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The X-Wing's cockpit erupted in bright yellow light as the laser blast passed closely by, then just as quickly faded once again to show the cold black nothing of space. Putting the small craft into a steep dive, New Republic pilot Tarl Kreethen tried once again to shake off his pursuer. The move sent him careering towards several other fighter craft vying for superiority, and not surprisingly the one shadowing his every move had once again managed to stay right with him through his manoeuvre. It was rare indeed that Tarl came across a pilot with enough skill to match his own, but there was something oddly different about the way these attackers piloted their craft. It was as if each and every single one of them were aware of what was about to happen and acted accordingly. He'd even seen one bank to avoid one of his attacks before he'd even pulled the trigger. With these abilities he wondered how his pursuer hadn't blasted him out of the stars already. After all, it seemed most of his allies already had been.
Still trying to shake off the aggressor behind, Tarl set his sights on one of the gloss black enemy craft in his forward view screen and made a decision. If he was going to die here, he was going to take as many of these wretched foes with him as he could. The fighter in front of him was rapidly closing in on another of his New Republic comrades, and he guessed he'd need a little bit more speed to attempt an intercept. With a flick of a switch to his left, he diverted power from his front deflector screen to the engines, and forced the throttle to one hundred percent. He was met with a satisfactory growl as the engine's power output increased, driving the craft forward at full attack speed.
The enemy fighter was firing now, peppering yellow bolts of energy against the rear deflector of its targeted X-Wing. The X-Wing's pilot dodged and weaved as best he could, but his craft definitely wouldn't take much more punishment. Tarl gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. His X-Wing's four laser cannons roared, spraying red lines of death towards the enemy. As before, his rival reacted instantly and pitched his ship starboard to avoid the first barrage. This time however, Tarl was having none of it. This one was not getting away. Ignoring another hit on his own rear deflector that dropped it down to just thirty two percent, he set off in pursuit and pulled the trigger again.
Once more, the red lasers streamed forth to threaten the enemy ship. This time, as the fighter snaked one way in avoidance, it was caught in a wider sheet of firepower that Tarl was rapidly laying down. Several hits slammed into its deflector shield, and for once Tarl got the feeling one of his enemies was starting to panic.
He pressed on, staying with the stricken enemy ship as it banked sharply to try and evade him. Again more laser fire impacted on its deflector shield, and quicker than Tarl thought possible, a shot found its way through and struck one of the engines. As the engine overloaded, it took the rest of the ship with it in a blinding explosion that Tarl had to roll to avoid. At last, he thought, these enemies are not unbeatable after all. Obviously their confidence in their own abilities had convinced them they didn't need very resilient deflector shields.
His feeling of triumph was quickly subdued as his ship rocked from another hit to its rear deflector. Surely another hit would eradicate his own defence for good, and leave him wide open to be blown out of the stars. He quickly pitched the ship to port, trying desperately to escape the target lock of his pursuer, but it was no good. Another two yellow blasts of laser fire soared passed his vision, getting ever closer to that final hit. With his teeth grit and his hands sweating he turned the ship into another dive, but he knew it was only a matter of time. The enemy ship lined him up for the attack...
Suddenly a torrent of laser fire struck the chasing craft, and it veered off in avoidance. Tarl quickly flew around a full 180 degrees to see the X-Wing he'd saved earlier had come back to do the same for him.
"Nice timing Hendon," he told his ally.
"No problem," he heard Hendon reply over the com link. "Now help me finish off this fiend."
"You got it," he concurred, and joined Hendon in firing at their enemy. Against double the firepower, the black fighter could not weave and elude for long before a shot breached its defences, causing great damage and tearing the ship apart.
