Remnants/text

Jakku - 4 ABY

The Empire was nearing its demise. That was understood by even some of its own supporters, but there were others who refused to accept that fact. One such individual with that status was Gallius Rax. He was a human man, still a xenophobe, and retained blind loyalty to their deceased Emperor, Palpatine. Rax believed that he was the only high-ranking official to remain loyal. Mas Amedda, the Grand Vizier, had remained on Coruscant, becoming a servant of sorts to the New Republic as the leader of the Coruscanti Provisional Government. Sate Pestage, former member of the Ruling Council, was in prison on Chandrila, likely giving away all of Palpatine’s secrets to the new Senate. Rax, and his Shadow Council of which he was leader of, were alone. They were alone on this desolate desert world of Jakku, a world which Rax recognized as the world he once called “home.” And now, it was the site of one of the Emperor’s six Observatories. His spies had reported that one of the other six Observatories had already been compromised by the rebels. Those same spies had also reported that one of the rebels was none other than Luke Skywalker, the so-called Last Jedi. That spy was now in pursuit of Skywalker’s starship, en route to an unknown location in the Unknown Regions. Rax had many spies. All across the galaxy, feeding information to him about the New Republic, and the galaxy as a whole. Rax did not completely understand the Emperor’s Contingency plan, all he knew is that it was important, and risked the safety of the galaxy, and all those within it. So it had to have been important. Gallius Rax stared out into the sands of Jakku, as its its sun dipped below the western horizon. Nothing is really important in the end, he thought, we all die. He set down the glass of brandy that was untouched by his lips. There was still much to do. The New Republic was coming for him. He knew so.

~

Hyperspace - 4 ABY They were still not at Bastion, not yet. They’d made it to the Namadii Corridor, finally, which eventually would lead them towards the Celanon Spur, and then the Entralla Route to Bastion. It was still a long way to go for the Observatory hunters, though. Contrary to belief by Core Worlders, the further one went from the super-hyperroutes, the longer it took to traverse. Especially towards Wild Space and the Unknown Regions.

Ahsoka Tano sat in her quarters, with Morai and her lahas she had yet to name. It had been a few sleeps since the new year was celebrated by most of the galaxy, a reprieve from the civil wars and constant strife they’d faced following the Empire’s fragmentation. Coruscant was still in a state of chaos, as they’d seen when they passed through the system. Smoke and fire were covering the world, as Mas Amedda struggled to contain it.

Sabine, Luke, and Ezra were presumably asleep, and R2-D2 remained in the cockpit with C-3PO. Huyang was fussing over the new Sith artifacts, documenting everything he could find about them. The lahas purred softly as she heard footsteps outside her door, and the door swung open, and Thrawn stood in the doorway, wearing far more casual garb than his Grand Admiral outfit.

“Am I permitted to speak to you, Ahsoka Tano?” the Chiss said, and Ahsoka nodded slowly. That was one of only a few times in which he referred to her by her full name. “I was wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me back to the Chiss coreworlds, after the nature of the Contingency has been discovered.”

“I was under the impression you would return to Chandrila with us.” Ahsoka said. Morai curled into a sleeping position within her cage. The lahas leaped out of Ahsoka’s hands and into her bed.

“No,” Thrawn said, keeping his eyes directly on hers, “I had intended to return to the Chiss Ascendancy, and gather them as allies to the New Republic. From my most recent contact with them, they believe the New Republic would be a far better ally than the old Republic, or the Empire. Not corrupt like their predecessors, and not warmongering like Palpatine’s Empire.”

“And how would I be of use to the Chiss?”

“An emissary, of sorts.” A small smile came to his lips. “And transportation, of course. I am not in possession of a ship at the moment, the Chimaera would not do.” He paused, and swallowed. “The Chiss have always wanted to meet a Jedi in person, as well.” Before she could object to his use of the word, he cut her off. “You are not a Jedi now, but you once were. I do believe that you want to help Skywalker in his endeavours to form a new Order, as well.” “It’s a tempting offer,” Ahsoka began, “if what you’ve come to suspect about the Contingency is not unfounded, and there is some sort of extragalactic threat bearing down towards us, the Chiss would be a great ally.”

