Knights of the Old Republic: Convict's Dawn/1-2

Chapter 1

Avindia system

The mighty Sith Interdictor-class cruiser, the Subjugation, soared through the vacuum of space, propelled through the ink-black darkness by its four colossal auxiliary engines. Divided into dorsal and ventral subsections, the Subjugation flew through the reaches of empty space, utilizing the benefits of its durasteel-grey, streamlined body to the fullest extent.

Two Praetorian-class frigates accompanied the Subjugation, though their size paled in comparison to their flagship. The Praetorian frigates had a unique bridge shape, not unlike the bridge of their successors, the Hammerhead-class cruisers employed in the Republic navy. They had been assigned primarily for troop transport and extra starfighter capabilities; the vessels themselves were too outdated to be used successfully in a skirmish.

The Sith Interdictor was equipped with two dozen sleek Sith fighters to utilize in anti-starfighter combat, while the vessel itself measured almost six hundred meters in length and possessed an array of laser turrets and ion cannons. The vessel was a testament to the power of the Sith Empire under its current Dark Lord, Darth Malak. Under normal circumstances, such an imposing vessel wouldn’t be deployed this far in the Outer Rim, but this was no normal circumstance. The Subjugation had been assigned a special task by Lord Malak; the Subjugation had been designated to hunt the enemies of the Sith Empire – the Jedi.

The Jedi Order was a monotheistic organization of Force-sensitives that had been found in the earliest years of the Galactic Republic. Thousands of years before the rise of Darth Malak’s Sith Empire, the Jedi Order split into two warring factions, the true Jedi and the misled and corrupt Dark Jedi. These Dark Jedi were defeated in what was called the First Jedi Schism and were exiled from the Jedi Order. Over time, the exiled Jedi had intermarried with the Sith species of Korriban, eventually imposing their dominance over them and their planet. After the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith’s power was reborn under Naga Sadow – an ancient Sith Lord – and his First Sith Empire. Though his Sith Empire collapsed, the Sith lived on. Eventually, the descendants of Naga Sadow and his species were dissolved and driven to extinction, marking the end of the ‘true’ Sith. Through the actions of Exar Kun and Revan – two powerful fallen Jedi Knights – however, the Sith Order rose again as a religion and not a species, eventually reaching the height of its power under Darth Revan and his apprentice, Darth Malak.

According to reports from the Pyn’gani natives of Polus, several Jedi had been spotted on the planet before fleeing the planet in their Aurek tactical starfighters. The Pyn’gani themselves had been defeated by the Sith forces several months prior and had since sworn fealty to Lord Malak and the Sith Empire.

Polus itself was the only habitable world in the Avindia system, though it contained other, smaller worlds that were unable to sustain life. Despite the two stars that served as bright centerpieces of the Avindia system, Polus itself was almost always covered in large sheets of ice and snow. The planet contained one large ocean that was permanently frozen all year around, while the planet’s inhabitants were blessed with a five-month season of warmth that could allow the growth and harvesting of agriculture.

The Subjugation’s engines began to decrease in power as it approached the planet’s orbit. Its two escort frigates calmly followed suit, resting several hundred meters from the stern of the Subjugation. Each ship hovered in Polus’ gravitational pull as though they were mechanized satellites that had been floating calmly in Polus’ orbit for thousands of years.

The Subjugation’s sternward tower served as its command deck, extending several hundred meters out of the main body of the vessel and overlooking it in all directions. Inside the command deck of the Subjugation, hundreds of crewmembers monotonously carried on their jobs, ensuring the Interdictor cruiser ran at one hundred percent capacity. In the middle of it all sat Vaerk Luus, the Subjugation’s new Captain. Though he had joined the Sith almost a year before, he had already achieved a fair amount of prestige and respect among the Sith naval forces. Despite his supposed beginner’s luck, his service records proved his worth and skill as a pilot. Wearing a tight-fitting, grey uniform over his upper-torso, he proudly wore the badges from several of Malak’s finest campaigns. The emblems of the battles at worlds like Dac, Devaron, Gand, and Sluis Van were pinned onto his shoulder pad. In his shirt pocket, he always possessed the esteemed Medal of Valor from his time in the Republic Navy.

Despite his prestigious awards, however, Luus had little experience commanding a large vessel of his own. He had vastly underestimated the necessary time and energy required to run a vessel of this size and he had compensated for his error in lack of sleep. Luus sat wearily on his Corellian leather chair, staring intently at the large, whitewashed world of Polus. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Luus groaned quietly to himself as he struggled to stay awake. Cracking his knuckles and stretching his arms, his mind began to wander. Though he attempted to stay on task, his exhausted mind drew him to the memory of his recent promotion.

Smiling, Luus recalled the vision in great detail. His old captain, an elderly Twi’lek by the name of Arci Mord, had awakened him at 0800 hours. Sluggishly crawling out of bed, Luus quickly got into his uniform as he followed his captain to the bridge. Much to his surprise, Admiral Saul Karath, the supreme commander of the Sith Navy, was waiting on the bridge, taking note of the asteroid field their ship was sailing through. Turning to him, Admiral Karath congratulated Luus and thanked him for his service in the Sith Armada. Quickly handing Luus the insignia of a Captain and the dark-blue sash that came with it, Admiral Karath left the bridge almost as quickly and unexpectedly as he had arrived.

Though Luus didn’t know why Karath himself presented Luus with the rank of Captain, he was given little time to ponder when his old commander, Fleet Commander Mord, was killed in a firefight with Exchange benefactors several days later. The Exchange was a criminal organization that held significant power in the Outer Rim, almost as much as the Sith. Though the Sith had the military power necessary to remove their presence from the galaxy, Darth Malak chose to ally himself with the Exchange and trade valuable weapons and supplies with them in exchange for the criminal organization’s survival. Due to the nature of the agreement, there was a considerable amount of bad blood between the two, however, and the Sith and Exchange forces would take whatever chance they could to hinder the other.

With the death of Mord, Luus had been appointed as the commander of the Subjugation. Mord’s death had come as a complete surprise, so Sith forces were initially worried about sending Luus and the Subjugation alone to search for the Jedi forces that were supposedly stationed at Polus. However, Luus had been sent regardless, and now it was his job to search and destroy the Jedi forces that continued to side with the Galactic Republic and oppose the might of the Sith Empire.

