Veras looked at the door, checking his blaster's charge. He said to Alek, "Baldy, toss me one of those repeaters!"
"Got it." he replied, grabbing one, and throwing it to Veras. The Commander caught it, and pulled the power supply out.
Meetra said, "We need to move."
Veras said, "Right. Let's move."
"Who's taking point?" she inquired.
"You." Veras said.
"Got it." she replied, igniting her weapon.
Alek said, "Hey, Veras, what are we going to do about Anseron's corpse after we set the ship to self-destruct?"
"We'll leave it behind. It'll just slow us down."
"No." Meetra said, glaring at Veras, "We'll take him with us so that he can be given a proper funeral."
"It will be extra weight which will reduce the mobility of whatever ship we'll be able to get back to our fleet."
"That doesn't matter." she replied, "He was one of us. Last time I checked Republic military protocol, I said no man left behind. Even if they don't survive the mission."
Veras said, "We're breaking quite a few protocols by even being on this ship. If we leave his corpse behind we can say the enemy took his life after capturing him on the surface."
"There are already official reports that say that he made it off the surface." Meetra replied.
"I'm not concerned about the Republic." he said, "I'm concerned about your Order. If they know he was killed while being directly involved in the assault of an enemy vessel, then it would be catastrophic. It could make so that there is no Jedi involvement in the war. Under normal circumstances, I would follow protocol. But, considering your Masters' order that you stay out of combat, I can't."
"So we don't send him back to the Order. That doesn't mean we can't still honor him with a proper funeral."
"Telling them that we did not recover his corpse will make the story more believable." Alek said.
"What the fuck, Baldy? He was one of us!"
"Exactly why we need to leave him behind. If the Council ever learns the true details of his death, it will make so that it would have been in vain. If they are revealed, the Council will never give the Republic full assistance. So, we have to hide it."
"Jedi aren't supposed to lie."
"Sometimes the ends justify the means. There is no hope for a Republic victory if there isn't Jedi support. The mandalorians are too skilled for them all to lose to normal Republic soldiers." Alek said, "You're not thinking about it logically, Meetra." he said.
"Sometimes logic isn't the best way to make a decision."
"Surik," Veras said, "just because there isn't a body to burn, doesn't mean he cannot be honored with a funeral."
She said, "It isn't about that. It's about the fact that we're talking of leaving behind the corpse of someone who died while fighting alongside us."
Veras slapped her, and said, "You're too soft, Surik. In war, there is no room for sentimentality over reason. It's that kind of mindset that leads to defeat."
She replied, "The kind of behavior you're talking about, Veras, could lead to the dark side."
"No." Alek said.
"What?" Meetra said, looking him in the eye.
"Doing the right thing doesn't lead to the dark side. Anseron wouldn't want to think that his sacrifice was for nothing. Which what you are proposing will make it. He would want us to do what is necessary to save the Republic. Which is lying to the Council about his death. You know that Revan would agree."
"She'd do anything to be allowed to fight them. After all, that's why she's such a good fighter. She's been training to fight them all her life."
"Why? It's not like she has a personal issue with them." Alek asked.
Meetra laughed, then said, "You don't know that the mandalorians raided Revan's homeworld, killed her parents, then sold her as a slave?"
"No, I didn't." he said, looking surprised.
"Well, now you do." Meetra said.
Alek was silent for a moment, then said, "Meetra, just because we can't tell the Jedi now about the truth of his death, doesn't mean that once things have returned to normal we can't."
"If we lie about this, then reveal the truth we will be exiled. So, if we do this, the truth can never come out." Meetra said, sighing, "And I do not want to have to live with the guilt of having lied to the rest of the galaxy."
Veras said, "Then you have no place being involved in a military campaign, and should go back to Coruscant."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" she asked.
