[Fic] The True Teachings IV: Fate of the Future

[igyman]

Chapter XVI

 

''You are very clever,Commander. Someday that cleverness will turn against you.''

– Siv Kav

 

After a long run through Lower Coruscant, Cade and his three bounty hunter friends returned to their shuttle back in the Space Traffic quarter. Syn was still frowning at Cade, but Rav was more than glad that he and Deliah showed up when they did. Deliah was just glad that she and Cade found the other two alive and that they arrived in time to keep them that way. As the four approached the shuttle Master Sazen came down the ramp to greet them.

 

''More Jedi.'' Syn mumbled, ''How many of them did you bring along, Deliah?''

 

''Can it, Syn.'' She snapped, ''If it weren't for Cade you'd most likely be dead right now.''

 

Syn mumbled something unintelligible and after another angry look from Deliah he was quiet. Master Sazen had a serious expression on his face. Cade knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant talk.

 

''Greetings, Master Jedi.'' Rav politely said to the Zabrak, ''I thank you for taking the time to come to our assistance.''

 

''I only hope that when the time comes you will be able to come to ours.'' Sazen replied.

 

Rav slowly nodded with a slight and devious smile. He knew that this Jedi didn't trust him and he didn't care. As far as Rav was concerned that was smart thinking. If he were a Jedi he would act in the exact same way.

 

''What's going on, Sazen?'' Cade asked finally, ''Your face gives you away, what's wrong?''

 

''I'm... not sure. I feel a great disturbance in the Force. An unknown darkness is rising and if we do not act, it will consume us all.'' The Jedi Master replied with no pleasure in doing so.

 

''What does that mean?'' Syn asked, ''Are the Sith on to us? I wish you Jedi could for once speak clearly.''

 

''I know why you fear us and why you hate us.'' Sazen replied, ''But your fear is unfounded, I assure you and I apologize for not being more clear, but I really don't know the exact proportions of what I felt.''

 

''Does it perhaps have anything to do with that?'' Deliah asked pointing at the sky. The rest of them looked up and saw an armada of Pellaeon-class Star Destroyers covering most of the sky around the planet.

 

''The Destroyer fleet has been there for almost an hour, a notification was given. I'm surprised you didn't hear it, Coruscant is under quarantine.'' Sazen explained, ''No ships are allowed to leave the planet.''

 

''Well isn't this just peachy?'' Syn frowned.

 

''Yeah...'' Cade wanted to say something, but his trail of thought was interrupted by four persons walking out of a ship not ten meters away from theirs, one of them looked awfuly familiar, ''Look.'' He said to the others, ''Over there. Isn't that Marasiah Fel?''

 

''The Princess? What is she doing here?'' Rav wondered.

 

''No idea, why don't we ask her?'' Cade suggested.

 

''Sure, but you might wanna watch out for the three Imperial Knights she brought along, or couldn't you guess who her companions are?'' Syn warned.

 

''I think she saw us too.'' Deliah noticed, ''They seem to be coming this way.''

 

It was indeed Marasiah, along with Sigel Dare, Ganner Krieg and Antares Draco and yes, she had noticed the Jedi and their companions. ''What the blazes are they doing here?'' She thought.

 

''Are you sure this is wise, Princess?'' Draco asked quietly.

 

''Yes. If there's any chance of them helping us, we better take it.'' Marasiah replied, ''Besides, I've already met some of them.'' Sigel and Krieg simply nodded in agreement.

 

''Princess Marasiah Fel.'' Sazen greeted her, ''What brings you to the Capital?''

 

''I'm here to return the galaxy under the rule of the Fel dynasty.'' She replied, ''How about you, Master Jedi?''

 

''A similar reason.'' Sazen said, ''The only difference is that it involves a reestablishment of the Republic and the destruction of the Sith.''

 

''That was some quick thinking, Sazen. Were you planning on letting the rest of us in on your little scheme?'' Cade sent a thought to Sazen.

 

''We have little choice left, Cade. As a Skywalker you of all people should support me.'' Sazen sent back his reply in another thought.

 

''A Skywalker? Now that's interesting.'' Marasiah interrupted them. She allowed herself a slight enjoyment in seeing the look on their faces when they realized that she heard every word they telepathically sent to each other, ''You never did reveal your last name when we met back on Socorro six months ago.'' Marasiah said.

 

''I like your style, Princess.'' Cade said smugly, ''When you wanna know something you just eavesdrop on the conversation. Kind of like me.''

 

''I'm nothing like you.'' She said with resentment, ''Now, to get back to the matter at hand – the most important question is how will we deal with the Sith. We can work on the details of the next form of government if we get out of this one alive.''

 

''Agreed.'' Sazen said, ''We need a smart plan. Darth Krayt and his Sith are not to be underestimated.''