The rumors of the Jedi’s presence on the planet were dubious at best, a complete lie at worst. Luus considered his options. His fleet would either be led around in circles by a nonexistent enemy, making him and his forces look bad, or the Jedi would be there and his fleet would have to engage them. Obviously, Luus preferred to engage the Jedi forces here and now, despite his subliminal fear of the Force-sensitive warriors. It was not uncommon for soldiers on both sides of the war to fear the Jedi and their Force ‘magic’. The concept of them meddling with his mind and suffocating him with a flick of their wrist was frightening to Luus and he preferred to stay as far away from them as possible.

Shaking his head, Luus calmly stood up and inspected the crew on the bridge. A stoic and reserved bunch, to be sure, and each of them had more experience at running a Sith Interdictor’s bridge than he did. Glancing around the primary viewscreen and tactical readouts before him, he took notice of a small asteroid field that orbited the far side of the planet. If there were any Jedi here at all that hadn’t left system, that’s where he would find them.

Luus’ ebony-black boots clinked against the shining durasteel with each step he took, quietly approaching the navigational section of the bridge located near the eastern side of the deck.

Arriving near the head pilot, an elderly Cathar male by the name of Penen, Luus cleared his throat quickly and gave his orders. “Pilot. Bring us closer to those asteroids. If the Jedi are here, that’s the perfect hiding spot.”

Acknowledging his Captain with a low grunt and a shake of his head, Penen began to power the ship’s primary thrusters. Ignoring the pilot’s violation of military conduct, Luus walked back across the bridge to return to his seat, carefully avoiding several crewmen carrying fragile equipment. This particular Cathar had always given him trouble, even on the day of his promotion to Captain of the Subjugation. Luus understood the old spacefarer’s resentment, however. Mord had saved Penen from the genocide of his people during the Mandalorian Wars. He and Luus had frequently locked horns in an attempt to garner Mord’s favor, and when Luus was chosen by Admiral Karath to replace Mord, the aging Cathar was furious.

Finally returning to his seat, Luus let out a content sigh. Reaching for the link to his communication channel, Luus opened a private Sith frequency to his send his message. “This is Captain Luus of the Subjugation, hailing Frenzy Wrath and Suicidal Shotgun. We are going to approach the asteroid field on Polus’ opposite edge. Cover us in case of an attack and provide cover fire if necesssary. Subjugation out,” hitting the channel link again, he closed the reception before he could receive a reply. The hunt was on.

Polus asteroids

Gaiel Remus was slightly confused at what he had just seen. Brushing his long head-tresses from his lidless eyes, the Nautolan’s fear was confirmed; the Sith cruiser was heading in their direction. Even worse, it had brought a small convoy with them, providing unnecessary problems for Gaiel’s operation. Reaching for a small button on the dashboard of his Aurek tactical starfighter, he watched the starfighter spring to life and chime into existence. As his radar and controls finally went online, Gaiel turned his craft one hundred and eighty degrees and deeper into the asteroid field.

Though he was focused on his piloting, the Nautolan’s mind was actually subconsciously focused on another topic he had been wrestling with. Gaiel couldn’t get over the fact that Revan, one of the many promising Knights of the Jedi Order, had fallen to the dark side. Gaiel had admired Revan at one time. As a youngling and Padawan learner in the Dantooine Jedi Enclave, Gaiel had been extremely timid and lonely, unwilling to get involved and interact with the other students. Revan, however, would almost naturally draw people toward him, making him the constant center of attention. His skills surpassed all other Padawans of his time, including Gaiel. Gaiel’s own skills at the Force and a lightsaber were limited, though he was by no means incompetent. Gaiel had once aspired to be like Revan, though as he got older, that admiration for the man who was Revan quickly became an envious loathing.

This hatred for Revan reached its height at the climax of the Mandalorian Wars, as Revan led the Republic forces to victory after victory against the supposedly unconquerable Mandalorian forces. Though Gaiel had listened to his masters – in retrospect, a wise decision – and practiced patience in regards to the war, he had always desired to fight alongside Revan against the foes of the Republic. When Revan fell at Malachor V, Gaiel’s mind was crushed. The Jedi he had admired had not succumbed to death; rather, he embraced the dark side of the Force. Though his fall was a blow to the Order all by itself, he also brought along many great and aspiring Jedi with him to the dark side, including his chief lieutenant, Alek.

Emergency alarms blared as Gaiel propelled his craft to the left, barely avoiding an extremely large asteroid that threatened to crash into the front of his craft. Sighing, he approached two other Aurek fighters that were idling waiting inside the deepest area of the asteroid field. Though their craft were nimble, their V-shaped hulls were susceptible to damage without reflector shields, thus the need for speed and quick reflexes endowed by the Force.

“Gizka One and Gizka Three, this is Gizka Two. You still with me?” Gaiel said through his active communication channel.

Though the channel was quiet for a moment, another voice quickly chimed in: “This is Gizka One, reporting. We thought you died, Gaiel. No messages, no life-signs, nothing. I had to talk to Betror to keep myself busy. Betror!” the tone of his voice made it clear that he was being cynical, but also quite annoyed.

“Master Syme,” now Gizka Three’s channel chimed in. “What’s the problem with talking to me?”

“There’s no problem; I’m just trying to be jovial on this boring mission, Padawan,” Syme groaned.

Gaiel smiled as he listened to the two pilots bickering with one another. Despite his amusement, however, he was actually worried about Betror’s involvement in this mission. Not only was he a Padawan, but his uncoordinated skills during lightsaber training drills led Gaiel to believe he was a sub par combatant. Though the Quarren Jedi Master Jram had assigned Betror to their care, Gaiel was worried about Padawan’s safety. He was young and his mannerisms were dry and lacked humor, a certain trait that drove Gaiel and Syme to insane lengths of frustration.

Gaiel calmly flew his vessel into formation behind Syme and next to Betror. Performing a quick systems check, he made sure each of his craft’s proponents were working properly before their inevitable dogfight. During this routine checkup, Gaiel barely noticed the flickering of his comlink channel.

“Yeah?” Gaiel called, barely acknowledging Syme’s presence on the other end of the transmission.

“Seems there are going to be a good deal of Sith out there, Gaiel,” a snicker was heard from Syme’s end of the comlink, “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle all of them?”

Gaiel smiled and retorted, sarcastically: “Positive, Gizka One. I have you and Betror watching my back; I’ll be fine.”

“Betror?” Syme’s tone was a unique mix of ghastly horror and whimsical amusement. “He’s just a Padawan. He’ll probably shoot you down on accident and plead with your corpse that it was ‘just an accident’.”

