Chapter 10: The Skirmish on Nevarro

Thousands of lightyears away, forty ships of the New Republic Armada were departing Coruscant's orbit. Among them were GR-75s and CR-90s, Mon Cal cruisers, Munificent-class frigates, and a number of the Venator and Acclamator-class Star Destroyers that had been repurposed by the New Republic to protect their star systems along with a handful of new models known as Republic-class Star Destroyers. Aboard the Star Destroyer Liberation, Lando Calrissian gave his report to the ground crews at Base One on Coruscant.

"Base One, we are in position to head for Nevarro to help Generals Tano and Kestis," said Lando. "All starships and starfighters accounted for."

"Roger that, General," came the director's reply. "All groups assume planetary assault coordinates."

"Copy that," replied Lando. He signaled the crew to send the message to the rest of the fleet, and the enormous starships all arranged into their designated positions. On the Liberation, Lando took a seat beside his old friend and fellow pilot Nien Nunb from the planet Sullust, who had been promoted to a squad coordinator aboard the Republic-class vessel.

Nien spoke inquisitively with Lando in his fast-flowing language, and Lando responded, "We can handle this, Nien. No worries. If the First Order is as arrogant as the Empire was, they'll throw their forces at us without rallying them to their full strength."

He paused for a moment and said to himself, "Or we'll just be walking into another trap and need help to get us out."

Then the director at Base One ordered, "All craft, prepare to jump into hyperspace on the mark."

"Stand by," Lando replied. He patched the order to the rest of the fleet, and then with the pull of a lever, he watched the stars grow into streaks of light as the Liberation and the rest of the fleet began the journey to Nevarro at lightspeed.

Ahsoka and Cal began to regain consciousness as they were carried into a large hall by their arms. The two Jedi shook their heads to clear the dull ache and were unnerved to find that they were faced with thousands of stormtroopers on the left and the right, and the troops at the front lines had their blasters trained on them. Several pilots, officers, and crewmen were gathered there as well, and at the back of the room were the red-clad warriors who served as the honor guard for the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

Ahsoka and Cal had no time to say anything before they were nearly dumped at the feet of Supreme Leader Snoke and forced to sit on their knees before him. Snoke stared down at the two Jedi with contempt and said, "So at last the Jedi interfere with my plans for the galaxy. Your interference should have ended with the Emperor's destruction of the Old Republic. But at least I will have the pleasure of putting you under my thumb."

Ahsoka would have gotten up, but she was roughly pushed to the floor by the stormtrooper behind her, who was holding her lightsabers while another held onto Cal's. Ahsoka turned her gaze to Snoke and asked with a cold voice, "Are you the one behind the creation of the First Order?"

Every stormtrooper, officer, and agent in the room confirmed this by declaring in an almost droid-like manner, "Hail Supreme Leader Snoke."

Ahsoka and Cal were now helped to their feet, and then Cal said to the Supreme Leader, "No games, Supreme Leader. We want answers. Why are you and these Imperial loyalists trying to dismantle the New Republic?"

Supreme Leader Snoke gave a cruel smirk and replied, "It is my duty to the Emperor. His death has not entirely hindered the cause the Empire served, and with my leadership, the First Order is going to see that cause fulfilled when the entire galaxy is under our heel, where it belongs."

Cal and Ahsoka were disgusted to say the least, for they both knew that Emperor Palpatine's fanatical servants had called his unspeakable crimes "noble work", but to hear that those same fanatics were plotting to subjugate the galaxy in the same way was shocking. They were also surprised that Snoke was essentially calling himself the Emperor's successor.

"What makes you think you are in any position to rob the galaxy of freedom?" said Cal frowningly.

"I have been given that right by the Emperor himself," answered Supreme Leader Snoke. "I have been a loyal servant, and now I am charged with restoring the Empire to power. Perhaps you should learn why before I give you the chance to bow willingly."