“I do have to say,” Thrawn said, “the Chiss would not be your only allies. The Unknown Regions is home to many an unknown empire and order who would be willing to aid in protecting the galaxy.” Ahsoka raised one of the white markings above her eye, indicating that Thrawn should elaborate. “The Vivonahi, and their Indonai. The Indonai are an empire of Force-sensitives that the Chiss have worked closely with in the past. There is also the inhabitants of Xhaera, offshoots of the Dai Bendu monks. There is Sentinel, home to the Sekót, another Force-sensitive race. You see, Ahsoka,” — she took note of his use of her first name — “the Chiss have many allies.”

“I can certainly see that, Thrawn.” she said. “I will accompany you, then, to the Chiss Ascendancy.”

“Very good,” Thrawn replied, “you won’t regret it. Now, there is something else I must discuss with you.”

“And what is that?” Ahsoka said, leaning forward.

“Anakin Skywalker. Your master, if I am informed correctly.” Ahsoka was taken aback, leaning back into the chair she was seated in. Thrawn’s red eyes did not falter, gazing at her.

“What would you want to know about him?” Ahsoka replied.

“A… confirmation of my suspicions,” Thrawn began, “that he was Darth Vader. When I worked with him, I had met Anakin Skywalker prior, during the Clone Wars. I am not sensitive to the Force, but I believed that they were the same person. I merely wish for this suspicion to be either confirmed or denied.”

“It…” Ahsoka began, and trailed off. She looked away from Thrawn, and held back tears as she thought back to her master. “It’s true. Anakin Skywalker is… was Darth Vader. I fought him, years ago. I thought I could save him… but… I couldn’t.” Slowly, she looked back at him, and he was still staring at her.

“So he was, then,” Thrawn said, sighing, “A shame. He would’ve been a powerful ally to the Chiss, but I suppose it was not to be.” He stood up from his chair. “Thank you, Lady Ahsoka. I will now retire to my chambers.” Slowly, the Chiss left the room, and Ahsoka wiped the tears from her eyes. Lady Ahsoka. She preferred it to what Maul had used to mock her, and yet it still sounded condescending. Ahsoka laid down in her bed, the lahas crawling on to her chest as she fell asleep.

~

Jakku - 4 ABY

Word had came from the Mytaranor sector, and the Mid Rim. Kashyyyk had been liberated by none other than Chewbacca himself. The Wookiees had revolted and killed their slavers. In a way, Rax was happy for them. On one hand, he despised slavery - he thought of his time under the anchorites to be slavery, in a way. On the other, they were still a valued Imperial ally. That marked the end of Imperial control in the Mid Rim, with the loss of the Wookiees and Kashyyyk. The Anoat sector was crumbling under rebel activity, and the Empire as a whole was nearing its end.

