Nightfall (story)

Nightfall is an upcoming novel focusing on the invasion of Metastrato Prime by the evil cyborg Hakuun.

Author's summary
'''A revolutionary leader, a military commander, the governor of an entire world, a Jedi Knight: Reilly Carroll has always been a warrior. Now he faces the darkest of nights; a ravaging hoard of merciless droids led by none other than his old nemesis, the dreaded former Imperial Insquisitor Hakuun, has launched a massive planetwide invasion.'''

''Leading a desperate mission to destroy Hakuun's flagship, Carroll is too late to stop the invasion; Segreddo City soon falls. As his friends and allies take to the stars, he must turn himself in to Hakuun to spare his now-occupied world a horrible fate. But nowhere is safe for the refugees; Hakuun and his new apprentice hunts them at every turn.''

''Retreating to Samea, Yshara Carroll tries to create a coalition to win her husband's world back, and save his life. And Reilly, trapped in a desolate prison deep beneath the ice of the inhospitable planet Rhen Var, comes face to face with his greatest failures. As Hakuun consolidates his power, Reilly discovers his enemy's unthinkable endgame; a biological weapon known only as ColdFall. The night has fallen.''

The battle above Metastrato Prime
It is the early morning in Segreddo City, the capital of Metastrato Prime when hundreds of vessels suddenly appear from hyperspace, laying seige to the entire world. A massive space battle errupts, but the Shattermoon colonies have already fallen, and the planetary defense fleet is being quickly overwhelmed. Reilly Carroll launches a desperate mission in an attempt to break the back of the attacking fleet.

Joining him aboard an aging ARC-170 fighter is Stacee serving as co-pilot, Kaalibaparra as gunner and R3-L4. The four fight their way through the battlefield, coming under repeated attack by dozens of droid starfighters. All seems lost, until Jager Squadron, under the command of Ruran Tolo, manage to hold off the enemy fighters long enough for Reilly to reach the flagship. Ditching the starfighter, the four manage to board the battlecruiser.

Fighting their way through the ship, they come across a gunnery station, and, at the behest of captain Jaisann Meheron of the Victory Star Destroyer Whitebridge, manage to use the cannons to severely damage another enemy battlecruiser. Their position quickly overwhelmed, the three head towards the ship's giant main reactor, in order to plant the bombs that will destroy the ship, completing their mission, and hopefully saving the planet. They make it to the reactor, and set up the explosives, but are captured before they can program the detonators.

Hauled to the ship's bridge, they come face to face with Hakuun.

Meanwhile, Jaisann Meheron has learnt of Reilly's capture, and forms a small battlegroup to make a direct attack on the flagship, hopefully distracting the captors long enough for Reilly and his team to escape. As he launches the attack, Reilly uses the Force to activate the detonators. The reactor core explodes, and the ship is severely damaged. However, Hakuun has already ordered an invasion begun; thousands of landing craft have been launced by the fleet.

Aboard the flagship, Reilly wages a running battle with Hakuun as the two attempt to flee the doomed ship. Reilly's team make their own way to the hangar, and manage to prepare a command pod for launch. Finally, Hakuun and Reilly reach the hangar, still fighting. Hakuun boards another pod, and Reilly attempts to give chase, only to be cut off by a massive explosion and several dozen battle droids. He retreats back to the command pod Stacee and Kaali have secured, and the entire team escapes moments before the ship finally explodes.

Pilot Juma Pell of Jager Squadron watches as the flagship disintergrates, and gives chase to the two command pods streaking away from it. Reilly manages to make contact, and she flies escort, but is unable to get to Hakuun, now screened by no less than three squadrons of droid fighters. She sees the hundreds of invasion craft making landfall, and realises that though Reilly's mission was successful, it came too late.

Duel on the tram
Making landfall just near Hakuun's command pod, Reilly and Kaalibaparra give chase, while Stacee and L4 head back to Metastrato Prime Central Command, on Reilly's order. Reilly and Kaali manage to track Hakuun to the Seggredo Central Tram Depot, which is under heavy attack by invading droids. Reilly and Kaali have no time to help, and realise that Hakuun has powered up one of the trams.

