First Contact

[Trenton Vinh]

The lines of Hyperspace dispersed and the view outside the cockpit reverted to the familiar image black space, like a backlit canvas with holes punched in it.

In the cramped X-Wing, Jonathan Rohaeus felt quite the opposite of claustrophobic.

He tapped his comm and said slowly, "Does space ever seem too big to you?"
There was a moment of silence before Aeolan Kicka responded, his A-Wing gracefully drifting alongside Jon's starfighter.
"More room to hide. More places to run. Can get awfully lonely though, when you're on your own."

Jon nodded, not remembering that Aeolan couldn't see him through the tinted canopy. He remained silent, however. Both knew how it felt to be alone in such a big Galaxy. Both knew how easy it was to lose yourself amongst the stars, lose yourself inside your own grief.

A moment later, the remaining members of Vortex Squadron emerged from Hyperspace, the eerie silence causing Jon's spine to tingle.
The remaining pilots, Grehk in the Corellian Corvette Repletion, Varian, Garyn, and Tirion, formed up on Jon and Aeolan's tails.

Three X-Wings, an A-Wing, and a Corvette.

Vortex has seen its better days. Jon thought somberly.

As if reading his mind, Aeolan muttered, "We've certainly been in better shape."
Jon nodded silently again, and opened the Squadron-wide Comm, putting on a commanding voice, "Form up and Hyperspace to the coordinates we received earlier. I don't think any fireworks have started yet, but if they do...We should be there."

Varian asked, "Should we get backup? I mean...Vortex was cut in half..."

Jon tried not to snap, but his voice came off agitated, "I'm aware of our losses. However, we are still a squadron, and still some of the best in the Galaxy. I don't care if all we have to fight in the next battle is a bathtub with a blaster rifle strapped to it, we're still going to fight."

Varian responded meekly, "Yes sir."

Within the next minute, Vortex had blasted off into Hyperspace again, save for Aeolan and Jon, who would wait a moment to take up rear guard.
In the twenty seconds they had to wait before Hyping themselves, Aeolan chuckled, "A bathtub with a blaster rifle? You're so lame."
Aeolan's A-Wing shot off into Hyperspace before Jon could reply.
He smiled, but his mind was elsewhere.
Jon eyed the stars again, trying to pinpoint which one was Corellia.
Its been too long since I was home. Too long since there was peace.

He tapped a few commands into his console, and a moment later, the lines of Hyperspace stretched endlessly before him once again.
Jon leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and attempted to sleep.

[Roth Fenix]

Roth and his Apprentice Malfurion walked through the dining hall of Kylantha's Jewel, Ben had been left behind with Trenton to tend to the prisoners and assist if another Vong attack arose.

Roth and Malfurion silently made their way to a door on the far side of the room. The door slid open and revealed a wide hallway lined with posh tapestries and pictures from the galaxies artist lining the walls, the lights flickered on and off as an explosion shook the ship. Roth felt through the Force and muttered, "No battle has started, must be a boarding party," Roth felt out through the Force and let out a small grin, "the rest of the Mandalorians have arrived."

Roth then focused his attention back to the situation at hand and reached out across the hallway, he felt no life, not even a glimmer of Force energy came from the hallway ahead. He sighed and continued on with Malfurion when the hallway was plunged into complete darkness.

Malfurion jumped first and his lightsaber was in his hand, Roth deactivated the green blade with a thought and whispered telepathically to his Apprentice, don't react, remember control is the key, be on your guard.

Roth slowly crept down the hallway, his eyes darting back and forth, using the Force to aid his vision through the darkness. Behind him he could here Malfurion's breathing, fast and short. The Kiffar turned the corner and somersaulted back as a black staff came racing down to where his head had once been.

Roth landed back on his feet and his saber staff was all ready in his hand, both ends of the hilt ignited, their purple blades lighting the room. three of the alien Yuuzhan Vong rounded the corner and two of them rushed at Roth, the third stayed back and used what seemed like a blowgun, firing small razor-like objects at Malfurion.

Roth reached back and grabbed a table with the Force and flung it at the leading Vong warrior. He sliced through it with his staff, but one of the two remaining pieced hit his companion temporarily knocking him out of the fight. Roth focused his attention on the charging Yuuzhan Vong Warrior, he swung his staff down at Roth's hip which Roth batted aside with ease, although the strength behind the blow was tremendous.

Roth rolled under another blow directed at his head and slashed at the warrior's leg. The black armor that covered the Yuuzhan Vong's body shielded him from the beam of purple energy and he thrusted his elbow into Roth's jaw.

Roth stumbled back, his hand covering his bleeding jaw. Roth dodged a projectile from the Yuuzhan Vong's blowgun and propelled and ran across the wall, then propelled himself from the wall towards the Yuuzhan Vong who had just elbowed him, speeding at his chest like an HM-9 Stinger Missle towards its target.

Roth's blow struck the Yuuzhan Vong directly in his chest. His lightsaber piercing through his enemy's armor and he lay motionless on the ground.

Roth lept off of the corpse and turned to the other Vong warrior who had returned to the fight and now relentlessly charged at Roth. Roth went back on his knee as he parried an overhead thrust attempting to cleave him in two from head to toe. Roth jerked his head to the side as the staff seemed to come alive and bite at his face. Roth dodged his head again when the staff shot a green acid like substance out of its mouth. Roth moved his saber down the staff's shaft and sliced at the wrist of the Yuuzhan Vong, creating a gash through his armor. The Yuuzhan Vong howled with pain and Roth swung his saber, decapitating the warrior.

Roth looked over and saw Malfurion on the floor, his right leg bleeding from the Yuuzhan Vong's blow dart. Roth looked over and saw the Yuuzhan Vong aiming his blowgun at Malfurion's head. Roth saw his Apprentice's lightsaber on the ground next to him, still ignited. With a movement of his hand, the emerald green blade buried itself in the eye of the fallen foe.

Roth walked over to Malfurion and knelt down, he placed his hands over his Padawan's wounds and healed them with the power of the Force.

Malfurion slowly got up off the ground. He limped over to Roth and the Kiffar Master jerked his head down the hallway, "we have to get to the bridge, the Yuuzhan Vong might try to destroy the ship while our forces are aboard, can you continue on?"

Malfurion nodded and Roth began to run down the hallway, "let's go we have no time to waste."

*****

Admiral Haidoken continued pacing the bridge of the Malevolant Justice, staring out the bridge viewport at the enemy fleet. News from Kylantha's Jewel reconnaissance had just reached his ears, the Mandalorian and Jedi Forces were attacked by the alien attackers. Admiral Haidoken had a choice, fight or retreat.

Admiral Haidoken continued to look out the window when he called over his shoulder, "Lieutenant?"

A fresh Lieutenant out of the Republic Naval Academy looked up and answered, "yes Admiral?"

Admiral Haidoken looked down at his fleet and sighed, "signal the fleet into the position...tell them to prepare for battle."

*****

Ansthran Bawi checked his jetpack and the rest of his supplies around his belt, the rest of Epsilon Squad stood at the front of the hangar, ready to jump through the Zero G environment to the Kylantha's Jewel. The Commander approached his squad, his boots creating a tapping noise as he walked across the durasteel floor. He looked them all over and gave them all an encouraging nod then the time to jump had come, "seal your helmets squad, check your gear, and prepare for Hard Contact upon arrival," Bawi broadcasted over the squad frequency.

The squad did as their Commander ordered, he looked over at Jenkins who stood hunched over and he grabbed his shoulder in an encouraging gesture. Bawi walked up the the exit to the hangar and taking a look back at the hangar, lept into the black abyss.

[Ghev Dralin]

Kylantha's Jewel

Jad Splinter, or 'Twist' as he was known by his friends, led his team through the corridors and passages of Kylantha's Jewel. At each turn, he expected to run into trouble, but so far, they'd encountered none. It was disconcerting.
"Where are these vongese we're meant to be fighting?" asked one of his squad mates, a woman called Lucianna.
"Vongese?" Twist asked.
"Well, we're gonna invent a word for them sooner or later. Might as well be now" she replied, and Twist could tell she was smirking.
"Congratulations, you've made an entry into the Mando'a dictionary" Twist retorted, adjusting the scope on his rifle.
"Can I get it patented?" she asked.
"Sure, along with every other Mando'ad who's made an unofficial entry" muttered another Mandalorian, a large man in armour identical to Twist's.
"Okay, pipe down" Twist said, as they approached another corner. He didn't want his team to get too relaxed; they hadn't reached the engine room yet, and he planned to have them on full alert until their job was done.

**************
Naboo
Outskirts of Theed

Mira wished she hadn't expended all of her jetpack fuel. Even better, she thought, I should have taken Darryn's before I threw him in the river.
Climbing the cliff face would have been far more enjoyable if it wasn't damp and slippery from the waterfalls. Even her armour was soaked from the spray, making it twice as difficult to cling to the mud with her body.
She tried not to think of Darryn. His loss was too recent for her to overcome completely, despite her training; he was a close, personal friend, though she never let him hear it.
"C'mon" she growled through her teeth, shuffling further up the cliff. The angle was near vertical, and she was relying mostly on spreading her weight to keep her from falling or sliding.

