Star Wars: War for the Outer Rim

by IgnusDei

It has been weeks since the destruction of Starkiller Base, but an undaunted First Order begins a blitzkrieg that will bring the outer rim territories to their knees, while the Republic struggles to maintain order in the core without leadership. The Resistance, about to be overwhelmed by the remnants of the Empire, is aided by none other than the Republic's greatest foe...

8. Episode 7: The Battle of Charon Belt 3

STAR WARS:

WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM

EPISODE 7

THE BATTLE OF CHARON'S BELT, PART 3

Written by IgnusDei

Spellcheck by WarpObscura

---

"War is not violence for its own sake. It is the art of applying just enough controlled violence
to achieve a purpose... not to simply to kill your enemy, no, but to make him do what you want him to do."

-Grand Admiral Thrawn

---

EXT - CHARON SYSTEM, ASTEROID BELT - SPACE

TRACK a multitude of errant asteroids, making their way towards the RESISTANCE FLEET...

INT - RADDUS , BRIDGE - SPACE

At the SENSOR OPERATOR'S STATION, TAM DRADIS watches in horror as countless sensor contacts appear on his screens, approaching from the RESISTANCE FLEET'S starboard side on a collision course!

TAM DRADIS [yelling]
Asteroid storm incoming!
Thirty seconds to impact!

ACKBAR [yelling]
Set condition red across the fleet!

Holographic strips of red light blink across the bridge, while alarm klaxons scream across the ship.

LEIA [yelling]
NAVIGATOR! ARE WE CLEAR?!

NAVIGATOR
STILL CLEAR!

LEIA
THEN GET US OUT OF HERE!

NAVIGATOR AND HELMSMAN
AYE AYE!

The ship's helm confirms the fleet's Navcoms are synched, and begin entering hyperspace. The pseudomotion of the the stars begins, causing them to stretch into infinity... and snap back into little dots of light as red warning holograms appear all over the CONSOLES of the SENSOR OPERATOR, NAVIGATOR and HELMSMAN.

LEIA
WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
HAVE WE BEEN SABOTAGED AGAIN?!

NAVIGATOR
NO, THERE'S A MASS SHADOW SIXTY KLICKS
IN FRONT OF US! OUR NAVCOMS REFUSE TO JUMP THROUGH IT!

TAM DRADIS
ASTEROIDS WILL IMPACT IN FIFTEEN SECONDS!

ACKBAR
[to the GUNNERY OFFICER]
READY STARBOARD GUNS!

EXT - CHARON SYSTEM, RESISTANCE FLEET - SPACE

CLOSE UP of the RADDUS's starboard blisters as they open up to reveal bank after bank of its mighty heavy turbolasers and ion cannons.

ACKBAR [radio]
ALL SHIPS, FORMATION DELTA!
SCRAMBLE EVERYTHING WITH BOMBS AND TORPEDOES!
CONCENTRATE ALL FIREPOWER ON
THE STARBOARD SIDE AND BLOW THOSE
ROCKS TO OBLIVION!

WIDE SHOT of the fleet as its formation shifts, allowing for maximum coverage of its ships' starboard guns and turrets. As X-wings, Y-wings, Jackal bombers and various other strike craft scramble, the Resistance fleet's cruisers unleash a barrage of blaster fire at the incoming rocks, prioritizing the larger ones first. The ones that don't break apart slow down, only to be pushed forward by the momentum of the rocks behind them.

ACKBAR [radio]
Support ships to the port side of the formation!
All tractor beam crews, support your gunners!
Buy them some time!

The MERCY and several cargo barges move as ordered, fully clearing the starboard firing arcs of the RADDUS's guns and positioning the enormous warship between themselves and the oncoming tide of rocks. The RADDUS's turbolasers roar as they spit mass-infused photon bursts that impact against a huge asteroid, causing it to crack and finally burst into six pieces. The heavy cruisers - the fleet's heavy hitters - join in, firing at smaller targets on direct collision courses with a ship.

The tide of rocks is kept at bay, but just barely: a couple of corvettes are smashed into pieces, their hulls spitting out crew moments before their power cores explode.

INT - RADDUS , BRIDGE - SPACE

KAYDELL [yelling]
The Kushiban and the Chu'la are lost!

TAM DRADIS [yelling]
Anomaly is expanding! Mass Shadow is the size of a damned moon!

LEIA [angry]
What's causing it?!
An interdictor?!

SENSOR [shocked]
... A wormhole.

ACKBAR
...That's impossible.

EXT - CHARON SYSTEM, RESISTANCE FLEET - SPACE

[1]

A bubble of glistening shadow, wreathed in dim flames, forms and expands, distorting the light of the stars around even as it faintly reflects the fleet and its cannon blasts. Suddenly, the surface of the sphere ripples and bubbles, and the sculpted silver prow of an alien vessel, shaped as an eyeless beast baring its teeth as it bites a horse bit, emerges

TAM DRADIS [voice over]
There's a ship coming through!
Heavy cruiser displacement...
mass reading keeps fluctuating!

The alien vessel emerges from the spherical void, and its full shape is revealed - a fusion of a hammerhead shark and a whale, clad in finely-decorated black biometal. Its lack of fins is made up for with arrays of glossair rings, and a small city made up of towers is on its back.

This is the ALEKSANDR, a Kuyutha - a living ship, born out of Valendian science built upon what remained of the ancient Yuuzhan Vong... and CEADEUS REN's WARSHIP.

The sphere vanishes behind it, and the ALEKSANDR begins to move forward.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

CLOSE UP of the ALEKSANDR's hologram on the central holotable, with ACKBAR's face in the background, out of focus. It quickly approaches the holographic icons of the fleet, and passes through the picket line of corvettes, uninterested

FOCUS on ACKBAR's face, frowning.

ACKBAR
I've never seen anything like it...
[to TAM]
I need more data!

TAM [nervous]
Readings are all over the place!
The only constants... high armour density!

LEIA
That's all?!

TAM [nervous]
No visible weapons, no shield readings...
Wait... WAIT! The Mass Shadow, the source...
[realizing]
...it's that ship!

LEIA
Take it out, and we're clear to escape!

ACKBAR
Send the Rieekan and the Paragon to engage the alien interdictor!
[to the GUNNERY CHIEF]
Open the forward blisters!

EXT - RESISTANCE FLEET, RADDUS - SPACE

Four blisters at the prow of the RADDUS open, revealing the four mouths of its spinal turbolaser cannons, each with a lens ten meters wide. The lenses gather energy...

ACKBAR [off-screen]
Set for maximum range...

CLOSE UP of one of the lenses as the light inside of it shifts from red to blue...

ACKBAR [off-screen]
FIRE!

Four javelins of blue light burst out of the spinal turbolasers towards the ALEKSANDR headed straight at its prow. In response, a giant mandala of golden light appears in front of the alien craft, just before the four turbolaser shots hit. The javelins flatten, turning into fireballs as they attempt to break through this strange shield... until they fade into nothing.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

GUNNERY CHIEF
Direct hit!... no visible damage!

ACKBAR
Maximum power!
Fire at will!
Take that monster out!

EXT - RADDUS, PROW - SPACE

The lenses turn yellow, and unleash yellow-white beams. The ALEKSANDR'S mysterious shields absorb those, as well.

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

A MARK II ASSAULT FRIGATE and an MC30c FRIGATE (the PARAGON and the RIEEKAN, respectively) move in to engage the ALEKSANDR as it absorbs turbolaser hit after turbolaser hit from the RADDUS's main guns. Once in close range, the PARAGON opens up on the ALEKSANDR with its Clone Wars-era laser beam cannons, while the Frigate fires a salvo of assault proton torpedoes. Two mandalas appear on the ALEKSANDR'S flank, right in the path of pillars of energy spat out by the PARAGON's hull trench. The Torpedoes are crushed by an invisible hand, and don't even explode.

The ALEKSANDR grumbles, the low roar of a giant, angered tiger...

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

TAM
Sir! The Mass Shadow is growing!
Power readings of the alien ship are spiking!
I think... I think it's absorbing
the energy from our attacks!

ACKBAR
[to the Gunnery Chief]
Cease fire!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

Two dozen more mandalas appear around the Aleksandr, each one host to a growing sphere of gold plasma. As they grow brighter they all sing an eldritch note, the sound of a choir of fallen angels doomed to sing but a single note that turns into a scream as the miniature suns explode into showers of plasma lances. Each spear is aimed at a ship in range, but the PARAGON and the RIEEKAN take the brunt of it the attack. The former almost loses its forward shields, while the latter's starboard barriers hold out barely long enough to survive. The RIEEKAN takes a hit to the hull, somewhere non-critical, to the relief of its crew.

INT - PARAGON, BRIDGE - SPACE

Sitting at the captain's seat of the PARAGON's CIC, the assault frigate's commander barks orders at his crew. Much like the Raddus, the entire bridge is on alert, strips of red light blinking in alarm as the crew try to keep their cool facing down a alien ship of frightening power...

PARAGON CAPTAIN
Divert shield power forward!
Keep our front arc safe!

CLOSE UP of the PARAGON's holographic shield display as three circular arcs around the ship's silhouette shrink, while the arc in front grows brighter...

PARAGON CAPTAIN
Fire again!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

The PARAGON and the ALEKSANDR trade photons and plasma, until the latter's non-physical plasma launchers turn into another configuration of symbols and lines.

ACKBAR [radio]
Paragon! Stop firing, it's a TRAP!

The plasma beams lance out sideways, seemingly aimed away from the PARAGON...

...and they bend, bypassing the PARAGON's reinforced forward shield and hitting the bare flanks! The PARAGON erupts into flames, but the ALEKSANDR isn't finished: manipulating the MASS SHADOW, the living ship SEIZES the PARAGON with the FORCE, causing the Assault Frigate's hull to buckle and tear...

INT - PARAGON, BRIDGE - SPACE

The captain watches in horror as his ship tears itself apart all around him

PARAGON'S CAPTAIN [panicking]
Raddus! Help us! Oh, stars! PLEASE! HELP US!
[screaming in horror]
HELP US!

The air is sucked out...

EXT - PARAGON - SPACE

... as the Paragon is torn in two, cutting the captain's and his crew's horrible screams short. After all, screams don't travel through empty space.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

The bridge crew looks on in horror as the two burning halves of the ship drift away from each other, trailing burning debris and corpses. Once again, LEIA feels their deaths, and struggles to contain her grief, grasping her chest...

KAYDELL
That... that was one of our best cruisers...

TAM
The Rieekan is disengaging...
enemy is ignoring it!

ACKBAR
Of course. It's us it's after...

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

The Aleksandr accelerates towards its prey: the RADDUS. Its biometal shell opens around its torso, exposing wide metal ribs that part to allow the launching of an entire wing of black-and-silver fighter craft that resemble gun-towers propelled - and protected - by glossair rings. They look alien, though not like the ALEKSANDR: These craft look like they came straight out of some backwater world's Industrial Age, and only made space worthy by virtue of magicks fused with technology.

These are the Draklor Type 56 REMORA fighters, found and restored by the GLADIATORS OF REN to serve as the ALEKSANDR's guardians against enemy strike craft.

As the seventy REMORAS are unleashed, their glossair rings spinning with light, the ALEKSANDR lets out a long, strangely metallic wail of victory, a gravitic burst that rumbles across the void of space and resounds through the hulls of the fleet...

INT - RESISTANCE MEDICAL CRUISER "MERCY" , PHYSIOTHERAPY WARD - SPACE

...including the MERCY's. POE is being helped out of an exercise machine by NURSE CHANI, and when he hears the sound an expression of horror and recognition crawls over his face.

FINN [frightened]
Oh no, I know that sound... POE!

Just then, an asteroid hits the MERCY... it's not enough to destroy it, but the entire ship is shaken by the impact. FINN loses his balance and falls to the ground, and is quickly helped up by Nurse Chani. He tries to walk, but she holds him still.

FINN
Take me to Poe!

CHANI
You're a patient!
I have to get you to a safety pod!

FINN [pleading]
I need to talk to him, it's important, please!

INT - RESISTANCE MEDICAL CRUISER "MERCY", SLEEP POD ROOM - SPACE

FINN and CHANI enter the room, where they find POE still in his sleep pod, amidst others arrayed upright into the wall. The rest of the room, however, is vacant - the others were taken out of their pods by the alarms, and have gone to man their stations. CHANI strides towards POE's sleep pod's controls...

CHANI [shocked]
Oh, stars! Someone bypassed the safety protocols!
These settings... they'll kill him!

FINN [worried]
Can you get him out?!

CHANI takes out a security key from her pocket and plugs it into the machine. With admin access, she shuts down the pod's systems and manually cycles an emergency lever to force open the pod. FINN grabs POE as he falls forward, and tries to shake him awake, but the pilot is still affected by the pod's light radiation treatment...

POE [slurring]
Mom...

CHANI examines him.

CHANI [diagnosing]
Dilated pupils, slurred speech...

Before FINN can say anything, CHANI is already pressing an stimulant injector gun into POE's neck. POE's eyes open wide, his pupils contracting as melatonin receptor agonists are flushed out of his brain by neurochemical boosters.

POE [high on stims]
WHOA I'M REALLY HUNGRY!
[sees CHANI]
Hellooo, nurse!
[sees FINN]
Hellooo, Finn...

