CHAPTER EIGHT
Thrawn stepped carefully through the wild forests of Dathomir. Behind him walked a dozen stormtroopers, armed with unique weapons given to them by the Crimson Emperor. Ahead of them was the bearded Crimson Knight known as Zale Ven, who had been present when Thrawn spoke with the Emperor, along with Ven's apprentice, Tares Mal.
Thrawn had expressed his disinterest in going to Dathomir to the Crimson Emperor, thinking the planet was unfit for a Grand Admiral like himself to be on. Nonetheless, the Emperor eventually convinced him to go, though Thrawn still did not like the idea. He had heard of the stories of the witches that lived on Dathomir, along with the rancors that they kept. Of course, those were just stories...
The two warriors came to a stop and Zale Ven signaled for Thrawn and the stormtroopers to do the same. Once they did, Tares Mal bent down to his knees and studied footprint patterns that were indented into the ground.
Looking up at his master, he said, "These tracks are recent. There are Nightsisters nearby."
"Nightsisters?" one of the stormtroopers nervously spoke. "Aren't those ladies...Sith-related or something?"
Zale shook his head. "No. While the Nightsisters do train in the dark side of the Force, they have little relation with the Sith."
"So what do we do?" another stormtrooper asked. "If those witches are here, then we'll be killed for sure!"
Zale smirked. "I don't believe we will. The Emperor confronted their leader and killed her. The Nightsisters instantly pledged their loyalty to him, and he then chose a new leader for them. Since then, they have been a useful ally to the Crimson Empire."
The warrior continued walking without another word, and Tares and Thrawn's squad continued following him. But despite Zale's reassurances, Thrawn still kept a cautious and wary pace through the forest, never taking his eyes off the rustling trees.
* * *
As Valan's ship traveled through hyperspace, Toah sat in silence inside the ship's crew quarters. For some, strange reason, he felt as if there was an impending darkness nearby. Across from him sat Kyle, who was tinkering with his lightsaber.
Kyle soon broke the silence by speaking. "You sure we can trust this Valan person?"
Toah shook his head. "No, I'm not sure. In fact, I really do believe we're walking right into a trap."
"Then why did you agree to go with him?" Kyle asked.
"Because whether Soral is a true Jedi or not, I might be able to find out more about the Old Jedi Order or the Sith."
"Ah," Kyle said, and he went back to tinkering with his lightsaber. Neither of them spoke another word.
Knowing it would be a while until they came out of hyperspace, Toah leaned back in his seat and allowed himself to fall asleep...
* * *
A vision. An awfully rare experience, according to Luke. He had no idea where he was, but Toah could see a humanoid figure in dark robes and red armor standing across from him, wearing a unique mask with a slitted visor. The stranger approached him, and came to a stop after reaching two feet away from him.
Nervously and cautiously, Toah asked, "Who are you?"
In a disembodied voice, the stranger replied, "Who I am, or rather was, does not matter now. Who I could be is what's important."
Toah looked at the masked one confusingly. "What do you mean?"
"You must turn back," the stranger said, beginning to fade away. "Where you are heading may change the fate of the galaxy. Turn back. Turn back!"
Then all went white.
* * *
For Han Solo, it happened all too fast. One minute, he, along with Chewbacca and Commander Hawk, were fighting TIE fighters on the Millennium Falcon. The next, a weapon the size of roughly four Star Destroyers jumped out of hyperspace and the battle came to a stand-still.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Han muttered after a moment of silence.
Hawk, who was in the top turret pit, laughed grimly through his comlink. "You Corellians have a penchant for understatements. How do you suppose we get out of this mess?"
Han did not reply right away. He simply stared out at the superweapon, which was shaped like an oversized cannon, as it aimed towards the planet of Empress Teta.
Chewbacca growled, breaking Han from his gaze. "I don't know," he said quietly to the Wookiee. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think we need to retreat."
Contacting Admiral Ackbar via comlink, Han repeated his suggestion to the Supreme Commander.
"And abandon the people of Empress Teta?" Ackbar retorted. "We cannot retreat, Captain Solo. We must stay and fight!"
"Against that Death Star-gun thing?" Han replied incredulously. "We'll all be destroyed!"
"We have no choice," Ackbar said grimly. "Advance towards the weapon on my mark!"
Han watched as all of Rogue Squadron flew pass him, headed for the superweapon. Sighing, he put the Millennium Falcon into thrust and flew after the X-wing fighters.
* * *
"The Galaxy Gun should be in range soon, your Highness," Klev reported to Darth Sidious. The Emperor made no reply, his yellow eyes focused on the red screen before him.
After a moment had passed, Sidious finally spoke. "Very good. You know, admiral, you have done well as my right-hand man on the Eclipse. I believe you deserve a promotion."
"A promotion?" Klev asked surprise. He quickly cleared his throat. "I am honored, your Highness."
Sidious grinned. "Good to hear, Grand Admiral Klev. As soon as the Galaxy Gun is in range, you may fire at will."
Klev nodded. "So, once Teta is destroyed, what will our next objective be?"
"We shall make our way to the Core Worlds," Sidious replied. "Any major Republic world that opposes us will be destroyed."
"And when we reach Coruscant?" Klev asked.
Sidious laughed quietly. "You shall see, Grand Admiral. You shall see..."
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