The Unknown Regions - Aboard the Crooked One's Star Forge

Stalker Prime looked at the assembled forces with approval before turning back to the facility map. Using the holocrons, he was able to discern that all the assault teams were ready. Turning to the field commander, he said, "Colonel, you may attack when you are ready."

It was clear that Colonel Krellex rankled under the command of the dark sider outside of the Imperial military structure but, knowing of Vader's tendencies and powers and understanding that this man had similar powers, he kept his discomfort to himself. "Understood, my Lord. If your fellow stalkers are ready to assist, we will advance immediately."

Stalker Prime nodded and watched the facility map. Imperial troops and war droids were advancing from their positions. Immediately, they hit defending Rakata and Rakata war droids. The advance was stopped as the Imperials strove to take the Rakata positions but even with heavily primitive weapons and droids, the ancient aliens held their positions staunchly. "Colonel;" said Stalker Prime. "This is the final push on this station. We will take this station for the Empire and use it to produce our ships, weapons and war droids. We will all receive our due for it as well."

The Colonel nodded. "Indeed, my Lord."

The Prime stroked an increasingly stubbly chin. With a station like this, he could build enough ships to control every system in the galaxy. Lord Vader would be most pleased.

The first team consisted of the Galen, Rahm, Maris, Zeb, Chopper and twenty of Rahm Kota's militia commandos. They were all rough and ready men and women without uniforms but they worked very well together and employed numerous weapons. Juno and Hera were staying back to supervise the rebel positions. Technicians led by Sabine were working on the munitions and turning them into extremely powerful explosive charges. When they were ready, they would take a second team and the charges to various places in the station to attempt to break it apart and cause the most damage. The second team would comprise of Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, Ahsoka, PROXY and twenty more Rebel marines and six demolitions experts. It took some doing but they were ready in less than twelve standard hours. As the teams were assembling, the soldiers monitoring the surveillance announced, "The Empire is moving, Generals."

Galen looked at the others. "This is our chance. Get the teams together and let's move."

Juno hurried over and embraced him. "Be careful; you'll be facing two enemies out there."

"Keep us apprised;" he replied. "We're taking a good chunk of our fighters here. If they come here, let us know immediately."

They kissed and Galen went to join his group. Kanan and Hera were saying their tender farewells as were Ezra and Sabine. When all were ready, the two teams departed.

Galen, Rahm and Maris were moving ahead of the team, using their control holocrons to check the enemy defenses at each console they came to. The Imperial attack were drawing off much of the Rakata's defense so getting to the bridge wasn't going to be the the problem. However, they did spot a sizable Imperial force heading towards the command bridge. "We should wait until the Imperials and Rakata are fully engaged;" suggested Rahm. "Then we can sneak in and start picking off those on the outskirts of the battle."

An old Quarren hefted a repeating blaster rifle and said, "Why not just pour blaster fire into the fight and take out as many of both as we can."

"The less attention we attract from either of them, the better - at least at first. Once we have taken control of the controls, we can reassess the situation. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open."

Galen was only half listening, instead reaching out with the force to all areas around them. It was difficult to sense very much around them because of how intense the dark side was around them. As the group fell into silence and they continued traveling, the station around them began to seem eerie. As they went, they continued to check consoles and terminals that they came across with the holocrons. "This place is huge;" murmured Maris.

Galen chuckled. "You should have been aboard the Death Star. This place is pretty big but the Death Star was monstrous. We should be getting there pretty soon. The lift is up ahead."

It turned out that he was correct. Two Rakata soldiers were guarding the lift. As soon as they saw the advancing rebels, one of them summoned the lift while the other placed a holocron in a console. "Kota;" said Galen. "How is it that even those who aren't strong in the force can use their holocrons?"

"They all are strong in the force, boy;" said Kota as he pulled the lightsaber from the holster on his back but didn't ignite it. "Stronger than the average being at least. Not all of them are trained to use it I think but they all have the knowledge to at least use those holocrons to control the station."

Maris pulled her lightsabers and ignited them. "Well the bridge knows we're coming now."

