As I walked away from Yoda's home, stepping aside for the Jedi who were coming to show support and lend their strength, I was already making calls with my Comms. My first task was spreading the news to all of the Skyforged leaders, so they could disseminate the news to all of their people. Knowing that the ancient Jedi's connection to the mortal world was growing weak, I wanted people to be aware of what was happening. I also explained that we would keep those visiting him at a minimum, but that the service afterward would be larger.

  We would also spend some time celebrating the Jedi Master's life, something that was a tradition in my family, but I was sure the Grandmaster Jedi would appreciate. Basically, the funeral and service was a time for tears, but later, the friends and family would gather to celebrate the things the person loved, talking about their life and their achievements. This was done as casually or as literally as a group wanted, often done in smaller, more casual settings. I always thought, growing up, that it was a healthy addition to the usual vigil, funeral, and burial service that people typically endured.

  As the plans began to form, I passed the organization and planning to a few people, including Amescoll, who volunteered, and Nal, who immediately accepted the job when I asked him to help. Last rites and their equivalent funeral traditions were apparently a big deal to the Duros, so he was honored that I thought he would do a good job.

  Once planning was handed to capable hands, getting Luke here became my next priority. That took me up to the , which had the most secure and stable connection to Rebel communications that we had at the moment. Given that Luke didn't personally have access to that sort of long-range communication, I would first have to reach out to Alpha Base. Luckily, Hera Syndulla was there, so I didn't have to deal with a random general or, worse, a politician.

  "General Syndulla, it's good to see you, though I wish I was calling under less somber circumstances," I said, looking slightly up at her holoprojected image. "Jedi Master Yoda is growing weaker. His time is drawing to a close."

  Whatever she had thought I was calling about, she clearly hadn't anticipated this, as her smile immediately dropped, her eyes going wide as she raised her hand to her mouth.

  "That… that is terrible news," she eventually responded. "I assume you are looking for Luke, then?"

  "Yes, as well as Chewbacca, Han Solo's companion," I confirmed. "They are friends and allies from the Clone Wars."

  "Luke is on the return trip from a strike mission, so he will be back in just under two days," Hera explained, reading something off a screen to her right. "I believe Han Solo is on base, but I have no word on his companion."

  "If Han is there, so is Chewbacca," I said, letting out a long breath. "Hera, I will be sending a ship to pick them up if they wish to attend. I cannot reveal the location of Nirn, so security will be tight, and my ship will be the only way they are allowed to visit."

  "I understand," She acknowledged before wincing. "I'm not sure how to say this, but…"

  "Other people will want to come?" I asked before she could, and the Rebel general nodded. "I am allowing Luke and Chewbacca to invite four people each, and the Rebellion is allowed to nominate five more. I will also allow anyone with a tangible connection to him, someone who knew him well enough that they would regret not having the chance to say goodbye."

  "Thank you, that is very generous of you."

  "I am aware," I responded before tightening my expression. "To be absolutely clear, General Syndulla. If there is attempt to take advantage of this, be it intelligence or political, I will cut all ties with the Rebellion. No more ships, no more supplies. That includes attempting to take advantage of my last offer to gain an invite. And trust me, I will know."

  "Understood," She acknowledged with a nod. "We will expect your ship to arrive within a few days."

  "Thank you," I responded, softening a bit before motioning for the communication droid to cut the connection.

  Once the screen was blank, I let out a long breath before sitting back on the large captain's chair. It was more like a throne on the bridge than anything, and was about as comfortable as it looked, which was not at all.

  For a long moment, I sat there, gathering my thoughts, before finally standing back up. I nodded to the comms droid, who immediately sent another message out. The connection hung for a full minute before Admiral Ackbar appeared in the holoprojector.

  "Admiral Deacon, what can I do for you?" the Mon Calamari asked. "This message was marked as urgent, and I was forced to drop another meeting."

