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Laguna rounded the corner to be confronted by two suspicious looking characters. They appeared streangely familiar.

"RogueLead11?"

"Yeah," came the ever casual reply. "What the hell do you think you're doing here Laguna? Are you insane setting the self destruct?"

"No."

"The Sith shut it down for us anyway."

"They what?"

"Shut it down. They powered down the entire computer system."

"Well, I noticed that."

"So, you avoided my question - what are you doing here?"

"What, what am I doing here? I took a small escape craft, set an approach vector to this ship and powered down my engines. The inertia let me drift to the hull and I got in through the garbage disposal unit."

"Nice."

Laguna sighed. "At least there are two of us now. I never realised you were a Jedi."

"There's a lot about me you don't know," replied Eleven with a grin. "Let's go."

 

Ty Jarlson jumped into her ship.

"Chance, tell start pre-flight and bring me up a screen of what is going on up there."

She had to blink a couple of times to understand the situation. There was only 3 fighters up there that she could see. She nodded to herself. "The fight is going to get a little more even."

"Chance, get us up there!"

 

As I was talking to Ty Jarlson, Mara Jade, our Intelligence officer caught my eye. "What is it Mara?" I asked.

But before she could answer, Commander Trika walked throught the door to the lounge, a determined expression on her face.

"All pilots to your fighters," she said, "we are going to track down our missing pilots. Mara has a location for their shipyards and we are going to hit it."

The few squadron pilots in the lounge rose quickly and headed toward the hanger bay at a quick pace. Ty and I rose and Mara pulled in beside me.

"I need to talk to you about the mission, Janus," Mara began.

 

Trika sat in her brand new X-Wing. She'd flown before, duh, but not in something as nice as this. This was nice...it's good to be the Commander...
"All systems go. All fighters, once you've completed your pre-flight status check, meet me in space."

 

Darth Predator met Invidious outside the mess hall the rebels were in. The Jedi had tricked the crewmen inside thinking that there was no one there. The mess hall was also right next to the secondary reactor. However unless they had thermal detonators there was no way the could cause the core to shut down. Still?.

The door swished open and the rebels looked up at them with surprise. One immediately pulled out a blaster and started firing at them. The bolts hit Invidious but he merely absorbed the energy with the Force. The Sith Lords pulled out their lightsabers and the fight began.

 

*Ok, I feel like I'm writing the pilot's side by myself...should I post again?*

 

The two Jedi stared across the open mess hall at the two Sithlords. Moving as one being, both Jedi quickly armed themselves, igniting lightsabers, setting themselves in garde position. Darth Invidious and Darth Predator in turn ignited their weapons. And before any of their opponents could make a move, Invidious stretched out his hand, and Force-hurled every object in the room not fastened to the floor or walls straight at the Jedi.

The Jedi were fast. Laguna quickly launched himself to the floor, ducking and rolling away from the incoming missiles. Stan (who still wondered to himself why had Laguna confused him with his rebel pilot partner) leapt in the air, slicing away some of the random chair, tables and utensils being thrown at him. Predator ran to him and met the other's blade almost as soon as he landed.

Invidious, on the other hand, kept his distance and focused on Laguna. His hand still outstretched, he then hurled bolts of Force lightning at the Jedi. Laguna quickly pulled up his saber and deflected most of the barrage, but the intensity of the attack was such that a few bolts surged through the Jedi's body, sending him to his knees while still holding up his lightsaber feebly.

"A pity, Jedi --", said Invidious with just the slightest hint of malice on his voice, "-- you and your friend there came all the way here to die. At least, you could've brought reinforcements. They would've made this more interesting." He chuckles softly and hurled more lightning bolts at his opponent.

