"My legs hurt, Lead." The comm crackled as the complaint of the fighter pilot came through. Lieutenant Naeduk sighed.
"What say we keep this channel clear for flight related chatter." Naeduk's second in command said fiercely. The young human female had established herself as somewhat of a workaholic among the fighter squadron. She was barely 3 months out of basic and was already considered an ace by many of the other pilots. Hence why she had attained such a high rank.
The fighters were nothing more than a formality. With over 600 patrols of Elik station, not once had the fighters ever faced any action. Thus is why Naeduk had programmed an auto pilot system that would take them through the rounds of the station's perimeter. He would never tell anyone that he had done that. It was his little secret. No doubt many on this squadron had similar secrets.
"I would say this is flight related. What do you think, Lead?" The fighter pilot, Jells, said again. The young Twi'Lek liked to default to the commander, who was also a Twi'Lek.
"No, no. I am not getting into you two's personal war." Naeduk chuckled. Elik station was usually the first stop for Twi'Lek's that entered the Republic for service. The Ryloth system was fairly remote. With only one space-lane in the system, it wasn't a place many people went to visit.
"How can your legs be tired, you're weightless!" The second in command, Liaza, said.
"I've been crammed in this Hammerhead too long." Jells complained.
"Oh deal with it." Liaza scolded him, a good-natured chuckle creeping into her voice.
Good, she's loosening up. Naeduk thought. The Hammerhead fighters were uncomfortable after several hours. At close to eight hours, this squad was soon to retire for the night.
"Let's call it a night, Patrol." Naeduk disengaged the autopilot and brought his fighter around in a wide arc to face Elik Station. The station's honeycomb layout loomed before the approaching fighters. A large rectangle door was already cycling open for the fighters. Naeduk sighed. Another day at the office.
"Hey, Lead. Something's coming out of Hyperspace." Jells said. "Anything supposed to be coming in?"
"Not that I know of, get me a reading." Naeduk swiveled his fighter around and looked ahead.
"Woah, it's big, whatever it is." Jells brought his fighter on the right of Naeduk's. "I've never seen any configu- oh my."
Jells trailed off as their vision was filled with a giant silver hulk. The gigantic dagger-shaped ship flashed out of hyperspace. The bulk was studded with dozens of "hard points"; Fighter-pilot slang for anti-fighter laser turrets.
Fighters streamed out of the bulk of the unidentified ship; small wings unfolding from their bodies. Naeduk watched as they aligned themselves into a formation he didn't recognize and began to close on the station.
"Transmit friendly." Naeduk said.
"We're jammed!" Liaza shouted into the comm.
"Alright, form up." Liaza had already dropped in next to Naeduk. "Are they hostile?" Naeduk switched over to station frequency.
"It's the Dagger ship. This thing destroyed the Hindsight and the Jaunt. Extremely hostile! Repeat ext-"
Naeduk clicked over his comm. "They're hot! Patrol, watch yourself."
The fighters were already closing in fast. Faster than Naeduk was prepared for. "Stay calm boys and girls."
The distance ticked steadily away. Naeduk was about to run a secondary check when the fighters let loose streams of lasers. Naeduk didn't know how to react. They can't reach us at this distance. Unless-
"Watch out!" Naeduk yelled as he juked his fighter up on its side. He was blinded momentarily as his shields soaked up the energy the enemy fighters let loose. Naeduk blinked several times as he rolled his fighter around to face the enemy that he just passed.
Naeduk's blood ran cold. "Patrol, check in." His eyes darted from wreckage to wreckage as he searched for survivors. "Patrol! Check in!"
A gravely voice came into his earpiece. "This is Jells. I'm dead in space."
Naeduk caught sight of Jells' fighter. It listed off to the left of him and was rapidly venting atmosphere. "How's your air?"
"I've sealed the cockpit. My systems are dead."
"Anyone else?" Naeduk paused. His targeting computer parsed and examined the surrounding area. There were 7 identifiable pieces of bodies; each stemmed from a different body. That meant that Jells and He were the only ones left.
Naeduk couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Sure, they had never seen combat. They hadn't even flown many combat simulations. But to be wiped out that quick? How could the fighters have been picked apart like that? Naeduk's blood ran cold. He would be damned if he let Jells meet the same fate.
