Part 3: Breaking Through
We flew on, each of us absorbed in our thoughts. The unnatural silence and tension was beginning to become oppressive. We had received information that the Jedi Squadron assigned to accompany us would meet us en route to the Star Forge. I estimated that we had at least half an hour to reach the battle. Time enough to assign tasks. I thought about it a moment, then switched on the comm. "Jolee, begin preparing medpacks and stims for when we reach the Star Forge."
I heard him sigh then grumble, "Bah... eager kids! Always rushing into fights and getting hurt. I didn't use this many medpacks when I was young..."
I shook my head in amusement as I changed channels. "Juhani you take the starboard turret, Canderous the portside, HK, topside." I ordered them. They would be the best suited to man the turrets. Juhani had excellent reflexes, courtesy of her warrior species. Canderous for his battle experience. HK could integrate his targeting systems with the Hawk, adding to his already deadly accuracy. And HK was, well, HK. I had no doubt that if he had mobile features he would be grinning insanely in anticipation right now. And I would not hear the end of it if I deprived him of the chance to blast 'meatbags'.
A small beep sounded and Mission's indignant voice came out of the comm. "Hey, how 'bout the rest of us? You can't just expect us to sit here and do nothing!" A small smile curved my lips. Trust Mission to want to help. She was so innocent despite being raised in the Lower City of Taris. What else needs to be done? I wondered. There weren't many things. I ran through the few options in my mind and settled on one.
I bent toward the comm. again. "Of course you're not just going to sit there Mission," I replied, my smile evident in my voice. "You, Zaalbar, and T3 are going to make sure the Hawk's systems stay in shape for us. While I trust in Carth's flying skills to keep us in one piece, he's going to likely push her to her limits." I heard a small "Oh." as the intercom shut off. I chuckled.
I glanced outside through the viewport and my good feelings quickly evaporated at the sight that greeted me. 12 Frigates, like the Endar Spire, the ship I was stationed on when this all began and 18 Corvette-sized ships that looked more like cargo freighters than warships were firing streams of laser fire at the Sith fleet, who were returning fire in earnest. My heart sank when I compared the 2 fleets. It was obvious that the Republic was outnumbered. Though Carth had told them to bring as many ships as they could spare, the Sith fleet still had the advantage of numbers. The Sith fleet also coordinated it's fire much more effectively than the Republic did, courtesy of Bastila's Battle Meditation, and 3 Corvette ships were destroyed while I watched. As we drew closer I could see the twinkling of lights around the starships. I knew them to be the fighters and bombers of both fleets engaged in furious dogfights, each striving to gain the upper hand. I drew a breath and centered myself. We were about to enter that chaotic melee and I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
A young Duros, some 25 years of age, took a deep breath in the cockpit of his fighter. He needed to focus on the engagement ahead. Three full squadrons of Sith Starfighters, totaling 36 craft, had suddenly veered as they got within sensor range and were on their way to stop them. He was part of the squadron of Jedi Knights assigned to follow the freighter, the Ebon Hawk, into the Star Forge. There were 12 fighters, and the Hawk. He knew this would be a difficult fight, especially if these Sith fought as the main fleet did.
They'd been told why the Sith fought so well, Bastila had turned to the Dark Side, and was using her Battle Meditation to give the Sith an edge. He quickly suppressed a shudder. The young Knight had seen her use Battle Meditation against the Sith when they had tried to take the shipyards at Bilbringi. He'd felt a great boost of mental clarity, adding to his already clear mind and also felt a more confident in His fingers had been steadier on the trigger...making it nearly impossible for his shots to miss the target. Now, on the other end of the effects that Battle Meditation had on the enemy, his mind was clouded, his focus beginning to waver. Doubts plague his already uncertain thoughts, his hands were twitchy, and reactions sluggish.
The fighters were just over 5 klicks away when he checked his target display, they were closing in fast. At an order from the Leader, they formed a sphere around the Ebon Hawk; the plan was they would use its 3 gun turrets as cover for the first run, where the engagement would be the most dangerous. As the enemy got within 2.5 kilometers of them, each side took potshots at the other, then, as they closed the distance, the Sith fighters started firing in constant stream.