The decrepit man did not rise from his throne, but he began to tell the two Jedi his story. "On Ord Mantell, I was an insignificant peasant, cast out because of my deformities. I was forced to become a thief upon being driven away from my civilization. But that changed when the Empire came to take control of my world. The Imperial agents took interest in me, for they saw my cunning mind beneath my disfigured form. Emperor Palpatine saw little use for me and had me serve as a propagandist for the Imperial regime. However, he was so pleased with my ability to root out any who disapproved of his reign that he soon dubbed me director of the Inquisitorius under his apprentice, Lord Vader. When Vader and the Emperor both perished, my influence was enough to unite the shattered factions of our once great and mighty Empire, and now I am to lead the First Order back to its rightful place as the sole rulers of the galaxy."

"And you expect us Jedi, who preserve peace for everyone in this galaxy, to break our oath on a whim and bow down?" Ahsoka responded. "I think not!"

With that, she and Cal used the Force to uncouple the cuffs on their wrists, and then summoned their lightsabers and blew the stormtroopers guarding them against the back wall. Supreme Leader Snoke was infuriated at the resilience of the two young Jedi and shouted, "High Guard, stop them!"

The red-armored guards activated their weapons, some choosing electro-staffs while others chose vibro-blades, and rushed to bring Ahsoka and Cal to their knees. In an instant, Ahsoka and Cal had their lightsabers ignited and were parrying blows with the High Guard. Their lightsabers easily prevented the guards' vibro-blades from reaching them, but the electro-staffs had a longer reach and were composed of metal too tough for Ahsoka and Cal's lightsabers to cut through. However, their agility kept the guards having to turn one away and another to attempt to catch them off guard, and Ahsoka managed to cut down three guards while Cal's lightsaber found its mark with two guards. Their escape was foiled without warning, for before either of them knew what was happening, they were lifted into the air and seized in an invisible grip so tight it was like being constricted by a krayt dragon.

Ahsoka looked down to the floor and saw a human man in a black uniform with a long cape reaching his knees. The strange man had pale skin and dull gray, shoulder-length hair. His eyes flashed yellow and the right side of his face bore a scar from his eyebrow to his cheek. Even though she was a fully trained Jedi, Ahsoka felt a twinge of fear when she saw that the man was holding a red-bladed lightsaber in his right hand while his left hand held her and Cal. Suddenly, the mysterious warrior sent them falling to the floor, and then placed Ahsoka and Cal's lightsabers on Snoke's throne.

"This is my second-in-command, Koloth Ren," said Supreme Leader Snoke. "He will be the one to bring your New Republic to its knees before the First Order. A pity you will not live to see it."

Koloth Ren raised a hand, and then six other warriors surrounded Ahsoka and Cal, each of them clad in dark armor and their faces hidden behind dark, expressionless masks. The six acolytes had weapons aimed at the two Jedi, each of them meant for warriors outside of the Jedi Order, but none of them made a move until Koloth Ren said, "Take these Jedi scum away. The Supreme Leader and I look forward to enjoying their execution."

The binders that held Ahsoka and Cal were primitive by the standards of technology, but surprisingly effective. While they were being herded aboard a repulsorlift cart by another squad of stormtroopers, Ahsoka was contemplating the next move. She and Cal were Force-sensitive and could easily escape, but without their lightsabers, they wouldn't get far before the First Order's troops had their blasters aimed at them from all sides.

"Just concentrate, Cal," the young Togruta said. "We can survive this until help arrives. Just let the Force guide you."

"It's a little difficult to do it knowing we're about to face some grim threat for the entertainment of these First Order fanatics," retorted Cal.

"Our situation is dire, but do not give into fear. That leads to the dark side," Ahsoka reminded him.

Cal nodded, and the two meditated in silence as their repulsorlift cart was brought into an outdoor arena where thousands of First Order personnel were gathered in the stands, awaiting what they hoped would be a spectacular event of deadly sport. In moments, the two young Jedi had their binders fastened to tall pillars of obsidian, forcing them to keep their arms above their heads. They heard a cheer rumble through the audience of First Order agents, signaling the arrival of Supreme Leader Snoke and Koloth Ren. Then Koloth addressed the vast crowd.

