No Hope, No Light ~ The Battle for Hope

[Davion Matrix]

No Hope, No Light…
The Battle for Hope

With a flash of light, twelve starfighters exit hyperspace just within the star system where the Jedi were being attacked. Painted pure white, the Mark III TIE Interceptors head straight for the interdictor. A channel is immediately opened on the main Jedi channel, with the familiar voice of Jedi Knight Marcus Thorne ringing through. "Jedi, this is Jedi Thorne with the Corellian Knights...we're here to assist." With that, the starfighters held together in a tight formation as they made their first pass on the interdictor, letting loose with twenty-four proton torpedoes, all aimed towards the four gravity-well projectors, guided by the Force for maximum effect.

The comm lit up with Marcus Thorne's voice which was relayed through a dozen other marks to make the new ships designate the new ships as friendlies... "Marcus... and the Corellian Knights? " Arc said quietly, his Chief assistant grinned... "Eh, he can help but love the dramatic..." Arc's eyes rolled and he ran a hand over his shortly trimmed hair..."Well good to see you’re alive Thorne! But things are..." His voice was cut off by a trim report... "Corellian Knights, we're being swarmed! Join the other snubs and clear them from our back... " He stabbed a finger on the screen.

"Rotate twenty-seven degrees bring the cannons to bear on the interdictor in full power!" He pointed towards the distant U shaped ship incoming, frowning as he tried to guess what it was..."Cyclone, clear up the bombers and then distract those corvettes!" And then another ship came in... Its long protruding nose reminded Arcilius of a Mon Calamarian Sabre-Nosed fish. With elongated nose, and the fat body with the engines it was hard to determine what the purpose of this ship was..... All that mattered was it was coming in fast..."Not for ramming.... I want life-scan reading on that fucking ship!""

“Copy that, Hope.” Tiro swooped up at a bomber from underneath, laying down heavy blasts into its belly before ripping it apart before the wreck could let one bomb loose. Tiro sailed The Brigand through the explosion, inverting it to intercept another bomber. He strolled on in from behind one this time, laying down a nice volley of laser blasts that started to penetrate its shield defenses. It felt as if someone pulled the breath from his lungs; a small but violent tremor in the Force, so to speak. It caused him to break away from the bomber, the rear visual scanning picking up two Vornskr fighters on his tail. He fought to maneuver his fighter, evading their lasers, but his luck was running out. He sailed between two of the Corvettes. “Anyone out there feel like giving a helping hand? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. They’re all over me!!” He dropped down to starboard, sailing underneath one of the ‘Vettes, spinning the Brigand several times to evade blasts.

The sounds of the distress signals and orders came over the squawk box in a continuous scream of new orders, new coordinates and new enemy fighters pouring in from all sides and vectors. Underneath the massive superstructure of the New Hope, the space was a blaze with laser and photon canon fire. He could hear his breathing ringing in his ears as his pupils darted across the whites of his eyes and the heads up display that came across the canopy of his X-wing snub fighter. Coming over, Drex fixed his horizon and pulled into above the dogfight that was ensuing below him between the Brigand and the swarm of enemy fighters that were doggedly pursuing Tiro. "R4, transfer all power to the deflector shield and turbo lasers, we’re going in.." Drex commanded the astromech unit, a whistle and beep were his response.

"Hang in there Brigand, this is Drex, I'm coming in behind the one on your six...” Taking the yoke in hand, the targeting monocle came over his left eye. Easing the stick to the left, the ship banked to the left and down. Barrel rolling into position, he flew in behind the enemy fighter. Looking over to the power display he saw the gauge bars shift from one column to the other "switch back, power to engines instead, this one is fast..." he said again. The force flowed through his fingers as he gripped the yoke, guiding his ship in search of a firing solution

"Copy that, Hope." Thorne cut the comm-connection to the Jedi ISD, returning to an internal comm between his starfighters. "Break off into your groups, just like we trained. Keep your minds opened.. No casualties." A mental confirmation came through from each of the fighters as they broke off into their three-fighter groups. Marcus leading one group, Eadmon leading the second, and the two former Enforcer leading their respective groups. The rest of the fighter pilots were Force Sensitives that Thorne had recruited, and partially trained enough to respond quicker in a battle. The three-fighter groups moved with amazing efficiency, taking out each starfighter they came across without entirely too much effort.

One ship would constantly fire low-beam shots at the enemy, effectively leading them into one direction or the other, while the other two starfighters would fire hard-hitting shots as the target attempted to evade the other ship. Should a target get behind them, they instantly break off into three opposite directions, with the enemy following one, and the other two ships being able to fall in behind it.

The little man of 5'6 was pacing the bridge with a frantic pace that belied the prowess he could show. Stout jaw locked and for a few precious seconds he was incapable of words... "The ship has life-forms right up to the nose sir!" He heard, and nodded, noting that it had closed a great deal of distance... and was right on the Dawning Hope's engines. He frowned, and heard whoops go up.

"Sir! The Interdictor’s down!" A shiver of dread formed at the engines of his lips and he turned his gaze towards the needle-nosed ship.. “Shift the batteries to put down fire on that ship! Forward batteries are to fire at the... that arch shaped ship!" Which was as drawing in closer than he thought it would... Bombers and fighters were going up by the dozens from the Jedi's collective efforts. but for every fighter that went down, two more seemed to take its place. With that kind of odds against them, even Jedi would have trouble. And the droids with their electronic responses could react fast, couldn't seem to match the speeds the Vornskrs were going at. Arc was watching blips fall fast...

"Plot a hyperspace vector out, we're getting the fuck out of here! Command all pilots to..." His jaw dropped as he was interrupted!

"Sir! our engines!"

He was looking at a display of the ship in seconds... "How the fuck?! SHUT THEM DOWN! Rewire all power into the guns... "The engines had started to form tiny holes, to which immediately began to rupture and then collapse in on themselves... and continued with the tiniest of explosions, all across the board...

"What the hell are the shield read outs?" He couldn't order a retreat without the Swarming ships, corvettes and dreadnaughts ruining them... They had to outgun these folks until the Resistance could catch the wide-beam distress signal he had already sent.. "Eighty-Three Percent! " "Then how?" He cast his gaze towards the pointed ship... "All available batteries get on that needle! All available ships with Hyper..." He was caught off as the ship shuddered all too violently. To the left side of the dagger shaped ISD the U shaped starship had shuddered itself around, both ends of the U crushing into the sides of the ship... Arc realized all too soon what was going on... They were being boarded...

"All hands prepare for boarding! All hostiles are to be fired upon at sight! Please make way for the ships... we'll need escorts! Snub-Fighters i need you to work tripple time, to clear an escape route..." And then the dreadnaughts started opening fire. Their world-slagging power opening on the once top-of-line Star Destroyer. Far past its prime, it could stand up to many things, but not The best the Protectorate could offer, not for long or on its own...

Tiro opened his path to the Force, sensing what the Vornskr pilots behind him were feeling. One knew a targeting solution was set on him from Drex, the other still intent on making the Iktotchi space matter. “R4, prepare to cut all thrust on my mark. I’ve got an idea.” He tapped further into the Force, entering the pilot’s mind, projecting an image of The Brigand banking high and to the right, while in fact, R4 cut the thrust, almost bringing the fighter to a dead halt as Tiro jerked the controls forward, bringing the fighter straight down. He spun the ship a few more times to evade any other incoming fire from other vessels before finding a bomber open for attack.

“One charge should be sufficient for this one, R4. Nothing too fancy.” Tiro made a simple S-Curve in his attack, and on the second curve, a charge slipped out from the rear cargo compartment. It spun so slightly in the dead of space, before it exploded into the bomber’s shields. The shields were gone, allowing the shrapnel to rip through its hull like tissue paper. The hull compromises caused the bomber to implode on itself, a few seconds delayed before a fine yellow and red detonation to appear in his viewscreens. He took a moment to open a clear channel to Drex again.

“Thanks for the hand, Drex. I owe you one.” He twisted the fighter around the watch the incoming U-Ship to attach with the Hope. “Cyclone Squadron: clear the field!! Take out as many fighters as you can.” He swooped down, evading a large laser blast from one of the Dreads, but a Vornskr that was prompting to follow Tiro didn’t share the same fate.

"Do you see that..." Drex called in over the comms. His sensors also indicated an oddly shaped ship that was closing in on their position. Not only that, but there did not seem to be any end to the relentless onslaught of enemy fighters that continued to spawn out of no where. Drex quickly pulled up and over, executing a high speed loop to avoid laser fire. Looking up in the cockpit, he spotted the enemy fighter below/above him as he sailed over. Rolling back into place, the targeting reticule glowed red for a moment as it locked on and provided a firing solution. Turbo lasers charged and fired with a resounding hiss as he thumbed the trigger.

Four long orange bolts erupted from the tips of the X shaped wings and tore into the hull of the enemy snub fighter. Drex punched the throttle and tore through the flaming space debris as the orders to take down as many fighters as possible came over the comm. Looking at this HUD, he took a look at the mass of fighters that littered the screen. There couldn't possibly be enough time to try and clear a path by destroying all these fighters..."We need to lead them away from the Hope. Blowing them all up is too hard. There are too many of them..." he said over the comm. As to how they would do that...he still had no clue.