"In war, the truth is always changed to make people feel better about themselves." Veras said, "You never tell the civilian population the full truth of what you have to do to win. You never tell anyone of the hard decisions you have to make in order to make sure they can continue living without fear of being conquered by barbarians like these mandalorians. In order to defeat animals like these mandalorians, you have to be brutal. There can be no room for weakness, sentimentality, or any other emotion. You have to be cold, and you have to be unbreakable. You have to be able to watch the people you've worked with for years- people you've come to see as family- die agonizing deaths to defend the system you've spent your entire life in. Then, you have to be willing to lie about why they died in the faces of their loved ones, or people you respect. Because if you show any weakness, the enemy will exploit it, and you will have doomed the entire galaxy to an era of darkness because you couldn't take the responsibilities of being a soldier in a large scale conflict."
Meetra looked at him, and saw a calm in his eyes, but sensed distaste for what they were suggesting. And, she could sense the same from Alek. She sighed, and said, "Fine."
"Good." Veras said, "Now let's move out, before the enemy realizes we're just standing in this hangar."
Meetra nodded, and opened the door. Standing there, were a pair of mandalorians. The first, a tall man wearing crimson armor, lost his head before he could react, and the second- a woman in yellow armor- found a hole in her torso where her heart had been mere seconds ago.
Alek said, "Nice, but weren't you going to interrogate one?"
Meetra said, "Those two wouldn't have talked."
"How do you know?"
Veras replied, "The armor has a single sword with a background of a helmet emblazoned on their torso. That is the symbol of Mandalore's elite."
"Why would two of his elite be here?" Alek asked.
"Because this is the ship where Johnson was using Battle Meditation against the Republic." Meetra said.
-=0=-
Revan examined the map, then saw a large explosion on one portion of the mandalorian fleet. "Excellent. That should cause some disarray."
Forsk asked, "What about my men on that ship?"
A voice came in over the communications system, "Sir, this is Red Team, we have successfully destroyed our target vessel and are on our way back to the Republic fleet."
"Good work, Red Team." Revan said, "But I want you to head to re-enforce Green Frigate Squadron. They're taking a beating from mandalorian bombers."
"Aye-aye, ma'am." a soldier said.
Bastila said, "Rev, I'm exhausted. Would it be alright if I go and get some rest?"
"I wish I could say yes," Revan replied, smiling fondly at Bastila, "but I can't. Your Battle Meditation is proving to be a major boon. If you're feeling tired, you can use the Force to draw energy from me."
Bastila sighed, and said, "I'd rather not."
"I know, Bas, but it's the only option right now. I'll be fine, I know you won't take too much."
"Revan, we don't know what could happen if I do take energy from you! Even a little might cause serious problems!"
"Bastila, it won't hurt me."
Bastila said, "I don't want to. I don't know if I'm skilled enough to safely do it."
Revan laughed, and said, "Regardless of what Quatra told you, you're an incredibly skilled Jedi. You can do it without any issues, if you just trust your instincts."
Bastila sighed, and said, "Alright, I'll try. Let me know if I'm drawing too heavily, or too rapidly."
"You'll do fine." Revan said, as she felt Bastila reach through the bond and use it to gently touch Revan's connection to the Force. A second later, she had- in a sense- created a small channel in it that sent some of the energy flowing into her. As she felt it bolster her own waning strength, she resumed the Battle Meditation.
Revan said over the bond, "See, Bas? You're doing fine."
Bastila replied in awe, "I never knew you had so much power at your disposal. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. About what you could do if you unleashed it all at once."
Revan laughed, and replied, "I make you shudder, do I? Do you also get all tingly inside when you think about me?"
"Revan! That is inappropriate! What's gotten into you?"
"I'm just being a little silly to ease the tension. I can practically feel the knots in your shoulders through the bond."
"Does your silliness have to be so... flirtatious?"
"It was the first thing that came to mind, that's all."
"Please don't do something like that again. It's awkward enough with Meetra insisting that you want to sleep with me."
