Twilight of the Jedi: The Dying Day

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Twilight of the Jedi: The Dying Day
TheDyingDay.jpeg
Author: HandofThrawn45
Series: Twilight of the Jedi
Length: 157k words
Source: AO3
Publication Date: September 14, 2018
Timeline Placement: 9 BBY, flashbacks to 18 BBY
Canon Tier: F
Preceding: Following:
Survival The Long Night


Twilight of the Jedi: The Dying Day is a fan fiction novel by HandofThrawn45 (also known as Gregory O. Scott) which chronicles a story that Bardan Jusik tells to Venku Skirata about Darman's fate.

Back Cover

A finale to the Republic Commando series: On Mandalore, Kal Skirata is determined to save deserting clone commandos but must deal with Jedi on his doorstep. On Belsavis, a Jedi safehouse has been found and a young Captain Pellaeon has been charged with its extermination. And on Coruscant, Darman is determined to save his son from the Jedi, even if it means betraying his father.

Synopsis

The Clone Wars have reached their bloody climax. A horrible Empire is being born and very being in the galaxy is scrambling to find a place in this New Order.

On Mandalore, Kal Skirata is creating a safe haven for deserting clone soldiers. He wants nothing more than to bring the men he trained to safety, but when fugitive Jedi show up on his doorstep he must put aside old hatreds to help Jedi and Clone alike.

On Belsavis, a safe haven for Jedi has been found by the Empire. Palpatine has decided to test a new weapon, and a young officer named Pellaeon has been tasked to exterminate Jedi he once fought beside.

On Coruscant, Niner and Darman, Skirata's prized sons, have been enlisted to hunt down the remaining Jedi. Nine wants nothing more that escape. Darman blames the Jedi for the death of his wife, and plans to help exterminate the order even if it means betraying his father.

Plot summary

On Mandalore, 10 years after the rise of the Empire, Bardan Jusik explains to Venku Skirata what became of Darman.

Death Watch and the Galactic Empire are hunting for Kyrimorut, where Clan Skirata is housing Jedi fugitives. Meanwhile, Ovolot Qail Uthan and Mij Gilamar complete a cure for undoing the clones' accelerated aging, using genes from Kina Ha. After successful surgeries, a long night of partying ensues, but danger is arriving. Darman Skirata and Niner Skirata are headed for Mandalore on a mission where intend to desert the Empire and get the cure, but this move is anticipated by their superior Roly Melusar uses them to get Kyrimorut's location before sending in the local garrison. Clan Skirata sounds an alarm and sets up mines to defend their home, but they are quickly overran. Jilka Zan Zentis is killed in the crossfire, Mij Gilamar perishes while retrieving Dr. Uthan's research, Ordo Skirata is wounded by friendly fire, and Laseema is shot in the leg.

Meanwhile, A'Sharad Hett has teamed up with Jereveth Syne and the Bavinyar Avengers, a group of Separatist Holdouts. They narrowly escape from Gilad Pellaeon at the Battle of Zhar, but they devise a bold plan to destroy an Imperial interdictor at Farstine, which they accomplish with help from Zozridor Slayke and the Sons and Daughters of Freedom. Their efforts are further aided by the Empire's desire to test its new Eye of Palpatine, aboard which is Octavian Grant, whom commands the Imperials while essentially blind aboard a battle station that was designed to be unmanned. After escaping, they learn that the moon is targeting a Jedi safehouse on Belsavis, so A'Sharad Hett and Hallena Devis are sent to aid.

After the Mandalorians escape, and they rendezvous in deep space with Djinn Altis, with whom they intend to pass off their Jedi, Arligan Zey, Kina Ha, and Tallisibeth Edwandung-Esterhazy, who can go to Belsavis. Over a secure comlink, Kal Skirata says as much to Darman in order to convince him that they won't be allied with Jedi much longer. Darman pases off the info about Belsavis to his superiors in the Empire. However, when Bardan Jusik learns of the impending attack on Belsavis, he announces his plans to help them, and a flurry of clones agree to join in.

