Epilogue:

The Next Road

Back at the RIA headquarters, I sat in a quite comfortable chair while I waited for the questioning with Hera to be finished. I knew the last thing she wanted was a bunch of bodies to surround her, pelting her with questions, and that's why Caleb was the only person that was allowed in that room.

In addition to that, Murton Lyle was taken into custody and now there were dozens of teams headed to different planets to take care of certain outposts. The investigation had finally got to a peak and the RIA could take down their target.

Ungoli had gotten his charge taken off and his credits were disbursed as well. He had left at least an hour prior to Hera's questioning. I couldn't blame him. He did get roped into more than he was comfortable with.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ahsoka walk around the hall's edge. She made her way to the seat beside me, placing a datapad in my lap.

"The report." She said sardonically. If there was one thing that Ahsoka hated more than the Sith, it was field reports, but it was necessary. Anything that happened on Coruscant of that magnitude deserves a detailed account of events.

"My favorite part." I said sarcastically, tapping on the keys a bit as I read the information over while casting her a small look, "Grevious was there."

Ahsoka's eyes widened, but her tone stayed level, "I knew she said that, but I didn't actually believe it was him. So, that's what that thing was. I didn't even know he was still alive."

"Neither did I." I said, "You can believe me that it took me for a loop when I saw him. Or, really, what was left of him."

"I assume Madam Shade conducted her experiments on him?"

"Yeah." I mumbled, putting a hand up to my beard, "But, at the last second, he was able to tell me where she thought the Forge was."

"Grevious actually did something good?" Ahsoka asked incredulously. Yes, she had a reason to sound skeptical.

"I know." I said. "I know I should take that with a grain of salt."

"What do you want to do about her?" Ahsoka asked, referring to Shade. Her tone was harsh, as well as concerned, "I assume her body was destroyed in the explosion. The task force didn't find any body except ash."

"Yeah, sounds about right." I said, thinking at the same time, "She wasn't human anymore. I may have killed her, but who knows what tricks her age could have. She was thousands of years old. In that time, she could have learned things that I can't even think of acquiring. That and her magic."

"Ah. Magic." Ahsoka muttered, "Never did anyone any good."

Honestly, she was right. There were only a handful of situations, both in this galaxy and in mine, where magic actually played a positive role in a more or less volatile situation.

"The body is taken care of by her own fire." I said. "Basically, she cremated herself."

Gently, Ahsoka slipped her left hand in mine. Her silver ring glistened in the glow of the light, and a smile adorned my face. She gave my hand a squeeze, then leaned up to gently kiss my cheek.

I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath till I exhaled. My lungs expanded, then retracted back to their regular size as I felt my mind clear.

I gave her hand a squeeze back, turning my head and kissing her softly. I pulled her closer to me, my other hand letting the datapad fall into my lap as it caressed her cheek. Her other hand did the same, and I was taken back to the old days.

It was good to know that even though ten years had passed, the love was always still the same. There was no fear that it would fade.

In truth, two people who saved the galaxy together were supposed to stay together.

"What are you going to do about the Forge?" Ahsoka asked suddenly, breaking my train of thought. She had a tendency to do that all the time.

I pondered for a moment, then shrugged, "With Shade gone, the only one who might know where the Forge is – or even knows that it still exists – is me. And you, I guess." I squeezed her hand again, "I think I'm just going to let it be for now."

"You're not going to go on an adventure to find it?" Ahsoka joked.

I shook my head, "No. The Forge is something beyond powerful. That power doesn't belong in anybody's hands, my love. Not even the Republic. Not the Jedi Order either." I cast a look around for a moment, "If things in the Republic go South at any point and they have the Forge, then the galaxy could be at risk."

Ahsoka nodded, "You have a point. However, you and I won't let it get to such a hopeless situation."

I chuckled. There was that optimistic outlook she had. It was one I shared as well, but hearing it from her was always refreshing.

