-Episode 14: The Battle of Faro-
In the corner of a dark room, F was illuminated by a lone candle, letting the quiet stillness soothe her mind. Deep in her meditation, she feels the world fade, a momentary peace of mind amidst the noisy, chaotic outside world. She needed to retain her focus after a hectic few rotations of Faro. She was dutifully attending to every matter at the cost of less sleep. Such exhaustion from addressing issue after issue has dealt her significant amounts of stress, even threatening to instill fear into her consciousness. The room's shadows creep around F, the candle's light fading. That fear creeps back due to the anxious air of Faro. She hasn't seen so many broken bodies since the war and heard whispers of fighters thinking of abandoning posts while continuing to express distrust of her as a Jedi. These piled on the already weight on her shoulders, threatening to crack her resolve. Her thoughts returned to the Temple, the Jedi she and her master tried protecting.
'No…not again,' she tells herself, 'that's not who I am. I can't be that scared, padawan.' With a steady breath, the glow of the flame grows, 'and my heart won't be a vessel for the dark side.….'
F opens her eyes and gasps to find that apparition, the cloaked specter from Alderaan. She stared at its face shrouded in blackness, and they stared back. Before she could utter a word, the figure turned and walked out. "Wait," F called out, following it out the door only to find herself in that jungle world again. Feeling its night's cold breeze, F senses something different, touching her scar. The faint but searing heat of the scar was gone, "I'm still in a vision?" F realizes, "the cut is gone…but why?" She spots the apparition in the distance, sprinting after them as she asks, "who are you?! What does this world have to do with…." She finds the apparition standing outside the jungle, staring at the sight of fire and smoke.
Both stare onward as a distant city burns to a cinder. The beautiful pink petal trees around F slowly turn to ash as bone-chilling cries echo from the blazing inferno. Cries whose sound stabbed a part of F, a tiny sliver of her subconscious once thought sealed away. "No…this can't be the place…" she whispered as she trudged to the specter, their backs facing her as they stood frozen, gazing at the terrible flames.
"Padawan," the specter utters, and the freezing F with their voice, "don't run, not again. Face the coming darkness, or..."
"What darkness?" F asks when suddenly, the cloaks of the specter fall and reveal to F a figure that's haunted her very nightmares.
A dark armored figure cloaked in robes stares with cold, hateful eyes. F flinches for her lightsaber but staggers as the dark warrior ignites its red lightsaber. She couldn't move a muscle at the sight of this dark warrior looming over her.
"…or perish like the rest," the dark warrior utters before raising their blade. The blistering plasma blade burns F's lower face.
"Commander!"
F gasped, gripping her head and steadying her breathing. She touches her scar and twitches from the lingering pain rippling across her jaw. It was over. "A vision, but also something more," she whispers, "that...was a disturbance! Something terrible is approaching." She looked at her lightsaber, her hand shivering while gripping it, "and again…I did nothing." Donning her mask before answering Red and Ivy outside.
"Finally–Woah, hey, you alright? You look pale," Ivy said.
"We have bigger problems. I believe the Empire is approaching."
"But we haven't detected any incoming ships, and it's only been three days," Red adds, "even the empire couldn't assemble a large invasion force that quickly, especially with Republic ships and equipment."
"Unless they're new kinds of ships," F whispers, remembering the mining on Ragoon and data she found on a new kind of navy after the victory. "Look, is everything ready for the first evacuation?"
"Almost," Ivy said. "Mon and Bail contacted the command center. They said the first batch is three cruisers. They'll jump into hyperspace after a quick systems check. With infrastructure repaired, the insurgent freighters on hangers three and four will be cleared for loading after all supplies are loaded."
"Tell those cruisers to begin their jump now," F orders, and both clones nearly exclaim in shock. "The Empire is approaching; I've sensed it. Inform command to raise security levels. Get all available pilots on stand-by for take-off. I'll help load in the first group." She dashes for the hangars, but Red grabs her black cloak before she can.
"F hold on. People here are already on edge," he said, "beginning the evacuation now will send some into a frenzy."
"I know, but–"
"But now people are gonna be more desperate to get their ticket out of here," Ivy warns.
F pulls away Red grip, "we'll handle it."
He sighs and asks, "Are you sure this Force hunch is the real deal?" F does with a familiar, confident nod. "Very well. Sis, I'll go inform command. Ask the current e.t.a on that cannon at the upper levels."
"Whatever you two say," she shrugs, and the group splits up.
F runs past anybody on her way over, unable to get that vision out of her head. 'That world…that night looked exactly like…' she wondered before nearly crashing into a crowd of people. 'Not now, gotta stay focused.'
Arriving at hangar three in the base's mid-levels, the scene was hectic. Five-hundred troops of various species littered the large hangar; the sick and wounded lay with blankets and bandages. Walking through, it was tough for F to see Twi'leks missing Lekkus while Mirials and Humans suffered trench foot and other sicknesses. There on the large freighter's ramp were Captain Patricia and Eliash leading the operation. "You," Patricia calls to a protocol droid, "tell the pilots that once the crew returns, we need two more canisters of synthplasts, two boxes of Kyrprax, and one crate of Bacta patches. Doctor's orders."
"And they better hurry with those hover-stretchers," Eliash sighs.
"Stop those orders!" F says, catching the two's attention. "We gotta start evacuating now."
"WHAT?!" both exclaim as F approaches the droid.
"Tell both pilots to open hangar doors and–"
"Stop," Patricia told her. "With all due respect, Commander, what the kriff going on? We haven't done engine checks yet."
"And we need to load up the reserve supplies for these soldiers once they're on their own, commander."
"I felt a disturbance in the Force. A dark agent of the Empire is coming, likely to ambush us."
"But the Empire can't assemble a force that fast…right?" Patricia mutters to herself.
"But we haven't properly packed away these supplies," Eliash said. "They're disorganized in this ship. Evacuating now means less room."
"Then make more room."
"And ditch half the cargo?"
"Half but not all. Besides, at least a few ships will be heading to each planet. We can make up for lost supplies later. For now, ditch anything but each soldier's blasters and personal ammo." F sees the distraught look in Eliash's eyes, and Patricia is worriedly silent. "Please, if you don't trust in the Force, trust in me."
Eliash looks F in the eyes, seeing great concern, and nods. Patrica pulls out a small metal case, looks inside to center herself, and makes an announcement. "Soldiers! This ship is leaving, and I want over seven hundred souls on board when it does! Ditch anything non-essential!"
The hangar then bursts with frantic energy. Everything dropped to load as many people inside the ship as its engines roared to life. "Careful, careful!" Eliash frantically says, seeing several wounded nearly get trampled. "There's room for all of you! Just move one at a time." Eliash was scared, but F sensed she also was resourceful. Capable of managing medical staff, loading in wounded, and diligently directing the storage of smaller medical supplies inside. It must've hurt tossing a lot of these medical crates but getting more lives onboard was worth it.
F uses the Force to calm the crowds, ensuring nobody else gets hurt. The loading process begins working smoothly. Helping make more room by tossing any non-essentials with the Force. As the ship reached half capacity, F received a transmission. "The cruisers are approaching. They'll be in orbit in twenty minutes," Red notifies.
She signals to Patricia they're moving out soon, "Hanger three will be launching in fifteen," she said, "are all fighters scrambled?"
"Only Citrus and Silver squadrons. The rest still need some time before their ships are repaired."
"Blast it," F mutters, "fine, Captain Patricia and I will be there shortly."