On Belsavis, Callista Masana and Geith Eris, who have just dropped off Lagan and Roganda Ismaren, are sent to scout out the Eye of Palpatine and confirm if it is coming. They are attacked by TIE Fighters and forced to land on board the battle moon, where Callista realizes that she can stop it by fusing her consciousness with its Will. Geith disagrees and attempts to escape, but he is shot down. Callista succeeds, though her body is destroyed, and she uses her control to attack Gilad Pellaeon's ship, the Valediction, before escaping into hyperspace. Pellaeon pivots quickly, intending to destroy Plett's Well with his new ship without any aid from the battle moon. He quickly bombards the settlement on the surface, destroying the Wookiee Gunner, but So Plett and the children of the Jedi hide in the extensive underground tunnels of the Well.

Upon arriving in the system, the Aay'han spots the Valediction, and those aboard attempt to contact Margolis Mingla. They got no response, but they find Plett's Well with aid from the scanners of their Aggressor-class Starfighter. En route, they have little trouble shooting down TIE Fighters, which are poorly suited for atmospheric flight and easily messed up by the winds. The clones in the Aay'han land and made their way into the tunnels, while the Aggressor-class keeps the TIEs busy to protect it.

Pellaeon orders the use of more aerodynamic Eta-2 Starfighters and ARC-170 Starfighters, while Ameesa Darys insists on sending a shuttle down to the ground, rooting out the Jedi in the tunnels personally. Pellaeon insists on coming along, while giving control of the bridge to Mynar Vernedet. In the tunnels, Nor Vald and Ash Jarvee each sense different groups of Jedi children, so they split up: Bardan, Corr, Mereel, and Atin go with Ash, while Prudii, Maze, and Arligan Zey go with Vald. Meanwhile, A'Sharad Hett aboard his Z-95 Headhunter and Hallena Devis aboard her freighter Ince arrive in the system. They, along with A'den and Kom'rk aboard their Aggressor-class Starfighter, attempt to stop Darys's descent, but they are unable to do so, and the Aggressor is destroyed.

Vald and his team find So Plett with Lagan and Roganda Ismaren, and they made a plan to head for Plett's hidden hangar in the mountainside. Ash finds the rest of the younglings along with Ustu and Margolis Mingla, but Ash is insistent on going back for the Ismaren children. Corr and Atin go with her as they chose to split off from Bardan, Mereel and the younglings, hoping to rendezvous with either Vald's group or the children. Bardan and Mereel's group succeeds in taking the younglings to the hangar, where Fi Skirata brings the Aay'han, and Hallena Devis lands the Ince. Mereel is extremely distraught by learning of the deaths of Kom'rk and A'den, so he has to be calmed with the Force and loaded onto the Aay'han. Bardan and Hallena go back in to go after the remaining stragglers.

In the tunnels, Darys splits the Imperial forces to track both Jedi parties, and one group of Imperial commandos stumbles upon Vald, Zey, Maze, Plett, Prudii and the Ismaren children. Prudii gets shot and limps along following the initial skirmish, but after the Imperials break through some crates that the Jedi had piled up as a blockade, they are attacked again. Zey telekinetically saves Maze and Prudii by pulling them out of the room, but the effort distracts him from blast deflection, and he is shot in the head. Maze and Prudii are then shot as well, but Maze lasts long enough to set off a detonator, collapsing part of the tunnel and further holding off the pursuit by the Imperial commandos. Darys's own pursuit is stalled by Nor Vald, but she quickly disarms the Jedi Knight and decapitates him. Afterwards, she splits off from Pellaeon and the commandos.

Bardan and Hallena unite with Ash, Atin, and Corr, who still want to keep looking for Plett and the Ismaren children. While they were deliberating, Darys catches up to them. She slays Atin, captures Hallena, and slices off one of Corr's mechanical hands. However, Corr stuns her by sticking his smoldering arm into her gut, which disables her for long enough that the others can escape aboard the Aay'han and the Ince. In space, the Valediction is unable to intervene because it is engaged with the late arrival of the Sons and Daughters of Freedom.