Overhead, she spotted a small outcropping of what looked like dry mud. She fired her whip-cord, it's small grapple dart shooting through the mud and peppering her visor with dirt. The outcropping held.
She began to reel herself in, the gripper blades on her gauntlets extended incase she fell. In moments, she was able to pull herself onto the outcropping. Slowly, she rose to her full height, not trusting the muddy shelf to hold for very long. She looked up; there wasn't much distance left to the top, and once she reached the top, she'd be in Theed itself. The capital of Naboo. The end of her mission.

The shelf crumbled, and Mira fell.

She closed her eyes, preparing for the end; even her armour couldn't save her from a fall like that.
But the end didn't come. Her mission didn't fail with her death. Opening her eyes, she saw herself hanging in the air, a couple of meters from where she'd fallen.
Her waist felt tight; looking down, she realised something had snared her, a metal cord similar to the one sheathed in her gauntlet.
Before she had time to assess where it had come from, she felt a tug, and her boots dragged through the slick mud. She was being reeled in, like a fish on a hook.

**************

Ghev wasn't paying much attention to the thousands of credits of property damage his Basilisk was causing; in his eyes, the ship was as good as lost anyway.
"Y'know, it's a good job they make these luxury liners with such huge halls" Alora said. It was the first time she'd spoken to Ghev since he'd handed Orla off to the Jedi.
"If they were any smaller, I'm sure these boys would make bigger doorways for us" he replied, patting his droid on the side.
"Mine's a girl" Alora quipped.
"Technically they're all without gender" Ghev replied. "But if yours is a woman, feel free to lead the charge. Women scare me" he chuckled.
"Too right..." Alora began, but was cut off as something shot through the gap between her helmet and her body armour, throwing her from her droid. Whatever had impaled her also impaled the Mandalorian behind her, as her body launched into him, the projectile slamming between his fragmented chest plate.

"Alora?" Ghev asked, shocked and sickened.
"Mand'alor, incoming!" a voice yelled in his ear. In his confusion, he couldn't distinguish the voice, but the news of hard contact spurred him into action. His droid reared up, then charged forward, grabbing a Yuuzhan Vong warrior in it's brawling claw and smashing him repeatedly into the floor, breaking him.
"Avoid their spears!" another voice yelled, as a scream filled the comm channel. Ghev drew his own spear, made of brozium-coated beskar, and dropped from his droid. He charged the closest warrior; he looked like something Ghev had never seen, almost human, but much larger. And his face... it was grotesque. His eyelids and lips had been removed, and definately not surgically. Black tattoo's covered his face, and his teeth were pointed, some broken and serrated.

The warrior snarled at Ghev, and Ghev let out a battle cry, brandishing his spear, it's tip extending.
"Your stick won't penetrate my armour!" the warrior laughed, his voice deep and gloating, his words mashed together because of his lack of lips. Ghev even suspected he didn't have all of his tongue either.
"Frack you" Ghev snarled, and lunged forward, stabbing at the Vong's chest. His spear was batted aside by the warrior's own weapon, which suddenly lashed out and bit at him. It's fangs stubbed against his armoured wrist; the Yuuzhan Vong obviously wasn't expecting it, and his brief pause gave Ghev another opening. He jammed his spear upward into his ribcage, pushing it through the armour with all his might, and felt it punch through flesh and break bones.

"They break our armour!" a Yuuzhan Vong called, witnessing the altercation. Ghev yanked his weapon free, and hurled it at the one who spoke, embedding it in his face.
"Melee weapons!" he shouted, and every Mandalorian drew spiked knucklers, bes'kade and spears, all fashioned from Mandalorian Iron.
Some Mandalorians hadn't dismounted from their war droids, though none of them fired a single shot; their weapons could possibly breach the hull. Instead, the Basilisks crushed and battered Yuuzhan Vong with their claws, or flattened them beneath their chassis.
But the Mandalorians were taking casualties, and lots of them.
Ghev had resorted to his bes'kad, the first time he'd used it in live combat. His first one, a battered, battle-hardened weapon, he'd given to Jon just before joining the Rebel Alliance.

He was amazed at how much strength it took to hack through the Vong's armour. Every time he didn't penetrate the armour, he left himself vulnerable to attack; even though their living weapons seemed unable to penetrate his own armour, there were still vulnerable spots.
Beside him, Ghev witnessed a Yuuzhan Vong physically ripping the head from a female Mandalorian, bathing his face in her blood, then tossing the helmet aside.
Ghev felt sickened; he'd led his people into this without learning anything about the enemy. Some misplaced sense of loyalty to old allies had led him into this - the worst command decision of his career. Tracyn would have a field day dissecting this one.

"Weapons free, I repeat, weapons free" he said to the Mandalorians riding war droids. Now, he didn't care if the hull got breached. It was a matter of survival.
The war droids opened up with their cannons, pouring laserfire into the ranks of Vong warriors. Ghev was unsure how effective it would be, but the weapons of Basilisk War Droids far outstripped standard blasters. Super-heated bolts of energy lanced into the Vong, beating back their ranks, and en explosion signalled that one of the droids had decided to unleash it's concussion missiles; the droid in question was Ghev's unmanned war vessel.

"Okay... stand down" Ghev panted, as the remaining Vong retreated. The battlefield wasn't pretty; Ghev hadn't even realised they'd entered a ballroom, much less destroyed it. Glass chandeliers lay shattered from stray blaster bolts, the ornate staircase was splintered from his droids missiles. Tables were overturned, bloodied. The dancefloor was strewn with armour, weapons, scorch marks... and dead warriors, Mandalorian and Vong alike.
"They chewed us up, ner vod" Jak said, stepping up to Ghev.
Ghev simply nodded. Then he turned, and mounted his war droid.
"They chewed us up, but we chewed harder. Yes, we lost men. Yes, we didn't know a thing about them" he said, finding he was shouting to his men. Bolstering them. "But now we do. Now we know they can be beaten, now we know what they're capable of. Lets finish this!" he roared, and he charged in the direction of the bridge, followed by his squad.

[Trenton Vinh]

Trenton at last had enough strength to heal his wound. He stepped away from the pillar he had been holding onto for the past half hour, and pressed his hand to his hip. With The Force, he focused on the wound and felt a warm feeling on his wound. When he pulled his hand away, it was much less dangerous of a wound. He would still need some time in a bacta tank, followed by a healing trance, but he would at least be temporarily useful.
He didn't use The Force to cut off the pain. Instead, he embraced it, took it in and accepted it, allowed it to be a fuel.
He took strength from it, and found he was healthy enough to walk around a bit.
Ben was nearby, his lightsaber still ignited, idly hung at his side in a casual posture.
Trent nodded to him and said, "Keep an eye out."
Ben nodded back and said to the large group of people, "Everyone remain where you are. We have a fleet outside backing us up, and we have teams heading down to the engine room to get us safely into Hyperspace!"

The crowd seemed cheerful, or at least optimistic. Trent wasn't going to get his hopes up until they were back on Coruscant.
He watched Malaia as she healed a man with a wounded knee. He frowned.
She was an unknown. Planted here by the Vong, even?
He had to be wary, and had to get her back to the Jedi Temple to question her.
Trent wanted to trust her, and found it easy to. Perhaps too easy to trust her. He'd need to keep a close watch out.

He heard a distant rumble, that of an explosion.
Trent frowned and looked up as a pair of crystal chandeliers clinked against one another loudly.
He dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. The Force swirled around him, and he felt about the ship with The Force.
Soon enough he had found the source of the explosion. A group of Mandalorians fighting off a horde of Vong. Trent let The Force take him further into the bowels of the cruiser, to the engine room, where two dozen or so Vong were smashing computers and waiting for something.
An ambush.

Trent's ability to help from his position was limited, but only slightly. He could aid them some ways.
He found the Mandalorians minds in The Force, and drilled a thought into their conscious mind, Ambush ahead.

He let his mind drift back to his body and stood up. He walked over to Ben, and said, "Keep your comlink close, I'm going to go help the Mandalorians...assuming they need it."

Ben nodded, and said, "Hurry. I have a bad feeling about this.."
Trent just walked away, headed towards the engine room.

[Ghev Dralin]

Jed rounded a corner, into the corridor leading to the engine rooms. Something didn't feel right, it was almost as though his mind was warning him of something...
Ambush.
"What was that sir?" asked one of the Mandalorians. Had he spoken aloud?
"There's an ambush up ahead" Jed replied, pointing to the doors of the vast engine room.
"How do you figure that?" another Mandalorian asked, this one a woman.
"Think about it. The engines are disabled, so they'll be expecting someone to show up and try to get 'em back online" Jed said, already wondering how he hadn't seen this coming.
"Then maybe we should blow 'em instead" the woman suggested; her name was Alti Vevut.
"Ghev ordered us to get them up and running" Jed snapped. "So that's what we're gonna do".
"Ghev's ordering a lot of messed-up things lately" Alti grumbled.

