( Bridge )
Captain Corvell watched as the guns on his ship pummelled into the shields of a Trade Federation Dreadnought. Despite the two boarding pods stuck in his sides, the Astute was still in fine fighting trim, and was currently duelling the ship that launched the pods in the first place while a larger battle took place only a light-second out. He just wished he had some fighter cover, or at least an anti-fighter variant of his own beloved ship to aid them.
"Captain," Grigh announced. "Lieutenant Harjko has reported in. The Engine Room is secure, and he's deploying forces to sweep the ship and relieve our own defenders."
"Good." Something was going right. "Tell him to get those pods off my ship first, we can hold out here." It was truthful, the bridge of this ship was well defended and the droids couldn't really advance without far larger numbers than they had. The element of surprise was gone, and the margin of victory was shifting in his favour.
"Sir, one more thing," his XO sounded like he didn't believe what he was hearing, but had to say it anyways. "The Lieutenant reports that our guest from the shuttle deck... he's a Jedi sir, and is helping secure the ship."
"A Jedi?" Corvell was confused. He was talking about Captain Katarn? But he had talked to the man! Why would he lie? No, the reasons didn't matter here and now. The actions of the Jedi were not his to question. "What is the Jedi doing now?"
"The Lieutenant reports that he sent a squad with him, with orders to sweep the ship going forward, and responding to enemy incursions." Grigh said. "There's still a pod full of droids unaccounted for."
"Get in contact with the Jedi, and let him know that." As much as he wanted to beg for the Jedi's help, this was still his ship. He still had to have some pride in her and her crew! "And tell the men that help is on the way."
"Yes sir!"
...
( Deck B )
Kyle would have just rushed the group of droids arranging themselves around the boarding pod, but he had a squad with him this time to help. "Master Jedi?" The Sergeant said, disregarding Kyle's repeated requests be called by his proper name, "What do you suggest we do?"
"Droids know there's a Jedi on the ship, so they should be focusing on me like that last group," Kyle recalled the short lived 'fight' where a squad of droideka had been cut down in seconds, but not before Kyle was forced to defend himself with his saber as they had been focused on him.
"You would be bait sir, draw them away?" That the Jedi was so sacrificing was no surprise. "But there are so many of them!"
"Who said anything about bait?" Kyle replied. "I need one of your men to follow me."
"Sir?"
"He and I are going to circle around the other side. I'll draw their fire, your man will borrow my concussion rifle to attack them while I defend the both of us, and once the droids are distracted, you hit them from behind."
The tactics were simple, but they should be effective. "I understand, Master Jedi." He looked around for a volunteer, but any of his squad would gladly follow the Jedi into battle. They already had.
"You," he said, pointing to the man second from the back. "Kro, aid him in his plan."
Private Kro could not contain his joy at being assigned to work with the Jedi. "Yes sir! It's a pleasure sir!"
"Don't say it's a pleasure until we're all done here," Kyle admonished the marine. "There are still plenty of droids to scrap before you can thank me."
Morow approved of the Jedi's humility, focused on the goal, not the successes along the way. "We'll wait for your signal sir."
"Got it," Kyle said as he unslung his heavy weapon weapon and handed it over to the Private. "Take care of this, she's seen me through thick and thin."
"Yes sir! Master Jedi Sir!"
Kyle groaned, but started running to flank the droid defenders. A minute or so later, the two of them were on the opposite corner as the rest of the squad. Kyle looked back at Kro. "Repeat the plan" he commanded. "No mistakes."
"You and I step out as one," Kro said, checking the trigger on the rifle again. "You use your skills to defend us from the droids while I fire around you to break up their formation. The Sergeant will then attack from the other side, and the force of the flanking will crush the droids!"
"Good, and if I say fall back, I mean it. No heroics. Got that?"
"I understand, Master Jedi."
Kyle had given up on correcting people. "Right. On three?"
"Three."
"One. Two. THREE!" Kyle stepped out, lightsaber in the best guard he could muster, not concerned one bit with the attack, but rather in blocking or reflecting every blaster bolt he could. His shield was still good, so he could let a couple hit him if it meant defending the guy behind him, so he just let himself go with the Force. Feet planted he barely heard the scream of a Concussion bolt slamming past him and into the concentrated droids.
A dozen were shattered earlier. Three dozen were pulverized now, the corridor serving to prevent the blast from dissipating, instead echoing off the walls and back into the droids. More metal bent, electronics disrupted and so much chaos was sown that the droids were unable to react in time.
The smarter ones turned on Kyle, firing blindly until they could aim better, but he was able to deal with those bolts easy.
Then the other half of the ambush hit, a half dozen blasters on full auto rippled into the near defensive line as they turned to face the new threat, more droids dropping.
Then the second concussion bolt sang out, focused on one of the shielded mini-walkers. It hit the shields, which absorbed the blow, but the explosion of force that resulted from the impact disrupted the formations of droids even further. Then a dozen blaster bolts hit the walker from behind, finishing in dropping the shield as Kyle deflected its bolts right back at it.
It exploded, it's power core rupturing, scattering even more shards of metal everywhere, causing more mayhem and destruction.
"Retreat!" one of the droids shouted, only to be cut down by a blaster shot. With that, there was no one left to command the droids, and they were reduced to nothing within a minute.
The whole fight was short, intense and brutal, Kyle coming out of his Force battle Meditation slowly. "We good?"
"I think we won, sir. I thought the Droids would be tougher than that."
"They're not tough. Or smart," Kyle said as he kept his saber up in case one of the droids was still active and wanted to shoot him. "But where there's one, there a dozen more."
"I understand sir."
"Thank you, Master Jedi!" Sergeant Morow called out from the other end of the corridor as he and his men advanced. "Only one injury, else it would have been a perfect victory!"
"Can we get him to the medaby?" Kyle asked, concerned for the life of the marine.
"I'll be fine," the wounded man said as he limped along, helped by another. "It was just a glancing blow."
"Sergeant, I think your man should get medical attention." Kyle didn't want to use the Force to persuade him on this, hoping for the better. And he got it.
"You're right, Master Jedi. All that's left is the group attacking the bridge." He gestured ahead. "Come on, we'll go to the lift and advance!"
"I'll take the man to the medbay," Kyle offered, putting his saber away and recovering his rifle. "You don't need me to deal with the last of the droids."
"Master Jedi, it would be an honour for you to assist in taking out the last of the enemy!" Morow objected, hoping that Kyle would see them through to total victory. "The men approve of your presence."
It wasn't a lie, the Force told Kyle. Where he went, the spirits of everyone was buoyed up. All they knew was that he was a Jedi, and that he was helping, and that meant the galaxy to them. He didn't like being depended on so much, but what choice did he have. "Jan, I'm headed to take out the last group at the bridge. I think we're good."
"I hear you Kyle," Jan replied over the comlink. "No trouble down here."
...
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