The ship is rocked again, and alarm klaxons alert the crew and patients of the danger.

MERCY'S CAPTAIN [over intercom]
Repair crews to Section 3!
I repeats, repair crews to Section 3!
Get those shield capacitors back online!

POE [sobering immediately]
Aw crap, are we under attack?!

INT - RESISTANCE MEDICAL CRUISER "MERCY", HALLWAY - SPACE

FINN, POE and CHANI walk out of the pod room, with the nurse carrying a pack of vacuum sealed, freshly printed clothes. As they talk, she helps FINN dress himself, with some difficulty. POE strides forward, determined.

POE
Why did nobody wake me up?!
We're in condition red!

CHANI
Someone tried to put you to sleep!

POE
That was the plan!

CHANI
Permanently, I mean!

POE is either not quite paying attention or doesn't seem to care, it's difficult for anyone to tell, even himself, at this point.

FINN
Poe, POE! Listen to me, I know who's attacking us!

POE [sarcastically]
Wild guess: First Order?

FINN
No, it's Ceadeus Ren and the Aleksandr!

POE [confused]
I'm sorry, who in the what now?!

FINN catches up with POE and grabs him by the shoulders and explains.

FINN [scared]
Ceadeus Ren, Master of the Gladiators of the Knights of Ren,
The Aleksandr's their flagship!

POE [confused]
Flagship? He's leading a fleet?

FINN [terrified]
He doesn't need to! That one ship
can take us on by itself! Listen, we need to tell
Leia - we can't fight him! She needs to either run
or-or surrender! Fighting that bioship is suicide!

POE [angry]
Like hell! We're not surrendering to Kylo's
wannabe dark lords!

FINN [terrified]
We'll die!

POE
You overestimate his chances!
We outnumber him a thousand to one!

FINN
That's just the way the he likes it!

POE holds FINN's gaze for a moment.

POE [determined]
Then we die fighting.
[To CHANI]
Where's the nearest fighter bay?

INT - RESISTANCE MEDICAL CRUISER "MERCY" , FIGHTER BAY 1 - SPACE

CLOSE UP of the elevator's doors as they slide open, revealing a fully dressed FINN and a somewhat disheveled POE, back in his flight suit. They exit the cabin, leaving Chani behind.

CHANI [earnestly]
Good luck!

The doors slide closed as POE strides forward, with FINN close behind him.

FINN [pleading]
You've got to listen to me, Poe!

The hangar crew is frantic as they aid pilots into their fighters and secure the shuttles, even as the ship is shaken by another impact. FINN and POE stumble, but the latter turns his strides into jogs.

FINN
Star destroyers ran live fire
exercises against that thing and it
just shrugged off everything they threw at it!
It's full of fanatical, sword-swinging, pain-loving,
insane WALKING TANKS that eat blaster bolts for breakfast!

POE

Not hearing anything helpful, pal!
Shut up and help me find something to fly!

FINN [frustrated]
Oh, fine! Be that way!

FINN points at something to his right, off-screen..

FINN
What about that one?!

POE [dismissive]
Pile of crap. I need something better.

FINN
Like it makes a difference!

They run towards a ship: a T-75 Scout type X-wing, a two-seater, appearing factory fresh.

It flies away, denying POE a high-performance starfighter worthy of his skills. He looks around: there aren't any fighters left.

POE
I guess crap will do. Come with me!

They run towards the "crap" ship, docked between an AMBULANCE and ADESCA's PERSONAL YACHT. It's an ARC -170 starfighter painted silver with maroon stripes, refurbished by the Rebel Alliance decades ago. It has seen better days, but it's functional.

INT - ARC 170 STARFIGHTER - SPACE

The inside of the starfighter lights up as POE steps into the main cockpit's pilot's seat, while Finn steps in the rear cabin. The space is narrow, but there's enough room for two seats - one in front, the co-pilot's, and the rear, the gunner's.

FINN
I'll take the guns!

Strapping himself to the gunner's seat, FINN marvels at the controls, and the inside of the cabin, it's no luxury yacht, but looks far less utilitarian and more advanced than the inside of a TIE Fighter...

FINN
Huh... this looks pretty cool.

POE starts pulling levers and switches, and the ship hums to life.

POE
Don't let the fresh coat of paint fool you;
this thing's older than I am!
The only thing that's new are those rear guns!

CLOSE UP of the rear guns - a pair of triple-barrelled TYPE 4 VULCAN rapid fire laser guns.

POE
[to himself, quietly]
Fuel's good... Magazine's full...
Avionics checks out!
Green across the board.
[To Finn, loudly]
Know how to use those guns?

FINN puts on the GUNNER'S HELMET, and moves the gun camera's eyepiece over his eye. He grasps the controls - not that different from the Falcon's. So far, everything looks intuitive enough for a beginner to use.

FINN
I'll manage!

POE
Good! Here we go!

The ship's repulsorlifts raise the ship while it retracts its landing gear, and POE raises the throttle...

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

The ARC-170 flies out of the hangar into a hailstorm of rock and blaster fire. A wall of photon bursts keeps the larger, more dangerous chunks of asteroid at bay, but the smaller ones keep getting through. Some of those follow curved paths around the RADDUS, moved by the invisible hand of the Force, and impact against the smaller ships under its protection. Its not enough to destroy them, at least not yet.

INT - ARC 170 STARFIGHTER - SPACE

POE is horrified at the scale of the disaster - he sees the burning husks of seven capital ships floating into the path of moving asteroids. Lifepods try to navigate the rock storm: some of them don't make it to the nearest ship. The PROTECTOR, however, wastes no time in trying to save as many as it can.

POE
How... how did this happen?!

FINN
Seismic charges. Had to be.

The ALEKSANDR comes into view, as it moves in parallel to the RADDUS. The STAR DEFENDER easily dwarfs the living ship, but the ALEKSANDR proves its equal, especially in durability. The two vessels trade fire, with the RADDUS's shields holding fast.

POE
What are they trying to do?!

FINN
Standard boarding maneuver.
Take out the shields, immobilize target,
deploy assault shuttles.

POE [puzzled]
I don't see any ion cannons.

FINN
They don't need any.

Suddenly, the ALEKSANDR is drowned in plasma flak, courtesy of both the RADDUS and the STORMBLOOD.

POE
Good move, Ackbar! Those will keep
the assault shuttles in their berths.

The Aleksandr roars at it as it unleashes a volley of curving plasma beams, but the STORMBLOOD's own prototype particle shields hold fast as well.

FINN
Poe? What do we do? The flak will kill us, and
there's only so many rocks we can shoot...

GOLD SIX [radio]
Mayday! Mayday!
We need fighter support!

HYENA SIX [radio]
Oh no! It's right above — [static]

POE spots the HYENA DROID BOMBER's explosion, and pitches his fighter towards it.

POE [determined]
Here's what we can do!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

Pilots scream over the radio channel as their Y-wings are showered with bursts of molten metal, tearing them apart just before detonating their payloads safely away from a medium sized rock. A few blisters of the RADDUS's guns attempt to destroy it, but it overheats, leaving a gap in its defense. Fortunately for the flagship, its PARTICLE SHIELDS prove unyielding, even to asteroids the size of a house.

The ALEKSANDR's REMORA fighter pilots remain determined, however, to wipe the black sky clean of the bombers, and regroup for another pass. Ready to meet them is Black Squadron's X-wings and Blue Squadron's A-wings.

SNAP WEXLEY [radio]
Don't joust with these things!
They're too tough! Outmaneuver them!

C'AI THRENALLI
Easy for you to say! They're flying turrets!

The A-wings and X-wing engage the Remoras in a dogfight. The ancient aerospace fighters, while slow, are incredibly tough, their armour easily absorbing the photon shots their glossair ring's energy fields fail to scatter. Their lower keel guns — slugthrowers — fire superheated slugs of metal that bypass the X-wings and A-wing's energy shields completely. The Remora's pilots - barely visible through their glass bubble canopies - aren't the best shots, but they occasionally get lucky.

BLUE TWELVE's death is quick, and fiery.

BLUE LEADER [angry]
DAMN IT!

BLUE SQUADRON, eager to avenger BLUE TWELVE, group up and focus fire on a single REMORA, which absorbs at least a hundred blaster shots before even faltering. Seizing on this opportunity, another REMORA fires slugs at the group of A-wings, managing to hit two.

They are quickly avenged by KARÉ KUN, who fires her last two Proton Torpedoes at their killer, taking it down. The rest of BLUE SQUADRON scatters, then re-engage the REMORA squadron.

KARÉ KUN
Magazine's empty!

NIEN NUMB [in haya]
Mine too! And our guns are worthless
against these tanks!

SNAP
Focus on distracting them!
Keep them off our bombers' backs!

SNAP's torpedoes down another REMORA, only to quickly find himself chased by one. It gets a lucky hit on one of his engines, reducing his maneuverability as he attempts to evade. It looks like this could be it for him...

KARÉ
SNAP! NO!

Out of nowhere, photon bursts impact repeatedly against the REMORA'S primary glossair ring, slowly but surely tearing it apart!

INT - ARC 170 STARFIGHTER - SPACE

POE
Are you sure this is even going to work?!

FINN
Trust me!

POE keeps the trigger on his joystick pressed firmly, his aim constantly trained on the REMORA's main propulsion system. Eventually, it breaks apart, causing the REMORA to lose all control and to crash into an asteroid.

INT - SNAP WEXLEY'S X-WING COCKPIT - SPACE

SNAP breathes a sigh of relief at the timely rescue. Behind him, his astromech droid puts out the engine fire.

C'AI
Who the hell is that?!

SNAP [smiling]
Only one man in the fleet
is that good a shot!
Poe! Is that you in the ARC?

POE [radio]
Yeah, and I'm not alone!
Finn! Tell 'em!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

BLACK SQUADRON forms on POE's ARC-170, followed by BLUE SQUADRON and a couple of VULTURE DROIDS, squaring off against what remains of the REMORA squadron.

FINN [radio]
These are Remoras!
Their hull's tough, but their
engines — those rings —they can be blasted!

SNAP

Roger that! You heard the man!
This is Commander Wexley to all X-wings!
Lock S-foils into cruise position!
Keep that fire nice and tight and aim for those rings!

A joust begins, then turns into a dogfight! The Resistance's starfighters do better against the squadron of Remoras, managing to take out all of them with considerable effort and skill. However, six more enemy squadrons remain, and they've brought help: The VT-66 responsible for GREEN SQUADRON's destruction comes out of hiding and joins the fray.

As the dogfight rages again, BLACK SQUADRON talk over the radio:

NIEN [in haya, shocked]
Is that a DECIMATOR?!

SNAP
No, but it's an imp ship, definitely.

C'AI [mocking]
All their ships look the same!
Damned imps got no imagination!

KARE
Wait... what's the First Order
doing flying with aliens?
Those ARE aliens, right?

FINN
No, they're the Knights of Ren!

KARE
Kark! Where were those guys
when we attacked Starkiller?!
Or when we bailed from D'Qar?!

C'AI
Just be glad they weren't there!

SNAP
Less talking, more shooting!

SNAP and KARE focus fire on another REMORA, and destroy its glossair ring, leaving it helpless under its own inertia.

The VT 66 engages a flight of vultures, and utterly destroys them with its four quad lasers turrets. Behind it, four TIE WORKERS come out of hiding, their arms plugged into the ION DRIVE they're towing as they head straight for the RADDUS. The engine's core crackles with a blue energy.

VULTURE FIGHTER
That's thing's ion core is gonna blow!

SNAP
The shields! They're trying to
bring down the shields!

POE
Not if we can help it!
You guys take out that drive!
That gunship is MINE!

POE's group flies towards the ION DRIVE. Reacting to the threat, another squadron of REMORAS forms up with the VT 66, then move in to intercept. They take potshots at BLACK SQUADRON, who responds in kind, then:

SNAP
Break and attack!

The VT 66's pilot goes into evasive maneuvers as soon as the two groups are in optimal firing range, and POE misses half of his shots aimed at it. The rest impact harmlessly against his target's powerful shields. POE then attempts to get a target lock for his torpedoes, but he can't keep his aim steady enough on the much larger ship to get a tone.

POE [impressed]
That thing's more agile than it looks!

The VT turns on a dime and fires a POE, forcing him to hide under the cover of asteroids. The two play cat and mouse within the asteroid storm, switching roles far too often for POE's liking. Quickly, they leave the Knights of Ren and Resistance Fighters to their battle.

FINN does his part, proving himself to be a life-saver. The VT fired its guided cluster missiles at the ARC three times, and each time FINN managed to detonate their warheads with well-placed blaster shots. The last volley fares no better against FINN's cybernetically enhanced reflex arc.

INT - ARC 170 STARFIGHTER - SPACE

FINN [victoriously]
WOOHOO! DID YOU SEE THAT?!

POE
Nice shot! Keep 'em coming!
The longer he chases us, the longer
our friends can do their WHOA!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

The VT outmaneuvers the ARC once again with a segnor's loop, but POE performs a barrel roll in time evading, giving himself enough breathing room to pull off a Tallon Roll to put himself in the VT's blindspot. The hunt resumes, with FINN harassing the VT's cockpit with his rapid-fire lasers.

INT - ARC 170 STARFIGHTER - SPACE

POE
This guy's good! Who the hell is he?!

