Revan stepped out of the room, as the ship shook. She turned to Carth, and asked, "What was that."
"I don't know." he replied, looking around.
"Well, figure it out." she replied, walking down the corridor. The ship shook again, and an alarm started to blare throughout the ship.
"Must be serious. If it was just some debris the alarm wouldn't have gone off." Carth said. "The mandalorians are probably attacking us. Knew it would happen sooner or later. You and your friends should get somewhere safe. this fight isn't going to go well."
"My fellow Jedi and I are not going to hide in a corner on the ship just because there is a battle. We were sent to help, not get in the way. So, you will take me to the bridge, and I will not hear complaints."
"What do you plan on doing?" he asked.
"Whatever I can." she replied, glaring at the man. "So, follow your orders, and we won't have an issue."
Carth shook his head, and said, "Your level of involvement is going to cause a lot of trouble."
Revan calmly replied, "That isn't really the main problem here." as the ship shook again.
"Fine. This way." he replied, walking down the corridor.
-=0=-
Bastila sat in her quarters on the ship when the vessel shook. She opened her eyes for a moment, then she closed them again, focusing on clearing her head. When the vessel shook again, she felt a sharp pain, as she had been flung into the wall. She opened her eyes, but instantly closed them again, as she felt blood flow into her eyes.
She tried to stand up, but was unstable on her feet. She shook her head, and said, "Just my luck. The one time I actually get injured is when I'm not near anyone." as the ship shook again.
-=0=-
Revan blinked as her eyes filled with black. Once she could see again, she said to Carth, "Send a message to someone. Bastila needs help."
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I sensed her pain. She was probably thrown into something."
"Won't your fellow Jedi notice?"
"I wouldn't count on it." Revan replied, as the door to the bridge opened. Inside, she saw Admiral Dodonna saying, "Contact Admiral Forsk on the Herald. Tell him that I will be assuming command of this fleet while we are under attack."
The communications screen lit up, and Admiral Forsk said, "I am sorry, Forn, but this is my fleet. You were merely sent here to make sure that the Jedi named Revan doesn't try to do anything that is directly involved in combat."
Revan said, "So, it was Dodonna who ordered Onasi to follow me around like a guard dog?"
Forsk turned to her and said, "Jedi, you should be getting somewhere safe. The bridge will definitely be a prime target for mandalorian attack."
"I will be here to offer advice as I see fit." Revan replied. "And, if necessary, my fellow Jedi and I will board enemy vessels to provide a distraction."
"We have orders to keep you out of combat. So, you will do no such thing." Forsk calmly replied.
Revan said, "This is not an argument you can win, Admiral."
"You are aware that your involvement may win a few battles, but hurt us in the long run by turning the Jedi Order against us."
"Consider it a risk that has to be taken. The mandalorians must be stopped, no matter the cost." Revan said.
"You would see yourself exiled from your Order to help us win this war?"
"I'll risk it. I'm not going to be a coward and hide from a fight just because of my orders. I will stand, and I will fight. If necessary, I will give my life to end this war. I may not be willing to completely turn my back on the Jedi Order and not return after my tour of duty with you is over. But, while I am here, I will do everything in my power to give the Republic an advantage. And, my fellow Jedi will follow my lead."
"Are you sure?" Forsk asked.
"They'll follow my lead." Revan said. "So, tell us where to fight the enemy, and we'll be there."
Forsk was silent, and said, "Defend the vessel you are on. Kill any mandalorians who manage to board it."
"Understood." Revan replied. "I will remain here to advise on the battle."
Forsk laughed, and said, "With all due respect, Knight Revan, you do not have any experience commanding a fleet into battle."
"I have dedicated my life to learning the art of war, preparing for this day." Revan replied, "I know how to command a fleet."
"There are things you can't learn in a text book."
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. And you're a damn fool if you disregard me just because I don't have the experience you do." Revan replied.
"Isn't that the kind of attitude the Council says leads to the Dark Side?" Forsk asked.
"Yes, but they also say that love does, so I'd take everything they say on the matter with a grain of salt." Revan replied.
-=0=-
Bastila stumbled out of her room, and- through the eye she was able to keep clear of blood- saw Meetra standing there. The Knight said, "Didn't think I'd let anything happen to you, did ya?"
