The Final Battle

Transcript
I could only gasp in pain as I tried to pick myself back up, noticing my battle armor was now severely damaged. Still functioning, but now completely jagged.

I looked over to Steve Rogers and Tony Stark; who were both knocked out, then to Victor Nevarez, his uniform barely took any damage and he had a scar on his face, before turning back to me. "In all my years of conquest– violence– slaughter– It was never personal." He paused as he glanced over the land once more. "But I'll tell you now– what I'm about to do to this stubborn, annoying little universe– I'm gonna enjoy it. Very, very much." He ended with a cruel smile.

As if it were a signal, the Immortal Armada hovering above Victor showed the ground with light, before out stepped his allies.

Thanos' "children", The Black Order.

And the leader of the Legion of Evil, Quintessa; who could only give a cruel smile as she held her hand up to signal their army to rally behind them.

The roars of the Jurassic Park dinosaurs (except Blue), Outriders, Chitauri Gorillas, and Leviathans echoed.

The screeches of the B.O.W.s, Beetle Drones, Parademons, Xenomorphs, Vrils, Nazi Zombies, Whiite Walkers, and Feral Ghouls (from Fallout) followed after.

The Decepticons, Nobodies, Heartless, Mordor Orcs, Gundabad Orcs, Uruk-hai, Easterlings, Beetle Drones, remnants of New Group P365, Black Changelings, Evil Toys (from Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots), Romulans, and Buster Baxter's aliens (from Alien: Assembly Required, a Flash game for Arthur) all hungered for blood.

The People's Liberation Army, the Russian Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Korean People's Army, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the Empire of the Rising Sun Armed Forces, the Wehrmacht, the Confederate States Army, the Sinestro Corps, the Black Lantern Corps, the Red Lantern Corps, Terminators, Stormtroopers, Dai-Shockers, Enclave Soldiers, Stormcloak Rebels, Thalmor Elves, Card Soldiers, Sidiousist Sith Troopers, Combine Soldiers, the Covenant loyalists, the Helghast Army, Metro Bandits, Raiders, Battle Droids, Chitauri, and Sakaarans all marched in anger.

And all of them had one goal in mind:

Destroy the Grand Alliance.

The Supreme Leader's cruel smile turned into a nervous look. "Oh darn. I knew they were just slacking out," snapped Nevarez to himself.

I panted quietly for a few moments, before I willed my body to lift itself back up, as I rose to defiantly stand against the Supreme Leader's massive army, all by myself.

If needed to be, I was willing to take on their army alone if I had to.

For our world. For our friends.

I was willing to face the end.

Suddenly, the voice of Arthur Maxson said, "Hey, Sarge, you read us?" as I froze mid-step before confirming that I had heard a voice among the brief sound of static on my earpiece.

"Sarge, it's me, Col. Miller. Can you hear us?" said the voice of Colonel Miller as I was shocked by the familiar voice that I could not answer, nor noticed the orange glow behind me.

"On your left." Soon, the voice of Sam Wilson became clear to me as did the portal behind me before I turned to it. The bright glow of the portal obscured my vision briefly before I could see three figures walk through.

The brave form of T’Challa; the Black Panther and the King of Wakanda stood forward, followed by his sister Shuri, and Okoye of the Dora Milaje standing beside him. No words were needed as the King gave me a brief nod before the flying form of Sam Wilson, the Falcon flew above us as more portals opened around us. Victor took notice of the orange gateways opening on his foe’s side of the battlefield, alarmed.

From the portal of the ruined planet Titan, Doctor Stephen Strange levitated to the ground followed by Drax the Destroyer with his knives drawn, Mantis in a stance while Peter Quill the Star Lord flew beside them, his mask receding before the two swinging forms of Peter Parker, Spider-Man and Edward Brock, Venom landed on the ground, their own masks receding as they looked over their reinforcements with smile and smirk respectively.

I smiled with relief as more of the portals continued to open and with T’Challa standing firm before he shouted a familiar chant.

"Yibambe!" T'Challa chanted through a brass megaphone. His fellow Wakandan soldiers also chanted the same word. Even their King had to chant again, and again, and again. Even his soldiers had to do the same.

"Yibambe! Yibambe! Yibambe!" they said respectively.

Doctor Strange looked over their forces before turning to Wong with a smile. "Is that everyone?"

"What, you wanted more?" Wong said with exasperation getting a chuckle out of Baroness Von Bon Bon.

SpongeBob, wearing his army outfit from "The Krusty Plate," a SpongeBob SquarePants episode, spoke to me, "You know what I'm thinking, J.H.?", followed by his hearty laugh of a dolphin chirping.

"We are ready. Definitely ready," I said.

As their armies marched forward, their ships flying overhead and their leaders prepared, the war cries let out by them could be heard across the land, perhaps even the world itself as the fate of the entire multiverse hanged in the balance.

I stood firm and proud as my friends rallied next to me as we glared at our foe. Victor's glare came back in full force as he and his allies realized that the real fight was just beginning.

As the heroes took their places, their powers, weapons and forces ready, the Avalonian High Captian, E.J. Smith, blew a Titanic officer's old whistle to give a huge, yet short announcement I'm going to make.

