The Battle of Yavin IV

"Oh joy," Alia replied tersely, wishing he would just let her alone.

"Yep," he continued, unaware of her discomfort. "My aunt's best friend's sister was a student there, you know."

"Good for her."

"Oh, it ain't much there, she says, just Master Skywalker, the princess's kids, and some training Jedi."

"No, not much there at all," she said sarcastically.

"It's a real honor to go there, ya' know. Not everyday somebody becomes a Jedi. They say Master Skywalker's one of the greatest men that ever lived."

"I'll tell him you said so."

"Put in a good word for me now, he's got connections."

"So I've heard." Alia pressed her hands to her face. "Please...do you MIND being QUIET?"

The pilot looked shocked, but quickly shook it off. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry to disturb you."He concentrated on his piloting and didn't say another word until they landed. 

Marina hesitated a moment longer, but it didn't really matter to her if Domino was paying attention to her thoughts now. She wanted to take this opportunity before it fled from her. Marina allowed the doors to slide open before she went out into the cool night air. She walked to the railing of the balcony and laid her hands on its smooth surface. She stared down at the city that stretched below her, a collage of bright lights swirling in brilliant patterns beneath the balcony. Her gaze didn't stay there long, however. Her eyes were inevitably drawn to the dark night sky, the stars shining through the fuzzy gray clouds that slashed the blackness. She hesitated again, conflicting thoughts making her uncertain.

Marina knew that this was not the way it was supposed to be, that she had sold herself entirely to Domino, but she still loved her husband. She was slowly giving up the fight she had naturally taken on as she was taught the ways of the Dark Side, but she knew it would be a long time before she managed to surrender herself completely to it. It was so much harder to surrender her soul to the Dark Side willingly, especially since all she was drew back from it. But she was still herself for the time being, and she was still Kyp's wife. And she missed him terribly. So, without another hesitation, she reached out through the Force, with all of the power of her doomed love, across the distances to touch him.

With regret, she drew back her touch. 'Even if I focussed all of my energy, I would not be able to pierce the nebula that surrounds Deominia.' Forlorn, she stepped back into her room.

She wondered why no one had come to great her, but sensed nothing was amiss. There were several paths leading into the woods from her position, but common knowledge forced her to remain where she was. Alia sat down on the ground with her arms resting on her knees, staring up at the stars. "Stupid child," a voice called to her. Alia fell backwards and came up in a fighting stance.

"What do you want?" she called out to the darkness. "Who are you?" She felt rather small out there. In unknown territory. All alone.

A deep male voice laughed, the echo booming all around her. "You always were an ignorant in the ways of the Force, and you know that, don't you, child?"

"What do you want?! Show yourself!" Alia slowly turned as the rumbling laughter grew louder. It seemed to expand, surrounding her, threatening to overcome her with its sheer power. Hideous, blood-curdling laughter.

"Stop it!" she screamed to the forest. "Stop it, stop it!!"

"Stop what?" said a another, more friendly sounding voice from behind her. Alia spun around to see a kindly looking man standing at the entrance to one of the paths. "Are you the girl we were expecting? Master Skywalker told me to come out and meet you, but I dozed off. I'm sorry. We weren't expecting you this late. Follow me please."

His words came out in a jumble, falling one on top of the other. He reached to pick up her pack, but she sprung to his side and retrieved it before he had a chance. "Thanks anyway," she said, smiling acidly.

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Follow me though." They started down the path the young man had just come from, he leading, and Alia following closely behind. "Master Skywalker's anxious to meet you, but he retired a few hours ago and asked not to be disturbed. I'm sure he'll meet with you first thing in the morning."

"Oh wonderful," Alia mumbled. "Did you, by any chance, happen to hear anything on your way to get me?"

The man frowned. "No, I heard you. As far as human voices go, that's about it." They emerged from the forest and he led her into in temple that served as dorms for the students. They headed down a long corridor and Alia could feel the presence the other trainees, mostly asleep, but with one or two exceptions. Nothing she would consider out of the ordinary.

