Hyperspace - Aboard the stolen Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle

Galen and Juno both leaned back in their seats, absolutely exhausted after the close call over Coruscant. Looking over to Juno, Galen smiled and said, "I love you."

Juno chuckled breathlessly and said, "I love you too, Galen. Why don't you go check on our passengers?"

Moving just a little sluggishly, Galen unfastened his restraints and headed back to the cabin. "Everyone alright back here?" he asked.

They all nodded, looking just as exhausted and relieved as he felt. Ahsoka lifted a small hand with one thumb up. "Yup, doing just fine. How about yourself, Starkiller?"

Galen chuckled and slumped onto a bench across from her. "I'm exhausted and I have a splitting headache. Something back there... I'm not sure but it caused a massive disturbance in the force."

She nodded in agreement, her facial expression becoming slightly vacant. "There was something minutely familiar about it and yet, totally unfamiliar."

Galen frowned slightly. "Really? That's odd, because it felt entirely too familiar to me. It almost felt like a weird feedback in the force - like I was sending my senses out and they were returning to me but from another source - or many sources to be exact."

He trailed off and looked at Rahm. "It worked, General;" he murmured. "They're after us. Knowing these shuttles, I'm willing to bet they can work out our destination system."

"Wait a second;" said Ahsoka, "who's they? Who is after us?"

After a long moment, Kota sighed and said, "You aren't going to believe this, Tano, but Vader cloned a small army of Starkiller here. He's using them as his personal Jedi hunters and assassins. We're his first targets. His next ones will be the leadership of the Rebellion. After that, who knows? Anyone brave enough to stand against the Empire will be found dead. That's why we did this - to draw them out and lead them on a wild ghost chase."

Ahsoka seemed to digest that for a long moment before asking, "Where are we headed now?"

"Ralltiir;" said Kanan. "We're meeting up with Sabine and her Mandalorians as well as Captain Kallus and his ships there. From there, we plan on making it a fight all across the galaxy - as far away from the Rebellion and their leadership as possible."

With a sigh, Ahsoka leaned back against her seat. "That is a lot to process. Tell me something - how did all of this happen?"

"That;" said Rahm, "is a very long story. Get comfortable, and I'll fill you in. Galen, head back up to be with Juno. I'd hate for her to fall asleep up there without someone to watch the controls."

Galen hauled himself to his feet again with a groan and headed to the cockpit. He chuckled when he got up there and saw that Juno's head was bobbing with drowsiness. He bent down and kissed her forehead before murmuring, "Why don't you kick back and get some sleep? It's going to be a few hours and you could use it."

Juno smiled and moved to the co-pilots seat. Galen pulled his Jedi robe off and draped it over her. "Thank you, Darling;" murmured Juno as she began to doze off.

Galen settled into a meditative state, remaining aware enough to monitor the controls, yet deeply enough to get a little rest himself.

Orbit over Imperial Center - The Executor

Lord Vader strode into the hanger where his cadre of Dark Jedi waited for him. They all looked very similar - dark armored robes, lightsabers of various different kinds and the yellow eyes of those sunken deep into the dark side of the force. In the fore stood Stalker prime. His hood was thrown back, his lightsabers were clipped to his chest and he knelt. "What is thigh bidding, my master?" he asked.

Within the recesses of his armored and masked helmet, Vader allowed for a rare, tight smile. "You are being transferred to the Predator, Admiral Pryce's flagship. She will lead the task force supporting your efforts. You will seek out the Jedi rebels wherever they go and you will hunt them down. When you find them, you will kill them and bring their lightsabers to me."

"As you wish, my master;" replied Stalker Prime as he stood to his feet.

Turning, he commanded, "Board the ships."

As he watched them depart, a communications officer ran up and bowed. "My lord, the Emperor commands you contact him."

