A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

STAR WARS

THE ONCE AND FUTURE SWORD

It is a time of rebuilding for the Galactic Alliance and the New Jedi Order. The Sith Lord DARTH CAEDUS, once Jacen Solo, is dead. His twin sister, JAINA SOLO, has secluded herself in the aftermath of the fateful duel with her brother. She is currently a guest of the IMPERIAL REMNANT, both to separate herself from the recent trauma of the Second Galactic Civil War and to aid her close friend, former lover, and the new Head of State, Jagged Fel.

Imperial sensors have detected a mysterious anomaly in Imperial Space responsible for interrupting communications and threatening hyperspace lanes, especially with Imperial allies in the Unknown Regions. With few options and little resources concerning anomalies such as the one detected, Head of State Fel has deployed Jaina to investigate. Armed with only her fighter, her abilities, and the Force, the SWORD OF THE JEDI hopes for a routine trip.

i. shii-cho

Two months after the Death of Darth Caedus, 40 ABY
Seventeen standard hours from Bastion to Csilla
Within the Imperial Remnant

A StealthX dropped out of hyperspace, nearly invisible against the dark map of stars. Shaped panels of dark grey, matte black, and white blended against space as the sublight engines remained at half burn. The snub fighter moved away from its entry vector, banking left by solar south, and proceeded towards the large pool of white, dense enough to disturb space in the locality. There was little need for acceleration on her mission, though the pilot was worried this brief foray into unknown space could end poorly. Something about the light pressed at her, both inviting and repulsive. Before she could worry further about whatever disturbance was before her, the comm pinged. Right on time. With a tap, a communication line spanning the short jump she just made connected.

"Twin Suns Leader."

There was a short, breathy snort of remembrance from the other side. "I assume you've arrived?"

"I can see it." Jaina Solo paused. She reached out through the Force, then flinched back. Biting her lip, she said, "It's worse that you feared, Jag. I'm surprised Imperials were able to detect an anomaly like this. It's a wound in the Force."

"A wound?"

Jaina thought back to her training as a teenager on Yavin IV, searching for a way to describe what she had come upon. It was painful to reflect on those days before the war, training as Jedi. Nearly every memory she had of the forested moon was tarnished and haunted by the presence of her twin, her close brother, Jacen. Darth Caedus. The twin she had slain. And of those either dead or irrevocably changed:

Anakin Solo, their other brother, one of six dead on the Mission to Myrkr.

Tahiri Veila, twisted first by the Yuuzhan Vong and then Caedus.

Zekk, lost in battle as she boarded Caedus' Star Destroyer, the Anakin Solo.

Raynar Thul, transformed by the Killiks into someone…else.

It was bittersweet how those who survived those seemingly carefree days were still tied to the recent tragedy. Tenel Ka, whose daughter—Jaina's niece—was believed dead by almost the entire galaxy—including the Hapes Consortium which Tenel ruled—due to the plotting of Imperial Moffs and her own people. Even Lowbacca, their Wookie friend and companion for so long, had suffered, though less than when his father Chewbacca perished at Sernpidal. The Anakin Solo—Caedus' Star Destroyer—had fired upon his homeworld of Kashyyyk. Green turbolaser blasts fell from the sky and burned the ancient Wroshyr trees.

For it was there at Kashyyyk that Jacen had showed the entire galaxy how far he had fallen.

He became Caedus when he killed Mara. Or perhaps even before, and I just didn't want to admit it until it was too late.

Jaina drew upon those first lessons on the nature of the Force as she began, "A wound is a place where the very fabric of life has been disturbed, like when the Death Star destroyed Alderaan, or the Destruction of Sernpidal early into the Vong War. While these wounds are often associated with places of great tragedy and death, they can emerge when necessary and have even been isolated to a single point. The Jedi before the Empire had records of an ancient Exile who was herself a wound in the Force. She carried such an anomaly within her for many years."

