HP: Dance of the Veela

Sera, the Outer Rim…

Sera was a backwater planet in the galaxy, site of a colony that had continuously been fighting wars and then periods of uneasy peace. Ignored by most of the galaxy as it had nothing to offer and so it had sat out the last few centuries. It hadn't even been a part of the Republic.

That was however until a recent discovery made after a race of insects came up from below ground, a new and powerful fuel source called Imulsion, as efficient as hypermatter but organic and could be grown in a lab or on mass so it was renewable. The Empire immediately took notice and Tarkin to ensure his own restoration to the rank of Grand Moff and more importantly his respect in the Empire had taken quick advantage of the situation.

"Report Admiral." Tarkin questioned his long-time aide and right hand and now Admiral Bili Vist. The man was ambitious and Tarkin knew well to keep an eye on him especially given his recent marriage to a particularly rich and well-connected family from Phriparmar and making sure a child was born to keep his foot in the door, but he was still one of the best officers to have ever served with him and he needed someone who could get things done, especially now.

The war was turning dramatically against the Empire, with the recent losses in the other areas of the Outer Rim and little to no success the Empire really needed a boost right now. The desperation he could take advantage of with this new power source and some new ships that would soon be joining the Imperial fleet to correct some short comings in the existing arrangements. In fact, the recent invasion and losses had been to his betterment as it fell on his successor's head and not his own. Making it easier to regain his old power.

"Local governments have been dismantled although some of their military units, Gears as I believe they are called have gone underground. Construction on the grown and refinement facilities is proceeding well with local forced labour. The local insects have been dealt with but just to make sure the population stays loyal we have begun deploying the Hammer of Dawn Satellite Weapon System, ready to scorch the surface of the planet if they forget their place." Vist said with a cold grin.

Tarkin nodded, that would make sure they remembered their place serving the Empire. The new fuel would be very useful to the fleet when they could produce enough of it to accommodate it. He expected his reinstatement as Grand Moff to come very soon as he went about his duties.

All the while counting the days till his master piece was finally completed and he could lead the galaxy into a new age of order and leave such antiquated things as the Force where it belonged, in history, his own pride and arrogance not able to accept that something was bigger than himself.

- x -

Home One, in orbit of Levithia, the Mid Rim…

A Rift Alliance Taskforce stood around the planet Levithia where a situation had developed that had drawn their attention.

Levithia was a fairly developed planet, much like Naboo in many ways if a bit less stunning in its beauty. It sat on a crucial pair of hyperspace routes that contributed much to its income and value in the strategic stakes. It was ruled by the Graff, a version of a king and had been for hundreds of years now, the latest Graff Vynda-K was unfortunately a tyrant and one in favour of deepening ties with the Empire in hopes of growing his power. He had recently taken a small taskforce from his own planet to help suppress uprisings in the Outer Rim.

While he had been away though his half-brother had led a revolt against him and refused to allow Vynda-K to return. Aware that the Empire would almost certainly back Vynda-K given the planet's importance the people had reached out to the Rift Alliance for help and so a taskforce had been sent under the command of Admiral Ackbar to secure the planet against attack. A mixture of Mon Calamari and Corellian ships orbited the planet while the admiral and Garm Bel-Iblis negotiated its entry into the Rift Alliance.

"A detachment of our ships will be stationed here but that is only to reinforce your own orbital station, you can liaise with them to protect your world." Ackbar said as he sat at the table across from the Levithia representatives.

"And what is to stop you from enforcing your will on us? What's the point of kicking out one empire only to welcome in another?" The first representative asked and Garm who was tired of this spoke plainly.

"We are looking to liberate the galaxy from tyranny not replace it. Those ships will be there only if you want them, as part of the Rift Alliance you would have full rights as a member planet which includes the right to stand alone if you want it." Garm told them and they seemed to accept his words before they got up from the table and told them politely.

"We will return to the surface to discuss them with the new Graff and our noble council, we will deliberate on the matter but I suspect it will turn in favour of membership." The Representative said with a nod before making their exit.

The moment the door closed both Ackbar and Garm sighed quietly to themselves in relief it was hopefully over.

"I certainly hope they do; this planet would be a really useful position for the alliance." Garm said seeing its strategic significance. Them having control of it would not only deny the Empire use of the routes but let them launch raids and other operations into enemy territory with ease.