With his black cloak swirling, Lord Vader turned and left the hanger as the Rogue Shadow and the Scimitar lifted gracefully into the air. When he reached his personal comms chamber, he knelt as the connection was made. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

"Now that Admiral Pryce and your Dark Stalkers have been dispatched, we can get to more pressing matters. The Rebel Alliance is still on Yavin IV and have been making their attacks from there. It is time that they were flushed out of their comfortable little base. You will take your forces and your new flagship to the Yavin System and you will destroy them."

Vader looked up at the shimmering holographic image. "Our scouts and spies report that they have been fleeing from Yavin. If there are any who remain, they will most likely be a token defense."

"If that is so, then make sure that you utterly annihilate that defense, Lord Vader. After the loss of the Death Star, I want the Empire to know how we deal with rebels and traitors."

The Dark Lord bowed his head. "As you wish, Master. I will gather my forces and go there now."

There was a long pause before the Emperor said, "Your thoughts are disturbed, Lord Vader. Is there something that is troubling you, my old friend?"

"Starkiller, my Lord;" replied Vader after a long moment. "He has many powerful allies. In addition to General Rahm Kota, he has also fallen in with Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. Most troubling of all, I fear that the padawan of Anakin Skywalker has joined with the Rebellion again."

Another long pause followed before the Emperor said rather contemplatively, "It is a strange thing. I would have sworn that you had destroyed her at the Malachor temple. But then, that great disturbance in the force..." and he trailed off.

Finally, he said, "I will meditate on this, Lord Vader. In the mean time, you have your missions. Now go and exact justice and vengeance upon the Rebellion."

"As you wish, my master;" replied Lord Vader with another inclination of his head.

As the hologram faded, Vader stood to his feet. It took an exercise of will to push down his misgivings about Starkiller and the Jedi and to bring his focus to the task at hand, attacking and destroying the rebel base on Yavin IV. He had been looking forward to this opportunity for some time now.

Orbit Over Ralltiir - the Providence-Class Dreadnaught Taung Legacy

Sabine Wren stood at the top of the observation tower of her new flagship. Originally, it belonged to Clan Ordo but Chieftain Gaverous Ordo had requested that she take it as her command ship. Across the distance of empty space, a collection or Alliance ships drifted in formation, waiting as she was for the Jedi to return.

Though on the outside, Sabine managed to exude a calm, confident and apathetic exterior, her internal anxiety was high. She was very worried about Ezra and Kanan and had to keep from pacing by sheer force of will. Behind her, the observation deck's door opened and in stepped Gaverous. Without uttering a word, he strode up beside her and gazed off into the distance. When he spoke, Sabine nearly jumped in start. "When are we to expect the Jedi to return, Mandalore?"

"I'm not sure, Gaverous;" she admitted. "But it can't be too much longer. If they did quickly move into the Inquisitor Headquarters and get what they needed, then they should be back at any time."

"Of course, Mandalore;" he replied.

It wasn't a very comforting statement. The older warrior was clearly reserved around her. "Is there something that you need from me, Gaverous?"

"No, Mandalore;" he said. "I simply wished to ensure that you are well - and to know if you have a contingency plan."

Contingency plan? For what? In case Ezra and Kanan and the others didn't return? Wincing at her laps in judgement and forethought, she confessed rather abashedly. "I'm afraid that a contingency plan hasn't come to me yet. If they don't arrive within another six hours, it will not be safe to stay here with so many rebel warships. I would suggest that we all retreat away from the Core and then contact High Command."

Gaverous smiled and followed as she turned to head towards the communications station. "Hail the Alliance Command ship;" she ordered the warrior who manned the station.

"As you wish, Mandalore."

After a moment, a three-quarters sized holographic representation of Captain Alexsandr Kallus appeared. He smiled and inclined his head. "Greetings, Mandalore Wren. It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has, Captain;" said Sabine as she removed her helmet. "We've been waiting awhile and my people are growing anxious. I recommend that if they don't show up in another six hours, we each retreat to separate locations and contact command."

Kallus frowned. "Indeed? You're willing to leave at the risk of the Jedi returning after we are gone? May I ask why, Sabine?"