"She was one?" Jag was flabbergasted. "How do you even close one? I'm concerned about its effects, for I suspect it's responsible for interference during my comms with the Ascendancy. Keeping a stable comlink between Bastion and Csilla has grown progressively more difficult in the past few days, and I do not want to see what it may do to ships traveling via hyperspace. The proximity to Bastion alone—"

"Could threaten the Remnant." She sighed. "I understand, Jag. I don't exactly know how to close it, but I believe the Force will guide me. I doubt even Uncle Luke knows an exact method. And you should be thankful the Chiss are speaking to you," Jaina added. She hesitated, fully aware it was her fault he had first fallen out of favor with them. "I assume you've heard from your family?"

"They'll be visiting in a few standard months, or so Wyn told me. A diplomatic mission, just like the one where the Millennium Falcon spent a few nights in my private hangar."

Jaina faintly smiled at the familiar sensations she could feel from Jag. Even this far away, he felt like a blazing spot in the Force. Perhaps it's the comm, or the fact we've reconciled from what happened between us after the Vong War and during the Killik Crisis. I don't know if we'll ever return to how we were when I had thought to marry him, but as Master Yoda told Uncle Luke, 'Always in motion is the future'. She was eternally grateful it had been he who had found her with her brother's body, tired in ways beyond just physical fatigue. While her parents were busy helping 'Amelia' Solo get situated on Coruscant, Jag had invited her to join him in the Imperial Remnant for as much time as she needed. It was nice to be in a place where it was difficult to be reminded of her brother and of the monster he had become—all under the guise of keeping the Moffs in line. That was the story Jag gave the new GA Chief of State, Natasi Daala, when she'd tried to protest Jaina traveling across galactic borders.

Jaina also secretly hoped to find a way to aid Boba Fett and Mirta Gev to return to their home of Mandalore. She had yet to determine which of the Moffs were responsible for the nanovirus.

"Will I still be around when they arrive?" she asked. "Or am I to be shipped back off to Coruscant like a good little Jedi?"

"Finish out there and make it back to Bastion," Jag said, kidding on the square as he only did with her, "and I might introduce you to my mother. She'll enjoy stories about Uncle Wedge and may even tell you some from her holo days."

"And I'll get some of him from his youth to tell the retired Rogues. They'll love it." She paused and found herself smiling fondly. "I should be back in a couple days, Jag. May the Force be with you."

"And with you. Be safe, goddess."

The comm clicked off before Jaina could respond to Jag's last word. It had been over a decade since he had called her that. It brought back fond memories of Borleias, after she had inadvertently tricked the Yuuzhan Vong into believing she was their trickster goddess, Yun-Harla, taken mortal form. She had been granted command of Twin Suns Squadron by her uncle and then assigned Master Kyp Durron to be her personal porter. She smiled, letting the memories from then flash through her mind—especially those of her and Jag. Their kiss, flying together at Borleias, and his little trick to ensure they were still in love when he returned from the Hydian Way.

Focus, Jaya, she could hear him say—Jacen, not Jag. She shook away the memory and centered herself in the moment. It was dangerous for a Jedi like herself to be too distracted.

With a light touch, the StealthX accelerated towards the wound. It made her hair stand on end and, as usual, she was grateful for the helmet and flight suit she wore. It was odd being back in the black and gold trim of the GA, but she hadn't wanted to take New Republic orange and white with her to the Remnant. Also, the only time she had worn an Imp flight suit was with Jag—and it hadn't been on her for long in those cases.

As she prepared to circle the light signifying the wound, her StealthX shook and began to drift, as if a haphazard tractor beam caught her. Or a gravity well, she though as the light expanded, and she was drawn into the wound.

Jaina blinked away the glare in her eyes. Did I pass through it? She wondered as her starfighter stopped shaking. Laser fire passed by, much closer than she had seen in years. More blasts of red and blue zoomed past her, and for the briefest moment, she wondered if she had returned to the Vong War or some other conflict in which she had flown. Confused and reaching out into the Force, she felt a gathering of military strength unlike any since the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar. She spun her StealthX and looked up through the transparisteel canopy of her fighter, held in place by the crash webbing. For a moment, she could've sworn she was back there, fighting the final battle of the Vong War. Then she felt only two vaguely familiar presences—Jedi presences—make their way across the battle below. Suddenly, she recognized the various ships fighting below her. Ships defined by one great, terrible conflict.

