Wandering the corridors of New Hope in the moment they'd managed to steal for themselves, Xan and Callista spoke quietly of things to come. The strike had come from nowhere, and so quickly that it had caught the entire galaxy off guard. The threat was just too big to ignore, and so they had both abandoned their own quest to lend their aid to Myk and the Jedi forces. They walked hand-in-hand down the corridors, their padawans watching their respective posts for the moment.
Lost in each other as they were, it was with some surprise that they ran directly into Ter-Lon as he rounded a corner just ahead. The young man rebounded off of Xan's beskar plated chest to land on his backside on the deck. His datapad skidded into a wall and stopped there.
"Easy, Ter-Lon," Xan said, extending a hand to help the young man to his feet. "I know why I'm distracted, but what's got you in a hurry?"
"You mean aside from the ever-impending doom?" Ter-Lon gave the Mando one of his grandfather's trademark smirks as he called his datapad back to his hands. It was a mil-spec version, and hadn't suffered any damage.
"Yes, yes," Xan waved him off. "I mean besides that."
"Well, I've been running inventory for Grandfather," Ter-Lon nodded to his datapad. "And, I thought I would check out the Firebird's stores just in case. He's missing more than half his component of shadow bombs."
Callista whistled. "And, you're in a hurry to go tell him?"
"I've never seen someone so punctual for his own funeral," Xan chimed in.
Ter-Lon's eyes went wide with a sudden wave of fear. "B-but, I'm just the messenger!" He protested. "I didn't take them!"
"Indeed," Xan crossed his arms and appraised the young Knight with mock seriousness. "Well, you'd better hurry then."
"Yes," Callista nodded sagely. "Better bad news swiftly then no news at all, when dealing with the Raging Rogue."
"R-raging Rogue?" Ter-Lon asked.
"Oh, I did some digging," Xan said. "Back when your grandfather was leading a squadron of snub fighters, he had a reputation for being the one man you did not want to have dressing you down."
"I think commanding this fleet is bringing some of the old instincts back for him," Callista nodded. "Yesterday, I saw a Knight come out of a briefing room nearly in tears because he'd misplaced a crate of rations."
"Ah," Xan smiled, patting the now pale Ter-Lon on the shoulder. "But, you're related. He'll probably set the scorching to stun for you."
"B-but," Ter-Lon stammered. "I'm just the messenger!"
"Whatever you say, Kid," Xan waved over his back as he and Callista continued down the hall, hiding their laughter.
Flustered, Ter-Lon took off at a quicker pace to find Myk-Ron. Only to run into Steffan Karrde. This time, he kept his feet.
"Sorry, Master Karrde," Ter-Lon sighed.
"It's alright, Ter-lon. I'm looking for Brink," Steffan said. "Have you seen him?"
Ter-Lon shuffled as he tried to think about where he'd last seen the old smuggler, "I think I'd seen him in the officer's lounge. Looked like he had passed out drinking a Ruby Bliels."
Brink getting hammered on Ruby? That's not right…
"Thanks," he said as he broke stride and ran towards the officer's lounge. Ter-Lon just shook his head, and started running in the opposite direction.
Steffan found Brink still asleep resting on one of the tables. He went to his side and placed a hand to his forehead, pulsing the Force through his mind not only to revive him, but to find out what happened.
"Oohhhhh," Brink finally started to say as he opened his eyes. "Steffan...what the kriff happened..."
"Easy there, buddy," Steffan said as he started to lean him up gently. "What do you remember?"
"I came in here and saw Ainar drinking...he said something to himself...I can't remember anything..."
"Ainar," Steffan said softly as he helped him up. "Come on, Brink. I think you'll be alright, but let's get you to medical real quick."
Hearing voices at the end of the corridor, Callista turned to find Steffan helping Brink out of the Officer's lounge. He looked a little shaken up, but that was all. Looking to Steffan, she asked quietly, "Do you need help getting him to Medical?"