 

''My first question is are there any more Jedi, besides the two of you?'' Marasiah asked and noticed a Twi'Lek and a Bothan in Jedi robes emerge from the shuttle. It was Shado Vao and Hosk Tre'lyis, ''Never mind, so there's four of you and these three...''

 

''Bounty hunters.'' Rav enlightened her proudly.

 

''I know, I have met Skywalker and these two before.'' She said pointing at Deliah and Syn, ''Now, let's work on the plan. As you said...'' She addressed Sazen, ''the Sith are not to be underestimated.''

 

''The time has come.'' The two hours since Ralik gave the order to the Lenari officer have passed. Grand Admiral Morlish Veed was standing on the bridge of his Pellaeon-class Super Star Destoryer flagship Vindicator, looking through the bridge viewport when his first officer came.

 

''Grand Admiral, our sensors are detecting a huge armada of ships emerging near our position.'' The officer said.

 

Veed looked at the viewport and saw a fleet of black spherical ships materializing from out of nowhere, small orange-yellow lights glowed from the viewports of the ships' many decks. ''Inform the rest of the fleet and prepare for battle, I doubt a fleet this size is here for a social call.''

 

The events that were playing out in Coruscant's orbit couldn't be seen from the surface at this point, but it was of no consequence. What happened next made every being on the planet painfully aware of the situation. Every single comercial screen on the planet changed into a picture of a strange hexagonal insignia with a line on each side shaped like the number one and its mirror image. Every sound message was silent and a few seconds later a sinister voice replaced it. The voice relayed a completely new and terrifying message. It wasn't heard only on Coruscant, it was heard on every planet in the Sith Empire.

 

''Residents of the galaxy, I hereby inform you that the days of the Sith Empire are over. The days of my Empire have arrived. I am Lord Ralik, master of the True Teachings and I say to you: submit or die. The True Teachings will spread across the galaxy and any who dare oppose us will be swept away like little flakes of dust!''

Cade noticed a strange expression on Sazen's face when he heard the announcement. It was like he knew this was going to happen. This must have been the darkness he was talking about.

 

''Sazen, is there something you want to tell us?'' Cade asked his master.

[HK-42]

good chapter Igy can't wait to see how this ends out and does it say in the comics that Darth Krayt is Jacen Solo??

[Diego Varen]

Another good Chapter igy. Well done.

[igyman]

does it say in the comics that Darth Krayt is Jacen Solo?

No, it doesn't, at least not yet, but many people speculate that Krayt is indeed Solo. I guess we'll find out for sure at the end of the Legacy comics.

 

Before I forget, here are links to some starships and characters that appeared in recent chapters:

 

Ships:

Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer

Legacy Era TIE fighter

X-83 Twintail

 

Characters:

Morlish Veed

Nyna Calixte

Darth Talon

Darth Nihl

Darth Wyyrlok

Darth Krayt

[igyman]

Chapter XVII

''The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi''

– Darth Vader

''I am sorry father, but you didn't listen so I took matters into my own hands. I have gone to Coruscant to retake the galaxy from the Sith. Don't worry, Draco, Sigel and Krieg are here to protect me. Goodbye, father. Wish me luck.''

 

The holorecording ended and Roan Fel sat on his throne on Bastion, as if he were paralyzed. He couldn't believe his eyes, or his ears. ''Mobilize our fleet.'' He ordered finally, ''We go to Coruscant.'' He barely pronounced it. His only hope was that Marasiah was still alive.

 

*******

 

Ralik pulled his hood back on and took a look around the Throne room. Next to him a dried and already half-decomposed corpse of Darth Krayt lay and near the entrance to the Throne room, at the base of the left glass wall lay Darth Talon.

 

''Awaken.'' She heard the voice saying. She opened her eyes to see her former master slain and a dark and hooded figure standing next to his corpse. Looking at her. She rose slowly, trying not to make a move that would provoke the figure.

 

''Approach.'' She heard him say. She obeyed. Slowly the Twi'Lek walked to the base of the throne.

 

''What is your name?'' Ralik asked her.

 

''I am Darth Talon, Hand of Darth Krayt. I am a Sith warrior.'' She replied.

 

''I asked for your real name.'' Ralik smiled deviously, ''You think that having a ''Darth'' in your name makes you a Lord of the Sith? You are mistaken.''

 

''I have no other name, but the one my master gave me.'' The Twi'Lek said with confusion.

 

''Yes you do, you have only forgotten it. Become my apprentice and learn what it means to be a true master of the Force, what it means to wield true power. Learn the way of the True Teachings and I will restore your true name to you.'' He proposed with a righteous tone.

 

''I submit... master.'' The Twi'Lek said, ''I wish to learn the way of the True Teachings.''

 

''Good. Then remember your true name.'' Ralik said with dark satisfaction.

 

''Ryleena.'' The word echoed in her mind. ''My name is Ryleena and I submit to your will, master.''