She sighed, her own emotions beginning to cause her stomach to flutter. "We have a rather large number of ships just sitting here. I fear what would happen if the System or Sector fleet were to drop by. It would be a disaster."

Kallus nodded as he stroked the increasingly untidy beard he was growing. "I suppose you are correct, Mandalore. Six hours it is. We can trade coordinates for our pre-planned locations and in six hours, we'll go from there."

"Very good, Captain;" said Sabine. "Mandalore out."

The communication was terminated. "I'll get the clan chieftains together and relay the information;" said Gaverous. "What is our fall back location going to be?"

Sabine activated a star map and gazed at her options. "Any recommendations?"

"Hijarna System; there's little to no Imperial traffic there. Mostly, it's a place where smugglers and the like hide out or meet. We won't be detected there."

Sabine nodded. "Sounds good. Hijarna it is. Go ahead and inform the others. We'll-" she was interrupted by her comlink.

Frowning, she took it and said, "This is Mandalore."

"Mandalore, we have an Imperial Lambda-class shuttle that just dropped out of hyperspace. I think your friends are back;" said the sensor officer.

Sabine couldn't help but sigh with relief and grin broadly. "Our friends; and I think you're right. Comms officer, hail them and tell them I will personally meet them in the hanger with the Clan Chieftains."

Without even waiting to hear the acknowledgement, Sabine and Gaverous hurried from the observation tower.

Galen roused Juno gently. "We made it, Love. They'll be hailing shortly I'm sure."

"You dropped out of hyperspace without waking me?" she tried to ask accusingly but a massive yawn interrupted her.

Galen chuckled. "I can pull a hyperspace lever, Juno. Ah. They're hailing us."

They switched seats and Juno accepted the call. "This is the Mandalorian flagship Taung Legacy, unidentified shuttle. Please respond."

"This is the... unidentified shuttle;" Juno answered rather awkwardly. "returning from our mission to Imperial Center, seeking permission to land aboard."

There was a pause before the comms officer said, "What is the recognition code, unidentified shuttle?"

"Talos, Haroon, ten dash eleven thirty-eight;" replied Juno.

It was only moments before the reply came. "You are cleared to land, unidentified shuttle. Mandalore and the clan chieftains will greet you in the hanger. Try not to bump into any of our fighters, please."

Galen stifled a laugh at the indignant look on Juno's face as she replied rather huffily. "You have nothing to worry about there, Taung Legacy. Unidentified shuttle out."

After the connection was cut, she muttered irritably, "'Try not to bump into any of our fighters, please' the nerve of them. Who do they think is flying this thing, some rank amateur from a tenth rate Outer Rim rock? Honestly, when I find out who that warrior is, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."

Galen was unable to stifle his laughter after that, despite his lover's darkened mood. Of course, that earned him a dark look and a growl. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing, Juno;" he said, standing and leaning over to kiss her. "I just love how fiery and worked up you get."

"It's not funny. What if you were training or something and some random stranger said, 'oh Starkiller, try not to zap the wrong person?'"

That caused him to laugh so loudly that Ezra stuck his head in and asked, "Everything alright?"

"Absolutely," said Galen. "We're heading in for a landing aboard Mandalore's ship. Is everyone awake back there?"

Ezra peeked over his shoulder and then nodded. "Yup. We're all set to go."

They passed through the atmospheric containment shield of the hanger Juno expertly found the smallest possible landing slot and easily set the shuttle into it between two Mandalorian fighters, leaving less than a meter between either of them. Galen resisted the urge to laugh at Juno's satisfied smirk, electing instead to say, "A masterful landing, Juno. That will show them."

"You're just trying to make up for laughing at me;" she accused, but she was also obviously pleased with his compliment. "Get out there while I finish shutting the ship down and securing it. I'll join you shortly."

The ramp was already lowering and Ezra was clearly eager to disembark. Galen chuckled. "Easy, kid. You'll see your girlfriend soon enough."

