A/N - Woo, early upload! What a difference coffee makes. Anyway, this chapter is longer than the last three and may be the longest of the series. Don't hold me to that. Enjoy!
Chapter Four
Kosis Prime capital city, Deyom
Jace awoke slowly, hazy but at peace and finding himself in the dimly lit gunship. A few shafts of sunlight were coming through the main windows at the front of the ship, warming his face. The dull pain in his mind was beginning to abate as he began to regain his senses and faculties. He glanced around at his surroundings, the spartan gunship seeming cold and foreboding. He focused on the inner peace he now felt, he willed himself to defy gravity and bring himself upright. He gently landed and rubbed his neck, relieving the tension before cracking it. He took slow deliberate steps, letting his sense of balance return before making his way to the flight deck. He found his lightsabre resting on the on the left seat and retrieved it, accepting the cool metallic hilt with a sense of purpose. With a gesture, he opened the door and exited the gunship, finding Snicks and other troopers surrounding the Captain of the company. The Captain was in an intense but diplomatic discussion with a representative from the city. Snicks spotted Jace and politely alerted his Captain.
"Captain, the Commander's up and about."
The captain, a human male of average height with close cut black hair and blue eyes, wearing specialised commando armour with two blaster pistol holsters, nodded at Jace. "Sir, I'm Captain Davos Ankeris. It's a pleasure."
Jace shook his head. "Pleasure's all mine captain. I hope your ride in was better than ours."
Ankeris smiled grimly. "We barely made it off our frigate before it was shot down. My Commander is out on recon at the moment, trying to scout possible Sith landing sights."
Jace looked past the troopers and at the nearby city. "How's the city holding up?"
Davos shrugged slightly with a hopeful expression. "Surprisingly well. The city was built with defending an invasion in mind, giving us a tactical advantage. According to the history holos, the city was resilient to besiegement during the unification wars. We're going to use that when the Sith come a knocking."
"Gentlemen." A light female voice called out. Jace glanced over at the city's representative and greeted her politely. She was a togruta female with rusty blue skin and white pigments over her face. She was just above average height and wore a dignified dress with a blaster strapped to her belt. "Master Jedi, my name is Solah Taalaks, the council head of Deyom at this current time. I am glad you are still with us."
Jace bowed slightly, showing respect. "The honour is mine, Ma'am. We are here to assist in any way possible."
She gave a polite smile. "I thank you for your aid but you and I both know this won't be a battle we can't win." She glanced away for a moment before whispering. "After you made planet fall, we received word that your battle group, what was left of it, jumped away."
Jace nodded. "As ordered."
She was stunned for a moment before frowning. "Why would you do that?"
Jace remained calm and focused. "We were overwhelmed and had minimal forces after the initial battle. If they stayed, more would have lost their lives." He paused briefly. "My thought was that our captain would return with more ships and drive off the remaining Imperial Navy ships. Till that happens,, we will hold this position, no matter what."
"Forgive me, Master Jedi, but that seems incredibly naïve. You have not the forces to hold back the Sith." Solah said bluntly.
"With respect, ma'am, my forces are ready to defend this city and this planet. We have two Jedi and a assortment of troops capable of fighting this battle." Davos interjected.
Davos nodded. "Right sir, we'll get started on fortifying our forces."
Solah wanted to protest but she knew she had other things to worry about. "I will tell our citizens to prepare for evacuation and war."
Jace nodded as she walked away with a red protocol droid. He glanced back at Davos. "Were you lying?"
"Can't Jedi tell that sort of thing?" He said with a smirk.
Jace returned the smirk. "Unfortunately, I'm not good at that sort of thing." His face hardened. "Can we hold this city?"
Davos sighed hard. "In my experience, sir, battles like this aren't usually won, it's just a drawn-out execution. I'll fortify the city as best as I can and I'll fight till the last man but, if we don't get reinforcements, we'll lose."
Jace appreciated Davos's frank assessment. "So you were just giving her hope?"
Davos looked away. "Maybe or maybe she knows the truth and it's easier for her to believe us for a bit longer. She'll essentially have to lie to her people." Davos shook his head. "That's not an easy thing."
Jace was sobered by Davos's words; it sounded as if they came from experience and reminded him of how he was out of his debt. "Where's your commander?"
"Aw, c'mon Jace, we're old friends, no need to be so formal."