 

''Good. I am pleased. Stay sharp, my apprentice. Soon we will have company and you will get the chance to prove your worth. Think of it as your... first test.'' Ralik said with a grim smile.

 

Meanwhile, back on the landing pad the conversation went on. Sazen still had that look of a man who knew more than he was sharing with the class, but he was about to explain everything. The circumstances demanded it. This was no time for secrets.

 

''Well, Sazen?'' Cade asked suspiciously.

 

''It's something your father, Kol, said. Something that was passed on to him by his father, Ben, your grandfather and to him by your famous great-grandfather, Luke Skywalker.''

 

''What was it?'' Cade was interested and so were the rest of them.

 

''In the last years of his life Luke Skywalker was visited by two very interesting individuals. Two droids to be exact, ancient droids.'' Sazen started to explain.

 

''How ancient?'' Cade asked.

 

''Four thousand years. They once belonged to a famous Jedi who fought and defeated a great and dark foe. They said that their master predicted that in the far future that darkness will rise again and that he left them to stop it.'' Sazen said.

 

''Two droids? You're kidding me?'' Cade said. The others just listened to the story.

 

''Yes. An astromech droid and a rusty-red assassin droid with a rather strange personality.'' Sazen confirmed.

 

''That must be the droid we saw at Rik's, the one that killed Jool's thugs after they went for that hooded guy.'' Deliah pointed out.

 

''You've seen the droid and the figure? Now I am certain that the prophecy is fulfilling. This Ralik must be the threat the droids were talking about and it is imperative that we stop him.'' Sazen said with a sense of dread.

 

Marasiah and the three Imperial Knights listened to the entire story. They weren't entirely convinced, but they admitted that the situation was very serious and that it had to be dealt with.

 

''What's our next move?'' was all Marasiah could say.

 

''We go to the Imperial Palace.'' Cade said, ''All of us. That's our safest bet. We can't trust some ancient droid. From what we saw he was protecting the guy we're up against.''

 

''I'm not sure that's entirely true, but I agree that we should march for the palace.'' Sazen said, ''Only the future will tell if those droids were honest. In the meantime, this Ralik is our concern. There is no one else here capable of stopping him.''

 

And with those words they moved out. They had no knowledge of the dark fleet of Lenari warships that were closing in on Coruscant.

[Diego Varen]

Ralik having an apprentice? Good. I'm looking foward to more.

[Jae Onasi]

I've been following this story and enjoying it--the entire series in fact. I'll have more time to comment more in a few days when I have a big report done.

 

Keep it up--the plot is great.

[igyman]

Thanks people, the next chapter will be posted later tonight and I hope you'll enjoy it. Sadly, the story is slowly coming to an end, but there are still a few chapters left.

[igyman]

Chapter XVIII

 

"So be it .. Jedi"

– Palpatine

 

Grand Admiral Morlish Veed watched through the bridge viewport of the Vindicator as the fleet of black spherical ships drew ever closer to Coruscant. All he had to worry a few hours ago was how to get rid of Darth Krayt and now, after hearing Ralik's announcement and seeing this enormous fleet the stakes became incredibly higher. A message came from the leading enemy ship:

 

''This is High Centurion Faren of the Lenari Imperium. In the name of Lord Ralik, the master of the True Teachings you will surrender, or die.''

 

''There will be no surrender.'' Veed replied and cut off the enemy ship.

 

''This is Grand Admiral Morlish Veed to all ships: prepare for battle, all TIE fighters prepare to launch, all Destroyers prepare to open fire on enemy capital ships.'' Veed ordered.

 

On the bridge of the Lenari master-ship High Centurion Faren issued a similar order. The spherical ships approached the Imperial fleet and as the Imperials launched their TIE fighters, swarms of black triangular fighters emerged from the spherical capital ships. The TIE's opened fire on the enemy fighters, inflicting some damage, but it took a TIE quite a few shots to destroy a Lenari fighter. The black triangular fighters performed evasive maneuvers and opened fire on the Imperial fighters. Yellow particle beams flashed from the black fighters and started ripping through any TIE that got in the way.

 

Imperial Star Destroyers opened fire on the spherical capital ships and after they've taken a few shots the black spheres shot back. Flashes of red turbolaser fire from one direction and yellow particle beams from the other lit up the space between the two conflicting fleets and fought for supremacy, as the fleets did. A black sphere fired its particle beam and one of the Star Destroyers blew up in a spectacular blaze of red and orange flames.

 

''Did you see that, Veed? We just lost a capital ship!''

 

''I saw it, Calixte!'' Veed answered over the comm, ''This is the Grand Admiral: all ships, target the closest sphere and open fire, perhaps a joint attack from our capital ships will be more than it can handle.'' He ordered.

