Joran Bender awoke sharply. At first, he wasn't sure where he was. He thought, for a moment, that he was back at the temple. His back, protesting wildly, affirmed that he wasn't. He was still in the fighter speeding towards Tatooine. His astromech droid tooled softly at him. Trying to tell him something. Joran noticed that Tyridac was working feverishly in the fighter next to his. His forehead knotted up in concentration.
"What is it Aetoo?" He spoke to the astromech behind him. The small droid, 120A2, was his companion when he flew alone. The droid was also the best battle navigator that he had ever had.
The droid bleeped to him that Tyridac had received an urgent message close to the time Joran woke up. He also indicated that Joran had received the same message.
Wasting no time, Joran's hands played over the console and brought up the scrolling information. It was a short message that chilled Joran's nerves. He instantly became concerned for the new Knight flying next to him. He became concerned about his friend Korin Nayreese and the two Jedi Knights working with him. He became concerned about the Jedi Malukai and the two apprentices he had working with him.
Joran flicked his comm button and spoke to his new partner. "I suppose you know what's going on."
Tyridac met his eyes across the vacuum between their ships. "I've had Vee programming an entry vector to the Sullust system. We can drop and orient ourselves whenever you choose."
Joran smiled. He had been busy in the few moments it took for Joran to come around. The small astromech he carried was undoubtedly one of the fastest navigators that Joran had seen. He hadn't, however, seen how the droid could hold up in a fight. "Ok, let's drop now. The sooner the better."
The two Jedi worked their ships back into real space with a snap. They quickly turned their fighters a couple of degrees then shot back into hyperspace. They were moving as fast as was possible. The fight had already begun.
According to the message they received from Korin had stated that a Republic task force was moving to intercept the Sith fleet over Sullust. They had stabbed into the interior of the Republic and they were going to fight to get them out. Sullust was too valuable to loose to this new enemy. Korin had managed to round up the other group of Jedi that was searching for the Council. They would, undoubtedly, be on the surface of the planet; helping the troops push back the ground forces.
In the 20 minutes it took to get to Sullust, Joran's mind had been all over the place. He was wondering if he would need to get to the surface to help his contemporaries or whether he should stay in the sky and fight the Sith fleet. He and Tyridac would be welcomed among the fighter pilots. They would be equally welcome on the surface too.
"We're coming out now." Tyridac sounded excited and jittery.
"Keep your wits about you." Joran sat up straight and took hold of the twin control sticks. "Let the force guide you. Stay close and shoot straight."
"Roger that." Tyridac shook his head to clear his eyes and watched the hyperspace tunnel deteriorate. The two fighters snapped back into real space and into the fray.
Red blaster bolts flared in and out of existence. Tiny flames of fighters tearing apart were everywhere. The force was alive with screams of death and screams of life. Moments of triumph and crushing defeat. Everywhere was despair, and equally there was hope. The larger ships were locked into deadly bombardments.
"How many Hammerheads are there. Gah!" Tyridac juked his fighter left to avoid a large piece of hull plating.
"Aetoo counts 35 Hammerheads. There may have been more." Joran's eyes darted back and forth to find the first possible danger they would face. There were only 18 of the larger Dagger ships and they were furiously fighting the swarm of Republic craft. His eyes returned no immediate threat. Everyone was engaged in his or her own struggle and he and Tyridac were outsiders.
A large flare of firelight forced their cockpits to compensate to keep from blinding them. "Make that 34 Hammerheads." Tyridac scoffed.
There was a loud comm beep and Joran flipped on the channel. Out of his periphery he could see Tyridac do the same. "This is Joran Bender and Tyridac Rohadz, we're Jedi from the Dantooine academy-" Joran was cut off by a ragged voice.
"This is the Fearless, we have explicit orders to see you safely to the surface. Follow this course." The comm clicked dead. The answer to Joran's wondering suddenly seemed clear.
