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Star Wars 0027 - Part VII - Rivals on the Battlefield

Randall J. Morrison

A long time ago, in a galaxy far,
far away . . .

Star Wars 0027
Part VII
Rivals on the Battlefield

Eight years have passed since Grand Admiral Sienar truly revealed his fleet to the ISA with an unsuccessful attack on the House of Lords. Since then, Phadrax Monovial’s ColoPlants have placed an ugly mark on all Imperial colonies forced under his rule. The Commonwealth of Rebel Dominion 0027 has concentrated all military operations into the destruction of these ColoPlants and peaceful re-colonization of the galaxy.

Commander Kenneth Harlo has been appointed to lead the Carmine Squadron of B-Wing starfighters in any upcoming battles. As it has been for many years, Dominic Artemius sees that Harlo could be even more valuable outside of a starship and trained as a Jedi Knight. But nothing, not even the dire need for defenders of justice in the galaxy, has been able to make Artemius further pursue the training of this Jedi potential.

Monovial’s dark apprentice, Sabreeth, has grown to be a powerful ally to both the ISA and Monovial himself. Their ideas combined put all ColoPlant construction on hold while the ISA focuses on building two major structures. One built especially for Sabreeth, and one built especially for Monovial, in their quest to become galactically unstoppable. . . .

Systematically, the ISA’s ColoPlant structures were incredibly energy efficient and obviously designed by an engineering genius. On the planet of Columus, there was once no structure taller than the Columi residences, which stood only two-and-a-half metres off of the soft, muddy ground. When Phadrax Monovial first initiated the construction of a ColoPlant on Columus, it seemed that the accumulation of exotic plant-life had already begun to die.
The gravity was another story entirely. Commander Kenneth Harlo certainly knew. In his four years of service to the Rebel Dominion, and having destroyed at least a dozen ColoPlants in that time, he had never experienced anything like this. Columus’ gravity was extremely low. Low enough that Harlo suspected he weighed eight times less than he did on Ossus, and perhaps ten times less than his weight on Ivinsnale.
These were never easy missions and he was glad that he had a partner all the time. Whereas it was usually Cygnus who joined him in these missions to destroy a ColoPlant, now a rookie was by his side. With good reason, Corporal Stlantasmial Dexxa preferred to be called by his surname, and that voucher of respect was granted to him. The two officers both held pistols in their right hand and leaned against the corner of the ColoPlant.
The tower was wholly black in color with several obtrusions coming from its side and lights running up and down the entire surface. Guards had the mandate of patrolling the main entrance and making hourly circuits around the entire structure. Harlo and Dexxa were far from either of those possible threats, both in distance and in time. There were two models of ColoPlants that Harlo was trained in disabling, the only difference was that one had its main power generator on the roof instead of in the basement; the destruction of this ColoPlant would require a trip to the bottom floor.
“So what do I do, exactly?” Dexxa asked. “Should I just watch you plant these charges and learn from that?” Harlo shook his head and unlocked a latch to the case on his back which held a series of explosives that were to destroy this building.
“I doubt you’ll ever learn the actual connections of the charges for awhile, Dexxa,” Harlo told him. “It is more likely that your job will consist of watching my back and being there just in case someone wants to interrupt our mission. It’s dangerous, but you were the one who signed up.”
“I don’t mind the danger at all. I was just curious.” Harlo knelt down against the wall of the ColoPlant. They were right near a corner and Dexxa poked his head around to check where the nearest Imperial officer might be. “There isn’t even anyone in my sight.”
“That’s good. Do you think that they are out of range to be able to hear blaster fire?” Harlo asked, waving his weapon back and forth.
“Don’t risk it. Don’t we have anything else?” Harlo searched his belt for a tool that would be sufficient for cutting into the ventilation system of the ColoPlant from the outside.
“Nothing that heats or melts that way I would like it to,” Harlo said. “These grills that cover the vent system are reinforced with Doonium. You can’t just kick that kind of metal in I’m afraid.” Dexxa looked around the corner once more and pulled back holding a heavy pipe.
“What is that for and where did you get it?” Harlo asked.
“It was leaning against the wall right around the corner. I could barely see it. Not much sun left. We’d better do this quick. Don’t want it to be so dark that not even our transports could find us,” Dexxa said, then smiled. He brought the heavy pipe high over his shoulder and smashed it into the grill with all the force he could exude. Harlo was about to complain about how loud and unprofessional it was, but the grate had collapsed and could easily be pulled out of the relatively narrow shaft.
“Hurry!” Harlo whispered. “Follow me!” He dropped down to his stomach and crawled inside the vent, tossing the remnants of the grill behind. Dexxa followed closely and both of them knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone who had heard the sound came to investigate it. Harlo had to work fast on that explosive.

* * * *

Since the training of his dark apprentice, Sabreeth, Phadrax Monovial hadn’t paid a great deal of attention to his previously hired bounty hunter, Lotaan Xta Santau. Instead, Lotaan had created a private mission out of personal interest. It was one that Monovial would undoubtedly praise and he would get a grand reward. However, infiltrating the meeting room of the Rebel Dominion’s leaders was a much more difficult task than he had originally suspected. He knew something that nobody else did. He knew that the Dominion was located on Ivinsnale in the Ottega star system. Acquiring that information alone took him several years, however; therefore, having to take over this Dominion and turn it over to the Empire single-handedly was an even bigger challenge.
He spent a long time planning out different ways of putting a huge dent in the Rebel Dominion’s schedule, not to mention their resources. When that little project was completed, all that was left was the actual intervention. Using all of the information he had acquired from working under the ISA, Lotaan created a portfolio of plans that would be especially effective in disabling the ISA’s threats against peace for good. They would be used in his intervention as a decoy; however, the difference between Lotaan’s decoys and that of most other masterminds of resistance is that he made no fakes. Not one of these plans was a fake. Provided anyone survived his intervention, they could very well use Lotaan’s plans against the ISA and find that they would be effective. Phadrax Monovial had no defense against them.
This wasn’t precisely what he wanted, however. He didn’t want to be considered a traitor by the ISA. As a matter of fact, he wanted the opposite. To be in the good books with Monovial was a good way to acquire a lot of power and a lot of say in how the galaxy is run. So giving these plans up to the Rebel Dominion doesn’t seem like a great idea. Nevertheless, Lotaan had never made a plan without a second chapter to it.
Only to be described briefly as a multifarious disrupter device, Lotaan had programmed an explosive weapon unlike any other available on the galaxy’s contraband. It appeared as a thirty-centimetre barbell, a silver rod running through the centre of two wider cylinders. These cylinders each contained miniature power generators that only created enough energy to perhaps throw a rock one hundred metres into the air before dying out. The generator was connected to fifty thin, steel cords, each seven metres in length. These cords were each tipped with a notably sharp barb, very capable of penetrating the skin of human and most alien skin. All of the cords were woven tightly around the cylinders that protruded from each end of the silver rod. These intertwined wires were then encased in another thinner steel cylinder with fifty holes in its casing. The ends of each of the wires were fished through each hole then tipped with the jagged barbs.
The bar that connected the two cylinders contained a detonator that acted like a remotely activated grenade. The pin was pulled with a button from a distance, then the weapon would be armed in the centre. With the arming of the disrupter, generators in each of the cylinders exert power into several latches that hold the barbed cords tightly in both cylinders. All of the cords are then released and the barbs are shot out from the cylinders, dragging the wire behind them as well. Anyone who happens to be in the room at the time will undoubtedly get speared by one of the spines from the disrupter, literally pinning them inside the room, if not killing them with the penetration.
When all of the wires have been ejected, covering every area in the room, the detonator inside the bar activates and explodes, effectively clearing the room of any hostile foes.
The objective now was combining the plans he had created against the ISA, plus the disrupter, and then enacting the insurrection.
Lotaan’s personal transport was relatively inconspicuous for the ship of a bounty hunter. It was denominated as the Divinity, of which Lotaan did most of the interior designing and control technology. Several of his own modifications nearly doubled the recommended speed limit that the engines were once able to handle. This is how he got from Trandosha to Ivinsnale in such a short period of time.
The Divinity didn’t go unnoticed, however. A radio message from the Rebel Dominion complex on the surface came shortly after he dropped out of hyperspace. “Please identify your cargo and business on Ivinsnale,” the muffled voice told him.
“I’m here because I choose to come peacefully. Hopefully your alliance won’t protest negatively because of that,” Lotaan said through the microphone embedded into the panel before him. “I am carrying information that you will find useful, I’m sure. Please allow me to land and present it to you. I come honourably and am not stupid enough to be traitorous under these types of circumstances. You may do what you wish to apprehend me and be sure I have nothing against you. All I want is to help you.” There was a pause of about four minutes before any response came; the Divinity had already entered the atmosphere of Ivinsnale.
“An assemblage of sentinel soldiers are awaiting your arrival at one of our landing platforms on the far side of the complex. Its location will be made apparent to you through orange flares which are being shot upwards now.” Sure enough, Lotaan noticed the flares being launched from a landing pad about two hundred metres away through the viewscreen of his ship. In his mind, he had a backup for every plan, and a backup plan for every backup plan. Somehow he would get to the leaders of this dominion and somehow he would turn this peaceful little negotiation into a profitable ISA insurrection.