Just as Red's transmission ends, Ivy's voice cuts in from the upper levels. "Commander, progress is steady for the cannon. It'll be operational in six hours."
"I want it done in two."
"WHAT?!" F winces as their mission engineer loudly asks, "are they crazy or something?!"
She speaks calmly, "Ketta, I assigned you because you're the best Alderaan's got. I'm sure you and the others can find some shortcuts."
"S-sure, but–"
"Then get to it," F orders before running up to Patricia and Eliash. "We're going, Captain. Eliash, I want you in the command center with Red once everything here is done. You'll be safer there."
"But I'm a medic. If an attack comes, shouldn't I be–?"
"Stay there," F firmly orders. F and Patricia run out of the bustling hangar. It's then she senses Patricia's mind felt clouded. "If you have anything to say, now's the time."
"Alright, why are you throwing our best medic to command of all places?"
"The ground battle we anticipate will already be bad enough. I dread the casualties we'll see that day. I want to give her one more day where she doesn't have to see that."
"She's a medic; it's her duty. Still, the sentiment is nice. What about Ketta, then? He's good from what I heard, but people can only go so fast, Commander."
"He'll have RE-1 and two dozen engineers working with him. Until they're finished, we push back whatever's coming." Gripping her lightsaber close to her heart, F whispers, "may the Force be with us."
"Still can't believe you're wizard tricks are already this insane," Patricia chuckles nervously, "and this Force, how difficult is it?"
"One is limited only by their ability to believe in the Force and themselves."
"Believe, eh?" Patricia mumbles. At the corner of F's eye, she sees Patricia pull out a small metal case, glancing inside at a holographic image of a boy about three years of age. The child was waving in a loop as the memory replayed itself. "Give me courage," she said upon noticing F peeking, "and a bit of luck. It's my son, my Kyle."
F senses a warm, motherly love from her words but yet sees a sadness in her eyes as it also pains Patricia to look. "How long has it been since…you know?" she asks.
"Too long…," Patricia sighs, "served two years in the republic navy, ever since the outbreak of the clone wars. It was unlike anything I'd seen before. Seeing ray beams glittering by the moon of Florrum and disintegrating good friends, I…I had to be alone after my tour was over."
"I know that feeling too well."
"Your friends told me a good deal," she said with a sympathetic smile. "After processing how to return to such normalcy, I was on the fields of our home, my husband Morgan waited inside with our son…but then the Empire was formed."
F senses that same resolve Patricia felt almost a year ago," and you thought you couldn't stand by and let this happen," she said. "That's noble of you, but after fighting in one terrible war, what compelled you to keep fighting?
"When the Jedi were wiped out in their own Temple…I knew my family, my son, would never be safe," Patricia utters with deep contempt for the Empire, fueled by a protectiveness only a mother could exude for their vulnerable young.
Then, F realized the source of the Captain's fierce impulse to fight the Empire: "You're son's force-sensitive."
"He is. We almost handed him over to the Jedi. Into that carnage." Patricia carries a distant, painful look in her eyes. "In a way, the war saved him. I wanted him to become a Jedi in an era of peace rather than war. Now, he'll never know peace under this damn Empire."
'She fights for her family and their future,' F ponders. Such a childhood was gone entirely for her. Painful reminders like faces and places gone, leaving only a few names and feelings remaining. 'That vision of that night, of that fire. It took that all away.' However, it was the Jedi who gave her a new life. A life a scared, tiny kid desperately clings to. A place to call home, feel safe, belonged, and loved. Now, F is protecting what's left of that home and that love that can never be replaced.
Nearing the starfighter deployment area, F asks the Captain, projecting her own thoughts, "do you ever worry? Worry that what you're doing is enough?"
"Of course. But more than that, I worry Kyle will hate me. Resenting how long I've been gone. I can imagine his smile fading away as I left. Thinking how that joy is gone because of me…it is more painful than any blaster wound."
"He'll understand…." F warily assures.
"I hope you're right," Patricia mumbles before suddenly patting F on the back. "What am I saying? You're a freaking Jedi. You probably saw a weird vision just now of that happening."
[ATTENTION ALL FLIGHT PERSONNEL. REPORT TO YOUR COMMANDERS IMMEDIATELY. PREP FOR LAUNCH IN 5 MINS.]
"Come on, Jedi," Patricia vigorously said as they arrived, "the moment those fascists come knocking on our door, let's welcome them with some torpedoes to the face!" Opening the doors, both see dozens of mechanics and deckhands make the last preparation for the starfighters as twenty other pilots gear up.
"Commanders on deck!" one officer shouts, making all pilots pay attention. To F's right is Citrus Squadron, Alderaanian volunteers ready with their Z-95 headhunters. The ships were older and slower than her own but were formidable starfighters in the right hands. To her left was Silver Squadron, piloting Separatist Sabaoth starfighters. The weak shields were compensated with heftier torpedos and faster speeds. The squad was a mix of Humans, Umbarans, Nikto, and Biths. Their Commander was the Umbaran Squa Nenn.
"Pilots, I want Silver squadron in Attack Formation Beta-Zero once in orbit," Patricia commands, "We're going up against the best the Empire's got. Rely on those tight maneuvers and stick together to coordinate attacks."
"Citrus Squadron, I'll take the lead position for our Attack Pattern Zeta-Gamma One," F orders. "We'll be the shields of the attack, so use your torpedoes wisely. Spot any weak point in their fighter formations before punching a hole through them." With orders given and all lights green, the pilots hop into their fighters and ignite their engines. F offers her hand to Patricia, "good luck out there, Captain."
"You too," she said, shaking F's hand before pulling her in for a hug. "And don't forget, this galaxy needs people like you out there." F was not a hugger, even lurching from the physical contact. Still, she nodded assuringly to Patricia. With her old, unwavering confidence back, she releases F and dashes to her ship.
While F preps herself in her starfighter, her brows raise in surprise as Anto Kreegyer approaches after conversing with Silver squadron, "Jedi."
"Now's not the time to argue politics," she said, annoyed, trying to boot up her computer's systems.
"I know, so all I wish to say is…look after my pilots," Anto sincerely requests as his gruff attitude vanishes. "I have known them since the Battle of Jabiim, and they left lives of comfort to fight with me. Lead strongly, and they'll do the job no matter what." F lowers her stern look, acknowledging his request with a solemn nod.
Her starfighter lifts off with all systems ready, gently floating out and quickly picking up speed. Soon, she was soaring fast through the atmosphere alongside twenty-three other starfighters. They're joined by the bulk freighters, each carrying nearly a thousand lives, and fly by transport vessels descending to the base to evacuate more insurgents. The ships meet the three cruisers in orbit, already boarding the first insurgents as their transports go back and forth in a rush pace. F leads the starfighters away from the large ships, using both squadrons to form a defensive zone in front of the evacuation sector.
[Freighter 01 and 02, ready for launch] Red relays from command.
Looking back, she sees as both ships blink into hyperspace, one small piece of a wider movement alive and safe for now. In time every rebel cell will land in their homeworlds and continue the fight, separated but strong. 'Two thousand down, another eighty-four thousand to go.' Hopefully, that time won't take as long as she anticipates. F has both squadrons form up around their three cruisers: The Verity-I, Verity-II , and Dynamo-III . Verity-I and II were Diamond-class defensive cruisers, separatist ships scavenged by Kreegyr's faction. Both looked tough as nails, with each carrying two heavy cannons. Their command ship, the Dynamo III , was captained by Typho. A Dreadnought-Heavy Cruiser was a mid-size capital ship both formidable in firepower and defensive shields. With ten heavy laser cannons and several small guns to repel starfighters, no vessel can destroy it without a tough fight.