Steffan shook his head. "We'll be fine, but I could use your help once we get there." He paused, and caught her gaze for a moment, He may have lasting damage from the 'wipe, it was forcible, after all...he sent to her through the Force.
Brink nodded quietly and smiled at her. "I'll be fine, don't you worry..."
Callista nodded and turned to Xan as Steffan led Brink toward the medical wing. Once she was sure they were out of earshot she explained. "Looks like it might be worse; Steffan wants me to find out if there are any lasting effects. I don't think he wanted to worry Brink."
He nodded minutely. "I thought I caught something pass between you and Master Karrde," He said. "I'll meet you for dinner in the Officer's Mess after?"
Nodding in return, Callista turned to follow Steffan to Medical.
"It doesn't feel like there are any further after-effects," Callista said as she opened her eyes from using the Force to run over the damage Ainar had done. "I'll say this; he knew what he was doing."
"Well, that's a lot of comfort to me," Brink said as he sat up. "Thanks little lady..."
"What do you remember?" Steffan asked as he helped Brink to sit up.
"A lot more, thanks to her." Brink told him as he pointed to Callista. "Ainar and I had a talk and somewhere in there, we got on the subject of the shadow bombs that Myk keeps loaded in Firebird's launchers. What the heck is that all about?"
"Why he's using them, I don't know," Steffan said. "But we have some more coming in."
"Sirs, there may be some untold affects that may come around," Callista told them both before they left the medical bay. "I've never seen the technique with this powerful an effect. We're lucky I was able to undo it with Master Karrde's help."
"So I'll come in and check in with you if I feel funny," Brink said as he tossed the young lady a wink before he tried to stand up. The old smuggler immediately sat back down. "Shassa, I feel like I just spent a weekend with Myk on the Errant Venture!"
"Like I said," Callista helped him lie back down. "I couldn't feel any further effects. You'll be dizzy for a little while yet.
Arie came back from Ithor with her husband, feeling better that they were not fighting now, but had agreed to work things out after the war...They parted ways and Myk headed back to the hangar to make some minor adjustments to the Firebird while Arie headed down to Medical after receiving word from Steffan that Brink had been hurt.
She strode into the ward, a worried look upon her face.
Brink sat upon a gurney, rubbing his head. Steffan and Callista were in the room and had been checking him out.
"You okay, brother?" Arie asked in their native Coshakian.
"Ainar mind-wiped me. Feels like the worst hangover I've ever had," Brink responded in kind.
"Where is Ainar?" Arie asked, looking from Brink to Steffan and speaking in Basic now.
"Gone, took off with the Sith fighter and half of your husband's personal compliment of shadow bombs," Brink interjected before Steffan could answer.
Arie's face drained of color. "Myk-Ron isn't going to like this one bit..." Arie sighed. She trusted Ainar's decisions, after all she had trained him and she knew him better than anyone else, but she picked up the feeling from Steffan and Callista that Ainar was now on their traitor-list.
"Let's get you back to your quarters and I will go over Callista's work. It appears she has fixed you up nicely, though," Arie complimented the younger Jedi. Callista smiled and nodded once.
"Don't go after him, Steffan. I asked you once to let him be and you went against my wishes. I am asking you now, as an old friend to let Ainar run his own course. He knows what he is doing," Arie said as she let Brink lean on her shoulder and helped him walk out of the medical ward and down the corridor to his quarters.
She keyed the access panel and the door slid open. She helped Brink to his bunk and he sank into it sloppily.
"If I didn't know better, I would swear you've been drinking," Arie commented on Brink's behavior, although she knew he was sober and was only experiencing the mind-numbing effects from being mind-wiped by a Jedi.
Arie sat down on the bunk beside her lifelong friend and laid a hand over his forehead, sending cooling waves of gentle energy into him.
"Oh shistraka I'm not that bad off..." Brink muttered, apparently recovering quickly.
"I know you aren't..." Arie whispered, looking at her best friend. A tear slid down her cheek and she removed her hand from Brink's forehead.
He looked at her and his expression changed to concern.
