Chapter 45 - "Shall we begin?"

The Unknown Regions

Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer Ravager

It had been thirty years since Admiral Ramius Hux had fought the New Republic over Jakku, where he had grinded the fabled Admiral Ackbar to a halt and bled him white over a graveyard. Where he had secured the legacy of the Empire, and his own place in history. For this reason, as the great armada of thirty-one counted ships broke the immaterium to confront them here, at yet another place in history, he was not struck dumb with shock.

He recognized the beginning wings of the Hitilian Falcon on the flanks, the beak pressing the center. Each was headed by Mon Cala Cruisers, flanked by Nebula-Star Destroyers and followed by assault frigates, cruisers, gunships and wings of fighter craft. The beak itself was an MC-105 Mediator Battlecruiser, a match for the Ravager.

A grim smile parted his lips as he recognized the red designation markings of the Fifth Fleet, painted on the white hulls of the craft.

"Ironic, Ackbar. You made me at Jakku. Now you will do it again."

"Admiral?" Canady asked fretfully.

"Form the Line, Captain."

"Aye sir," he turned to bellow orders, "signal the fleet! Form a Battle Line!"

The orders were passed, and the men galvanized in quick succession. Twenty-four ships soon pressed into position with the Ravager anchoring the center; their Interdictor and the Falker Carrier in its shadow. The Finalizer, their second Resurgent, formed the right flank with the Victory-III's, while the Imperator-II's Conqueror and Vengeance formed the left; their contingent of Xyston frigates, Raider-III and Carrack-IIb's corvettes filling in the gaps.

In this minute long process, Hux couldn't help but watch the Conqueror and Vengeance in motion. Once, the modified Imperial-II's had been the pride of the Imperial Navy; the unwieldy hammers of the Tarkin Doctrine. Now, they came to represent Hux's vision and the First Order's more pragmatic view.

Gone were the exposed bridge and comm tower, and the wasteful hangar that had taken up a third of the ship. Even the bare keel, typical of Kauti design, had been made to mirror the top. Now it resembled a mace, the terraces of turbolasers, ion cannons and turbolasers it's flanges. Much as the Imperial-Class had been the symbol of the Empire's reliance on terror, the Imperator was the staple of First Order practicality.

"You may have me outnumbered again," Hux said softly, "but unlike before, I'll draw you out and finish you from the distance, here and now."

"Admiral!" his comm officer bellowed, "we are being hailed! Identification marks it as the NRS Intrepid, the Mediator Battlecruiser!"

"So, he is here," Canady said, "that's a funny coincidence."

"Destiny, Captain, not coincidence. And I would have it no other way. Lieutenant," he gestured, "bring our esteemed 'guest' on-screen."

"Aye sir."

A minute later, the expected face of Admiral Gial Ackbar of the New Republic Navy appeared, his amphibian face contorting into a snarl. "Ramius."

Hux could not help but smile. "Ackbar, my dear friend, what brings you out here with such armed company? In the middle of the Neutral Zone, nonetheless?"

Ackbar grimaced, "The answer lies to your left, Ramius. Or should I call you 'Grand Admiral', now? Congratulations on your promotion."

"I have you to thank for that, Ackbar. I was just a captain at Jakku when you displayed Admiral Jonson's incompetence. I merely stepped in where he failed."

"And here you are again, where you're not supposed to be."

Hux cocked his head at that, "I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning, Admiral. Ah, I forget, you're not an Admiral anymore, are you? Captain," he turned to Canady, "I believe there is a warrant for Ackbar's arrest, as well as those associated with him, is there not?"

"Aye sir, there is. On charges of sedition, suspected terrorism, theft of a naval battlegroup and attempting to spark a war with our government."

"Well then," Hux nodded, "A good chance that we are here, to serve out justice."

To Ackbar's credit, he was patient enough to let them finish and keep his composure. "And why are you here, Grand Admiral Hux of the First Order? You've already stated you weren't here for me."

"Did I say that? Canady, did I say something like that?"

