Bastila Shan was awoken by the blaring of the combat alarm, in her cabin aboard the Endar Spire. She rolled out of bed and slapped the comm. "What's the situation, Captain?"

"Captain Haukann's a little busy at the moment." Bastila recognized the calm baritone of Carth Onasi, the cruiser's Executive Officer. "We've been pulled out of hyperspace by a Sith battle group. It's bad."

"Darth Malak?" Bastila asked, pulling on her robes.

"We think so," Carth replied. "It's the Leviathan and two other cruisers, plus escorts. There's no chance we can defeat a force that size on our own, and we're still a day away from the rendezvous with Admiral Dodonna's fleet." He sighed. "We're not too far from Taris, and there's a Republic base there. The rest of the task force is fighting a delaying action, while we make a run for it along with our fighters. If we can get your team to the surface, there's a chance you might be able to hold out at the base, or hide until reinforcements arrive. If we're going to make it that far, we need you on the bridge, fast!"

Just then, the ship shook; a Sith Interceptor roared by the viewport. Bastila bit her lip. A lot of good people are going to die today. I pray it's worth it. "I'm on my way, Commander." She grabbed her lightsaber and left her stateroom.

There were three other Jedi already in the corridor, the Knights which made up the rest of her team. Dara looked determined, Voren and Bree were maintaining their calm. Bastila took a breath. "We have come under attack by a superior enemy force; the cruiser is making a run for Taris. It is vital that we get him off this ship and away from the Sith."

"We need to keep you safe too, Bastila, for all of our sakes," Voren said.

Bree rubbed her chin. "We're faster than the Sith cruisers, and Malak wants you alive, so the main threat to this ship will be boarders. What are your orders?"

Bastila took a moment to think. "Voren, Dara, head to the lower decks and defend the docking bay. We'll need a shuttle for our run to the surface. Bree, go to the portside, find Revan, and make sure he gets to the bay. I'll meet you there. May the Force be with you."

The Jedi nodded and went their separate ways. Bastila ran forward to the bow; the cruiser shuddered again as another Sith attack struck home. The door slid open to reveal a buzz of tightly coordinated activity. The Hammerhead-class light cruiser had a single large compartment at the front of the ship which served as both bridge and Combat Information Center. Captain Haukann was standing on the command platform, watching the battle out the panoramic window. Carth was further aft, at a bank of screens showing a plan of the ship.

He turned as she walked in and threw a quick salute. "Good morning, Commander Shan. Let me get you up to speed. We're about twenty minutes from Taris orbit. The Sith cruisers and destroyers stopped to engage our rear guard, while three frigates and a swarm of picket ships continued on after us. We had about five hundred kilometers' lead, but they are a lot faster. They'll be in range in about five minutes."

Bastila nodded. "I will begin my Battle Meditation in a moment, though against a force this size, I can only slow the inevitable. I have assigned two of my Jedi to help hold the ship while you evacuate. The other is on her way to gather my team and get them to the shuttle bay."

Carth set his jaw. "Let's get to it."

Bastila knelt, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She felt the lives of the soldiers and spacers on the ship, the fighters swirling outside, even the Sith closing in. Battle Meditation was a rare and powerful technique, combining aspects of several of the Jedi arts. It allowed the Jedi to enhance the skills of her allies, and even bolster their courage. The Sith opposing her would feel the opposite effect. In essence, forces influenced by Battle Meditation fought harder and worked better as a team, while those facing them became disorganized and dismayed. Such skill would be desperately needed in this battle.

The Sith frigates were closing fast, almost in range of the Endar Spire's turbolasers. Ordinarily, ships that small would never choose to engage a cruiser, but the Spire was a high-priority target with Bastila on board. Behind the frigates came a gaggle of pickets-small, fast patrol ships armed with proton torpedoes. Further back were a dozen or more landing craft, loaded with troops and ready to board. The Spire's squadron of Aurek strike fighters went after the pickets first, and Sith interceptors moved to head them off. The Aureks opened fire with their blaster cannon, shredding the incoming Sith while their shields absorbed the return fire. They began their attack runs; the pickets turned to present their broadsides and hammered away with their point-defense turrets. Only one Aurek exploded before the squadron launched torpedoes. The lightly-armored patrol ships bored in toward the cruiser, not even trying to evade as half their number were obliterated. The Spire's main guns opened up, downing all but three of the pickets before they released their own torps. The pickets broke clear to reload their tubes as the torpedoes streaked toward their target. The fast-firing lateral batteries got them all; the cruiser sustained no damage.