Darth Predator fought Stan intensely, driving him out of the room, effectively separating him from his partner. Stan saw the other sithlord's attack on Laguna and knew that if he didn't get to the other's side immediately, Laguna would be overwhelmed. And then he would die, leaving him alone facing two hideously powerful Sithlords and their remaining but not less powerful henchmen. But this sithlord he was facing would not give him any chance to render assistance. More to the point, Imperial reinforcements would soon be on their way here. Then the situation would turn very ugly very fast.

He gritted his teeth and kept doing his damnedest not to let the sithlord through his defenses. He sighed inwardly. Maybe, just maybe, he said to himself, he should've let Master Skywalker and some of the other padawans come in as back up.

 

Predator viscously kicked Stan in head, sending him flying down the hallway. Predator advanced toward him for the kill when Stan reached out with the Force and slammed Predator against the wall. He got up and ran towards Laguna to kill the other Sith Lord. He never reached him. Force Lightning encircled him like deadly fangs. He fell once again to the ground this time screaming out in agony. Laguna upon seeing his fallen friend attacked Invidious with everything he had in him. That was when the stormtroopers arrived. Deadly bolts filled the hallway. Some of them even almost hit Predator but he blocked them away with his lightsaber. Stan, in one last desperate attempt, leapt toward Predator. Predator was more than happy to finish him off. He reached deep into the Force smashed Stan so hard against the wall that some of his bones cracked.


The rebel pilot seemed to have came to his senses after being knocked out by chair. But not all the way. He found his blaster and began firing at anything and everything. Several stormtroopers went down with flaming holes in their bodies. Laguna caught a bolt in the leg. Invidious moved to take advantage when another bolt hit him in the back. Unprepared he did not absorb the energy. He fell to the ground getting back up almost instantly. Invidious was enraged. The Jedi were dead meat now.

 

Wormy watched her monitor as Trika took flight. She smiled a bit, and put on her microphone.
"All set there, buddy.. er.. Commander?"
She adjusted the earset as she awaited an answer.
"Yup." Came the reply.
"Great. Now get out there and kick some *** ."
"Will do." She could almost hear the grin behind the Commander's voice.

 

<<<Uh, Darth Predator, Avan (the pilot) isn't even in the same room with the Jedi at the moment.>>>

Stanford fell back against the wall, one arm loosely wrapped about his chest. His breathing burned in his throat as he struggled back up. He gritted his teeth, forcing back a wave of pain with the Force before it could break over his head. Several ribs and his right arm, broken by the impact. There was probably some internal bleeding too.

It didn't matter. He couldn't let the Sith win.

He still clutched his lightsaber with one hand. He regained his feet, turning to face Darth Predator. "You can't get rid of me that easily," he rasped.

The Sith's only response was to send a bolt of purple lightening hurtling toward him.

Stan brought up his saber, letting the lightening twine itself around the blade before deflecting it into a nearby bulkhead. Predator charged at him. Their lightsabers met with a shriek, and the battle was joined once more.

The Jedi fought almost mechanically. The pain in his side and arm had faded to a dull ache. The lightsabers flashed around him. Blaster bolts from the stormtroopers seemed to be everywhere. And yet his thoughts were wandering. They drifted to people he had known, people he had met. His family and friends. And one friend in particular.

Avan.

Little did the pilot know it, but the Force was with him. In more ways than one. Stan had sensed it the moment he'd met him. He smiled wistfully. If only he could have told him then. If only he had been given the chance.

If only.

It wasn't over yet. He still had a chance. And hopefully, if the Force allowed, he would be able to meet with Avan Dever again to tell him that he could do more with his life than spend it sitting in the cockpit of an X-wing fighter.

* * *

"Think, Avan, think. One of these has to be the one you're looking for."

I turned around slowly, taking in the computer consoles that seemed to fill every corner of the gigantic control room. Each console was a collection of blinking lights, colorful buttons and status monitors. There were no labels anywhere. No manual. Not even some basic directions. The whole lot was bewildering.

I had finally reached the core to the Avenger. I had access to every mechanical system on the ship. I had the entire star destroyer at my command. And I didn't know how to work a thing.

