01.26 : The Light Begins to Dim

[Nine Minutes after Hyperspace Emergence Confederate Navy Fleet in Ryloth System]

[Republic Aegis Guard Venator-class Star Destroyer The Necromancer, Ryloth System, 14th Sector Army]

"Ion Cannons at full charge General"

I nodded, quick gesture at the nearest enemy Lucrehulk with my armoured hand as my warship shudder under the impacts of enemy turbolasers "Target-03! Both guns....Fire!"

"Copy, Firing Ion Cannons!"

Getting The Necromancer operational had meant a number of shortcuts, one of which involved placing extra planetary ion cannons into the damaged central launch bay along with subsidiary power supplies and shield generators. Not that the generators were up to true military specification, but we'd opted for quantity and that brought them defences up even if grossly inefficient for the loss of strike craft and space. Still it, and the increased anti-fighter/bomber capacity, were a decent enough exchange considering available resources. Twin lances of light lashed out from the front....I really needed to get an unexposed bridge....of my Venator across the inky darkness to impact on the nearest enemy Lucrehulk.

At bloody knife fighting range of course as was par for manually aimed guns and a universe where sensor tech and electronics had never gotten ahead of jamming; oh what I would give for a decent sensor system or fire-control system from other realms. A Star Trek Defiant would absolutely wreck most fleets even if its weapons were weak-sauce since it could actually manoeuvre and hit at range unlike these sailing-ships in space I had control of. But one dealt with the hand they were dealt with as I pushed that momentary thought away and called for focused fire from my gunnery crews unto the targeted enemy battleship as the Ion blasts slammed home. At the very least our lower close weapons systems had been slaved to 'dumb' droid brains; I watched as enemy Vulture droid was blown away in front of my command bridge.

'Really need to get an armoured bridge inside the ship' I thought again breathing through my helmet's mask as I stood an 'observed' the battle. Though it was as much 'felt' as 'observed' really I felt the burning presence of the darksiders and the Jedi upon the battlefield. I'd already Briaka and my personal Kill-Squad of that fact, and both Aaron and Abigail stood silently inert but ready behind me as I careful concealed my presence in the Force even as I reached out. No longer just Rahm Kota's light, but three more blazing beacons within the Force within our Fleet...and two....no, Three, infernos beating of anger and rage and greed accelerating towards them. I opened my eyes again as The Necromancer shuddered violently again.

"Damage Report!"

"Heavy damage on ventral decks, fires reported on multiple decks!" Ardal shouted from ahead of me on the bridge after a few moments as I braced by holding unto the handhold near the tactical display "...enemy battleship is dead in space, but the others are concentrating all fire on us General!"

'Dammit, drew attention too soon' I mentally reprimanded myself before speaking "Damage Control crews to affected sections, get those fires out, vent any sections they can't manage after sealing! Divert all auxiliary power to forward deflector shields!...ugh...intensify forward firepower"

'It always sounds ridiculous saying that' I thought with annoyance gripping the tactical display as my Executive Officer went about dealing with the damage we'd sustained "Are main batteries still operational?"

"Batteries Nine and Twelve are out of commission Sir" one of the gunnery control officers, a human from Eriadu if I recalled correctly, called out "...all others reporting limited damage, Ion Cannons at ninety-two percent charge"

I nodded "Target the nearest Munificent when full charge is..." the ship shuddered again "...reached. Comms, signal The Selfless we need support here"

Around us the fighting was brutal as the Separatists surged forward...seemingly more intent on closing with our forces than anything else. It was throwing their fighters away almost as they attempted to grapple with us by almost throwing their droid-fighters at us. Standard Separatist doctrine inherited from the Trade Federation and the Techno Union's 'lower caste' combat doctrines...still this was a poor choice in the face of our own equal number of star-fighters. One I decided to add too as things were growing intense as one of corvettes, a Ailon Nova Guard one, exploded near to us.

"Reverse Thrusters! Transmit Activation codes and implement Raise the Dead, target is the rear of the enemy formation. Send Mimic protocols....we might catch them surprise" I ordered as the ship continued to be battered and out deflector shields, and less powerful barrier system, began to crumble in the face of it. What was worse the nearest supporting Venator, one of the Jedis, had gone dark as its power went down as star-fighter icons disappeared from the plot one after another. I grabbed the command circuit as it blinked with a signal from Sector General Geen's Selfless.

"Necromancer Actual here"

"Copy Necromancer, Selfless....Daron get support squads over to the Liberator immediate, there being boarded and we need to get Senator Organa and Jedi Master Tiin clear! Selfless and Majestic will cover you as best we can. Gold, Blue, and Azure squadrons attacking the nearest Lucrehulk"

I swore softly a moment then thumbed the signal "Understood Selfless, proceeding as orders"

"Helm, adjust plane forty two degrees, full dorsal burn! Bring us nearer to the Liberators" I ordered before changing to an internal ESS channel "Braika! Have assault teams prepped and ready! We're to send over a rescue team for some idiots, heavy duty, prepare for Force users"

"Copy Daron, Hunter-Killers right....all set, moving teams to aft launch bays, confirm when"

"Will do, confirm when you're in position" I replied before focusing back on the battle as The Necromancer began to shift position, The Selfless and Majestic doing likewise nearby as space was criss-crossed with energy blasts and exploding ships. It was an eternity, but the balance was shifting our way as reinforcements rose from Ryloth in the space of the reserve of Twi'lek pilots in their Chir'dakis and my own squadrons in their shielded TIE fighters.

