Ariv jerked awake as the Endar Spire swayed dangerously, and a volley of turbolasers lit up the transparisteel windows while explosions went off nearby. Blinking back his drowsiness, he immediately snapped to attention as he realised what was happening around him. From the viewport, he could see snub fighters scrambling to save the Republic Ship as the Sith Fleet continued their attack, but it was of no use. Their Hammerhead-class cruiser was overwhelmed, and the small Aurek tactical strikefighters struggled to combat the seemingly endless barrage of Sith Interceptors.
Quickly, Ariv reached into his footlocker and got dressed in the appropriate combat gear, taking with him a short sword and blaster rifle which he strapped to his belt. He also stuffed a few medpacs into his bag in case anyone from the crew might need them. Just as he was about to make his way to the blast doors that sealed away the section of the ship he was on, a man burst into the common room.
He was a bit shorter than Ariv himself, with blonde hair cropped close to his head. Trask Ulgo, Ariv remembered, the Ensign was his bunkmate, and he felt relieved to see that he was alright. "Ariv!" The other man exclaimed, "I am glad you are well, I was worried when you didn't respond to your comm."
"What happened?" Ariv asked, making sure that his blaster had enough charge, "I thought we weren't scheduled to drop out of Hyperspace till day after at 6:00 GST, and certainly not in the middle of a battle!"
"We were ambushed by the Sith Fleet, a gravity well pulled us right out of hyperspace," Trask said and Ariv wondered how the Sith had even known about the fact that they'd be travelling via the Hydian Way, their mission to re-enforce Admiral Dodonna's fleet at Harloen had been very secretive – they had not even taken any other ships with them to avoid any extra attention.
"What's the situation so far, Ensign?" He asked the man next to him, who also pulled out blasters and checked the comms.
"Not good, the Sith's Interdictor–class cruiser caused heavy damage to the Endar Spire, Command scrambled Strikefighters but they're going down quickly." Ariv had guessed as much, and Trask continued, "I saw command shuttles approaching us as well, I think that the Sith have sent boarding parties."
The situation was as bad as he was expecting, but there had to be a way to salvage it. "Come on," Trask began, "Let's get out of here, we need to make sure that Bastila Shan gets off this ship safely before the Sith get here."
Bastila Shan. The name was familiar and yet not. Somehow, he saw in his mind's eye, a flash of gold, a round of lasers, a ship under attack, the world around him burning, collapsing, and a steady presence that did not falter even as flames engulfed everything. He pushed the strange vision to the back of his head, chalking it up to the lack of sleep and the adrenaline of battle. "Bastilla?" He asked, more than a little confused.
The man stared at him as though he had grown a second head before replying, "Did you fall off your bunk and hit your head? Bastila is our ship's commander. Well, she's not an officer exactly, but she has been put in charge of this mission by the Jedi Council. Our objective is to make certain she makes it out of this battle alive. The Jedi is the Republic's only hope to win this war, we cannot afford to lose her. We all swore an oath to protect her life, now it is time to make good on it."
Then remembered her, Bastila was one of the two Jedi aboard their ship. He had seen the Battle Meditator in passing while they navigated the corridors of the ship. Once, he swore he had seen her staring at him during a routine debriefing yesterday and then he'd even tried to smile politely and a little awkwardly at her. She had looked away quickly, but Ariv had seen the horrified expression cross her face. Other times, she'd always scurry away from him as fast as she could, even though he had never attempted to converse with her.
But he had never had the chance to actually meet the Jedi that Trask spoke so highly of.
Whatever, he thinks, shaking his head, he had a mission to complete, he could brood about these things later. "Alright," he said, simply. "We'll find Bastila and make sure she gets on an escape pod to the planet below before the Sith get their hands on her."
Ensign Ulgo began, "We'll stay together, that way we have a better chance to survive." Ariv nodded in agreement as they rushed to open the doors and ran into the large corridors of the ship, blasters ready, Ariv's mind already focusing on the battle — thinking how he was to find a lone Jedi and make sure she had left the ship and landed on Taris safely.