"Yeah they do;" said Galen as the two Rakata went up one of the lifts. "Alright, we'll spread between the lifts and head up all at once. Get ready, because once we get up there, it's going to be a fire-storm."

He was proven wrong when they reached the top. Most of the bridge defenders were concerned with the attacking Imperials on the other side. However, four armored, cloaked and masked warriors armed with the primitive energy weapons were there to meet them. As soon as the three Jedi saw them, Kota called, "Secure the command center;" to the rebel forces. "We'll handle this."

All three of them ignited their weapons and spread out. "You four aren't Rakata;" observed Galen. "I'm guessing you were very strong in the force and were conscripted by them because of that - force slaves to accomplish their will. I know the feeling - of being a slave and being forced to do the will of a master who would cast me to the side like a warn out tool when all was done."

"I doubt they can be reasoned with, boy;" said Kota. "I'm willing to bet that they have been brainwashed by the Rakata."

"Maybe;" muttered Galen as he picked two from the group to engage. "But so was I and the force can reverse conditions like that. A little doubt to put a chink in the armor is the best way to begin."

Before Kota could argue, the four force warriors attack. Galen intercepted two of them himself and found himself hard pressed immediately. They were skilled and they were vicious, seeking to destroy him with more ferocity than even Vader had on Kamino. Kota and Maris were equally hard pressed with a single opponent apiece. Around them, the rebels were securing work stations and consoles, blasting the defending Rakata that tried to stop them. The Imperials, even the two dark stalkers, were so busy with the defending Rakata that they paid very little attention to the rebels until the rebels had taken a good number of the consoles and stations.

Galen was completely on the defensive, staying ahead of his two opponents by falling completely into the force and utilizing a wholly defensive stance. Their fighting styles were completely unfamiliar to him but as the fight progressed, he realized that despite their exotic appearance, they were no more unpredictable than any other lightsaber form. Even so, he was not experienced enough to fluidly transition from the second form of lightsaber combat to what he had learned from Master Vos on Nar Shadda. Using the force, he repulsed his opponents and leaped over a bank of monitors. They were after him almost instantly but it was just enough time for him. Both his opponents were taken aback by sudden change. As he forced them back across the deck, Kota finished off his opponent and rushed to help Maris. The young Jedi apprentice was struggling against her enemy until Kota used the force to smash him hard against a support beam and yank the weapon from their hand. The force warrior attempted to rise but Kota's emerald blade was at his throat and Maris was using the force to pin him in place. "Are you alright over there, boy?" called Kota to Galen.

In a flurry of blows almost too fast to register, Galen disarmed one enemy and and cut the other one down before using force lightning to shock the disarmed opponent and then sent them flying back towards their partner with a telekinetic throw. The three Jedi looked down at the two living opponents. "Okay, what now?" asked Maris.

"I've got it;" said Kota and he closed his blind eyes and stretched out his hand.

The two force warriors suddenly grunted and tensed. "Shock them again, Galen;" said Kota, "I need them to be unfocused to put them in a sleeping trance."

Galen obliged, shocking them with painful though non-lethal force lightning. It was enough to cause them to lose focus and be put in a healing trance. Turning back to the battle, the Jedi realized that the Rakata had largely been routed but the Imperials were coming after them. Though one of the two dark stalkers had been killed by the other Rakata force warriors, the other was about to leap upon the rebel assault team. Galen moved fast, intercepting the dark stalker before it could wipe out a squad of rebels. Kota leaped towards the remaining Imperials while Maris ran to the console. Aside from the holocrons they hard, she also made use of several others that were already placed. Before she could do anything, her danger sense caused her to duck behind the console as blaster fire sizzled around her.

As Galen fought the stalker, his enemy's cowl fell and his mask flew from his face. The dark sider gave a cruel grin as his eyes blazed yellow. "How does it feel to look into the eyes of your enemy and see your own eyes, Progenitor?"

Galen had not been rattled as the clone had hoped. "A little unnerving but I've seen it before on Kamino. You're nothing new to me, dark sider."

