A.N.

This is it- The Final Chapter is here!

I honestly enjoyed this story, and the most challenging thing was keeping the mystery about the Empire’s origins shrouded.

I complete this chapter, so that it may tie in when the next sequel, the final installment of my Star Wars/Kim Possible crossover. Fans of Resurgeance and this one can look forward to it sometime in the future.

Enjoy!

Chapter 16 –A New War

Night fell. Kim stepped in to the escape tunnel that leads her through the mountain that the Rebel Headquarters was built on.

On the other side of the mountain was complete and utter blackness, she could feel heavy rain falling on her face and could hear it splashing on the muddy ground she stepped on. She looked ahead and could make out a town- a burning town.

Sounds of blaster-fire echoed from within, she could also hear distant Tie Fighters making bombing runs and disengaging. Above the town was the ever haunting presence of a star destroyer- its interior lights gleaming in the night sky.

How iconic it is that a technological floating fortress would overshadow such a primitive little village. Scorched stony walls surrounded its white painted mud buildings. It had a bashed gate where some light escaped and reflected against a simple path.

When she stood over the remains of the base before she came here she knew that a few of the rebels must’ve fled through the tunnel. As she made her way towards it she had spotted a simple clue to Dan’s survival- His light saber. He had deliberately placed it on one of the carts in hopes that she would find it when she comes. Such a foolproof idea, yet suicidal!

But she did not expect the Empire to reach here before her. Now the Rebellion is over for sure.

Kim rapidly snuck beside the edge of the gate and peeked through to see little, but a few damaged houses and a wide long muddy course that would guide her into nothing but uncertain shadow. A few fires reflected light against the white walls. It’s clear the Empire had little effort breaking into this town…it’s the brave Rebels who are doing all the struggling.

Staying close to the walls, Kim paced sneakily under the rain, her feet splashing in the mud. Tapping into the force, Kim sprinted and dived on to the roof of a house. Staying low, she peeked over the other side and spotted a crowd of storm troopers across the road from her. They edged near a corner trying to spot the threats in the shadows of a shop. But then a pair of obscure characters popped out of an alleyway on the far end of the road. They took a few shots at the white armored men and tried to flee, but they weren’t fast enough, and both of them fell on the cold mud with scorched holes in their backs.

Taking this opportunity, Kim leapt to the ground, and snuck behind the distracted storm troopers to the other end, where she disappeared in the darkness. She could hear another battle getting closer as she walked, but her training kept her calm. Regardless, she almost lost her breath when a squad of three battle hardened militia men emerged in the light of a massive fire that was engulfing a small building in front of her, one of them was dragging the other by rapping his arm over his shoulder, who looked wounded, while the third directed some sort of a weapon into the sky and fired a rocket at some target. They then disappeared just as quickly as they appeared.

As Kim treaded closer to the burning building, she heard a distant scream coming from above. She struggled to make it out in the rain- a blazing Tie Fighter, plunging at an incredible speed towards a distant location in the village. It disappeared behind what appeared to be the town center, and was later swallowed up by a magnificent explosion that made Kim’s legs quiver. The rebels always make every shot count.

Ron marched through the town center. Transport shuttles lifted from the ground and others came down, all around him were storm troopers breaking into houses and bringing out families. Children were crying, women were screaming, men were brought to silence.

But strangely enough, Ron felt neutral about all this. He simply, didn’t care. His chest was just…hollow.

He watched one instance, where two troopers lifted a man out from an alley by his arms and legs and tossed him in a puddle of mud. Before he could crawl away the soldiers riddled him with blaster fire. It was as simple as that. Clearly the now smoking man didn’t answer their questions, or refused to cooperate in some other way.

It’s weird that Ron thought of it this way. His old self would’ve stopped them, or tried to save the man, but then again, his old self would be with Kim now. He’d still be her goofy, frightened side kick. He would not have these new found powers, he would not have grey skin and colorless hair…he’d be a pathetic loser. Not a powerful champion of the Empire.

