Star Wars: Vergence I, Chapter Six

 CHAPTER SIX

“I don’t like this.”

“Then you should have said something,” Vessin muttered.

Kadar grimaced as he came out of his room on the Renegade, fastening a durasteel plate over his chest. The Renegades had found the set of armor for him during a trip to Telos IV, though he had been reluctant in wearing it regularly as it was all too reminiscent of the armor he had worn as a Mandalorian, a life he had hoped to put behind him after the Battle of Mandalore. However, the plan that the Renegades had cooked up with these Jedi and their friends were was going to require him to make use of his skills as a retired bounty hunter.

He glanced at his daughter, who had already donned her Mandalorian helmet, before looking down at his own. While similar in terms of its shape, it lacked the t-shaped visor that typically took up a Mandalorian helmet, instead having two separate visors — one for each eye — and an external mouth piece. He could only hope that it was different enough from his original armor that no one would recognize him.

Sliding the helmet over his head, he followed Vessin out of the ship to join the others outside. Kyla and Valrisa were going over the plan with Toah and Poe while everyone else waited nearby, geared up and ready to go. Bedo glanced up as Kadar and Vessin approached and beamed, giving the former a thumb’s up.

“I told you that armor would make you look badass!” the Ortolan said cheerily.

“I know,” Kadar grunted. “That’s why I didn’t want to wear it. I’m too old to be badass.”

“Nonsense! Age is just a number. Right, Wiskin?”

The Cathar glowered at him. “Why are you asking me?”

Before Bedo could squeak out a hasty response, Kyla and the others rejoined the rest of the crew. “Are we all set to go?” the Mirialan asked.

“As we’ll ever be,” muttered Vessin.

“Right. So let’s go over things once more.” She nodded to Poe, who held out a holographic image of the building — or star yacht — that they would be breaking into.

“There are at least twelve guards that make regular patrols on the outer perimeter,” Poe explained. “Typha will take them out with stun bolts, one-by-one, from a nearby building. Make sure you get them alone before you do so that the others don’t notice before it’s too late.”

Typha rolled her eyes as she hefted the new sniper rifle she had gotten from the Renegades’ armory. “I’m not an amateur, flyboy.”

“While she takes care of the guards, Bedo and the Jedi will distract the secretarial staff,” Poe went on. “Meanwhile, Wiskin, Vessin, and Ziar will go through the city sewers and try to find a way in through there. Once they do, they’ll find a backdoor entry point for me, Jessika, Kyla, and Valrisa to come in. We’ll then sneak our way through until we find whoever’s running the place and take them out.”

With that, Poe shut off the hologram and stuffed it back in his jacket. The others all stared at him in silence until Bedo broke it.

“That’s it?” the Ortolan asked.

Poe nodded. “That’s it.”

“No backup plans for when things go wrong?”

“You mean if things go wrong—”

Bedo laughed, causing all eyes to focus on him. “’If!’ He said ‘if!’” The Ortolan pointed at Poe as he continued laughing, though it sounded more nervous than mirthful. “Did you…did you guys hear him? ‘If things go wrong!’ You must be new to this!”

Poe scowled. “I’ve been doing this for years! I wasn’t made a Commander in the New Republic Defense Force for nothing!”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know we were dealing with a veteran! Because we all know that the New Republic is perfect at absolutely everything it—”

“All right, that’s enough, Bedo,” Kyla said wearily. “I’m not the biggest fan of this plan either, but it’s not much different from what we usually get up to. Besides, if things do go wrong, we’ll just improvise as usual.”

“As usual,” Bedo repeated, shaking his head. “You know, if we came up with more foolproof plans, we wouldn’t need to always improvise.”

“In my experience, things rarely go as planned,” said Toah. “The future is always in motion and therefore unpredictable.”

The Ortolan rolled his eyes. “Then why plan to begin with?”

“Because it’s good to have something to work off of.”

Bedo stared at the Jedi as if he had grown another head before throwing up his arms in defeat. “Whatever,” he muttered. “Figures I get stuck with the weird wizards.”

“If you would like to trudge through the sewers, you’re welcome to join us,” said Vessin.

“No!” Kadar and Wiskin protested in unison.

Bedo looked between the three of them, his beady black eyes narrowed. “You guys are a riot.”

“I was just about to say the same thing,” muttered Jessika.

Poe sighed before looking between each member of the unlikely team. “All right. Unless there are any further objections… let’s get this show on the road.”

*  *  *

Wedge grimaced at the crime scene laid out before him. The crowd of local officers and investigators prevented him from getting a good view of the mayor’s body (not that he wanted one), but from what little he could glimpse he could tell it was no mere blaster bolt that had ended either the mayor or his Selonian chief of security.

He said as much to the others, prompting Trey to say, “Those two did look like Sith Lords if I ever saw one.”

“We do know that some of Darth Taral’s Sith army aren’t all accounted for,” pointed out Jesmin. “Though no one’s seen one since the Battle of Mandalore.”

Wedge glanced at Jagged. “Don’t suppose you know anything about this?”

Jagged shook his head. “First I’ve heard — or seen anything about it.”

Shaking his head, Wedge turned to head out of the townhouse, followed by his nephew and the two Wraiths. At this point, he knew there was nothing any of them could do to help the investigators other than tell them what they — and pretty much everyone else who had been in the vicinity — had seen. All the could do now was wait for their “pickup” to arrive.

“Did Fulcrum say who she was sending?” Jesmin asked as they stepped outside. “That was our only landspeeder on reserve.”

“She didn’t,” Wedge said. “Only that we’d know them when we’d see them.”

“She’ll probably send Piggy and Myri with the freighter,” said Trey. “I mean, who else could she send?”

The distant sound of sublight engines prompted Wedge to look up. Indeed, approaching Kor Vella from the direction of the Resistance base was a Corellian YT freighter, similar to the one Wedge had been brought on board.

Only….

The freighter that the Wraiths had took him in was a YT-2400 freighter, with a long “tube” connecting the cockpit parallel to the body of the ship. This one appeared to be more of the YT-1300 variety, with the tubular cockpit curving out from the side of the ship’s circular frame. As it got closer, it also looked much more modified than the standard model, and looked more like it belonged in a junkyard than anywhere else.

It only took a second for it to all click in Wedge’s head. Then, he smiled.

*  *  *

“Why didn’t we just kill them, master?”

Kylo Ren stood behind Kuruk as the other Knight of Ren piloted the Night Buzzard towards Coronet City. Without even looking at Karis as he answered her, Kylo said, “There was no need to cause more of a scene than we already had. If they had stood in our way, then we would have dealt with them appropriately.”

“But they were watching us,” Karis went on. “They might try to follow us.”

“With what?” grunted another Knight, sharpening his vibrocleaver. “We blew up their speeder. Even if they find another one, it’ll still take them hours to get to Coronet. We’ll be gone by then.”

While Trudgen was correct, Kylo wasn’t too sure about that last part. Snoke had directed him to head to Coronet after retrieving the heirloom, but after that point his master’s instructions had become vague.

“You will know what to do,” Snoke’s deep voice rumbled in Kylo’s memory. It was all the Supreme Leader had said before sending the Knight of Ren on his way. He hadn’t even said anything about this “Curator” that the mayor of Kor Vella had mentioned. Of course, it would have been just like the Supreme Leader to withhold such information from him….

Kylo decided to quell such reservations from his mind as the glittering cityscape of Coronet came fast approaching into view. Perhaps meeting this “Curator” — if they were even here on Corellia — would enlighten him on such matters.

Or, perhaps more likely, he would simply be left in the dark, as he always was.

*  *  *

“Sir, an unidentified craft is requesting permission to land in Docking Bay 01. Shall I—”

“Let them land,” Thrackan Sal-Solo said into his comlink, watching the ship in question through his window as it flew low over the city as it came in the direction of Kor Vella. “Clearance code Sen-Aurek-Leth.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the call had ended, Thrackan set down the comlink on his desk and turned to the Curator, who was relaxing on a sofa in his office. “Your efforts had better be fruitful, Curator.”

“I hope so as well,” replied the Curator. “It is not just your job and reputation on the line, Sal-Solo, but mine as well. Any public shame and humility you suffer, I will suffer second-hand.”

Thrackan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Woe is you,” he muttered. “Still, provided this heirloom verifies my heritage… you are certain that Han Solo will have no right to challenge my claim to the throne?”

“Would he even want to? From what I’ve heard of Solo, he is not the type to care much for royalty.”

“He is married to a princess,” Thrackan pointed out.

“True. But that does not mean he would want to carry the burden that comes with the duties of a king.”

“What about his spawn, then? Would they have any right to the throne?”

“Only if you die and their father refuses it.”

Thrackan straightened, holding his chin high. “Then I will make sure to outlive them.”

The Curator eyed him, a sly smile tugging at lips already up-curved. “At your age? I’m sure you’ll do fine, Sal-Solo.”

“Age is just a number,” Thrackan said, turning back once more to the window. “Besides… it’ll be much easier for me to outlive my relatives when they are all dead.”

*  *  *

The plan was underway, and Bedo was already losing faith in it.

