"You're still too closed off," Rhodes said while trying to catch his breath. "You fight well as it is but if you open yourself to the Force, it can aid you in battle."
Lena groaned and rolled her eyes while staggering to her feet. "Ok, but how do I do that?"
Rhodes chuckled before deactivating his lightsaber. He strolled across the hangar of the Insurgent where he stopped in front of the mess of crates that Lena had tumbled into. "I know it's hard to learn what it means to constantly open yourself to the Force. My master told me all the same stuff I am telling you and it took me forever. I guess what I am trying to say is don't be discouraged. You must learn to quiet your mind. Let the Force guide your movements."
"Kinda hard to quiet my mind with those two squabbling." Lena pointed across the hangar to where McCart and Twitch were engaged in a stalemate while arm wrestling. It was their third rematch of the training session with each match leading to an argument where the loser accused the winner of cheating.
Rhodes grinned and looked back at his apprentice. "There will always be distractions. Only when your mind is at peace will you achieve balance within yourself."
Lena let out a breathy exhale. "Alright, let's go again."
"Just what I wanted to hear," Rhodes replied before somersaulting backwards to create space between the two. "But we are going to do this one a bit differently. As you have likely noticed, up until now, I have been using a defensive fighting style. Now, we can see how you fare against an offensively minded opponent."
"Bring it on," Lena yelled back as she readied herself, purple lightsaber held up in front of her face.
Rhodes' lightsaber quickly blazed to life as he sprinted at Lena. Green and purple blades clashed back and forth as Rhodes ran through a series of predictable strikes that Lena was able to deflect away while holding her ground. The two dueled for a couple minutes before Rhodes changed things up.
Out of nowhere, Rhodes leapt into the air and flipped over Lena, landing behind her. She spun around and ducked, narrowly avoiding her master's attack. She stood up straight just in time to recognize a sharp upward slash heading her way. She brought her blade down in front of her, only to have it batted back upward by Rhodes' stronger swing. With her arms and saber raised above her head, she didn't have time to react as Rhodes kicked out with one of his long legs, knocking the lightsaber out of her hand.
"You can't rely on attack patterns in battle. You got too comfortable predicting the basic forms I was using. When you are open to the Force, you can see attacks right before they happen, allowing you to properly counter them. Once I changed attack patterns, you lost focus." Lena grunted and shook her head. She took a deep breath and raised her fists. Rhodes couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, we can take a shot at disarmed defense."
Rhodes was on the offensive once more, taking wild swings at Lena. She was slowly backing up while ducking and weaving around the green lightsaber blade. Rhodes was impressed. Every attack he made seemed to be easily avoided by Lena. It appeared as if she was finally getting it.
Rhodes paused for a second where he smiled and nodded at his apprentice. Seconds later, he continued his barrage with a bit more ferocity. Lena dodged every attack in succession until Rhodes brought his saber above his head. As he swung down, Lena reached her arm behind her and summoned her lightsaber with the Force. The red and gray hilt reached her hand in time to ignite and block the attack.
Not wasting any time, Lena crouched down, spinning on the ball of one foot while extending the other. Her leg crashed into the side of Rhodes' calf, upending him. Rhodes let out a yelp as he went tumbling to the ground. Lena laughed as she stood up. Rhodes too began to chuckle as he rose to his feet.
"Very well done," he said cheerfully. "Now it's time to... wake up." Rhodes' voice became sharper while saying the last two words.
"Huh?" Lena said, unsure of what he meant.
"It's time to wake up, Lena."
Lena's eyes fluttered open to see the spacious cargo hold of the freighter she was in. She had fallen asleep against one of the cargo containers. She looked up to see a man with bushy sideburns standing over her. "Sorry, Timber. Must have been dreaming," Lena said while gingerly rising to her feet. She shook her head, trying not to dwell on a vision of the past she had just seen.
Captain Timber grinned and nodded his head. "Not to worry, Commander. I was just sent to let you know that we are through the Imperial blockade. That Aurora Nova sure talked her way through."
Lena sighed. "Rhodes did always talk highly about her." Lena looked away from the clone and glanced around the rest of the cargo hold.
Half of the rectangular room was taken up by large cargo containers with hazard warnings painted all over them. The other half was mostly open space with the occasional crate of weapons that Aurora had agreed to bring along. This was where a small strike team of Cloud Squadron soldiers had begun to assemble with Twitch standing in the middle of the group.
Lena made her way over to the group until she was standing on the outer edge of the circle next to another familiar face. Rose turned toward her and smiled. Lena returned the gesture saying, "Thank you again, Rose."
The woman briefly closed her eyes and nodded. "Of course, Lena. Once we found out about Rhodes, we felt we owed it to him to help. Skye, Keiran, and Kenz will do their part with Abie's group, and I will do my job here."