"That's straight through the middle. We'll have to pass close to one of those Dagger ships." Tyridac was now very worried.
"Keep your eyes open. The Fearless will help us through. Just stay alert." Joran worked his controls and dialed up the forward shields. They would ram through if they had to.
Six Republic snub fighters dropped in on the two, three on the left, three on the right. Their short bodies and even shorter wings were a stark contrast to the elongated design of the Jedi fighters.
"We'll shelter you into the atmosphere, Jedi lead." The closest fighter pilot gave Joran thumbs up. Joran simply nodded back to him. This was about to get exciting.
"They are huge." Tyridac said in awe as they approached the Dagger ship. "It could destroy a whole star if it wanted to."
A shudder ran through Joran. "A Star Destroyer. Scary name."
"Look alive, men!" An obviously Bothan pilot yelled.
Ahead of the group a long string of sith fighters were headed towards them. Their twin Ion engines burned feverishly. The fighters were coming dead on.
If they want a firefight, thought Joran, then I'll give em one. Joran punched the control and primed the trigger. He would fire a quick one-two at the lead and try to break through on the outside left. He would have to anticipate when their range would kick in. Already, through other engagements with the Republic, it was determined that the Sith had a longer range than the snub fighters or even the Jedi star-fighters.
Joran reached out with the force and searched for the fighter in front of him. He felt its hull gliding softly through space and felt the pilot's cold determination. It wasn't until the last second that he realized the tiny oscillations in the machines. He felt the blasters keying up before they ever pumped out a shot.
Squeezing the trigger, Joran blasted out two red fire-bolts and wrestled his fighter right. They sped at the sith fighter and, Joran knew, would burn out before they hit. This was simply a distraction. Like most of his plans, this one paid off. The fighter pilot took the bait and jerked his nose the same way Joran did. Right back into Joran's sights. The Jedi laid on the trigger and sent a stream of bolt flying at the sith pilot. The bolts met their target's shields and, after the first few were absorbed, burned right through them. They blasted through the metal of the fighter's hull and peeled back the plating, exposing circuitry and, unfortunately, the cockpit. The last of Joran's blaster bolts pierced the fighter's engine and blew the silver craft apart. Nothing bigger than a hand's-breadth was left.
The rest of he and Tyridac's escort had broken off and were fighting hard to keep the fighters off of the two Jedi. Joran thanked them in his mind and resolved to get to the surface. One thing stood in their way though. And this thing was over a kilometer long. The Star Destroyers hulk loomed before the two fighters. Already, Joran could sense the turrets changing position. Taking in the smaller fighters and warming up for the kill. He didn't need Aetoo to tell him that he was finished.
Before the lasers could fire, the Fearless sprang into action. It maneuvered, faster than the fighters, in between the two Jedi, just as the first bolts lanced out. The Fearless returned fire but it was apparent that they were out gunned. The hammerhead's shields absorbed quite a bit of energy before collapsing and letting through the deadly barrage. Joran reached out but could do nothing to help the ship. They were finished.
"I'm breaking off." Tyridac began to move his fighter.
"NO!" Barked Joran. "They sacrificed themselves so that we could punch through. Don't let that be in vain."
Tyridac started to protest; he too wanted to do his part to help in the fight. It seemed unfair that an entire D-15 had sacrificed itself to protect two Jedi Knights. Taking a deep breath, Tyridac forced himself to concentrate. "How will we find Korin?"
"We just follow the smoke." Joran said, half to himself. On the surface, though they were many kilometers above it, they could see the capital of Sullust burning. Great gouts of black smoke filled the sky and choked out the sun. Joran knew that the fight had turned ugly. The Republic hadn't gotten enough people on the surface in time and now they were outnumbered.
The two Jedi fighters blasted through the atmosphere, gaining speed as they headed towards the surface. Joran shifted in his seat to get a better view of the city. The tall spire shaped buildings were crumbling and all around there was fire. He saw people, civilians he supposed, running from the flames and fighting. The Sith Troopers fast on their heels. The troopers were something else entirely. Joran felt nothing of the force from them but he could see that they weren't just cheap soldiers. They were highly trained killers, commandos even.