The swarms of fighters were proving a problem to the well organized Knights, being forced to join together in two groups of six just to keep adequate protection for each other, while still being able to take out the other fighters. "Knights, form up on that escape vector. We need to clear a path for the Dawning Hope!" Marcus ordered through the comms, not needing to receive a reply from his men as all twelve vessels increased their efforts in the indicated escape vector. Marcus began to wonder if the Hope had a chance to survive now that it had been boarded.. but he kept those thoughts to himself, and concentrated on the battle at hand.

Arc resisted an urge to start firing out into the mass of swarming fighters. A good Majority weren't his own fighters. But some were indeed his own, comrades he might never see again! More flickers of death spread across his senses. And if he were to fire, more people would die. More of his friends and loved ones. He grit his teeth... Casting his gaze instinctively towards the boarding ship... "Dark Jedi..." he and another Jedi muttered.

"All personnel are to get to the docking bays... we're getting the hell out of here... Attention Jedi Fighters, we are being boarded! Engines are gone! We are disengaging all Capital ships and sen..." His transmission was cut, and he knew what was wrong. They were losing the ability to command from the bridge. Grabbing his lightsabre, Arc turned … they had to get the children safe... by any means necessary. From the U shaped ship, the first to flood into the decks of the Jedi Star Destroyer Dawning Hope were soldiers, who with far too accurate precision began destroying stationary automated defense systems... "Cut life-support from areas boarded by..." People one the bridge were reading weapons, and readying to depart... "We've lost ability to command -period- Guns are all down... we're sitting ducks, we gotta get to the starships and get gone..."

There was a new wave of Vornskrs, giving protection to the squad of bombers behind them. Tiro set a clear vector, sailing right for the middle of the line of fighters. “R4, prepare compartment three, let them all loose as soon as I compromise my trajectory.” He swerved in and out of the incoming laser fire provided by the Vorns, taking a few hits here and there; nothing his shields couldn’t handle. Once they were close enough, he clocked back on the thrust, pulling the control sticks back, allowing his fighter to be more present on the y-axis, while the compartment slipped open, allowing the charges to slide out into space, and into the oncoming assault force. Tiro throttled away as one charge nailed the leading Vornskr in one of its lower left wings, sending it off to collide with the pilot and fighter to his right.

[Davion Matrix]

The other charges laid down a veritable wall of debris for the bombers to fly right into and not escape. Tiro piloted his best to evade the wide blast, but some of the rear of the Brigand took a few bits of debris, puncturing one of the empty cargo compartments, luckily. He felt a slight unwanted movement in the control sticks; something must have been cut or compromised from the debris, but Tiro would compensate for it for now. He heard the distress calls on the comm. frequencies coming from the Hope.

“Get the children out!! Frell!! EVAC!!” He spoke to his squadron. “We’re not done yet, Cyclone Squadron. We’re not booking out of here until we know everyone is out of the Hope. That clear?!?”

Being swarmed by far too many ships, and with the Hope compromised, Marcus initiated the command to abandon the battle. The squadron of starfighters broke free from their respective battles, heading full throttle away from the battle, calculating a quick microjump out of the system.

And then, another ship hit in system. Another U, which crashed full speed into the ISD... sending dozens to their knees... "More?!" He and everyone else was moving down the turbo-lifts. They had locked up the bridge.. The DJH would already start fighting these enemies, but there were only so many DJH and far too many troopers... He sent out a message through a personal comm “Evacuate the Hope! I repeat EVAC the HOPE! All students must be on the vessels! Get them out of here! Any routes try not to be followed! Fighters leave system, provide cover! Get back on board anything! “And then his comm died out. His face became drawn and distant... "Ready your weapons... this is going to be a brawl towards the decks... below"

Tiro continued to engage the fighters in space, only being able to watch the possible massacre at hand. He used his personal comm. to open a channel to Arc. “Arc, request to come on board to hold back the attackers.” He swooped down low, engaging another Vorn, blasting it into the stars as quickly as he could. He felt defenseless when it came to defending the children, and there must be something he could do.

Kabe grunted in irritation as the decking under his feet kicked and bucked with the new impact, dodging ceiling paneling as it crashed down around him. He cursed softly, but viciously in Shyriiwook to himself, and shook his head. As soon as the attack had begun to take shape he'd commed Malla, and told her to get the boys together. Soon after, as the attackers had began to show up, he'd put them with the gunnery crews, knowing that their mechanical knowledge would help, as well as their brute strength, and instincts. Rova, he'd placed in one of the fire-command areas, to help coordinate gunnery crews, and relay information to his family. Now, the ship was dying around him, but he knew they were safe. He'd managed to get them off of the gunnery decks before they were hit. Now, he was headed for the central turbolift section, well aware of the boarders hoarding onto the ship, when the Evac call came. He keyed up his com, replying quickly...

"I copy. Evacuees, I have lots of room on the Legacy. It’s got five decks and can hold plenty of people. It's outfitted for such a situation as this. Bring as many as you can to the ventral bays." He keyed another frequency, this one for Merek. With a quick burst of his native Wookiee tongue he directed him to slave the Vendetta and the Shadow Lancer to the Legacy if he couldn't get crewers for them, as well as the Destiny's Kiss.

Then the turbolift doors opened. The deck was clear for the moment, with Vanguard and Defenders running back and forth. He silently sent a command through the Force, to the Jedi that he could reach. If it could be put into words it would have been... ~Seal the bulkheads behind you, if you're the last ones through. It will slow them some, even if they have sabers.~ He didn't know how many dark Jedi were onboard, but it was grim at best. He stretched out with the Force, building a map of the Hope in moments, and questered out, looking for points of hot or cold, or just pure darkness that he could find... He would not let go of this vessel without bloodletting... And the nearest group was on the port side near the bays. He took off with long Wookiee strides, heading for them. He knew he was going to have to stall them as long as he could, so for the moment he conserved his power and energy within the Force as he closed the gap...

Merek responded quickly, his feet taking him through the myriad of corridors quickly. Now he ran with one of his Deathsingers in his hand. He'd been busy trying to stay out of the way, knowing if he took the Destiny out there in this mess, he would get shot down quickly. If he took his Shadow Lancer out there, he couldn’t use it effectively without a copilot and gunner. Now though, he could make use of it, but first, he needed to take care of a couple of things. He made his way quickly to Leiyn's quarters, without wasting time went through the door. "Come on, you heard the Evac call, let's move!" He was tense, and perhaps irritated, but he was doing something now besides trying to keep on his feet. He peered out the door, holding his pistol low in both hands, checking to see if there there were troopers arriving in this section yet.

They flooded the ship by the dozens. Only Static went through Arc's comm as the turbolift stopped. Looking at his aids, he frowned when he saw the Jedi Vanguards were already in the halls starting to fire. Things were getting rough here... Fires-Fighters were erupting everywhere. Small groups of children were ushered onto every ship... several vanguards were rushing to help man the ships under Kabraka's orders. Others were onboard transports.. Freighters. Anything that could get to hyperspace. The FireFly itself was being manned and filled towards capacity. Rebel 02 had long since taken off, and gone to hyperspace...

Arc sent a deep and dreadful warning through the Force. He was going to set off the self-destruct. If he could get the invading ships, and his ship to erupt then the could get the lanes cleared.. "Go go! " He ordered as violet blade sung to life and he jumped towards the nearest intersection, sending bolts whizzing by. His aid came to his side, firing from behind as to not get in his way. With her warm back against his, Arc felt far more confident than he knew he should have. His Padawan hadn't yet gotten a lightsabre, but he had a feeling that everyone was going to be armed and quite shortly. He frowned.

"We're gonna blow up the ships... find a DJH or a Jedi and get them set on the task!" Coming around the bend, Adia would be confronted by the first of a Praetorian Jedi... Where Kabraka would have one waiting in the flashing red lights, sabre ready to take on the Wookiee. Some folks were already on their way out and towards hyperspace.

It was within the depths of the training rooms that she received the distress signals indicating for everyone to evacuate. Adia wasted no time getting the smaller children, with the help of the other Padawans, into various vessels that would permit their escape. She wasn't expecting everything to go the way they did; however, there was no time to dwell on what she wanted to go right. The children needed to get out of here fore they all were in danger, as was she and the rest of the crew. She did not even want to think about anyone not surviving, just getting off this ship safe and sound. Her main priority at the moment was these children, the future of the Jedi, and protecting them by any means necessary.

"Hurry, get the children aboard every available vessel!" she exclaims.

As Merek stepped inside the quarters of the young Miss Leiyn Dar, she'd hear the wailing of the two infants... Both were screaming bloody murder... but hey, what kid wouldn't be in this kind of situation? Leiyn was practically ready to be jerked off of her feet and out of the room when Merek stepped in. She had either expected Kabe or Merek... Jeryndi had gotten there first. Jeryndi had been on his way to her after the attack had begun, already there when the evacuation order was given ship-wide... Jeryndi had helped her sling everything into one big bag, including both of their meager possessions, and had her ready to go by the time Merek had stepped through the door...

