Author's note: Uploaded a little early because I'm going to be gone most of the day.
Chapter 19 – Resurrection of a Rogue
Vik Kelrune frowned as he scanned over the astrogation chart in front of him. It had been two days since he had initially seen these charts, yet he still couldn't figure it out. Why was Naolin's Star Destroyer stranded in this particular section of the Galaxy? It made no sense. There were no common hyperspace trade routes that ran through this sector. There weren't any known smuggler routes, not even old Rebel Alliance military routes bothered to navigate through this area. On both sides of the stranded Star Destroyer were black holes that made astrogations extraordinarily difficult. A small starfighter could manage to navigate through, but a larger capitol ship could easily get caught in gravity wells and sustain damage or be destroyed. Vik suspected that Captain Naolin's stolen Star Destroyer had been caught by the edge of one of the black hole's gravity fields, pulling it out of hyperspace and damaging its hyperdrive.
Of course, that still didn't explain why the Star Destroyer had been trying to navigate through this mess. No one in their right mind would try to put a starship between these black holes, it was almost as dangerous as trying to traverse the Maw. Just where were they trying to go? As he took one more look at the astrogation chart, he felt his stomach sink. In his mind he began to visualize the likely route the Star Destroyer had taken and from there had extrapolated where this route should have taken the ship. If he was right, Naolin's target was Coruscant, the former capitol and center of the Galactic Empire.
"Colonel!" Vik called out, "Get in here, you need to see this!"
Jaina peered through the flap of the tent, "What is it?"
"These astrogation figures," Vik said. "Either Naolin is brilliant or he's gone completely mad."
She stepped behind Vik, peering over his shoulder, "What do you mean."
"Just look at this," Vik said, placing his finger where the stranded Star Destroyer was, "No one in their right mind would try to chart a hyperspace route between these black holes. The only reason you would try this stunt is if you're trying to get to one location and one location alone."
Jaina's eyes went wide as the realization dawned on her, "Coruscant."
"Exactly," Vik said, "and look at this-" He made a few markings on the astrogation chart. "The Alliance fleet has been cleared out ahead of him. They're all surrounding Jaminere now."
"Sithspit," Jaina cursed. "This entire disaster was just a distraction."
"Reyov Naolin ordered the attack on Jaminere to draw our still-weak Alliance fleet out of their defensive holding patterns to form a blockade around the system we're stuck in," Vik explained. "Coruscant is completely and utterly defenseless, and we're the only aware that it's in danger."
"I see…" Jaina paused for a moment, trying to process this new bit of information. "Lieutenant, I'm going to need you to suit up and fly with us today. Do you think you can do it?"
Vik nodded. With Lilea gone and Erim Zess dismissed from Rogue Squadron, they were already two pilots short, "It's been a while since I've flown combat, but my basic flight certification was renewed just prior to my reinstatement with the military. I can handle it."
"Go suit up and get into Zess' X-Wing to familiarize yourself with it," Jaina ordered. "We leave in two hours."
"Yes, ma'am," Vik replied.
***
Darvix walked across the docking module connecting the Tatooine Gallows to the Imperial Star Destroyer Ender II. It was almost as if he were enacting something out of a Holodrama. The intrepid, brave Rebel sneaks aboard the mighty Imperial warship to take it down. It was hard to believe that the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire had ended so long ago. There was a point in time where one of the most frightening sights imaginable was an Imperial Star Destroyer bearing down on you. Now these ships were merely a reminder of years gone by. Darvix paused in front of the door that would take him into the Ender II to gather his wits. Time was running out. He had thirty minutes to put this plan in motion.
As he keyed the door release, he was immediately greeted by a pair of Stormtroopers. Now there's something I haven't seen in a while, he thought to himself.
"Are the components on board?" The Stormtrooper on the left asked.
"They are," Darvix responded gruffly, "but you're not getting them until I see my payment."
"Terms of payment will be discussed after the hyperdrive components are onboard," The Stormtrooper replied.
Darvix shook his head, "I don't think so. You tell your commanding officer to get down here if he wants to negotiate another deal than the one we had setup. Otherwise it's pay me now, or I'll just leave with these parts and leave you bucketheads stranded in between a pair of black holes."
The Stormtroopers glanced at each other for a moment before the one on the right spoke up, "We'll have to verify the cargo first."
"By all means, come aboard and take a look for yourself," Darvix said, gesturing for the two Stormtroopers to follow him.