"Well here we are," her guide said, pushing open the door to a small, but comfortable looking room. "You've got a private room for now, but I'm sure as the enrollment continues to grow, you'll be moved in with a roommate."

Alia dropped her bag by the bed and rubbed her temples. "Thanks. I'll talk to you in the morning." "Wait. Uh..." He seemed desperate for something to ask her. He was either lonely or wired, she couldn't tell. "What did you say your name was again?"

Alia smiled. "I never said. It's Alia. Alia Trynyty." His smile quickly faded. "Oh. Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

He left in such a hurry, she was surprised he didn't trip over his own big feet. Alia threw herself onto the bed, disregarding the fact that she was still dressed. "Can't wait 'till morning," she mumbled to herself. "This isn't going to be pleasant." Alia turned over, and on the edge of sleep, thought she heard a soft, gravelly laugh.

"Oh, goody. The green stuff." Thix commented as he helped himself to some food in the cafeteria the next morning.
The 'green stuff' was actually quite good. According to Thix, the Academy served 7 different kinds of food (minus side dishes and beverages): red stuff, green stuff, yellow stuff, white stuff, orange stuff, special occasion stuff and gourmet stuff. The prismatic spray of dishes portrayed their respective pigmentation. Each, in fact, were vegetables from various worlds minus the red stuff, which were fruits. Thix usually ate organics as a main course; the meat group was generally reserved for snacking in his humble opinion. He grabbed a mug of hot chocolate (just imported--great stuff) and headed over to a table. He looked around. Almost totally empty. Save for himself and a few aliens no one was eating yet.
He wondered where--

"Hey, Thix. Nice morning, eh?" Speak of the devil. Jacen plopped down beside him. "Listen, I've got the perfect knock knock joke, OK?"

"Knock knock joke?"

"Yeah. Trust me. Okay, here goes. You start." Jacen said.

"Knock knock..." Thix said reluctantly.

"Who's there?" Jacen asked.

"I..well...I.."

Jacen snickered. "See?"

"Punk! That wasn't funny in the least..but it does seem to have a certain effect." Thix took a bite of green stuff. Needed some butter. "Did you retune your saber? It started flickering strangely yesterday in the middle of practice."

"Yeah, I got it working right again. Where did you get those remote droids? I'd like a couple myself, for when I feel like practicing alone."

"I filched a few from the Base's training center. They've got crates full of them, so I don't think I'll be court martialed if I'm caught or anything." Thix finished his green stuff and began sipping his hot chocolate. "Well, assembly begins in a few minutes. I better hurry and finish this drink."

During that morning, a young lady came to Alia's Door, "Good morning Alia. My name is Mia." Said a voice at the door, "Master Skywalker sent me to find you. He is ready to meet with you now." Alia awoke and opened the door, the girl was a little younger than her, she had blonde hair and green eyes.

"Good, I've been waiting to meet him."

"Would you like to get some breakfast?"

Alia shook her head, "Maybe after I meet Master Skywalker."

"Sure, besides Thix and the others are probably hogging the tables this time of day."

Mia and Alia walked down the hall and down a few steps to Luke's Chamber, she opened the door, Luke was purusing a datapad. he looked up as Mia spoke. "Luke, this is Alia, she's a new trainee."

Luke smiled, "Thank you Mia."

Mia smiled and walked out the door, "Welcome Alia, I am Luke Skywalker. I'm pleased that you're here and that you've decided to start your training."

Domino was seated in his Council chamber at the head of the table. Tionne, the Grand Lady of Darkness, was on his left while his cousin, Darin de Devastator was sitting on his right. Many of the Dark Lord's Dark Jedi and Sith adepts were present at the table; Marina Skywalker, Rayla van Dante, Grand Vizier Skien Graize, and many others.
At the far end of the table, Aria Ka Djo and Zaierra Kaveron sat, wondering why they were there.