"No sir, I don't think you did."

"'A good chance that we are here,' Ramius," Ackbar leaned forward in his seat and bore into Hux's eyes, "not less than an hour ago, the Antaran Ranger Base on Takodana, under Commodore Antilles' charge, was attacked by the pirate group known as the Crimson Corsairs."

"The Crimson Corsairs?" Hux said in mock surprise, "I do in fact believe we have a warrant for their arrest as well."

"I find that doubtful. You see, they assaulted the planet and stole a piece of a star map that leads to the Starforge, which is right over there," he pointed to his left, "and my analysts have confirmed that the trajectory of the Corsair's escape took them right into your territory. So, Grand Admiral, what are you doing here with such an armed company, in the middle of the Neutral Zone?"

Hux's face remained neutral, "Securing the Star Forge from the likes of you, Admiral. A rogue and renegade who is wanted by his own government. I find it humorous that the Father of the New Republic Navy is now a war criminal."

"That's not a denial, then?"

Hux smiled thinly, "Ackbar, consider your situation. Regardless if you win or lose here, you will lose in the end. You are a criminal, and it wouldn't take much to turn the galaxy against you. Attacking First Order personnel unprovoked? Seizing a superweapon? My friend, I would suggest you retreat and find some rock to hide under. The Forge belongs to the First Order, as is our right."

To his surprise, Ackbar smiled, "Thank you for that, Grand Admiral."

"Thank you for what?" then Hux looked directly behind Ackbar and his stomach dropped. Ackbar had recorded the entire conversation.

"You cheeky fishman," Hux growled before he ordered, "cut the feed, now!"

"It's too la-" The Mon Calamari got out before the line went dead, followed by a heavy silence on the bridge by the implications of what had just happened. Of what shouldn't have happened.

Hux was the first to break the silence, "Send a message to Command, Captain. Tell them 'Hosnia.'"

Canady paled at the name, but nodded. "Yes sir. In the meantime, what do we do about Ackbar?"

"Our orders were to secure the Forge, and that's what we're going to do."

"Sir," his comms officer reported, "we've detected shuttle launches from the enemy fleet! They're heading towards the Forge!"

"How many?"

"Enough for a few companies, sir."

"Very well then," Hux nodded, "inform Lord Mechos and Kylo that they're about to have company, and that they should hurry up whatever they're doing," he turned Canady, "begin deploy additional boarders to the Forge, and signal the fleet. We attack."

"Yes sir."

"Now, Ackbar," he turned back to the space ahead, where the enemy approached, "shall we begin?"

The rocking shuttle strangely gave Finn a sense of deja vu. Not a week ago, he was riding in a craft not too unlike this, in the company of armed men, highlighted in the red hues of the overhead light; all to secure something pivotal to the galaxy's fate. That sensation deepened as Colonel Miranda Nero's voice came over the general line:

"First Division, you know why we're here. We've stumbled onto something the Wannabe's are so keen for, that they're about to kick the galaxy in just to get their hands on it. Well, gentlemen, we're not going to let them have it. We will take this station from them, even if we have kill every last buckethead there. Your officers will give you the rest of your orders once we hit the ground. That is all."

The shuttle's turbulence kicked into high gear as they closed in on their target, almost to emphasize the Colonel's point.

"You heard her, ladies!" the Kuron Platoon Sergeant Avery snapped, "This is where we're gonna show those purple-belly sons of mynoks that they could not have picked a worse enemy than the glorious Fightin' First! We are gonna blow the hell out of those wannabes 'till we ain't got anything left to shoot at! And if that fails, we'll beat the hell out of them with sticks and fling 'em out into space!"

"Well said, sergeant," the Corellian Lieutenant Aldo smirked, "I expect an Imp helmet and or skull from each and every one of you. And I expect to get plenty by the end of the day!"

"OORAH!" the Troopers chanted.

Finn couldn't help but feel a strange sense of guilt at all this. When he saved Poe all those days ago, it had been because he could not let the man die. Ironically, his conscience had brought the galaxy to this: a soon-to-come war not seen since the Clone Wars.