* * * *

Whereas Phadrax Monovial usually preferred to be direct in the interaction with his workers, today was an exception. Grand Moff Cadime was busy making an informal speech to those who were to be paid for working construction on the Tau Sakar ColoPlant.
The planet of Tau Sakar was mostly forest, almost none of which had been cleared for industrial expansion. Never had this much been cleared, however. When the ISA took control of the planet, Monovial had decided that because of its vast land space and easily accessible galactic location, it would foster the building project of the largest Imperial ColoPlant in the galaxy. The standard ColoPlant that was usually built on the colonized planets of the ISA stood one hundred metres tall and six thousand square metres in area. However, the Tau Sakar ColoPlant stood an extension of one hundred and fifteen metres tall and an additional surface area of two hundred thirty-five thousand square metres, making it considerably wider.
Unlike the standard ColoPlant, this built on Tau Sakar performed far more services for the ISA. Standard Imperial ColoPlants didn’t do much more than provide a temporary house for ISA-friendly ships that needed repair. Often they would be equipped with facilities for training officers in piloting and/or armed conflict. Ultimately, they were created by Monovial to symbolize Imperial power.
The Tau Sakar ColoPlant did more than just serve as a repair shop for bypassing Imperial warships, though. Monovial didn’t design all of it, but he did contribute ideas. The Tau Sakar ColoPlant served as a major on-world hangar for the ISA, as well as a factory for warships and fighters. Much of the Imperial trafficking of items was done through the ColoPlant, as well as trading and modern Imperial record-keeping.
Monovial had personally hired a team of two hundred and fifty construction workers from a Tau Sakar city to build the ColoPlant. Each were paid a sum of eight hundred thousand credits, a substantial amount for a job such as this. With supplies, building materials and workers fees, the Tau Sakar ColoPlant came to a cost of five hundred million credits, the most ever spent by Monovial’s ISA.
Now that the workers had collected their compensation, all were departing on light freighters from Tau Sakar to pursue their wealth in the Core Worlds. And because the ColoPlant wasn’t fully operational, they didn’t notice the Rebel flagship, Euphoria, passing through the system.
Admiral William Cygnus10 commanded the ship and Grand Admiral Sienar was joining him in their expedition across the Core Worlds. It was by simple fate that brought them to Tau Sakar at this time. The suspiciously large amount of these freighters was thought worth checking in to by both Sienar and Cygnus10. A small company of B-Wing starfighters was dispatched to one of the freighters, armed with highly charged ion cannons.
Carmine squadron was one of the less prestigious B-Wing groups in the Rebel Dominion. It was rarely used for momentous occasions. Kenneth Harlo was nominated as Carmine 7, but wasn’t available for this uneventful mission.
Carmine Leader, Ontrew Rycaine, was dispatched with Carmine 3, a newly registered pilot from Odik II named Sari Newace7. The suffix of “7” is applied only because her father, Proston Newace10, and her brother Sando Newace, had been registered under the Rebel Dominion’s services as well.
The two B-Wing fighters had departed from the hangar of Euphoria and approached their targeted freighter, who, according to threat display, was destined for a hyperspace jump point. It was a destination that the Carmine B-Wings were instructed to prevent.
Both starfighters dove underneath the flagship and sped towards the freighter. Its engines were small, but not a difficult target for an ion cannon. Ontrew’s ship headed the attack and came in straight at the engines while Newace7 headed directly at the fuselage with ions blazing. In a matter of seconds, the freighter was disabled and Admiral Cygnus10 was ready to speak to its pilot from on board the Euphoria.
“This is Rebel Dominion cruiser Euphoria,” Cygnus10 said, “and we wish for you to explain to us why so many freighters are departing Tau Sakar like this. There has to be reason behind this suspicious behaviour because no trade routes that I know of come near Tau Sakar at all. Please be clear and true with the information; we would hate to get hostile with you.”
“No need to get hostile,” a voice called back and chuckled. “I’ll give you all the information you want. The ISA can’t touch me. You didn’t have to disable my“
“ISA? Start explaining, please. We need every piece of information about the ISA that we can get our hands upon,” Cygnus10 told him, sitting at a keyboard to jot down any useful information he could get out of this pilot.
“Wait a minute,” the voice said. “What am I getting out of this? If you’re so desperate for this information, shouldn’t I be getting something in return.”
“But of course, sir,” Cygnus10 said. “You will be rewarded accordingly with the value of the information presented to us. Give us anything about the ISA and we will certainly repair your freighter at the very least.”
“Sounds reasonable.” The freighter pilot paused for a moment. “Alright, here’s the deal: Phadrax Monovial organized a team of two hundred fifty construction workers to assist in a building project for eight hundred thousand credits apiece. I was one of those construction workers. The blueprints we received for the building looked nearly impossible. However, the chances of being able to build what seems impossible increase with the payment we receive to do it, if you know what I mean. In five months, we finished it. It is called only the Tau Sakar ColoPlant“
“A ColoPlant that took five months to build? Those things get put up in a week on every other planet,” Cygnus10 interrupted.
“Size is another matter, I’m afraid,” the pilot told him. “Most ColoPlants aren’t two hundred and thirty-five square metres in area.” Cygnus10 fell silent. “Apparently it’s going to operate as a manufacturing facility and who knows what else. It’s really big, though. I’m telling you that. Monovial claims that it’s going to increase Imperial power by twenty percent, but I“
“But nothing! Monovial is a smart man whose mind is clouded with a greedy malevolence. Sometimes it can get carried away, but if he built something that large for no reason, that’s a sign of insanity. There has to be reason behind it and the Rebel Dominion won’t survive if Monovial’s prediction is correct. We’ll have some people tow you in, sir and I thank you for the information. You will be rewarded.” The freighter pilot started to say something but Cygnus10 turned off the communications link and started for Sienar’s chambers to deliver the bad news.