"Soldiers and crew of the First Order, bear witness to the fate of all who would deny our glorious return to power!" the Sith Lord declared. "Let the execution begin!"

The three metal gates facing Ahsoka and Cal slid open, and then Koloth Ren announced, "The first beast to test these Jedi: the vornskr!"

From the central gate, a large canine creature with dark fur and a whip-like tail tipped with hairy barbs entered the arena. It let out a bone-chilling howl which seemed to incite the First Order agents to cheer louder, and then Koloth Ren announced another predatory alien.

"The narglatch!"

This second space animal was a large feline with blue-colored fur, sporting a dark mane running down its back and a spine on the end of its tail. It growled fiercely as one guard attempted to provoke it into charging Ahsoka and Cal with a prod from his electro-staff, and when the guard did so a second time, the narglatch struck him a blow with its tail before returning its attention to Ahsoka and Cal.

"The sketto!"

This was the last space creature to be set on Ahsoka and Cal, and they found it to be the most gruesome thing to look at. It was an insectoid creature with a long, semi-reptilian body and four wings at least three feet long, and its mouth was filled with needle-like teeth that were designed to drain prey of blood rapidly.

The three space creatures advanced on Ahsoka and Cal, but they were already focusing on using the Force to free themselves from their binders. As they focused on feeling the Force around them, between them and the audience, and across all distance they could sense, the obsidian pillars began to tremble and crack as they focused. The binders on their wrists shook as well, and before the agents of the First Order knew it, Ahsoka and Cal were free. They would not use their lightsabers against the arena beasts, they decided, for they were vastly outnumbered and would be easily cut down by the thousands of stormtroopers who had gathered to watch the execution.

The first creature that tried to attack Ahsoka and Cal was the vornskr, for its species was among the few non-sentients who could sense the Force and use it for the purpose of staying alive. The canid creature began lurching toward Ahsoka, sizing her up, and then it charged her. But Ahsoka nimbly jumped to the top of the column, forcing the vornskr to climb up after her. Ahsoka's plan was working to perfection, it seemed, so she used the Force to make the column shake violently at its base. In a few seconds, the pillar was shaking so hard that the vornskr lost its grip and tumbled back to the ground, only for Ahsoka to leap down and perform a double-kick on the beast's muzzle.

Cal had his hands full trying to handle the sketto without the creature draining him of blood. He used the Force to pull down the obsidian column that had held him and began telekinetically flinging large pieces of it at the flying pest. The sketto dodged the chunks of dark rock rather well and flew at Cal, attempting to bite at any exposed skin. But when it tried to bat some of the rock away with its tail, it was thrown off-balance and bobbed in the air wildly until Cal used the Force to aim another chunk of the pillar at the sketto's thin wings, effectively pinning it down.

Ahsoka leapt up to join Cal as the narglatch closed in on them. The beast charged at them, but the two Jedi leapt aside and their attacker missed them by a slim margin. Ahsoka and Cal now led the narglatch in a chase to keep the creature distracted until they used the Force together and sent the feline creature flying against the arena wall with enough speed to crack its skull.

The stormtroopers and officers and other First Order personnel rose up hotly and began shouting insults and curses at the Jedi, and even Supreme Leader Snoke was enraged that Ahsoka and Cal had been clever enough to evade the attempt on their lives.

"They will not even give us good sport!" fumed the haggard dictator. He turned in hot fury to the High Guard and rapped, "Guards, finish them off immediately!"

Koloth Ren came to his master's side and said, "Rest assured, my master. They will die."

No sooner had Ren spoken then twelve Dark Troopers rocketed from another arena gate and surrounded Ahsoka and Cal, training their blasters on them. Ahsoka and Cal now stood back to back against the wall of droids. If they were to die here before the First Order, they would die fighting.