"Maybe, but we still must deal with the Graff Vynda-K. While he has little to no support on his own world the Empire will at least try to put him back on the throne." Ackbar said, knowing they still had to be prepared for that. Given recent losses and Kalderan raids the Empire might not sent a large force here but they would definitely send something.

"I agree, which is why we are here." Garm said knowing a fight was coming if not what exactly they would be facing.

- x -

The Next Day…

It was early the next day when the Imperial Force came.

It was however clearly a token force, sent either because they didn't want to assign any precious Imperial-class vessels so they dispatched a few aging Victory class Star Destroyers instead but there was a new ship accompanying them, similar in shape only with an open landing bay on the flattened bow. These were the brand-new Gladiator-class Star Destroyers.

That meant for the first time, the Rift Alliance forces not only outnumbered them but actually outclassed them.

The Mon Calamari had not only Home One, an MC80 Star Cruiser but they had two MC30a Frigates and an MC55 fighter carrier, the Corellians on the other hand had on Imperial-class Star Destroyer 'Corellia's Pride' which had been under construction at the time of the uprising. They had finished it and now it was the flagship of their navy, Garm's personal flagship.

Accompanying it was a powerful force; Two Thranta-class Light Cruisers, two CR90 Corvettes and 4 Foray class Corvettes. All modernised and improved and waves of X-Wings, B-Wings, HLAF-500 Light Attack Fighters and Vanguard class Heavy Assault Gunships poured out alongside them.

Onboard the Graff Vynda-K was infuriated at this as to his mind it was delaying him from reclaiming his rightful throne, the fleet commander though was heavily against engaging. He saw that they were at a considerable disadvantage and his patience after dealing with the whiny Graff had strained his nerves. His thoughts were that they should retreat and return with a larger force but the Graff would not hear of it.

"Full Speed! Smash them out of the way!" He called out and with considerable regret for what was about to happen, the commander gave the order.

TIE fighters screamed ahead of the larger ships only to find themselves being shredded by the fast-firing laser cannons of the corvettes at the same time Home One and Corellia's Pride opened fire with their large and powerful turbolaser batteries, focusing their fire on the slow and lumbering Victory class ships, which took longer to get into position while squadrons of fighters began to harass them and the Gladiators.

Now the range was closing the smaller rebel ships added their own smaller turbolasers to the battle while the Foray's began unloading missiles from their newly added launchers to deal more damage.

The Fleet Commander sighed as he saw his ship being shot out from under him, nearby one of the Victory-class ships the Star of Coruscant had its bridge blown off and it was out of control, colliding with two more ships before its hull broke up.

He muttered a prayer to himself as he knew he wouldn't likely live for this but then gave the order in his heart he knew he must give.

"All ships begin a retreat. Full retreat." He said quickly. The Bridge crew were shocked but immediately followed his orders, like him they saw they were losing this battle. The Graff on the other hand was incensed and screamed at the Fleet Commander.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RESTORE ME TO THE LEVITHIAN THRONE THAT IS MY RIGHT!" He yelled at full volume, spit flying from his mouth as he did so but the fleet commander remained calm and merely wiped the spit off his face before replying quietly.

"We are outmatched and cannot win this fight. It isn't logical to waste all our ships and lives when victory is impossible." The Fleet Commander said and that only made the Graff act more unhinged, grabbing the Fleet Commander by the throat and squeezing hard in front of the shocked bridge crew.

"I DON'T CARE HOW MANY OF YOU DIE AS LONG AS I RECLAIM MY THRONE! DO AS I COMMAND!" He screamed but then was shocked as a stormtrooper, a young recruit shot the Graff. The complete astonishment on his face was almost comical as they looked at him and then the soldier who shot him as the Graff fell to the floor dead.

The Fleet Commander nodded to the soldier and continued to organise the retreat, no one would know what just happened he thought, he would swear the crew to secrecy and at least the soldier would be protected from reprisals. He knew he was likely flying towards his own death but the lines of hyperspace were a welcome sight all the same.

- x -

Garm watched, glad of the retreat and proof to the Levithians that the Rift Alliance could protect them. He was now certain of their joining the alliance.

But at the same time, he saw something he had been unaware of before coming here, the Empire had established a small reserve fleet yard on the planet's third moon. The facility had little there but about two dozen retired Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers.

They were old and in great need of maintenance but despite the high crew rate they needed and the limitations of the existing design, Garm saw a potential use for them and how they might be made to fight again.

