Series: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Episode One
Title: A New Hope Reborn
Chapter: 1
Summary: Redemption is never impossible.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Star Wars, it solely belongs to brilliant mind of George Lucas.
A/N: Beta-ed by Auros Sopherai & Onasilvslv.
A long time ago in a galaxy far away...
STAR WARS
Four thousand years before the rise of the galactic Empire, the Republic verges on collapse. DARTH MALAK, last surviving apprentice of the Dark Lord Revan, has unleashed an invincible Sith armada upon an unsuspecting galaxy.
Crushing all resistance, Malak's war of conquest has left the Jedi Order scattered and vulnerable as countless Knights fall in battle, and many more swear allegiance to the new Sith Master.
In the skies above the Outer Rim world of Taris, a Jedi battle fleet engages the forces of Darth Malak in a desperate effort to halt the Sith's galactic domination...
Outside Raven Sommersby's bunkroom a battle raged on, within and outside of the ship known as the Endar Spire. In the Starboard Section, Bastila Shan, a Jedi known for her battle against Darth Revan sought out an ensign, the only one she knew would be able to get to Raven fast enough. "Ensign," she called to a man with blonde hair.
The ensign was Trask Ulgo, and he turned to see a young woman who couldn't have been older than eighteen or nineteen. "Yes ma'am," he said saluting her.
"I need you to get Sommersby off this ship immediately," Bastila informed him and then turned and hurried away. 'It wasn't supposed to happen this way... I may not be able to speak to her right now, but I must ensure she arrives at Dantooine before Malak discovers she's alive...'
However before Trask could say anything Bastila was already hurrying down the halls towards the direction of the escape pods, in the Starboard Section. He made his way towards his bunkroom where he knew he'd find Sommersby, the smuggler.
The ship shook while the battle raged on between the Endar Spire and the Sith Battle fleet. It shook so much that Raven was woken and thrown from her bed. She quickly stood up. Her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and back, crimpled still from the two braids which it had been in earlier.
"What the hell is going on?" She mumbled as she approached her footlocker and donned her clothes, which consisted of a white long-sleeve shirt, a brown jacket, black pants, and brown boots. It was then that the door slid open.
Trask Ulgo immediately told her, "We're being ambushed by a Sith battle fleet! The Endar Spire is under attack! Hurry up - we don't have much time!"
Raven figured to ask a ridiculous question, "Who are you?"
"I'm Trask Ulgo," he informed her, "Ensign with the Republic fleet. I'm your bunkmate here on the Endar Spire. We work opposite shifts; I guess that's why you haven't seen me before. Now hurry up, we have to find Bastila! We have to make sure she gets off the ship alive!"
Raven was already putting on the strapping for the holster for her blaster and took it out from the footlocker and strapped it to her hip. "Who's Bastila?" she asked, having thought it sounded like the name of a spoiled brat. There was something in the name that brought up distasteful subconscious feelings. There was something deep down that told her to be wary of Bastila.
"Bastila is the commanding officer on the Endar Spire. Well, not an officer really. But she's the one in charge of this mission," Trask again informed her. Then he went all soldier -boy. "One of our primary duties is to guarantee her survival in the event of an enemy attack! You swore an oath just like everyone else on this mission. Now it's time to make good on that oath!"
He began to make things clear he knew about her old line of work. "I know about your reputation, how you used to smuggle spice and blasters along the Corellian Run. I guess the Republic figured since they couldn't catch you, they might as well hire you. And I'll admit, the Republic is in desperate need of someone with your kind of skills. Desperate enough to overlook your shady past. But now that you've signed on for this mission you're part of the Republic fleet. And Bastila needs all her troops at her side during this attack!"
"Yes, yes I get this," Raven said approaching the door. She noticed the look of disgust on his face. It was a look Raven was used to, especially when people found out her previous line of work. The young woman stopped where she was when Trask began to talk.
"This room is under lockdown, you won't be able to splice you way through that door but I have the key," He informed her, and went to the door and opened it. Both Ensign Ulgo and Raven Sommersby stepped out of the door only for the communicator to flash on.
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! It immediately switched off.
Trask turned to Raven and said, "That was Carth contacting us on our portable communicators. He's one of the Republic's best pilots! He's seen more combat than the rest of the Endar Spire's crew put together. If he says things are bad, you better believe it. We have to get to the bridge to help defend Bastila." She went towards the door down the hall and spliced it open.
Raven smirked as she unlocked the door in front of her and said, "Then let's get to it." Before either of them could react they saw two Sith fighting a single Republican soldier. It was quick and the Sith soldiers won.
"These Sith must be the advance boarding party! For the Republic!" Trask cried out as he began to shoot.
One of Raven's eyebrows went up. "He's energetic," she muttered. She ran right at the Sith soldiers while pulling out her short sword and attacked the Sith, who hadn't been prepared for her onslaught. One of Sith shot at Raven, instead of Trask, hitting her arm and then he---or was it a she?---got shot in the head by Trask.
"Are you alright?" Trask immediately asked, worry on his face.