From behind the Confederate formation the re-fitted Scarabs with their mixed IFF's had hit home, taking advantage for a few precious seconds before the Confederates realise what was happening and adjusted to deal with the threat. Likewise the battered and wrecked Lucrehulk hummed back to its half-life as its droid crew direct its weapons unto the Hardcell transports nearby. It wouldn't last long, it was a barely repaired wreck after all, but it would buy us valuable time as I watch the CIS Fleet forced to divide its attention just as our remaining reserves came into play.

"Gunnery, shift fire as we move unto..."

...but I got no further as the world slammed into me...

BUWHUUUUAAAAAAA

...or rather the tactical display slammed into me as the whole ship jerked, and the world ahead of me exploded in a geyser of flame and darkness as my armour absorbed the worst of the blow. The tactical display died, the room going black, then flickering with lights again as systems reengaged...

BUWHUUUUAAAAAAA

...before descending into darkness again amidst the cries and groans of pains from my bridge crew. Someone was calling out, as I grunted and pressed my hand down unto the now only faintly flicker display and pushed myself back up to stand. Then grunted again, this time in momentary mental pain as I saw the forward decks, all along the central launch bay aflame...debris flying away as smaller secondary detonations erupted along the spine of my warship. I froze...

BUWHUUUUAAAAAAA

...for just a moment as I forced my mind into calm with a spell "Ardal, you alive?"

"Si...Sir....Yes, Sir" he called out pulling himself up, wincing in pain as he went. I nodded "Good, is Damage Control functioning?"

I could guess, even a view from here told me The Necromancer was finished as a fighting ship and we'd need to....

BUWHUUUUAAAAAAA

"And someone turn off that alert please!" I commanded giving myself a shake and moving over to the still functioning emergency systems as the bridge was illuminated by the emergency lighting and backup power systems "...I need to know where we stand?"

'Engines still functioning at least' I noted helping lift the injured human female into the arms of one of my Solemite Officers so I could get at the controls as Ardal's voiced called from across the way "I'm reading massive structural damage and fires all across frontal and central superstructure, ion cannons and forward batteries are gone.....central armour belt in the explosion but...Sir there's no way we can control this, damage is too extensive and fires are spreading towards central storage decks!"

'Meaning hundreds of my crew are dead' I thought closing my eyes for a second, before using my magic induced calm to focus on the task at hand as I activated the command circuit across the ship "ALL HANDS! THIS IS THE GENERAL! ALL PERSONNEL CAPABLE OF REACHING THE AFT LAUNCH BAYS ARE TO HEAD THERE IMMEDIATELY! ANYONE WHO CANNOT DO SO IS TO ABANDON SHIP FROM THEIR NEAREST PODS! I REPEAT ABANDON SHIP!"

I turned "Ardal, I'm activating the emergency control droids. We're diverting what's left our power to deflectors and sub-light engines. We're making for the Liberator, turn us so our underside is facing the enemy! All non-essential personnel down the tunnels now or take to the lifeboat pods!"

"Understood General, you, you, and you with me!" he replied springing into action as the three unarmed 'support droids' moved from their secondary positions to do just as I command with the emergency protocols just entered unto the system. Unarmed of course, couldn't risk subversion, but they'd be able to keep the ship quasi-moving while the crew abandoned ship or joined me on charging over to the Liberator. With a shuddering lack of grace the Necromancer began to move again as I motioned at my two bodyguard/assassin droids and now standing troopers to follow me down the stairways towards the lower launch bays. I thumbed the ESS command circuit again.

"Braika, are you prepped?"

"What the kriff just happened?"

"Unlucky shot, front of the ship is after exploding and is now on fire! We're abandoning ship like alarms are now telling you and everyone else" I responded with unnatural calm as we moved "Now, are you ready? We're taking everyone and everything we can with us"

"Yeah, we're ready to go. Just hurry up and get down here already..."

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[Forty-two Minutes after Hyperspace Emergence Confederate Navy Fleet in Ryloth System]

[Republic Navy Venator-class Star Destroyer The Liberator, Ryloth System, 4th Mobile Army]

Three Sith apprentices and a dozen commando droids and the wretched Jedi still lived Saato found as she drew upon her rage at the injustice of it all. Sure he SaeseeTiin was a Jedi Master, but she was Saato of Dathomir, who had embraced the power of the Dark Side and SHE WAS POWER! SHE WAS THE WILL OF THE FORCE! HER PASSION WOULD SET HER FREE!

Like a dance she and the other two, lesser than her, Dark Acolytes, moved, blades of crimson flashing as the wounded Jedi fell back....but still deflecting their efforts. Her rage built as she felt the other Jedi charging towards them from across the ship, the other Force signature holding back. Likely to defend the Senator aboard this crippled warship....the perfect result to show her master; to slay three Jedi and a Senator while her fleet crushed their minions....

Block, slash, block, slash, parry, counter....

....the doorway behind the Jedi opened...and too her surprise more droids, a droideka at the lead came through and opened fire on the filthy Jedi...

...his lightsaber was a blur of light as he turned, blocking the shots...

....the blocking Vinoc of The Twins slash....

...his brother's....

.....but not her stab as her blade of crimson light slid through his back where his heart was...

One down, another step on her ascension to power as she snarled at the corpse as she shoved it away; not a moment too soon as another Jedi, a human female with blonde hair, charged towards their rear with clones at her side. Sneering at the weakling she kicked at the corpse for emphasis as she gestured with her blade as the brothers took stance on either side of her.

"Come now little Jedi! The mighty Jedi Master of the Council is fallen, what will a pathetic little thing like you going to do!"

Charge at them apparently...