Kanan frowned. "Girlfriend?"

With perhaps a little more heat than he had intended, Ezra said, "She isn't my girlfriend!"

When they all offered him amused looks, he blushed and tried to ignore them. Kanan chuckled and said, "I think you may protest a little too much, Ezra."

Rather than answering, Ezra headed down the ramp. As the others followed, the Ghost landed in the hanger as well, the Phantom II firmly in its docking port.

Sabine and five warriors in colorful Mandalorian armor approached to meet them. Unable to help himself, Ezra grinned and said, "Hello, Mandalore; hey, you painted your armor to match your helmet! Wouldn't it have been less work to paint the helmet?"

Sabine pulled off the helmet of Mandalore and said, "One does not paint the helmet of Mandalore, Ezra. I'm so glad you made it back okay."

They hugged and Ezra chuckled. "It was no big deal. Those Inquisitors aren't that tough."

Sabine rolled her eyes. "Right;" she muttered as she separated and went to hug Kanan.

When she noticed Ahsoka, she said, "Fulcrum! Where did you come from?"

Ahsoka smiled and hugged her. "Dark places, Mandalore; once the crew of the Ghost joins us, we should get Kallus and his officers on the comms and discuss our next move."

"Agreed;" said Rahm. "We don't have a lot of time, Mandalore. I'm guessing the Vader's stalkers will be behind us."

"Isn't that the whole point though, General?" asked Galen. "We want them to follow us."

"Of course we do;" chuckled Kota. "But we also need to be ready when they do."

They all headed to the main communications section of the ship. The captains of each ship and Kallus all attended via hologram. "Our mission was a success;" announced Kanan. "The Dark Jedi hunters Vader sent after us or more than likely on the way. If they come alone, there is a chance we can end this right here and now. Unfortunately, I highly doubt that Vader is so foolish as to send his hunting hounds out without handlers or at least Imperial Navy backup. When they get here, we'll assess the situation and go from there. Do you have an emergency rendezvous point?"

"Yes, the Hijarna System;" said Sabine.

Captain Kallus chuckled. "Great minds think alike. That's the system we had picked as well."

"Then that's going to be our rendezvous point if the need arise. When the Empire arrives, we'll assess the situation and act accordingly. There are questions to be answered, however. Who is in charge of this strike force?" asked Satine as she looked around.

It was a valid question. There were three Generals and herself here to choose between. Starkiller pointed at Rahm Kota. "Rahm as more experience in war than any of us, especially against the Empire. I would recommend we appoint him to be the Senior General of our force here."

Hera nodded her head in agreement. "I agree. Mandalore?"

Sabine looked to her Clan Chieftains. They seemed reluctant but willing to follow his advice. Kota had a reputation among them since during the Clone Wars, he had recruited a few of them for his militia. In fact, it's how he had been gifted the armor he war over his combat fatigues. "Very well;" said Kota. "I suggest we place Hera in charge of our starfighter forces and I'll have Galen be my executive officer of our Alliance Forces. Mandalore, you will be my XO when it comes to the Mandalorians. Any questions?"

None were forthcoming. Turning in the general direction of Kallus's hologram, Rahm said, "Fall into formation with the Mandalorian ships. I want all pilots to their fighters as well. I don't suppose we can get some rebel ships brought aboard for Hera, Juno and anyone else who may want one."

"I don't have any of the flashy new X-wing fighters;" said Kallus, "but I do have Z-95's, Y-wings, R-22 Spearheads and a few H-60 Tempest Fighter/Bombers. What would you prefer over there, General Syndulla?"

Hera turned to Sabine. "Are their any of these spare fighters?"

"A few, yes. We'll keep them open for your use;" answered Sabine.

"Good;" said Rahm. "Get everyone to their battle stations as well. When the Empire comes, I have a feeling it's going to be a large force."