"Who knew a reactor core could be so complicated?" I shouted, throwing up my hands.

I suppose the computers took pity on me.

I whirled around, felt my mouth drop open. The levers and toggles on the nearest control panels were beginning to move on their own accord. All over the room, consoles were humming busily, receiving commands I had never entered. Or at least, never remembered entering. I glanced at the closest status monitor and recoiled.

Self destruct reactivated. Core approaching critical. 15:00

Fifteen minutes. I had fifteen minutes to think of some way to drop the Avenger out of hyperspace, find Stan and Languna, then get the hell out. But I was running out of time.

There were shouts outside. A steady hissing sound filled the air, one I knew very well: a fusion-cutter. Sparks flew as the room's only door slowly caved in. It fell to the floor with a clank. I had just enough time to pull my blaster and duck behind a control console before the first of the stormtroopers came barreling in, weapons blazing.

 

Lights flickered on and off all over the Super Star Destroyer Avenger, creating widespread confusion throught all decks. The ship was reacting wildly to Avan Dever's unwitting tampering, as all primary systems cycled down towards self destruct. All systems, including the hyperdrive.

With a not so gentle lurch, the gigantic ship jumped out of hyperspace. The ship's abrupt entrance into real space threw everyone in the crowded mess hall of balance. Darth Invidious tumbled backwards, his focus on the Jedi momentarily lost for a brief second. And in that brief second Jedi Knight Ferran Laguna had the opening he needed to turn the tables on the force-lightning-happy sithlord that had him pinned down. Some would call this dishonorable, not worthy of a Jedi. But at the moment he had very few options. He rolled on his back, outstretched his hand, yanking a blaster carbine off a stumbling Stormtrooper's hand with a strong Force grip.

Laguna's second was done and Invidious was bearing down on him like a diving raptor, ready to tear his prey to pieces before he could arm himself. However, that had never been Laguna's intention. Halfway to his hand, the blaster spun around, tracking Invidious approach, and fired at the sithlord. Invidious was caught unaware and could not properly steel himself to absorb the deadly blaster barrage. The blaster bolts hit him solidly on the trunk and midsection, sending him sprawling on the
mess hall's floor, his dark robes smoldering where he had been hit. The stormtroopers rushed to aide the darklord, a suggestion to do so firmly planted on their heads by Laguna. Now, without further distraction, he ran to assist RogueLe--, now wait, that wasn't him. Yes, the the rebel pilot's Imperial "prisoner", who was in actuality was a Jedi Knight. Stanford, yes, that was his name. He rushed out of the mess hall, just in time to stop Darth Predator from finishing off his friend.

 

The scene on the Avenger's bridge was one of utter chaos. Techs and crewers were franctically trying to assess their situation, wondering why they had dropped out of hyperspace and, more important, why were the ship's self destruct systems engaged.

"Where the hell are we?", growled Darth Fury, staring down at the starboard crew pit's Nav Officer.

"We're trying to determine that right now sir. But, our projected course would've placed us right on the outskirts of the Coruscant System!" The Major stared up at the sithlord, his face contorted in alarm at the meaning of those words.

"Fury?", said Darth Talon, who was staring out of the bridge's viewport.

Fury ignored him, as he staarted yelling more orders. "Engineering, get us back on track immediately. Computer control, abort that damned self destruct sequence any which wat you can! Your heads be forfeit if you fail!."

"Fury!", Talon shouted now, glaring at the other sithlord.

"Stab your eyes, man", growled Fury back, returning the glare. "What is it?!"

"Scope your sensors, you idiot, and look at what's hanging out there!"

Darth Fury stared hard at the man, and then his jaw dropped as he stared past him and out to the void beyond the forward viewport. "No, no! Tactical?!"

"Sir, we've determined our location. We're in the New Republic's Fleet Gunnery Range and Training Grounds!"