[Citrus Leader, we still have no reading of incoming vessels] Typho reports, much to the ire of some pilots. "I better not have gotten out of bed for nothing," Silver Leader sighs.
Patricia wasn't hearing any of it, "Quiet over there. Citrus leader, do you sense anything?"
F shuts her eyes, stretching out with the Force to locate that distant feeling the disturbance warned her about. She feels the life below, the void of space, and even the burning of a distant star but nothing else. Suddenly, a cold shiver ripples through her body, and her eyes shoot open. It was as if she saw the dark warrior right before her. "I got a bad feeling about this," she whispers. All HUDs blare red, the beeping of imminent danger.
[Captain! Four signatures are coming out of hyperspace!] command relays. [All hands, Battlestations!] Typho orders, the heavy guns turning and aiming.
In a blink of an eye, four hulking attack ships appeared before the Insurgent fleet, and F senses a rise in fear amongst her flight wing. "What the hell are those things!?" Citrus-Twelve cries out. Every pair of eyes bear witnesses to ships they've not only never seen before but were larger and more armed than anticipated. In a V-formation and a reasonable distance apart were two Imperial I-class star destroyers and two arquitens-class light cruisers. The star destroyers formed the main battle line while the cruisers were at the wings providing close support.
[Citrus-Leader, you recognize them?] Typho requests.
"Negative, Dynamo," F said, just as shocked at their intimidatingly large size and armaments. "But they look tougher than any Venator ship I've seen."
"What are we supposed to do?!" Citrus-Eight nervously asks.
Staring out at the star destroyer to the right, F senses the source of this darkness. Even so far away, she felt intimidated by this dark warrior, but she won't let this fear cloud her judgments. "All wings on me," she orders, "they may be bigger, but every capital ship shares the same weaknesses."
"She's right, don't let these bastards scare you," Patricia said with gusto.
"Ain't like we got many choices now, Citrus-Two," Silver leader concurs. "Citrus-Leader, this is Silver Squadron standing by."
[Commander, we'll provide long-distance supporting fire and keep you informed on the Ion Cannon's status] Typho reports.
"Copy, Captain. Citrus Squadron, attack positions. Hold tight while entering attack speed and double front on those deflection shields."
"Citrus Leader, we're targeting Capital ship at point-four, now," Silver Leader reports.
"We're in position. Watch out for those guns, Silver; we'll try to draw their fire," F said, swerving rightward with Citrus-Two and Four following. All fighters were coming in hot, yet F felt something was off as not a single enemy squadron was being deployed.
"Fighter's incoming," Silver Leader reports, seeing a dozen small rectangular crafts come out of the light cruisers.
"Those aren't starfighters," F gasps, sensing almost thirty troopers inside them.
"They're fortress assault ships!" Patricia realizes.
"They waited for us to be out of range. We're too close to these destroyers' cannons," F said.
"Dynamo, Verity, pick them off. They're heading for the base!" Silver Leader orders.
A hail of heavy blaster fire rains, some hitting their targets, but the rest are too fast and disappear into the clouds below. Typho reports, [Four ships down, but eight are still incoming. Ground Command, prepare for incoming attack shuttles!]
The battle shifts as the guns of the star destroyers finally move, already picking their first targets. "All fighters, stay focused!"
"She's right," Silver Leader declares, "initiating attack run!" The Empire fires the first shots. Green turbo lasers sparkled against the starfield before exploding with a visceral concussion, narrowly missing several starfighters if it wasn't for their piloting expertise. These were veterans of the Clone Wars, and they returned this gesture with a flurry of blaster fire.
F checks her launchers before giving the order, "turbo laser batteries locked in. Torpedoes away."
"Missiles away!" Katarn's voice came through their channels, a mix of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles rippling the haul of the star destroyer. A strafe of fire and electricity boom beneath the squadrons. Sparks explode to reveal several batteries wrecked and punctured holes in the hull. The sight to several was like seeing a real kryat dragon spill blood.
This metallic beast was far from defeat; turbo lasers returned fire, scattering thier fighters. "Citrus-Three, Four, Six, and Twelve stay with me. Citrus-Two, there's too much heavy fire. Divert remains Citrus units to attack the second Star Destroyer."
"Copy, Citrus-Leader," Katarn said, "Alright, fighters, target their sensor arrays first. It seems to disrupt their batteries targeting systems."
"We're getting bombarded by that light-cruiser. Engaging now. We leave this destroyer to you, Commander," Silver Leader reports with his half of the squadron, the other half following to support Katarn's flight wing.
F's wing gets to quick work even amidst the heavy pelleting of turbo lasers. Leading the charge of their sensory array, she dodges fire from dozens of batteries and steadily handles the fast speeds while returning fire. The whole ship was armed to the teeth. There must've been dozens of laser batteries alone. She spots Citrus-Four attacking a line of Ion Cannons; she senses something amidst and swerves right to cover them. F sees them firing too close, right in the sight of nearby laser batteries. "Citrus-Four pull up!" She orders, firing and destroying the batteries aimed at Citrus-Four. "Damage Report!"
"Just a scratch, but that was closer than I thought. Sorry Commander," they apologized.
"Just stay with me Citrus-Four," F orders, leading another charge as the turbo lasers. Together they swiftly destroy several in minutes, creating a better opening.
"Citrus-Leader, we've got the array in our sights," Citrus-Three reports with Citrus-Six and Twelve.
"Citrus-Six and Twelve cover him. Citrus-Four, we're targeting the bridge shield's" F commands, increasing speed and firing a barrage of laser fire that sprinkle the large bridge with bursts of fire and sparks. It would take more strafes than that to crack their shields, but it was a defiant display. F sensed the dark warrior taking notice before swerving back around for another attack run.
Inside the bridge, the Thirteenth Sister keenly examines the battle before even as the bridge humbles, hearing distant moans of the ship echoing while pelted by blaster bolts. "Batteries 017 and 021 are critically damaged," one bridge hand reports.
"Sensory array's shields at seventy percent," another warns.
Walking past them was Commander Frost, standing at attention to the Thirteenth Sister but eagerly waiting for new orders. "Ma'am, the Admonitor is beginning to sustain substantial damage, and the enemy cruisers are pelting our light cruisers," he said with urgency.
"These are the Empire's new grand capital ships?" the Inquisitor sighs, unaffected by the warnings around her. "It hasn't even shot down one pathetic fighter yet."
"Ma'am, I know we're just buying time for Montar's plan, but this is reck–" Frost stops when the Inquisitor shoots a sharp glare at him. He swallowed nervously, trying not to show fear.
"I concur, commander," she said with surprising calmness. "Their leadership is using their smaller forces better than anticipated. Have all attack ships begin charging forward, and I want fighters to begin swatting away these pests."
"Yes, Ma'am," Frost nods, walking away briskly.
"Careful now, Jedi," the Inquisitor says mockingly, "I can't identify you if you're incinerated."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Nice shot!" Citrus-Four cheered as F led them through a barrage of battery fire and struck another crucial hit at the bridge's shields. Flying down to its massive engines, F notices them increasingly glowing blue.
"Split right!" she orders, swerving left as an intense heat of plasma energy ignites, pushing the destroyer forward. The heat was so severe she felt sweat on her brow. F glances to see the light cruiser moving too. "Inferno, enemy ships are pushing forward," she notifies.
[Prepare for direct engagement!] she overhears, linking back up with Citrus-Four before she spots something on her scope. [Squad Leaders, we're picking up multiple signals from those ships.]
