Epilogue

"And you are certain that there is nothing salvagable?"

"Yes, my Master," Vader answered as he knelt before the image of the Emperor. "There is nothing left of the Zillo-Beast or its genetic material. The explosion saw to that. Everything of value in the labs was destroyed."

"And this... Godzilla, as he was called?" The Emperor asked next. "Destroyed in the same fashion?"

"Most likely," Vader replied. "There is no sign of him."

"This is of no consequence," the Emperor assured him. "The Rebels have only forced us to place more resources towards our true endeavors. We will find other ways of maintaining order in the meantime."

Vader supposed he was right, but he couldn't shake a nagging feeling. Something he had thought of after everything was done.

"Did you suspect any of the project leads or staff to be working with the Rebels?" He asked. "That the project was compromised?"

"The possibility did cross my mind," the Emperor admitted. "It would explain the delays in the project. At the very least, your actions routed out the traitors in the end. They are no longer a concern."

"Yes, but did you suspect a Rebel attack was forthcoming?" Vader pressed further. "Is that why you really sent me? In an attempt to insure their destruction in some manner?"

Vader's thoughts were not without precendent. His Master had done similar things in the past. It was not without reason that he'd have plans within plans. More importantly, part of him had started to wonder why he had been sent and not someone else. Did he suspect who it would draw out? The Emperor himself seemed to sense his feelings on the matter.

"You believe I was offering you an opportunity to capture Skywalker's Apprentice," he inferred. "As well as crush the fledgling Rebellion you frightened away from Lothal."

"It has occured to me as a likely explanation," Vader answered promptly.

"I was not fully certain of what would occur," the Emperor assured him. "Let alone the intrusion of this Godzilla, if that is what you are insinuating. I merely felt its possibility. As I have told you time and again, my Apprentince, what events I forsee are for me alone to know in full. What I do with that information is for me to decide."

"I would have been more prepared had I known she would arrive," Vader elaborated.

"It was not a certain vision," the Emperor snapped back. "I did not wish for you to endanger the project with a potential miscalculation of my knowledge. And in any case, how can you be sure she was there?"

Vader raised his head and looked sternly at his Master.

"I am certain, it was her," she assured. "It could be no other Jedi."

"Ex-Jedi if your suspicions are true," the Emperor corrected him. "She has grown more powerful than we realized. She and the other would-be Jedi are a threat that grows ever greater with each passing moment."

"They will not evade us forever," Vader assured him. "They will be found. She will be found. And then she will lead us to others, like Obi-Wan."

"Do not let your desire for revenge against your former Master cloud your mind, my friend," The Emperor warned. "Hatred is an important tool of the Sith, but its power is not always enough and can blind you as much as free you. As you learned when you fought this Godzilla creature. You must hone your hatred and rage, use it as an extension of your power and not a brute club to plow through your adversaries. All power requires percision in its applicaton."

"I understand, Master," Vader assured. "I will not let it happen again."

Vader bowed his head once more and Emperor nodded in appreciation.

"Inform your Inquisitors of this development," he ordered. "They are to scour the Galaxy until Skywalker's Apprentince and the Jedi she has aligned with are found. There will be nowhere they can hide from us."

"Yes, my Master," Vader agreed. "A final question though, what are your thoughts on Godzilla?"

The Emperor stroked his chin for a moment, exhaling slightly in reflection.

"A powerful creature indeed," he admitted. "Had he survived, he would've made an excellent replacement for the pawn he killed. His destruction removes him as a concern, but he has given the Rebellion a false sense of hope, an imagined victory. They will grow bolder because of him. We must prevent this from spreading as much as possible. All information concerning Tsuburonda will be surpressed. Any knowledge of this project will be denied. With any luck, the creature's existence will fade from memory."

"And if another like him rises in his place?" Vader asked.

"By then my Apprentice, it will be far too late," the Emperor assured. "Tarkin's work is almost complete. When it is finished, no Rebellion or Monster will be able to stand against us. We need only bide our time for the moment. We shall prevail in the end, I have forseen it."