Revan chuckled, and replied, "Yeah, that is a bit awkward. Even if I did want to- and I'm not saying that I do- I wouldn't broadcast it. That would just make things really weird. Especially if you didn't feel the same. And then there's the whole it would have to wait until you're legally an adult thing."
Bastila snorted, and said, "Her behavior on Coruscant would certainly seem to indicate that she doesn't care about the legality of it. Part of me thinks that she just wants it to happen so she can watch."
"Nah," Revan said, "she's not like that. The one time she watched some porn, she turned it off after a minute because she just felt uncomfortable watching other people going at it."
"Because she felt uncomfortable, or because you or someone else caught her?"
"Heh, actually I was watching it too, but got uncomfortable at fifteen seconds."
"You've watched porn?! That is in direct violation of the rules of the Order!"
"Only fifteen seconds, Bas, and there originally wasn't a rule against it."
"That can't be right." Bastila said, "Rule thirty-four of the Order clearly states that Jedi are not allowed to view material of a sexual nature."
"There's also a rule that says Jedi are not allowed to eat a cheeseburger while walking backwards on the fourth day of the week if the wind is exceeding twenty kilometers per hour, is coming from a southerly direction, and they're in the presence of a five-year old twi-lek. Or a wookie missing it's left arm."
"You're joking."
"Not really. Ordinance seventy-six subsection D paragraph eight. I was surprised about it too."
"Alright, so the Order does have some unusual rules. But, still, you watched porn? Even if the Order didn't oppose it, it's wrong! You shouldn't watch it for any reason!"
"Not even as a tutorial? Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Bastila laughed, and said, "That is the strangest thing I've ever heard. But are you serious?"
"No, it was a joke. Trying to get you to relax a bit, Bas."
"Uhm, okay? Can we talk about something else? I'm starting to get uncomfortable."
"Sure, what do you want to talk about?"
"How much longer do you think the battle is going to last?"
"A while." Revan replied, "We should probably focus on it. We'll have plenty of time to talk afterwards."
"Right." Bastila said.
Revan continued to examine the map, then said, "Do we have any confirmation of which vessel Mandalore is on?"
"Negative, Ma'am." an ensign said. "We do not have anything that would indicate which capital ship is the Sovereign."
"Well figure it out." Revan replied.
"Aye-aye." she replied.
-=0=-
Mandalore said, "Where have the Republic forces on the Heroic moved?"
"We do not know, Mandalore." Canderous said.
"Find them."
"Sir, that will not be possible. The only way would be to open a communication channel to one ship, and hope that they would accept it." an ensign replied. "And it is unlikely that they would."
"I am aware of the logistics of the situation." Mandalore said, "I was learning tactics for battles such as these before you could hold a blaster."
The ensign nervously nodded in response, and said, "Hailing Republic Capital Ship Victory. Republic vessel Victory come in." A few moments passed in silence, then the ensign said, "No response."
"Try again." Mandalore said.
"Aye-aye." the ensign replied, "Republic vessel Victory please reply."
-=0=-
"Knight Revan!" a Lieutenant said, "The mandalorians have attempted to contact the Victory. They are asking if they should respond?"
"Have them route the communication through to our vessel on a sub-frequency." Revan said, "That way I can speak with whoever it is that wants to talk without them learning of our actual location."
"Understood." he replied.
Selena said, "What if they do track us down to this ship?"
"It shouldn't be a problem. The other four teams, as well Meetra and those with her should be able to do enough damage to enable our retreat before the enemy could get to this ship." Revan said, "And I would prefer it if you do not second guess my decisions, Sergeant."
"Are you still grouchy about me pointing out that you failed to not flirt with your fellow Jedi on the way to the Heroic?"
"What?" Forsk said.
"Sergeant Jade is merely being a pain in the ass." Revan said, "Don't pay her any attention, and she'll probably stop."
"Ma'am," the Lieutenant said, "We have wired the transmission through a sub-frequency as you ordered. We can display visual communications if you want."