The husky feminine voice brought back a flood of happy memories that filled him with warmth. "Alia?" He asked, glancing over at the source.
Alia Talsa was a Twi'lek women of average height with beautiful blue skin, a toned build and bright blue eyes. As with all Twi'leks, her head tails rested comfortable on her shoulders. She wore a set of sleek silver Jedi armour with lightsabre firmly attached to her belt. Instead of replying to Jace, she jogged towards him and embraced him warmly, giving a almost crushing squeeze. Jace was admittedly surprised, not being one for public displays of affections but warmed slowly and responded with a squeeze, lingering for a moment. He hadn't seen Alia for a year or so, ever since they had completed the Knight trials. Before that, they had been close friends, growing up together in the temple and sharing a sense of isolation. Jace had briefly gone through a period where he wore a old battered temple guard mask to conceal his face. He found it gave him a quiet form of confidence, knowing that his training was rigorous and that his fellow padawans thought him nothing but a masked stranger. That changed when the rambunctious Alia knocked it off and told him to stop hiding. Compared to Jace, Alia was warm and compassionate to all. That was not to say Jace wasn't, but she clearly was the more extroverted of the pair. At first, Jace and Alia's Masters were confused to say the least, but they slowly saw how much they complimented each other. Jace was Alia's resolve and Alia was Jace's confidence. From then on, they had been the closest of friends.
"It's me, dummy." She said, a little surprised at his embrace but obviously happy.
Jace rolled his eyes and scoffed as they drew apart. "C'mon, Alia, hasn't that nickname run its course?"
She shook her head and winked. "I haven't found a better one yet."
Jace chuckled softly. "I didn't think I'd see you here, especially for a battle like this."
Alia smirked. "I did leave you a few messages, but I guess you've been busy."
Jace nodded. "I haven't been back to the temple in six months. I should have had them forwarded. My bad."
"Getting slow in your old age?" She said with a smile and giving a soft playful hit. She gazed up at the sky where she could make out a few Imperial cruisers.
Alia smiled and hit him playfully. "Of course, it is." She looked up at the sky where she could make out the ships in orbit. "Guess they're not leaving. How are we stopping them?"
Jace looked at the ships and pursed his lips. "If we fortify this city with whatever heavy equipment we have, we can mitigate any damage done in the first attack. After that, it'll turn into a battle of attrition."
"You sound like you've been reading up on tactical plans."
Jace shrugged. "Master Ardin wouldn't let me take this mission if I didn't brush up on my knowledge." He paused. "Besides, he was supposed to be coming with me."
"He got called away?"
Jace nodded.
Alia looked away for a moment. "Even with that plan, the Sith have already begun landing troops. We recently got word one of the southern cities fell an hour or so ago."
"An hour ago?!" Jace said, audibly surprised.
Alia nodded sadly. "It happened too quickly for us to do anything. We sent a division of troops but they were routed in minutes. The city's survivors are apparently heading for Deyom."
Jace thought hard, weighing his options. "What did your recon reveal?"
"Sith forces are gathering not far from here." She said, her face growing dark. "Jace, they brought an armada." She gave a grim smile. "They never do anything in half measures. Recon revealed tanks, walkers, even a few close air support units. But we may have a way to throw a hydrospanner in the works."
"Go on."
"Our recon units are top class Republic special forces. They elected to stay behind to see if they could thin the herd. They've been waiting for a few days."
"Gives us a chance take the wind out of their sails." Jace said, thinking aloud." Captain, your thoughts?"
"If we can take the walkers down, we could mount a sizeable force to blunt their attack and buy us time." Davos scratched his chin. "It could work."
"Would you suggest taking any vehicles?" Jace asked.
"Not for this." Davos said. "We've got precious few heavy vehicles and if the snipers take down the walkers, we'll get by with heavy weapons."
"Understood."
Alia looked back at Jace. "There are unconfirmed reports that two Sith warriors are planet side. They'll be difficult."
Jace silently agreed; he was confident that he could fight them but winning was a whole different thing. He sighed hard. "Call those snipers, we've got hunting to do."