Aldorax, Mid Rim…

Aldorax had incredible wealth in chemicals and had been under Imperial Occupation for years now as the Emperor wanted free and unrestricted access to this immense source of wealth and power.

But the local population were being forced to work in a poisonous environment that was causing an incredible rise in medical conditions across all levels of society except for the very rich who had taken to living on orbital stations to avoid the contamination on the surface. This of course combined with the exploitation of their people made the population of Aldorax extremely angry and eager to overthrow them. Rebel groups from across the planet, emboldened by the recent defeats the Empire had suffered in the Outer Rim had decided now was the time to act.

Liber8 had learned of this and had come to aid them in their struggle, Anakin and Rex who had joined them for this battle fought on the surface wearing breathing masks to protect them from the harsh atmosphere. Ghazhak, one of their Noghri bodyguards had joined him too but was being silent as he moved as was his custom.

"Just like old times General." Rex said with a smirk and Anakin nodded back, glad to have Rex fighting at his side again. They pressed forward with Liber8 troops and local rebels forcing their way into the factories to shut them down and stop the poisoning of the atmosphere. When they reached the control room and Anakin hit the facility's shut off, he felt a great sense of accomplishment as the poison stopped being pumped into the air. It wouldn't solve the problem straight away he knew sadly but it would at least stop the situation getting any worse. Anakin pressed his communicator as the people around him cheered and told Padme who was on the other end.

"The Factories are down, hopefully everyone can breathe a little easier." He said not able to resist the pun and he could feel Rex and Padme rolling their eyes.

- x -

Rebel Base, Aldorax…

"Ha ha Anakin." Padme said with a shake of her head at his childish behaviour however much she found it funny before becoming more serious. "But I am sure the people will appreciate it. Make it back safely." She told him with her usual worry for his hijinks and he told her.

"Intend too, see you are dinner." He said before cutting the connection.

"I will reach out to the Rift Alliance and see if any of them can help you find some way of clearing up your atmosphere." She heard Kagame say as he spoke to the planet's rebel leader.

"That would be appreciated, medical aid would likewise be helpful." The Leader, a man named Severil told them. Padme nodded, seeing the pitiful way the people of Aldorax lived and they would need all the help they could get.

Kahr was already running the makeshift hospital with what equipment they had managed to pull together and take from the station in orbit when they had captured it. HK-47 was protecting the supplies from looters and surprising handling security at the hospital with great skill.

"When can we fight alongside you and dad?" An insistent voice said from the side and Padme turned to see Leia looking at her expectantly. Luke and Mace were behind her alongside the long-suffering C-3PO and R2-D2 and their second Noghri guard Kohvrekhar. She sighed before telling them.

"Not until you are grown up! It's very dangerous what we do and I don't want any of you fighting at all if I can help it." Padme told them sternly but while Luke and Mace nodded in acceptance of her words but Leia stamped her feet in anger and almost shouted.

"But you and father get to fight! Why can't I?" She demanded and Padme felt her worries for her daughter rising again, Luke and Mace were level headed young boys, careful and listened to their reasons for keeping them away from the fighting. But Leia was far too arrogant and full of herself, challenging authority, she was a real handful that had to be constantly watched Padme thought with a tired look in her eyes. Try as they might they just couldn't get her to calm down and it was worrying her and Anakin a great deal. She was as strong as her father and brothers in the force and had so many gifts but was as impatient and raw as Anakin had once been…maybe worse.

If the Emperor got hold of her, Padme shuddered at the mere thought of her precious daughter falling into his hands. Kagame had many of the same concerns and spoke sternly to Leia.

"Going onto the battlefield before one is ready gives your enemy an advantage, so does going into battle full of pride. You have a great deal to learn before you are ready to fight with us." Kagame told them but while Luke nodded accepting the sage advice Leia huffed and went back to her room.

Padme watched her go, hoping dearly that this was just a phase and not a sign of trouble to come.

Imperial Palace, Coruscant…

"Excellent. You have done well, but I will expect more relics shortly." The Emperor said coldly to the archaeologists that he had sent to Korriban and other Sith Worlds in hopes of finding Sith artifacts and sources of knowledge that might benefit him. Recently a pair of ancient holocrons had been discovered in the deepest tombs of Korriban in the Valley of the Dark Lords. He could feel their great aura and was almost beside himself with excitement at the thought of unlocking their secrets.