It made him wonder how things might've gone if he hadn't made that single choice, but he didn't bother. He made his choice, and he would make the best of it. Now, he had his mission, and as he pressed his mind against the mist of the Forge's presence, that mission became clear.

"They're here," he said to Han, "both of them."

"Both?" he replied, his voice and expression strangely unclear to Finn, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Rey is aboard, as is Kylo Ren. I don't know where exactly yet, but they're somewhere in the upper gantries, probably close to the bridge if I had to guess. I… I also sense someone else. Someone powerful and strange. I don't know who it is yet."

"'Can you mind-talk to Rey, let her know we're here?'" Chewbacca growled. Finn shook his head.

"I can't. Whatever power this Forge has, it's far greater than mine. It's like trying to see through fog."

"Then we'll have to do this the old fashion way," Han replied as keyed his mike, "Colonel Nero, this is Solo. We have intelligence that Jedi Katarn and an unknown number of enemy Force-Users are aboard the station. Yes Colonel, I'm sure. I'll need a team to-thank you, Colonel."

"We're approaching the target, troopers!" the pilot's voice rang out over the intercom, "2 mikes, over!"

"Pilot," Han replied, "we're taking a detour. Get us up to the upper hangars."

Finn felt the craft turn as Lieutenant Aldo asked the obvious.

"Gentlemen," Han said as he switched over to the general frequency, "we're going on a rescue mission, and you're coming with."

"What's the catch?" a Zabrak Corporal asked.

"There are Red Blades aboard."

"Good!" a Mon Cala Private shouted, "Finally get something to shoot at!"

"1 mike!" the pilot called, "Get ready to get busy!"

The response was a last second bustle of men checking each others equipment. Weapon slaps, detonator primes, comm checks, and armor adjustment. Finn felt himself instinctually falling right in; checking his F-11's power back, his spares, his gear, his helmet NetSinc, and finally his lightsaber.

The latter got the boats attention as he ignited its sapphire blade and gave the weapon a methodical look over. The men stared at him with awe and a little confusion, he noticed. He never asked and never would, though he suspected they knew he was a defector or a trainee, though perhaps not both.

One of the Troopers, a grinning Rodian, held up a spoon. "Bend this."

"Don't tempt me," Finn smirked, deigniting his saber and clipping it on his hip, "I'll do worse."

They laughed at the bluff, and for the first time Finn really got a look at them. While the First Order wasn't exclusive to the more closely related humanoids, namely Chiss, Echani, Pantorian and Mirialan, the New Republic took that logic much further. Though he knew the First Infantry Division was particular in this, considering it prided itself in recruiting from the best, regardless of their species.

Finn expected the Quartermaster's job to be a nightmare to requisition all the necessary specialized gear, especially the different shaped and sized helmets.

"Thirty seconds!" the pilot called.

"Stand up!" Lieutenant ordered, the Troopers unstrapping themselves, "Masks on!" This was followed by them strapping their rebreather masks, which Finn, Han and Chewbacca followed suit.

"Safeties off!" Avery shouted as they suddenly felt a strange sensation followed by the crackle of ozone. Finn guessed they'd passed the hangar's shield gate, though he found it strange it was there instead of a solid plate.

Finn was about to mention when Han nodded. "I know, kid. I was wondering about that, too. It's almost like it's letting us on."

"'I'd wager Rey had something to do with that," Chewbacca growled.

Their thoughts were cut short as they felt a jarring thump as they touched down. The light turned from red to green and the ramp dropped down. The thunder of boots followed as the platoon of troops roared into the ancient hangar. Quickly, they established a perimeter with blasters trained in every direction for any hostiles.

It was a little disappointing when nothing but the dim, quiet hangar was the only thing to greet them. After a minute to see what would come creeping out of the shadows, Aldo popped on the general channel:

"Alright folks, let's not stand around here. Aurex and Besh, establish a perimeter here and get this place comfy. Cresh, get our probers and gear unpacked. Dorn, see about getting that door opened."