Spotting the closest throng of people, Joran decided it was time to act. "Tyridac," he piped into the comm, "You know how to do a hard landing?"
"Hmm?" Tyridac asked back as he rolled his fighter around one of the spire buildings.
"A hard landing, battle landing." Joran unhooked his shoulder straps and lap belt. "It's really quite easy."
"Oh really, enlighten me." Tyridac followed suit, unhooking everything.
Joran smiled. "What you do is pilot your fighter low, about 5 meters off the ground, then you pop the canopy and jump out. It's very effective if you want to get the jump on those ground troops."
"Uh, count me out." But Tyridac already knew there was no escaping it. He and Joran would perform this acrobatic suicide attempt.
"Not happening, besides, misery loves company. Dial down everything and reverse thrust right before you leap. Vee can pilot the ship down the rest of the way, right Vee?"
The astromech tooled back to Joran through the comm; something about how it was suicide and the droid would have no part of it. The whole exchange just made Joran smile.
"Ready?" Joran unhooked his lightsaber and took a deep breath.
"Ready." Tyridac already had his saber in his hand. He reached up and took hold of the two handles on either side of his cockpit. A thought went through his head, I wonder if these were made just for this. He forced the thought out of his head and focused. His fighter was gliding over the sandstone street and speeding over the heads of the refugees below.
"The lets go." Joran let out a yell as the canopy of his fighter flew open. With a yank of his arms, Joran flew out of the cockpit. The air whipping his hair about wildly. With a flash, his saber flared to life. The silver blade stopping the hearts of those that saw it. Joran's reputation of SilverSword preceded him.
Tyridac's reputation wasn't far behind. As he tumbled out of the cockpit he ignited his own golden blade. The sabers distinct hiss filling the air as he flew through the air. Like Joran, he tucked his legs up underneath him and landed with a roll on the street. He completed the roll and rose with she saber passing right into the chest of the nearest sith trooper. The trooper never had time to scream.
Tyridac spun and sliced the golden blade through the midsections of the nearest blaster wielding troops. The blade hissed through the silver armor of the troops and felled them like trees. Tyridac flicked away two blaster shots and moved in to strike at the shooter. The shooter backed off but wasn't quick enough. Tyridac's blade passed through the blaster he wielded and a quick flash of the force sent him tumbling through the air.
Joran was in the midst of a hail of blaster fire. He kept upright and knocked away the bolts with ease. He inched his way towards the shooters and kept his saber moving. One of the sith troopers stepped back and tossed away his blaster. He reached behind him and drew out a long-bladed sword. Joran stepped back and reflected two blaster bolts into their source. Two sith troopers fell over, their chests smoking. The final 3 troopers began to spread out. They were circling Joran.
The trooper brandished the sword at Joran. "Show me what you got."
Joran said nothing in return. Instead, he took a step to the left and brought his saber up, slicing the blaster trooper from navel to neck. Before his body hit the ground, the sword trooper moved in for the kill. Joran leapt above the trooper's head and cartwheeled in the air.
The trooper wasn't ready for a move like that and had no defense against Joran's slice. The silver blade only met mild resistance as it boiled away the metal of the trooper's helmet. The trooper's limbs snapped taut for a moment as his brain boiled and then his body dropped to the ground.
Joran landed and blocked away a barrage of blaster bolts. More troopers were moving in on him.
As the troopers moved in on Joran, they were oblivious to Tyridac moving up behind them. His golden blade slashed through the troops and dropped them before they overwhelmed Joran.
Another sword troop moved up behind Joran and swung a wide arc at Joran's neck. Joran flicked his saber up and expected the silver shaft of energy to cleave through his attacker's weapon. Instead the saber met metal and held, the energy blade sparking wildly.