  "There's been a bit of an unfortunate development here," I explained. "Are you aware of the time scale for the remaining work on the Venator?"

  "Yes, I have been keeping an eye on it myself," He admitted. "There are about nine or ten days remaining before it is ready. Why, what has happened?"

  "Jedi Master Yoda had fallen ill, and he is certain his time is approaching," I explained, bowing my head for a moment before studying the fish-like admiral's face. "There are those among the trainees and workers who I am sure would like the chance to say goodbye."

  "Of course! Would you like us to arrange transport?"

  "Yes, to our usual deep space meeting spot. We can pick them up there," I explained.

  We spent a few minutes planning the handoff, discussing what ships would be picking them up and other details before we both signed off on the plan. I quickly notified the that they had a new task: to pick up and escort their ground crew from their mission back home.

  As for their current mission, I wasn't particularly worried. In all honesty, their presence on the Venator was always just a bit of overkill, so bringing them home early was no big deal. At no point did I think the Rebellion would be crazy enough to steal anything from us, least of all a huge capital ship like a Venator.

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  The fact that I would absolutely make them regret trying to fuck with us in the off chance that they did try something went without saying.

  Once I confirmed that the was preparing to leave, I met with the captain of the , our Imperial Carrier Escort. It was my choice to pick up the Rebel delegation, but in order to do that, they would have to understand the severity of what was happening. Not only that, but Vaz, Julus, and Tatnia would be traveling with them to make sure everything was done correctly. There would be engineers going as well, whose only task was to secure the rooms people would be staying in, doing things like obscuring viewports and adding scanner equipment to check for unwanted devices. They had a two-and-a-half day trip to install scanners, black out windows, and more.

  I was not kidding when I said security would be extremely tight, and anyone who didn't like it could stay home. I had zero tolerance for any sort of threat to Nirn, and I considered anyone not part of our organization learning anything that might lead them to my planet to be a threat.

  When I was done in orbit, I took a shuttle back down to the surface. I met with the sort of builders' guild that had formed around the many people who were working hard to build the city up alongside the growing Skyforged Vanguard. Several projects were going on at once, so gathering people together was tough, but thanks to the somber topic, I was able to wrangle a couple of leaders.

  A quick conversation confirmed that, if they focused on the Jedi Amphitheater, they could get it done within eight days. It would come at the cost of quite a few late shifts and overtime, and was only possible because we had invested so much money in higher-end construction methods and tools, as well as automation for all of that, but they assured me it was possible.

  It would be the perfect place to hold the ceremony after Yoda had passed. I was tempted to name it after him, but he would probably visit me as a Force ghost and haunt me for it.

  When I was done with that meeting, I hired a few food carts to feed the growing vigil that was starting to expand outside the old man's house as news slowly spread around the city. People came and went, leaving flowers and other trinkets to show their support, while Jedi would stay and meditate for a while. Some people had clearly been there a while, so making sure that they were fed and watered was important, and hopefully comforting.

  The day passed, which turned into two, and you could feel the whole city was slowing, mourning the oncoming loss of one of the staple members. While Yoda had refused anything even closer to a leadership position, in no small part because he knew his time was short, he had still spent time all around the city, though he mostly frequented the parks.

  Not only had he talked and taught the Jedi, but he had also reached out to the civilians and workers, spreading advice and generally being a grandfatherly figure. He had been here for only a few months, and yet most people living on the surface, and a surprising number of people who only came down for breaks and time off, had stories about chatting with him, or about him being mischievous, or offering kind words and advice.

  The city was feeling the loss already.

  It was three days after Ahsoka and I first learned of Yoda's state when the returned, offloading several worried Jedi, Ezra included. They quickly came to the surface, spending time with the vigil keepers around Yoda's home. As he had been doing for the past few days, Yoda would ask one of the people taking care of him to ask for someone he sensed outside to come in, so he could talk with them. He was essentially saying goodbye, passing on his final words of wisdom as his health slowly declined. Ezra and Sabine were called in shortly after they arrived, and though Sabine was surprised to be called in as well, they both entered his home, coming out not too long after.