 

Back on the surface of the Capital, the group of four Jedi, four Imperial Knights and three bounty hunters entered the Imperial Palace. The first thing they noticed was a deadly silence. There wasn't a sound that could be heard inside the palace.

 

''Stay sharp.'' Cade said, ''Something doesn't feel right.''

 

The group continued along the main corridor and when they reached the ground floor atrium they couldn't believe their eyes. At least fifty corpses lay there, all Sith warriors and not a scratch, or a laser burn on them. Cade thought he heard one of his companions make a sigh of amazement at the sight, but he simply ignored it, he focused all of his senses to detect any possible threats. His lightsaber was already in his right hand, ready to be ignited if the opportunity arises.

 

The group continued cautiously to the second and then the third floor. Along the way they had the opportunity to see Ralik's handiwork, first in the crushed laser turrets and then in the barely visible corpse of the Defel in the long, dark corridor. They arrived to the Throne room entrance without incidents and when they stepped inside, they saw a young Twi'Lek woman meditating just a few meters from the door they came through and meters behind her, sitting on the Imperial throne was a dark male figure with a red hood shadowing his face. ''Ralik.''

 

''You have arrived as expected.'' He said, still calmly sitting on the throne.

 

''So it is true.'' Sazen shouted, ''You are the dark threat prophesied by the ancients.''

 

''I am the one True master!'' Ralik shouted back, ''I have come to spread the way of the True Teachings across this galaxy. As its ruler, it is my destiny.''

 

''As you can see, we don't seem to agree with you.'' Cade replied smugly.

 

''You will learn, young Skywalker. The healer Jedi that Krayt was after all along. As you can see, unfortunately Krayt didn't get the chance to exploit your powers.'' Ralik said gesturing with his left hand toward Krayt's corpse.

 

''Well, I suppose I should thank you for that.'' Cade said with the same smug tone, his lightsaber still tightly held in his right hand, ready to be used.

 

''Ryleena, take care of the rest of our guests while I have a chat with young Skywalker.'' Ralik arrogantly ordered his new apprentice.

 

The Twi'Lek girl jumped into the air, igniting her red lightsaber and engaging Cade's companions as he ran toward the Imperial throne. The three bounty hunters took cover behind the rows of pillars on the left and right side, the three remaining Jedi ran after Cade, while Marasiah Fel and her three Imperial Knight guards ignited their silver-bladed lightsabers and engaged the Twi'Lek attacker.

 

As Cade approached the base of the throne he felt something happen behind him. He glanced back and noticed some kind of Force barrier splitting the throne from the rest of the chamber. Master Sazen, Master Tre'lyis and Shado Vao persistently attempted to penetrate the barrier, but without success. Cade was on his own.

 

''I recognize you.'' Marasiah said as she battled the Twi'Lek, ''You were the Sith that killed Elke Vetter, my mentor.''

 

''I was and now I'm going to kill you too.'' Ryleena replied and used the Force to push Marasiah back and slam her into a wall, leaving her unconscious.

 

''I will protect you, Princess!'' Ganner Krieg shouted as he charged at the Twi'Lek while the other two Knights tended to Marasiah. Meanwhile, Rav, Syn and Deliah realized that this Sith, or whatever she was, couldn't be beaten by blaster fire so they joined the three Jedi to try to get to Cade.

 

''Come closer, young Skywalker.'' Ralik demanded from his throne. He slowly stood up and held out his left hand toward the young man. His amphistaff tightly gripped by his right hand.

 

''You are too melodramatic for a Sith Lord.'' Cade mocked.

 

''Who said I was a Sith Lord?'' Ralik replied, ''This one, on the other hand...'' Ralik gestured again at Krayt's corpse, ''He thought he was a Sith, your cousin here, but he was simply a desperate Jedi. Nothing more.''

 

''What do you mean by ''my cousin''?'' Cade asked with disbelief.

 

''Allow me to introduce Darth Krayt, once known as Jacen Solo.'' Ralik joked with a twisted sense of humor, ''Apprentice of the Dark Lady Lumiya, self proclaimed Sith Lord and now a rotting corpse. He sensed your ability to revive others, you know. That's why he wanted to hunt you down so badly. He wanted you to save his life.''

 

Cade ignited his blue lightsaber and swung it at Ralik who quickly blocked it with his amphistaff. Cade kept pushing, but Ralik successfully held his ground. ''You can't win this fight, young Skywalker. It's a lot less painful for you to simply surrender.''

 

''We take what is given.'' Cade said quietly, ''I will not surrender with the galaxy at stake.'' He swirled his blue-bladed lightsaber at Ralik again and Ralik again blocked his attack.