Pellaeon and his commandos quickly down Master Plett with a stun bolt, and they capture the Ismaren children. In the hangar, they rendezvous with Darys and Hallena. Darys then kills Lagan Ismaren.

Darman, Niner, and the other Imperial commandos arrive after the battle was over. Darman learns via his helmet's secure comlink that Clan Skirata had been evolved in evacuating the Jedi, and once he learns of Atin's death, he feels extremely guilty. Niner shoots him to put him out of his misery and ensure that he won't further compromise the clan. Rede then breaks through the locked door and downs Niner which a stun blast, taking him into the ship's brig.

Kal take the news of the deaths hard, and he has a violent outburst in front of Nyreen Vollen and Ruusaan Skirata when he first hears of the deaths on Belsavis. He blames himself for not vetoing the mission to Belsavis, and he also blames himself for letting Darman go astray. However, after a difficult conversation with Walon Vau, he agrees to work with the Jedi one more time and try to rescue their remaining clones.

After frustrations at the Battle of Zhar and Battle of Farstine, Octavian Grant becomez determined to force a confrontation with the Bavinyar Avengers on his own terms. To do this, he blockades and bombards Bavinyar, saying he won't stop until Jereveth Syne surrenders. When Delta Squad and Sixer Squad find out about this plan, learn that either Niner or Darman died, as well as hear the offer from Walon Vau to reverse their accelerated aging, they plan a mutiny on the Valediction, which is set to join the blockade.

Grant attacks at a rate of one settlement per half hour, starting with Waylar, which had over 100,000 residents, then focusing on smaller islands with populations around 10,000. Meanwhile, the Bavinyar Avengers devise a plan to break the blockade and evacuate Bavinyar's people. Clan Skirata contacts their friends on the Valediction and modifies Uthan's research on the FG36 virus to create a strand of Rhinacyria that could disable the other clones on board. Thus, they think they will be able to hijack the Victory II-class Star Destroyer, which they hope will be able to destroy one of the Immobilizer-class Cruisers. Clan Skirata is joined by several Mandalorians and clone deserters wanting to acquire their cure for accelerated aging, include newly-crowned Mand'alor Spar, Rav Bralor, Parja Bralor, Wad'e Tay'haai, Sull, Levet, and Yayax Squad.

After 7 hours of bombardments, the Valediction arrives, and the Concord Night, hidden by a cloaking device, is waiting for it. Soru blinds the comms and sensors of the Valediction by feeding it a loop of white noise, and Delta Squad met Clan Skirata and A'Sharad Hett at an airlock. There, they split into two groups.

Hett goes with Walon Vau, Mirdalan, Boss, Scorch, Rav Bralor, Parja Bralor, Spar, and Yayax Squad, escorting Ovolot Qail Uthan to the ship's climate control center to infect it with Rhinacyria, which the boarders are immune to and Delta Squad has been vaccinated for. Once they arrive, they are attacked by Clone Troopers, but they remain in the climate control center to ensure that the Imperials do not remove and reseal the canisters of Rhinacyria. There they defeat their attackers with help from Soru, the rest of the Sixer Squad, and Joc. After the area is secured, Bralor, Dr. Uthan, and Yayax Squad remain behind to guard it, while Vau, Spar, Hett, Syne's commandos, Boss, and Scorch go to storm the bridge.

Gilad Pellaeon had been sleeping with Hallena Devis in her cell at the time, but he is alerted by Mynar Vernedet, who also sends Rede to help Pellaeon. Pellaeon takes Devis with him as he and Rede go for the bridge, while they order the remaining Clone Troopers to secure the cell block and evacuate Niner Skirata.

Kal Skirata, Bardan Jusik, Wad'e Tay'haai, Levet, Fixer, Fi, Corr, Ordo, Jaing, and Mereel make their way to the cell blocks to rescue Niner. After doing so, they split up again, sending Kal, Bardan, Wad'e, and the Nulls to rescue So Plett from Ameesa Darys and take revenge on her for killing Atin. After killing four clones, they are able to find Plett in an interrogation room, but they are ambushed by Ameesa Darys, who quickly beheads Wad'e Tay'haai. After a battle that injures several of them, Kal is able to shoot her in the back of the head.

