Rebellion's End: Chapter 2

Waiting for their next job, Fabius Kane and the Sluissi, Donovan, meet a former rebellion Y-wing pilot, Alexander, and a Noghri assassin, Arahk, who are also assembled at the base of their crime boss, Nien Kuum’s, on Sullust. It is then that they all learn that the Rebellion against the Empire has failed: crushed at Endor, as the rebels attempted to destroy the new Death Star. Everyone there watches as Lando Calrissian, Nien Numb, and Admiral Ackbar are executed for treason. They all also learn that there is a new Emperor, Darth Sentine.

Near the end of the broadcast, Nien Kuum is approached by a man who declares himself to be his own brand of Jedi, a grey-skinned Falleen known as Veroshk. However, both Kane and Donovan get dark vibes from him and are put off by that. Veroshk tells them all that the new emperor is the man once known as Luke Skywalker. He also says that Lord Vader is dead. In the wake of the Rebellion's demise and the subsequent power shift within the Empire, he is interested in starting a new Rebellion, one which will take up the legacy of the failed one, and continue to fight against tyranny and injustice. However, the smugglers turn away the seemingly Dark Jedi. They have no interest in starting a new rebellion; they are only interested in profit and survival. Veroshk offers to teach Kane and Donovan the Force; he says he can feel it move within them, but both are still put off by his inner darkness, no matter his claims. Disappointed, the Jedi departs.

Shortly thereafter, Nien Kuum orders Kane, Donovan, Alexander, and Arahk to travel a few systems over to Clak’dor VII, where they will pick up a shipment of guns to smuggle. The pick-up is made easily enough, but on their way out, they see a settlement under attack by Imperials. Alexander and Arahk push Green 1, their Y-Wing, torward the ruckus to help. Reluctantly, Donovan and Kane choose to help evacuate the Imperial's victims with their transport, and then blast their way out past the remaining Imperial ships. At Alexander’s request, they drop the people off somewhere safely before returning to their gun smuggling assignment.

Almost two days later, when they arrive at their ultimate destination, Lannik, they have time to kill while the deal goes down. Arahk enters a local arena battle and chooses the lethal competition. The rest of the group decides to place money on him. The Noghri wins, much to everyone else's dismay. Fabius then gets into a verbal fight with the arena manager, who claims they cheated. They go outside to duel over it, but on the way out they continue to argue. Kane decides to slug him when his back is turned and knocks him out. One of his guards, a Barabel, then hits Fabius—though the smuggler doesn’t realize it, only the Force keeps him on his feet. Alexander moves to help, but the Noghri stops him, feeling their cause is wrong. The Sluissi opens fire, but misses and is knocked back by the guard. Fabius then pulls out his light repeating blaster and unloads it on the Barabel, felling him instantly. Controlled by his anger, Kane steps over his fallen foes and unloads his weapon on both the manager and the bodyguard's prone bodies, making sure they are dead. Though he doesn’t understand it, Fabius, a Force-sensitive, is touched by the Dark Side as he commits this evil act. The group quickly moves along and completes what they came to do and leave immediately after.

Unfortunately, Fabius' murders puts another bounty on his head. It turns out that the Arena Manager was a friend of Borska the Hutt. This also results in all of their terminations by the Nien Kuum; he had wanted a more discrete team. Now they are all--thanks to Fabius—too hot. They get paid for their job and then are told to leave. So as Nien Kuum’s people pack to leave, anticipating the destruction of rebel-aligned planet, Sullust, at the hands of the Death Star, Fabius decides he needs time to reflect on the evil he has done and begins to search for a planet on which to lay low for a while: hoping his friends will join him.