Jedi Insurgency 301

(Minutes before the assault on Kuat was about to begin)

Aboard his flagship, Rear Admiral Delvardus-a young up and coming officer raised specifically at Crown Prince Vader's command-paced upon the bridge of his Venator like a trapped beast. His broad shoulders were tense beneath his uniform, and his slick black hair was somewhat greasy due to a lack of hygiene. 

Ever since he had arrived in the Kuat system, the man had been impatient to get things over with. Well aware of Revan's feats, he wished to destroy the Starcrusher Corp before anything messy could happen to him. 

Within the bridge, upon a HoloTable, was a middle aged Corellian, and blood sworn enemy of the Iblis family, Vice-Admiral Vorru. The pale-skinned man had a salt & pepper coloration for his hair, and mustache. Staring at this young upstart pace the bridge with mild contempt, Vorru impatiently rolled his eyes as the pup entered yet another tirade. 

“They are in that asteroid belt, I know it. The Republic fleet fled there after we broke them. Allow my subordinates to send out six destroyers and two carrier groups. I’ll scour every rock until I find them.” Delvardus said aloud, half as a request from the overall commander of this operation, half as words meant to convince himself. 

Vorru's hologram remained seated, with one hand resting beneath his chin. “And if that is what they want? Falling into an ambush at this stage would be most costly to Kuat’s defensive line.” 

“They are wounded, so what if they act like a wounded Nexu with its back against the wall? We shall drive them forth into the asteroids.” 

“Fortunately, I am in command of this operation, and I disagree with this action. We are to remain posted above Kuat, as ordered.” Vorru said in a ‘am I clear’ tone. 

Delvardus’s jaw tightened, and he turned toward a nearby display, enlarging the distant belt with a sharp gesture. Thousands of tumbling stones appeared, riddled with sensor shadows and mineral interference. Detecting the Republic fleet was impossible. 

“Every hour we wait gives them time to repair…Time to contact Revan. There is merit to be won here, Vorru. A decisive victory is what we need. Kuat is one of the Crown Prince's priorities, surely you can see that.” Delvardus argued. 

“There is also disgrace to be earned by abandoning our assigned position before the Supreme Commander transmits the final phase of his plan. We serve the Emperor, Rear Admiral, and His interests. Never forget that.” Vorru snapped back, seconds away from cutting the feed. 

“I dislike waiting upon a Chiss to tell Imperial officers how to defend an Imperial world. Tell me you are not worried about Revan returning. That you have faith in that alien's plan?” Delvardus said in dissatisfaction. 

“To a certain extent, we can agree upon that. The Empire has elevated enough aliens beyond their natural station. Still, that particular blue-skinned specimen possesses an irritating talent for whispering into the Crown Prince's ear.” Vorru sneered in disgust. 

Delvardus gave a grudging grunt.

“So, we shall endure the indignity of patience. We need only hold Kuat until his transmission arrives. Then you may chase glory wherever Thrawn points you.” Vorru sarcastically added with a teasing smile. 

“I do not agree. This siege has lasted longer than it ought to have. I have a bad feeling about this.” Delvardus solemnly stated, and stared out a nearby window in trepidation, as if the enemy fleet would materialize directly in front of them at any moment. 

Vorru steepled his fingers, and scoffed. 

“Careful not to espouse any Jedi'isms. The Inquisition has been quite rigorous as of late. As for your concerns, do not allow them to cloud your judgements, Delvardus. Look around you. Between us there are two fleets, over a hundred thousand mines, and defense platforms covering every approach. Not even Revan could reach us. And if he should, we must: Stick. To. The. Plan.” Vorru sternly said, word for word. 

“I feel something cold.” Delvardus whispered, and pulled upon the neck of his uniform. 

“Get a grip of yourself, Rear Admiral.” Vorru said with a frown. 

The middle aged Vice-Admiral was particularly unhappy with this young man, and would use this recording for future blackmail purposes. Should they somehow suffer losses during this campaign, this merit obsessed madman would serve as the perfect scapegoat. 

‘Hm. That's strange. I seem to be feeling something of a malaise myself?’ Vorru thought to himself with a frown. 

The blood in his veins seemed to go cold, and butterflies were in his stomach. The type of trepidation one felt before undergoing a major surgery gripped his heart, and adrenaline coursed through him trying to wake him up out of this stupor. 