FINN [frustrated]
Poe, I can't hurt him with these pop guns!

POE looks up at the thousands of asteroids as they smash into each other... and finds something in all the chaos.

POE
Don't worry, I got an idea! Hold on tight!

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET- SPACE

The ARC accelerates towards the asteroid storm, past the wall of flak blasts and lasers.

FINN [radio]
POE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

The VT 66 gives chase, and POE maintains a distance of less than fifty meters, even as he barrel rolls out of the enemy ace's bullseye. A few laser bolts manage to singe the ARC's shields, but POE remains in control of the chase, waiting for the right time.

POE
That's right you kriffer, stay close!
Follow my heat wake!

It comes: two huge asteroids, about to smash into each other.

POE
And here we go!

POE goes full throttle and pushes the ARC-170 to its limits, headed straight for the asteroid's impact point. The VT 66 gives chase, its pilot as tenacious as a dog with a bone, unaware of the trap that POE is laying for him. The ARC-170 gets a sudden burst of acceleration as POE dumps weapon power to the engines, causing them to overheat but providing enough thrust to clear the thinning gap between the two rocks. Meanwhile, the VT 66 lags behind, and is about to be crushed by the crashing asteroids.

POE
So long!

INT - VT 66 COCKPIT - SPACE

CLOSE UP of the VT's pilot — PAXTON FELL — completely unbothered by his impending doom.

PAXTON FELL [smirking]
Hmph.

PAXTON, keeping his left hand on the throttle, presses a side button on his right joystick...

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT- SPACE

CLOSE UP of the VT 66's aft as it drops a seismic charge.

PAXTON pushes the throttle to the max, engaging the boosters a second before the asteroids crash into each other. The two asteroids seem to break apart from the impact... and split into four as the VT-66 comes surging out of an explosion of rocks, and pebbles, trailing wisps of finely ground dust as it rides the seismic charge's shockwave to safety!

FINN
Oh, crap! Poe! It didn't work!

POE
What—?!

The VT-66 overtakes and flies right past the ARC-170, leaving it to take the dissipated shockwave in the rear. The old ship's upgraded shields break under the strain, rocking the hull, and causing the engines to jam and sputter.

PAXTON FELL [radio]
Not bad... for rebel scum.

PAXTON leaves POE to the asteroids, with only vernier thrusters for propulsion.

INT - VT 66 COCKPIT - SPACE

The dimly lit chamber is barely larger than the Millennium Falcon's own cockpit, made up of fresh, unmarred metal and carbon wrought into angular shapes and triangles. The only source of illumination comes from the consoles: Orange and red holograms, part of an elaborate haptic system for next-gen avionics. Fortunately for an old-school pilot like PAXTON FELL, the pilot's seat came with physical, analog controls.

PAXTON
Breathe; it's over.

Sighs of relief resound across the ship's cockpit as the members of PAXTON's SENIOR STAFF stop holding their breaths. PAXTON's earlier maneuver had, after all, nearly killed them all, but little did they know that he had done this several times before, and his sense of timing had defeated the odds, every time.

PAXTON removes his earpiece, from which the faint sounds of electronic trance music can be heard.

PAXTON
Status report.

Sitting to PAXTON's left is LYNN, now pressed in the role of co-pilot. She takes a deep breath to soothe her nerves, then goes over the data being displayed on her console.

LYNN
Shields at ten percent,
no hull damage...
[To Kilran]
Something wrong with the guns, Kilran?

KILRAN sits at the gunnery station, left and behind LYNN.

KILRAN
They're still venting heat - calibrations
are getting thrown off.
[to PAXTON]
Sir, I'm sorry, it's my fault that ship
tied us up for so long.

PAXTON
Relax, Kilran.
He was, after all, just that good.

CEADEUS REN
Is that admiration i hear in your voice?

CEADEUS REN steps into the dim light, barely visible save for the glow of his eyes. PAXTON doesn't bother looking behind him.

PAXTON
Sure. Pilots like him are a rare breed.

CEADEUS
And you let him provoke you.

It is not an accusation, just a statement of fact.

PAXTON
What can I say? I can't say no to a challenge.

LYNN
Sir! TIE Workers are reporting,
they've lost the drive!

PAXTON
Tell them to retreat.

LYNN
Understood.

GULD, on sensors, gives his report:

GULD
Sir, the Resistance fleet will clear our
Asteroid storm in five minutes.
Their losses are considerable, but
their flagship's shields... they're still holding
at ninety percent.

PAXTON
[to CEADEUS]
So, plan B?

CEADEUS
As you say. Are you prepared?

PAXTON
To die? Oh yeah.

To PAXTON's right, KRIOS begins to protest.

KRIOS
Sir... I must object!
This maneuver is suicide!

CEADEUS' gaze falls upon KRIOS...

KRIOS
We must retreat!

CEADEUS raises his hand towards the young Navigator...

PAXTON
Krios, follow your damned orders
and ready the Navcom!

KRIOS
The safeties are hard-coded!
Bypassing them is IMPOSSIBLE!
We should— AUGH!

...and FORCE PULLS Krios out of his chair, leaving him floating in mid-air, but otherwise unharmed. CEADEUS walks up to the Navigator's console, and raises his fist.

PAXTON
What in the bloody Maw are you doing?!

CEADEUS
Bypassing the Navcom.

CEADEUS punches down, burying his fist in the console's electronic guts. The haptics die, then surge to life again as CEADEUS growls. Alien geometries and code appear all over the navigation console.

CEADEUS
The path through the Empyrean is set.
The rest, I leave to you, Fell.

He removes his fist from the machine, which still clings to life in spite of the damage done to it, and leaves the cockpit, dropping KRIOS to the ground. The poor navigator scrambles up and examines the damage done, but quickly find himself awed at the patterns of light inside the hole left behind by CEADEUS' fist.

EXT - CHARON BELT, RESISTANCE FLEET - SPACE

The VT 66 flies like a bat out of hell, past speeding asteroids and turbolaser fire on a collision course towards the RADDUS. SNAP WEXLEY, having just killed his second REMORA, sees the large strike craft coming in.

SNAP [horrified]
Oh no, where's Poe?!

C'AI [angry]
That kriffer! He took him out!

NIEN [in haya]
Its shields are almost gone!
Poe must have given him hell!

SNAP
Then let's finish what he started!
Black Squadron!
S-foils open, let's make it rain!
FOR POE!

BLACK SQUADRON's X-wings move in to engage PAXTON's VT, who quickly reacts to the incoming barrage of laser fire with an evasive barrel roll, then a quick engine boost that puts some asteroid cover between him and the X-wings. Not a single shot hits him.

KARÉ [frustrated]
I thought VT's were SLOW!
This thing's moves like a Tw'ilek dancer!

SNAP [realizing]
I've seen those moves.
It's Fell!

C'AI
I don't care who he is,
he dies now!

The entirety of BLACK SQUADRON, hellbent on avenging POE's supposed death, redouble their efforts to take down Paxton, but utterly fail to prevent him from approaching the RADDUS. Their guns overheat, giving him an opportunity to make a straight line for the RADDUS

KARÉ
What's he doing?!

C'AI
He's going to Kamikaze the Raddus!
He's insane!

SNAP
The shields are still up!
What's he trying to pull?!

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

TAM DRADIS
Hypermatter reaction on that ship!
It's headed straight for one of our hangars!

LEIA
A hyperspace ram?
Is that even possible?

ACKBAR
No, he'll just phase right through us,
and there isn't enough hypermatter to damage
our shields. The hangar's safe

LEIA [realizing]
Through us... or inside!
He's trying Han's trick!

ACKBAR [horrified]
[to KAYDELL]
CLOSE THE HANGAR DOORS!
ALL OF THEM!

INT - RADDUS, MAIN HANGAR CONTROL ROOM - SPACE

CONTROLLER
Seal the doors!
Seal the doors now!

One of the CREWMEN pushes a red button...

INT - RADDUS, MAIN HANGAR CONTROL ROOM - SPACE

... and SONOCHEE PAVA watches with worry as the main hangar's massive internal double doors slide shut, sealing the immense chamber away from the four other smaller hangars leading out into space.

EXT - RADDUS - SPACE

The external doors shut in front of the VT, still a few kilometers away from the surface of the RADDUS' shields. What remains of Blue Squadron has no problem locking their A-wing's concussion missiles, and fire a volley of twenty-four missiles at PAXTON's ship. He does not evade - he needs to maintain the current speed of 88 megalights, or the maneuver will fail. Countermeasures don't work - the missiles' warheads had been set to track heat.

Plasma flak burst around the First Order ship.

INT - VT 66 COCKPIT - SPACE

PAXTON
How long, Krios?!

KRIOS [confused]
Hyperdrive is almost ready... I think!

KRIOS watches a circular meter go up on his console, which, unfortunately, has been set to an alphabet alien to the galaxy at large.

PAXTON
You think?!
We've got two dozen missiles on our rear
and a wall of flak in front!
Don't think, KNOW!

PAXTON puts his hand on the hyperdrive lever.

KRIOS
I can't make sense of this!

GULD
Five seconds to impact!

PAXTON
Krios!

KRIOS
Ah... I don't...

GULD
Two seconds!

KRIOS
NOW!

PAXTON pushes the lever, and reality lurches before infinitely stretching forward...

EXT - RADDUS - SPACE

The VT erupts in a shower of golden sparks as a ring appears in front of it. It crosses the ring and disappears in a blur of pseudomotion a split second before the missiles hit...

INT - RADDUS, HANGAR BAY 1

...and reappears in a flash of light, headed straight for the massive doors leading into the RADDUS's main hangar. PAXTON's unnaturally fast reflexes allow him to pull the inertial brakes just in time, slowing the VT to a crawl but causing immense strain to its engines and internal systems. The VT crashes on the hangar floor, sliding half a kilometer, knocking down piles of cargo and crushing some unfortunate crewmen, turning them into red smears on the metal flor. The VT comes to a standstill some twenty meters from its goal, and suffers a temporary power failure as RESISTANCE MARINES begin to surround the ship.

INT - RADDUS BRIDGE - SPACE

ACKBAR and LEIA sigh in relief.

ACKBAR
It's contained in Hangar Bay One.

LEIA
That's one problem dealt with.

KAYDELL
Boots on the ground report
no activity from the ship, sir.
It looks dead!

ACKBAR
[to Kaydell]
Tell the marines they have
permission to use their Plex launchers!
Destroy it! Take no chances!

KAYDELL
Aye-aye!

LEIA
Now we just have to deal
with that space monster.
Any ideas?

ACKBAR
Just one. HELM!
FIRE ALL PORT THRUSTERS!

EXT - RESISTANCE FLEET - SPACE

The RADDUS surges starboard, and its mighty shields impact against the bare armour of the ALEKSANDR. The STAR DEFENDER'S particle wall grinds itself against the Kuyutha's biometal, causing the living ship to wail as it bounces off right onto the path of a large asteroid.

INT - RADDUS - SPACE

The bridge crew cheers as the ALEKSANDR takes an asteroid to the prow, trailing smoke from particle burns. Only KAYDELL fails to do so, hearing something horrible from the marines defending the Hangar.

KAYDELL
Sirs? I got... I'm getting
bad reports from Hangar Bay One.

ACKBAR
What's happening?!

LEIA presses a few keys on the central holographic display, bringing up a grid representing the status of the six squads of marines assigned to the defense of hangar bay One. Each square had a face, a name, and a biometric readout of for each Marine. Blue means alive. Orange means wounded. Red means dead.

Squad six is all red.

Voices come over their channel.

MARINE SERGEANT 1 [radio]
Keep firing! Keep firing!

The low snarl of a beast can be heard in the background, over the din of blaster fire and the hiss of flying Plex missiles.

MARINE 2 [radio]
Oh stars, what the hell is that?!
What the— aaaaaaAAAARGH!

MARINE 2 goes red, followed by three more.

LEIA
Get reinforcements to Hangar One NOW!

KAYDELL
Aye-Aye!

MARINE 3 [radio]
There's too much smoke; I can't see!

MARINE 4 [radio]
ARROWS! HIT THE DECK!

MARINE 4 goes red, along with half his fireteam. Amidst beastly snarls, the sound of flesh being cut, of Plex missiles detonated prematurely, and the hiss of arrows, more and more squares go red on the holo-display. There is another constant: the sound of blaster fire being deflected by a wall of metal.

MARINE 5 [panicking, radio]
No, please! NOOO!

MARINE 6 [berserk, radio]
COME ON! COME ON!
FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME, I'M RIGHT HERE!

MARINE SERGEANT 2 [radio]
GENERAL! GENERAL, WHERE'S
OUR DAMNED BACKUP!
WE'RE BEING SLAUGHTERED!

LEIA
They're coming! Just hold on!
Hold the stormtroopers at bay!

INT - HANGAR BAY ONE - SPACE

The site of the VT's crash is bathing in smoke, making it impossible for the MARINES to get a good shot at their attackers. PLEX missiles fly at the VT, only to veer off and get redirected at the poor marine who mad the mistake of launching it. A group of three RESISTANCE MARINES pouring suppressive fire at the crashed vessel are suddenly hoisted up by the force, allowing a blade of air to slice them all in two.

MARINE SERGEANT 2
What stormtroopers?!
We're fighting the damned SITH!

