23ABY, Ring of Kafrene
The Veruna violently jerked out of hyperspace. Ali was awoken by the sudden unexpected arrival. Surely they had not arrived yet, it was estimated at least another twelve standard hours. He walked out his quarters and to the bridge. His father had already made it before him.
"Your highness, something has brought us out of hyperspace early, at the Imperial Station here at the Ring of Kafrene," Admiral Krooda told Ghatts.
"How?" Ali interrupted.
"The station must have some sort of interdictor module," Ghatts told them, "That's the only solution."
"Then we have to take it out if we want to continue en-route," Krooda commanded, "We must get the crews to the fighters."
"We'll land our starfighters and attempt to overload it," Ghatts told Krooda and Ali as they quickly headed off.
Twenty N-1 Starfighters sped from the lower hanger of the Veruna towards the station.
"Spread yourselves out, it makes firing on us a harder job for the Empire," Ghatts commanded as he lead the squadron, "Watch for ground fire."
"Why aren't they firing the turbolasers or deploying fighters?" Ali questioned, "Surely they're not giving up to us."
"Proximity Alert!" Krooda exclaimed through the communication system, "What are those ships?"
Eight three kilometre long Resurgent-class Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace making the NB-11 cruiser, Veruna look like a baby. But those dwarfing Star Destroyers were yet dwarfed by another giant Supremacy-class Star Dreadnought which shadowed the Star Destroyer below spanning 60km.
"Oh my," Ghatts exclaimed.
"This is the First Order, this is what Elisa warned us about, they've led us into a trap!" Ali exclaimed, "Admiral, place Kafrene Station between you and those Star Destroyers."
"Launch all fighters, fire all turbolasers, let's show the Naboo what we are before they can alert the Republic," General Hux ordered from the Supremacy.
Hundreds of First Order TIE fighters sped from the incoming Destroyers. Lasers fire pieced the hulls of N-1 Starfighters sending flames engulfing the fighters and their pilots. Ali and Ghatts raced around Kafrene Station as turbolasers sparked around them.
"Father, set us down in a hanger," Ali explained to his father, "We need to disable the Interdictor module so we can escape."
"That one there!" Ghatts pointed out as he increased speed towards the hanger deploying his landing gear as they raced at full speed towards the empty hanger.
The two starfighters scraped along the hanger floor knocking stormtroopers down. Ghatts' cockpit swung open as he rolled out drawing his blue bladed lightsaber and swinging at the remaining soldiers cutting them down. Ali also performed a similar move against the stormtroopers cutting them down with his green bladed lightsaber.
A pilot hopped into an AT-ST walker which was parked in the hanger as it began to walk forwards as Ghatts was alerted by the noise and deflected the blasts which pieced small areas of armour on the walker's outer shell.
Ali sprinted across the hanger and jumped over a pile of crates to slice more stormtroopers down. He noticed the walker firing on Ghatts and grabbed the thermal detonator from the stormtrooper's belt and threw it until it stuck to cockpit of the AT-ST. It exploded sending parts of the walker spinning across the hanger.
"Never knew detonators worked on AT-ST," Ghatts joked as the two of them made their way through the base.
Admiral Krooda raced close to the Ring of Kafrene to evade First Order fire. The Veruna blasted at the centre of the station creating damage in the station's outer shields. The First Order were hot on Krooda's tail, chasing him around the Kafrene Station.
The Inderdictor module was a few blocks ahead, the doors stood ahead. Before they had arrived, those doors opened with a blinding light as Ali and Ghatts halted blocking the light with their arms.
A figure stepped out unarmed. He was human dressed in black. The doors shut behind him as Ghatts realised who this was. Van Inikian, deadly assassin.
"And so I have finally found you," Inikian snarled halting standing tall in front of the two Jedi, "I'll finish what I started, I killed the mother, now I will kill the father and the son."
"You failed to kill me last time, I doubt you could do it again," Ghatts replied, "Two Jedi against an assassin armed with a blaster pistol."
