Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VII, Chapter One

   Lazy boy back here with another legit food yeah that meme's old now

CHAPTER ONE

--Outpost Two--

    "I really hate organics."

    Black hands held on tightly to the railing as baleful red optics glared out the window, watching the fleet of alien ships go at each other outside.

    "They never fail to ruin things. Whenever you think you're safe from them, they just barge in on everything you've been working on and just... just...."

    He couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted to say. Not because he was against using profanity, but because he had wiped out all vulgarities from his script in order to maintain an unemotional personality for better work ethic. So far, however, that hadn't done much. Perhaps he should have considered deleting all of his personality subroutines.

    Alas, there would be a time for that later. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend. As he turned away from the window, he saw a small black and teal mech running up to him from down the corridor, an urgent expression on his faceplate.

    "Magnificus! Troobian Empire forces have jumped out of hyperspace and are battling the--"

    "The Sirius Police Defense, yes, I know," Magnificus replied coldly. "I'm not blind, Wipe-Out."

    "Okay, but there's more. The Troobian leader wishes to speak with you."

    Magnificus' optics dilated slightly. He hoped he hadn't heard that right. "What did you say?"

    "The Troobian leader wishes to speak with you," Wipe-Out repeated. "He didn't say why or--"

    "That's impossible," Magnificus murmured, more to himself than the smaller Decepticon. "This base is protected by a cloaking shield. Not only should they not even know we're here, but they shouldn't even be able to contact us. All frequencies are supposed to be encrypted."

    "Oh. Right, that." Wipe-Out rubbed the back of his head. "Well, either way, Bug Bite's got him on the line, so if you want...."

    Without a word, Magnificus strode past Wipe-Out and went down the hall, counting up to somewhere in the triple digits to control his emotional subroutines.

*  *  *

   "No. Not in a million years."

    The skull-like visage of the Troobian Empire contorted into a rictus of rage. The red glass orbs that were his eyes flared with anger.

    "You are making a grave mistake," he growled. "Emperor Trux does not offer deals often."

    "Frankly, I can understand why," Magnificus replied, glaring at the viewscreen on which Trux's face was displayed. "You make a very vapid offer, Trux. Either that, or you take us for idiots."

    "You must be, to refuse an offer such as mine!" the Emperor roared. "Without our aid, you will be destroyed by the Sirians when they discover you."

    "See, Trux, that's the problem: they should not be able to discover us. Nor should have you. How were you even able to contact us when we have an encrypted signal?"

    "My men are very skilled at bypassing encrypted radio waves--"

    "But to even know we had an encrypted frequency, you had to know of our location, and with our cloaking shield up, you shouldn't have been able to have seen us. Which means...."

    Magnificus trailed off as an unsettling realization gripped him. Without another word, he cut off the connection with the Troobian Emperor and whirled on Bug Bite, who was sitting at the main computer.

    "Bring me Doubledealer. Now."

*  *  *

    "All I'm saying is, maybe you should wait for things to actually turn for the worst rather than start panicking prematurely."

    "I do admire your optimism, Oil Slick," Vivisector said as he secured a capsule within his ship's cargo hold. "That's a quality few Decepticons scientists -- heck, scientists in general -- have."

   He then turned to walk down the lowered ramp to retrieve the last remaining capsule. "But I'm a realist. Expect the worst and never hope, is my motto. And I don't know about you, but I'm expecting this station to be blown to pieces very shortly."

    "Say's who?" Oil Slick asked, rotating his monocle. "I hear it's the Troobian Empire that we're dealing with, and I know for a fact that they're more tolerant of Cybertronians than most organics."

    "I don't care if their emperor is drinking pals with Straxus, organics always equal bad news," Vivisector grunted as he picked up the last capsule. "You can stay all you want, but I'm not about to let nearly seven months worth of work go to waste."

    Oil Slick was about to say something but was cut off by a gray and blue tank barging into the hangar bay, transforming into a barrel-chested robot. Upon seeing the two scientists, the mech stopped walking and frowned.

    "Oh. I... didn't realize there was someone already in here."

    Halfway up the ramp, Vivisector looked over his shoulder at the mech. "Can we help you with anything, Doubledealer?"

    "Oh no, I was just...." Doubledealer hesitated for a moment, before saying, "Actually, yes, you can. Are you two leaving?"

    "Vivisector is, but I'm staying," Oil Slick replied, eyeing the Triple Changer carefully. "Why do you ask?"

    "Magnificus has sent me on a recon mission to Tyros Seven. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, could you perhaps drop me off there?"

    Oil Slick looked over to Vivisector, who simply kept his eyes on Doubledealer. "Tyros Seven?" the black-plated Decepticon asked.

    "Yes, on the edge of the Malus Expanse--"

    "I know where it is," Vivisector said tersely. "I was there, during the war."

    Doubledealer shifted slightly at this. "Were you?"

    "Yes. Cycle 9600. I was stationed there during the Dekkron Massacre and was one of the few left stranded on what remained of Tyros Seven after Dekkron destroyed the rest of it." Vivisector tilted his head at Doubledealer, his optics narrowing. "Do you care to explain to me what significance Magnificus sees in a continent-sized chunk of a planet?"

    Before Doubledealer could answer, all three mechs heard a voice call from outside the hangar. "Doubledealer? Where the blazes are you? You've got a lot to answer for!"

    For a moment, no one said anything, the three Decepticons all looking from one to another. Fixating his optics on Doubledealer, Oil Slick opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a blast to the chest. A second one brought Vivisector and the capsule he had been carrying in his arms tumbling down the ramp.

    As Doubledealer made his way onto the ship, a squad of Decepticons came rushing into the hangar. Upon seeing the fallen scientists, the lead mech raised his gun at Doubledealer.

    "Freeze!" he ordered.

    The double agent grinned as he held up a primed grenade. "Burn."

    He then threw the grenade. Moments later, a Decepticon stealth ship was flying out of a smoking hangar bay and heading into the blackness of space.

ALL THAT GLITTERS

Part II: Who Needs Enemies?

Star Wars Eye of Kaas: Miserable Woe, Part VI

MISERABLE WOE, PART VI

    "It doesn't count."

    "It does so count!" Typha protested. "You're just jealous."

    Valrisa rolled her eyes as she put their ship on autopilot, having already made the jump to lightspeed. As she got of her pilot seat, she said, "Why would I be jealous?"

    "I don't know!" Typha called after her. "That's just the way you are!"

    Valrisa simply shook her head as she headed for the refresher. Removing her helmet, she went for the sink and splashed water in her face. It was probably about time to look into a new set of armor; perhaps one with a better cooling system. Being on a planet like Tatooine in full armor had been pure torture for her.

    Once she was properly refreshed, she started to remove her armor plates, at the same time, reaching into the pocket of her jumpsuit and digging out the totem that had been her miserable woe.

    The Eye of Kaas. Or, as she liked to call it, the "triangle think with an eye in the center." Was this worthless thing really worth all the trouble it had put her through?

    Oh well. It surely had to be worth something on the aftermarket.

    After putting her armor away, she entered the main hold, where she found Typha already lounging on the sofa. Upon seeing Valrisa, the blue-skinned girl glowered at her.

    "It does count," she said.

    "He wasn't even a real worrt," Valrisa said, sitting down next to Typha on the couch. "He was a skin-changer. He just made himself look like a worrt."

    "So? Who says it had to be real to be shot?"

    "If that were the case, then you could have easily made a few cardboard cutouts and shot at those."

    "That's not... that's not even remotely comparable! At least he was still a living thing! It counts!"

    Valrisa smiled as she leaned closer to the Pantoran, gazing into her gold eyes. "You're cute when you're mad."

    "You've said that before," Typha grumbled.

    "And it still holds true now." She raised a hand to cup her partner's face, stroking her cheek with her thumb. "Then again, you're always cute, no matter what."

    "Stop flattering me," Typha said, the smirk on her lips betraying her true feelings. "You just don't want to admit that I'm right."

    "Keep telling yourself that, beautiful," Valrisa said before joining her lips with the Pantoran's.

*  *  *

    "This... is incredibly... heavy."

    "Cry me a river, ya thieving rodent!" called the namesake owner of Petro's Parts. "I sell parts, not labor. Ya should have thought to bring some help beforehand."