The leader of the expedition nodded nervously before fleeing the room, he had lost many people to find those holocrons and no doubt would lose many more trying to probe deeper but had no choice as who knows what horror the Emperor would inflict on him if he failed.

Palpatine watched, a sinister grin on his face as he felt his fear and revelled in it. If it made sure they kept discovering new treasures for him he would gladly keep pushing them.

The spice from Arrakis had proven even better than he had hoped, slowing his slow rotting and sickness and increasing his power in the dark side. It had he was discovering mutating effects on is body that were undesirable not to mention the addictive properties but he was far too disciplined to succumb to that! He thought, scoffing at the idea he would become an addict.

But to stave off the degeneration of his body, the sickness and the mutative effects of the spice he had been forced to take drastic steps.

His cloning operation on Byss, his own secret hideaway had expanded and improved. Now he was producing clones of himself that while absent in the force served as a useful source of fresh organs and body parts of him…so he let them live and one day he would discover a way to make a perfect clone for him to inhabit.

The attempt to clone Jedi from the samples he had taken from the Jedi temple were helpful in his task he thought and had made the clones more stable; he was even on his way to making a stable clone to inhabit if the need arose even if it wasn't his own.

Recent losses in the Outer Rim and so did worry him slightly as he could feel the future shifting and not see the outcome. This angered him so much that lightning raced along his fingers just waiting to be unleashed on some unsuspecting victim and the air became as cold as Hoth in the night time.

He had seen the fools with so much faith in their machines and creations, each vying for his approval as sickening as he found it. This stupidity and infighting had forced him to take action to get the fools back into line and make progress in suppressing this enemy groups that had risen up against him.

The Star Destroyer that had become the symbol of his empire had been redesigned into a more deadly version that would serve better than the previous model, he had ordered these Imperial Class-2 Star Destroyers into production immediately with the largest scale building scale since the Clone Wars and soon he would have all hundreds and then thousands of these lethal ships.

He had even selected a new fighter to complement the design, the Tie Fighter had become as much a symbol of his Empire as the Star Destroyer and now aside from the regular fighter and bomber variant a new faster version, the Tie Interceptor would join them to combat the rebels and their fighters.

While he left these pathetic rebels to the supposed officers of his empire, he would continue to expand his own power and abilities so that no Jedi would ever rival him.

Partisan Base, Unknown Location…

Saw Gerrera stood in his base, planning his next wave of attacks on the Empire to take advantage of the chaos being created by recent shifts.

He was still reeling from the deaths of his own Jedi who had been slaughtered by their own kind, he thought spitting with anger at the cowards that had come after those that were fighting the real fight rather than go against the real enemy. He was just glad that those brave and true Jedi had left him with leads that he had used to find some more survivors that he could draft into the fight. They weren't the greatest, he conceded as the prickly Hanna Ding proved with her rigid and unmoving stance but they were useful and capable enough.

It raised the moral of his people and this time if any of the cowardly Jedi tried to interfere again, he would kill them on sight Saw swore to himself.

Zantia, border between Inner Rim and Expansion Region…990 ARR…

Zantia was a normal planet that was much like Dantooine with large open grasslands and forests, pleasant weather and a reasonable level of technology.

It was officially listed as an agroworld and while not as big a scale of Dantooine it was a close second. It even had a small planetary defence force which was unusual for a planet of its kind as it had seen significant problems with pirates in the past.

The planet was a bit different to other planets in a specific way though, gender norms on this planet were very rigid. Not in the way that one gender was above the other but in terms of job roles there was a strict code to follow. At home men and women were equal, it was not expected for one to stay in the home and keep house or take care of children and on farms both would work on it.

Security jobs like the local police and planetary defence force were male dominant, administration jobs including planetary governance meanwhile was female. Legal professions were female dominant while pilots were male. It was not illegal for individuals to cross over into other professionals held by another gender but it was rare.

As an agroworld it wasn't a high priority planet but that had changed with the unexpected discovery of minerals below the surface, it was a perfect for fuelling starship production and so the Empire had moved to take those resources by force.

They hadn't however imagined that the locals, protective of their world and its beauty would fight back so ferociously. Using what ships that they had and commandeered freighters they had fought with all the will and effort they could manage, even employing suicide tactics as they had no time to call for aid. Using civilian volunteers on top of all their personnel they managed to drive the Empire off on their own.