A fellow Jedi to his left attempted to avoid a volley of laser bolts, but failed. He became one with the Force as his ship fell to pieces and shredded. The young Jedi felt sorrow for his comrade that had died, but there was no time to grieve. Reaching out to the Force, he concentrated once more on the oncoming Sith, firing. His shots hit a few fighters, though it would be hard to miss the cloud of metal flying towards them. The Sith fighters suddenly broke into groups and concentrated their fire on a single fighter until it was destroyed. Another Jedi died in that head-to-head engagement soon after; It was hard to evade the fire of even 4 ships, but 12 was a near impossibility. Their formation worked in favor of the Knight, for he was able to destroy 6 Sith fighters in rapid succession before the squadron broke off as both sides passed each other. This is where the real dogfight begins. Now that the most dangerous part of this engagement was over, the young Duros expected there to be fewer deaths for his side. At least for now.
We'd been in the thick of the fighting for what seemed like hours when it was in actuality some 10 minutes. I concentrated on maintaining our defenses as Carth dodged and weaved, evading blaster fire with a skill that impressed me. He really knows how to fly. It seemed his boasting was not hot air after all. I checked our display and nodded slightly in satisfaction. Most of the Jedi squadron was still with us. I felt strangely protective of them, and was saddened as I sensed 2 of them had joined the Force at the beginning of the fight. When we had rendezvoused with them on the outskirts of the battle, I had reached out with the Force. I had been rather shocked at the youth of most of them. The Jedi must have indeed been spread thin for Master Vandar to charge such young Knights to penetrate the blockade, dock on the Star Forge, and search for Bastila and Malak. It's either that, or he's relying on us to distract Bastila and defeat Malak, I thought absently, then grimaced, or more specifically, me.
"Targeting: Meatbag in sights. Firing." HK-47 fired 4 volleys at a Sith fighter passing by his view port. HK was immune to the effects of Bastila's Battle Meditation, unlike his 'meatbag' comrades, and adding that to his integration with the Hawk, made him the best gunner on the ship. His master might have argued that the Force was better than any electronic targeting system, but HK maintained droid superiority over meatbag mysticism.
A Jedi fighter passed by his viewport, 3 Sith fighters in a delta formation pursuing the evading Jedi. The squad leader fell first, and the 2 wingmen evaded, and, as HK predicted, the meatbags flew right into his fire. The droid was tempted to shoot at the Jedi's craft, and eliminate another meatbag from the galaxy, but he was under strict orders from his master to only shoot at Sith fighters. Through the Hawk's systems, HK ascertained there were 21 remaining enemy craft in the immediate area. HK hoped they would all suddenly decide to fly into his sights. A lonely Sith fighter obliged as it flew into his target reticule. And flew out just as fast. It reemerged into his view seconds later, chasing after a Jedi fighter. The Jedi attempted to evade the laser bolts, but his efforts were in vain, and the ship's engines took a direct hit, vaporizing the entire ship in a single brilliant explosion.
HK recognized the fighter, he'd shot at it numerous times before, and failed to hit on every attempt. "Aggravation: This meatbag shall die." HK's synthesized voice growled as he fired with incredible accuracy at the lone Sith fighter. However, the fighter dove to the left, evading HK's fire, and turned to make an attack run on the Hawk. The droid, his frustration rapidly climbing, commanded the other gunners to fire at the Sith fighter. He was going to see this meatbag dead, no matter how. The other 2 guns were able to attack, one of them manned by the Mandalorian, Canderous, who HK had grown to like for his ruthlessness.