Fierfek. The wound sent me into the past. I'm fighting in the kriffing Clone Wars.

16:5:20 GrS (19 BBY)
Above Coruscant
Core

Two Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors carved their way across the tumultuous, chaotic naval battlefield hovering over the capital world of the Republic. They zipped past various Venator-class Star Destroyers of the Open Circle Fleet in the midst of engaging the various capital ships used by the Confederate Navy. One Venator, with a SPHA-T loaded into its lower hangar, fired a striking beam of bright, searing blue. They dipped over the resulting fireball from the Separatist ship nailed by the attack. It wasn't enough to destroy the vessel, but it was crippled enough that neither Jedi piloting the interceptors expected it to return to the battle.

As they moved away from the explosion, they broke into open space and spotted an all-too-familiar sight and their target: the slippery and evasive Providence-class dreadnought, the Invisible Hand.

The astromech droid of the yellow interceptor whistled, its blue and grey head turning to face the cockpit.

"Lock onto him, Artoo. Master, General Grievous' ship is right ahead of us," said Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. "The one crawling with vulture droids."

"Oh, I see it. Well, this is going to be easy," snarked Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master.

The vulture droids on the Invisible Hand noticed their approach and disengaged. A few wings of droid tri-fighters moved from elsewhere in the battle to join the impending wave of enemy fighters.

"Oddball, do you copy?" Kenobi asked into his comm.

The clone pilot in question was quick to answer. "Copy, Red Leader."

"Mark my position and form up on me."

Several ARC-170 starfighters descended from above, moving into position as ordered.

"We're on your tail, General Kenobi. Setting S-foils into attack formation."

"Let them pass between us, Anakin," Obi-Wan said preemptively. "We let the clones do their job so we can do ours."

"Understood, master," Anakin grumbled. He then added in an overly cheerful voice, "This is where the fun begins."

"Should leave flying to droids," Obi-Wan muttered.

Before the blue and grey vulture droids and tri-fighters could descend upon them and blast away in a hope to vape them, a rogue starfighter cut through their line, quad lasers blazing hot as it fired upon the Separatists. Several droid fighters were destroyed in the pass while more broke off, their programming reacting to the sudden attack and being drawn away from the Jedi threat immediately before them.

"Who was that?" Obi-Wan questioned, forcing himself to focus on weaving through the enemy, both intact and shattered.

"I don't know," Anakin responded, grinning, "but I'm going to find out." He opened a broad Republic comm frequency and said, "Unidentified snub fighter, this is General Skywalker. Identify yourself."

Several tense seconds passed without a response. To his surprise, Anakin received a connection via, to his surprise, an encrypted Jedi frequency. There was a brief hesitation; then a woman responded. "This is, uh, Rogue One, General Skywalker. Please use, ah…Jedi techniques for further communications." The comm clicked off.

"You hear that, master?"

"I did," Obi-Wan confirmed. "We should assume our mystery friend is trained, though I wonder by whom. Only the most talented and powerful of Jedi use the Force to communicate mentally—unless they have a bond."

"True. Though we have been fortunate the Separatists haven't been able to crack our comm encryptions." Anakin then jerked his fighter as missiles launched by a vulture droid nearly struck home. Artoo rudely blared at the near miss. "Yes, yes, Artoo. I'll be safer next time. At least we haven't seen any buzz droids yet."

Anakin smirked at the loud sigh from Obi-Wan. "Please don't say things like that, Anakin. You know what hap—"

Before he could finish, there was a poof of metal before them—vulture droid missile, Anakin frowned—and a couple dozen large balls drifted so they would be in place for when the interceptors flew past them. With hissing pops, the nasty interior of several buzz droids appeared on their starfighters, their three red eyes gleaming, appeared on the starfighters.

"Look what you did, Anakin!"

"Master, this is not my fault," he protested. Anakin then turned to Artoo and added, "Middle eye, Artoo. Zap 'em hard."