"Let's move it, people!" Avery added, "Wanted this done yesterday!"

As the men rushed into activity, Aldo held up a hand to his comm and nodded. "Solo, the Colonel reports they've landed in their areas and have encountered no resistance yet. Scouts are reporting' that the layout seems to match old records of this thing's sister station."

"If that be the case," Han replied, pointing ahead, "then the bridge will be that way. As soon as we're settled, we need to move out."

"Dorn'll be making our scouting efforts," Avery replied, "you can go with 'em, if you want, Mr. Solo."

"Fair enough," he turned to Finn, "can you feel where they are?"

"I have a general direction, sir, but everything is still foggy. It'll get clearer as we get closer."

"Right. You're on point, kid."

Poe was no stranger to large scale fleet engagements but this was something entirely different. The looming First Order warships cut imposing figures in the space kilometers ahead, and Poe couldn't really be blamed for feeling a cold sweat crawl down his spine. Especially at the sight of the twin Resurgent Battlecruisers bearing down on them.

"Look at the size of those things!" Black Two said over the mike, followed by Black Four's, "I think we should've brought more ships!"

"Cut the chatter everybody!" Poe said over the general channel as he gunned his thrusters, leading his squadron into fighting position. Four other squadrons T-70 X-Wings followed him in, flanking the K-Wing bombers who took point.

Based on his experiences against First Order fighter doctrine, as well as the Battle over Takodana hours earlier, Poe had suggested keeping the better armored and armed bombers equipped with their flak guns at the point of formation, and Antilles agreed. To the far sides of the wing, squadrons of Rz-3 A-Wings lay in wait and in reserve.

They were waiting for their true targets to emerge.

"Alright gentlemen," the Old Man's voice echoed in his ear, "the Wannabes are gonna be pressing us any second now. Hold the line and keep your guts in, otherwise this battle's over before it gets started."

Poe nodded, his eyes running around the massive formations of capital ships. Ackbar had moved the Intrepid to command the left wing, placing it on the far length of it while the MC-90's covered its center with Rendili-IV's and CR-95's. Vice Admiral Etahn A'baht meanwhile commanded the right from his Nebula Star Destroyer, The Dornean Bane, with a pair of MC-95's and support craft.

That left the middle, with the Old Man commanding from the Kenobi, supported by the Destroyer Invincible, a trio of MC-50c Frigates and a pair of CR-95 Corvettes. Officially, their mission was to anchor the line and guard the Endurance-Carrier Dodana, which was unloading shuttle craft to the Forge, as well as their Interdictor Phalanx. Without being told though, Poe knew what the real reason was, especially as Hux drew his forces up in a line with his big guns in the middle.

The thought made him cold, but he pushed that aside as someone shouted, "Fighters incoming!"

Sure enough, a massive cloud of black and red emerged from a carrier deep in the back of the enemy line. His sensors were going haywire trying to count them out, with at least hundreds of them diverting into three groups. The biggest one was pouring in like a swarm of angry hornets straight for their line.

Poe pressed his mind head, and found nothing there. He switched to the general frequency, "Those are Droid Fighters, Blue Leader! Don't let these punks scare you! There's a lot of 'em, but they ain't got shields and they're dumb as bolts. Stick to the bombers and keep 'em off their backs!"

"Roger that, Black Leader!" the other squadron leaders reported as the X-Wings spread out in an arrow formation.

"Silver Leader here!" the Bomber chief reported, "Flak guns locked and loaded!"

"Incoming fire!" someone shouted as the vacuum ahead turned emerald as a torrent of plasma roared out across the line. Shields buckled and dazzled as the First Order fleet engaged outside the fleet's range. Only the Intrepid was able to exchange fire with the Resurgent ahead, before the the left wing took up the slack.

