hear them, it did his pride good. His Commando's were coming down in a transport he could see it in the sky, so he propped himself up against a barrel on the landing platform and took his saber in hand, igniting it and awaiting the imminent arrival of Lord Vader. But he would fight to the death, come hell or high water.

[New Emphillon]

Aboard Captured Recuscant-class Destroyer, In Orbit of Wroona
41.5 Hours After the Execution of Order 66
Krass stood watching the old pirate vessel docking with the Separatist destroyer from behind the ray shield of the hangar. The ship reminded Krass of a beetle, with two mandible-like docking clamps protruding from the front of the oblong hull; guns stuck out of its sides like spikes. Following close behind was an old Tri-Mark VII interceptor, its three bulbous engines bringing the ship inside the destroyer's hangar. Dev stood at the Jedi's side, clad in his white armor stained by scars from previous conflicts, with Sabre and Dagger Squads flanking their superiors. The commandos had their rifles in hand, ready to be used in a moment's notice. Once the two ships were connected, hissing escaped the docking hatch as the depressurization process commenced. The Tri-Mark landed softly in the hangar, its landing gear hissing with the release of pressure from unseen vents. For a few moments, everything was still.

Finally, the docking hatch opened to reveal the foreboding form of Cassk, his crimson scales seeming to shimmer in the light. Following closely behind was a Wroonian woman, her pale blue skin contrasting with her tight dark jumpsuit and short-cut black hair that clung closely to her skull. An expression of annoyance and distrust crossed her face. Behind them were three "guards"- men that were meant to be intimidating rather than be actually effective. Krass noted that one of them didn't even have a charged powerpack in his rifle. Tylana stepped off of the boarding ramp of her interceptor and joined Cassk and his gang for the meeting.

The entourage stopped cold at the sight of clone troopers before them. Krass barely blinked when he saw Cassk, Tylana, and the Wroonian pull out blasters, while the three pirates fumbled with their weapons. Just as quickly, the commandos had their rifles raised, ready to unleash a volley of laser fire. Krass and Dev remained unmoved by the display.

"What is this," Cassk growled.

"Looks like a setup," the woman at the Trandoshan's side replied.

"This is not a setup," Krass assured, letting the Force flow through his words.

Cassk didn't seem to be phased. "Explain the clones then," he demanded, thumbing his safety off as a warning.

"You really don't want to do that," Krass said, brushing aside his cloak enough to let his lightsaber be visible.

"A Jedi," Cassk hissed softly. Krass nodded.

Replacing his cloak, Krass continued. "These clones are my colleagues," he explained. "They are only a threat to you if you don't put those weapons down."

Seeming reluctant, Tylana, Cassk, and his companion put their weapons back in their holsters. The three pirates behind them took the hint and lowered theirs as well, a tad relieved that they didn't have to fight. In unison, the clone commandos dropped their rifles, though kept them on hand in case something fast was attempted. Satisfied, Krass proceeded to the point of this meeting.

"Now that we have gotten past introductions, let's get to the point of our meeting," he said. "I know that you are now questioning everything we had discussed earlier, but I can assure you that nothing has changed. I do intend to go to Rhen Var. I do intend to fight the Republic forces there. And I need your help to do it."

"Why," Cassk asked, now more suspicious than before.

"I'll make it simple for you," Krass said. "The Republic has been replaced by an Empire, ruled by a Sith Lord that is hell-bent on destroying the Jedi Order. To do that, he has had the Clone Army initiate Order 66, which labels the Jedi as traitors to the Republic and makes them targets for the million or so clones around them. The ones you see by my side are not only close friends of mine, but have more free-thought than a standard clone, thus they can choose to not follow an order. Right now, they and I are going to find a place to hide so that we can rest and get a better picture as to where to begin our mission."

"Which is," Tylana asked.

"To save the Jedi Order," Krass said, as if that should have been simple to figure out.

"And you want my help," Cassk asked indignantly.

Krass stared hard into the reptilian eyes glaring at him with golden fire. "You came here on your own power," he replied, the Force rippling through each word spoken. "You could have not shown up, but you seem to think of this as an opportunity. Not for money, but for freedom." Cassk opened his mouth, but Krass silenced him.

"I can guess that you feel this way because your grasp over the Wroonian government and law-enforcement is slipping, probably because they are tired of you stealing their shipments and have to pay double, triple, even quintuple the shipments' original prices, just to get them back. Of course, you coerce them back by giving them some of your own money- that you made off of them, I might add- and doing the odd job for them here and there. But they are quickly catching on that it might just be best to do away with you once and for all, so they don't have to go through a middleman just to get their shipments. Time is running out for you and you need a way out.

"But you can't leave the Wroona system too long without running the risk of being caught by the Republic and imprisoned for piracy, murder and various other charges, probably placed in a nice padded cell on Oovo IV. You and your crew are trapped. How long do you think you will last by declining my offer?" Before Cassk could recover from Krass' interrogation, the Jedi turned on the Bothan mercenary in front of him.

"And you," he said to Tylana. "You came to Wroona seeking refuge, some place safe after a job went wrong. What happened that made you flee? Did you fail to kill someone? Or did you simply kill the wrong person or people? Either way, your failure drew the attention of the authorities to your employer, who simply passed on the blame to you. Double-crossed, ashamed, and hunted, you ran here, hoping to maybe one day reclaim your honor, your title as veteran mercenary and not an amateur." The Bothan woman stared at Krass with eyes filled with murder, her body steeling itself for the fight that would ensue after she drew her blaster and fired a shot. But, her expression quickly softened, and she merely lowered her head in shame of her secret being revealed.

Krass stared at both of them. "This offer is more than simply working for a Jedi, it is a chance at redemption, a chance to escape your pasts and start anew." He extended a hand. "I can assure your safety. We are all running from the same foe. Why not join up and work together?"

Cassk stared at the hand before him with apprehension, as if afraid to touch it. He extended his hand slowly, as if having doubts about the choice before him. Finally, he took Krass' hand and shook. As they disengaged, Cassk snorted in approval, his bright eyes shining with a new-found spark.

"I'll gather the rest of my men, then we'll head out," he said as he turned for his ship. The others followed closely behind.

Krass watched them go, though he noticed Tylana approach him out of the corner of his eye. "What about you," he asked, giving her his full attention.