"Well done, weapons." Haukann moistened his lips. "Helm, come right. Not much, just enough to unmask batteries."

The helmsman nodded and swung the ship slightly, bringing the starboard turret clear of the stern. The cruiser began firing the upper, lower, and starboard guns, hammering away at the lead frigate. The barrage was well-aimed; the Sith ship took hits and attempted evasive maneuvers. The turbolasers stayed right with them, and the concentrated fire drained the frigate's shields and blasted through the armor. It exploded violently, wreckage spinning away into the night. Several of the bridge crew glanced back towards the Jedi kneeling on the deck and grinned at each other. The two remaining frigates returned fire, slamming bolts into the cruiser's aft shields. Haukann snapped his fingers, and the crew refocused. The Sith warships separated; one stayed on course while the other came left to cross behind the cruiser. The portside gun engaged it as soon as it came into view, landing direct hits on the frigate's bow but not doing critical damage. The Sith pickets came back in, using the larger ship for cover. They popped out and launched another torpedo salvo from close range. This attack struck home; two torpedoes blasted the port section and a third hit just behind the bridge.

The explosion threw everyone not strapped into their seats. Bastila was hurled into the aft bulkhead; blood trickled into her eyes from a split scalp. She wiped it away and tried to regain her focus, despite the ringing in her ears. Carth knelt and began applying a medpac to her head.

Haukann groaned and got to his feet. "Damage report!"

"We've lost the portside turbolaser turret," called the tech at the sensor console. "Hull breach, portside, frame thirty-one." She shook her head. "It's the port escape pod bay. The corridor is depressurized; there's no way to reach the pods!"

And just like that, one-third of the cruiser's crew were doomed. Captain Haukann grit his teeth. "Can you still launch the pods remotely?"

The tech nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good," Haukann said. He leaned down over her shoulder, watching the sensor plot; with the turret gone, the Sith frigate was closing to dock and board. "Helm, roll us clockwise fifteen degrees. Stand by to launch port pods." The Endar Spire rolled to the right; the frigate was alongside, less than a kilometer away. Haukann slammed his fist on the console. "Now!"

Twenty escape pods shot out of their tubes, roaring towards the Sith warship. Each one was five tons of durasteel and carrying a hundred liters of thruster fuel. The frigate was blown to pieces; the crew didn't cheer, but there were a few grim chuckles. That left one frigate and a handful of picket ships. The running fight went on for another fifteen minutes; at the end, the Sith warships were all destroyed, but only a handful of the cruiser's secondary guns could still fire. The Sith landing craft docked to the cruiser's airlocks and started boarding; the crew on the bridge began to hear muffled blaster fire.

Carth activated the ship's internal comm system. "This is Carth Onasi. The Sith are threatening to overrun our position; we can't hold out long against their firepower. All hands to the bridge!"

Haukann walked to the back of the bridge and grabbed a blaster rifle off a wall rack. "Commander Onasi, get Bastila off this ship, then oversee the evacuation."

"Good luck, sir." Carth came to attention and saluted his captain, then reached under his console and retrieved a knapsack. "Follow me."

The pair walked aft, back along the corridor toward Bastila's stateroom, beyond which lay the turbolift to the lower deck. Suddenly, two Republic troopers ran around the corner ahead, firing down the crossing corridor at something Carth couldn't see.

"Get behind me, Jedi!" He drew his blaster and moved up to join the troopers. Four Sith troopers were advancing down the hallway, carbines at the ready. Carth fired twice, then ducked back behind the corner. He swatted one of the Republic troopers. "Cover me!"

Both troopers leaned around the corner, one high, one low; they filled the hallway with blaster bolts. The sudden burst of fire caught the Sith off-guard and forced them to cover. Carth dove and rolled across the hallway, coming up in cover on the far side. He swung out and shot a trooper dead, then swore. Even more Sith were coming from farther down the hallway. The Sith laid down heavy suppressing fire, forcing Carth and the troopers to hunker down. The situation was becoming desperate; they had to get to the lower deck!

Bastila ignited her lightsaber. "Now you get behind me, Commander."