"Yeah, it just grazed me; come on, we have to get to the bridge, right?" Raven said, grabbing spare credits she spotted. She didn't have to see Trask's face to feel his disapproval. But Raven had never needed anyone's approval before and didn't need it now. "I'm a smuggler not a saint," She remarked as they came across two fights and this time Raven didn't get harmed in any way. She was doing better than the Sith, at least. As they came to a new door they could hear lightsabers and when Raven opened the door she saw two people fighting.
'Always stating the obvious, that one,' Raven thought, and did her best not to say anything. Her eyes seemed transfixed on the battle between the Jedi and the Sith. There was something there, something so familiar about it. A momentarily flash came between a brunette with pigtails and some person in black and red clothes, fighting. However, Trask's talking interrupted said vision.
"This fight is too much for us -- we better stay back. All we do is get in the way." Trask continued to ramble on.
Explosions resounded around the Jedi and Sith, and between them, and Raven and Trask. The Jedi, who's skill who was slightly higher than the Sith's slew her enemy only to be killed by an explosion from behind her.
Raven appeared on the outside unaffected, but inside, the fighting was taking its toll... Something inside her chipped and a lone tear on the right side of her face fell.
Trask said, "That was one of the Jedi accompanying Bastila. Damn we could have used her help!"
"Well too late now," Raven told him nicking more things from the Sith and leading Trask to the bridge as though she knew the ship's ins and outs. She didn't bother to wipe the tear away, as her face was becoming sweaty and it could easily be passed off.
When they arrived at the bridge, they found it overrun with Sith. Out of pure instinct she grabbed out a grenade and threw it in, decimating her enemy just as two came at her. One of them quickly was taken out by Trask and she impaled the other. The grenade hit its target, the Sith near the controls.
"Are you insane?" Trask demanded.
"Don't know yet... possibly," Raven said having picked up a prototype Vibroblade, and placed the short sword she had been using on her hip in a nice latch, as she lead the way.
Trask shook his head saying, "The Sith want Bastila alive, but once she's off the ship there's no stopping them from blasting the Endar Spire to galactic dust."
They both arrived at a door and quickly Trask moved in front of her. "Something is behind here," Trask said. "Damn - another dark Jedi! I'll try to hold him off, you get to the Escape pods! Go!" The door quickly closed in front of Raven.
Raven ran to the door and screamed, "No wait!" She knew that deep down, he was already dead and she made a run for the Starboard Section. Raven had no way of knowing if that Sith was right behind her or not. 'I only hope Gaia and Terre made it to the escape pods,' She thought, having not seen their bodies amongst the dead.
Meanwhile Carth had been watching the lights flicker off, it had been gradual but saw one strong light move throughout the ship... He read whose it belonged to: Raven Sommersby. "Well I'll be..." He said with a smirk. "I still owe her a drink," He mumbled to himself.
Bastila's pod had just launched away. He was happy that Bastila was out of harms way. However, he was saddened by the loss of Trask, but Carth was relieved there was still one person left. But if she flickered off the screen, then Carth would have no choice but to go alone. After all, there were Sith in the very next room. He had injected his datapad to get the complete service record of the young woman. The only thing he knew about her was that she was a killer Pazaak player and quite flirtatious.
Raven now found herself at the beginning of a large hall when her communication came back on.
This is Carth Onasi on your personal communicator. I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support systems. Bastila's escape pod is away - you're the last surviving crew member of the Endar Spire ! I can't wait for you much longer; you have to get to the escape pods!
It was then that the comm went off once again. Raven saw the sadly distracted Sith up the hall and couldn't help it. She pulled out another grenade. "I do think I'm rather trigger happy," Raven declared. The grenade blew up on contact with the Sith, he or she was DOA. Raven found herself following the hall which led to a room and opened the door. Immediately, she was fired upon. She was out of grenades now.
Quickly, she ran and flipped over one Sith's head and stabbed the Sith in the chest and ran at the other. It was done in two thrusts, right at the vital organs. The communication came on again. Raven's eyes were on the droid not far from her at the moment and walked to it.
Be careful! There's a whole squad of Sith troopers on the other side of the door! You need to find something to thin their numbers.
"I got it, can you say cannon fodder?" She inquired shutting the comm off. Raven shook her head as she fixed the droid and got in a corner after she sent it on its way. Gun shots were fired everywhere in the next room, quickly the droid finished them off as Raven began her plundering. She had gathered up seven grenades and one hundred credits by the time she'd opened the door.
Carth had the most peculiar look on his face. 'Cannon fodder, huh?' He thought to himself. The look went away and when the door slid open he said, "You made it in time! There's only one active escape pod left. Come on, we can hide out on the planet below!"
'What is the Republic all on… a kind of spice I've never heard of?' She thought to herself as she headed into the pod. "You don't have to tell me twice," Raven said with a smirk and noticed something, there were no straps. 'Damn,' she thought as Carth got in and the pod closed up. This was going to be a seriously bumpy ride. 'After this is over... He still owes me a drink. '