"What if I told you that I had your memories, then?" asked the Sith. "That I can remember every quiet fear and moment; that I remember exactly when that old fool got through to you and caused you to turn on your rightful master - OUR rightful master. What if I told you that I remember that kiss aboard the Death Star with Captain Eclipse?"

Galen didn't bother responding this time. His enemy wanted to rattle him but he was not going to let that happen. As their blades flashed and crackled together, Galen's long experience and more complete training began to prove the better. Even so, the dark stalker continued fighting. "You may kill me;" he snarled, no longer grinning, "but there are more of us and you will not defeat the Prime."

"The Prime? Is that Vader? Did Darth Vader himself come with you?" demanded Galen.

The clone sneered and attacked again. The fight was over in a moment. Galen outmaneuvered and cut his enemy down before yelling to the rebels, "Secure all entrances to the deck. Set proximity charges but don't activate them until we're ready to leave. General, use the monitor and see what systems we can control. Did we collect all the holocrons?"

Maris nodded and stepped aside as Kota took her place. Rahm put his hands on the holocrons and frowned. "Well that is interesting;" he murmured as his hands shifted from one to the other. Pointing to a black one with glowing gold glyphs on it, he said, "That seems to be a master control holocron. So long as the other holocrons are in the console to act as activators, any systems that they control, this one can control. I can access the stations schematics, control almost all of the systems and see everything the security holos and cams can see."

"Can you control the weapons?" asked Galen.

Kota chuckled and said, "Oh yes. It appears that each weapons battery has storage units of droids that can operate them - well, at least they can load them. It doesn't seem like their programming allows them to fire. Good news is that I can. Technicians, get over here. Maris, help them hook up like Ezra did back at our forward base. Then one of us won't have to stay here to use all this."

"Shouldn't one of us stay anyway?" asked Maris. "What if the Rakata or the Imperials return with more dark stalkers?"

"She's right;" said Galen as he pulled his comlink. "As soon as we get the systems hooked up, I want all weapons on that side of the station firing on the Imperials. I'm going to be calling for some back up. I'm also going to check in on Kanan and Ezra's progress."

At first, the mission had gone smoothly and without a hitch. Sabine had planted the explosives in every battery near where the rebels occupied. They also placed them in areas identified as structural load points. It was when they reached the chamber filled with beings in stasis to power the station that they met their first challenge. The Imperials had made it to the chamber and the fighting became fast and hard there. Two dark stalkers were with the contingent of stormtroopers, as were four purge trooper war droids and a half a dozen Inquisition purge troopers. The droids were made during the final stages of the Jedi Purge to assist the Inquisitors and their purge troopers in killing fugitive Jedi. The three Jedi were immediately hard pressed and Sabine Wren left her explosives with the rebels, rushing in to assist with the dark saber. She cut one of the war droids to sparking wreckage while it was focused on the Jedi and blasted two of the troopers. Two more purge troopers, armed with electro-staffs, turned their focus on her.

Ezra was trading blows with a dark stalker when he saw Sabine fighting for her life against two of the black armored purge troopers. His momentary loss of focus nearly cost him his life. "Ezra, she's got it!" snapped Ahsoka as she danced and spun around the two war droids she was battling. "Keep your focus or lose your head!"

Kanan was fencing the other dark stalker and the remaining purge troopers. He looked as though he was having little to no struggle with them as he called out, "Sabine, once you're done playing around, we need you to set the charges. Put it up against the main conduit cluster. It should do the most damage from there."

"'Great work taking out two stormtroopers that specialize in taking out Jedi, Sabine;'" she muttered as she put up her blade and drew her blasters and gave herself some cover fire as she headed back towards the explosives.

"Thanks for the help, by the way, Mandalore;" called Kanan.

"No problem;" she called back as she dropped down near the bomb. The charges and everything were set. They just needed to be moved into place and primed. Holstering her blaster pistols, she instead took a Mandalorian blaster rifle and began systematically blasting the stormtroopers and Imperial technicians in an attempt to either kill all of them or drive them away. The rebels began moving forward towards the opposite side, assisting each other with cover fire as they advanced.

