Chapter Ten: Retribution

Darth Sidious and Valkorian Vitiate sat in their meditation chamber, concentrating with all their might. The capture of President Snow mattered little to them and their plans, but the deaths of Malgus, Dooku, Grievous, and their Inquisitors had put a severe dent in the ranks of their strongest enforcers. Add to that the betrayal of Bo-Katan of Valkorian's Hand, and now they were short one Mandalorian leader as well as those who had joined her. Now, if the Jedi continued their relentless push, they would soon discover the location of their fortress in the jungles of Laos. Valkorian's two sons and daughter would be of little help...they had both perished in the battle of Malachor V after all. So now, all they could do was meditate and plan for what they did have.

Sidious woke first.

"So, shall we summon our fleet in full force to retake Panem all at once?" Valkorian asked him.

"No," Darth Sidious replied. "They would simply respond in kind. Throwing all our forces at them at once would result in many warships and resources wasted. Their troops are resilient, especially now that more than half of Panem is under their flag."

"The Chosen One could still become a powerful ally," Valkorian suggested.

Sidious bit his lip bitterly at the preposterous suggestion. His long thought over plan to have Skywalker as his apprentice had nearly succeeded, but his failure had forced him to pay a great price; his dominion, victory and his physical countenance at the hands of Master Windu deflecting his lightning back at him. Windu's death had given him some sense of revenge, but it did little to compensate his loss of absolute dominion over the galaxy.

Now, if the Jedi won this galaxy wide civil war, the Sith would be no more.

"Now that his apprentice, Commander and Master stand firmly beside him he will easily ignore any more temptations we present to him," Sidious responded with no effort to hide his irritation. "Our only choice would be to consolidate what Sith we can spare here so when the Jedi arrive, they will not leave alive."

"Very well," Valkorian agreed.

They returned to their meditating, fully opening their anger and desire for revenge against the Jedi scum and their weak Republic to the Dark Side of the Force. Their determination and resolve had never been stronger; Valkorian had not returned through time travel to merely be swatted away like a bug.

One way or another, they were going to win.

And all would bow before them.

Katniss knelt in the bushes, waited for the Sith Trooper squad to pass, then silently low crawled to the next set of boulders where her squad of troops and Ahsoka lay in the prone position. Her and the five troopers bore camouflaged paint on their uniforms and even their weapons to blend in with the forest surrounding the Fortress of the Dark Lords of the Sith. Ahsoka looked back and nodded at Katniss, assuring her she had not been spotted. Glancing at Fives and Hevy, she executed a series of hand signals that communicated they were to continue advancing towards the fortress. They nodded, assumed prone positions, and awaited their next opportunity to low crawl. When a good window presented itself, they began their maneuver.

So far, their plan was proceeding smoothly. Once their intelligence units had pinpointed the location of the Sith Fortress in Laos, they had immediately mobilized a massive invasion force. Composed of the clone legions led by Commander Cody, Rex, Ponds, Doom and Gree along with two Rebel Alliance armored divisions led by General Lando Calrissian and Commander Han Solo, the spearhead of this force was Katniss and her squad, Shadow Soldier and his troopers along with General Skywalker, and the Bad Batch who were accompanied by Petta, Prim and Obi-Wan. As of now, they were still in the slow going first phase of their plan. This first phase consisted of them low crawling undetected to manhole covers designated to each respective group. Once they reached their objectives, they would drop into the sewers, use toxin grenades to clear any mutts, and proceed into the fortress. Just like their infiltration of the weapons base, the Bad Batch would seize control of the Command Center while her squad would work with Shadow Soldier's troopers to wreak havoc before calling in their invasion force. While the elite clone troopers, with Prim as their medic, did their duty, Katniss and Petta would go with the four Jedi to confront both Sith Emperors. If they did this right, the war would end here.

And if they did this wrong, not only Panem but the rest of the galaxy was doomed.