"Why?" Bastila asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"It would hurt Rev if something did." Meetra replied, placing a hand on Bastila's head and healing the wounds.
Bastila said, "Thank you."
"No problem." Meetra said, "But, we need to get to the bridge. The mandalorians have attacked, and we need to figure out what we're supposed to do."
"How did you notice that I was injured?" Bastila inquired.
Meetra chuckled, and said, "I sensed a flare of pain and fear coming from this direction. I checked the manifest, and it looked like it was in the direction of your room. So, I came and checked it out."
Alek then walked up, and asked, "What happened?"
"Bastila got herself injured."
"You taking Revan's job as her caretaker?" Alek asked, with a smirk.
"No, I was just making sure that she was okay, so she didn't die. I think Rev would be pretty down if she did."
"So, you're helping your not-girlfriend's not-girlfriend to protect your not-girlfriend?" Alek said, chuckling.
"I think you like that phrase a little bit too much." Meetra replied.
"It's fun to say." he replied.
"Right. You just had a thought of Revan, Bastila, and I in a three-way, didn't you?"
He blushed, and looking for a way out, said, "No."
"Riiight." Meetra said. "Get your head out of the gutter, Baldy."
He just nodded, and walked away.
-=0=-
Revan observed the positioning of the enemy fleet. Then said, "Forsk, there is a hole on their left side. If you send in the red fighter squadron now, we might be able to do damage to the integrity of their lines, enabling a small squad of ships to get onto the enemy flagship, and eliminate Mandalore himself. That would be a critical blow to the enemy war effort. It could end it here and now."
"That's too risky." he replied, "We might lose five cruisers if we pull their support away."
"If we don't take that risk, there's a chance that we'll lose the whole damn fleet!" Revan replied, "We'll only get one shot like this, and if we don't take it, the mandalorians will notice the hole, and fill it. We have to seize the opportunity!"
"I am not going to sacrifice my men for your harebrained scheme, JEDI!" he shouted.
Dodonna said, "It's a sound strategy, Forsk. In war, sacrifices must be made."
"Forn, I am in command. Not you and your pet Jedi!" he replied.
-=0=-
Canderous said, "Mandalore, we have a hole on our left flank. The Republic forces probably will not take advantage of it, but there is a chance that the Jedi will."
Mandalore said, "I see. Handle it as you see fit, Canderous."
"Yes sir." he replied, "Send a pair of cruisers from the center to fill the hole in the left flank."
"Yessir!" a mandalorian replied.
-=0=-
Revan looked at the map, and said, "They're filling the hole. There's no way that we can break their line at that point anymore."
"It wouldn't have worked." Forsk said.
"You don't know that." Revan replied. Examining the map, she said, "There are mandalorian ships pushing the right flank. There are signs that the Valiant and Valorous are taking serious damages. They need some backup. Green squadron is the closest."
Forsk looked at the map, and said, "Send green squadron to reinforce the Valiant and Valorous."
-=0=-
Bastila was walking towards the bridge, when she heard Revan say over the bond "Head to the hangar, now. I will meet you there."
Bastila replied, "What's going on?"
"We're moving to Admiral Forsk's vessel. Someone needs to take command from him. We just missed a key opportunity to win this battle. And, with Forsk that won't happen."
"Understood. Should I get Meetra, Alek, and David as well?"
"Nope. Just the two of us. We need to have a unit of Jedi on this vessel as well. That way we will have better coverage."
"Alright." Bastila replied.
-=0=-
Revan stepped out of the bridge, saying, "I need to go check on something."
"Good." Forsk said, "You should have minimal involvement."
Revan walked out of the bridge, and silently headed to the bridge. As she walked down the path, she saw the twi'lek and human soldier who had been discussing her earlier. She said, "With me."
"Yes, ma'am." the twi'lek said, stepping behind her, while his human companion said,
"Aren't you that Jedi who took out the mandalorian camp?"
"Don't mention it." Revan replied.
"What do you need, Master Jedi?"
"Backup." she replied.
"You're boarding a mandalorian vessel?"