 

The red and silver blades clashed over and over as Ganner Krieg did his best to outmaneuver the Twi'Lek woman. Unfortunatelly Krieg was slowly getting tired, his focus slowly dropping. Marasiah regained consciousness thanks to the healing techniques applied by Sigel and Draco and as she struggled to regain her sense of balance she saw Krieg battle with her mentor's assassin. Krieg swung his lightsaber at Ryleena, but his attack was blocked. At that moment Ryleena saw a chance and managed to disarm her opponent. Krieg cried out in pain as she plunged her red blade into his chest and as he fell down he heard Marasiah's scream. ''I'm sorry, Princess, I failed you.''

''Now for the main course.'' Ryleena said as she approached the Princess. Draco and Sigel prepared to battle her, but Marasiah prevented them

 

''No.'' She said, ''I will deal with Elke's murderer.''

 

The two Imperial Knights reluctantly stepped aside as Marasiah gathered all her rage and grief and focused it at the approaching threat. Marasiah held her hands at Ryleena and let the energy she gathered take shape. She held Ryleena in a tight grip and with a swift move of her left hand she tossed the Twi'Lek with amazing force at the same, already cracked window at which Ralik threw her some time before. As she slammed it the glass broke completely and Ryleena fell out into the abyss. ''It will be a long fall, but all the more painful when she finally hits the ground.'' Marasiah thought, relieved to be rid of the anger she felt.

 

''You cannot win Skywalker! If I wanted to, I could kill you with one thought.'' Ralik said as he blocked another Cade's attack.

 

''You keep saying that, but I'm not convinced.'' Cade mocked.

 

''The only reason why I haven't killed you yet is because I want you to follow the True path, to be my apprentice.'' Ralik explained as he swirled his amphistaff at Cade's blue blade.

 

Suddenly a lound sound echoed from the outside. It was the sound of a ship's engines. Outside the Throne room's rear glass wall, directly behind the throne itself an ancient ship emerged. The Ebon Hawk. Ralik and Cade watched as the ship fired at the glass and broke it, sending tiny sharp pieces of it at the direction of the throne. ''What is this?'' Ralik and Cade wondered simoultaneously as they disengaged from attacking each other. The ship's ramp lowered and standing on it was a rusty-red assassin droid, the same one Cade and Deliah saw at Rik's.

 

''Statement: Goodbye, dark threat.'' The droid said in a mocking tone and fired at the surprised Ralik from his blaster rifle, completely ambivalent to Ralik's futile attempts to destroy him with the Force. He, HK-47, was protected by a special crystal that, much like the ysalamiri of Myrkr, created a field that blocked out the Force.

 

Cade and the droid watched in amazement as Ralik's body disintegrated into small granules and vanished along with the Force field that kept the others away from the throne. ''I'm still alive.'' Cade heard Ralik's voice in his head. ''Did you really think I would be killed that easily?.'' ''This wasn't him!'' Cade shouted as the rest of the group approached the throne.

 

''There's a space battle above Coruscant and he's there, waiting for us.'' Cade told the others.

 

''Statement: Then hurry up and get aboard, meatbags! I am not going to lose my target.'' HK-47 said.

[RC-1162]

awesomeness! HK pwns!

excellent chapter, igyman. i seriously can't wait for more. and tomorrow's my birthday! yaay!

[Diego Varen]

''Statement: Then hurry up and get aboard, meatbags! I am not going to lose my target.'' HK-47 said.

 

Another good Chapter and I like that final Quote from HK. I'm looking foward to more. Going Off-Topic, happy Birthday RC.

[igyman]

tomorrow's my birthday! yaay!

 

In that case, though it's early, happy birthday!

[HK-42]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RC to all and a good night.

[igyman]

Chapter XIX

''...what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."

– Obi-Wan Kenobi

 

Another Star Destroyer exploded in a blaze of red fire as Grand Admiral Morlish Veed began to realize that this was a losing battle. The black spherical capital ships were barely scratched by their turbolasers and while he lost almost a third of his fleet the attackers lost only a couple of spheres. Veed saw no way out of this. And then an armada of ten Pellaeon-class Super Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace.

 

''To all loyal Imperial forces: this is Emperor Roan Fel, we are here to assist.'' Veed heard the message over the comm.

 

''This is Grand Admiral Morlish Veed, your forces welcome you, Emperor Fel. It is a pleasure to hear your voice again, my lord.''

 

''Cut the act Veed! I know all about your little betrayal, but now is not the time for settling old scores. I am assuming command of the Imperial fleet. We have a threat to deal with.''

 

Fel's flagship received pledges of allegiance from all Moffs and he started issuing orders. He wasn't sure if even he would be able to defeat these aliens, but he had to try. For his daughter. He ordered his fleet of Super Star Destroyers to open fire as they made their way to the rest of the Imperial fleet. Meanwhile an ancient freighter left Coruscant's orbit and flew into the mayhem.

 

''See that sphere over there?'' Cade asked, ''The one that's larger and slightly different from the rest of them?''

