Chapter 3

Command Ship Terminator, orbiting planet Eriadu

"Captain whose shuttle is that?" Garruk barked as he saw a small but heavily armored shuttle fly right into the heart of the battle towards the planet.

"Sir that is Lord Dalfarus's shuttle," the captain said after checking a computer screen.

"Damn it Dalfarus what are you doing," Garruk muttered to himself as he watched the fighter go. Whatever, it didn't concern him anyway. Plus he felt more confident fighting if the Sith Lord wasn't on the ship. He had more pressing matters to attend to; such as the battle at hand. His decision to attack the Republic head on had been costly, but it yielded great results. The battered Republic fleet seemed to be pulling back but was still putting up a fight. Imperial and Republic ships are now engaging in one on one combat, using broadside cannons to try and destroy one another. The smaller destroyers and Oppressor class ships were no match for capital ships but the battlecruisers and dreadnoughts held strong.

"Concentrate all our firepower on that cruiser," Garruk ordered, pointing a Hammerhead class ship in the distance. The Hammerhead class ships have been in service with the Republic for hundreds of years and are the backbone of the Republic Navy but the design and weapons were outdated. The four dual turbolasers on the Terminator's starboard side quickly destroyed the shields on the enemy cruiser and the missiles obliterated the hull. All around the aging Hammerhead class ships were being shot down, creating a hole in the blockade large enough for Imperial transports to get through. Garruk had decided it was time to send in the transports. "Move the transports. I want two destroyer escort to every transport," he said.

The leading transports made a move towards the planet surface, its shields holding strong against rouge Republic cruisers that tried to block their path. But suddenly green laser blasts came out of the atmosphere, destroying the lead transport. Garruk watched in horror as another transport was engulfed in flames as the Republic planetary guns fire volley after volley of turbolasers. Thousands of men were now dead because he had failed to anticipate this and Garruk knew this was all his fault. He should've seen it coming; the Republic didn't fire at his capital ships because they were waiting for his transports, smart bastards. "I want every single bomber and gunship we have to destroy those cannons," Garruk said slowly.

"Admiral, we have a Republic vessel coming our way," the skipper of the Terminator said.

"Have you ID'ed it? Garruk asked, turning his attention back to the battle. Indeed there was a Republic vessel approaching him, although he couldn't tell which class of ships it belonged to.

"Yes sir, the ship is the Fortitude," the captain replied. It is a Resolve class battlecruiser, based on the design of the older Centurion class. The Resolve class was a newer class of ships with better armor and weapons but only a limited number was built. Nonetheless the ship posed a challenge to the Terminator.

"Bring us about captain," Garruk said, "and prepare for battle."

XXXXXX

Eriadu City

Akku, Kristina, Neo, and Marcus stood in a small room that was the basement of the Governor's Palace, admiring their handiwork. In front of them lay four dead guards, their uniforms stripped and replaced with the clothes Akku and his gang had worn through the hangar. The basement was one of many in the building and is primarily used as storage shed; a perfect place to hide an escape tunnel. But that was beside the point. Now that they are in, they needed to find a way out. "I say we split up," Neo said to the group in a low voice. "We'll meet in the kitchen say…..in an hour?"

"The kitchen?" everyone else asked in unison.

"Well yes!" Neo replied. "Just think about it the kitchen is probably the least guarded area in this house. Plus theres an exit where they take out the trash and we can slip right out."

"Well he does have a point," Kristina said.

"Good then it is decided then. Kristina and I will go to the command center and Neo and Marcus take the governor," Zen said. "We meet at the kitchen in one hour. If any of us doesn't make it back, don't wait."

And so the group separated. Zen and Kristina sneaked out of the room and headed right while Neo and Marcus went left. Zen had read the blueprints of the Palace many times and had memorized some of the smaller, less traveled service corridors running around the main hallways. The command center, where most of the data is stored, is located on the fourth floor and directly underneath the Governor's bedroom. Getting in without fighting the guards would be impossible but Zen had a few tricks up his sleeves. Their first test came when a janitor saw them running down the corridor. She was inches away from pushing an alarm before Kristina Force-pushed her away, knocking her unconscious.

"Great call," Zen said as he continued to run.

"Why am I always the one doing these kinds of things?" Kristina muttered to herself as she joined him.