It wasn’t that he did not trust the three Jedi — well, two Jedi and one “sort-of-not” Jedi — to do their part well. He had heard plenty of stories about these wizards and their “mind tricks,” and the fact that they had been able to even get past the front guards and into the star yacht’s main lobby had shown that those stories were not entirely fictional. As they made their way to the front desk, Bedo had even allowed himself to think that everything was going to go according to plan.

Then he saw the white-eyed Arkanian receptionist and all of his hopes deflated like a balloon deprived of air.

From what he had read, Arkanians were highly intelligent beings and liked to remind anyone who wasn’t an Arkanian just how intelligent they were. What made their arrogance even more infuriating was that they were able to back it up with their track-record of genetic experiments and cybernetic advancements. Legend had it that the Arkanians were even able to create offshoot species from preexisting ones, such as the Quermians from the multi-limbed Xexto or even their own chalk-skinned Arkanian Offshoots. If such stories were to believe, the Arkanians were essentially a race of people who liked to play god… and succeed at it.

There was no chance in the nine Corellian hells that these Jedi would be able to mind trick this Arkanian receptionist. Unless those white eyes were just contacts, then they were as good as dead.

For his part, Toah Jarsan appeared to be unfazed by this unexpected obstacle as he and the others approached the desk, lugging their assortment of musical instruments. With a bandfill over his chest, Toah calmly said, “We are here for our reservation.”

The Arkanian narrowed her pure white eyes, her four-fingered hands interlaced together. “Reservation?”

“Yes, we are to perform for the head of state in a private party later tonight.”

“There is no private party. You have been misinformed.” 

“Misinformed?!” Despite his increasing anxiety, Bedo did his best to perform his role. “Are you tellin’ me I brought my boys — and girl — all the way to Corellia from Druckenwell for no reason?!”

“It would appear so,” the Arkanian replied, unsympathetic. “Please remove your redundant presence from the lobby.”

“Redundant? Who are you callin’ redundant?” Bedo slapped his hands on the desk, although he doubted he was that intimidating given that his chin just barely cleared it. “Do you have any idea who we are?”

“You are four sapient beings — one Ortolan and three humanoids — who should remove themselves from the lobby before I alert security.”

“You must not listen to much music, lady! We are the Bedo Nodes! We are just like the Modal Nodes but better in every possible way!”

“I don’t care if you’re the Chief of State. You need to remove yourselves from the lobby immediately.”

Conscious of the two Selonians approaching them from behind, Bedo puffed out his chest in a desperate attempt to maintain his fragile confidence. “Oh, getting politically relevant now, are we? Considering how well Corellia’s gotten along with the Galactic Alliance in recent years, I’m not so surprised—”

Zarin’s hand fell on Bedo’s shoulder in a way that told him it was not just part of the act. “Boss, don’t rile them up,” the Kiffar said quietly. “We’re never gonna get the gig this way.”

“You’re not going to get the ‘gig’ at all.” The Arkanian nodded to the two Selonians. “Escort them outside.”

Toah stepped forward and casually moved his hand in front of the woman’s white eyes. “But we do have a reservation,” he stressed.

“No, you don’t, Master Jedi,” the woman said coolly. “I’m afraid you will have to pursue your… change of careers somewhere else.”

“Jedi?” Bedo laughed, thought it sounded much more nervous than he intended. “If Sarjan here is a Jedi, then I’m the Queen of Naboo! Nah, he just likes to make gestures like that. It’s… it’s a cultural thing from where he comes from.”

“I’m sure it is.” She flipped a dismissive hand. “Take them away.”

Bedo looked up at Toah, hoping to see if the Jedi had a backup plan. However, the disquieted expression he saw on Toah’s face made his heart drop into his stomach. He turned further around to look at the two Selonians that were now looming over them….

…Only for his eyes to then go to the front doors, through which a group of seven to eight warriors clad in frightening black armor were storming their way into the building.

He looked back up at the three Jedi, who now all shared Toah’s look of distress, and confirmed what he already knew.

We’re kriffed.

Star Wars: Vergence I, Chapter Five

 CHAPTER FIVE

“The Cabal is operating here?”

Valrisa spoke the words in a whisper though she might as well have belted them, judging by Toah Jarsan’s tense expression. He and Poe Dameron had just explained to her and the other Renegades who they were and what they were doing on Corellia, as well as what they had recently found out as of fifteen minutes ago.

“Not just here, but other worlds in the Core,” explained Poe. “Hosnian Prime and Sedratis are potential other candidates.”

That last one did not surprise Valrisa, knowing that her mother — who even called herself “the Dowager of Sedratis” — was one of the Cabal’s top crime lords. She did not say this to the others however and allowed Ace to take over the conversation.

“If the Cabal is here, they must be somewhere here in Coronet,” said the Bothan. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to be close to the planet’s heart.”

Poe nodded. “That’s what we’re thinking as well, though we don’t want to rule out the other cities as possibilities. There is one building here in particular that our boss is skeptical about. While we don’t know for sure… we think it might actually be a star yacht.”

“A star yacht?” Kyla Kishanti repeated, straightening in her seat.

“Even before we got confirmation that the Cabal was here, we had noticed the incongruity between it and its neighboring skyscrapers,” said Jessika Pava. “We knew something was up, we just didn’t know if it had anything to do with the Cabal.”

“How did you learn about the Cabal to begin with?” Typha asked carefully.

“We’ve had run-ins with them on Coruscant,” Poe replied. “We’ve since gathered enough info to gather that they are more than a minor threat and may be seeking to influence the direction of galactic affairs.”

“That sounds like them,” Valrisa sighed. “Trust me, they’re a lot bigger organization than you realize.”

“We’ve gathered as much,” Toah said, his expression grim. “Anyway, even before we got the confirmation, we’ve been looking for leads on the Cabal’s activities as well as how to get into the star yacht — or whatever that building may be. So far, we haven’t found anything substantial… unless you guys happen to know something?”

Valrisa could feel the others’ eyes on her. Already she was beginning to regret marking herself as the “local Cabal expert” to the other Renegades.

She let out a sigh as she looked down at the table they were sitting at. “I don’t know anything about Corellia,” she said quietly. “However, I do know of a Cabal leader operating here in the Core Worlds; on Sedratis, just along the Corellian Run.”

Poe leaned forward, his eyes wide with expectation. “You do?”

She nodded. “Her name is Sareth Valrisa, the self-titled Dowager of Sedratis. I’m….” She paused and hesitated. Underneath the table, Typha took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m her daughter, Sare Valrisa.”

She glanced back up. Toah’s face was unreadable, more contemplative than anything. Poe and Jessika seemed to be processing the information. Rey, Toah’s Jedi learner, was taking it all in, glancing at her teacher as if trying to figure out what he was thinking.

After a moment of silence, Poe shifted his attention to Kyla. “I get the impression that you guys don’t do things for free.”

“Finally, we have reached an understanding,” the Mirialan said dryly.

“Tell you what,” he said. “Help us get into the star yacht and bring a stop to the Cabal’s operations, and you will be rewarded very handsomely.”

Kyla raised an eyebrow. “How handsome?”

Poe grinned. “As handsome as me.”

“That’s not saying much.”

Jessika and Rey laughed as Poe frowned. Even Toah was smirking. Quickly masking his wounded pride, Poe readjusted himself in his seat.

“Well, by ‘handsomely,’ I do mean a lot.”

“How much?” Kyla asked.

“I can’t give you an exact number right now, but it would be in the range of… oh, about thirty thousand.”

Kyla was unfazed by the amount. “Is that the advance or the total?”

“Uh….” Poe winced, glancing at the others. “Were you… wanting an advance?”

“Considering who we’re dealing with, I’d like some degree of insurance, yeah.”

“Right, right, of course.” Poe took a deep breath. “Dank farrik, I’m gonna get dressed down for this, aren’t I? Okay, thirty thousand up front. Plus thirty more once the job is done.”

Jessika glanced at him. “Do we even have that kind of money?”

“We do,” Poe said, a bit too quickly. Valrisa couldn’t tell if he was bluffing or if he even knew how much money they had.

In any case, Kyla seemed to be convinced as she said, after a moment of contemplation, “It’s a deal, then. We all seem to have a bone to pick with the Cabal anyway, so we might as well team up against them.”

Poe let out a breath of relief. “Glad to hear it,” he said. “Now all we need is a plan.”

“Oh, that’s the easy part,” Kyla said with a grin. “The hard part is making sure it works.”

*  *  *

Traveling by landspeeder, the trip from the Resistance farm base to the rural city of Kor Vella had taken a decent four hours. Built on a mesa that oversaw the Vella plains, Kor Vella had a rustic charm that other cities like Coronet did not have. Rather than towering skyscrapers, Kor Vella’s town houses stood no more than three stories high, and even then most of the buildings were two or even one story high at the most. Bridges and ramps erected across the uneven landscape of the mesa made these buildings more accessible for the people who lived in the city, though it made riding in a landspeeder much more difficult. Wedge and his team of three were forced to park their landspeeder at the base of the mesa before taking the repulsorsled that took them up into the city above.

Wedge had been to Kor Vella before, and even after all these years it looked no different than the last time he had visited. The people of Kor Vella seemed to have gone to great lengths to make sure their rustic city stayed exactly that: rustic and plain, with none of the monotonous splendor that had seized Coronet and other Corellian cities. It was a frontier town that felt like it would be more at home in the Outer Rim rather than here in the Core Worlds.