 

''We see it.'' Draco answered as he and Sigel played the roles of pilot and copilot and guided the ship through this mess, ''What about it?''

 

''He's there. On that ship.'' Cade answered.

 

''Thank you for helping us at Rik's.'' Rav told the droid.

 

''Clarification: I was merely making sure that my target safely arrives to the Imperial Palace and eliminates the Sith Emperor.'' HK-47 answered.

 

''You really are one devious assassin droid.'' Rav said, ''I could use someone like you when this is all over. How would you like a place in my organization?''

 

''Statement: If there's murdering of meatbags involved, I'm your droid.''

 

''Good. Now all we have to do is get out of this one alive.'' Rav pointed out.

 

''Marasiah, is that you in that freighter?'' A voice came through the comm.

 

''Yes, father. I'm here.'' She answered, releived to hear his voice.

 

''I'm sending you the guidance vector to my ship...'' The message broke off. Marasiah looked through the viewport and saw a damaged sphere collide with a Super Star Destroyer, destroying itself and the other ship and creating a massive explosion in the process.

 

''Father!'' Marasiah cried out. The others tried to console her by telling her that the ship that was destroyed may not have been her father's, but she knew better. She sensed it in the Force. Her father was dead, which meant that she was now in command. She activated the comm and sent a message: ''To all Imperial ships: this is Princess Marasiah Fel, my father's ship is destroyed. I am taking command of the fleet.''

 

''This is Moff Nyna Calixte aboard the Sovereign, our docking bay is prepared and we await the arrival of your ship.''

 

Marasiah acknowledged and Draco and Sigel changed course and began to make their way to the Sovereign. The battle raged on as the two fleets exchanged weapons fire. The black spheres firing their particle beams and the Imperials hitting them back with every available turbolaser cannon, but they inflicted almost no damage at all.

 

Calixte was standing on the Sovereign's bridge when Marasiah and her companions, the two droids as well, made their appearance. Calixte bowed and stepped aside, relinquishing her command of the ship.

 

''This is Princess Marasiah Fel aboard the Star Destroyer Sovereign to all ships: concentrate your fire on the following coordinates.'' She said as one of the junior officers sent the coordinates of the Lenari master-ship to the rest of the fleet.

 

Suddenly the Sovereign shook. It was hit, but not from the Lenari weapons. This shot came from one of their own ships.

 

''Princess Marasiah. This is Grand Admiral Morlish Veed. I could have accepted your father's return, but now that he's dead I won't let anyone prevent me from becoming the Emperor!'' The voice sounded over the comm system.

 

''Veed! Have you gone mad?! What are you doing, you idiot!? We are in the middle of a deadly battle and all you can think of is your own petty ambitions!''

 

''Spare me the lecture, Calixte. You're no better than me, just more passive. But I have had it, my ship is superior to yours, I will have no problem destroying you and in the middle of this mess no one would be the wiser. Goodbye.''

 

But before Veed could fire the fatal shot an extremely strong particle beam coming from the Lenari master-ship hit the Vindicator's bridge, killing everyone there, including Veed. Veed's Super Star Destroyer was now floating dead in space as its remaining crewmembers made their way to the escape pods.

 

''Good shot, Faren.'' Ralik telepathically congratulated the Lenari commander from his neural interface chamber aboard the spherical master-ship. ''We can't have our opponents killing each other, now can we?''

 

''Thank you, Lord Ralik. If I may say so, sir, your idea to project yourself on Coruscant directly from here, using the neural interface to amplify your powers was pure brilliance.''

 

''Thank you, High Centurion.'' Ralik answered telepathically. ''Now, let's finish the rest of this pitiful fleet.''

 

One of the black spheres fired at another Star Destroyer and blew it out of the sky. The remainig Imperial ships fought back as hard as they could, but with little success.

 

''What's our status, Calixte?'' Marasiah demanded.

 

''Veed's shot took out our weapons grid. The bastard knew right where to aim.'' Calixte reported.

 

''Observation: Your ships are doing no damage to the enemy flagship, I suggest another tactics – we should send a team to board it instead of shooting at it. Clarification: When our team, with me as the leader, gets aboard we would only have to find and kill their leader.''

 

''I'd like nothing more than to finish my fight with that... that madman.'' Cade said, ''But you've seen the firepower of those ships, even their fighters could take us out easily.''

 

''Exactly.'' Sazen agreed, ''We need to find another way.''

 

''But what?'' Draco asked and then the answer presented itself to them on a silver platter.

 

A massive fleet of organic-looking alien ships appeared out of nowhere. They fired upon the Lenari fleet and started destroying the black spheres one by one, their energy weapons ripping through the spheres like they were made out of paper. In the end only the master-ship remained intact.

 

''Who are they?'' Marasiah wondered out loud as she watched the mysterious fleet of stingray-shaped ships destroy the black spheres with little touble.