"Hold on, Jells!" Naeduk whipped his fighters across and settled above the carcass of Jells' fighter. He extended a tow-cable and latched onto the top of his wingman's fighter. "We're getting the hell out of here."
Naeduk goosed the throttle and headed towards the safety of Elik station. The honeycomb structure slowly filled their vision. Too slowly, for Naeduk's tastes.
"Elik please tell me that you have help on the way." Naeduk glanced about in his cockpit, looking for the fighters that had decimated his squadron. Could hear Jells' labored breathing in his ear. He had left his mic on but Naeduk didn't have time to care.
"Negative Patrol 1. We are unable to take down the deflector screen to allow exit flights." Naeduk could hear klaxons blaring in the background.
"Does that mean that we are stuck out here?" Naeduk winced as he caught sight of the fighters. They were busy picking apart a freighter that had wandered too close. This was rapidly turning into a slaughter.
"'Fraid so." With that, the discussion was now over. Naeduk franticly searched for options. He disconnected the tow-cable from Jells' fighter and rolled around.
"Jells, listen to me." Naeduk pulled as close to Jells fighter as his shields would let him. "We have to get your systems back online."
"It's no good, Lead. My reactor is fine but I can't achieve critical mass to start her up."
"That's why we're gonna improvise. Open your charge port." Naeduk started to slowly move his fighter to the side of Jells.
Jells pulled the emergency opener and a small hatch levered open on the side of his fighter. "What are you planning, Lead?"
"Something crazy. If you can, dial up the acceptance meter to full. I've got to line up." Naeduk dropped his shields and struggled his fighter up against the open port. The barrel of his energy cannon jittered around the open port. Finally, with one final lurch, he shoved the barrel, rather unceremoniously, into the receptacle.
"Oh, hell no! Not this! I've heard too many horror stories.
"Don't be a Chadra-Fan. This'll only take a second." Naeduk dialed down the intensity of his cannon. He only had one shot, literally, any more might shred the fighter he was fighting to save. "On three."
"Wait! Wait! One, two, three then shoot. Or one, two, shoot on three."
"On three! One! Two!" Naeduk squeezed off a shot. The blue laser flashed momentarily. The dialed down intensity met with the converter on the inside of the engine housing. What the converter couldn't handle was absorbed. That absorption directly resulted in the melting of the converter. Unfortunately, Over his comm. He could hear Jells scream.
"You said on three!" The lights in Jells' cockpit came alive and Naeduk sighed as he pulled his fighter back. He saved him, luckily. "Other than scaring the hutt out of me, my systems are back up."
"Good, now we may just get out of this alive." Naeduk turned his fighter around to face the incoming fighters. His muscles were filled with a cold determination. "And we might just give them a run for their money." The unknown fighters were closing the distance. "Form up!" Naeduk roared!
"How many more micro-jumps?" Tyridac leaned back in his fighter and watched the swirl of hyper-space around his fighter.
"One more after we revert, then it's right to Courscant." Korin sighed out as he typed a message to his droid. The little astromech tooled softly into his earpiece. "I can't wait to be out of this thing."
"You and I both." Joran Bender sighed. It had been close to 6 hours since their last jump into hyperspace. The three fighters slaved together would expend less energy in their jumps and thus, burned less fuel. Ever since their scouting mission, Joran was beginning to dislike the cockpit of the fighter.
"We could stretch our legs at the station if you want." Korin crossed his arms and stared at the infinite tunnel of light. "We have some extra time."
"No, let's just get this over with." Joran scooted up in his seat. "We should be coming out now. Orient on tac-plane 2. 1134 mark 6629." With a snap, the three Jedi Fighters were plunged back into real-space. The garish light of hyperspace dissolved into billions of pinpoints and became stars. Joran smiled. He would never get tired of seeing the stars. Cramped though he was.
"Orienting now," Tyridac reported. His fighter wheeled around to face a distant point in the heavens.
Joran was about to do the same when something caught his eye. Off in the distance, almost out of visual range, loomed Elik station. At first, Joran didn't know what he was seeing. He didn't realize that he was watching a massacre. Visible, even from several kilometers away, were giant plumes of fire.
"Hold on that jump."