Jed slammed her against the bulkhead.
"I won't have anyone talking that way about Dralin on my watch, understood?" he snarled.
"Fine. Lets get this bucket up and running again" Alti said, though in her mind, this was far from over.

**************

Theed, Naboo

"So let me get this straight... we're at risk of invasion from some alien species never before encountered, with advanced weapons and armour and ships that we've never seen before..."
"That's right" Mira interrupted.
"And we're supposed to just take your word for it?"
Mira growled. She'd agreed to take off her armour in order to gain an audience with the King of the Naboo, but she felt somehow ridiculed. Normally she'd have outright refused to even take off her helmet, but she felt time was of the essence. Now, her claims were being questioned.
"Not just my word, the word of the Chiss, and the word of my dead friend" she said through gritted teeth.
"The Chiss are not a source we of the Republic would recognise as valid" said the King's advisor, in accented Basic. He seemed to be doing much of the talking; it was quite clear who was the puppet and who was the master.

Mira stood up, and at once, five blasters were out of their holsters and trained on her. She closed her eyes, containing her anger.
"And we do not take kindly to Mandalorian mercenaries here, either" the King said, gesturing for two security guards to stand at either side of Mira's chair and keep her from standing again.
"If I'd had a choice where my escape pod landed..."
"You expect me to believe you crash-landed here?" The King laughed. "I know your type. Warlords and warmongers. All you do is fight and exterminate. This... ruse will not work, I know why you're really here".
The King was interrupted by a security guard who came rushing into the throne room. He spoke first to the King, then the royal advisor.
"So, there are more of you, hidden in the forests" the advisor rasped, turning his hooded head to face Mira. She couldn't see anything of his face.
"They're camping there. I told you, one of our ships, the 'Hammerfall', was badly damaged and..."
"Yes, yes, you jettisoned an escape pod to warn the Republic of this nonsense. Throw her in a cell" the advisor growled, turning away from her. Mira looked at the king, hoping to appeal to his reasoning, but he'd already stood from his throne and joined his advisor at the window.

"My people helped you!" she shouted, as two security guards pulled her to her feet. She wasn't about to let two men strong-arm her; throwing herself backward, she toppled to the ground with the chair behind her, driving the two guards down with her and burying her elbows into their sternums.
"Stop her!" the advisor yelled, as she rolled to her feet, disarming one security guard then the other, holding both weapons on the advisor.
"Listen to me! The Mandalorians helped fight to restore the Republic, we're on good relations!" Mira growled, as she was tackled to the floor from behind.
"I will tell our Senator to pass a motion in the senate to send a scout party into Chiss territory to verify the validity of your claims" the King said, waving her away; three security guards dragged her toward the exit. "Until then, you'll enjoy a stay in our prison".
Mira glared first at the king, then the advisor, as she was pulled backward from the throne room. There was something odd about that advisor... what was beneath the hood?

[Roth Fenix]

Roth and Malfurion ran up the hallway in the Kylantha's Jewel towards the large durasteel door blocking their access to the bridge. They had met no resistance after the skirmish that had happened minutes before in the hallway leading to the lounge.

Roth heard more blaster fire and battle cries ringing out from behind them in different sections of the yacht. The Mandalorians were headed in the direction of the bridge, hoping to stop the Vong from carrying out their plans.

Unfortunately for them Roth Fenix had arrived first.

Roth and his Apprentice approached the door and halted, reaching out with The Force, Roth parted the bridge doors with a flick of his wrist and looked inside to see what devastation the Yuuzhan Vong had caused.

The bridge was littered with the limbs and limp corpses of the crew that had once controlled the ship. The consoles were spattered with the blood of the innocent men the Yuuzhan Vong had slaughtered.

At the front of the bridge, looking out the viewport, stood a large, muscular Yuuzhan Vong with scars all over his back. On both sides of him stood two other Yuuzhan Vong, each missing three digits on their right hand. As Roth's eyes inspected him, the Yuuzhan Vong let out a cackle and then spoke in a deep, raspy voice, "So the Jeedai have finally come to stop us, you are not as cowardly as we thought."

The Yuuzhan Vong turned and what Roth saw surprised him. The Yuuzhan Vong's face was covered with scars similar to his back. His right eye was missing and his nose was cut clean off of his face. The Yuuzhan Vong looked at Roth then turned his attention to Malfurion, "not only a Jedi but his follower as well, are the Jedi so weak that it takes two of them to do what a single warrior that serves Yuun-Yuuzhan can do on his own?"

Roth summoned his lightsaber to his hand, his face was set in stony calm, "Your slaughter ends here, you will kill no more today."

The Yuuzhan Vong Commander laughed, "what can you possibly hope to accomplish? I have an entire army of warriors that will assist me at my command, and you Jeedai are no match for one such as me, one who has survived the Embrace of Pain and learned to turn that pain into a weapon. You are nothing but a one man."

Roth's purple blades sizzled to life, "I am one Jedi, bring on your warriors, let them come at me, I don't care, your slaughter is over."

The Yuuzhan Vong's face twisted into anger, "As you wish Jeedai." The Yuuzhan Vong picked up his large staff and charged at Roth faster than the Kiffar had anticipated.

The Yuuzhan Vong Commander swung his staff at Roth's head, so fast that it was only a blur. Roth rolled under the attack and looked over at the other two Yuuzhan Vong. They were now throwing grenade-like objects that released a yellow gas that burned Roth's lungs when he breathed. Roth used a technique known as Force Breath, which surrounded the user with an invisible sphere of Force energy that blocked out the contaminants surrounding him.

Roth turned his attention to the now defenseless Yuuzhan Vong. Unlike the rest of the Vong aboard the yacht, these Yuuzhan Vong wore thin robes offering little protection. Roth jumped and slashed one's arm off then stabbed him through the chest with a flick of his lightsaber.

Roth looked up and saw the other Yuuzhan Vong in robes with a blowgun, similar to the one used by the warrior in the battle in the hallway, raised to his mouth. As he drew in his breath to fire, an emerald blade cut through the Yuuzhan Vong's midsection, separating the torso and legs. Behind the now severed body stood Malfurion.

The Yuuzhan Vong Commander charged at Roth again and swung, attempting to cleave Roth from head to toes. Roth back-flipped to the viewport of the bridge and charged at the Yuuzhan Vong Commander and drove his shoulder into the Vong, with assistance from the Force, and sent him stumbling back.

Roth used the Force to push the Vong back further, knocking him on his back. Roth leaped and brought his saber down at the Yuuzhan Vong's neck. The Commander rolled to the side, avoiding the strike and elbowed Roth in the face, dazing the Jedi.

The Yuuzhan Vong charged, seeing a break in Roth's defense. Roth ducked under the Commander's staff and brought his lightsaber up, gashing the Yuuzhan Vong's leg. The Commander snarled with pain and with a flick of Roth's wrist, he gashed the Vong's right arm.

The Commander stumbled back. Roth threw one of the consoles at the Vong knocking him down. Roth ran in for the final killing blow on the Commander and raised his saber high. At that moment, two Yuuzhan Vong warriors burst through the bridge doors and fired their blowguns at Roth. He was all of a sudden pushed back on the defensive as the Commander slowly got to his feet and cast an angry look at Roth, "next time we meet Jeedai, you will not have the upper-hand and I will be the one to drive an amphistaff through your heart." The Commander then turned and limped out of the bridge.

Roth deflected the projectiles from the Yuuzhan Vong weaponry. He picked up one of the Yuuzhan Vong with the Force and threw it into the far bulkhead, crushing its skull. The last warrior began to retreat, then Roth picked it up and used the Force to crush its skeleton and organs.

Roth cursed under his breath and ran outside of the bridge, looking in all directions for the Yuuzhan Vong Commander, but to no avail, he had escaped. Roth deactivated his saber and picked up his comlink and sent a transmission to Trenton,
"Roth here, no survivors are left, everyone is slaughtered, their leader escaped."
Roth looked back at Malfurion who had just exited the bridge,
"Me and Malfurion are fine, we'll rendezvous with you back with the survivors, then we can report this to the council, let them know that war is an imminent threat and waiting or negotiations aren't possible, Fenix out."

Roth motioned for Malfurion to follow and the Master and Apprentice walked back down the bridge hallway to the room with the hostages. Roth looked over at his Apprentice and said, "You did well Malfurion, you controlled yourself and you took control of the situations, not your emotions. You have taken a large step in the direction of becoming a powerful Force user."

Malfurion showed no outward signs of excitement, but pride radiated from him like the heat from a system's star. Malfurion nodded and said, "Thank you, Master."

Roth nodded back at his Apprentice and they continued walking back to be reunited with Trenton.