* * * *

The two allies stared each other down in the private quarters of Phadrax Monovial. He and Sabreeth had stood gazing into each other’s eyes for nearly five minutes now. Thinking about what the other was thinking. Monovial pondered whether or not he trained Sabreeth correctly, or if it was the right thing to do to train him in such a way.
It was an open room, nothing special about it. Nothing electronic either. One open room. Two living human beings. Two stunsabre weapons. Four blades.
Monovial had trained Sabreeth in the art of the double-bladed lightsabre for eight years, but never fought him. It was his final test; a test for both of them. Monovial held his long-hilted weapon casually behind him, the hum barely audible. Sabreeth held his own readily in front of him. He had been trained not to be headstrong and normally wouldn’t attack at a time like this. However, he didn’t appreciate endless battles that were only endless because they never began.
Sabreeth lunged off of his left foot and bore into Monovial with quick strikes, all deflected by the wild defense from the glowing stunsabre blades of his master. All that was evident now was that Sabreeth exceeded Monovial’s speed. He brought the blade down low and swiped at Monovial’s feet, whose reflexes gave barely enough time to jump the attack. Sabreeth didn’t stop the blade motion however and instead continued as if he were to strike his own legs. However, he threw his arms behind him and jumped over his own hilt as the blade whipped underneath his feet. The other blade of his weapon came at Monovial’s feet and this time the jump was even closer.
Monovial finally took the offensive and jabbed with one end of his blade. When the attack was parried, he quickly brought up the other side to the weapon at Sabreeth’s neck. But his target was no longer there. Sabreeth had effectively evaded the attack and swerved behind Monovial. While his master’s back was still turned, Sabreeth was given the opportunity to deliver a horizontal strike at his spine. Somehow, Monovial had sensed it in time and threw his arms backwards, one side of the blade stopping Sabreeth’s own.
Monovial sped up now. He whipped around to face Sabreeth and threw one strike at his head, another at his feet, then for the midsection. Neither of them were blocked, but eluded. Sabreeth didn’t have time to block the attacks, but instead jumped and ducked at each interim. When Monovial got faster, that was no longer an option. They engaged in a heated combat that seemed endless as all four blades hummed and cut through the air at mere split-second intervals. Sabreeth pushed Monovial’s left blade straight up with his right, then spun his weapon downwards to block his opponent’s other beam. It threw Monovial off guard because Sabreeth had blocked both of his strikes with the same side of his weapon. This gave Sabreeth ample time to deliver a sharp blow to the ribcage. Monovial knew that he had lost and tensed up his stomach for the pain that the stunsabre was to give out. But Sabreeth never hit.
When Monovial looked down at his chest, he saw that his apprentice’s stunsabre blade was holding static just centimetres away from his body. Sabreeth smiled and deactivated his weapon. Monovial thought he felt a sort of pride for Sabreeth in not striking him, but not even he, himself, was that honourable. He hadn’t taught Sabreeth anything about honour, but it still remained in him to not even strike his own master down with a practice weapon.
“Sabreeth, you have now acquired skill enough to train pupils on your own. I have decided on expanding the next generation of the Sith with your help. As a way to combat the Jedi Academy and their expansion, I have decided to open the Sith Training Attributes Formation Facility. There was once a law against the practice of such a place that teaches the dark side of the Force, but now that I am the law, it can become a reality. You will lead STAFF as the head trainer and coordinator of exercises. You will basically be running your own show, however the ISA still does have complete power over you. If need be, I will change something if it is doing negative things to Imperial power. If this facility is built, the Interstellar Sith Allegiance will at least have ties to back up that name,” Monovial explained. “Can you handle a title like that? Can you help me in appointing scouting officers to advertise STAFF?”
Sabreeth said nothing, but nodded. He held the double-bladed stunsabre out to Monovial, who abruptly took hold of it and strapped it to a machine casing on the wall. Sabreeth quietly stepped into the next room where his cloak hung from a small hook. He sighed and draped the cloak over his head. Having completed the ensemble of his appearance, he unlocked a safe with a special card key he had designed. Inside lay a decorative handle of seventy centimetres. Two buttons were positioned at the tip of each side. When pressed, the disks inside the bar would push forth two red beams of energy for Sabreeth’s use.
He made sure that everything was in order on the weapon and strapped his very own double-bladed lightsabre to the cloth binding on his back.

* * * *

When Harlo had finished connecting the necessary electronic components to the explosive charges he had brought to the Columus ColoPlant, he and Dexxa both thought the mission easier than expected. “Our ship hasn’t even been given a second glance at yet,” Harlo said. “It has gone unnoticed. That’s strange. These ships are expendable because we usually end up escaping on some rescue shuttle or stolen Imperial craft.”
“Oh, well,” Dexxa said. “The easier it is to get out of here would be my option.”
“Well, what happens now is that we hit the detonator for these charges, destroy the ColoPlant and the detonator sends off radio signals to a rescue ship which is orbiting the planet now,” Harlo said. “We just might have to lose a perfectly good ship.”
“Which one’s easier?”
“It’s easier to get picked up, isn’t it?” Dexxa didn’t reply but they made their way out of the ventilation shaft they had come in and began running a fair twenty-five metres from the ColoPlant before detonating the charges. With the simple click of a button, the string of charges attached the main reactor of the ColoPlant exploded in sequence. The force from the blaze it caused alone was enough to knock Dexxa and Harlo off their feet. Both found cover behind a large rock when the guards spotted them from the outside. It became difficult to see when the dust appeared as the ColoPlant began collapsing underneath itself.
The rescue shuttle’s response time was better than expected and Harlo and Dexxa had boarded before the entire building came down. The clouds of dust had gotten within the ship for awhile, leaving Dexxa and Harlo coughing for several extra minutes.
Sounds of the collapsing ColoPlant became faint and ultimately imperceptible as the shuttle exited Columus’ atmosphere. Dexxa flopped into a nearby chair as Harlo removed the weapons belt from his waist.
“Harlo,” a voice called from behind him. It wasn’t Dexxa. Dominic Artemius sat waiting in the chair nearest the door.
“What are you doing here, might I ask?” he replied. Dexxa had almost fallen asleep already and didn't even notice Artemius' presence.
“I want to do this before it becomes too late,” Artemius said, standing to his feet. “I should’ve brought it up when I first met you. Now you arehow old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Yes, that does seem awfully late. But you seem to be capable of it, anyway. After all, it has been done before.”
“Capable of what?”
“Harlo, I have thought it a long time, and I think that you have a great potential,” Dominic said. “I want to train you as a Jedi Knight.” Harlo’s eyes widened. “You might not notice it now, but you exhibit an aura that seems to beckon for your training. So few Jedi are making real progress out of the Jedi Academy anymore. I’m sure it isn’t because of Antioch’s leadership, because he is a fine Jedi indeed. However, the rate of training coming out of the Academy is a rate of which I have quadrupled in the past. Harlo, I could make you a Jedi Knight in six months. I believe you have the ability to do it.”
“I trust you, Dominic. But what should I do? I don’t know anything about training. I know Jedi history and stuff like that, but I don’t know how to learn these things“
“I will teach you how to learn these things. Then I can actually teach you those things. I couldn’t have possibly lost my ability to train when I lost Picoif there were still a head council or some sort of collaboration of judges around, I wouldn’t doubt that they would consider me a venerable Jedi Master now, Harlo. I have one task to begin your training.”
“What is that?” Dominic didn’t reply, but instead pulled a small twig from inside his cloak. He began rhythmically tossing it from his left hand to his right.
“I want you to look at this and think about it, Harlo. Think about the twig and how it was once alive when it was a part of a tree. And how that tree is still alive and feeding some of its energy from the energy field around us alone.” Harlo nodded and delved deep in thought. He could, all of a sudden, see nothing but that twig in this room, and nothing but that tree in his mind. “Now,” Artemius said slowly. “Think of a whirlpool.” Very suddenly, the two thoughts crossed one another and each molded into a sensation Harlo had never experienced before. Right then and there, the twig floated up from Artemius’ hand and began spinning in a whirlpool-like motion.
Harlo was surprised at what he could do, and surprised that it came so easily and he had never discovered it before. “You can do it,” Artemius said. “Now you have to expand upon that. You have to learn. I’ve already told Antioch that you are coming. Today I want you to go to the Jedi Academy and Zethro Molt will introduce you further to the Force. I cannot do this, nor can Antioch. We are both off to Tau Sakar under Grand Admiral Sienar’s orders.”
“Why?”
“Monovial has built a ColoPlant forty times the size of a standard ColoPlant. It could greatly increase the ISA’s power if we don’t knock it out before it becomes fully operational. Monovial is undoubtedly there today, and I will undoubtedly encounter him again. I haven’t seen him in a long time, Harlo. Hopefully this will be the last. It’s going to be a battle that the Rebel Dominion needs to win. We can’t afford to lose another.” Artemius stood from the chair as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. “This is stop number one, Harlo. We’ll land at the Academy and Zethro should be waiting for you. Then I’ll be off.”
“Thank you, Dominer, Master,” Harlo said, then smiled.