"What!" Joran exclaimed. His eyes met the face of the sword troop. Joran's saber quivered in his hand and he instantly knew the answer to his question. It was cortosis. The only mineral that could block a lightsaber, the trooper's sword must have been laced with it.
The trooper pushed Joran's blade away and tried to move in on him again. Though the sword may have been cortosis the trooper was still no match for the Jedi Fencer. Joran didn't give the trooper the respect of parrying with his saber. He slapped away the flat of the sword with his hand and cleaved the trooper in half. Joran then spun and searched for another enemy. There were none, at least here.
"Where to now?" Tyridac extinguished his saber and stood next to the older Jedi Knight.
"Good question. Can you feel Korin?" Joran too, extinguished his saber.
"I don't think I have to." Tyridac motioned towards a building top over a kilometer away. The two Jedi knights could just faintly make out a saber flashing on the top of the building, it was gold.
The two Jedi Knights nodded to one another and began to move through the city. They worked fast, engaging small groups of troopers. When they got to the building they caught a glimpse of a Dark Jedi moving into the building. They both ignited their sabers and moved in, ready for anything.
In the atmosphere the Fearless was in trouble. They were listing and would soon be drawn into the atmosphere. On the bridge, the last 3 members of the command crew worked to keep the ship functional. A D-15 could handle an atmospheric entry, what would really hurt would be the reactor going nova when they hit the surface. It didn't take a physicist to tell you that the resulting explosion would vaporize most of the city they were over.
"Lock that down!" Lieutenant Brig screamed. He worked the controls in front of him; trying desperately to start the emergency boosters. The ship shuddered as they hit the atmosphere.
"All backup relays have failed!" A young lady yelled from across the bridge. She clung to the bulkhead, as if her grip would keep the wall from flying apart. Her once long brown hair had been singed away until she looked like a shorthaired dancer. Her face was also blackened with soot and a trace of blood was on her left cheek.
"Shunt power from the weapons."
"The weapons, sir?"
"Yes, if we don't get out of the atmosphere then we won't have any need for them, we'll be dead." Brig stood and tried to move across to another console. The shuddering stopped him and he leaned over, bile rising in his throat.
"No good. Relays have failed." The same young woman gripped the bulkhead even harder. It seemed their fate was sealed.
"Transmit the distress signal again. Then transmit to the surface. Tell them we're going down." Brig stood and moved to the console. This was no time to be sick.
Tyridac and Joran mounted the last few steps and looked at the doorway leading onto the roof of the building. They had followed the Dark Jedi up the steps. He was too intent on his destination to notice the two Jedi Knights that followed him. Now Joran and Tyridac were staring at the door. Neither one of them wanted to go through the door. What lay beyond, they were sure, was a large fight. They already heard the sabers meeting sabers on the other side.
Tyridac sighed. "No time like the present."
Tyridac and Joran kicked the door open. Instead of open, it tore from the hinges and flew outward. Joran and Tyridac moved forward and brought their sabers up. The first two Dark Jedi, a Twi'Lek and a Human, turned and met the two Jedi Knights. They began exchanging blows. Parrying and advancing alternately.
"Nice of you to join us!" Korin yelled across the rooftop.
"Ha!" Joran scoffed. "You would have taken your time too!" Joran spun and planted a foot into the Dark Jedi's stomach. He doubled over and received an uppercut from Joran. The Dark one flailed back and landed on his back. His red saber rolled from his hand and Joran sliced through the silver shaft, rendering the weapon useless.
Tyridac met sabers again with the Twi'Lek. The dark skinned alien snarled as Tyridac tried to force their sabers apart. The Twi'Lek simply bared down on Tyridac's golden blade, preventing him from doing what he tried. Tyridac smiled. "If that's how you want it." He spun away and let the Twi'Lek fall off balance. She started to yell but was silenced as Tyridac planted a kick right on her temple. She spun away and fell to the ground. She wouldn't be back in this fight for some time. Stepping over her, Tyridac slashed through her saber just as Joran had done.