  On the fourth day, a few hours past noon, the returned from their mission to pick up Luke, as well as the others. The ship landed on the surface, and I tested each individual with magic before they were even let out of their rooms, though in truth, I hardly saw their faces. Once I had confirmed that everyone who had come was being genuine, and that the situation was secure, the political attendees were guided to spare rooms, now under heavy watch. Meanwhile, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca were brought through the city, meeting us not far from Yoda's home. I greeted the young hero with a hug.

  "Luke, it's good to see you again," I said, pulling back, my hand on his shoulder. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

  "Yeah, how is he doing?" he asked, his mind clearly on one thing. "We made it in time, right?"

  "You did, don't worry. Unfortunately, he is still doing rough, drifting in and out, but he was waiting for you," I assure him, looking back at Chewie. "He was excited to see you as well, Chewbacca."

  Han looked confused for a moment, even more so when Chewbacca let out a few grunts, barks, and chuffs.

  "You actually knew this guy?" Han asked. "How?"

  "Chewbacca fought beside Yoda during the Clone Wars," I explained. "Defending from the separatists. He and his friends were a big reason why Yoda made it through Order 66."

  Chewbacca grumbled through a response, and I got the feeling he was downplaying his part, but Han was too surprised to translate. Meanwhile, I turned to Leia, who was patiently waiting beside Luke.

  "Princess Leia, thank you for coming and supporting Luke," I said with a small, sober smile. "I'm sure-"

  Before I could finish my greeting, a pink-skinned missile slammed into Luke, wrapping him up in a big hug. Miru held on to the blond Force-sensitive Rebel, resting her head on his shoulder. I couldn't quite hear what she was saying, but Luke quickly returned her hug, whispering something back.

  Of course, the whole scene raised a couple eyebrows from his friends, as well as my own. I may have missed their connection at first, but after it was pointed out to me, it was hard to miss. It wasn't quite romantic yet, though both of them were old enough to know and probably feel the possibility, but they both clearly connected closely.

  It made me nervous for Miru, since Luke didn't exactly have good luck with love interests.

  When the two parted just a few seconds after the hug started, I spotted Han nudging Chewbacca, the Wookie nodding and chuffing quietly. Meanwhile, Leia was smiling knowingly, which I thought was a good thing. It was certainly better than

  Unfortunately, as sweet as the moment was, the mood of the event quickly brought everything low again, and Luke focused on me.

  "Can I see him?" He asked quietly, as if he was afraid I would say no.

  "Of course you can," I assured him. "He probably already feels you coming and is waiting for you."

  I led the group across the city, stopping at the outskirts of the small park that Yoda's home was built next to. The crowd was decent, all of them quiet. A good chunk of them were Jedi, though most were civilians. There were also a few Mandalorians, Corvak's people, standing around Yoda's home. They were in their ancestral armor, and to the uninitiated, they looked like they were on guard, facing out to the crowd. According to Corvak, however, it was more of a ceremonial thing, standing guard over an ally who was sick and dying, so that their family could mourn without fearing attacks. They didn't actually think Yoda was at risk of being attacked, but now it was more of an honor thing.

  As if sensing our approach, the crowd turned to see us, and with whispering and nudging, it spread open to let us approach. We made it to his actual home, where Ahsoka and Amescoll were sitting, the latter talking softly to a young padawan. Ahsoka looked up and nodded, standing up to greet us and hugging Luke the same way I did.

  "He is waiting inside for you," she explained, and Luke nodded, stepping past her to enter the small home, leaving the rest of us outside. Miru moved to follow him in, but I gently held her shoulder, shaking my head when she looked back at me.

  "Let him go alone at first," I said. "You can go in and support him after.

  Miru nodded seriously, sitting down to wait for Luke to reappear.