Reilly boards the tram, but Kaali is left behind. Reilly finds the tram completely abandoned, save for the bodies of Metastraten troops. Finally, reaching the control car, he discovers Hakuun waiting for him. He and Hakuun verbally spar, before Hakuun attacks. The two engage in a protracted lightsabre duel, in which they discuss their respective histories since their last meeting. Finally, Reilly realises Hakuun's plan; he is intending to overload the maglev rails inside a large staging area for Metastraten troops, which will kill them, and electrify the entire tram, killing Reilly but leaving him unharmed in his new metal cyborg body.

Reilly destroys the tram's control consoles, but the attack leaves him vulnerable to Hakuun. He manages to avoid the strike, as the train slows and finally stops. Reilly turns back to Hakuun, but is suddenly attacked from behind. Reilly meets and duels Tikrit, Hakuun's new apprentice. Finally beaten back by the two, Reilly attemps to retreat, but is trapped. Hakuun tells him that his forces are about to launch a massive assault on Central Command, and that he must lead it. He leaves, leaving Reilly to Tikrit. However, Kaali and a contingent of troops arrive, driving Tikrit off. Reilly tells Kaali about the imminent attack on Central Command, and the two race to stop it.

The fall of Central Command
Stacee and L4 return to Central Command. L4 heads towards the hangar, while Stacee races to the war room. She finds Yshara Carroll and Porak T'song, the latter of whom is running the defense of the city. It becomes clear that a massive assault is about to take place on the compound. Stacee advocates evacuation, and the others agree; all remaining officials are to flee, or meet in at an auditorium near the hangar. With the help of Captain Colin, the staff manage to escape. The compound's shields come down, and it comes under heavy bombardment. Still, the staff reach the auditorium, finding several other section commanders.

The auditorium is then hit directly. Droids attack, and the staff try to escape. Colin and Porak lead the way, while Stacee takes up the rear. L4 reaches the hangar, where he finds Ixgear prepping Reilly's yacht StarHawk for take off; as the shields come down, droids immediately attack the hangar. L4 is aboard the StarHawk, and activates the ship's defenses. The droids are destroyed, and the technicians manage to flee. The rest of the hangar craft have been destroyed, though, and the second wave is coming.

Yshara's party reach the hangar, only to find the second wave being led by Hakuun. Colin holds them off, and Hakuun decapitates him, but Yshara, Stacee and Porak manage to board the StarHawk, along with most of the staff. The ship escapes,

Dramatis Personae

 * Maaloni Axon; mercenary (Iridorian male)
 * Reilly Carroll; Jedi Knight, Governor of Metastrato Prime (male human)
 * Yshara Carroll; First Lady of Metastrato Prime (female human)
 * Simian Ch’henn; Jedi apprentice (male human)
 * Dimitriv Evvo; Jedi apprentice (male human)
 * Miaak Ha; Jedi Knight (male Togrutan)
 * Hakuun; warlord, former Dark Jedi (male cyborg)
 * Imar; Jedi Master (male Equani)
 * Ixgear; technician (male Duros)
 * Jaq; Jedi Master (male Amaran)
 * Kaalibaparra; (female Wookiee)
 * Lecolmithinay; Jedi Master (female Chadra-Fan)
 * Kr’s M’tus’n; mercenary (male Feeorin)
 * Sam McMinimee; Jedi Master (male human)
 * Jaisann Meheron; colonel, Metastraten Home Defense Force (male human)
 * Torsk Mey’lya; Prime Minister of Metastrato Prime (male Bothan)
 * Juma Pell; captain, Jager Five, Metastraten Starfighter Corps (female human)
 * R3-L4; ‘Elfor’ (Reilly’s R3 unit)
 * Manax Ryyder; Metastraten Minister of Defense (male Anx)
 * Stacee; (female human)
 * Porak T’song; colonel, Metastraten Home Defense Force (female Twi’lek)
 * Darn Tahna; President of Samea (male human)
 * Lukis Tederon; Jedi Knight (male Weequay)
 * Tikrit; Dark Jedi apprentice (male human)
 * Ruran Tolo; master chief petty officer, Jager Leader, Metastraten Starfighter Corps (male human)
 * Enna Ulcet; mercenary (female human)

Characters

 * Lucario I
 * Leeta Meheron
 * Kyra Meheron
 * Marda Meheron