Joran and Tyridac joined Korin and Krii'nek. The Bothan looked worse for wear. His left arm was missing from the elbow down and most of the fur on his left side was singed away. Tyridac nodded to Krii'nek, the Bothan returned with a short nod. His patience must be equally worse for wear.
Korin nodded to Tyridac. "Long time no see." The older Knight smiled.
"Heh, I was hoping to keep it that way." Tyridac gave Korin a slap on the shoulder. The older Knight smiled back. "Joran and I have been pretty busy."
"So I hear." Korin turned to Krii'nek. "Krii here has been fighting the Sith Troops since they landed. It's only now that the Dark Jedi have arrived.
"So how are we gonna get out?" Joran looked around the horizon. The city was a smoking ruin. The refugees were almost all gone by now.
"Good question." Korin had barely finished saying that when the door flew open. Malukai, followed by his apprentices Gila and Ulonis, came through. They all had their sabers drawn.
Ulonis ran to Korin's side and spoke to the older Knight and Malukai took up position next to Joran. Gila shuffled behind the group of Jedi, taking up position at the edge of the building. The roof of the building had a ledge running the whole way around it that came up about a meter and a half. Gila leaned on this heavily, nursing a slash on his ankle. Tyridac noted that the slash was from a lightsaber.
Almost on cue, the pursuers emerged. They were led by a tall Sith Knight. A shadowy figure, all but his lips were hidden by the hood he wore. His robes were unlike anything Tyridac had ever seen; they were almost skin tight and had small armor plates on them. His entourage was a group of four Dark Jedi. Tyridac recognized none of them, they were merely a faceless enemy, much like their leader.
"SilverSword and The Shield of the Jedi together. This is my lucky day!" The Sith Knight said in a voice lower than what could be natural.
Korin and Joran exchanged glances.
"And you too, young one. I didn't expect to meet the other Force Twin so quickly."
Tyridac started at this but was calmed by a raised hand from Korin.
"This world belongs to the Galactic Republic. In the name of the Senate I am hereby issuing an ultimatum for you and your party to vacate or face action from an appointed task force." Korin stepped forward.
The Sith Knight looked around. "And where is this task force?"
"Right here." Korin spoke as he ignited his saber. He held it simply in front of his body, classic Shii-cho; nothing fancy, nothing grand. Behind him, Korin could sense the others taking suit. Joran spun his lightsaber around and settled into his Ataru stance, low with his lead arm extended and hand mimicking a claw. Tyridac held his saber exactly like Korin and leveled his eyes on the leader. Krii'nek rotated his saber and brought it up over his shoulder, making his body as profile as possible. It was Soresu in origin but adapted to the fact that he had only one arm. Malukai held his saber like Laurune would have, horizontal across his body, simple but wreathed with deadly possibilities. His two Padawans mirrored the stance, snapping into it like they were old pros at Shien-Djem So.
"Very impressive. I hope you fight with as much zeal as you use for your stances." The Sith drew his saber and his entourage did the same. The two groups stood for a moment. Each side taking in the other. Then, almost without warning, The two groups moved in on one another.
Korin met the Sith Knight with an overhand swing. Their sabers clashed and sparked. Korin whirled around and slammed his saber again. The Sith Knight grabbed Korin's hand and spun him, as Korin was in the air he took hold of the Sith's arms and flipped him over. The dark one hit the ground hard. He scissored Korin's legs and the Jedi Knight tumbled over. In an instant, the Jedi and the Sith were back up and at it.
Joran met the Sith to the right of the leader. This man was a tall Zabrak with dark face tattoos. Joran recognized the man from the Courascant academy but he had never learned his name. Now the two were locked in lightsaber combat where there could only be one victor.