"I see it." Korin had already turned his fighter to face the station that was ablaze. Not only had Korin seen that, he also saw the huge Dagger ship that was on the attack. Gouts and gouts of laser fire poured from the war-ship. The station's meager defenses were nothing compared to the onslaught that was being poured out upon it.
"That looks like our quarry." Joran said as he dialed up his fighter's shields. The energy-bubble encased his ship and Joran was ready for action. "Kor, is there any chatter from the station?"
"Nothing on the main channels. It looks like the station has been hit really hard." Korin shifted nervously in his fighter. Whatever he was concerned about, he didn't voice.
It was Tyridac that was unable to keep it in. "We have to go see if there are survivors."
"Agreed." Joran moved his fighter up along Korins, eagerly waiting for his answer.
"No argument here. But we're going in hot. I don't want to give any of those fighters a target for long." Korin goosed his throttle up and flew hard and fast at the large ship. Korin's fighter pulled in front of Joran's and Tyridac's.
"I count two snub fighters. They are both quite damaged." In the distance, Tyridac could see the limping fighters trying desperately to keep the unknown fighters off of the station. The distance between Tyridac's fighter and them was clicking away fast.
The com crackled as a raspy voice came through. "Watch out, they have a longer range than we do."
"To whom am I speaking?" Korin asked.
"To whom am I speaking?" The voice returned.
"I asked first." Korin bantered.
"I don't have time for games! Come in range and I'll fire if you don't identify yourself."
"Calm down, sir. My name is Korin Nayreese and these two with me are my Jedi companions: Joran Bender and Tyridac Rohadz." Korin angled his fighter to skirt the edges of the battle-zone.
"Jedi? You guys are Jedi?" The voice took on a different air. Tyridac couldn't quite place what it was. "Sweet Maker, Jells! We might just get out of this yet!"
Tyridac assumed that Jells was the man's wingmate. The two fighters juked in and out of enemy fire. Each time they would fade in front and behind one another. They're quite skilled for backwater security-guards.
"Heads up!" Korin ducked his Jedi Star-fighter to the left. Red lasers streamed past his bow and forced him to bring his fighter into a tight spiral. He swung the bow around and leveled in on the unknown fighter that was trailing him. Korin squeezed off a quick burst from his lasers and started to veer off. He stopped when he realized that his blasts hadn't ended the fighter like he had intended. Korin gritted his teeth and squeezed off 2 more blasts. The first one, like his original, was absorbed into the shields. The second one found it's mark and blasted home, tearing through the back of the V-shaped craft. Wing pylons shredded and spun off as the fighter, what was left of it rather, floated away, doomed to wander space until some celestial body claimed it.
"Patrol fighters, drop back to 336 mark 723. We'll protect you at those coordinates. Watch our flank and we'll come out of here alive." Korin thought for a moment. "And get on the horn to the station and clear us an entry path.
Turning his fighter around, Korin could see Joran juking around into the path of an oncoming fighter. His blue laser-light streamed out right as the enemy let loose, Joran's fighter was small and more nimble. He proved this by simply rolling onto his wing. The deadly streams of red-death missed his fighter by only about a meter, Joran's blasts hit dead on and shredded the transparasteel skin of the cockpit. The blasts that followed blew the fighter into another existence and Joran flew straight through the debris; his shields only blinked at the hot gas and molten durasteel.
Korin glanced to the left and found Tyridac already on his wing. The new Jedi Knight gave a thumbs up to Korin, this brought a smile to his face. Korin was about to say something to him, when a bright flash diverted his attention.
"Oh my." Tyridac uttered into the com.
A great plume of fire rocketed out from where a large laser had pierced the hull. Debris and body parts poured out of the wound in the station's skin. Another lancing bolt slammed the station's midrange; this one brought the durasteel hull to a boil and delivered a shocking hit. Another and then another bolt slammed into the station. All poured out of the Dagger Ship that bore down on it's quarry. The Jedi were horrified when a series of bolts impacted in a straight line down the center of the great station. A rip, followed by a gout of fire, bodies, and gas appeared.
All of the pilots were in shock as Elik station was rend in two. Korin's hands fell from the controls of his Star-Fighter as the gruesome scene spread out in front of him. He couldn't contain his horror as he sighed out. A great scar in the force struck him as life after life was extinguished. Such closeness to death magnified it by a thousand fold and tears came to his eyes.