Revan looked around, and then said, "First minute no visuals, then turn them on." reaching into her pack.
"What are you doing, Revan?" Bastila asked.
She pulled out a mandalorian helmet, and said, "Remodeling this." as she pulled out a set of mobile armor repair tools.
-=0=-
"Mandalore, the Victory has accepted our communication."
"Excellent. Patch it so that I can speak with them directly."
"Done, sir." the ensign said.
-=0=-
The voice of Mandalore rang out through the speakers. "Hello, soldiers of the Republic. I am Mandalore the Ultimate, and wish to speak to your commander who has helped you survive so far in this battle. I believe it is the same warrior who devastated one of my camps on the surface, with aid from no one."
Revan said, "That would be me, Mandalore. Why would an animal like you want to talk to me?"
"Such venom in your words, Jedi. Does your Order approve of your actions? Directly fighting my men in a war that they have said your kind are to have no part in?"
Revan, continuing to work on modifying the mandalorian helmet, said, "Do you really think I will fall for your taunts, mandalorian?"
"No, I do not." he said, "You are a true warrior. Skilled, deadly, and willing to defy your teachers to win. But, is your compatriot, Shan- the one you have such a fondness for according to Richard- so willing to defy the orders of the Jedi Masters?"
Bastila looked at Revan terror clear in her eyes, and whispered, "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Revan did not respond to her, but instead pulled the helm onto her head, and said, "That is beside the point, mandalorian."
"So, his words were accurate. You actually do love this other Jedi."
"Even if I did, I would not tell anyone that I do. Such is not the way of the Jedi."
"But he also told me that you have some controversial views on those ways. That you believe they should be allowed to love. So, why would you use that as a cover? Are you afraid of loving someone? Afraid that they will be taken from you like your parents were?"
"You do not want to bring that up, animal." Revan growled, motioning for the Lieutenant to open the video communications, and Bastila to stand behind her.
As the video opened, and Mandalore was revealed in his golden armor and helm, he said, "Why not? Why should I not gloat over how my people killed your family, and sold you as a slave?"
"Because," Revan said calmly, "if I was willing to kill an entire camp of your people over slightly harming a pair of my friends, how many of you do you think I will kill over what you did?"
Mandalore laughed, and said, "I see you are fighting to keep your rage in check. Are you not supposed to be the best that the Jedi Order has to offer? Surely such mortal emotions should be beneath you."
"You have some fucked up ideas about how the Jedi Order is. How about I take you to the temple on Coruscant as a prisoner so that the Masters there can show you what we're really like?"
"Unlike you, we mandalorians value our freedom."
Revan laughed, and said, "Again, you show how little you know about those you wish to conquer and rule. Or do you plan to eradicate all life that is not mandalorian?"
"It is not the blood that makes one a mandalorian."
"I am aware of that." Revan replied, "But do you expect the people of the Republic to switch to your way of life because you enforce martial law?"
"You hurt me with your words, Jedi. I do not wish to rule your people. All we wish is to fight the best the galaxy has to offer, and gain glory and honor from the battles."
"How is it honorable to enslave billions? What kind of honor demands that you nearly eradicate an entire species?"
"They would have done the same to us, had they been in our position."
"No they would not. They may be warriors, but they do not leave their own lands en masse to attack other species."
"Because they are weakened."
"Before they were weakened, they did not." Revan growled, "But I grow tired of talking with you, mandalorian. Do give whatever it is you worship my regards when I send you to the afterlife." as she walked over to the Lieutenant handling the communications, and severed the connection.
-=0=-
"They severed the connection, Mandalore." a Lieutenant said.
"I am aware of that." he replied, looking at the empty screen. "Were you able to determine if that was actually her on the vessel, or if they were simply making it appear that way?"
"No, sir. We were not able to detect any frequencies that would indicate that."
"A shame. Focus your efforts on the Victory. Even if she is not on it, it will be interesting to see her reaction to seeing the Republic's military fail."