"Heroes of the Multiverse!" I shouted through Captain E.J. Smith's old brass megaphone, just as I was about to summon Thor's hammer, the Mjolnir, to my hand. Then I said again through the megaphone in a soft-spoken voice, "Together."

Thor's thunderous battle cry roared throughout our side as Optimus Prime yelled "CHARGE!", with Godzilla, Gamera, and Kong roaring in unison while Clifford the Big Red Dog howled loudly, just as whistles blow louder to signal the start of the battle, and then we charged forward, the ground pounded from our footsteps shaking the dark desert planet itself as our air forces flew along with us!

Nevarez, not wanting to be undermined by all of this, simply growled and held his Darksaber up towards the enemy, signalling his villainous forces to charge towards their foes, followed by Quintessa shouting "Get them!", General Steppenwolf raising his axe and yelled "FOR THE DARK EMPEROR!" and King Ghidorah roaring, before he joined along with them.

The heroes continued to charge forward as they began what was perhaps their final battle.

The Battle for the Multiverse.

They were truly in the endgame now.

Once, thee heroes were simply universes apart, but now, they were together, to fight as one.

"Carlos; Communications officer, and in-flight entertainment."

"Good morning, Devastator!" Carlos spoke on the PA system. The Coalies in that Xyston-class star destroyer are a bit distracted.

"For God's sake, Carlos! Don't distract them!" shouted Tim at Carlos. "Just cancel the rollcall now! And you don't need that in-flight entertainment. This is war!"

"Ah, crud. Well, I guess that rollcall has to wait. Don't try to haul up on someone else's ass," Carlos advised to everybody.

"Forget it, Emperor Zuskelgar II. You made Emperor Palpatine himself look like a charming hero, y'know," D.A. slapped Ralphie in the face, calling him "Emperor Zuskelgar II," just as what Nevarez referred to Pepper. "Too bad you didn't get a rollcall, buddy. It's cancelled, 'cause you're just A BUNCH OF MALARKEY!!!" She slapped him harder in his other check.

"¡Hija de puta! Mistress Dorothy Ann Hudson," said Carlos, "What are you doing!? You slapped Ralphie in the face!"

"Guys, that's enough. Let me speak through the PA system with a fake grownup voice. And a British accent. I can handle this so I can pretend that I'm the captain of this spacecraft. That way, I can hijack this son-of-a-gun Star Destroyer as fast as I can. Don't get attention on 'em," said Arnold Perlstein. "This will be the final test of my redemption from being to blame for the How Can I Help Make the World Great essay competition that Vlahović had done to me by framing myself up."

He then clears his throat and began to speak in a faux and deep British accent voice on the PA. "Attention crew! This is your captain speaking."

"Everyone, please report to the bomb bay immediately. We have cakes and ice cream prepared just for you, because we also have a big birthday celebration to commence in a few moments. Thank you."

"Happy birthday," said a Chinese general to a Russian officer while swimming on a lake in the other side of Exegol with a frown on his face.

"Just do the rollcall again, Hudson! For God's sake! Let us all do it! And you, Ramon! Don't do that so-called 'in-flight entertainment' thing, for the love of the Ancients! And you too, Tennelli! Don't forget to be on your rollcall, damn you!" Keesha angrily shouted while she shoots a Webley Mark VI revolver at the air as a warning shot.

"Oh fine. Let's get on with it, Franklin," said Hudson.

"Thank you. Anyways, let the rollcall recommence."

"Whatever."

"Commander Keesha Franklin - reporting for duty."

"Wanda Li - Science Officer."

"Jyoti Kaur - Flight Engineer."

"Dorothy Ann 'D.A.' Hudson - Mission Specialist."

"Tim Wright - Robotics Specialist."

"Arnold Perlstein - Security Officer," said Arnold, back to his normal voice of a child. "Everyone safe?" Liz nodded in agreement. "Good. Job's done." He left out, yet D.A. said with the words, "Goddammit. I hate rollcalls."

"Carlos Ramon, Communications Officer," Carlos said. "And... In-Flight Enter--" Tim interrupted Carlos before he can pick up where he left off.

"For's God's sake, Ramon," said Tim. "You don't need in-flight entertainment. This is war! Be careful with the PA system please."

"Sorry," said Carlos. "There's really nothing else more to say for myself."

"Thank you," said Tim. "Now please let Ralphie do his rollcall."

"And who the hell's behind me, you guys?" questioned Ms. Frizzle.

"Ralphie Tennelli - Chief Maintenance Officer."

"Huh. Damn straight," Keesha said.

"I told you, you stinky diaper. I am NOT in the mood of rollcalls at all," she said to Ralphie angrily.

"Can it Hudson. We're gonna do another rollcall with Ms. Frizzle first. The Master Defenders, the Klassixes and the Original Defenders are gonna follow suit later on."

Now that the rollcall for the eight kids is complete, it seemed that Arnold isn't just the security officer. He's also the captain. Now he's filled with more confidence than ever before.

"Supreme Leader Victor Nevarez of the Coalition of the Red Star, here we come," Arnold declared to his fellow classmates, his teacher Ms. Frizzle, and all the Master Defenders, the Klassixes and the Original Defenders, just as he was about to go full steam ahead for the Devastator.

Meanwhile, the aerial battle is taking its higher intensity than ever before as Snap’s console beeped. "Fleet’s locking onto a navigation signal," he warned anyone who was listening. "They’re gonna split!"