"I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk," Trask began, "You know–opposite shifts and all–but I have heard of your reputation." He added as they emerged from a corridor only to come face to face with figures dressed in dark silver that fired at them without any hesitation.
Sith Troopers, Ariv thought, kriffing hell, they had already managed to board the ship.
They really needed to hurry. "Top of your class," the Ensign continued, unfazed, as they fired back and the other soldiers began falling, "Elite combat training, no wonder you were hand-picked for this mission."
Before Ariv could say anything in response, blaster bolts whizzed by the duo, and he shot down the Sith troopers without a second thought as they advanced through the large white hallways. They could hear the sounds of battle raging around them, the hum of the ship's failing engines, the whirring of machinery, and blaster fire.
"We need to get to the Bridge," Ariv suggested. "That's most likely where Bastila is." Before they get to the higher levels that were swamped by Sith troopers and Dark Jedi alike, a crackle came over his and Trask's personal comms, and, a clear, gruff voice ordered over a secure channel, "This is Captain Carth Onasi, the Sith are threatening to overrun our position! We won't be able to hold out long against their firepower, I need all hands to the bridge!" With that, the transmission cut off and he and Trask exchanged looks of worry.
The ship lurched dangerously and Ariv nearly careened headfirst into the wall, catching himself as another piercing alarm rang through the ship while the bombardment by the Sith destroyers continued.
"Sounds like they are fighting a losing battle up there, we need to get to the bridge — and fast! This way," Ariv instructed, "There's a service turbolift, it will most likely be left alone, that way we'll get to the bridge faster." Trask nodded in agreement and the duo headed to said turbolift, taking down any sith troops that came in their way. Thankfully this particular service elevator – used generally by droids – was away from the thickest of fighting.
In the turbolift, the floors ticked maddeningly slowly, and Ariv felt increasingly anxious, thinking about how the ship's crew was dying outside and he was in here staring at a display screen that showed the levels. To get his mind off the soldiers' awful fate, he prepared himself for the fight above. There would be far more Sith troopers on the higher levels who would attempt to capture the bridge. The illuminated doors opened, and along with them, came a nasty surprise in the form of — "Dark Jedi!" Trask whispered to Ariv and grabbed his arm to stop him from going ahead. He was trying to avoid being overheard by the Sith in question, who had thankfully not noticed their appearance yet.
"Where is your Commanding Officer?" The Dark Jedi asked, raising his saber to the Jedi in front of him, his red blade barely grazing the woman's throat who was unable to do much in response, having been frozen in place using the force.
"I'll die before I tell you!" The Jedi responded.
Ariv raised his blaster, thinking if he could distract the Sith for even a split second, the Jedi would be able to break free of her bonds and get her saber which lay only a few feet away. Trask put his hand on Ariv's arm and shook his head, "Don't interfere," he whispered, "We'll probably be more of a liability to the Jedi than of any help."
"We can't afford to get the Sith's attention on us," Trask added, but something about leaving someone alone to fend for themselves did not sit right with Ariv, even if the person was probably more trained than he was.
"I don't think so," Ariv began, "We have to help her in any way we can."
"You're not wrong," Trask agreed, "but this fight is too much for us. Besides, that is Officer Angcia Parrae, the Jedi accompanying Bastila. I have seen her in combat, she is more than capable of defending herself."
Ariv argued, "That doesn't mean that we can leave her alone, she won't betray her fellow Jedi and will probably be killed as a result!"
Before Trask could stop him, Ariv fired a series of shots at the figure clad in black armour, who immediately deflected the bolts with a swipe of his blood-red saber, but just as he hoped, this momentary distraction was enough for the Jedi to break out of the force hold and she called her saber. Trask, without any choice now, joined Ariv in firing on the Sith, and then his blaster was wrenched from his hand and crushed with the Force.
Ariv was forced to pull out his sword to defend himself. Thankfully, it was made with cortosis-weave – a special swordsmithing technique that made a weapon resistant to even lightsabers. But before he would have the ill fortune of having to duel with a Sith, the Jedi began attacking and Dark Jedi was forced to defend against her. Ariv and Trask refrained from joining for the risk of accidentally shooting the Jedi that had saved them, and soon their attention was called to the Sith Troopers who swarmed the deck.
