120 Escort Duty

-12:15 AM, October 26th, 2054

-Council Chamber, Jedi Temple, Coruscant-

I watched as the Grandmaster caressed his breathing device. He was deep in thought. "It seems our concerns were unfounded. The boys heart only grows purer as his connection with the force deepens."

He then turned to me. "Soryn, how have you been training him?"

My eyes involuntarily swept over my padawan who was on his knees in the center of the room. Then, I stepped forward to address him. "My main focus when guiding him has been to expand his mind with wisdom. I'm of the belief that knowledge gained through one's own means is immeasurably more valuable than that which is directly imparted."

Grandmaster Zym nodded. "Your wisdom exceeds your age, Soryn. It keeps you grounded and sheds light upon the darkness within you."

I quickly shook my head. I understood where he was coming from but, "I'm afraid you may be wrong, Master Zym."

Zym leaned forward in his chair, clearly interested by my rejection of his statement. "And why would you say that?"

I paused for a moment as the face of Mahmud flashed through my mind. He really made an impact on me. A gentle smile formed on my face as I recollected his words. "An associate of mine recently told me that we all have evil or darkness within us. We can't only rely on ourselves to keep the darkness at bay. It's the people that we surround ourselves with that keep us walking in the light."

Zym fell silent for a long moment. Then, he nodded. "You are right. The force connects everything. Sometimes even I forget such a simple fact. However, such an idea is only true when we allow those around us to enter the vault that is our minds."

He then turned to the only other person in the room. "Master Shan, it is time."

Satele stands up from her chair and nods. "Yes, Master Zym. See you soon."

-4:35 PM-

-Republic Cruiser "Yom", Hyperspace-

I stood on the bridge next to the newest Jedi Council member on the bridge of her cruiser. The stars twirled around us as their light stretched to the limit.

I turned to her. "So, what are we escorting exactly?"

Satele sighed and shook her head. "High Command stated that due to the sensitivity of the situation, we would find out when we arrive which should be right about… Now."

The streaks of light shortened, changing back to the backdrop of stars I had become so familiar with. This starry abyss had become a second home to me as of late.

Through the window, I looked down upon a mid-sized planet that was covered in oceans and small island chains. It was awfully similar to Scarif. The deep blues and faded turquoise of the oceans, the green of the jungle, and the white sand of the beaches reminded me of my newfound paradise.

I took in the sight. It was beautiful. "I don't recognize this system. Are we going to land?"

Satele shook her head. "Kaal is not our destination." She pointed off to the left. "That is."

I turned to follow her finger and froze. My jaw hung open with shock.

There was a massive fleet of warships and escort-type vessels in formation over Kaal. They were all in protective positions to defend something in the center from all directions.

In the center… it had to be the largest ship I had ever seen. It looked weirdly similar to the helicarriers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It had a mostly flat top, wasn't too tall, and had countless weapons systems lining its surfaces.

Satele shook her head. She was either unsettled or disappointed. "I believe they call that one a superdreadnaught."

I responded softly as I was still reeling in shock. "What do they plan to do with it?"

Satele turned around and started walking towards the bridge doors. "Let's attend the briefing and find out. Shall we?"

I glanced out the window once more. Dozens of escorts, cruisers, and frigates were dropping out of hyperspace each minute to join the formation.

Then, I turned and followed Satele. Sirius followed close behind me.

-5:00 PM-

-Republic Superdreadnaught "Star of Coruscant"-

I found myself standing on yet another bridge. Satele and Sirius were with me. Honestly, this vessel was much more impressive looking from a distance. Up close, it looked like a massive USB drive. Despite the awe-inspiring armament and complement, it was laughable. Such a waste of money…

Everyone was chatting in small groups. There were dozens of officers and their aides, each representing their own CSG.

(CSG = Carrier Strike Group, this is a group of ships organized around a capital ship so in this case, Capital Strike Group might be more accurate. This terminology will be used to provide more clarity for the nature of starship groups.)

I caught Satele staring at me. I sighed and met her gaze. "Master Shan?"

She shook her head. "Have you ever participated in naval combat before?"

I shook my head. "Outside of the simulations, no."

Her brow twitched. "Please tell me you at least know how to fly."

I nodded. "I've dabbled. I'm a quick learner though so don't worry."

She shook her head. "Oh boy…"

The doors to the bridge slid open. Everyone quickly fell silent. There was a tall and fit man with a square jawline. He had short brown hair and unyielding brown eyes.

He strode past everyone with an air of pure confidence. Possibly even arrogance. Then, he stopped in the center of the room.

He cleared his throat. "I am Colonel Laren Omas, the CO for this op. You've all been handpicked by me for various reasons whether it may be your naval capabilities, the skills of your fighter complements…" He trailed off as his eyes stopped on Satele. "Or your ability to board and subdue an enemy vessel against all odds."

"Today, we embark on a voyage that will put an end to not only this war, but to the Empire as well. If successful, the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas will be no more. All you need to do is follow my orders and refrain from asking questions. Individual briefings on your roles shall be sent over to your respective CSGs. Return and prepare yourselves. We will be entering hyperspace in one hour. Dismissed."

He waved his hand and turned to his aide. Everyone quickly dispersed.

With my brows raised in astonishment, I glanced at Satele. She merely shrugged before following everyone else towards the hangar bays.

As we flew back, I carefully observed the hundreds of vessels that had congregated around the Star of Coruscant. Most of them were massive and highly capable. Unfortunately, they paled when placed next to the shiny new ship the Republic had commissioned.

We were almost back to the Yom when we received a communication. It was the Lieutenant Commander that was left in charge of the CSG while we were away. He sounded panicked. "General! We are detecting hundreds of vessels about to drop out of hyperspace!"

Satele tilted her head in confusion. "What? Everyone should be here already."

A bad premonition quickly washed over me. I grabbed the controls and pulled right. Our shuttle spun 180 degrees.

Just as we turned around, countless flashes of light blinked upon the canvas of the stars. Then, the stars were drowned out by a curtain of red turbolaser fire.

I slammed the dashboard with my fist. "DAMNIT! WE'VE BEEN HAD!"