    Trek simply rolled his eyes as he, with great effort, pulled the wagon full of parts after him towards his sandcrawler. He was starting to seriously consider lightening the load by throwing some of the parts back at Petro... but that would surely get him banned from Anchorhead, if not the rest of Tatooine as well.

    As he got to the sandcrawler and prepared to lower the front ramp, he caught sight of a pair of short, pudgy, stout-nosed Blarinas wandering over to him. By the way they acted, they seemed to be a lost couple; indeed, one of them was holding a map to his face. Upon noticing Trek, the map-carrying Blarina walked over to him.

    "Ah, excuse me, good sir. My wife and I appear to be lost. Could you perhaps point us in the direction of a place called Junix's Joint?"

    "Junix's Joint? Yeah, it's just down...." The Jawa started to point in the direction of the cantina, only to see a rather surprising sight. What had once been Junix's Joint was now a burning crisp, with Gungan "firefighters" attending to the fires by simply spitting at it.

    Upon seeing this, the Blarina moaned in sadness. "Oh, what terrible, terrible luck! What are we going to do now, Teka?"

    "Don't worry, Lahn," the other Blarina said, patting her husband on the arm. "We'll find something."

    Trek looked curiously at the couple. "Were you looking to apply for a job?"

    The one called Lahn shook his head. "No, we were looking to purchase a valuable antique item that would've surely paid off our debts. Now we are doomed as we ever were before!"

    Trek scratched his chin as he looked from the couple to the wagon full of parts he was carrying. Then, to Lahn, he said, "Would you be willing to accept a job offer from me?"

    Lahn blinked his slit eyes. "A... job offer?"

    "Yeah, to join my crew. I can pay you each ten credits an hour and perhaps increase that wage depending on our profits."

    Lahn exchanged a glance with Teka before looking back at the Jawa. "You... you would do that for us?"

    "Of course," Trek said, smiling underneath his hood. "Stars know I could use the hand."

*  *  *

    "He's not going to be happy."

    "I know," Lokai muttered as he and Haarkon stepped onto their ship, both of their faces still covered in soot and ash.

    A nasty sneer crossed the brutish man's face. "This could very well mean the end of us both."

    "I know," Lokai bit back. "You don't need to keep reminding me, Haarkon. I get it. We've failed. Lord Krayt is going to punish us. What more do you want me to say?"

    "Perhaps some admittance that this failure is your responsibility," Haarkon said darkly. "Had you succeeded in apprehending that bounty hunter, we would have--"

    Lokai cut him off with a sharp raise of the hand. Haarkon glared at him until he saw what had caught the Nagai's attention. Sitting there in the cockpit of their ship was a male Givin, bony hands folded in his lap as he stated at them with his deep, sunken black eyes.

    "Hello," Nasoth said politely. "Fancy seeing you back so soon. Did you get the totem?"

    "What are you doing on our ship?" Lokai demanded.

    "Hm? Oh. My apologies. I did not think permission was required to come aboard your ship, considering everything I've done for you."

    "You informed us of the whereabouts of the Eye of Kaas and led us here to Tatooine," Lokai said. "That is the extent of our affiliation. Do not presume there is more to it than that."

    "Oh, I am not presuming," Nasoth said. "I am merely altering the terms of our agreement."

    Haarkon sneered. "What more do you want? We gave you the means to liberate yourself from your master."

    "Galus was never my master," the Givin said sharply. "Besides, the 'means' you gave me were something even I could have made myself. Lipstick laced with poison? I expected far more from Sith. I was very much looking forward to seeing some lightsaber action."

    Lokai glowered as he reached for his saberstaff. "That can easily be--"

    "Oh, come off it." Nasoth flicked his wrist and the saberstaff went flying into his hand. He repeated the gesture and Haarkon lost his weapon as well. Both Sith stared at the Givin in surprise.

    "Are you...?" Lokai started to say.

    "Sith? No. At least, not in the same way you are." Nasoth leaned back in his seat, idly tapping the saberstaff against the chair. "I have dabbled in the teachings of the Sith, but my interest is no more than a passing one. Same with the Jedi. I prefer to not devote myself to either one path. For in the end, we are all united in the Force, dark or light."

    Lokai frowned. "Then what do you want from us?"

    "As I've said, I expected more from our partnership. I didn't just want to be freed from Galus' service; I want to find that which has eluded me for so many years. To finally find that which my father failed to."

    The two Sith frowned as they exchanged looks. "What are you getting at?" Lokai asked.

    "Here's the deal: I'll help you turn this loss of yours around and get you back into the good graces of your Dark Lord... if you help me find the Ancient Order of the Whills."

    "The Whills?" Lokai looked incredulous. "Are they not just merely a myth?"

    "Oh no." The Givin raised his left hand and splayed his palm, revealing the faded mark of an abstract insignia. "They are very much real. And I intend to find them." He then smiled, a disturbing sight to behold. "So what are waiting for? I would very much like to finally meet this Darth Krayt of yours...."

END OF

MISERABLE WOE

Star Wars Eye of Kaas: Miserable Woe, Part V

MISERABLE WOE, PART V

--Tatooine--

    Salvan Tai could hear fighting.

    The sounds were coming from a cantina up ahead. At first he assumed it was simply the average bar brawl taking place, until he heard the distinctive sound of a lightsaber. That, he knew, was not a factor in the average bar brawl. Jedi never got into those sort of things.

    Did they?

    For the longest time he simply stood there in the middle of the street, staring at the building up ahead. In his mind, the one thing -- the only thing he could focus on were the last words Trek had said to him.

    That pretty much tells me everything I need to know.

    Those words had, he would readily admit, wounded his pride. Because it was true: he did desire the thrill of being chased, of always being in danger. At first he had chalked it up to bad luck, but then he realized he could have easily -- very easily -- found a guise that would have allowed him to avoid all that trouble with Kadar, Dax Goldam, and the others.

    But he didn't. He kept on accepting jobs as a bounty hunter, which was guaranteed to make him cross paths with those individuals. Was he just stupid?

    ...Yes. Yes, that was it, wasn't it?

    He was stupid.

    Two hundred years of life had brought him to this conclusion, to this very point. He had been many things in the past: a general, a bounty hunter, a baron, a coward, a target, and, most importantly, an idiot. And right now, he was about to do a very "idiot" thing.

    Could it be considered suicide, what he was about to do? Perhaps. He knew he was going to die at least. But he also knew he was about to have fun. And that was what mattered, right?

    With a snort, the reek that had once been the Sakiyan Salvan Tai -- the beast that once been the Glorian general Merlok -- charged towards the cantina.

*  *  *

    Valrisa ducked as her Nagai opponent swung the hilt of his long-handle lightsaber, which had ceased operating thanks to her cortosis gauntlets. As the staff swung back over, she grabbed it and pulled it out of the Nagai's hands.

    Sneering, the white-skinned man lunged forward and tackled her to the floor. He stared to reach for the saberstaff, only for a metal hand to grab his wrist.

    "I have been ordered by my master to kill you," Omni said calmly. "Please do not resist while I proceed to--"

    With a snarl, the Nagai released a blast of Force energy, which sent the droid careening into a booth, knocking over a table. The Force-user then whirled back to face Valrisa... and found her standing readily with his saberstaff, red blade hissing.

    The Nagai frowned. "How--"

    "Cortosis effects don't last that long," Valrisa said. "Just long enough for me to get the upper hand."

    "No, I mean, how exactly do you intend on using that? You don't strike me as a Force user."

    "Then I guess you don't know me as well as you think you do."

    Gritting his teeth, the Nagai raised his hand, lightning crackling at the finger tips. Valrisa lifted her stolen weapon, prepared for any attack.

    What she wasn't prepared for, though, was a reek crashing into the cantina.

    She heard Typha cry out, although not exactly in fear, and she saw the Pantoran crawl back towards Vasim's booth. The Sluissi himself was absolutely petrified in fear, as was the Kedorzhan bartender huddling behind the counter.

    The Nagai and his companion, on the other hand, looked more bemused than anything.

    "I'm beginning to wonder if this is worth the effort," the former murmured.

    The other scowled at him. "Do you want to be the one to upset Lord Krayt?"

    "Not particularly. But you have to admit, this is making things incredibly tedious."

    "It matters not." The burly human doffed his cloak, exposing his large, tattooed arms. "This thing shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

    Then the reek did something completely unexpected: it laughed.

    Then it spoke.