"Where is she?" Ariv overheard the Sith snarl.
"This again?" replied Lieutenant Angcia, defending each attack with ease. "I told you, I don't know, and even if I did, I'll never tell you!" With that, she finally delivered an overhead strike that managed to kill the Dark Jedi, but she had been so caught up in the duel that she did not notice the Sith troopers that had come rushing in to avenge their fallen commander.
Before she could react, they lobbed several grenades in her direction which exploded in a deafening cacophony and killed the poor Jedi. Ariv cursed, ducking for cover against the flying shrapnel, and he thought about how already so many Republic soldiers had died on the ship in an effort to save it, now even the Jedi were not spared of the same terrible fate.
But before Ariv or Trask could do anything more the Sith troopers turned fire towards them and they were forced to flee to the bridge. Ariv made use of his sword to deflect any blaster bolts that came his way, swiping it in a wide arc that caused the bolts to ricochet off the thick silver blade and reverse their direction. Trask looked at him in awe and asked, "How are you even doing that?" Ariv shrugged in response, "I learnt it from somewhere."
They managed to shoot down the Sith troopers and finally made their way to the bridge. Just before the bridge doors opened they shared a look of resignation, knowing that anything could happen beyond those doors — that one or both of them might not make it alive. It was not an unfamiliar thing, after all, they were soldiers and had faced such situations many times. But still, it was something that one simply did not get used to.
The doors whisked open and Trask ran in first, shouting "For the Republic!" before attacking the Sith Soldiers. Soon, the enemy troops were dead but not without consequence, Trask had been shot in his arm twice and was bleeding profusely. Ariv made to offer the medpacs he carried, but Trask shook his head and said, "Later, when we get to the escape pods, we can't slow down now, and there could be people who need these more than me."
Ariv opened his mouth to argue but stopped short as he realised something most peculiar about the bridge: they had been the only two Republic Soldiers, Captain Onasi was nowhere to be found and, to make matters worse, neither was Bastila.
"Where is everyone?" Ariv wondered out loud, a part of him already knew the answer, that there was no one else here, and try as he might, he could not stop his mind from leaping to the worst scenarios — had Bastila already been captured by the Sith?
"I don't think there's any from our side left," Trask admitted Ariv's thoughts quietly. Another blow to the already weakened Republic. "Those who managed to survive must have already gotten off, we should too." The Ensign said after a moment.
Ariv shook his head, he could not fathom leaving the Jedi Commander behind to be taken and tortured by the Sith "What about Bastila? She needs to be safe—"
"Commander Shan must have been made to leave first, after all, her safety is paramount." Trask reasoned and Ariv blinked, realising that the man was right. It had been the primary duty of the crew to guarantee her survival in the event of an attack, and Ariv couldn't believe he had let his judgement get clouded and hadn't realised that earlier.
"You're right Trask, let's get out of here. Come on, we need to get to the Starboard Section before something gets to us." He said, and they rushed to the Escape pods.
Ariv finally felt a glimmer of hope, that at least he and his bunkmate could leave safely, and he opened the door to the rooms that separated the escape pod access from the command deck, leaving behind the smouldering ruins of the Endar Spire's bridge.
Just as he'd thought that this day could not possibly get worse, another Dark Jedi stepped into the bridge before Trask could follow him into the next room. This one was tall, with a shaved head, wearing the usual black armour and dark clothes, and sported an ugly goatee. "And just what do we have here?" He called, chuckling, igniting his lightsaber, and twin crimson blades sprang to life.
"Lord Malak would be most displeased if I returned without the Jedi in tow. If you don't wish to tell me where she is, then you shall suffer the same fate as the others did!" With those ominous words, he grabbed hold of Ariv using the force and the soldier felt invisible fingers wrapping around his throat, robbing him of his breath.
At first, Ariv could only stare at the man, wondering about how had the fool not realised that someone as important as Bastila was to the Republic (and the Empire apparently) would be left alone on a ship crawling with Sith soldiers and darksiders alike. Then, he felt fury rise in him at the thought of being at the mercy of the poor excuse of a Sith in front of him.