"Snap, they're on your tail!" yelled Poe. He looked over. "Yeah, I see ’em!" But he didn’t see the other TIE, the one that came out of nowhere. "No, no, no," Poe yelled. "Snap, Snap!" A blast rocked his cockpit, and he screamed as he heard Poe yell, "NO!" Temmin Wexley was about to die... again. For real this time, I think?

Poe stared in despair as the burning wreckage of Wexley’s X-wing slammed against the hull of an Imperial III-class Destroyer. Cries of terror and despair were lighting up his comm. They were getting torn apart.

"Alpha 3 is down! They're on my tail! I can't get... AHHHH!"

"They're everywhere!"

"Delta Leader's hit!"

"Losing altitude!"

"General, what's our next move?!" Tyce called.

"Poe, what now?!" said the voice of a female pilot.

His people—his friends—were dying all around him. "My friends," Poe said, his voice tremulous. "I’m sorry, I thought we had a shot. But there’s just too many of them." He’d learned nothing from Crait. Instead, he’d just gotten people killed again and again and again, but...

A familiar voice broke through on comms: "But there are more of us, Poe. There are more of us." It was Lando. He was back! But had he brought anyone with him? Poe’s heart leapt in his chest as he flipped his fighter around, swooped over the hull of a Destroyer to get a visual on the atmosphere above.

He gasped. Ships were popping into sight all over the place. Freighters, fighters, medical frigates, longhaulers, from every corner of the multiverse, from every era Poe had ever heard of or not. Hundreds. No, thousands. The Free Worlds Fleet has arrived. "Look at this!" Poe hollered, "Look at this!" as Lando laughed and laughed. "The allies," Aftab Ackbar said. "They’re here!"

"Lando, you did it. You did it!" screamed Finn as the comms erupted, as ship after ship began calling in. Thousands of resolved voices, crying out, refusing to be silenced.

"Millennium Falcon, standing by for orders," said Lando.

"Mon Calamari fleet, standing by," came another voice. "Phantom Squadron, standing by."

"Ghost, standing by."

"Anodyne Two, standing by." Poe was not the crying type, but as everyone called in, one after another after another, liquid pooled in his eyes. They had done it. The spark of the Alliance had become a fire.

"Alphabet Two, standing by."

"Zay Versio with Inferno Squad, standing by. Look at all these ships!"

"Fireball, here. Hi, everyone!"

"Cut the chatter, Kaz," a deep voice responded.

"Oh darn," sighed Nevarez worringly with deep regret. "I know I should've treated a lot of citizens from every Coalition-occupied territories better than that earlier today..."

As the Free Worlds Fleet finally stepped into the skies, the congressmen and congresswomen of the Republic of Avalon, such as Chief Officer Henry Wilde, First Officer William Murdoch, Second Officer Charles Lightoller, Third Officer Herbert Pitman, Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall, Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, Sixth Officer James Moody, Thomas Andrews, J.J. Astor, Bruce Ismay, Benjamin Guggenheim, Archibald Butt, Molly Brown and Master-at-Arms Thomas King, are leading the way in front of the more-than-28,000 spaceships from across the multiverse. That's twofold than that from The Rise of Skywalker that Lando's fleet can be counted upon.

"Alright everybody," Congressman Thomas Andrews, "Now it's time for our first order of business: to hit those weak spots; the underbelly cannons. Remember what General Poe Dameron said, every one we knock down is a world saved!"

"Roger that Congressman Andrews," said General Dameron.

Lando whooped as he and Chewie charged ahead, and a thousand fighters, frigates, and even well-armed freighters swooped after them. Within seconds, the Millennium Falcon had taken out a cannon. That ship made everything look easy.

"Nice flying, Lando," came Wedge Antilles’s voice, and Poe realized the old Rebellion captain, and his former flight instructor, was operating one of the Falcon’s turret stations. He wished Leia could be here to see this.

"Hell, I've never been flying on that spacecraft before," spoke First Officer-turned-Congressman William Murdoch with a smile. "In my era, there wasn't any spacecraft at all, and I've never heard of that since it's just the early 20th century, but now the Infinity Project guys knew what it can mean."

Finn threw his fist into the air. "I knew Lando would do it. I knew it!" Jannah was gaping at the sky, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be laying cover fire.

"Finger to trigger, Chewie," came Lando’s voice on the comm. People had come from everywhere to help them. The whole multiverse was here. Finn watched as they swooped among the Destroyers, laying waste to the hapless ships. He shook off the moment of triumph with effort. Jannah resumed firing, while Finn got back to work on his shifty stuff. — For this, Albrecht had no backup plan.

"Where did they get all these fighter craft?" Lord Commander Reginar Albrecht demanded. "They have no navy." Admiral Firmus Piett was gaping. The light had gone out of his eyes. "It’s not a navy, sir," the admiral said, and his voice shook a little. "It’s just, people."

The tide was turning. Poe’s patchwork navy pummeled the defenseless fleet. One Destroyer listed sideways, smoke rising from its hull. It collided with another, and both dropped to the surface, helpless in Exegol’s gravity. Another dropped after a pair of proton torpedoes hit it in the gut. Soon Destroyers were falling away all over the place. But the Sidiousist Sith TIEs remained viciously relentless, and they were still targeting Poe specifically. One threatened him head-on, but he was hemmed in between hulls. He gunned the accelerator, firing. Poe wasn’t sure if he’d destroy it in time, or if he should wing away.