"Well," I started, "we'll sure try. We've been trying to build the right infrastructure since the end of the Clone Wars. We seem to have it down for now. Kinda the reason I created the Rebirth."

"Yeah." Ahsoka said, then perked up just a tad, "But, the idea that the Revan is out there doesn't excite you?"

I thought back to my old days playing computer games with Ziv. Those days were carefree times packed with snacks and soda, and sometimes it even included my brother.

The Old Republic MMORPG was a highlight of my life at the time. My friend list was very limited. Mostly, it just consisted of Ziv and Jake. Gradually, it did increase, but they were the center of it all. And, the game brought us together in ways that nothing else did.

Revan was a vortex of adventure and heroism, but also one of terror and death. The Jedi part of him was something of a legend of the Star Wars lore. The Sith part of Revan was a legend, but it was one of death and destruction. Those who faced him never returned to the land from which they came.

Though, honestly, in the back of my mind, the challenge of someone with raw power like mine was definitely intriguing.

But, that wasn't realistic.

"It does." I admitted. "But, what if he's stir crazy and tries to kill us?" I chuckled sarcastically, "To be honest, I don't want to fight that yet."

"Scared?" Ahsoka nudged me gently.

"No." I nudged her back, "Just being cautious."

"I remember a time when you thought you were invincible." Ahsoka said.

"Then I died." I couldn't help but laugh, flashes from the final battle with Wrath and Vader coming to mind.

"Yeah, I remember that quite clearly." Ahsoka said. That was years ago, but it still burned at her heart. That day was a day she didn't want to remember.

But, she lived with it. Everyone did. The galaxy mourned for its hero, then I came back, stronger than ever before. Now, I was a Jedi Master, a husband, and a father.

The best in the galaxy.

"So, I think the mission is over." I said, shutting down the datapad. "We got Lyle. The Black Sun is finally done. Shade is done. Revan is put away. And, Grevious is finally dead."

"Sounds like a good day's work, love." Ahsoka cooed, nestling against me softly. "Ready to go home?"

"You bet I am." I smiled, "I need a nap."

"I think you forget sometimes that we have kids."

That made me laugh, "I momentarily forgot."

The door to the right slid open promptly once the words left my mouth and I rolled my eyes. Turbo walked through the doorway, his helmet off and his face professional.

"Blaze." He greeted, then turned, "Ahsoka."

"Turbo." I said, getting to my feet, "I assumed you're here because of Lyle?"

Turbo cracked a smile, then reached behind him, pulling out a data-card, "Actually, I'm here to give you this."

I took the card from him and looked it intently before plugging it into my wrist com. The display flashed green as it fully downloaded, then an image appeared. It was an image of Ungoli with a brand-new light freighter.

In the image, he was smiling. That was the first time I had seen him with any other expression besides annoyed or angry. At the bottom of the image there were a few words. And, next to the words, was a communication channel's frequency code.

"He said thank you." Ahsoka gave a short laugh, "Maybe, he isn't all that bad."

I shook my head, closing down the image, "I never thought he was bad. He's just a guy trying to make a living." There was a spark in my tone, "Who knows? Maybe we just made another friend."

"I sure hope so." Turbo said, putting his helmet back on, "Cause I would really hate to have to kick his ass."

"You and me both." I grinned, all three of us bursting out into laughter right after.

Ahsoka wrapped her arm around mine, "Sorry, Turbo, but we are getting out of here before anything else happens."

Turbo gave a short salute, "Then get out, sirs."

You didn't have to tell the two of us twice. In the blink of an eye, we rushed out of the command center. There wasn't anything else we needed to be a part of. The RIA had it from there.

Just another day saving the galaxy.

And, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think back to Earth. Maybe, one day, I would get to go back. Yularen and other scientists were working on using the green Kyber Shard's power to find and open the portal back to Earth. But, what was even there anymore?

It hit me a second later.

Kasey. My sister.