Vader rose as the hologram faded. He moved back to his command chair. There were other matters to attend to. Namely Rebels to squash and an Apprentince to hunt down.

The open fields and wide grasslands were iluminated by a setting golden sun. It was as far out of the way from the Empire as one could possibly get, no hyperspace lanes nearby, no inhabited worlds or major resources. For Doctor Boll though, all she cared about was the ecosystem which she described as near perfect.

Ahsoka saw the Doctor off, taking her giant crate of eggs towards a treeline in the distance. She looked pretty content, even happy. Like a weight had been lifted off her back and she could finally breath.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here?" Ahsoka asked her. "It's pretty much the middle of nowhere."

"I've gotten used to being in the middle of nowhere honestly," Boll explained. "This place is just a bit further out of nowhere. As long as I have some place to work I'll be fine."

"A corvette will be arriving with supplies to help you set up in the next few days," Ahsoka explained further. "Hopefully it will be enough to get you started."

"We'll see, I can always find a decent cave and the equipment I brought with me should be enough for now," Boll told her. "Thank you again for giving me and the Zillo-Beasts another chance at life."

Ahsoka just smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Think nothing of it," she assured her. "I'm more sorry for what we put you through. Specifically your friend."

"Yes, Klusto," Boll recalled, a tinge of sorrow in her voice. "It's funny, I never really felt about him the way he wanted me to. I've never really been one for romance. It still hurt to lie to him, because I did care about him in a way. He was a good person, he believed in what he was doing. I suppose it just took him longer to realize what it all meant."

"We all have our convictions and loyalties," Ahsoka admitted. "It really all depends on what they are in the end and if they're worth fighting for. If nothing else, Klusto believed you worth sacrificing everything else for. Take comfort in the fact that he was a better man than his masters."

"I will, rest assured," Boll promised. "I'll make sure what he did will not be in vain. I'll bring the Zillo-Beasts back from the brink. As living creatures, not weapons. One day, who knows, maybe when the Empire falls they can truly live in peace once again. Until then, I'll watch over them."

"A noble endeavor, Doctor," Ahsoka assured him. "I wish you luck."

She bowed to Boll and the Bivall did the same. They parted ways after that and Ahsoka started to return to the Ghost. She stopped briefly to see Moira next to Gorossk's ARC-170. The Trandoshan was in the cockpit and the red-headed Corellian was just outside leaning against the fighter.

"It was nice of you to escort us here," Ahsoka told her.

"Needed to make sure those credits came through," Moira explained with a flippant tone. "They did by the way, also some extra I noticed."

"Expenses for your lost fighter," Ahsoka explained. "I felt it was only right. You went above and beyond what your contract asked of you."

"That's just the great customer service the Raiders provide," Moira stated, beaming pridefully as she spoke. "Should be able to pick up a new ship easily enough. I hear there's a few old Z-95 Headhunters I could patch up. Always kinda wanted to see how those ships handled to be honest. Now I just have an excuse."

Still obsessed with the classics it seemed. Ahsoka couldn't help but offer a slight laugh.

"You know, you could always join us," she told the pilot. "You'd have plenty of missions just like this one. Probably a lot more fun to boot."

"Tempting, but not my style," Moira admitted. "I'm too much of a free spirit. Organized guerilla fighting, not really my thing. But if it's worth anything, I'm rooting for ya. And if you ever need us again, you have our number."

"Indeed I do," Ahsoka concured.

Moira climbed up to the navigator cockpit of the 170. As she was halfway up the ladder, she turned around and looked to Ahsoka again.

"You know, you may be interested in something," she said thoughtfully. "Rumor has it, Incom has this hush hush secret project of theirs. New fighter, still in development, but could be interesting. Something they're calling the X series. Intriguing if nothing else."

"I'll keep it in mind," Ahsoka responded gracefully. "May the Force be with you, Moira Thal. As well as with your Raiders."

"Same to you, Fulcrum," Moira saluted as she sat down in the cockpit. "Same to you."

The 170 lifted off shortly after, speeding into the skies above. As strange and eccentric as she was, Ahsoka had to admit that Moira was a person to keep an eye on. Things would only get tougher as this fight dragged on. They'd need friends like her. Or at least people like her rooting for them.