Gallius Rax had other things to say about that, though. He was still alive, and if he was still alive, then the Emperor was still alive, the Contingency was still alive, and most importantly: the Empire was still alive. He walked through the tunnels beneath the Jakku Observatory, searching for a particular place, that being its reactor core. The Jakku Observatory’s reactor core was built within the hard stone mantle of its namesake planet. It was perhaps the most important part of the observatory itself, other than its original goal to survey and protect the outer reaches of the galaxy. Gallius Rax had begun to notice that the observatory’s connection to its five sister observatories had been cut, at least slightly. Rax had never figured out how to access the locations of the other observatories - the star map in the entry room only ever showed the galaxy as a whole, never anything specific. That left Rax guessing as to what the point of this observatory was, as Jakku wasn’t necessarily located near the edge of the galaxy. Rax turned around as he heard footsteps. Behind him was the old adviser to the Emperor, Yupe Tashu. He was one of the longest-standing allies to Palpatine, working with him even before the Clone Wars. Tashu approached him as he stood next to the railing around the reactor. Attached to the reactor was a borehole, going deep into the world’s crust. From what he’d discovered from the records that the observatory’s keepers once kept, the borehole would eventually crack the planet - letting out minerals for the Empire to collect and to use. “Galli.” the old man said, as he approached the railing. He was holding a black Sith holocron, the one that he’d said once belonged to Naga Sadow, and it was from the stronghold moon Khar Shian, the source of its name. “I’m ready. The New Republic is coming, they are already in the system.” Tashu’s eyes were glistening blue, completely unaware of what he had just set in motion. Rax looked into the borehole, sharp orange rocks jutting out from the sides. It was already deep - they could barely hear the echoing hum of the blades against hard rock. This same technology had been used to break up Ilum for kyber crystal harvesting in the earlier days of the Empire, albeit in a much quicker time. “First, my brother,” Rax began, placing a hand on the shoulder of Tashu, his old friend, “I’d like to ask you something.” An explosion rocked the observatory, as the New Republic came bearing down upon them. He could hear the roar of starships’ engines as they flew into battle. Otherwise, it was only the steady hum of the borehole, and Tashu’s breathing. “Yes, little Galli?” Rax nearly chuckled at Tashu’s use of the word. “What will you say to him when you see our Master again?” Rax asked. Tashu looked at him, as Rax’s grip on Tashu’s left shoulder tightened. “I-” Tashu began, but what was inevitably going to become a question was cut off by Rax pushing him into the railing, his legs flailing upwards as he balanced on the horizontal metal. “Galli! Please!” “It is what the Master commands.” Rax said simply, and pushed him the rest of the way over. The Holocron of Khar Shian fell within as well - he waited until he heard Tashu’s screaming cease. As the holocron inevitably shattered, a red flame illuminated the borehole for a moment, and Rax turned away. He steadied himself as another bomb hit the observatory. It would not matter anymore, not after Jakku was destroyed entirely. The Sith artifact had set off a chain reaction, which would end the old Empire and destroy the New Republic’s fleet. He walked up to the main level of the observatory, as the borehole continued to dig, deeper into Jakku’s mantle, amplified by the power of the dark side. It would reach the core in only a few hours, and Rax would win. He would kill the past, and usher in the future. Now, he just had to leave Jakku, by getting on the Imperialis’ replica stored there - a ship he now called the New Imperator. Rax reached the room with the star map, and he came face-to-face with Grand Admiral Rae Sloane. A smile came to his face, as he glanced to his left toward the hangar containing the New Imperator. “Admiral Sloane. And I presume you would come here to depart this doomed world?” Rax said. He noticed two other figures - Norra Wexley and Brentin Lore Wexley, leaders in the New Republic. “Oh, and have you brought deserters?” “No, Rax,” Sloane said, “we still have a score to settle.” “Really?” he said, and his blaster pistol came to his hand in only a few seconds. He looked at the three. Norra’s blaster was out, but her husband was undefended. He did not want to kill Sloane, not yet at least. “There is no need for this, Sloane.” His blaster pistol aimed at the male Wexley, and fired - burning through his head as he slumped to the floor. Norra screamed out, and bent down to her husband, but he did not respond. “They are not deserters, but I am,” Sloane said. “You are many things, Rae Sloane,” Rax began, “but you are not a deserter, no matter how hard you try to make yourself believe that.” He pointed his blaster pistol at Sloane, who was not holding a weapon. “You still have a choice.” ~