The pair of them continued through the corridors and took a series of service lifts to the fourth floor. Instantly they could hear the chattering of officials and the boots of the guards. They slipped out of the corridor and nodded to a protocol droid, who hurried past them. Continuing on, they came across little obstacle from the service and protocol droids that roamed the hallways. There must be some kind of meeting as almost all the officers disappeared into the lower levels. Even the guards seemed to have disappeared, although four stood outside the command center. Kristina nodded to Zen who then walked up casually towards the guards.

"Halt!" the lead guard said, pointing his blaster at Zen. "Identify yourself."

Zen concentrated for a moment then suddenly spread his arms out, unleashing a large Force Wave that sent all four guards crashing into the wall and knocking them unconscious. He then grabbed one of the unconscious guard's hand and placed a finger on the fingerprint scanner. The computer took in the print and the door hissed open. Kristina walked in and pointed her lightsaber at one of the men working a computer. "Leave. Now!" she said threateningly. The ten men in the room quickly took off. She stowed her lightsaber and sat down in front of one of the computers and began typing on the keypad.

As Kristina worked around the security, Zen locked all the rooms and disabled video feed for the Palace so security can't see what is going on. "You got thirty minutes," he said to Kristina. "Go."

XXXXXX

Akku deflected another blaster bolt and brought his lightsaber back in front of his face. The battle had been going on for some time now and neither side was gaining the advantage. The Republic troops couldn't hold back the Sith far enough and the Sith couldn't advance but Akku noticed the Sith hasn't deployed any heavy armor or lightsaber wielding Sith warriors. So far the attack teams consisted only of conscripts supported by a few small walkers and light assault vehicles. Republic cannons and rockets were enough to keep them at bay. Akku looked at Erris, who was swirling her lightsaber and sending heavy blaster fire back at the Sith. Behind her lay several soldiers who weren't lucky enough to avoid the blasters. Behind them were the heavy cannons, firing high explosive shells with a thunderous boom. Most of the shells just struck the no man's land between the two armies but one lucky shell managed to hit Sith lines. Screams were heard instantly as at least ten bodies were thrown into the air. Twice that much were simply torn apart by the explosion. The weaker weapons on the walkers could not reach the cannons plus the Sith had not sent in air support.

Suddenly the Sith troops turned and ran, leaving behind damaged vehicles and equipment. Republic troops cheered but their cheer was cut short by the need to clean up the bodies. At least a hundred had been killed and twice that much wounded. Medics ferried the wounded hurriedly to the makeshift hospitals in the city center as the remaining troops began reloading. This was just one wave of troops and more was sure to come. "This is just a test of our strength," Akku said to Erris. "They'll be back with better troops and vehicles."

His prediction was right and within twenty minutes the Sith returned, this time with tanks and gunships. The two sides exchanged artillery cannon but without the protection of flak batteries, the Republic cannons were quickly destroyed by gunships. And instead of conscripts, the Sith had sent in elite shock troopers led by lightsaber wielding Sith warriors. Even Republic regulars stood no chance, let alone the militia. Indeed within thirty minutes of the attack, more than half of the defenders were dead and the Sith were inching closer. Despite their great skill, Akku and Erris could not hold back the horde of Sith. A warrior charged at him and Akku engaged him in lightsaber combat. The warrior was well trained in the lightsaber arts but stood no chance against the Master of the Order. As the Sith raised his saber for a slash, Akku thrust his own lightsaber into the Sith's stomach. Another Sith attacked him but the Jedi kicked him in the head and broke his neck.

Akku turned and saw Erris engaging a Sith warrior was well. Two bodies lay besides her, still clutching their smoking lightsabers. She fought fiercely but her fate had already been sealed. Akku shouted a warning but it was too late. A stray shell from a tank landed a mere two meters away, blowing her and the Sith to pieces. Akku felt like charging into the oncoming army of Sith troops but he knew it was useless. The battle had been lost and the Sith had broke through. Already the panicking troops were fleeing and he joined them in retreating. He had done all he could to organize a smooth evacuation of the city but now it was up to the soldiers to put that plan into action. His first priority is to sneak out of the blockade, make contact with Captain Freedo, and try to find a way out of this planet. Eriadu is a lost cause and Akku isn't about to give up his life here.