The SECOND MARINE SERGEANT, taking cover behind a stack of heavy crates, sees the silhouette of the one who raised them from cover: a robed woman, wielding a staff and - to his confusion - an incense burner.

The SERGEANT takes aims his BLASTER RIFLE at the woman and fires, only to see a globe of light appear and protect her from harm. He barely has time to marvel at the sight before an arrow pierces his visor, killing him.

INT - RADDUS BRIDGE - SPACE

LEIA hangs her head in sorrow as more marines go red, until finally all that is left is a single marine. She cries into her radio, and the sound of heavy boots approaching resounds through her channel...

And then grow distant. There is a pause, and suddenly the marine screams, not out of fear, but out of rage for her fallen comrades.

There is a burst of blaster fire coming from the Marine's Carbine. It, along with the screams, are cut short, as her icon goes red. The battle rages on over the comms as mere sailors attempt to kill their attackers, but it quiets in time.

LEIA [to her commlink]
This is General Leia to all hands...
prepare to repel boarders.
I repeat, prepare to repel boarders!

INT - RADDUS, BRIG - SPACE

The guard is about to leave to defend the ship, but decides to unlock TALLIE LINTRA'S CELL, first.

GUARD
You heard the lady, off you go!

TALLIE
Hey, I'm a pilot, not a marine!

GUARD
We're all marines now, flygirl!

The guard hands her a pistol.

GUARD
Don't make me regret this!

INT - RADDUS, MAIN HANGAR - SPACE

There is a single knock on the door. Had the space been empty, it would have echoed across the ship, but between the cargo crates absorbing the sound and the din of thousands of crewmen readying themselves to mount a defense, GENERAL CANUAL EMATT can't hear it... at least not yet.

He barks orders at a group of droids.

GENERAL EMATT
Droids! Move those crates
there, there, and there!
Pile them up waist high!

The middle-aged Civil War veteran is aided by SHRIV SUURGAV, who is commanding a group of Resistance Sappers running towards the bay doors.

SHRIV
I want mines all over that entrance!
Sonic, Plasma, Cryoban!
I want those Sith kriffers to feel real welcome,
you hear me?!

RESISTANCE SAPPERS
Sir, yes sir!

SHRIV checks his assault loadout, while ZAY comes up to him in her recon loadout, complete with a DLT-20A SCOPED LONGBLASTER.

ZAY
Where do you need me?

SHRIV
As far away as you can manage—

ZAY assumes he's sending her away from danger.

ZAY [shocked]
What? No, I can—

SHRIV [pointing at a spot]
—With a clear line of sight to
this door! Whoever gets through,
you put a shot right between his eyes, got it?

ZEV [worried]
Got it. Shriv? Good luck.

SHRIV loads his TRANDOSHAN CHARGED PARTICLE REPEATER GUN.

SHRIV [smiling]
Who needs luck when you
got superior firepower?

Marines and battle droids take cover behind the crates, flanked by Super Battle Droids, their weapons aimed at center of the double doors. They all keep a distance of a hundred meters away from the entrance, in the off chance that the enemy would breach in with high-explosives. Hundreds more fighters are behind that line of defense, ready to fight.

SHRIV walks up to EMATT, who's at the center of the formation.

SHRIV
What's the plan?

EMATT
We wait.
The longer it takes them
to get in, the better.

SHRIV
Any other ways in?
Air vents, or somesuch?

EMATT
Too thin for a person to get in.

SHRIV takes cover, and aims at the door.

BOOM. Everyone hears the knock, this time.

SHRIV
How thick is that door?

EMATT
Very. If they got lightsabers,
it'll take them hours to get through.
Plenty of time for the Wookiees
to reinforce a fallback point.

BOOM. A slight dent forms on the door.

SHRIV [sarcastic]
Well, someone's impatient.

BOOM. The dent grows larger.

EMATT [worried]
Damn. We don't have hours.

SHRIV
Suits me fine. Honestly?
Wouldn't know what to do
with the time.

Silence... Then, the dent turns into a stain of blackened metal.

EMATT
Lightsaber...

The black stain makes way for a spot of bright orange.

SHRIV
No, there's no way it
can melt through that fast...

The door begins to bubble into slag.

SHRIV
PLASMA BEAM!

EMATT
SHIELDS! NOW!

The marines at the forefront activate their portable shields generators, erecting a wall of bubbles of energy.

A beam of plasma burst through the slag, piercing everything in its path save for the shields. The mines in front of the door detonate from the heat alone, ruining the SAPPERS' trap.

Suddenly, the beam climbs, cutting a gap of molten metal through the seam of the double doors, narrowly missing ZEV at her perch. The beam cuts into the far wall, several elevator cages, and the ceiling, hitting hundreds of power conduits, causing a cascade failure across the Hangar's aged systems that robs everyone of illumination.

The beam stops, and the shields lose their charge.

SHRIV
Flares!

The marines toss their flares at the molten gap, bathing the small area in red light and smoke, hiding a tall, dark figure as it makes its entrance, each of its slow and meaningful steps resounding in the ears of all present.

[2]

CEADEUS crosses through the molten threshold, and stands tall in front of the marines gathered in front of him. On his right arm is a GUNSHIELD — RHYTAHTIN's REVENGE — a towering barrier made of thick iron with a drum-powered plasma cannon set along the length, its barrel smoking by the Knight of Ren's boots. In his left hand is an immense bastard sword, sculpted and forged with a beast motif: The BEASTLY PRINCE. The air around it distorting with the raw power of the Force.

His horns, and the light and smoke of the flares, conspire to make him appear like a demon, stepping out of hell.

Stepping out from behind him and appearing at his flanks are the two mysterious figures from the ALEKSANDR:

On his left is the woman in the white robe, wielding a metal staff — the ROD OF FAITH — and an incense burner on a chain. This is KAINÉ REN, the SAINT, the master of Priestesses.

On his right is the man in the longcoat, wielding SAGITTAIRE, a biometal bow. This is IRVINE REN, THE HUNTER, and the master of Archers.

EMATT
OPEN FIRE!

As soon as EMATT says the words, CEADEUS grabs KAINÉ and pulls her into an embrace to better cover her with his GUNSHIELD, while IRVINE just stands there, uncaring about the incoming barrage of blaster fire coming from the marines and battle droids. IRVINE, predictably, gets torn down, but no one notices as his corpse vanishes into dust, smoke, and red embers, far more concerned about the giant with a plasma cannon for a shield.

No one notices... except ZAY, who follows her instincts scanning the area with her eyes for something... She spots the real Irvine, and takes a shot at him, only for him to QUICKEN AWAY, evading the shot entirely. He re-appears elsewhere, on some stairs leading up to the HANGAR CONTROL ROOM suspended on the ceiling above.

ZAY
[to her headset]
SHRIV! Hostile 3 is not dead!
I've spotted him headed towards the
Control Room!

She takes another shot, and Irvine just quickens again, into a broken A-wing's elevator cage. The man is supernaturally agile - there are at least twelve stories between him and his goal, and within seconds he's made it a third of the way there.

SHRIV [radio]
Intercept him!
We got this giant freak pinned,
he's not going anywhere!

ZAY
Roger that, on the move!

ZAY chases after Irvine, taking potshots at him that never hit.

Meanwhile, under CEADEUS's huge shield, KAINÉ whispers something to her incense burner in an alien tongue, while the drum powering the plasma cannon spins, gathering the energy of the blaster fire being poured into the surface it is linked to. Ceadeus fires into the ground, and the ground beneath him becomes veined...

SHRIV notices this, and is smart to know what's coming next.

SHRIV
Get out of cover!
He's about to—

It's too late: dozens die in agony as plumes of plasma rise from the metal floor beneath them. Those who survive fall back, and resume shooting, only for KAINÉ to finish invoking her incense burner's power: white Mist streams out, covering the area and hiding both she and Ceadeus from view. Ceadeus leaps out of the smoke, and cuts a Super Battle Droid apart, growling. More droids follow, valiantly (and stupidly) shooting Ceadeus with their blasters.

DOOMED BATTLE DROID
Protect the meatbags!
Prot— AAAAAAAAUUGH!

Then, its the Marines' turn; that's when things turn bloody. Screams mingle with snarls: CEADEUS's shadowy form can barely be seen in the Mist: a ghostly titan, dealing death.

EMATT
Fall back!
Fall back to position three!

SHRIV, under the cover of the mist, hides from CEADEUS and attempts to hunt down KAINÉ in the hopes of killing at least one third of the invading force. It is she who comes upon him first, but she makes no move to attack. Instead, she merely raises a hand at him. Sensing an incoming Force attack, SHRIV shoots first, only to find his ACP bursts hitting a barrier of pure light, powered by the Mist.

KAINÉ
Sleep...

It is not even a command, more like a request... that SHRIV can deny less and less as the Mist rush into his mouth and eyes.

SHRIV [struggling]
No...!

SHRIV drops his weapon, and falls over, unconscious.

INT - HANGAR BAY CONTROL ROOM - SPACE

One of the entrances slides open, revealing ZAY. At her feet are dead RESISTANCE MARINES, their blood seeping through the holes in the thin metal of the catwalk, their chest plates and hearts pierced by steel arrows. She steps through the threshold: the room is eerily quiet, save for the muffled sounds of battle far below.

ZAY removes her gun's scope, and scans the room through the iron sights.

We assume her POV as she looks around: dead bodies are everywhere, but in spite of this she keeps her calm. She does another pass with her eyes, then another... and finds IRVINE casually sitting in the central chair, where the corpse of the Lead Hangar Controller once sat, slumped. Were it not for the silvery mask under his hunter's cap, ZAY would have beheld a scoundrel's grin.

IRVINE
Hello there.

She shoots first, and would have hit him square in the heart had he not turned to smoke and red embers, and re-appeared elsewhere in the room. ZAY shoots again and again, and IRVINE makes a game of it until the young soldier's gun finally overheats. IRVINE quickens in front of her, and she lets her gun fall while simultaneously drawing her tonfa. Irvine lets her get a hit in across the face, and laughs.

IRVINE [amused]
You can do better than that.

Losing her cool, ZAY unleashes a flurry of blows that hit nothing but air. Irvine responds by drawing his bow, but doesn't take an arrow from his quiver. Instead, the biometallic weapon splits in two, forming two long daggers, connected at the tip by a cord of energy. ZAY braces herself for getting stabbed, and is taken by surprise when IRVINE wraps the cord around her leg and pulls, causing her to fall back on her head. She screams, wincing in pain, but Irvine doesn't finish her off.

Instead, ZAY finds him casually drinking from a mug of coffee in one hand. He beckons her to come closer, his fingers practically shouting "bring it" even as he slurps the drink.

His daggers are gone.

ZAY rushes him, only to receive her own baton to the face as he kicks it at her. They engage in a brief fistfight, but IRVINE is just too quick. Finally, he decides to end it... by baiting her and tripping her feet. Her face hits the corner of a console as she falls, stunning her.

Irvine pins her to the ground with the sole of his boot to her neck.

IRVINE
Relax, I don't kill the pretty ones.
It'd be a waste. But hey, if it makes you feel any better...

Another Irvine appears behind the first, staring down at ZAY, daggers in hand.

IRVINE 2
...You were already too late.

The two Irvines turn to black smoke and embers, and combine into one. Laughter echoes across the room as tendrils of smoke are sucked into the air vents, with IRVINE traveling to another part of the ship.

Suddenly, the SECURITY SPIKE that Irvine had jabbed into a computer finishes its task: inserting a virus into the RADDUS's systems. It quickly spreads across the ship's internal network, tearing through firewalls and security...

ZAY [horrified]
Oh no...

ZAY faints, her head wound finally robbing her of consciousness.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

Red warning windows appear on every console. The Raddus' holographic shield display match their colour, once the blue of its many redundant particle shield arcs deplete to nothing.

KAYDELL
Computer core reports!
Networked Systems are compromised!

ACKBAR
Blow the secondary cables!
Contain the damage!
Get those shield back online!

GUNNERY OFFICER
Targeting is jammed!
Crews are switching to eyeballs!

KAYDELL
Hangar bay doors are opening!

EXT - RADDUS - SPACE

All four external hangar bay doors open, their energy fields keeping the air in.

INT - VT 66 , COCKPIT - SPACE

PAXTON watches as the doors open in front of his ship, while KILRAN keeps the surviving crew in the hangar pinned down with the quad laser turrets.

PAXTON
[to Lynn]
Now.

LYNN
[to her headset]
Eclipse, invasion is go!
Repeat, invasion is go!

EXT - RESISTANCE FLEET - SPACE

The wedge of the ECLIPSE COMMAND SECTION leaves its hiding place between two asteroids, and its remaining engines are pushed beyond their limits, a full burn towards the RADDUS's port side, heading for hangar bay 3. With only support ships in the way, it faces little opposition. X-wings attempt to destroy it, but are driven off by light turret fire.

INT - ECLIPSE BRIDGE - SPACE

Alone at his post and strapped to his chair, Helmsman PRESSLY is sweating profusely as he drives a ship half the size of a classic Star Destroyer through an asteroid field, laser fire, and the harsh glare of hundreds of turbolasers as they attempt to blow his ship apart, only managing to hit him a couple of times.

PRESSLY [panicking]
This is crazy this is crazy this is crazy...

He is seconds from the RADDUS trench when he yells like a madman and pulls the inertial brakes.