Upon entering the city, Wedge, Trey, and Jesmin found their contact at the agreed upon meeting place, near a fountain in Kor Vella’s central plaza. Wearing a gray cloak that concealed their face, the contact said nothing as they led the trio to an apartment accessible only by a narrow alleyway. During the whole trip, Wedge kept his eye on the mysterious figure and a hand on his hidden hold-out blaster, waiting for the stranger to make one wrong move. 

As soon as they were inside, the contact locked the door securely behind them before leading them to a small dining room table barely large enough for the four of them to sit at. Once they had all been seated, the contact pulled back their hood and Wedge’s breath caught in his throat.

The young man, no older than thirty-five, had black hair streaked with white. A large scar ran from his scalp down his forehead, stopping directly over his right eye. A thin dark beard was beginning to form over his face, making him look even more physically similar to his father, though his pale green eyes carried a warmth that was more reminiscent of his mother.

After taking a moment to recompose himself, Wedge managed to speak the name of his nephew. “Jagged?”

Jagged Fel nodded in acknowledgment. “Uncle Wedge,” he said curtly.

Wedge’s mouth opened and closed several times, desperate to form the words he wanted to say. If Wes had been here, he probably would have said he looked like a Naboo scalefish.

Finally, he managed to say, “What are you doing here? I thought you were living with your family in Chiss Space?”

“I was,” Jagged said grimly. “Technically, I’m not supposed to even be here. But I needed to get the word out somehow, since it seems like no one else will.”

“Are things going all right back home?” Wedge asked, all ready dreading the answer.

Jagged seemed to consider the question before answering. “We’re safe, if that’s what you’re asking… at least, for now.”

“For now?”

The young man sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “There has been… movement out in the Unknown Regions. So far, the Chiss Ascendancy has been left undisturbed by said movement, but there’s no telling how long that’s going to last.” He paused for a moment before saying, “I take it you’ve heard about what’s happened to the Imperial Remnant?”

Wedge nodded. “I’ve heard there’s been a collapse of government, though the member sectors are still trying to hold together as a legitimate state. At the very least, I know that the Moffs are no longer in the picture.”

“They’re not,” Jagged said, “but someone else has taken their place. I don’t know the full details as of right now; only that the Imperial Remnant very much still exists. It’s simply evolved into something… different.”

Wedge frowned. “And they’re being active in the Unknown Regions?”

“That’s what Chiss scouts have been reporting. So far they haven’t done anything notable yet, at least not in the eyes of the Ruling Families. But when it comes to the Empire — or whatever it is now — I know that won’t last forever.”

That was something Wedge and his nephew could agree on. He waited to see if Jagged had anything more to say, but the younger man had fallen silent. He wanted to ask about his sister — about Syal — but he could not bring himself to. Besides, he knew answer he got would just be along the vague lines of “She’s doing fine” or “They’re getting by.” He simply had to accept the fact that such family matters would have to wait until this was all over… whenever that would be.

Clearing his throat, Wedge moved to stand up. Jagged followed suit, as did Trey and Jesmin. Wedge then extended a hand across the table to Jagged, which his nephew shook after only a second of hesitation.

“It’s been good seeing you again, Jagged,” Wedge said quietly. “I wish you and your family safety.”

Jagged nodded curtly. “Likewise, uncle. I hope someday our paths will—”

The rest of his words were drowned out by the loud thrum of a sublight engine as what sounded like a starship flew low over the city of Kor Vella. Wedge could already hear the confused chatter of people out in the streets as Jagged rushed to the door and opened it, allowing him and the others to step outside.

The black dungeon ship flew over Kor Vella, flying low enough to blow dust and dirty in everyone’s eyes. After passing over the mesa, it made its way to the Vella plains and descended, landing not far from where Wedge and the Wraiths had parked their landspeeder.

Wedge glanced at Jagged and noticed that the younger man’s face had gone pale, almost as white as the streak in his hair. “What is it?”

“That’s an Osseriton prison ship,” Jagged muttered, his voice deathly quiet. “An Oubliette-class.”

“Can’t say I’m familiar with the name,” Wedge said.

“It’s another world in the Unknown Regions. The Chiss Defense Fleet have had encounters with them in the past.”

“What are they doing all the way here in the Core Worlds, then?” asked Jesmin.

Jagged did not answer her as he watched the mysterious ship fly towards the capital of Corellia. Turning to Wedge, he said, “We should probably lay low. At least until we find out who they are and why they’re here.”

Wedge nodded in agreement. It was what he would have done.

“Should we send a message to Fulcrum?” asked Trey.

Jagged shook his head. “Too risky. For all we know, they could be listening in, even on encrypted transmissions.”

“So we wait?” Jesmin asked.

“We wait.”

*  *  *

Light poured into the Night Buzzard as the Oubliette-class transport’s entry ramp lowered. Standing on the precipice, Kylo Ren stared out across the Vella plains, towards the mesa upon which the city of Kor Vella stood. Behind him, the other Knights of Ren shifted restlessly, waiting for their master to take the first step. Slowly, Kylo began to stride down the ramp, not stopping until both his boots had touched the ground, dirt crunching beneath his heels.

The other Knights moved to follow him but Kylo stopped him with a raise of his hand. “Stay with the ship,” he ordered, the command amplified by the modulator of his mask.

The Knights stopped but their irritation was evident through their body language. “Why did you bring us along if you intended on going alone?” growled the one known as Vicrul.

“I will require your service later,” Kylo replied. “For now, be patient.” He paused for a moment before turning slightly to look over his shoulder. “Karis.”

From the septet of Knights stepped forward a young woman with green skin and large wings. Like the other six, her face was concealed by a mask — one that had once belonged to an Imperial Inquisitor from the days of old. The other Knights stepped aside to let her pass as she walked down the ramp to join her master, though their distaste for her was no less evident from the way they watched her.

“Stay here and await further orders,” Kylo said as he and his apprentice departed from the ship, bound for the rural city.

*  *  *

The mayor of Kor Vella had heard the arrival of the ship even before his aides had alerted him. When they did, they had found him calmly pacing through his office as he admired his collection of antiques through the transparisteel glass cases he kept them in.

“Um, sir?” his Selonian chief of security had said to him, poking her furry head into the office. “An unidentified spacecraft just landed on the outskirts of the city.”

The mayor was unfazed. “Is it a black dungeon ship?” he asked casually, still staring at an antique sword behind the glass.

“Um, yes, sir.”

“That would be my guests then. When they arrive, lead them here to my office.”

The Selonian had not bothered to hide her confusion but nonetheless nodded. “As you wish, sir.”

Several minutes had passed since then and the mayor was soon sitting back at his desk, patiently awaiting his clients. Finally, he heard a chime at the door, followed by the Selonian’s voice.

“They’re here, sir.”

“Let them in.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth that the door opened and a tall figure clad in black stormed in. Over their shoulder, the mayor spotted a second figure with large green wings standing outside with the Selonian before the door closed, leaving the mayor alone with his mysterious visitor.

Rising from his seat, the mayor came around his desk and extended a hand, smiling cordially. “Kylo Ren, I presume?”

“The heirloom,” the masked man said, his voice coming out distorted. “Do you have it.”

The mayor retracted his hand, trying not to let the smile fall from his round face from the rejection. “Yes, of course. I would not have had the Curator send someone for no reason.”

“The Curator?” Kylo Ren questioned.

The mayor frowned, taken aback by the dark warrior’s confusion. “Ah, perhaps you know him by a different name. I only know him by his title—”

Kylo Ren growled with impatience. “The heirloom.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The mayor hobbled over to one of the glass cases and opened it. Reaching inside, he brought out a cube-shaped device. After blowing dust off the device, he turned to present it to Kylo Ren only for it to fly out of his hands and into the masked warrior’s. Without a word, Kylo Ren turned to leave.

“W-wait!” the mayor sputtered. “Don’t you… don’t you want to make sure it is legitimate?”

Kylo Ren stopped and looked over his shoulder at the mayor. “Would you have any reason to give me something that was fake?” he asked darkly.

The mayor swallowed. “Of course not,” he said hastily. “I just… thought it would be nice to establish some trust between us.”

“I have no need for your trust. It is of no value to me.”

“For the Curator’s sake, then. If only to ensure that you are delivering the correct item to him.”

For the longest time, Kylo Ren did not speak nor did he move. He was like a dark statue, watching the mayor’s every movement. In the tense silence, the mayor could practically hear his heart pound against his chest with every beat.

Finally, the dark warrior turned around to face the mayor fully. “How would I be able to verify its legitimacy?”

Letting out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, the mayor said, “You need only activate it. There should be a button on the—”

Before he had even finished speaking, Kylo Ren found the necessary switch and the cube split open, revealing a small holoprojector. The ghostly blue image of a nondescript figure materialized as a mechanical voice spoke out.

“This record may only be viewed by a member of the House of Solo bloodline. Please provide a blood sample.”