Katniss swallowed thoughts of the consequences of failure, concentrating intently on each forward movement of her elbow and knee as she crawled forward. She had not survived decades of adversity, hunting, war, and the Hunger Games to lose. They would prevail, and that was the end of it.

After many long agonizing minutes on their knees and elbows, they finally reached their designated entry point behind some Sith Hover Speeders. As promised, their hologram cloaks had hidden them from prying eyes. Turning the lock with Force, Ahsoka lifted the manhole cover, high crawled and jumped in. Katniss and the five clones quickly followed, and Ahsoka lifted the cover back on. Acting on months of intense training now instilled into them, the five troopers activated the flashlights on their weapons. Not wanting to give the mutts a chance, all seven of them quickly primed the specialized toxin grenades and lobbed them a second apart into the water. Seven underwater bursts followed, and Katniss along with the troopers kept their weapons raised. Only a few seconds and scores of dead mutt bodies rose to the surface, gagging, hissing and some flailing for one last breath before going limp. Silence followed, and the seven fighters began their trek through the murky waters while pushing the corpses of the once fearsome predators aside.

Activating the night vision in their helmets, the clones and Katniss relied on the HUDs of the troopers as well as Ahsoka's sensing of the way inside the base with the Force. A few mutts here and there attempted to ambush them, but Katniss and Ahsoka were quick to dispatch them with their arrows and lightsabers. Motioning for them to freeze, Ahsoka looked up and began slicing a hole in the ceiling while the other six created a perimeter around her. Force punching it up, Ahsoka leapt out of the sewers and into the Fortress's massive Armored Vehicle Garage. Katniss and other five quickly jumped up after her, and they surveyed the scene.

Lines of AAT's, Hailfire Droids, and Sith Hover Speeders ran wall to wall in the garage, with even several massive AT-AT walkers looming in the eastern side. Katniss shuddered at the memory of the damage those walkers dealt in the first invasion, then pushed those thoughts aside. The seven fighters ducked behind an AAT and huddled to make their plan.

"Fives, Echo, go hijack one of the AT-AT's while planting a few bombs on some vehicles on the way there," Katniss began, motioning to each respective trooper as she spoke. "Hardcase, go have some fun in the munitions locker. Hevy and Tup, cause some trouble in the Droid Recharge Center."

"Hell yeah to that, Commander," Hardcase replied eagerly, grinning widely under his helmet.

"Good luck, Commanders Everdeen and Tano," Tup replied. They all began to split up to their respective locations, maintaining stealth on their way there.

Katniss and Ahsoka, for their part, activated a battle droid rack in the wall. As it slid out, they slipped in through the narrow gap between the rack and the wall. Pushing the button to have it retract on their way in, they continued sliding until they reached the small hallway where maintenance droids loaded the battle droids onto the racks for quick deployment onto MTT's. As per their intel on the base, this hallway was inconspicuous and only attended by droids that could easily be snapped like toys. Motioning for them to halt, Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached out to sense any security cameras. Detecting several, she easily crushed them then motioned for them to keep moving forward.

Two Sith Emperors, three teams...one shot.

This was the fight of their lives, the battle that would decide the final victory.

And they were going to win.

.....................

Sergeant Hunter investigated the Command Center one last time from the overhead ventilation shaft. Once he was convinced they had the perfect moment, he looked at the other fighters with him and nodded.

Wrecker went first, punching down his shaft onto the hapless Imperial Officer beneath him, and landing with the full weight of his body on top of him to follow up. Sergeant Hunter maintained unbreakable bearing even at the sound of the poor man's bones cracking beneath Wrecker's boots. Wrecker was soon followed by the other troopers of the Bad Batch along with Petta, Prim and General Kenobi. Force pushing his vent out and jumping down, Master Kenobi landed behind a Sith trooper crewman at his console, taking him by surprise as he turned around.

"Hello there!" Obi-Wan greeted.

The hapless crewman had no chance to respond as Obi-Wan kicked the man square in the chest, knocking all breath out of his lungs. Petta quickly shocked another Sith Trooper aiming at Crosshair, while Tech and Prim dispatched the remaining enemy personnel in the room.