* * * *

The disrupter device was safe at the side of Lotaan’s body, just waiting to be activated. He had made it quite a ways thus far. Now he stood in the meeting room of the high-ranking officers of the Rebel Dominion, who were studiously looking over the plans that Lotaan had provided for disabling the ISA for good. They’re trying to find something fake about them, Lotaan thought. He was right, as well. It didn’t make total sense why a bounty hunter so loyal to Monovial, and so skilled would be coming to the Rebel Dominion.
“This is very impressive, Mr. Santau,” said one of the Generals of the bunch. Lotaan couldn’t remember his name. Unfortunately, only one Admiral was among the group, the rest had been deployed elsewhere to sweep the Core Worlds. Nameless individuals of a high rank were all Lotaan would have to speak of when he returned to Monovial.
Outside the meeting room, and well into the complex, there was a frenzy happening. It seemed as though nothing could get organized and everyone was in a hurry. “What is happening out there?” Lotaan finally asked.
“Before I read your work here, I wouldn’t have told you that,” the General replied. “That would probably be the departure of the Dominion’s very best soldiers to Tau Sakar. Are you familiar with the Tau Sakar ColoPlant?” Lotaan was astonished.
“I am, but I had no idea that you were!” he said. Now that the Rebel Dominion had knowledge of the Tau Sakar ColoPlant, it would prove to put a great dent in his well-being with Monovial. Destruction was all that was left. Not total destruction, but partial destruction of the Rebel Dominion complex would be his backup plan. “Look, I’ll tell you what,” Lotaan said. “I’ll be back in about ten minutes or so. I have to get an outline of the Tau Sakar ColoPlant from my ship. You may find it useful.”
“Certainly, Mr. Santau,” the General replied cheerfully. Lotaan smiled and took the disrupter from his side, placing it on the table that they had been standing over for the past hour. He placed it very casually, but all of the men in the room looked at the device strangely. Lotaan said nothing but just walked out adventitiously. When the door closed behind him, he was certain that all of the men in the room were now examining the disrupter.
He took the remote detonator from a wrist band he was wearing and activated a switch. Inside the room, the bar that connected the two cylinders of barbs began to glow a fluorescent blue light. A hundred emissions of compressed air could be heard as the generators inside activated and the barbs began to whip out of the cylinders at a blinding speed. The men inside the room screamed as each of them were stabbed with a dozen of the spines that connected to the disrupter with such a thin wire. The barbs penetrated their flesh and some of the men had been speared in the heart and were killed already. When the last of the barbs plummeted into the General’s flesh, the explosion came and then the screaming could be heard no more. The room was quiet.
Lotaan ran for his ship and boarded faster than he ever had before. He alone could not combat the entire Rebel Dominion if they noticed what had happened to all of those high-ranking officers, so he thought it best to depart for Tau Sakar and warn the ISA to prepare for an invasion.
As he hovered high above the Rebel Dominion complex he carried out what he had promised. With the pull of several switches and a shift of a large spring in the bottom of the Divinity’s hull, two space bombs dropped from the sky and penetrated the shield that blanketed the complex. That oughta take care of about two-thirds of it, he thought and blasted away as the bombs planted themselves into the Ivinsnale soil. By the time they exploded, Lotaan was already in hyperspace and praying that he would make it before the Rebel strike force did.

* * * *

Antioch Fi and Billy Cygnus arrived in the forest of Tau Sakar long before the rest of the Rebel soldiers did. Cygnus insisted that it was his own piloting skill that got them there. They rummaged through the thickets and trees that enveloped Tau Sakar’s ground. The Tau Sakar ColoPlant wasn’t even fenced off. Or at least it wasn’t fenced off yet.
Cygnus peered through the bushes to get a glimpse of the building. “Oh, yes,” he said. “That is a tiny bit bigger than your average ColoPlant.”
“Just a little,” Antioch replied. Through the opening in the bushes, the ColoPlant wasn’t even entirely visible. It was like looking into an endless black cloud. Landspeeders of all sorts were parading by the tarmac of the building and guards patrolled the area. “You don’t think they’re expecting us, do you?”
“Don’t think so,” Cygnus said. “How could they find out?”
“Hey, if we found out that they were here, they could just as easily find out that we are here.”
The low hum of a speeder bike was getting louder and coming from behind Antioch and Cygnus. Originally they thought it was something hostile, but Dominic Artemius could be found riding it when the vehicle came in sight. “What’s the scoop?” Cygnus asked. Artemius hopped off the bike, his cloak seeming to get in the way.
“Here’s how it is going to work. In about twenty to twenty-five minutes, both of you, me and the Rebel strike force army will quietly make our way around to the other side of this forest, where there is a larger clearing. About seventy of the soldiers will storm the ColoPlant and soon enough their defenses will be up. That is where us and the rest of the army comes in. We have to try and keep away from the ColoPlant. Keep the battle in that clearing that I’m talking about. It doesn’t necessarily have to stay in the clearing either, but as long as you keep away from the ColoPlant. Those seventy soldiers, most of which will likely be killed have to get inside and try to destroy it. It isn’t like any other ColoPlant. A simple destruction of the main reactor isn’t going to do it. Mainly because there are five main reactors.” Cygnus almost jumped. “If the infiltration of those seventy fails, we will have a fighter squadron standing by to back them up and simply bomb the place. This is a big intervention and we can’t mess it up. If you don’t keep that battle away from the ColoPlant, people are going to dieand lots of them! Got it?”
“Yes,” Cygnus and Antioch said simultaneously.
“Good, then come with me.”
The Rebel army was bigger than Cygnus expected. Artemius had said over three hundred soldiers. It was the biggest invasion the Rebel Dominion had ever performed, and quite possibly the most risky. The army made its way around the forest and into the clearing behind the ColoPlant. The number of Imperial guards seemed to be increasing, but no one could be sure. When everything was in place, the Rebel strike force laid on their stomachs and waited for the cue from Sari Newace7 to fire a flare into the sky from the other side of the ColoPlant from where they had came.
Starfighters began to enter the atmosphere, the Rebel strike force waited agitated for the flare while Dominic Artemius stood behind, ready to lead the rest of the army into battle.