Somehow, Ariv knew exactly how to liberate himself of the chokehold, and just as he broke free, Trask raised his blaster with his good arm and fired on the fallen Jedi, whose attention went to the Ensign. He turned, pushing Trask hard into the wall behind him and Ariv readied himself to charge at the Sith, but Trask was quick to recover, and fired several more shots. "Get out of here!" Trask yelled, wincing in pain, "Get to the Escape pods, it's not too late for you! Go!"
"No!" Ariv shouted in response, "I'm not leaving you here!" But before he could do anything, Trask fired on the control panel and the door whisked shut in Ariv's face. "Kriff!" He yelled kicking the door, he couldn't believe that he had left Trask behind. There was no way the Ensign would be able to survive the Dark Jedi. "Kriff!" He cursed again, knowing that there was nothing he could do to save Trask now. But the only thing he could do now was to honour the sacrifice of a fellow soldier by not dying as well. With a heavy heart, he went to the next room, closer to the escape pods.
Ariv's personal comm crackled to life again and the voice of the Captain returned, "This is Carth Onasi again, I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support systems. The Sith have overtaken our ship. We are the last surviving crew members. I need you to get to the escape pods immediately, I can't wait for you forever. Once the Sith realise their prize Jedi isn't here anymore, they'll blast the ship to smithereens. But be careful, there's an entire squad of Sith troopers in the next room."
"Alright, thanks for the heads-up," Ariv said, grateful for the warning. He looked around the room, seeing if there was something other than his sword to help him combat the troops and his eyes fell upon the form of an assault droid. Unfortunately, the poor thing had been badly damaged and Ariv would have to repair it before he could make use of its skill. It would not have been hard for him to do so, but right now he did not have the appropriate parts or the time, for he could almost sense the Dark Jedi getting closer.
Dismissing the droid, he turned his attention to troops in the next room. The security feed on the south computer terminal showed the grainy image of the Sith soldiers clustered near a power conduit. A manic grin overtook Ariv's face as he realised he could just overload the system and be rid of most of them. Logging into the terminal, and overriding the ship's security, he spliced into the system. Then, Ariv entered the necessary code to cause the overload, then the panel flashed his success and he watched as it logged him out of the system, switched back to the security feed and the power conduit let out massive streaks of white lighting, electrocuting most of the troops in the room.
The door then swung open and Ariv charged in, fighting and killing the remaining few Sith troops. He then finally reached the escape pods where he was greeted by the sight of a man who was not even a decade older than Ariv himself.
The other man was wearing a horrid flashy orange–brown jacket with yellow shoulder pads and Ariv could see a five o'clock shadow on the man's face. He was a bit shorter than Ariv and had slicked back dark hair from which two strands fell onto his forehead. Captain Carth Onasi nodded in greeting and said, "There's only one active escape pod left, glad you made it in time…?" The unspoken question hung in the air.
"Ariv. Lieutenant Ariv Drayen." He said in response.
"Well, Lieutenant Drayen, come on, we can hide on the planet below," Carth ordered and Ariv joined him as they went into the last escape pod. Sliding his seatbelt into place, Ariv couldn't help but quietly confirm with Carth, "...Where is Bas–Commander Shan? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
Carth looked at him as the escape pod jettisoned from the ship and said, clearly relieved, "Oh, Bastila? Yeah, she thankfully left on an escape pod. Took a lot of convincing, but I didn't send her alone. Unfortunately, only one officer accompanied her though, we couldn't spare more cause everyone thought that the crew ought to stay back on the ship to make sure the Sith don't reach her. But I wouldn't worry too much, she'll be alright. She's a tough gal, she managed to survive Darth Revan after all."
Ariv nodded, grateful that the Jedi was away safely, and before he could examine why he cared so much and so deeply for a woman he had never even met, the escape pod they were in jerked wildly and his head hit the wall, hard and black spots danced in his vision. That was the last thought Ariv had before, not for the first time, the world went dark around him.