The Command Center had been secured.

"We'll hold the fort here, General," Sergeant Hunter assured Obi-Wan Kenobi. "You and Petta go fulfill your part of the plan. Good luck sir."

"And to you as well, Sergeant," Master Kenobi replied. He and Petta jumped back into the ventilation shaft and resumed their crawl to the Throne Room.

"Wrecker, guard the door and discourage the curious," Sergeant Hunter ordered. "Tech, get onto these computers and see what subtle damage you can do to the base's systems. Crosshair, you and Prim get any useful intel you can find."

They all turned to their delegated tasks, while Sergeant Hunter checked to make sure his connection to call in their battalions guns blazing was secure.

Meanwhile, Shadow Solider and Anakin Skywalker had stolen two sets of Stormtrooper armor and walked through the halls to the throne room. Shadow Soldier's squad, for their part, were to go to the fortress's prison block and attempt to free the Jedi troops imprisoned there. The pieces for the final battle were falling into place, and they could not be stopped.

.....................

Valkorian Vitiate opened his eyes. Something was amiss.

"I sensed it to." Darth Sidious replied.

"So it would seem they have become bold enough to attack us here," Valkorian asserted.

"Or perhaps a ploy for them to throw us off guard," Sidious offered.

"Perhaps," Valkorian answered.

They resumed their meditation.

.....................

Fives and Echo shot their cable guns into the AT-AT's belly, quickly and quietly zipping up into the troop deployment hatch beneath it. Activating his wrist laser cutter, Echo cut a hole small enough for them to fit through and they climbed in. The interior was spacious with enough seats for twenty troops, but the two ARC troopers did not have time to admire anything. They quickly made their way to the cockpit and strapped into both seats.

"You sure we'll be able to commandeer this hunk of junk, Fives?" Echo asked uncertainly.

"Ah come on," Fives laughed. "It'll be just like when we taught ourselves how to fly those Umbaran starfighters."

"Umbara?" Echo repeated out of confusion.

"Oh, right, you weren't there for that." Fives replied.

Echo keyed his comlink and contacted Sergeant Hunter. "Sergeant, has the Command Center been secured?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Echo," Sergeant Hunter assured him. "All additional base defenses are down. You and Fives can proceed as planned. Shadow Soldier's troops are in position in the cell block, sir."

"Roger, Sergeant." Echo replied and keyed his comlink off.

"Let's give them a nice present, shall we?" Fives joked and detonated the explosives.

Nine armored vehicles were blown to smithereens, and maintenance droids along with crew members began running around in confusion. Punching several random controls, Fives activated the AT-AT's lights and all of it's guns. Echo, meanwhile, initiated the behemoth's undocking sequence from the stairwells that led up to it.

"Surprise!!!" Fives bellowed with joy as he unleashed a fierce volley of laser blasts down on the enemy troops below.

Razor, Stak, Boil and Waxer heard the explosions and nodded to each other. Springing out from their hiding places, they swiftly knocked out the crew member's in the cell blocks control room and dismantled the droids. They then proceeded to unlock all of the cell doors; Razor in particular watched with pleasure as three security droids were tackled and ripped apart by several prisoners.

"Attention all prisoners!" Boil declared over the cell block intercom. "The Republic has come to set you free! Fight, my brothers! Fight for the Republic!"

A chaotic yet glorious prison riot ensued, with some prisoners falling but many overpowering the guards and seizing their weapons. Boil and Waxer assisted them with fire from the balcony while Razor and Stak kept the control room secure.

Now, it was up to the Jedi and the Mockingjay.

Valkorian and Sidious opened their eyes and rose with unstated fury from their meditation seats.

"It appears we have company," Sidious growled, and turned to the door.

Skywalker, Shadow Soldier, Katniss and Ahsoka burst in, quickly force slamming the Red Guards and Zaakul Knights at the door into the far wall and deflecting shots from the Super Battle droids on the catwalks that lined both sides of the large throne room. Right on schedule to their arrival, Petta and Masker Kenobi dropped down onto the left catwalk and dispatched any droids and Zaakul Knights stupid enough to try and take them down.