Domino de Devastator stood from his chair and began speaking. "As many of you know, I have been sending teams of Sith archaeologists and Dark Jedi throughout the galaxy for the last year in an effort to uncover information that we would all benefit from."
He paused to consider his words. "A small team has made a discovery on a world that many of you are familiar with, either from rumor or personal experience. We will be going to this planet to retrieve and claim the Sith artifacts there as ours. At that time we will begin to study Sith magic that has been lost for tens of millennia.

Then he turned and glanced at the two smugglers, Aria and Zaierra, in turn. He coldly looked Aria straight in her eyes, gazing into her soul, then moved his glance to study Zaierra's heart and mind. "You smugglers are to carry out a special part of the plan, but only if the need arises. Until then, you and your vessels will remain on board my flagship, the Pride of de Devastator.

Imagine if you will . . . .A large, neutral assembly hall on Nal Hutta. Two Hutt Lords, each master of his family business, enter the room with full assemblage. Their bodyguards spread out, evenly matched on each side. Both of these Hutts have been rivals for years, with their biggest industry being slavery. Between the two of them, they control 82% of the Hutt slavery business. Each one thinks that the other called this meeting to discuss, 'terms of surrender' When they deny initiating the meeting, there is chaos as the arguing begins. It is now that the assassins come in. In less than a minute, all of the intruders are left standing, and the Hutts and their entourages are dead. In the months to follow, the Hutt slaving business will fall apart as both families declare a war of vengeance on each other. When the war is over both families will be left decimated and destitute. But that is the future. Now . . . .An enterprising group has found the perfect scam. You see, they own a luxury liner business near the core worlds. They make a fortune running cruises taking rich aristocrats on 'exciting' journeys to the rim. Sometimes they even stage pirate raids. They charge about ten times as much to the passengers stuffed into the tight lower holds, to whom they promise passage away from the oppressive hand of the Empire. They make even more money selling these people as slaves along the way. The Empire is more than willing to look the other way, because they are rid of dissidents, and get a generous kickback. On this particular voyage, the heads of this cartel are on board, meeting with a new client to show him how the operation works. Firing erupts. Thinking it to be a staged raid, all are calm. Until the ship shakes and the shields are destroyed. The ship is boarded and the slavers are killed. The refugees will be relocated to planets in the Rebellion. The aristocrats will find their way home on some dark, dingy freighter. But that is also in the future. Now . . . .A man is faced with a decision. His shipping company is going bankrupt, and smuggling has turned toward the worst as well. A man he has recently met is offering the chance to make a small fortune hauling a new cargo: sentient beings. The market is opening wide up right now, he says, and prices are skyrocketing. This is the perfect time to get in on the bottom floor. The shipper would normally never even consider such a thing, but he is almost out of money, and he has a family to feed. So he is considering it. The slaver sits across the table, awaiting an answer. The shipper makes up his mind, and is about to say something when a nondescript human walks up behind the slaver and quietly touches his finger to the slaver's neck. The slaver instantly falls onto the table. The shipper sees a glint of metal on the man's finger, like a needle. The man informs the shipper that he wouldn't suggest slaving as a business. It has gotten too dangerous. The shipper agrees. Within a week he will be offered a new job with a company he's never heard of shipping ore. Somehow, he'll make more money at this than he ever did before, and he and his family live very comfortably. But that is the future as well. Now . . . .Lerma approaches Tashannoc, who is deep in his work in his operations center. "So," he asks, "Did that disk Neb got turn out to be very useful?" [Yes,] Tashannoc replies with a sly grin, [It has been very helpful indeed.]

Aria's arrival at Lord de Devastator's dinner was extremely unnerving and extremely worrisome, but Aria refused to let any of this slip past her calm facade. Putting on her best "I fit in. If you don't believe me, ask my blaster" face she slid into a seat next to an medium-sized, wavy auburn haired woman.