Joran parried once and then whirled around in a wide arc. Already, Joran was kicking himself for relying too heavily on Ataru. The form was powerful but utterly reckless. Joran's saber met and he was already whirling in the opposite direction. He let his feet leave the ground and brought a kick around aimed at the Zabrak's face. It connected with a very harsh cracking sound. The Zabrak cursed and stumbled away from Joran. When Joran moved in, the Zabrak riposted and forced Joran back a few steps. This would be one hard duel. Joran and the tall Zabrak exchanged hard strikes. Each one giving only an inch of ground. But, as Joran knew, an inch is all you needed.
Tyridac met the Sith to the left of Korin; this Sith was quite powerful but had very limited knowledge of Shii-cho. This gave Tyridac an edge as he threw his arms out wide and slammed his saber down. The Sith, a very gaunt human female, barely brought her saber up in time. Tyridac used this momentum and whirled around in the opposite direction. When he came around, keeping his saber low, he hit and rebounded from the Sith's swing and brought his saber up. He struck the Sith in the jaw with the butt and she reeled from the contact.
Tyridac then ducked low and swept her feet out from under her. She cried out as she hit. Tyridac leapt over her and kicked the saber from her hand. It skittered a few feet then he sliced it in half. Turning he leveled the saber on the female. Tyridac hesitated.
"Finish it." She said.
"No." Tyridac extinguished his saber. "It's not worth it."
"Then you have disgraced me."
"No. That I have not done either. You are too good a fighter to just kill out right." Tyridac clipped his saber to his belt. "Besides, we have much bigger things to deal with."
"What do you mean?" The Sith Woman rose to her knees. "How much bigger?"
"About 100,000 tons." Tyridac looked up into the sky.
The Fearless was now fully in the upper atmosphere of Sullust. The ships hull was glowing bright red and parts of the hull plating were starting to shear off. The gaping holes in the ship were streaming out atmosphere.
"Emergency boosters! Retro Rockets! Anything! Give me anything!" Brig clung to the console. The capital city of Sullust sped towards them.
"Lieutenant! The Brigham and the Cerulean Sun are moving in to tractor us." Some one on the bridge screamed to Brig. The bridge was shaking so violently that Brig couldn't focus on the speaker.
"They aren't gonna make it!" He screamed. "All hands, brace for impact!"
Korin felt the ship above them. Both he and the Sith met each other's eyes and exchanged the same gaze. Korin extinguished his saber. The Sith was so surprised that he simply stood and stared. Korin turned and jogged next to Tyridac.
"You felt it too, eh?" Tyridac stared into the sky.
"Yes, I did." Korin looked into the sky. He could see the ship, a small pinpoint of movement many kilometers away. He could gauge the trajectory; it was headed right for them. Korin's stomach knotted; there were very few options.
"We could try to run." Tyridac didn't take his eyes off the approaching cruiser.
"We wouldn't even make it out of the city." Korin sighed, he felt Joran and Krii'nek at his side. The fighting between the Sith and the Jedi had ceased for now. "And when that core goes nova it is going to level this entire place."
Tyridac turned to Korin. Neither Jedi said a word as their thoughts became one. Korin didn't need to hear what Tyridac was thinking to know what he meant.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Korin turned back to the cruiser. He clipped his saber to his belt and then began to pop his knuckles.
Joran put his saber back into the harness on his shoulder and flipped his robe off. This is so far-fetched that it bordered on inane. Tyridac may have all the confidence in the world but Joran was a realist. He didn't like to think that miracles could happen. He didn't want to believe in them. Still though, it was probably the need to prove it wrong that drove him.
"What are you doing, Jedi?" The Sith Knight looked at the group of Jedi. He couldn't believe that they were just shrugging him and his companions off like this.
"What needs to be done." Korin stated as he felt Malukai and his students approach. They too were getting ready for the feat they were about to commit.
"That's impossible. It's a damn starship. You can't catch it! It's 100,000 metric tons." The Sith swung his arms wide. His cool voice was now peaked with fear.