"Aye-aye." the soldier replied.
-=0=-
Meetra stepped into the room, and used the Force to slam three mandalorians into the wall. As they reached to recover their weapons, Veras fired on all three, killing them before they could effectively react.
Meanwhile, Alek grabbed a soldier wearing blue armor and pinned him to the ground with the Force, and Meetra severed the heads of two other mandalorians. After quickly scanning the room to make sure that there were no others, she walked over to the lone survivor, and asked, "Where is an elevator that can lead us to the bridge?"
"I won't tell you." he said, "I am a loyal mando'ade."
"A shame." Meetra said, "Because it appears that loyalty will bring you great pain." as she stabbed her weapon between his legs, just missing his most sensitive area.
"I fear no pain." He replied.
Meetra said, "I've heard that it's a pain that no man would willingly survive. That they would rather have their heads severed than experience the pain of having that region destroyed. Being a woman, I wouldn't really know how bad it hurts, but I've heard by quite a few guys that it's the most intense pain a man could ever experience. Do you really want to suffer that."
"I will sacrifice everything for Mandalore!" he replied.
"Such bravado." Meetra said, moving her blade closer, "Do you know what else I heard, though it may not be accurate. The suicide rate for men who suffer pain that bad is one hundred percent. Usually while they're suffering it."
"I fear nothing!" he replied.
"A true shame." Meetra said, "Have you ever actually experienced a lightsaber wound? It's a lot worse than a regular wound. Want to know why? Because it burns as it cuts. I'm honestly not even certain that if I did that you would survive the pain."
"Do you believe that mandalorian men are as weak as your own, Jedi?"
"I'm just guessing that no man, regardless of race or background, could stand it. Maybe I should give you a little taste elsewhere of how bad a lightsaber wound hurts." Meetra said, moving the blade to the left. "How about I sever your leg. Show you just how much it hurts in a less sensitive area."
"Do your worst, Jedi." the mandalorian replied.
"If you insist." Meetra replied, swiping her blade to the left, severing his leg. He groaned in pain slightly, then was silent. "You are tougher than I expected. But that was just a tiny taste of how badly it'll hurt. Do you really want to experience that? I mean, why is the location of the elevator so important to keep secret? Surely you don't think that a couple of puny Jedi and a weak Republic soldier could possibly defeat the best that the mandalorian people have to offer. Don't you have enough faith in your comrades to spare yourself the pain?"
"I will never help an enemy of my people, regardless of how seemingly small the action is. No matter how little harm it will bring to my people, I will never help you."
"You would rather experience pain worse than hell itself? And, if you die, put one of your fellows through that pain?" Meetra asked, looking at him with confusion. "Are you really so foolish as to do that to your fellows? Because if you don't talk, I will find another, and I will do the exact same to them. You know that eventually I will find the elevator without your help, so why not save me some time, and yourself a fuck-ton of pain."
He looked at her, and saw the cold look in her eyes. He saw that she was serious, then said, "Take a left when you leave through the door you came through, then at the first intersection take another left. It'll be the third door on the right."
"Thank you." Meetra replied, smirking at him. "You've been very helpful."
"To my great dishonor." he replied.
"You worry too much about your honor." Meetra said, as Veras fired a round into his head.
"Leave no witnesses." he replied.
"Yeah." Meetra sighed, as she went over to a corner, and began vomiting.
"Are you alright, Meetra?" Alek asked, when she finally stopped.
"Doing... doing that made me sick, made me feel dirty."
"You'll have to deal with it, Surik." Veras said, "You may have to do it again, and again. You never know how many times you have to interrogate an enemy. And, with people like these mandalorians, if you don't have a truth serum, pain is the only way to get them to talk."
"Yeah." Meetra replied, "Still doesn't make it any less disgusting."
"True." Veras said. "Why do you think so many soldiers who actually fight end up drowning themselves in liquor?"
-=0=-
Revan examined the map, then saw a pair of mandalorian vessels explode. "Contact Yellow and Blue Teams."
