Star Wars Destiny: Episode V, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

"Wake up."

Toah awoke with a jolt to find himself lying face down on a sandy surface. He quickly sat up, spitting sand out of his mouth and wiping it from his eyes. Once his vision had cleared, he looked up to see a tall man standing before him, looking down on him with dark eyes.

Toah struggled to speak, but could not find his voice for some reason. The man smiled and offered his hand to him. The Jedi Knight took it and was pulled up to his feet. Toah opened his mouth to speak, but the man raised his hand, signaling for silence.

"I know what you're going to ask," the man said. "You are in the Netherworld of Praetus. It is a limbo of sorts, I guess you could say. People who come here are not truly dead...but they are not alive either. But most decide to move on instead of staying here, and live a life of peace beyond the Force."

The man sighed. "At least, that's how it used to be, until they came."

Toah gave the man a look, and was finally able to find his voice. "Until who came?"

"The Sith gods. Long ago, they were supernatural beings who ruled Korriban, and guided the Sith, years before the Rakatan came. At some point, though, the gods, as the Sith called them, were forced off of Korriban and banished to Praetus, where they were sealed within sarcophagi for thousands of years."

"So...how and when did they break out?" Toah asked.

The stranger sighed, looking towards a setting sun, which Toah had failed to notice at first. "When Palpatine died at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, we all thought balance had been restored to the Force. However, with the Emperor having had clone bodies made for himself, and a man known as Finis Valorum using them for his own needs, the balance was thrown off again. The Sith gods used this to their advantage and freed themselves."

The man was silent for a while, leaving Toah alone to wonder what events had occurred over the past two decades here in Praetus. For all he knew, the war against the Sith gods may have been more catastrophic than the once against the Empire in the living world.

After a moment, the man spoke again. "Come with me," he said to Toah. "There's something I'd like you to see."

"Wait," Toah said. "First, tell me who you are and why I should trust you."

The man smiled. "Well, considering I am your father, I believe that's good enough for you to trust me."

*  *  *

"So the Empire's superweapon is destroyed, but Toah Jarsan is most likely dead," Lando muttered as he, Hawk, and Kyle Katarn stood around a table along with three hologram representing two Jedi Masters and a Republic general.

"That's about the gist of it," Kyle replied solemnly. "The weapon blew up right after I realized he was gone. Never though he had the guts..."

"What Toah Jarsan did was a foolhardy act!" growled a Besalisk Jedi Master, his hologram shimmering. "I would've expected Skywalker's apprentice to be smarter than that!"

"I wouldn't go that far, Master Kil," said the Kel Dor Jedi Kro Sadoon. "You must admit, Toah's sacrifice was a bold and heroic one. With the superweapon destroyed, we have one less thing to fear from the Empire."

Master Kil opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a Twi'lek general. "So, the Empire has been defeated at Dantooine?"

Lando nodded. "Yes, after their gun exploded, they retreated into hyperspace faster than you could say an Elomin's full name."

"Good to hear," Master Sadoon said. "You may return to Coruscant. We shall arrange a ceremony for the late Toah Jarsan."

The three holograms vanished, leaving Lando, Hawk, and Kyle alone in the meeting room. Hawk was the one to break the silence. "So, how do we explain this to Master Skywalker?"

Lando shruuged. "I don't know, give him Kyle's version of the story. I wasn't there, so..."

"Technically, neither was I," Kyle replied. "I didn't see where Toah ran off to, so I'm not sure if he was in the fighter when it rammed into the superweapon."

"Well, I'm sure if he was alive, he would let us know," Hawk said. "Right?"

*  *  *

Han, Chewbacca, Karsa, and Thrak followed the Mandalorians down a narrow hallway which, to Han's guess, led to their leader's throne room. 

Alongside the dark, stone-made walls were carvings and paintings of what Han presumed to be historical events. One such painting showed a humanoid in bronze armor piloting a beast-like droid through a battlefield. Another showed a dark-skinned man clad in gold and scarlet armor, standing over a smoldering corpse. Finally, a third one showed a feminine figure in black armor, observing a magnificent city.

The Mandalorians and their guests finally reached the end of the hallway and entered a wide, stone-floored chamber, which was empty save for a holoprojector which showed a planetary map. A man in green armor and a flowing red cape was examining the map when they walked in. He turned to face his visitors and Han froze when the man spoke.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise." He eyed Han coldly with dark eyes. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Solo?"

Han did not reply, returning the glare instead. The blue-armored Mandalorian who had brought him and the others here looked back and forth between the two men. "You know him, Mand'alor?"

The armored man nodded. "Indeed I do, Corik. Please, leave us."

Somewhat hesitantly, Corik and the other Mandalorian guards left the room, leaving Han and the others with Mand'alor. Han regarded the Mandalorian leader with disdain, and spoke in a low voice. "Well, Boba Fett, how in the galaxy did you manage to escape the Sarlacc pit?"

Boba Fett smirked. "Long story. Let's just say it found me...indigestible."

"I see," Han muttered. "And so now you're the leader of these Mandalorian guys, right?"

Fett nodded, turning back to the map. "So tell me, Solo, what brings you here to Mandalore? Does the Republic need our help in your little war?"

"Against my better liking, yes," Han grunted.

Fett let out a laugh. "Did you really have something against your chief's request, Solo? Or just when you found out I was their leader?"

When Had did not reply, Fett turned to face him. "More than twenty years have passed since our last encounter, Solo. I think it's time to drop our old rivalry, don't you think?"

Han hesitated a bit before nodding. "So," he finally said, "are you in or out?"

Boba Fett scratched his chin in consideration. "I'm afraid we'll have to decline. The Empire hasn't shown any interest for us or Mandalore."

"Yet," Karsa noted darkly. "They will eventually, you know."

Fett narrowed his eyes at the ex-Mandalorian. "Watch your mouth, Karsa. Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, especially after I saw Shysa' reaction to your betrayal."

Karsa shrugged. "What can I say? I'm not exactly the most trusting person in the galaxy. Which is also why I'm not that trustworthy either..."

Han and Chewbacca glanced at each other quizzically. Before he could say anything, a terrifying shake knocked him off his feet. Heavy laser fire started to tear through the chamber's ceiling while Han quickly recovered. Within seconds, the ceiling had become nothing but dust, revealing a large green colored freighter hovering over the room's occupants.

Han heard a blaster click nearby and turned to see Karsa and Thrak aiming their weapons at him. The former Mandalorian gave a sinister grin.

"Which is also why I hang out with the least trustworthy people in the galaxy."