"Size doesn't matter." Tyridac looked into the Sith's eyes. "What matters is our duty to the force."
Tyridac turned and looked back into the sky. He raised his hands over his head and closed his eyes. In the back of his mind he could feel the Sith extinguish their sabers. Tyridac reached out. He felt his Jedi colleagues around him. He felt the Sith as they stood and watched. He felt the city. It was a disturbing feeling; the feeling of death. Everywhere there was smoke. The acrid fumes filled his nostrils even here on this building. Reaching further with the force he felt the first tendrils of the ship. A large wave of anxiety, that was the best way he could describe it. A white-hot gout of fear surging towards him. This touch, this feeling snapped him out of his concentration. He breathed heavily.
"Don't try to take it in all at once." Korin said softly. "Work your way into it."
Tyridac nodded and went back to his concentration. He reached out and stopped just short of the ship. He eased into it. The weight in the force was crushing, but not wholly impossible to handle. He would work his way up until he was using the force to slow it down. Just like the coins he and Korin used.
That thought stopped him dead in his tracks. He instantly wondered if Korin had known that this day would come. He wondered if Korin knew, even now, what he was thinking. It had seemed such a simple exercise when he had done it with Korin but now he was doing it on a much grander scale. How could he have known? He thought to himself.
"No questions now. Just faith." Korin reached his hands up. He was joined by Joran then Krii'nek and the rest. Soon all of the Jedi were reaching for the sky. Reaching for the ship that sped towards them, threatening every living thing in the city. Korin eased himself into the burden of the ship. Around him the others were doing the same. Joran was the first, Krii'nek was soon to follow.
The Jedi worked their way into a comfortable spot on the ship. They each found a spot that they could exert their force on. The ship was still too far away to be effective but they would still be able to find their foothold. The Fearless was now picking up speed. Large parts of the hull were shearing off and tumbling down towards the ground.
Tyridac was sweating. He could feel long rivulets making their way down his back. He hadn't even taken much of the ship onto himself yet but it was still taxing him. He didn't know whether or not he would be able to make a difference. An older Jedi like Korin or Joran could do so much more.
All of a sudden, Tyridac could feel the Sith warriors around him. The Dark Jedi were scattering amongst the council appointed light-siders. Tyridac opened his eyes and looked around. The Dark ones were gathering their energy about them. Each one had their eyes closed save one.
"Mika." The female sith said to him. "My name is Mika."
"Tyridac. It's good to meet you." Tyridac offered her a smile.
Korin felt the ship grow near and he shouted. "NOW!"
The Jedi, dark and light, both let their power flow out and embrace the ship. The Force warped around the Fearless and encompass the front section. It was subtle at first, almost nonexistent. Then the power started to build around the ship. The D-15 Cruiser started to slow, little by little.
Tyridac cried out. The weight was crushing and threatened to overwhelm him. He forced himself upright and could feel his legs waver.
Korin, somehow through all of the pain, spoke. "Let the Force flow through you, you're muscles shouldn't do the work." He screamed the last part. "The Force is your power."
The words struck home in Tyridac and he felt as if all his struggles were lifted. He felt the force flowing through him like a great river. It flowed from everything that lived around him. Every atom that made up the planet they were standing on. Sullust itself was united around the Jedi on the roof, it made no separation of light or dark. Tyridac pushed with everything he had and the river grew.
The Fearless slowed more and more as it approached the city. As it approached the rooftop. The ship grinded ever slower until something amazing happened.
It stopped.
Tyridac felt the ship easing off from the Force. They had done it. Tyridac opened his eyes and looked at the hulk of the ship that loomed before them. It was closer than he thought it was. It hovered there only ten meters away from the rooftop. Tyridac could see into the bridge and he could see the surviving bridge crew. They looked about in amazement and wonder. One of them spotted the Jedi and they all took stock of the warriors that stood on the rooftop; the warriors that had just saved their lives.