The fighter juked and spun, evading every shot the gunners took at it, all the while pelting the freighter with red-white laser fire. Finally, a laser bolt clipped the fighter's left wing, cutting 1/3 of it off. The droid calculated the telemetry of the laser, and concluded that it had come from the meatbag named Juhani. By HK's calculations, the fighter lost 28% of it's maneuvering, that gave the droid the advantage he needed to take the fighter down. The Starfighter would swing to the right much slower now; that limited the pilot's evasion options. The pilot acted out of instinct, and evaded to the right, which presented its broad side to the gunners. As HK fired a precise set of volleys, he said calmly, "Encouragement:" then suddenly raised his voice as they hit their mark, "Die, meatbag, DIE!". The fighter was ripped to pieces by the shots. Then HK said, "Appreciation: Thank you." Canderous' laughter was heard over the comm. HK was extremely pleased with himself. Whether the pilot was a Dark Jedi, or just an extraordinarily skilled meatbag pilot, he would never know, but he did know that the meatbag was the Wing leader, and the attack quickly fragmented for the Sith Squadron, making them easy prey for the 3 gunners and the remaining 8 Jedi fighters.
The hawk suddenly rocked with a direct hit. I was thrown to the side as I clutched my seat to steady myself. "Shields?!" Carth barked at me, tense.
I quickly checked the our status. "Holding. Though we can't take another hit like that without sustaining damage." I replied with some semblance of calm, which was something of a feat. As we got ever closer to the Star Forge I could feel it's Dark pull, as well as the now more frequent brushes of what could only be Bastila using her Battle Meditation.
She was absorbed in the main fight, and not paying attention to the stray fights outside it. That would not last long I knew. We would soon be entering her sphere of influence. I began to shield myself and dampen my aura in the Force at the same time, both to keep myself hidden and to block out the Star Forge. It's at times like these that I hate being strong in the Force, I thought ruefully as I turned my attention back to the fight. I suddenly felt another Jedi join the Force and winced. I pushed the pain away and locked it in a box I had created in my mind with the other 3 young Jedi. 4 Jedi Knights. That's too many, I thought in depression. Then I blinked, shaking my head. I took a risk and looked up and glanced at Carth, at any rate, the fighting was beginning to diminish for the moment. He was still concentrating on flying the Hawk, but he seemed desperate. And desolate. I felt my eyes widen. Oh, no!
After a ten minute long engagement, the Sith fighters were finally destroyed, and the Jedi were able to resume their flight to the Star Forge. The loss of the 4 Jedi was a terrible blow, both to the Order, and the battle at hand. Azek Nanaka, a Rodian Jedi Master, was feeling nervous…more so because of the Battle Meditation that was wreaking havoc on his confidence. And it feels as if it's increasing, becoming more intense... He shook off the thought. It was impossible. He sighed. One third of his squadron had been lost in the dogfight that took place minutes ago, it was becoming increasingly doubtful that any of them would make it to the Star Forge at all, especially if they had to fight their way through another swarm of fighters like the one they just faced...
I felt alarms go off in my head. "Carth?" I asked cautiously. I ignored my controls for the moment, this was more important. "Carth?" I asked again when he didn't respond immediately, "Are you all right?"
He blinked and looked at me dully. "Huh? What? What do you want?" He blinked some more. "I have to concentra-" He sighed abruptly, "Ahh, it's no use. We'll probably die here.", he lamented. I felt a shiver run up my spine at his words.
"Carth!" I said sharply. "Snap out of it! It's Bastila's Battle Meditation that's making you think that way! Come on!" I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him hard.
"All right, all right! I'm flying here! Do you want us to crash into someone?" He told me irritably. I watched him closely. He seemed to have regained some vigor, but still looked tired. I returned my attention to my task, but kept an eye on him.
Bastila's Battle Meditation is getting worse.. I frowned, Or is it? I flicked the comm. on. "Everybody all right?" I asked. I received a chorus of affirmatives. Other than Carth's lapse everything was fine. So why do I feel so uneasy? I looked at the Star Forge, it's massive bulk beginning to fill the viewports. I saw red beams firing out of it, directed at us. We easily evaded it. I frowned. Too easily. I remembered looking closely at the Rakatan technology in the Temple. Even if the gunner was a mindless idiot, the Star Forge will automatically track and lock, all the gunner needed to do was fire. It suddenly hit me. Quickly opening a channel to the fighters, I yelled, "Evasive maneuvers! Now!" I hit Carth on the arm as well, indicating that I meant us too. The combination of my sudden order and the slap caused him to pull hard on the controls, throwing the Hawk into a turn. Just in time to miss the sudden red beams that lanced through where we had been.