Once there, Leiyn slipped her second child into the carrier for the both of them, made sure he secure. Picking up the carrier, she looked up at Merek and nodded... signalling that she was ready to go. Jeryndi had already picked up the bag, slung it over his shoulder, and had his saber in hand. He paused for maybe a full second to listen to the message Kabraka was sending... He'd heard it well enough. He looked to Merek, waiting for possible confirmation that he'd gotten the message too...

There was no communiqué that was sent back to the Brigand. Systems had been failing a lot more intensely than Tiro had anticipated. He brought his fighter around, setting it down hard inside the ventral landing bays. It skidded along the durasteel, before coming to a sharp halt. The Iktotchi Jedi slid from the fighter, lightsaber already in his tight grip, as he passed by several ships, watching evacuees making their escape. With the Force as his ally, he honed in and found his friend, Kabraka, a few hundred feet set off to the side, with a foe to face. Tiro knew the Wookiee Jedi could hold his own, so he slipped into the nearest corridor where he saw evacuees escaping from. Stepping into the hallway, with the dim light flickering, he activated the lightsaber, senses on high alert through the power of the Force.

Kabe skidded around the corner, not expecting to come face to face with one calmly... then again.. he did. They were killing the ship quickly, and the Jedi Order, as strong as it was, was still a fledgling one, and it was fleeing before their onslaught. He did not wait, nor did he give preamble. He did not give a salute. He wasted no time. This was not a time for honor, or showmanship. In one hand, a blue bar of energy sprang to life with a snap-hiss followed by a deep, resonant hum, the hilt of his saber almost lost in his hand, giving his fur a blue cast that gave him a ghostly appearance in the lurid red flashing emergency lights. As his saber was lit, he set his weight back, turning some, a massive spiking surge of Force energy, gathering within and rushing to his palm with the speed of thought and instinct and lanced out in a bolt of telekinetic power, like an invisible spear meant to rip through the Dark Jedi, at the same time surrounded by a billow of pressure as well, creating a torrent of wind as it came, pushing the air before it.

Merek nodded to them. "Jeryndi, lead us to the bays. Make it quick. Leiyn, stay with him. I'll cover our backs and seal off our retreat. Should slow them down some. Keep moving." His jaw was set, and his face was grim, his grey eyes dark. The lights in their section flickered on once, and then off, leaving only emergency lights to work. "Crap, I think we've got a problem..." A moment later, he caught lights coming down the corridor from the damaged section nearby. "Jeryndi.. I hope you know the emergency routes well..." As they headed down the corridor, a trooper peeked around the corner. Before he could bring his weapon to bear, Merek snapped his up with speed born of over a decade of training and sent a pair of bolts lancing down the hall. The first one missed, the second one scored a direct hit through the left eye, the beam ripping out the back of his head, though mostly spent as the pistol in his hand whined in its high-pitched way. He found his vision was splotchy from the brilliant burst of fire, but was quickly adjusting as he turned on the built in light to the pistol. He turned and fled after them...



§ TO BE CONTINUED §

[Davion Matrix]

1.2

The enemy fell fast. The Jedi weren't untalented, weaklings. No. They had strength, they had skill. The Light was with them. But tonight, the dark was too vast... too great. The ship continued to be wrought with destruction.. Level after level a combination of man power, Praetorian Jedi and quick assemble battle droids flooded, bringing about death and destruction in what ever form it could. Outside the battle was still hectic. Swarms of Fighters closed in around the ISD, around the Jedi that remained outside. Around anything that tried to escape, though many ships did escape. Wild vectors brought them out as desperate Jedi and Droid pilots struggled to separate the enclosing darkness. DJH, what few the Jedi had, fought with the most extreme and utmost prejudice. Together they put up a battle that was inevitably lost. Jedi Defenders and Vanguards fell with Jedi at their sides.

Arc's bridge team was nearly gone... but hopefully some would be caught by capable Jedi. Arc felt a tight knot in his chest as he rushed down the hallway, his Padawan carrying a confiscated lightsabre from a fallen Jedi. Tears streamed down her face, and Arc was hard-pressed not to allow his own to flow.. Where was Luke Skywalker now?! Kyp Duron?! Where was Devynth Anon? Where was Murra Tekal? Caedmon Cato? Their leaders seemed gone when they needed them most.... That thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he realized quite suddenly. There was a Master Onboard... hope for the children... And then his heart plunged into dispair, as he felt one of the transports erupt into a fiery ball of death that sent their pains and final cries coursing through the Force with all the power of a massive maser cannon. Arc struggled to keep from collapsing to his knees. There wasn't much time... they had to activate the self-destruct on the boarding vessels... and the Star Destroyer, or more students would die.

Tiro slid down another corridor, dodging more of the fleeing students. He took his battle stance, sensing many not too far away. He dove deeper into the Force and all its mysteries, eyes shutting for the moment, his saber angled downward from his wrist, left foot forward and knee heavily bent, while his right remained rigid and straight. His face exerted no emotion, not one of fear, not one of anxiety, yet one of balance. He had been trained for this. For the protection of others. The pain of students lost in that fiery blast wanted to send a shiver down the Iktotchi Jedi’s spine, but he did not allow it. A few more students rounded the corner, careful to evade the Knight gathering his full strength. He awaited any enemies that would dare slaughter any more children.

Jeryndi looked up at Merek as he spoke... His expression was serious, worried... but there was an underlying feeling of confidence and reassurance... He -would- see Leiyn and the young twins out and safe, even if it was the last thing he did. He turned, thumbing the activation button on his saber... and allowed himself to be enveloped by the Force. The light from his saber was enough to guide their steps, and his awareness in the Force would--hopefully-- tell him if there were enemies up ahead... He glanced behind him and took Leiyn by her free hand and began down the long corridor to the designated evacuation route. He moved swiftly, pulling her along behind, then rounded the corner that lead down to the Bay.

He glanced behind him every few seconds to see if Merek was okay... But even if he wasn't, Jeryndi knew that Merek would want him to see Leiyn safely away... Seal off their retreat? Yea... That's what Kabe had wanted them to do... He wondered about the Wookiee for approximately half a second, and then remembered the warm hand he held... and the importance she signified... Not only to him, or to Kabe, but to the Jedi Order... Even though she wasn't a Jedi Knight, she had two Force Sensitive children who would, more than likely, be Jedi eventually.

The bolt of raw power he sent down the corridor shattered, breaking apart like a wooden lance on steel, only to throw shards of sharp energy through the air, to dissipate like dust. The rushing air however kicked up debris from the floor throwing it into the air, creating what almost resembled a sandstorm. The energy behind the billowing cloud of Force energy didn't lift his Praetorian opponent off his feet, but did make him stagger. The Wookiee Jedi Master came on, closing the gap quickly. Then he felt the transport go in a blaze of glory, spraying through his mind with the sound of a hundred screams backed by the power of Force Sensitive individuals. He stumbled.

Merek slipped around the corner as a blue-white bolt of energy struck the wall behind him. He slammed his palm down on the door controls and blasted the panel, sealing it shut for now, and turned to continue running, not out of breath yet, and able to follow Jeryndi's saber in the darkness, as well as his own gun-light. "Come on kid, we've got a ride to catch," he murmured in the flashing of emergency lights as his feet carried him on. Then he felt something like a punch in the stomach.. He wondered if he'd run into something, but he didn't see anything. Shaking it off, he continued running.

The Jedi transports were taking off as soon as they had a set number. Someone in the bays was making sure; no one craft had too many students with a disparate amount of knights, or vanguards. Decoys were sent out; anything and everything to give secure lay lines for the Jedi to escape. They did. Wild vectors, those that took too much time to find a jump out, ended finding themselves pursued with the utmost hostility the ships following would allow for. Outside the Corvettes rose higher on the Y-axis, leveling the guns to bring down the constant barrage of fire... On board, the Darkness grew thicker. But for it seemed the DJH models combined with Jedi skill, and Vanguard ingenuity, that the tide might have been turning.

That is, until they came. They lumbered forward, the decks they clanged across trembled in their wake. The cross between The Jedi Killer troopers and a tank, the Tactical Dreadnaught Destroyer, know to the Protectorate as the Behemoth Class Droid, was destruction embodied. One lumbering clawed fist swept forward, instantly bending durasteel beneath its powerful mass. The DJH that had tried to get to the 'U' shaped boarding party went after the second electronic photoreceptors spotted the behemoth. The Clashing of power generated shields rang out through the corridor; before the Behemoth simply grasped the more agile droid with the powerful claw... crushing its electronic brain in nanoseconds, even as it began to spill hot flame into the hallways...

Tiro honed in on the other life forms inside, still fighting for escape. Lan-Dai rounded the corner, sensing his Mentor through the Force. He extracted his own lightsaber and prepared to thumb its activation stud.

“I won’t leave your side until we know every student is safely away, Master.”