“Excuse me, Master Syme,” Betror retorted. “Just because I am a Padawan, doesn't mean my piloting skills are inferior…”

Gaiel coolly interrupted him, ignoring the fact the Quermian was still talking. “Look alive boys, here they come! Syme, send Danters the message.”

“I’m sending it now,” Syme said, calmly.

Danters was an old friend of Syme and Gaiel who had served in the Republic Navy all his life. Born on Fresia, Danters quickly discarded his first name in an odd attempt to show his fealty to the Republic’s naval forces. Though he had served the Republic for almost sixty years, he had decided to not participate in the Mandalorian Wars, for a reason unknown to Gaiel. His personal ship, the Enlightened Force, had been under his command for almost six years, making it one of the oldest Hammerhead-cruisers still in active duty.

The Subjugation’s location on Gaiel’s map began to ominously approach their position among the asteroids. Though he had doubts about the coming battle, Gaiel’s confidence soared as he watched Danters’ fleet – his own Hammerhead-cruiser along with three Foray-class blockade runners – move into its designated position at the far-eastern edge of the cosmic debris to prepare for an ambush.

Gaiel knew the three Jedi had to survive this mission. They were the only ones who knew of the carbonite caches being utilized by the Sith forces on Polus. Carbonite itself was a valuable material, usually used in architecture or pottery. However, it could be utilized for militaristic purposes. The Sith had enough carbonite on Polus to mass-produce firearms that could be used to temporarily incapacitate Republic soldiers. This was a benefit the Sith could not be allowed to exploit and must be removed from their hands as quickly as possible. The Republic knew the Sith were utilizing Polus in their war effort and appointed the Jedi Council with the task of clarifying its purpose.

Gaiel powered his ship’s engines once his ship had finished its pre-combat diagnostics, sending it soaring toward the outer edge of the asteroid field. His two companions followed his lead, activating their engines and quickly propelling themselves into the Subjugation’s view. If the Sith could remain distracted long enough, the Republic forces could gain a temporary – yet extremely vital – edge over the Sith. Now Gaiel could only hope the Sith would take the bait.

Subjugation

“Captain Luus, we have three unidentified objects headed in our direction. They’re emerging from the asteroid field. Your orders?”

Luus was taken aback by his Junior Lieutenant’s message; he knew there was a possibility that the Jedi were here after all, but it was an unpleasant revelation nonetheless. Glancing at his planetary readouts, he could barely make out three miniscule objects revealing themselves near the edge of the asteroid field they were approaching.

“Do we have visual contact, Lieutenant?”

“Yes sir,” his Lieutenant quickly responded. “I’m bringing it up on your viewscreen right now.”

Sure enough, three Aurek starfighters were stationed at the edge of the ring of asteroids. None of them had powered their weapons or seemed to be aware of their presence. Contemplating his next course of action quickly, he issued his orders throughout the ship. “Give them a couple rounds of laser cannon fire to draw them from their position and then send out the Sith fighters,” Luus knew that the Jedi were good pilots – almost too good – but even three Jedi were no match for almost three dozen Sith interceptors. “I repeat, all pilots, arm your craft.”

As the rest of the bridge prepared for combat, Luus sat contently in his headmaster’s chair as the green laser fire from the Subjugation’s main artillery guns obliterated the debris and asteroids that surrounded the Jedi fighters. The Aureks, in turn, fled from the bombardment and Luus gave the signal for his starfighters to begin their attack. Watching as the starfighters were released from his hangars and began to converge on the Jedi’s position, Luus thought that the battle was just about over for the Republic forces.

“Captain, we have three Foray-class blockade runners coming in at one-hundred and ten degrees. They’re being commanded by a Republic Hammerhead; its classifications check out as a veteran naval vessel, the Enlightened Force. Orders?”

“Send the two Praetorian frigates…” Luus began, though he was interrupted by the turbolaser fire from the Enlightened Force’s laser batteries. As the Subjugation’s shields struggled to maintain its strength under the enemy fire, Luus knew the battle was quickly turning against him.

Now on the defensive, Luus returned to his tactical board, ignoring his Lieutenant’s request for new orders. At the moment, his forces were barely outnumbered and the Sith still held starfigher superiority. The Republic fleet, however, was only beginning to release their supply of Aurek starfighters and S-250 Chela-class starfighters to assist the outmanned Jedi.

“Lieutenant,” he finally called out, his voice reflecting only a hint of repressed fear. “Redirect all fire towards the Enlightened Force. Inform our Praetorian frigates to engage the Republic blockade runners,” he knew that the Praetorians had the advantage in firepower, though the Republic Foray-class frigates had them outnumbered.

“And the starfighters, sir?” asked the Lieutenant intently.

“Inform them to engage all Republic fighters at will. Remind them that their primary mission is to protect our ship.”

“Yes sir,” replied the Lieutenant.

The sounds of battle echoed around the Subjugation’s command bridge and the crew concentrated on their respective duties as the numerous starfighters soared around their transparisteel viewport. Luus glanced at his technical readouts, watching as his orders were being carried out as commanded. The Republic vessels were still gaining ground, though the Praetorian cruisers threatened to rebuff their efforts. Luus knew that it would have been easier and faster to commit all his strength against the Enlightened Force, but the Praetorian cruisers’ anti-starfighter protection was a valuable commodity that Luus’ didn’t want to surrender just yet.

Enlightened Force – bridge 

“Sir, damage on decks four and eight! Shield power is diminishing rapidly and our starfighters are under heavy fire by the enemy craft,” Danters’ assistant, a young but trustworthy Duros named Svarsk, had just finished his overview of the battle’s progression.

Sighing, Danters glanced from his field map to the view from space that was provided by the viewport, then back to the field map. Danters knew he wasn’t as young as he used to be. He had fought alongside the Jedi and under the banner of the Galactic Republic for many years, serving under the greatest of Jedi during the time of Exar Kun. He had fought in the small disputes leading up to the Mandalorian Wars, though he had been on leave for much of the war. He didn’t return to active duty for personal reasons and almost resigned after the final battle of the war – the apocalyptic battle at Malachor V – though the Republic High Command convinced him to renew his commission with the Republic Navy.

Danters himself thought very highly of the Jedi, though he had taken a careful note of the fact that in each major war that the Jedi had chosen to involve themselves in, it was only because one of their own led the armies that opposed the Republic. During the minor civil wars between the Great Sith War and the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi simply cast a passing glance, ignoring the need of the Republic. Even during the Mandalorian Wars that threatened to destroy the Republic, the Jedi refused to act until one of their own rebelled against the wishes of their Council and defended the Republic.