XXXXXX

"Lord Dalfarus!" the commander of the ground operation against Eriadu City proclaimed in surprise as he saw the Sith Lord emerge from his shuttle. "What a surprise to you see. The battle has been-"

Dalfarus held up his hand and the commander closed his mouth. "I do not care about the ground operation commander," the Sith Lord said. "Tell me have you apprehended any prisoners? People trying to break the encirclement?"

"Yes sir," the commander replied in a puzzled voice, "plenty in fact. Does your lordship wish to review them?"

"No. Call the warden of the prison," Dalfarus ordered. The commander ran off and a few minutes later returned with a short and overweight man in the uniform of an Army Captain.

"My lord?" the captain asked as he attempted to bow low but Dalfarus dismissed it.

"Captain have you processed any of these people?" Dalfarus asked as he held up a datapad displaying the pictures of Zen and Kristina.

The warden studied the pictures carefully and shook his head. "No sir we have not," he said.

"Are you sure captain?"

"Absolutely. Your lordship can check for yourself."

Dalfarus waved a hand and both the commander and the warden bowed away. If they weren't captured that means they are either still in the city or had already escaped. Dalfarus can't lose hope now, not when he is so close to capturing his prize. He reached out into the Force and sensed the young assassin among the many life forms in the surrounding area but it was still too early to pinpoint the exact location. The Sith Lord considered activating his sleeper but decided it was too early. He turned around and called one of his servants over. "Ready the shuttle, I am going to the front lines," he said.

XXXXXX

Republic Cruiser Fortitude, orbiting planet Eriadu

It was over. The fleet had been scattered and the blockade broken. With most of the planetary guns taken out, the Sith troops were now free to land on the planet and unload troops, equipments, and supplies. The breaking of the blockade however does not mean the battle had ended. The majority of the Republic fleet decided to stay and fight to the end, engaging the Imperial fleet in one on one combat. Despite being pushed back, the Republic ships fought valiantly, downing several cruisers and inflicting heavy damage on their enemy. The Fortitude led the charge and attacked the lead Imperial commander ship the Terminator.

"All batteries open fire!" Freedo ordered as the two ships lined up besides each other. The Fortitude had seven large turbolaser batteries installed on her broadside and they wreaked havoc on the enemy ship. However the Terminator's dual turbolasers was just as deadly and knocked out the shields on the starboard hull.

"Hard to starboard, starboard engines full astern," Freedo order as he brought the Fortitude back for another round. His starboard shields might be gone but his port shields are still running strong. He knew he was finished but he isn't going to go down without a fight.

The second pass proved to be more deadly for the Terminator. Because Garruk decided not to use his undamaged side, his ship sustained even more damage. Freedo could see it begin to list as smoke spewed out of the hull. But his own ship was done for as well. "Damage report," he demanded as warning klaxons sounded.

"Sir our shield generators are completely down. Batteries six and seven on the starboard side and one, three, and four on the port side are down. Fires in levels 22, 23, 14, and 3," one of the bridge crews said.

"Gentlemen," Freedo said, "you have all served valiantly these past few days. Your people and the Republic will forever remember your actions on Eriadu. In my entire naval career I am more proud of you than all my other bridge crews. You are the true heroes of the Republic, heroes that will never be forgotten. I know many of you have families; families and children back home. I know. And that is why I am not forcing any of you to join me in this last stand against our enemy. Anyone who wishes to go the escape pods has been activated. I will not blame you. You will not be labeled as cowards. But know that what you could've done will save the lives of thousands if not millions of people on the planet. If you wish to leave then now is your chance."

Freedo paused; he had expected the crew to leave the bridge but to his surprised everyone stayed. One of the weapon controls officer stood up and saluted. "Sir we are staying with you until the end," he said.

Freedo felt tears falling down from his eyes. "You are warriors," he said. "Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And now brothers, battle stations! Let this be our last stand!"

The entire bridge cheered and resumed their duties as Freedo shouted orders. "Push reactor to full power. Divert all remaining power to the engines. Head for the Terminator and bring it down."

I appreciate all the reviews you guys have been leaving and I am working to address some of the concerns you guys have raised. Keep the reviews coming so I can write a better story! Don't forget if you have a good idea tell me! :)