*****

Jaing Beviin rocked back and forth from the explosion and almost slammed into the viewport of the bridge. Jaing muttered under his breath and called back over his shoulder, "damage report!"

Kalledrato stood over the ship's schematics and called back, "Fires on decks 3 and 7, both venting atmosphere, the crew is trying to lock both of those areas down. It's like their fire melted through our hull sir."

Jaing sighed, none of the Republic or Mandalorian ships had been lost, but they had been taking serious beatings over the course of the battle.

Jaing sighed and looked out the viewport when Kalledrato called him again, "sir transmission from Admiral Haidoken of the New Republic Fleet to all friendly ships." Jaing nodded, "put it on the holoprojector."

The blue, blurred image of Admiral Haidoken appeared on the holoprojector, his words were sometimes cut off by static, "...enemy is *zzzerrrgh* unknown defenses *zzzzzergh*, retreat back to *zzergh*, Haidoken, out," the transmission ended."

Jaing pounded on the durasteel wall of the bridge, he viewed the battle as explosions and flashes of light appeared outside of the window. It was then an idea came to Jaing, "Kalledrato tell the Sirius to form up with us and take out the closest ship using low power, high frequency laser fire."

Kalledrato looked over at Jaing warily and said, "sir the Admiral did recommend a complete retreat until we are better prepared to..."

Jaing turned and focused an angry eye on Kalledrato, "I don't give a kriff about what a New Republic Admiral says, ner'vod. My orders come from my superiors and Mandalore, no one else."

Jaing turned back to the viewport and stared at the space battle, if he went home without a victory, he wouldn't let the enemy leave without suffering.

*****

Ansthran Bawi and the rest of Epsilon Squad slowly made their way to the back of the Kylantha's Jewel where the small maintenance hatches that were used by droids and engineers could be used as an alternate entryway into the ship.

Epsilon reached one of the maintenance hatches and Sergeant Reyes began to type commands into his datapad that contained numerous codes from the Kylantha's Jewel. After a few moments, the hatch opened and Epsilon made their way inside of the luxury liner.

In the yacht, Epsilon checked their guns and Reyes continued typing commands into his datapad, trying to get intel on the battle. Bawi looked over at Reyes on his datapad and said, "check the holocams, see if we can find how far the Mandalorians have proceeded and where the enemy is hiding."

Reyes began flipping thought he holocams, one that came up showed the Mandalorians on their Basilisk war Droid's wreaking havoc inside of the ship. Oparus muttered under his breath, "so much for saving the ship."

Koronos was looking over the railing, scanning the engine room with his sniper scope and he motioned for Bawi to come over. Koronos handed Bawi his sniper rifle and pointed, "Those freaks are staging an ambush for those Mandalorians coming through the north entrance. Any plans Boss?"

Bawi thought for a few moments then nodded, "Epsilon form up with me, Koronos, you know what to do, take sniping positions, the rest of you come with me, we're going to have to save the Mandalorians again."

Oparus laughed quietly then spoke up, "ready to do some killing Koro?"

Koronos adjusted the scope on his sniper rifle and slammed in a fresh clip of ammunition, "Just point me in the direction of the enemy and stay out of my way."

[Ghev Dralin]

The bridge of the 'Galidraan' was in chaos; Mandalorians fought to regain control of the ship, as red warning signals flashed on almost every screen. Consoles sparked, some bursting into flames and throwing their operators to the deck.
Deej braced himself against the command console, then steadied himself.
"Sitrep!" he roared, as the ship shook violently.
"Sir we're losing life support, we have hull breaches in the gunner bays, we're venting oxygen into space. At this rate, we'll be gone in ten minutes" an officer reported.
"Okay... okay, can you put us on a collision course with the nearest enemy ship?" Deej asked, shielding himself from a spray of white-hot sparks that erupted from his own console.
"Affirmative, sir".
"Do it. Then abandon ship" Deej sighed, shutting down his console and picking up the ship-wide comm.
"This is High Commander Askara, abandon ship, repeat, abandon ship" he called out. With that, the bridge crew began to file out of the doors, heading for the hangar bays. Deej took a last look out of the viewport, to see a Yuuzhan Vong vessel coming closer and closer to the 'Galidraan', pouring fire into her hull.

Deej closed the blastdoors, and headed for the closest hangar at a steady jog. His HUD readouts told him the oxygen levels were getting low, and he could only imagine the twisted, molten wreck that the 'Galidraan' had become. She'd spearheaded the Mandalorian attack on the enemy fleet, and had taken the most damage.
He entered the hangar, which was already clearing fast, as Mandalorians boarded personal ships and transport shuttles, not bothering with pre-flight systems checks, and simply taking off to escape the dying ship.
"Contact Commander Tracyn Velor, tell him we're inbound" Deej ordered the pilot as soon as he boarded his shuttle. A rumble sounded throughout the ship, and the hangar deck buckled. The pilot scrambled a message to Tracyn, then took off, blasting through the open hangar doors just as the shields failed, and the ship almost split fully in half.

Deej glanced out of the rear viewport, watching the pride of the Mandalorian fleet breathe her last breath. She collided with the Vong vessel that had been assaulting her, and his visor polarised to protect his eyes from the glare of the ensuing explosion; though brief, due to the lack of oxygen in the outside vacuum, the 'Galidraan' caused a spectacle befitting any war vessel.

**************

Ghev arrived on the bridge, to find it abandoned; though not completely intact. It looked as though there'd been a fight, and judging by the dead crew members, the Yuuzhan Vong had won it.
"Okay, lets give this bucket some life" Ghev muttered, wiping blood from the main console and activating it. The screen was damaged, and a long crack ran down the middle of it, but he figured he'd be able to work around it.
"Mand'alor, the engines are still offline" one of his soldiers reported, checking the status of the ship.
"Any hull breaches?" Ghev asked.
"Only the one we made" the Mandalorian chuckled.
Ghev smirked, and contacted the team he'd sent to the engine room.
"Any luck, Twist?" he asked, wondering if they'd encountered the same problems that Ghev's team had.
"We're anticipating an ambush in the engine room. Just a... gut feeling, sir" Jad 'Twist' Splinter replied.
"Keep to melee weapons, don't bother with any weapon that discharges a laser bolt. If you can avoid damage to the engines and hyperdrive, then use your anti-infantry rockets" Ghev advised.
"Roger that, Mand'alor. Splinter out".

Ghev turned to his team, and was about to order them to take five, when a static-filled transmission came over his private frequency.
"Ghev... mander Askara, we've... lidraan, repeat, we've lost... Galidraan. En route... Osiris. Deej out".
Ghev felt his heart sink; despite being identical to many other ships in the Mandalorian fleet, the 'Galidraan' had become something of an icon. Now she was gone, evidently.
"Ner vod, what is it?" Jak asked, putting a hand on Ghev's shoulder.
"We lost the 'Galidraan'. Commander Askara just reported in. He's going to rendezvous with the 'Osiris'. Lets hope we don't lose another" Ghev sighed.

**************

Tracyn stood in the main hangar of the 'Osiris', his hands clasped behind his back. He no longer wore his silver and blue armour, the designated colours of a Commander under Ghev's regime. Instead, he wore his personalised armour, steel grey with a violet trim.
Deej's shuttle finally touched down, it's ramp lowering to the deck. Tracyn swallowed hard; all around him, Mandalorians in rank colours were being held at gunpoint. Some had already been escorted to the brig, where they'd submit to interrogation.

Deej walked down the ramp, and immediately knew something was wrong. Tracyn could see it in his body language; the man stiffened, and stared straight at Tracyn.
"High Commander Askara, in the name of preserving our culture and traditions, I am relieving you of your command, and declaring myself Mand'alor" Tracyn said, his voice carrying much more weight than he'd anticipated.
"This can be resolved in far cleaner ways, Tracyn..." Deej growled, submitting his weapons and allowing his wrists to be bound. His helmet was removed, and he glared at Tracyn.
"Perhaps, but many of us have given up hoping that Ghev will come to his senses" Tracyn sighed. "You can accompany me to the bridge. I have far too much respect for you to simply throw you in the brig".
"I'm flattered" Deej muttered, and allowed himself to be marched along behind Tracyn. He'd fight, if there'd be any reasonable outcome. But at the moment, all he'd do is die trying.

On the bridge, Tracyn observed the battle through the viewport. 'Osiris' hadn't even entered the engagement.
"You're going to sit back and allow us to get slaughtered?" Deej laughed. "As a first act, it's hardly going to win you votes".
"Don't be a di'kut" Tracyn snapped. "I'm not entering the battle because this is an enemy we know nothing about. It was stupid of Ghev to even agree to assist in the first place" Tracyn said bitterly. "But of course, the Jedi snap their fingers and their loyal Mandalorian pets come running. Never mind that we have our own missing people, and our own problems"
Deej remained silent.
Tracyn picked up a comm.
"Initiate contingency order #5" he said into it; no doubt he was speaking to the followers he'd been rounding up over the past few weeks. Both Ghev and Deej had been aware of his actions, but neither had anticipated he'd be so... bold.