Aria's memory was so foggy she could have been a daughter to all of these people and would never have known it. Still, the man at the head of the table was very familiar, his sinister look was unforgettable. It was none other than Domino de Devastator. His name sent a chill down Aria's spine and she remembered that he had sent her into that cave where she suffered the injuries that stripped her of some of her memories. Instantly her anger swelled but Aria swallowed it down and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. As long as he was rattling on about something, she might as well listen.
There could be credits in it somewhere...and a way off this planet.

Just as Domino finished speaking, he turned to look straight at Aria. She stared back, refusing to blink, and suddenly felt like she was being tossed into a freezer. The sounds in the room became muted and it took Aria a moment to make out the words. When she finally got a hold of herself, the cold feeling passed leaving her with a feeling of dread and her knuckles paled. She hadn't noticed how fiercely she was holding on to the chair. Forcing herself to calm down, she finally mustered the courage to look at Domino. To her relief he was no longer looking at her.

'How do I get myself into these situations?' she thought, bitterly.

"Master Skywalker, I didn't choose to have training, OK? This is all those stupid Rebel Alliance people that think they know what's going on, but they don't!" Alia regretted it the minute she opened her mouth. She didn't want to upset them. Really she didn't, it was just...Master Skywalker sighed, obviously tired in Alia's eyes, world-weary and burnt out. "They must have had a good reason for bringing you here and they told me nothing about you or your background. I just heard there was a strong, Force-potentional young lady who needed Jedi training. I can sense that you're extremely Force sensitive, so why wouldn't you want to have training?"

Alia's eyes welled with tears as she clenched her fists and stared down at the floor. "I don't want to hurt anybody and if I stay here, something bad is going to happen, I just know it. Everywhere I go, something happens and HE's following me!"

Luke felt an unconscious shiver run through him. "Who?"

"My father, don't you know?!?!" Alia screamed at him.

"So, you were the girl they found in Kethren Trynyty's fortress?"

Alia nodded, tears spilling from her eyes and splashing onto the stone floor. Luke shook his head. This was a case that needed more than a lot of work. "You need to be trained," he said softly. "If you aren't, your abilities could be used for Darkness and you'd be no better than your father. I'm so sorry, Alia, but you need this training or you're going to hurt yourself and others."

Alia nodded as Luke's hand rested on her shoulder. "I know. But what if he follows me here and...and...I can't let that happen. He's still out there....looking for me....I can almost feel him."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. My guess is that you'll be safe here and we're not letting you out until you can successfully overcome him. Until then, any one of us can help you. We'll give you a day or so to get settled in before the lessons start. Walk around and get acquainted with the others."
Luke squeezed her arm. "You'll be fine, don't worry."

Alia wiped her eyes. "Thank you. I'll leave you alone now." She smiled and backed out the door. "Thank you. So much." She backed out of the door and shut it behind her. She leaned against the door frame and saw the same man that had met her last night walking toward her.
"Hi," she called out to him, making at least an attempt to be friendly. He gave her a phony smile and hurried his pace. "Wonderful," she mumbled sarcastically, starting off toward her room. "Could be worse.....maybe."

"Look, I don't care what you have to do, pull some strings, hold them up at blaster point, anything, but the Remember Ord Mantell needs a reload of proton torpedoes today..." Lance rubbed his forehead. 'Don't they have requisitions people to do this work for me? Sure, but if you leave it up to them, they'd have to go through the whole caboodle, and the Remember Ord Mantell would be operating without ordnance for six weeks. Not a good thing.'

