A microjump does not take long.
But it was enough for Major Kreb to conduct another check of his TIE Avenger's systems.
In principle, he had no doubts that everything would be in order.
And so it was.
Checking the functionality of onboard systems was something akin to a ritual for him.
Like the photograph on the control panel.
There was no point in pretending, and no way to evade.
Only a few moments remained before dropping into realspace and beginning the combat patrol.
The counter in the upper corner of the flight display hit zero, and the nonexistent white tunnel outside the cockpit shattered into billions of fragments.
Some became the familiar, and thus ignored, distant stars.
Others—the massive disks of matter being devoured by the black holes of the Maw Cluster.
Thirds—the engine bells of starships.
Fourths—the glint of laser, blaster, ion, and turbolaser energy bolts being furiously exchanged by opposing ships, the glow of hits, and the flashes of destroyed enemy fighters.
The Tartarus attack pattern assumed the Dominion fleet would emerge from the microjump in the high-altitude tier relative to the enemy vessels.
And so it happened.
Avenger Squadron materialized under the belly of the Super Star Destroyer, several hundred meters from its bow blade.
Gravity was already at work here as the Guardian, hovering over the previously lone Interdictor, began its turn.
If hell has a true image, it looks like the salvos of a Super Star Destroyer.
An avalanche of green and blue fire, belched from thousands of guns, crashed onto the gray-cream hulls of enemy starships.
The Alliance Star Cruisers had, of course, managed to raise their deflector shields.
And their backup power systems saved them from immediate destruction.
But it could not last long.
The Dominion fleet began the slaughter, positioned above both enemy fleets.
The Alliance and the pirates were stunned by the audacity of the gravity wells being engaged.
The attempt to flee the trap had failed.
Time to reap the bloody harvest.
Kreb veered his machine to intercept the enemy's newest starfighter, the Alliance E-wing.
The Alliance E-wing (known as the "E-deck").
Its study by Dominion pilots and engineers had been swift and brief, as not many machines of this type had been captured, even as scrap.
But studying the new machine—dubbed the "E-deck" by Dominion pilots (nobody thought long on a nickname, simply taking the term Alliance pilots used over their comms)—was necessary.
In order to understand how to fight it.
There are several ways to understand the capabilities of enemy craft.
One can fight them long and hard, noting their specs and performance.
Or one can gather wreckage and damaged craft, take them apart right on the Guardian's deck after General Solo's fleet was destroyed and they moved toward Kessel.
Thus, at the moment, only the pilots of the Guardian and its escort group had experience fighting these types of fighters.
They would be the ones to test the technicians' hypotheses regarding the conclusions drawn from studying the enemy machines.
One could say the Avenger Squadron's combat patrol was the test of these hypotheses.
Major Kreb began the testing.
***
Mara watched thoughtfully as four commandos in black armor and a dozen guards loaded into a Delta-class boarding shuttle.
The metallic claws of droidekas clattered with a faint ring against the landing deck—indispensable for an attack on the enemy flagship.
Her hand toyed nervously with the hilt of her lightsaber as she glanced at Grand Admiral Thrawn standing nearby.
It wasn't often the Supreme Commander deigned to give instructions to her and other units, combining them into a single strike force with one objective.
"Lieutenant Colonel Tierce and his men will provide you with full support in the battle against the Inquisitors," Thrawn broke the silence.
Mara winced inwardly.
She wanted to say: "I hacked a Sith Lord's fetus to pieces, what are two Inquisitors to me?"
But she kept silent.
She remembered the time spent on Vjun with Obscuro and the defeat by members of the Dark Side Elite.
She remembered the fallout of her pride in the confrontation with that "Gunner" in the Imperial Palace library.
Failure found her whenever she thought herself strong enough to handle things with finesse, as before.
"Thank you," the girl answered quietly.
Unable to help herself, she asked caustically, looking at Thrawn in profile:
"Admit it, you're giving me your elite forces for support because you care about me?"