Contingency order #5: Any individual endangering the preservation or survival of the Mandalorians will be arrested or detained with any necessary force. All conspirators or liasons will also be arrested or detained.

Next, Tracyn changed the frequency; he was patching it through to the entire fleet. Deej narrowed his eyes, and struggled against his binders. One of the soldiers holding him kicked him in the back of his knee, bringing him to the floor.
"This is Mand'alor Tracyn Velor. Ghev Dralin and Deej Askara are dead, as per contingency order #5. I am ordering a full retreat to Mandalore, where a new chain of command will be established in the cantina at Keldabe City starport".
Deej felt sick to his stomach.

**************

Jak didn't know how he'd done it, but he'd anticipated the first shot before it had been fired; he caught it with his shoulderplate as he tackled Ghev to the floor, then drew his carbine and began pouring live rounds into the Mandalorians that had suddenly turned on their leader.
Another Mandalorian joined Ghev and Jak, using the array of consoles for cover.
"What the kriff?" the Mandalorian asked.
"Don't ask, just shoot" Ghev snapped, bringing himself upright and drawing his shatter rifle. He stood up, long enough pump the rifle and fire a burst of ammunition into his former team. Most of the shatter-ammo impacted on armour, but two Mandalorians caught it in the neck, tearing through their flightsuits and killing them.

**************

Jad approached the engine room doors... then ducked, hearing the discharge of a rifle. The blast burned a smoking hole in the door where he'd been standing, and he rounded on his team; two of them had drawn their weapons. Three Mandalorians fell, and Jad opened fire on the mutineers, his weapon loaded with explosive-tipped rounds. One of the Mandalorians caught a round in the chest, the tip blowing apart his armour and killing him. The second went down as one of Jad's team members buried a vibroblade in the back of his knee, then broke his neck.
"What the hell just happened?" Jad asked.
"Ner vod... I think things just got a lot more complicated".

[Trenton Vinh]

Trenton sensed something going awry. He just wasn't sure yet. He felt a strong feeling of betrayal in The Force, and then dozens of deaths. He was momentarily reminded of Order 66, the Jedi Genocide that almost killed him when he was just a young teenager. But this was different. A change of allegiance seemed to be the feeling he was getting. Then he sensed something else. Something more...primal. Something incapable of remorse, but capable of killing thousands senselessly.
Trenton felt The Force flow around him, like the wakes of a great ocean crashing upon him. He was rocked on his feet by the invisible grip of The Force, and he knew there was something terribly, terribly wrong.
Worse than whatever was causing the feelings of betrayal in The Force. Something that was capable of killing them all.
He stood in a crossroads, three hallways leading in different directions, the one behind him leading back.
It took him a split second to trace the potential routes he could take with The Force, and then he took off in the path leading to the left. His strides were Force-assisted, gliding gracefully down the hallways, taking one step for every twelve a normal person would need.
He was heading towards the Hyperdrive bay, a large room just above the engine rooms. The Hyperdrive motivator there would feed the power to the Hyperdrive in the engine room, allowing the ship to enter Hyperspace and let Kylantha's Jewel escape the jaws of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.

Trent knew that if there was one place on a ship most effective to sabotage, it would be the Hyperdrive Motivator. Rarely checked up on, and arguably the easiest thing to destroy. If one fired the Hyperdrive while the motivator's coolant lines were disconnected, the ship would explode within minutes of hitting Hyperspace. If the motivator was disconnected entirely, the ship wouldn't even be able to enter Hyperspace. If an explosive was attached to it, a simple and small explosion could rip the entire ship in half; tearing it out of Hyperspace in pieces no larger than atoms.
That was where The Force was guiding him, and he knew that the Mandalorians on their way to the engine room wouldn't take the time to check. Their goal had been to get out of the system A.S.A.P., chances are they would just activate the Hyperdrive from the engine room.
Trenton had to get to the Motivator fast, find out what the trap laying within it was, then fix it before the Mandalorians could take them into Hyperspace.

*****

Jet Sumner watched Tiverian intently as the boy sat in the dark Meditation room, where hundreds of small dark crystal orbs sat on the floor. The porpose of the room was to help a Jedi remain aware of The Force around him while Meditating. If he could levitate the orbs while in Meditation, it meant he would be aware enough to know when danger was imminent.
It was important for a Jedi to always be aware, even when journeying through The Force.
Tiverian was facing away from Jet, kneeling with his hands resting casually on his legs in a commonly used posture.
Within a few moments, the orbs in the room floated gracefully into the air, circling slowly. Jet contemplated stepping into the room to circle and face Tiverian to get his attention ,but the orbs began whirling through the air at a high speed, so quickly Jet could hear them whistling through the air.
Tiverian would not do this normally.
Something must be wrong, Jet thought worriedly.
"Tiverian." He said in a quiet voice, and the orbs dropped to the floor, rolling in all directions.
Jet waved a hand with The Force and the balls rolled into a corner, allowing him to walk over to his Padawans side unimpeded.
"What is it, Tiv?" He asked carefully, his voice low.
Tiv's eyes opened slowly, the dim lighting in the room causing his eyes to glow with a faint sparkle.
A tear rolled down his face, "I saw death."
Jet knew it at once to be a vision, he didn't speak, knowing Tiverian would elaborate on his own.
"I saw Coruscant burning."
Jet's heart went cold. Ben had said the same thing less than a week before, and Jet had passed it off as a mere bad dream.
"Any idea how long we have until it happens? Any idea how we can stop it before it happens?"
Tiverian shook his head slowly, "We can try all we want...but we will not stop it. Our only hope is to prepare to take it back and repair."
Jet's eyebrows furrowed, and he squinted at Tiverian, "There must be something..."
Tiverian whispered, "We can try to fight them. But we will not win...not yet at least. We will taste defeat before we achieve victory. That much I know for sure."
Jet lowered his head, staring at the floor, his mind racing, "We must tell the council. Inform the Jedi. There must be something we can do."

*****

Trenton arrived in the dim hallway leading towards the Hyperdrive motivator, feeling nothing in The Force. An absence of Force energy, in fact.
The Vong must be here, then.
He made his way to the door, aware of the chances of there being a trap.
The chances of him being killed were high, but he knew he would be killed, along with everyone else, if he didn't chance it.
He drew his lightsaber and ignited it in one smooth motion, his hand thrusting forwards and the door exploded inwards.
A Yuuzhan Vong Warrior on the other side of the door was struck hard by the door, he slammed into the far wall in a heap of twisted metal and cracked armor.
A thin trail of blood oozed from under him.
Trenton didn't stop to check to see if the Vong was dead, he was already sprinting into the room, lightsaber waving wildly. There were two Warriors, carrying the staff-like weapons. They engaged Trenton immediately, as if expecting him.
The other figure in the room was heavily tattooed, and not nearly as scarred as the two Warriors were. This one was a female, and she was cultivating a bug-like organism over what was supposed to be the Hyperdrive Motivator.
Trent waved a hand with The Force, his lightsaber warding off attacks with the other hand. For a split second, the image of the shaper was burned into the two Yuuzhan Vong Warriors' minds, and they both hesitated briefly, the image causing them to think they were fighting their own ally.
Trent waved his hand again, this time sending one of the Vong hurtling through the open doorway he had broken open earlier. The Vong flew through the door and slammed into a bulkhead, then fell to the ground with a grunt.
The other Vong received the business end of Trenton's blade deep within its throat. It gurgled, and coughed up superheated blood before succumbing to the wound.
Trent lifted his blade and pointed it to the female Vong. He spat, "Whatever that thing is, get it off the Hyperdrive. Now."
"By the wrath of Yun-Ne'Shel?" Responded the Vong woman.
Trent frowned, assuming this Yun-Ne'Shel was either a Vong higher up, or some sort of God. He raised his weapon as if about to strike the woman down, and she grabbed a leg of the beetle-like creature and pulled.
The bug came free, and the rest seemed to dissolve suddenly.
Trent frowned, then realized the bug was similar to the ones that the Vong Warriors had thrown into the elevator earlier.
Some kind of projectile weapon, perhaps?
Trent considered letting the Yuuzhan Vong woman go, when she hurled the bug at him. He barely had time to lean back, letting it skim over his left shoulder. It struck the wall behind him and detonated, exploding with enough Force to shake the room.
An explosive. Trent realized. He raised a hand gripped the neck of the Vong woman with The Force, pulled her towards him, then slammed the pommel of his lightsaber hilt against her head, knocking her out.
Maybe when she wakes up, we can get some information from her. He thought bitterly.
Trent double-checked the Hyperdrive motivator, positive it was safe, then left the room, taking time to impale each of the three Yuuzhan Vong Warriors to make sure they were dead.
No chances of them causing any more damage. He brooded.