 

''The Aing-Tii.'' Shado replied.

 

''What?'' Marasiah said.

 

''The Aing-Tii. They are an order of alien monks who live near the Kathol Rift and rarely leave it. They have a unique space drive technology that allows them to travel instantly to any point in the galaxy. They also have a unique view on the Force and they hate slavers more than anything.'' Shado explained.

 

''If they can travel instantly, what took them so long?'' Rav asked.

 

''Who knows? Perhaps they just learned of this battle, in any case they are here to help us and that's what's important.'' Shado said.

 

When they finished destroying the Lenari ships, the Aing-Tii fleet surrounded the master-ship and sent a message to all Imperial ships in the area: ''This is the Seventh fleet of the Aing-Tii Order, we are here to assist. Please hold your fire, we will depart shortly.'' The alien voice echoed with incredible calmness and light. To Force-sensitives it was a feeling like no other, like a conversation with the Force itself.

 

The Aing-Tii addressed their next message to Ralik, but allowed the bridge of the Sovereign to listen. ''It is over, Ralik. You have been deceived. What you know as the True Teachings is nothing more than a perversion of them. Accept the truth and give yourself a second chance.''

''You lie!'' Ralik shouted, ''It is my destiny to rule this galaxy! My master assured me of it!''

 

''Clear your mind and look in your heart, Ralik. You will see the truth.''

 

For some reason Ralik decided to do as the Aing-Tii suggested and then it hit him. He remembered his whole life. He remembered why he left the Yuuzhan Vong army and why he accepted the teachings of the dark figure. He desired greater power and appreciation, but somewhere along the way he allowed himself to become a puppet of some spirit and wage a war that he never truly wanted. ''But...'' He said.

 

''Why haven't we shown ourselves sooner? The Aing-Tii do not believe in destiny, nothing is predetermined, only guided as we were guided to come here at this precise moment. You were guided too, Ralik, but not to rule this galaxy. Only to cleanse it of the evils that consumed her and you have done so by killing the Sith Emperor.''

 

''But, who are the Lenari then?''

 

''They are from another dimension, as their leader had told you, but they are an evil Empire of slavers and their only desire is to spread their rule throughout the universe. What he told you about their arrival here was true, but it wasn't the Rakata who destroyed the ship with the dimensional drive, it was the Aing-Tii. We come from the same place as the Lenari do. We have fought them for ages and kept them at bay in this universe. We thought we defeated them before the Rakata began their conquest, but we were wrong.''

 

''So what happens now?'' Ralik asked.

 

''The Aing-Tii invite you to join us in guarding the dimensional gate at Kathol Rift and learn the only truth that exists and the only True Teachings that exist. If you accept, we will transport you to our ship. If you decline you may go whereever you want to.''

 

''Very well.'' Ralik sighed ''I accept. I'm tired of war and power, some peace will be a nice change.''

 

''Very good. Be prepared, we will transport you to one of our ships.''

 

The dim-lighted command chamber bursted around Ralik into bright light and he soon found himself no longer aboard the master-ship, but with the Aing-Tii. Cade, Marasiah and the others watched as the Aing-Tii ships destroyed the Lenari master-ship and soon after disappeared into the depths of space.

 

''Statement: I am experiencing a very strange feeling.'' HK said, ''Statement: Protocol Reunion activated. Come on, T3 unit, we have to go. I regretfully reject that job offer.'' The droid told Rav and then both HK and T3 disappeared behind the bridge door and a few minutes later the Ebon Hawk left the Sovereign's hangar and jumped into hyperspace.

 

''So what do we do now?'' Cade asked.

[Diego Varen]

Another good Chapter igyman. I liked the space battle. I'm looking foward to more.

[RC-1162]

that chapter was very good, igyman, though it seemed a slight bit more rushed, especially the arrival of the Aing-Tii. i would have expected a little more surprise on the good guys part

on a more minor note, HK never uses he term "murder". just "elimination" so it would be good if you could change that.

[igyman]

Well, yeah, I could have probably stretched it a little more, but it still ends more or less the way I wanted it to end. The Lenari were simply too strong and a third force needed to enter the picture and eliminate them.

 

As for HK, you may be right, I don't remember him saying the word murder, but I do remember him asking to kill certain characters and using the word kill (for example the Ithorian Yuka Laka on Tatooine).

[HK-42]

good chaps Igy waiting for more:D:D

[igyman]

Epilogue

 

''Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.''

– Yoda

In the following days the remaining Sith were rounded up and either arrested or killed. The rest of the Jedi crawled out of their hiding places and helped with the process. In the next few months the atmosphere on Coruscant became bright and friendly again. The Imperial Palace has been turned into a museum, after the corpses were transported out, of course. The Moffs have lost their titles and instead performed some different functions for the government. The Galactic Senate has been reestablished and a special first session was demanded. Marasiah Fel, the new Empress had an important announcement. The senators answered the call and the Senate Rotunda was filled with representatives from every system that was, until now, a part of the Empire. Marasiah emerged on the platform that was usually occupied by the Chancellor.