Korin couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that they had succeeded. It was a great victory for the Force. Korin looked to the leader of the Sith. "See," Korin choked out. His voice was scratchy and he couldn't focus his eyes very well. "This is what the force can do. This is what happens when you let go of your fears."
The Sith Knight looked at Korin. The words were simple, he had heard them a hundred times while he was in the order. Now, standing on a rooftop a million miles away from where he was trained, they finally made sense. He nodded to Korin and receded into the shadows of his hood. "You're words ring true today, Jedi. I thank you for shedding light on the past." The Sith motioned towards his companions. It was a small movement, almost imperceptible. "I will take your words with me today and consider them." The Sith began to walk away.
Joran began to move against the Sith Knight, but his tired muscles prevented him from doing so. There would be nothing he or the Sith could do against one another. This fight, it seemed, was over.
Before she started moving, Mika turned to Tyridac. "Thank you." She said, her voice as ragged as her appearance. "I hope we meet again on better terms."
Tyridac nodded to her as she walked away. As soon as all of the Sith were gone and he could no longer sense their presence, he slumped onto his knees and then fell onto his back. He was exhausted. The rest of the Jedi weren't far behind. Soon, they all lay on their backs, gazing into the sky.
"I don't think we really stopped it as much as we just slowed it down." Joran's eyes were fixed on the two D-12 cruisers that had entered the atmosphere. A loud hum emanating from the ships showed that they were using their tractor-beams.
"So does that mean we won?" Malukai croaked out.
"I'm not sure," Korin responded, "perhaps we did."
"How do you plot that course?" Tyridac looked over at Korin.
"Think about it young one. We just gave those Sith one more step towards redeeming themselves." Korin looked to Tyridac. "That's a million times more than what killing them would have gotten us. I would count that as a victory."
"I suppose you're right." Tyridac frowned. "But do you think they are redeemable? Do you think they could ever come back?"
"Never doubt the power of redemption. The Force can heal all." Korin looked back into the sky. "And if it can't then all we fight for as Jedi is defunct."
Tyridac looked back into the sky. He was resolved now. His heart was set. I will fight to redeem, then. I will fight to win people back to the force.
It took four hours for the group of Jedi to make their way across the ruined city to the staging area for the Republic. As they traveled they observed that the Sith had pulled back, as did the Republic. Both sides retreated to safety.
Korin and the Jedi approached one of the D-15's that had tractored the Fearless. The ship was docked and crewmembers were salvaging parts from the downed Cruiser. As they approached the captain of the ship came out to meet them.
"Master Jedi! I am Captain Zereez." The stocky human ambled towards them. He extended his hand, along with a generous smile.
"Korin Nayreese, thank you, but I'm not a Master." Korin shook the man's hand. The Captain's expression sullied into a mask of confusion.
"But you have to be Masters. I've never seen anything like that before."
"I assure you," Joran stepped forward, "The idea came from this one." Joran indicated Tyridac. "He became a Knight about a month ago."
The Captain, though he didn't understand, was obviously thrilled at the news. "Well, I apologize for the mistake. I would like to invite you into my ship. To dine and drink, of course."
"Thank you, Captain. We would very much like to sleep as well." Korin turned to Gila. "This young one also needs medical attention."
"Of course, of course." The Captain herded them towards the ship. "There will be plenty of time for all of that on the ship. Hurry, hurry! We'll be leaving soon."
Tyridac met the Captains gaze. "How did you root them?"
"Excuse me?" He Captains jovial expression began to melt away.
"How did you defeat their fleet. You guys had to drive them away."
"No, young Jedi." The Captain said, suddenly soft and very grave. "We didn't beat them at all. They just left." Tyridac started to say something but stopped, he didn't know what to make of this. "I've never seen anything like this before. And I don't want to wait around to see it again." The Captains joviality returned. "Now, on to the ship! There is much to discuss."
"Yes," Korin let the words slide from his tongue as his eyes went from Tyridac's to Joran's. "Much to discuss."