As the Dark Times fade.


When Carlin finishes unpacking when he sees an officer walking towards him. "Private, I'm Lt. Commander Lokin. Are you done here?" The man says in what is clearly not an actual question, getting the attention of his new shipmates. Some looking amused, while others did not.

"Huh... Yes sir?" He asks. It felt like ages since the last time he'd been addressed by rank.

"Good. Your presence is requested on the briefing cabin." The officer tells him.

As the two make their way through the ship, Carlin gazes around as he wonders how many clones marched up and down the same corridors... how many battles they were a part of... and which of the Jedi served with them until the war ended in the worst way possible.

"I hardly need to be like you to know what you're thinking." His escort says, bringing Carlin back to the present. "The Admiral will tell you anything you wish to know."

"Like how not everyone here is happy that I'm here, sir?"

"It's understandable; don't forget that they weren't all on the old republic's side."

Once at the destination, the ship's commander stands. "Carlin Deler? I'm Captain Hurb Derimoor." He says, while motioning to a chair. "I heard of that feat you pulled off. Sounded just like my uncle's stories."

"Did you now?" Carlin asked, not nearly as eager to recall his latest brush with death.

"Damn right i did. He was also a Venator's captain for both the old republic and the empire. That ship was the Tenacious, and alongside him was a Jedi named K'Kruhk." The captain replies, and tells him about the battles of Teyr, Hypori, and Saleucami until the final story. "Not long after he'd been convinced to investigate a matter on Arkinnea that even my parent's didn't get the full details of; one of Darth Vader's junior officers suggested an inquiry about said incident. Fortunately, Vader was too busy searching for a much more troublesome Jedi to follow up on it... Forcing that officer to pass his suspicion on to the NIA, who sent it to Yularen. It took a few years to prove it, but he and a commander named Teron were arrested by the ISB, since Teron had been hiding the fact that K'Kruhk and a small number of fellow survivors were on Arkinnea... but he never revealed how long they were there. While the ISB was able to confirm that my uncle never saw any of them during the previously mentioned investigation, both were still executed... along with Teron's family(1)."

Carlin shook his head before wondering if 'K'Kruhk' was the mysterious voice he heard a few hours ago before his next question. "This isn't the Tenacious, then?"

"No, a year after my uncle was killed, that ship was lost with all hands while testing some device they stole from a planet called Seylott. This one was called the Sidrona, and was still under repair from the surprise attack over Coruscant when the war ended." The captain says, and tells him that when the imperial-class star destroyers were created, he had been part of a skeleton-crew taking her to Raxus Prime for scrapping when the Partisans, who were not yet their own faction at the time, ambushed them enroute. "After Gerrera rounded up the last of us in one of the airlocks, he had his henchbeings search us. One of them found a Hololetter from K'Kruhk that i held onto about his hideout on Arkinnea having been discovered... so he let me live. Sure, he personally broke one of my ribs out of frustration; but it was worth it. When we heard about Alderaan, several ships were renamed, which is why this one is now the Iraida, which had been a species of animal there."

Carlin groans as he is unintentionally reminded about Contruum, but accepts it due to having grown up seeing the misery of those who lived through the last war. "As good as it is to hear that Miss Tano may not be the only Jedi still alive, can we talk about something else, please?"

"...Alright then. I've been informed you were in law enforcement, meaning you're familiar with pistol training." Capt. Derimoor says in response.

"Yes, captain; the KO-2 model. I've also had training-of-sorts with a light freighter's point defense weaponry."

"That makes things a bit easier; all you need is rifle training. You'll need it if you ever drain the cells for that glow stick." The captain tells him, and sends him on his way.

As Carlin heads back to the barracks, he gets the feeling he's being stared at, but doesn't see anybody who isn't pre-occupied.


Not long afterwards, the taskforce makes a stop on Seelos for the targeting practice. "Is that a 1st-gen AT-AT down there?" Carlin hears from B'ree as she looks out the U-wing's window. He looks as well to see an imperial walker with a platform on it's back standing next to a VCX-series freighter.

"A what-why the hell're we headed for one of those?" Haltor asks aloud while Jubbo pulls his ears over his eyes.

"At ease; that egg carton is one of ours." Capt. Rey tells them. "A couple of clones brought it down 4 years ago." He adds, causing Carlin to see everyone complaining.