Seconds later, his ship rocked, nearly throwing him out of the command chair. Alarm klaxons started to blare, and he moved to pull up a screen to assess what was going on…but his movements were so slow! 

“Vorru-!” Delvardus's voice sounded, but then he heard no more as a green blade of burning hot plasma tinted with red pierced his chest. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Lieutenant Arven Daal-leader of a wing of TIE fighters-had been staring directly at the empty space beneath the fleet when the void spewed out a terror unknown. 

One moment, there was nothing below Vice-Admiral Vorru’s formation but the vaunted ring of Kuat, and the planet itself. The next moment, an armada was there.

Set up to detect the shadow of a fleet approaching in hyperspace, or to catch the sneaky Rebel Womprats with their mines, Arven had believed their position unassailable. But not even an alarm had been triggered! 

The Republic fleet simply appeared beneath them, vast and silent, rising out of nothing like vapor from a lake. 

Arven’s breath stopped as he saw one Venator, then another, and another. Around it materialized cruisers, frigates, and siege ships packed so tightly together that no fleet could have approached in such a formation without being discovered. And yet. There they were. 

Arven had watched the leaked footage of Coruscant, he knew what this signified! Sweat shivered down his spine, and a small amount of piss was absorbed by his suit's systems. This could only be the work of one man, of that treacherous Jedi:

Revan!

The name entered his mind like a screwdriver scrambling the yoke. His hands started to shake, and his heart pounded something fierce. 

“Contact!” Someone screamed over the squadron channel. “Contact below the formation!”

“Where did they-”

“Break! All fighters, break!”

Chaotic orders and desperate howls screamed across the line, but despite all that was said, his squadmates moved sluggishly, as if they were flying into a cloud made of molasses. 

Then the Starcrusher Corps unleashed hell.

Space became blindingly bright at that moment as innumerable missiles and lasers streaked towards the Imperial fleet. 

Turbolaser fire rose in solid pillars, where hundreds of emerald, and blue bolts crossed the short distance in nearly an instant. Ion cannons struck first, flooding shields with electrical storms, then numerous other bolts and boarding craft came out in droves. 

One unlucky Acclamator had her shields flash fried out of existence. They flared a brilliant blue, coming online just in time…only to collapse almost at once. A second volley punched through the lower reactor compartments, causing great sections of its armored hull to rupture outward, vomiting atmosphere, bodies, and molten metal into space.

Arven saw figures spinning among the debris, yet his arms felt like they were locked in place. Orders poured through his helmet, but they no longer sounded like Basic, and were incomprehensible. 

Another Star Destroyer tried to flee, but was quickly overwhelmed by enemy boarders. Arven felt their fear as though it were being poured directly into him. It was everywhere.

The shadow of death, fear, and loss pressed against his skull. It filled his lungs, and whispered that the battle had already ended. That every decision they made had been anticipated, and each escape route was closed off. Any brave act of defiance was rendered meaningless upon Revan’s arrival.

Something unseen had entered the fleet alongside the enemy and was moving from cockpit to cockpit, turning discipline into confusion and courage into dread.

Arven tried to lift his thumb toward the trigger, but it trembled, refusing to move. 

Ships covered in a coat of shadows-like how fire coated a piece of wood-flickered at the edge of his vision, seemingly phasing in and out of reality. Meanwhile, Republic fighters circled Imperial vessels like carrion birds. The burning fragments of Imperial ships created a new scenic spot above Kuat filled with space debris. 

A destroyer above Arven split down its central axis, forcing him to jerkily pilot his TIE to avoid the incoming shrapnel. However, he was caught in the aftermath of the blast, sending his starfighter tumbling. The sight of stars, fire, Kuat, and death wheeled across his canopy. Warning lights flashed urgently, and he barely found himself mere meters away from the minefield. 

When his vision cleared, Vice-Admiral Vorru’s flagship was burning.

The command ship’s shields flickered beneath a relentless torrent of fire. Republic bombers swept along its dorsal side, dropping explosives left & right. Turbolasers carved glowing wounds across the bridge tower. Escape pods began launching from the aft compartments, only to scatter into a battlespace so dense with debris that several struck the shattered remains of other Imperial cruisers, and were sent uncontrollably into the depths of space. 