 

''Loyal Senators, I have called you all here today to relay this news that will change the course of our history. As of this moment the Empire is no more. My father was a good man, but he held the Empire out of sheer naivete and pride. I hope I know better. I am hereby reforming our system into the Third Galactic Republic. According to the laws of the first, Old Republic, the Senate will have the most important role in making the most crucial and delicate decisions for the wellfare of our vast interplanetary socety. I will assume the role of Chancellor and perform it in accordance to the laws of the Old Republic. That Republic, after all, had the longest lifespan and I hope that this one will last even longer. I am also hereby ordering the Imperial Knights to disband. If they chose to do so, they may rejoin the Jedi Order, whose members I ask to once again assume the roles of protectors and mediators in this frail galaxy. Of course it won't be all milk and honey from the start. We have a long way of rebuilding ahead of us and it is my hope that we can rebuild the institution that is the Republic successfully. I thank you for your time, Senators and wish you many prosperous years of service to our Republic.''

 

And with those words the first session of the Senate was over. Cade Skywalker watched the speech from the entrance to the Senate Rotunda. He was now training on Coruscant, in the newly restaurated Jedi Temple. Soon his training will be complete and he will become a Jedi Master himself. Marasiah saw him watching and smiled. He smiled back, his usual smug smile, nodded and quietly left.

 

Jariah Syn, Deliah Blue and Rav returned to Socorro and continued their bounty hunter lives, but they remained in contact with Cade. They were even offered the positions of Ambassadors of the Republic on Socorro, but they politely declined. That just wasn't their life.

 

''So what happens now?''

 

''Only time will tell.''

 

''Yes, time and the minds and the desires of the people.''

 

''Precisely. The galaxy is at peace for the moment, but it is the nature of things to bring chaos after order and bring order after chaos.''

 

''I understand, master.''

 

''No, Ralik, not master. Teacher. That's all I am as well as any other elder member of our Order. You must be on your guard too and learn carefully everything we teach you, because the galaxy will need you once more, some time in the future.''

 

''Yes, teacher. I will do my best.''

 

''Nothing else will do. The Lenari planet-factory is still out there somewhere along with their cloning labs.''

 

''You didn't destroy it?''

 

''We couldn't find it. When we arrived at the coordinatees you gave us we found nothing but empty space.''

 

''They must have heard of the fleet's defeat and moved it.''

 

''Yes, but they will show themselves again one day and you must be ready for them when that day comes.''

 

''I will not fail.''

 

Somewhere, hidden deep in the Unknown Regions an enormous, planet-sized factory floated through space. Next to it a small planetoid with a cloning lab under its surface. Both with full Lenari crew complement. Overseer Crull stood at the factory's viewport and gazed into the empty space. The hour of the Lenari will come again. One day in the future.

 

Somewhere, in the Outer Rim territories, on a grassy planet in the Chommell sector, hidden deep within the planet's mountains the Ebon Hawk stood. Ten meters in front of it lay a small house and behind it a monument of stone. The two droids stood in front of the monument and read the inscription.

 

It said: ''Here lies Revan, hero of the Republic, pride of the Jedi. His actions will be remembered, his presence will be missed, but we, his children will carry on his legacy.''

 

The two droids were finally home.

[Diego Varen]

Good Epilogue igyman. I'm sad the True Teachings Saga has come to a close. I hope you can get this into the Archives, so I can read them all there and I hope you do a Spin-off or Short Fic based on the Saga. Or in the words of Monty Python, "And now for something completley different."

 

You are a great writer igyman and I hope to see more works from you.

[igyman]

Thanks, I hope I'll have the time to write something more. The fic will be in the Jedi Archives, I'll most likely post it tomorrow. As for the spin-offs, shorties, or sequels, some of that will probably be written and posted, but I don't know when.

 

In the meantime, here's something I drew a while ago - a concept art of Ralik, Master of the True Teachings

[Diego Varen]

Good Pic. For some reason, part of Ralik looks like Visas' hood and dress at the bottom. Good Pic all the way.

[igyman]

The similarity with Visas wasn't exactly the goal, but I see how it slightly looks like that outfit, the colors are slightly altered, Ralik's dress is supposed to be red, but here it does look somewhat like the color of Visas' robes.

 

Edit: I did some repainting in Photoshop and I updated the link, it should now look almost as good as it does on paper.

[HK-42]

sad to see it end:( but it was GOOD Igy

[The_Catto]

very very sad to see it end But i got to see it end :D which im happy of. Ive like the whole series, and i am happy and sad all at once lol. But anyways, nice job Igy, very nice job indeed. looking forward to see more of your work in the future.