Immediately, the rebel and Mandalorian ships were a buzz of activity. Weapons emplacements were powered up and pilots waited next to their fighters. The Alliance Assault frigate, Hammerhead Corvettes and Torpedo frigates came on line with the Heavy cruisers, light frigates and Dreadnaught of the Mandalorians. It took less than an hour for them to all be set up in position.

Starkiller gazed out the viewport of the observation deck in the direction he assumed the Imperials would be coming from. The sense he got from the clones made him uncomfortable and he even worried that they'd make it difficult to focus during battle. It felt like trying to thing through a fog of some kind. Behind him, the door hissed open and Kota called from the doorway. "Come with me, boy. There's something I want to show you that may be of some help."

With a chuckle at the gruff old man's mannerisms, Galen turned and followed him. In the lift, Kota asked in one of his uncommonly gentle tones. "How are you feeling, my boy?"

"I'm doing alright. Those clones give me the creeps though. Somehow, their force presents causes some kind of strange fogging or scrambling or something of my mind. I'm not quite sure how to handle it."

"Yes;" said Kota reflectively. "The Jedi generals and commanders of the Clone Wars reported that being near so many force signatures that were so similar took a lot of getting used to. I can only imagine what it must be like to be in the vicinity of a clone of yourself. Hopefully, the items I have should be able to help with that - I hope at any rate."

That peeked Galen's interest. "Really? What would that be."

Kota winked one sightless eye. "It's aboard the Explorer. I managed to grab it before the last time we left Yavin. It will hopefully be able to help."

When they reached the hanger, they saw Juno and Hera, dressed in their Alliance fighter pilot outfits. They waved as the Jedi walked by. Sitting at the base of the Ghost, Ezra and Sabine talked quietly. The young man was clearly hanging on every word that she spoke, most likely not even aware of what she was saying. "Those two are going to have a lot of trouble in the future;" murmured Rahm.

Galen frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I don't have eyes to deceive me. I can sense and hear and feel far more clearly and what I sense and hear and feel just screams trouble."

Galen didn't push the issue as they made it to the Rogue Explorer. It was quiet inside. "Wait in the lounge, boy;" said Kota. "I'll go grab it."

Galen waited until the general returned, using the force to levitate a large footlocker of some kind. "Crack her open, will you?" he said.

The young Jedi Knight knelt down and hit the release switches for the latches and opened the crate with a hiss. Inside was what appeared to be a glimmering white suit of armor of some kind. "Woah;" said Galen. "What is it?"

"It's experimental Jedi armor, boy. The progenitor for it was the armor that Jedi Knights war during the Second Great Sith War against Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness. The temple's workshops were working on it for better protection during the war and so that it would help negate the effect of the mild interference the clones' force signatures caused. I never learned how it worked. I managed to raid it on one of the Emperor's personal loot shipments from Coruscant to whatever hole he was going to stick it in. Why don't you go ahead and try it on?"

Galen nodded and pulled the armor out a piece at a time. It looked as though it was made to cover the wearer from head to toe, either to hide their identity or simply for better physical protection. A white body glove went underneath and over it, a long, single piece garment went over the head and hung down to the ankles. The armored plating, made of high-durability plasteel, seemed to be loosely fitting and awkward. Armored gloves and gauntlets and knee high armored boots were also pieces of the armor. On each gauntlet was a series of switches of some kind. "What do the switches do, General?" asked Galen as he yanked one on.

"One on your right arm tightens the plates so that they are snug against your body while the second loosens them for when you take the suit off. The third seals the suit, making it capable of short-term vacuum use. On your left arm, the first can turn on a heads up display, though I don't know what it does. The second is the activator for a comlink that's built into the helmet. Lastly, the third activates a distress signal."

Galen liked it so far. He stamped on the boots and grabbed the helmet. "Why wasn't this ever mass produced for the old Jedi Order?"

"It was expensive, I imagine. Plus, Order 66 could have been executed before they had the chance to test it out. Now, you'll get the chance to. I imagine there's a white Jedi robe in there too, if you want to wear it."

