Taaban

Jedi Knight Naat Alyrose, Jedi Master Arrikkata, Cif Tenno, and the two mystery Jedi stand across from three Inquisitors. The leader of the Inquisitors is a red-skinned Zeltron and she is locked in a war of worlds with Naat.

Naat: Look how far you've let yourself fall, Scarlett. Master Kareen would be disappointed.

Scarlett: Master Kareen and Master Tymm are gone!! Their deaths made me realize just how weak the Jedi were.

Isaiah: You'll pay for what you did!

The Lurmen Jedi looks at her human friend and tugs his sleeve.

???: Be careful. You'll bleed your crystal again.

Isaiah: I don't care anymore, Emrr-Syin. They need to pay!

The Rodian Inquisitor steps forward.

Rodian Inquisitor: Who's gonna make us? You?

Isaiah: Is a bantha hairy?

Rodian Inquisitor: Hahaha, I like you, kid.

Emrr-Syin: Matthix? I thought I recognized you. Still hiding behind whoever you think is strongest?

Matthix: Quiet, young one!

Isaiah: Why don't you come shut us up? Scared to lose to another Kenojynn?

Matthix: I fear nothing! Your brother go lucky!

Isaiah: I wish he was here to hear you say that.

Matthix: Kenojynn is dead?

Isaiah: So my brother lives? That's good to know.

The Zeltron and the Twi'lek look at their Rodian brother in confusion and disgust. Matthix is aware he shouldn't have asked Isaiah about the status of his brother. He should have lied instead, but he let his fear of the Jedi Knight impact his judgment.

Isaiah: It's a shame he'll never get to beat you again. I'll be sure to give him all the details.

Matthix: Enough games! Sisters, let's kill them.

Scarlett: Gladly.

The Zeltron charges at Naat while Matthix and the Twi'lek rush Isaiah and Emrr-Syin respectively. Isaiah fires a few shots from his RSKF-44 heavy blaster pistol to slow Matthix down slightly, while Emrr-Syin curls up into a fuzzy wheel and rolls at the Twi'lek.

(A/N: Isaiah's blaster pistol.)

Meanwhile, Naat and Scarlett engage in a heated duel. The clashes of blue and red send sparks across the field. Their speed and agility are almost equal, unlike the Twi'lek and the Lurmen's. The Twi'lek is having trouble countering and even blocking the swift and acrobatic style of Emrr-Syin. Due to her size, her strength in the Force enabling her to jump higher and move faster, and her unique weapons, the Inquisitor can barely handle the attacks.

The Lurmen bounces, rolls, twirls, and spins constantly, often wrapping one whip around the Inquisitor's first blade and using the other to crack at the second blade. Meanwhile, the Rodian begins to close the gap between himself and the human Jedi. Isaiah puts his pistol away, then runs at the Rodian. Matthix pulls his arm back to swing when Isaiah leaps in the air and kicks him in the stomach. The kick sends him backwards, but doesn't knock him over. It does allow the Jedi to have the upper hand and begin to swing furious slashes across the crimson blade. When he isn't sweeping the white blade through the air, he's jabbing at the Inquisitor, keeping him from counterattacking. His combination of the aggressive Form VII and the combative Form II keeps his adversary on his heels.

On the other side of the field, Naat and Scarlett's blades are locked, each pushing against the other in an attempt to get the upper hand. Sparks fly as they push against the other's blades.

Scarlett: You really think you can win this?

Naat: You sound nervous, Scarlett.

Scarlett: Nervous? What would I have to be nervous about?

They push each other away, then resume swinging their sabers at each other. The red and blue blades fill the air with an orchestra of hums, buzzes, and hisses. As she swings wildly and angrily, Scarlett speaks.

Scarlett: There are three...Jedi...within my grasp...and I have two...of the greatest Inquisitors...ever trained...standing beside me. So tell me, what could I possibly have to fear?

She finally stops swinging and stands breathing heavily. She regains some of her composure and a wicked smile crosses her face.

Naat: You're overconfidence is your weakness. So are your math skills.

Scarlett looks at her questioningly. Naat smiles knowingly, fully aware of another Force user's presence.

Naat: There's four Jedi here. Now!