She finally returned to the Ghost and found Kanan waiting for her there by the open hatch.

"We did a lot of good work today, huh?" He asked.

"I'd like to think so," Ahsoka stated. "The other Cells have started to see the value in working together. They're not willing to commit to an Alliance yet, but they do rexognize there is more that unites us than divides us. It's a small step, but we're closer to real unity now more than ever."

Kanan, if nothing else, agreed with that. He then sheepishly started rubbing the back of his head.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he began. "I said a few things about you before that were uncalled for. I guess, I'm just still getting used to the idea of being a soldier again. It isn't easy and I'm not a fan of it. Ezra told me about what you two talked about and, well, after you coming to my rescue back there, I felt it was only right to apologize. You were right, I didn't really understand what you've gone through."

"In a way we're both guilty of that," she assured him. "It's always been hard trying to reconcile the past. What happened to me, why I left the Order. It hasn't been easy, reevaluating everything. I only really found myself when I abandoned being a Jedi. Sometimes I wonder if I ever was, and dealing with that can be difficult."

Kanan huffed in a good natured way.

"I know what that's like," he assured her. "Not feeling like a real Jedi I mean. But for what it's worth, you're a good teacher and your insight is invaluable. Ezra at least says as much. This Master thing has been hard at times to adjust to myself. Like you, I'm just doing the best I can. Point is, you went after Ezra, you helped him get Godzilla back into the fight and you came back to help me out. You're also one of the few Force Users left who can actually remember the old days. So really, you deserve more respect and for what it's worth... I trust you."

Ahsoka grinned at that, glad to finally hear she had earned that from him.

"There is a lot me and Ezra could learn from you, I see that now," Kanan continued. "I hope that you'll be able to give us the opportunity to do so."

"I'd be more than happy to," Ahsoka assured him. "Besides, after spending time with Ezra, perhaps there are things you two could teach me as well."

"Sounds good to me," Kanan grinned. "Now come on, we gotta regroup with the fleet. Sato will probably wanna hear about all this. Who knows, maybe he has intel on an actual home base we can set up in. Last I remember he was adamant about finding one"

Ahsoka followed him inside, still thinking about what he said. They could learn from each other indeed. She was open to that. The problem was there were other matters that called her attention. She didn't beleive Godzilla had killed the Sith Lord. She couldn't believe it. As powerful as the saurian was, it just didn't seem feasible to think it was that easy.

She had questions of her own, answers she needed. But maybe there was someone else who could help teach Kanan and Ezra in her abseance. At least until she figured things out. The search for a new base and memories of the old clone they had encountered triggered something in her mind. Perhaps there was someone who could help them, if he could be found.

She'd bring it up when they talked to Sato again. Hopefully they could track him down, get him out of retirement so to speak. In a small way she'd be helping Kanan with an old wound she could feel had been stirred up during his confrontation. A past trauma that needed healing. Besides, it would be good to see an old friend again. Kanan was right, there were few people who remembered the Jedi and what they stood for. They more people around who could help remind them of who they were at their best.

She just hoped they could find him. With all the questions spinning around in her head, it would be wonderful to see Rex again. At least he couldn't have changed too much. He was too stubborn for that. She took comfort in that at least.

Ezra sat in the main quarters, silently. His head placed down against the holotable. He was deep in thought and meditation. Still reaching out through the Force. He had been doing it ever since they left Tsuburonda. Ever since they felt the reactor explosion. He hoped he would feel something, anything, but it just wasn't there. No indiction of death or survival, just nothing. He would've preferred anything, even discovering he was dead, but he found nothing.

"Credit chit for your thoughts?"

He looked up and saw Sabine, her helmet pulled off, her armor burnt and worn. The paint job on said helmet itself had certainly seen better days.

"You look terrible," he noted. "Your clothes do anyway."

"Speak for yourself," Sabine shot back with a grin. "But you are kinda right. Just as well, I was thinking of repainting it all anyway. Same thing with my hair. What do you think? Blue-green? Could work."