A training area that was currently hosting war games between various New Republic Mon Cal cruisers and medium warships versus some of their captured Star Destroyers and the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya. A massive fleet of warships that had suddenly broke off their training formation and was quickly heading out to engage the unknown SSD that had dropped in on their midst, weapons systems fully charged and launching all of their fighter squadrons.

Both Sithlords stared at each other, their complexions even blancher than usual. In unison, they quickly assesed the situation out loud.

"Oh shavit!"

 

I'm posting this afternoon...I gotta run to school right now...

Trika Kenobi
P.S. Someone else can write when we exit hyperspace and come into the plan, yes?

 

The oncoming fleet of New Republic ships was huge.

For the first time in his life Darth Fury was terrified.

His comlink came to life with Darth Predator?s voice crackling out of it.

?Power down all weapons. I want you to contact the rebel forces and tell them that we surrender.?


?But Sir!!?

?NOW. Alert all stormtroopers and crew men to fight to the death. The rebels will not just pound us into slag. They want to capture this ship. But they are going to pay our price for it. I want all Sith Warriors in their TIE Defenders. Move out.?


Invidious managed to get up and limp with Predator to the hanger. Waiting for them there was the other Sith Warriors. Predator turned to Invidious.

?Can you pilot your Advanced TIE??

Invidious stood a little straighter. ?Yes, lets go.?

 

*steps out of character*

Hmmm...I think the stage is set for the Sithlords' Last Stand. This story is quite huge already, so maybe we should have a conclusion for it soon. Do you fellow posters agree?

Anyways, I'll let the Rebs post their escape from the Avenger before moving on with the heavy dogfighting action.

 

*steps out of character*

Hmmm...I think the stage is set for the Sithlords' Last Stand. This story is quite huge already, so maybe we should have a conclusion for it soon. Do you fellow posters agree?

Anyways, I'll let the Rebs post their escape from the Avenger before moving on with the heavy dogfighting action.

 

<<Ok, lets get this story back in gear.>>

The squadron - what was left of it - dropped out of hyperspace with a flash of starlines and a flicker of psudomotion and was immediately thrown into the midst of a raging battle.

"2K," I said quickly. "Bring up the shields and charge weapons. Lets get in there and vape some TIEs."

Commander Trika began issuing orders as we neared the fight. "TFN squad, this is lead. Pair off and attack. Head for that SSD. It looks like our forces are trying to capture it intact if they can. Stick with your wingman and may the Force be with you."

I pulled in to port and a little behind Ty's X-wing and clicked on my comm. "Hey Ty, how are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm doing fine, Janus," she answered. I couldn't be sure over the comm, but she sounded tired, like a heavy weight had settled over her shoulders. She would be fighting against her brother in this fight. He might kill one of us. We might kill him. It had to be hard on her.

"Ok, I'll watch your wing," I replied, as we vectored in on the Super Star Destroyer and kicked in to the X-wing's top speed. "Let me know if I can do anything to help."

We picked out a pair of squints and pulled in on their tails. They rolled to port and pulled away in a sharp loop so we pulled to starboard in a manuver designed to put us on a head-to-head run with the Interceptors.

They must have anticipated our manuver because they broke out of their turn and barrel-rolled past us at top speed. We turned to track them but a pair of their friends pulled in behind us and fired several emerald bolts into our shields.

"Four," I said to Ty. "Head for the SSD. I have a plan."

We juked and weaved as we made our way to the irregular surface of the Super Star Destroyer's brim trench where I hoped we would be able to evade the TIEs.

The two squints followed as we dodged our way through the narrow spaces of the trench. The trence its self was huge, able to dwarf even small capital ships; but it was densely packed with narrow, twisting canyons of gun emplacements, sensors, and crew quarters. I could even make out a few surprised faces as we flashed past windows.

One squint exploded in a ball of flame as it slammed into a turbolaser battery, it's pilot unable to correctly compensate for the sharp turn. Ty and I merely kept going, trying to outmanuver the remaining squint.