The moment it did, the pair of Resurgents opened fire on the center. Behind him, the CR-95 Avenger was almost immediately crippled with one of its battery wings blown off. Kenobi and Invincible pressed forward, shielding Avenger and its sister Dauntless from the withering fire as their own shields shimmered and danced.

Poe was just glad it hadn't turned those guns on his squadrons. Unlike the Destroyers, they wouldn't have survived that.

"Commander," the Old Man said in his ear, "we need to press forward and bring our guns into range. Advance forward, we'll keep those two off you."

"Aye sir," Poe replied, "all craft, set S-Foils to attack position! Let's take it to their teeth!"

All around him, the X-Wings assumed their namesake's posture, gunning their engines as the K-Wings charged forward. Behind him, the rest of the fleet advanced, the MC-50c Cruisers with their longer range torpedo launchers already sending munitions forward.

Ahead, the screaming cloud charged.

"Here they come!" Red Leader shouted as Poe's vision as the K-Wings opened fire with their flank guns. Micro-explosions ripped out across the line as debris deed the rest. The entire swarm bobbed and weaved about like insectoids, the sight unnerving to Poe as they swung round to charge to fill the void with emerald fire.

The X-Wing's drew first, firing their canister shots followed by volley's of blaster fire that tore a hole through the center of the swarm. Within seconds though, Poe's vision was consumed by plasma fire impacting his shields, the energy flaring and sparkling as he dove to avoid being rammed.

"Disperse! Disperse! Disperse!" he said in his mic as three more came after him. Everywhere he turned, the droids were swarming over his pilots. A K-Wing suddenly exploded as it took several craft through its underbelly. Screams killed his channel. He looked left and an X-Wing went tailspinning as its wing was sheared off.

"'POE!'" BB-8's shrill binary echoed in his comm, "'Stay focused-gah!'"

Poe swung round to see his shields flaring and BB-8 whirling around to see what hit him. With a growl, Poe banked left with droids following him. Ahead, he saw droid fighters chasing Lu'lu and Snap straight towards them.

"Swap, Black Leader?" Lu'lu asked.

"Deal, Black Two."

He banked down, they rose up, and they tore each others pursuits to ribbons. Below, Silver Squadron had rallied around in a tight roaming formation, channeling their firepower together to shred the incoming Strikers as they attempted to close in.

"All squadrons, rally up!" Poe ordered, "K-Wings, form into Reek Flocks! X-Wings, Wolf Packs!"

The strategy was simple. The K-Wings would anchor the line and the X-Wings would ring them, forcing the Strikers to either run the gauntlet or retreat. Despite the panic of chatter and more fighters and bombers taken out of action, the defensive line was formed and they began to tear through the enemy line.

Above, the devastating fire from the Resurgents was met with Crimson. Poe looked back, seeing the Kenobi and Invincible exchanging fire with the enemy, the MC-50c's plugging the gaps as the Avenger and Dauntless swung under to fire directly into the underbelly of the Strikers. Caught in the middle, the Droid swarm acted like a screen and the droids were caught in a logic loop Poe's pilots took advantage of.

The vacuum was clogged with debris as the tightly packed Strikers were dwindling. However, for every one they destroyed, three more appeared and another fighter was taken out of action.

"Incoming!" a Bomber reported, "11 O'Clock high!"

"3 O'Clock low!" someone else shouted. Poe checked his readings and he saw them: the three winged Defenders followed by looming Punisher bombers. Crimson, sapphire and emerald bolts roared out like witch spells, tearing into Poe's formations as others closed in with the Avenger and Dauntless below.

Several fighters to his right went up in micro-explosions, others smoking as they were chased away. Fire suddenly sprouted from his left engines as Defender dove above and past him, his panel light's flaring.

"'I got it!'" BB-8 replied, hitting the flames with nitrogen, "'Keep shooting!'"

Another Defender charged the line and Poe gunned his engines, coming under and hitting him blaster fire and seeker missiles. The Imp's shields flared, one of the wings tearing off as smoke trailed behind. Before Poe could finish him off, another Defender closed in from the side and engaged. Poe felt him coming and pulled up, swinging over the Defender as a fighter from Blue Squadron engaged him.