Thrawn's head turned as slowly as a ship's turbolaser turret.
And now, instead of red eyes, two glowing muzzle flashes were looking at her.
But they looked more like the superlaser mirrors of both Death Stars than ordinary guns…
"Understood," Mara looked away, pretending she was intensely interested in watching the droidekas load. "I'm not a fool."
She added the last part just in case.
A reminder to herself and Thrawn that she had a brain.
Though, at times, it seemed to her that wasn't quite true…
"I am glad you remember that," it seemed to her, or was Thrawn's voice slightly warmer than the usual indifference? "Otherwise, I would not waste time recruiting you and opening your eyes to Karrde and the Emperor."
"And that's it?"
Mara felt the Force within her begin to tremble when she was near Thrawn.
Or was it the effect of the ysalamiri, whose cage was held at a short distance from the Grand Admiral by one of the guards?
The assault group had already boarded. Only a few guards remained before they could depart.
"It seems it's time for me to go," Mara glanced at the empty launch bay of the hangar.
As always—when she was on the ship, no crew members were nearby.
Who knows who might recognize the late "Lieutenant Jade," the Grand Admiral's former adjutant…
"Yes," Thrawn said. "It is time for you to go, Mara."
The girl, taking a step forward, froze in place.
For the first time, the Grand Admiral had called her that.
Not "Hand."
Not "Jade."
Not "Lady Jade."
By name.
As far as she knew, few were granted such an honor.
The fingers of one hand of the last Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order—Yoda—would be enough to count the number of those Thrawn addressed by name as a sign of respect and close relationship.
And, mind you, if the archives didn't lie, Yoda's species possessed three-fingered upper limbs.
Their eyes met.
Mara tried to find something that would explain such a sudden "thaw."
But an emotionless face and glowing eyes were a poor sample for physiognomy.
Sighing, the girl nodded silently.
Why did she think it would be easy?
And that she was of any interest to him in anything besides her service and the execution of delicate errands?
She felt almost ashamed of that burst of emotion and provocative behavior in the Grand Admiral's quarters…
Her wild red head sank dejectedly, and her chin touched her chest, symbolizing her emotional break.
The girl felt bitterness within.
Even disappointment.
Something akin to what she felt when she realized Karrde was nothing more than a two-faced…
Suddenly, the polished hangar floor in front of her was covered by white cloth, and she herself was pressed against a strong and muscular chest.
Mara froze, her eyes wide open.
At the same time, she felt herself being squeezed as if she had gone to hug a Wookiee.
With the only exception being that in these arms there was more care, an unexpected tremor…
Mara slowly, trying not to break the sense of magic, lifted her head, not taking her eyes off the strong chin.
Two burning fires, like Mustafar in which Darth Vader bathed, looked straight into her soul…
"You are not indifferent to me, Mara," Thrawn's velvety voice poured into her ears like sweet syrup.
But, for some reason, her legs grew weak.
She wanted to just pull them up and hang in the arms of the man in the snow-white tunic…
"Really?" she whispered.
"Yes," a clear answer. And no: "Have I ever lied to you, Jade? Do you have reason to doubt me?". "But, if you do not return—you will never know how much. Or in what capacity. On the other hand—your success will mean receiving a complete answer to the question that interests you."
Only now did Mara realize that Thrawn was actually outside the ysalamiri suppression field.
And it would cost her nothing to call on the Force to get into his head…
Yes, it clearly wouldn't be easy, but she would get answers to all her questions.
She would find out if he was playing with her.
If he was motivating her to get what he wanted…
It's so simple…
Maul said it was perfectly natural—using your abilities to understand your interlocutor.
She only needed to reach out with effort, with a thought to…
The girl bit her lip, stopping her flight of fancy.
No. Not because she might find out nothing—she had no experience getting into the head of a member of Thrawn's species.
But where was the line that shouldn't be crossed, so as not to become a female version of Darth Maul?