"Nope." Revan replied. "I am temporarily relieving Admiral Forsk of his command. He has made several tactical errors in a few short minutes regarding this battle."
"You're going to overthrow the Admiral?" the woman asked.
"I'm just temporarily assuming command so he doesn't get us all killed." Revan replied.
"You say that very calmly." the twi'lek said.
"I don't have time to freak out about what I'm doing. We're in the middle of a battle that we will lose if someone else doesn't take over." Revan replied, walking down the corridor towards the hangar.
"You expect us to help you mutiny against one of our superiors? Why do you think we'll help you?"
"There will be no violence in this shift of command. What I'm going to do is simply force him to realize that his command style will not work here."
"Understood, Ma'am." the woman said.
"No need for such formality. It's not like I'm some old man who demands to be given titles and absolute formality one hundred percent of the time."
"Understood." they replied.
-=0=-
Meetra sat quietly in her quarters, when she heard someone knocking on the door. She asked, "Who is it?"
"Lieutenant Commander William Veras."
"What do you need, Commander?"
"We've found a small hole in the enemy defense lines. We're sending a small team in to board a mandalorian vessel, and take down their fleet from within."
"Got it. I'll be heading to the hangar asap." Meetra replied, grabbing her lightsaber.
"Good." Veras replied.
-=0=-
Revan stepped into the hangar, and saw Bastila standing beside a transport. She said, with a slight smirk, "Ready to go, Rev?"
"Of course." Revan replied, chuckling slightly, as she stepped into the vessel. "I'll fly."
"If you insist." Bastila replied, looking at the two Republic soldiers. She then asked, "Are they coming too?"
"Yeah. Figure it would be best to have some Republic troops with us. Don't want to have the entire Republic thinking we were acting behind their backs."
"I suppose so." Bastila said, as Revan began preparing the ship for takeoff.
"There a problem, Bas?" Revan asked, looking at the Padawan.
"No I was just thinking about something."
"What?"
"Nothing important." the Padawan quickly replied, looking away.
"You alright, Bas?" Revan asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." she replied.
"Are you sure? I can feel through the bond that something's bugging you."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Do you not trust me?" Revan asked, looking at her worriedly.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Revan. I just, I don't want to talk about it." Bastila said, thinking 'Especially with other people around.'
"Okay." Revan replied, smiling at Bastila, "But if you ever want to, I'm available to talk."
"I know, Rev." Bastila replied.
"Good." Revan said, as she steered the transport around the firing Republic vessels.
-=0=-
The battle was going poorly. The mandalorians had perfectly maneuvered to put the Republic in a position where retreat was not possible. If they tried to, they would be torn apart. The Valiant had fallen, even with assistance from Green Squadron. The Valorous was also doing poorly, and would undoubtedly be lost soon.
The mandalorian flagship, the Sovereign was approaching on the left flank, with a small group of frigates. They were lining up a shot on the Herald, Forsk's main vessel. As the Admiral observed this, he said, "This can't be right. The mandalorian movements are too precise. They've got something working with them to help that."
-=0=-
Meanwhile, Revan felt a cold chill of despair fall over her. She turned to Bastila, and saw that the Padawan was also suffering it. "What's going on?" Revan asked her.
"What?" Bastila asked, looking at Revan, no hope left in her eyes.
"What's going on? Suddenly I just feel like this won't work. That there's no way to win. Do you have any ideas?"
"It could be that there's a mandalorian Force user who can perform Battle Meditation." Bastila said.
Revan looked Bastila in the eye, then asked, "Do you think that you can use your own Battle Meditation to counter the effects?"
"I can try." Bastila replied, "But I can't make any promises on the success."
Revan looked Bastila in the eye, and said, "If you aren't powerful enough to beat their Battle Meditation, take some of my strength from me to bolster your own."
"I can't do that Revan! You'll need it more than I would."
Revan laughed, and said, "You might not be acting entirely rationally there, Bas. I'll be fine. But, if we don't get this to stop, things are going to start going even worse. So, do what you have to. This battle must be won, no matter the cost. Take all of the strength you'll need from me if your own isn't enough. If you have to, take every last drop of mine."
"That would kill you!" Bastila replied.