"No, I don't want Gemini Missiles for the 'tubes. Those are for our fighters. I need TOR-PE-DOES. Read my lips. TOR-PE-DOES. And not next year, I'll be over the hill then." Lance took a sip of a strong-tasting hot drink to wake him up a little. Not bad. "Okay, eight days will have to do. And don't skimp on the cargo, either." He hung up his end of the transmission.
Bureaucratic bookworms.
Pen-pushers.
Food. "That's what I forgot. Lunch. No wonder I'm so hungry." There hadn't been any action this side of the galaxy in so long his rifle, blaster, and crew were begging for a shot at at least a TIE fighter or two. It seemed like more went on in peacetime than went on during a battle. Which reminded him of another problem. No armor-piercing was left for his rifle; he'd expended most of it on Stormtroopers and guards in the last action. He'd have to ring up the requisitions guy and complain again; but hey, bullets were, needless to say, hard to come by these days, and rather expensive. Yet, it felt good hearing a rifle rattle off a few shots and the bullets chipping away the layers of white armor in order to hit enemy flesh and explode. Gory, but satisfying, in a sadistic sort of way.
His four ships were fighterless again at the moment. Every squadron was on patrol or escort duty. The squadrons that wouldn't fit on the ship were here on the base. Truth be told, Lance needed a break. And he knew where to find it; Recreational Center, three floors down. Grab some unhealthy food there, some lum maybe, and play some games like sabacc or man an occasional hologame.

Zaierra drummed her fingers on the tabletop. Something strange was going on. She glanced around the chamber to see who else was present for the dinner. She recognized several Dark Jedi she had seen around the palace, but others, such as the woman sitting next to her, looked completely unfamiliar. A dull feeling struck her as she realized she was probably one of the few people here who could not use the Force. If she made even one wrong move, she'd be trapped.

Lord de Devastator rose from his place at the head of the table and began speaking. She had been in the Sith Lord's presence only once before, an experience she recalled quite clearly. His gaze landed on the unknown woman. Then...she jumped slightly as he began staring at her. Zaierra swallowed, forcing herself not to back away from this mysterious, formidable man. Suddenly, it was over. de Devastator resumed speaking, something about "You smugglers..." and "...if the need arises."

"This had better be worth it," she muttered under her breath as she picked up her water glass.

Thix had drawn the conclusion that telekineses was impossible. He'd used up about six hours today attempting to move branches, but was unsuccessful. As with his first day back, he'd brought his books with him to help him with his attempts. Still, the old stories and legends in the texts were pretty interesting. Once, he'd gotten the stick he'd been trying to pick up to move and topple over the side of the tree stump it was laying on, but that was about it. Naturally, he'd also practiced with his 'saber, and had also come across a new skill while messing around with the force. He could sense what people in the academy were up to, but only one at a time. Jacen, he could tell, had just felt some pain. Probably bitten by an agitated pet. At the same time, Lowie was annoyed. Thix guessed it was Em Teedee who was up to that. Trouble with this new skill was he could only check out one person at a time, and didn't always get anything too clear. He'd have to work on that one. He only had a few days before he had to trek back to the action at the base; not that he missed it. Right now Nemesis Squadron was probably running patrols in some quiet system, or escorting a freighter back and forth from factories and rendezvous points across space. Still, he figured he should soak in as much info as possible in the time still remaining.

Alia had distinctly remembered falling asleep in her room at the Academy on Yavin IV. Before panicking she calmly rationalized that her arrival in her father's fortress was a dream, nothing more. Rationalization had always been something she excelled in. Yes, this was a dream because nothing looked the way she remembered it. The bulkheads, the doorways, the furniture, everything looked different. "A dream," she mumbled. "That's all this is. A dream." Alia drew her light saber (light saber? Where had a light saber come from?) and ignited it, holding it in a fighting stance. She seemed to know exactly where she was going and proceeded down the corridor in search of....well, she was in search of something. "I will not fear," Alia repeated to herself as she made her way through the door less hallway. "Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will recognize my fear. I will allow it to pass over and through me and when I turn my minds eye, it will be gone. Only I will remain."