Lena put a hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubt you will. It will be nice having a skilled medic on the ground with us."
Lena felt that her plan to recruit some of Rhodes' past allies was going to be much more difficult than it was. Her trip to Teth began with the villagers excited to see the Kestrel only for their excitement to vanish once Lena shared the news. It was Skye who convinced the others to help once Lena explained her plan. Her next stop on Pantora was the easiest. Timber agreed to help even before Lena was able to inform him of Rhodes' death. Once he knew, his resolve to help only grew stronger. The final stop on Ryloth was the one she was most nervous about. After a lengthy speech about Rhodes' outstanding debt to her, Aurora eventually caved and agreed to help, even offering top of the line rocket launchers and her freighter to sneak soldiers through the blockade.
Now, Lena's efforts over the past few days were about to pay off. She moved to the middle of the group where Twitch was making sure everyone assigned to the mission was present.
He noticed Lena and said, "Everyone is here." Lena nodded and gestured for Twitch to continue. "Alright team. Today is the day we show the Empire what we are made of. We all know our assignments. Oster, Nova, and I will handle the mines while Lena leads the rest of you in an attack on the refinery. Any questions?" Twitch looked around the group that remained silent. "Very good. Gear up strike team and get ready to drop."
The group quickly dispersed, each member slipping into one of the parachutes that lined the back wall. A few minutes later, Aurora's voice came over the ship's intercom system. "Approaching the landing zone. Stand by for the opening of the cargo bay doors."
Seconds later, natural light streamed into the ship as the doors slid apart. The freighter was hovering over one of the vast forests of Serenno. One by one, members of the strike team jumped from the ship, quickly deploying their parachutes.
Lena was about to jump as well until she heard her name called. She looked back to see Twitch standing alone. "May the Force be with you," he said with a smile.
Lena nodded and grinned. She turned back around, took a deep breath, and jumped.
"You called, Grand Admiral?" Captain Torr Siva said as the holographic image of Leneh appeared on the bridge of the Kaali.
"Yes, Captain, the time has come to employ our strategy. Deploy the fleet in a wedge formation alternating between Star Destroyer and light cruiser. I have just sent the assigned coordinates. You are to command my blockade, Captain, not Supervisor Aga."
"What about you? Surely you would like to be closer to the fighting."
"Do not worry, Captain, the fighting will be quite close to me as well. The inevitable attack will likely feature the refinery as the primary target. I will be here to ensure its safety from any ground assault."
There was a slight tremor in Siva's voice as he went to reply. "Inevitable? You think the rebels would attack so soon?" Even through the hologram, Siva could see Leneh's expression harden.
"Almost certainly. The loss of their last real Jedi will cause them to flounder. Their capturing of my asset will only lead to infighting and indecision. They will come soon and when they do, it will be a reckless attack. I believe that you are up to the task with the provided ships."
"Yes, Grand Admiral," he replied, with uncertainty in his voice.
"And Captain, Siva," Leneh continued. "I will be most displeased if you let so much as a single ship through my blockade."
Siva gave a salute as the hologram faded. "Helm!" Siva barked. "Move us to the following coordinates and prepare to signal the other cruisers to assume the formation."
The bridge was a flurry of activity, the officers in the crew pit following the order. Siva moved to the front of the bridge and activated the transmitter. "Attention all Imperial warships. This is Captain Torr Siva of the ISD Kaali. Confirm with me once you have moved your vessel to the incoming coordinates."
A few minutes went by before the other four ships started checking in. The light cruiser Thunderwing confirmed its position in the front of the wedge formation. Next to confirm were the light cruisers Phalanx and Echelon which took up positions on the two edges of the wedge.
Finally, the begrudging voice of Supervisor Aga came over the intercom. "ISD Allegiant in position," he said with a snarl.
Siva really wanted to berate the man for his attitude but at least he was following orders.
The fleet remained in that position for a few hours before the sensor officer spun around in her chair. "Captain, I have something," she said, a cautious excitement in her voice.
Here it comes, Siva thought as he moved over to her station. "What is it, Lieutenant Sible?"
"Shuttle coming out of hyperspace. It reads Imperial." As she was saying this, a small Lambda-class shuttle jutted out of hyperspace. "The shuttle is hailing both us and the Allegiant," Sible continued.
Siva put a hand on his chin. He hadn't wanted to include Aga but figured there wasn't much the man could really do. "Very well. Put them through. Loop in the Allegiant."
The officer tapped a few buttons and the holograms of both a woman and Supervisor Aga appeared. The Supervisor wore a scowl on his face, a look becoming all too commonplace since their ambush on the rebel base. The other figure was wearing an Imperial officer's uniform with various tears and gashes in the fabric
"Greetings Kaali, Allegiant," the woman started. "This is Governor Kasdeya Kerrim of the planet Serenno. I have escaped from rebel imprisonment and require immediate assistance. In exchange... I offer the coordinates for the rebel fleet."