"Silver-Leader, report!" F demands
"We're not seeing any–wait, what's the sound?!" Nenn said as F overheard a distant eerie mechanical howl over comms. "Fighters inbound!"
"Commander, I'm hearing something, but my scopes show nothing," Citrus-Four reports.
F hears that chilling howl, using her senses to pick up several fighters coming out of the destroyer's hangar. "They're already deployed?" she mutters, the sound of the howls getting closer before she senses three life signs from above. They were imperial TIE fighters. "Watch out at point 07, hard left!" F commanded her and her co-wing dodging green laser blasts, but the three fighters were still on them. "Increase your speed Citrus-Four. They're gaining on you!"
"I'm trying!" they cried, the weight of the headhunter showing its weakness. A burst of laser fire hits one of their engines. "I can't shake them!"
"Split up and hold on; I'll take out the ones following you!" F goes right toward the destroyer and its guns, gripping her controls hard as she makes one sharp move after another. Catching sight of Citrus-Four, she gauges her systems before performing an aileron roll leftward. The sudden maneuver led the destroyer's guns to fire at and destroy the TIE fighter incidentally. F increased speed and swiftly destroyed the two TIE on Four's tail. "They're fast, but at least they go down like nothing. Damage report, Citrus-Four."
"My rear deflectors are low on power, but all engines are still working."
F senses four more TIEs incoming, now beginning to notice these TIEs are everywhere. "On me, pilot, we're linking up with Citrus-Three," she orders, "Verlaine, where are you?"
"Here, commander!" he reports beside Citrus-Six, picking off a TIE chasing Citrus-Twelve.
"Squad on me. They're trying to overwhelm us. Let's take out that array. Inferno, fire at point 04. That should cover us from that destroyer's guns."
[Copy Citrus Leader]
F leads the fighters as she flies the squad at an incoming group of TIE. Now waiting for her computer as she begins firing, their collective firepower wiping out four TIEs while only getting a scratch on her ship. The Inferno's guns land some hits on the destroyer, distracting it for a clear shot. "Torpedo's away!" A flurry of missiles ignites, leaving a trail of red flourishes before decimating the array. A plume of electricity and fire bursts from the ship as her squad pulls up. She looks down to see several guns stutter to work, others even destroyed by the explosion's debris.
"Got 'em! Array Destroyed!" Verlaine cheered.
"Commander, I'm getting over two dozen signals engaging with Silver and Citrus-Two's squads," Citrus-Four reports.
[We'll hold off these capital ships with SIlver-Leader. Go, Commander] Typho relayed.
"On it." F leads the squad toward the other star destroyer and cruiser, seeing that Katarn and the others did quite a number on their reactors and guns. However, their forces were barely holding back enemy fighters. "Split into groups and take down any fighter chasing our own."
"Copy!" they collectively said, quickly engaging with several TIE fighters. F's ship soared through with two others, firing in sync as they went up against a trio of TIEs. The open space between the two destroyers becomes a chaotic colleague of dog fighting. Every turn and dive meant life and death, as everywhere was an incoming enemy fire or ship debris that could shred any ship apart. It's easy to get lost or outnumbered, but F retains her focus, using the Force to anticipate her foe's subsequent actions. Sensing the pilot's diligence, F leads her group to dodge their desperate shots, swerving back until they had clear shots and fired. "Three target's down–Wait, Silver-Seven and Ten in trouble!" she overhears on comms. She spots the separatists trying to shake off two TIEs on their tails.
"I got Seven; you take Ten!" F orders. With a sharp nosedive, she targets and destroys the fighter with two shots. However, the enemy quickly takes notice. F looks back to see two TIEs closing in. "How many of them are there?" she mutters, finding trouble outmaneuvering them while in the middle of this cluttered battle.
"Need some help?" Citrus-Two said, flying straight toward F. She narrowly swerved away for Patricia to surprise and destroyed the two TIE.
"A bit of warning next time, Captain," F said, noting the near collision.
"Oh, come on, you sensed me way ahead of time."
"Captain! Citrus-Ten is down! Citrus-Eight got three on their tail!" both overhear, quickly spotting Citrus-Eight far above.
"Captain! I need hel–" he cried before being pummeled by laser blasts and disintegrated.
F glares at the TIEs, spotting two more joining that squad. "That squad leader's especially dangerous. Citrus-Four and Seven on me, we'll—"
"I'll take them," Patricia mutters sternly, her eyes exuding a sharp focus as she engages her ship's thrusters, charging after the five TIEs. Patrica's speed boost made her take them by surprise, quickly destroying two. The leader promptly adapted, swerving around to pursue Patricia across the battlefield. She didn't give them an easy time, swiftly avoiding incoming shots. She adjusts her speed while flying through scattered debris, forcing her pursuers to split up to fly around. She flies under two TIE's scopes, taking both out with one burst of her blasters. The leader notices and tries charging directly at Patricia. Her ship rumbles, and her left wing is hit, but she remains unflinching, waiting for her shot. Her targeting computers blares, and her guns ignite with laser fire and destroy the TIE leader. "Squad eliminated," she exhales, holding her breath in that fight. She whispers to her fallen comrades, "Batten, Bornae…you two rest easy now."
"You did excellently, Captain," F consols. Seeing the dogfighting leaning to their side, she turns her sights to their defensive forces engaging the Imperial ships. "The enemy's first wave is thinning, but those destroyers are maneuvering toward the planet."
"They won't once we blow those engines away."
"Good idea, Captain. Citrus-Three, Four, and Six, on me. Increase engine throttle and lock in on those engines."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
While the battle was raging amongst the stars, Imperial forces rapidly descended to Faro.
Overseeing the evacuation of two transports, Eliash tries calming down with the relief that hundreds are already safe. Still, she's anxious about their supplies. She's now following F's order and heading to the command center, roaming a tall hall trying to pass through a crowd of over two dozen insurgents. Most seem to be trying to get to a transport. A part of her understood F's concern for her safety. She was a medic, not a soldier, after all. Still, another part of her didn't want to be crammed into some safe room while everyone was in danger. Then, a chilling report rings from the base's alert system, and she instinctively ducks when she hears Saw's voice boom across the hall.
[Brace for impact!]
She hears cries and screams vibrating as the base rumbles and debris falls with several significant impacts. A cloud of dust bellows in the hall as, much to her misfortune, one of these imperial crafts has crashed near her. The shuttle was shockingly durable, scratched up after punching through the base's thick walls, and now rests in the center of the hallway. She coughs from the dust while nearby insurgents take notice of the enemy crafts' door open. Eliash spots one insurgent underneath light rubble, quickly tending to his terrible head wound. Suddenly a blast comes from the shuttle.
"Kill them all!" one Imperial shouts, leading the charge as laser fire erupts from the platoon of Imperial TK troopers. The first line of infantry for the Empire's new conscript army.
"I got you," Eliash says, ducking and dragging the wounded insurgent as the enemy advances. The dazed insurgents tried fighting back, but the TK troopers were too well-armed, with several troopers holding white shields to absorb most incoming fire. "Retreat!" Eliash heard one insurgent cry before he was shot. She freezes up at the corpses littering the hall, the last fighters trying to run but are swiftly killed. She's saved when the wounded insurgent blasts a nearby vent and drags her to cover. "We're completely cornered; get in there," he whispered.
Eliash finds her voice once noticing the trooper's intention, "not without you."
"You're a medic, right? Do I look like I'll last another day?" he asks, fully accepting his fate. One look at his cracked head made Eliash understand his reasoning and entered the vent. She crawls away and hears two shots echo behind her. Eliash quietly mourns the fallen insurgents.