A Y-wing slipped into the assist position beside him—a precision move. Together they gunned the TIE, which exploded into a satisfying fireball. "So long, sky trash!" came a familiar female voice. He turned in his cockpit as the Y-wing screamed past.

"Who’s that flier?" he muttered. "Take a guess, spice runner." It was Zorii! Poe’s relief was so huge he almost choked on it. "Hah! Zorii, you made it!" Someone warbled at him in Anzellan, then added, "Hey, heyyyyy!" "Babu?" Poe said, disbelieving. This day just kept getting better and better.

Back inside the citadel, Alexander Pepper and Ruby Ramirez lay collapsed on the floor as Victor stepped out of the cloud of smoke. He stood straight and strong now. Invincible. The Supreme Leader raised his voice to the throng.

"Look what you have made..." he said. Their chanted response was thunderous, and he stood, hands slightly raised, as if absorbing their worship as power. Ramirez forced her near-lifeless body over onto her hands and knees. Pepper remained limp beside her as she struggled to get to her feet and faced her enemy.

The Supreme Leader was not impressed as he telekinetically lifted Ramirez with no more than a thought, exclaiming revenge for his first defeat at the hands of the Kids Club.

"As once I fell, so falls the last Preschool Girl!" said Victor in a deep, monotone voice before casting her away with such force that she tumbled end over end through the length of the arena, then disappeared into a flashing abyss. Pepper would have screamed, but he could barely draw breath.

"And maybe the last Inkwell Isle Girl, I don't know," he said in a high-pitched, nervous and normal voice.

"I hope they're not dead. They're just... well, imprisoned," talked Nevarez to himself in a more normal voice. "I knew Darth Sidious made a mistake that he did kill the last Skywalker family member -- Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo -- to hopefully end the Skywalker bloodline permanently, but hey. I'll just hide them instead while giving a few holes for some ventilation and some passage of food to them to keep them away from distraction."

He looked at the Disciples who were still chanting while cheering, roaring, whistling and applauding for him.

"Aw, shucks," he said to the Disciples in an affectionate voice. "You guys are so kind. Maybe a round of applause can be music to my ears, eh?"

"Everybody climb!" shouted Congressman Andrews as he commanded the Free Worlds Fleet to retreat to high altitude. "Congressman Ismay, count down from ten to one! This is a ten-second warning, because I can calculate that Nevarez's Force lightning storm will be unleashed later on!"

"Do not fear their feeble attack, my faithful." the Supreme Leader said. With Ramirez already forgotten. His lips spread apart into a nightmarish grin, and he lifted his face to Exegol’s sky with the words, "NOTHING WILL STOP THE RETURN OF THE DARK EMPIRE."

"Ten!" Ismay counted nervously as the Free Worlds Fleet was climbing into high altitudes so that they can be safe from the Supreme Leader's Force lightning attack while Ms. Frizzle, her class, the Master Defenders, the Klassixes and the Original Defenders are still keeping the Coalition roundels on the Devastator to know that they're on the Coalition's side at the same time, "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! C'mon, five! Four! Three! Two! Hurry up, one!"

Nevarez began to raise his hands as though reaching toward the battle overhead. Even through his haze of weakness and exhaustion, Pepper could sense him draw on the Force. The Supreme Leader’s power was staggering now. No, their power. His and Ramirez’s. Tears streamed down his face as he used their stolen power to create a conduit of Force lightning. Writhing, crooked tendrils of light shot from his fingers, coalesced into a thick stream of red light that burst into the sky, flooding the Allied starships.

"Watch out!" shouted Congressman Butt as the Force lightning was being unleashed, the Allied starships that didn't make it were sparked helplessly against the onslaught, tilting on their axis.

Poe watched in horror as raw power shot up from the planet like a massive geyser, devouring everything in its path. Several fighters were suddenly adrift, their controls no longer responding. The Tantive IV trembled, as if fighting a tractor beam. It listed to the side, began to drop. Poe wanted to look away.

Leia’s ship... he clenched his jaw and stared anyway. He would bear witness to this. The trembling intensified. One of the engines detonated. Explosions spread out along the hull, and suddenly the Tantive IV was dropping like a meteor, past the Immortal Armada and out of sight. Poe had just lost a lot of friends. He’d known Nien Numb his whole life.

Suddenly, the console of his own fighter was sparking, shocking his hand even through his flight gloves. "Artoo, my systems are failing!" From the droid socket of his X-wing came the sound of R2 screaming. Poe punched his comm. "Does anyone copy?" No response. Beside him, a sleek Nubian yacht trembled in the throes of wicked lightning, then dropped out of view.

Meanwhile, in the Devastator, Ms. Frizzle and her class, including the Master Defenders, the Klassixes and the Original Defenders, are witnessing a Force lightning storm.

"Whoa, that's a lot of Force lightning," said Wanda.

"Sweet Jesus," exclaimed Keesha.

Just as he was still unleashing an even more powerful Force lightning storm than ever before, he's overheating! Just then, he's jammed and frozen, playing a live-streaming Lance and Janice episode.