We made several more turns but the enemy pilot stuck tenaciously with us, matching us turn for turn. We were nearing the rear of the SSD and quickly running out of trench.

Pull up a voice said in my head. Now.

I questioned my sanity for a second, but Ty must have heard the voice as well for she stood her fighter on it's tail and shot away from the Super Star Destroyer. I followed her lead.

And not a second too soon. As I pulled back on the stick I saw an A-wing flash past in the space my E-wing had just vacated and vape the squint with a perfectly placed shot to the cockpit. The squint exploded and the A-wing flew through the expanding cloud of flame at full speed. Whoever was flying that A-wing was good. Very good.

<<Since we seem to be a little short on pilots I'll start another character.>>

 

The blaster bolts were flying thick as the Imperial troopers barged into the core control room. With no regard for the most-likely delicate equipment inside, they proceeded - in typical stormtrooper fashion - to try to shoot everything in sight.

I had to commend them. They did try. Very hard.

Snapping off a few shots at them with my puny blaster pistol, I ducked as an energy bolt ricocheted off a nearby metal panel. I found myself down on hands and knees, almost sprawled over the body of a stormtrooper lying on the floor. I grabbed the rifle from his nerveless fingers and used it to return fire on his living companions.

Then I saw the little rounded spheres on his utility belt.

"All right!" I shouted. "I surrender! Don't shoot!"

For a moment, I thought the Imperials hadn't heard. But then the blaster fire gradually dribbled to a stop. I poked my head above the lip of the console, raising my hands. Several of the stormtroopers were picking their away across the carnage toward me.

I slowly rose to my feet. One man came forward with a pair of binders. I smiled at him, letting my gaze drop to the ground. He followed my eyes and recoiled.

The thermal detonator I had plucked from the dead trooper's belt sat under my right heel, quietly ticking away. With a slight kick, I sent it rolling away from me toward the other side of the room. The rest of the stormtroopers there could only stare dumbly at the ball as it bounced past them. I threw myself back behind the metal console and covered my head with my arms. There was a thud as the trooper with the cuffs hit the deck beside me.

The explosion that followed literally rocked the room. The ground shook. Burning shrapnel rained down upon us. A flaming control board missed my head by inches. The Imperial's helmet was somehow ripped off. A black cloud of smoke billowed up around us.

Coughing, we cautiously got to our feet. Nothing moved around us. None of the other Imperials had managed to escape the blast. The trooper and I smiled at each other, relieved, happy to be alive. Then my fist met his face, and he dropped to the floor like a sack of duracrete.

I picked my way through the wreckage to the door - now a big, blackened hole in the wall - and stumbled out into the main corridor. Alarms were blaring. I looked up the hall just in time to see two figures limping toward me: Stan and Languna. Both were a little worse for wear. They looked like they had jumped head-long through a fire.

Come to think of it, so did I.

"You dropped us out of lightspeed into the middle of a war-zone!" Stan shouted as soon as he got into hearing range. "The ship's under attack by New Republic forces at this very moment!"

The deck shuddered under us, making us all struggle to keep our balance. "What happened to the Sith?" I asked, running to them.

"They managed to get away." Languna, despite his injuries, looked dismayed. Stan also looked less-than-happy. I sighed. Two depressed Jedi Knights - that was something to see.

"We can't worry about that now. Remember, we've still got to find the hangar and get off this ship."

Stan managed to smile as I slung his arm around my shoulders so he could lean on me. "You think those Sith Lord are going to have a hard time sleeping nights after this?"

"Yeah." I snorted. "They'll be so busy thinking up horrific ways of getting revenge on us, it will be impossible for them to get any rest."