"A necessary sacrifice. My life is nothing compared to that of this fleet."
"Don't talk like that, Rev! Don't act like your life is worthless." Bastila said, tears forming in her eyes. "Please, don't."
Revan smiled at Bastila, and then seriously said, "I don't think that my life is worth nothing." wiping the tears from the younger Jedi's eyes. "But, we are in the middle of a war. In the heart of a battle. In these circumstances, it is inevitable that sacrifices must be made. You have to overcome whoever is using battle meditation against the Republic. It is the only way we will win this battle. And, there is no retreat. They have routed our forces too thoroughly. If we tried, we'd all die.
"It's like my father always told me. There comes a time when you have to make a choice. What matters to you most? Your life, or that of someone else. And, I already made my choice. I'll give my life to protect my friends. You, Meetra, and even Alek. If it means to save you three, I will gladly sacrifice myself. Don't get me wrong, Bastila I want to live, but, if it's a choice between me and you living, I'll choose you every last time."
Bastila looked uncomfortable, and asked, "What are you saying?"
"That I'll give my life for yours." Revan replied.
"Are you saying, that what Meetra said wasn't so inaccurate after all?"
Revan quickly blushed, and stammered out, "No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. I was just saying that I care about you. As a friend. Not, not like that. It wouldn't work out. I mean, we're Jedi. And, I've got so much baggage. Why would anyone, especially someone like you, want to be with someone like me? I'm not making this sound better, am I?"
The female soldier, now identified as Selena Jade, said, "Watch where you're flying! You're about to hit the ship!"
Revan looked back through the window, and expertly maneuvered the vessel so it was on a landing trajectory. "Thank you, Sergeant Jade." she replied.
"Maybe instead of awkwardly flirting with your Jedi friend, you should watch where you're flying." she replied.
Revan said, "It was meant to be more of an inspirational speech, not some flirtatious... thing."
"If that was what you were aiming for, you failed colossally."
"Thanks, Sergeant." Revan muttered.
Bastila, meanwhile, was awkwardly toying with her hair and whistling- in a weak attempt to appear nonchalant about the whole matter.
"No problem, Ma'am." she cheekily replied.
"I didn't bring you along to cause trouble." Revan replied.
"Sorry." she replied, shutting up.
-=0=-
Meetra stepped into the hangar, and said, "There's a shuttle missing."
"Dammit." Veras said, "I guess Tremaine decided to go and assume command of the battle."
"What?"
"She went to the bridge, to offer assistance, but Forsk is an idiot, who doesn't believe in making sacrifices in battle."
"So you think Revan's going to try and run a mutiny in the middle of a battle? She isn't stupid." Meetra replied, as David stood silently behind her.
"Not a mutiny. Forsk won't have the balls to stand up to her in person." Veras replied. "But, I saw a hole in the mandalorian fleet. They won't recognize it. We can use that to board one of their key vessels, and turn it against them."
"We won't be able to control a mandalorian vessel with just the three of us." David said.
"Once we have taken the vessel, all we're going to do is set it to self destruct." Veras replied, "That should both provide a distraction, and cause significant damage to the enemy fleet."
"How are we going to give ourselves enough time to get out, if we're also not going to give them a chance to deactivate the self destruct sequence?" Meetra asked.
"Destroy all terminals once the self destruct has been signaled. We are also going to be hunting down the traitor, Johnson."
"Do we know which ship he is on?"
"No, but you've all felt the doom and gloom around recently. I figured that he's behind it, and you could use your Jedi abilities to track it to its source."
"That isn't how it works." Meetra said.
"If he's on a ship, it's either Mandalore's, or another capital ship." David said, "Who knows what he's been telling them about the status of the Republic."
"That isn't an issue." Veras said. "We're taking care of it now."
Meetra nodded, and said, "We should get going. The longer we stand around here, the better the chance that the mandalorians will be able to close that hole you found."
Veras nodded, and got into a shuttle. "Remember, we will have to maintain radio silence during this operation. And, if anyone asks, you didn't come along."
"Understood." The two Jedi replied.
-=0=-
Revan stepped into the bridge, and said, "Admiral Forsk, I will be assuming command of the battle."