Valkorian would not tolerate this treacherous maneuver and sent a massive blast of Force Lightning towards Katniss and the three Jedi with her. Shadow Soldier and Anakin raised their lightsabers to absorb the energy, but Ahsoka and Katniss were a split second to late and cried out in pain as the lightning coursed over their bodies. Dropping momentarily, they quickly regained their bearing and stood up to face their foes.

Valkorian and Sidious gazed down at the insolent resistance from up on their throne platform, burning with hatred and rage. Master Kenobi and Petta stayed on the catwalk, assuming a ready stance.

"Katniss Everdeen and the Chosen One, mine at last!" Sidious proclaimed menacingly.

"I wouldn't count on it, Sith scum," Anakin growled. "I've resisted your trickery already and I will do it again!"

"You could have been so much more, young Skywalker," Valkorian answered with mock grief. "Your power, your potential...so repressed, untapped, and you sided with these weaklings?"

"Enough of this banter!" Petta interjected. "You're both going down, and your reign ends now! We are not afraid to die fighting you!"

"So be it...Jedi scum," Darth Sidious replied in disgust, and he and Valkorian ignited their lightsabers.

Katniss, Petta, and the four Jedi maintained their ready stances, weapons raised and staring down their opponents. After two short but tense minutes, Sidious screamed, jumped, and corkscrewed towards Katniss's group, while Valkorian leapt onto the catwalk to take Kenobi and Petta. Shadow Solider force leaped onto the catwalk to make the groups even, and the duels began.

.....................

Meanwhile, Fives and Echo were continuing to have a blast in the armored vehicle garage, raining down heavy blaster fire on the helpless enemy troops below. A few AAT's and Homing Spider Droids had been commandeered by droid pilots attempting to fire on the AT-AT and stop the mayhem. But the tiny, pathetic tanks could to nothing to stop the towering behemoth and were easily flattened by Fives and Echo's deadly accuracy. The ARC troopers had taken the other necessary precautions of course; the first thing they'd blown up were the other AT-AT's, so now nothing could contest their swath of destruction.

Sergeant Hunter stood in the Command Center, musing over the progress of the other trooper teams.

"Shouldn't we call in our forces now, sir?" Tech piped up from the central computer.

"Yes," Sergeant Hunter responded, and keyed his long-range wrist comlink. Punching a series of buttons, he transmitted to the Generals the current locations of all the teams in the base. "This is Sergeant Hunter to General Calrissian and General Solo. You are clear to move in our forces, I repeat, you are clear to come in and engage! Over!"

"Copy that, Sergeant," General Solo replied confidently. "We will be there soon. General Solo out."

Sergeant Hunter switched it off before his secure connection could be breached, an elated sense of victory pulsing through his veins; they had succeeded in their objective, and soon the Sith Empire he had sworn to destroy would be no more.

But that feeling didn't last.

Sergeant, I'm picking up contacts in the hallway approaching the main door! We've got company!" Crosshair barked as he readied his sniper rifle. Prim took cover behind a large navigation console and drew her twin blaster pistols, ready for the coming fight.

"Wrecker, stand to the right of the door! I'll take the left!" Sergeant Hunter ordered. Taking aim through the iron sight of his DC-17m blaster rifle, he assumed a proper firing stance and breathed calmly. This was always the worst part of a firefight...the last few seconds before hell broke loose, the calm before the storm.