They had managed to secure their own freedom but at a truly awful cost, nearly all of the planetary defence force was dead beyond a couple of pilots that had been injured and managed to make it home. All their ships were either destroyed or wrecked, and now even most pilots were dead. This included a considerable part of the male population.

All these issues shocked the planet's leaders and put them in a terrible position, they had no real pilots left and not enough to train new people or replace the lost craft. The latter they could replace with time but pilots and trained military personnel would a far more difficult obstacle to overcome.

The planet's leaders immediately realised they were in a great deal of danger if the Empire discovered the situation, they would be invaded again immediately but feared reaching out to the Rift Alliance or Rebel Alliance for help in case they were exploited due to their situation. Finally, they decided to create an illusion of a defence force that was still operating with the few pilots they had left and hopefully that would buy them enough time to rebuild it properly and feel more secure for asking for help.

Profundity, Unknown Location…

The MC75 Star Cruiser that served as the flagship for Admiral Raddus sat in the void of space, serving as a meeting point for the Rebel Alliance high command. This was a key summit that would hopefully expand the Alliance and develop a much more powerful fighting force against the Empire.

Bail Organa and Mon Mothma could not attend unfortunately, both were being watched closely on Coruscant and couldn't leave right now without leading their enemies to them. Garm Bel-Iblis and Padme Amidala however were able to attend, Padme speaking on behalf of Bail and Mon since Garm was bound by his dual commitment to the Rift Alliance and the Rebel Alliance.

Across the table sat three powerful individuals that they hoped to bring into the Rebel Alliance; Admiral Raddus who was representing his people, Tarfful the powerful Wookiee Chieftain and Harrl the chieftain of the Bethany race. But also, there was an old colleague of hers from the Senate, Senator Dewell Bronk who had been doing his best the last few years to help people under threat from the Empire escape before having to flee himself, like them he had been setting up some rebel cells around the galaxy but they were independent of the Alliance.

Padme was somewhat nervous as she hadn't been involved in high level discussions like this for a long time and it was like she was being named Queen of Naboo all over again, she thought with all her inner anxieties rising up before she suppressed them. She could do this she thought to herself but what didn't help was the fact that Anakin had insisted that she have HK-47 with her for protection, she had ordered him not to speak during these talks because the last thing she needed was for it to start talking and ruin everything with its acid mechanical tongue she thought hoping he did as she told him.

"It is good to see you, some of you I know…some I don't but what we all have in common is that we all want liberty and truth and for that sadly we have but one choice. Fight." Padme said with a heavy heart knowing that they were in for a long and hard war where many would die but sadly if they were going to be make a better galaxy and restore the freedoms that had been taken away then they would need to tear the Empire down. So many were going to die but there was no other choice she thought with dismay.

"That is why we asked you all for this meeting." Garm said adding his support which she was grateful for. "While others outside the Empire fight to force their way inward the Rebel Alliance will work from within to topple it. Erode it from the inside." Garm said hoping that with one group pressing inward and another attacking from the inside it would help bring about the fall of the Empire so much faster.

Tarfful spoke in his native tongue, unfortunately they had to rely on HK-47 to translate but thankfully the droid was somewhat polite for a change.

"Bored Statement: Interesting idea but very ambitious." HK-47 said and Harrl barked out a laugh and said with a big smirk on his face.

"I like your droid!"

Padme could only sigh as she could see trouble brewing, Raddus thankfully was already on board with this.

"With the combined forces of the Rift and Rebel Alliances we can do it. Defeat the Empire!" Raddus said with confidence but the rest of them all had much more doubt that it was going to be that easy.

"Annoyed Declaration: Then get on with it! Why waste time with pointless words like idiot meatbags and just do it!" HK-47 said impatiently.

It stunned everyone and Padme just put her face in her hands in humiliation before the rest of them started laughing much to her surprise.

"Never have I known a droid to speak so much sense." Raddus said with a laugh. "So, like it says let's get on with it. We all are in agreement so let's get to work on the details."

The rest of them all started nodding in agreement which only made Padme wonder if Anakin had intended this when he insisted that she bring the droid with her but it was never going to be allowed near such important diplomacy again if she had it her way she thought with anger, not everyone was going to respond to that kind of taunting in the same way that they had.

She did try to take some small comfort in the fact that at least she had gotten the Mon Calamari, Wookiees, Benathy and Dewell Bronk with his own network on board. The Alliance was expanding she thought and the more it expanded, the more the galaxy would see that it wasn't going to go away, but keep going till it did what it set out to do and end the Empire.