"Oh Lance!" spoke Janice to her lover Lance, just as Nevarez's jammed body was broadcasting a Lance and Janice episode with his soundwaves. "We've been in a honeymoon inside a jungle planet where so many aggressive animals and fairytale creatures live in harmony together."

"I know Janice, but we both came a long way through together," said Lance with an offscreen kiss as sad, romantic music plays. His butler, now wearing some 70s/80s rocker costume, was shocked about his master's malfunction.

"Oh, is this important, sir? It's almost time for my bass guitar recital."

"Gee, thanks Jonathon," Nevarez said with a normal half-chuckle.

"You're welcome, sir."

"Oh, that's just gonna hurt really bad," said Nevarez with a slightly nervous look. "Well, at least I can free myself from Torvivum soon. Hey, at least my Force lightning is designed to decimate only half of almost all the large Alliance spaceships that are still in low altitudes while stunning some of the others' crew members, but again, half of them. Because killing a lot of people is pretty bad."

"Damn, that was close," said Congressman Benjamin Guggenheim. "Looks like we made it to higher altitudes."

"And also, we are approaching near the Vanessa Hudgens," stated Congressman J.J. Astor. "Stand clear, Captain Quirino. We're ready for refueling."

"Roger that, folks. Captain Juan Miguel Quirino of the BRP Vanessa Hudgens, serving for the Philippine Space Force, reporting for duty," said Captain Juan Miguel Quirino of the Vanessa Hudgens in a pompous voice.

"That's right Captain Quirino," said Congressman Andrews. "I've designed this spaceship just for you long after some Infinity Project guys saved my life from the sinking of the RMS Titanic on the night of 15th of April, 1912, over a century before the end of the world as everyone knew it came along."

"Hmph, so you are the crew and first class passengers of the former RMS Titanic, huh? Well, you came to the future to help us after that nuclear war almost screwed us up. At least you're helping the dying human race up."

"Wilco, Captain Quirino. This is Molly Brown -- Mike Bravo speaking," spoke Congresswoman Molly Brown, "We are on standby, preparing for another run almost promptly after refuelling."

"Much obliged, you guys."

Then a fly landed on his head and said, "Oh you darn fly! Get outta here!" He was using his Force lightning when he tried to kill the fly, but he unintentionally unleashed another Force lightning storm.

"Ah phooey. I'm overheating again," said Nevarez. "I didn't mean to do another round of Force lightning, and I--" He suddenly froze when an episode of Lance and Janice is broadcasted again from his malfunctions.

"I love you so, now and forever, Lance... and even your diabolical twin brother, Engelbert," said Lance.

The crew of the USS George W. Bush, like so many large Alliance spaceships, is now halved. The survivors are wide awake.

"Where am I?" said the captain of the USS George W. Bush. "What the heck is going on?"

Later, Frizzle was using her binoculars to keep watch on Alexander Pepper.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Ms. Frizzle.

"It's Alex! He's back!" answered Keesha in excitement.

"Hard-a-starboard, lads!" commanded Carlos through the PA system.

"Hard-a-starboard, sir!" responded Wanda.

Back inside the citadel, the Supreme Leader would not stop laughing as he took his throne, light still shooting upward from his fingertips. Pepper hated the sound—grating, smug, oddly familiar. He was near death; he knew it with certainty. He didn’t want his laugh to be the last thing he heard.

He could hardly move, but he managed to roll over onto his back. His vision blackened with the effort. He reached for Ramirez—nothing. Their connection had weakened when the Supreme Leader stole their life-force. He’d vaguely sensed Ramirez falling, but it was like she’d fallen out of existence itself, leaving him carved out and broken. Rey’s limbs refused any order to move, much less stand, so he stared at the battle above. Not that it was a battle anymore. Explosions peppered the sky. Black debris rained down everywhere, trailing smoke and fire. The Tantive IV listed, then plummeted.

He had failed so utterly. The Supreme Leader’s true power was a beautiful sight to behold, reaching ever higher, spreading out like a flower of light. In a way, he and Ramirez had made that. But the Supreme leader was using it for unspeakable evil. And now he was helpless. Dying. What would Leia do? The answer came to him gently, like a soft morning breeze. He had to give. He had to give everything. Pepper remembered his training, and he reached into the Force.

Steadied his mind. "Be with me," he whispered. His true power would always come from oneness. "Be with me. Be with me." The battle above disappeared. Instead, Pepper saw a perfect sky, vast with stars. Peaceful. Light-filled. It was like he was staring through a window to somewhere else, a place between places. "Be with me." His body relaxed. He embraced peace and calm, the way Romulus Augustus had taught him

Through the calm, came the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi: "These are your final steps, Alex. Rise and take them." Then the voices of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, her son Ben Solo, and Rey Skywalker joined.

"Alex,"

"Alex,"

"Alex."

"We're here for you, Alex."

He didn’t recognize them all, but somehow, she knew them the moment they made themselves known to her. They’d been with her all along; she just needed to learn how to hear them. Like Leia had promised. More voices came at her fast but gentle, as though she lay at a confluence of the Force, possibilities, futures and pasts all stretching away from her, or maybe leading toward her.

The cosmos, time, energy, being—nothing was the way he’d thought it was.