        *       *       *       *

“Thank you, Lotaan,” Monovial said, Sabreeth standing by his side. “Again, the ISA owes you more than we can give you.”
“I suggest you hurry, though,” Lotaan told them. “The Rebel strike force will hit any minute now. I will help you call up a defense.”
“That won’t be necessary. I have a two hundred man army that is ready for things like this. Usually they would be called to another planet, and even then they don’t make bad time at all. I will call them out there to defend this ColoPlant immediately.” Monovial turned to his apprentice, whose head was buried deep behind the black hood of his cloak. “Sabreeth, come with me. I need you to stand on the front lines of the army, perhaps on the far left. You, Lotaan, will stand on the far right of the front lines. I will stand in the centre and lead this army into battle. As for the strike force you speak of, that will be taken care of by random sentinel guards that are available. There is not much of a chance of them accomplishing much inside anyway. The reactors are very heavily guarded.” Monovial gestured to Sabreeth and Lotaan, then reached into his cloak and pulled his double-bladed lightsabre from it.
The army had been assembled within minutes and a large gate opened up to the surface of Tau Sakar. Monovial felt something. He felt that presence again and he suddenly knew what he was about to step into. Sabreeth, too, had a feeling that he had also felt before. Even Lotaan was experiencing something. It felt like an incoming challenge.
The Imperial army of stormtroopers marched behind Monovial, Sabreeth and Lotaan Xta Santau towards the forest. They all stopped on the tarmac at the echoing sound of air splitting into multiple pieces. Monovial turned back and a bright flare shot up from the other side of the ColoPlant. Just then, a foray of Rebel soldiers emerged from the forest just beyond the tarmac. They began appearing through the trees, all ignoring the army but heading right for the ColoPlant.
        “Ignore them! That is a job for the guards to take care of! There is a larger army for us to battle!” Monovial shouted to the army he led. Monovial was right; not one of the seventy-man brigade into the ColoPlant fired at the army, but just kept on going. Laser fire began to blanket the air above the ColoPlant’s tarmac as the guards fought off the strike force. Monovial kept going, his army not far behind.
        It only took one layer of trees to get through to the clearing in the forest. This clearing was about seventy-five metres in length and over a hundred in width. At the very end of those seventy-five metres however, there stood the army of the Rebel Dominion. They advanced very slowly, as did the Imperial army. Monovial wasn’t watching the armies, though. There, in front of the Rebel army and leading them into battle, was Dominic Artemius.
        Monovial didn’t take his glance away from Artemius for long, but it was long enough to see the fire in Sabreeth’s eyes as he locked eyes with Antioch Fi. Now, all that separated these two armies was seventy-five metres of nothing.
        Dominic Artemius ignited his lightsabre, its green blade seemingly ready to defend whatever may be thrown at him. Monovial had his hilt gripped in his right hand still and held it in front of him. With one quick motion, one of the blades of his lightsabre appeared. When the laser fire began, the armies both advanced slowly, not one soldier going past their leaders. Any shot that came at Artemius or Monovial was sub-consciously deflected. It began to get difficult.
        The noise of blaster fire was all that could be heard now; many of the shots came close to hitting Artemius and Monovial, but they abruptly defended themselves and continued advancing slowly. The armies fired wildly and quickly but still, nobody went ahead of their leaders, and their leaders were walking slowly without stopping. If a soldier were to fall dead, everyone continued to walk over them. It was a steady pace and as the armies moved in closer, some people started to break off from the pack and fired from nearby rocks, or any kind of cover they could find.
        When they were only eight metres apart, Artemius and Monovial still deflected the stray blaster shots. Then it came too close. Artemius whipped about and swung low at Monovial’s feet, his cloak rippling in the low wind. Monovial jumped up and sideways to evade the swing and came back down on Artemius with a serious of high strikes. As the duel progressed, the armies broke up and it turned into one big battle in the forest.
        Those who were about ready to break any rhythm that might’ve been left hadn’t even used their weapons yet. Two people. Still staring at each other, not one shot been fired in their path yet. Sabreeth was red in the face, and obviously not afraid of anything, but instead overcome with rage. This frightened Antioch. It shouldn’t have because he had grown past that in his skill. But it did.
        In one quick and swift motion, Sabreeth threw his arm behind him and through the cape that fluttered neatly from his shoulders. He pulled back a long-hilted lightsabre and ignited one of its two blades. He made two quick steps and launched himself off of both feet, slipping forwards in the air and landing less than two metres in front of Antioch. When he began attacking, Antioch was still shocked that Sabreeth had covered a seventy-five metre gap in three steps.
        Antioch had his weapon ready just before Sabreeth’s first strike would’ve penetrated his neck. The Jedi swung his foe’s weapon away, only to have to hop a quick sweep at the feet less than a second later. Antioch found it easiest to defend and easiest to get the advantage on Sabreeth when moving closer. Gathering all of the effrontery he had, he made a quick lunge forward and found himself blocking high and low, striking left and right, with less than a metre separating the two warriors.
        Out of the corner of his eye, Antioch spotted something and managed to swing his weapon behind him in time to deflect an incoming blaster bolt. This wasn’t enough time, however, to avoid Sabreeth’s next strike. Antioch slid backwards on his feet to try and evade it, but the swing scissored through his clothing and left a cauterized wound barely scraping his chest. He jumped backwards and out of the way, holding his chest in pain. Sabreeth was on him in a second, though, and the inability to move as freely as before made it more difficult to defend. For the first time, Antioch had a way out. It would spare him only a few seconds if it worked, but it was an idea. Plus, he thought that it might be a humorous story to tellif he survived this.
        Sabreeth swung at his feet, and then Antioch saw his opportunity. He jumped high enough that his waist was just above Sabreeth’s head then reached downward with the Force at the Sith Lord’s lightsabre hilt. However, instead of pulling it away, Antioch Fi pushed forward with the Force and a mild ripple struck the top of the hilt. The red blade of Sabreeth’s lightsabre disappeared inside the hilt. Antioch had turned it off.
        Before landing, the Jedi was able to deliver a hard kick to Sabreeth’s forehead, knocking him back a good distance. This now separated the two rivals by ten metres. Antioch was beginning to feel more confident as he ignited his weapon againuntil he saw Sabreeth’s face. Never before had he seen someone so mad, or felt such an dismal intent through tremors in the Force. Sabreeth’s teeth ground into one another as he fiercely gripped his lightsabre hilt. Antioch thought for a moment that he was going to break it over his knee, but he was wrong. Sabreeth was bouncing on his toes now and tightly grasping his hilt. In an instant, one blade appeared in the right end of Sabreeth’s lightsabre, and another blade appeared at the left. He lunged backwards and got ready to charge Antioch once more; this time with both blades and a severe appetite for vengeance.

        *       *       *       *

        Sari Newace7 had launched the flare and hadn’t gathered much attention. Now she was racing through the forest, searching for the clearing where she had set down her B-Wing earlier. She heard yelling from behind and when she looked back, Imperial stormtroopers were running after her. Sari wasn’t much of a runner as it is, and she was sure that these soldiers were trained to chase someone for great distances.
        Blaster fire began narrowly missing her as she ran. Shots went whizzing by her head. She made another quick glance backwards. Now only one of the stormtroopers remained, still chasing her down. In the distance, she could see her ship’s reflector lights beaming from the sunlight. The stormtrooper was gaining on her, meaning that he had a clearer shot. That was proven when Sari felt the singe of hot plasma burn into the flesh of her leg. She fell over and sprained her wrist on an uprooted tree. The footsteps of the stormtrooper got louder, but she gave up and couldn’t stand.
        When he finally did arrive, the both of them were out of breath and Sari rolled on to her back, looking up at the masked predator. The stormtrooper’s blaster rifle was in his right hand and now pointing directly at her. This she didn’t want. Grabbing a nearby stick with her only able hand, Newace7 swung with all her might and smashed the branch into the structure of the stormtrooper’s blaster rifle. The weapon went sailing into the forest. “What?!” shouted the stormtrooper angrily.
        Newace7 was going to say something, but her voice was made silent when the stormtrooper lifted her up by the collar and violently pushed her into a tree trunk. Before she could hit the ground again, he kicked her in the stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of her. Sari couldn’t breathe, much less talk. The last thing she saw was the stormtrooper lifting the same stick she had hit his rifle away with and whipping it into the side of her face. Then she fell out of consciousness and was put under Imperial arrest while in that same physical state.