"Arie...I'm ok, really! Honest! Just got a headache, but I'll live," Brink answered.
"It's not that, mistraka...It's...we aren't going to win this war...we are so greatly out-numbered, it's not even a fighting chance. We are going to lose...a lot of Jedi will lose their lives," Arie commented quietly.
"And what would the Head of the New Republic Galactic Defense do?" Brink asked.
"She wouldn't fight a losing battle," Arie answered, wiping another tear from her face as Brink put his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it to comfort her.
"And, what would the Phoenix do? What would Arie Dinn, pilot, commander, Jedi Master, and hero of the Republic do?" her husband's voice came from the doorway, as she and Brink looked up to see Myk-Ron standing in the doorway.
Arie looked at the Rogue and the fire behind his eyes, and something stirred within her. It was a familiar feeling, and a welcome one. Her tears faded, and her heart soared. "She wouldn't care what the odds were," Arie smiled. "Because she doesn't know how to lose."
"That's my girl," Myk beamed.
Nal Hutta
Ainar pulled the lever and the fighter dropped out of hyperspace near Nal Hutta. "I swore I would never visit this place again..." Ainar set the course for a private starport in the eastern hemisphere and landed the fighter.
When he opened the cockpit and climbed out he heard a series of blasters being charged. "Come out..slowly with your hands up," he heard a voice saying from the darkness surrounding the landing platform.
"Don't worry, I come in peace..I'm here to see your boss, Hubbont." Ainar replied, walking towards the voice with his hands in the air.
"I wasn't aware his lordship had a meeting today.." the voice responded, emerging from the shadows. A small Rodian stood there pointing a blaster at him.
"Just comm your boss and tell him Ainar is here, and he wants his debt repaid."
The Rodian obviously recognized the name and backed away. "Ainar? Last I heard that Jedi was dead..."
Ainar grinned, "No not dead...just took a vacation." With a snap of his wrist, every blaster in the vicinity flew past his head, landing in a heap.
The Rodian seemed startled and he heard gasps from the guards surrounding him.
"Now I don't want to hurt anyone, and I don't want any trouble..just take me to him."
"Ahhaha, my old friend..welcome!"
Ainar grinned as the fat slimy Hutt welcomed him with open arms. "Drop the act Hubbont, you know why I'm here" Ainar said taking a seat in the office.
"Ahh yes..that little debt I owe you for saving my life all those years ago."
Ainar had thwarted an assassination attempt on his life when he was stationed on this planet some years ago on a mission. "Yes, and I'm in no mood for games, I know I can't make you tell me."
The Hutt laughed deeply at the comment, "Too bad, Jedi.."
Ainar slammed his fist on the table, shutting the slimy worm up. "I need a clearance code to infiltrate the Sith armada gathering at Msst..and I know you have your hands on just about everything."
The Hutt looked at him and nodded.."ah yes..that unfortunate fleet, I think that code costs you a little more than saving my life."
Ainar sprung to his feet and made a fist with his hands, the Hutt started clawing at his neck, trying to break free of the Force grip Ainar had on him, gasping for air. "What about I let you live this time also? Is that enough?"
The Hutt nodded his head and screamed for air, Ainar let his grip go and the worm took a series of deep breaths, recovering from the choke-hold. "Alright...Alright..I'll give it to you just take it and leave, Jedi."
Ainar smiled at the comment and leaned back in his chair while the Hutt searched for the correct file in his computer.
After a few minutes, the Hutt handed him a datacard. "Here's everything you need..now go, and don't come back. Next time I will order my men to shoot you out of the sky"
Ainar smiled at him and bowed. "Always a pleasure doing business with you"
Ithor
"Master Karrde," one of the Jedi called up as he was walking down the corridor and handed him the datapad from the bridge.
"Oh very good. Thank you," Steffan said as he read it over and handed it back to the younger knight and smiled. "Thank you again." He walked down towards the hangar bay, tapping his wristcomm to get Myk's frequency. "Myk, Dilan's back with the extra baradium. He's bringing it over to the Repulse right now."