The Bothan woman in front of him hesitated for a moment before answering. "I don't care for Jedi," she muttered. "I don't care much for politics, either. But, if I can have a chance to fix my reputation..." She extended her hand. "Then I would be more than willing to join you."

Krass quickly scanned Tylana for any ripples in her fur, which usually indicates when a Bothan is lying. Not seeing any, he took her hand and shook it. Tylana nodded her approval and returned to the interior of her ship. It was then that Krass noticed the Wroonian woman approaching the men and woman before her, striding toward them with fluid motion. She turned to ensure that the pirate vessel had disembarked from the destroyer before making eye contact with Krass.

"You sure do know how to push Cassk's buttons," she said with some admiration.

"It wasn't hard to figure out which ones to push," Krass admitted.

"I'm sure. Cassk isn’t known to hide his emotions." The woman's face softened. "Is it true? The Republic is really killing off the Jedi?"

Krass motioned for her to follow as he led the group to the bridge.

---

"I can't believe this," the woman- Lia Kor- said as she stared into the image of Palpatine frozen in victory.

"I'm afraid it is all too true, ma'am," Dev said, forlorn.

Krass turned away from the image. "What will you do now," he asked the woman.

On the way to the bridge, the Wroonian- who called herself Lia Kor- had explained that she was part of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, tasked with infiltrating Cassk's pirate group to gain information regarding his activities. She had been with him for years, working her way up to his second-in-command, all the while trying to gain his trust. Despite the information she had sent to Coruscant regarding her mission, no further instructions were given to her and, for a while, she felt that she was abandoned. With no other option but to stay put, Lia had stayed with Cassk, still gathering information that could be used against him should he ever be caught by Republic authorities.

The Wroonian shook her head. "I won't go back to serve an empire, that's for sure," she said, meeting Krass' eyes. "I'll help you anyway I can. I've managed to make a few contacts over the years that could help. None that are as good as Cassk's, but good enough."

"Whatever you have will be plenty," Krass said.

At that moment, an image of Cassk appeared on the holographic projector, replacing the image of the new galactic emperor. He folded his arms across his chest.

"We're ready, Jedi," he said. "Just give us the coordinates and we can leave."

"Stand-by," Krass said as the droids fed the coordinates through the communication console. After a few moments, Cassk acknowledged the new coordinates.

"Those will take you to the command base stationed near the border with the Aurel Sector," Krass said. "We'll take care of the base on Rhen Var."

"Understood," Cassk said, his image fading away as he cut off his transmission.

Krass stared out the viewport to see the old Kaloth-class frigate race into the stars ahead, two equally old AIAT/i gunships jumping after it with their over-sized engines. Within a moment, the stars blurred as the destroyer raced into hyperspace.

---

Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Approximately 2 Days After the Execution of Order 66
Aera's eyes fluttered open as the wave of unconsciousness receded from her. As it did, her senses awoke from their dormancy to express the discomfort she felt. Her head throbbed dully and the pain jabbed at her like spikes with each heartbeat. Her throat felt dry, her mouth tasted of copper. Strands of her hair lay across her face, preventing her from seeing everything in the room. Her mind was filled with static, though one thought came through. Where am I?

She searched the room to try and gain an answer to that question, however she only found herself staring into the face of a deceased man, his skin pale and dry. His white hair and beard matched the color of his skin, both short-cut and well-kept. He clutched his abdomen, as if in excruciating pain. A dark patch in his crème-colored robe appeared from underneath his hands. Despite his pain, his face appeared to be calm, at peace. Master Kol, Aera thought, staring into the glazed eyes of her former master. She blinked away tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Aera gathered her strength and pushed herself up from her position on the cobblestones. She turned her head to get a more accurate look of her surroundings. The room was large, with a high ceiling that looked out into the starry night sky. Cobblestone paths stretched out into the interior of the room, weaving around gardens of lush exotic plants cultivated over many years from several planets. The paths came to a point in the center of the room, where they all met to form a circular path. Here, holograms of recently deceased Jedi hung like ghosts among the plant life. In the center of the room, a woman lay on a bed of flowers, her arms folded across her chest as if she were dead. Next to the body lay two more, outstretched and immobile.

What happened here, Aera thought. Her mind was now a buzz of activity as more questions began to appear. Yet, somehow, it felt empty, as if something were missing. She pushed away the questions as a sense of urgency grew within her. Something was wrong and she needed to leave. She forced herself to stand, her legs sticks of lead and hard to move. As she took an experimental step forward, Aera stepped onto a metal cylinder on the ground, causing a purple blade to extend out with a snap-hiss. She jumped, but quickly recognized the object to be her lightsaber. She retrieved it from the ground and deactivated it, the blade retreating back into its hilt to slumber. Aera retrieved her master's lightsaber from his belt, and placed both weapons on her's.

"I'll avenge you, master," she said in a hoarse whisper.

She turned to gaze on the three bodies in the center of the gardens. "I'll avenge all of you."

---

The journey from the meditation gardens was long and depressing. Aera found the temple in shambles, with the walls and columns pocketed with blaster marks, pillars lying on their sides across the cavernous hallways of the temple, and the floors cracked and cratered. Bodies lay strewn across the floor in various positions, all with blaster burns throughout their bodies. The young woman could hardly believe her eyes. I don't understand, she thought to herself. What happened here?

As she turned a corner into the main hallway, she encountered two figures clad in white combat armor that was riddled with scars. Blue markings ran along their armor, down from the top of their helmets to the bottom of their kneecaps. They were walking with their backs to her, discussing something that she couldn't make out. Aera didn't remember ever seeing soldiers like that before. Perhaps they're here to help, she thought, ignoring a tugging feeling in the back of her mind that was guiding her away from them.

"Hey," she called, her voice still hoarse from disuse.

The two figures stiffened and turned on their heels to stare at the red-haired figure behind them, their expressionless helmets hiding their surprise well.

Aera took a couple steps closer. "I'm glad you're here," she said and gestured to the bodies strewn around her. "What happened here?"

She waited for an answer, hoping to clear up everything- instead she was answered by blaster fire from the two soldiers. She ducked as the beams of energy lanced through the air and ran in the opposite directions, now relying on her senses to escape. Aera could hear the soldiers call after her, but she made no attempt at stopping.