They were spared by a shocking distraction, for the wall separating the arena from the rest of the First Order's base was suddenly blown to pieces by an awesome blast of laser fire. First Order personnel were caught in the blast and were scattered across the arena with the rubble. Ahsoka and Cal took the distraction as an opportunity to retrieve their lightsabers, and then they saw Tor Solaris, Mawlekk, and Lung-Seek enter the arena with their whole company of New Republic troopers.

"Destroy those Republic meddlers!" shouted Snoke.

The First Order's stormtroopers immediately entered the arena with the High Guard and the officers behind. The sheer number of the First Order agents seemed to give them the advantage, but the New Republic troops were trained in the fighting of their respective home planets, easily dodging blaster fire and using thermal detonators as well as their blasters. In seconds, the First Order agents were thrown into disarray and falling back to defensive positions.

Ahsoka and Cal led the charge into the fray and together, they began cutting down all stormtroopers in their path. Ahsoka blocked every blaster bolt and most of the beams rebounded at the stormtroopers who had fired them. Cal used the Force to throw several Dark Troopers into the walls of the arena before cutting some more of them to pieces, and he even stunned some First Order officers to keep them from calling reinforcements.

Dozens of stormtroopers were hit by laser bolts from New Republic troopers riding on modified speeder bikes, which were equipped with thermal charge launchers and miniature shield generators. When the First Order sent AT-ST walkers to deal with them, the mounted troopers released their charges and blew out the ankle joints, sending the walkers crashing to the ground like great metal trees.

Tor directed two battalions of New Republic troopers against the troopers mounted on speeder bikes while he broke into another line of troopers and officers from behind. While he was cutting his way through the enemy lines, some members of the High Guard came at him from the left and the right. They never got the chance to attack, for Tor sent out a Force wave and catapulted the red-armored attackers across the arena where more troopers waited to finish them off. Lung-Seek cut down several Dark Troopers while pushing others away with the Force, and he even attacked some stormtroopers with his natural ability to release a torrent of ink from his tentacled maw. As for Mawlekk, he leapt from one walker cabin to the next, taking down every AT-ST pilot and gunner before joining his fellow Jedi on the ground and forcing his way through the First Order's lines.

Ahsoka, Cal, and their allies held the First Order at bay, but they were soon to be overwhelmed as the lines of stormtroopers continued pouring into the arena. The stormtroopers and officers were hard enough, but five AT-AT walkers were now entering from outside the arena. Unlike the walkers of the Empire, these AT-ATs were equipped with laser turrets on the underbelly as well as on the cabin. In an instant, the New Republic troopers were forced to scatter to avoid being blown to smoldering ashes by the deadly lasers or crushed into unrecognizable paste under the feet of these nightmarish machines.

Ahsoka and Cal now stood back to back with Tor, Mawlekk, and Lung-Seek as the First Order's stormtroopers closed in on them. It looked like their escape would become a losing battle when there came a strange sound in the air. It sounded like a ship, but it wasn't familiar. Suddenly, Ahsoka looked up and said, "Look up there!"

From out of the sky came several ships bearing the symbol of the New Republic. The vessels looked like twin engine freighters from the Old Republic of thirty years prior, except they were smaller and built with military-grade armor, and they were equipped with turbolasers, rocket cannons, and shield generators. The First Order agents looked up in shock as the modified freighters floated into the arena, and their shock turned to panic as the ships began releasing their awesome firepower on the attackers. Stormtroopers and officers dove for cover to avoid the racing beams of laser plasma while the New Republic troopers leapt aboard the incoming ships to receive the warm welcomes of their comrades. One ship stopped long enough to pick up Ahsoka and her fellow Jedi, and soon the modified freighters were heading into the sky to rendezvous with the reconnaissance fleet. But as the New Republic was preparing for their first space battle against the sinister First Order, there was more danger awaiting Luke and his friends on Tatooine.


A/N: How was this chapter, my readers? If you liked how it went, feel free to let me know in a review. As promised, the next chapter will see Luke, Leia, Han, and the others handling the First Order's incursion on Tatooine, and they'll do it with a little detective work thrown in.