Again Tarl's victorious thoughts were immediately cast aside as Hendon's X-Wing exploded under fire from another of the enemy craft. He rolled away from the explosion, and observed on his instruments that he was in desperate trouble. Including himself there were just five Republic pilots remaining, and they were outnumbered nearly three to one. There was no way now that they could repel these attackers, he realised. The Republic outpost and population of the nearby planet Gorek II would be left defenceless. If they had received earlier warning of the attack they could have sent for reinforcements, and maybe then stood a chance. But as it was the situation was hopeless.
Tarl searched his mind, and was left confused. The sudden and swift onslaught these unidentified enemies had executed would be easier to understand if there was a logical reason to control this sector. But he could not think of anything. There was nothing special about Gorek II, or any of the other planets in the star system, that could not be found in hundreds of other places around the galaxy. The pointlessness of all this death made Tarl hate these aggressors even more.
After one last glance at the planet, and a fleeting thought to his friends down there, he banked his craft around again and prepared to go down with all guns blazing. As a number of the enemy craft came at him, an enormous starship suddenly appeared from hyperspace. Its great form dominated his view, and its appearance had definitely surprised his enemies. After the initial shock Tarl smirked as he recognised it was no less than a Mon Calamari cruiser, a type of Republic vessel so large and powerful they were normally used as flagships of entire fleets. Someone out there was smiling on him and the other survivors today.
It seemed like just seconds until his radar scope picked up another squadron of X-Wings, heading towards the battle zone at great speed from the direction of the cruiser. As they neared, his com link came alive with the sound of a strange voice.
"This is Jedi Master Reeldo of the flight wing Force's Vigour," the voice said.
Tarl was even more elated to discover their assistance was in the form of the Jedi, but he couldn't think of a reason why they would be all the way out here in such large numbers. However it was not the time to ask stupid questions. He was just glad of the help.
"We urge all Republic pilots to fall back and save yourselves," Reeldo continued. "Allow the Jedi to handle these intruders."
"You are welcome to them Master Jedi," Tarl answered, guessing that from the name and the sound of his voice that the Jedi was Rodian. "We will pull back closer to the planet and recharge our shields in case you should need us."
"Very well," Reeldo agreed, before issuing his orders. "All Jedi lock s-foils in attack position, and let us drive these enemies back."
Tarl followed the other Republic pilots limping away from the battle, as the black hostile craft all now sped towards their new targets.
"May the Force be with us," Tarl heard Reeldo say, just before the lasers started flying again.
Jedi Knight Meja Codan jumped down from his open cockpit and landed perfectly on the floor of the hangar. All around him other surviving pilots from the victorious battle were coming back in to land inside the cruiser Dawn Of Peace. It had been a long, tough battle, and its outcome had only been decided by the fact that the X-Wing fighters were a more impressive craft than that of their enemies. Had the other craft been protected by heavier shielding, or armed with more lasers, things could have been drastically different.
Codan began to walk towards the rear exit of the hangar. As he passed one of the other X-Wings, its cockpit popped open and a familiar face appeared.
"Dark Jedi," said Codan as Li New climbed down from his ship. It was a statement of fact, not an educated guess.
"Yes," Li New nodded. "The battle was tainted by the presence of the dark side."
"And there was something else also," Codan explained as Li New joined him heading towards the hangar exit.
"I felt it too," Li New confirmed. "Something all too familiar."
"Yes," Codan agreed, as a young fair-haired Jedi in his early teens fell in behind them. "I fear a face from our past has returned to haunt us."
"Be mindful now my apprentice," Li New said to the young Padawan behind them. "This mission is becoming ever more dangerous, and our success becoming ever more imperative."
"Yes master," the young man nodded.
They walked down a vast corridor, which extended a great distance from the hangar to a grand assembly room. Soon the other Jedi and the few surviving fighter pilots stood gathered in its confines. Li New and Codan spoke to the others, and all expressed their regret and grief at the deaths of their friends and allies. Of the Jedi, three had been lost. They were a short female Zabrak of great ability called Talaksa Lanicope, a Dug named Droksin, and a tall elegant man of great stature called Hyo Moffis. Neither Li New or Codan had spoke to them much, and both regretted that they would no longer have the chance to.