 

In the midst of the chaotic battle, the thirteen sithlords quitely progressed to the SSD's hangar bay. The eleven up ahaead muttered quietly amongst themselves as they continued fastening their black flight suits as they progressed. Every once in awhile one of them would actually have the audacity to stare back at their senior members, Darth Predator and Darth Invidious, who after that brief battle against the two Jedi infiltrators, still looked quite the worse for wear.

Every time one of his Avenger squadmates glanced back, Predator glared hard at him, making the other regret his curiosity almost immediately. However, Darth Invidious barely had the energy to even smirk at any of them. Every step -- every breath!-- was agony. He had let himself wide open to the Jedi and he had paid the price for it. Once again, he was lucky to be alive to regret his latest setback. His recuperative abilities, his will, and the awesome power of the Dark Side kept him going. The searing pain of the still fresh blaster hits was a goad. It kept him focused, and fueled his thirst for revenge. A thirst that would not be sated until he was awashed in Jedi and Rebel blood alike.

The fighter hangar bay was bustling with activity, crewers and pilots scrambling madly to launch the SSD's full complement of TIE Fighters. The odds were not good by any reckoning. The Avenger was horribly outmatched, it's only defenses being all their available weapons and fighters. But Invidious knew they weilded the mightiest weapon of all. The late, unlamented Lord Vader had said it best: "This technological terror, the ability to destroy worlds, is insignificant, next to the power of the Force." And today, this moment, he and his brothers would prove that, beyond a shadow of doubt.

Predator's Avengers scrambled to their TIE Defenders. Similarly, Invidious jogged -- wincing silently to himself -- to his TIE Advanced. It would feel strange, not flying along what was once his pride and joy: His assemblage of the most fearsome TIE pilots that ever were. His creation, MAUL Squadron. They were mere mortals, each and every one of them, but their might and deadly skill was a sight to behold. They all had died when the Annihilator met its fiery demise over Borleias's sun. Another blow, another slap to his face, that sorely needed to be avenged. Fitting, in a way, that he was now a member of an Avenger squadron. For vengeance was all he truly wanted now. All that he would ever need from this moment on. He climbed on his fighter and prepared it for flight. The crwers around the fighter gave him a thumbs up and he ignited the TIE Advanced's Ion Engines.

Avenger Squadron's TIE Defenders started "falling" from their launch racks as they soared out of the massive hangar bay. Pressing a button, he released the launch rack's clamps and applied full power to his engines, trailing immediately after them. Out there in space the pure chaos of war played out in front of him. Men fighting, killing and dying. The echoes of the violence being played out there resonated through the Force, filling him with ecstasy.

"Avenger Lead to Maul Lead, do you copy?", asked Predator over the comm.

"I copy, Avenger lead", replied Invidious. "Heading over to point position. All fighters, acquire targets and engage at will. Today we will show the rebel scum the true power of the Dark Side of the Force."

 

*steps of character*


This story is really getting good. I wonder what the ending is going to be. If you have any ideals e-mail me. I got a new e-mail so use that address not my old one. Anyway on with the story.....

*Steps back into character

 

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday, but I was being held hostage by evil basketball players who wanted me to play along...too tempting! I love basketball...
*******************************
Trika Kenobi guessed that it had been a couple of years since she had been in a dogfight. Too bad those Imps didn't know what was headed for them...
One more TIE bursted into flames as she narrowly avoided flying right through it.
"What kind of ships do they have in the hanger of that SSD? What kind of a reading can we get on it?" She asked Sukiukie.
The droid flashed something on the screen.
The Commander jumped back. "How in the world am I supposed to know? That's why I asked you!"
Sukiukie beeped a sarcastic reply.
"Would you stop arguing with me and get those answers?!"
The droid tweeped something else.
"Ok, I've got two words for you-memory wipe!!!"

[This message has been edited by Trika_Kenobi (edited 02-12-2000).]

 

Hmmm...this doesn't belong on the bottom of the second page...

 

*waits for more Rebel action before moving on with his part of the story*

 

*same here*

 

*same here*