Once they land, the squad are greeted by three individuals, with a line of poles, one having a stormtrooper helmet on it, while several others were in a pile nearby. "Alright shinies, I'm CC-3636, 104th battalion, GAR... atleast, i used to be called that. Now, it's just Wolffe. You obviously don't like me being here... and i don't either." The one with a vertical scar tells them before he notices something and scowls. "You."

"Here we go." The "something" says while looking away, only for Wolffe to point to Carlin.

"Pvt... Tunjas; you will be foxholed with Pvt. Deler." The clone tells them as he checked a datapad, causing the former to go wide-eyed.

"Thought ya weren't gonna mess with 'em." The second person, who Carlin's recognized as the Lasat that Bridger served with, commented while he and the girl with the atrociously decorated armor glanced at the clone.

When all of them, except for the too-short-to-carry-a-rifle Vook, are paired up, the Lasat places some helmets on the empty poles, and speaks up. "I'm Capt. Zeb. Each of ya probably guessed by now that yer gonna be doin' target practice with these buckets until ya go "Aw, karabast, my trigger finger's gonna fall off!"... well i don't care, and neither do the millions of chumps wearing 'em; so get started!"

And with that, Carlin and his temporary partner take their place in one of the pits and blast away. "Go ahead and start." The latter says after his 9th shot.

"We already did."

"Don't play dumb with me, I've been hearing it before my metamorphosis." He says in a bored tone. "Which war-crime are you going to blame the neimoidian for?"

Carlin sighs after a few seconds. "I've been to the memorial at the Chandrilan capitol city since it's grand opening." He replies.

"Lok Durd."

"You are not him, Geph; and I am not a Hanna resident." Carlin tells him. He is given a wary look, and continues with the session.

Following a break, Carlin is called to the head of the group by Wolffe. "Pvt. Deler; I've been told you're Ahsoka Tano's padawan."

"I believe she used that term once, sir, but the meaning escapes me."

"...Why do we gotta work with this one, he talks too much like Screed." The Lasat complained after gawking at him.

"Because Hera said so." The girl replied.

"I also don't think it's as accurate as you do." Carlin tells Wolffe, who seems to not believe him.

"Kandosii! Not sure if you know it, but it's come full-circle, pup. When i was closer to your age, i served under the council-member who brought Ahsoka into the order... General Plo Koon." The clone says, unknowingly explaining why that name was the first of "the roster" that Tano showed him during the vision on Berchest. Only Wolffe didn't give any emotion to his words.

Everybody present could tell that he didn't want to.

"Pvt. Deler, I'm Sabine Wren... i take it you atleast know what this is?" She asks him to break up the gloom as she holds up a rectangular object, out of which a black blade emerged. "The darksaber was made by the only Mandalorian Jedi."

It was those words that made Carlin recognize the armor's shape. His history class had covered the wars between them and the old republic, but also led him to think that it only ended when the Jedi exterminated them. He reaches for his lightsaber, only for a fibercord to wrap around him. "I said mandalorian jedi." She tells him as she tugs on it. "I learned enough about using it from Kanan and that red-head who turned out to be an imp assassin(2)."

"Heheh, better give her a shove in the next minute or she wins." The Lasat tells him.

"How am i sup... posed to do that in this condition?" Carlin asks, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"...Ahsoka didn't teach you to use the force to make stuff fly or how to push down stormtroopers?" Sabine asks while retracting the cord.

"She did tell me how to use a holocron she was loaned; but after that, i was on my own." Carlin explained.

Sabine looks at Zeb and Wolffe, who both shrug, and she takes a stance. "Ezra mentioned learning from some tiny ghost in the Lothal ruins before it hid itself, so i wouldn't worry too much, old man."

"Old man? I'm only 23, you color-crazed little..." Carlin says under his breath before he raises his blade.


Two months later, the Tarpals Taskforce is near the Llon Nebulae. Carlin is speaking with Jubbo, whom he learned was the 35th's tracker, and had been a slave miner on Fest until being freed in 10AFE by the Atrivis group, when he is called to the com-prep room along with the taskforce's leaders, since while he's only a subordinate, his potential makes him as important as an officer. "What did you call us for, Admiral?" The projection of the leader of the Tarpal's (gray) squadron asks that ship's commander, Admiral Ecklin.