Ron lifted his nose up as he walked, nodding to an officer who gave him a salute, and paced beneath a small arch leading to another section of the town, where a large group of storm troopers just disembarked from their shuttle and stood at attention, in front of them was an officer in green clad uniform, still a little dry and clean from mud.

He saluted Ron, “Sir, the rebels are just beyond this point. With your permission we will go.”

A simple command and the fate of the entire revolution is determined- he so loves this. He looked at the faceless troops, and then up at the lights of The Naco floating closely above them. He faced the officer again and asked, “Where’s lord Vader?”

“He will be here shortly.” The officer replied, “He insisted that you be given command for this operation. So, what are your orders, sir?”

And so Vader is testing him. Didn’t Ron already prove himself already? Why doesn’t he trust him yet? He sacrificed so much to reach here, and still receives no recognition. How much more must a man give to earn his master’s trust? What more will the Sith ask of him before he’s accepted in their ranks?

Ron sighed in frustration, and finally nodded, “Go.”

Ron watched as the captain bowed and gestured for the troops to move forward.

“Wait!” Ron called and the officer turned, “I want the prisoners alive. Leave them to me.”

Again, he bowed and disappeared under the harsh rain and the darkness of the town along with the storm troopers.

Finally, Kim arrived at the scene where she originally heard the noise, but instead of savage battles and raging fires, she found wet silence and…death.

Her hand rushed to her mouth, and the other to her stomach. Quickly she ran to the nearest wall and steadied herself before the world became a complete haze and she threw up her lunch.

She then straightened up, grimacing as she journeyed past the horrors that lay dead in the mud, she spotted the occasional grieving families, huddling in the corners or over the bodies. But she cannot stay here if she ever wishes to see her master again. Just this once, she took a hold of her emotions, as hard as that may have been, and kept going.

No doubt Imperial troops are not far from here. Instead she took a different route. She climbed the nearest wall, landing on the other side in a splash and crept through the narrow path between the houses, until she could hear the yelling and shouting of the storm troopers coming from around one of the corners.

She leaned her back against a wall, and peeked on the other side.

The battle was bloody, but quick. The rebels barely put up a fight before they surrendered. And just as Ron ordered, the prisoners were left for him.

The rain made a quick job of covering the bloody mess on the ground. All the dead lay cold and motionless, slowly disappearing under the mud. Ron showed up as soon as it all ended, he paced proudly in front of the row of prisoners, shivering and frightened, they were all young- about his age, blaster pistols directed at their heads from the back by a line of their captors.

Ron sighed and shook his head, he turned and looked at the officer responsible, unlike their last meeting, the officer looked messy and wet, a little winded after the gun battle.

“Is that all?” Ron asked, annoyed.

The man pointed in the direction of what appeared to be a damaged and smoking tavern, “No sir, there’s one more in the back.”

“Show me who you’ve got.” Ron snapped as he followed the officers’ lead. He directed him through the ruins of the building, under the fallen pillars and past the broken wood till they walked through a large gaping hole in the wall.

On the other side Ron found a group of Imperial soldiers, all standing a few steps from each other in a semi-circle, alert and directing their guns at a wet, robed and hooded old man sitting on his knees with his back against a wall. He appeared to be meditating until Ron showed up then he opened his eyes and watched him approach.

“There you are, at last!” Ron chuckled to himself and stood over him, “So master Jedi, are you feeling all powerful now?”

Dan said nothing he looked down on the ground and ignored him.

Ron crouched beside him and glared at his face, waving his fingers mystifyingly, “What trick of the light side is going to save you this time?”

Finally Dan spoke, “I have no need to be rescued, Stoppable- I’ve done all I can.”

“Hmph,” Ron stood, and served his boot in Dan’s gut, “pathetic! All you Jedi are pathetic!”

“That’s enough, Stoppable!” a loud booming voice came from beside them, as two large black boots stepped into Dan’s view, belonging to a towering black suited metal man, he studied the victim, “Well then, Master Dan- it’s been a long time.”

Dan narrowed his eyes on the mask, trying to recognize the face behind it.

“Do you not recognize me?” Vader asked, but then Dan’s eyes widened with horror- he knew him all too well.