The tense silence made an unwelcome return. The mayor tried to break it by chuckling uneasily. “I, ah, had not realized such safeguards were in place. Still, I’m sure this is more than enough proof for you to—”

A blade of red sprung out from Kylo Ren’s hand. The mayor could only scream as the masked warrior raised the blade and brought it down. 

*  *  *

“Mayor!”

Hearing the dying screams on the other side, the Selonian guard moved for the door but Karis beat her to it. A quick slash from her lightsaber blade brought down the musteline alien. The human secretary, seated nearby, moved to alert the rest of the security detail only to suffer the same fate. Satisfied that no further resistance would come for the next few minutes, the winged woman sheathed her blade and waited.

A moment passed before the door opened and Kylo Ren stepped out, carrying a cube-shaped object in his hand. He didn’t even acknowledge the dead human and Selonian as he passed Karis.

“Comm Vicrul and the others,” her master said. “Tell them to prepare the ship for take off.”

Karis did as she was told, never once questioning the fresh blood glistening on the back of his glove.

*  *  *

Wedge, Jagged, Jesmin, and Trey had watched from afar as the two dark figures strode into Kor Vella and made their way towards the city’s townhouse. Trey had suggested they follow them in but both Wedge and Jagged had agreed that it would have been too dangerous. Instead, they merely lay low and waited.

Several minutes passed before the two dark figures emerged from the building, with one of them carrying a cube-shaped object in his hand. The other appeared to be a woman, with large green wings protruding from her back. Wedge was not familiar with any species that had such features and, judging from Jagged’s expression, neither was his nephew.

They continued to watch the two mysterious figures as they exited the town, leaving behind a trail of frightened citizens in their wake. Wedge and the other got to a safe enough distance from the precipice of the mesa to watch the two warrior return to their black ship, which was already preparing to take off.

“I think we should probably alert Fulcrum now,” said Jesmin.

Wedge found himself agreeing and fished for his comlink. Glancing at the others, he said, “Keep an eye on them. Let’s hope they don’t do anything funny.”

While he hailed Iella, the mysterious black ship lifted up from the ground. For a pressing moment, it just hovered in place, not moving in any direction. Then, a forward-facing turret spun around and fired on the spot where they had parked their landspeeder, blasting it into oblivion. It then took off and blasted off towards the horizon, in the direction of Coronet City.

As the others gawked at the smoldering crater where their landspeeder once was, Trey muttered, “That’s wasn’t very funny.”

Star Wars: Vergence I, Chapter Four

 CHAPTER FOUR

“Tell me, Sal-Solo… what do you know about your family history?”

Thrackan Sal-Solo peered through the blinds of his personal office’s main window, gazing upon the city of Coronet below. “I’ve already told you what I know,” he grunted.

“Yes, but what do you know?” The other person in the room put emphasis on the last word, still busying themselves about the office as they admired the many artifacts and knick-knacks that decorated the room. “What you’ve told me is what you’ve told the rest of Corellia in order to cling onto your position as head of state. But I am not Corellian, Sal-Solo. You do not need to convince me.”

Thrackan turned to face his accomplice, the sunlight from the window silhouetting his body. “If I tell you, what’s stopping you from leaking it to the rest of Corellia and causing me to lose my office?” he growled.

“The fact that doing so would cause us to lose you and thus force us to relocate our operations once again. My superiors would… not be too happy about that, needless to say.”

Thrackan wasn’t sure if he believed that. Nonetheless, he decided to humor his audience.

“Everything I know about my family comes from what I’d managed to gather from my mother — in her rare moments of lucidity — and public records,” Thrackan said, leaning on his chrome-tipped cane. “My grandparents, Denn and Tira Gama Solo, were forced to separate to escape from pirates and split their twin children between them. Tira took Tiion, my mother, while Denn escaped with Jonash, her brother. For the longest time, Mother and I thought they were dead… until I ran into a certain someone named Han Solo.”

“Han Solo.” Thrackan’s accomplice spoke the name with a sense of reverence that caused Thrackan’s eye to twitch. “I had heard that he was given the surname by an Imperial recruitment officer.”

Thrackan snorted. “First I’ve heard of it. I’d imagine he started telling that story to avoid anyone making the connection between him and I.”

His accomplice looked at him thoughtfully. “And you are convinced that your grandfather, Denn Solo, is none other than the legendary pirate Dalla Suul and rightful heir of King Korol Solo?”

Thrackan shrugged. “I see no reason not to believe it.”

“But what evidence do you have to believe it in the first place?”

Thrackan’s expression became grave as he fixed his accomplice with a stony gaze. “I have enough,” he said coldly. “It’s really not any of your concern.”

“Perhaps not,” the other admitted. “Forgive me for pressing the matter. Sometimes I get carried away when pursuing historic knowledge.”

“I’ve gathered as much,” he replied, relaxing somewhat. “You seem to have a great interest in the House of Solo.”

“Naturally. A royal bloodline from the Core Worlds? Their history is sure to be as rich as the galaxy’s itself.”

Thrackan smirked. “Ain’t that the truth?” He turned back to the window, marveling at how the rising sun cast its golden glow on the silvery city. “Is there a point to your visit, Curator?”

“The point is that I know of something that can prove your heritage once and for all.”

At this, Thrackan stiffened. His head slowly pivoted over his shoulder to look at the Curator, his brown eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“It is a family heirloom, one said to have been passed down since as far back as the days of Prince-Admiral Jonash e Solo. From what I’ve been able to gather, it contains a complete record of the Solo bloodline, dating as recent as 7909 C.R.C., if not even sooner.”

Thrackan could feel his heartbeat quickening, though whether it was out of excitement or fear or some strange mixture of both, he could not tell.

“If what you tell me about your family history is true,” the Curator went on, “then the heirloom will verify your claim to the throne of Corellia and solidify your rule. If it doesn’t… well, I think we both know the answer to that.”

Thrackan swallowed hard. “Do you know where this heirloom is?”

“I do. And I already know how to go about getting it.”

The Curator stepped over and placed a hand on Thrackan’s shoulder. He didn’t bother to shrug it off.

“Relax, my friend. In a week’s time, you will no longer just be Thrackan Sal-Solo, cousin of the famous Han Solo. In a week’s time, Han Solo will come to see himself as the cousin of His Royal Majesty, King Thrackan e Solo.”

The Curator then whispered into his ear, though the weight of the words rang like a thousand bells.

“Long live the King.”

*  *  *

Wedge Antilles stood in what amounted as the Resistance’s base of operations on Corellia. Piggy had not been joking about it being a farm; outside of the ranch house that served as the “command center,” there was a nearby barn where Fulcrum’s agents kept their equipment. That was it. That was all there was to the “base.” At least, as far as anyone had been willing to show Wedge.

Standing with him at the large dining room table, which had been relocated to the main living room to accommodate everyone, was Fulcrum — whom Wedge knew better as his wife Iella Wessiri — along with Shadow, Piggy and his Wraiths, Wallen Nix, and Xemer. Wedge had a feeling that there was more to Iella’s team then just the people in this room, but he figured he would learn about them when he needed to.

A single holodisc laid in the center of the table, displaying a large holographic image of Coronet City. Iella adjusted the image to zoom in and focus on one of the city’s largest skyscrapers, which seemed slightly out of place with its almost blade-like shape.

“We have reason to believe that the Cabal is operating from the very heart of Coronet,” Iella said, pointing to the skyscraper. “If you look closely, the design of this building does not match the architecture of the rest of the city.”

“Do we know when it was built?” Wedge asked. “Maybe the Cabal want to stand out from the crowd.”

Iella shook her head. “We don’t think it was built at all.” The holoimage zoomed in even closer to the skyscraper. “Upon closer inspection, we believe it is actually a Kalevalan star yacht that has taken harbor in the center of Coronet.”

Wedge’s eyes widened. “A star yacht? And people don’t think there’s anything weird about that?”

“If they do, they haven’t said anything. If they did say anything, they would probably get arrested.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our sources have determined that Thrackan Sal-Solo has returned to his position as Head of State of Corellia and put an iron grip over the planet.”

Wedge’s expression turned grim. “I thought Sal-Solo was removed from power after the Glorian War, along with Governor Saxan.”

“He was,” Iella replied. “However, he appears to have seized power again amid all of the confusion brought about by Darth Taral’s insurgence. We do not know exactly how long he’s been in power, at least not yet.”

“Does it matter?” asked Wallen. “If you ask me, even one day is one day too many with someone like Thrackan.”

Wedge nodded in agreement, recalling the crisis Thrackan had helped instigate on Corellia twenty-four years ago. The twisted cousin of Han Solo had been arrested following the crisis’ resolution, yet someone somewhere thought it would have been a good idea to release him. If Wedge ever found out who they were, he was going to break their knees… but only after they had broken Thrackan’s.

“Does Han and his family know about this?” he asked Iella.

“I can’t tell you that,” she said, though the look in her eyes more or less said, Of course they know about this.

Turning back to the hologram, he said, “What’s the plan then?”

“There isn’t one, at the moment. We’re still waiting for some agents to get back to us to verify some sources and confirm things that we are only ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure on. We can’t do anything until we know for sure who and what we’re dealing with. This is not an operation we want to screw up; we’re already in hot water as it is.”

Wedge beamed at the others. “I think I’m in love with this woman.”