“And you intend to accomplish this defense with only one saber training session under your belt? I’m afraid not, my apprentice.”

“But I can fight, Master. You have to believe in me.”

”Lan-Dai, the worst thing in the universe is broken dreams. I have a dream of seeing you train all the way to becoming a great Jedi Master and beyond. You have to believe in me, and what I know. I need you for something else. You have to help Merek, Jeryndi and Leiyn get to the hangar bays. Activate your personal locator so you can meet them halfway. Try finding a quicker through the air and electrical ducts. You must do this, for me.”

Tiro spoke quite coldly, but it was what Lan-Dai needed to hear. He gathered himself up, slid the lightsaber back into his belt, and continued down the corridor, activating the locator and comlink. Before slipping into another hallway, he glanced upon his Master once more, knowing of the sacrifice he was making and knowing one day he’d be ready to do that same thing, and not do it foolishly.

Feeling the Dark Side flourish here, Eamon knew that he had to do something. He was young and not as powerful as some of the others, and was not even yet a knight...but he had heard stories of likewise young people that had done more under harder conditions. The ventilation ducts through the ship were dark and loud, and Eamon was quiet...so as he dampened his Force presence, something that he could do as easily as hiding himself, he made his way along undetected. The warning lights and sirens made this all easier as he approached a vent hatch, and looking down, he wasn't surprised at his sight. "Find them and destroy them," an Enforcer said. If Eamon had got a reading off him, he would have betrayed his position. He stepped out of the room and then, seeing who the enforcer been addressing, Eamon knew he had to act.

Dropping his weight to the hatch, Eamon fell through and knew he had to do this without the use of the Force. Under him were three guards who sped toward his vision quickly. Using his reverse grip, Eamon brought his right hand from his left shoulder out to his right side as he hit the floor in a crouch, decapitating one soldier and splitting the second shoulder to hip. His blue blade came up, keeping his right hand gripped reversely, but twisting his forearm, brought the blade straight up in front of his face. His left gripped the saber in the same manner a two-handed fighter would normally, and this made for a quick defense, thumbs pointed toward each other, that could cover his whole body in a fan shape. But he had to draw on Force...the third was too far. Doing so would give him up to the enforcers, but he couldn't risk that now. Falling into calmness, Eamon knew he needed to do this right. Returning the first blaster bolt directly into his assailant's face out of luck, not necessarily skill, the Galacian turned to the door and stood with a single-handed reverse grip in a low crouch, blade running parallel to the ground behind him.

Jeryndi paused for a second, looking back to Merek. He'd felt the explosion of the one transport... It had made him visibly shudder. He'd not paused, though even as he forced himself to keep walking, he had to fight the urge to empty the contents of his stomach... How many of those students had he known? He forced himself not to think about it... Calculating, wheels were already turning... More and more Praetorian Jedi and Soldiers were fllooding the ship... It made him wonder if the standard evacuation route was the best way to go. Though he sensed nothing up ahead, it would be better to take a different path. All of the main systems were either down or overridden. They would know all of the escape routes, right? He turned and looked at Merek. "I'm taking us to the central core..." he whispered softly, knowing Merek would hear him.

He glanced down at his comm and made sure it was on, and low, so that if any of the others wanted to contact him that they could... He changed his direction, pulling Leiyn along behind him... She seemed in a daze, almost, her reaction to the explosion of the Jedi Transport had not been a good one... "Turbo lifts are probably not working, but... I'm guessing they'll be expecting us to take the garbage chutes if they already know we've got Littles with us..." Gods forbid! ...The boy actually -smiled- in the midst of all that chaos. "Thinking like a thief again..." Leiyn looked up, then smiled, and nodded... They'd find a way to get the children up and down the turbo-lift shafts... She knew both Jeryndi and Merek were resourceful...

Kabe found himself immediately set upon, the Enforcer striking with a myriad of blows, all coming so fast they were intended to overwhelm his defense, his resolve and his concentration. He gave ground slowly, mostly because he was stalling. Sabers clashed over and over again in a pounding rhythm that was akin to something from one of the Corellian night-clubs He spun away from his attacker, only to feel his wrist flip around and back in blocking a blow at his back, dragging it high as he spun under his opponents arm, slapping him hard in the gut with his free hand, doubling him over but he used it to his advantage, slamming out a side-kick into the Wookiee's hip, rocking him off balance, and then setting upon him even more. This one was well-trained... He knew that much. They wouldn’t have sent green warriors against Jedi, especially well-prepared Jedi. A moment later he found his saber to be batted aside followed by a flying knee which he blocked and returned with an elbow to the chest of the Dark Jedi. He was a scrapper.. Maybe... The Wookiee wasn't sure, but didn't care.

Merek shook his head, smiling as well. "You're right, the chutes are not good. Leiyn, can you strap the twins to your back? Or even mine?" He knew that zip-lining down thirty some decks would be difficult under normal circumstances, but having to carry newborns made it a nightmare.

Arc had slipped down a few stairwells, with the gathering of what non-injured personnel were still trying to escape. “I’m not running from these cold-blooded nerfherders!! We’re going to one of those U-ships and sending it to its maker from the inside.” A few of the troops cheered on before they stepped into a dark hallway, a few levels above from where the main boarding party was stationed. They had to move quickly over a distance of four hundred yards, and leave the floor removal to the Jedi among them. They’d slip in behind the advancing party, and troops with charges would set them once they reached the engines. It was a piece of Ithorian sun cake in the dark cold of space.

Lan-Dai opened a clear channel to Jeryndi, knowing the proper frequency due to their training exercises. With quick precision, he activated his lightsaber in front of one of the turbolift chambers. He sliced a large, oval-shaped opening into it, before kicking the charred center in, hearing it clanking and clunking in its descent to the deeper sections of the shaft. He fastened his tiny comlink to the fabric near his left collarbone. He leaned inside the hole, hands taking a steady hold onto the cables before leaping out and wrapping himself up and beginning his climb. “Jeryndi, this is Lan-Dai. I’m heading your way up turbolift shaft 328. The lifts are not working, but the cables here should provide a smooth enough descent for you. I’m not too far from the hangar bays, and the coast is clear down here for now.” He wasn’t the bulkiest of the Jedi in terms of muscle mass, but he could hold his own weight and ascend in his climb.

Tiro, still in his battle trance, sought more life forms coming his way. The last of the children had just passed by him. A blockade for this section of the entryway to the starship bays seemed appropriate. He rounded the corner, slicing at a few air ducts, sending compressed air to at least blind the first group coming in. Finding a bulkier section, he slashed a few more times, the debris coming down and forming a formidable defense. He had blocked himself off from escape. He turned forward and charged down the hall, knowing he could help Arc and the rest of the crewers. He intercepted a four-person party of Protectorate troops.

They opened fire, but the Jedi easily slid into the wall, lightsaber nailing another air duct, creating his disguise, as he tapped further into the Force, accelerating his advance as he slashed across, slicing two up, and deflecting another’s laser blast back the soldier. The remaining troop would shoot, but Tiro ducked beneath it, easily sweeping out the soldier’s feet, rounding about and impaling the trooper. Tiro didn’t dilly-dally; he took off another corridor, fighting hard to intercept Arc and the rest of the crew. More diversions needed to be placed to ensure more lives.

Eamon covered his presence and darted to the corner. As the door slipped open, he grabbed a small piece of equipment and tossed it into the vent shaft. It clanged inside but did not fall out. The Dark Jedi darted inside, looked upwards, and then laughed. "Come out, come out, Jedi. You can't hide in the vent shafts forever. We've already got poisonous gases ready to be deployed for stragglers," he lied. "Then I guess it's good I'm not in the shafts," Eamon said from behind the Dark Jedi. A durasteel box flew from his position towards the dark one and thudded hard against his body. Falling down, he lit his purple blade so quickly that the box split before he'd ever landed. Eamon did not know what he'd gotten himself into...so naturally...he darted for the door and sobered the panel on his way out, jamming it.

Jeryndi nodded to Merek's words, looking to Leiyn. She nodded. "One, but not both..." she says softly, looking over at Jeryndi as his comm went off. Jeryndi almost seemed startled to hear Lan-Dai's voice on the other end. He sighed with relief, smiling as he moved down the hallway. "Good to hear from you, Lan-Dai... You read my mind. I'm already on my way. I've got 4 others, Leiyn,Merek, and the babies..." he says softly. After he'd made sure the way was clear, he lead them directly to the shaft of turbolift 328. He helped Leiyn unfasten the children from their carrier and put Kefret into the carrier on Leiyn's back... making sure his neck was securely supported, so that if they were jostled, he'd probably be okay.

"Whoever takes the second will take Alexis..." Leiyn says softly. "He's the stronger and more aware of the two, and less likely to cry or fuss... He seems to have that sixth sense of when to be quiet and still..." she says softly, holding Alexis in her arms. Jeryndi worked on getting the turbolift shaft doors open, typing Lan-Dai's code into the comm. "We're here, Lan-Dai, I'm getting the doors open now..."

