Chapter 316
Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in the dimly lit security control room deep beneath the Senate complex, arms crossed, staring at the scattered remains of what had once been Finis Valorum's protection detail. The former Chancellor's body had already been removed, but the bloodstains and carbon scoring on the walls told the story clearly enough.
"Failed negotiation," Obi-Wan muttered to the investigator beside him. "That's what they'll call it. A bounty hunter took a contract, and Valorum didn't survive the discussion."
The investigator nodded grimly. "Cad Bane. No doubt about it. We found traces of his signature blaster shots and the distinctive energy signature of his crew's weapons. Professional work. Clean. Brutal."
Obi-Wan exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Valorum was no fool. He knew the risks when he started speaking out against Palpatine. But to be eliminated so openly… this will shake the Senate."
Before he could say more, a comm officer burst into the room, face pale.
"Master Kenobi! You need to see this — it's broadcasting on every public channel in Hutt Space… and it's leaking into Republic networks!"
Obi-Wan turned sharply. "What is it?"
The officer patched the feed through to the main holoscreen.
The image that appeared was grainy but unmistakable — recorded from a probe droid or a hidden security cam on Tatooine. A rocky plateau, twin suns setting, and two figures locked in combat.
One was clearly Dagon Marek.
The other… a monstrous, scarred Yuuzhan Vong Hunter.
The recording showed the brutal exchange in terrifying clarity: crescent moon blades slicing through the air, the Vong's whips extending and lashing, Dagon's lightsaber burning with unstable violet-red energy. The final moments were apocalyptic — lightning clashing, the plateau turning to glass, and the Vong dissolving into ash while Dagon collapsed, bleeding out.
But the most shocking part came at the end.
Where the blood of the Yuuzhan Vong had spilled across the sand and fused glass… green shoots were visibly pushing through the barren ground. Grass — real, living grass — was growing for the first time in centuries on that desolate patch of Tatooine since the Hutts had claimed it.
The Hutt public access channel had titled the footage dramatically:
**"Clash of Immortals on Tatooine — Jabba's Subjects Witness the Birth of Life from Death."**
---
**Senate Chamber – Moments Later**
The emergency session was in full swing when the feed suddenly overrode every holoprojector in the chamber.
Senators gasped as the violent duel played out in high resolution across the massive central display.
Riyo Chuchi shot to her feet, eyes wide with horror. "That's General Marek! He's… he's fighting something monstrous!"
Padmé Amidala's hand flew to her mouth, face draining of color. "Force preserve us… he's dying. Look at the blood — he's actually dying!"
Bail Organa stood frozen, gripping the edge of his pod. "That creature… what in the galaxy is that? It's not Separatist. It's not even… natural."
Mon Mothma's voice cut through the rising panic. "He sacrificed himself to protect Jabba's son. And now this recording is being broadcast by the Hutts themselves?"
The chamber erupted into chaos — shouts, accusations, demands for explanations.
Even the Loyalists and Separatist-leaning senators were momentarily united in stunned silence as the final moments played: Dagon's heart stopping, the grass inexplicably sprouting from the Vong's spilled blood.
---
**Galactic Citizens**
Across the Core and Mid Rim, billions watched the leaked footage on public channels, cantina screens, and personal holos.
On Coruscant, crowds gathered in plazas, staring upward at giant public displays.
"Did you see that? The Jedi actually died!"
"But he came back… didn't he?"
"That blood… it made grass grow on Tatooine. Tatooine!"
Whispers spread like wildfire:
"A miracle."
"A monster."
"A hero."
"A threat."
---
**Jedi High Council Chamber**
Yoda's ears twitched violently as the recording played out in full.
Mace Windu's face was thunderous. "He fought a Gen'Dai alone. Again. And he died. Again."
Shaak Ti's voice was soft with disbelief. "The grass… that is no ordinary blood. Something changed the land itself."
Obi-Wan stared at the frozen image of Dagon collapsing. "He told us it was another Gen'Dai like Durge. But this… this was something far worse."
Yoda tapped his gimer stick slowly. "Hidden much, young Marek has. The truth, we must seek. But careful, we must be."
---
**Aboard the Finalizer – Late Night**
I woke slowly, the familiar weight of Zule curled against my side. Her red-orange skin was warm, one arm draped possessively over my chest.
She stirred as I moved, eyes opening.
"Master?" she whispered, voice still sleepy. Then her expression shifted. "There's… a recording of you. It's everywhere. The fight with the Vong on Tatooine. The Hutts released it. They're calling it 'Clash of Immortals.' And… the grass. The blood made grass grow."
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting out a long breath.
"Of course they did."
Zule sat up slightly, brushing hair from my scarred face. "The whole galaxy saw you die. And then… come back. What do we do now?"
I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"We do what we always do," I murmured. "Keep moving. Keep surviving. And figure out how to turn this into an advantage before Palpatine or the Council decide what it means."
Zule's hand found mine, squeezing gently.
"Together?"
"Together."
Outside the viewport, Coruscant glittered like a sea of stars.
Inside, the weight of seven months of secrets, deaths, and impossible survivals pressed down once more.
But for now, with Zule beside me, I allowed myself one more moment of quiet before the storm truly broke.