The fortunate ones collided with a mine, or exploded. As for the rest…they rapidly disappeared, spinning like a children's toy, never to be seen again. 

The Starcrusher Corps rose beneath the Imperial fleet like some demons rising from the depths of hell. Every second, he felt Revan's will pressing down upon him. Urging his surrender. 

A new recruit, and loyal listener to Palpatine’s speeches, the Lieutenant mustered up his courage for one final ‘kriff you’ determined to crash his TIE into the Republic flagship. 

…only to worthlessly explode, such was the fate of Vorru's command.

~~~~~~~

Rear Admiral Delvardus watched Vice-Admiral Vorru’s fleet disappear in disbelief. Fifteen minutes. That was all it took. Now the numbers advantage was much closer than he liked, and those mines hadn't done a kriffing thing! 

The tactical display could not convey the horror of it all. But even from here, on the other side of Kuat, he felt something. 

Delvardus stood rigidly in place, all thoughts of merit having long left his lexicon.

“Confirm the Vice-Admiral’s status.” He hollowly ordered.

No one answered immediately, as everyone else aboard the bridge was speechless. 

“Confirm it!”

A communications officer flinched. “Vorru’s command signal has been lost, Admiral. His surviving vessels are scattering.”

Delvardus’s mouth went dry. All the reassurances Vorru had offered him now tasted like the foulest of poisons.

Delvardus turned toward the navigation officer. “Plot an emergency withdrawal. Rally all ships capable of hyperspace and prepare to-”

The bridge lights suddenly dimmed, and without any fanfare, a hologram materialized before him.

Supreme Commander Thrawn stood with his hands folded behind his back, his blue, handsome features were composed and his red eyes had narrowed sharply as he beheld the officer before him. 

“Admiral Delvardus.” Thrawn said, his smooth voice and arched eyebrow were like an accusation in Delvardus’s impression. 

Delvardus straightened instinctively, though panic still hammered beneath his ribs. “Supreme Commander, Vorru’s fleet has been annihilated, Revan bypassed the entire defensive perimeter. He transported his ships directly beneath our formation.”

“I am aware.” Thrawn simply stated, as if it did not concern him. 

“Then you understand that my position is no longer tenable.” Delvardus said, gesturing sharply toward the tactical display. “If Revan can repeat that maneuver, he could appear beneath us within minutes. I recommend immediate withdrawal before-”

“No. Your fear is understandable. However, the answer is: no. The Crown Prince will not allow a withdrawal at this time.” 

Delvardus stared at him, not knowing what to do. 

“Remain calm, Admiral. Vice-Admiral Vorru’s fleet fulfilled its purpose.”

“His purpose?” Delvardus repeated. “He lost thirty warships, with half that number being seized by the enemy.” 

“He compelled Revan to reveal his position, the effective range of his teleportation, the strain upon his fleet, and the exact method by which he intended to breach Kuat’s defenses.” Thrawn’s red eyes narrowed. “We now possess something more valuable than Vorru’s ships.”

On the display, Revan’s fleet advanced through the burning wreckage, turning toward Kuat.

“You, you expected this? Was this all a setup from the beginning?!” Delvardus asked in a demanding tone. 

“I considered it necessary. Perhaps ‘expected’ is too harsh of an accusation, Admiral. I merely recognized a pattern in Revan's growth cycle, and adjusted accordingly.” Thrawn slowly explained as he typed something out. 

A new set of commands appeared across Delvardus’s tactical station, revealing Coordinates, new fleet vectors, and activation codes for systems he had not known existed.

“What are these?” Delvardus questioned. 

“The reason you were ordered to remain on the opposite side of the planet.”

“All forces are awaiting your command, Supreme Commander.” Delvardus eventually replied with a bow, unknowing if he felt disgust or awe at the alien's tactics. 

Thrawn’s expression remained perfectly calm, as if the universe was a play in the palm of his hand. 

“Hold your position, Admiral, and maintain your Interdictors. Vorru’s destruction was not the end of Kuat’s defense.”

Just then, the shadow of something massive roared through hyperspace. 

“What, what is that?” Delvardus asked in stunned awe. 

Thrawn studied the weak-willed man with a critical eye, then answered his question: 

“May I present to you His Majesty's flagship the:

Black Monolith.