"Alright, Steffan," he heard on the other end. "I'm still wrapping things up here, but could you go ahead and start directing where to put it for the most good on the ship?"
"I'm already heading for the hangar deck so I can take Blue Talon over," Steffan told him. "I'll see to it."
The night before the storm...
This was how a fleet was supposed to be run, Myk thought as he was finally able to kick his feet up. Everything was running smoothly, and he had "officers" like Steffan who could think for themselves to thank for it. It was almost like being back in his squadron, but at a much larger scale. Instead of wingmen reading his thoughts, it was "officers" doing what he wanted them to do before he asked.
The fleet was to run its last practice melee in the "morning," and then they'd head out. Despite the fact that he knew they'd be losing this war, Myk-Ron Dinn felt indescribably calm. But maybe...well...thoughts like that just wouldn't be becoming of someone who was supposed to be leading this little operation.
Arie walked into the darkened office and laid her hands on Myk's shoulders as he leaned back in the desk chair. He smiled warmly up at her. "Listen, babe," He said as he pulled her around to sit in his lap. "I love you. I just want you to know that. No matter what, I love you. I know we haven't been seeing eye to eye a LOT lately, and I'm not going to make any excuses. People disagree, and that's life. There are some things we need to talk about, and I mean, really sit down and talk about. But, they'll keep for now. We have one last night before our lives are thrown into the chaos of war once more. Yes, we're probably going to lose, but I promise that as long as you live, I will too." He kissed her deeply. "When things get hot, I want you to take the Firebird and fly outta there as fast as you can. Get to Coruscant where it's safe and I will come after you. I know you worry about losing me again, but know this: Wherever you go, I will follow. I love you more than you could ever know, and nothing could ever keep me away."
"The fleet is ready, milord," The comm officer reported.
"Good," The Master replied, rubbing his hands together. "They will arrive in twenty-four standard hours, and we will be waiting."
"Aye, milord."
"This shall be a grand war, soldier," The Master said, and there was the snap-hiss of a lightsaber being activated. The silver light from the blade cast eerie shadows on the Master's face. "This shall be a grand war indeed."
Hyperspace
Ainar checked the navicomputer, he was still 2 hours from Msst. He poured himself some instant coffee and watched the starlines. He didn't want to do this, but there was no other way. The Jedi would be slaughtered if he didn't do something to even the odds out a bit.
Ainar reached down into the Force, to a place where no matter existed, only energy. He drew courage from the Force and bathed in it, felt a tingling sensation as the pure essence of the Force flowed around him. This might be his final mission, and he knew it.
Ainar opened his eyes and found his coffee cup long cold, the navicomputer showed that he was now only one hour away from Msst. He was on time, there was still a little bit over a day till the battle.
He would show the Sith that the 'Fallen one' was back..
Beep beep, beep beep
Ainar opened his eyes and reached for the hyperdrive controls. He would be dropping out of hyperspace in five minutes. And he needed to prepare himself. It wasn't enough to have the access codes, these Sith would spot a Jedi in the Force immediately.
He closed his eyes once more, and moved back in time..to the time and place it all began.
Rhen Var.
Ainar laughed, he couldn't stop laughing. "You can't stop me Myk, no one can."
"Wanna bet?" Myk ran towards Ainar, igniting his blade. Ainar ignited the Sith blade, striking at Myk.
Myk blocked the strike and punched Ainar in the face, Ainar responded by summoning the Force and pushing Myk away.
"Let me be Myk! I don't want to kill you!..Maybe hurt you. " With a sudden movement Ainar was back, swinging his blade, but Myk was not as lucky this time, Ainar singed his arm.
Myk backed up, holding his left arm. Ainar could feel the anger in Myk rising. Myk nursed his arm for a moment, then swung at Ainar, he fell deeply into the Force, moving with extraordinary speed.
Ainar blocked one move after the other. But Myk was faster and Ainar screamed in pain as Myk's blade burned his cheek.