"Already have, Ma'am. They are en-route to support the Victory which is taking a beating from a pair of mandalorian capital ships."
"Good." Revan replied, "But tell them not to board the vessels. Once the team on the mandalorian vessel where Johnson is have returned, we will retreat."
"How?" Bastila asked
"Standard method." she replied, "Fighters dock on their respective ships, then capital ships leave. Followed by frigates and cruisers."
"Where will we go? They'll pursue us if we retreat." Forsk said.
"They won't have the option. They'll have taken considerable damage."
"Just like we have. These mandalorians will not let us go just because they've taken some losses."
"They will let us leave, because they will not be able to pursue us with the damages they've taken. We're falling back deeper into Republic space, where we will have reinforcements that they do not."
"Understood, Knight Revan." Forsk said, "The ideal location would be Taris, where Dodonna's fleet is."
"Indeed." The other Admiral said, "From there you and your fellow Jedi can return to Coruscant."
"Our tour of duty is longer than a few days." Revan replied.
"You have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Any continuation of your involvement would be a political shitstorm."
Revan replied, "I will not let politics getting in the way of Republic Victory. Wars should be controlled by soldiers who are on the front lines, not people hiding away where it's safe. They will never have the proper context to make correct decisions. And, despite what you may think, Dodonna, the only one my actions will affect is myself." then she silently added over the bond, "And you, Bas."
"What if the Jedi refuse to help the Republic because of your actions?"
"I will defy the will of the Council, gather as many of my fellow Jedi as possible, and lead them to war."
Dodonna said, "You are determined, I'll give you that. But, your methodology could use some improvement."
"Sometimes to save the galaxy you have to burn a few bridges."
"What you're talking about isn't burning them, it's destroying them with an orbital bombardment." Bastila said.
Revan chuckled, and as she examined the map, seeing if there was any development in the battle that merited her attention, said, "Maybe, but if it meant stopping the mandalorians it would be worth it."
Dodonna shook her head, and said, "You will return to your Masters once we reach Taris. There is no arguing on this matter. Are we clear?"
Revan looked her in the eye, and said, "I am aware of your orders, Admiral. But, the Council said that my fellow Jedi and I would be assisting the Republic for three weeks. Only a few days have passed since we were first sent on our mission. So, in order to obey the Council, we will continue to assist you."
"This is a Republic decision. We were given the option to return you if we felt that your actions were not beneficial to the war effort." Dodonna replied.
"We don't have to talk about this right now." Bastila said, "Something's happening on the right side of the map."
Revan glanced at it, and said, "Clever."
"What?"
"The mandalorians are maneuvering their ships to make an attack at our flank, but they're also preparing an attack on our center. They're hoping that no one would notice, and would rearrange the fleet in a way that they could hit the center, taking us out."
"What do we do?" Forsk asked.
"Let them make their move. The leading ship on that attack should detonate soon." Revan said.
-=0=-
Meetra ducked beneath the attack of the ship's captain, and kicked him in the gut. He took it without falling back, and returned her attack with a slice at her left arm. She caught it with her lightsaber, and used the Force to send him flying back.
Then, just as a second mandalorian was about to strike her from the side, he dropped his blade, and a blue lightsaber appeared in his torso. Alek nodded, at Meetra before jumping on his victim's shoulders, and then towards a pair of mandalorians hitting commands on a terminal. He severed their heads, and then threw his blade at the Captain.
The mandalorian ducked beneath the approaching weapon, and caught it with one hand. Alek sprinted at him, and as the mandalorian struck at his legs with a vibroblade, he jumped over it, and countered with a punch. The mandalorian took it with no trouble because of his helmet, but what he did not expect was the fist to open a second after contact, and lightning to pour out from the palm.
The threads of lightning flowed through the small eye slot, and destroyed his eyes. Then, Alek kicked the mandalorian in the stomach, and took his lightsaber back as the Captain quit holding it. He then severed his foe's head, and said, "What do we do to detonate the ship?"