Aq Vetina, Mandalorian Border...

The border planet of Aq Vetina was one of the most reinforced colonies in Mandalorian Space, after a raid by the CIS before the Clone Wars and Haron Ordo had come to power as the new Mandalore he had seen to it that their border was heavily fortified against any further attack, it had been a long process and delayed by territorial expansions but had finally been achieved. A space station and ground and satellite-based weapon systems supplemented it with its own small craft ready to go and not far from major reinforcements if the all-clear signal was cut off by jamming.

Being a system that bordered with the Empire it was easily one of the most vulnerable positions in their territories so it was constantly being watched, although when it did finally come under attack it was not by the ones they had expected though.

The surveillance scanners picked up incoming ships and immediately the station personnel concluded it was an Imperial attack but as they rushed to alert stations and called for reinforcements but as they scrambled their own fighters and corvettes not to mention powering up the large weapons, they realised that the ships coming in were not of Imperial design except for the Imperial Class Star Destroyer that was leading the pack.

The smaller ships were all angular and vicious looking with a red blood like paint job, they rushed into without any thought of self-preservation. The station and ships opened fire but even the deadly storm of laser, turbolaser, ion and missile fire coming their way didn't deter them. They just came at them without hesitation, fighters that moved at unbelievable speeds rushed in and Vipers, X-Wings and ARC-170s all began exchanging fire with them while corvettes joined in but these fighters moved ridiculously fast at least in a straight line and even the Vipers were struggling to match it. The enemy fighters were agile but flimsy but they still strafed the station and some even tried going towards the planet before they were intercepted by the defence fighters.

The attackers were in no mood to identify themselves but symbols painted on the sides of the ships allowed one of the station officers to identify them as Kalderan. The Mandalorians were shocked as they had never done anything to anger the Kalderans or make them an enemy but they were being attacked by them anyway! The new designs were something they had working on ever since they had driven the Empire out, they only used some of the ships they had seized like the Star Destroyers now for their firepower.

But then as the local sector fleet arrived including the Aden-class Warship Wrecker, their presence did seem to intimidate the Kalderans enough to make them withdraw but not without one last act of defiance.

One of their ships specifically one of their destroyers with a barbed front charged forward and without any thought of self-preservation used full sublight power to slam itself into the Wrecker!

The ship was small but it was loaded full of ordinance and created a powerful explosion that rocked the ship and did considerable damage. Thankfully due to its command centre being deep within the vessel and its heavy armour and rugged construction it weathered the blast but it still caused a great deal of damage. The ship would likely be facing a year in drydock to fix the damage and more than that it unnerved people, there had been no reason to do that…they hadn't even destroyed the enemy but that the Kalderans were willing to go that far just to spite someone.

Dorin, Expansion Region…

Anakin Skywalker was not sure why he was visiting this planet, there were others better skilled at such matters than him but Kagame had sent him to meet with the Baran Do Sages and try and see if they would aid them against the Empire.

If he could even find them, Anakin thought with exasperation. The Baran Do Sages were famed for their secrecy, even the Jedi Archives while they still existed had only had the faintest amount of data on them and no idea of just where they lived.

Anakin therefore had no idea where to even start! He wandered around for hours hoping that he might sense some trace of them but there was nothing, he had meditated as deeply as possible and found nothing. He honestly was starting to wonder if they had left the planet or died out even but then as he sat in the local cantina having a drink to try and relieve his stress, he felt someone sit next to him and a familiar voice speak.

"Greetings young Skywalker. It has been sometime."

Anakin looked up in astonishment and saw Master Plo Koon sitting there opposite him with a long cloak on.

"Master Plo? I didn't sense you." Anakin said, impressed at how well the master hid himself and Plo Koon in his calm way just said without arrogance.

"The Jedi do not know all the secrets of the force. Other orders have found talents and skills they can only guess at, the Baran Do Sages as you now know how to hide ourselves in the force completely and dedicate ourselves to keeping those on our world with the force safe from the Empire. How is Ahsoka? I see her through the force sometimes but she is difficult to follow." Plo asked and Anakin smiled before telling him.

"She is good, living on her home world with her family while teaching her brother. She's even dating now." Anakin said not sure if he liked that but she was a big girl and it was her life to live. Plo Koon nodded with a sigh.