Now flying upside down, Poe looked below. The Dauntless and Avenger were being pummeled as the Strikers kept the fighters from supporting, the Dauntless suffering catastrophic damage and free floating.

"Yellow, Green and Tan Squadron!" Poe ordered, and out from the back field the squadrons of A-Wings tore straight through the murading TIE's. Rather than engaging in dog fighting like their cousins, the A-Wings performed slashing meanuvers; flying and shooting straight through the enemy formations before swinging around to do it again.

The TIE Defenders were more than a match for the X-Wings and the Punisher's could give the K-Wings a run for their money, but neither could match the speed of the A-Wings as they slowly dwindled the enemy line.

"Wannabe's shoulda brought 'Ceptors!" Lu'lu cackled, "Ain't a candle to A-Wings, but they'd help! Gah!"

"More shooting, less jaw jacking there, Black Two!" Snap called back. As Poe swung round, one of the MC-50c's suddenly exploded from the front as its magazine detonated. Smoke trailed from it's blown front, pieces slamming into everything else surrounding it.

"Black Leader!" Antilles called out, "Take your squadrons out for a run on those Star Destroyers! The A-Wings can handle screening!"

"Rogo, Sir!" Poe switched back to his flight channel, "Black Leader to Black, Blue and Silver! Form up, we're going on a run!"

Antilles grimaced as the Kneobi's shields and hull buckled under the enemy onslaught. If the Nebulas hadn't been built specifically to deal with bigger ships like this, and if the Ravagers weren't forced to deviate every now and then to exchange shots with the Intrepid… he didn't finish that thought.

"Helmsman, bring us for at mark-4-0 and angle us 19 degrees," he ordered, "I want as much of our firepower going into those bruisers ahead and off the Dauntless and Avenger."

"Aye aye, sir. Moving to mark-4-0 and angling 19 degrees!"

Antilles pulled up his battlegroup comm, "Invincible, move your craft over mark-2-9. We're gonna try and catch those Droid fighters in a crossfire. Dodana, move to mark-5-5 and see if you can extract Dauntless and Whaladon, and provide whatever support you can to the Avenger. Karakana and Moappa, withdraw to mark-3 and stay in our shadow. We've already lost the-"

He was suddenly thrown forward as the Kenobi took another hit, smoke trailing from the port view.

"Sir, port deck 3 through 5 have suffered heavy damage and are leaking atmo!"

"Seal them off and divert reserve power to forward shields. We need to keep the enemy's view on us!"

"Commodore," his comms officer report, "enemy signals at the front. I am picking up eight in total and they are moving forward. The Resurgents are repositioning!"

Antilles gave a satisfied smile. "They're taking the bait. Get me Ackbar and A'baht."

"Aye sir."

Ten seconds later and another rocking impact, the Mon Calamari and Dornean Admirals appeared, the latter's bull-dog face creasing sharply as he looked past Antilles.

"We see it, Wedge," A'baht barked, "and I see something else, too. That second Resurgents' moving over to try and flank your position. I've got the right wing tied down, so they're not moving in to support him."

Antilles nodded. "If I draw him out further, could you exploit the hole?"

"Most definitely. I'll tear right through to their Interdictor if I can. But I'm gonna need that second Resurgent tied down or I'm gonna be in a world of trouble."

"I'll handle Hux," Ackbar replied, the glint of vengeance in his bulbous eyes, "he owes me for Home One."

Suddenly, his comms officer interrupted. "Sir, Black Leader's force has breached the enemy line! They are running their attack-run on the port Resurgent!"

Monitors zoomed in and brought the resulting battle into focus. The X-Wings and K-Wings danced across the surface of the Battlecruser, pelting it with ion and proton torpedos. Some of the craft were brought down by the point defense grid, but Poe kept his pilots tight, organized and constantly running.

"Good man, Dameron," Ackbar grinned, "softening up Hux for me," then his eyes bulged, "wait, where are Hux's escort fighters?"