"Bring back the balance, Alex, as I did." said the voice of Anakin Skywalker.

"In the night, find the light, Alex." said the voice of Luminara Unduli.

Presences filled his awareness, some recent, some ancient, some still anchored to the living in a strange way. Pepper didn’t understand. But he accepted.

"Alone, never have you been." said the voice of Yoda.

"Every Jedi who ever lived, lives in you." said the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.

"The Force surrounds you, Alex." said the voice of Luke Skywalker.

"Let it guide you." said the voice of Aayla Secura.

"As it guided us." said the voice of Ahsoka Tano.

"Feel the Force flowing through you, Alex." said the voice of Mace Windu.

"Let it lift you." said the voice of Ben Solo.

Zuskelgar had wanted Pepper for himself. But he chose to be their conduit. Their vessel. He was a Jedi. Peppper moved an arm. Then a shoulder. He let the voices surround him, fill him, strengthen him. He turned over, placed a palm to the ground, pushed up.

"Rise, Alex." said the voice of Adi Gallia.

"We stand behind you, Alex." said the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn again.

"Alex." said the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi again.

"Rise in the Force." said the voice of Yoda again.

He got a knee beneath him, leveraged herself up onto his toes. Pepper paused, crouched, gasping for air. His muscles didn’t want to obey. Every movement turned his very bones to knives of pain.

"In the heart of a Jedi lies his strength." said the voice of Kanan Jarrus.

The voices were becoming louder, even more powerful.

"Rise." said the voice of Rey Skywalker.

"Rise!" said the voice of Ben Solo.

Romulus Augustus' voice became deep and insistent, rising above all the others. A well of power from which to draw: “Alex, the Force will be with you. Always.”

He finally rose. Summoned his own lightsaber, which skidded across the stone and smacked into his hand. The blade ignited, and Pepper stood, full of strength freely given to him by those who had come before. The Supreme Leader gasped. The avalanche of light from his fingertips ceased. He rose from his throne and stepped forward. His eyes glowed with red lingering power.

While the spirits of all the Sith lords and ladies appear behind Victor, he turned at his back at Palpatine in so much annoyance. "Except you, Palpatine. As the most evil Sith lord you are, you failed your Galactic Empire on purpose for doing those villainous acts that're beyond redemption and myself." Later, he uses his Force lightning to get rid of Palpatine's ghost, because he hates the latter for being a devil-in-person.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" he screamed, then he cleared his throat again and turned his back, calling his butler guy Marple. "Jonathon? Jonathon!? Joooonathon!!" he called. A holographic call for Jonathon Marple began with the words given from the butler, "Oh, tally ho. How can I be of assistance?"

"Well don't just stand there, Jonathon. Can you kindly annihilate this little bug, please and thank you?" the evil Supreme Leader said politely.

"Bah, just kidding!" the butler on the hologram said, "Because you've reached my holographic voicemail. Please leave your name and a brief message. Ta-ta!"

The butler disappeared and Nevarez said with a slight chuckle, a normal half-laughter and a sigh.

"Fine, guess I'll have to do it myself." he said, just as he rolled his kakugan eyes and to Pepper.

"Now, let your death be the final word in the story of the Alliance!" Nevarez reached with his arms, sent purple-colored Force lightning zagging toward him. He whipped up his lightsaber and blocked it. The impact nearly knocked him from his feet, but he reached for the Force, and stood his ground. His attack intensified.

Then I saw Nevarez unleashing an already-redoubled Force lightning attack on Pepper, yet he's just super afraid, just as if Courage (the Bagges' pet dog) was screaming at villains, Arnold Perlstein getting nervous on field trips, Marshall the Fire Pup afraid to go to a parachute training exercise, and I was afraid in the woods on a dark night.

"Oh, darn. Well, YOU ARE NOTHING!" he yelled in a much angrier, demonoic voice one final time. "A FRENCH BOY IS NO MATCH FOR THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE! I AM THE LORD OF ALL VILLAINS." His wrist felt like it was going to break. But it wouldn’t. Not today.

He cleared his throat, and his demonic voice slowly dwindled back to his normal voice while looking more nervous than ever.

"And maybe some bullies, those who were laughing at anyone inferior, mischievous guys, strict parents, snobbish rich people, criminals... and/or grumpy neighbors, I guess? Right? Right!?" he said with a nervous chuckle. As Pepper looked angrier than what he looked, his face moved down in shameful defeat.

"Oh darn it for real, that's it. I give up all my evil plans. I surrender."

"Oh, right. I see you could be like that," stated Alexander curiously. Now his voice is now in an angrily, more demonic-ish voice similar to Nevarez's. Oh, nevermind. Actually, it was the voices of a thousand Jedi masters, like what Aang was saying to Ozai with the voices of a thousand Avatars before him.

"And I," he said, reaching for more strength, for Augustus' lightsaber. It clicked into his hand. "I am the Lord of All Good Guys." He brought the second lightsaber to bear, crossing its blade with the first, creating an impenetrable shield.

Well, guess what? Pepper's using his double-wielded lightsabers, one of them was once belonged to Romulus Augustus!

"What the--!?" Nevarez said in a slightly scared tone while still using the last of his Force to unleash a redoubled lightning strike on him in vain, just as Pepper is deflecting it.