"You have found nothing better to say to me, little Alia?" Alia spun to see her father, Kethren Trynyty standing behind her in all his glory. His black and crimson cloak seemed to float around him on a pillow of fog. Alia ignited her blade and the silver shaft sprung to life. "Trying to defeat a god with a mortal weapon, child? I should think you would know better than that."

Alia rushed him with her light saber, slicing a deep cut across his chest. Kethren frowned at the incision that would have killed any other mortal. He moved his hand over the area as the wound sealed itself, leaving a rapidly fading scar. "My favorite jacket is ruined," he said, hatred shining in his black eyes. "Spare the rod and spoil the child, Alia." Her light saber flung itself from her hands and across the room, leaving her defenseless. The room seemed to be getting smaller, bringing her closer and closer to Kethren. He reached out for her with a smirk of pure hatred and...

Alia awoke panting in her bed at the Academy. Her bedclothes, gown, and hair were soaked with sweat. She drew her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth, trying to calm her racing heart. "I will not fear. Fear is the mind-killer....."

Privately, Domino met with his most trusted allies and servants. Darin, Rayla, Tionne, and Skien Graize sat at the table in the meeting chamber. Tionne was the first to speak.

"My Lord, you are going to be taking a great risk in this 'adventure' If there were any Sith artifacts to be found on Yavin IV, Luke Skywalker must have encountered them by now. Surely you must acknowledge this."

"Even if there is an artifact or a scroll," Grand Vizier Graize added, "is it worth facing the Jedi Master and his academy students?"

Rayla and Darin only looked and listened, giving their silent support to the Dark Lord. Domino sat and seemed to digest the input from two of his strongest allies. For a few minutes he contemplated their words, then spoke.

"Could it be, Tionne, that you are suffering from trepidation about the possibility of facing your old Master? Do not be so concerned, for you are far more powerful under my tutelage than Skywalker could have possibly imagined."

Turning his gaze to Skien, Domino spoke to his Grand Vizier. "How unsure of your skills are you? You know the power of the Sith. You have tasted the energy of Darkness. The secrets of the days of glory of the Sith Empire await us in the all but unexplored Massassi Temples on the far side of Yavin IV, on the opposite side of the moon from the academy.
"What I will acknowledge, to all of you, is that we are going to retrieve for the Sith what rightfully belongs to the Sith. If Skywalker or his students stand in our way, there will be much blood spilled on Yavin IV."

Marina stood in front of the mirror, combing her hair. It was late, and she was tired, but she knew she'd never go to sleep.
'Yavin IV? What the Hell is he thinking, taking me with him? He's got to know how hard it'll be for me. 'She frowned at her image in the mirror, jerked the comb at a particularly stubborn knot, her thoughts running wild. 'Don't contact my family. Not Kyp, not the twins. Can't even leave a message for them with someone else without his knowing'
She sighed and put the brush down, staring at her reflection a while longer. She still wore her wedding ring, although she could not exactly say why. It only reminded her of what she had lost, and it made her miss Kyp. That was one of the things she wasn't supposed to do, but she found it hard not to. She scowled and turned away from the mirror, reprimanding herself for thinking such things. 'Well, I'll go to Yavin with him, and it won't be hard because I have no connections to Kyp anymore' That hurt, just thinking it, but it had to be true.
She had to keep her promise. Tears threatened to spill out, but she kept them back. 'He's killing me. Denying that I love Kyp is like denying myself another breath of air. But I MUST do it, because I MUST belong to Domino. Light, he has to know how hard it is! Why is he doing this to me?' She sat down on her bed, her fingers idly tracing the patterns on the sheets.
'Well, it doesn't really matter. I belong to him, and I will do whatever he tells me to do' she decided. 'No matter how hard it is to do, I will see this all the way through'

She finally lay down, trying very hard not to think about what might happen if she accidentally ran in to Kyp on Yavin IV.