Sparks erupted at four points on the door, and Prim held in a breath of fear as she recognized the sound of Commando Droid vibro-blades. She had seen what those mindless killing machines did to unsuspecting or even alert troops, and it wasn't pretty. She focused her aim on the door, willing her hands to stop shaking. The blades cut until they connected and formed a complete circle in the door, and a Commando Droid kicked through the door fiercely but sloppily. The droid taking point was immediately flattened by Wrecker's blaster fire, while Crosshair picked off two more behind that one before they could move in. Three more Commando Droids somersaulted with terrifying speed into the room, but Prim was able to headshot one before it stood up and leveled its blaster at Tech. The other two were decimated by Hunter's unmatched precision with his combat knife; he sliced off their arms and heads effortlessly before they could retaliate. The pack of super battle droids in the hall continued to press forward, but Tech was quick to prime an EMP grenade and roll it down the hall, disabling the metallic hulks as they crumpled to the ground. Prim was relieved that so far she hadn't needed to conduct care under fire.

Shadow Soldier's squad, for their part, had helped the imprisoned clone and rebel troopers to rise up and crush the guards. Although some mutts had been released, Razor and Stak eliminated them from their vantage point in the balcony. Now, many prisoners were armed with blasters purloined from the guards, and they had established a good perimeter against enemy reinforcements. However, their luck was running out and eventually all of them would be quashed unless their reinforcements arrived on time.

"Razor, Stak! We got incoming from behind!" Waxer shouted. Razor and Stak reluctantly abandoned the balcony and returned inside, taking cover and bringing their weapons to bear on the door. Commando Droid vibro-blades sliced through the door, and five Commando Droids leapt into the Control Room after the door was kicked down. The four troopers, though with some difficulty, eliminated the pesky machines but were soon caught with another problem as Sith troopers continued to press forward into the room. Several of them dropped as the four scouts expertly picked them off one by one, but for every one that went down another seemed to immediately take their place.

.....................

Katniss brought up her lightsaber just in time as Sidious sent a torrent of Force Lightning at her. Straining with all her might, she pushed back against the dark energy hoping to deflect some of it back at the Dark Lord. That required much more precision, however, and so far the lightning only harmlessly crackled against her blade. Anakin lunged in a few seconds after, drop kicking Sidious so hard that the Dark Lord landed in a heap seven meters away. Katniss and the two Jedi kept their ready stance, waiting for Sidious's next strike. So far, the fight was even, and Katniss could feel her stamina slowly dropping as her sweaty palms held the hilt of her lightsaber in a death grip.

Up on the catwalk, Obi-Wan and Petta continued to batter Valkorian from the right and center while Shadow Soldier furiously pummeled him from the left. Valkorian Vitiate answered in kind, with ferocious lightsaber swings and bursts of Force lightning that kept Petta and the Jedi at bay. The catwalk was proving to small a battlefield, however, and soon Valkorian jumped back onto the throne platform, beckoning his opponents to follow him. Shadow Soldier jumped up first, sending a short but strong burst of Force Lightning down at the authoritarian tyrant. Valkorian effortlessly swatted it aside, but soon he was quickly parrying Shadow Soldier's unorthodox yet fierce attack pattern. Shadow Soldier swung left, then right twice, below, above, spun, and landed two kicks to Valkorian's right leg. The kicks were backed up by the Cortosis blades built vertically into the heels of Shadow Soldier's boots; they pierced through the Sith Lord's armor and he grimaced at the powerful sting inflicted by them. He tried to keep his footing steady, but it was no use as Kenobi and Petta resumed their barrage on the right and center. Eventually Petta got in a lucky shot and shocked Valkorian's right shoulder. Valkorian Force pushed him away, only to have Shadow Soldier deliver a powerful whirlwind kick to the back of his left knee. On one knee, Valkorian parried Kenobi's blade then sent Shadow Soldier flying back with a blast of Force lightning.