"Elik station! Elik station come in!" Joran screamed into the com. Nothing but static returned his cries.
"Fall back," Korin commanded. He wheeled his fighter about and sped away as fast as his ship would take him. Joran was soon to follow, this urged Tyridac to join in. Soon, the three Jedi fighters were speeding away from the station at top speed.
"Fire is raging through the station, all of the oxygen is combusting. Five to six minutes until air reserves are depleted." Joran wrenched his fighter around, his conscience was busy gnawing away at him. "Korin, do we go back?"
"What good would it do, Joran?" Korin looked out of the side of his cockpit at his Jedi companion. "You said yourself that they will be out of oxygen and other breathable gas in five to six minutes."
"Yeah, but-"
"But nothing. We have to call it quits on this one, my friend. Besides, we're vastly outnumbered." Korin squirmed around in his cockpit to get a glimpse at the fighters his astromech was screaming about. The squadron that had been pummeling the station was now on an intercept course. Korin winced, they had to make a jump, and soon.
"Patrol fighters, can you make the jump to light-speed?" Korin's fingers played across the console in front of him. Since his time with his Republic fighter squadron, Magenta Squadron, he had become accustomed to making hyperspace calculations with his astromech. The little droid beeped and blooped as the pair worked in tandem to chart a safe course through space.
"Negative. We're short range patrols, no hyperspace capability."
Korin winced, that wasn't good. "Zip, start calculations for a tandem jump. Calculate for increased mass with the two fighters piggy-backing." The droid tooled and went to work. Korin angled his fighter closer to the two patrol craft. "Joran, Tyridac, we need to umbilical all of us together somehow." Korin's fingers danced across his instruments. The tether used to tow ship slowly extended to lock onto the patrol craft. The physics of faster than light travel were odd in the sense that when you had a physical connection, no matter how small, that mass becomes your own. Korin considered this as he tethered the lead patrol. The comm was silent as the three Jedi pilots worked to save the last two survivors. With a thump, Korin connected to the fighter. With a glance, he could see Joran's fighter do the same.
"We locked, Joran?" Korin's mind was instantly back to the calculations.
"We're hooked and ready. Now we just have to expand the bubbles to cover us all and we should be able to make a clean jump." Joran sat back in his seat, there wasn't much more the Jedi Fencer could do. Unlike Tyridac and Korin, he was rubbish when it came to math and calculations. His droid tittered knowingly behind him, Something to the effect of a laugh.
"Will this really work?" One of the patrol pilots asked, his voice crackling with fear.
"It should, if we can keep it together and the calculations aren't off. Why, you worried-" Joran stopped. He didn't know the man's name. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced. I'm Joran Bender. You?"
"Naeduk." The Lead Patrol crackled back. "My counterpart is Jells. We're both Twi'Lek Officers from Ryloth."
"It's good to meet you, now let's get out of this alive." Joran glanced behind him. In the little time it had taken for the unknown fighters to regroup, Joran and his band had put a considerable distance between themselves and the attackers. Distance that the unknown craft were quickly eating up.
"They're closing fast, Korin." Joran's hand hovered above the umbilical disconnect.
"I see them. Tyridac, are you at a stopping place in your calculations." Korin's nerves were frazzled but if he needed to, he would turn his fighter around and do more than frazzle some nerves on the approaching fighters.
"Stopping place? I'm done! Vee is uploading now. I am gonna go head them off. Be back in a few." Tyridac's fighter peeled away and angled at the approaching craft. Korin's instruments told him that Tyridac's weapons systems were already powered and ready to meet the craft.
Stay safe, young one. Korin shifted in his seat as his droid alerted him. The calculations were done and now they were ready to make the jump. Oddly enough, Tyridac's fighter wasn't included in the calculations. Korin's face contorted into a mask of annoyance. "Tyr, please don't tell me you're going to try and be a hero."
"Try? There is no try, Korin." Tyridac's voice returned cool and confident.
"Damn it, Tyridac. How did I know you were going to try this? Get back here!" Korin snapped through the comm.
Tyridac didn't have time to respond before a loud voice crackled through the comm. "For the glory of the Sith!" The voice roared.
Korin spun in his cockpit just as Tyridac blasters lanced out at the approaching fighters. The attacking lead took the brunt of the blasts and shredded under the onslaught of laser blasts. Tyridac's fighter blasted through the wreckage.