Antilles scrutinized the image. There was a squadron of what Finn had referred to as "Fleet Defender" craft chasing Dameron around, but most of them were going to shore up the right flank. Then he saw what was coming out of the middle and his blood froze.

The Lancer Frigate had been the Empire's underutilized response to the Alliance's starfighter superiority. Essentially a stubby box with engines strapped on and filled to the brim with gunnery towers and point defense lasers, they had been the one and only ship then Commander Wedge Antilles feared. To his eye, all the First Order did was strap even more guns on it and that Resurgent brought a pair of them.

"Signal Black Leader! Get him the hell out of there!"

But it was already too late. The first Lancer rose over the Resurgent's deck line to engage Poe's squadrons directly, while the second swung under it to catch them in a crossfire. The effect was utterly devastating, like a pair of Rancors tearing into a herd of Nerfs. Half of Blue Squadron was neutralized in seconds, with two from Black Squadron and another from Silver going up in flames.

Immediately, Poe swung his squadrons to the right of the craft to get away from the second Lancer and attempt to engage the first. However brave, the fighter jockeys stood no chance. More fighters and another K-Wing were taken out, their remains floating out in vacuum.

The remaining K-Wings finally closed in and unleashed their payloads of missiles and torpedoes, the Lancer replying with its own. The screening effect sorted out most of the arsenal but the few that got through smacked the boxy frigate about as smoke trailed from across its stern. Before they could finish it off however, the second Lancer appeared and Poe scattered his forces to try and escape.

Wedge's eyes traced right. More of the First Order's center line appeared, with what looked like Raider Corvette's and to his surprise greatly up armored and armed Nebulon Frigates. While they were like moving in to shore up the Resurgents' flanks, their presence for the trapped pilots was like them running headlong into a wall. Wedge knew the pilots weren't going to last much longer, then his eyes lit up.

"Admiral A'bhat, get your forces ready to pounce. I'm about to draw that center line off-kilter. Ackbar, I want you to feint a flanking maneuver on your end."

"Done," the admiral's said as the line cut. Wedge quickly passed orders throughout his battlegroup, moving them forward portside to engage Hux's center line from a flanking posture. Under the withering fire of the Battlecruisers, they did exactly that while Ackbar meanwhile pressed his own forces forward to force a flank.

The result was two fold, though the first was immediate. As soon as the Kenobi and the two remaining MC-50c's were in range, they engaged the pursuing Lancer and crippled it within seconds. The accompanying Resurgents response was to cripple the Karakana, forcing Invincible to come its aid and shield it from further attack.

Kenobi pressed it's attack, targeting the enemy's frigates and corvettes. This drew their attention away from Dameron's squadrons and they quickly made their escape back towards their lines.

"Dodana, prepare to receive and refit survivors from-" his ship suddenly took another critical hit, the lights flickering out as the Battlecruisers struck them again.

"Status report!"

"I'm reading power losses all over the ship, sir!" a deck officer reported, "Shields are reading critical! We can't take much more of this!"

"We just have to hold out a little longer," he pulled down his mic, "Invincible, move forward to mark-3-4, and engage that portside Resurgent. We need to draw out the starboard one and get it to attack."

There was a likelihood that plan was going to get Invincible destroyed, but they didn't have a choice. The second Nebula charged the line, pouring fire into center formation while also exposing a hole in the formation. It took a minute of the Invincible being battered before it finally happened: the second Resurgent along with its support craft pushed forward to exploit the gap and flank them.

The enemy's right flank attempted to move forward to seal the hole in the battle line, but Admiral A'bhat's battlegroup was already pressing the advantage. The MC-95's and The Dornean Bane formed into an arrowhead while their support craft drew up into a column behind them, rushing the enemy line and punching clean through.