"Base One received this distress signal from an outpost in the Shapani sub-sector." The Admiral says, and shows the message.

"-akteen Depot calling B-ZZZZ-rial ships just dropped o-ZZZZ-ourmous-ZZZZZZZZZ." They hear from the site's frightened communications officer.

"Considering how many attackers she mentioned... and what it cost us and the Green Hawks to take that base... who should we get for our assistance?"

"Admiral Toka's fleet is at Talay in the Mid Rim; but since we're closer, command wants us to delay the empire until he can arrive."

With the briefing adjourned, a ship-wide announcement is given. "Attention, attention; we have just received word that the Laakteen Depot is under attack, enemy numbers unknown. Our orders are to provide delaying tactics until the Talay fleet can repel the enemy. We will exit hyperspace in 1 hour."

Around the same time, he senses a feeling of irritation that isn't his.

This is eventually replaced, however, by the next announcement. "All hands, this is the bridge; we have scanned the depot and found no survivors. Landing action has been switched to retrieval of bodies and any data on which enemy fleet is responsible. That is all."

Once he's back in com-prep, Carlin and the taskforce leaders are shown the depot's sensor recordings of a single vessel by General Dodonna. "Mother of moons." One of them says as they watch it single-handedly wipeout the depot.

"If we hadn't already seen the death star, i wouldn't have thought it possible." Ekclin says before asking for details.

"From what we've been able to determine, this new model star destroyer may be over a dozen times the scale of any we have faced before." Dodonna explains grimly. "Draven's replacement has contacted The Tigress, but until we hear from them, we are to avoid this vessel at all costs." He added, referring to a rebel major who had been arrested following the battle of Yavin when he sabotaged a number of starfighter targeting computers after being demoted for altering a mission's parameters(3).

In the Iraida's hanger, the crew are discussing the abandoned mission when Carlin stops infront of a T4-B after hearing a female voice under it. "Can you hand me a bit-driver, Lin'?"

"I'm not him b... Lin?" He asks while picking it up, causing the person to slide into view... and slams an elbow into his foot a few seconds later. "Gahhh-what the kriff was that for?!" He shouts as Hantor and Vook rush over. "And did i really just use that word?"

"Serves you right for not taking the hint, Jedi." The woman says as Hantor and a Ugor technician restrain her.

"What hint... you're the person who's been staring at me." Carlin realizes as a Twi'lek and a Gran shown up.

"Form up." The Twi'lek commanded. "What is all this about?"

"Zir, Cbl. Wamis abbears to hathe sdruuck Pft. Teler wivout probogation, zir." The technician informs him.

"Is that true, Cpl. Ramis?" The Twi'lek asked her, and has her sent to the brig after she nodded. "As Krill's commander, i apologize for her misbehavior, Private. It won't happen again."

"...Thank you, Lt." Carlin replied, wondering why that girl has an aurabesh letter for a name, and turned when he heard an alien language (which Carlin learned the more unwholesome words of in the CCP).

{She's never been a fan of force-sensitives, but we've never seen her take it that far before.} He is told.

"Vook, tell him: from the accent, you must be a Hok-Gran." Carlin tells the squad's scout.

{Yes, it is. I'm Cpl. Linramkuf, the driver for that T4. You took the time to tell the difference?}

"Let him now i understand enough malastarese to get me locked up with the teacher." Carlin tells Vook next (after noting the Gran's name), and watches him pause before he starts to make what must have been the Gran equivalent of laughter.

After that, Carlin is in the barracks speaking with Rhiss, who is at the base on Jagomir, on a VDV-100. "She did what? For no reason at all?" She asks him.

"She allegedly has some grudge against people like me." He replies while shrugging. "I plan on finding out if i can talk her out of it."

"Uh-huh. When that doesn't work, maybe you can take a shuttle here and talk me out of uniform."

Carlin sputters for a second, and changes the subject. "Ihavetogo, commander'shere... bye." He says, and switches it off. "I miss you, too." He says under his breath before heading over to the hanger to find Krill polishing some droids while the Twi'lek Lt. watches her.

"You here to levitate me from the ceiling until i start crying for mercy?" She asks while sneering at him.