It was quiet in the corridors of the Ender II for a few moments before two muffled blaster shots pierced the silence. Darvix stepped out of the corridor once more and glanced to his left and then right to make sure no one had heard him take out the two Stormtroopers. Fairly confident that he could proceed undetected, he left the docking module behind. He needed to make his way down two levels to the data processing facility and he needed to get there quick. To his right, he caught sight of a ventilation cover. He dropped to his knees and pulled the cover off, quickly disappearing into the ventilation system.
Why is it that Jedi Knights spend so much of their lives crawling through vents? he wondered to himself as he crawled through the narrow passage.
He pulled off a pocket torchlight from his belt and illuminated it, lighting the path ahead of him. If he was correct, he was nearly on top of the data processing facility. He just needed to find a way to get down two levels. Darvix allowed himself to drop down a vertical section of the ventilation system, landing as softly as he could on the metal surface below. He was getting closer, just one more level. He suspected he had about fifteen minutes to bring the Phantom cloaking system down before Rogue Squadron arrived in the system. He had to hurry.
Just before Darvix had killed the two stormtroopers, they had ordered the hyperdrive components to be offloaded from his ship. Hopefully that would keep the majority of the Star Destroyer's security staff busy. He crawled forward to another ventilation cover and peered through it. Below him were various computer terminals that he knew were connected to the Star Destroyer's primary systems. This was what he was looking for. Darvix kicked the ventilation cover open and jumped through, landing on his feet.
Around him were several officers dressed in Imperial uniforms, clearly startled to see him. He drew his blaster, "Nobody moves!"
From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the officers reaching for a communication panel. Darvix quickly spun and snapped off a shot of his blaster, catching the officer square in the chest, "I want one of you to lock this room down now!"
One of the officers complied, moving to the nearby door control panel and locking it from the inside. Darvix holstered his blaster and moved towards one of the consoles, his fingers flying over the controls. Bypassing level one security. He glanced at his wrist chronometer and swore. Thirty minutes were up. Rogue Squadron was about to drop into the system. He had to work faster.
"Just what do you think you're doing!?" one of the officers demanded.
"Shut up!" Darvix yelled. "Interrupt me again and you're going to find my blaster in an orifice of my choosing."
***
"Captain, we're hearing reports of blaster fire in data processing."
Reyov Naolin looked up from his command chair at the officer who had just approached him, "What is the cause?"
"It's unconfirmed, sir," the officer explained. "The facility has gone into lockdown mode and our stormtroopers can't get in."
"Display the videofeed from data processing," Naolin ordered.
The holoprojector in front of him came to life as the feed from the data processing facility displayed. Naolin could see several of his officers backed into a corner of the large room, cowering in fear. As the angle panned to the right, he saw a lone man standing in front of the primary access console, furiously plugging away at it. Naolin zoomed in on the figure. Briefly, the man looked at the camera, just long enough for Naolin to get a good look at him. A wiry smile formed upon his lips.
"Sir that appears to be the captain of the ship that is delivering our hyperdrive components," the officer said.
Naolin shook his head, "No, that would be a Rebel operative. Give word to the hangar. Tell them to launch all Phantom starfighters immediately."
"…sir?" the officer was clearly confused by the order.
"Just do it," Naolin said. "Tell them to prepare for ship-to-ship combat."
"Aye, sir," The officer replied. "Launching Phantom starfighters. What should we do about the intruder?"
"Flush him out of there, but don't kill him," Naolin stood and walked towards the exist of the bridge. "Let him run back to his ship. As soon as he tries to pull out of docking, destroy him."
"Sir, where are you going?"
Naolin looked over his shoulder, "I wish to have a word with our guest. You have the bridge."
***
"Reversion to realspace in thirty seconds," Jaina said into her helmet-mounted microphone. "Forgo check-in and go straight to attack mode. Our target priority is the Star Destroyer, repeat, our target priority is the Star Destroyer. Three and four flights are to provide space superiority. One and two flights will make the first volley on the primary target. As soon as your torpedoes are spent, your responsibility switches to covering three and four flight while they make their run."
"Remember everyone, we're Rogue Squadron," Jaina tightened her grip around the flightstick. "We're good at blowing things up."
Jaina smiled faintly to herself and thanked the Force she and Darvix had selected these pilots. Before leaving she had briefed everyone about the mission ahead of them. They were breaking countless rules and laws by breaking free of the blockade and leaving Jaminere. No commanding officer could order their pilots to do something like that, so she gave them a choice. They could stay behind, or they could join her and face the repercussions.
All fourteen of them said they would take the fight straight to Naolin.