INT - HANGAR BAY 3 - SPACE

The immense command section breaks through the threshold, and two thirds of the triangular hull's length makes it in before it wedges itself between the two far walls. Anything in its paths is either battered away or ground into dust, or fleshy paste. Panic takes over as crewmen and marines try to recover from the shock of what happened.

Suddenly, shaped breaching charges explode across the COMMAND SECTION's hull. Entire gashes explode outward, revealing the ship's dark depths. The surviving Resistance crew peer inside from a distance, and turn pale as the red glow of swords appear from the hundreds of long gashes in the wedge-shaped crafts hull.

The three hundred KNIGHTS OF REN — CEADEUS's GLADIATORS — step forward into the light, tall metal shields in one hand and dark metal BRIGHTSWORDS in the other. The tips and edges of their blades glow a bright red, the source of tendrils of energy that snake up as the GLADIATORS pour the energy in their blood into their weapons. They resemble lesser versions of CEADEUS, lacking horns and wearing tabards instead of a gambesson over their plate armour, painted black: the colour of Warriors. Hoods cover their heads, casting a shadow over the silvery, finely wrought visors of their helms.

Behind them are fifty PRIESTESSES of REN, clad in white and red, the colours of healers and the clergy, respectively. They bear staves of gnarled oak, but no incense burners. They too are hooded, and masked.

Behind the Priestesses, a thousand FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPERS, and more than thrice that number of FIRST ORDER SAILORS, looking to avenge the loss of the ECLIPSE and its quarter of a million crew, even if they have to do it with their bare hands.

Standing tallest amidst all of them is one of CEADEUS' most trusted of elites, GALLUS DIMACHARUS, who has eschewed plate armour of his brethren for leathers, and a shield for a segmented manica with silver inlays, freeing his right hand for a second, shorter sword. He raises his brightsword...

GALLUS [cheering]
AH HOO!
AH HOO!

The GLADIATORS raise their swords...

KNIGHTS OF REN [cheering]
AH HOO!
AH HOO!

GALLUS leads the cheer three more times, with the Stormtroopers joining in, caught up in the Knight's esprit-de-corps. An audacious Resistance Marine tries shooting a Knight of Ren in the head, if only to get them to shut up. The shot bounces off his shield, and they laugh at him.

GALLUS [bellowing]
Warriors of Valendia!
This Republic scum wishes to die!
LET'S GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTS!

GALLUS is the first out of the tears in the hull, and the KNIGHTS follow, bellowing a war cry as they charge. The stormtroopers and sailors follow them, a human tide kept safe behind the knights' shields from nearly all blaster fire.

A RESISTANCE heavy weapons team set up a firing position on the HANGAR's catwalk, and manage to kill ten stormtroopers with a tripod-mounted, belt-fed Trandoshan LS-150 Heavy Repeater. They are quickly killed by arrows, as a hundred and fifty of IRVINE'S Archers reveal themselves from the depths of the COMMAND SECTION, flanked by the few of the ECLIPSE'S STORMTROOPERS still able to carry a RECON loadout. From their vantage points on the upper levels of the COMMAND SECTION, they provide plenty of support to their brethren below, who rapidly cut down anyone valiant enough (or foolish enough) to stand in their way. The less brave flee for their lives, under the cover provided by several heavy weapons teams desperately firing at the wall of metal shields that advanced towards them.

A KNIGHT OF REN, freshly knighted, controls his shoulder mounted weapon through the Force, aiming it at a fleeing RESISTANCE TECH's back. He is stopped by a VETERAN knight.

VETERAN KNIGHT
Fight the braves.
Let the cowards live with shame.

The young knight hesitates, eager for blood and an easy kill... but his honor wins out.

YOUNG KNIGHT
...Yes, brother.

The shoulder mounted blade launcher looses a projectile at a gunner, instead, hitting the neck.

Meanwhile, several FIRST ORDER TECHS, under escort from a handful of KNIGHTS, move to the hangar door's atmospheric shield emitters, carrying a length of cable plugged to the inside of the COMMAND SECTION. They splice the power train to their ship's core, ensuring that the RESISTANCE cannot simply eject them into space by disabling the shield.

Lights shine on the fallen stormtroopers, as the PRIESTESSES use the Force to heal their wounds. Those still clinging to life rise, initially confused, but ready to fight once again.

HANGAR BAY 3 is taken over in minutes. Quickly, the STORMTROOPERS pillage the cargo pods, and distribute the RESISTANCE's weapons to the sailors, giving them more firepower than their blaster pistols can provide. Freshly armed, and re-organized, the boarding force surges out into the MAIN HANGAR...

INT - RADDUS, CENTRAL HANGAR - SPACE

...surprising EMATT's squads, who were far too busy dealing with CEADEUS to notice the pincer attack. Several RESISTANCE MARINES die under a barrage of blaster bolts and arrows in their back, and of course...

GALLUS
CHAAAARGE!

... a stampede of KNIGHTS OF REN, their red glowing swords raised over their heads. EMATT sees his worst nightmare come to life: an army of Sith! Not one, or two, but HUNDREDS.

EMATT
Retreat to position four!
Go! Go! Go!

The RESISTANCE troops perform a controlled retreat back to position four, under the cover of several heavy weapons teams. The GLADIATORS give chase, undaunted by the blaster shots, that is until...

RESISTANCE HEAVY GUNNER
AIM FOR THEIR LEGS!

Even the toughest, heaviest GLADIATOR would stumble to a burst of mass-infused photons exploding at their feet, and so many of them trip and fall. Their brethren quickly come to their aid, covering them with their shields, slowing down the GLADIATORS' advance.

CEADEUS
Get back in formation!

The wall of shields reforms, and as they advance with a slow cadence, the Archers take out half of the resistance gunners, the rest of which proceed to flee back to position four.

As the STORMTROOPERS and KNIGHTS soon discover, "position four" is an area devoid of any crate or starfighter, providing no cover for anyone marching through it. It's a no man's land, watched over by over a hundred of MAHRACCOR's SIEGEBREAKERS, wielding heavy assault weapons, including Trandoshan particle repeaters and souped-up, chainsaw grip LG-50 CONCUSSION GUNS. They, in turn, are backed by three thousand marines and B1 Battle Droids, and thousands of volunteers willing to pick up a rifle. They outnumber the FIRST ORDER's troops, easily.

MAHRACCOR raises MOONBREAKER, and roars. At his belt, EMTEEDEE translates for everyone's benefit.

EMTEEDEE
FIIIIIIRE!

The GLADIATORS barely withstand of the first volley of Concussion blasts, with many among them bowled away into the stormtroopers behind them. The knights reform, and brace themselves with the Force, allowing them to withstand volley after volley of concussion rounds. Nevertheless, the Wookiee barrage has stopped them... The archers attempt to take Wookiee gunners out, but their powerful arrows are stopped short of the Wookiees' bare flesh by MANDALORIAN PERSONAL SHIELDS. It's a stalemate, for now.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

ACKBAR's victory over the ALEKSANDR is short lived, as the beast takes out its frustration on another of the Resistance's Heavy Cruisers, the VALOR. Its captain had the good sense to keep its energy shield arcs equalized, but they break eventually. Another barrage of Force-guided plasma projectiles pierce its hull. ACKBAR is at his wits' end. If the ALEKSANDR had been a Star Destroyer, he would have dealt with it as soon as it appeared, but the alien crafte baffled him, and he simply couldn't adjust his tactics.

Suddenly, a glint of metal streaks across space as a CHISS RAILGUN SHOT pierces right through an asteroid to damage the ALEKSANDR's hull. It does not blow through the other end, but a liquid seeps out of the wound, causing the ALEKSANDR to scream in pain.

INT - RADDUS, CENTRAL HANGAR - SPACE

CEADEUS stumbles as he feels the ALEKSANDR's pain. His eyes widen as he realizes what is happening.

CEADEUS
ALEKSANDR!

CEADEUS kneels, and presses his fingers against his forehead, communing with his Kuyutha through the force.

CEADEUS [telepathically]
Protect yourself!
Protect the sleepers!

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

TAM DRADIS [hopeful]
Sir! The mass shadow! It's... practically gone!
It's only six— no, five kilometers wide!

NAVIGATOR'S AIDE
But we're still inside of it!

Outside, another railgun shot streaks towards the ALEKSANDR, passing through several gravity lenses before it stops cold as its monomolecular tip touches the armour, and floats away, leaving the impact spot unmarred.

ACKBAR
...This is the fleet's only chance!
Can we send out light signals?

KAYDELL
We can!

ACKBAR
Burst a message to the fleet!
"All support ships and damaged
warships are to form up with the
Stormblood and retreat immediately!"

KAYDELL [hesitant]
...Sir?

LEIA
Do it! As long as even one ship survives
It will keep the Resistance alive!

KAYDELL obeys, and sends out a signal flare programmed to burst with a repeating morse sequence. The ships get their orders, and the STORMBLOOD moves at the center of a formation that will leave the RADDUS behind.

KAYDELL
Internal comms are back!
I've got General Ematt on the line!

LEIA
Put him through!

EMATT [radio]

Bridge, this is Ematt! We've got the Sith
and the stormtroopers contained!

LEIA
Stormtroopers?!

EMATT
A thousand of them, plus sailors!
They've got the numbers to take the ship!

ACKBAR
Oh, no...

EMATT [radio]
Mahraccor's holding the enemy back,
and I'm throwing everyone that can
carry a gun at them, but... that horned beast!
if he shows up...

ACKBAR
Horned beast...

LEIA
"Caedus"... he's here?!

LEIA eyes the box of lightsabers.

EMATT [radio]
We still have control of hangars 2 and 4!
We can still evacuate anyone in there!

LEIA
Do it! Pack as many non-combatants as you can
into those shuttles.

EMATT [radio]
...That's gonna be a little hard!

LEIA
Why?

INT - RADDUS, CENTRAL HANGAR - SPACE

Behind cover, from a high vantage point, PLIERS and SONOCHEE yell as they unload their weapons at the KNIGHT's shield wall, with PLIERS wielding four blasters, one in each hand.

EMATT [radio]
Right now everyone's a combatant!

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

LEIA
Then hold the line!
I'm coming down there!

LEIA grabs the box of lightsabers, and moves to leave for the main hangar.

ACKBAR
Leia, no!
It's suicide!

LEIA
I have to do this!
It takes a Jedi to take down a Dark Lord, and
once I take out this "Caedus",
they'll lose all heart and surrender!
We can still win this!

THREEPIO
But... you're NOT a Jedi, your majesty!

LEIA
No, but I'm the next best thing.
Threepio, if I don't make it, you run,
you hear me? You're our most important asset,
and if you get captured...

LEIA's expression is grim.

LEIA [cont'd]
...you know what to do.

THREEPIO [frightened]
Oh... oh my.

LEIA leaves the bridge. Suddenly, the hull rumbles.

ACKBAR
What happened?!

TAM DRADIS
We just lost starboard gunnery control!

INT - RADDUS, CENTRAL HANGAR - SPACE

There is a lull in the battle, and CEADEUS' voice booms across the small no man's land.

CEADEUS
Warriors of the Republic!
I'm giving you this one
chance! Get on those vessels
behind you, and flee!
You need not perish for the
False Princess' crimes!

EMATT and MAHRACCOR stand side by side, and look at each other, smirking. They think CEADEUS overplayed his hand, showed how weak and desperate he actually is.

EMATT [shouting]
Sith dogs of the First Order!

MAHRACCOR chuckles.

EMATT [shouting]
Go kriff yourselves!

The leader of the SIEGEBREAKERS gestures at his men, who fire another volley of concussion blasts. EMATT turns to his aide, a thin, timid looking man.

EMATT
The hangars...

AIDE
They're evacuating now, sir!

EMATT
Good, go with them!

AIDE
...sir?

EMATT
I said go!
[to another marine, off-screen]
Where's that AT-TE?!
I needed it YESTERDAY!

MARINE [off-screen]
They just fixed the leak!
They're pumping the Tibanna in!
We need more time!

The aide hesitantly flees, and makes his way to HANGAR 4. The KNIGHT'S shield wall begins to crawl forward, less daunted by the Concussion blasts. They inch closer, shrinking the no-man's land.

EMATT
And they'll have it!

EMATT takes out a WHISTLE from his pocket, and blows into it. The ultrasound noise is the signal for a trap: Far behind the GLADIATOR's line of shields, hundreds of COMMANDO DROIDS and MAGNAGUARDS crawl out of their hiding places to begin harassing the enemy troops.

MAHRACCOR roars. Three of his KARTIKEYA Gunships rise from behind a wall of crates, and begin strafing the First Order troops, bypassing the GLADIATORS completely.

Unfortunately for them, PAXTON had just managed to bring the VT 66 back online, and flies into the CENTRAL HANGAR, guns blazing as it intercepts the wooden gunships.

PAXTON
Oh no you don't!

The gunships fight valiantly, but the VT is clearly the superior ship. The Wookiee gunships' shields buckle under the combined fire of the VT's main guns and turrets, and their very large engines become prime targets for PAXTON's aim. One of them erupts into flame, and its pilot attempts to go out in a blaze of glory by crashing into the First Order sailors. KAINÉ sees this, and raises her hand to hold it in place with the Force. She strains, but is quickly aided by other PRIESTESSES and KNIGHTS.