"Don't know." Meetra said.
"I've got it." Veras said, "Cover me."
"Will do." the Jedi said.
While Veras worked on a terminal, Meetra motioned for Alek to follow her to another side of the room. She then said, "Nice use of lightning. Who taught you that? I know it wasn't Vrook."
"I figured it out on my own." Alek said, "I thought it would be a helpful skill to have."
"True." Meetra said, examining the terminal. "So, if Rev decides to defy the Council and stay helping the Republic, are you going to stay?"
"No." Alek replied, "I'd wait until I'm a Knight to defy the Council."
"Shame." Meetra said. "'Cause I've got a feeling Rev is going to stay."
"You would be wrong." Venerus said.
"You." Meetra said, "Why are you here?"
"I came to congratulate you. Your actions here have shown me just how much potential you, Alek, Revan, and Bastila have. Under my tutelage, you could become the most powerful force in the galaxy."
"We're really not interested." Meetra said, "So, could you just fuck off?"
"Such harsh words. You hurt me, Meetra." he said, "I am merely trying to open your eyes to how the Jedi Council has limited your strength, and give you the power that they denied you."
"Yeah, right. If we really were getting to a point where we might become a threat to you, you'd probably kill us before we could do anything that might jeopardize your authority."
He laughed, and said, "Must you continue to be so rude?"
"Yes." Alek said, "We aren't idiots."
"You could have tricked me." Venerus said. "But, since you insist on being rude, I shall show you the true meaning of power."
Then, a voice boomed through the room, and said, "NO! They are mine to slay!"
He turned, and said, "Ah, Richard. Did I say I would slay them? No, I said I would show them the true meaning of power. My intentions were not to end their lives. But to show them that they do not understand how insignificant their power is compared to mine. And, I do remember telling you that you were to remain undetected as long as possible. And now you have failed to do so three times. Perhaps I should show you that if you dare defy my three times, the penalty is death."
"Master, please, have mercy!"
"If it is mercy you seek, you should have remained with the Jedi." Venerus growled, fire gathering around his fingertips. Then, a moment later the floor of the ship beneath Richard opened, and flames burning a bright red consumed the fallen Jedi.
Meetra and Alek slowly stepped away from Venerus, but a moment later he vanished. "Shit." Alek said, "Did you see that, Meetra?"
"Yup, Baldy." she said, as she walked over to Veras.
"Once I hit this button detonation will be in twenty minutes. You'll need to destroy this terminal to prevent the cancellation of the process. Do you have an escape vessel planned?"
"Not yet, but I downloaded a schematic of the ship," Meetra said, "And there's a full hangar one deck. So I figured we'd take that."
"Good work, Surik." he said, hitting the button. "Now destroy the terminal."
"Aye-aye." Alek said stabbing it with his lightsaber five times.
-=0=-
Revan examined the map, then said, "Prepare for the evacuation."
"Aye-aye." a pair of ensigns said.
"We haven't heard word from Meetra and the others." Bastila pointed out.
"I know, Bas." Revan said, "But they'll be getting here soon."
"I hope you're right."
"I usually am." the Knight replied.
-=0=-
Veras fired several rounds into a mandalorian guard, before Meetra and Alek managed to pry open the door to the hangar. They sprinted in, and were greeted by a single mandalorian soldier atop a basilisk war droid. He said, "You will pay for destroying this vessel with your lives."
Meetra nodded at Alek, then stepped forward. "Oh really? How about you and I fight one on one, hand to hand. Only our blades. No exterior involvement, be it allies or war droid."
"Never. I will not give you a chance at victory!" he said, firing at Meetra.
She rolled to the side, and said, "We could all get off this ship alive. There's still time to evacuate."
"Mandalorians do not evacuate." he said, continuing to fire.