“No- that’s impossible.” Dan gasped, trying to make sense of this nightmare, “You couldn’t, not you Anakin- never you…you wouldn’t!”

Vader interrupted, “You act surprised, Dan. Did you not see this coming?”

Dan breathed heavily, terrified and confused, “Why did you do it Anakin? You’re supposed to be our savior…our protector…you were the…”

“Do not even say it!” Vader snapped, gesturing a finger in Dan’s face, “Do not dare utter those words again!”

Ron watched the interaction intently, bewildered and intrigued at Vader’s tormenting of this old man. Dan lowered his head, his hood covering all his face now. And as the rain soaked him, Ron could not tell if the trickles on his face were his tears or were just streaming water from his hair.

Vader lectured again, “Your order is finished, Dan. The Jedi, the Republic, all your forms of corruption have been erased. Now Jedi, your last breath will mark the end of this tiresome war.”

Vader turned his head in the direction of Ron. It was clear he wanted him to end the life of the prisoner. Now Dan raised his head, and met eyes with him.

He gestured to Vader and spoke, “He and I have lost everything, Stoppable. We have nothing to fight for anymore,” Vader’s haunting breaths hinted he was still watching him, “You on the other hand still have a choice. There is still someone who cares about you, a friend who’s been with you through a lot, someone who loves you for who you are.”

Ron frowned, this man’s babbling was beginning to get to him, and weaken him. He turned away from the Jedi Master and the Sithlord, giving them his back.

Dan eyed Vader and looked back at Ron then continued, “You do not have to be like him, you still have a choice. Even now, you can change if only you could let go, Stoppable...Let go Ron, and come back to the light. It’s your only hope before you fall completely...and then it will be too late.”

Ron furiously turned, igniting his light saber and brought it down swiftly on Master Dan, “Shut up!”

Dan’s body fell on its side in the mud right before Kim’s spying eyes.

Dismayed and horrified, Kim instantly brought her hands to her mouth to avoid screaming. She put her back against the wall and allowed her legs to lower her to the ground. That was it.

There was no glory, there was no honor, and now there’s no hope.

The Rebellion, as it had started in its splendid climb to victory, battle after battle, ended in one tragic blow- a personal blow, one that carved Kim’s heart.

Her master and only friend, a man she could call the grandfather she never had, has just met his fate and there was nothing she could’ve done about it. Worse still, her once best friend, so engulfed in the dark side, so obsessed with power now, was responsible for designing and bringing that blow.

Overwhelmed, terrified, and heartbroken Kim almost ripped her hair out in frustration and couldn’t even gather the strength to hold back her tears. She sat and wept, the rain disguising her tears, soaking her to the marrow, slowly drowning her in mud. That was until a hand landed on her shoulder.

She leapt in shock, gasping to catch her breath but was met with a voice she was glad to hear, “Shush! it’s alright it’s only me!”

The face of Doctor Venture, the man she recently helped remember his wife’s last words before her death, appeared from the shadow, “Come on, we need to get out of here there isn’t much time!”

Kim eagerly followed his lead, through dark pathways and abandoned shelters until they reached a small gate leading out of town. In front was an old beaten up truck waiting for them, a few people were sitting in its open-top back.

“Quickly,” He whispered gesturing to the back of the truck, “Get on board!”

She didn’t need to think twice when Doctor Quarrel, a man who goes wherever Venture goes, extended his hand for her from the back. She took it and sat beside him near the edge of the truck, Venture quickly followed and then sat opposite her calling for the driver to go.

The truck immediately moved, its engine whining as the vehicle made its rapid retreat, away from the burning village.

No one on board spoke since the truck drove through that gate. The driver struggled to keep it from sliding off the path, and that made for a bumpy ride, but no one cared. Rather, their thoughts all still dwelled in that town, where they’ve all lost someone dear, a family member, or a friend...or a teacher.

With her knees up, and her elbows resting on them, Kim sunk her face in her hands. Everyone else though bitterly glared at the star destroyer still hovering over the village.

Moments have passed until finally Doctor Venture spoke, “Well, that’s it…its over.”