Anakin, Ahsoka and Katniss were steadily driving Darth Sidious back, but he was fighting for every inch of ground in the throne room. Katniss expected as much; after all, this was the fight that would decide the fate of his and Valkorian's regime. Or his regime, if he followed the usual Sith pattern and attempted to usurp his ally. Katniss, however, would not let it get to that point, and she somersaulted to Sidious's right and swung down in a slash. Sidious caught it expertly then turned to ward off a series of enraged blows from Anakin, who was ready now more than even to destroy the man that had attempted to deceive him and kill his wife Padme. Katniss thought of a different approach, and swiftly deactivated her lightsaber while switching to her bow and arrow. Loading a smoke arrow, she aimed it at the Dark Lord's head and fired. Sidious turned and caught her arrow with the Force as it came three inches from his face. But the arrow still detonated, engulfing Sidious's head in a cloud of smoke that irritated his eyes and provoked harsh coughs. That moment was all Ahsoka needed to go for a sweeping kick and swipe out Sidious's legs from under him, and the Dark Lord hit the metal floor with a thud. Anakin swept down but Sidious caught his blade while attempting to blast away Ahsoka with Force lightning. Ahsoka's dual lightsabers proved an excellent shield however, and soon the Dark Lord was trapped on the ground shocking himself to oblivion. Aiming another arrow at Sidious's lightsaber hand, Katniss let it fly and watched with satisfaction as the arrow impaled his right wrist, evoking an agonized scream and forcing him to drop his still ignited blade onto his left arm, severing it. Anakin did not waste any time; he swung his blade down swiftly and beheaded the Dark Lord of the Sith. At last...victory!

But the moment of triumph did not last long, as suddenly Katniss and the two Jedi suddenly felt themselves being choked and lifted off the ground. Turning towards the elevated throne platform, Katniss saw Valkorian outstretching both hands, and he was choking all six of them at once.

"A valiant effort, my friends!" Valkorian mocked. "But your time has come to and end! Nothing will stop the dominion of the Sith!"

Katniss fought to free herself from the grasp of the dictator, but she struggled in vain. All this time, all the training, had led to this moment, and it was going to be for nothing?

And where was the rest of the invasion force?!

.....................

Sergeant Hunter evaded the Magnaguard's electro staff narrowly and delivered a straight left kick to the photoreceptor eye housed in its chest. The Magnaguard stumbled as it short circuited, and Hunter quickly placed his combat knife in the droid's head. The Magnaguard toppled to the ground, but the fight wasn't over as seven droidekas rolled into the room. Sith troopers behind them laid down covering fire, preventing Hunter or anyone else from throwing EMP grenades. The droidekas unfurled, deployed their shields, and opened fire on Prim and the four troopers. Prim momentarily ducked out from behind the console where she was tending to Crosshair to fire, only to duck back down in horror as the saw the line of shields. Crosshair, who had been shot twice in the ribs earlier, struggled to rise but Prim pushed him back down.

"You need to stay down, Crosshair!" she insisted as she looked for an opening to throw an EMP grenade. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tech crouching behind a radar console from the droidekas firing on his position. If she rolled out, she knew she could roll the EMP towards those droids...but she also knew she would most likely be killed. Prim closed her eyes and took a deep breath; this is what she had been trained for, and the life of Crosshair, her patient, as well as her team was in jeopardy. She knew Katniss, though, grieved, would understand. Priming an EMP grenade, she somersaulted out from behind and lobbed it at the nearest droideka. Just before she saw it penetrate the shield, she was peppered by a flurry of blaster fire from two droidekas that had targeted her. Her body hit the floor ridden with smoldering holes and bleeding. Still clutching her blaster pistol in her left hand, Prim exhaled for the last time. Then, her body went cold, and her pulse deadened as she perished on the floor.

Sergeant Hunter wanted to fall back and cover Crosshair. He attempted to throw another EMP at the last four droidekas. The EMP hit its mark and incapacitated the death machines, but a pack of jetpack super battle droids roared into the room to replace them. Two of them got an angle on Hunter and pummeled him with blaster fire before he had a chance to respond. Hunter sprawled out on the ground, clutching his chest where he could feel three holes burning. His vision began to darken, and his heart rate slow as he began to taste his inevitable yet still unwelcome greeting with death.

Then, just as he felt the last bit of life ebbing away and his eyes dropping, he saw three lightsaber blades slice through the roof. Sergeant Hunter smiled as he received his last memory of mission accomplishment right before death.

The invasion force had arrived.

.....................