"Darn!" he said in a normal, mildly angry tone... nervously. "Help! I can't deflect Alex's lightsabers!" The villains didn't want to listen, because they want to officially accept a surrender to us later on.

"That was just a freaking joke! What the heck am I supposed to do against a double-wielding lightsabered French boy?! On my own!?" he said even a bit more nervous and scared with his Force running out even faster while Pepper continued to step forward, pushing back against his onslaught. Then again. Every step was anguish. It was taking everything the Jedi had given him, everything he had.

Now his Force lightning got weaker, quieter and smaller. "Mommy!" he cried out with a dog-like whimper. "Have mercy on me! I have to surrender like everybody else! You're making a mistake! I've made a lot of mistakes! I'll give you everything! Money, fame, fortune, popularity, and even infinite power! I'm just a single man!"

Then his Force finally ran out. His lightning is no more, and Pepper is still unscathed. He stopped deflecting it, and he's free to finish him off with a final blow.

He gave his final speech in front of us, confessing to all of us that he admitted defeat... with a single tear in his kakugan eye.

"Oh, alright," he said. "You folks caught me. Well, you know what? I failed myself. Palpatine failed everybody else with the most evil intentions he had done to the Galactic Empire. I kinda acted out like that good-for-nothing devil-in-person crybaby named Sheev Palpatine. I admit, I was indeed the true grand mastermind of the Third World War, but not the Jedi-Sith conflict thing, but you're right. Like that doofus madman Tomislav Vlahović of the Belkan Grey Men who was the true mastermind of the USRAC War, the true mastermind of the Last Day, a full-scale biological/chemical/nuclear war between the two alliances we fought each other against is one of your generals, is actually a young lady named Maxine Dunwell, the female American attaché serving for the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia who ordered all the newly-built Saudi nuclear weapons to be launched at Iranian major cities, responsible for killing countless quintillions of people, and I hated this idea. Well, you're just gonna have two choices, Alex. Either you kill me, or you spare me. If you kill me, then I'll be free from Zuskelgar and I'll be on my way to heaven with all my fellow comrades who fell before me, and when you pass away, I may have the right to forgive you, no matter what. And if you spare me, then I'd rather be called Alexander Pepper II, just like you, rather than to call you as Emperor Zuskelgar II, which is rather insulting I admit... or maybe I can be your servant as punishment for my own insolence. Please choose which fate can you choose to do this to me. Either way, I surrender and I'm accepting this somber fate from now on."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Alexander Pepper II," Alex said, "But I think killing you is better if you don't want me to fall for your tricks again."

"But I -- I don't do tricks at all! I'm just a normal villain who avoids being a complete monster, just to avoid those mistakes that jerk Palpatine had committed so long ago, and I swear that I--" This is another time (and not the first time) we all get to see his scaredy cat face. Just because of Pepper who was hesitantly about to kill Nevarez for these so-called 'tricks,' he was more scared.

"Uh-oh," the Coalition's Supreme Leader said in great fear, just as Pepper's dual lightsabers are fully-charged with tripled Force lightning, more powerful than his.

Pepper stepped forward, pushing back against his onslaught. Then again. Every step was anguish. It was taking everything the Jedi had given him, everything he had.

"Well, this stinks," he said. I will not forget his last words too, before he got badly wounded. Even though he said these words of fear, he seemed to accept his own fate now.

The lightning began to feed back on the Supreme Leader. It ravaged his face, and he tossed back his head in agony, and in denial of what was happening. Pepper pursued mercilessly, one foot in front of the other, absorbing power from the Force.

Finally, he was ready. He gathered his strength, his faith in the Jedi past, his love of his friends, and he thrust it all at the Supreme Leader. He staggered backward, his own power reflected against him. It knocked him out and left a large electric wound on his stomach, just as he screamed in horror as he was disintegrated by his own lightning.

But before the Supreme Leader is no more, the dying Nevarez, mortally wounded, stopped screaming in agony when Zuskelgar's spirit was released from him, so he had no choice but to commit his final act of his life: ultimately decimating his master, Torvivum Zuskelgar. He used the last of his Force to finally get this nearly pure evil madman off the face of the Earth instead of killing his opponent, Pepper. Looks like he finally chose to free himself from the evil master whom he possessed, putting him under his duress.

As Zuskelgar was suffering from Force lightning, his last words were, "You caught me. Now, remember this: not all Sith are evil! Mark my words if you can." He disappeared without a trace, leaving only his empty Sith robes. Nevarez sighed in despair and sadness, knowing that Torvivum Zuskelgar does indeed have a tragic backstory and his honorable personality like him. I will not forget him either.

And like collapsing stardust, what remained of Zuskelgar's soul coalesced into a single point, which then exploded with a massive shockwave that threw Pepper and Nevarez to the ground. The Sith throne shattered. The ceiling bouldered down around them, crushing thousands of disciples in the amphitheater. Anyone who survived are arrested for ten year imprisonment and/or a US$5,000 fine.

"Vicky!" I shouted. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

Before he died, he finally smiled at Pepper, showing forgiveness that it wasn't his fault, but it was indeed Torvivum Zuskelgar all along. This had to be another and last time to see Nevarez smiling at Pepper. But not in an evil way. His smile is just normal. Not looking cruel.