"Korin, did you hear that?" Joran's voice was full of confusion.
"I heard it. Tyridac, we're leaving. Now!" Korin punched the actuator and sent his fighter through its warm-up for hyperspace.
"Right behind you!" Tyridac's voice was the last thing Korin heard as his fighter accelerated to light speed. Korin, Joran, and the patrol fighters' hyper-corridor were separate from Tyridac's. There was no way to know if he was along with them.
The minutes ticked away in light-speed and Korin was on pins and needles. "Joran, did you see him make the jump?"
Joran sighed. "I'm not sure." It was another moment before he continued. "I think I saw him right before I entered hyperspace but it's hard to say. It could have just been distortion."
Korin sat back in his fighter and was lost in silent contemplation.
"They said sith." Naeduk spoke into the comm. "You think they are really sith?"
That was the question both of the Jedi had been brooding over. It had been nearly a hundred years since the Sith had waged war on the Republic. Most thought that the Sith were tearing themselves apart with their own Civil War.
"I don't think they are Dark Jedi." Korin slouched in his seat. "Their movements were too uncoordinated."
"Agreed." Joran said.
"How can you be so sure?" Jells was the one to pipe in this time.
"Good question. They just didn't fly like us. I suppose that's why they didn't feel like Dark Jedi." Korin thought for a moment. He had never even seen a Dark Jedi. Let alone flown against one. How could he know whether or not they were Dark Ones?
Almost as if reading his mind, Joran answered. "I guess we can't be sure. The last person to even see the Dark Jedi would be Yokit."
"What about their ships?" Korin looked across the void to Joran. "They may have had a longer range but their weapons were relatively weak."
"Hmph! Speak for yourself." Naeduk scoffed.
It was true, though. Their weapons had been slightly off the standard that Korin was used to. It didn't feel like he was fighting against an equal. To Korin, it felt like shooting a womp-rat with a turbo laser.
"We won't know until we get back to the council." Korin sat up. "Speaking of which. We should be coming out of hyperspace soon." Korin grew uneasy. He didn't know whether or not Tyridac had made it out of the melee, but he was hopeful. And he trusted his young comrade.
"We're coming out now." Joran's vision was filled with stars streaking in. In less than an instant, his fighter snapped back into real-space.
Less than a minute later, Tyridac's fighter came out just behind their position. Korin let out a cry of relief at the sight of his friend.
"I told you I was 'right behind'." Tyridac sighed into the comm.
"Closer than you thought, eh?" Naeduk chuckled.
Korin frowned. "We don't have time to sit here and brood. We have to get to Courascant."
"Wait, what!" Naeduk yelled.
"Courascant?" Jells added.
"Yes. We have to report to the proper authorities." Korin explained.
Naeduk sighed. It made sense. He and Jells needed to report to superiors. Especially since it was clear that no one else from Elik Station would be able. Still, he wanted a chance to grieve his friends that were now dissipating vapor. It was customary for survivors of squad decimation to place the name of their squad on their craft. Now that Naeduk thought about it, they had never chosen a formal call sign. Reluctantly, Naeduk agreed.
"Let's move out. The sooner the better."
"Calculations complete. We're jumping in 5." The seconds ticked and soon the five craft accelerated to light-speed.
Naeduk sighed and stretched out. His eyes drifted closed and he fell into a haunted slumber; the faces of his once wing-mates flashed through his mind.
Aboard the Flagged Truth, Captain Lorgan, a man in his early thirties turned away from the display in disgust. The fighters had indeed jumped to light speed and were well on their way to where ever they wanted. Lorgan's mind raged at the thought of 5 fighters escaping from his capital ship. His capital ship.
"Chart all of the possible courses that those fighters left on. I want a list in six minutes." Lorgan crossed the bridge to his console. A series of readouts scrolled across the screen showing everything from engine power to weapon efficiency. His fingers started to work the console when a sharp voice broke through.
"None of that will be necessary." Ithica Rohadz, the second Force Twin, crossed the bridge; his movements seemed to shadow the path that Lorgan had taken.