A short while later the doors to the room slid open, and two figures entered. Li New recognised one as Haran Baska, the captain of this cruiser. He was a Mon Calamarian male of middle age, and with his red skin and bulbous eyes looked to Li New just like any other Mon Calamarian he had seen. Still, his posture was one of authority and he gave off a feeling of self confidence most beings did not.
By his side walked a woman with shoulder length vivid red hair. On her tall physique she wore a dignified uniform that made her look both important and striking at the same time. Towering over Captain Baska by a good four inches, one could easily be intimidated if it were not for the unmistakable look of shock and sadness on her face.
As they reached the centre of the room, all others quietened as Captain Baska introduced the woman to the Jedi who had not met her before. She was the commander of the outpost of Gorek II, and her name was Azra Neema. She proceeded to explain to the Jedi the exact events of how the attack came about, and they listened closely until the end.
"This was a very unprovoked attack," Neema concluded. "And a greatly surprising one."
"There were only fifteen of them, against over two dozen of us," Tarl explained. "Even with all our combat training and strength of numbers they still managed to wipe the stars with us."
"Your attackers were Dark Jedi," explained Wilcra Li New. "Fuelled by the malice and hatred of the dark side of the Force."
"You are indeed lucky to survive yourself," Jedi Master Reeldo told him. "For not even the Jedi with our abilities and the Force by our side are impervious to their harm."
Tarl bowed his head in a kind of respect. "I am truly sorry for your fallen comrades, Master Jedi."
"As we are yours," Reeldo responded mournfully. "But we can do little for the deceased. Only try our utmost to save this happening again."
"Indeed," Baska agreed. "What shall your move be, Master Reeldo?"
"I do not feel the Dark Jedi's business here has ended," the Rodian regretted. "We must concentrate all our energies on finding them and stopping them before they manage to strike again."
"I do not understand why such people would wish to drive us away from this sector," Neema puzzled. "There is little of value here."
"Who knows what goals their anger and greed drives them toward," Reeldo said.
"Master Reeldo," Codan said from across the room. "I believe I may have found an answer."
Reeldo, Li New, Captain Baska and Commander Neema approached the other Jedi, who had been busy working on a nearby computer terminal. As they neared he prepared something on a monitor and pointed to it.
"I've just completed a scan of the system," Codan explained. "And look here. One of the moons of Gorek II harbours several large quantities of Ultride crystals beneath its surface."
"Ultride crystals?" asked Neema. "I thought apart from looking pretty those things were absolutely worthless."
"So did we," Reeldo explained. "Until recently. We have discovered that members of this new upsurge of Dark Jedi are managing to somehow refine these crystals to use in the construction of their lightsabers."
"This kind of quantity would keep them going a long time," Codan said with a raise of his eyebrows.
"That can not be allowed to happen," Reeldo decided. "This menace must be halted here. Codan, retrieve information about all the nearby star systems."
"Yes master," Codan answered, and once again went to work. Within moments, he had found what he was looking for. "Here Master Reeldo. There are five star systems that are in range for staging a short ranged fighter attack. The Dark Jedi must have some kind of headquarters in one of these systems."
"Then we will search them all," Reeldo instructed. "Master Vizna will investigate the Kaloris system. Li New, you and San Rylo head for the Do'Naar system. Jedi Mila, if you can head to the Gowden system, that leaves the Raddus system for Codan and the Ma'Qun system for myself. Remember this is reconnaissance only. Find and report. We should not tackle these dangerous foes without strength in numbers. Jedi Knight Distor and her apprentice will stay here to protect the cruiser and the outpost should the Dark Jedi return."
A general consensus was reached within the Jedi, so they each made for their spacecraft and set about their tasks. Within minutes, the six X-Wings were entering hyperspace and heading for their destinations.