Azek spent the next few minutes attempting to calm himself as they approached the massive space station, until finally it completely filled his viewport. Dozens of red beams passed around his ship, but none coming close to hitting it. "It's like they're not even trying to hit us, like they're just firing blindly." He said over the comm. system. It's almost like…they're trying to… Azek didn't get to finish that thought. At the shouted command from the Hawk, Azek sent his fighter into a dive in reflex. 7 laser bolts nearly blasted his ship to pieces. The Sith had almost lulled them into thinking they couldn't hit them from that range, but were in fact extremely accurate. A Jedi fighter was hit before the squadron began to evade in earnest.
"We can't break through!" Carth's voice rang though the cockpit, with an edge of despair. I agreed with him. Every time we came close those deadly red beams would fire, barely missing us. We had already sustained some minor damage. And we weren't the only ones. The comm. was alive with the Jedi's voices, reporting glancing hits and instrument damage. There must be some way to get through! I knew our efforts wouldn't remain unnoticed for long. Then we would have more than one Sith squadron heading for us, I thought grimly.
"We have to keep trying! If we don't, the Republic Fleet will be destroyed!" I said trying to get Carth to focus. He's loyal to the Republic, he'd do anything to help them, I thought. Only this time it didn't seem to have much of an effect. Before I could process the implications of that, the comm beeped, signaling a request for a private channel. I flicked the switch. "This is Diamid Kiith'sid, on the Hawk." I said.
"Bastila's Battle Meditation is getting worse." I recognized the voice of the Jedi as Master Azek Nanaka, the Squadron Leader. "It's preventing us from concentrating clearly. Is there anything you can do, Padawan Diamid? I was informed you had a bond with Bastila, and are strong in the Force as well." I could clearly hear the strain in his voice.
I swallowed hard. If I dropped my shields out here I would be exposed to Bastila's power as well as the Star Forge. I knew vaguely by an elusive memory, or instinctively perhaps, that the Darkness of the Star Forge was at its peak at the perimeter, and the heart. Beginning at the center and rising like a swell at the perimeter and slowly dissipating outward. I swallowed again and firmed my resolve. We had to get into the Star Forge, that's where Bastila is. That decided me. And I will have to endure the Darkness when we get aboard, I thought, if I can't stand it out here I won't be able to inside.
"I'm not sure.", I replied. "If you could get closer, I could try to shield us." They had to get closer. If I stretched out my Force sense too far Bastila would notice me.
"Understood. We'll make one last run at the station. All or nothing." I heard the determination in his voice. "Signal us when you are ready, Padawan."
"I don't need to, Master, you'll know." I replied. Carth was giving me an odd look. I ignored him.
"Very well." Nanaka said. I saw the Jedi squadron begin to maneuver closer. I got up and went to our quarters quickly, and assumed a meditative pose as I settled myself in the middle. I took a deep, steadying breath, centered, and focused myself. Then I dropped my shields and reached out to the Force...
Darkness..... Cloying, fluid, sweet, rotten, seductive, repulsive, all these and more. I could feel it surrounding me, dragging me under. Surrender, It whispered to me, take back what you once had. Bastila will come to you once she sees you have reconsidered.. No! I screamed in my mind, Never! I serve the Light! I began to struggle against that roaring tide of foulness, grasping for the Force, anything, to take me out of that trap of Darkness... and touched my bond with Bastila. A weak flicker of Light shone at the other end. I eagerly grasped it, following it out of the mire I had put myself in, and ran straight into the Force Presence of Bastila herself.
'Revan?!' I heard shock and surprise in her mindvoice as I hastily retreated behind my shields again. I shakily tried to center myself once more, but my thoughts kept on being dragged back to that tiny flicker of Light that saved me. Bastila still had good in her. And it seemed to be centered around me since I was able to sense it even though it was so weak. I felt overjoyed. I knew that if I was able to get to her I could stroke that small light back into brilliance.