"It is good to know she is doing something for herself." Plo Koon said, wishing he had managed to make amends after her trial but he had wasted too much time and missed every chance of trying to mend things with her. Still, it eased his worries that she was doing well and finally making her life the way she wanted.

There was a silence before Anakin admitted to him.

"I was sent here to see if the Baran Do Sages would help against the Empire, but I think it best that I report that you have no interest. Would that be correct?" Anakin asked Plo who nodded slowly.

"The Baran Do Sages have survived by their secrecy, besides the fires of hope are rising across the galaxy. Wider than you know, there may yet be years of struggle ahead but stay the course and you will triumph." Plo told him before Anakin nodded and then to his astonishment, Plo in the moment he had blinked had disappeared as if he was never there.

Anakin smiled though. Clearly, he had been learning some new skills of his own recently, well done Master Plo he thought with amusement. Clearly the Baran Do Sages would not be joining their side in the war but Master Plo's words reassured him.

He would leave this world and report back to Kagame, knowing he would likely understand their reasons.

Ithor, Mid Rim…

The Ithorians were experts of terraforming, probably the foremost experts in the entire galaxy and they held their secrets very close and refused to share them with anyone. The Empire wanted those secrets for themselves, so they had decided to take them by force.

The Ithorians were not going to let that happen without a fight, so they gathered together their large herdships and did their best to protect their planet from the ambitious Captain Alima and his Star Destroyer Conquest.

Normally the Ithorians would have no chance of stopping a fully equipped Imperial class Star Destroyer but they had reached out to the Rift Alliance for help, and thankfully The Separatist Alliance and the Corellian Defence Force had sent ships to aid the Ithorians.

Two Providence class dreadnaughts clashed with the Conquest while Vulture fighters fought alongside HLAF-500 starfighters against the Tie Fighters. Starbolt-class Assault Carriers, heavily armed aided in surrounding the Star Destroyer while YM-2800 limpet ships clamped onto its hull and delivered both troopers and battle droids onto the disabled ship.

On the bridge Captain Alima and his subordinate Lieutenant Ardan were desperately trying to get control of the situation but the rebels had taken over the power plant and cut off energy to crucial systems, leaving them dead in space. The Ithorians were meant to be a peaceful species they thought with distress, this was supposed to be an easy job to gain status within the Empire. That was why they had come with only one ship; one was all they had thought they would need.

The sounds of fighting could now be heard on the other side of the bridge blast door, the two officers looked at it and grimaced as they knew having it closed bought them time but only so much. Then they heard a strange sound and the door began to discolour as a pair of blades one green and one blue emerged through it. The blades slowly before their eyes cut a hole in the door and the section that had been cut out was pushed in with great force, knocking a slow officer down before two figures charged it with lightsabers aloft and behind them men and women dressed in combat suits who were wielding more convention blasters.

Alima and Ardan both shot at the intruders with their few remaining soldiers but the Jedi who were leading the assault blocked their fire and sent it right back at them. They felt their pistols being ripped from their hands and then being stunned shortly after.

When they woke up, their bodies aching it was an awful moment when they realised that they had been locked in their own brig! The shame of it they both thought with humiliation which had probably been why the rebels put them in here. The door opened and three figures walked in, all human and two of them were the jedi from the bridge earlier. However, it was the third figure, a young woman with dark brown hair and a confident smirk on her face dressed in a Corellian Military Uniform that spoke first.

"I do hope you are enjoying your present accommodations." The woman said with a Corellian accent. "They are only temporary though, soon we will be transferring you down to the planet so the Ithorians can put you on trial." She said with a taunting excitement. Alima scowled and said coldly.

"I demand to be released this instant!" Alima said angrily. "I am a captain in the Imperial Starfleet and this vessel is the property of the Galactic Empire. Their retaliation for this theft will be harsh and swift." He said with a scowl but the young woman just shook her head in rejection of his statement.

"I highly doubt it, no-one cares about a nobody like you and besides if you have forgotten you came here to steal important Ithorian secrets so I don't think they will care that much." The woman said before adding. "Forgive, rude to not introduce myself. Lieutenant Qi'ra of the Corellian Special Forces. These fine people are Jedi Knights Fy-Tor-Ana and Roblio Darté who graciously have come out of hiding to aid in our fight against the Empire. They are here to interrogate you and I was fascinated to see just how a Jedi does it." She said with an expectant look in her eyes at the two Jedi who looked uncomfortable at mention of what they were about to do, use the force to extract information but it might prove useful they thought.