Outskirts of Deyom
Republic Sniper Alowill Ralsaff lay almost completely still, covered head to toe in specialised camouflage armour, watching his targets. He was a good ten kilometres from them, but his advanced scope narrowed the distance down with ease. His specially designed blaster rifle was set in sniper format and fire power laser blasts, capable of detonating on impact. It's effect on normal beings was quite devastating and Ralsaff always felt slightly disturbed at its effects. But for taking down heavy armour, it was his best friend. Ralsaff was something of a local, being born and raised in the city of Orelia, on the southern hemisphere of the planet. He'd joined the Republic's army at 18 and rapidly risen through the ranks, earning himself medals and volunteering for further combat training. His shift from frontline soldier to specialist sniper was perfect for some one with his near supernatural aiming skill. His Miraluka spotter, Xaram was best known for his silent stoic demeanour but incredible precision when it came to finding the perfect shot. Being a miraluka, Xaram did not see in the same way other beings did and it did sometimes unnerve Alowill. Nevertheless, Xaram had never steered Alowill wrong and the two had forged an strong working partnership. Alowill focused his scope on the pair of large Sith walkers which were surrounded by a group of Sith troops. Despite appearing gaudy and intimidating, the walker's fuel cell was ironically under armoured and a well-placed shot could ignite the walker's frame. The resulting explosion could put a sizeable dent in the invasion force.
"Xaram," he said, without taking his eyes of his scope. "That big Sith Warrior, you see him?"
Xaram's own macrobinoculars were designed to facilitate his spectrum of vision vision. Instead of showing simple magnified images, Xaram could see the auras of living beings simply magnified further. Xaram himself sometimes doubted The Force's existence but when he laid eyes on the Sith warrior before him and saw only red, it reaffirmed his belief in evil. "Yeah, one, a big one as well. From what I can tell, he's on his own at the moment. Think he's trying to arrange his troops."
Alowill zoomed in on the near seven-foot-tall Sith warrior, shrouded in darkness, wearing heavy armour and a long black cloak. Even with his weapon and being at a decent distance, Alowil wasn't sure his rifle could kill the warrior. He'd probably use some Sith magic to deflect the blast back at Alowil's position. "Can't afford to take the shot." He concluded as he refocused on the walker. His comm unit suddenly beeped. "Go ahead."
"Sergeant Ralsaff, this is Jedi Commander Jace Corath, status update."
"Sith forces are maintaining position. We have confirmation of one Sith warrior and enough power to take the city."
There was a pause. "Can you thin the herd without revealing yourself? We have a plan to meet their forces head on and we could use all the advantages you can give us."
Alowil glanced back at the pair of camoflagued speeder bikes behind him. "Even if we're spotted, we've got an escape route. When do you need the thinning done?"
"Within the next three minutes."
Alowil smiled to himself as he gave Xaram the all clear to ready the speeder bikes. "Roger that, sir, beginning distraction." Alowill targeted the walker, homed in and took a deep breath, steadying his rifle. He exhaled slowly and let his finger hover over the trigger. He took another breath, checked his target and fired off the laser blast, watching as the fuel cell took two walkers and a large number of troops.
Near the staging area
The journey to the Sith's staging area had been one of silence with the troops moving silently and swiftly. Jace had made his call just as they had arrived and it had given Captain Ankeris and his troops time to take position. He unclipped his lightsabre from his belt and took a final look around at the forty odd troops with him. He centred himself, focusing on his serenity and drew upon old memories, fleeting moments of peace. The Force began to flow through him, tightening his muscles and focusing his senses. There was a sudden crack as a thunderous explosion rippled throughout the air. Jace peaked from his cover and watched the walker's legs buckle and give way, crashing into a nearby walker. He smiled, igniting his lightsabre and letting the neon blue blade shine over his face. He stood tall and proclaimed in a loud voice.
"Charge!"
The Republic troopers roared in unison, catching the Sith troopers unaware and opened fire. Jace rushed forward, dancing between bolts of lights and deflecting those that got too close. The first trooper died before he even realised Jace was in front of him. His squad mates noticed Jace and attacked with their blasters and close quarters combat weapons but were easily defeated. Jace released a titanic burst of telekinetic energy that sent more troopers hurtling hundreds of metres away. For Jace's first solo combat experience, he thought he was gaining ground and keeping his men alive. His senses were slowly being overwhelmed but he could still process all oncoming threats. That was until the thermal detonator blew up and everything went dark.
"Jace, commander, wake up!"