Valkorian smiled wickedly as he unleashed a storm of Force lightning on the six fighters, who all struggled powerlessly in his grasp. Soon, Valkorian thought, they would all be dead, and he would be the one true ruler of the Dark Sith Imperium.

Katniss screamed in agony as she fought against the lightning crackling over her skin and burning her pores. No, it could not end like this...how could they have come this far only to fail? Ahsoka, who was next to her, sensed her friend's distress and tried not to let the same thoughts enter her mind.

Just then, Ahsoka felt a surge of the Light side of the Force. Valkorian sensed it too, and looked up in furious denial as not one, not two, but twenty green and blue lightsaber blades began to slice into the throne room. Twenty Jedi, Plo Koon, Yoda and Kit Fisto among them, dropped into the throne room, creating a perimeter around the Sith Dictator. Valkorian's breathe became heavy, his fingers ceased shooting lightning, and his face darkened with visible rage; how had he not sensed this?

"Your reign has come to and end, Valkorian!" Kit Fisto declared. "This ends now!"

"No...no, no, no, all of you shall die here!" Valkorian screamed and sent a massive storm of lightning at the Nautolaun Jedi Master as he dropped Katniss and the other Jedi. Kit Fisto would not back down, however, and he and Plo deflected the lightning while the rest of the Jedi rushed Valkorian. Only two minutes, and Valkorian was nothing more than a lifeless body on the floor.

An hour and a half later, the battle above the fortress in Laos was over.

.....................

Four months later, Katniss sat with Petta in the plaza of Snow's former mansion at the Capital. After the deaths of both Sith Emperor's, the remaining Sith had either gone into hiding or were executed. Panem had mostly been rebuilt, and the people had elected to have Anakin Padme as their new President following the trial that ruled both Koin and Snow as corrupt snakes that would've enslaved the people further. Katniss and Petta had been married for around three and half of the four months now, but it did nothing to ease her sister's passing. The current occasion in the Mansion's plaza right now was the dedication of the statue that had been built in honor of both Katniss and her sister.

Next to the statue was a platinum wall inscribed with the names of all the PFF and Jedi soldiers who had died in the war. Two of Shadow Soldier's squad, Razor and Waxer, were on there along with Fives, Hevy and Hardcase. Katniss swallowed a lump in her throat as she suppressed her sorrow for her own troopers as well as her empathy with Shadow Soldier as a commander. Those troopers had not died in vain, yes, but that did not put any discount whatsoever on the price of duty. Out of the corner of her eye, Katniss glimpsed Anakin and his wife Padme stepping up to the podium. Katniss, along with the massive audience of both civilian and military attendees stood up while the detail of ten Senate Guards three meters behind the podium snapped to attention.

"Please, take your seats," Padme implored, and everyone sat down.

"Three years ago," Padme began. "My home galaxy, along with my planet of Naboo, was plunged into the Clone Wars once it became apparent that the Sith Lord Count Dooku had raised a Droid Army to destroy the Republic. Although that man, and his masters, are now dead, the dark legacy of their actions shall be felt for generations to come."

Padme paused to let her words sink in, then continued.

"We owe a tremendous and unpayable debt to the courageous troopers that fought for our lives and freedom in the war that ensued when our lives collided all those months ago. To the families here of the deceased, rest assured I will do everything I can to ensure that their memory does not die out from the history of the galaxy, let alone your children's and grandchildren's. While the dark, bitter story of the powers that sought to gain total dominion cannot be erased, the stories of those who lived, fought and died to oppose them shall never cease to exist either. The costs of war can never truly be accounted for, but while we gather here to grieve what we've lost, let us celebrate the free and prosperous country and galaxy we have gained."

The audience erupted into thunderous applause, and Katniss gripped Petta's hand as the tears flowed down her face. Though she sobbed while gazing at the large platinum figure of Prim, Padme's words had given her what she had sought to give others during the war: hope. Hope that her sister's honorable and heroic actions would never be forgotten, and hope that a regime like Snow's would never rise again. Crisply executing an about face, Anakin called the Senate Guards to attention, and they performed their twenty-one-gun salute as hundreds of flowers were tossed at the memorial wall. Katniss and her husband embraced; the war was over, and they would be able to live their new lives as free citizens in the New Panem.