        *       *       *       *

        Cygnus had maneuvered his way through a dangerous crossfire and found shelter under a large, uprooted tree trunk. Through a broken-open knothole, he could catch a glimpse of the seventy-man Rebel strike force that was trying to infiltrate the building. The ColoPlant’s tarmac was now clouded with Imperial officers, stormtroopers and everyone from the strike force that had survived thus far. Not many of them were left and Cygnus soon began thinking that this battle would be left up to the starfighters.
He glanced back over his shoulder at the battle within the forest and could hear nothing but blaster fire, marked by rhythmic clashing of lightsabre blades and the hum of energy, be it from the passing speeders or the ColoPlant itself. A brawny man dressed in a silver and black outfit stood in the centre of it all, firing left and right. His metallic vest seemed to carry more than enough firepower to survive a threat such as this. It seemed as if everyone was frightened to shoot at him. This led Cygnus to believe that the man wouldn’t expect fire from his direction.
        Cygnus raised his blaster and squinted one eye, aiming for the fatal wound on the man’s body. When he pulled the trigger, everything had happened so fast, he could hardly keep track. The blaster shot sailed through the air, leaving a translucent tail streaming back to Cygnus’ barrel. How he noticed it, Cygnus couldn’t comprehend, but the man that seemed capable of defending the entire Imperial regime by himself had shifted his weight backwards and threw his neck out to the side, just evading the shot.
        Lotaan Xta Santau had never before dodged a shot like that, even if it did happen coincidentally. Either way, it was now his time to capitalize upon his attacker’s failure. Cygnus dove over the other side of the tree as Lotaan fired rapid shots to the branches that protruded from the trunk. Twigs and leaves melted as the plasma seeped into their structure and exploded on the wooden surface. Cygnus had managed to duck below the trunk and out of firing range for the time being.
        Replacing the charge in his blaster, Cygnus swung up from the tree and pointed his weapon out in front of him as fast as possible, ready to fire. But Lotaan wasn’t where he used to be. Instead, the bounty hunter was right in front of him, aiming his own blaster rifle at point-blank range with Cygnus’ forehead. Neither of them moved, but it was prominent in Cygnus’ expression that he found this unnerving.
        Lotaan quickly threw his blaster rifle to the ground and grabbed Cygnus’ forearm, spinning him around and pointing the handheld blaster upwards. When his newfound enemy was effectively unarmed, Lotaan spun around quickly and drove the back of his heel into Cygnus’ stomach. As he lay on the ground wincing in pain, the bounty hunter was given ample time to plan out his next move.
        The trees were awkward to get around, but Lotaan managed to dart through the bushes and standing timber with great speed. He knew that Cygnus would follow after him in no time, leading the both of them into the Tau Sakar ColoPlant’s tarmac.
        Rebel starfighters began shooting over the ColoPlant and were undoubtedly detected by an Imperial scanning crew. It wouldn’t be long before this battle went beyond the surface warfare to space.
        The crossfire on the tarmac had depleted and Lotaan was running backwards, straight through what remained of it. When Cygnus emerged from the trees, both of them began firing at each other again. Both of them had very accurate shots, but their precision was thrown off with running steps. Lotaan had almost reached the ColoPlant and now Cygnus planned on not letting him get away. He had made it this far and figured that a good sprint would do him well.
        One shot skimmed over Cygnus’ boot as he made his way through the minimal crossfire left on the tarmac; when he reached the wall of the giant ColoPlant, he had lost sight of Lotaan. A bizarre gut instinct came over him and he decided to take the ladder which led to the roof of the building. More ladders were continually available on each level of the building as well. Lotaan could’ve been anywhere.
        The surface of the first roof of the ColoPlant was definitely the largest in total area. As the levels of the building increased, the area of each roof diminished, because of the pyramid-like construction.
        The hard metal flooring clicked under Cygnus’ boots and he drew his blaster close to his body as he paced slowly along the roof. Most of the sounds from the battles taking place elsewhere were very faint and if Lotaan was on this floor, he was keeping very quiet. The roof was virtually empty. It appeared to be an outdoor garage for landspeeders and scouting transports for Tau Sakar.
        Cygnus decided to try another floor up. The ladder’s steel rungs broke off at an intersection where Cygnus was left with the option to depart the ladder and get on to the second level of the ColoPlant, or to take the remainder of the ladder up to various platforms for incoming ships. He took the longer option and began his climb upwards to the landing platforms that were built above, but still supported by, the ColoPlant.
        There was a quaternion of platforms connected to each other by relatively narrow bridges. Each of the four landing platforms had some sort of ship parked upon them and when Cygnus reached the top, he noticed that three of the four platforms had shuttles occupying their space. The final platform had only a small freighter. This was probably due to the size of the platform. Most of its space was occupied by the wall of the very top floor of the Tau Sakar ColoPlant. That final platform connected directly to the wall of the ColoPlant and had a wall of its own surrounding half of its surface. There hid Lotaan.
        The walls on the platform casted enough shadow for Lotaan to hide in until Cygnus could be spotted. And when he was, the bounty hunter shot out from the shadows and steered the firing end of his blaster rifle into the path of Billy Cygnus.
        Cygnus heard the blast and immediately dove for cover behind the fuselage of the shuttle and watched the bolt sail past him and dissipate into the air. Breathing hard, Cygnus rummaged through the pouches and holsters of his utility belt for something he could use. Lotaan was a challenging opponent and he knew it. Without a doubt, the only way to stay in this game alive would be to keep moving. And he was very right. In short time, blaster fire from Lotaan’s rifle began sneaking underneath the hull of the shuttle, trying to hit Cygnus’ feet.
        He rolled away from the more potentially dangerous areas of fire and behind some landing gear that supported the shuttle on the platform. Every few seconds, Cygnus shot half of his body around the corner of the landing gear and fired at Lotaan, who kept himself well covered by the walls along the fourth platform.
        The rate of fire began to increase and both Cygnus and Lotaan found themselves turning away from their shelter every fraction of a second to get some shots in. On several occasions, each other’s shots whizzed by their ears and sometimes even singed the hair on their heads.
        It became dangerous and repetitive. It was a rhythmic process of turning the corner, shooting once, then turning back. Back and forth they went, firing and taking cover, firing and taking cover. It consumed a lot of Cygnus’ energy, but there was no way of escaping this pattern without being killed. He searched back and forth in the brief seconds that he didn’t have his back turned to his surroundings. Nothing in his present environment seemed to have characteristics that would get him out of this endless pattern. Or at least he couldn’t see any escape. Not yet.

        *       *       *       *

        Zethro Molt understood when Harlo informed him of the present situation on Tau Sakar. Molt had helped him see a lot of things in just a few hours, but nonetheless, Harlo thought it time to help his friends.
        The Barabel Jedi Knight accompanied Harlo on his trip to the planet. Molt flew his own ship, a bulk freighter that he had rented once and then never returned on Nar Shaddaa. Harlo stood in the co-pilot’s seat, watching as they came out of hyperspace, away from the Jedi Academy and closer towards Tau Sakar.
        Harlo had felt something after being exposed deeper into the Force by Zethro. He felt that his friends needed help. This led him to believe that the strike force he had been informed about had failed; and if he didn’t do anything about it, the starfighter bombing run would probably fail as a backup plan as well.
        The Rebel cruiser, Euphoria, stood nearby Tau Sakar and began to spew fighters down to the surface of the planet. “Need some help?” Harlo implored, speaking into the comlink between Zethro’s ship and that of the Euphoria.
        “Is that you, Commander?” a voice came. It was the Grand Admiral himself.
        “This is a dangerous place for you, sir,” Harlo said, punching in requested numerical sequences to board the Euphoria. “But I ask again, instead of questioning you about your place here, do you need more help?”
        “You are exactly what we are looking for, Harlo. Lieutenant Newace7 never returned from firing the flare from the surface. If she is still alive, she is of no use to us if she’s not in the ship. We need you to replace her, if you can handle that, Commander,” Sienar told him. “All you need to do is ward off enemy fighters while our bombing squadron sprays that giant ColoPlant with everything they’ve got.”
        “Zethro Molt is with me, sir,” Harlo said. “You may remember him from many years ago during the crisis at the Maw cluster.”
        “Who?”
        “The Barabel Jedi, sir,” Harlo said laughing.
        “Oh, yes! No problem. Try to board immediately, Commander. The sooner we can brief you and get you into your fighter, the better.” Grand Admiral Sienar cut off the conversation there and the tractor beam of the Euphoria began dragging Zethro’s freighter in.