The battle was a standstill, and both were keeping the pace pressing enough that the other didn't have time for anything fancy. Finally, Kabe decided he had enough, and transferred his saber to his left hand. He caught an incoming oblique, angled slash toward his neck and chest with the blade and stepped in deep. His right hand came around in an open palm-strike with all his wookiee strength and body weight behind it. The Enforcer saw it coming but had no time to react as he was flat-footed and over committed, but instead of crushing his head, Kabe palmed his face, and shoved his body weight into the wall, rebounding the Enforcer. The hard hurl he did forced his body to spin, so he went with it, spinning through and as he came around snapped out his left heel to the temple of the Enforcer even as he was falling, finishing the journey to unconsciousness, and possibly even death from the concussion. He growled low in his throat, and found that the troopers had slipped past him. He quickly sprinted off, heading for the nearest group while working his way back to the hangers.

Merek stepped close to Leiyn, his grey eyes intense. He quietly murmured to her, "I'll take Alexis. Jeryndi's new at this, and needs both hands. You've got Kefret to take care of. I can do this one handed. Besides, if we meet resistance in the shaft he can use his saber to fend off bolts somewhat. What say you?" His voice was quiet, but filled with intensity and edge... the tension of surviving. It was the same face and voice he'd had back on Ord Mantell, the day they had met.

Arc sliced his way through three levels, each soldier jumping down behind him, weary not to hold onto the charred and still red-hot edges. They had gathered near the closest assembly of wreckage made from the starboard U-Ship. The Protectorate did not anticipate such a foolhardy attack on their boarding ships, so left them practically unmanned. Arc glanced back to the group with him, all holding their blasters, while a few soldiers had charges fastened to their waists.

“I want this frelling stealth, you got that? In and out like we weren’t even here.” The soldiers nodded in reply as they all slid inside the U-Ship single file, their soft steps unrelenting in motion. They found several entryways for the lower levels, and the group of ten split into two groups of five, each group descending into the bowels of the ship with minimal fuss. When a ship tech wandered their way, they snuck on him and killed him quietly, advancing closer and closer to the engine bay. One of the soldiers in Arc’s group noticed a fuel tube in their passing, and slid a charge behind it, hiding it from view. That would engulf the corridor they were in once they were clear.

Lan-Dai was known for his vast array of gadgets, and they certainly came into great use at the moment. He clipped himself using a wire clamp from his tool belt, allowing him to rest most of weight against the cable to free up his aching arms. He could ascend quicker that way without fear of losing his grip and plummeting to a deathly impact. He spoke a little quieter over the comlink now. “I’m right below you. Don’t look down.” A faint chuckle found its way into the stale air. He took the moment to wipe some sweat from his forehead, wiping it on his pants, so as not to wet his hands or the cable he was fastened to.

Tiro continued down a long hallway, lights flickering, before noticing a rather large gap in the floor panels. The charred edges indicated a lightsaber was used, especially judging by the precision of the cut. He slipped down inside to the next corridor, flowing along the trail, not too far behind Arc’s group, but not near the area where the starboard U-Ship had ‘docked.’

Even for as strong as the Dawning Hope was, he could hear rumbles and grunts of mechanical life, and it didn’t please him. He hopped down through another hole, easing his landing, the hum of his lightsaber taking more precedence over the rumbling now. He cleared his mind, and sought Arc through the Force in his sleep advance toward the U-Ship. At an intersection of hallways, he took another path, away from Arc’s location, and towards the portside U-Ship. He wasn’t far from the munitions rooms, and would certainly load up on some charges to cut their mission in half.

[Davion Matrix]

Jeryndi smirked at Lan-Dai's words, unable ot help himself. "I was a thief a year ago, remember? If you're scared of heights, you don't do much good in the upper parts of the city..." he says softly. He actually glanced down the shaft once he'd pried the doors and smiled down at Lan-Dai.

"Hi there." Even as he was doing all this stuff, Leiyn was unstrapping Alexis from his carrier and wrapping him up in extra blankets to cushion him. She kept muttering 'okay' under her breath as she did so, gradually working her way up to strapping him securely to Merek's back. "He'll be okay..." she says softly, caressing the boy's cheeks and running her fingers through his soft curls of black. "You'll be okay with Uncle Merek, won't you?" she asks the baby, smiling as she did so. She trusted Merek with her life. And the lives of her children.

Kabe rounded a corner, his massive Wookiee feet pounding the deck. He bowled over a pair of troopers, now with both sabers in hand, one blue, one amber, he spun into the ranks, cutting six down before they could react, slipping between two more as they shot each other, and finishing off the last four with one fan of energy from both of his sabers. The bodies fell seemingly in slow motion as he moved with speed and thought born of the Force. There -was- no chance for them. They knew what they were into.

They were warriors, the same as he. He leaped down the hall, into the next group, crashing his sabers through the rear two, then he spun his sabers in his grip deflecting a pair of bolts on one side and cutting a trooper down, and sweeping off another's hands.. to bring his blades back to the middle to cross over one another, cutting down two more, as well as to catch the saber of this squad's Enforcer leader. His stance was off, and his grip was unsure, so hsi saber was torn from his grasp, sending the blade splitting another trooper.

Merek smiled at Leiyn, and caressed her cheek for a moment. "Don't worry, little wraith, I'll take good care of your son." He looked to Land Dai and Jeryndi. He knew this was a Jedi ship, and a Jedi fight, but he also knew that he was older and more experienced than either of them, when it came to combat. "Which one of you is the stronger climber, and which is stronger with .. moving things with the Force?" He was betting on Jeryndi on the last, but who knows...

The Behemoth was making quite a mess, destroying practically everything in its path, shock troops behind it, awaiting an easy kill. Its gargantuan size barely made it inside the corridors, and when it couldn’t fit, it would plow its way through. A few stragglers; information techs and structural droids were its victims, plowing them down with the ease of its heavily-armed blaster cannons. It was butchering anything it saw. It took quite an electronic pleasure in opening the shafts to turbolifts and clipping the cables, while troops watched the destruction occur miles below.

“No, damnit!! We need to hide them, so in case anyone comes around, they won’t notice.” Arc sighed, as the troops had finished placing all the charges they had gathered. They gathered their weapons and began the long haul to the portside U-Ship. They jogged, conserving their energy, and were quick to round corners, despite the possibility of enemies being in transit. Arc was with them, and his senses were one with the Force, allowing him knowledge prior to an unwelcome rendezvous. They were met with little resistance: most of the invading troops had already descended further into the Hope.

Lan-Dai angled his neck upwards, catching sight of the group about to descend. “Great to see you. Tiro was most worried.” He took a tighter hold on the cable to keep it steady for them, his sense in the Force hitting a quick spike; a sharp pain hitting his head. Something was amiss. Far above, he heard another lift door abruptly open. It was the Behemoth. Its claws slid out and severed a set of cables. Lan-Dai frantically held tighter, as he watched a turbolift to his right sail down and past the group. It was the turbolift #326. If they didn’t move, after lift #327 dropped down to a dark crush, they’d be next. Luckily, the Behemoth’s scanners did not reach them, so it detected no lifeform readings.

Tiro stepped out into the corridor now, charges strapped to his belt and thighs. He carried eight of them, the added weight slowing him down. The portside U-Ship was guarded, however, but nothing the Iktotchi Jedi could not handle. He was very aware of his ‘walking bomb’ status and deflected all the blaster bolts within range. He took down three troopers, while tossing another four into the nearby walls, thanks to the Force. Their impact was hard; concussion-causing. Striding into the boarding hatch, Tiro glanced upon a lone security guard, blaster across from him, resting on a panel.

“You look lonely.” And with a small movement of his hand, the trooper flew back into the wall, knocked out. His access to the Force allowed him to accelerate his speed and breeze by to the bowels of the boarding vessel. The charges were set to a remote, which Tiro now carried at his belt. The weight that had now left his body was a welcome treat, as he started his path out. He raced against time, knowing many friends were still aboard. Though this sabotage would aid in their escape, it was delaying them greatly. Upon rounding a corner, he was met with ten fighters: each ready for combat. But they were different. He tossed the charge detonation button to Arc, who caught it quickly. “Thought I’d save you some time. Now we’ve got to move.” The group continued on, heading for the landing bays.

Jeryndi grinned at Lan-Dai. He looked to Merek, speaking softly and quickly. "I'm good at both, but Lan-Dai's just as good as me, if not better, in almost all areas of the Force... He has more combat training than I do..." He jerked his head up until he saw the turbolift cables get cut by the Behemoth.

"Ohhh, SHIT..." he says softly, looking to Leiyn and offering his hand to her. "C'mon, we gotta go now." Even if the Behemoth hadn't read life signs in its scans, it would surely come back across it... Ifi t cut the first few cables of the turbolifts, chances are it would cut the rest of them, too. Leiyn was pale and restless, it seemed, and nodded... still silent.