With the clones sick, Vau and Hett's group are able to storm the bridge with little difficulty, but Pellaeon, Vernedet, Devis, and Rede were nowhere to be found. Vau orders Fixer's group to head for the engine rooms to protect them from potential sabotage by Pellaeon. Boss, Scorch, Joc, and Hett also go to track down Pellaeon, who had rendezvoused with Vernedet and stuffed Hallena into an escape pod with Rede. Rede is ordered to eject if the other Imperials can succeed in causing a self-destruct.

Once the Valediction's bridge is secure, they send a message to Jereveth Syne, who brings the Iconoclast into the system and offers her surrender to Octavian Grant, who sends two destroyers to intercept her, with one Interdictor trailing behind. Grant suspects that Syne is planning a last ditch suicide run to kill him as vengeance for her father.

Pellaeon, Vernedet, and the remaining loyal clones reach the reactor core shortly before Hett and Clan Skirata, who quickly dispatch them. Vernedet orders two clones to drag Pellaeon to an escape pod, then attempts to carry a grenade into the reactor before he is cut down by Hett. Devis and Pellaeon met once more at the pods, where he apologizes, and he allows her to remain aboard the ship while he jettisons himself. Before Rede can enter the pod, he is shot and killed by Scorch, Joc, and Boss.

The Valediction destroys the Immobilizer-class Cruiser Delayer, and moments later, the Iconoclast, using slave circuits to operate without a crew, makes a break to destroy the Grappler by ramming into it. Her shields barely withhold against fire from the two Venator-class Star Destroyers she is surrounded by, but the damaged ship is able to limp its way to the Grappler and destroy it in the collision.

With both interdictors destroyed, the Chu'unthor arrives in the system along with the ships of the Bavinyar Avengers and the Sons and Daughters of Freedom. Chu'unthor splits apart into three detached sections, each going to a different spot to pick up evacuating civilians. Kina Ha uses a battle meld to help the Jedi coordinate their efforts of evacuating all of the civilians. Grant attempted to use his fighters to attack the escaping civilian ships, but many are picked off by starfighters from Syne's forces and the Jedi. Valediction is nearly destroyed by another Victory II-class Star Destroyer, but the attacking Vicstar is destroyed when a crippled picket ship rams into its aft.

Once the Chu'unthor and other civilian vessels escape into hyperspace, Valediction, Fat Bastard, and the other rebel capital ships quickly flee as well, ending the battle. Grant decides that there is little purpose in bombarding the civilians who were left behind, and he withdraws his forces to Farstine.

For his failures, Roly Melusar is instructed by Octavian Grant to commit suicide, and he agrees, falling on most of the blame for the commandos' betrayal. Gilad Pellaeon is effectively exiled, given a menial post at Filve. Clan Skirata chooses to part ways with the Bavinyar Avengers, insisting that it was not their fight to continue, and advising everyone to scatter and hide from the Empire. Altis agrees but does take Scout under the wing of his organization.

Displaced Bavinyari people are scattered onto uncharted worlds, where they settle anew away from Imperial control, and the Mandalorians celebrate as a large family before splitting apart as well. Nyreen Vollen and Ruusaan Skirata ultimately decide to rejoin Kal's clan despite witnessing his violent outburst, but Niner remains deeply guilty and suicidal for failing to prevent Darman's radicalization. Ultimately, he tells Kal, who suggests Bardan wipe away his memories. In doing so, Niner's pain becomes absorbed by Bardan, who lives with the scars of remembering Darman's death. Niner and the other clones are led to believe that Rede killed Darman.

Ultimately, in hearing the story, Venku gains better understanding of his father, and he takes Darman's armor as his own, also receiving Atin's shoulder plate and the lightsabers of Etain Tur-Mukan. He expresses beliefs that Mandalorians shouldn't be dying in other people's wars, but is uncertain as to whether or not it would've been justified to let the children die on Belsavis in order to save his family.

Continuity

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