Running his hand across the roof of his head, he felt the withered and sweating skin of his balding head as he attempted to collect his thoughts. “Alright. Divert all power to shields. We’re going to play it safe for a couple of minutes. Provide cover support to the Republic corvettes and in turn, command them to defend our fighters.”

“And the Jedi?” the Duros asked quickly.

Danters smiled and placed his wrinkled hand on the young recruit’s shoulder. “You just let the Jedi worry about the Jedi’s problem and get us back on the defensive.”

“Of course, sir,” Svarsk said quickly, somewhat embarrassed. Rushing back to his post, Danters watched as the cadet scurried toward his desk and finally took his place by the sensor readings before Danters returned to his own seat.

Polus orbit

Gaiel had lost sight of Syme and Betror in the chaotic mess that resulted in the sudden swarm of Sith fighters. While the Republic forces moved to counter the Sith starfighters that had emerged to destroy them, Gaiel concentrated on the bigger picture. Enlisting the aide of two Republic wingmen, Gaiel had snaked his way through the dogfights and began to approach the nearest Praetorian-class frigate. Glancing back, he made sure that his wingmen were still keeping up with him. Though they were considered experts at piloting Republic craft, they weren’t Force-sensitive and certainly weren’t as skilled as the Jedi. Gaiel regarding every Republic wingman he received with a sense of expendability and natural inferiority because of their blind commitment to the Republic and lack of Force-sensitivity.

Soaring over the Praetorian frigate, Gaiel sent several shots of azure energy – the blazing color of proton torpedoes – toward the enemy craft’s hull. As the torpedoes bypassed the frigate’s weakening shields, they hit their mark and caused large ash-ridden scars on the vessel’s hull. As his wingmates mimicked his attack, Gaiel escaped to the far corner of the frigate, successfully avoiding the craft’s pinpoint laser turrets.

However, one of his wingman had picked up a pair of Sith fighters on his run and they were in hot pursuit of him as he returned to his position behind Gaiel. Though Gaiel attempted to remedy the error by increasing his thruster strength, the Sith fighters still managed to launch several shots of crimson energy toward their ships. As the shots scored a hit and downed their target, Gaiel watched helplessly as his portside wingmate went down in a ball of flaming metal and thick smoke.

The resulting debris from the destroyed ship flew through space and collided with Gaiel’s portside wing, causing his emergency lights to light up immediately and alert the Jedi to the problem. Groaning with disgust, Gaiel performed a quick barrel roll and decreased his speed significantly, positioning himself behind the two Sith interceptors. Taking four quick shots in rapid succession, he managed to defeat the two Sith starfighters at the cost of his last wingman, who had got caught in the resulting explosion.

“Gaiel, Gaiel? Are you there?” Gaiel’s comlink lit up unexpectedly.

“I’m here,” Gaiel called back. “Is that you, Betror?”

“Yes, Master Gaiel,” began Betror, sounding as sullen and droll as usual. “We are stationed directly underneath the Shining Flame, we are waiting for you so we can invade the hangar.”

“Orders received. Gaiel out,” he said quickly. Glancing around the hectic battlefield, he spotted Shining Flame amidst chaos. Activating his thrusters, Gaiel propelled himself through the dogfighters that navigated between and around the two flagships.

Finally reaching the underbelly of the Shining Flame, Gaiel was pleased as he saw that Betror and Syme were still alive and well. Each of the two Jedi had three wingman, all Republic soldiers who had volunteered to assist the Jedi upon their arrival in the enemy hangar.

“This is Syme Dvor, or Gizka One, reporting in. Follow me boys, we’re going to make a run for the Subjugation’s hangar bay. Keep sharp, don’t do anything stupid, and remember: this isn’t a party,” switching off his comlink, he increased the strength of his Aurek’s engines and led the boarding party’s advance on the Subjugation.

“This is Gizka Four; let’s go, boys,” a gruff, almost inhuman voice rang from the leader of the Republic taskforce that would assist them. “For the Republic!”

The remainder of the starfighters – including the two remaining Jedi – flew after Syme in a tight-knit formation that allowed them basic protection at all angles. Engulfing himself with the Force, Syme’s skill and reaction time increased momentarily as he shot a proton torpedo at a Sith fighter that attempted to intercept him during his run.

Quickly glancing over his ships readouts, Syme realized he only had two proton torpedoes left and decided that he had to conserve them until they reached the hangar. Syme wiped the sweat from his brow and made sure all his wingmen – Jedi and Republic forces alike – were still with him. As the squad approached the Subjugation, Syme used the Force to guide his remaining torpedoes toward the hangar shield generator. As the cerulean blasts hit their target, the defensive barrier around the hangar went down and the bay doors began to close as an automated precautionary measure.

“We’re not going to make it!” screamed Betror, clearly worried.

Syme growled. “Quit your whining, Betror, or you’ll be in the cargo hold on the trip home!”

As Syme and Betror flew into the hangar, they realized that their Republic wingmen wouldn’t be fast enough to reach the hangar in time. Though a single Chela starfighter made it through with Gaiel just before the hangar doors closed, the Jedi watched helplessly as the remaining Republic pilots futilely attempted to reach the hangar. The vessels crashed into the locked hangar blast doors, exploding and sending their pilots’ flaming corpses into the emptiness of space.

Chapter 2

Subjugation – hangar bay

“Warning, warning,” Gaiel’s emergency lights called out. “Portside wing disabled. Impact estimated in fifteen seconds.”

Gaiel had lost control of his craft as his vessel’s wing clipped the closing hangar doors on his rapid entrance. Using the Force to shatter the transparisteel that served as the cockpit shielding for his Aurek, Gaiel leapt from the craft moments before it crashed against the steel-colored metallic floor. Softening his landing with a Force-empowered push, Gaiel quickly scoured his surroundings for allies and enemies. Sure enough, the white-armored, faceless and autonomous militia troopers of the Sith Empire had begun to pour into the hangar as soon as Gaiel had landed. There were about two dozen in this first attack force – probably the hangar patrol guards – but Gaiel knew that more would come in time.

Reaching for the metal, cylindrical object on his sash, Gaiel calmly unclipped the weapon and leapt toward the crowd of soldiers approaching his position. Midway in the jump, Gaiel ignited his weapon, the lightsaber of the Jedi Order, revealing a translucent, viridian-hued blade that was capable of piercing even the most durable metals. Landing in the midst of his foes, Gaiel used an area-enveloping Force wave that knocked most of his enemy’s off of their feet.