Kabe continued on in his onslaught. The Enforcer dropped to the floor spinning on his hip, kicking his lightsaber off the floor, rebounding it off a wall and into his hand as he lit it and spun back up, the violet blade rising with extreme swiftness. Kabe wasted know time, and blocked low with his right, and used his left saber like a fore-arm to the Enforcer's throat, slicing his head clean off. He might have been in the grip of Wookiee battle-rage but he was taking no chances and wasting no time. He was still able to think coherently. He glanced back, looking at teh glowing walls, and reeking piles of burnt flesh, severed and chopped as it was. He shuddered and headed back to the hanger, only to hear the sharp twangs and whistling scream of quarrels being fired, occasionally followed by an explosion. His three sons were working with a rear guard to keep the Enforcers at bay. "Get to the Legacy! Get ready to go! I need good gunners too!" They gave him a nod, as he pulled out a grenade and hurled it down the hall, its detonator going off before it could reach the first Enforcer, filling that section of corridor with near plasma, fire.

Merek sent the boys ahead quickly, then urged Leiyn to follow, after telling her to use her legs to grip, and guide while her hands were to make sure she didn't slip. He made sure his gloves were secure and jumped out onto the next cable over after falling a full deck, the cable zipping through the ring of his index and thumb as he let his decent have almost no control until he caught up to them, and then used his boots and hands to slow his fall to something manageable. One more turbolift screamed past... "We're not gonna make it," he heard himself shout.

Lan-Dai screamed up to them, his voice traveling fast, but not as far to be detected by the Behemoth. “C’mon!! We’ve got to move.” He slowly began to descend, barely a few inches a second, to ensure he was able to snag anyone by chance they slipped. One hand held the cable while his other was extended out; his back arched enough to watch the group in their decline. He was nervous; he was scared, but he had the Force to guide him, and that was the only soothing quality of the moment. It brought peace to him for a nanosecond, before he watched the capsule that was turbolift #327 plummet next to him. The panic hit him like a bucket of cold water, as he glanced up further, worried for his friends and comrades.

Those robotic rumbling steps drew closer, as Arc, Tiro and the attack group rounded another corner. They were five levels above Arc slid in front of a computer port, reassuring himself the self-destruct codes and countdown were still in order. “There’s no time.” Tiro spoke. “I’m not letting these bastards get this ship!!” The emergency power barely registered, and the countdown was still commencing. Down the hall, a rupture of debris, circuits, and durasteel paneling met their view.

The Behemoth was right on top of them, standing before the turbolift labeled #328. Tiro slid to a door, opened it up, so it hung out into the hallway, offering them some cover. He glanced to the other way in which they came. “Can’t get out that way.” Arc and a few other soldiers did the same with providing cover through the doors. The Behemoth’s laser systems were already laying down a volley of fire on them; the doors were holding and taking the brunt of the onslaught. Tiro pointed down to a garbage chute. “Things may get dirty.” He slipped his blaster from his belt, punching the desired holes in the chute guard, offering them enough room before he slid down into it, his door becoming unhinged, and falling down. Two troops were nailed with laserfire, ripping through bone and flesh, their bodies sinking into the floor. Arc slid in after Tiro, their descent more like a slide, but a grimy, disgusting slide. But their escape was near to the finish. The Behemoth, recognizing no more enemies in the perimeter, twisted back around, ready to clip one more set of cables in a binary code-based delight.

[Davion Matrix]

1.3

Jeryndi hesitated, but did as he was told... He proceeded down the shaft before Leiyn, before Lan-Dai... Lan-Dai, he knew, was more equipped to deal with catching Leiyn if she fell or accidentally loosened her grip. Jeryndi was descending quickly, partially because he wasn't exerting the will to stop, only slowing himself until he reached their destination... Leiyn waited for her turn, making her way down the cables as fast as she dared. She kept glancing up at Merek, looking up at the Behemoth, wondering if they'd die this time... Merek had that same intensity that he'd had the day he'd helped rescue her. She didn't see him throughout the rescue mission until after they'd made it back to the transport, but seeing him like this now. She knew that that’s what he had been like that day.

It gave her a certain amount of comfort. Why? She didn't know... Kefret screamed his little blonde-haired head off the entire way as she descended the shaft... And, almost unconsciously, she began to sing to him to quell his fears... Alexis, however, was tiny and still where he was bundled up on Merek's back... He did not make a peep at all, did not squirm, did not cry out... And Leiyn was more worried for Merek than she was Alexis... because she knew Merek would do everything he could to protect her son and probable nephew.

Kabe watched his children run into the docking bay, the two bigger ones dropping into shooters crouches, their aim points toward the other doors, taking a few risky shots into the darkness, being careful not to hit any of the stragglers. A bolt of blue-white hard light lanced past him, striking the MagCon of the bay, ricocheting it back into the wall. He turned, his sabers quickly weaving a defensive screen turning back bolts and creating a disorienting pattern of colors. He worked to send their shots back into their ranks, one of the principles of form IV, which was one of his chosen forms, but he didn't have a set style thanks to a lifetime of training with blades. He made his own way as he went. Nearby, the Jedi Master could feel trouble, and great distress from Leiyn, and her children, Jeryndi, and Merek... all were his friends, and perhaps even extended family, so he had always kept an unconscious eye on them, in times of peace, but now he could almost tell what the problem was. The thing is, they felt like they were in the turbolift shafts, but that couldn't be right.

~Come on... come on.. Don’t make me come get you!~

Merek found himself praying to whatever being of good would answer to give them just a little longer, just a little more... He could feel the cable sliding in his hands, against his nerf-hide gloves, while around his boots, and between his legs as he used them to control his decent. He wished he had his rappelling gear, but hadn't thought he would need it. It was on the Destiny. Now he was kicking himself for not getting it from the docks when the attack started. He should have known to get his battle-harness and gear. It would have been the right thing for this situation. It even would have had mag-seals so he could have -walked them- down the shaft, essentially. He looked at the girders sliding past, suddenly making up his mind to go for one of them if he fell, or try for an open door. At least if he landed on one of them he could hang on, or in a hallway he could find a different route, but for now this was the most straight-line, and most efficient. And perhaps the safest, considering what the halls were filled with.

And so the inevitable happened. The Behemoth cut the final assembly of cables before its massive mechanized form. Its robotic arm extended further into the shaft to get them all. A few troopers gathered on its sides to watch the plummet of the lift. Its rear sensors were bombarded by soldiers trying to get a peek of the destruction, because who doesn’t like seeing things blow up? The turbolift dropped from far above, the speed picking up and nailing the Behemoth’s arm.

It was constructed quite well, however. The arm did not break off in the collision. Instead, the Behemoth toppled forward, the arm crippling, its massive form getting stuck in the lift opening. A few robotic screeches echoed in the shaft, as the turbolift body rocked and rolled into the paths of where #326 and #327 were, ricocheting off the walls.

Lan-Dai readied his Naboo S-5, along with his assembly of gadgets. He swung slightly with the cable, and then he dropped. He slipped next to Jeryndi, grabbing him by the back of his tunic. His knees were bent, his arms extended outward as he landed at a rough outcropping across from the gaping hole in the turbolift door. His hands struggled to find a grip to smooth his landing. The force behind him sent him forward even further, almost knocking him off the outcropping. He kicked the wall in front of him to bring his body back and stabilize his balance. He aimed quickly and he fired a net launcher to the base of the open hole. The strings shot out in all directions, each penetrating a side of the wall at least half a foot, the net extracting itself and forming a web-like appearance.

“Watch out!!” He screamed to Jeryndi. In fact, in the heat of the moment, one of the spikes at the end of the net came back and stabbed into his shin. He howled in pain, crouching low in an attempt to pull it out. It was really deep and painful, having slid through his flesh and into the wall behind him. He resorted to the Force to numb the pain, as his scanned upwards to watch the descent of his friends.

Their slip-and-slide adventure dropped them multiple levels. There were several forks every twenty yards, and Tiro bested his self-piloting skills to follow the path that led to the hangar bay. Each one behind him was close enough to follow his path except for one, who screeched off down the wrong duct, further and further into the bowels of the ship. If not for Tiro’s lightsaber still being activated, their halt would have been bone-breaking. The protective cage that was in their way was slashed through in a few sections, but not all, the metal obstructions raking the side of Tiro’s face where his scar was. He had four diagonal deep cuts, blood already rising to the surface. The hole got bigger and bigger each time a trooper came out of it.

Their stinking forms rose to find them in the hangar bay, where the Brigand was, and a few other unmanned vessels. The stink, waste and chemicals were getting into right eye, as well as the cuts on his right cheek, the pain stinging violently. He pushed hard into the Force to neglect the nerve receptors as he slid over to the hallway entry, to guard it while others got to the safety of ships. He slipped his comlink into his hand, opening a channel to Lan-Dai.

“Lan-Dai, are you there?”

Jeryndi looked up as the Behemoth cut the cables... For a few seconds, everything happened in slow motion, or so it seemed. He'd seen the Behemoth actually cut the cables and the fact that he was falling didn't seem to register... Until Lan-Dai's hand grabbed the back of his shirt and jerked him away from the cable as it fell. Delving deeper into the Force, he landed lightly on his feet beside Lan-Dai, wincing at the wound of the spike protruding through his leg. He looked up as he heard Leiyn scream, saw her falling as she let go of the cable... He stepped out onto the net as she landed, double checking her to make sure she was okay, then ushered her across to the other side where the hole had been cut out of the doorways to the turbolift shaft. The place Lan-Dai had come from to start with. He glanced up, wanting reassurance that Merek was okay... Even though the cable had fallen, the turbolift itself was still falling, and Merek had yet to clear it. Lan-Dai should be okay from where he was.