"A damn shame." Meetra said, jumping over his latest volley. "Because that means you're going to die." At the same time, Alek leaped from a ship, onto the mandalorian, stabbing him through the skull on his way down. Then, he ripped open a panel on the droid, and severed all of the wires.
"Do you even know what you're doing!" Meetra asked, as she evaded another volley from the droid.
"Just get a ship!" he replied, "While I finish this thing off."
"Try cutting the head off!" Veras said, examining a shuttle.
"Do you see the thickness of this fucking neck?" Alek asked.
"Several hits!" he said, "I need to get this shuttle airborne."
"Alright." he replied, attacking at the neck. Five slashes later, it fell to the ground.
Meetra and Veras popped their heads out, and said, "Let's get out of here. Ship's space worthy. At least over short distances."
"Got it." Alek said, "How do we contact Rev to make them not shoot us?"
"I'll take care of that." Meetra replied.
-=0=-
Revan examined the map, seeing that the mandalorian fighters were heading to the last capital ship where Orange team was. The last remaining ship to detonate. Then, she heard a beep on her communicator. She hit the accept button, and was instantly greeted by Meetra saying, "Hey, Rev, could you highlight a mandalorian shuttle leaving that capital ship in the back and send the order to have it not get shot?"
"You stole a hostile ship?" she asked.
"Yup. Care to give the order so we don't get our asses killed?"
"Yeah." Revan said, "I think I have the right one." highlighting it. "Marked you as friendly. You're in the clear."
"Thanks, Rev."
"No problem." Revan replied tiredly.
"You okay, Rev? You sound kinda beat?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." she replied, "Commanding this fight has just taken a lot out of me."
"Alright, get some sleep, Rev."
"Will do." she said, "Once we're out of here." watching the map, as a bright explosion consumed part of it.
A few moments later, Meetra asked, "What ship are you on?"
"We're back on the ship we started on."
"Gotcha, ETA seventy-five seconds."
"Good. Then once you're here we can leave." Revan said.
"Right." Meetra said.
-=0=-
Mandalore asked, "So, you boarded this ship with the intention of destroying it from within. Clever, but unfortunately for you, your skills were not significant enough to succeed."
"Fuck you, mandalorian." the soldier replied. "I won't tell you anything."
"I do not want you to tell me anything." he said. "I want you to carry a message to the Jedi Council. I want you to tell them that the ones they sent for minimal involvement were key players in this battle."
"No." the man replied.
Mandalore kicked him between the legs, and said, "A shame. Take him to the interrogation chamber, and let Cirea have her way with him."
"As you command, Mandalore." Canderous replied, dragging the Republic soldier away.
-=0=-
Meetra walked into the bridge, and saw Revan leaning against a wall with her eyes closed. Standing right beside her was Bastila, looking at her with a concerned look. "What's wrong?" Meetra asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look it." Meetra said. "You're pretty pale."
"I just need something to eat, and some sleep." she said.
"Are you sure?"
Bastila said, "I told you it was a bad idea."
"Not now, Bas." Revan said. "We can talk about it later."
"What happened?" Meetra asked, reaching for her lightsaber, "What did you do, Shan?"
"There's no need for that, Meetra." Revan said, "I made her borrow some energy from me so she could keep up her Battle Meditation until we got out of that fight."
Meetra said, "Alright. I'd advise not doing that again."
"It won't happen again." Revan said, "That's certain."
"Why?"
"We're going back to Coruscant early. At least, that's what Dodonna wants."
"What's your plan?"
"I don't have one yet." Revan said, "But, we can talk more about this over food. That way we can all be on the way to recovering from this battle."
"Alright." Meetra said.
-=0=-
A/N: In the words of Vector Prime, "It is done." the Battle of Cathar is finished. Sorry about the Transformers reference, been watching a lot of TF prime lately. But, doesn't explain the Transformers Cybertron reference I suppose. Anyways, back on topic, thanks for reading the latest chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. And, as always, please drop a review/favorite/follow for the story.