Siva raised an eyebrow and replied, "Very well, stand by." After saying this, the Kaali's Captain put a finger on his lips while looking at the sensor officer. Sible seemed to get the idea and muted the audio and visual from the newcomer but kept the channel open.
Aga didn't give Siva a chance to speak. "She should be questioned by the ISB. She has information regarding a security threat. This is my jurisdiction, Siva."
The Captain simply rolled his eyes and gave another gesture to the sensor officer who quickly gave the Supervisor the same treatment as they did Kasdeya. Siva grabbed a smaller communicator from his belt. Within a few seconds, a hologram of Leneh from the shoulders up appeared over the device.
"Have they arrived?" she asked, not bothering to let Siva begin the conversation.
"Well, not exactly," he started, trying to carefully word things. "It's Kerrim... in an Imperial shuttle. She claims she escaped from the rebels and has their coordinates. Aga is insisting that the ISB interrogate her, but I get the sense that it is a trap. I was under the impression that she defected."
Leneh looked down and was quiet for a few seconds before looking back up. "I am inclined to agree. Likely a boarding party. Allow Aga to take the shuttle. Let him spring the trap. React accordingly."
"But Grand Admiral I—"
"That is an order, Captain Siva."
The man had now flushed red but there was no way Leneh could tell through the blue hue of the hologram. He gave a quick nod before shutting down the hologram.
He turned back to the rest of the bridge to see Kasdeya, patiently waiting in the same pose as before. Supervisor Aga on the other hand was visibly furious, his toe tapping aggressively against the floor. Siva was almost afraid to rejoin the conversation, fully expecting to be berated for his lack of decorum. "Open transmission to the Allegiant."
Supervisor Aga went to speak but was quickly talked over as Siva's voice bellowed. "Your request is granted."
Aga hesitated for a second, not expecting to win this argument that easily. After bowing, his hologram disappeared.
Siva turned to the other hologram before giving Sible a nod. "Apologies for the wait, Governor. You have been invited aboard the ISD Allegiant."
Kasdeya nodded saying, "I am most grateful, Captain." As she finished her statement, the transmission ended.
"Get me a bio scan of that shuttle," Captain Siva barked. "We need to know what they have coming their way."
The Imperial shuttle neared the Star Destroyer where it was caught in a tractor beam that pulled it toward the hangar. The entire bridge crew of the Kaali was on edge, overhearing the conversation between Leneh and Siva. They did their best to focus on their stations even though everyone wanted nothing more than to look out the viewport.
"Captain," Sible called. "Bioscan indicates no lifeforms aboard the shuttle."
"What?" Siva shouted. "Full power to the shields. Bring the ship to full battle readiness. Send word to the—"
It was too late. Before he could finish his orders, the middle of the Allegiant burst into a massive ball of flames that was immediately extinguished by the vacuum of space. All that was left was an energy field sweeping away from the blast site. The energy dissipated against the shields of the Kaali, leaving the ship virtually unscathed.
Siva rapidly glanced around the debris field. A large chunk of the aft section of the Allegiant was shoved back toward the planet. The piece, that included most of the bridge, slammed into the Echelon, triggering another massive explosion. A portion of the ship's bow was sent the other direction... right into the Thunderwing.
"What just happened?" Siva bellowed at the top of his lungs. He had just witnessed the destruction of an entire Star Destroyer in an instant, followed by the demolition of two of the three light cruisers.
"Multiple proton warhead detonations detected in the main hangar. It looks like the Allegiant's shields contained the initial blast which is fortunate for us but is likely the reason the ship split apart so easily," weapons officer Tate reported.
Siva snapped into action. Staring at the immense debris field would have to wait. He still had a job to do. "I want search and rescue ships out there now!"
Siva knew there was little hope for the survivors. But he would have to try, even if they were under the command of a man he hated as much as Supervisor Aga.
"Multiple ships coming out of hyperspace. Mixed group of frigates, fighters, and bombers," Sible shouted over the commotion.
A few seconds later and there were multiple flashes of light as the new ships entered the system. The rebel fleet, Siva thought as a scowl spread across his face. "Forget the search and rescue! Target those frigates! Full spread of turbolasers."
"They are out of range, sir," Tate informed. "They came out of hyperspace early."
Captain Siva clenched his first and grunted. "Then send in the fighters. Every... single... one. Signal the Phalanx to do so as well. I want those ships blown out of the sky!"
"But sir, we can't support them at this range."
"That is an order!" Siva yelled back.
The weapons officer instantly backed down and signaled the hangar and the Phalanx. Within seconds, streams of TIE fighters went flying out of the two remaining Imperial cruisers.
Torr Siva moved to the front of the bridge and took a deep breath. "Andnow the real battle begins."