He turned to her and said, "No you won't." glaring.
Revan calmly looked him in the eye, and said, "These men and women's lives are on the line. You do not have the skill in a command role to save the greatest number of Republic lives. As such, I shall be assuming command in order to save as many lives as possible."
"You are not a Republic officer. Your Order has made it clear that your involvement is to be minimal."
"That is not the point at the moment. What matters at the moment is that you are going to get everyone killed. Someone has to turn the tide, or there is no chance that any of us will survive. And, you are not the one to do so."
"You have no right to tell me to surrender my command to you."
Revan nodded, and said, "I may not have a right to tell you to surrender command to me. But, ask yourself this, do you want to lose this battle so utterly that there will be no remnants of this fleet remaining?"
"No." Forsk replied.
"Then give me command. I will guide this fleet to either victory, or at least a defeat that does not lead to the utter destruction of the fleet. Leaving no one here on this ship alive."
"I can get the job done." Forsk replied.
Revan looked him in the eye, and said, "The circumstances are dire. This is a battle that you cannot win with tactics that are a hundred percent safe. You have to take a risk."
Forsk looked her in the eye, and asked, "Will you return command to me, once the battle is over?"
"If we are still alive." she replied, looking him in the eye. "But, someone needs to lead these forces. And, your tactics will not work against the mandalorians." turning to the map.
He sighed, then said, "Then what would you have us do?"
Revan examined the map, and said, "They're pushing heavily against our left flank. But in doing so their own has become weakened. If we send frigates and a capital ship to assault that, it will draw their attention. Then, when they believe that we have dedicated our assault to the left flank, they will relocate several vessels to push back our assault. When they do that, we will show our actual move, and strike them on the right side. It should enable us to at least give our vessels an opening for retreat."
Forsk nodded, and said, "Very well. Men, you heard what the Jedi said."
-=0=-
Several Republic vessels turned towards the mandalorian left flank. They moved at a steady speed towards the weakened enemy flank. As their turbo lasers fired on the vulnerable flanks of the mandalorian ships.
As they fired, damaging the mandalorian vessels severely, Canderous said, "Mandalore, the Republic is striking at our exposed flank."
"I did not think the Republic would be willing to take such a risk." Mandalore said, "Send vessels to counter the Republic offensive. The primary assault force to remain should be equal to the numbers of the Republic."
"Yessir!" a mandalorian soldier replied.
-=0=-
Meetra looked through the window of the shuttle's cockpit, and said, "Where's the hole in their formations?"
"I've got this under control, soldier." Veras replied, flying the shuttle directly underneath a damaged mandalorian vessel. "The ship above us has been incapacitated. So, we can get past it. Now, do you have any idea of where Johnson is?"
Meetra looked at the small map of the mandalorian formations, and said, "There's an enemy vessel near the back. It has a pair of capital ships in what appear to be a defensive formation. If he is the one using Battle Meditation against us, he'll be there."
Veras glanced at the ship Meetra had pointed out, and said, "We'll be there in a couple of minutes." looking at the enemy fleet around them, he added, "I want you two to have your weapons at the ready the instant we get in that hangar."
"Understood." Meetra replied, placing a hand on her lightsaber.
-=0=-
Revan looked at the map, and said, "The enemy has taken the bait. Wait until their ships are at the destination of our assault force, then move in. If we're lucky, we can take out Mandalore here and now!"
"Aye-aye!" the crew in the bridge replied.
Dodonna, who was still on the communications screen, said, "Knight Revan, I've noticed something curious. There's a small Republic signal deep in the enemy fleet. Headed for a vessel near the back of the mandalorian fleet. Protected by two capital ships. Orders?"
Revan quickly found the ship on the map, and said, "Bastila, get over here."
The Padawan, using her Battle Meditation in a corner near the door, stood up and walked towards the map. Revan pointed at the vessel, and asked, "Is the enemy who is using Battle Meditation on this vessel?"
"From what I've been able to gather, in combating it, I would say that he is somewhere in that region."
Revan nodded, and said to Dodonna, "Let them continue. They may be a group of ours going in to kill an enemy VIP."
"Understood." the Admiral replied.