After running some distance through the vast hallways of the temple, Aera found herself staring at a repulsor-lift that marked the end of the hall. She raced inside and punched a command, not caring where it was going to take her. The doors sealed in time as a blaster round struck right where Aera's head would have been if the doors didn't close. For a few moments, she heard nothing but the faint hum of the repulsors gradually bringing the lift down the shaft. As the lift decelerated, the doors opened to reveal a cavernous room that was in the same poor condition as the rest of the temple, though at the far end of it there were large blast doors that sat closed. Wrecks of astromech droids and starfighters lay strewn across the durasteel floor. A hangar!

Aera grabbed her lightsaber and pressed the hilt against the control panel of the lift and ignited the blade. The pure energy of the blade cut through the metal with ease, melting the wires behind the panel and sealing off that point of entry. Deactivating the lightsaber, Aera ran out from the lift as it rushed down further into the temple toward its inevitable doom. She began to look through the ruined hangar, searching for anyway ship that was capable to fly without breaking up in-flight. It was a tough search, but she found a Delta-7 Aethersprite toward the end of the hangar that was in decent condition. The astromech droid implanted in the ship whirred in surprise at the figuring running to the ship.

Aera hopped into the cockpit and brought the ship back to life. The control panels glowed and began to give her various information about the state of the craft. The astromech droid began to hoot and whistle, trying to be of assistance to its new master, though Aera couldn't figure out what it was trying to say. Just as she managed to get the ship prepared for flight, the blast doors opened to allow a pair of gunships to enter the hangar, one behind the other. The external hatches opened to reveal more soldiers clad in similar combat armor as the previous soldiers, all of them with weapons ready. They departed from their gunships and began to fan out throughout the hangar, searching for a Jedi.

Aera ducked inside the cockpit and tried to make herself as small as possible. She tried to think of what to do to draw the clones' attention away from her for a second. She peaked over the side of the cockpit and saw a small piece of marble, no larger than the size of her palm. She raised it with the Force and threw it against the hull of a wrecked starfighter. The debris hit the starfighter with the sound of a gong, forcing the clone troopers' attention toward it, the gunships turning to inspect the spot.

Making her move, Aera sat herself into the seat of the fighter and fired a few rounds at the nearest gunship to clear the way. The rounds struck its port engine and sent the gunship careening into the deck. Troopers ducked as the resulting explosion rolled over them. Aera guided her fighter through the flames just as the cockpit sealed itself. She raced for the stars above her, the acceleration of the starfighter forcing her back into her seat. Within minutes, the glow from the endless sea of artificial lights was gone and replaced by the never-ending expanse of space.

Just when Aera thought she was free, the small droid began to hoot in alarm. She looked down at her control panel to see what it was chattering about: two blips appeared on her sensors, rushing straight toward her on an intercept course. The young woman tried to increase speed and maneuver away from the approaching enemy, but the controls were locked.

"What," Aera cried in astonishment. She turned to the astromech outside the cockpit. "What are you doing?"

The astromech replied by maneuvering the fighter away from its pursuers, speeding toward some unknown destination. For a moment, Aera was tempted to try and override the droid's control of the fighter but saw its reason for taking control of it and locking her out. What had at first been a small speck in-between the major hyperspace lanes quickly grew into a hyperspace ring for the Delta-7; the droid had been taking the starfighter to its designated hyperspace ring to escape.

Aera loosed a sigh of relief. As the fighter moved into position, lasers smashed into the starfighter's shields, severely weakening them in the process. Aera tried to divert power to them while the droid placed random coordinates from its memory bank into the navigation system. Two V-wing fighters roared past the ship as they maneuvered to make another pass at the lone starfighter.

The navigation console flashed a confirmation at the coordinates. Aera pushed the throttle forward, forcing the fighter into the warped light of hyperspace. Aera slumped back into her seat, relieved she had made it. Now in the safety of hyperspace, her mind began to race again, questions coming through the void in her mind, though one struck her more than the rest. Who am I?

[New Emphillon]

Docking Bay for Venator Star Destroyer Justice; Coruscant Military Spaceport
Approximately 12 Hours Post Order 66 being Initiated

After returning from Rhen Var having beat the Separatists all the way back to their factories, and finally arriving back on Coruscant, it quite surprised Jedi Master Byron Arklight when instead of the Jedi Council greeting him, a company of Coruscant Guards met them, with their blasters pointed at Byron.

They weren't even speaking but they just aimed at the Jedi Master whilst the Clones whom had stepped off the ship with him had different reactions; many drew their own blasters and also pointed them at Byron, with only 23 Clones not doing so and also staring around in confusion, including Commander Striker and the nine Troopers of the ARC I Team. Byron looked around him as his hand slowly and subtlety lowered to the hilt of his blade. "Men what's going on-" A Coruscant Guard Captain suddenly interjected. "Per the Initiation of Order 66, all Jedi are hereby declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. Men fire!" And then they began to fire at Byron.

In a flash both of his blades were up and all one could see of Byron was a blur of white as he blocked bolt after bolt of energy and for several minutes it remained such until Byron had to stop out of slight exhaustion and the clones to change out their energy packs. However, then two blaster bolts flew past Byron and slammed into the Guard Captain, as he fell back dead. Byron turned to see Commander Striker holding two smoking blaster pistols. Byron looked over at him as he caught his breath. "Commander Striker?" Striker walked up to stand next to Byron as the rest of the clones who had not drawn their blasters on Byron followed, with ARC I covering their rear. They formed a circle.

Striker slowly aimed his pistols around while waiting for their enemy to make the first move. "We may not know what is going on sir. But we do know one thing. We've fought alongside you through this hell of a war for over two years and you've brought us through it. We'd stand by your side no matter what sir." That brought a smile to Byron's face even if his mask hid it. He resumed his defensive stance and then shouted out orders. "Hurry, to the Excelsior, it is still attached to the Justice!" And with that the battle resumed.

The Jedi Master and his Clone comrades slowly made their way back to the docking port, cutting down men of the Coruscant Guard and the 861st alike as they managed to make it back to the docking port. Six Clones were lost from their group as Byron shut and locked the docking port. They could hear the Clones banging on the door on the other side as the group rushed down the tube and towards the ship. Two Clones blocked their path and aimed their blasters but Byron pushed them aside with the Force.

They fought their way through the ship until they reached the docking port leading to the Excelsior, a Consular-Class Corvette attached to the Justice. According the Striker, they had just enough room beneath the Star Destroyer to launch and then enough room to clear the edge of the warship and head skywards. Along the way to the Corvette they had lost seven more Clones leaving their group at just Byron, Striker, and the nine Clones in ARC I. They rushed along the tube to the Corvette and boarded the ship, and seeing as the crew had been among the Clones the group had been forced to kill, they had to man the crews positions at the helm.