“Everything we researched, every effort we put into this project…all came to naught.”

Kim listened as the two doctors put out one negative thought after another; she kept expecting a motivating word to come from someone, but was instead bogged down with more pessimism.

Venture again muttered, “We were so close, if only we had a little more time I know we could’ve discovered their weakness!”

“You know,” Kim interrupted shrugging, her voice a little hesitant, “whenever my father lost a project he would always say,” she smiled and rolled her eyes then finally continued by pointing a finger to her head, “I’ve got it all up here.”

The two doctors looked at each other, Venture then nodded thoughtfully, “Then..let’s try to remember what we found out.”

Quarrel began, “So, we’ve got these ‘Dark Disciples’, who knew the Empire was coming.”

Kim added while pointing at Venture, “And we know your wife was a member, who was betrayed by another member called Wiley.”

“And the Empire then arrived,” Venture nodded, “exactly when the palace was lifted from the ground. So, what about these crystals everyone is talking about?”

“I know this one,” Kim pointed out, recalling the library incident, “They control the Sith ghosts, that is why Wiley betrayed your wife. He wanted to get his hands on those crystals.”

The two doctors exclaimed in unison, “The spirit crystals!”

“’Break the spirits and seal the unopened gates’.” Quarrel muttered, “That is definitely referring to what Master Dan realized, the Sith did somehow build a gateway to their galaxy. And their spirits are the key to opening and sealing that vortex.”

Kim sighed, “It’s too late now. It’s no wonder the Empire always overwhelmed us.”

Quarrel looked at Venture, “With these ‘Dark Disciples’ using the crystals to force the Sith ghosts to open that portal, the Empire kept resupplying themselves. There’s no stopping them when they have an entire galaxy of troops at their disposal.”

Venture shook his head in disappointment, “There’s nothing we can do now.”

Kim finally interrupted the silence and looked up, “where are we headed anyway?”

A voice came from the front of the truck. They looked to find the driver looking at them through the crack in the rear window, an elderly man, a scar on one eye with a patch barely covering its ghastly nature, “To Mongolia!”

“Mongolia?” Kim winced, “What’s there?”

The driver laughed, “It’s a refugee camp, no more, no less.”

He turned to focus on keeping the truck steady, while Quarrel filled her in, “some scouts reported before the battle that a lot of the people fled to that area because the Empire has no control there, nor does it know of the camps’ existence, simply because it is nothing but a barren and rocky land.”

Kim nodded and leaned back for the long ride. Suddenly Kim found her self remembering her family.

They fled the day the Empire became planet-side. To where, she did not know, for how long, they did not say. But she preferred it that way, to know that they are not in harms way is all she cared about. Perhaps, they are in Mongolia.

The only way to know is when they get there and then maybe she can plan her next move. This war may be over, but a more personal war has just begun. She could feel it pounding heavily in her heart.

Ron has pulled his last strings, and now it’s time she faced him. He and the rest of the Empire may think that the threat of the rebellion is over and that there is no danger left to worry about. But that thought is going to be their downfall.

This war will be the one to rid the world from the tyranny of the Empire, once and for all. And through it she will become a Jedi Knight.

This war is her war.

A.N.

And so, the build up to the final battle begins in the next installment.

As you must have noticed, this story has seen our characters grow. They’ve become stronger, and more mature, more independent…they’re no longer teens, they’re adults.

The worry now is will Kim be able to compose herself? Or will she go on a hunt, driven by her lust for revenge? She will face great difficulties in the future.

Ron, whose fate still remains uncertain, and looks rather grim, will attempt to fuel Kim’s anger, and then use it to serve his own aims- more on that later.

The Empire, although has seen a great victory, is beginning to falter from within, as you will see in the next installment. Doubts about their loyalty to the emperor, and suspicions about goals of his servants will spark a lot of friction in the chain of command.

I know I will really enjoy writing the sequel, and I hope you all will enjoy reading it.

I wish to thank all my readers- especially CMY and Sacred White Phoenix, for sticking with this story and reviewing.

I really appreciated your comments, and I hope you will join the ride for the final installment:-)