The few Sith troopers who had avoided the attack immediately opened fire at the Nautolan Jedi. Whipping his weapon toward his midsection, Gaiel parried the blaster fire back toward its source, gracefully redirecting the shots into the chests of his Sith opponents. Now disoriented and divided, the Sith troopers found themselves at a disadvantage against the trained and skilled Jedi Knight that faced them in combat. Though one of the braver troopers attempted to use his vibroblade to combat Gaiel, the young Jedi easily disarmed the infantryman and severed his head in a single, clean strike.

During the close-ranged melee, however, Gaiel had overlooked a Sith trooper who had regained his footing and lobbed a concussion grenade toward his position. Just as he killed the blade bearing Sith trooper, Gaiel’s precognitive abilities alerted him to the bomb’s presence – too little, too late – and the grenade went off by his feet. In the resulting blast of shrapnel and flame, Gaiel was tossed through the air and thrown against the floor, his head crashing against the floor and almost drawing him into unconsciousness.

As the grenade erupted and incapacitated Gaiel, Syme had landed his craft on the opposite end of the hangar and made his way toward Betror’s starfighter about fifteen meters away. Fighting his way through a small group of Sith troopers, Syme and Betror met up near the Padawan’s ship, assisting each other in taking out the last few Sith troopers around them. Approaching Gaiel’s position, Syme sprinted toward the remaining enemies while Betror sheathed his weapon and knelt over Gaiel, raising his left, shriveled hand over Gaiel’s chest. As the Quermian’s hand glowed with a radiant stream of healing energy, Gaiel felt his strength return to him. Finishing off the remaining Sith soldiers, Syme returned to Gaiel’s position.

“You alright, Gaiel?”

“Yeah,” Gaiel said wearily. “I’m just a bit shaken; I’ll be fine.”

Betror extended his four arms and helped Gaiel onto his feet, while Syme inspected the area. Taking note of the Chela starfighter that had made it through the hangar bay doors with Gaiel, Syme led the three Jedi toward the parked fighter, hoping to gain some assistance from the lone pilot who arrived with them. To each of their genuine surprise, a Twi’lek female leapt from the cockpit of the Chela fighter, suited in a standard Republic pilot flight suit.

“Gentlemen, or rather, Master Jedi,” the Twi’lek quickly corrected herself when she noticed Syme sheathe his lightsaber. “I am Gizka Five, Nyalla Danters, Chief Petty Officer.”

“Isn’t Danters a…” Syme began.

“Human?” Nyalla finished his sentence for him. “Yes. I was adopted during the Mandalorian Wars.”

“Ah, my apologies,” Syme said, bowing. “Anyway, Officer Danters, we have a mission to attend to. Please come with us; your assistance will help us out quite a bit.”

“Of course, Master Jedi.”

Silently acknowledging her answer, Syme headed for the nearest way out of the hangar. Betror kept a firm grip on his lightsaber, while Nyalla prepared her blaster rifle and ensured it was loaded and ready for combat. While the three other members of the boarding party approached the hangar bay exit, Gaiel took a brief detour to pick up the lightsaber he had lost during the grenade explosion.

“Won’t they know we’re coming?” asked Gaiel.

“Most likely,” mused Syme. “Their hangar operators probably sent out a distress signal. We should expect troopers on our trip to the bridge.”

At his signal, the party went silent as Syme led the group down the dimly lit hallways of the Subjugation. Even as sweat covered Syme’s ebony skin, he attempted to shorten his breaths and remain as silent as possible. His Force precognition alerted him of approaching enemies immediately and he motioned for his allies to prepare their weapons. Igniting his cyan lightsaber blade, Syme leapt around the corner of the hallway and telekinetically threw a patrolling trooper several meters back. Throwing his lightsaber in front of him, Syme deflected several incoming blaster bolts. As the crimson beams flew by his head, Gaiel and Betror used their own weapons to join Syme in the attack and deflected several shots back at their masters. With the three Jedi providing cover from the troopers’ blasters, Nyalla took down several Sith troopers with her own blaster rifle.

Though the last Sith trooper attempted to escape from his attackers, Syme hurtled his weapon through the air, guiding it on the invisible waves of the Force, and into the trooper’s white-armored back. While the other two Jedi deactivated their weapons, Syme approached the deceased trooper and used the Force to withdraw his weapon from his target’s spine.

Traveling in utmost silence through several more hallways, Syme and the group reached the main elevator. While Nyalla and Betror prepared for guard duty, Gaiel and Syme examined the elevator to prepare for their ascent.

“We’re here,” said Gaiel. “Now what? There doesn’t appear to be any controls.”

Syme took a quick glance around the elevator’s exterior to ensure that the controls hadn’t been overlooked. “You’re right,” grumbled Syme. “Perhaps the elevator is controlled from a different location?”

“Well, how are we going to use it if we need someone else to activate it?” groaned Betror, slightly less drearily than usual.

“I can help,” said Nyalla. “Just tell me where to go and I’ll activate the elevator.”

Syme shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to send you alone. You’ll need assistance. We don’t know how many troopers are stationed here. Didn’t you find it suspicious that we only encountered three squads of troopers? They must be planning something.”

“I can handle myself, Master Jedi. I trained with Republic Intelligence before signing up for the Navy. I can manage.”

“I don’t like it,” Syme grumbled. “But I see no other option at this point.” Glancing at a map located on a nearby, silver-colored wall, Syme carefully inspected the Aurubesh text before pointing the way toward the technician room, which controlled all internal systems on this level. Grabbing her blaster rifle, Nyalla silently walked toward her objective while the Jedi patrolled the elevator with an edgy sense of caution.

Enlightened Force – bridge

Danters stared out of the viewport, inspecting the battle without the aide of a tactical readout or radar-based map. The Sith had defeated Blood Bait, one of his Foray corvettes, and the Darkhunter had taken heavy damage defending the Enlightened Force from Sith starfighter runs. Each Republic starfighter taken down by the Sith forces was a wound to Danters’ aging heart. Even if he didn’t know each pilot personally, he felt a strong empathy for the soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect their allies. Danters knew the situation was ironic. To save everything you care about, sometimes you had to give up on saving yourself.

The shielding of the Enlightened Force was holding out, for now. The Subjugation’s ion batteries and turbolaser cannons had scored several good hits on the Hammerhead cruiser and their shields had temporarily been disabled twice. They were running out of options quickly. Glancing at his crew, Danters tried to discern whether he should sacrifice a single Foray corvette – including its entire crew – to allow the rest of his ships to escape, or whether he should move in the remaining Forays to serve as a buffer for the damage his ship was taking and wait it out.