Within minutes they had detached and were soaring along the underside of the Justice before they broke clear of the edge of the massive Star Destroyer and soared up towards space. Now Byron took notice of the smoke coming from the Jedi Temple and he felt a strain at his heart. He went to the communications station and sent out a Jedi Code across the galaxy reading:

Code: Select all

This is Jedi Master Byron Arklight. Clone Order 66 Initiated. Jedi have been declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. I have escaped Coruscant with several Clones from the 861st who refused to obey the Order. To all Jedi receiving this message, get clear of your Clone Legions and do not attempt to return to Coruscant.

Byron began to think of where they could go to flee the reach of the Republic, and decided to go to the one place where in reality the Republic had stayed away from, the edges of the Outer Rim where neither the Republic or Separatists had ventured to due to lack of military value. Specifically the planet Hoth, ignored since the Great Galactic War thousands of years ago.

So he decided to send out a message on an encrypted Jedi Code, stating that if any Jedi wished to find each other, to go to the Hoth System. He only hoped his old Padawan, Kite also received this message.....


Bridge of the Venator Star Destroyer Sun Storm; 78th Star Corps; Orbit over Tatooine
Approximately 12 Hours after Initiation of Order 66

Kite sensed the Clones approaching him whilst he sat cross legged at the viewport meditating, before any of his physical senses registered them. He could tell their intentions already were to kill him, and that made him angry. Yet he also lived for the thrill of battle, he hated being idle. So a smirk was brought to his face as he continued to meditate but spoke to the Clones. "Silly, Silly Clones, thinking you could sneak up on a Jedi." His eyes bolted open. "What fools you are."

And then he leapt up into the air, drawing his bright green Lightsaber as he did and slicing the heads of the three Clones as was in the air and then as he landed he turned and used the Force to blast over a dozen Troopers back into the Communications Center with one flying right into a console and being fried. Kite then noticed that some of the technicians were drawing blasters so he jumped down into the tech area to his right and began to cut through the Clones like they were paper, until that was finished and he got on to the other side.

After he was finished with that, a number of Troopers had come to the Bridge and so a battle ensued. Kite went through the ship over the course of an hour, killing any Clone he came across as he made his way to the Hanger. He'd already set the ship to self-destruct before leaving the Bridge. He intended to take his Starfighter down to Tatooine while the fleet was distracted with the destruction of their flag ship.

Soon enough the Eta-2 Starfighter was soaring down to the planet of scum whilst the fleet was searching the wreckage of the flag ship. Now Kite was receiving several coded messages from Jedi around the galaxy, several from his old Master, with one asking surviving Jedi to go to Hoth. Well that would be difficult for Kite to do since his Starfighter's Hyperspace Ring was destroyed with the Star Destroyer, so it looks like he'll have to find some scum and/or pirates on this rock who he could manipulate into getting him to Hoth.

Separatist Base on Mustafar

Taruk Kaizer slowly crawled away from the command center where the entirety of the Confederacy of Independent Systems had just been ended and where he had been outdone by none other than Sidious newly christened lackey, Lord Vader, whom was Skywalker at that! That whelp hadn't matched up to him during the war, so how was he able to now?! He had seemed to possess some new power but as far as Taruk knew, switching sides from Light to Dark did not gift you with much in the way of new powers. But he could worry about that later, right now he had something else to worry about. Such as his two missing legs and half of his right arm having been cut off.

"Curse you Vader! Damn you to the depths! And you can toss your Master in the fire with you!" He knew shouting these insults did him no honest good but if Vader was still in the compound to hear them, it did his pride good. His Commando's were coming down in a transport he could see it in the sky, so he propped himself up against a barrel on the landing platform and took his saber in hand, igniting it and awaiting the imminent arrival of Lord Vader. But he would fight to the death, come hell or high water.

Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, stood on the balcony of the mining facility that had served as the last Separatist stronghold. He stared into the blazing sky at one of the planets that Mustafar orbits blocking out the system's star in a solar eclipse. The dark mass of the planet quickly swallowed the light from the sun, bringing the planet into darkness. Oddly symbolic of the times, Vader thought, a single tear rushing down his cheek. He wasn't proud of what he had done, but he had no choice. The Jedi Order was too old, too outdated to survive; it was just best to put it out of its misery. Vader rubbed away the tear, ending his moment of weakness. Remember, he told himself, you're doing this for Padme.

Vader then heard a voice shouting amidst the roaring of the lava flows below and turned to see the source. He could see, in the distance, movement on the landing platform. It was hard to make to make out, but it looked to be a man crawling along the deck, before hiding behind a barrel. The Sith Lord drew his lightsaber and marched toward the landing pad. If there was a survivor from his onslaught of the Separatists, he was going to make sure this individual stayed dead.

As he approached the landing pad, he sensed a familiar presence. "Taruk," Vader called out, slowly walking toward the barrel he saw the crumpled form rush behind. "I know you're here. Why don't you come out and face me, or are you too little a man to do it."

Vader was less than a meter away from the barrel. He ignited his lightsaber and grasped the hilt firmly. "You should have stayed dead, Taruk," he growled, slashing the barrel in half.

[New Emphillon]

Aboard Captured Recuscant-class destroyer, In Orbit of Rhen Var
4.5 Days After the Execution of Order 66
The Separatist destroyer came out of hyperspace over the planet of Rhen Var, its alarms beginning to blare across the ship as debris began to pelt the outer hull. Krass, Dev, Lia, and Tylana were nearly thrown off of their feet by the sudden impacts from debris.

"Raise the deflector shields," Krass ordered.

Within moments, the alarms went silent as the deflector shields reached to full power, keeping debris from damaging the hull any further. Outside, chunks of durasteel, damaged fighters, frozen corpses and various other debris hung suspended over the planet.

"What happened here," Lia asked, turning to Krass and Dev for an explanation.

"I don't know," Krass said, dumbfounded. "It looks as if a battle took place here, though I can't imagine why. Aside from a small Republic outpost on the planet, Rhen Var has no military value. The only reason the Separatists came here the first time was to look for a Sith device, but since that was destroyed, there would be no point for them being here."

Dev turned to the droids running the ship. "Start scanning for that base," he ordered. "And scan the debris field for any escape pods or salvageable vessels."