"Ramis!"/"It's okay, Lt.; I've heard worse when i was just another seccer. May i have a word with her alone, please?" Both men say, and the Twi'lek leaves. "Now then, madam, i was given information about certain, long deceased, individuals." Carlin says to her cryptically. "How is that i find myself speaking with one of them, Tano?" he then asks, causing "Krill" to gasp as the togruta walks out from behind a Y-wing.

"I'm not unaware of the resemblance, but you must answer this on your own." She tells him without looking in their direction.

"N-no he doesn't. Go stretch stars, cause I'm busy-no thanks to you." "Krill" says, trying not to pay attention to either of them.

"Are you angry because Bultar Swan was-?" He is asking until she slaps him.

"I don't want to hear that fripper's name; I'm not her, so shut up, shut up, shut up!" She said, screaming the last two words, and started crying, causing the droid she'd been cleaning to make a scolding noise at him. "I don~i don't... because I'm lying... "Krill" stands~for Kessel sa~sample six." She says next.

He blinks before looking to Ahsoka. "Wolffe's "brother" Rex heard from a former 501st trooper that a month after the order fell, eight Jedi held a conclave on Kessel. Darth Vader was led to believe that Obi-Wan Kenobi was attending, but despite nearly losing, he ordered the squad's medic to take blood samples from all but two of them." Tano explains. "I requested him to find this out because she was Plo Koon's padawan at the time i was initiated."

"...Anyway, the vials were sent to Kamino, where they tested one to clone a Jedi... unsuccessfully. The next four were done using different methods, but they eventually gave up and let "me" grow the old-fashioned way." She tells him as she hides her face inbetween her knees. "By that point, whatever Vader wanted us for, he must have forgot about it; so i stayed there until a cadre of natives attempted to rebel. Some of the imperial plastic boys found me and thought i was the child of one of their scientists, so their commander sent me to an orphanage on Eriadu."

"My little sister lost her birth family during the last year of the clone wars... she tends to call me 'Lin." Carlin tells her. "When i was presumed dead, she went insane."

"Is that suppose to make us even?" She asks, but gets no reply. "When i was old enough to live on my own, i had a run-in with an elderly employee of Boonda the Hutt. Once the old man, who Boonda bought and freed from his father Groodo, got over the shock, he told me about how "i" and two other Jedi once aided his people's queen long before Groodo bought his home-moon of Nallastia from the empire. As luck would have it, Boonda regularly trades with the alliance. After i joined them, i met a Blue Squadron pilot named Atnir Ramis. We ended up having a daughter named Octa on your homeworld a year and a half ago, but he was shot down at Eadu(4)."

Carlin thinks for a moment before he and Tano bow their heads. "If there's anything i can do to prove how sorry i am, Cpl. Ramis, please say so."

"...Don't be. I didn't even tell Atnir any of this, so finally admitting it takes a lot off my shoulders."


Following several battles, and a game of give and take involving a bottle of Phattro when Carlin (and half the alliance) heard that Wynssa Starflare had willingly married that eyeball jockey, the Tarpals taskforce exits hyperspace somewhere near the Braxant Run, where the Home One taskforce is waiting. A U-wing goes to the latter for an hour before returning, and both groups make a jump to the fest system.

Once the Iraida's landing craft reach another side of the planet as the Home One ships, Carlin and his squad-mates step out. "This is even worse then the endurance training on Helska IV." He says as he flinches from a breeze.

"You think it's bad?!" Vook asks him. "My planet doesn't even have polar regions." She adds as they watch Jubbo march off before joining five minutes later.

"Sir, do i need my helmet optics readjusted?" One snowtrooper asks as he sees the ortolan stumbling towards them.

"You're not mistaken." His C.O. replies before shoving Jubbo on his back. "How did you get outside, slave?"

"That guy dies first." Zosid says as they watch from a half-mile away.

"As you were, soldier." Capt. Rey told him.

"Transport have accident; only me get here?" Jubbo lies as he points behind him.

"Make sure this lard ball stays put while i call it in." The leader says as he turns to contact the base. "This is SD-650. Were we expecting a new shipment of workers?"

"...Negative. Rotation is clear for the ne-wait, we have inbound signals." He hears. "They're rebel speeders! AT-AT crews, to your stations!"