The Togruta rolls out of the way and covers her ears as Arrikkata lets out a large Force roar. The sound waves cause Scarlett to slide backwards. Once she stops sliding, she looks at the Wookiee in surprise. Arrikkata fires rapidly, the blasts colliding with her lightsaber and making her stumble.

Scarlett: Master Arrikkata. I heard they had captured you, but I couldn't believe they'd send you to this planet. A farm world is way too good of a sentence for a Jedi, let alone a Wookiee. If only you had your lightsaber, then I could finally test your infamous technique and make a rug with your fur when I'm finished.

Her taunting doesn't please the Wookiee, who lifts her in the air with the Force and throws her away from him. Scarlett lands hard and struggles to get back up onto her side. Arrikkata lets out a series of roars and growls before he points.

Across the field, Isaiah still has Matthix on the ropes. His skill in combat leaves no opening for the Rodian to get in any offense of his own. Matthix gets more and more angered by this, but is still unable to do anything but defend himself. The white crossguard comes down against his double-bladed red lightsaber roughly as Isaiah pushes forward. Matthix stumbles backwards, but it gives him the opportunity to mount an offense.

He rushes forward to swing at Isaiah's head, but the human locks blades with him. They both struggle to get the upper hand when Isaiah brings his left hand up and punches Matthix in the head, then boots him in the stomach with his left foot. He follows through with his spin and slices upwards diagonally, going from Matthix's right hip all the way to his left shoulder. The cut doesn't go deep enough to kill, but it's enough to knock the Rodian down.

Between Naat and Isaiah, Emrr-Syin continues to roll around the Twi'lek. When she isn't rolling, she's leaping through the air and spinning. The Twi'lek tries to catch her repeatedly but the Lurmen is much too fast for her. After a few strikes from the whips against the crimson blades, the Twi'lek stammers around. Seeing the opening, Emrr-Syin lashes one whip forward, wrapping around the crimson blade. She yanks on it, pulling the Twi'lek's arm away from her body, before flinging the other whip. The emerald cord wraps around the Inquisitor's arm, and with one tug from the Lurmen, the arm is severed from the elbow down. She screams in pain and falls to the ground clutching at her arm.

Matthix: Courzi!!

He gets off the ground and goes to run to his fallen friend when Isaiah uses the Force to push him to the ground. Scarlett looks over at her injured brother and sister and realizes they are no match for the Jedi. That doesn't stop her from holding her hands out and launching a vicious barrage of lightning from her fingertips. Naat gets in between the lightning and Arrikkata and holds the lightning back with her two sabers, which are crossed in an X position.

A storm of laser blasts rain down and destroy the Inquisitors' shuttle. Everyone looks up and sees the Mythosaur Mereel flying down. It hovers above the ground and the ramp opens up. Arrikkata roars and uses the Force to throw the Zeltron to the ground. As he does that, Cif joins Cassus on the ramp and helps their two new friends onto the ship. Naat and Arrikkata soon follow. The ship takes off and jets through the skies.

Isaiah: Take us to the clearing in the East. My ship is there.

Cassus: You better hurry. There's a whole fleet above us and I'm not trying to fight any Star Destroyers today.

Isaiah: Just open the hatch when you're above it. We've jumped from greater heights than this before.

Cassus: You Jedi are all nuts.

He steers the ship East. As they fly, they try to get to know each other a bit better.

Cassus: Got a name?

Isaiah: I'm Isaiah Kenojynn.

Emrr-Syin: And I am Emrr-Syin.

Cassus: I'm Cassus Mereel. The man to my right is Isaac Djarin.

Cif: You guys came back fast.

Cassus: The ship was gone before we got there. Someone disabled all of their systems and made the jump once the Imps showed up.

Naat: Any idea who it was?

Cassus: Could be anyone. All we know is they were flying a Jedi interceptor.

Naat: It was a Jedi!?

Isaiah: Did you scan the ship?

Isaac: Yes, we did. Why?

Isaiah: Can you show us the ship?

With a press of a button, a hologram of the Eta-2 interceptor appears.

Isaiah: That's him!

Naat: That's Caleb's interceptor!