Ezra had quickly realized that his training under Kanan and the tricks he had picked up from holocrons and the like were giving him an edge against his opponent. This one wielded a lightsaber pike - a handle of just over a meter of energy-resistant metal like phrik or even beskar and a red blade of roughly three-quarters of a meter. The stalker was skilled with it but Ezra was an experienced duelist and an exceptional one at that. He was handily outmaneuvering his opponent and forcing the stalker firmly on the defensive. It was effective and Ezra couldn't seem to get through - until he suddenly drew his blaster and fired three shots at point blank into the stalker's torso. As it crumbled to the ground, the Imperials broke cover and fled. Ezra moved to follow but, as the door closed behind them, he heard a torch power up and frowned. Listening carefully, he burst out laughing. "Those Imps are trying to weld the door shut!"

Sabine doubled over herself and said between laughs, "Oh no! What ever will we do? They cut off the only route THEY have to get to us!"

Kanan chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, Sabine; get to work on that bomb. Make sure that it's set to go off by remote, or if tampered with at all. Put on a back-up timer too in case they find a way to jam the remote detonator."

As Mandalore worked, Kanan's comlink chimed. "This is Kanan."

"Kanan, it's Galen; how goes your part of the plan?"

"Oh, it's going; we've planted about three quarters of our bombs. From here, it's going to get pretty bad because we'll be facing Imperials and Rakata as we move into the last parts of the station. I hate to say it but we probably won't be able to plant all of them."

There was a pause before General Starkiller replied. "That's fine. If we cripple it and leave it without power and in shambles, it will be enough. Rahm's taken command of the weapons and has loader droids getting the batteries ready. He'll be firing as soon as he's ready. Are you near a viewport? It should be pretty incredible."

"How is he targeting, anyway?" asked Kanan.

"The force are his eyes - or at least, that what he says;" chuckled Galen. "I'm guessing that the holocron allows him to sense and locate targets. He'll be ready soon."

"We'll continue planting our bombs. Keep us updated."

Sabine strobe over, her helmet under her arm. "We're all set. Shall we continue?"

Stalker Prime sensed the danger but couldn't figure out the reason for it. That is, until he felt vibrations through the floor plating. Grabbing his comlink, he called over all frequencies, "All units, report; what's happening?"

Many of them reported general combat but then Admiral Pryce suddenly cut them all off over the emergency frequency. "Prime, this is Admiral Pryce - that station is firing projectiles at us! What is going on?"

Immediately, the Sith stalker extrapolated the cause. "The rebels and the Jedi have taken control of the command deck and are likely using it to fire on you! I'll have all of my stalkers assemble with a strike force and we'll take it from them."

"Hurry! We've lost several ships because their shields were down and now we're taking a pounding."

Thinking quickly, Prime cursed and said, "Move the fleet into firing position. If the rebels have control over this station, they will likely cripple it. If it won't be any use to us anyway, prepare to open fire and destroy and them on it. If I can't take control, I'll start an evacuation and you can blow this station to hell."

There was another long pause before Pryce replied. "Very well, Prime. Proceed with your plan."

She sounded as frustrated as he felt but victory was the ultimate and only important goal - victory and the death of the Jedi. Changing to the comlink of his fellow stalkers, he ordered them to rendezvous outside of the Crooked One's control room with any Purge Droids and troopers. All other units, he ordered to hold positions.

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Predator

Pryce had already told her ships to target the enemy batteries and there were flights of bombers moving in. Hopefully, that would keep her fleet safe from the station's weapons. Suddenly, as she watched, two squadrons of rebel fighters, heavily modified Z-95 Headhunters, blazed from the other side of the station and attacked her bombers. At first, Pryce clenched her fist in helpless rage until something dawned on her. Those fighters had to come from somewhere and where they came from, rebel reinforcements could come from. Grinning tightly, she commed all the ships in her fleet. "I want all fighters and bombers to swing around the station and attack any rebels you see there."

Acknowledgements came in quickly and it was mere minutes before dozens of TIE fighters and bombers were streaking in perfect formation to either side of the vast station. Immediately, the rebel fighters retreated but it was too late. Pryce smiled to herself as she saw them go. They had finally over-played their hand.

Sorry that this one is a little shorter, everyone.