*****

Ben waited patiently in the ballroom with the hundreds of prisoners. They seemed calm, but he could feel the chaos going on in their minds. Most of them had seen several murders today. All would have mental scarring, some lasting more than others. It was sad.
He did not like having to see so many people in such a position. Most would spend the rest of their lives with mental disorders, be it post traumatic stress disorder or worse. In time, some may return to normal again. He didn't think it fair that so many innocents needed to go through such ordeals.
He wanted peace, just for once. The day that there was no murder and death in The Galaxy would be a day he would find himself happy.
Jet had once joked that if the Galaxy ever was at peace, the Jedi would no longer be needed, but there was some truth to that. The Jedi would be needed as long as there was injustice in the Galaxy, but thus far, Ben had seen The Jedi Order do little to promote peace. The only ones he saw actually doing anything to create peace was the New Republic Military, and the freedom fighters like Vortex Squadron. Trenton and Roth seemed to want peace, they just went about it in a way that The Jedi disagreed with. So the pair were blackballed by the Council, treated in an openly hostile manner.
It's odd that an Order that longs so much for peace will cast out those that work the most for it. Its self-contradictory. Refusal to take action is a decision in its own. Its the decision to allow injustice to go on. Roth and Trenton made the decision to stop deliberating and start fighting. Start working towards peace. Why don't the Jedi learn from that, instead of treating them as hostiles? What will happen when, someday, the inaction of the Jedi causes them to become a problem? What would Roth and Trenton do if the very Jedi they were supposed to be allied with turned against them?
Ben hoped it wouldn't come to that. Because he wasn't sure what side he would take if he was forced to. He didn't like anything the Jedi were doing. Well, he didn't like that they weren't doing anything. But he didn't want to become an outcast like Roth and Trenton. He didn't like how the Jedi used the two rogue Jedi as scapegoats. Used them for the tasks they weren't capable of doing.
No. Its not that the Jedi aren't capable of doing the tasks. Its that they are too afraid to do the tasks. They are afraid of the consequences, afraid of the moral rights and wrongs. Afraid of their own consciences.
It was pitiful, in a way. The Jedi Order, that had throughout Galactic History, been the deciding factor between who controlled the Galaxy, was now too afraid to take a life to better the Galaxy.
No wonder they let Trent go and murder the Emperor. They were too afraid of taking the life of a Galactic Leader to realize that it would make things so much better. They sent the Jedi that weren't afraid of getting their hands dirty. So if things went wrong, they could claim that Trent had been acting of his own volition.
It was wrong. It was manipulative.
Its...Sith-like.
Ben could almost imagine the smiles on the Sith Lords' faces if they ever heard of this. If there were any Sith remaining. Trent and Roth used to warn The Jedi of their threat of returning, but, as usual, their warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Maybe someday it would come to bite back, and the Jedi Order would cry for the help of the very people it had slandered before.
What will happen if the Jedi beg for the aid and mercy of Trent and Roth, are turned down. Would Trent and Roth turn them down? Or would they look past the cruel remarks and ignorance of the Jedi in order to make things better? What if destroying the Jedi will be the only way for things to become better?
Ben shuddered at the thought. He realized his emotions and thoughts were being broadcast through The Force. He hoped no one had sensed it. Any Jedi with half-decent sense would know his every thought. He shut himself down, and forced the thoughts from his mind. They would be confronted later on.

*****

Jonathan Rohaeus dove, a ball of what looked like molten lava flying over his canopy with inches to spare. The cockpit's internal temperature skyrocketed, and he broke into an even larger sweat.
He yelled into his comlink,
"Aeolan! What are the Republic commanders orders? If they don't have any plans than we're just going to end up getting blasted to hell and back!"
There was a minute of silence, and Jon's heart slowly went colder until Aeolan's reply came across the frequency,
"I have no fracking clue if they have any plans! Quit crying and start shooting something!"
Jon nodded and responded, "Keep trying to get through to whoever the kriff is in charge and find out what we need to do!"

Aeolan's comlink merely clicked an affirmative. Jon spotted his wingmate's A-Wing loop quickly over a pair of Yuuzhan Vong fighter...rock...things, and blow them out of the sky with a pair of missiles and a few laser blasts.

Aeolan said into the comm, "It seems like the Yuuzhan Vong ships have atmosphere inside them. They have pilots as well. So it isn't a computer controlling them, that's for sure. But they are ridiculously well coordinated. Probably one of their capital ships giving them orders or something."

Jon shook his head, the only time he had seen coordination this precise was when a Jedi did a rare talent called Battle Meditation.
He thought back to the space battle during the liberation of Coruscant, where Roth Fenix and several other Jedi Masters had coordinated the entire battle using only their minds. It had been a spectacular battle, and despite the Empire having superior ships and numbers, the Rebellion fleet had overpowered them.
The Vong couldn't possibly have Jedi of their own capable of such a feat, could they? Maybe Dark Jedi?
He doubted it. Had there been Dark Jedi or Sith involved, the Jedi would have swooped in and wiped them out. Or at least shown up to help. The only Jedi Jon knew of was the infamous Trenton Vinh and Roth Fenix, both on board the star cruiser floating nearby the battle, the luxury liner Kylantha's Jewel.
There had to be something else. They had to find out what it was. There was no way any commander would be able to relay orders to thousands of ships with this kind of accuracy. Not even a hundred commanders would be able to do it.
We're missing something crucial here. But what? He asked himself, as his X-Wing swooped across the hull of a ravaged Corellian corvette, skimming its surface as a pair of Yuuzhan Vong craft fired at him.

[Ghev Dralin]

Super Kyramud-class warship 'Osiris'
Command Bridge

Tracyn waited with waning patience, his helmet tucked under his arm, his lips pursed with thought.
Nobody from 'Kylantha's Jewel' had reported in. Nobody had confirmed the kill of Ghev Dralin and his allies.
"You look troubled, Mand'alor" Deej said, spitting the last word as though it were a curse. "Maybe Ghev is a tougher bird than you thought. But then, you should have realised that when he handed your shebs to you in the battle circle" he chuckled.
"Goading me won't achieve anything" Tracyn muttered, as the ship rumbled, absorbing stray fire from the raging battle beyond.
"Your little coup won't achieve anything, either" Deej snapped.
"Silly man, this isn't a coup, it's a mutiny" Tracyn admonished casually, not turning away from the viewport.

Deej glanced at the Mandalorians guarding him. They were big men, both wearing grass-green armour with yellow trim, much like his own armour before the militarisation of the Mandalorian forces. From their matched gait and the identical sigils on their helmets, he guessed they might be twins.
"I was beginning to like you, Deej. Believe me when I say it gives me no great pleasure to hold you against your will" Tracyn said, sitting at the command console.
"Then why are you?"
"Because you're unyielding in your loyalty to Ghev Dralin. Hell, you even married the man" Tracyn sneered. Deej was suddenly aware of how much older Tracyn sounded; he was no longer the luckiest rookiee in the Mandalorian fighter force, no longer a kid taking orders that he didn't always understand. He was a man, taking control of his own destiny. Deej admired that part of him. But not enough to condone his actions.
"So get it out of the way. You've already declared me dead. Do it" Deej said steadily.
"Soon" Tracyn smiled. It wasn't a threat; it was a statement of fact.


**************
'Kylantha's Jewel'
Navigation Bridge

Ghev checked the wounds of the mutineers who'd survived his defence, then returned to Jak and Ronin, the other Mandalorian who'd helped Ghev fight the sudden ambush.
"They'll survive" Ghev muttered, answering Ronin's silent question.
"We should change that" Jak muttered, running a hand over his scarred, shaven head. He looked old, much older than Ghev, though in reality he was much younger. A clone, used by the Old Republic in it's last years, Jak was aging much faster than normal human beings, due to the age acceleration process.
Ghev had promised to find a cure, though it seemed all traces of the necessary research had vanished. Jak didn't seem to mind, however, as he'd realised what it meant to be alive and do more than just serve. He'd been married, he'd raised a child, he'd enjoyed freedom.
But inside, he was still the same military man. Of all the Mandalorians, Ghev suspected, Jak and his identical clone Xan had taken to the military regime the easiest.

"I won't kill our own unless they leave me no choice. Wounded, they're not much of a threat".
"Jak is right, though... the di'kute tried to shoot you down, they should..." Ronin began.
"I said no!" Ghev shouted, slamming his fist on the nearest console. Jak and Ronin looked at each other in awkward silence.
"Ner vod, we ran into some unexpected trouble" said a voice. Ghev picked up his commlink, and spoke into it.
"Rogue vode, by any chance?" he asked.
"Yeah... almost took my head off. Two of 'em, in my group. How many in yours?" Jad Splinter asked.
"Seven. Five dead, two wounded" Ghev replied tensely. He hated speaking about the matter; enemies or not, they were still Mando'ade.
"We're in the engine room now. Not much damage, but it's been made to look sabotaged. I'll give you a full sitrep when we've assessed it properly" Jad said after a moment.
"Good man, I'll prep the ship for jump" Ghev replied, then paused. "Stay focused, Twist... this whole op has been a mess from the start".
The comm went dead, and Ghev sat at the nav console. He checked the hyperdrive status; it was green. All he had to do now was wait for the all-clear from Jad, and he could pilot 'Kylantha's Jewel' out of the fray and into the safety of hyperspace.