“Lieutenant,” called Danters. “Issue the orders. Command Shining Flame and Darkhunter to ignore the enemy frigates and provide cover fire for our starfighters. Tell them to pilot into the midst of the dogfights and provide assistance.”

Svarsk looked startled. “But sir,” he began. “If we do that, we’ll be wide-open against the Subjugation and its frigate defenses.”

“You’re right, we will,” Danters confirmed, solemnly. “The Enlightened Force shall engage the Subjugation and its frigate accompaniment without aide.”

“I see,” said Lieutenant Svarsk, the stark realization of the order finally dawning on him. “As you command, sir,” saluting his superior officer, the Duros lieutenant headed off to give the orders via the Republic comlink channel.

Danters slowly left the viewport window he was standing by and returned to his chair, a smile spreading across his face as he took a seat. The phrase echoed in Danters’ head repeatedly, reassuring him of his actions. Those final words that his wife had told him, so long ago. Love is sacrifice.

Subjugation – Deck 4: eastern hallway

Nyalla ducked around a corner as a single Sith trooper ignorantly continued his patrol, blissfully unaware of her presence. Crouching, the Twi’lek snuck behind the wandering trooper and quickly beat him over the head with the butte of her rifle. As his frame went limp and collapsed to the metal floor, she grabbed the blaster rifle he had been holding and threw it on her back. Nyalla quickly dragged his body into the shadows of the dim, narrow hallway and proceeded on her path.

As Nyalla approached the technician’s room, the Twi’lek was spotted by four Sith troopers who were coming around a corner opposite of her position. Taking her rifle, she opened fire on them almost immediately; she managed downed one of them before fleeing from their own crimson rifle shots. Though they exchanged several rounds of blasters shots, the Sith troopers began to approach Nyalla’s position with a bold resolve. Though she tried to fight back, she cursed softly when her Republic rifle jammed up and refused to operate correctly. Discarding it, Nyalla drew her stolen Sith rifle and gunned down a single Sith trooper before sprinting from her cover down the hall and entered the technician’s room.

The chief technician and infantry bodyguard noticed her as soon as the door hissed open and the technician called for reinforcements while the guard reached for his rifle. Nyalla already had her rifle ready, however, and two shots felled the guardsman. During the brief firefight, however, the technician had grabbed his own firearm and took a single shot, piercing Nyalla’s light flightsuit and seared her legs.

Screaming in pain, Nyalla fell to the floor and dropped her rifle. The technician proudly swaggered over to her position and extended his leg to stomp her face, hoping it would result in a swift kill. As the adrenaline kicked in, however, Nyalla scissor-kicked her opponent’s left leg, knocking him off his feet but causing a stinging sensation in her own wounded leg. Recovering her rifle, she beat down the technician with her weapon, smashing his chest with her weapon. Grasping the table in the center of the room, Nyalla pulled herself to her feet, even though the wound in her leg was bringing agonizing pain.

Nyalla limped toward the computer as quickly as she could manage and threw her weapon against the wall to free both her hands. Realizing there was no password on the computer, she accessed the elevator control options and disabled all the locks on all the elevators around the ship; she didn't have time to look for their specific elevator.

Once her task was completed, she realized that several dozen troopers were approaching her position. Though she attempted to recover her previous weapon, she growled angrily when she discovered that it had been irreversibly damaged when it was thrown against the wall.

“Fragile and useless Sith models,” she moaned.

Instead, Nyalla made her way toward the dead guardsman’s corpse and grabbed his rifle. Taking several shots at the door controls, she let out a sigh of relief as her shots destroyed the lock for the doors and sealed the blast doors. The Twi’lek pilot made her way to the back of the room and prepared her rifle for combat while the troopers attempted to force their way inside with heavy rifles and grenades. Though she attempted to steel herself as much as she could, she couldn’t help but notice that she was trembling with unrestrained fear. The hunt was coming to a close.

Subjugation – elevator

“Watch out, Betror!” yelled Gaiel.

As if on-cue, Betror ducked just as a stream of red blaster fire flew over where his head had been only seconds before. Blocking more incoming fire with his golden lightsaber, Betror began to approach Syme and Gaiel, who were both stationed against the elevator door. When the Sith trooper battalion had found them several minutes before, Betror had rashly leapt into the fray without thinking and gotten himself separated from his companions.

Finally meeting up with the two Jedi Knights, Betror was the first to hear the soft ping of the elevator door as it unlocked. Syme pulled the elevator doors open with a quick wave of telekinetic force and the three Jedi piled inside while the trooper’s blaster fire rained around them.

“What about Nyalla?” yelled Gaiel, attempting to keep the elevator doors open.

Syme paused for a moment. “She’ll be fine; we can’t go back for her now. We need to reach the bridge, close the doors.”

Gaiel complied with Syme’s request and forced the doors shut before the Sith infantrymen reached their position. Pressing the button that sent the elevator to the bridge, Gaiel shut off his lightsaber and attempted to heal the few blaster wounds he received during their latest firefight. Betror, on the other hand, used the time to relax, sitting down near the back wall of the elevator and resting his four lanky arms. During their ascent, Syme noticed that his comlink was flashing. Syme grasped the comlink and activated the transmission in a single, fluid motion, revealing a holographic image of Captain Danters. Even from the hologram, however, Syme and the others could tell something was wrong.

“Hello Syme,” said Danters. His voice was unusually fatigued and wizened, as though he had just aged decades during the past few hours. “I’m contacting you to inform you of our progress.”

“Go ahead.”

“We’ve lost forty-five percent of our starfighter forces. Blood Bait and Darkhunter have been destroyed by the Sith forces. Shining Flame has lost its shields recently. Enlightened Force is losing its shields rapidly. We’ve moved from an ambush to a fight for survival,” he paused, coughed and wheezed with a surprising lack of vigor and continued. “We need you to take out the Subjugation. If it goes down, we will still have a chance.”

“Fine. Syme out,” switching off his comlink, Syme turned toward the two other Jedi. “Let’s go. We don’t have anymore time.”

Subjugation – bridge

Luus smiled as he watched the battle from his tactical holographic tactical readout. Though he had lost the Frenzy Wrath, he had managed to take down two of the Republic’s corvettes and their remaining vessels were in the process being crippled. Without the Jedi’s aide, the starfighter combat around Polus had slowly tipped toward the Sith Empire’s favor. He had received word of a boarding party that entered the hangar, probably consisting of their lost Jedi. Even so, Luus was no longer worried. He had personally repositioned all Sith troopers to the bridge level; there would be no way for the Jedi to force their way inside.