Qi'ra watched with fascination as they worked, her role in the Special Forces had meant she worked with the Jedi from time to time but never like this she thought with interest. She was loyal to her home world and Garm Bel-Iblis in particular who had approved of her training and joining the special forces. He needed people he could trust in places that were sensitive and she was one of those people she thought with pride!

He was busy enough running Corellia she thought knowing how much work the man had to do especially with the Dreadnaughts they had captured being converted into new Assault Frigates for the Rebellion. They would be awesome she thought when they were finished.

But she couldn't help but think of Han though and wished he was here with her, the last that she had heard he had joined some underworld outfit in Hutt Space to get the credits together for his own ship and acquired a couple of weird droids to travel around with. A part of her wished she could be there with him but at the same time she was making a difference in the galaxy she thought to herself with confidence. That was what she had always wanted she thought to herself with a pang as she just wished they had been on the same page and wanted the same things.

Thisspias, Expansion Region…

The home world of the Thisspiasian people had been under a brutal Imperial Occupation for years, massive numbers of their people had been brutally enslaved and abused while the crown prince was held as a hostage. They had hope that the powers that were fighting the Empire might come to save their world, hopes that were growing slightly as some worlds not far away were liberated.

But it would not be the Rebels or the Rift Alliance or any of their members that liberated them, instead their salvation would come from their own world. Something that had been hiding for nearly nine years until it was finally ready to strike.

The day began as any normal day did, the call to work waking the people at a ridiculous hour for most of the day and night shifts. They all slithered to their work stations with an air of depression but as they settled in to work the guards on the gantries above them were suddenly ripped away into the crowd with their necks snapped by an invisible force.

The people were confused and shocked, not understanding what was going on but as they looked around, they saw more and more of the occupying forces being killing by something that they couldn't see. It might have cheered them but they were scared that whatever was killing them would soon turn their attention to them but they didn't need to worry as whatever was doing this only focused on the Imperials.

Another strange thing that started happening was explosions in the offices and homes of high-ranking Imperial officers, some of which had been planted years before as the mind behind this had planned long in advance.

This uprising had been long in the planning, every single part had been thought out to the smallest detail to make sure that they would succeed. The mastermind behind it had been training his disciplines for years to make sure they were ready and that everything was in their favour.

Oppo Rancisis used his battle meditation to co-ordinate his people, making them fight to the best of their ability and with greater unity than would have been possible otherwise. He felt a great deal of satisfaction as his new Blood Guard as he had decided to name his disciples achieved everything that he had hoped they would. Seeing the heir to the Blood Monarchy die was an acceptable loss he thought as the Empire no longer had any leverage over them. Just as he predicted, the murder of their prince and the brutal treatment they had received was enough to get the people to rise up and work with his acolytes in getting rid of the now confused and disorganised Imperials.

Oppo Rancisis was quite pleased with the outcome, going exactly as he had planned and with the throne vacant, he would assume the seat he himself had once rejected. Ruling over his people to make sure they would remain free and the work to restore their planet would begin. If the Empire did dare to return, he would be ready for that but for now he took comfort that the Blood Guard, his Jedi Order would flourish now they were out in the open and thrive in protecting their home world.

Reijar, Ordo System…

Luna was moaning in pain as she gave birth to her first child, it had been a great blessing to find she was finally pregnant and now would finally have a child of her own.

Her husband was away on an expedition, she didn't mind he would have likely fainted at the sight of blood anyway and she could tell he would be a good father.

Instead, Neville and Hannah were staying with her, holding her hand and mopping her brow as she brought her child into the world. She was grateful that they were here at her side; she knew Haron and Ara would be camped outside the room too along with Deera if given the choice but all were currently busy with important issues and would be down when they had the chance. She had a great selection for godparents she thought with a tired smile.

After a long and hard effort though she cried out before finally she managed to push out her first child.

"It's a boy." Hannah told her with a warm smile, allowing the medical droids to do their jobs before she handed the small child to Luna. Luna's eyes widened as she felt the tiny human being in her arms, her son! She thought as she gently kissed him on the forehead and he snuggled into her, seeking comfort in her warmth.

"Lorcan, his name is Lorcan." Luna said with a warm smile on her face, choosing her son's name. She had always wanted to name her son that.