Myri rolled her eyes. Shadow cleared his throat as he shifted restlessly.

“In the meantime… what should we do until we hear back from them?”

Iella adjusted the holodisc again and the image of Coronet City turned into a location that looked more rural than the metropolitan capital. “There is an informant in Kor Vella who claims to have valuable intelligence. General Antilles will meet with them, accompanied by two of Piggy’s Wraiths.”

Wedge looked at her. “Is this why you dragged me into this?”

Iella met his questioning gaze evenly. “The informant says they will only speak with you. And before you ask, no, we do not know who they are.”

Wedge frowned. “You don’t think it’s a trap?”

“Oh, it very well could be. That’s why Wraiths Five and Four specifically are going with you; they specialize in intimidation and blowing stuff up.”

“Respectively, of course,” commented Jesmin Tainer, earning her a glare from Trey Courser.

Wedge let out a deep exhale, running a hand through his thin graying hair. A part of him had secretly hoped that being brought back into the thick of things would make him feel young again. So far, he felt anything but.

“Great. So when do we leave?”

“The sooner, the better,” Iella said. “The informant says they won’t be around for very long.”

“All right.” Wedge took in a deep breath, taking a moment to steel himself. Age is just a number, his mind tried to convince him. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

*  *  *

All six of the Azumel’s eyes blinked as they tried to focus on the four humans standing in front of him. His pupils were all glazed over and pointing in different directions, which did not give Toah any confidence that he was going to be of any help to them.

“Looks like he’s high on death sticks,” remarked Jessika Pava, looking down at the Azumel with a mixture of disgust and pity. “I say we move on and find someone else.”

“No, no,” Poe protested, crouching down to be at eye level with the six-eyed being. “Slakeel has never let me down before. Isn’t that right, buddy?”

“Wah?” was all Slakeel managed to utter in his dazed, drug-induced state.

Jessika huffed with impatience. “Come on, Poe. We’re not gonna get anywhere with him.”

Reluctantly, Poe stood up and started to move away from the Azumel. Suddenly, Rey moved to take his place, kneeling in front of Slakeel. Before Toah could question or stop her, she raised a hand in front of Slakeel’s face, two fingers pointing upward, and glided them from one set of eyes to the other.

“You will tell us what you know about the Cabal,” she said in a peculiar tone.

“I, uh… wha… huh?” Slakeel replied, sounding even more addled.

Rey frowned as she repeated the gesture, her voice taking on a more commanding tone. “You will tell us what you know about the Cabal.”

Slakeel’s response showed no improvement in terms of lucidity. Toah stepped over and rested a hand on Rey’s shoulder.

“That’s enough of that,” he said sternly. “Leave him be.”

Rey acquiesced to her master’s instruction but did not hide the irritation on her face. “I could have gotten something out of him,” she muttered.

“Not like that. While the Force can be used to persuade the weak-minded, it should not be used for interrogation. That path leads to the dark side.”

Rey nodded but Toah was not convinced she fully understood his words. Nonetheless, he let the matter drop for now as the two Jedi followed Poe and Jessika out of the alleyway. So far, none of the delinquents that dwelt in Coronet’s Blue Sector had yielded any information concerning the elusive Cabal. Either they truly did not know anything about the organization in question… or someone had already scared them into silence. In which case, none of the tactics that Poe or anyone on the team were willing to use would get them to talk.

Suddenly, Toah found his mind going back to Zarin and the rest of his new “friends” back at the cantina. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to ask them….

As the quartet turned a corner and came out of the alleyway, Toah spotted Zarin and his entourage emerging from Bovo’s cantina. This time, the Kiffar appeared to sense his fellow Jedi through the Force and their eyes locked from afar, bringing their respective groups to a halt. Before Toah could make the first move, Zarin began striding towards him, ignoring the confused looks of the others.

“Toah Jarsan,” the Kiffar said, the ghost of a smile on his worn face. “Wasn’t expecting to find you around here.”

“Likewise,” Toah replied, eying his fellow Jedi carefully. He did not believe he had even interacted the Kiffar since he left the Jedi Order at the end of the Imperial Sith War, and the two had scarcely crossed paths even after Toah had returned. Even so, this wasn’t the first time Toah had unexpectedly run into another Jedi… only this time, he felt that Zarin was the one who had drifted away from the Order.

He redirected his gaze to Zarin’s companions, his eyes moving over each member of the assortment. When his eyes landed on a young woman with long black hair, he felt something shift in the Force, though it was gone as soon as he noticed it. He decided not to read too much into this, figuring that the woman (and perhaps even others in the group) was sensitive to the Force.

“Interesting crew you’ve got going,” Toah finally remarked.

“We’re not his crew,” protested a Mirialan smuggler. She stepped forward and extended a hand to Toah. “Captain Kyla Kishanti. Pleasure to meet you, Toah Jarsan.” As he shook her hand, she narrowed her blue eyes at him. “Wait a minute… aren’t you the Jedi who defeated Darth Vorath?”

Toah smiled slightly. “Believe it or not, I actually don’t get asked that question very often. But yes, that would be me.”

“Crazy. Well, it’s been an honor to meet you.” She stepped away from him and turned back to the others. “Anyway, let’s get going. We should probably—”

“What do you know about the Cabal?” Rey asked.

Toah winced while Kyla froze. The rest of her crew, including Zarin, all adopted looks of surprise as they stared at the young Jedi.

“Why are you asking?” questioned the woman with black hair.

Toah sighed but decided to take advantage of this opportunity. He only hoped that Zarin’s presence meant that these people could be trusted.

“Perhaps we should meet back at Bovo’s,” he said. “I don’t think its safe to discuss this topic out in the open.”

“Agreed,” said Zarin. Kyla whirled around to glare at him.

“You do not get to call the shots here,” the Mirialan said through gritted teeth. “If you want to hang out with these guys, suit yourself, but my crew goes where I say they go.”

“Kyla, relax.” A Bothan placed a placating hand on her shoulder. “This might be a good opportunity for us.”

Kyla fixed her glower on him before glaring back at Toah and the others. After a moment, she muttered, “So long as they have money,” before turning on her heel and storming back towards the cantina.

As the others watched her go, Poe let out a low whistle. “Well, this mission sure took a wild turn.”

Toah could not help but feel the same way.

Star Wars: Vergence I, Chapter Three

 CHAPTER THREE

Coronet City, Corellia

While nowhere near large enough to encapsulate the entire planet like Coruscant’s city, Coronet City was no less beautiful and expansive with its looming skyscrapers and towering spires. With a vast and shimmering ocean bordering its coast and verdant grasslands laying beyond the city limits, Corellia felt more grounded and homely than its sisters in the Core Worlds. Whereas planets like Coruscant and even Hosnian Prime had embraced their statuses as ecumenopolises, Corellia still clung on to its rural upbringings and practically wore it like a badge of honor… even if its spaceports were its true pride.

Upon landing in Coronet City, the Renegades and Valrisa’s crew had decided to meet at Bovo’s Cantina in Coronet’s Blue Sector. Although a dangerous part of the city, home to all sorts of criminals, it was also more welcoming to people like them than some of Coronet’s higher-class sectors, where CorSec officers would have probably arrested them without a second thought.

Fortunately, as it was early morning in Coronet, Bovo’s was hardly crowded. As with most shady spaces in the galaxy, the worst of Corellia’s dredge usually only came out at night. When the group of nine entered the cantina, the only other patrons were a pair of spacers sitting at the counter and a passed out Duros slumped in a far corner. 

After ordering their food and drinks, the Renegades and Valrisa’s group had found a large booth to sit at and start discussing business.

“So,” Kyla said after taking a long sip of Jawa Juice, “what do you guys do for a living?”

Valrisa shrugged. “Any opportunity that arises, basically. Typha and I usually take up jobs to hunt down artifacts for antique collectors, who tend to pay very large sums. Our dream is to make enough money for us to retire early and settle down.”

“Yet you used to work for crime lords,” Ace said in a low voice. It had been agreed upon by everyone to not mention the Cabal or Malvis by name, lest they attract the attention of unwanted eavesdroppers.

“It’s a long story,” Valrisa sighed. “I basically got dragged into that kind of work and only managed to get out of it because I burnt too many bridges with them.”

“What about you?” Vessin asked Zarin, looking pointedly at the Kiffar. “You collecting antiques too, or are you still plotting to take over the galaxy?”

Zarin huffed. “For the last time, I’m not a Sith Lord. That was just a lie to intimidate those thugs back there.”

“You still dress like one though,” Kyla said, nodding to the black tunic that Zarin wore.

“Like Valrisa says, it’s a long story,” Zarin muttered. “Besides, it’s not artifacts that I’m really after. It’s the Whills.”

Bedo choked on his drink. “The what?”

“The Whills. An ancient order of beings who use the Force.”

Typha rolled her eyes. “It’s a wild mynock chase. They’re just a bunch of myths.”

Bedo looked down at his soup, stirring it idly with his spoon. “I’ve heard of the Whills,” the Ortolan said quietly. “When I was young, back on Orto, my grandfather would tell me stories about ancient Jedi and beings known as the Whills.”

Zarin stared at Bedo intently, his eyes wide with interest. “What did your grandfather know about the Whills.”