But first things first. I had to get on the Star Forge. That thought gave me the incentive to focus. Again I dropped my shields, slowly this time, and reached out to the Force. The Darkness was there again, but I was ready, and fought it off. I braced myself and expanded my awareness. I brushed against Carth first, sensing his despair and it's cause. I felt Bastila's touch in the Force, seeping into him. I started weaving gossamer Force threads around his mind, creating a shield blocking out most of her influence. I took another deep breath, and stretched out my senses even more. I saw in my mind's eye Nanaka and the rest of the Jedi, pinpoints of light against the darkness. I touched their minds briefly and felt their acknowledgement, then I weaved my shield around them. As we began to move in on the final run, I fed more Force into the shield. I hoped it would be enough.
They were getting close; finally Azek could get out of this flying hulk of metal and fight the way he did best: with a Lightsaber. Diamid Kiith'sid, one of the Jedi on the Ebon Hawk, had asked him to move his squadron closer to the freighter, so that he could shield them from Bastila's Battle Meditation, and it was working. He could feel his mind becoming clearer and he felt more confidence in his abilities. That was 10 minutes ago; now, they had only a few more to reach the giant space station.
Being closer to the Ebon Hawk made it both harder and easier to survive. While the Battle Meditation no longer clouded his mind, he also had much less room to evade the hundreds of laser bolts being shot at him. We can't get to the Star Forge fast enough. He thought anxiously. He was beginning to develop an intense dislike for his Starfighter. I hate being cramped in this flying casket.
The comm clicked and Diamid's voice filled the speakers of Azek's craft. "I'm going to expand my shield as much as I can, Bastila already knows I'm coming anyway. Loosen the formation, and try to dock near each other." The guns continued to rain fire on the small snubfighters, their formation spread out, giving them much more room to evade with. Carth had designated the docking bay where he would land in, Azek's computer marked the bay at 17 kilometers away.
Azek jerked his craft to the left sharply to avoid another volley. Suddenly Azek felt himself sink into despair. Why was he here? The Republic and the Jedi were doomed anyway. Seconds later, Azek found himself unable to avoid a sphere of laser bolts aimed towards him. The world around him slowed dramatically, and he saw with painful detail what was happening. He took a mental sigh, dispelling any anxiety in his mind, and let himself fall into the Force. He felt a surge of grief that he identified coming from the talented young Padawan Diamid. His last thought was, This was meant to be..
Diamid watched from a distance in a trance as most of the beams missed the fighter's hull, but one managed to scorch straight through the cockpit, vaporizing Azek's body. Another shot pierced the nose of the fighter, forcing it into a lazy tumble. Without a pilot at the controls, the ship flew out of control as it began to fall apart. What was left of the ship clipped into the Ebon Hawk's right side, and caused the freighter to bounce, in that, the ship evaded a volley of 8 laser bolts meant to destroy the freighter.
I came out of my meditation in a rush, taking great gulps of air. I was sweating lightly from my mental exertion. Why did he go too far? Was my first coherent thought. Then I blinked in amazement for a few seconds, my eyes wide with awe as I recalled his parting thought. "There is no luck; there is the Force…" I whispered amazedly, recalling Master Zhar's words on Dantooine, in what seemed a lifetime ago. Had those lasers hit the Ebon Hawk, it's shields would have buckled, and the remainder of the fire would have been more than enough to destroy the ship, ending our journey prematurely. I made my way as fast as I could to the cockpit, while trying to maintain the shield.
Another Jedi flew too far and died on the way to the Star Forge, this time it was a young Duros Jedi whose name I did not know. This left only 4 of the original 12 Jedi to help us through the Star Forge. It would have been better with all 12 of them with us… I see now I was being unrealistic in hoping they all made it, I thought sadly. Carth kept the engines at max power until we were too far into the station for the guns to hit us. Then he cut the throttle as fast as he could, and wove left and right trying to slow the ship down enough before we crashed.
Had Carth lowered the throttle 5 seconds later, the Hawk would have crashed into the docking bay wall. He gently lowered the ship down to the landing pad, the loading ramp extended to the deck.
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A/N : Another big thanks to Orby. Hehe, I'm getting into a habit of doing this.. ; )