"Alex. I'm sorry. I'm must confess that I'm actually not the lord of all villains at all. I'm just inevitable, like Thanos said," stated Victor. "Monsieur Pepper my boy, it doesn't take a lot of war crimes in one's mind and body to know that's a bad idea. You saw I'd become a monster like Torvie himself, and you stopped me like a man we both are to be to this very day, on this final hour of my entire life. I'm proud of you." Pepper agreed with a half-hug on the dying Supreme Leader.

"But... before I die, please, Alex. Please... just remember: tell the Alliance officials that you were right. I'll always be posthumously known as Alexander Pepper II in your book, and you are not Emperor Zuskelgar II at all," groaned Nevarez. "So, remember: there is no reason to ultimately destroy any two sides of the Force, whenever it's light or dark. They must be used together while handling with care at the same time as long it's only used for the good of all life in and around the multiverse. And... when your time of passing comes, well, I can forgive you at the very first moment there in the afterlife. Now please, do your best. Au revoir, Alex."

Pepper smiled at him back as he died with his eyes half-closed, only after he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. Later, he felt despair and frowned quickly as he stared at Victor's bloodied uniform, still worn on his lifeless body, now laying over a slowly-growing, yet small-sized puddle of blood he was standing, kneeled, heavily breathed and screamed loudly while mourning the loss of his opponent, just like what Superman was screaming after defeating General Zod.

He cried, and I stepped near him, showing how guilty his near-pure good life would've been, showing guilt that he chose to kill him instead of sparing him. A sad mistake indeed! That's why, I had to start cremating him when we return to Earth.

"Pepper, you're not supposed to kill a surrendered enemy leader like this," kindly scolded Bradford to Pepper for that murderous act. "He just surrendered, and now you did the wrong thing to murder him rather than to take him in custody."

"I'm so sorry. I just felt a bit more stubborn than what I did about the Eiserne Zitadelle," Alexander said. "Even though he did destroy Yavin 4 as an extreme measure. I did the same on that too."

"That's okay, Alex. At least this war's over now."

Pepper did not mourn Darth Trethium. He would never mourn Darth Trethium. But he dearly would have loved the chance to get to know Nevarez. It felt like half of him was missing, and he supposed it was. And just when he’d discovered that precious connection, that incredible oneness, it was ripped away.

Suddenly, a voice came to him through the Force, clear and strong. "I will always be with you", Victor said. He smiled. Let the truth of it wash over him. "No one’s ever really gone," he whispered. He retrieved his lightsabers and sprinted from the ruined arena.

"Let's go home, lads," said a British officer as carries his stretcher to bring myself home. He and his medical team are sad about how Nevarez was just Torvivum's slave.

8 DAYS LATER -- TITANIC CITY, AVALON

It's been eight days since we returned to Exegol with Nevarez freed from Torvivum's solitude as a posthumous and honorary Jedi he is long after his evil days are numbered. The official surrender ceremony for the villains of the Coalition of the Red Star to the heroes of the Grand Alliance was held in Titanic City. Held in front of the Astor House with all the Congress of the Republic of Avalon standing in front of us. The former passengers and crew members of the RMS Titanic and the survivors of the Last Day, including those coming from the spared worlds, also attended the event, other than the heroes and the surviving villains.

High Captain E.J. Smith, Chief of State Nathan Bradford, the spirit of Victor Nevarez, Alexander Pepper, and so many other Grand Alliance leaders and generals either finished doing their speeches or are awaiting for their turn to speak are sitting on first class dining saloon chairs. At the time, Congressman Thomas Andrews of the Republic of Avalon (who led the Free Worlds Fleet), is giving a speech in front of us.

"When history called, you answered. From all walks of life, you came to defend peace and freedom," spoke Thomas Andrews on the lectern with a microphone, standing on the stage in front of all of us Alliance heroes, soldiers, generals and officers. All heroes are wearing the same exact Battle for the Multiverse outfits while the soldiers are wearing service dress uniforms and/or full dress uniforms. I smiled at Congressman Andrews with the war finally over. "I thank you. And the world thanks you, and wherever your path takes you, know this: You will always be amongst a brotherhood and sisterhood of heroes and heroines."

"Ah," said Arnold. "This is it, fellas."

"Well Alex," said High Captain E.J. Smith. "We've done our duty. We cremated Nevarez, and his ashes are scattered in and around the Hudson River in Titanic City to say goodbye to him. Now our job's done. And I told you, you don't want me to live in a post-High Captain Smith Avalon yet. That'll be too cruel."

"Gentlemen," said Molly Mabray with a pat on my back. "Qyah! Your prodigal daughter returns!"

Trivia

 * The rollcall conducted by Ms. Frizzle's classmates in the Devastator is reminiscent to that from "Kids in Space" whilst in the International Space Station.
 * The death of Victor Nevarez is actually succumbing to a large electric shock wound on his stomach, just as Rey's final blow on Palpatine with his Force lightning seemed too grotesque and/or to be subject to copyright infringement from Lucasfilm, the creator of Star Wars.
 * Instead, he would be cremated by the Grand Alliance medics during a surrender ceremony.
 * The post-war speech delivered by Avalonian congressman Thomas Andrews is reminiscent to the final speech given by Colonel Davis from Call of Duty: WW2.