Following the ceremony, Katniss and Petta greeted Anakin and his wife before departing for home. Shadow Soldier, meanwhile, stayed kneeling at the wall where Razor's and Waxer's names were engraved. Although he and they had taken part in the final victory, it did nothing to ease their passing. Just like when his father was executed and his master killed in battle, the void inside him from their deaths that fed his power and rage could never truly be filled.

Or so he thought.

"Staff Sergeant Haymitch's name is on this wall too," a familiar female voice behind him remarked. Shadow Soldier turned to see Ashley Juno standing on his right, observing the spot on the wall where her own comrade's names were drawn. Now in peacetime, she had ditched her usual navy blue and black military fatigues and wore an elegant green dress to match the green band of flowers in her black hair, which reached nearly to her waist now that it was pulled down. Shadow Soldier's heart rate increased, and his face became flustered, but he wasn't sure why. He fought the urge to put his arm around her, not wanting to interrupt the moment she was mourning her brothers and sisters in arms. But he did want to at least say something.

"You look very beautiful today," he complimented. "I'm sorry for the loss of Staff Sergeant Haymitch. I'm sure nothing can heal the pain of losing a valiant fighter like him."

Ashley stayed silent for a moment then turned and smiled at him. Shadow Soldier's eyes remained locked on the memorial wall; for some odd reason he feared horrible things would happen if he made eye contact with her for more than one second.

"Thank you," she replied simply. "No, nothing can heal the pain. But having someone who understands can help ease it."

Shadow Soldier fought the tears that suddenly flowed to his eyes as his ears heard those words. Somehow, in that moment, seeing Ashley again, hearing those words had somehow filled that void of anguish and despair that had been in him for so long.

He had to get out of there, but he found he couldn't move. He could try to call in a gunship for extraction, but that would be odd for a non-combat yet somehow terrifying situation.

He felt her hand on his right shoulder, and turned his face to the right, ashamed to let her see his tears. He breathed deeply and tried to stop them, but he couldn't, and finally he broke and decided he could no longer bear carrying around the bitter burden of the past that made his life a living hell.

"Charleson," Ashley said. "Please. We've been apart for so many years. Despite the risk to you and your family you saved my life from the Hunger Games all those years ago. Charleson...let me help you. Let me be there for you. So we can forget all about those past dark times and begin anew."

Shadow Soldier, Charleson, was speechless as he processed her words. After years of lightsaber duel taunts, threats and orders her words of compassion and understanding hit a different spot inside his spirit. Something he didn't think he still had, and oddly wanted it yet feared it at the same time. He turned and looked her in the eyes.

"How can you take me back after all this time?" Charleson sobbed. "How can you accept that so much of me has been lost? The Jedi and Special Ops training I went through to become Shadow Soldier changed and hardened me, Ashley!" he cried through tears. "How can I go back to being to who I was after years of turmoil and fighting?!"

"You don't have to go back," Ashley replied sincerely. "You're still that man. You're still the same one that wouldn't turn his back on his brother and bravely fought back to avenge your Father. You're the same one that helped me survive and escape the Hunger Games into the forest where I could survive until underground resistance fighters arrived. A future of peace is possible, Charleson," Ashley finished. "And I want to share it with you."

By now, they were holding each other's hands, Charleson's tears refusing to cease in this moment of catharsis and love he never thought would come. Charleson's eyes remained locked with hers for a couple more seconds before he replied.

"And I would love nothing more than for you to be with me in that new future as well," he answered. They embraced tightly, their tears of joy streaming down like a waterfall now. After so many years, so much war, pain and suffering, their indomitable hope and wills to live, survive and prevail had overcome all those obstacles.

And now, along with the rest of Panem, they could share their bright new future together.