Kabe felt the spike in emotion from them relatively overhead. Just a moment later there was a loud crash and turbolift doors buckled outward, sending a billow of dust and debris out into the corridor. He held his hands to his ears as the troopers scrambled. There was another loud bang, with a similar result, and he howled, wishing his senses weren't so open. They -were- in the shafts and there was something cutting the cables! He cursed loudly, and violently. Leiyn was still alive though. As the turbolift began thundering downward, and the others got to safety, he was farther up the cable and didn't have that luxury. He let go, angling his body with his fall, having used the last moment of the cable's connection to swing himself, now his hands caught the edge of one of the beams and he grunted with the effort... the effort of swinging his lower body out of the way. Muscles flexed and worked with the timing and over a decade of training as he swung his body forward, building momentum. He reached the very bottom of the arc, his legs traversing up. Almost straight up. He let go of the beam as he rocketed up.

The turbolift thundered past, and he was hanging in the air free, his energy carrying him up as he tucked his legs close, rotating over until he landed on the beam he just swung from, on the balls of his feet, perched there, his hands clamping down hard to keep him locked in place, until he stood slowly, shakily, on the same level as they were. He waved, spreading his feet out to plant on the beam, maintaining his balance easily. "Damn, that was fun. I'm gonna feel it in the morning," he exclaimed. "You guys got any cable or maybe another net I can use?"

Kabe was staring up; then the third bang came, shaking the decking beneath his feat. Right through where they had been, but strangely enough they were still up there, a few decks away. Alive. Somewhat rattled and one was radiating pain.. But they were alive! He let out a whoop of jubilation and grinned to himself, and began advancing on the troopers, now that they were distracted and disoriented. He was not, thanks to the Force, and its steadfastness. He began moving among them, a white spectre, felling them where they stood.

Lan-Dai shuddered in pain, holstering his blaster and reaching for his comlink, his back closer against the wall now for balance. A few trickles of blood stained his pants, but it didn’t bleed much. It was a puncture wound; nothing more. He brought the comlink to his lips, speaking quickly.

“I can’t talk right now, Master. But we’ll be in the hangar in less than a minute.”

Sliding the comlink back to his belt, he extracted his lightsaber, allowing a quick moment of its brilliant light to be sent, as he slashed the net cable in front of his leg, allowing him temporary movement. He’d just have to roll over the net now, and end up back in the hallway. If it wasn’t for the descending turbolift that took the net down with it, he’d have an easy escape. Now there was a ten foot chasm between him and freedom. He glanced to his friends, gathering his Force energy. He looked over to Merek. Grabbing his weapon again, he fired a cable upward and on an angle. It wrapped around one of the strong support beams. He tightened the cable around the weapon, and tossed it to Merek, allowing it to look like a pendulum.

“Adjust your angle when you leap, so we can grab you from the doorway.” He leapt fast and hard, sliding into the doorway and falling down. Quickly gathering himself, he stepped into the doorway, awaiting Merek’s swing.

Arc slid past Tiro, who was wiping his face. “Get to the ships. Prep them for takeoff.” He twisted around once more, glancing over the walls of the hangar bay. He’d dreamt of the romance of wars, the triumph of great warships, and this battle denied him of that. He felt robbed. A melancholy look dressed his face. Tiro slid to his side, patting him on the shoulder once.

“They’ll be other command carriers. They’ll be other wars to be fought.”

Arc’s eyes fell low, his head dropping as well. “I know. And a brighter day for us all.”

Tiro stepped away, towards the Brigand, speaking into his comlink. “Copy that. We’ll be waiting for you.” He sensed the pain in his Padawan’s voice, and knew they’d seek medical treatment upon their rendezvous. He took precautions, sliding over to the Brigand, extracting a medpac from his cockpit and bringing it over to Lan-Dai’s fighter. He reassumed his position near the doorway, hearing the rumbling and groans of a damaged ship.

Jeryndi had ushered Leiyn down the hallway... He didn't want Leiyn to be standing -right- there when the turbolift went thundering past... But she had resisted, border lining violence against her friend and adopted little brother... She had seen Merek swing and land safely, and then the turbolift had passed. She looked up at Merek with a mixture of awe and respect, which quickly shifted into a flush of anger... and then grew pale again as relief flooded over her... Merek was okay. Alexis was okay. They were -all- okay, except for Lan-Dai, who was already on his way over to them.

Jeryndi watched with a certain detachment, but when Lan-Dai landed somewhat safely inside the hallway, he gave a sigh of relief. 4 down, 2 to go... Merek. Alexis. He gave Leiyn a gentle push on further down the hallway, pressing the pistol he usually carried on him into Leiyn's hand. Stepping up to the shaft, he, too, awaited Merek's swing... ready to catch or steady him with either his hands or the Force.

The FireFly was waiting in the same bay as the Brigand. The Horizon Class Yacht, becoming even more heavily modified as the days went by, was waiting for its last crew member. Jeryndi, a few other knights and students were onboard. And all of them eagerly requested taking off. But Mos, Rilst, and Taj refused to leave without Jer. Rilst, knelt over an edge, keeping her blasters aimed for the doorway. Taj was running around sharing her medical knowledge with anyone who was injured and needed help getting to what remained of the personal crafts. For the most part, transports were able to get away, but it didn't look too good. Mos' large black eyes swiveled in simple annoyance, a blaster pistol in his hand; he watched Tiro and Arc running in.

"If you don't got a way off this boat… come on aboard..." The ship's rocking was getting heavier from the bombardments outside. The time to go was coming...

[Davion Matrix]

Kabe spun through the doorway, still grinning, his sabers spinning against the flats of his palms creating two disks of light in front of him, then deactivated both of them, and slipped the amber one back onto his belt but not the other. He turned to the Legacy, signaling with a hand to start heating the systems up. The ship was already ready for launch, and had been sitting there waiting, but he wanted the shields to be fully charged, and the guns super-charged before they headed out of the bay. It would only take a few moments, since they weren't under way. He still needed to wait for the others. For now though, he had a few moments peace.

Merek grabbed the cable and quickly swung across the chasm of the shaft, landing easily inside the door frame, turning to hold the cable so Lan Dai could extract his gear, and recover his weapon, before they moved on. At the same time he drew his DL-44 that was on his left thigh, aiming down the hall as the gun-light came on, spilling pure white light down the corridor, illuminating and sending the shadows shrieking back silently, and deepening others.

Lan-Dai limped along, retaking the blaster, severing the cable, allowing it to just fall back and dangle from the support beam from which it hung. His lifted the weapon to his side as he brought up the rear of the party as they proceeded to the landing bays. One hand applied some pressure to his leg, but it made the pain even more realistic. It didn’t help with his grunts and moans with each step he made. A long look of distaste filled his face; not enjoying the current state he was in. But soon they’d be gone from this mess.

Tiro heard steps approaching. His lightsaber was on standby, and it quickly flickered to life, its blade making that notable noise. His yellow orbs were squinted, seeing whatever got into his right eye was proving unbearable. A few lines of blood did descend from his face, sliding down his neck and staining his tunic. He turned his direction to the bay; where he screaming to his astromech.

“R4, ready the ship.” He glanced over to Lan-Dai’s fighter as well. He spoke to a few guards in his passing. “Watch the door, but do not shoot. We have friends coming our way.” He walked over to his Padawan’s ship, opened the canopy, and started it up, preparing for their speedy getaway.

As they walked, Leiyn unfastened Alexis from Merek's back and held him to her chest... It was for two reasons, so they would not have to do it once they reached the Bay, and also, if Merek had to fight, he could do so freely without having to worry about the child. Jeryndi carried his saber in hand, keeping the blade up and in front of him as they walked... He'd forced Leiyn to keep the pistol, which she now had tucked into her belt. He reached out with the Force, sensing Tiro and a group of others up ahead along with the familiar presences of Mos, Rilst, and Taj.

"The FireFly is still docked," he informed Leiyn and Merek softly, looking to them both. He was a crew member aboard the FireFly; of course, his obligations were there rather than the Legacy, or the Destiny's Kiss...

Leiyn looked to him with a satisfied smile and nodded. "We're all okay, though?" She looked up suddenly, seeking Kabe's presence through the Force... and sighed when she realized all of the Wookiee family was safe and well... "Yea... I'll go with Kabe." She looked to Merek, giving him a slight smile, wondering what he'd do once they got back to the Bay... They were hurrying, as it were, and so on and so forth, but the conversation was light, but informative... at least, for once, Jeryndi OR Leiyn wasn't trying to crack a joke...