The molten black and blue of hyperspace gave way to a stream of stars. Ahead of her was the stolen Imperial Star Destroyer under the command of one Reyov Naolin. Docked to her side was a GR-45 transport, the Tatooine Gallows. This was bad. Darvix was supposed to have broken free by now. He was either running behind schedule or something terrible had happened. It was long before the situation became worse. The forward sensors of Jaina's X-Wings went off, triggering an alarm in her cockpit. There were multiple enemy contacts in the vicinity, but she had no visual.
"Belay orders, go evasive now!" Jaina ordered.
Jaina pulled back hard on her flightstick as a stream of green laser fire appeared out of nowhere. The Phantoms were in the vicinity, and the Rogues couldn't see them. If Zorvan was still alive, he needed to hurry.
***
Darvix could hear Stormtroopers pounding on the door. He tried to ignore them as he sliced deeper into the computer terminal. Bypassing authorization system. Accessing the Phantom Operations system. He was in. Now he had to take it down. Darvix began opening critical files, altering code and deleting entries. As he delved deeper into the algorithms, he realized that he wasn't going to be able to disable it. There were too many layers of security to get through, and he was already running behind. He may not be able to disable it, but he would be able to alter it. He began to insert new lines of code into the program that transmitted information to the cloaking devices on the Phantom starfighters. The moment he was certain it would work, Darvix entered the command for the code to transmit.
Just at that moment the door to the room burst open and he found himself surrounded by blaster fire. The Stormtroopers had finally broken through, but there was still one thing left he had to do. He leaned into the console, trying to conceal his profile from the blaster fire as he sliced into a different part of the Star Destroyer's primary systems. His fingers flew over the controls as he uploaded one last file into the system. The moment it was finished Darvix pulled his lightsaber out from under his vest and ignited it.
He pushed his way forward, deflecting blaster fire back towards the Stormtroopers. Several fell to the ground as their own attacks were redirected into their chests. Darvix slashed to the left, tearing through a nearby Stormtrooper and clearing a way for his escape. With no hesitation he exited the room and burst down the corridor to safety. All he had to do now was get back to his ship and he was home free. Still, something bothered him. It was almost as if those Stormtroopers had let him escape. That was far too easy.
As Darvix approached the docking module that would lead him back to his ship, he stopped in his tracks. A man clad in an Imperial Captain's uniform stood in front of him. He was an aging man, slim and somewhat frail looking. Despite that he exuded a certain amount of confidence. Darvix knew this man, he knew him all too well. It appeared that Captain Reyov Naolin had come to pay him a personal visit.
"Oh, my dear Darvix," Naolin said. "You were such a promising young man. What happened to you?"
***
Jaina juked her X-Wing from left to right, trying to avoid the laser fire from her invisible enemy. This wasn't going well at all. Her pilots were barely holding together as they tried to defend themselves from their unseen attackers. One and Two flights had yet to break free to launch an attack on the Star Destroyer. At this rate they wouldn't get the chance. Jaina knew she had to call for a retreat, there was no way this mission could succeed if the Phantom starfighters were still cloaked. Just as she was prepared to give the order to fall back and drop back into hyperspace, her radio came alive.
"I have visual, repeat I have visual!" Inyri yelled over the radio. "Targets are bright red, repeat targets are bright red!"
Jaina looked up and grinned from ear to ear. The cloaking system on the TIE Defenders had malfunctioned. Instead of concealing their presence, they now projected a bright red target around their hulls. A clear visual like that made taking them out easier than simulated target practice. This really isn't fair, she thought to herself. Then again, Antilles always said that the pilots of Rogue Squadron were a bunch of opportunistic misfits.
"Three and four flight provide cover!" Jaina ordered. "One and Two flight form up on me. I want all of your torpedoes focused on that Star Destroyer. Repeat, fire all nine of your torpedoes on the Star Destroyer!"
The pilots of the first two Rogue Squadron flights gave their acknowledgement through the radio. Jaina swapped her firing controls over to proton torpedoes and brought her targeting brackets square on the Star Destroyer. If they were lucky, the seventy-two proton torpedoes of One and Two Flights would be enough to cripple and destroy the Star Destroyer. As he glanced at her aft sensors, Jaina saw that the TIE Defenders were being kept busy by the other half of the squadron. As the distance between the enemy starfighters and her flight of X-Wings increased, she felt her confidence growing.
"Lead, check out the readouts on the Star Destroyer!" Pash said. "The shields are down! Zorvan took her shields down!"
Jaina felt her spirits soar. They just had to get their torpedoes off and the Star Destroyer would be done for, "Launch as soon as you get a solid tone."
"What about Dap?" Kasari asked. "He's still on board!"
"He'll get off," Vik responded. "Just get ready to fire."