KAINÉ
God have mercy on you...

The flaming wreck is moved away, where it explodes safely away from everyone, RESISTANCE and FIRST ORDER alike.

The Resistance loses "air' supremacy, and many of them are quickly pinned by its ventral quad blaster turrets. PAXTON demonstrates his own gunnery skill, sniping the enemy with one of the VT's main guns, saving a Priestess from a Magnaguard, and Stormtrooper EDGE from a COMMANDO DROID. EDGE is lying on his back, clutching a gut wound from a vibroblade.

EDGE
Someone... please, help...

His call is answered by a KNIGHT with a white tabard — a MEDICUS — who covers him with his shield as he takes him behind the relative safety of cover.

KNIGHT MEDICUS
Priestess! I need a Priestess over here!

None answer, too busy raising those that fell from the Wookiee gunship's strafing run.

EDGE [pained]
I... I-I don't wanna die...
I don't wanna die.

KNIGHT MEDICUS
You won't,
not today, Stormtrooper...

The MEDICUS mutters a prayer as he uses the Force to stem the bleeding, and then produces a glass vial from his belt, containing a clear liquid.

KNIGHT MEDICUS
This might sting a little...

The MEDICUS channels the Force through the liquid, causing it to bubble and glow. He pops the cork, and then pours the liquid into the wound. EDGE screams: the sting is almost unbearable, but the wound seals itself, and the blood is washed away.

EDGE [relieved]
Am I...? I'm alive!

The Medicus helps EDGE get back on his feet.

KNIGHT MEDICUS
Good, now get up!
There's a battle to win!

EDGE
Thank you, thank you so much!

Elsewhere, Gallus and CEADEUS, back to back, fight off several Vibrosword-wielding commando droids, who have long figured out that shooting CEADEUS was an exercise in futility. Engaging him and his brother in arms in a swordfight, however, was an exercise in suicide, though the commando droids do manage to nick CEADEUS' armour here and there.

GALLUS
We have to break this stalemate!
We are of little use at this range!

CEADEUS shield bashes one of the droids into a wall, and the Commandos retreat, intent on striking at a more opportune time. GALLUS swipes his sword, and a blade of air cuts one in two just as it was about to vanish.

CEADEUS turns to KAINÉ, who had managed to hold her own against a MAGNAGUARD in a staff fight, and ends it by sending him flying through the Force.

CEADEUS
KAINÉ!
PROTECT!

KAINÉ mods, while CEADEUS kneels, and unclasps the silver book from his belt. Energy gathers around him as he prepares a Force power. A ring of light forms above his head, with spokes of alien text growing outward.

KAINÉ, meanwhile, speaks in a alien tongue as the Mist streams out of her incense burner.

KAINÉ [in Old Valendian]
O Precious Light! Wrap us in your paling and
save the faithful from harm! PROTECT!

CEADEUS, in contrast, merely roars as he unleashes his FORCE VALOR, affecting all allies around him. A glow appears in their eyes, as they feel the Force grant them enhanced strength, vitality, agility... and bravery. At the same time, KAINÉ's mist wraps around every trooper, sailor, archer and knight, granting them a defense against physical harm.

CEADEUS rises, taking deep breaths to recover his pool of Force energy faster, but he has little time before the power fades. He strides to the front line, GALLUS following close behind him. The shield wall parts to make way for his charge...

CEADEUS
ALL OF YOU, FOLLOW ME TO VICTORY!

KNIGHTS OF REN [cheering]
AH HOO!
AH HOO!
AH HOO!

Emboldened and empowered by the Force, the FIRST ORDER army and the KNIGHTS of REN follow CEADEUS, cheering, unafraid of the heavy weapons fire that had once kept them at bay. The Siegebreakers focus their fire on CEADEUS, hoping to demoralize their enemy by killing their champion, but his Gunshield absorbs all damage. The Resistance's shooters attempt to kill the stormtroopers, but they too are practically invincible, and it takes a continuous barrage of photons to bring even one of them down.

The AT-TE's cannon charges as its gunner aims it directly at CEADEUS, but the Wookiee gunners had given his GUNSHIELD's power drum all the energy it needed to core out the Walker with a plasma beam, killing both pilot and gunner in a single blast. EMATT keeps his cool, in spite of losing his only tank.

EMATT
Aw, sithspit!
NOW!

Two hundred more COMMANDO DROIDS decloak, and run to meet the KNIGHTS in melee combat. They are soon joined by two hundred SUPER BATTLE DROIDS, one hundred MAGNAGUARDS, a matching number of snarling wookiees with enormous Vibroswords... and PROFESSOR HUYANG. The Knights were outnumbered two to one, and they believe their numbers will grant them victory.

HUYANG
FOR THE REPUBLIC!

SUPER BATTLE DROID
FOR THE FREE DROIDS!

LOVESTRUCK MAGNAGUARD
FOR SONOCHEEEEEEE!

RANDOM WOOKIEE
RRAAAAAARRRRGGGGH!

A melee ensues between the GLADIATORS and the RESISTANCE's skirmishers, both sides giving as good as they get. Super Battle Droids punch Knights to the ground, while Wookiees cut their shields apart, opening them up to be speared by the electro-staves of Magna-guards. HUYANG, apparently, had upgraded himself after the Clone Wars, and deploys two extra arms to draw a total of four lightsabers, turning himself into a spinning whirlwind of death the likes of which hasn't been seen since General Grievous. Under that onslaught, the shield wall eventually breaks... but the Knights prove resilient beyond belief. Whether knocked down or stabbed, they simply refuse to stay down, and even if their metal shields fails them, their BRIGHTSWORDS do not.

Soon, the RESISTANCE's superior numbers over the GLADIATORS mean less and less. Stormtroopers, shock batons in hand, come to the KNIGHT'S assistance, and it turns into a free-for-all. Even then, the GLADIATORS keep their discipline, fighting back to back, much to the backstabbing COMMANDO DROIDS' chagrin.

INT - VT 66 COCKPIT - SPACE

PAXTON looks at the melee below, at the sheer skill and strength being displayed by the outnumbered GLADIATORS, at CEADEUS taking on all comers, at the bravery of his stormtroopers and feels something he hasn't felt in a long time...

Hope.

PAXTON
[muttering]
We can do this.
[to KILRAN]
Keep strafing those Plex troop—

LYNN
INCOMING!

PAXTON turns back just in time to see a bunch of crates flying at the viewport. His reflexes kick in, and he turns the vessel just in time to prevent a cockpit shot that would have killed his whole crew. The crates hit the ship with the force of a turbolaser, sending the craft spinning out of control. Hope makes way for frustration and despair, as PAXTON's remembers all those times LUKE SKYWALKER had appeared, snapped his fingers, and just grabbed victory for the Rebellion.

PAXTON [angry]
Damn it! The Jedi! AGAIN!

PAXTON engages the inertial brakes, but the VT crashes against the wall, tearing through machinery and getting stuck within the twisted metal of an elevator cage and its gears. The crew is stunned, but otherwise unharmed.

INT - RADDUS, CENTRAL HANGAR - SPACE

More crates fall upon the First Order army like artillery. CEADEUS turns to face the source, expecting a JEDI.

Instead, he sees the Wookiee MAHRACCOR, with the MOONBREAKER raised above his head, glowing bright as it creates an invisible tether between itself and a girder on the ceiling. The gravity hammer pulls at the superior mass, causing the enormous (but lighter) WOOKIEE to leap up six stories high on an arcing path that ends in the middle of the GLADIATORS' formation. Bringing the hammer down, a burst of kinetic energy washes over Knight and trooper alike in a six meter radius. Those outside of the blast area quickly engage him, only to be smacked away, either by the swing of the gravity hammer or a backhand of a fur-covered fist.

CEADEUS moves to engage him, just as the VT 66 comes back to life. MAHRACCOR, intent on finishing the craft once and for all, ignores him. He aims MOONBREAKER at the VT, and leaps! Time slows as MAHRACCOR raises his hammer and shouts victoriously, about to crush PAXTON and his crew in their cockpits... and is denied the satisfaction. CEADEUS' spinning GUNSHIELD, thrown by raw strength and guided by the Force, hits the Wookiee Chieftain right in the ribs. MAHRACCOR suddenly finds his body tearing through a crate of ration packs, and rises from the resulting pile of foil packs snarling, annoyed and looking for payback.

Meanwhile, STORMTROOPER VICKS spots a COMMANDO DROID about to stab KAINE in the back with a vibrosword. Sensing his chance to be a hero, VICKS picks up a fallen comrade's scattergun and rushes the droid, utterly obliterating the machine's body before it has a chance to hurt her. VICKS, unaccustomed to pretty women (even masked ones), freezes, awaiting an expression of gratitude of some kind.

KAINE
BEHIND YOU!

VICKS
Wha—

VICKS turns around and sees a WOOKIEE aiming a bowcaster at his face, point blank. Just as the Wookiee fires, KAINE protects VICKS with the Force, and the bolt flattens against his helmet. VICKS, panicking, screams as he empties his scattergun into the WOOKIEE's guts... who snarls in pain, drops his weapon and hoists VICKS up just before attempting to snap his neck. VICKS screams, and buries his blaster carbine's barrel into the Wookie's face and pulls the trigger, and doesn't let it go.

CLOSE UP of VICKS' helmet, as blood splatters all over it, illuminated by his blaster's fully automatic fire...

Elsewhere, MAHRACCOR looks for his foe, killing every sailor, trooper and archer in his path, and a couple of Priestesses as well. CEADEUS recalls his shield to him with the Force, and MAHRACCOR follows it back to him. CEADEUS sees him first, and knocks his sword on his shield, getting the WOOKIEE's attention.

The two champions square off, a circular space in the center of the melee opens up for the two of them. MAHRACCOR knocks on his chest with his free hand, challenging CEADEUS as he looms over him menacingly. As tall as CEADEUS is at two meters, MAHRACCOR easily dwarfed him: he has to look up to meet his gaze.

SHOT of CEADEUS' bright eyes, narrowing.

COUNTER SHOT of MAHRACCOR's face, snarling, looking down at CEADEUS.

WIDE SHOT as they dash at each other; their duel has begun!

CUT TO:

EXT - CHARON ASTEROID BELT - SPACE

POE expertly dodges the errant asteroids with the ARC 170's maneuvering jets, just as the fleet clears the asteroid storm that had been thrown at it.

POE
We gotta get back to the Raddus!
Leia needs us!

FINN
Hey, the fleet's making a run for it!

POE [angry]
Cowards!

FINN is a bit perturbed: POE just revealed an uglier aspect to his personality.

FINN
Our engines are dead!
We haven't got enough thrust to get back!

POE
Oh yes we do!

POE maneuvers the ARC away from the RADDUS, and fires a torpedo.

FINN
Poe... what are you doing?!

POE
Trying that trick he used!

FINN
Wha—

POE fires at the torpedo, and the blast pushes the ARC towards the RADDUS.

FINN [scared out of his mind]
ARE YOU CRAZY?!

POE
I haven't been more sane in my life!
Now hold on!

POE performs the trick two more times, and each time the ship gains more speed, but his cockpit cracks a little more...

CUT TO:

INT - RADDUS CENTRAL HANGAR -

The hammer-wielding Wookiee strikes, and CEADEUS blocks it with his gunshield. He holds fast against the hammer's raw power, but only just barely. MAHRACCOR's onslaught is savage, raining blow after blow against the gunshield, its drum unable to absorb the raw kinetic energy. The plate begins to buckle, but CEADEUS finally finds his chance to perform a well-timed shield bash, opening the Wookiee up for a counter-slash... but MAHRACCOR sees the blow coming: He steps back out of the sword's reach, and performs a power attack that knocks the GUNSHIELD away.

CEADEUS grasps the BEAST PRINCE with both hands, and deflects MAHRACCOR's combination of blows until he makes the mistake of redirecting the last one to the ground. The hammer's head explodes with graviton energy, causing the MASTER GLADIATOR to float helplessly as MAHRACCOR swings MOONBREAKER at his chest, batting him flying into a nearby wall. CEADEUS, incredibly, recovers and rebalances himself in mid-air, hits the wall with his two feet, and FORCE JUMPS right back at MAHRACCOR.

As the WOOKIEE and the KNIGHT duel, GALLUS takes down a Magnaguard with an impressive counter. With two swords buried into its chest, the droid's death rattle mingles with the sound of the sparks of its ruptured power core. Suddenly, A YELLOW LIGHTSABER spins at him, and only his reflexes — enhanced by both the Blood of Ceadus and the Force Valour tjat had been cast earlier — allow him to dodge the spinning disc of energy. The other KNIGHTS aren't as quick, but their armour and shields hold. Some of them scream at the scalding heat, but...

WOUNDED KNIGHT OF REN [euphoric]
THE PAIN! GLORIOUS!

ENVIOUS KNIGHT OF REN
GOD'S GIFT IS UPON YOU, BROTHER!

Another spinning lightsaber flies towards the stormtroopers, tracing an arc across their ranks. Unlike the knights, they are not happy about being cut into by a lightsaber.

WOUNDED STORMTROOPER [agonizing]
MY LEG! MY LEG!