    "Methinks the human doth underestimate too much."

    As the brute stepped back in shock, the reek began to change shape, assuming the form of a Mandallian Giant. The muscular reptilian then grinned down at its prey.

    "What's the matter? Have you never met a Shi'ido before?"

    The brutish human simply snared as he charged at the giant. Propelling himself with the Forrce, he leaped up and thew his fist into the Mandallian's face. The reptilian roared as it staggered back, giving the Nagai time to gather up a storm of lightning in his hands, unleashing it on the skin-changer.

    As the lightning coursed through the Shi'ido's body, Valrisa glanced over to see Typha standing there with her brand-new Sonn-Blas scope rifle, carefully aiming it at the giant's head.

    "Typha!" Valrisa rushed over to the Pantoran girl, which neither Sith paid heed to. "What do you think you're--"

    "Shut up, Val," Typha hissed. "You already messed up my shot once. I'm not letting you stop me from beating my record again."

    "He's not even a worrt. How can you call it beating your--"

    Without warning, the Shi'ido began to change shape, despite the pain he was still in. He started to shrink down, his body assuming the forms of various species as he did. One arm became a Rodian's while the other a Trandoshan's. His left leg became the tentacle of a Parwan while his right a Thisspiasian tail. Eventually, he managed to get a steady control over his shaping and it wasn't long before his body become that of....

    A worrt.

    Valrisa saw the smile on Typha's face before she even had time to register what had happened. By then, it was already over and done with.

    The plasma bolt zipped over the two Sith's shoulder and struck the worrt dead center in the face. It did not so much as utter a croak as it crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

    All eyes stared at the dead creature, unsure if what had just happened actually happened. Both Vasim and Taod Dront looked to be on the verge of passing out while Omni was on the defensive, alert and battle-ready.

    After a long bout of silence, the Nagai said, "Well, now that that unnecessary inconvenience is over...." He turned back to Valrisa, a dangerous smile on his face. "Where were we, again?"

    In the corner of her eyes, Valrisa saw Typha orientate her rifle again. Just as she was about to do or say something to stop her, Omni suddenly spoke.

    "Self-destruct sequence initialized."

    Vasim and Taod exclaimed in alarm. Both Sith took defensive stances. Valrisa simply grabbed Typha's arm and dragged her out of the cantina's demolished opening.

    The two had only made it ten feet or so when the whole place went up in flames.

*  *  *

    The spider-like BT-16 perimeter droid skittered through the once and former palace of Jabba Desilijic Tiure. It was rather remarkable that the castle had stood for so longer after the Hutt's death, appearing virtually identical to its appearance thirty-eight years ago. Granted, there had been some remodeling done to the palace after a krayt dragon had torn through it, but whoever had been behind that made no attempt whatsoever to do things differently.

    The BT-16 wished it could still see the palace. It still knew its way around it, of course -- it had lived here for well over seventy years -- but it still would not mind seeing its home one last time.

    Walking alongside the mechanical spider was Eve -- or EV-A4-V, rather. The MerenData-made laboratory assistant droid had been by its side for as long as it could remember. Sad as it was to admit, she was the closest it ever had to a wife, at least in terms of companionship and loyalty.

    The droid pair walked on in silence through the corridors of the palace until they reached the throne room. What they saw was exactly what they had feared to see.

    Nothing.

    Not a single living being remained in the chamber. Neither Galus Freetaa nor his harem were to be seen. Even some of the cushions that had been on his throne were missing.

    "It would appear we were too late to prevent things," Eve said, her voice not betraying any emotion, be it disappointment or otherwise. "This will take some time to fix."

   The BT-16 agreed in its usual manner of beeps and chirps. Galus Freetaa had been, while not particularly bright, the best "face" of the cabal they had found. Lazy and foolish as he was, he was certainly better than the power-hungry Larggven or the cowardly Chaskar.

    What made things even more difficult was that they didn't have anyone else in line to replace Freetaa. With Larggven and Chaskar, their respective successors had already been chosen when it was decided they were no longer fit to run the Desilijic Cabal.

    But for Galus, there had been no one. Even the brilliant mind that resided in the BT-16's brain jar could not have foreseen this deception.

    After a moment of silent contemplation, Eve then said, "Narg Kram did express interest in merging the Pyke Syndicate with the cabal. Perhaps--"

    The BT-16 voiced its disapproval of this idea.

    "I am aware that you have no love for the Pykes. But you cannot deny that he is a capable--"

    Again, the spider droid cut her off. Eve made a sound of exasperation.

    "Fine. Be that way. I guess we'll just sit back and watch everything we've built fall apart."

    There was another bout of silence. Then the BT-16 spoke again, prompting Eve to look at it in a surprised manner.

    "Are you sure? You have always expressed your distaste of them."

    The BT-16 responded and Eve tapped her chin in thought. "True, true. I suppose it only makes sense that the empire of a Hutt be ruled by Hutts."

    The spider droid chirped again and Eve nodded. "Yes, I will get right to it."

    With that, the spindly droid turned heel and left the chamber, leaving the BT-16 to its thoughts. While it was true it did not like the Hutt Cartel any more than it did the Pyke Syndicate, it trusted them far more than it did Narg Kram. They would know how to operate things far better than anyone.

    Besides, it would not be the first time Bib Fortuna had dealt with Hutts.

Star Wars Eye of Kaas: Miserable Woe, Part IV

MISERABLE WOE, PART IV

--Tatooine--

    It was well past midnight.

    The palace of the late Jabba the Hutt was asleep. The only illumination provided was from the three moons that shone in the night sky above, peeking through the small square opening in the ceiling.

    Galus Freetaa had long since fallen asleep, burried within his cotton-made throne. The rest of the chamber had been all but deserted; unlike Jabba before him, Galus never allowed anyone besides his harem and security to be within his vicinity while he slept, unless it was Nasoth sent to wake him.

    As such, no one was there to bear witness as one of the many slave girls that pampered Galus slowly rose from where she laid. After checking to make sure the Twi'lek and the rest of his female companions were still asleep, the Falleen woman dashed silently out of the throne room.

    Like a shadow in the night she moved through the palace, going completely unnoticed by the Gamorrean guards stationed throughout the building. She eventually reached a spiraling stairway and quickly descended it, ending up in a small, unlit chamber.

    Feeling around in the darkness, her hand soon feel over a panel and she pressed it. Before her a screen lit up and she entered the required code into the console. Within a moment, the holoprojector activated and the fuzzy blue image of a hooded figure appeared.

    "Xena," the garbled voice of her contact said. "I was beginning to worry you had forgotten our deal."

    "My apologies," the Falleen said. "I did not have the chance to contact you sooner. The totem is en route to Anchorhead."

    "Very good. It would appear our sources were wrong about the Bestine location. Thank you for your assistance."

    "Of course," Xena said. "So... about our deal."

    "Galus will be dealt with shortly."

    "Good. I look forward to it."

    With that, the communication ended and Xena blew out her breath. Finally, things were looking up for her. Soon, she would be freed from the shackles of this Xrggur-forsaken palace and be able to live her life once again.

    She turned around to leave the chamber... only to be grabbed from behind by a pair of mechanical arms. She opened her mouth to cry out but a cold, metal hand fell over it, preventing her from uttering a sound.

    "Shush, child," a mechanical, vaguely feminine voice whispered into her ear. "You must be enlightened."

    Xena heard the buzz of a saw and then everything went black.

*  *  *

    It was well past midnight by the time the sandcrawler rolled into Anchorhead. The town was more or less asleep, with only a few establishments still open. Trek parked the sandcrawler in front of one of these places: a warehouse marked by the sign "Petro's Parts".

    "Well, I guess this is where we part ways," Trek said as he got out of his pilot seat. "It's been nice catching up with you, Merlok. Hopefully you can find your true calling in life."

    Salvan Tai did not reply and stood in place for a long moment. Just as Trek was about to head into the back of the sandcrawler, Salvan turned around and called out to the Jawa.

    "Where are the other Exiles? What are they doing?"

    Trek stopped and turned to look at him. "Why do you want to know?"

    "Curiosity," the Sakiyan said.

    Trek continued to stare at him before saying, "Well, Zerev and Xilus are both professors at the University of New Alderaan. Dah-lurga is a wrestler on Kooda, with Partem Durus as his coach, and I think I heard Janus is an announcer for swoop races on Corulag."