The Alpha and Omega Battle Groups of the 2nd Imperial Fleet departed from Deominia... early the following morning. The trip took close to three days. Alpha and Omega, a grand total of 71 ships, came out of hyperspace in the system of the gas giant Yavin, on the opposite side from the moon, Yavin IV. Ship commanders immediately deployed recon TIE's to scout around them, and sensor sweeps of the region allowed the Imperials to know that they were alone.

'It is all going according to my plan. I shall recover ancient and powerful Sith items, RINA will fall completely to the Dark Side once she faces her brother, and the Sith Empire will be reborn under my nurturing eye!'

In the far reaches of space, light years form anywhere . . .Neb Calluna entered General Garm Bel Iblis' office on board the Peregrine. He and Omega Squadron had recently gotten back from chasing off a few TIE Advanced that had stumbled onto the battle group. None of the Advanced would make it home, although two of the pilots had been captured. He stood at attention before Bel Iblis. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Captain, please have a seat. I wanted to let you know before you heard it from someone else. Two Imperial Battle groups of considerable firepower have just been detected orbiting Yavin. It can only be assumed that they mean to attack Yavin IV."

"The academy, sir? Well, we all knew it would have to happen sooner or later. What is the rebellion sending for its defense sir?"

"Well, I don't know for certain. I don't even know what's close by. I have a certain amount of liberty with where I take my ships. How would you feel about heading back to Yavin again, Captain? I know it hasn't been too long since you were last there . . ."

Neb smiled. "Sir, I'd love to go visit. I think it's time to show what Omega Squadron can do, anyway."

"That's the spirit, Captain. We're going to need all the good pilots we can get. Go alert your men. We'll be going to hyperspace within the hour, and should be to Yavin in just under a day."

As Jason was flipping through one of his Jedi Lore books, he saw that you could dissipate blaster bolts, so he went to Master Skywalker. Luke was glad to teach him a new Force power. It took him 3 days to master it. On the 3rd day, Jason decided that he wanted to practice in his starfighter, firing at the wreckage of the Death Star. He and R2-S2 got ready and flew into space secretly. Then, all of a sudden, on his radar, appeared two fleets of starships. Jason quickly did a U-turn and landed back at the Academy. He approached Luke, out of breath. "Um, Master Skywalker, two whole fleets of starships have dropped out of hyperspace above Yavin IV!" Jason told him, in between breaths of air.

Luke gazed at Jason, there was concern in his eyes, "I have a very bad feeling about this Jason. We must act quickly to warn the others!" Suddenly Luke felt a certain presence then shrugged it off. Luke finally got to the control room to talk on the intercom to the students. "Attention all Jedi Knights and initiates, this is Master Skywalker. I have been told that there is 2 Imperial Armadas heading our way. Do not give into hatred or your aggression, we must defend ourselves. The Rebel Alliance, Rogue Squadron, and other rebel forces are on their way. Follow the ways of the Jedi Code, defend yourselves, and May the Force be with you."

Mara entered the com center as he finished. "Luke, shouldn't we evacuate?"

Luke hung his head. "Perhaps if we had more time, but we simply don't dare try. Those Imperial fleets could capture and otherwise obliterate us if we tried to escape now."

There's a what approaching us?" Thix asked Jacen incredulously.

"A FLEET! An ARMADA! AwholefreakinbunchofImperials!" He screamed. Thix looked amused. He was tuning up his X-Wing's engines.

"Mmm-hmm. And I suppose you've also taking a sudden loving turn toward machinery, and your sister now loves your room cayuse of all the animals?" Thix said.

"No, seriously! Turn on your scopes." Thix gave Jacen a strange look, then explained how his sensors wouldn't pick up much down here under all this rock anyway. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Another student--Thix didn't recognize her--poked her head in the hangar. "Did you guys hear?!? There's a big fleet heading our way!" She then disappeared. Thix looked at where she'd been standing, back at Jacen, at his X-Wing's engine parts, his light saber, then repeated the process.

