For weeks, the Unity jumped from system to system around the Galaxy, chasing every hint and lead regarding the Wasted Rancor and her Sith crew, but each and every time they arrived only to learn their quarry had long since departed. On occasion, they arrived when the Sith were still there, but only close enough to positively identify the light freighter and then watch it jump to light speed.
And the times that happened, they got the distinct feeling that the Sith somehow knew they were coming, because each time they were heading directly away from the coordinates where the Unity emerged from hyperspace.
Only once in that time had they ever come close to catching the Sith. Word had arrived from the planet Arkania in the Perave System that the Rancor had just arrived in the system, and were requesting permission to land. Their files had told notified them that the ship was wanted and to contact the Republic Hammerhead-class Star Cruiser Unity directly.
Captain Wash Moklam had given instructions to the Arkanian Security Forces grant the ship permission to land, and to try to detain the crew as long as possible, without any direct interference. Captain Moklam informed them the wanted persons aboard the ship were dangerous criminals and considered enemies of the Galactic Republic and that his forces would deal with them as soon as he arrived.
Apparently someone in command on Arkania though he could handle it, and would curry some favor with the Republic, and just go ahead and capture the Sith themselves. Moklam would have told them what they were up against if he had remotely thought it necessary.
Needless to say, the body count and collateral damage the Sith had caused was extremely great, although they did succeed in delaying the Rancor slightly.
As the Unity approached the exit vector of it's hyperspace corridor, Jedi Knights Nal Talla and Caecilius settled into their respective fighters, and prepared themselves for immediate launch.
"Da Arkanians really messed dis one up," Nal remarked to her Miraluka companion.
"They sure did," Caecilius replied. He removed his eye coverings and put on his flight helmet, lowering the blast shield. Humans and other beings were often uneasy seeing an eyeless Miraluka, and the race of near-humans had long ago learned to cover the place where visual organs are normally found when around humans as a courtesy. "I just hope we can still intercept the Sith before they can get clear and make the jump to hyperspace."
"You and me both," Nal returned. "May da Force be wit you." And with that, she secured the canopy of her fighter, Firaxa 1, which locked with a hiss.
She started her engines and ran her pre-flight checks and watched the timer on her control panel count down. When it hit zero, the big star cruiser would exit hyperspace, and she and her companion would be cleared for launch. With a bit of luck, they'd have a shot at bringing her friends murderers to justice this time.
She adjusted the enviro controls in the cockpit, making it more humid. She was beginning to get nervous, and when she did, her Nautolan skin tended to dry out.
Suddenly the triple beep on her control panel went off, and as she looked through the cockpit windows, and out of the giant hangar bay opening and watched the mottled blue of hyperspace switch to elongated star-lines, which coalesced into pin points of light.
Launch Control had just started to speak, about to give the two Jedi permission to launch, but they didn't wait for the controller to finish, or even acknowledge her, but jammed the throttles all the way forward, punching their way through hangar bay force field and into the vacuum of space.
They were banking as one unit toward the white ball of ice that was Arkania, and looking at their scopes, trying to find their target, hoping they hadn't been able to escape the planets surface when Captain Moklam's voice crackled through their comm speakers. "Jedi, this is Unity 1. It appears the Arkanian's blew it. Somehow the ground targets made it through the defenses and to their ship undetected, and then annihilated a large cargo freighter, which had been converted into a passenger ship on it's way out." Moklam paused for a moment. "That converted cargo ship was fully laden with passengers. Those scum bags just killed hundreds of people to make their escape.
"They are exiting the Arkanian atmo right now, the ship should be showing up on your scopes in just a second," Moklam went silent, and the tension in his voice was so thick you could cut it. Nal didn't need Force powers to tell he was distraught at the thought of all those civilians needlessly murdered.
Nal and Cae acknowledged the transmission, and coaxed every bit of speed they could out of their fighters. They had spotted the Rancor almost as soon as they had launched.
"They're too far away, Nal," Caecilius said across the comm. "We'll never reach them before they hit hyperspace, and we're too far for any kind of torpedo lock."
Nal didn't answer, she was thinking. There had to be something she could do. She had felt a slight disturbance as the occupants of their quarry had reached out with the dark side of the Force to sense her presence, and she knew that they knew the Jedi were following. In desperation, she let the Force guide her fingers and she flipped through comm frequencies, stopping on one at a nudging from the Force.
She keyed up her comm. "Wasted Rancor, dis is Firaxa 1 of da Republic Bahttle Cruiser Unity. You are here by ordered to surrender in da name of da Galactic Republic," Nal blurted, not knowing what else to say.
"Firaxa 1, are you still mad that I shoved a dagger in your little friends chest?" came the reply, almost instantly.
The reply brought instant images of the night her Twi'lekki friend Nylan had confronted and been murdered by this female Sith and her Dark Side companions. Sorrow and anger threatened to pour over her, but she pushed it back. "I am sad for da loss of life you have caused, as any normal being should be, and dat is why I came to bring you in, before you can do more harm," Nal managed to say, hoping she was showing no emotion.
"Ooooh. Yeah," the female Sith said mockingly. "Then you're a teency bit late for all those folks on Arkania. Look honey, you really should go back to whatever water world you came from before you get a knife through your ribs too." The criminal giggled evilly.
Nal couldn't help it. All those poor people, murdered, and this girl thought it was fun and games apparently. "As I recall, it was you who fled da fight last time," she said, still trying to keep her anger in check. She knew it wasn't very Jedi of her, and pushed it back again using Jedi calming techniques. She felt peace wash over her.
The comm crackled to life again, and this time there was no mistaking the menace in her voice. "Alright, but just think about this: Last time, we left your little wannabe Jedi friend dead, you without a leg, and we've only gotten more powerful since then, so yeah, bring it on, fish bitch."
Nal didn't know what to say, and it didn't matter anyway. As soon as the transmission cut off, the ship flickered in pseudo-motion and disappeared into hyperspace.
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