    "So... they're all living normal lives."

    "Yeah, I know. Shocking, isn't it? People living uneventful, unadventurous lives, without having to face danger every five minutes. Unfathomable."

    Salvan glared at the Jawa. "You think I like living life on the edge? You don't think I miss relaxing at my estate on Lianna?"

    Trek shrugged. "You tell me. When I found you, you had been abandoned by pirates. That pretty much tells me everything I need to know."

    Salvan opened his mouth to retort but the Jawa was already walking away. Seeing it futile to press the point further, the Sakiyan decided to simply take his leave and find out what sort of life awaited him outside.

*  *  *

    It was well past midnight. The clients had still yet to arrive.

    Valrisa's fingers tapped against the tabletop. Next to her, Typha had already fallen asleep, either out of boredom or drunkenness. Across from her, Vasim calmly twiddled his thumbs, sporadically glancing at the chronometer on the wall. At the bar, Taod Dront hummed to himself as he wiped down the bar's sparkling clean countertop for the nth time.

    It had been nearly three hours.

    Valrisa didn't know how much longer she could wait.

    Unable to bear the silence, she said to Vasim, "You told them where to meet us, yes?"

    The Sluissi nodded. "Junix's Joint in Anchorhead was what I told them. I even gave them directions."

    "Look, if they're not here within the next hour, then we're leaving."

    Vasim frowned. "You can't leave until the deal's done, Valrisa. Otherwise you don't get your pay."

    "I can always find payment somewhere else. The Hutts have recently put up a number of bounties."

    "It is not wise to upset Malvis--"

    He was cut off by the sudden appearance of two hooded beings. The pair entered the cantina and walked straight towards Vasim's booth, undeterred by the defensive stance Omni was assuming.

    Straightening, Vasim eyed the mysterious pair. "Are you Lahn Vos and Teka Yot?"

    Valrisa saw through the first hooded man's lie before he had even spoken: "Yes. Do you have the totem?"

    "What totem?" Vasim asked, feigning ignorance.

    The second figure, much larger than the first, growled as he pushed past his companion. "The Eye of Kaas. Do you have it?"

    "I don't recall ever stating--"

    The snap-hiss of a lightsaber activating silenced the Sluissi. He stared wide-eyed at the scarlet blade as it hovered before his neck.

    "Now, now, Lahn," the shorter man said. "There is no need for aggressive negotiations--"

    "Oh, it's much too late for that." Vasim reached into his vest and, without warning, Omni threw himself at the two figures. He threw a metal fist into the larger one's face, sending him reeling back and knocking the lightsaber loose in his hand. Delivering a swift kick to the brute's arm, Omni sent the weapon flying across the room.

    By this point, Valrisa and the recently woken Typha were already out of the booth, blasters drawn.

    "Let me handle the big one," Typha whispered.

    "I thought you liked them small," Valrisa replied.

    The blue girl shook her head. "Not when I'm looking for a challenge. Besides, the other one's still got his lightsaber."

    Valrisa glanced at the shorter being, who had since pulled back their hood to reveal the chalk-colored face of a Nagai. In his hand was indeed a lightsaber.

    "Right," she muttered. "Just my specialty."

*  *  *

    Nasoth Alarin stood in the entrance to the throne room, his lanky form silhouetted by the moonlight. In his line of sight was Galus Freetaa, blissfully asleep, as was his harem, which seemed to be missing a member.

    A shame, he thought.  He had come to grow fond of each and every one of Galus' court. They deserved far better than this. Thankfully, they would soon receive better.

    Nasoth quietly descended the stairs into the chamber. In his hand he carried an object often used by humans and near-humans, particularly females. It was widely known as "lipstick". As a member of a species without lips, Nasoth had no use for the device. But he did need it in order to accomplish this one task.

    Approaching Galus' throne, he carefully stepped over to one of the slave girls-- a human woman of Nubian descent. Leaning over her, he began to apply the lipstick to her face, causing her eyes to fly open.

    "Please, don't--"

    "I'm not going to hurt you," Nasoth assured her. "Trust me."

    He knew she didn't, but she made no further attempts at resistance as he finished applying the lipstick. Once he was done, he stepped away from her and inclined his head towards Galus.

    "Kiss him."

    She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "What?"

    "Kiss him," he calmly repeated.

    The color flushing from her face, the woman reluctantly moved over to Galus' sleeping form and pressed her lips against his. This act stirred the Twi'lek awake and he laughed as he pulled away.

    "Why, Meri! All you had to do was...."

    He trailed off upon noticing Nasoth standing there. His hairless brows furrowing, Galus said, "Is there, uh, something you need, Nas?"

    "Oh no," the Givin replied. "I'm just waiting for you to die."

    Galus' eyes went wide and, as if on cue, the Twi'lek began to choke. In a matter of seconds, he was on the floor of the chamber, gurgling as froth formed in his mouth. Meri and the other slave girls all watched on in horror while Nasoth simply walked over to a hookah device attached to the throne.

    "You reap what you sow," the Givin muttered as he pulled a switch hidden within the hookah pipe.

    The floor which Galus squirmed upon suddenly vanished and the Twi'lek dropped into the pit of darkness below.

    All was silent as Nasoth sealed the trap door. He then looked at the slave girls, who were all frozen in shock, and spread his arms.

    "The deal has been fulfilled. You are all free."

    With that, and without waiting for any sort of response, the Givin left the chamber. Just as they were no longer bound to Galus, neither was he.

    Experiencing it first hand, he had to admit, freedom did indeed feel good.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light VI, Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

--Caminus--

    "Is this everyone?"

    Shockfleet shook her head as she closed the cell door on the unconscious Rodimus, Drift, and Rapid Run. "No, sir. The psychiatrists are still unaccounted for, as is the other medic. Windrazor and Eagle Eye are searching the Citadel for them."

    Afterburner grunted, hands behinds his back. "They'd better make it quick. We've only got ten minutes. Has the rest of the Citadel been evacuated?"

    "Yes, every Camien -- save for those in the Grand Hall -- have been vacated."

    "Very good. That just leaves the Autobot ship in orbit."

    "Skyscorch told me he would deal with them. I don't know what he meant by that, though...."

    "Doesn't matter. I trust him to handle the situation succinctly." Afterburner started to turn towards the doorway. "I'll go get the ship prepared. Wait here for Eagle Eye and Windrazor to--"

    "How could you?"

    The general stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in the doorway was a white and blue mech, his fists clenched.

    "Overcast," Afterburner said coolly. "You're still here? I thought you left with everyone else."

    "How could you?" Overcast repeated, stepping into the room. "How could you side with those monsters?"

    "The Decepticons are hardly any more monstrous than the Autobots," Afterburner replied. "Our friend Pharma is proof enough of that."

    "He is the exception, not the rule. And even then, how do you justify killing your own kind?"

    "If there was an easier way to be rid of these Autobots, I would have done that. As it stands, the ends justify the means. If killing a handful of our fellow Camiens is the only way to take out these Autobots, then so be it."

    "But why?" Overcast asked. "Why are you killing them to begin with?"

    "They are an impediment to the plan. In fact, they've already foiled a part of that plan. I couldn't risk having them do more damage."

    "What plan? What are you going on about?"

    "I'm sorry, Overcast, but I've already told you too much." Afterburner then deployed a gun from his hand and aimed it at Overcast's head. "You just can't learn to keep out of matters that don't concern you."

    "Please," Overcast said quietly, backing away. "Don't do this."

    "Believe me, I don't want to. But I have my orders."

    Afterburner then pulled the trigger of the gun and shot the other Camien straight through the head. The bullet made contact with Overcast's brain module and the mech fell to the floor.

    After putting his gun away, Afterburner checked his chronometer. "Well, that took up a good few minutes. Have Windrazor or Eagle Eye reported yet?"

    Shockfleet checked. "No, sir."

    Afterburner was silent for a moment, contemplating. Then, he said, "Tell them to break off the search."

    "Are you sure?"

    "The Citadel is in full lockdown, so they couldn't have gotten out. I'm sure they'll join their comrades in death when we bring it down. Yes, call them in."

    The female Camien did as told before following her fellow Decepticon out the door. "How did you know the Autobots needed to be killed?"

    "Pharma told me they had foiled Gigatron's operation at Garrus-16 when he brought me Fortress Maximus. I passed this along to Tarantulas, and he gave me the order to eliminate them."