Dozens of stormtroopers and sailors are cut down by the flying sabers, and GALLUS watches as they return to their master, floating in orbit around LEIA ORGANA, standing next to GENERAL EMATT with a Zakuul LIGHTSABER held upward in front of her, her eyes closed as she concentrates on telekinetically manipulating the two other lightsabers around her.

EMATT
Riflemen! Ready scatterguns!

The Marines obey. LEIA raises her lightsaber.

LEIA
Get these scumbags... OFF MY SHIP!

The Marines cheer as they charge the knights, with LEIA and EMATT leading them into the fray, while the B1 battle droids provide as much cover fire as they can. Scatterguns prove better at damaging the Knights' armour than blasters, denting them considerably... but the more the GLADIATORS were wounded, the harder they fought. And the harder they fought... the faster the Wookiee Warriors died, and that meant the Marines would be next to die on the edge of a BRIGHTSWORD.

LEIA, however, proves to be the most dangerous thing on the field next to MAHRACCOR. Her sabers fly behind enemy lines, killing stormtroopers left and right. A GLADIATOR, upon seeing a Priestess being cut down, screams in fury and attempts to kill LEIA, only to find himself hoisted up and crushed by the Force. Tossed away, the crushed knight lands near CEADEUS, who can only take a moment to frown at his brother-in-arm's ruined body before deflecting another attack by MAHRACCOR. The WOOKIEE grins, sensing victory as his latest attack disarms his foe, and is quickly disabused of the notion as CEADEUS assumes a boxing stance and punches him in the jaw. MAHRACCOR, cursed with a glass jaw, is stunned and disoriented for a second and loses his grip on his weapon. He recovers quickly, but with no time to pick MOONBREAKER back up, he engages in a fistfight with his CEADEUS. A combination of straights hit nothing but air as CEADEUS reveals himself to be faster than he appeared. A counterpunch, followed by a sidekick to the head sends MAHRACCOR to the floor.

LEIA comes to his rescue by grabbing MOONBREAKER with the Force and sending it spinning at CEADEUS. The knight ducks out of the way, and recalls his sword towards him. The Silver Book at his belt opens, emitting a tower of mandalas that form into another weapon - a greatsword with the same beastly motif as the bastard sword: the BEAST LORD. CEADEUS takes it with his free hand, wielding it as easily as a longsword.

LEIA telekinetically returns MOONBREAKER to MAHRACCOR as he gets back on his feet, and the two of them attack at once, hoping to end this battle by headhunting CEADEUS. MAHRACCOR takes another swing, as LEIA's two sabers fly to support him.

GALLUS sees his Master outnumbered, and is furious at the sight. A duel is sacred to him, and now that LEIA and MAHRACCOR had proven themselves dishonorable...

GALLUS [outraged]
Dishonorable DOGS!

...He moves to his master's aid, but is stopped by none other than HUYANG.

HUYANG [taunting]
Oh no no no! You stay right here
and watch the fate of all Sith
fall upon your master!

Huyang's lightsabers spin in his hands, and he attacks. GALLUS proves to be quite a match for the old droid, but is too distraught at his master's situation to effectively kill his foe.

GALLUS [frustrated]
Blasted machina!

GALLUS watches helplessly as CEADEUS is put on the defensive, blocking the flying lightsabers with the bastard sword and deflecting the MOONBREAKER with the greatsword. He manages to slice one of the lightsaber's emitters away, rendering it useless. CEADEUS strikes MAHRACCOR with both weapons, and when that fails to break MOONBREAKER's halt, he Force Leaps back, landing in front of the ruined AT-TE, giving himself room to breathe and rethink his tactics.

MAHRACCOR
Hold him!

LEIA attempts to hold CEADEUS in place with the Force. CEADEUS counters by absorbing the force energy, thinking she was attempting to toss him around. LEIA and MAHRACCOR pull the AT-TE with both gravitons and the Force, the wreck promptly hiting CEADEUS in the back, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to lose his grip on his weapons.

They clatter away from him.

The wreck rapidly pushes CEADEUS right towards a smiling MAHRACCOR, his MOONBREAKER ready or a powerful swing. Time slows to a crawl again as the Master of Gladiators gets struck in the chest by the hammer, the raw kinetic energy travels through his armored body, sending shockwaves into the AT-TE's armour behind him that folds ripples into it. CEADEUS falls to his knees, his defeat is imminent...

His consciousness is fading. The lights grow dim.

GALLUS [distraught]
Brother! BROTHER!

GALLUS' echoing voice fades away, along with the din of battle, blaster fire, and the grinding of vibroblades against brightswords... all fade, except for the sound of CEADEUS' breath.

The lights grow dim. MAHRACCOR roars in victory as he is about to smash CEADEUS's skull.

KAINE [horrified]
Noooooo!

The lights grow dim... The blaze in CEADEUS' eyes fades... he sees nothing.

Nothing... except HER.

She stands there, the light of heaven shining down on her, a psychopomp in a black bodysuit and hair the colours of fire and blood. She smiles warmly at CEADEUS, like greeting an old friend... But then her eyes narrow at him. She speaks, her voice a smooth contralto.

MARA JADE [mocking]
Come on, farmboy... You can do better than that.

CEADEUS' eyes blaze white once more, and he grabs MOONBREAKER by the haft near its head just as it is about to impact with his head, stopping it just short of his face. MAHRACCOR snarls, and MOONBREAKER's graviton drive pulls at the wall of ruined metal behind CEADEUS' head. Stuck between armour plate and hammer, his head is slowly being crushed. His helmet groans, his horns crack. The seam at the mouth of CEADEUS' mask snaps open, revealing two rows of tiger's teeth clenched as CEADEUS defies death. The glass jaw out of reach, he punches MAHRACCOR in the gut, over and over again, but the huge Wookiee is just as unyielding as he is.

LEIA, seeing her losses mounting, is desperate to finish this. She Force Throws her second lightsaber at CEADEUS's chest... who catches it, and buries the yellow blade into the side of MAHRACCOR's belly.

The WOOKIEE's eyes widen as he stumbles back, in shock. His hands are gone, he realizes, the stumps smoking. MOONBREAKER is in CEADEUS's other hand, now, and it is being swung at the Wookiee's legs. MAHRACCOR falls on his back, and CEADEUS silently raises the graviton sledgehammer over his head.

MAHRACCOR [in shyriiwook]
Lowbacca...

There is a loud thud, and the sickening crack of bone and brains being crushed as MOONBREAKER betrays his master.

KNIGHTS OF REN [cheering]
AH HOO!
AH HOO!
AH HOO!

The cheers almost drown out EMTEEDEE's anguised cries:

EMTEEDEE [distraught]
Master? Oh, this can't be happening!
Speak to me, master! Please!

The tide of the battle turns. The Gladiators overcome the Skirmishers. The Young Knight of REN, having lost his sword, bashes a sword-swinging Wookiee to the ground with his tower shield and caves his furry head in with its edge. The stormtroopers begin killing the marines one by one...

HUYANG
No!

HUYANG, distraught, is disarmed, and promptly beheaded by GALLUS. The droid's head rolls away from its body.

SONOCHEE cries tears of rage, as a B1 battledroid grabs her and takes her away to safety.

BATTLE DROID
Sonochee, we've lost!
We have to run!

SONOCHEE
NO! THEY ALL HAVE TO PAY!
I HAVE TO MAKE THEM PAY!

PLIERS
I'll cover you; get her out of here!

Sonochee cries, as the B1 drags her away, while PLIERS gives them cover fire.

CEADEUS stands victorious over the Wookiee's corpse, breathing hard. He looks up, hoping to find the vision of MARA JADE, but where the vision once stood, he sees only a red-haired woman in a pilot's suit: TALLIE LINTRA, aiming her blaster at him.

TALLIE
LEIA! RUN!

TALLIE shoots at him, and CEADEUS silently deflects the blast right back to the pistol, destroying it. A Force Push, and TALLIE is knocked to the ground. Unconscious, but alive. CEADEUS walks towards LEIA as EMATT rushes in with his scattergun, the weapon on the verge of melting down.

EMATT [defiant]
Die, you Sith piece of—

CEADEUS is less merciful to the old man. A single swing of the lightsaber, and the GENERAL is beheaded. CEADEUS didn't even look at him as he did it. Wookiees come at him to avenge their chief, but they too are cut down, and occasionally crushed by MOONBREAKER. Nothing stands between him and LEIA, now. Following his training, CEADEUS performs a MAKASHI greeting, then assumes the Form's opening stance. A challenge, and a silent warning:

I know how to use this.

CEADEUS
Surrender.

LEIA
No.

LEIA keeps her distance, and Force Throws a crate at CEADEUS, who slices it in two.

CEADEUS
You are weakening, Organa.
Surrender.

LEIA [frightened]
NO!

Then comes an engine, and CEADEUS smacks it away with MOONBREAKER.

CEADEUS
You are ill-trained.
You cannot defeat me!
Surrender!

LEIA [angrily]
NOOO!

Then comes an A-WING, and CEADEUS takes a running start before Force Jumping right at it. It explodes, and CEADEUS emerges from the fireball, his weapons raised high. He lands in front of LEIA, and takes a few swings with the lightsaber, probing her defense... and finds it is poor. Her form is sloppy, and handicapped by her advanced age, revealing the reason for her previous unwillingness to engage in melee. CEADEUS, meanwhile, holds back, intending to take her alive.

CEADEUS
Your people are going to die!
SURRENDER!

CEADEUS disarms her, easily, and points his lightsaber at her neck.

CEADEUS
It's over.

LEIA [hatefully]
NOOOOOOOO!

LEIA's eyes glow orange, then pure red!

CEADEUS
Don't do this!

RED FORCE LIGHTNING surges out of LEIA's hands. CEADEUS brings his weapons up, and finds the MOONBREAKER knocked away from his hand. Only the lightsaber, and CEADEUS' mastery of Tutaminis allow him to weather the arcs of electricity and the waves of kinetic energy washing over him.

LEIA [furious]
FALL! FALL! FALL!

CEADEUS's breathing grows ragged, as past trauma and his own phobia of lightning begin to break his concentration. His armour begins to sizzle and smoke, the lightsaber begins to flicker...

BANG

A ring of blue plasma impacts on LEIA's back as PAXTON fires stun shots at her. She doesn't fall, and he increases the power setting of his heavy pistol. He shoots her two more times, and she snarls before aiming a hand at him, crackling with electricity.

CEADEUS takes the opening, seizing her by the neck and chokeslamming her to the ground.

LEIA becomes still.

PAXTON walks up to her fallen form, looks down at her, and gently kicks her. She doesn't move.

PAXTON
Is she dead?

CEADEUS [exhausted]
No.

PAXTON
That is one tough lady.

CEADEUS
Indeed. And now...

CEADEUS grabs her by the head, an act of calculated viciousness, and hoists her up for all to see. He roars victoriously, getting the attention of all present.

CEADEUS [booming through the Force]
IT IS OVER. YOU HAVE LOST!

The Resistance troops become utterly demoralized, and many drop their weapons. The GLADIATORS, ARCHERS and PRIESTESSES obey, and stop fighting as well. Some members of the Resistance don't get the hint, and attempt to kill Gladiators. Their would-be victims merely punch them into submission.

Stormtroopers hesitate, torn between the command of the Master of Gladiators and their desire for vengeance.

PAXTON [shouting]
You heard the man!
The fight's over!
Secure the hangar bay!
We're going to spread like wildfire across this ship!

CEADEUS drops LEIA to the ground.

VICKS
Sir! What about them?!

VICKS points at the surrendering Resistance fighters. PAXTON looks at CEADEUS, expectantly. He knows that in the end, this is his show. The Master of Gladiators looks down at LEIA.

CEADEUS [menacingly]
I offered God's mercy to her men,
and she denied it to them...

There is a tense moment as PAXTON expects CEADEUS to say the words a dark lord should say: "Kill them all." Stormtroopers tighten their grip on their weapons.

CEADEUS
...but I shall give it, nonetheless.

CLOSE UP of CEADEUS' black gambesson - two silver clasps at the neck and chest had popped open from battle damage, revealing the bright silver of CEADEUS' chainmail, and the red inner quilting inside the protective coat.

Immediately, the GLADIATORS sheathe their swords.

PAXTON [relieved]
[to VICKS]
Take them prisoner.

VICKS nods, and the Stormtroopers begin to round the survivors up.

CEADEUS
Let my men and Kainé take care of that.
The ship is yours to take, Captain. Go.

INT - RADDUS, HALLWAYS - SPACE

[3]

CEADEUS's voice, amplified by the Force, resounds across the ship.

CEADEUS' VOICE
Crew of the Raddus...
You have lost.
Your defenders have surrendered.
Your generals are dead and Leia is our prisoner.
Surrender or flee, I care not... but if you resist, you WILL die.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

The entire bridge crew is struck dumb at the news. ACKBAR sinks into his pod chair, defeated.

KAYDELL [scared]
Sir? Sir, what do we do?

ACKBAR closes his eyes, and gives the order.

ACKBAR
All hands, abandon ship.

A press of a button on Ackbar's pod chair, and the bridge's escape pod hatches open.