"Area secured. Let's locate that engineering room. It's the only way to destroy their cannon," the TK corporal said, leading the platoon away.
"I gotta warn the others," Eliash whispers. Knowing how crucial such a weapon is to this whole plan, Eliash can't allow it to be destroyed. She fumbles through her pockets and satchel before realizing she must've dropped it in the hallway, now likely destroyed. "Crud, now what? I won't last long with the enemy roaming about. I probably won't even bring help in time anyway. Those troopers killed these insurgents in seconds." She stops herself from muttering to herself, a nervous habit that only makes her more scared and indecisive. She takes a breath and looks at the options in front of her. She realizes that she's in a vent but not any vent. She crawls further, pointing right and coming across a utility ladder.
"This is the main connector from the mid-level to the upper-level ventilation system," she said, recalling that maybe this would lead her to the main engineering room, not far from where chamber the repairs of the cannon are occurring. She grips the ladder and begins climbing, "somebody's got to help." Reaching the other end, Eliash continued to recognize the layout. Luckily, Eliash has taken great care to go over and remember the schematics of the base. So if her memory is correct, another climb up this part of the ventilation system should get there in only a few minutes. She hears echoes of blaster shots and dying cries in the walls, crawling faster, feeling the enemy now far behind her.
She kicks off a vent, dashing through a room filled with pipes until reaching the main hall to the cannon's core chamber. She runs past the checkpoint room, connected to two other hallways, opening the door with the central control desk. Climbing a quick flight of stairs to a large two-floor room, she's met with three blasters pointing at her. "Friendly, I'm friendly!" she yelped, hands raised up.
"What are you doing here?" Ivy asks, signaling the five partisans to lower their weapons.
"I was able to sneak around, but Imperial troops are approaching!"
"How'd they get inside?!" one partisan asks.
"Doesn't matter. I'll contact Red before–" Ivy said before a blaster bolt exploded near Eliash.
Down the main hall, a squad of TK troopers had already arrived. "There's our target; blast them!"
Eliash ducks behind cover. Ivy leads the squad into the control room, using the control desk and walls as cover. Eliash peeks out to see the smoke-filled air; sparks fly as shots ricochet off the walls. She sees Ivy take out two troopers when a stray bolt hits her helmet.
"Ivy!" Eliash shouts, runs, and ducks as she tends to Ivy. The helmet was busted, but Ivy herself was okay.
"I'm fine," she said before she heard a recognizable high pitch noise. "Grenade!" she shouts, pushing Eliash behind cover as a TK trooper throws an Ion Grenade, sending off electronic bursts across the room. Ivy quickly returned fire, taking down the last squad members with the Partisans, one of whom was wounded. She coughs from the dense smoke but sees one of the TK's comms flashing green as a static voice is heard. She scowls, "expect reinforcements. Seal each hall's blast doors. They could be coming from any of them."
"We can't," a woman partisan said, "that ion grenade zapped the door controls. It'll take an hour before they reboot."
"But if the controls are down, how are we supposed to alert command?" Eliash asks while checking on the wounded partisan.
"Blast it," Ivy mutters, glancing at the halls that will soon be filled with TK troopers. "Stand guard and shout if you see anything," she orders, helping Eliash take the wounded to the main chamber.
"What the hell is going on out there?" their engineer Ketta asks, RE-1 walking beside him.
Out of breath, Ivy answered, "Imperial troopers is what's going on. We need you and your team of engineers to get that cannon working."
"We're a little understaffed!" He argued, waving his arms at less than a dozen people working on the tall wall of pipes, servos, and other delicate components crucial to the cannon. "What about reinforcements? Isn't there some other way to reach them?"
"Our communications are fried, but my brother will probably realize our predicament."
"P-probably?" Ketta and Eliash stutter in a baffled tone.
"Unless anybody else has any bright ideas, our only option is to hold out."
"By ourselves?" Eliash said, her voice practically shaking, "we already got one wounded. I saw a platoon of troopers heading straight here."
"And what were you expecting while crawling up here, huh?" Ivy questions.
Eliash struggles to find an answer. "M-maybe that help would be here sooner a-and we lock the doors…" was all she could mutter out.
"At least try sealing the doors," Ketta tries to reassure, "we go the way Eli did and–"
"That's practically impossible, and you know it. Retreating now will leave this base defenseless, and we'd be dead anyway," Ivy argued, trying to remain calm, remembering she was talking to civilians and not seasoned soldiers. "You agreed to come here. This is what it will take. You fight to survive and keep those around you alive."
Eliash was gripping her chest, hearing Ivy's words, slowly easing her grip when RE-1 tried consoling her. "She's right… they're both are," Eliash sighs, "I joined to stop good people from dying, and that's what I'm gonna do."
"But this isn't the only engineering room I need to work in," Ketta said.
"You have a special chute for that over there, yeah? Crawl up and down with RE-1 to repair what needs fixing in the other sections," Eliash said.
"Uh-huh, and is it a bad time to mention I'm a bit claustrophobic?"
Both women yell, "oh, blast it, Ketta, get moving!" He raises his hands and returns to work with RE-1. Eliash wipes the nervous sweat off her dark brow and patches up the partisan soldier.
"Thank you," he says. Ivy takes his carbine rifle, "I can fight," he argues.
"Not with that arm trooper. Best stick with your blaster pistol." The soldier begrudgingly accepts and heads out. Ivy goes to follow when Eliash grabs the carbine. "What are you doing?" she asks.
"You said it yourself. We all stand and fight."
"No, I won't let our only medic get killed. Do you even know how to use this?"
"I'm a fast learner," Eliash insisted, a resolute look in her brown eyes at what needed to be done.
"Ma'am, imminent breach from entry doors in halls one and three!" a partisan shouts.
With Ivy momentarily distracted, Eliash yanks the carbine from her hands and gets behind cover, "orders, Ivy?"
Ivy glares at Eliash before yelling, "get to cover! Fire short controlled bursts!" She gets in front of Eliash, whispering to her with a concerned look, "stay behind me, no matter what, yeah?"
"The Force will be with us," Eliash whispers, "saying that always works for Jedi like F, right?"
"Heh, sure," Ivy smiles before the far-end doors begin to hiss. "Red, you better hurry your ass up," she mutters as the doors explode. The first TK troopers step out, and deafening blaster fire erupts.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
A flaming TIE spins out of control, colliding against the bridge of a Star Destroyer as F leads two fighters to continue attacking the capital ships under heavy laser fire from TIEs. "Three marks from 060, cover me," F orders, redirecting power to front shields before engaging with the enemy. Aside from a hit in her hull's shields, her two fellow pilots helped immensely in defending her. F looks over the space battle and sees the tides of war that could go for either side. The damage to most of the Imperial's engines effectively slowed them down. Katarn and F led a successful attack run that destroyed an Imperial light cruiser. However, the relentless TIEs attacks severely strain their defensive line.
Their starfighters forces have dwindled to sixteen, with Citrus squadron down to eight. They lost Talie Hilse of Citrus-Five to a Star Destroyer and Endo Furdam of Citrus-Eleven from TIEs. While she's still fighting strong and Patricia effectively defending their cruisers, the enemy's superior numbers mean they can't keep this up forever. "Blast it. Where are our reinforcements?" she whispers, sensing fighters approaching from behind. "Two TIEs behind you, Citrus-Three."
"I got them. Focus on the attack," Verlaine said, leading the TIEs away from the others.