"Roger, roger," the droids replied in a mechanical voice, getting straight to work.

It was about fifteen minutes before a holographic image of what was once a Republic listening post appeared on the projector. It was difficult to tell from the image, but it appeared that nothing but ruins lay in the frozen valleys of the planet. With the base destroyed, there was no need to worry about a Republic/Imperial presence in the system.

The image was soon replaced by a holographic image of Cassk as he connected with the ship's communication system. He hooked a thumb through his blaster belt. "Jedi," he said in a husky reptilian voice, "the station is secure. It doesn't look like anyone was home."

"Are you sure," Krass asked, a bit skeptical.

"Yes," Cassk hissed. "We tried to gain a response from the station for nearly a standard hour before we proceeded to board it. No one was there, though the station couldn't have been abandoned for too long since the major systems were still online. Looks like the Republic took off from here in a hurry."

"We found much of the same thing here," Lia reported. "The Republic base is gone and there is a lot of debris here to indicate that a battle took place not too long ago. Could've been the reason why the Republic abandoned this part of the sector."

"But who would want to fight over this ice ball," Tylana demanded. "It doesn't have any value."

Krass shrugged. "Who knows," he said. "We're scanning the debris field now for anything we can salvage. We'll join you at the station once we're done here."

Cassk nodded. "I'll be sure to keep the place warm for you," he grinned, his image fading away quickly.

Krass turned away from the projector and moved toward the doors. "Where are you going," Lia called after him.

He raised the hood of his cloak over his head. "I still have some business to attend to on the planet," he said.

"And that would be what," Lia asked, following him.

Krass turned back to her. "Can you keep a secret," he asked.

She grinned. "I've been in the intelligence service for some time," she said. "I think I can keep a secret."

Krass nodded. "Thousands of years ago, a fallen Jedi by the name of Uliq Qel-Droma was forced into exile by the Jedi Order after his betrayal during the Old Sith Wars. Ashamed and disconnected from the Force, Uliq lived in seclusion here until his death. The Order constructed a tomb for him as a sign of forgiveness for his actions. The tomb rests in the snow and ice of the planet, where it was only rediscovered shortly before the war. I hope to find some answers there that could help us preserve the Jedi Order."

"And how do you know that you'll find anything," Lia asked, stopping at the end of the hallway.

"I don't," he replied, turning his back to her and walking toward the hangar.

---

Jedi Tomb, Rhen Var, Tribali System
4.5 Days After the Execution of Order 66
The Ranger landed softly on the ice, steam hissing out of the hydraulics on the landing gear. The boarding ramp extended from the aging freighter and dropped onto the ice with a soft crunch. Krass walked down the ramp, the frigid wind stinging his eyes and exposed skin as he exited the ship. Before him, a large citadel stood erect, built into the ice that covered the valley's walls. The structure was an odd pyramidal structure, with a large circular base, a second tier that was similar to the first, and a third tier that grew into a spire that climbed toward the top of the ridge. The metal of the structure was worn and fragile from the thousands of years it was exposed to the endless cold and blizzards that plagued the planet. The doors at the entrance were twisted and hanging precariously in their sockets, a reminder of the Separatist occupation of the planet early in the war.

Krass proceeded inside, ignoring his discomfort in the cold. Past the entrance, the interior opened up into a large circular chamber, ice clinging to the walls of the structure. Icicles hung like daggers from the ceiling, while large mounds of ice lay scattered throughout the room. The remains of tombs sat between these mounds, shattered to pieces. A lingering sense in the Force left a chill in Krass' body as he felt the presence of the deceased in the citadel disturbed by the destruction of their eternal resting places. At the far end of the room lay another blast door, though this one was intact. What he was looking for was beyond there.

The Jedi master passed through the chamber, trying his best to appease the spirits that guarded the tomb. Though upset at the presence of an outsider, the spirits were too weak to pose a challenge to Krass, as their tombs- the sources of their power- were destroyed. As Krass approached the blast door, its gears groaned as it lifted the slab of metal to allow him access. Beyond, the gaping maw of a cave awaited. Krass proceeded forward, the eerie sense he felt leaving him as he exited the chamber.

The cave system wound through the ice, crystals providing a soft blue glow that illuminated the cave. Stalagmites and stalactites pierced the ground and the ceiling, teeth of earth and crystals formed over hundreds of years. The winding caves finally opened into a small chamber, where a tomb lay at its far end. The vast number of crystals in the chamber provided enough light to nearly blind Krass after he had been exposed to nothing but a soft glow for while he ventured the caves. The Jedi master approached the tomb, hoping to find something of use.

As if sensing his approach, a hologram sprung to life at the foot of the tomb, revealing a cloaked figure standing tall over its guest. The figure's head hung low, its hood revealing nothing more but the mouth and chin of its owner.

"Greetings Jedi," it said in a low, raspy voice.

"Uliq Qel-Droma," Krass stated.

"I am," the figure replied. "And who may you be?"

"I am Master Krass Udelles."

"Why have you come, Master Udelles," the specter asked. "What further information could I give to the Order?"

"I am sure that you have sensed the recent disturbance in the Force," Krass said, taking a few more steps toward the figure before him.

"I have," Uliq replied. "Though I merely attributed it to the conflict that is raging in the galaxy now. Am I wrong?"

"Indeed," Krass said. "A Sith Lord has gained control of the Republic and has managed to convince it that the Jedi are the true enemies to its survival and must be dealt with. Since then, many Jedi have fallen victim to this Sith's lie."

"That would explain the growing darkness in the galaxy," Uliq murmured. He raised his head slightly at the Jedi master. "And you come to me looking for guidance?"

"Yes," Krass replied, a sense of hope rising within him.

"I'm afraid that I cannot help you," the ancient Jedi stated without thought.

The hope Krass had was quickly dashed by those words. "But you must know something," Krass pleaded. "During the Sith Wars, many Jedi perished at the hands of the Sith-"

Uliq raised a hand to cut the Jedi off. "What occurred during the Sith Wars was different," he said, regret creeping into his voice. "Yes, many Jedi did die, including my own brother Cay, but the number of Jedi that died then pale in comparison to the slaughter that followed not more than five decades after my death. If what you say is true, then more Jedi have fallen now than at any other time in our history. This purge is beyond anything we have seen before."