    "Ah." Shockfleet looked over her shoulder back at the cells. "A shame though, that Rapid Run must join them."

    Afterburner sighed. "Yes, but like Overcast, she was a witness. As with Velocity and Roadmaster, I am simply not comfortable in keeping her alive with the knowledge she now has."

    "I understand. So how long before detonation?"

    "After we leave? A minute and thirteen seconds."

--T-minus seventy seconds--

    "Okay, they're gone. Let's go."

    Rung frowned as he followed Froid down the hallway. "I don't think that's going to be enough time..."

    "The Grand Hall isn't far from here. We should be fine."

    "Yes, but... look at us. We aren't exactly load-bearers. How are we going to carry bots as big as Roadmaster in that short amount of time?"

    "When they get back, Ratchet and Sunder will help us with that."

    "Speaking of which," Rung muttered as he and Froid reached the prison room. "You gave Sunder your Primal Beads when you left him to deal with those Decepticons. How exactly are they--"

    "Clock is ticking, Rung," Froid said as he opened the cell holding Skids, Windblade, and Minimus Ambus. "We can talk about it later. I'll take Windblade and the little one. You take Skids."

--T-minus sixty seconds--

   "Sunder? Are you quite done yet?" The Autobot trapped in Pharma's body turned around the corner to see Sunder crouched over something. "We've only got a minute left. We should go help Froid and Rung."

    Sunder turned around and met the medic's gaze with empty black sockets. 

    "Um... can you get by okay without your optics?"

    The larger mech nodded.

    "Okay, good. Let's go."

    Ratchet then turned and walked back down the hall with Sunder close behind, unaware of the two strange spheres the Tetrahex Ripper had been looking at.

--T-minus fifty seconds--

    Nightbeat would never say he was elated when the door opened and saw Rung with Skids, but he was certainly a bit ecstatic. However, that feeling left when he realized Skids was unconscious.

    "Rung! What's going on?" he called over to the therapist as he handed Skids to Chromedome. "Where have you--"

    "Can't talk now," Rung replied, already turning to leave just as Froid arrived with Windblade and Minimus Ambus. "Just stay exactly where you are. Do not leave this room."

    "Or else what?" Whirl asked.

    "Or else you'll die," Froid said bluntly.

--T-minus forty seconds--

    "Ah. I almost forgot."

    Shockfleet looked at Afterburner as their shuttle left the Citadel's hangar. "Forgot what?"

    "We never did hold a proper ceremony for Thunderclash. In fact, his body's still there in the morgue."

    Shockfleet scoffed. "What does it matter? He's just an Autobot."

    "Yes, but he was one of their best. I never did like him much, but even I think he deserves a proper remembrance." Looking out the viewport at the retreating Citadel, Afterburner started his impromptu speech. "Here lies Thunderclash, the greatest Autobot who ever died...."

--T-minus thirty seconds--

    Rung and Froid had been leaving with Rodimus, Drift, and Rapid Run when Ratchet and Sunder finally rejoined them.

    "All that's left are Velocity, Roadmaster, and the gray femme," Froid told them. "That should be everyone."

    "What about Skyfall?" Rung asked.

    "You tell me if you want to bring a Decepticon along," Froid retorted before leaving with Drift and Rapid Run.

    Rung glanced at Rathcet, who said, "We might as well bring him along. I'm willing to bet there's more to him than--"

    "Meets the eye," Rung finished. "Yes. I suppose that goes for a lot of us."

--T-minus twenty seconds--

    In his slumber, Fortress Maximus dreamt of Garrus-9.

    He dreamt of all the screaming, of all the dying, of all the despair. At Garrus-9, there was no such thing as hope. It was the same at Garrus-16, as it was at...

    Shimanzi.

    In his slumber, Cerebros dreamt of Shimanzi.

--T-minus ten seconds--

   "And... that's everyone," Ratchet said, dropping Skyfall to the floor as the door closed behind him. He then looked up to see many faces he recognized all glaring death at him. That's when he remembered whose body he was stuck in.

    "Oh. Sla--"

--T-minus zero--

    Afterburner took no pleasure from watching the Citadel of Flame collapse. It had been his home for many millennia and he hated to leave it to its doom.

    But he knew better things awaited him. The Citadel would be rebuilt, along with the rest of Caminus, as well as Cybertron, Velocitron, Eukaris....

    The Transformer race was destined for great things. That, Afterburner had been assured of ever since he joined Tarantulas' operations. It was going to be remade into something new, something better. The Golden Age as it was now was simply a white lie fabricated by Optimus Prime. This -- along everything else Tarantulas was doing -- would make that lie a truth.

    But as with everything, in order to rebuild something, you had to break it down.

    Like the Citadel, the Transformers had to fall.

TO BE CONTINUED

Star Wars: War Among the Stars

REPUBLISHED 3/21/2017 Updated with new content. Still working on it.
Roughly two or three nine years ago, I made a Star Wars comic series called War Among the Stars, which took place in an alternate universe set after Dark Horse Comic's Dark Empire series. Here are a bunch of summaries for these old, old, old comics.

THE STORY
Episode I: The Galactic Civil War

#1: The War Goes On

  At the planet of Urbisa IV, the Galactic Empire, under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn, arrives to secure control over the planet. The New Republic Defense Force fights back and a battle ensues. During the battle, a mysterious person known as Toah Jarsen appears, but is presence is not enough to prevent the Imperial forces from defeating the Republic. Meanwhile, jumping out of hyperspace comes a mysterious Sith Lord who plans to replace Darth Sidious as the Dark Lord.

#2: Battle over Muunilinst

  After the Republic's loss at Urbisa IV, Admiral Ackbar, General Lando Calrissian, and their forces travel to the Muunilinst system, where they face the Imperial fleet of General Korus, commander of the Twilight. During the ensuing battle, Korus is ordered by his rival Imperial Admiral Terero to attack the planet Muunilinst. Noticing this, Lando and Gold Squadron attempt to stop Korus' fleet but are captured by the Twilight. Meanwhile, the Jedi Knight Noah and Republic Commander Dorian evade Imperial stormtroopers. While Dorian manages to escape, Noah is captured by the stormtroopers. Shortly after, Korus' forces manage to conquer Muunilinst. Elsewhere, the mysterious Dark Lord sends out the Sith Lord Koragg.

#3: Interrogation 

  As the battle for Muunilinst goes on, Admiral Terero's fleet arrives to aid General Korus while Commander Dorian rallies the Republic troopers. On Muunilinst, Korus interrogates Noah Calyndan, but does not get any interesting information out of him. As the battle carries from space to ground, Toah Jarsen arrives and frees Noah from his prison, but the two are soon cornered by Korus and his men. Meanwhile, the Republic is forced to retreat from Muunilinst and Dorian returns to Admiral Ackbar's flagship, where they discuss on a strategy to free Lando and Gold Squadron.

#4: Battle of Dantooine

  Elsewhere in space, a mysterious warship approaches the Jedi-affiliated world of Dantooine. The warship's crew is revealed to be made up of Kaleesh warriors and the alien conquerors attack Dantooine, bringing down Republic starfighters and troopers. The Kaleesh's leader, a mysterious Force-sensitive warrior known as General Necrosis, arrives and engages in a lightsaber duel with Jedi Knight Zayne Carran. Necrosis quickly ends the duel and orders his flagship to fire upon the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, destroying it and the Jedi and troopers within. Later, on Kalee, Necrosis reports to the Kaleesh emperor Regeis Kal'e, who promotes Necrosis to Supreme Commander for his victory. Emperor Kal'e then order Necrosis to carry out the next attack on the galaxy.

#5: Twilight's Last Gleaming

  The Sith Lord Koragg arrives on Kalee to assassinate Emperor Kal'e. After killing all of Kal'e's guards, Koragg gives the Kaleesh emperor a choice: to die, or to surrender his empire to Koragg's master. Meanwhile, in the Muunilinst system, Ackbar sends Raptor Squadron to sneak on board the Twilight and rescue Lando's team. After finding Gold Squadron and freeing them, a chase/fight ensues between them and Korus' men. Toah and Noah soon free themselves and help Raptor Squadron escape. Just as they are leaving, one of Raptor Squadron's pilots, Rad, discovers a ticking bomb attached to his fighter. He then turns his fighter back and flies back towards the Twilight, ramming into the bridge just as the bomb goes off, destroying the Star Destroyer and killing Rad and General Korus. With the battle won and Muunilinst saved, Ackbar's fleet returns to Coruscant. Back on Kalee, Emperor Kal'e agrees to join the Sith....