The targeting brackets on Jaina's HUD began to flash. Two beeps. Three beeps. In another few seconds the targeting computer would have a solid lock on the Star Destroyer. As she prepared to fire, a tinge of anxiety began to form in the back of her mind. Why hadn't Darvix left the Star Destroyer yet? What was holding him up. The sound of a solid electronic tone awoke Jaina. She had a lock. Quickly she switched her torpedoes to triple-fire and squeezed the trigger three times, launching three rounds of proton torpedoes at the Star Destroyer.
"Torpedoes aweigh!" Jaina yelled as she pulled back on her flightstick to break off her attack pattern.
***
"Nar Shaddaa was your homeworld, wasn't it? I believe that's where I saw your wanted poster," Naolin said. "Such a pitty. You were such a pleasant young man when I first met you."
Darvix's hands balled into fists. Reyov Naolin had been the Imperial Officer placed in charge of his home planet. He had been a ruthless leader, exterminating any non-human that crossed his path and executing anyone who dared question him. The men who had served under him were just as menacing, turning the streets of Nar Shaddaa into a militarized zone. If you didn't buy into the Imperial doctrine, you were destined to suffer on that world. Naolin was as loyal to the Empire as anyone.
"You probably don't even remember how you first met me, do you Darvix?" Naolin asked.
"You'll have to forgive me," Darvix said through clenched teeth. "I try to suppress memories of warmongers."
Naolin let out a hearty laugh, "Warmonger? My stars, where did you get that impression? I am but a peacekeeper, someone to promote the ideals of the illustrious Emperor Palpatine. Everything I did, everything I have ever done, was for his glory."
"Palpatine has been dead for a long time," Darvix replied.
"He may be dead," Naolin conceded, "but his ideals are alive and well. But enough about that…Let's talk about you, shall we?"
"It was your mother who introduced us, you know," Naolin continued. "She wanted for you to become an Imperial officer so desperately. Do you remember that day we first met? No? Well what bout the little Twi'lek girl?"
Darvix felt his heart stop. The Twi'lek girl. When he was just a boy his mother had introduced him to an Imperial officer. He had gone for a walk with the officer that day, listening to stories about the glory of the Empire and the wonders of serving the Emperor's vast and mighty military. At the time, Darvix's wasn't even aware of the fall of Coruscant and the Empire's crumbling infrastructure. The propaganda was still alive and well. As they walked, they ran into a lonely little Twi'lek girl, sitting at the end of a dark alley.
"Aliens are the scum of the galaxy," he had told Darvix. "Imagine if we could live in a galaxy where it was just Humans, no one to hold us back."
He placed a blaster in Darvix's hands that day. No words had to be exchanged at that point, it was clear what he wanted Darvix to do. That day he didn't hesitate to aim the blaster and pull the trigger. Without a hint of remorse, he took the life of that little Twi'lek girl, and for what? He did it to conform to his mother's whims and to the expectations of a xenophobic madman.
"Just think, Darvix," Naolin said. "A galaxy without aliens, a galaxy where it is just humans. No one to hold us back."
Darvix drew his lightsaber and ignited it, staring down Naolin. The man deserved to die. He had killed so many people over the years and had caused so much suffering. He was the one who had started Darvix into a spiraling descent of despair. He was the one who was responsible for the six years Cheriss had spent as a prisoner of war. He was the one who had destroyed Jaminere.
"You're not going to kill me," Naolin said. "You're incapable of it. You are nothing but a spineless coward who ran away from home instead of facing the Galaxy as a member of the Emperor's mighty army. Imagine my surprise when I found you aboard my Star Destroyer thirteen years ago, trying to put an end to me. You couldn't do it then, and you can't do it now."
"No…" Darvix shook his head and deactivated his lightsaber. "No, I assure you, I am fully capable of killing you where you stand. You wouldn't be the first person whose life I've ended prematurely."
"Luckily for you, I'm not the same person that boarded your ship all those years ago," Darvix raised his hand and called upon the Force, pushing Naolin away from him and clearing the path to the docking module. Without looking back Darvix ran towards his ship. Within moments Naolin was back on his feet and had drawn a blaster, firing towards Darvix as he chased after him. In the corner of his eye he saw a blue streak sailing towards the docking module. Naolin continued to fire at him as he slipped back into the Tatooine Gallows. He closed the door behind him, locking Naolin outside.
He watched as Naolin pounded against the transparisteel window of the door. Darvix smiled faintly and mouthed "goodbye" as a proton torpedo struck the docking module. Naolin's eyes were wide with panic as the explosion ripped through the tunnel. He watched as the atmosphere began to vent out of the docking module. No, he wouldn't end Naolin's life prematurely in a fit of anger. He would give the Imperial bastard the last thirty seconds of life that fate had afforded him.