Krass lowered his head in dismay. "Then there is nothing I can do," he asked, helpless. "If I can't save any Jedi, the least I can do is protect our culture, our history. You have to know something about that."

Uliq's figure paused for a moment in thought. "If you wish to gather scrolls and holocrons, then I can be of assistance," he said, giving Krass new hope. "Listen carefully."

Krass nodded, allowing the specter to continue. "There are two locations in the nearby Auril Sector that can provide what you are looking for: Ossus and Nespis VIII.

"Ossus was once the center of the Jedi Order in the Outer Rim. It was there that the Jedi Order established a great library to hold our vast knowledge and train the minds of future generations of Jedi. During my time, the nearby Cron star cluster went supernova prematurely after an ancient Sith artifact was activated by one of my former colleagues. The resulting wave of gamma rays sterilized several worlds, including Ossus. Knowing the impending doom, the Jedi Order attempted to evacuate as much of the Great Library's contents as possible, though they ultimately could not take everything. Since then, the planet has been abandoned. It is possible that the Great Library still stands. Should this be true, you are sure to find something buried inside its ruins.

"Nespis VIII houses one of the galaxy's greatest marvels: a vast city that orbits the moon. For years, this city was built by various civilizations, each placing their own architecture into its many districts. It was a marvel for its time. However, the city was abandoned following the destruction of the Cron star cluster and has been so since. Prior to its abandonment, the Jedi Order placed a vast archive within the city, where it should have been untouched since it was abandoned. Perhaps you will find something there."

Krass stored the information he gathered. "Thank you, Uliq," he said. "This information is invaluable."

"Indeed," Uliq replied. "I wish you the best on your quest."

"Thank you," Krass said, starting to turn back toward the cave system.

"Before you leave, I must give you a fair warning," Uliq said.

Krass turned back to face the holographic specter. "I am listening," he said.

"In these trying times, many Jedi will stray from the Path of the Light in order to combat the evil which plagues the galaxy. If you truly wish to save the Jedi Order, you must not only save a Jedi's life or keep documents safe, but you must keep our brothers and sisters on the Path." He raised his head, revealing a large scar running across his face toward his forehead. "Do not take the same path as I."

"I will protect them," Krass said. "I swore an oath to do so."

Uliq nodded in agreement. "May the Force be with you," Uliq replied, his hologram retreating back into its tomb.

"And with you," Krass said, turning once more toward the caves.

[New Decius]

Docking Bay for Venator Star Destroyer Justice; Coruscant Military Spaceport
Approximately 12 Hours Post Order 66 being Initiated

After returning from Rhen Var having beat the Separatists all the way back to their factories, and finally arriving back on Coruscant, it quite surprised Jedi Master Byron Arklight when instead of the Jedi Council greeting him, a company of Coruscant Guards met them, with their blasters pointed at Byron.

They weren't even speaking but they just aimed at the Jedi Master whilst the Clones whom had stepped off the ship with him had different reactions; many drew their own blasters and also pointed them at Byron, with only 23 Clones not doing so and also staring around in confusion, including Commander Striker and the nine Troopers of the ARC I Team. Byron looked around him as his hand slowly and subtlety lowered to the hilt of his blade. "Men what's going on-" A Coruscant Guard Captain suddenly interjected. "Per the Initiation of Order 66, all Jedi are hereby declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. Men fire!" And then they began to fire at Byron.

In a flash both of his blades were up and all one could see of Byron was a blur of white as he blocked bolt after bolt of energy and for several minutes it remained such until Byron had to stop out of slight exhaustion and the clones to change out their energy packs. However, then two blaster bolts flew past Byron and slammed into the Guard Captain, as he fell back dead. Byron turned to see Commander Striker holding two smoking blaster pistols. Byron looked over at him as he caught his breath. "Commander Striker?" Striker walked up to stand next to Byron as the rest of the clones who had not drawn their blasters on Byron followed, with ARC I covering their rear. They formed a circle.

Striker slowly aimed his pistols around while waiting for their enemy to make the first move. "We may not know what is going on sir. But we do know one thing. We've fought alongside you through this hell of a war for over two years and you've brought us through it. We'd stand by your side no matter what sir." That brought a smile to Byron's face even if his mask hid it. He resumed his defensive stance and then shouted out orders. "Hurry, to the Excelsior, it is still attached to the Justice!" And with that the battle resumed.

The Jedi Master and his Clone comrades slowly made their way back to the docking port, cutting down men of the Coruscant Guard and the 861st alike as they managed to make it back to the docking port. Six Clones were lost from their group as Byron shut and locked the docking port. They could hear the Clones banging on the door on the other side as the group rushed down the tube and towards the ship. Two Clones blocked their path and aimed their blasters but Byron pushed them aside with the Force.

They fought their way through the ship until they reached the docking port leading to the Excelsior, a Consular-Class Corvette attached to the Justice. According the Striker, they had just enough room beneath the Star Destroyer to launch and then enough room to clear the edge of the warship and head skywards. Along the way to the Corvette they had lost seven more Clones leaving their group at just Byron, Striker, and the nine Clones in ARC I. They rushed along the tube to the Corvette and boarded the ship, and seeing as the crew had been among the Clones the group had been forced to kill, they had to man the crews positions at the helm.

Within minutes they had detached and were soaring along the underside of the Justice before they broke clear of the edge of the massive Star Destroyer and soared up towards space. Now Byron took notice of the smoke coming from the Jedi Temple and he felt a strain at his heart. He went to the communications station and sent out a Jedi Code across the galaxy reading:

Code: Select all

This is Jedi Master Byron Arklight. Clone Order 66 Initiated. Jedi have been declared enemies of the Republic and are to be executed. I have escaped Coruscant with several Clones from the 861st who refused to obey the Order. To all Jedi receiving this message, get clear of your Clone Legions and do not attempt to return to Coruscant.

Byron began to think of where they could go to flee the reach of the Republic, and decided to go to the one place where in reality the Republic had stayed away from, the edges of the Outer Rim where neither the Republic or Separatists had ventured to due to lack of military value. Specifically the planet Hoth, ignored since the Great Galactic War thousands of years ago.

So he decided to send out a message on an encrypted Jedi Code, stating that if any Jedi wished to find each other, to go to the Hoth System. He only hoped his old Padawan, Kite also received this message.....