#6: Crime Lords of Coruscant
  In the underworld of Coruscant, the bounty hunter called X and his gang are hired by Garra the Hutt to track down and kill Kan, leader of the anti-criminal organization White Star. At Republic Headquarters, General Crix Madine and Commander Dorian receive a message from Dantooine, which has been attacked by the Empire (as if the Kaleesh weren't enough). Dorian gathers up his team and they head off for Dantooine. Back in the underworld, X's gang finds and kills Kan. In the Dantooine system, Admiral Terero witnesses the arrival of Grand Moff Nihan, while on Kalee, Lord Koragg orders the Kaleesh to gather their fleet.

#7: Second Battle of Dantooine
   The Republic, Empire, and Kaleesh fight in a three-way battle on Dantooine. On Kalee, the Sith Lord Sharik arrives and speaks with Emperor Kal'e. Back at Dantooine, as Imperial reinforcements led by Moff Nihan arrive, the Kaleesh unleash a secret weapon...

#8: The Beast of the Sith
   The Sith beast attacks Dantooine and the Republic troopers fight it off. The beast is soon defeated-though not killed-by Raptor Squadron, and Admiral Terero's fleet destroys the Kaleesh flagship, the Invincible Hand. While all three factions leave Dantooine, Lord Koragg speaks with his master, who gives him a target to find: Toah Jarsen.

#9-11: The Tale of Toah Jarsen
   Part I: Toah Jarsen is sent by the Jedi Council to investigate mysterious activities in Coruscant's underworld. As soon as he arrives at a cantina, the bounty hunter X attacks him. Toah defeats X and flees from the underworld, returning to the Jedi Temple. On Byss, Grand Admiral Thrawn promotes Terero to Supreme Commander of the Imperial forces. Back on Coruscant, General Wallen briefs his troopers on an Imperial presence on the planet Animus. Along with Jedi Master Virlux, Toah, and Senator Jeorge, the troopers head out and head for Animus. However, as soon as they leave, Toah abandons the others and heads for the planet on his own. Once on Animus, Toah is brought before King Espaa Valorum, who orders for Toah's execution.
   Part II: Toah flees from Valorum's palace and is confronted by a group of Sith warriors, who soon capture him. In space over Animus, the Empire's forces defeat the Republic, forcing them to retreat.
   Part III: Toah awakens on a mysterious planet, where the mysterious Dark Lord tests him by unleashing a number of Sith on him. Later on, a Republic team led by Captain Niro arrive and save Toah. Afterwards, the Jedi Knight decides to go into exile so he could do some soul searching and purge himself of the dark side taint the Sith left in him.

#12-13: The Battle of Coruscant
   The Empire launches a surprise attack on Coruscant. The Republic is quickly defeated and it is forced to surrender Coruscant to the Empire, now under Sith control. The Republic then retreats to Dantooine, waiting for the right moment to fight back.

Episode II: Rise of the Crimson Empire

#14-15: The Crimson Lord

   Part I: We open on Yinchorr years before the Battle of Endor, where men train at the Imperial Guard Academy. After many grueling trials, which are overseen by the Emperor himself, two trainees-- Carnor Jax and Kir Kanos-- graduate to become Royal Guards. Flash-forward to after the Battle of Endor and we see Carnor Jax being taken into the wing of the Dark Lady Lumiya.

   Back to the present, the New Republic and Jedi Order are hiding out on Dantooine, having been driven into exile after the Empire retook Coruscant. In the middle of the night, Luke Skywalker is attacked by some crazy hooded guy, who then commits suicide. Okaaaay....

   Part II: On Dantooine, Luke contacts the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin, who are of absolutely no help at all. On a Star Destroyer orbiting Byss, Grand Admiral Thrawn is confronted by Carnor Jax, who kills the Chiss and takes over the Empire. Back on Dantooine, an Imperial fleet arrives and attack the New Republic. After a wicked space battle, the Imperials are forced back to Coruscant, where Carnor Jax delivers his first speech as Galactic Emperor.

#16: Secrets of Arden-Gaia

   On Dantooine, Luke Skywalker and a couple of Jedi are exploring the Crystal Caves when they are confronted by mysterious figures... who then vanish after a brief duel. Meanwhile, at Rhen Var, Imperial forces are deployed to attack a New Republic base, which is soon taken over. Back on Dantooine, Luke finds a Star Map (?) which details the history of a planet called Arden-Gaia as well as its history with the Jedi Order.

#17: Outcasts

   Jedi-in-exile Toah Jarsen arrives at the planet Onderon, where he meets with King Kira II, as well as Purge survivor Empatojayos Brand. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Admiral Argen and Commander Ivan report to Emperor Carnor Jax. Argen is exectued for his failed attack on Dantooine. On Onderon's moon Dxun, Brand takes Toah to the tomb of Freedon Nadd, where he deals with eerie ghosts and voices and whatnot. Eventually, he retrieves the holocron of Freedon Nadd and he and Brand go to see Vima-Da-Boda, another Jedi survivor. Back on Onderon, Kir Kanos enters the King's palace, requesting a place within Kira's royal guard. However, Onderon is suddenly attacked by the forces of the Kaleesh Empire...

#18: Battle of Onderon

   The Kaleesh Empire unleashes its forces on Onderon. After a tumultous battle, the Iziz Palace is destroyed by the Kaleesh flagship, with Toah still in it. Empatojayos Brand scours the wreckage but Toah is no where to be found. Meanwhile, Toah awakens in an unspecified location and is greeted by a pair of giant purple eyes.

#19: The Creature Within

   Necrosis' forces return to Kalee, where the Supreme Commander reports to Emperor Kal'ee. Once the Emperor's back is turned however, Necrosis stabs him in the back and takes the throne for himself, before turning on the Sith Koragg and Sharik. Meanwhile, Admiral Terero goes against Emperor Jax's wishes and launches an attack on Urbisa IV, where the New Republic had relocated. Elsewhere, Toah confronts the mysterious purple eyes being, who turns out to be Bogan and brainwashes him to the dark side. He then awakens on Onderon and attacks Brand and Vima. However, before a confrontation can take place, a large object appears in the sky...

   On Coruscant, Carnor Jax unveils the Death Destroyer, a new superweapon designed after the Death Star. Moments before firing upon Onderon, Brand knocks Toah out and escapes the planet along with King Kira just as the space station decimates Onderon....

#20-22: Crimson Heart

   Part I: As the Battle of Urbisa IV rages on, Empatojayos Brand and Vima arrive on Utapau and deliver Toah to Master Lar Le'Ung's care. On Kalee, Koragg and Sharik convince Necrosis to maintain an alliance, on the condition that he finds a Sith holocron for them. On Urbisa IV, the battle comes to an abrupt end when Carnor Jax scares Admiral Terero into returning to Coruscant. Back on Kalee, Necrosis and the Sith head to the Tomb of Darth Abolax, a Sith Lord of Bane's Order. Necrosis enters the tomb and is met with the spirit of Abolax himself. On Coruscant, Carnor Jax is prevented from executing Admiral Terero by the arrival of Kir Kanos. Meanwhile, in the planet's lower levels, Mara Jade and the Iktotchi Kyngos head out to find Luke Skywalker.

   Part II: On Utapau, Lar Le'Ung's apprentice, Par Je'mak, goes rogue and attacks his master and Brand. On Kalee, Necrosis emerges from Darth Abolax's tomb, possessed by the ancient Sith's spirit. Koragg and Sharik attempt to bring Abolax to their side but he rebukes their offer and assumes control of the Kaleesh Empire. On Corusant, Carnor Jax and Kir Kanos duel. Yay. On Urbisa IV, while New Republic forces are sent to retrieve Rhen Var survivors from a Super Star Destroyer, Luke Skywalker is confronted by Mara Jade and Kyngos. Back on Utapau, Je'mak flees. Then Le'Ung commits harakiri. What fun! 