She swung out into the hallway, twin yellow blades whirling as she deflected the blaster fire back at the Sith. Not one shot got past her, allowing Carth and the troopers to step out and fire. The Sith drew vibroswords and charged; Bastila met them head-on in the narrow corridor and cut them down one after another. The Sith began falling back towards one of the Spire's airlocks, where a landing craft had docked and was unloading troops. Carth grabbed grenades from a fallen Sith and tossed one through the opening. The Sith tried to rush onto the cruiser, too late. The blast tore the lander in half; a hurricane wind rushed through the cruiser's corridors and blew the boarders out into space.

Carth slammed the hatch on the airlock inner door before they were all sucked out. "Commander Shan, we're almost back to your stateroom. You have ninety seconds to grab anything you absolutely need."

Bastila nodded and led the way back to her room. She stuffed a duffel bag, then wiped her computer terminal and destroyed it with her lightsaber. Bastila stepped back into the hallway. "All right, Commander. I'm ready to leave, but I need to gather my strike team." She activated her comm. "This is Padawan Bastila. I've left the bridge along with Commander Onasi. What is your status?"

The comm crackled. "Bree here, Bastila. The battle damage has made it difficult to reach the port section. I'm working my way through the maintenance access ways; I'll let you know when I've gathered your squad."

"Forget the shuttle bay," Dara called. Blaster fire and lightsabers were loud in the background. "Darth Bandon is down here, leading the attack. The Sith have managed to get a foothold; they're bringing in more troops and Dark Jedi right now. We're trying to contain them, but they're cutting through the walls to get around our positions."

"Get the others and get to the pods, Bastila." Voren's voice was grim. "We'll hold them here as long as we can."

"I… understand." Bastila swallowed hard. "Dara, Voren, thank you."

"May the Force be with you, Bastila." Somehow, Dara was warm and comforting; she sounded at peace. "Until we meet again."

Bastila lowered her comlink and shook her head sadly. "The Sith have taken the shuttle bay. Two of my Jedi are trying to slow them down. The third is on her way to link up with the rest of my team; she'll escort them back to us."

"Back to me. You're getting off the Spire, now." Carth held up a hand to silence Bastila's protests. "Your team was bunking with Trask Ulgo, one of my best men. If anyone can get them through safe, he can. You are too vital to the war effort to risk staying aboard any longer. The escape pods aren't far."

The group walked aft, past the offices for the ship's operations and administrative staff. The sounds of fighting were louder; the Sith were right beneath them in the fighter hangar. There was an explosion from the direction of the bridge. Carth took cover behind a blast door and aimed his blaster down the corridor behind them. "Keep going!"

A door on their right flew open and one of the Republic troopers was dead instantly. Two Sith apprentices had cut a hole in the room's floor and jumped up from the deck below. The second trooper got a shot off before the Sith cut him in half. Carth brought his pistol around; the apprentice threw his hand out and blew Carth into the bulkhead. Bastila lit her saber and charged before they could finish Carth off. The Sith pushed with the Force, shoving her back down the hall. Bastila spun her double-blade, slicing for one apprentice's throat. He parried and kicked Bastila in the belly, then tried to disarm her. Bastila kept a tight grip on her saber and locked blades with the Sith. She was holding her own against the apprentices, but that wasn't good enough: All they had to do was delay her escape.

Bastila's face twitched as she felt a wrenching loss. Voren and Dara were dead, and a dark presence was moving below her. One of the apprentices smiled. "He's coming for you. There is no escape…" Carth shot the grinning apprentice twice in the back of the head.

The other Sith couldn't take Bastila one-on-one, and she finished him quickly. She nodded to Carth and kept moving, eyes watery from smoke and sorrow. The Sith were close enough now that Bastila could feel individual Dark Jedi moving around. Bree wasn't far, but they were separated by sealed blast doors. And Revan was moving along the port side, headed forward to the bridge. He and Bree were almost together, and Bastila allowed herself to hope-then felt the Sith moving towards them. Bree turned to fight, and one Dark Jedi fell. Revan reached Bree, then came the explosion, and Bree was gone.

Carth activated the control console in the escape pod bay. "Bastila, take the pod on the left. I've programmed it to aim for the Republic base on Taris."

"What about you?" Bastila asked.

"As long as there's anyone left alive on this ship, I'm waiting here." Carth nodded grimly. "Go, now, or I'll stun you and toss you in there unconscious."

Bastila hesitated, then nodded. "Thank you, Commander Onasi. May the Force be with you." She stepped into the pod; the hatch shut and the pod launched. She watched the cruiser dwindle in the distance as she fell toward Taris.