        *       *       *       *

        Neither the stormtrooper army of the ISA, nor the Rebel Dominion’s army were bountiful in numbers any longer. More than two-thirds of each army had killed each other off, leaving what was still an even battle, but a more spread out one. Four warriors remained within the vicinity of where that battle began.
        When Sabreeth finally let loose with his double-bladed lightsabre, Antioch Fi could not contend. Whenever given a spare opportunity where he wasn’t defending himself, the Jedi ran from it. He simply couldn’t defend both blades of the menacing weapon for too long.
        Sabreeth began to form a pattern that wasn’t especially difficult to defend because of its simplicity. However, when it became fast, the challenge increased on both sides of the playing field. The Sith Lord would hold his weapon in one hand, both blades ignited and whip one side of it at Antioch’s feet. Just before the other blade had time to connect with Sabreeth’s own body, he would whirl it upwards and over his head, nearly making contact with his back. From there, he would simply spin the weapon over his head, forcing Antioch to duck. When Antioch did crouch to elude the attack, Sabreeth again brought the weapon down and swiped at his feet, following through with the same pattern.
        It was simple, but it moved so very fast. Antioch knew exactly what Sabreeth was doing. He was using a simple tactic and speeding it up in order to weaken Antioch’s energy supply. It was smart on his part, but Antioch managed to catch on quick enough. While jumping one of Sabreeth’s low strikes, he turned his own lightsabre downwards and held the butt end of the hilt just above his head. When Sabreeth’s second strike whirled up at Antioch’s head, the blue blade of the Jedi’s weapon stopped it in its tracks with an loud crackle.
        And all of a sudden, Antioch wasn’t afraid anymore. His own defense, for just that moment, seemed impenetrable and his self-confidence was restored. In an instant, he moved on the offensive and swung quickly, spinning left and right with strikes that drew Sabreeth backwards. With no trees in the way at all, Antioch seemed free and Sabreeth was left with the burden of defending such fierce blows.
        They were heading into some crossfire from the survivors of the two opposing armies. Antioch finally let up when his own lung capacity didn’t permit him to keep on attacking. Sabreeth kept going backwards, though, trying to get some distance away from Antioch’s fury.
        The two of them stared one another down for awhile, pacing back and forth and listening to the crossfire that somehow managed to avoid them. When Antioch had energy again, he took one deep breath and analyzed the situation. Then and there, as if time had slowed down, Antioch’s thinking sped up and he saw the bolt.
        A stray blaster shot from the gun of one of the soldiers flew high above Antioch’s head, but still in reach of his lightsabre. With a long reach, the Jedi batted the blaster bolt out of the air and down at Sabreeth with all the might he could conjure up. One blade disappeared inside the hilt of Sabreeth’s lightsabre, and he brought the remaining blade up to stop the incoming blaster shot that Antioch had thrown at him. He turned the blade horizontal and pushed forward, shooting the bolt back at Antioch, who abruptly turned to his left and swung around in time to swat it back at Sabreeth’s chest. The bolt was beginning to lose its flare as the energy began to dissipate in the air, but it was still lethal, and Sabreeth knew this. He pivoted on his foot and whirled his weapon behind him, effectively deflecting the bolt again. This time, when the shot came, Antioch hit it for the last time with one strong overhand strike. Following through with the motion, he himself charged forward at Sabreeth, almost running as fast as the shot sailed through the air.
        Sabreeth shifted to the side and the shot sailed past him as Antioch struck wildly at the Sith Lord. It appeared as though Antioch was getting better by the second and was gaining the advantage in the fight. Sabreeth thought for a moment about igniting his second blade again, but dismissed the thought as his own personal code of honour. He even mentally scolded himself for doing it beforehand in that blind rage.
        Neither would admit it, nor would they show it, but Sabreeth and Antioch both enjoyed themselves in their laser deflection game; now it was back to business, however, and they had engaged in combat again.

        *       *       *       *

        This monotonous and difficult pattern of blaster fire between Lotaan and Cygnus was only getting faster and more and more difficult to get out of. Cygnus had scrambled for ways to break the pattern and would now have to do it quickly or else one shot would get by and he would be killed. The objective was to be able to fire at Lotaan without turning the corner to aim. It seemed virtually impossible until he saw a compartment in the bottom of the shuttle he was taking cover behind.
        Near the landing gear of every single shuttle of this kind, there was an emergency compartment used for storing items which would be necessary in cases of ship damage. The compartment was locked, however, and Cygnus finally broke from the pattern, but had to act quickly. He pumped eight quick shots into the hatch that closed the compartment and most of it melted away. Cygnus reached in and found exactly what he was looking for.
        An electromagnetic fastener was used on ships to heal critically damaged fuselage. The device itself was the length of Cygnus’ forearm and the width of his hand. Its rectangular surface appeared to be nothing more than a thick mirror that had a clean, unused shine to it. He could clearly see his reflection in the magnet and he reached around to the side for an activation switch.
        Electromagnetic fasteners were built with powerful magnets that were designed to stay attached to metallic items even while in space combat. Pilots used them when a severe, small opening in a vital reactor on the shuttle was present. They would place the fastener over the opening and turn on the switch, activating a magnet and sealing the reactor. This would take incredible precision, but Cygnus felt that fate was on his side today.
        Like all magnets, the electromagnetic fasteners did resist, and in fact, deflect blaster fire. Cygnus began the pattern once more as he peered around the corner of the landing gear and fired a shot. One of Lotaan’s bolts singed a hair on his forehead and he did it again, firing as soon as he turned the corner, then immediately turning back to watch Lotaan’s shot go sailing by.
        In one fluid motion, Cygnus did what not even the innovative Lotaan expected. Turning on the switch, he tossed the electromagnetic fastener up and out to the side, where he would normally be directing the aim of his weapon. For just a brief second, he watched the reflection in the magnet as it began to fall further down. He could see Lotaan, just waiting for Cygnus to appear once more. But he didn’t. Instead, Cygnus brought up his blaster hastily and shot at the reflection of Lotaan in the mirror image on the magnet.
        Cygnus’ shot deflected fast off of the magnet, which fell to the floor, and hurled beyond the bridge that separated them, ultimately plummeting into Lotaan’s left shoulder. Cygnus smiled when he heard Lotaan give out an agonizing grunt, but then got right back to it. He dove out from the landing gear and yanked a second blaster from his boot strap, firing both weapons rapidly as he rolled along the steel surface.
        Each bolt was on target, but that target moved. Lotaan jumped higher than Cygnus had ever seen any normal human jump and all of the shots sailed underneath his feet. Lotaan threw his legs out behind him and pulled a second blaster rifle from his back, firing the both of them at Cygnus as he dropped to the ground.
        Lotaan hit the ground hard, but was back on his feet in time to see if his shots had hit Cygnus or not. They hadn’t. Instead, he had jumped backwards and off of the landing platform, only surviving because he latched his arms on to the edge. When Lotaan saw this, shots were already headed in Cygnus’ direction. He pulled himself up and sought shield from the bolts behind the shuttle again. He the drawn out wings of the shuttle and took shelter behind the engines. Lotaan had gotten impatient and didn’t take his cover as cautiously.
        The bounty hunter reached to his side and unlatched a thermal detonator from the chain he had dangling from his silver belt. He activated one, and then another from his other side. Quickly, Lotaan rolled sideways out from underneath the freighter that was parked on his platform. When he was on to his knees, he threw both thermal detonators at the landing platform where Cygnus was taking cover.
        They exploded in a fiery eruption of dust clouds. Cygnus heard the creaking of metal and he knew what was happening when the falling sensation came over him. The entire landing platform was coming down. Before it could tip over the shuttle, Cygnus managed to hop off of the engines and lift the electromagnetic fastener from the ground. Just then, a cable from underneath the bridge and platform snapped, sending that entire platform, and most of the bridge, crashing downwards.
        Cygnus leapt off of the falling tower and threw the magnet ahead of him, hoping for two strikes of good luck. He fired nearly a dozen shots into the magnet’s surface, each deflected and came close to the target, when finally the last one hit. The magnetically reflected blaster shot cut through the air and dissolved into the cable that had torn under the platform. The cable swung down from the remnants of the bridge and struck the path of Cygnus’ falling self. Going against the wind, he thrusted his arm outwards and grabbed the cable as it swung before him. He clutched it tightly until he had slowly made his way to the bottom of the ColoPlant, where a great deal of the battle on the tarmac had ended.
        Cygnus holstered his blaster and looked up at Lotaan, who stood a great deal higher on a landing platform. They were each tiny soldiers from this distance, but both knew that they were more than that up close.
        Cygnus turned his head away and began jogging back to the forest to help his friends.