“I don’t think he really knew anything about them for real,” Bedo said hastily. “I’m sure they were just stories he was told as a child that he passed down to me. It was probably thanks to him that I ended up having as much of an interest in history as I do food.”

“Was anyone in your family Force-sensitive?” Zarin asked.

The Ortolan shrugged, still looking down at his soup. “Not that I’m aware of.”

Kyla cleared her throat. “Okay, this conversation is great and all, but we should probably discuss where we’re gonna go from here.” She looked to Valrisa. “Are you and your friends open to working with my crew for the time being? Any profits we gain will be split evenly among us.”

Valrisa glanced at Typha, who seemed to think about the question before giving her a small nod. She didn’t bother looking to Zarin; he was pretty much his own free agent. “Sure,” she said to Kyla. “Though, since you asked me, I should probably ask you: What do you guys do for a living?”

“We’re smugglers, of course,” Ace said. “But we’re not all in it for ourselves. When Kyla and I started our little operation — when it was just the two of us — it was to help worlds that had been affected by the Imperial Sith War. We would deliver supplies and even help transport refugees. After the Glorian War though, our workload became too overwhelming and we had accumulated a lot of debt. While we still help out people in need here and there, we’ve mostly been focused on paying back our debts any way we can… without doing things too illegal, of course.”

“I know that feeling,” Valrisa said quietly. “In that case, I’m sure an alliance — however temporary — would be beneficial for both of our parties.”

Kyla smirked as she raised her glass. “I’ll toast to that.”

As the others joined their glasses with hers, Valrisa glanced in the direction of the two spacers sitting at the counter. Both were human but had their heads hung low, making it difficult to discern their features. As far as she could tell, there was nothing about them that was out of the ordinary, yet she could not help but feel her attention being drawn to them.

She looked away from them as Kyla asked her question, but it would be a while before she would push the image of the pair to the back of her mind.

*  *  *

“They were supposed to be here by now.”

“Patience,” Toah Jarsan said in a low voice, not so much as glancing to the young woman sitting next to him.

She looked briefly over her shoulder at the group of nine that had just entered, narrowly avoiding the gaze of another woman with long black hair. “Do you sense anything dangerous about them?”

“If I did, I would have let you know,” Toah replied. “You seem antsy, Rey.”

“It’s been nearly three hours, master—”

“Toah. Just call me Toah.” He glanced at the chronometer on the wall. “And I know. The thing about being a Jedi is you can’t let yourself be bothered by the passing of time, however fast or slow. Unless peoples lives are at stake, of course.”

Rey frowned at him. “You don’t think something happened to them, do you?”

“If I did, I would have let you know,” Toah repeated.

Rey huffed impatiently but said nothing further. Even though it had nearly been a year, Toah was still not comfortable in his newfound position as a Jedi teacher. In fact, he still was not fully comfortable being back in the Jedi Order all together, but Jacen Solo had insisted that he returned to help Rey — whom they had both met on Jakku while confronting Atha Prime — hone and master her connection with the Force. Once her training was complete, Toah was planning to return to his life as a wanderer… but at the rate her training was going, he didn’t think that would be happening any time soon.

Still, he could tell that she had potential. Her prowess in the Force was nearly as strong, if not equal, to that of Jacen and his siblings. Toah had even briefly speculated that Rey may have been a lost child of Han and Leia Solo, or perhaps even his former master Luke Skywalker, though Leia had confirmed to him that that was not the case.

Even so, there was something about her….

Detecting a sense of relief washing over Rey, Toah looked over to see two figures enter the cantina, wearing nondescript that marked them as their contacts. One of them, an unshaven man with dark hair, walked past Toah and slapped him on the back as he took a seat to the Jedi’s right. The other, a woman about Rey’s age, sat down next to the Jedi apprentice.

“Sorry about the wait,” said Poe Dameron, beckoning the middle-aged barkeep over. “Traffic is tight out there.”

“I don’t mind the wait, so long as you are safe,” Toah replied.

They waited until the bartender had given Poe and his companion their drinks before vanishing into his office, just as he had been paid to do. Keeping his head low, Toah muttered to Poe, “I’m all ears.”

“We’ve got confirmation that the Cabal is indeed operating here on Corellia,” Poe whispered back. “Not only that, but they’re also running things on other planets in the Core, including Hosnian Prime and Sedratis.”

“And Coruscant?”

“They seemed to have mostly relocated and spread out, though that’s not to say they don’t still have a presence.”

“So our sources were correct,” Toah said. “The Cabal have established a large presence in the Core Worlds. Any idea if they’re influencing the Senate?”

“That, we’re still not sure about,” said Jessika Pava, Poe’s teammate. “Nor do we know if they have anything to do with the Conspirators,” she added, using the name that Resistance agents used to refer to the members of Darth Taral’s failed conspiracy (though Toah was becoming increasingly unsure about the “failed” part).

“In any case, it’s good to know we’re on the right track,” Toah said. “Anything we know about Corellia specifically?”

“Only that they have a secret route connecting here to Ord Talavos, their main base of operations,” Poe replied.

“We should start looking into that then. Since we’re already in the heart of Corellia’s hive of scum and villainy, we hopefully shouldn’t have to look very far.”

“Should we start with them?” asked Rey, gesturing to the large group that had entered less than half an hour ago.

Toah refrained from sighing, allowing his gaze to discreetly glide over to their booth. “Let’s not bother them. We can always send someone else in to—”

His words caught in his throat when his eyes landed on a man sitting in the booth, wearing an outfit similar to that of a Jedi Knight only in black. A golden strip tattooed across his face marked him as a Kiffar, but the familiar Force aura surrounding him indicated him to be more than just that to Toah. He was someone that Toah knew. A fellow Jedi.

An ex-Jedi…?

“Zarin?” Toah found himself whispering.

“Pardon?” asked Poe.

Toah shook his head, looking away from Zarin before the Kiffar could catch his eye. “It’s nothing,” he lied. As much as he wanted to know what his fellow Jedi was doing with a group of what appeared to be smugglers and bounty hunters, he knew there were more important matters at hand. “We should probably get a move on.”

Poe and Jessika exchanged glances but said nothing as they got out of their seats, leaving their drinks behind as they headed for the exit. Toah had already paid for everything in advance, so the barkeep would not give them any trouble. He could sense that Rey was looking at him in concern and still glancing furtively at Zarin and the others. If she had any desire to investigate the group further, she did not voice them as she and Toah followed the other two out the door.

*  *  *

Aboard a freighter en route to Corellia, Wedge Antilles was still trying to process that he was being kidnapped by his family.

After his meeting with Shadow, the ex-Glorian agent had taken him to an apartment complex where they rendezvoused with Shadow’s fellow members of Resistance Intelligence. Among them was his daughter Myri, with her vibrant red hair and an equally red dress that he normally would have scolded her for wearing. Given the circumstances of their meeting however, he had decided that such fatherly duties would have to wait. In any case, her presence made him feel slightly safer about this whole operation, now that he knew for sure that this wasn’t some sort of trap set up by Girdun or his ilk.

From their rendezvous place, they had traveled to Mizobon spaceport where the rest of Myri’s friends — Wraith Squadron, thought he technically wasn’t supposed to know that — were waiting for them with their transportation. No words had been exchanged as Wedge, wearing a concealing cloak, was hurried onto the ship and no one dare speak or relax until their ship was well out of range of Coruscant’s orbital defenses and had successfully made the jump to lightspeed.

It was a sad state of affairs when one had to be worried about leaving the capital of the Galactic Alliance in one piece. It was a bit too reminiscent of the days of the Empire for Wedge’s taste.

As the ship traveled through hyperspace along the Corellian Run, Wedge was joined in the main hold by Myri and her fellow Wraiths Jesmin Tainer, Trey Courser, and Turman Durra. Piggy, the Wraiths’ newest commander, was in the cockpit with Shadow, Wallen Nix, and Xemer, talking about things that Wedge was not supposed to be privy to. At least, not yet.

After a long bout of awkward silence, Wedge decided to break the ice, leaning back in his seat as he assessed the four young Wraiths in front of him. “So,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Are you still calling yourselves Dinner Squadron?”

Trey and Turman gave him a look. “What?” they asked in almost perfect unison.

Jesmin, on the other hand, seemed to understand the reference. Clearly, her parents — who had both been members of Wraith Squadron when Wedge had first formed it thirty-five years ago — had told her a thing or two. “Lately we’ve been sticking with Wraith Squadron,” she said. “Though I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you that. Or anything about who we are or what we do.”

“I already know who you are,” Wedge said. “Maybe not personally, but I know exactly what Wraith Squadron is and what its members do. I created it, of course.”

“I’m aware,” Jesmin said. “But legally—”

“There’s no legality or lack thereof about it, Jesmin,” said Myri. “We don’t work for the government anymore. At this point, we’re all rebels.”

It made Wedge’s heart ache to hear this, though not necessarily out of love for the Galactic Alliance. Clearing his throat, he turned to Myri and asked, “Where is your sister?”

The way Myri’s face fell was already enough of an answer. Looking away to avoid his and the other Wraiths’ gazes, she said quietly, “I haven’t heard from her lately. As far as I know, she’s still working for the Defense Fleet.”