Galen had fixed the helmet and tightened down the armor plating to fit snugly and comfortably. He sealed the helmet and was surprised to watch the transparasteel face mask tint darken and lighten so that his eyes were always comfortable no matter what the light situation was. When he activated the heads-up display, he was surprised to see that it had a motion detector in the upper right hand corner and a gauge that seemed to indicate the armor's integrity. It also seemed to have other functions but they would probably have to be programmed specifically to his body and such. "Wow, General;" he said, "this is great!"

"We'll see if it's any help when the Imperials arrive;" said Kota.

As they disembarked, Galen took the helmet off and tucked it under his arm. After throwing the cloak on over the armor, he headed out into the hanger. The Mandalorians gave him upraising looks and when Juno saw him, she walked over. "My, my;" she said with a smile. "Now you really are a Jedi Knight in shining armor. Where did you dig that up, Rahm?"

"I found it and a few other things aboard an Imperial freighter leaving Coruscant and heading to parts unknown. The other things weren't much use other than as momentous but the armor, I held onto, figuring it would come in handy at some point. Turns out I was right."

In a rare moment of quiet vulnerability, Sabine was venting and pouring out her anxieties in a quiet tone. Ezra listened intently, digesting every word with care and knowing that, in truth, she didn't want anything fixed. She just wanted him to hear and listen to her. "I already know what they all think;" she sighed. "I know that so many of them question where my loyalties lie - to my people or to the Rebellion. The worst part is, they aren't completely wrong. I do have divided loyalties between them. I'm just so afraid that something is going to happen in the future that forces me to choose between Mandalore and the Rebel Alliance. What am I supposed to do then?"

Ezra nodded slowly as he gazed at her. Sabine's bright green eyes met his, questioningly. Realizing that this time, she actually wanted an answer, Ezra shrugged and said, "I don't have all the answers for you, Sabine. I'm not the leader of an entire race of beings. I'm only a Jedi apprentice. All I can say is that, no matter what happens, I'll be by your side. I'll offer you what little wisdom I have when you ask for it and I'll protect you the rare occasions that you need it."

Sabine seemed to blush slightly. "Wow..." she said with a low chuckle. "I wasn't expecting that kind of response. I was expecting you to make a joke or say something in your usual cocky, confident way."

Ezra grinned and said, "I can't be getting predictable on you or anything. That would be dangerous."

Sabine smiled and gave him a playful shove. "There's the Ezra Bridger I know and-" but she cut herself blushing deeply.

Ezra's electric blue eyes widened and he blushed too before clearing his throat. "Anyhow, you've got this, Mandalore. If you need help, I'll be right here."

"Thank you;" she said, patting his arm gratefully.

They sat in silence for awhile, staring out at all the Mandalorians as well as their friends from the Ghost. After a moment, Ezra stood and stretched. "Well I'm hungry. I'm going to see if there is anything to eat on this crate."

"Hey now;" said Sabine, wagging a finger at him. "This crate is my flagship."

"Really?" said Ezra, lifting one dark eyebrow. "Wow... sorry to hear that."

"Get out of here;" laughed Sabine. "Go get your food."

As he strolled off, Sabine watched him go with a smile. Over the years, the boy who had been an obnoxious urchin on Lothol had really grown on her. She had begun to rely on him in fact and knew that if she ever needed anything, he would do it without question. It's just who Ezra Bridger was and she... well... she didn't know how she felt about him. Certainly, he had become a very important part of her life but how important, she didn't dare think about.

When the Imperials came out of hyperspace, they came all at once. Nine Imperial Star Destroyers, thirteen Victory-class Star Destroyers and dozens of Strike Cruisers and frigates all dropped out of hyperspace. Even though the Rebels were ready, they certainly weren't ready for that. Last of all the Imperial ships, a 418 Immobilizer-class Interdictor Cruiser.

Sabine's face was tight with stress. "We'll need to knock out that Immobilizer."