"You'd look good in anything," Ezra nervously chuckled.

Sabine rolled her eyes and slid in beside him.

"So, what were you thinking about just now?" She asked.

"I was trying to see if I could feel Godzilla through the Force," he explained. "He had so much power last we saw him, it was almost insane. He was resonating with it. Even when we were speeding away I could feel him. Then the explosion happened and... nothing."

"We could just be too far away," Sabine tried to suggest. "I mean, it's possible he survived."

"I don't think he's dead," Ezra assured her. "But, he just feels gone. Like he left. Doesn't feel fair. He was about to get what he wanted. The Empire was beaten, he had a whole planet to himself at last. Then... it's just taken away from him."

Sabine seemed to understand what he meant, nodding lightly.

"You don't think he's dead, but he's not on Tsuburonda," she reasoned. "Where do you think he is then?"

"No idea," Ezra admitted. "Part of me likes to think he's some place better. Some place he belongs. He deserves that much. We all do."

He sighed briefly and turned to her.

"You know, for a long time, I didn't know what I really wanted or where I fit in," he explained distantly. "Then I found you guys and everything changed. I guess... I guess I just really wanted it to work out for him too. I felt like he was just lost, like me. And if he could just get past that, all the hurt and anger, he'd find what he was looking for."

"To be honest, I'm not sure anyone knows what they're looking for Ezra," Sabine informed him, sounding a bit distant herself. "Not even giant monsters. We all think we do, but in the end, it's not always what we want we're looking for. That's something that kinda gets in the way. It's what we need that we have to find out for ourselves. You found what you needed in us and maybe you helped Godzilla find the same."

"You think so?" Ezra asked hopefully.

"I'd like to," Sabine shrugged with a buoyant grin. "Better than thinking he's just dead. Like you said, doesn't feel fair."

Ezra nodded at that, content with that small bit of a optimism.

"What do you think he really needed? What was he really hoping for?" He wondered aloud.

"Who knows what Gods need," Sabine replied wistfully. "Let alone God-Like Monsters. And I am way too tired to speculate for the moment. Heading off to re-paint and sleep things off. Talk to you later, Ezra."

She patted him on the shoulder and left him alone. Ezra sat there for the next few minutes thinking. He really hoped Sabine was right. That wherever Godzilla was, he found what he needed and that, in some small way, he had helped him discover it. If there was hope for a giant destructive monster, than maybe there was some leftover for the rest of the galaxy. Maybe, just maybe... they could all go home... someday.

Water rushed around him suddenly and his eyes flittered open. He was sinking fast, deep into the dark blue. He rushed to move his arms and swam upwards towards the light. He exploded from the surface, breathing in the cool crisp air before letting out a mighty roar. When he got his bearings, he looked to the sky. Blue, white clouds, no dancing colors, a sun that wasn't too bright.

Could it be? Was he home?

He trudged from the water towards a small island with familar wreckage. It was where he had fought the humans before all this started. Yes, he had come home. The explosion that engulfed him, it somehow transported him back. It was probably made out of the same energy that had done this in the first place. And the power he absorbed from the sky, maybe it had helped.

Godzilla beamed with pride knowing he had survived yet again. But his thoughts suddenly turned to other matters as he felt something speeding by through the clouds. He looked up and saw several strange craft, not human at all. They were shaped like flying discs, hovering and swooping through the skies. Human aircraft were chasing them, firing on the advanced ships. The saucer craft seemed to turn in mid-air before firing back on the humans, destroying them instantly.

What was happening here?

That was when he felt something else familiar. Soaring down from another section of the sky approached two winged figures, one that of a flying reptile, the other a massive insect. Bursting from the water at the same time appeared a rolling ball of needles and spikes. They all came to a rest on the small atoll. Anguirus, Mothra and Rodan. They must've been nearby and heard his roar.

They instantly started crying and screeching, speaking to him in a frantic pace. Where had he been? How had he survived the human attack? He responded with a low comforting growl, assuring them he'd explain as soon as they offered their own answers. What they had to tell was astonishing.