He fell back, regaining his posture. The anger was swelling in him now. Raising his hand he pinned Myk to a tree, holding him with the Force then raising his blade in the air, Ainar threw his lightsaber at Myk.
"You cannot change what happened, Ainar," Steffan told him, keeping up with every assault. "I cannot nor can anyone else. You have to accept what has happened and move on!"
"I am..."
"You are letting your emotions turn you into a pawn! Letting yourself slip farther away, not accepting matters as a Jedi!" Steffan said as he stopped backing up. "If what you're hoping for is death by my hands...then I will not give you want you want."
Then Myk saw the unthinkable...Steffan shut down his lightsaber and dropped his hands to his sides.
"I will not fight you any longer, Ainar," Steffan said quietly. "For it is a decision I make."
"Damn you, Steffan!" Ainar yelled as he came forward...
"NO!" Myk yelled as he sent a powerful burst through the Force to knock Ainar back...
..but it was too late...
By the time Myk's hammerblow sent Ainar back against the wall, his blade had already struck. Steffan's eyes betrayed nothing but amazement as the blade had struck diagonally at his left shoulder...
...not deeply...but enough...
The blow cut through ribs and he could feel his lung on that side tearing and collapsing. He fell to his knees on the rooftop, his lightsaber falling from his hand onto the duracrete. Seconds seemed to pass like hours as all of his senses slowed, falling on his back to the rooftop. But he could hear Ainar's cries as he had run from where Myk had slammed him against the wall and into his ship.
The last thing he heard were Myk's curses as the Valiant had powered up its engines and took off from the rooftop.
Arie felt the burst of anger, of pain, and of pure anguish just as she turned Archangel's head toward Blue Talon.
Blue Talon started drifting, showing no signs of movement whatsoever, and Arie could only imagine what was happening with Andrea in the cockpit.
My God, Ainar...what have you done?
Ainar's eyes snapped open, he was crying. He felt cold, and angry. This had to be done...
Ainar flexed his fingers and grinned, it had been a while since he felt this powerful. He stretched his hand out and in it formed a blue bolt of lightning.
STOP
The bolt faded away...he couldn't afford to fall all the way again..he was threading a thin line.
The anger of his late wife's murder was surging inside him now, and without it this mission would not succeed. This is why he did not tell anyone of his plans...they would've tried to stop him. He might not come back from this, he might live but not come back from the darkside that was trying to get a hold on him again.
The computer beeped and Ainar pulled the lever. The Sith fighter dropped out of hyperspace and before him was the largest fleet of ships he had ever seen...he had fought in a lot of wars, but this...it brought a chill down his spine.
But he couldn't afford to think like that now...he needed to radiate anger and aggression. He needed to complete his mission. Ainar set the course for the Lusankya. The closest SSD.
This better work...
Ainar piloted the ship towards the SSD's aft landing bay, nice and slow.
"Fighter NS-320, transmit clearance code for docking," a booming voice said over his comm unit. Ainar inserted the datatape he acquired on Nal Hutta and transmitted the code. That slimy worm had better not betray me...
Seconds passed and Ainar's hands began to sweat, but he focused to keep his grip on the anger still boiling inside of him, he dared not close his eyes in fear of seeing his wife...She must be disappointed in me...
"Fighter NS-320, you are cleared for docking." Ainar exhaled and maneuvered the fighter into the aft landing bay.
According to the blueprints the main reactor is right behind that wall Ainar thought to himself as he guided the fighter into the bay. The wall in front of him was 10 meters of reinforced durasteel.
What he was about to do would require all of the control he had mastered in the Force..and more.
Ainar hovered the craft in the bay, not seeing anyone around and switched on his weapon systems. The landing bay's alarms went off and klaxons sounded all over the ship. He raised shields and prepared the bombs.
Without thinking about it further, Ainar squeezed the trigger and bolts of blasterfire erupted from the fighter, clawing away at the wall in front of him, making it turn red with heat. He kept on firing, digging deeper into the wall. Then he sent the first shadow bomb.