Isaiah: Where did he go?

Cassus: Not sure. We placed a homing beacon on his hull.

Emrr-Syin: You're tracking him?

Cassus: Of course. I've been keeping my eye out for any and all Jedi and Mandalorian remnants. Anyone we can get to help.

Isaiah: Help what?

Cassus: Rebuild. The Jedi Order and the Mandalorians are scattered and divided. The Jedi I travel with and Darth Viper believe both orders should help each other.

Isaiah: Help me find my brother. Please.

Cassus: You got it, kid.

The ship dives down to the clearing and comes to a stop. The two newest allies of the group move to the back and give Cassus the thumbs up to open the hatch. The two Jedi jump and dive down to the modified U-Wing below. A few moments later, the U-Wing ascends to meet them amongst the clouds.

Cassus: Follow us.

Isaiah: Where are we going?

Cassus: The homing beacon is still moving. It's heading to Dorin.

Isaiah: Send the coordinates and we'll follow your lead

Cassus: Copy that.

He pushes a few buttons, then prepares to make the jump to hyperspace. The two ships dart off and follow the signal.

Baran Do Temple, Dorin

The Eta-2 class interceptor erupts from hyperspace and maneuvers towards the planet. It descends through the atmosphere at blinding speeds before twisting through the skies and landing at the Baran Do Temple. The pilot steps out of his interceptor and marches to the exit of the temple.

The man known as Caleb Kenojynn hops onto a small speeder bike and zooms off to the outskirts of the city. The bike blasts through backroads and shortcuts until he finally finds what he was looking for. To the unsuspecting passerby, it just looks like a large heap of metal or an odd city with weird architecture. Really and truly, it's a half buried Republic warship. He turns off-road and flies straight at the once great battle cruiser. As he gets nearer, two defense cannons slowly move into position.

Using the Force, Caleb retrieves his lightsabers off of his belt, hoists them in the air, and ignites them. The blast doors open at the sight of the cobalt and golden pillars of light.

The sabers shut off and place themselves back onto Kenojynn's belt. After entering the ship, he has to take a minute to adjust to the different atmosphere. Because he is half Kel Dor, Caleb can breathe on Dorin with ease. He is also half human, which allows him to breathe in oxygen-rich places too. The only problem is that the adjustment when moving between the two atmospheres can be painful.

He clenches his teeth and holds his hand against his chest. He breathes in little pockets of air at a time. As he does this, he is being watched by another robed person and two soldiers wearing white and grey.

The woman closes her eyes in an attempt to block Caleb's struggle from her mind. She can't stand when he does this. Every time he leaves to learn from the Baran Do or jump halfway across the galaxy without backup to find his brother and their friends, he comes back only to go through this. She orders the two troopers to go down and help Caleb into the ship. The two soldiers, Daly and Clay, go to help the Jedi into the once-great warship. They both step under one of his arms and help him walk.

Daly: Easy, General.

Clay: We got you, sir.

Caleb: Than- *cough* thanks, guys.

While being helped, Caleb thinks back to a time before the Empire. He thinks back to how the Republic fell and gave birth to the galaxy's first Galactic Empire. He was on Cato Neimoidia with his master, Jedi Master Plo Koon. Caleb had already been knighted and had a Padawan at the time. He was leading the sister battalion of the 104th, the 272nd, which was often referred to as the Blood Pack. The clones were easily distinguished by their red and grey patterns and paint jobs.

The battle was a fierce one. Before they could get any incoming orders, he and his clones were hit with a large EMP. Their comms went static and the clones clutched the sides of their helmets as the electric pulse cackled around them. Once the pain stopped, they all watched as an ARC fighter opened fire on Plo Koon's starfighter, causing him to spiral through the air and crash into a tower. Caleb's mind wanders to the many adventures he had with his master as he looks down at one of the three hilts hanging on his belt. The hilt of his master's lightsaber. The last thing he has to remember him by.

The woman watches Caleb and the clones as he soon starts walking on his own. Her name is Nicole Shan. Though skilled in combat, she chose to act more as a diplomat, often accompanying senators to hostile worlds to try and persuade them not to leave the Republic or join the Separatists. She was on Cato Neimoidia when the Order was given. Nicole was there to discuss the Neimoidians' surrender when Plo Koon's fight collided with a nearby building. When the smoke cleared, all clone troopers were hunting her. Luckily, she had managed to find the Blood Pack who, for some reason, weren't given the Order.