General Kota stood beside her. "Yes, we will. Launch your fighters, Mandalore and I'll have our forces do the same."

"They'll expect me to lead;" said Mandalore but Gaverous Ordo, who stood behind her, lifted a hand.

"No, Mandalore;" he said firmly. "My son and I will lead our fighters. We need you alive to lead the clans. It has been so long since we had a true, unifying Mandalore. You need to be that."

She was about to protest but then clamped her jaw and said, "Then go. The primary target is that Interdictor."

Galen was relieved. As soon as the Imperials had dropped out of hyperspace, he had felt the strange effect of his clones. Immediately after he had placed the helmet on his head, the sensation and discomfort ceased. Juno and Hera were climbing into fighters. Ezra was jumping into the cockpit of the Phantom II with Chopper. Galen hurried to the bridge. There stood Kanan Jarrus and Rahm Kota, their sightless eyes focused outward. "Masters;" said Galen, "where should I be?"

"You;" said Rahm, "will be with us - preparing for boarders."

Galen watched as through the empty space, two ships were approaching. One of them was all too familiar. As he watched, both of them shimmered and then disappeared as stealth fields were activated. "Great." he muttered.

"Use the force, boy;" chuckled Rahm as he turned from the window. "They're still going for the main hanger. We'll meet them there with Ahsoka and Maris. By the way, next time you get the chance, you should talk to her. You both have something in common."

Galen didn't want to think about it so he simply nodded his head as they hurried to the hanger. It was empty when they arrived until, suddenly, the two stealthed ships shimmered into existence the roar of their engines filled the air. Out each came four of the stalkers. They were all armed with a variation of lightsabers - single bladed weapons, double bladed lightsaber, lightsaber pikes and lightsabers wielded in pairs as Galen and Ahsoka did. "Where are the others?" murmured Galen.

"I'm guessing that they're outside in case some of us are in fighters."

Ahsoka gasped. "Ezra! He's in the Phantom II with Chopper!"

Before any of them had a chance to reply, the dark siders attacked. Galen lunged into their midst, not giving them the chance to gain any momentum. As he did, he listened to the comms chatter over his helmet's internal coms system. For the most part, the Mandalorians were doing just fine against the Imperials. However, there was a squadron of fighters that were cutting their way through rebels and Mandalorians alike. Realizing that they would need his help, Galen transitioned from his usually favored style of Form V Ataru to the newly acquired style of Form VII Vaapad. It began to take effect instantly. He could almost see the superconducting loop of force energy powering him. What's more, his enemies seemed to sense it and weren't sure how to handle it. Galen quickly overwhelmed and killed three of them before dashing towards the Rogue Shadow. "I'm going to go help them out there;" he yelled.

Ahsoka watched him go and managed to cut down her two opponents before running to the other ship. "I'll go to!"

The last three were still engaged with the others. One of them was given Maris Brood a run for her credits while a second was in a vicious duel with Kota that reminded the old general of the duel in which he had lost his eyes. Kanan was fairing a little better against his opponent. The stalker was armed with a lightsaber pike Kanan fought him off, waiting for his enemy's opening. When it came, the Jedi slipped passed his guard and struck down his opponent.

Rahm, realizing that fighting with subtlety worked better against a berserker like his opponent. Switching to a more defensive stance, Kota could sense his opponent's frustration going. In anger, the dark side warrior overextended and Kota slipped under his guard and killed him. Both older Jedi turned in time to see Maris, under great pressure from her enemy, stumble and fall backwards. The misstep saved her life because when the dark sider lunged to kill her, she rolled to one side before sweeping his feet and cutting him down as he fell.

Immediately, Kanan said, "We need to get to the bridge and assess. This battle just became more complicated."

Outside, Galen flew his old ship into the fight. His target was any of the dark side warriors that were out there. They were easy to find as well. "Juno, Hera - go for the Immobilizer. I'll cover you to make sure you get there."

"Galen, is that the Rogue Shadow?" asked Juno in excitement.