The fighter wobbled in the air as the explosion partly collapsed the wall in front of him, but he needed a clear shot so he vaporized the remaining rubble with blasterfire. He saw platoons of Sith racing into the bay, all shooting blasterfire at him. But the fighter's shield would hold, for now.
When the hole in the wall was clear he prepared the rest of the bombs for launch. The fact that he might not live through his started to creep up on him again..he bit his lip and armed the remaining missiles with a 10-second delay.
Arie..I might not make it, please my Master, my dear Arie...tell Ter-Lon I'm proud of him..and tell Steffan thanks.
Ainar looked at the wall in front of him..and pulled the trigger.
When can their glory fade?
Oh, the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble Six Hundred!
Arie sat up in bed, a cold sweat beading across her forehead.
"Ainar, noooooo!" Arie screamed blindly in the darkness...
Myk-Ron was still awake, watching over her and he quickly pulled her into his arms.
Force, What have you done? Arie's mind screamed as she cried in her husband's arms.
"It has begun." Myk-Ron said, silently holding his wife in the dark.
"Steffan!"
"I felt it," Steffan said as he was warming up Blue Talon's systems for launch. He kept the cockpit hatch opened as he looked and saw Myk running down the hangar gangway to the mobile suit.
"What do you think?" Myk asked him as Steffan started to strap himself in.
"If I launch and take Repulse with me now, I can arrive on the other side of the system as we planned. We're assuming five hours getting both me and the bombship to their fleet while we're both cloaked."
"So, we could launch the attack that much earlier..." Myk said as Steffan started powering up the engines. "Eight hours...that should give us enough time to prep the rest of our surprises."
"I'll position between the SSD's that are left," Steffan told him. "And wait to detonate till you get the fleet in range."
"'That are left'?" Myk asked.
"Natural assumption," Steffan said as he finished his checks. "You come up to a pack of wolf hounds...which one do you take out first?"
"The alpha," Myk reflexivly answered. "Or the larger of them. You think Ainar went to target one of the SSD's?"
"It's not impossible for one fighter to disable an SSD. You just have to know where to punch."
"Alright," Myk said as he backed off from the mobile suit. "You've got five hours before we jump in the system. And, you'll be sitting among their fleet for a good while before the two come into range of each other. That's a lot of time to keep hidden from their senses while you're cloaked."
"I knew the risks when we talked about it," Steffan said. "Blue Talon's the only ship in the fleet that can handle the pounding if I'm found out. May the Force be with you."
"And with you," Myk said as Steffan closed Blue Talon cockpit and started making the mobile suit walk towards the magcon field. Spast, I hope you're able to pull this off.
Msst
The Master laughed as the burning hulk of the Lusankya began to drift out of formation. "Do you see this?" He cried on the bridge of the Executor. "This is how the Jedi would fight us. They sneak, they trick, and they break their own Code of honor by striking before the arranged time. Such acts will bring them nothing! And we shall show them how true warriors fight when their fleet arrives."
Laughter from the crew pits joined his own as he waved his silver blade in a lazy infinity arc before closing it down. The fighter that had caused the damage to the Lusankya was burning through the atmosphere of Msst. The ship was shredded, and the pilot's only hope was to survive a crash on that dreadful planet of fog.
I pray you survive, Jedi fool, the Master thought to himself. I pray you live to see how little you've helped your friends.
"Sir," The comm officer called. "What shall we do with the wreckage?"
"Let it drift where it is," The Master replied. "It was nothing but a shell to begin with, meant to scare our enemies. Now, it will give them a false sense of hope. That Jedi saboteur had a one in three chance of picking out an occupied Super Star Destroyer. Obviously, he's not a Corellian."
The Master hung his cloak over the back of his command chair, revealing an old and tattered black flight suit. He strode down the command walkway for the doors that would take him off the bridge. "Have our techs ready my fighter," He commanded. "Ar'Kry, you have command of the Executor. Put the Fleet in battle ready positions. I shall be commanding from my fighter. Think on your feet, my army, and we shall win this one yet."