Wedge had figured as much, though it did not make his expression any less grim. Two years ago, just before all of this stuff had started, his eldest daughter Syal had enlisted in the Alliance Defense Force, legally changing her name to Lysa Dunter to escape the legacy of her father’s name. This move — the name change specifically — had been the culmination of Syal slowly drifting away from her family over the course of a few years. Their relationship had reached a breaking point when Syal had announced her engagement to her boyfriend of less than a year, Tiom Rordan, someone whom Wedge had been vocally disapproving of. After that, Syal had moved in with her fiance and contact between father and daughter became scarce; even when Wedge did hear from her, it was usually from either Myri or Iella. 

What bothered Wedge about this the most — outside of his love for his daughter — was that it reminded him too much about how his older sister, Syal’s namesake, had left the family and ceased contact with them. It wasn’t until after the Battle of Endor that he had learned that she was still alive and that she had married and started a family with the Imperial ace pilot Baron Soontir Fel. Even now, after all these years, he still heard little from his sister and her family. The last time he had seen them was on Kashyyyk following the defeat of the Glorian Empire, where he learned that they had withdrawn their children from service in the Imperial Remnant to live with them in isolation in Chiss territory.

Wedge could only hope that his daughter did not follow in her aunt’s footsteps and become as distant from the family as the original Syal Antilles did. Then again, he had also once hoped to never be dragged into any sort of rebellion against the Empire. Evidently, his hopes and dreams rarely turned out the way he wanted them to.

To his relief, Piggy saBinring emerged from the cockpit of the ship to shift focus away from the difficult subject. He glanced once in Myri’s direction, concern entering his green eyes, before looking to Wedge. His unspoken question was met with an equally wordless gaze from the veteran pilot. The Gamorrean blew air through his nostrils in a quiet sigh before speaking.

“We’ll be coming out of hyperspace soon. Once we land, you’ll be whisked away to our base of operations on Corellia. I say ‘base of operations’; it’s actually just a farm that we purchased for less than five hundred credits.”

“I’ve been in worse,” Wedge said. “I take it I’ll see my wife there?”

“You know I can’t officially confirm that,” Piggy replied. “But yes.”

“And will I actually be told just what it is we’re doing on Corellia and why I’m needed?”

“Now that is not for me to say. I can’t guarantee that Fulcrum won’t not tell you… but I also can’t guarantee that she won’t not not tell you.”

“Any more negatives you’d like to add to that sentence, or are you done giving me a headache?”

Piggy’s mouth curved in the Gamorrean equivalent of a smile. “I was a math teacher for ten years, sir. Giving people headaches is second nature.”

Wedge looked from him to the other Wraiths. Myri had turned back around and was smiling slightly, though the redness of her eyes betrayed how she was truly feeling.

“So, who’s calling the shots around here?” Wedge asked, raising an eyebrow at Piggy. “You?”

“If you’re talking about Wraith Squadron specifically, then yes; Sharr Latt and I are sharing command duties. He and the rest of the Wraiths are busy elsewhere, though I don’t have permission to tell you where.”

“I figured as much,” Wedge said. “What does that make me then?”

Piggy gave him an inquisitive look. “What about you?”

“I feel that I should at least get some sort of honorary title, in exchange for essentially getting kidnapped by my daughter and my former wingmate.”

“You can be our mascot,” Turman said without missing a beat.

Wedge gave him a wry look. “I thought an Ewok was your mascot.”

“We do have an Ewok costume,” said Myri. “It should fit you just fine.”

“It’ll make him look like a Wookie, though,” Trey pointed out.

“He’s not that tall,” supplied Jesmin. “I don’t think anyone would notice.”

Wedge gave Piggy a long-suffering look. “What have you been teaching these kids, Piggy?”

“Yub yub, general,” was all the Gamorrean said.

Star Wars Destiny Chronicles: Jedi Archives - Members of the Jedi Council

 MEMBERS OF THE JEDI COUNCIL

    The august body of the Jedi High Council has governed the workings of the Jedi Order since its inception, though it has gone through numerous changes and reformations. What follows is a list of its most notable members that will be updated intermittently.

OLD SITH WARS

Varn Xala (from 3995 BBY to 3952 BBY)

A veteran of the Great Sith War, Varn Xala was a founding member of the restored Jedi Council under Grand Master Nomi Sunrider. A long-lived Teevan, Master Xala would sit on the Council for the next forty years, watching as the galaxy became embroiled in the Mandalorian Wars and later the Second Sith War. In 3952 BBY, he was among the Jedi summoned to a conclave on Katarr and subsequently killed by the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus. 

Hazar Bailum (from 3970 BBY to 3958 BBY)

A human male from Telerath, Hazar Bailum was apprenticed to Varn Xala during the Great Sith War and rose to the rank of Jedi Knight a year after the war’s end. In 3970 BBY, he was appointed to the Jedi Council on Coruscant and sat alongside his former master Xala. During this time, he trained the young Jedi Kalon Soral who would go on to join Revan’s Jedi Crusaders during the Mandalorian Wars, much to Bailum’s chagrin. Years later, Kalon and his fellow Revanchists returned from the Outer Rim as Sith Lords and attacked the Republic, with Bailum falling to his fellow student’s blade on Mon Gazza during the Second Sith War.

GALACTIC WARS

Nikil Nobil (from 3743 BBY to 3643 BBY)

Born on the planet Thisspias 175 years before the Treaty of Coruscant, the snake-like Nikil Nobil ascended to the Jedi Council in 3743 BBY. In the succeeding decades, Master Nobil watched as many of his former students came to join him on the Council. In 3691 BBY, the position of Grand Master was made vacant and the Council initially nominated Nobil for the position, considering his wisdom and sagacity. However, Nobil declined the title, seeing him to old and unfit to carry the burden, and the role instead went to his former Padawan Zym.

Ten years later, the Sith Empire emerged from hiding and attacked the Republic. By the end of the resulting Great Galactic War, Nobil was one of the six surviving members of the Jedi Council, with the others — including Grand Master Zym — having been killed at the end of the war. Once again, he was offered the vacant position of Grand Master though he once again turned it down. However, he effectively served as the Council’s leader for the next few years until Satele Shan was named Grand Master sometime around 3651 BBY. Nobil was still a member of the Council in the final years of the Cold War as he and his fellow Councilors assessed whether the Grand Master’s apprentice Shigar Konshi was ready for the Jedi Trials. Less than a year later, Master Nobil passed away due to natural causes, becoming one with the Force. 

Ram-Parr (from 3706 BBY to 3678 BBY)

A wise Cathar Jedi Master, Ram-Parr once had a reputation among the Jedi Order for having unorthodox views regarding the Force, something which bled over to his students such as Tasiele Shan. Upon being appointed to the Jedi Council however, Ram-Parr shifted to a more conservative viewpoint and ended up backing the decision to exile Tasiele Shan at the behest of the Galactic Senate.

Ram-Parr would go on to participate in the early stages of the Great Galactic War, meeting his end during the Battle of Agamar in 3678 BBY.

Zym (from 3700 BBY to 3653 BBY)

Zym was trained by Nikil Nobil and joined his master on the Jedi Council around twenty years before the Great Galactic War. In 3691 BBY, he was named Grand Master of the Jedi Order after Master Nobil had turned down the position. A pacifistic Kel Dor, Zym was ill-prepared for the violence that the Sith Empire would bring upon the galaxy and entrusted much of the war effort with more militant Masters such as Belth Allusis and Jun Seros while he served as an adviser to the Supreme Chancellor.

In 3653 BBY, the Great War came to an end with the Sacking of Coruscant, which saw to the destruction of the Jedi Temple and the Republic being forced into a peace treaty. Shortly afterwards, Master Zym was assassinated by the bounty hunter Braden, further weakening the Order after the losses it had suffered from the war.

Wens Aleusis (from 3678 BBY to ???? BBY)

Satele Shan (from 3651 BBY to 3637 BBY)

DESOLATION WAR

Tolada Boorr (from 3542 BBY to 3439 BBY)

A female Ithorian, Tolada Boorr was one of the oldest sitting members of the Jedi Council by the time of the Desolation War, having served as Chief Librarian for a century. Master Boorr was infamous among Jedi learners for her droning voice and tendency to go into great detail about historic events, earning her the nickname “Master Bore” among younglings and Padawans. Regardless of how Jedi youths perceived her, Boorr was a respected and valued member of the Jedi Order, with many on the Council looking to her for wisdom.

When Jedi Master Dion Sazon came to Master Boorr in search of forbidden knowledge, Boorr refused to indulge him, knowing full well the dangers contained within those teachings and unwilling to allow history to repeat itself. She informed the Council of Sazon’s endeavors and the Pau’an was eventually banished from the Jedi Order. Ten years later, he resurfaced as the Sith Lord Darth Desolous and waged war against the Republic.

In 3439 BBY, Master Boorr and the rest of the Jedi Council set up a trap for Darth Desolous at Yaga Minor. Due to her advanced age, Boorr did not believe she would be a capable enough fighter against the Dark Lord of the Sith but nonetheless joined her fellow Jedi in the fight against Desolous. During the ensuing battle, Boorr was one of the first to fall as Desolous unleashed his personal rage against her in a volley of Force lightning. 