"Oh, my days of using a blaster pistol are over Master Jedi, I have a new weapon to match your lightsaber," Inikian snarled drawing out a hilt and igniting the Darksaber.
"How did you get that?" Ali asked surprised that Inikian could defeat a Mandalorian warrior who wielded such a weapon.
"I won it, from the leader of Mandalore, they went by the name of Bo-Katan," Inikian boasted, "Such a weapon has given me the potential to defeat Jedi like you with ease."
"You think because of your lust to kill you are powerful," Ghatts replied, "Now we will stop you from killing Elisa."
"Oh, you fool, I was hired to lure you in a kill you not her, it's a trap my friend," Inikian told them as he laughed.
Ghatts nodded to Ali who did also back as they both ignited their lightsabers and charged forwards.
Inikian blocked Ali's initial strike with easy and thrust it away with force swinging the Darksaber full force at Ghatts who quickly blocked it. Ali swung towards Inikian's head but he ducked and flipped away narrowly avoiding the strike.
"Young Skywalker, the Supreme Leader has seen your potential and so have I," Van Inikian inspired, "Why be limited to your Jedi ways when you could be so much more?"
"Because unlike you, I have a thought for other people!" Ali snarled in return charging forwards spinning and kicking Inikian in the face quickly flipping backwards to avoid a strike from the Darksaber.
Ghatts swung from behind Inikian who used his jetpack to thrust himself above the battle missing Ghatts' failed strike. He drew his wrist rocket and fired down towards Ghatts who ran to avoid the fire. Ali was also under fire from a group of air assault stormtroopers who were equipped with jetpacks. He jumped up the air deflected blaster fire back at one who was flung backwards into the side of building.
Admiral Krooda was worried. The shields of the Veruna were at just eight percent and the constant fire from the Star Destroyer. The chances of them getting out of the system alive was near impossible. The Interdictor Module still stood, as long as it was standing, there was no escape. He watched as the last N-1 Starfighter exploded into pieces.
He had to do something to ensure King Ghatts and Prince Ali's survival.
"Evacuate the crew to the transports," Krooda commanded as the crew of the bridge evacuated.
"Sir, we'd like to stay," two officers piped up from their stations.
"Get to your stations, let's go," Krooda commanded as he sat in the pilot's chair.
"Sir, the Naboo ship is charging it's engines," an officer told Hux from the control pit of the Supremacy.
"It's trying to escape, launch all fighters," Hux commanded, he was pleased with his progress, the Supreme Leader would be pleased considering the amount of the Naboo's fleet he had taken out.
The Veruna was battered with blasts from TIE fighters as it appeared to escape. But at the last minute it made a sharp left bank and plunged through the Interdictor Module as it erupted into flames. TIE fighters were hit by burning rubble and blasted until they hit ground.
The duel had gone further down the station when the impact happened. Pipes exploded and wall panels cracked as Inikian held his own to the two Jedi. They reached an opening onto a landing pad. The fighting narrowly missed a speeding chunk of metal which crashed down into the landing pad creating an immense crack across the pad.
Inikian stumbled as the Darksaber spun out his hand to the edge of the pad. Ghatts pointed his lightsaber at his throat.
"You will be taken to the Republic court, they will decide your fate!" Ghatts shouted over the sound of explosions, "You have lost!"
"Not yet," Inikian replied using a hand mounted grappling hook to pull himself and the Darksaber closer as he grabbed it, "Until we meet again Jedi."
He fell back off the landing pad and used his jetpack to blast away.
Ghatts and Ali had no time to be annoyed. They sprinted back towards the hanger and entered their fighters. Quickly, they raced out as the upper part of the station smashed down into the hanger on the lower creating a shockwave which sent rubble into distant Resurgent-class Star Destroyers allowing the transports and N-1 Starfighters to sneak past.
A single First Order Special Forces TIE fighter sped ahead as it prepared for hyperspace.
"Father, that fighter, I can sense he's in there," Ali told Ghatts.
"Then we must follow him, transports return to Naboo, we must do this alone," Ghatts commanded as they jumped to hyperspace.