Switching off his readout and rising from his chair, Luus gave his newest set of commands. “All forces, redirect your fire on the Enlightened Force. We’re going to take down their flagship and secure victory for Malak. This order is valid for starfighters as well.”

Luus closed the communication channel and returned to his chair while his crew cheered around him. Giving a curt bow, the Captain returned to his chair while inspecting the work of the crew. Despite the panic and chaos that originally spawned from the ambush and word of the Jedi’s successful boarding attempt, his crew had remained diligent. Everyone, of course, except Penen. Luus glanced over at the navigation area with a mind to scold the Cathar, but to his surprise, he realized Penen wasn’t at his post.

“May Mord’s blood feast on yours,” hissed a ragged, hate-filled voice.

Penen had been standing behind Luus’ chair, holding a long vibroblade that could cut a gundark. Thrusting it through the back of the Captain’s chair, the Cathar barely missed Luus’ heart as the startled commander leapt from his seat, avoiding the elderly Cathar’s weapon. Revealing a vibroblade of his own, Luus ignored the responses and actions of his crew and attacked the Cathar.

“What are you doing?” growled Luus. “I’ll charge you with assault and insubordination!”

“Bah! You think you can do anything to threaten me now?” sneered Penen. “Only one of us leaves now, boy; only one of us is coming out of this alive.”

Luus leapt at the aging navigator-pilot and managed to kick the Cathar’s jaw. Though Penen attempted to recover, Luus slashed at his abdomen, revealing the crimson blood that boiled beneath his fur. Finally recovering his stance, Penen used his sharp, elongated incisors to grasp and crush Luus’ right shoulder blade. Luus groaned in pain as Penen removed his fangs and retreated several meters. As his crew surrounded the two combatants, Luus realized instantly that none of them were loyal enough to him to attempt to save him; instead, they put bets on his chances of survival and amount of solid blows.

“This is the worst possible thing I could be doing right now,” grumbled Luus, making sure his hidden blaster pistol hadn’t left his side.

Subjugation – command deck

After several minutes of deathly silence, the three Jedi finally reached the command deck of the Subjugation. Exiting in a quick dash, the Jedi left the elevator and ignited their weapons, expecting a trap. When there was no one to be seen, the three Jedi deactivated their weapons and Syme reached out and searched the area with the Force.

“Do you think it’s a trap?” asked Betror.

“Of course not,” Gaiel responded sarcastically. “In fact, they want us to reach the bridge. They have a whole festival and holiday planned for us once we reach them.”

Though Betror was usually not very humorous, he clearly understood the ridiculing criticism and refused to respond to Gaiel’s mocking. Instead, he began to follow Syme down the hallway that led to the bridge. Though it was obvious he had offended Betror, Gaiel chose to ignore it.

The three Jedi silently walked down the long hallway, their footsteps synchronized to a dreary beat. Though Betror didn’t feel it, the other two Jedi clearly recognized the growing presence of the dark side of the Force. Motioning for the other two Jedi to stop, Syme reached for his lightsaber and ignited the weapon, holding it at his midsection.

Finally, their opponents approached them. Though they were unidentifiable due to their black cloaks and hoods, Syme and Gaiel could clearly sense the malice and darkness that fueled their three adversaries. Each of their opponents ignited violet lightsabers, confirming the fear of the two Jedi Knights. Their opponents were Dark Jedi, fallen Jedi who had not been granted the title of Sith, but still served the dark side and a Sith Master or Lord, currently Darth Malak.

“I’ll get the one in the center,” said Syme, quickly and quietly. “You two follow my lead.”

As Syme pointed out the center combatant – a Dark Jedi with a double-sided purple lightsaber – he leapt through the air and used the Force to throw his opponent backwards. As their lightsabers began to clash, the other two Dark Jedi moved in to defend their leader. Taking advantage of the distraction provided by Syme, Betror ignited his yellow lightsaber while Gaiel activated his viridian blade and the pair moved in to attack the remaining Dark Jedi.

Gaiel allowed the Force to run through his legs, empowering his muscles and bones in a way that would seem impossible. Sprinting by Betror at a blinding speed, Gaiel’s green lightsaber blade met the nearest Dark Jedi opponent’s shining fuchsia-colored weapon. Establishing his footing, Gaiel went on the offensive before his opponent could organize his defense. As he began to swing his lightsaber in a set of flowing flurries and vertical strikes, the Dark Jedi’s spinning dervish-based defense began to fail. Locating the weakest point in the Dark Jedi’s defensive stance, Gaiel took a quick strike at his opponent’s left arm, severing the limb and sending his weapon to the floor.

While his enemy screeched in pain and anguish, Gaiel turned his attention to the next enemy. Turning away from the Dark Jedi he had unarmed, Gaiel leapt from his current position and landed near Betror’s enemy. Though the Dark Jedi hadn’t seen or heard him land, Gaiel decided to attack long-range to prevent any precognitive abilities from saving his target. Throwing his weapon, Gaiel used the interwoven strings of the Force to guide his green weapon through the air, reaching his target with a sharp electrical buzz and a breathless gasp. The Dark Jedi stared at the viridian blade that protruded from his chest, suspended by ethereal strings, before finally collapsing to the ground, now a lifeless corpse.

Betror smiled as he saw Gaiel’s blade hit its target and waved at Gaiel, confirming his acknowledgment of the Jedi Knight’s assistance. Suddenly, Betror’s eyes opened wide as he pointed behind Gaiel, vaguely reminiscent of the direction the disarmed Dark Jedi had remained.

“Look out, Gaiel!” Betror’s voice rang in Gaiel’s ears, but the warning came far too late.

The Dark Jedi that Gaiel had neglected to kill regained enough of his strength to call upon the dark side and conduct a dark stream of lightning through his hand. His clammy and pale digits served as a conduit for the malicious energy, coursing through the air and striking Gaiel’s defenseless back. As the Nautolan’s body flew through the air, guided by the force of the electrical shock, Syme slew his opponent and threw his weapon at the one-handed Dark Jedi, killing him and stopping the lightning. As Gaiel’s limp body hit the ground, Betror ran toward the wounded Jedi while Syme went to recover his weapon from the fallen Dark Jedi.