"Sure is;" he said, grinning despite himself. "She's ours again, Love."

Up beside him came the other strange ship. "Galen, this is Ahsoka aboard the Scimitar. Where do you want me?"

"Engage any TIE x1 Advanced Starfighters you see. Those will be Vader's kath hounds. I'm going to escort Hera and Juno so that they can take out that Immobilizer."

Switching comms channels, he announced, "All Alliance and Mandalorian ships, this is General Starkiller - I recommend that all non-hyperspace capable fighters return to their home ships and that all capable fighters and capital ships prepare to make the jump to lightspeed. As soon as that immobilzer goes down, we need to go."

Even before he was finished speaking, he watched as the rebel and Mandalorian ships moved to obey. Any fighters capable of hyperspace attempted to cover their withdraw and those that were not returned to their hangers.

Admiral Pryce watched with a cold, feral smile on her face. The rebels were withdrawing just as she knew they would - that is, they were trying to. Now, a pair of Mandalorian fighters were streaking towards the Immobilizer cruiser. On their tails were the two stalker ships. It would be only moments before they were destroyed. For several long moments, she watched until a cold voice said beside her, "My brothers are not aboard those ships, Admiral. Fire upon all four of them."

Knowing better than to question a force user, Pryce hit the all-comms switch on her command chair. "All ships, fire upon those fighters! Do not let them get to the interdictor."

Suddenly, the two strange ships vanished and the Mandalorian fighters wheeled about and blazed towards the fleeing rebel ships. "What the-"

Suddenly, Stalker Prime hit her all-comms switch and said, "All batteries of all ships, fire along the following vector-" as soon as he began listing the coordinates, the batteries opened fire, blazing into open space and making an impassible web of turbo laser fire.

When the two ships came from a completely different direction and fired a volley concussion missiles that slammed into the gravity well generators. One after another, they went critical and either blew up or shut down until the rebel ships were able to escape. Helpless, Admiral Pryce and Stalker Prime watched as the rebels jumped to lightspeed in quick succession. Last to go were the two starships that Vader had given to his dark side stalkers.

Using his personal comlink, he said, "Stalkers, report in."

When they had finished, it was revealed the ten of them had died. Glaring into the empty space where the rebels had vanished he asked calmly, "Did any of our ships get a lock on where they were headed?"

Pryce scowled. "No but all systems along they're possible vector have been alerted and we are already launching scout ships. Come with me, please;" she said.

Pryce stood and headed towards the exit from the bridge. Intrigued, Stalker Prime followed. They entered a room that had once been a secondary briefing room but had been turned into some kind of specialized tactical room. Pryce activated a star map and hit a couple of keys. "This is out location;" and a flashing wedge appeared. "This is the direction they were traveling in."

A cone appeared, getting wider and wider as it went. "If I know these rebels and I think that I do - and if I know Mandalorians which I know that I do - they won't go far. They'll stop somewhere within this cone here to regroup, contact their high command and plan their next move."

Stalker Prime stepped beside her and frowned. "Won't that depend on their particular assignment?"

"Exactly;" said Pryce. "They wanted information at the Inquisitor Headquarters. I don't suppose you would have an inkling as to what information that might be, would you?"

The Prime contemplated that. From what he understood about the Inquisitor Headquarters, it didn't have any information except logs of suspected surviving Jedi, their possible locations and a list of those who were dead since the beginning of Order 66. "Perhaps they are seeking out other living Jedi;" he said, though he didn't believe it himself.

Pryce seemed to smile. "That's exactly what I think they're doing. I think they are looking for help. They want to gather whatever pitiful tithe of Jedi remain in the galaxy and use them to strike against the Empire. It won't work, though."

"Indeed;" growled Stalker Prime. "Any Jedi they find will die with them. My brothers under estimated our enemy. Rest assured, Admiral, that will not happen again. Now, let's try to figure out where they are headed."

Pryce nodded and began eliminating unlikely locations, narrowing down her list as she went.