The lead snowtrooper then hears blaster sounds, and looks back to see Jubbo holding one of his men by the face. "Get your fat paws off of me, you oversiz-pull him off, pull him off!" The captive shouts when he sees tiny teeth inside the fingers(5) over his helmet's eyes before being swung at his C.O.

"Stormy no-goods ruined the lifeyness of my entire herd!" The Ortolan says as he repeats the action.

"Bah; once i find which one of you is which, that'll be the biggest mis..." The disorientated leader replies when he sees Carlin jamming his lightsaber into one of the tankdroids. "Be cautious, that weapon can redirect blasterfire! Isolate and surrou-" He is ordering before Jubbo shoots him.

"Moff Rebus, they've breached the weapons research facility!" Another snowtrooper says into a comlink.

"I can see that, you useless bolt magnets. This is why i told you to copy the Anoat base design!" He is told as a Lambda-class shuttle takes off from a hidden hanger.

"So dat big-moff y'all is gettin' ditched by be fixin' tuh hide 'imself on Anoat?" He hears next from the comlink, and then looks into his macrobinoculars to see Jubbo standing next to Bail while holding one of his ears in their direction.

"What? How'd you get our frequen-" He is asking before being killed by Geph.

Inside the facility, Capt. Rey, Carlin, and several others are fighting through out the corridors until they hear a lot of groaning. The source being a room full of both dead and dying slaves. "B'ree, do what you can here." The Captain says, and leads the rest on.

"We have to stop the Jedi; do any of you still have an N-20-ahhh!" One of the last snowtroopers says as Carlin slashes him at the waist before they find one very large room.

"Well, well... Deler; you, Zosid, and D'Jek take those AT-PTs. I'll call for a Y-4 transport." Capt. Rey orders.

"Yes, sir." The trio says, and run towards the walkers until Hantor is hit. After dragging him the rest of the way, they find that he's gone, and wait for Wendik to take his place.

Unbeknownst to them, the fleeing shuttle contained two Moffs, one of which watches the walkers being commandeered. "I know someone who will be very glad to see you, Carlin Deler." Seerdon says to himself as TIE bombers pass by.


With Hantor's funeral days behind them, Carlin is in the galley watching A Google of Gornts when a bridge officer walks over to him. "Pvt. Deler?"

"Yes?"

"You've been called to the captain's cabin again. Capt. Iblon's ship just landed... it's not good news." He is informed, and runs off to find the Derimoor, Rey, and Tano looking at Jraan's head in a container. The separation point on his neck has the tell-tale scorching of a lightsaber.

"You have our condolences." Capt. Derimoor tells him before explaining. "The imperial who was piloting the Drifting Dream says that they are willing to release the Vurk in exchange for "the starkiller", which we presume has to do with-"

"Did he say where, sir?" Carlin asks him flatly.

"They have no intention of keeping their word; all they want is to kill you the same way as Capt. Iblon." Tano warned.

"Captain; where is the meeting place?" Carlin asked again.

"Tansarii Point Station."

Carlin heads to the barracks to pack all his belongings again when he senses the need to turn around. "I don't know how you got here so quickly, but you won't stop me, Rhiss." He says, showing no reaction to her holding a blaster in his face.

"You are the barviest karking idiot if you think I'm letting you go there alone!" She tells him.

"I'm not the one the empire is looking for, so the Jedi will be brought back with or without me." He tells her as he closes his pack and faces her again. "We will meet again, my emerald. May the force be with you." He says, and leaves as she rants at him.

"Feirfek the force! You even think of dying, and I'll make you wish you were never born in the first place!"

Hours later, Carlin lands the Drifting Dream at Tansarii. "And so the real prize is within my..." Jerec says to himself while envisioning the situation far from the station, only to pause in confusion as both he and Carlin realize which imperial Ralth is the hostage of.

"Toln?"


Chapter six.

(1) Since nothing has been given about what happened between Fire Carrier and the Cade Skywalker comics, this is my version of it.

(2) Darth Maul is just as dead as he was before AOTC.

(3) A side-plot taken from the previous version of this fanfic.

(4) No information exists on Octa's parents aside from the last name.

(5) It does say that Ortolan fingertips are connected to their digestive system, but the teeth part is made up.