A MONTAGE begins as the FIRST ORDER spreads all over the ship:

Engineers attempt to sabotage the Hyperdrive, hoping to achieve asset denial. They fail to do before the Stormtroopers storm in. Lumi Celchu and Alleck are taken prisoner. KAINÉ uses her incense burner to render the prisoners unconscious. Medicus Knights take care of the wounded, even Leia. There is a rush for the escape pods, as all that remains of the RADDUS's marine detail valiantly delay the Stormtroopers long enough for the crew to escape into space, where their lifepods are picked up by the vessels the ALEKSANDR had yet to destroy. The ALEKSANDR, tellingly, does not attack them, and lets them go. Those that cannot make it to the pods... either surrender to the Stormtroopers, or commit suicide, thinking erroneously that CEADEUS is being dishonest, and that a horrible death awaits them. SONOCHEE hides in a maintenance conduit, as the B1 battledroid sacrifices himself to distract the troopers away from her. FINN and POE crash into Hangar Bay 4, and are quickly taken prisoner, all hope of heroics dashed. THREEPIO is being forced into an escape pod, protesting, wordlessly begging for someone else to take the pod. The corridor to the bridge is drowned in blaster fire as more marines die. Only ACKBAR remains in the end.

The MONTAGE ends: the Resistance faces its darkest hour.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

ACKBAR is all alone, and looks out to the stars. He sees the fleet he helped build make a getaway past the asteroid field. The fleet is just about to jump... when a FIRST ORDER INTERDICTOR appears right in front of them, flanked by four STAR DESTROYERS and twelve MAXIMA Cruisers. They quickly spew out their TIE FIGHTER wings - hundreds of them. The Interdictor activates its gravwell generators, trapping the retreating fleet.

ACKBAR's head falls, having lost all hope. Behind him, the doors leading out of the bridge are being cut open by a plasma torch. ACKBAR takes out a locket out of his coat, and looks at the holographic image of his family one last time.

INT - STAR DESTROYER 'MERCILESS', BRIDGE - SPACE

FIRST ORDER COMMS OFFICER
Message from the... unknown ship, sir.
We are to accept any surrender, or...
[chuckling]
...or 'face the consequences'.

FIRST ORDER CAPTAIN [smugly]
I don't hear any calls for surrender.
Do you?

FIRST ORDER COMMS OFFICER
Actually...

FIRST ORDER CAPTAIN [smugly]
No. You don't. All fighters and guns, fire at will.
And while you're at it? Flag that alien ship as hostile.

EXT - RESISTANCE FLEET REMNANT - SPACE

Black Squadron's X-wings are trailing smoke, some of them sparks. The pilots are exhausted. SNAP looks down at his HUD, and sees hundreds of red blips on his scope. The Protector and the Stormblood attempt to put up a wall of flak, but can't cover the fleet. None of the Resistance's capital ships can take on this many Star Destroyers. Everyone knows it, and hope of survival fades.

SNAP [resigned]
...Are you guys ready?

KARE
...Yeah. I'm ready.

C'AI
Guys? It was an honour.
I'll see you all in the Maw, yeah?

NIEN NUMB
Drinks are on me.

Suddenly, the INTERDICTOR is pierced by a railgun, and explodes.

SNAP [surprised]
Wha...?!

C'AI
Guys... GUYS!
I've got a huge quantum waveform
reading coming up behind the First Order fleet!
It's... it's HUGE!

SNAP
How huge?!
Super Star Destroyer huge?!

C'AI
BIGGER!

KARE [despairing]
They outnumber us already!
Why would —

An immense, ominous star shape hyperspaces in, above the FIRST ORDER FLEET, casting a shadow over them in spite of the globe of energy surrounding it.

It's the FIRWIRRUNG.

SNAP
What the—

INT - STAR DESTROYER 'MERCILESS', BRIDGE - SPACE

FIRST ORDER CAPTAIN [horrified]
—kriff is that?!

FIRST ORDER SENSOR CHIEF [panicking]
Unknown, sir! No IFF—
massive energy spikes all over!
It's—

Lightning arcs all over the bridge, disintegrating the crew just before the ship explodes...

EXT - RESISTANCE FLEET REMNANT - SPACE

The Firwirrung unleashes the power of all of its lightning cannons at the First Order fleet. The energy blasts arc from ship to ship, and half of the First Order capital ships are obliterated in an instant. The TIE fighters, however, are out of the dagonian city-ship's range, and are now suicidally bent on destroying the Fleet.

Suddenly, five Chiss Warships micro-jump in front of the RESISTANCE FLEET: two Frigates and two Corvettes, lead by a Heavy Cruiser. They fire cruise missiles at the TIEs, their warheads splintering into hundreds of submunitions. A full wing of S'JET CLAWCRAFT jumps in, and move in to finish off what remains of the TIE Fighters.

SNAP
SERIOUSLY,
WHAT THE KRIFF?!

KARE
...What's going on?!
Who are those guys?!

C'AI
SHOOT FIRST! QUESTIONS LATER!

Black Squadron joins in the dogfight, their hope re-ignited.

INT - RADDUS , BRIDGE - SPACE

ACKBAR sees the fleet being rescued, and he becomes filled with determination.

The Stormtroopers breach the door, and ACKBAR whirls his pod-chair around... revealing a pair of autoblasters hidden in the seat's armrests. He pours blaster bolt after blaster bolt into the entrance, killing any trooper who attempts to get in. A trooper manages to get a shot in, hitting ACKBAR in the shoulder, but he does not stop fighting. He knows he must not stop: Every second he can deny the First Order the bridge widens the chance of the Resistance striking back and retaking the ship.

EXT - RADDUS , BRIDGE - SPACE

The light of the blaster bolts burst out of the windows, the muffled blasts drowning ACKBARs defiant cries at he kills Stormtrooper after Stormtrooper.

Smoke and red embers appear in the windows, streaming in from the vents...

EXT - RESISTANCE REMNANTS - SPACE

The FIRWIRRUNG fires again, and obliterates the rest of the FIRST ORDER capital ships.

INT - RADDUS, HALLWAY - SPACE

CEADEUS and KAINÉ feel a presence they haven't felt in seven years, while PAXTON's own instincts tell him something is very, very wrong.

KAINÉ [frightened]
It's... it's him.

CEADEUS [growling]
...Luke.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG CONTROL TOWER - SPACE

Luke turns away from the KAIBURR stone, sensing a presence he had hoped never to feel again. He looks out, and sees the distant image of the RADDUS... His eyes narrow, keeping his anger in check.

LUKE [bitterly]
Tristan.

INT - RADDUS, HALLWAY - SPACE

CEADEUS, KAINÉ and PAXTON stride towards the BRIDGE, moving past hundreds of dead bodies. LYNNE follows them, jogging to keep up.

PAXTON
Are you sure?

CEADEUS [worried]
Very. We need to leave, now.

INT - RADDUS, BRIDGE - SPACE

They enter the bridge, and find it littered with at least fifty dead Stormtroopers. PAXTON's eyes widen as he sees ACKBAR's dead body, riddled with arrows and stab wounds. He should feel happy, instead... there is a sorrow in his heart he had not expected to find. IRVINE is sitting on a crewman's chair, clearly exhausted, his coat singed. EDGE, still alive in spite of everything, is coordinating a Stormtrooper squad's activities as they assume control of the ship.

IRVINE
Whew...! That was...
That was one tough fish.

PAXTON glares at him, angrily. LYNN moves towards the comms station. Just as she activates it and puts on the headset, she sees the battle unfolding in the distance.

LYNN
Sir, look... an alien dreadnought!

EDGE, manning the SENSOR station, checks the readings.

EDGE
Oooooh... crap.
I've got debris readings - millions of tons of durasteel!
Looks like that thing took out our reinforcements!

PAXTON
Stars...

CEADEUS
Luke is controlling it.

EDGE
It gets worse! I've got distorted readings,
but cameras confirm it! The Chiss are here!
They've got a Vandal!

PAXTON takes the helm, and checks the hyperdrive.

PAXTON
Railgun?

EDGE [alarmed]
It's cold! It could fire at us at any moment!

The reading's on PAXTON's console doesn't look good.

PAXTON
Damn, Ackbar torched the Navcom!

CEADEUS take the SILVER BOOK from his belt, and opens it, flipping through the pages.

CEADEUS
Fear not.
What of the command section?
Have you transfered your wounded?

LYNN
I've got reports coming in...
[relieved]
Yes! All of our medical pods
have been moved into the hangar!

CEADEUS
Tell your crew to evacuate the
command section. We're leaving.

LYNN
But the Navcom...

The Silver book's pages glow, and a ring appears over CEADEUS' hand, and he places it over the NAVIGATOR'S CONSOLE, which surges back to life with alien text.

CEADEUS
I will serve as the Navcom.

PAXTON
Do as he says!

LYNN
Understood!
[to her headset]
Bridge to all hands! Prepare for emergency jump!
All crew still aboard the Eclipse, abandon ship!

The remaning REMORA fighters are joined by the surviving TIE WORKERS in executing emergency landings on the RADDUS's hangar bays, passing by escaping RESISTANCE TRANSPORTS AND SHUTTLES.

The RADDUS and the ALEKSANDR form up, and accelerate away from the FIRWIRRUNG. The Command section is pushed away by tractor beams, set to reverse. Scuttling charges explode, destroying all that remains of the Eclipse. The two ships sync up their Hyperdrives...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG CONTROL TOWER - SPACE

LUKE
No... don't you DARE!

LUKE watches as the RADDUS and the ALEKSANDR escape into hyperspace.

LUKE
TRISTAAAAAAAAANNNN!

He is tempted, deeply so, into chasing after then, but he sees the Resistance fleet, and knows that he must help them first.

Vengeance... vengeance for his beloved Mara, must wait. LUKE stares down at his artificial hand, deprived of synthetic flesh, as he clenches it. Revenge must always wait. His duty as a Jedi must always come first.

The Battle of Charon's Belt is over. The Resistance has won, once again... but it is a victory it may never recover from.

---

END OF EPISODE 7

---

Author's notes:

Yep, the Aleksandr is one big Final Fantasy reference, specifically to the Summonable monster Alexander that appears throughout in the series... and of course, the airship in Final Fantasy XII. Brace yourselves, there's more coming.

So yeah, the Yuuzhan Vong are a thing in this continuity, too... only, they seem to have travelled back to the past, and all that remains of them are echoes of their tech. represented by the Aleksandr. Some of the Vong traditional colours have also seeped into the Knight's of Ren's culture: Black for warriors, White for healers (Shapers), Red for Priests, and Green for Scribes and Bureaucrats. Ceadeus is clad primarily in black, but has a red sash under his belt. This is meant to represent his role in the Knights of Ren, as well as visually imply that he's more morally complicated than initially assumed, particularly by Luke.

Speaking of complicated, get ready for some Ivalice levels of political intrigue back in Valendia. What's Valendia? The First Order's home sector, that's what, and the place is not as monolithic as Snoke would like it to be. There's been hints implied through this arc: the "Party", "natives", In-vitro births and mental conditioning, and some tensions between the secular and the religious.

As for moral complications... are CEADEUS' accusations true? The last one, attempted filicide, is only true from Ceadeus' point of view, who hasn't got the full picture... but what about the others. A 'Grand Kiltias' has been murdered. Who is responsible? Is Ceadeus justified in his actions, or not?

Finally, If you haven't noticed already, I'm setting up a rivalry between Rey and Ceadeus, who will be the Aces of their respective factions for quite a while. Their first encounter probably won't go the way canon Rey would think. You'd think Rey's foil would be Kylo, but if you think about, Kylo's foil... would be Luke.

---

Musical notes:

[1] Nier Automata Orchestra: The Dark Colossus Destroys All... well, the title is pretty apt for the ALEKSANDR's big entrance, eh? The song is, too: It begins with a choir, setting up a sense of religious awe that contrasts sharply with the eldritch horror that is the Kuyutha. When the strings hit, you should feel exactly what the crew on those resistance ships are feeling upon seeing this one ship - not a death star, not a star destroyer - move in to attack them with without fear, and realize that yes, it can take them on.

alternate tracks: Nier Automata OST: Dark Colossus (QUIET), followed by Dark Colossus (DYNAMIC). Some appropriate soundtrack dissonance with QUIET's organ pipes and vocals, perfect for when the ALEKSANDR goes full DIES IRAE on the fleet with its beam spam. DYNAMIC has more energy appropriate for a battle, but it doesn't have that Orchestal touch Star Wars needs.

There's also Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak: end credits. I can easily imagine that's the Knights of Ren chanting, since the bad guys in Deserts of Kharak are as religiously motivated as the Knights of Ren. Then again, I don't know what they're chanting about in the song, so I can't recommend it. Very evocative of the desert, of course, which also works for space. That's Paul Ruskay, for ya.

[2] Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 OST: Paladin of God. Another accurate title and song for CEADEUS, it starts with a buildup of scary chords as he fully reveals himself to the RESISTANCE in all his horrible gothic glory.

[3] Revenge of the Sith OST: Anakin's betrayal. What better song to set the RESISTANCE's darkest hour than the song John Williams set the great Jedi purge to? Things aren't that bad, I suppose... The Resistance seemed pretty okay with being reduced to like, thirty people in The Last Jedi, so losing less than half their people in this continuity should be okay, right? ...Right?

Anyways, the track also ends on an ideal note for the First Order's escape.

---

This fanfic is being made with the generous support of 34 patrons on p-a-t-r-e-o-n!

Extra special thanks to:

Kalaong

CMY187

Andrew

and PNG1!

You guys rock!