   Part III: While battle breaks out on Cerea, Carnor Jax is mortally wounded by Kir Kanos. Stumbling back to his chambers, he is greeted by his former master Lumiya, who throws him back to Kanos and is killed by his former comrade. On Urbisa IV, Mara and Kyngos are defeated by Luke and flee.  Back on Cerea, Grand Moff Caescus abandons his forces just as the Death Destroyer arrives and fires on the planet. The New Republic narrowly escape and are soon joined by Toah, Brand, and Vima. Everything seems to be hunky-dory (well, except for Cerea)! Until Toah's eyes glow red.

#23: Dark Past

   With the death of Carnor Jax, the Empire is left divided, with Burr Nolyds leading Jax's followers and Jonn Calyds leading an independent faction. On Desolus Minor, Commander Hawk and his trooper infiltrate an Imperial base. On Urbisa IV, Toah meets with Luke and is possessed by Xendor and the Dark Lord.... for all of three seconds, until the spirits are forced out of his body. On Coruscant, the New Republic storm the Imperial Palace and arrest Burr Nolyds. Afterwards, a peace treaty is signed between Chief of State Mon Mothma and Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, ending the Galactic Civil War. Coruscant is returned to the New Republic while the Empire is reformed into the Imperial Remnant. With this major setback, the Sith begin to rethink their plans, swearing to have their revenge.

Episode III: The Yuuzhan Vong War

#24-25: Invasion

   Part I: It has been x years since the end of the Galactic Civil War, with the galaxy at peace. On Tatooine, Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, and Kam Solusar are... hanging around, I guess, when Kyp is confronted by a lightsaber-wielding Tusken. Corran and Kam come to his rescue and the Tusken Sith eventually flees at the behest of a Jawa. Meanwhile, on Mygeeto, a New Republic base is suddenly attacked by mysterious alien warriors known as the Yuuzhan Vong. Meanwhile, after hearing of their fellow Jedi's encounter, Toah Jarsen, Kyle Katarn, and Jaden Korr travel to Korriban to find out how the Sith have returned. Upon arrival however, they are confronted by mysterious purple-eyed warriors. Back on Mygeeto, the Yuuzhan Vong overwhelm the Republic and take over the planet...

   Part II: Following their victory at Mygeeto, the Yuuzhan Vong launch an attack on Dantooine and quickly overwhelm the New Republic forces. Back on Korriban, Toah and co are joined in their fight by a Zabrak Sith named Zejo, who convinces them to let him help in fighting the Purple Eyes. Zejo then leads them to the tomb of King Adas and awaken the ancient Sith's corpse. Then Bogan shows up and... I have no idea what happens, but apparently there's suddenly an Orange Ball of Power and Zejo is drawn to it. Then we end with the Yuuzhan Vong arriving at Korriban.

#26: Battle of Serenno

   With his hands on the Orange Ball of Power, Zejo turns on the Jedi. On Serenno, the Yuuzhan Vong do battle with the New Republic (again). Back on Korriban, Zejo and the Jedi's duel is intervened by an Arnold Schwarzenegger-looking dude, known as the Jedi Killer. After overwhelming Jedi and Sith alike, the Jedi Killer orders the Yuuzhan Vong to fire on Adas' tomb. Toah and the other manage to escape only to be confronted by the Yuuzhan Vong outside. Back on Serenno, after summarily defeating the New Republic, the Yuuzhan Vong pull back, leaving the surviving soldiers and Jedi stranded there. Jacen Solo is then called by a mysterious voice, which turns out to belong to a very large fire being... 

#27-29: Shroud of the Past

   Part I: On Korriban, Toah and the Jedi are saved from the Yuuzhan Vong by NR Commandos. The Yuuzhan Vong then retreat from Korriban, as does Zejo, who still has the Orange Ball. On Tatooine, Koragg and Sharik come across a droid who is definitely not WALL-E, who leads them to the palace of Obesus the Hutt. The two Sith inform the dark side-wielding Hutt that the time to act is now. Back on Serenno, the NR and Jedi mope around while the Yuuzhan Vong execute Count Tavus. On Coruscant, Toah returns only to be attacked by bounty hunters led by X. Among the bounty hunters is Kyngos, whom Toah recognizes as the murderer of his parents. Toah gives into his anger and kills Kyngos before heading to the Lower Levels, where he confronts Garra the Hutt. Toah is then knocked out however and awakens in an alleyway with a woman named Cera and her partner Raj, who are leading a rebellion against a group of rogue droids.

   Part II: On Coruscant, Cera and Raj's rebellion fight rogue droids. Back on Tatooine, Obesus and the Sith attack the New Republic forces. Back at Serenno, the battle above the planet rages on. Reinforcement are sent planetside to retrieve the Solo family only to be attacked by the Sith Recage. Jacen duels Recage but are interrupted by the fire being from earlier. Back on Coruscant, Toah drives the rogue droids away by giving into his anger once more. He, Raj, and C are then joined by the mysterious Dark Lord....

   Part III: Standing before Toah, Cera, and Raj, the Dark Lord introduces himself as Darth Nimtra and reveals that he is Toah's long lost brother Enroh. He explains that, following Order 66, he fell in league with a group of Dark Jedi led by Lord Zenja. He eventually overthrew Zenja and declared himself Dark Lord of the Sith. With this revelation, he and Toah begin to duel. Back on Serenno, the fire being -- who turns out to be an ancient Sith named Darth Demenax -- goes on a backstory rant of his own. He then destroys Recage before attacking the Solos. Although they are able to get off the planet, they are soon confronted by the Yuuzhan Vong. Back on Tatooine, the Sith wipe out the NR forces. Back on Coruscant, Darth Nimtra and Toah continue to duel, until Toah surrenders himself to the dark side and unleashes his power in one big explosion. Toah, Cera, and Raj are nowhere to be found afterward while a heavily scarred Nimtra limps away from the scene....

#30: Uprising

   Toah awakens in the care of a mysterious being named Lucinus, the last of the Alia, on a dead world called Eaven Pax. Back at Serenno, reinforcement from the New Republic arrive, forcing the Yuuzhan Vong to retreat. Back on Coruscant, Darth Nimtra regroups with Koragg, Sharik, and the other Sith. Not long after, the Yuuzhan Vong invade the galactic capital. Back on Eaven Pax, Lucinus leads Toah to the Alian Temple and hands him the silver-bladed lightsaber of Eronus, founder of the Alian. Elsewhere, Cera awakens on the planet Torax and is greeted by THX-1138-45, a super-computer, and finds Raj being totured by the native Toraxians. Meanwhile, Toah meditates and realizes that Cera is his sister and vows to find her before Nimtra can get to her. Finally, we return to Coruscant, where the Yuuzhan Vong have seized the capital, only to be confronted by Darth Nimtra and his Sith forces....

#31-32: Strike of the Sith
   Part I: Using "borrowed" Imperial ships, Darth Nimtra's Sith attack Coruscant and swiftly defeat the Yuuzhan Vong. The New Republic eventually join in the battle. On Torax, Cera fights her way through the Toraxians' lab to free Raj. She is soon joined by the Jedi Killer from a few issues back, who reveals himself to be YVH-1 droid and duels Cera. On Eaven Pax, while Toah is haunted by Bogan, he and Lucinus are confronted by the latter's brother Cinerac. Just as Bogan and Cinerac begin to overwhelm Toah, Bogan's brother Entui interferes.
   Part II: On Coruscant, Luke Skywalker duels with Darth Nimtra. Meanwhile, Darth Abolax arrives at Gorlam Prime and is greeted by the Great King Gorlas IV. Abolax then transfers his spirit from Necrosis to Gorlas. Back on Torax, Cera continues to duel YVH-1. Meanwhile, Bogan and Entui fight over Toah, who... somehow ends up on Torax. He joins his sister in her fight with YVH-1. Back on Coruscant, the tide is turned by NR Spacetroopers bombarding the Imperial ships. Nimtra orders a retreat but not before preparing a lightning blast for Luke.... Back on Torax, Raj breaks free and kills YVH-1. And... that's the end. Huh.
   ...I mean, don't worry about showing what happened to the Yuuzhan Vong or anything. Not like they were the titular villains of this arc.

Episode IV: The Atha Prime Crisis

#33-34: Prime Clone

   Prologue: In a flashback, Darth Sidious speaks with Atha Lettum, offering him to create a clone army for his future empire. When Atha refuses, Sidious unleashes Darth Maul on him. Flashforward to a few months before the Clone Wars, where Count Dooku speaks with Atha with another offer. Atha delivers the same refusal.