F and Citrus-Four continue targeting the remaining cannons below the battered Star Destroyer. They link back up with Citrus-Six, who destroyed the last of the forward batteries. Flying upward, they find the bridge attack was unsuccessful by Silver-Squadron. "Silver-Four and Six down, Commander," Jamoressa of Citrus-Four reports.
Now only fourteen left, F is pushed to take more desperate actions. She can't let these losses affect her leadership which many depend on. "Silver-Leader needs that opening. Citrus-Six and Four, stay close and stabilize your front reflectors.."
"About time we take this thing down," Glorio of Citrus-Six said eagerly.
F flew in fast, approaching the tip of the destroyer when several remaining TIE defending the ship attacked them. She tries to get rid of them quickly before reinforcements arrive. F can shoot down most with Jamoressa when a stray laser hits their ship. "My right wing's hit, but it should hold," they said, though F was worried about its noticeable crack.
"Keep it steady, Jamoreesa," she advises as both spots Glorio take down the remaining two TIEs.
"I got them!" she cheered.
F didn't like how far away she was when she spotted one of the few turbo lasers begin to aim. "Glorio, form up now! We're attacking the bridge's shields." It was sloppy, but the three could dodge the initial bombardment and take aim as they dived in. However, their tight formation meant it didn't take the turbo lasers long to pinpoint them. Around them, heavy bursts of plasma energy explode. F's shields hold, but her computer detects Glorio's shields are depleted.
"Citrus-Six, eject!" Jamoressa ordered.
"Only together can we destroy those shields!" she argued, staying in position.
F knew it was too late to pull back and said, "torpedoes away!" Under heavy fire, their torpedoes hit their targets with the impact decimating the last of the bridge's shields. F flies through the flame as the destroyer groans from the damage tolled. "You're clear, Silver-Leader," she advises until noticing only Jamoressa beside her.
"Where's Glorio?" they ask, but F's silence answers their question. At the corner of her eye, F sees what's left of Citrus-Four, the damage caused by a stray turbo laser. F leads Jamoressa away, linking back with Verlaine still alive and kicking. The three watch for any TIE squadrons as Silver squadron and Verity-II lead the counterattack.
"Time for some payback," F overhears SIlver-Leader utter as the separatist cruiser and fighters pummel the battle-weary Star Destroyer. Its bridge soon erupts into flames, and the ship's hull shatters in a glorious explosion. "Long live the CIS!" the separatist cheered.
"Good work opening their way," Verlaine congratulated.
"Lost Glorio for that attack…." F mutters, knowing this battle is still far from over. However, in this brief moment of rest, F senses something off. The remaining forces of this dark warrior were still considerably held back, a habit shown since the battle started. Not only that, but a force of four ships was fewer than expected. This whole attack has been itching the back of her mind, and she can't pinpoint the real purpose of the enemy's actions. "Something's wrong. I sense whoever is leading this attack is impatient. They're going too soft on us."
"So what? They've made a big mistake underestimating us," Jamoressa said.
"There's something else. This isn't like Montar to–" F pauses as a startling revelation hits her, a minor detail her abilities overlooked. Throughout this whole battle, she has not sensed Montar's presence once. Why would a man so determined on F's and the insurgency's destruction not be there to claim the glory? F realizes Montar is one step ahead of her. "Oh, no…" she utters, feeling a growing instinct to run.
[Captain, three signatures coming out of hyperspace!] Inferno-I reports.
[What's the entry point, and what are they?] Typho asks.
"Captain, the TIEs suddenly are pulling back," Patricia reports.
[Two capital ships and something else, something big!]
"Commander?" Jamoressa calls out anxiously.
"Verity-II move!" F urgently orders, "all squads in its vicinity disperse!" F pulls her thruster and bolts out of the way, seeing several fighters do the same except for one. "Citrus-Four! Full throttle, that's an order."
"My computer won't let me!" they cried out, their systems warning of critical wing failure. They were going as fast as Verity-II. In a desperate attempt, F tried reaching out with the Force to pull Jamoressa away, but the gap between them was far too big.
"Commande–!" Jamoressa cries out until they are instantly destroyed by a massive warship.
It was so big Verity-II crumbled like a cookie upon impact. F looks away, sensing so much death at once, deeply dismaying her mind. She sensed Montar commanding this ship, and it wasn't just any ship. It was over eight thousand meters in length, its size far more significant than the two destroyers by its sides. It possessed firepower that far exceeded the entire insurgency combined. Even a fleet couldn't break through its thick hull and powerful shields in a direct assault. "By the Force," F whispers beneath the shadow of the terrifying Mandator-II Star Dreadnought. Its two massive cannons underneath it slowly turn and aim for Faro.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Eliash stammers as another partisan soldier is critically wounded. She fires back, striking a TK trooper in the chest, and tries to make a run for the trooper. She's pulled back by Ivy, "he's already gone," she says, ducking the both of them behind the console. The halls were littered with over two dozen TK troopers' bodies, but thirty imperials remained determined to take this position despite these losses. Eliash and Ivy's group made every shot count, but with only two of them left, their situation looked dire.
"These blast doors better be back on!" Ivy grunts, firing quick bursts at both imperial squads. She takes out two enemies before her blaster clicks, but nothing fires. Switching to her pistol, Ivy barely held them off. She didn't see two laser bolts coming straight for her.
Eliash barely catches Ivy as she's shot twice in the chest. It wasn't good. One plasma struck her left shoulder, but the other struck her abdomen. Ivy's expression was also a worrying sign she could go into shock, then she mutters, "Gre-grenade…." Eliash spots one in her hand and tosses the thermal detonator at the troopers. With the explosion covering them, Eliash drags Ivy until they're inside the engineering room.
"Please work," she said, blasting the controls. The door seals shut, and now was their last line of defense between them and those troopers. "Those doors are thick. Maybe it'll buy us a few minutes," she mutters, quickly using all her supplies to patch Ivy up, but they may not be enough to stabilize her. She flinches as the base shakes like an earthquake is occurring.
[Danger: Enemy bombardment has begun. Shield's strength at 70%]
"Just from two shots?" Eliash tries not to think about it and focuses on saving Ivy. "Ketta, please tell me it's working!" She hears nothing, but then a distant light flickers on, followed by a soft mechanical hum.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
The storm of the dreadnought's turbo lasers was so overwhelming that F and the others barely made it out of the turret's firing range. "All wings sound off!"
"Citrus-Two here," Patricia reports, "along with Verlaine, Astane, Celchu, and Antilles."
"Only five of my squad remain," Silver Leader reports.
"We lost Jamoressa to this bastard…." Celchu scowls.
"Isn't Montar supposed to think there are hostages down there?!" Astana asks.
"Never seemed like a man who cared about collateral damage," Verlaine said.
"What do we do now?" Antilles asks, half-terrified.
F was stunted, utterly silent as this turn of events blindsided her ability to devise a new plan. She's faced many space battles during the clone wars but rarely has she ever gone into battle so dramatically outmanned and outgunned. She wasn't even too familiar with this line of republic ships, given how late they entered the war and how few were produced. She tried to look for anything that would give her a path to a clear solution but could sense nothing.
[All craft, prepare to retreat to these coordinates. Send an evacuation alert to command] Typho ordered.
"Nobody would make it out in time, and you know it! We can't leave Faro behind to die," Patricia argued.
[We have no choice, Citrus-Two! Our forces will be decimated in minutes fighting this thing! Do you rather die or run?]
"I say we make ourselves a third option by finding a way to win!"