Bastila said, "I should get back to what I was doing. If I spend too long away, what progress against him I've made will be lost."
"Do what you must." Revan replied.
"I will." Bastila replied, "But I don't think I'll have to do what you mentioned earlier."
Revan chuckled lightly, and said, "That's a relief."
"Not just for you." Bastila said, smiling at Revan.
The Knight smiled back, and said, "You need to get back to your Battle Meditation." before turning back to the map.
-=0=-
Meetra and David jumped out of the shuttle, as it crashed into the hangar. She grabbed the first mandalorian she saw, and held her blade to his throat. She shouted, "Hold your fire, or your friend loses his head!"
David whispered, "What are you doing, Surik? That is not the Jedi way."
She replied, "Is it the Jedi way to get shot so full of holes that the coroners will think you're a cheese instead of a person?"
He sighed, and nodded, as Veras stepped out of the shuttle. The mandalorians stood there silently, then one said, "Do you think that we will hold our fire to just save one of our own? Open fire, men."
As the blaster bolts filled the hangar, Meetra beheaded her captive, and threw his corpse into a group of enemies firing on them.
David, was deflecting shots as well as he could, while Veras pulled out a heavy repeating blaster, and returned fire. As he ducked below cover, he said, "Jedi, get the hell over there and terminate their commander!"
"Roger." Meetra replied, charging. As she deflected the bolts approaching the one who had given the order to fire, he kept firing on her. She deflected each shot, and as she got close enough to hit him with her blade, he dropped the blaster rifle, and drew the vibroblade at his side. She knocked it down, and beheaded him in one fluid motion.
As she deflected a shot from a mandalorian trooper on the far side of the room, she also shifted to the side, so she could catch the blade of another enemy. The mandalorian, a woman in blue armor, attempted to swipe Meetra's legs out from under here, but the Jedi nimbly jumped over it, and slammed the woman into the ground. She then stabbed her assailant through the heart, and pulled out the blaster pistol at her own side. She then, without even looking, lined up a shot at the head of a mandalorian to her right, and fired twice.
As he fell dead, she saw David leap towards a pair of mandalorians, his twin sabers leaving a trail of blue behind for a split second, before he beheaded both. He turned, and impaled a third on his twin blades, when a red blade flew through the air behind him, and severed his head.
Meetra turned to look who had thrown it, but before she could see the enemy, the entire vessel shook, and she was sent flying across the hangar, near Veras.
-=0=-
Revan looked at the map, and said, "Send in the main force now!"
The crew nodded, and as the ships moved in to fire, the screen the map was on died. She turned to an ensign, and asked, "What's going on here?"
"We've been boarded, ma'am!" An ensign replied. "Five life-forms just entered the ship from outside. We aren't sure how they managed to get past our sensors undetected."
"Get me security footage so we can track them down!" Revan said, scanning the room.
"We're running on emergency backup power, Ma'am. All security cameras are offline!"
"Get them back online!" Revan replied, "I'm going to hunt down the target. Run all communications through an encrypted channel to my earpiece."
"Aye-aye." a soldier replied.
"Good." she said, walking towards the door.
Before she stepped out, she felt Bastila's hand on her shoulder. The Padawan said, "Be careful out there, Rev."
"I will." Revan replied, grabbing both of her weapons. "Whoever is behind this won't get the best of me."
"Don't be overconfident. If you are, they'll beat you."
Revan smiled softly at Bastila and said, "Bas, I'll be fine. After all, if I go, who knows what will happen to you. And, Meetra will be depressed for a long time I bet." she added quickly.
Bastila sighed, and said, "Just don't do anything reckless."
"I won't." Revan said, silently adding through the bond, "I promise." as she left the room.
-=0=-
A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhanger! Anyways, thanks for reading, and please drop a review.
Also, if you haven't yet, check out my other stuff. It's similar to this. AU versions of popular Bioware games. (specifically the Mass Effect games. Though I may eventually do a Dragon Age: Origins one.) (And a oneshot that includes Optimus Prime fighting Harbinger, using the Matrix of Leadership to kill the Catalyst[Go see the Rebirth of Optimus Prime episodes of the original generation one to find something similar to my reasoning as to how it would work], and some other random stuff.)