The Harmonious Star arrived above Bastion. They were far enough away to see the planet in its glory - or lack thereof. The world was covered in green plains in the northern hemisphere, and covered in storms and barren tundra in the south. When Bastion was still called Sartinaynian, it had a single moon, small and misshapen—named Little Sartin. The Muuns colonized the world via Muunilinst, and set up mining colonies in the world’s mountain ranges. When the mines ran dry, they abandoned the planet, and eventually the Galactic Republic took control, renaming it Bastion and building an extensive ring station around the world. The Republic’s wars with the Sith eventually destroyed Little Sartin, scattering half of it out further in the Sartinaynian system, eventually forming a small world of its own, named the same as the old moon. The remaining half entered orbit around the planet, and particularly large debris crushed the ring station, which was severely damaged by war by the time. Both eventually entered two orbits around Bastion, one horizontal and the other vertical at a slight tilt. The Republic abandoned their fortresses on the world, and nobody dared try to maneuver through the extensive ring debris. That was, until Palpatine set up his Observatory at Bastion. The small Paladin-class corvette approached the world, slowing its speed as larger and larger rocks and metal began to appear through the viewport. The corvette swerved upwards, out of the main rings of dust and debris. “This is unlike any world I’ve ever seen,” Sabine said, “I guess there’s a lot more to this galaxy…” “There is,” Ahsoka replied, “I’ve seen my fair share of it. Some things I’ve seen I still can’t explain.” She thought of Mortis, that strange place which was most certainly not within their galaxy, nor anywhere at all. “Most just have a long and confusing history, like Bastion.” “Interestingly enough,” Thrawn began, “the Unknown Regions are home to some of the strangest planets. I do not know how that came to be, if somehow an ancient species hid all the defective worlds away in the dark. Bastion is far from… strange.” “Look, we can talk about strange planets all we want, once we get to the Observatory.” Ezra said, rolling his eyes. “I can agree with that,” Luke replied, as the ship approached entering the outer atmosphere, “I’ve always dreamed of seeing the galaxy. I never thought it’d come this way.” “You never do.” Ahsoka said. The Star avoided a floating slab of rock, which was jeered off-course by a metal sheet. She stared out the viewport, narrowing her eyes. The corvette rotated to the right, and flew deeper down into the atmosphere, passing over a tall mountain. She could see, off in the distance, what appeared to be a massive telescope. “I can see it now.” “Let us hope that we’ll finally figure this out now.” Thrawn said, as the Harmonious Star landed upon a permacrete strip, with a storm system passing above them. Wipers immediately began to wash the water off the front viewport, and the group moved towards the ramp outside. Ahsoka pulled an old Jedi robe over herself, having cut holes in the hood to accommodate her montrals. She left the Star, walking through the pouring rain into the entry room of the Observatory. Her companions came behind her, and she pulled down her hood. The room was dark, without natural light from the windows, or light from light fixtures. “I sense something…” Luke said, as he too pulled down his hood. He moved in front of Ahsoka, and Thrawn came up on her left. “It feels… dark.” “Maybe more Sith artifacts?” Sabine asked. “No,” Huyang said, “my dark side sensors are not picking up that kind of emanation. It is someone, not something.” Ahsoka called her shoto lightsaber to her left hand, and glanced at Ezra. They walked down a narrow corridor to a more open room, with a powered-down holotable. Across from it was a tall chair. There was a dim light above it, and the chair slowly swiveled around to them. “Very interesting,” a voice said, a voice that Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine recognized immediately. “Admiral Thrawn. Lady Tano. Ezra Bridger. Sabine Wren. Skywalker.” “Maul.” Ahsoka said, her voice low. “Why are you here?”

“For the same reason you are, Lady Tano,” Maul said, a grin forming on the Zabrak’s face, “I am seeking answers.” He stood up, and one half of his double-bladed lightsaber ignited, prompting Luke to ignite his. Thrawn looked over at Ahsoka, who moved directly to the other side of the table. “There’s no reason for this, Maul.”

“Oh, yes there is. You nearly killed me, Tano! Do you think I, a Sith-” “A pretender Sith.” Ahsoka interrupted, and Maul’s eyes narrowed. Finally, her two lightsabers came to her hands and ignited. “I’d hoped you’d died long ago, Maul.” “After he abducted us,” Sabine said, finally speaking up, “he fled. Ezra said that he went into the Unknown Regions, but I don’t know. I guess he went here.” “Mm, you’re close, Mandalorian.” Maul said, twirling his lightsaber in his hands. The other end ignited. “I took the opportunity to return to how my rise all began… the crime families.” He began to move around the holotable, and he was still grinning as he stared at the group. “And you won’t be allies to me, no matter how hard you attempt to convince me you should be.”