With a single mistake and counter, they had cleaved Hux's fabled Battle Line in two. Before that mistake could be rectified, Ackbar's left wing swung around and drove right into the gap between Hux's left flank and center Battlecruiser. The Mon Cal Cruisers performed spinning broadsides as they charged, rotating on their axis' to prevent concentrated firings as well as unleashing all of their own weapons in continuous barrages.

Hux's left flank buckled, the Intrepid peeling off to engage the Ravager directly first in an exchange of point firing and then with broadsides as it came around. The Ravager was shy to the challenge, turning on its central axis to keep its own weapons pouring shot and after shot into the Intrepid's hull. Soon, smoke and micro-explosions dotted the fuselage of both craft, and Antilles took his chance.

"This is Commodore Antilles to Battlegroup Besh. Charge the line and engage that center line!"

Kenobi and Invincible took the front while the Moappa and the still fighting Karakana kept the center support craft busy. Within minutes, the Nebulas closed in and began pouring fire into the exposing port of The Ravager as it spun to keep the Intrepid from breaching the line. The result was soon a crippled engine port that sputtered and died in place.

Antilles gave a satisfied smile. This was the winning blow and he had struck it. While they had taken heavy losses of their own, the fleet had managed to break the enemy line and soon would pry it apart. It may take minutes or even an hour, but the battle was won.

From deep inside the Forge, Rey had been running almost aimlessly across the dizzying maze of the stations interior until she chanced upon an upper observation deck. From there, she had watched the final proceedings of the engagement outside. The sight of the Kenobi crippling the Battlecruiser brought a smile to her face as she couldn't help but feel juvination at this.

From behind her, a service door opened and strangely a bronze colored Protocol Droid stepped out. At first, Rey wasn't sure what this was until she saw the stamped sigil of the station on its breastplate.

"You're learning. Though where'd you get the schematics to make that? Those didn't exist in your time."

To her surprise, the Droid answered in Basic. "I scanned it from the database of the navigation droid that came from your ship. I felt it more appropriate considering its superior linguistic capabilities."

"I see, and you've also learned Basic?"

"Learning. Much in thanks to your contemporaries. Strange company they are, but intriguing as you are."

"Well, thanks. I have something to show you then," she beckoned the droid over, "look out there at the battle."

She suspected it was monitoring everything that was going on, even with its limited power, but she wanted to make the point.

"You asked me earlier why you should side with the Jedi and the New Republic over the Sith. So I'm giving you another reason, station. We are winning this battle. If you side with us now, we can end this pointless killing."

"It is a fair reason..." the droid answered, pausing for a long stretch before it said, "if it were true."

"I don't understand. You can see for yourself-"

"The battle isn't over yet, Rey Katarn, Jedi Knight."

At first, she considered pointing out the obvious, but she understood that the Forge was a logical being and didn't think like that. If it said the battle wasn't over, then it was because it was seeing something she wasn't.

"Explain."

"I do not need to," the droid pointed ahead and Rey's blood ran cold. Enemy ships suddenly appeared in the back lines of the New Republic fleet, somehow slipping over the entire engagement and past the natural exit directional vector. They shouldn't have been able to do that.

Stranger still, they had dropped out of hyperspace almost like they had been torn out. Yet, it was not with the haphazardness that came with Interdiction fields. These had been controlled exit vectors, almost like pulling the e-brake on a speeder. The worst was saved for last however as from the immaterium out slipped the dagger-shaped form of an enemy dreadnought.

"Oh Force," she gasped, "oh Force."

"As I said, Rey Katarn, Jedi Knight, the battle isn't over."

Author's notes

Hey everybody, this is JSailer and Squasher. We apologize for the very late submission, but due to a number of school projects being due this week as well as the sheer complexity of trying to plan out this battle necessitated the chapter being published late. As a note, we will be moving our publishing dates to Tuesday. We either publish (depending upon if we get the next chapter done sooner or later) on March 3rd or 10th.

We want to thank Terminator-57, Kamen Rider Raika, Alexeij, and Guest for your reviews. Sorry about disappointing you on your prediction, Guest (though I have to admit I hadn't heard of Keyan Farlander prior to your comment).