Bridge of the Venator Star Destroyer Sun Storm; 78th Star Corps; Orbit over Tatooine
Approximately 12 Hours after Initiation of Order 66

Kite sensed the Clones approaching him whilst he sat cross legged at the viewport meditating, before any of his physical senses registered them. He could tell their intentions already were to kill him, and that made him angry. Yet he also lived for the thrill of battle, he hated being idle. So a smirk was brought to his face as he continued to meditate but spoke to the Clones. "Silly, Silly Clones, thinking you could sneak up on a Jedi." His eyes bolted open. "What fools you are."

And then he leapt up into the air, drawing his bright green Lightsaber as he did and slicing the heads of the three Clones as was in the air and then as he landed he turned and used the Force to blast over a dozen Troopers back into the Communications Center with one flying right into a console and being fried. Kite then noticed that some of the technicians were drawing blasters so he jumped down into the tech area to his right and began to cut through the Clones like they were paper, until that was finished and he got on to the other side.

After he was finished with that, a number of Troopers had come to the Bridge and so a battle ensued. Kite went through the ship over the course of an hour, killing any Clone he came across as he made his way to the Hanger. He'd already set the ship to self-destruct before leaving the Bridge. He intended to take his Starfighter down to Tatooine while the fleet was distracted with the destruction of their flag ship.

Soon enough the Eta-2 Starfighter was soaring down to the planet of scum whilst the fleet was searching the wreckage of the flag ship. Now Kite was receiving several coded messages from Jedi around the galaxy, several from his old Master, with one asking surviving Jedi to go to Hoth. Well that would be difficult for Kite to do since his Starfighter's Hyperspace Ring was destroyed with the Star Destroyer, so it looks like he'll have to find some scum and/or pirates on this rock who he could manipulate into getting him to Hoth.

Separatist Base on Mustafar

Taruk Kaizer slowly crawled away from the command center where the entirety of the Confederacy of Independent Systems had just been ended and where he had been outdone by none other than Sidious newly christened lackey, Lord Vader, whom was Skywalker at that! That whelp hadn't matched up to him during the war, so how was he able to now?! He had seemed to possess some new power but as far as Taruk knew, switching sides from Light to Dark did not gift you with much in the way of new powers. But he could worry about that later, right now he had something else to worry about. Such as his two missing legs and half of his right arm having been cut off.

"Curse you Vader! Damn you to the depths! And you can toss your Master in the fire with you!" He knew shouting these insults did him no honest good but if Vader was still in the compound to hear them, it did his pride good. His Commando's were coming down in a transport he could see it in the sky, so he propped himself up against a barrel on the landing platform and took his saber in hand, igniting it and awaiting the imminent arrival of Lord Vader. But he would fight to the death, come hell or high water.

Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, stood on the balcony of the mining facility that had served as the last Separatist stronghold. He stared into the blazing sky at one of the planets that Mustafar orbits blocking out the system's star in a solar eclipse. The dark mass of the planet quickly swallowed the light from the sun, bringing the planet into darkness. Oddly symbolic of the times, Vader thought, a single tear rushing down his cheek. He wasn't proud of what he had done, but he had no choice. The Jedi Order was too old, too outdated to survive; it was just best to put it out of its misery. Vader rubbed away the tear, ending his moment of weakness. Remember, he told himself, you're doing this for Padme.

Vader then heard a voice shouting amidst the roaring of the lava flows below and turned to see the source. He could see, in the distance, movement on the landing platform. It was hard to make to make out, but it looked to be a man crawling along the deck, before hiding behind a barrel. The Sith Lord drew his lightsaber and marched toward the landing pad. If there was a survivor from his onslaught of the Separatists, he was going to make sure this individual stayed dead.

As he approached the landing pad, he sensed a familiar presence. "Taruk," Vader called out, slowly walking toward the barrel he saw the crumpled form rush behind. "I know you're here. Why don't you come out and face me, or are you too little a man to do it."

Vader was less than a meter away from the barrel. He ignited his lightsaber and grasped the hilt firmly. "You should have stayed dead, Taruk," he growled, slashing the barrel in half.

Taruk managed to roll or rather claw his way out just in time before Vader cut the barrel in half. He used his one remaining arm to prop himself up against another barrel as he stared death in the face. His Commando's were jetting down now as six of them arrived, all in Mandalorian armor and forming a half-circle around him. Taruk would have been touched by their defending him even despite the knowledge they would take heavy casualties in the process....if any of his heart remained to this day. "Kill him! Kill HIM! KILL HIM!" He screamed as they opened fire and did their best to fulfill their commanders orders as the shuttle came down to land on the platform.

Taruk began to crawl towards the shuttle's destined landing point as the doors opened and his right hand, Tar Salim, a Mandalorian mercenary, exited the shuttle and began to drag his near limbless body away towards the shuttle, all the while his men were sacrificing their lives for Taruk.

[New Emphillon]

Republic Command Station, Thanium Sector Edge
4.7 Days After the Execution of Order 66
The command room of the station was circular and featureless with only a single hologram projector in the center. A red trim ran along where the wall met the deck, meant to identify the station as a part of the Republic. The air tasted stale, recycled an innumerable number of times. Cassk stood over the deactivated projector, staring at it blankly while in deep thought.

Now that his "mission" was over, he was no longer obligated to stay with the Jedi or his rogue clones. He could return to Wroona, continue to hit merchants and smugglers alike, steal their goods, ransom them off on the black market or to their recipients, score well, pay off the authorities, and enjoy some sense of normality. So long as he did that, Cassk could die a happy Trandoshan. The very thought of going back to Wroona and retaking his place made him shiver with excitement.

Yet, Cassk couldn't help but think back on what the Jedi had said to him before, as if his blue eyes had gazed into his very soul and found his worse fears. Though Cassk would have liked to deny it, the Jedi had voiced every thought and fear he had for the past year. Some authorities and politicians who gained off of the black market items that were smuggled on to the planet were upset by Cassk's interruption of the flow of items and usual high demands to regain those items. No matter how much of a "discount" he gave them, it would be easier to just do away with the middleman all together than have to pay his outrageous prices. And if that happened, Cassk would be forced to flee the system- and right into the hands of the Republic law enforcement agencies. He didn't want to know what would happen to him then.

With the Jedi, at least Cassk wouldn't need to have those fears or concerns anymore, at least, not as often. If what the Jedi said was true, then perhaps fighting this Empire and saving the Jedi Order would be more rewarding than just being a pirate. Cassk wasn't one to worry about politics or care for the Jedi- both things were never pertinent to a slaver-turned-pirate. But now, he was being given a chance to start new, perhaps actually doing something in his life. Yet, his selfishness and greed tugged at his conscience to avoid this new-found sense of morality. He just didn't know what to do.