The haze finally lifted as Snicks's words got through and jolted Jace up. He groaned in pain, gingerly feeling his side and finding two of his ribs were broken. He summoned The Force back to him and drowned out the pain before setting his ribs and holding them in place. His entire body felt as if it was on fire and standing was out of the question. He clenched his right hand, expecting to feel the cool refreshing metal hilt of his lightsabre but found nothing instead. He tried to reach out for it but found himself distracted by Snicks.
"Holy stang, Jace." He said in between returning fire. "Are you okay?"
"Just about." He muttered just loudly enough for Snicks to hear. He glanced around and found dead Republic troopers surrounding him. "Snicks, what's happening?"
"We got ambushed. They must have gotten reinforcements. Our sniper buddies let us know that gunships were heading to our position. Ankeris is ordering a retreat and, wait, Jace look out!"
Fortunately, Jace's senses had returned and he'd anticipated the crimson blade that almost destroyed his brain. He shifted to the right and directed his gaze to the large Sith Warrior above him. He quickly grabbed the warrior's sabre arm with both hands and brought both his legs up, jamming them into his arm pit. The warrior, a human man standing at seven feet tall with pale black skin and orange eyes, reached down his free left armoured hand and gripped Jace's throat.
He lifted Jace high, much like how Bisk had and snarled. "Little Jedi," he said, his voice deep and booming. "No where for you to run now."
Jace scowled. "I am not running."
Jace employed a similar flip he used against Bisk, pulling the Sith down and pushing him over. He rolled out of the way of the falling warrior and flipped back up. While he didn't have his lightsabre, he could still fight the warrior and maybe survive. If he didn't, the warrior would annihilate Jace's troops and lead his own into Deyom. He took a short run up, leapt and landed a hard-right jab into the warrior's jaw. The Sith was pushed back but quickly composed and responded with a vicious display of lightsabre swings. Jace narrowly avoided the strikes and responded with a round house kicks to the warrior's jaw, drawing blood. The Sith composed himself again and swung at Jace's right arm, hoping to cleave it in two. Jace centred himself, allowing the Force to slow into his arm and absorb the lightsabre's energy. His arm seemed to turn a light blue as the red blade clashed his arm. There was a visible distortion as his began to absorb the blade's energy, but his arm felt as if it was on fire. The Sith drew back and went for another strike, this time putting more force behind it. Jace knew he wouldn't be able to absorb the energy and instead elected to evade. He dropped below the blade and lashed out with a strong right jab into the warrior's stomach. The Sith barely felt the punch but switched sabre hands, coming at Jace's left side. Jace side stepped, grabbed the warrior's arm and landed a hard palm strike onto the warrior's jaw. Without missing a beat, the warrior spat blood, and struck at Jace's right arm with his blade. Again, Jace summoned the Force to absorb the torrent of energy and protect his arm. He was so focused that he almost missed the Sith summoning another lightsabre to his free hand. Jace recognised the neon blue blade and cursed himself for making a stupid mistake. The warrior drove it towards Jace's midsection but Jace caught the blade, absorbing its energy but feeling both blades' heat sear his insides. Sweat began to drop from his brow as the fatigue of battle began to catch up with him.
"Watch as I kill you with your own lightsabre, weakling."
"That blade is not yours to wield, monster, it is mine." Jace retorted.
He knew anger was forbidden but pain and frustration were powerful motivators and they were stirring hate inside him. He was fuelled to end the fight and escape with what was left of his men. He focused, forming a spherical ball of energy against the Sith's midsection. The explosive blast would send them both hurtling away, breaking the tie but it would use up what little power Jace had left. The sphere finally reached its critical mass and Jace willed it to detonate. There was silence first but then the sound caught up and the explosion deafened and sent them both away. The Sith was sent into the wreckage of the destroyed walkers, almost entombed by the flames. Jace coughed painfully, his newly set ribs breaking again as he forced himself up. He summoned his lightsabre, it crashing into his hand with a dull thud.
"Pull back!" He shouted, motioning for his forces to retreat. Jace tired his best to peer through the walker's wreckage and what he saw chilled him to his bone. The Sith warrior, alive and well, grinned through the darkness, his ember eyes glowing softly.
"Sir, Captain Anerkis has met up with the civilians and they're heading for the city. He says they've got injured but they're capable of walking back." Snicks said, still laying support fire down.
Jace leaned on Snicks for support, feeling lightheaded. "Fine, let's get back and attend to the wounded."