**************

Theed, Naboo
Detention Centre

Mira paced in her cell, her combat boots scraping across the duracrete floor. Somewhere further along the row of cells, a prisoner was rattling something against his bars; the noise echoed down the long hall, and it was beginning to grate on her.
She heard a door hiss open, and the telltale sound of boots on duracrete signalling the arrival of prison guards.
She stopped pacing; since her arrival, she'd been waiting for news. Soon after leaving the palace, it had been clear that the Naboo security forces were uncomfortable with their monarch, and his shady advisor.
She'd asked questions, questions about the identity of the advisor, why he wore a cloak and hood, why he had so much influence over the King.
None of her escorting guards had any answers for her, and she could tell they were being genuine. But then they'd told her that they were on her side; that they'd been hearing strange tales about the Tingel Arm. One of them had lost a brother in that sector, but their King refused to hear any of it. When the issue had been pressed, the advisor threatened to throw them in a cell.

So she'd let them take her to a cell, and she'd waited for news. Two hours later, here she was, waiting with baited breath.
"Mira, it's Stefano" the guard whispered as he approached.
"Why are you whispering? There's only two occupants in here, and I'm quite sure the other guy is mad" she muttered, approaching the bars.
"Good point" Stefano said.
"So?"
"So, I've spoken to the resistance" Stefano replied hurriedly.
"Resistance?" Mira asked, confused.
"There's a group of us making preparations to overthrow the King and Advisor Luur'ha, but we've agreed that the time isn't yet right".
"Thats good to know, but this isn't..."
"Isn't your fight. We know. But we're your best hope" Stefano smirked.
"Fine. So what's the plan?" Mira asked, clearly uncomfortable with what she was hearing, but not objective to it.
"They're going to move us to a safe-house at Dee'ja Peak".
"Us?"
"Once Advisor Luur'ha realises you're missing, he'll know I freed you" Stefano explained. "Morson - that's the other guard - is going to report our disappearance in four hours time. That'll give us enough time to disappear, and it'll mean he can carry on being our inside man".
Mira took a moment to digest it all. She didn't come to Naboo to be part of any resistance, and she could already tell that once she was embroiled in their plot, she'd become a beacon of hope for the Naboo seeking to escape their King's madness. She was a Mandalorian, a warrior among people who advocated peace. It was inevitable.
"Okay, but I want my armour and weapons, and I want the others brought to Dee'ja Peak too" she said. Stefano was already unlocking the door.
"The others? Oh, the soldiers who came with you. We've already sent someone to explain the situation to them, and take them to Dee'ja Peak. They'll be halfway there by now".
"So, you anticipated that I'd agree to this" Mira scowled.
"Something like that. We prefer to think of it as 'you had no better alternative'" Stefano said, smirking again. "As for your armour and weapons, they're in the speeder".
Mira narrowed her eyes, but this time she smirked too. She was beginning to like the Naboo.

[Ta'hok]

Kyle Strife stood outside the Jedi Temple. He had been most upset when he awakened to find himself back on Tatooine. Unsure why he was there he had questioned Drynan and his two twi'leks with no clear responses. Apparently Chelsea had escaped and gotten away from him as had Jon Rohaeus. He had tried to look for Chelsea but shortly given up on that. She was a thief and stealth was her companion. He knew he was more likely to find Jon. So he hunted down the Jedi having a feeling they might know where the commander of Vortex was hiding.

He steeled himself as he started forward into the temple. He was shortly met by a young girl asking if she could help him.

"I need to speak with Jet Sumner," he stated as bodly as he could. He watched surprise flicker across her face before she turned and headed into the temple Kyle no more then a step behind.

[Trenton Vinh]

Jet was halfway to Tiverian's Quarters when a young Jedi called to him. He turned, looking distracted, and saw a somewhat familiar face.
He tried to remember where he had seen the young man, and remembered Chelsea being in his company when he had last seen her, over a year ago.

"What can I do for you?" He asked simply, trying his best to give a smile.

*****

Trent had just gotten back to Ben and the surviving captives when he felt Kylantha's Jewel jerk unexpectedly. Not enough to knock him off his feet, but a few people let out yelps of surprise. At first Trent thought it was an impact with another ship, but things steadied out immediately, and he realized they had just jumped into Hyperspace.

He looked at Ben and asked,
"No problems?" Already knowing the answer.

Ben shook his head, and asked,

"What are these Yuuzhan Vong doing this for?"

Trent shrugged in response, stating,

"People have many reasons for war. But when the bloodshed has finished, most realize it wasn't worth it. Some just realize that they have struck down all they believed they fought for in the first place. Peace. Justice. Power. All of those disappear when we take lives. There is no peace when at war. There can be no justice when innocent lives are taken without reason. And power is lost when all those you hope to oppress are killed."

Ben frowned, but nodded in understanding. The pair were silent for a moment, before Ben asked, "Why does the Council hate you?"
Trent felt a smile flicker across his face as he watched the captives mill about, looking for something to do, waiting for something to happen.
He started speaking slowly, easily containing the annoyance that he always felt when Jet and the Council were brought up in conversation,
"The entire Council certainly doesn't hate me. Or Roth. Both his parents are on the council. There are some people on the council we can trust. But most members, Jet, Aundria, and some others, believe that what Roth and I do is wrong."
Ben asked, "What is it that you 'do'?" He asked, emphasizing the last word.

Trenton thought about it for a moment, and decided to answer the question with another question, "What did we do here today? Was it wrong?"

Ben thought, looking at the captives, saved from a painful death at the hands of their captors, and shook his head, "You acted rashly, perhaps. You went into a situation not knowing the full extent of its consequences. But in doing that, you saved countless innocent lives from death. And that is exactly what a Jedi is supposed to do."

Trent nodded, beginning to wonder if maybe Roth and his beliefs were not so dark in the long run.
"We follow a different doctrine from the Jedi Order's more specific ones. The Jedi Code is not a lie, I will not tell you that. But it is not something we should follow blindly. Nothing should be followed blindly. That is wrong."

Ben asked, "What about The Jedi Masters? Shouldn't the Padawans follow them?"

Trent was about to shake his head, then stopped, "Yes and no. Don't assume a teacher is always right, without question. You have to think for yourself. Sometimes teachers make mistakes too. Teachers are not perfect, no one is. Remember that they were once students themselves. They still are. There is always more to learn."

Ben nodded again, and his response was stifled when a young man wandered closely to Trenton, who said, "Excuse me, what can you tell us about your captors, the Yuuzhan Vong?"
The young man seemed surprised by Trent speaking to him, and raised his eyebrows, taking half a step back.
Trent cocked a grin to relieve the boy's tension. He was no older than twenty.

He had light hair and a sad face. When he spoke, it was a cracked voice, that sounded as if he had been crying,
"My father stood up to one. The...Yuuzhan Vong...was tall, muscular, and humanlike, but his face and body were horribly scarred and disfigured. He had no hair, and his nose was practically missing. He was horrible to behold. Father fought as hard as he could, but the Yuuzhan Vong sliced him in half."
He rubbed his eyes with one hand and turned away.
Trenton put a hand on the boy's shoulder and sent him comforting feelings through The Force, saying respectfully, "He was a great man, it was very brave of him to do that. Many men would have cowered in his position. What was his name?"

The boy nodded in response and said, "His name was Warl Kung. My name is Ricque Kung. My friends call me Rick, or Rickie."

Trent committed the name to memory, "I will have your father nominated for a medal back on Coruscant. His bravery will not be in vain, nor will his death."

Ben looked at Trenton, confused. It was rare for the Rogue Jedi to show such compassion. But he remained silent, and listened intently.

Trent finished talking to the young boy and sent him off, giving him a small chance cube and said, "Remember, no matter how bad it gets...You always have a chance."

Ben was confused, but he didn't mention it. He would talk to Jet about what he learned upon his return to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple.

*****

Commander Bryne'kst Durik stood on board his flagship, the Yuuzhan Vong Battlecruiser Fist of Yun-Yuuzhan.
Warmaster Krilluuk Vek had left to begin the preparations for their assault on the next target planet. The next planet would be a much more effective one for the Vong. They had decided the Jedi threat would not be ignored, and they would get the Shapers to find a way to destroy the Jedi before they had the chance to rally a defense against the Yuuzhan Vong forces.