The hiss of the door to the command room forced the Trandoshan out of his thoughts. He saw the new arrivals and gave them a slight nod in greetings.

"Find anything useful," Cassk asked.

"A few starfighters and a gunship in salvageable condition," Dev said. "We found three escape pods, but most of their occupants were dead; only two clones survived and they’re in the ICU for treatment. Aside from that, everything is scrap."

Cassk nodded at that. "At least it's something," he replied.

The Jedi seemed to notice the conflict inside Cassk's mind. "Is something troubling you," he asked.

Cassk shook his head. "No, I was just thinking," he said defensively, though he knew that the Jedi would know otherwise.

"You were right," Cassk murmured enough to be heard. "You were right before; I don't have much left for me back at Wroona. I go back there and I have about another few months there before I'm caught and thrown straight to the Republic on a silver platter. If I stay here, though my crew and I will still be pursued by the Republic- or Empire, whatever it is- at least it will be for doing something meaningful rather than being brigands. I may not care for politics or for Jedi, but staying here and free will be better than at Wroona in custody."

Krass stared at Cassk as if he were seeing him for the first time. "So then, you will stay," Krass said questioningly.

"Yes," Cassk said, erasing the doubt he had before.

Krass gave a small grin at that and extended his hand. "Then I welcome you and your crew aboard," he said. Cassk took the hand and shook once.

"But now that I've joined, don't think you can just push me around," the Trandoshan said to try and save face. "Understood?"

"I wouldn't think of it," Krass replied.

"Now what," Lia asked.

Krass thought on that for a moment. "Well, we have a new base of operations, so we are one step ahead of where we were," he thought out loud. "We are going to need to increase our numbers if we wish to fight the Empire, and we still need to help the Jedi Order any way we can."

"One step at a time," Dev said. "We need to set up some rules before we go on."

"Such as," Cassk asked.

"Regulations regarding returns to the station," he pointed out. "We can't just make a straight jump back here if we fight the Empire, otherwise they will just track us down and destroy us."

"He does have a point," Krass said. "Any time we return to the station, we need to make at least one random jump before coming back here. The jump doesn't have to be long, just enough to get away from the Imperial's sensors."

"Seems fair," Tylana said. "And the other rules?"

"We need to stay away from Rhen Var for the time being," Dev said. "Since the Republic base there was destroyed and there was a battle that took place in orbit, chances are that the Empire is going to come snooping around to assess the damage. Once they do that, they will probably leave and we can use the planet to our own advantage, if need be."

After a lengthy discussion about further rules and regulations, the group then returned to the topic of what to do next. All eyes turned on Krass.
"As I pointed out, we still have a few things to do," he said. "I will try and locate any Jedi or artifacts that could be of help to us. Dev and his commandos will make preparations to begin training your crew and any new members we receive to fight the Empire."

"And Lia and I will begin to search for new members for our cause," Cassk said. "I have a few contacts that could be useful. We will track them down and see if they would be interested."

Krass nodded at that. Now that a plan was formed, it seemed that their future was now more bright and clear than it was before. Now, they actually had a chance.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," he said. "We better get to it."

[The United Empire of Exucular]

Imperial Listening Post

Cosmos exited hyperspace some distance away from a small planet containing a garrison of Republic troopers. Still unaware of the initiation of Order 66, Cosmos announced his presence to the listening post. An oddly long silence followed that slightly confused the Jedi master. When he was about to attempt contact again the listening post responded. The receiver on the other end instructed Cosmos to land his ship and proceed to the entrance of the listening post. As Cosmos entered the atmosphere a sort of chill began to creep up his spine. Cosmos wasn't sure what was causing this feeling. The planet was away from any major fighting of the Clone Wars. Certainly there couldn't be danger here.

A few minutes later Cosmos's starfighter gently landed in the area in front of the compound. The feeling of foreboding continued to accompany Cosmos as he walked towards the entrance. At this point it was no mistake. The Force was warning him of something. That something became apparent when the doors to the listening post slid open. Before Cosmos were two lines of clone troopers. One kneeling the other standing behind them. Each line consisting of five individuals with their weapons drawn and pointed at the Jedi. An officer stood to their right, blaster in hand. "Jedi, you shall be executed by order of the Emperor. Troopers, fi---" Before the officer could finish his sentence, Cosmos raised his hand and unleashed a rather strong force push on the troopers. All eleven were sent flying into the compound. Many of which lost a hold of their weapons. Cosmos ignited his lightsaber and proceeded to sprint at the knocked down men.

A trooper raised his rifle and fired a shot at Cosmos. As aspected, Cosmos deflected the attack easily and slashed the rifle in half. Cosmos was a blur as he quickly went from clone to clone disarming them of their blasters. Gripping them with the Force, Cosmos slammed them against the wall rending ten of the eleven out cold. The officer was the only clone left conscious. Cosmos, still gripping him using the Force, walked towards the officer.

"Why did you attack me?," Cosmos demanded.

The officer with a degree of fear answered," All Jedi are to be killed on sight."

Cosmos was utterly shocked. He wanted answers. Cosmos raised his hand and waved it in front of his face, "Explain."

Quickly the Force trick took affect on the officer. He explained how Order 66 had been initiated by the Chancellor before he himself declared himself Emperor. He went on to explain that the Galactic Republic had transitioned into the Galactic Empire. Furthermore he explained that an attack was carried out on the Jedi Temple resulting in its destruction and that thousands of confirmed Jedi deaths have been reported by various GAR units across the galaxy.

Cosmos simply stood there for a moment processing the information. The Order had been betrayed by the Chancellor. Could the Chancellor have been the Sith they were trying to find for the past several years? Or was he simply a pawn in the dark side's plan? Regardless, The Jedi have been damaged severely. For all Cosmos knew, he could be the last Jedi alive in this part of the galaxy. The whole galaxy even. This was a thought that brought much discomfort to his mind. He reached out and began sifting through all the darkness clouding the Force. For the first time since the disturbances in the Force began, a smile came upon his lips. In all the darkness he felt there were still spots of light. They were faint, some distance away from each other, and not very many. Nevertheless each light was a surviving Jedi, and Cosmos was determined to find them.