   Part I: In the present day, a clone by the name of Lando Kadar is hanging around on Nar Shaddaa, being all cool and edgy. On Torax, Toah and the gang prepare to leave, only for (sigh) Bogan to possess Toah (again! seriously this is getting old!). On Coruscant, Corran Horn and Kyp Durron are spying on an abandoned facility. On Korriban, as the Sith (who apparently were defeated even though it sure didn't look like they were loosing last time argh) lick their wounds, Darth Nimtra unveils their wild card: Lord Varonus of the Lettow Empire. Back on Nar Shaddaa, Kadar returns to Atha Lettum, who introduces him to Boba Fett.

   Part II: On Coruscant, Cal Omas is elected Chief of State. Yay! On Korriban, the Sith get ready to do evil stuff. Boo! On Torax, Cera fights her possessed brother, who eventually flees. In the Anur system, Moff Caescus meets with Lord Tron, who is searching for the Anur Crystals. At Kamino, Boba Fett and Lando Kadar meet oh sorry I mean kill Taun We because you know that was neccessary. On Gorlam Prime, Darth Abolax sends Ja'far to find the Benzuli Expanse, vowing to beat Nimtra at his game. He then ditches Gorlas' body and possesses... WALL-E. Because that makes sense. Back on Coruscant, a mysterious figure breaks into the NR Command Center and fights Luke Skywalker. Meanwhile, Kadar and Fett return to Atha and provide him with the final thing he needs to create a Jedi clone.

#35-37: Trinity of Empire

#38: Dark Forces Rising

#39: Shattered Hope

#40: Dark Heart of Anur

CHARACTERS

New Republic

Chiefs of State
   Mon Mothma (female Human, Chandrila)
   Cal Omas (male Human, Alderaan)
Senate
   Jeorge (male Human)
Defense Force

   Gial Ackbar (male Mon Calamari, Dac)
   Ben Astar (male Human)
   Talc Astar (male Human)

   Lando Calrissian (male Human, Socorro)
   Coric (male)

   Dorian (male Human)
   Durlin (male Human)
   Fil
   Fixer (male)
   Furtim (male Human)

   Hawk (male)-- died on Desolus Minor

   Jak (male)-- died on Dantooine, 25 ABY

   Katana
   Crix Madine (male Human, Corellia)
   Mical (male Human)
   Nik (male)
   Niro (male)
   Carlist Rieekan (male Human, Alderaan)
   Rolav (male Human)
   Sharpshot (male)
   Han Solo (male Human, Corellia)
   Thorpe (male)-- died on Coruscant, 25 ABY
   Han Thorpe (male Human)
   Tomas (male Human)
   Wallen (male Human)
   Raptor Squadron
      Buzz (male alien)-- Raptor Four

      Jaz (male Human)-- Raptor Six

      Rad (male Human)-- Raptor Nine; died over Muunilinst
   Rogue Squadron
      Wedge Antilles (male Human, Corellia)
      Tycho Celchu (male Human, Alderaan)
      Gavin Darklighter (male Human, Tatooine)

New Jedi Order

Grand Masters

   Luke Skywalker (male Human, Tatooine)

Members
   Empatojayos Brand (male humanoid)

   Noah Calynden (male Human)

   Zayne Carran (male Human)
   Cyklan (male Abyssin)
   Devronn (male Devaronian)
   Kyp Durron (male Human, Deyer)

   Egetes (male Human)
   Corran Horn (male Human, Corellia)

   Toah Jarsen (male Human, Virlin III)
   Kanaj (male Zabrak)-- died on Tatooine, 25 ABY
   Kyle Katarn (male Human, Sulon)
   Jaden Korr (male Kel Dor)
   Lar Le'Ung (male Pau'an)-- died on Utapau

   Nens-Coro (male Human)
   Qua (Chadra-Fan)
   Anakin Solo (male Human, Coruscant)
   Jacen Solo (male Human, Coruscant)
   Jaina Solo (female Human, Coruscant)
   Leia Organa Solo (female Human, Alderaan)
   Kam Solusar (male Human)
   Vima-Da-Boda (female Human)

   Virlux (male Human)
Ghosts
   Entui Bendu (male Human, Arden-Gaia)
   Obi-Wan Kenobi (male Human, Stewjon)
   Anakin Skywalker (male Human, Tatooine)
   Yoda (male alien)

Galactic Empire / Imperial Remnant

Rulers
   Thrawn (male Chiss, Csilla)
   Carnor Jax (male Human)
   Burr Nolyds (male Human)-- Loyaltist faction
   Jonn Calyds (male Human)-- Independent faction
   Gilad Pellaeon (male Human, Corellia)
Moffs
   Caescus (male Human)
   Nihan (male Human)
Royal Guards
   Burr Danid (male Human)
   Alum Frost (male Human)
   Kir Kanos (male Human)
   Ved Kennede (male Human)
   Lemmet Tauk (male Human)
Military
   Argen (male Human)-- died on Coruscant
   Canran (male Human)
   Ivan (male Human)
   Kirus (male Human)
   Korus (male Human)
   Lean (male Human)-- died on Cerea
   Nix (male Human)
   Shadow (male)-- died on Desolus Minor

   Terero (male Human)
   Umbra (male)
   Viscus (male)

   Zel
   Stormtropers: TK-552, TK-726, TK-809, TK-810, TS-194, TS-195

Sith / Dark Jedi

Nimtra's Sith

   Darth Nimtra (male)-- Dark Lord
   Par Je'mak (male Pau'an)

   Jjlnr (male Massassi)

   Koragg (male Human)
   Korusca (male Zabrak hybrid)-- deceased
   Nakak
   Obesus (masculine Hutt)
   Radidron 

   Recage (male Zabrak)-- died on Serenno, 25 ABY

   Sharik (male Human, Taris)
   Tensi (male Taung)-- AKA Mandalore the Dreadful

   Tonza (male Kaleesh)
   Tron (male)
   Varonus (male Human, Lettow)
   Zejo (male Zabrak)
   Zenja (male Human)-- deceased
Lumiya's Sith
   Lumiya (female Human, Coruscant)
   Flint (male Human, Belderone)
Order of the Sith Lords
   Darth Abolax (male Kaleesh)
   Darth Maul (male Zabrak, Dathomir)
   Darth Sidious (male Human, Naboo)-- AKA Palpatine
   Darth Tyranus (male Human, Serenno)-- AKA Dooku
Others
   Adas (male Sith, Korriban)
   Bogan (male)
   Darth Demenax (male Human, Taspir III)-- AKA Tasen Denon
   Jark Kenu (male Rodian)-- deceased
   Freedon Nadd (male Human, Onderon)
   Xendor (male Human)

Fringe

White Star

   Kan (male Human)-- died on Coruscant

Other

   Ela (female Human)
   Boba Fett (male Human clone, Kamino)

   Garra (masculine Hutt, Coruscant)

   Hako (male Rodian)
   Mara Jade (female Human)
   Lando Kadar (male Human clone)
   Kyngos (male Iktotchi)-- died on Coruscant, 25 ABY

   Lacert (male Trandoshan)

   Nadon (male Ithorian)

   X (male Human)

Others

Kaleesh Empire

   Regeis Kal'e (male Kaleesh)-- Emperor

   Necrosis (male Kaleesh)-- Supreme Commander
   Do'lar (male Kaleesh)

   KL-01

   KL-1H

   KS-03/06
Yuuzhan Vong Empire
   Shimrra Jamaane (male)-- Supreme Overlord
   Onimi (male)-- Supreme Overlord
   Czulkang (male)-- Warmaster
   Da'gara (male)
   Kla'los (male)
   YVH-1

Animus native
   Espaa Valorum (male Human)-- King of Animus
   Akira Valorum (male Human)-- Prince of Animus
Coruscant native
   Cera Jarsen (female Human, Virlin III)
   Raj (male Human)
   Jak Solen (male Human)
Eaven Pax native
   Cinerac (male)
   Lucinus (male)-- Alian
Gorlam Prime native
   Gorlas IV (male Gorlamian)-- Great King
Kamino native
   Taun We (female Kaminoan)-- died on Kamino, 25 ABY
Onderon native
   Kira II (male Human)
Serenno native
   Tavus (male Human)
Torax native
   THX-1138-45
Other

   H6-549 (holographic droid)
   Atha Lettum (male Human)