It had been over a year since the humans had sent him away. In the short time he had been gone, about six months after, an alien invasion had come. They had swarmed over the planet, attacking and battling the human militaries across the globe. They began using the resources of the planet against those who occupied it. Whole ecosystems were being subverted and crushed to serve their war machine. Earth was being consumed alive slowly, day by day. There was a concentrated effort by the humans to overthrow the invaders, but so far nothing had worked. Only the kaiju had been able to stem their assault, but just barely.

It appeared he had survived one battle only to fall into another. He wasn't sure if he felt good about that, he had hoped for a small rest from fighting. Still, the energy he had absorbed seemed to still be invigorating him, so perhaps that could wait.

Rodan's next screech affirmed that it would have to. A large contingent of alien ships approached, fighters, battleships and motherships, all flying towards them. As well as a few alien watercraft skimming the ocean. Angurius roared that they must've heard Godzilla's call as well.

No matter, it would just make this easier. Godzilla turned to his allies, looking to see if they were indeed prepared. He didn't really need to say anything, they seemed to instantly understand his intentions. Mothra herself appeared to beam with pride and adjulation. He had finally accepted a new role, a new purpose, one that was greater than what he once believed he could be.

Humans were inherently selfish, greedy, arrogant and destructive. However, those were not the traits that defined them. He saw that now. They had a right to the planet and life as much as anything. They stumbled, they made mistakes, but they had the capacity to change. They had the capacity for so much more. The Jedi had shown him that. Maybe punishment no longer sufficed. Maybe what they really needed was an example or at least a chance.

He thought of the young Jedi child, Ezra, who had given him his own second chance. Who opened him to another way, perhaps a better way. He could find the peace he sought, the justice he wanted, if only he let go of that which he clung to. The rage would probably always be there, but he did not need it to survive. There were other things he could put faith in. His allies, his own will and maybe hope, if only a little.

He did not know if this Force that young Ezra and his fellows spoke of was real. If it was truly out there as he claimed. For a brief moment though, he had experienced a connection with creatures he once thought all petty and foolish. He witnessed their compassion, their drive, their will and it had given him new strength. All because of the actions of the young jedi Ezra. He had helped him discover something deep inside himself he had forgotten. If one human in a galaxy on another world far, far away could surprise him that much, why couldn't the humans of Earth?

They needed the chance though, the opportunity to see. These new invaders sought to take that away. To crush hope and take what wasn't theirs. To use this green world to fuel their desire for conquest and pain. He would not allow that. This world was his to protect, his to defend. It was his kingdom and from now on he would safeguard all in his domain, human and kaiju alike. From threats within and without.

Godzilla bellowed a mighty war cry and set his fellow Kaiju loose into battle. He fired a blast of atomic breath that sent one of the larger saucers down to the waters below in flames. These aliens would learn a harsh lesson, just as the Empire had done. He was Nature's Wrath, he was a Defender of the Earth, God of Destruction in all its glory and horror, keeper of balance, King of Monsters. He was Godzilla, Force of Nature, and before this day was over, they would all see why.

AN: And so we leave Godzilla to face another intergalactic enemy. I don't think I need to show what happens next because if you've seen any of his movies you already know. Godzilla's arc is now complete and our dear Rebels now fly off into the sunset directly into the opening of the episode that started off Season two a few short months ago.

It's been a bit of journey this past year. This project has been a ton of fun to write. I know not everyone was happy to see a delay in other projects, but this really helped revitalize me in a way. I want to thank you all for reading and taking the time to tolerate my silly little diversion. With this done at last, I now feel comfortable returning to the Wormhole Series, fresh and renewed to continue the story I was telling there. I promise as soon as I'm able that will be the next thing I start writing down.

Again, thank you all for sticking with me. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, as this is my little gift to all of you. And enjoy yourselves at the premiere of the Force Awakens, which is drawning ever closer by the day. It's been a wonderful experience, getting me through some difficult times and keeping my spirits up. I'm thankful for all your support. Happy Holidays from me to all my beloved readers.

Tiny Tim: And God Bless Us, Everyone.