What's that? I'm doing this just because the Kenobi series came out with its first two episodes (which I have not watched at the time I'm writing this) and am trying to appease the algorithm?
Why must you be so cynical? It's so uncivilized!
Last time, we left on a cliffhanger where Mace, Tialna's brother Lunn, and Tialna herself had fallen into a trap alongside two Inquisitors set by none other than Regent Tarkin. Just as things seem bleak for Mace and company, an explosion rocks the prison. Mace and Lunn use the chaos in order to escape and the culprit is revealed - Obi-Wan and Anakin, having spoken with Mace before leaving and having worked out a little bit of deviousness of their own to preempt the trap that they presumed Tarkin would set. The explosion unlocks all the prison cells, leaving Tarkin and his men having to contain a full-scale prison riot.
While Anakin has overloaded the prison's power systems, Tialna had fulfilled her part in the distraction and gets saved by Obi-Wan, heading off with him to rejoin the others. In the prison, Mace fights his way through the rush of guards and inmates and eventually manages to reach Tarkin himself. Mace demands to know where Mas Amedda is being kept, that there is something going on here that even Tarkin himself does not know. Tarkin, in his usual manner, dismisses his concerns as nonsense and refuses to cooperate.
Mace takes it well... by reaching into Tarkin's mind with the Force. It is a painful scene as Mace risks dipping into the Dark Side as he does with his Vaapad fighting style, piercing through Tarkin's mental defenses just enough to find out Amedda's location. One of Tarkin's troops ends up breaking Mace's concentration, however, and Tarkin manages to escape despite his clear mental distress from the incident. Obi-Wan naturally expresses some worry about Mace flirting with the Dark Side just there, but Mace insists that they stay on topic and get to Amedda.
The Jedi party manages to escape the prison, getting back to Pathfinder II and taking off to meet with the prison transport carrying Amedda. Mace, Anakin, and Obi-Wan board it and cut their way through plenty of Stormtroopers to get to the bridge, commandeering the ship and finding Amedda in quite the terrible state, but still alive. Given the day he has had, he gives the Jedi information to confirm much of what they already know - Palpatine is indeed alive and has been working on plans outside of the war between the Empire and the Rebellion.
This is demonstrated by an attack of both the prison ship and Pathfinder II by a Sith infiltrator armed to the teeth. Blindsided, they barely have time to respond before their weapon systems and engines are taken out. The infiltrator captures the prison ship in a tractor beam, taking Mace, Anakin, and Obi-Wan along with its chosen prey of Amedda and leaps into hyperspace. Lunn and Tialna only just manage to get Pathfinder II back online and they call the Jedi Council to inform them of what has happened.
On the prison ship, still in transit, Amedda decides to explain to them all where they are going. Palpatine has been hiding out on a space station orbiting the forest moon of Endor, quietly preparing his new weapon. He estimates that the construction of it is already completed or is nearing completion at this very moment, which is likely where they are being transported to. When asked how Palpatine survived his apparent death, Amedda declares that he does not know, but they are being taken there nonetheless.
Meeting up with the Jedi Council again, Lunn and Tialna give their full account about their escape and about the capture of the three Jedi Masters. Immediately, using the data from Pathfinder II to project their hyperspace corridor, they determine that the infiltrator was going to somewhere in the Endor system. As they make the necessary preparations for their trip, the infiltrator and its captured quarry arrive at Endor.
There, indeed, the Jedi and Mas are witness to a massive space station orbiting one of the moons of the gas giant. It's still in construction, but is also significantly larger than the Death Star seen under construction way back in Part 10. Brought onboard, they find themselves taken into custody by several Sith Troopers and brought before a mysterious figure that none of them recognize... at first...
"Hello, gentlemen. It has been quite some time since we were all together like this, hasn't it?"
The three Jedi Masters soon realize who they are facing: Palpatine. A much younger, more physically able Palpatine.
And... that's where we're going to end off with Part 16. Somehow, Palpatine has returned... but how? Will the Jedi be able to rescue Mace, Anakin, and Obi-Wan in time? What is Palpatine's ultimate plan? In Part 17, the answers to some of these questions will be revealed... and we will start coming to the end of this What If story.
Stick around!
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