        *       *       *       *

        The Rebel Dominion’s starfighters were plentiful in number now and they tediously circled the area of the Tau Sakar ColoPlant. Phadrax Monovial knew that they were there but couldn’t do anything about it. He was busy focusing on his own personal defense and his hopes of defeating Dominic Artemius for good.
        The two cloaked warriors fought a mundane clash of lightsabres with vicious intents. When Monovial attempted to speed it up and put an end to Artemius, the Jedi simply leapt backwards and shot forward a powerful wave from the Force, knocking Monovial off balance.
        Both of them paused when a squadron of three E-Wing starfighters soared over the ColoPlant and began to turn around. They exchanged glances and realized what was about to happen. That squadron of E-Wings had slowed their throttle and were ready to swoop the ColoPlant and blanket it with a highly destructive amount of ammunition.
        Artemius deactivated his lightsabre and received a strange look from his opponent. Dominic let out a deep breath, closed his eyes and in a flash, his body became a blur as he sped away from the area and deeper into the forest.
        The E-Wings gained altitude and then stopped over the ColoPlant, slowly descending downwards when their load of heavy space bombs whistled through the air. Monovial was angrier than he had been in a long time. He could hear the whistle of these bombs. He could hear the destruction of this ColoPlant before it was even happening. In one guttural outcry, Monovial’s body blurred and he disappeared into the opposite direction of Artemius. This battle was over.
        The heavy space bombs hit the ColoPlant eight times even though it would’ve taken only one to do the job. A crater was planted instantly as the explosion of thousands of pieces of machinery, reactor terminals and control satellites were engulfed in flames. The eruption was heard all over that continent of Tau Sakar, and the celebration of the Rebel Dominion’s first real victory against the Interstellar Sith Allegiance seemed even louder.
        After the explosion, Antioch Fi and Sabreeth fought no more. The Jedi had disappeared from the area and the quarrel couldn’t continue. Lotaan Xta Santau made it out with some burn injuries, and Sari Newace7 was not counted for.
        When Harlo’s ship boarded the Euphoria, he was reunited with Billy Cygnus, Dominic Artemius, Antioch Fi and the Grand Admiral, Leonardo Sienar. Dominic, Billy and Harlo all had a conference in the ship’s cafeteria. Antioch had left to talk with Zethro Molt, who helped Grand Admiral Sienar coordinate the air strike from the E-Wing squadron.
        “How long was that battle, do you know?” Cygnus asked, taking a sip from his mug of a unique green beverage inside.
        “Well, the sun was setting when it finished and it was afternoon when we started, right?” Artemius said. “I’d say five or six hours. It didn’t seem that long to me.”
        “Me neither.”
        “Hey,” Harlo spoke up, “I was only there for an hour and I thought it was longer than five or six! It took me ages just to figure out what was going on.” Grand Admiral Sienar interrupted the conversation and called for a private consultation with Artemius and Harlo. They moved to a room in the hallway to the main port of the Euphoria.
        “Some of the fighters that went ahead to the complex on Ivinsnale have come back with a damage report that could be disastrous to our resources. Even though winning this battle should earn us some time and recognition, we may not be able to handle this,” Sienar began. “Several of our men and most of the complex has been destroyed. I don’t know how it happened, but someone knew we were there. We need a new facility to operate out of, and I think it may be able to work if I bring up the plans for Planet Castleguard I.”
        “And what is that?”
        “That is a project that I designed quite some time ago, hoping that we would get big enough to use it one day. Speaking very broadly, Castleguard is a space station. Speaking very technically, it is ten space stations. I’ll deal with that later. However,” Sienar told them, “I called you over here because of your recent request in training Harlo here as a Jedi Knight. This will be a challenge if we don’t have the proper facilities, correct? In the condition that the Ivinsnale complex is in now, it would be almost impossible.” Artemius could’ve contradicted that, but he let Sienar continue talking. “If you can try and get the Jedi Academy to help finance Castleguard, we can build an entirely new station for the Academy on Castleguard and that way the Rebel Dominion is working directly with the Jedi Order instead of through a messenger all the time.”
        “It sounds like it could work and I’ll try my best but I will need to know a little more about this space station, because they probably won’t agree until they actually see the plans for this thing,” Artemius replied. “Right now, though, I suggest that you give all of your hard-working soldiers a break.”
        Sienar smiled and nodded.

        *       *       *       *

        Kenneth Harlo, as his trainer had predicted, became a Jedi Knight over a span of six months of training. Grand Admiral Sienar was surprised that Artemius was able to train an apprentice without any facilities built to do so. Artemius, himself, argued that Pico was trained in only the wilderness and he turned out to be an excellent Jedi in half the time that Harlo did.
        After the Battle of Tau Sakar, visions of what the Galactic Civil War had been like began re-appearing. It was quiet for a long time for both the ISA and the Rebel Dominion. During this time, both alliances focused all that they had left into rebuilding themselves into what they had once been. Grand Admiral Sienar’s Planet Castleguard I began construction using parts from the shipyard on the planet Fondor.
        Captain Billy Cygnus, Commander Kenneth Harlo and Corporal Stlantasmial Dexxa became good friends through working alongside one another for so long. Because of this, Sienar trusted that the three of them would be valuable assets when it came time to battle the ISA yet again. No better or more productive trio existed amongst the Commonwealth of Rebel Dominion 0027.
        Harlo had been training his own mind out in an artificial grass field created through a virtual reality program one afternoon that would ultimately change who he was. Dexxa waited for Harlo’s concentration exercise to finish and then approached him about something. “I don’t have much, Harlo,” he said, “but I want you to see something.”
        “What is it?” Dexxa looked confused and walked over to a table where a small comlink was standing on end. Dexxa reached out with his hand and the comlink began to float. He flicked his finger backwards and the comlink whipped into his hand.
        “Like I said, it’s not much,” Dexxa repeated. Harlo was very impressed.
        “You just might have potential, Dexxa,” Harlo said excitedly. “I don’t know if I should talk to Dominic or not. Maybe I can just offer you the least bit of pointers. Anything that will slightly enhance your Force-training ability. I won’t really be training you, but when you get strong enough I guess I can refer you to Dominic.” Harlo was terribly hasty at this point in time. He didn’t realize that it wasn’t every day that someone spotted a Jedi potential, even if they could make things float with their minds.
        “Should I go for it?” Dexxa asked, seemingly unsure of himself.
        “Look. When Castleguard is completed they will have all sorts of facilities for Jedi training and probably a bunch of stuff just to test to see if you are an actual potential. You look to me that you have the ability, but aren’t sure how to control it. We’ll wait until Castleguard is finished to approach Dominic or Antioch, or somebody with that type of authority in that same type of field. Until then, I’ll just offer you a few tips here and there to get you jump-started.” Dexxa smiled, and so did his friend, but he didn’t see that this was an error he would later regret.
        But what was it to Commander Kenneth Harlo, a reckless, young Jedi Knight? He was doing no harm, but simply trying to expand the Jedi order. This is exactly what everyone wanted. Expansion. Everything needed to get bigger.
        The Jedi Academy needed to get bigger. The Rebel Dominion needed to get bigger. Harlo’s skills needed to get bigger. But with all of these good expansions came those that were not so good just to balance everything out. During production, the ISA would get bigger, STAFF would get bigger and the everlasting rivalry between Dominic Artemius and Phadrax Monovial could only get bigger.
        With the opening of STAFF, there was a new dark force rising to combat the Jedi Knights. The Jedi-Sith rivalry hadn’t existed for over 40 years by the time STAFF came into existence. Now, Phadrax Monovial with the help of his faithful apprentice Sabreeth, were resurrecting the most dismal war to ever plague the serenity and peace of the galaxy.

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