"See?" Jacen asked.

"Great. Now what am I supposed to do...? Put my engine back together and fight up there or stay here? They're sure to invade. I'm a better pilot than I am a bladeslinger but I'd feel more comfortable down here, with other people. Besides, one X-Wing against a fleet?" He puzzled over his options.

"We're sure to get more help." Jacen unbuckled his tuned up saber and flipped it neatly in his hand. "I, for one, wouldn't mind a little test of my abilities. Again. But--you're going to have to decide where you can help us best."

Zaierra Kaveron was in the hangar bay of the Pride of de Devastator looking over her ship when she saw the TIE pilots and technicians running to prep the fighters. 'Looks like this won't be as easy as the Dark Lord was hoping'

"You can say that again." Domino said as he approached her from behind. "Forgive me for intruding on your thoughts, Captain Kaveron. I was merely attempting to read your level of anticipation."

Zaierra was upset by the intrusion, but she knew better than to let on to that. "Lord de Devastator....I...."

"I understand what you mean." Domino said with a grin. "I will be joining you on the flight down to the surface of the Jedi moon. I will be leading the Sith archeology team. We will be transporting eight of my best Sith archaeologists, as well as a squad of Julayps." he told her. "Three Imperial Drop Ships will be following us down with two AT-AT's, four AT-ST's, and a platoon of Stormtroopers. For added protection, four squadrons of TIE Defenders are about to be launched to serve as escorts to the moon and cover our activity while we are down there."

Zaierra looked at the preparations being made. "Why all the hubbub? Have you been discovered?"

"It seems that an X-wing fighter left Yavin IV's atmosphere and was beginning to orbit the gas giant when it fell into sensor range and abruptly turned tail and flew back to the Jedi Academy with all due haste." Domino turned and nodded as eight cloaked figures approached the ship, followed by eight winged simian creatures, the Julayps. All sixteen figures stopped at once and bowed on one knee when they came close to Domino.

"Proceed, my servants. Board this freighter and wait for further instruction." Domino gestured to the group as he turned back to Zaierra. "I see you are slightly unnerved to see the Julayps acting so passive and casual. I pulled out all the stops when I created them. They are just one step short of having a free will of their own, and they fight like rabid vornskrs, but they will not harm you or your ship.
"Where was I? Oh yes, 70 minutes after the X-wing spotted the armada, a group of 10 capital ships aligned with the Alliance arrived out of hyperspace and took up a position in orbit over the Jedi Academy. This means that more Rebels are most likely on the way and our window of unimpeded opportunity is being shut. We need to be ready to match forces with the Rebellion."

Zaierra wasn't feeling well after hearing all of this. 'I don't want to be involved in all of this, do I? Oh well, I am getting paid for this' She looked at the Dark Lord, who stood with an approving eye, watching the efficiency of his hangar crew. "Lord de Devastator, I'm ready to take you down to the Jedi moon."

Three drop ships, one freighter, and 48 TIE Defenders launched almost simultaneously from two different hangars on the Pride of de Devastator. Immediately the landing party advanced on Yavin IV and flew to the opposite side of the planet from the Jedi Academy. As if it was an afterthought, 36 capital ships, Alpha Battle Group, took up a protective formation in orbit over the landing coordinates, and Omega Battle Group fanned out in a large formation to cover as much space as possible. Several squadrons of TIE fighters (of various makes) were launched to serve as a safeguard against a potential starfighter threat, and the smaller capital ships of OBG took up support positions in between the large vessels.

On the surface of Yavin IV, Domino and his landing party were approaching a mid-sized temple that was almost entirely overgrown by vegetation. The Julayps took positions in the front and the rear, while Domino walked at the head of his Sith archaeologists.

From the drop ships, the AT-AT's, AT-ST's, and scores of Stormtroopers created a defensive perimeter around the entire site.