"Captain," F said, silencing all as they awaited her next order. After pondering thier next course of action, there was only one answer she could give, "All wings…we are–"
Suddenly a transmission from Faro comes through, "Bweep!"
"R-Rei? Since when were you connected to my–? Never mind, what's your status?"
"Beep-Bwoop."
"You're aiming the what?"
"Beeeeep-Bwoooop," RE-1 emphasizes. F's computer picks up an energy reading below. Three ion blasts burst out of the clouds of Faro. One struck the front of Montar's flagship, and the rest exploded against one of his Star Destroyers, disabling it. Everyone looked on in bafflement at the dreadnoughts shield's momentarily broken.
"Citrus-Leader," a new voice rings into F's comms. In the distance, nearly three dozen fighters enter the battle. "This is Green Leader Yalla of the Mirialan Forces, with ten V-19 starfighters standing by."
"This is Blue leader Lenk of the Ryloth Forces. Ten V-Wing starfighters are standing by."
"This is Gold Leader Jenssi of the Duro Forces. Ten Y-Wing bombers are standing by."
F was taken aback by sight. Though she sensed the path before them was still unclear, together, they could find a solution to defeating such a threat. F lets herself smile in massive relief, "I knew they could do it."
Patricia invigoratingly asks, "your orders, commander?"
Taking a deep breath, F confidently relays to their remaining forces, "All leaders, enter attack speed and hit the following key points on that flagship's shields. Captain Typho, connect me with command to better coordinate the next Ion blasts."
[...Yes, Citrus-Leader. Reload any cannons before firing on that flagship.]
With a thrust of her boosters, F has Citrus Squadron lead the defiant charge against this mechanized monster while unleashing its first swarm of TIE fighters.
Elsewhere, the Inquisitor irritatedly looks onto the battlefield. "What do you mean hold positions?"
"This victory is mine," Montar demanded. "They may have their petty cannon working, but it won't be enough. I'll obliterate their forces and this Jedi, once and for all."
The transmission cuts off, and the 13th sister shakes her head, "pathetic fool will regret this." She has her prize waiting for her out there, and she'll rip it right out of Montar's hands.
Frost runs in, "Your starfighter is–" he said before being Force pushed aside, and the Inquisitor heads to the hanger. "Argh…ready for you," he angrily mutters.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Eliash shuts her eyes as the blastdoors are being torched. They have a minute now before the Empire breaks through. "You'll be fine," she whispers to Ivy, barely conscious.
Ketta and RE-1 run up to them with looks of desperation, "hey, we can still escape from where you came in."
"It's too late," Eliash mumbles. She can only hope reinforcement will arrive before the trooper destroys this room. Ivy pats her hand, giving a calm look. They've done all they could with so little. Suddenly, the clattering outside stops, and a blast is heard…and then another. Everyone turned in shock as they heard numerous blaster shots.
They're each frozen stiff when the firefight ends and the blast doors open. Red, Jye, Saw, and Anto emerge from the smoky room leaving behind a pile of dead TKs. "Ivy!" Red and Jye gasped, running to her side with Jye quickly assessing the wounds.
"Secure the area," Saw orders as Insurgents swarmed in.
"A clone and a medic lead all this?" Anto said, quickly baffled while watching Ivy grab her brother's hand.
"Took you long enough you…slowpokes," Ivy smiles as Eliash, Jye, and Red carry her to the infirmary.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Dozens of starfighters swarm around the dreadnought like a pack of angry hornets. Insurgent forces desperately defend themselves against the TIEs. F's ship flies low and fast, blasting away any chasing after fellow insurgent pilots. Another Ion blast flies up and hits a part of the dreadnought. F and Patricia cover Gold squadron's bombing strafe of this opening from the dreadnoughts turret towers. However, the dreadnought's shields were already reactivated. "It's no use. The opening closes before our torpedoes could land a hit," Jenssei reports.
"Then we fly a squadron into an opening," Patricia advises.
"Its armaments will annihilate us before finding a target," Verlaine warns.
"Maybe there's an exposed reactor?" Yalla suggested, "maybe we raid a hanger and find a weakness inside?"
"That hull is too thick, and there's too many Imperials," F said. Even if she were to lead a party inside, such large numbers would overwhelm her.
"Hold on," Patricia mutters, her mind racing after a possible idea, "do any of you know what a hypermatter reactor is?"
F jumps from the mention of the name. "Yes, my master and I saw one ourselves, defending it to ensure a whole city didn't lose power. They're extremely powerful but sensitive."
"I remember reading a report about retrofitting them to a new line of ships," Patricia explained, "I think this dreadnought is the same ship model in that report. If we lock into the nearest power source, it should show this reactor's location."
"But that hull is too thick. We will need hundreds of destroyers to break through and destroy it," Jenssei said.
"We don't need to destroy it," Patricia said, loading up her two ion torpedoes.
"She's right," F concurs, loading her own. "My master's friend taught me how unstable tachyons quickly become in case of a system malfunction. Those tachyons are accelerating at infinite speed. A momentary system failure could lead to catastrophe."
"The big explosive type, I hope,' Patricia smirks.
"What about its armor?" Yalla questions.
"So all we need to do is locate it, blast away a small portion of armor before launching an ion blast into its surface systems," Patricia explains.
Patricia looks up, seeing the Star Destroyer close to the Dreadnoughts' right side, saying, "we got our weapon right there. Blow it up, and its debris will smash into the ship's outer haul."
"Risky, but it might work. We clear away any weakened armor and blast Ion torpedoes into its external systems," F said.
"And are you sure that disruption will reach far enough to malfunction it? Will it even critically damage the dreadnought?" Yalla questions.
"I'm not sure…but we gotta try anyway." F rallies together her remaining squadron. They quickly distracted the destroyer from two Ion shots colliding into its hull. With the ship disabled, she says, "Inferno-I and Blue Squadron, focus all fire on its bridge and core sections." Their remaining cruisers pummel the destroyer, F's squadron swooping in to help Blue squadron destroy the shields while warding off any nearby TIEs.
"It's going down!" Verlaine signaled. F looks on as the destroyer explodes into two. The gravitational pull of Faro is strong enough to pull the large tip toward the dreadnought. Montar's flagship was too big and slow to dodge, his turrets tried blasting away the significant wreckage, but it was too late. It violently crashes, creating a long scar in the middle of the dreadnought. She sees the shields are temporarily ruptured and springs upon this opportunity. "Silver and Green groups, defend our remaining cruisers and buy us time. Citrus, Blue, and Gold groups follow me," she commands, speeding alongside two dozen fighters into a hail of turbo lasers.
"Captain, why is every idea of yours bad for my health?" Verlaine grunted while narrowly dodging enemy fire.
"Come on, Verlaine. It hasn't killed you yet, has it?" Patricia bantered as she followed F to destroy some of the towers.
"Path clear. My computer's detecting one source far ahead." F flies low as the squadrons speed toward the center of the long dreadnought.
"We see it, Citrus-Leader, right below that fracture. Initiating attack run," Yalla said, loading up their bombs as they dived down.
F leads Blue and Citrus to cover them when her breath suddenly feels cold. "Enemy approaching," was all F could utter before a unique TIE fighter swoops down and fired upon Gold Squadron. Its cannons and torpedoes tear through half of the Y-Wings, forcing the rest to disperse.
"Who's that?!" Patricia shouts.
"I don't know, but they're strong with the Force, and they didn't come alone," F answered, coordinating the rest to avoid incoming fire from two TIE squadrons. "Blue Leader ward off that squadron while Citrus-Two and Gold Leader launch another attack run."