Gaiel was barely conscious and he twitched each time the remaining figments of electricity coursed through his body, causing unbearable pain. While his vision struggled to find its focus, he futilely struggled to regain his composure. Instead of standing, however, Gaiel found himself to weak to even sit up. Betror approached him as his body returned to the ground. Lifting his head, Betror placed his palm on the Nautolan’s forehead, sending waves of healing Force energy through Gaiel’s body. As his body began to recover and his nerves began to calm, Gaiel heaved a sigh of relief and propped himself against the nearest wall.

“We ready to leave now, Gaiel?” said Syme, walking toward the two Jedi. “We still have a mission to complete; if you’re not up for it, you can stay here.”

Gaiel shook his head and used Betror as a crutch to struggled to his feet. “No, I’ll be fine. Let’s get to the bridge.”

Though Syme looked somewhat dubious of Gaiel’s condition, he simply nodded and turned his back to Betror and Gaiel, heading down the hallway toward the bridge. Motioning for Betror to assist him, Gaiel leaned on Betror’s left shoulder as he and the younger Padawan headed after Syme.

Enlightened Force – bridge

“Sir,” said Svarsk, now bleeding from his arm. An explosion on the starboard end of the bridge had sent shrapnel into the Duros’s arm and he had yet to receive medical attention. “We need to evacuate now. Our ship’s shields won’t hold much longer.”

Danters turned to Svarsk. “No, Svarsk. I’m staying here. You and the others escape and head toward the Core. Be sure to tell them everything that transpired here. May the Force be with you.”

Svarsk bowed solemnly; he understood Danters’ mind was set. “And you, sir. It was an honor,” saluting him one final time, Svarsk headed toward the exit to the bridge, toward the escape pods.

“Time to send a message to the Jedi,” said Danters. Wiping the sweat and blood from his face, he watched as the Shining Flame’s guns destroyed the Suicidal Shotgun just meters away from his viewport at the edge of the bridge. Switching his long-range communicator on, he listened as the Subjugation’s turbolasers and ion guns took down his vessel’s emergency shields.

“Here goes everything,” he mused, never shifting his gaze from the Subjugation.

Subjugation – bridge

A single, colossal door stood between the three Jedi and the Subjugation’s bridge. Syme was the first to approach, reaching for the door’s control module. To his surprise, the door was unlocked, granting them easy access to the ship’s control room. Much too easy access.

“It’s time,” Syme called back to his two allies.

Switching the module’s lever from ‘close’ to ‘open’, Syme ignited his cyan lightsaber as the door slowly pulled itself opened. To his surprise, no one took a shot at him. No one noticed him. The entire crew was concentrated on either the space battle occurring outside or a brawl taking place in the center of the bridge. As Gaiel and Betror’s green and yellow blades met Syme’s cyan lightsaber, the three Jedi watched as a senior officer – presumably the captain of the vessel – fled the brawl-circle and made a dash for the escape pods in a stunning display of craven idiocy. No sooner had he fled did the crew notice the three Jedi and a firefight immediately erupted.

As the bridge-defense turrets opened fire at the party, each of the three Jedi did their best to back up against the door, which had closed due to the recently initiated emergency lockdown. Surrounded by blaster toting Sith crewmen, soldiers, and turrets, the streams of crimson energy began to get closer and more precise with every shot. As the stamina and concentration of each the Jedi began to decrease, so too did the protective barrier of lightsaber blades diminish.

Finally, a single, well-aimed shot bypassed their defensive aura and hit one of Gaiel’s head-tresses. Writhing in pain, he felt his fresh blood mix with his delicate, amphibious skin. While Gaiel struggled to clear the particles of blood from his lidless eyes, Betror and Syme did their best to protect him. Betror was barely holding his position; he had been shot several times in each of his four arms and had taken several shots to the legs. Despite the immense pain that each shot caused, the Force flowed through them like adrenaline, diminishing the pain.

Suddenly, the Force came upon Gaiel like an unexpected riptide in midsummer. He experienced a violent vision; he felt a wave of pain go through an image of Betror, starting at his chest and branching out through his body. Then Betror disappeared, as though he never existed. Gaiel watched as an image of himself appeared. He had fallen on one knee, kneeling before a man with a red lightsaber. Then Syme appeared. He was in heated combat around a mountain of corpses, fighting a shadow, a husk, a broken man. Then both of them fell silent and disappeared just as Betror had.

“Argh!” Betror’s ear-piercing scream brought Gaiel from his vision and back to reality. A well-aimed shot had bypassed Betror’s defenses and hit him directly in his solar plexus. Flailing for several short seconds, he finally succumbed to the pain and collapsed on the floor, lifeless.

“Betror?” yelled Gaiel, delirious with pain and shock. “Betror! No!”

“Damn it!” yelled Syme, trying to close the gap between him and Gaiel. Finally standing side-by-side with the Nautolan Knight, Syme deflected another shot that had almost made contact with his head. “Looks like we’re done for. Talk about a way to go down fighting, huh?”

“Listen, only one of us has to survive,” Gaiel struggled to maintain his posture as his voice trembled in fear. “Make a run for the escape pods. I’ll cover for you until you escape.”

“Sorry, can’t let you do that. We’ve been friends for years. I’m not letting you die,” Syme smiled, his cocky aura shining through the pain he was experiencing. “You’re not getting away that easily, Gaiel Remus.”

“I’m not trying to get away. I'm just trying to have a noble end and not go out like a fool,” as Gaiel turned to face Syme, he felt a blaster shot penetrate his fighting arm, sending him toppling to the floor in pain.

Without a lightsaber to defend himself, Gaiel became an easy target for his opponents. Acting on instinct, Syme leapt in front of his friend and used the Force to grab Betror’s golden lightsaber and propel it into his hand, manning a Jar’Kai defensive stance. Though wielding two lightsabers cost Syme much more energy than normal, he found it easier to deflect the ruby-colored beams.

The blaster fire seemed to get faster and faster as the pain and fatigue began to set in and the adrenaline rush began to expire. Syme lacked the strength and focus to call upon the Force and the blood and seared flesh caused a wracking pain throughout his body. If Syme stopped for even a second, he’d get shot down easily. Only two things mattered at this point: Syme had to protect his friend and he had to survive. The Republic had abandoned them in this desolate Outer Rim world. Outmanned, outmaneuvered, and outlived by the Sith forces they intended to destroy.

Dropping his two lightsabers, Syme realized that his energy was spent. Kneeling, the Jedi Knight managed to dodge the remaining blaster shots that were aimed at his upper torso. Another round of fire was incoming, however, and Syme lacked the willpower to defend himself. As his eyesight faded and blood covered his face, a single thought went through his mind.

“There is no death, there is the Force.”