He brooded on the upcoming battles, knowing that taking the Galaxy would not be a quick, decisive ordeal. It would take time.
Bryne was not a patient person. He preferred action over planning. Offence instead of preparation. Standoffs were not his specialty.
Nor were fights in space.
Bryne remembered when he was a Warrior, before he had been promoted. The Gods had chosen him over his peers, but he did not like it. He was not a fan of making orders while his brethren fought. He wanted to be on the front lines, taking planets fist and flesh, rather than with Fleets and Coralskippers. He watched several of his ships engaging the heretics, and said to his nearest adviser,
"Take us to the meeting point. We will make the necessary sacrifices, and take the next planet. Inform the fleet to leave the damaged ships as diversions. The damaged ships will be useless in the future."

The ships began to turn, and move away leaving their brethren behind, sacrifices to the greater power.

[Ta'hok]

Kyle did have one thing he would give the Jedi, they had excellent service. He stepped passed the girl and walked towards Jet, well aware that he was being rather forward and disrespectful but he felt that his master bowed to no one and neither should he. Kyle stood with his back straight his hands fists at his sides, chest forward as though trying to look imposing but really he just looked stiff.

"I need to know where Jon Rohaeus is. I must find my master so that he can teach me of his ways and Jon is the only lead I have. Where is he?"

[Ghev Dralin]

Ghev strode over to the wounded men. One of them was unconscious, the other was conscious but delirious.
The unconscious man, Lieutenant Dyne, had been one of Ghev's chosen team members for many years. The man had served with him on Nar Shaddaa, had been part of his strike force onboard the Death Star prototype, and had even helped Ghev drive the Empire from Mandalore after the war.
Now, he was laying with an abdomen full of shatter-rounds from Ghev's own rifle.
It must have been Tracyn. He was the only man who'd publicly challenged Ghev's leadership at all. It made sense that the man would use Ghev's own contingency orders against him. He shuddered to think how many loyal Mandalorians had died or been thrown in the brig this day.

Ghev picked up Dyne's commlink. He steeled himself; to lose control now would be to lose the battle. He had to remain focused.
He opened a frequency, and contacted 'Osiris'.

**************

"Mand'alor, we're receiving a transmission from 'Kylantha's Jewel'. It's Lt. Dyne, sir".
"Let's hear it" Tracyn muttered. There was a crackle over the speakers on the bridge.
"Lieutenant Dyne, am I to assume you're confirming the kill of Ghev Dralin?" he asked, glancing at Deej. The man looked defeated.
"You frackin' wish" Ghev's voice rang over the speakers. "You made a bad, bad move today Trac'ika, pray it doesn't come back to bite you in the shebs".
Tracyn was silently issuing orders, through use of hand gestures. Deej looked reanimated, though he hadn't attempted to speak to Ghev.

"I know you're probably ordering your people to prepare to open fire on 'Kylantha's Jewel', so I'll keep this brief. You've done this for all the wrong reasons. You think you're saving our people, but the only thing driving you is ambition".
"You're wrong" Tracyn laughed. "You brought us here to fight the Yuuzhan Vong for your own glory, another chapter in the heroic tales of Ghev Dralin". Tracyn grimaced. "You left our people to die, so you could chase your own ambition".
"And you resorted to deceit and murder to achieve your own ends. I may be Mandalore the Ambitious, but you'll forever be known as Mandalore the Deceiver" Ghev growled.
Tracyn shook his head silently.
"I'm disappointed in you, Tracyn. You had so much potential, but you were too stubborn to look past your own misgivings".
"And what kind words did you have for Alora? I assume you killed her when the order came about" Tracyn muttered.
Ghev was silent. Too silent.
Deej shuffled uncomfortably, having already realised what Tracyn was talking about.

"She was killed by the Vong" Ghev finally murmered.
"So she never got her chance to avenge her sister. Pity" Tracyn sighed.
"She'd never have joined your little mutiny" Ghev snarled.
"She did, because she was sickened by your actions toward Orla, as were we all" Tracyn snapped back.
"I don't believe it".
"Believe it or not, she volunteered to go with you so that when the order came through, she could shoot you personally".
Deej was sickened; he'd known Alora for a long time. She was his friend, his ally... he even suspected she'd loved him. Everything was changing so fast...

**************

It took all the emotional strength left in Ghev to stop himself throwing the comm across the room.
"We should be uniting against a common enemy" Ghev growled.
"You are the enemy, Ghev. The enemy of our continued survival".
"If that were true, then I'd gladly cut my own throat after declaring you our Mand'alor" Ghev retorted; and he meant it.
"I tire of this conversation. You have five minutes to surrender yourself, or I'm destroying 'Kylantha's Jewel'. Oh, and here's incentive... Deej is currently being held hostage on my ship" Tracyn said non-chalantly.
Ghev gritted his teeth, and glanced at Jak and Ronin. Jak was signalling to the status screen on the nav-computer; the engines were up and running.
"Tracyn, I'm declaring war on you and your followers. See you on the other side" he said into the comm, before crushing it beneath his boot.

Half a minute later, 'Kylantha's Jewel' disappeared into Hyperspace. A minute after that 'Osiris' and the ships of Tracyn's splinter faction also departed, leaving behind Ghev's loyal Mandalorians to bear the brunt of the final suicide run of the Vong front-lines.

[Trenton Vinh]

Jet frowned at the young man and said, "Last I know, he was off to Sernpidal. He may have joined the others near Belkadan. But its a war zone there. Trust me, you don't want to go there. He will probably come by again soon enough, you may want to get a room nearby, and I can send for you when he arrives."

He shrugged, unable to help the boy at this point.

Tiverian Joreth, Jet's Apprentice, came to his side and said, "Where are we going, Master?"
Jet raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. The boy had already sensed Jet coming to find him, and knew they were going somewhere. He repressed shaking his head and grinning, the boy was nearly ready to be Knighted.
"Dantooine. There's a shuttle at the landing bay awaiting us. I'll meet you there shortly. Bring your lightsaber. Bring some supplies as well, but keep it light, we want to be able to move quickly."
Tiv nodded and asked, "Any word from Ben?"
Jet nodded slowly, "All I know is that he is alive and unhurt. He will most likely be back within a few days, if not less."
Tiverian nodded and returned to his quarters to get his things ready.

*****

Tiverian entered his quarters, the room he shared with his brother, Ben. The room seemed so empty without his brother in here, doing something that would no doubt get him into trouble if a Master caught him.
Tiv felt a smile cross his face as he recalled the time his brother had 'borrowed' one of the Ancient Jedi Holocrons from the Archives, seeking to activate it late at night to get extra study time in.
Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that Jedi Holocrons didn't gain its user knowledge beyond that which they were ready for. The Holocron's Gatekeeper immediately saw Ben's passion and lust for knowledge, and reprimanded the Padawan for falling prey to such simple emotions.

Tiv shook his head in disapproval of his brother's lust for power, ability, strength. It wasn't Jedi-like. But Ben had always been the more curious of the two. Tiverian was more...like Jet. Ben always joked that Tiverian was the next Jet Sumner.
Tiv wasn't so sure he disagreed. He loved Jet like a father, like a Master. There was nothing Tiverian wanted more than to become a Jedi, and make Jet proud. That was perhaps the only passion Tiv had; passion and a need to achieve his goal of becoming a Jedi Master.

*****

Trent approached Malaia, who was talking to some other now-freed captives and told her that he would need to take her to the Temple once they arrived on Coruscant. She nodded in return, staring at him, unblinking.
He opened his comlink as he walked away, opening a channel with Roth and muttering, "We'll be on Coruscant soon. I have the feeling that the council will want to lecture us for this. Even though we did save hundreds of lives. But what else would we expect from a group of hypocrites?" He smiled. While it was common knowledge that the council did not like Roth and Trent, the pair rarely openly insulted them so blatantly. Trent added, "And we need to keep an eye on Ben. I know he's spent more time as Jet's lapdog than anything else, but he is more open-minded than his brother. He understands our ideals, and I can sense that he doesn't agree with the Jedi all the time. Your thoughts?"

[Ghev Dralin]

Ghev's basilisk war droid plodded slowly into the hall, and he examined the freed hostages solemnly. His men were already laying out the fallen Mandalorians along with those who'd met their fate at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong. It had been hell onboard 'Kylantha's Jewel'.

Ghev dismounted, and removed his helmet, approaching Trenton and the young woman with whom he was speaking.
"I've done a security sweep of the ship, and found no traces of the Yuuzhan Vong other than their corpses. I'll assume that any who were aboard when we entered hyperspace have committed suicide".
He rubbed the back of his head; something pained him, but he wasn't sure whether or not to mention it to the Jedi. Finally, he relented.
"I've lost control of the Mandalorians. How many, I cannot say, but Tracyn Velor has led a strike against me and anyone loyal to me. When we reach Coruscant, I'll need to establish a temporary base of operations until I can account for those still on my side" he said. It wasn't a request; he felt he'd done more than enough to earn that small privelige.
"I think you should know that if it comes to full-scale war with the Yuuzhan Vong, there will be times when I cannot help you. I have a war of my own to contend with... but I'll be there when I can be".