Axon Roden (from ??? BBY to 3439 BBY)

A taciturn Vurk, Axon Roden was Grand Master of the Jedi when Battlemaster Dion Sazon left the Order and became the Sith Lord Darth Desolous. After a bloody conflict with the Pau'an's Army of Desolation, Roden and the Jedi Council set up a trap for Desolous on Yaga Minor, where all twelve Masters faced off with the Sith Lord in combat. While Roden and several others were killed, the remaining Masters were able to subdue Desolous and end his reign once and for all.

Berkuss (from 3462 BBY to 3439 BBY)

Born on the planet Gand, Berkuss was taken into the Jedi Order at an early age and trained in the ways of the Force by Jedi Master Axon Roden. Upon attaining the rank of Jedi Knight, Berkuss went on to take on an apprentice of his own in the young Iktotchi Niira Baelar. Sometime after Baelar completed her training, Berkuss was granted a seat on the Jedi High Council in 3462 BBY.

Twenty years later, the exiled Jedi Master Dion Sazon reemerged as the Sith Lord Darth Desolous and unleashed his army on the Galactic Republic. After a destructive war, the Jedi Council was able to spring a trap on Darth Desolous on Yaga Minor, in which Berkuss and his fellow masters did battle with the Dark Lord. While Berkuss was among the many who fell to Desolous' blade, the Sith Lord was eventually brought down by his former apprentice Niira Baelar, bringing an end to the Desolation War.

Hahkann (from 3455 BBY to ??? BBY)

    A member of the Jedi Council as well as a former student of Master Sazon, Hahkann was promoted the rank of Battlemaster following Sazon's expulsion. The powerful Dowutin fought against his former master during the Battle of Yaga Minor and was one of only a handful of surviving Masters after the Sith Lord had been vanquished.

Niira Baelar (from c.3442 BBY to 3419 BBY)

A peaceful Iktotchi seer, Niira Baelar was a member of the Jedi Council during the Desolation War and was forced to strike down Darth Desolous after he had killed Master Roden and many of her compatriots. Despite her misgivings, Baelar was promoted to Grand Master and served in this role for the next twenty years. During this time, she included a simulation of Darth Desolous in the Jedi Trials to warn prospective Knights of the dangers of the dark side.

Kotu Vissola (from 3442 BBY to ??? BBY)

A Pantoran female, Kotu Vissola was the youngest member of the Jedi Council by the time of the Desolation War at the age of 42. She was elevated to the Council at the start of the war due to her role as one of the Jedi Order’s liaisons to the office of the Supreme Chancellor. As Darth Desolous had been a former Jedi, Chancellor Ayra Foon wanted to work closely with the Council, knowing they understood Desolous better than anyone in the Republic. Under Vissola’s guidance, the Republic military was able to effectively counteract Desolous’s forces and eventually bring an end to his crusades at the Battle of Yaga Minor.  

GREAT PEACE OF THE REPUBLIC

Yoda

Plo Koon (from 44 BBY to 19 BBY)

Ki-Adi-Mundi (from 33 BBY to 19 BBY)

Star Wars Destiny Chronicles: Jedi Archives / Darksiders -- Holocrons of Jedi and Sith

This is something that will be updated periodically, since there are... quite a few holocrons.

HOLOCRONS

    Holocrons are devices created by Jedi to contain endless quantities of data and information. By nature, they can only be opened by individuals sensitive to the Force and are protected by a holographic gatekeeper representing the creator of the holocron itself. Below are some of the most notable of the holocrons found in the Jedi Archives.

JEDI HOLOCRONS

The Tedryn Holocron

    This holocron was created well over four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin by Jedi Master Tedryn. The holocron was passed down for several generations, with Masters Odan-Urr and Ood Bnar adding their own records, before ending up in the possession of Master Vodo-Siosk Baas by the time of the Great Sith War. The holocron contained records pertaining not only to the Jedi but to their dark side counterparts, the Sith, as well.

    After the Sith War, the Jedi Council kept the holocron hidden at an undisclosed location to keep it away from the wrong hands. As a result, it was preserved from the horrors that would wrack the galaxy, in particular the fall of the Jedi Temple in 4324 C.R.C. At some point after the New Sith Wars, the Tedryn Holocron was recovered and passed on to Jedi Master Bodo Baas, a distant descendant of Vodo-Siosk.

    In 7958, Bodo Baas was captured by the Empire during the Great Jedi Purge. When he refused to give up the holocron's location, Darth Sidious executed the Krevaaki before finding the holocron in the possession of Jedi Master Ashka Boda. Master Boda was eventually captured and killed as well and the holocron was retrieved from his belongings. Sidious then delved into the holocron to learn the secret of transferring one's consciousness from one body to another, a technique that had been lost to the Sith over five hundred years prior.

    The Tedryn Holocron was kept on the Emperor's secret throne world of Byss when he met his demise in 7982. The ancient Sith Lord Darth Vorath, having waited several decades to make his move, wasted no time in traveling to Byss to recover the holocron from the late Emperor's collection. While there, he came across a cadre of clone bodies which Sidious had planned to transfer his consciousness into. Vorath awakened one of these clones to serve his purposes; however, the clone resisted the Dark Lord's attempts at warping his mind and fled from the chamber. Drawn to the Tedryn Holocron, the rogue clone recovered it from Sidious' library before departing Byss. A year later, the clone -- now calling himself Ethril -- traveled to Tython where he encountered Luke Skywalker. After a quick confrontation with the Jedi Knight, Ethril was struck down and the holocron was eventually recovered from his vessel. 

    When the New Jedi Order was established, the holocron was entrusted with Master Xanus Baran, who brought it with him to Zegris during his search for Morin Tharr. When Baran was recalled to the Jedi Praxeum, he passed it on to his replacement for the mission, Master Aqinos. Around this time, Vorath sent his Shadow Hands Nemesis and Ravage to take back the holocron and determined it to be on Zegris. When confronted by the Sith, Aqinos surrendered the holocron to the pair, who brought it back to Vorath. 

    However, the Dark Lord quickly discovered that the holocron's contents could only be accessed by a Jedi. Thus, he sent his acolyte Starkiller to retrieve Skywalker's apprentice Toah Jarsan and bring him to Sed'tral. After being captured, Jarsan reluctantly activated the holocron and accessed the Prophecy of the Apocalypse, which Vorath believed pertained to him and his goals. After hearing the prophecy, Vorath allowed Jarsan to leave before locking the holocron away in his archive on Sed'tral.

SITH HOLOCRONS

Holocron of King Adas

Created under the guidance of the Rakata, King Adas's holocron was passed on from Sith to Sith for several generations after his demise. By the time of the Great Hyperspace War, the holocron had ended up in the possession of Lord Garu when he perished on Ashas Ree. Six centuries later, the holocron was recovered by the fallen Jedi Freedon Nadd, providing him with the knowledge he sought of the ancient Sith. After conquering Onderon and declaring himself Dark Lord of the Sith, Nadd held onto the holocron until his death, after which it was recovered by his descendant Queen Amanoa, which she used to train her Sith initiates. After the Naddist Uprising, the holocron was recovered by the Jedi and hidden away on the planet Kodai, where it would remain for the next several millennia.

Sometime before 167 BBY, Darth Tenebrous and his master attempted to locate Adas's holocron, which they knew to be located in the Belderone sector. Whether their attempts were successful or not has yet to be documented, though the holocron was still on Kodai when it was uncovered by Professor Murk Lundi and his disciples. Upon hearing of the holocron's discovery, Darth Sidious sent a Sun Guard operative to retrieve it. However, the Guard ultimately failed and the holocron was once more taken into Jedi custody. For reasons unknown, the Jedi Council entrusted the holocron with House Pelagia of the Tapani sector, who held onto it until was stolen by the Mecrosa Order during the Great Jedi Purge.

Forty years later, following the end of the Imperial Sith War, the aspiring Sith Lady Lumiya traveled to Nyssa and acquired the holocron of Adas from the Mecrosa Order. A decade later, the Glorian agent Shadow traveled to Nyssa to retrieve the holocron himself only to discover that it had already been given to Lumiya. What became of the holocron after Lumiya's reign as Dark Lady of the Sith was ended is unknown.

Holocron of Heresies

The holocron of Darth Andeddu, the Holocron of Heresies was believed to have been first discovered by Freedon Nadd some time before his reign as Dark Lord of the Sith. In 980 BBY, it was recovered from Andeddu’s Keep on Prakith by Darth Bane before being stolen by the fallen Jedi Set Harth. By the time of the Clone Wars, it had found its way to Korriban where it was recovered by Darth Tyranus' acolytes. It later founds its way into the possession of Darth Vorath, who would later use it to gain access to Andeddu's Keep.

AUTHOR FOOTNOTES

    -The Tedryn Holocron first appeared in the Dark Empire comic series and received further backstory in Tales of the Jedi and supplementary material. When I wrote its appearance in Destiny, where it was already in Jedi hands by 10 ABY, I had forgotten that it was supposed to still be on Byss in Palpatine's collection. I decided to reconcile this by using the minor character Ethril, a rogue clone of Palpatine, as the catalyst for this deviation.