Artoo twirled and quickly zapped off the three buzz droids moving in to carve him apart. Anakin grinned and glanced left. That side of his fighter was fortunately clear of the lethal pests.

"They're all over me," Obi-Wan reported, morose. "Leave me, Anakin. Get to the Chancellor."

'I got you, General Kenobi. Focus on your mission.'

Anakin stiffened at the psychic voice. He glanced back and saw not the clone 170s behind them, but the mysterious fighter that had cut through the wave of Separatist fighters. It was mostly deep grey and black, though there was spots of white that appeared to mimic a star field scattered across the long nose and up the main chassis. He mentally worked through the various starfighters he knew and determined it was likely an Incom/Subpro Z-95 Headhunter, though one so heavily modified it could be its own fighter—especially with the S-foils and quad laser set up.

'Good to see you, Rogue One,' Anakin said through the Force. 'What are you flying?'

'We can talk shop after the battle, Skywalker. Now let me concentrate on your master.'

With that, the presence of the Force touching his mind slid away. There were then five blasts from the mystery fighter, each and every one a clear shot removing buzz droids while leaving Obi-Wan's red fighter unmarred, then a final message. 'You're clear of buzz droids, General Kenobi. Good luck with the Count.'

And with that, the fighter pulled away, seemingly vanishing against the few patches of stars poking through the bright flashes of lasers, fighters, and capital ships.

"You know, Anakin," Obi-Wan began, "there's something about her that reminds me of you. And it's not her flying."

"Yeah," Anakin said as they drew closer to General Grievous' ship. "I was feeling something like that too."

Jaina wanted to squeal like a silly Coruscanti schoolgirl from the bad holovids she'd watched as a girl. She had just flown with her grandfather, the Anakin Skywalker, and with the Obi-Wan Kenobi. The same man who had begun her uncle's training as a Jedi, and in doing so had led him to rebuild the fallen order and bring justice back to the galaxy. That thought soured her mood, thinking of what would soon happen. She carved through a rather sparse section of the battle, where several droid fighters were turning around to regroup. The Sword of the Jedi was upon them before their processers even knew they were being fired upon.

At least the Vong were a challenge, she thought, coming about. Jaina guided her StealthX to follow several ARC-170s as they cut closely along the lower hull of a Munificent-class star frigate. She fired a shadow bomb—the propulsion-less proton bombs widely used by the Jedi during the Vong War—and curved it up into the frigate as she passed around before firing her quad lasers upon the bridge at close range. The shields quickly fell, melting transparisteel and durasteel and exposing the bridge to open space. Several droids spilled out, flailing at the sudden loss of gravity. Point defense guns fired as she flew away, but the Force alerted her to their firing patterns and guided her safely towards a new target: one of the looming Lucrehulk-class battleships.

"As Grandfather said," Jaina murmured as her approach came to an end, "This is where the fun begins."

She quickly checked her remaining shadow bomb total—two remaining in each launcher—and began her attack. Jaina curved her StealthX around the towers and dishes serving as sensor and communication arrays until she reached the great ridge on the neck connecting the ball center to the circular body. She opened fire with her lasers, blasting away at the shields until she felt the shatterpoint in them through the Force. She fired off two bombs with a minor delay between launches, reaching through the Force to guide them towards their destinations. The first nailed the shatterpoint in the shields and brought them down in a bright flash. The second reached its target—the ridge—and exploded through the durasteel, shattering the generator within. Jaina came about and fired once more until the ridge was slagged into nothing but molten durasteel and spluttering power relays.

As she pulled her StealthX away from the Lucrehulk, one of the Venators fired down upon the central section several times until it was vaped, leaving the remaining circular body to fall into the orbit of Coruscant.

Jaina glanced back and smirked in that way she knew was fully Solo. Large clone fighters were sweeping in to blast the leftovers apart, chipping away with bright blue bolts.

And then she froze, feeling a death in the Force. Jaina knew little about the man known as Count Dooku, but one was the fact his death was part of many events that had led her grandfather towards the dark side—

Towards becoming Darth Vader.