Lorgan's flawless face screwed up into a mask of disgust. Lorgan wasn't a tall man. Nor was he short. If anyone could be described as "average build" it was Lorgan. His most distinguishing feature was his face. A sharp jaw, coupled with high cheekbones, dark brown eyes, thin lips, and a medium complexion made Lorgan a striking figure; the kind of man that demanded respect. In his years of mercenary work, he had achieved just that. Respect. Now, some young Force-user was usurping his power.
"Your disgust is tangible, Lorgan. Speak your mind." Ithica crossed his arms. As always, Ithica sent waves of malice at Lorgan.
The Captain made no claim to understand the Force. He barely understood the concept of it all. But he knew Ithica could impress certain feelings and images on people's minds. So potent that it could stay certain men's tongues. Men with less willpower than Lorgan.
"Yes, and I hope you can feel every facet of my disgust. We should have destroyed them." Lorgan turned to fully face Ithica. He hoped that his size, as average as it was, would add to the intimidation that he wanted to dispense. As always, when dealing with Ithica, it didn't.
"Oh, my friend, what little faith you have." Ithica took a step forward. He was less than an arm's length from Lorgan. Ithica could feel the man's breath. "We can't instill fear without leaving some survivors."
"Preposterous." Lorgan didn't move an inch. "Fear would still be there no matter who is alive and who isn't. They will fear us because we are a destructive force. They will fear us because we are powerful and more efficient than their star ships." There was no doubt that Ithica enjoyed this little game of cat-and-mouse. He always enjoyed pushing Lorgan's buttons.
"What little faith you have, Lorgan." Ithica turned from the commander. "We don't have the time to bicker like this. I want to be in the Sullust system in an hour." Ithica sauntered to the front of the triangle shaped bridge. Around him, consoles beeped and blooped as the crew readied for their next destination.
"And what of those fighters. We're not giving chase?" Lorgan looked helplessly around the bridge.
"No Lorgan. Those fighters are going to do just what we want them to." Ithica smiled. "Do you doubt me?"
"No, I just want to be assured that something will e done"
"What assurance do you require?"
"Verification."
"Ah." Ithica smiled. "Faith my friend. Faith is what you need."
"Bah," Lorgan scoffed, "I've never had much use for faith."
"All the same, you still need to have it. You still need to come to terms with the fact that I know full well what I am doing and what the results will be. Let those fighters go and let's work to our new objectives."
"As you wish." Lorgan turned from Ithica.
"No." Ithica crossed and placed a firm hand on Lorgan's shoulder. "Don't say it like that." Ithica turned Lorgan until their eyes were locked. "Swear it to me. Swear that you will follow my orders."
"I already have, Jedi." Lorgan sneered.
"No! You have sword fealty to the Sith Military. Swear it to me. Swear that you will follow me." Ithica let all of the malice he had flow out. Lorgan's eyes fluttered at the intense psionic projection.
"Enough of your mind tricks, Jedi."
"No! Never call me that." Ithica pushed harder on Lorgan's mind. He could feel the man start to buckle both literally and physically.
Lorgan's hands went up to his head as he tried desperately to force Ithica out. "Enough!" He yelled. "I swear it. Now, get out of my head damn it!"
Ithica released and Lorgan slumped to his knees. His hands curled into fists. He hated to be powerless. He hated even more to answer to someone that was not more than a child.
Ithica gulped in air. The waves of malice and hatred had taken a lot to force on the man. He was strong and the pressure that he had exerted on the man would have killed anyone else. In that sense, Ithica respected Lorgan.
Ithica could feel eyes on him and the Captain. He picked the closest one, a young Lieutenant watching from the console closest. With a look as cold as ice, he met the man's gaze.
"You dare to look at us! This has nothing to do with you." Ithica's hand shot up and a wall in the force, as hard as durasteel, slammed into the man's chest. The Lieutenant tried to scream but it turned into a sharp gurgle. The man's chair, anchored to the floor with heavy bolts, cracked and broke from its base. Both chair and man tumbled away and across the hard decking. When it finally came to a rest, no one on the bridge dared to look. Their gaze fixed directly on their own screens. Those that didn't have screens looked only at their own feet.
Ithica struggled to stand over the still slumped Lorgan. "Don't make me do this again." He hissed.
Lorgan simply nodded and continued to gasp.
Ithica walked out of the bridge, reveling in the fact that no one dared to even breathe in his direction.