Nicole: Must you continue putting yourself through this?

The bearded Jedi looks up at her and smirks weakly.

Caleb: It'll get easier eventually.

Nicole: Until then, I suggest you either stay on the ship or you stay out there.

Caleb: Noted.

Nicole: Was your mission a success?

Caleb: No. Not entirely. By the time I had finished the Neimoidian pirates' ship, the Imps showed up.

Nicole: So we're still unsure of your brother's whereabouts? Great. Did you see anything that might be useful?

Caleb: A ship was moving in to engage the ship when I was wrapping up the last remaining defenses. It was a Mandalorian ship.

Nicole: Mandalorian? That's strange. They're hard to come by these days.

Caleb: Yeah. Something felt off about the ship. Whoever was flying it isn't like others of their kind.

Nicole: Are you sure?

Caleb: I know what I felt. When I tried to reach out to them, it was like a large creature was roaring in my ear. I'm not sure they even know they have a block put up.

Nicole: Did they fire at you?

Caleb: No. Their main focus was the Neimoidians. When the Imps came, their ship flew back to the planet. They were in a hurry. I guess they had something they didn't want the Imps finding.

Before their conversation can go any further, they are interrupted by another clone. This one is a Republic Commando covered in red markings named Caino.

Caino: Generals.

Nicole: Yes, what is it, Caino?

Caino: Three ships just came out of hyperspace: a Mandalorian Kom'rk, a U-Wing, and a lucrehulk-class battleship.

Caleb: They must've put a tracking device on my hull when I was docking in the hyperspace ring.

Nicole: What do you think they want?

Caleb: I don't know. We can go ask them.

Caino: You want us to take off?

Caleb: I'll go out and take my fighter. You need to prepare to lift off. If the Imps were chasing them, it won't be long before they arrive here.

Space above Dorin

The Colossal Haven glides out of hyperspace and joins the Mythosaur Mereel and the U-Wing above the planet. General Grieve sits at the helm while Darth Viper stands next to him with his arms crossed over the respirator covering his chest.

Grieve: Thank you for inviting us here. What do you need us to do, Mereel?

Cassus: Cover our backs. We're looking for a Jedi. Keep an eye out for any Imps and keep them from intervening.

Grieve: So it is true? You are wanted by the Empire.

Cassus: You could say that. They're mostly after the Jedi.

Grieve: Copy. Droids, keep searching for any and all incoming Imperial signals and ships! We will destroy any of them before they can reach the Jedi!

Darth Viper looks at the cybernetic warrior and speaks. Throughout their travels, he has been teaching Grieve how to speak and understand Sith. With the ancient Sith Lord as his advisor, Grieve gives orders to prepare for warfare. While the ship is moving, a droid discovers something.

B1: General! We are picking up something on our scanners. It's an old Republic signal.

Grieve: The Jedi is attempting to contact us. Send him a message to use our hidden frequency. The Empire will still be looking for Republic frequencies.

B1: Roger roger.

They send the message and wait. After a few moments, a voice comes through.

Caleb: Hello? Can anyone read me?

Grieve: This is General Grieve, son of General Grievous, and commander of the Colossal Haven, flagship of Colossus Squadron.

Cassus: This is Cassus Mereel. We're here with your brother and a few of your Jedi friends.

Isaiah: Brother?

Caleb: Isaiah? You're alive!?

Isaiah: I could ask you the same thing. Look, you need to get whatever you've got on that planet and come with us. Fast. The Imps'll be here any second.

Caleb: My crew is working on trying to get our ship to take off. We had to bury it after the Order.

Cassus: Anything we can do to help, Jedi?

Caleb: Just buy us some time. I could use an extra Force user or two though.

Isaiah: We'll follow you in.

Cassus: You heard 'em, boys. Let's buy the Jedi some time.

Grieve: Mandos, we're picking up several large ships coming this way out of hyperspace. They're Star Destroyers!