Darvix's face was expressionless as Reyov Naolin was vented into the cold, hard vacuum of space. It was good to know that sometimes the Galaxy took care of scum like him.
It wasn't long before he was awoken from his thoughts. The Tatooine Gallows shook as the Star Destroyer opened fire on it. Looking through the viewport he could see that the Ender II was barely holding together. The Rogue Squadron torpedoes had torn through her hull, causing a massive amount of damage. Despite that it was still firing upon Darvix. He had to get off this ship.
He made his way towards the makeshift hanger of the aging GR-45 transport, grabbing his flightsuit along the way. The stunt he was about to pull was dangerous, and if it went wrong he would have to eject. He'd prefer to be in a protective suit so as not to suffer the same fate of Captain Naolin. Darvix rushed to his X-Wing and began the power-on process. As his starfighter came to life he hastily threw on his flightsuit, checking to make sure all of his life-support gear was functional.
The Gallows began to shake more violently. Darvix knew that the shields had failed and he was running out of time to save himself. He quickly climbed into his X-Wing and engaged the repulsorlifts, lifting his starfighter off the ground enough to extend his S-Foils into attack position. This should work, he thought to himself. He had done the math, with his shields at full strength this would be imminently survivable. Of course, any time a pilot fired a proton torpedo in an enclosed space they expected the worst.
***
Inyri let out a holler as she downed the last of the TIE Defenders. They were close to pulling it off. She pulled her flightstick to the right and slammed no her right etheric rudder pedal. The crippled Star Destroyer came into her sights. Flames poured out of the battered hull of the once proud ship. She armed her torpedoes and prepared for one final assault on the ship should Colonel Solo order it. Once again, Rogue Squadron was about to beat the odds. They alone would have managed to take out a squadron of Phantom starfighters and an entire Star Destroyer.
"Sithspit he's still in there!" Kasari Lisae's voice rang through the radio.
"They're opening fire on the Gallows!" Ace Azzameen said. "We've got to do something!"
"Clear out! Clear out!" Jaina ordered. "They're falling into the event horizon of that black hole!"
With sense of dull horror Inyri watched as the battered Star Destroyer succumbed to the gravity of the massive black hole. The Tatooine Gallows slowly followed, her flight systems having failed. Darvix was still on board and was trapped, but there was nothing the Rogues could do. If they got any closer they were liable to be drawn into the black hole themselves. Time was running out for him.
Suddenly an explosion shook the old GR-45 transport. Through the flames Inyri caught sight of the silhouette of an X-Wing racing away from the black hole, "Zorvan, is that you!?"
"Major Janson I regret to inform you that Major Darvix Zorvan has survived and will live to see another day," Darvix's voice filled the radio.
"Dap if there was ever any question about your worthiness with the Rogues," Inyri said, "you just vaporized all doubt!"
As Darvix's X-Wing made its way back to the rest of the Squadron, Inyri watched as the Star Destroyer and the Gallows was dragged into the black hole. Just like that, Reyov Naolin and his Phantom nightmare was obliterated, never to harm the Galaxy again.
***
Hyperspace was a welcome sight for Darvix. Hyperspace meant that the Rogues were going home. It meant that the Phantom threat was destroyed once and for all. Soon they would be able to report to the Alliance what had happened and Jaminere would receive the aid it needed. The Rogues would finally be able to celebrate a job well done. A squadron that had been on the brink of destruction only months ago had returned to its former glory. Rogue Squadron was once again capable of accomplishing the impossible.
Darvix felt his stomach sink. He knew the celebration would be short-lived. Every member of Rogue Squadron had violated orders by willingly leaving Jaminere and punching through the blockade. They were all facing court marshals and were likely facing twenty years in the brig for their actions. Their lives were about to be destroyed, and it was his fault. He had dragged Rogue Squadron to Jaminere as an excuse to search for his long-lost niece and sister. They would all pay the price for his actions. Whats worse was that his selfishness had resulted in the death of his wingman and student.
No one was going to suffer again because he had acted impulsively.
"Zone, I need you to relay a message to Alliance Command," Darvix said to his R2 unit. "Send this message immediately…"
Darvix took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I, Major Darvix Zorvan of Galactic Alliance starfighter squadron Rogue Squadron…" he paused for a moment to regain his composure, "confess to the crimes of mutiny and treason and submit myself to arrest in order to face judgment by a military tribunal..."