Kabe smiled feeling Leiyn's silent questing out for him in the Force. He smiled, and sent back the image of his hand holding hers, a message that he was safe, and he was waiting, as well as ready to help if they needed it, but this area was clear for now. He gestured to Rova, Tarykam and Rorwarr, and they slipped inside, brushing past students and personnel. Kabe turned back. He would wait as long as he had to.

Merek smiled back to Leiyn softly in the darkness and stroked Alexis' head once, then Leiyn's shoulder. "Come on; time to get you guys to safety." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of flimsi-plast and handed it to her, his alternate com-codes on it.

"When you see the fur ball, give him that so I know where to meet you all." As Merek finished, he resolved himself to silence for a few moments, his boots plodding on the decking as he was moving to cover ground as much as the others were. He glanced over his shoulder, checking on Lan-Dai who was injured, but moving, making sure he wasn't falling behind, even with the pain in his leg.

They finally made it into the hangar bay, being greeted by troops and those alike. Lan-Dai limped over to his Master. “You don’t look so good.” Tiro spoke dryly. “You look worse.” Lan-Dai replied. The Iktotchi patted his Padawan’s shoulder. “You’ve done well. But it’s not over yet. We need to safeguard the ships once we’ve left the hangar bay. Once they’ve jumped out of the system, plot a course and we will rendezvous when we can. Use the sub channels for sending communiqués; we don’t know who might be listening.”

Tiro congratulated his student when it was needed, and hopefully that boost of morale would be enough to get him out of here, safe and sound.

Arc was moving up the ramp, his body ached. His heart ached. He wanted to weep for those lost here. The battles he had so grandly envisioned. The glory and nobility in it had died. Along with people he couldn't save. But outside he could -feel- things becoming worse. Any pilots foolish enough to stick around were being shot down. Pilots unable to escape were caught in fiery balls of expanding gas. The Force felt heavy with the dark. Frightening to the edges, how they began to move and flow as if undisturbed by the fire coming from Jedi Pilots. They were running out of time. Also Arc pushes the detonator buttons.

As they made it to the Bay, Jeryndi glanced at Tiro and Lan-Dai to hear their quiet exchange... He moved quickly, escorting Leiyn to the Legacy, handing her the big bag with all of their stuff in it at the last moment, and gave her a reassuring hug. He disengaged, then gave her a quick wink and a sharp smile, then ran back to the boarding ramp of the Firefly... Leiyn took the bag in hand, glancing up at Kabe, and quickly made her way through the students that had boarded the Legacy and went to her room which had been 'hers' since Kabe and she had first invested in the Legacy.

The big Wookiee followed her up the ramp, closing it behind himself and making sure the airlock sealed, then headed for the cockpit. It took him a little longer than usual, for the amount of people packed on the ship. He eased through the opening, directing Rova to monitor sensors and help his two brothers where they were in the gun-turrets. After a quick check to make sure the Vendetta was slaved to the Legacy he checked his sensors, making sure the deck was clear. Then slowly he lifted off, moving it over to the opening in the belly of the dying destroyer. He looked back, making sure one of the older students was on the bridge, and manning communications.

"We're out of here. See if you can find rendezvous coordinates." The Loronar medium transport dropped out of the Star Destroyer, straight into a mass of confusion. Explosions were going off here and there as the few remaining Jedi pilots fought for their lives against an implacatable foe. Shafts of hard light began lancing out from the dorsal and ventral guns on the Legacy as well as the double-barrel ion cannon turret that was mounted near the aft, to protect the engines. He wasted no time as shots began to skitter over the shields: jamming the throttle wide open, kicking out a jet of super-heated ions, burning a few fighters away, maximizing his damage as much as he could without using his missiles or torpedoes.

Merek didn't waste any time either, nor was he surprised to find the Destiny's Kiss chalk full of students, Vanguard and Defenders. He quickly told them to man the guns. It had a double-barrel dorsal cannon and a belly cannon. He'd wanted to add starboard and port cannons but hadn't had the time or parts yet. He quickly selected a co-pilot and someone for communications and told everyone to get strapped down or secure as best they could and sprinted into the cockpit, quickly dropping into the left seat, the captain's chair. He also dropped his vessel down and out, the chrome hull reflecting the explosions, making him almost a shinning beacon.

He blasted off, following Kabe. His jaw still set, hearing shots beginning to hammer out from the cannons on his vessel as well, tracing fire through swelled enemy ranks. Behind them, came on two Skiprays, their computers using the targeting data from the bigger ships, as well as being manned, adding their own mix into the mess, pouring out capital-grade firepower into the fighters, both almost lost in the darkness due to the one's black hull paint job, and the other's mimetic modifications, all four ships cutting the way for the rest of them.

Lan-Dai stepped into his fighter and veered out into the fight, working on clearing a path. He’d double back to make the route thicker and easier accessible for the larger vessels. Tiro stepped into the Brigand, the hatch sealing over him. Activating his onboard comms, he spoke quickly.

“Let’s hope we have a decent escape route or this is going to be a real short trip.” He spoke to his astromech. “Okay hit it!!” The repulsors lifted the fighter off the landing bay, and Tiro manned the controls. Veering left, he then swooped up and down, descending out of the landing bay, spinning several times to evade fire. Jerking the controls to port, he opened one hatch of charges as he swooped around, laying down another wall of explosions as a temporary distraction.

He continued to lay down various laser shots, nailing a few ships careening by, but he mainly waiting to provide an escort to the escaping ships. Once they noticed the final ships evacuating, the Protectorate would certainly go in for the kill. And this Iktotchi Jedi would prevent that at all costs.

Once Jeryndi ran past Mos gave a disapproving click... "Cae definitely rubbed off on you kid..." He turned and ran up the ramp once Taj moved past, and then Rilst was moving inside as well. When their crew was on, the ship was fighting to lift. A megaphone relayed a message across the bay.

"Get gone... the ships are going up..." The explosion erupted from the U ships first, big chunks of fighters were caught in the explosions as the FireFly hefted itself out of the bay, and immediately began to fight against the disorientated enemies, trying desperately to get their vector out of system... Mos sent out a communications to all the ships that were Jedi and still here. Those pilots twisted violently, and began leaping out of this deathtrap.

"Get out of here... everyone..." He held up a hand to tell Rilst to hold off on the gunning, they had their vectors they weren't staying. Once Arc was sure that they had all enough time to get out, the Dawning Hope would explode. It would start at the reactor cores and ruptured and send doom to anything close: combined with the earlier U-ships explosions. The enemy's shock was… unimpressive. These were Praetorian's here. They didn't need anything but their danger-sense to prepare them for the explosion. Only the fit survived and those were the ones trying to follow anyone slow enough to get held behind. The FireFly, sure as hell wasn't one of them. Mos made sure of that.

Jeryndi side glanced at Mos as he passed him, giving him a quirky smile. He ran to his place at the other gunning position. He knew they would head out of there immediately, but wanted to be sure that he could do all he could if it came to that. He knew that Rilst would probably be doing the same. On board the Legacy, Leiyn put Alexis into one of the extra carriers that she'd left on board the Legacy, but held Kefret in her arms. The blonde-haired babe was still screaming his head off. Go figure. She sang softly to him, expecting to hear gunfire, expecting to feel the familiar pull of the Legacy jumping into Hyperspace.

It didn't take long for the Legacy's guns to cut a swath through space, especially when he used a few torpedoes and missiles, going off in starburst patterns to thin out the ranks as well as the Vendetta. The Kiss went a different direction, with its trailing Skipray as well, movements synchronized by the computers. The navicomputer finished its suggested microjump and he came about. Stars leaped into starlines, then snapped back into place a few moments later. Now the Legacy was on the edge of the system, leaving the destruction far behind. The Vendetta was hanging aft and to port. A few moments later, the final jump coordinates scrolled across his screen, and then starlines filled the viewport, and changed to the mottled sky of hyperspace, safely whisking them away.

The Kiss swept through a power curve, its guns belching fire as it burned away from the stricken destroyer's death-throes, grunting some with the multiple g's the cockpit was experiencing. The rest of the ship had the inertial compensators on full, but Merek liked to feel the g's, so he could gauge the ship's response. The ship shuddered and bucked, bouncing as a fighter exploded next to it. He shook his head and also made his jump, muttering to himself as the kiss leaped forward with pseudo motion and vanished into a pinprick.

Swooping around, Tiro kept some distance between the escaping parties. If any Vornskrs trailed them, Tiro would pick them off. Lan-Dai was mid-way through the escape convoy, providing cover and intercepting any attacking fighters. Tiro closed down the comm. signals, speaking only to his astromech. “R4, set a course for Iktotch. We’ll need help. And I know just who can provide some.” Lan-Dai had made it out of the fray, already plotting a course that corresponded with the FireFly.

And he jumped, the stars converting to lines as he entered the safety of hyperspace. He would then tend to his wounds through the use of Tiro’s donated medpac. The Iktotchi shifted course, however. He sailed away from the convoy to the right, plotting his course into the navicomputer. It was a rather quick countdown, and before a Vornskr could let off a single laser shot, he raced into hyperspeed, his presence disappeared off every ships’ scanners.