"What about that pilot?!"
"You worry about fighters and turrets; I'll take care of the pilot." With a sharp turn, F engages in combat against the Inquisitor. Predicting her subsequent movements was a challenge, even with the Force. The dark side was a shadowy power, clouding reason for brash action. A relentless onslaught that overpowers foes, even trained Jedi. F chased after her down to the bottom of the dreadnought, each shot she took barely missing the Inquisitor. "What are they?" she whispers, dodging away from incoming turret fire. She looks back and already spots the Inquisitor on her tail.
She quickly switches to rear shields but is pummeled with blaster fire. One of her engines created a trail of smoke. She makes a sharp turn, swooping around and firing a short burst at the fighter. They narrowly miss, and the Inquisitor flies over at incredible speeds. Despite the engine damage, she pushes her ship to full throttle and tries to keep up with the fighter. "That's right, stay on me," F whispers, performing a barrel roll and unleashing flares to dodge incoming missiles. She can sense the Inquisitor's frustration, fueled by an undercurrent of desperate greed.
F flies through blaster towers, the Inquisitor's stray fire destroying some as she swirled around. She let the Force guide her as much as she drove it. Under such intense combat, staying attuned was a mental battle. She could sense the Inquisitor's anger; it was corrosive and infectious. Her very presence enflamed the dark side, enticing her to use it. F has to concentrate on using such power again while sensing what the Iquisitor will do next. However, this allowed the Inquisitor to fire at F's ship. A fire breaks out as her fuel is hit, she quickly seals it with the Force, but her speed is depleting. "Can't stay like this for long. I gotta go for it and attack!" She unleashes all her flares, the close range of them short-circuiting the Inquisitor's controls and getting her off her tail.
With the Inquisitor in sight, she readies her engines for a final attack, "let's finish this." She's flung back as she and the Inquisitor activate thier throttles, charging toward each other. F closes her eyes, reaching deep inside to channel the Force around her. "I trust you…" she whispers, letting go and having fate decide this duel. Her eyes shoot open, staring directly at the Inquisitor before firing weapons. Both fighters nearly collide with each other. However, a direct hit by F's blasters tore into the Inquisitor's wings, causing the TIE to swerve, its systems critically damaged.
F lets out a deep sigh, noticing a hit in her left side. She's tempted to finish off this dark sider user, but a transmission from Verlaine stops her, "Commander, we need you!" Seeing the fighter fly away, F hesitantly flies back up, witnessing the dire situation. The outer reactor systems were exposed to an Ion attack. However, the Imperial forces decimated most of the Gold and Blue squadrons. Only Verlaine, Patricia, Astane, and Celchu remained of Citrus Squadron.
"Those fighters wouldn't stop coming. Patricia has some Ion Torpedoes left. Blue has none, and Gold Squadron is down to three bombers."
"We gotta end this battle fast. Faro is sustaining heavy damage; it won't last another barrage," Patricia warns.
"Then we go in with just two nimble fighters. It'll make us harder targets. Patricia, on me. Everybody else cover us."
"Right behind you, boss," Patricia said.
Flying fast, it wasn't long until several fighters swooped in, firing at Patricia before the others fought them. "You alright?" F asks, worryingly seeing holes in Patricia's wings and the sight of blood down her face from such force.
"Argh, the last of my shields are gone, but I'm still with you."
Flying low over hundreds of meters, F's computer locates and locks in their target. The dreadnought wasn't done with them yet as they approached a field of towers, firing a horde of lasers at them. She checks again on Patricia, the sudden head trauma noticeably affecting her maneuvering. "Eject Captain, I got this," F heavily advised.
"I can do this, F!" Patricia stubbornly said, proving this by keeping up with F.
She didn't argue further as the target was finally within range. F steadies her controls, waits for the right moment, and presses the trigger.
Nothing.
She begins pressing rapidly until sparks burst from her system. "No… nonono, please work," she said desperately, but it was already too late. The Inquisitor damaged her weapon systems, making her launchers useless.
"Crap, your weapon's down!" Patricia notices. Suddenly transmission comes in.
"Two fighters on your six!" Verlaine shouts, barely missing the two as they target F and Patricia.
F knew what she had to say but couldn't find the will to say it. So, Patricia says it for her, "Eject, Citrus leader. I'll take care of things from here."
"But–!"
"Get everybody out of here fast. You're about to see one hell of a firework show," Patricia said with a sense of calmness, even getting out a small smile. "Remember what I said, the galaxy needs people like you more than me, and I know Morgan will raise Kyle well."
F looks back at Patricia and forces her hand to fly away, quickly regrouping with the others. "We're leaving."
"What about the Captain?!" Verlaine asks, but F stays silent, stopping herself from going back. F can only look back and vaguely see Patricia approach the target. She senses complete concentration from Patricia, her emotions passionately clinging to her family as she fires those Ion Torpedoes. It hits its target, and Patricia rests in relief as the TIEs fire upon her ship, vaporizing it instantly. F and the others couldn't bring themselves to look.
The dreadnought begins to groan as large sparks of electricity bursts across every part of the ship. The shields flicker until they're fully disabled. "Go!" F orders, all remaining fighters and ships are flying away as fast as possible. Explosions begin to erupt across the dreadnought.
Within the bridge of the dreadnought, Montar stood still, staring out as everything he'd worked for, all his sacrifices, destroyed. Despite the tremendous power of the Empire, despite all his ambitions and political maneuvering. It didn't stand a chance against this rebellion and the acts of one padawan. He solemnly frowns, tearing away his medals as the ship explodes, inevitably coming toward Montar's bridge. His heart couldn't bear looking up before the flames engulfed him.
The dreadnought explodes in glorious fire, decimating nearby imperial crafts. The debris begins burning up while entering Faro's atmosphere. The remaining wreckage was now lying across the planet's far-east jungles.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Keep searching for survivors. There must be some left," Frost ordered the ships when he was called down to the hangar. He arrives to find a familiar starfighter, nearly destroyed but its sole pilot alive. "Inquisitor, you're alive?"
The broken glass is pushed away, startling everybody, and the 13th sister jumps out. She glares at Frost, fuming with newfound anger and resentment. "They made a fool out of me for the last time," she said with pure disgust. "Tell the Rendili reserve forces that Montar's idiotic plan failed! I want every available army unit to destroy that Jedi."
"Shouldn't we attempt another orbital bomba–" Frost said before he was suddenly out of breath, his windpipe on the verge of breaking.
"I won't rest until I've pierced that Jedi's heart with my blade!" The 13th Sister vehemently vows before releasing Frost, saving her anger for the Jedi. Frost violently coughs, gasping for air while watching the Inquisitor storm off. He clenches his teeth and grips his lightsaber before returning to his post to prepare for the final battle.
A/N: Phew, quite the spectacle, huh? This was both very fun to write but also challenging to get right. I hope you all enjoyed this first part and look forward to seeing what happens next in this finale. Also, I'm SUPER psyched for season 2 of Visions this May. A shame of new continuations of any of the shorts so far, but I also anticipated that. Still extremely excited to see what the other studios have in store. I hope it ignites other people's imagination and gets them to write more Vision fics. Also, I plan to retcon one of two things in light of the recent Bad Batch episodes since this takes place after all that. Nothing major or involving F, but little details for side characters. I try to keep this reasonably close to canon since part of my goal with this story is imagining where F would fit into the Star Wars canon. With all that said, thank you for reading, and I'll see you all next month. Feel free to comment with your thoughts so far on the finale of this 1st story saga.