Or Palpatine?
Why did she have the right to such a thing, to depriving him of his mental privacy, for the sake of satisfying her desires?
Thrawn would clearly understand she had been in his head.
She simply wouldn't be able to keep secret what she learned about his true attitude toward her.
And what could she expect after that?
That he would forgive her, as he had forgiven her failures before?
Or that he would give an order and Rukh would gut her like a nerf before butchering it for meat?
Not to mention, was it worth her knowing what Thrawn felt for her, or if he felt anything at all?
The girl licked her lips, looking the Grand Admiral in the eyes.
For a moment, it seemed to her he was studying her, as if offering a choice, like then, on Tangrene…
Here I am, before you.
Open and defenseless.
You have the opportunity to crawl into my head and get answers—whether I am lying to you or not.
Not a quote, of course, but…
"He is constantly thinking, analyzing, developing strategy. He showed no fear and studied me with curiosity."
So Palpatine once said of Thrawn.
And even included that phrase in his most disgusting book, which Mara burned…
"I will remember those words, Grand Admiral," Mara said just as quietly, not taking her eyes off him. "And…"
She wanted to say something killer.
Something monumental, like Thrawn's: "A trap has been prepared for us? Excellent, we shall walk into it!".
With the same effect, when the aftertaste of Thrawn falling into someone's trap turns into panic and the initiators tearing their hair out.
But nothing came to mind.
Absolutely nothing.
"And?" Thrawn repeated.
"And I won't let you down," Mara said firmly, putting her hands behind her back and releasing herself from the Grand Admiral's embrace and moving backward toward the ship, not taking her eyes off the Chiss.
The further she moved from him, the more a little prankster girl romped within her.
And she burst out.
"I hope you won't worry about the fact that your subordinates saw us hugging?" she asked, having flown up the landing ramp and stopping in the hatchway.
The thought came to her when she saw several portholes in the side of the Delta.
Well, surely someone was staring!
Such a sight!
"I will not," the Grand Admiral replied calmly.
Mara gave him her signature crooked smirk, then disappeared into the ship's cabin.
The hatch sealed automatically.
With a mischievous smile on her lips, she dashed into the troop compartment to catch the observers in an awkward moment…
And ran into soldiers who were silently listening to Colonel Tierce's briefing, secured in anti-G seats.
They didn't even turn their heads in her direction, demonstrating that the briefing interested them more than what was happening outside the shuttle.
Sighing, Mara sat in an empty seat and silently joined the listeners.
But her back burned in the place where Thrawn had squeezed her in his arms.
Well, couldn't he have put his hand on her waist, eh?
Then she would have had no doubts at all.
And now she had to complete the mission with brilliance and take down two Inquisitors at once to have the right to insist on Thrawn giving answers.
Mara suddenly realized a simple thing.
She had just become the victim of the joke: "How to intrigue a half-wit?"
Simple answer: "I'll tell you later."
"Hutt's joker," amber streaks flashed in eyes the color of the purest emerald.
Well, Inquisitors, you'd better run.
***
The "heart" of the newest enemy fighter were two powerful engines mounted in two nacelles under the wings, far from the machine's center of mass.
Not the best solution.
Kreb proved this postulate by blowing the pursued machine's right engine to pieces with a missile.
The deck engineers' assumption was confirmed.
Damage to and loss of one engine automatically meant that the second, being far from the fighter's center, created a powerful yawing moment.
Which was difficult to compensate for with maneuvering thrusters alone, whose miniature nozzles were also on the wings.
This was exactly what Kreb was observing now, pursuing the enemy machine as it spun wildly.
So far, such an engine layout for the "E-deck" had only one advantage.
If one engine was damaged, its yawing moment turned it into a difficult target to hit.
The targeting computer was simply unable to lock onto the Alliance machine as it spun wildly and was tossed around by attempts to stabilize its course.
However, one had to give credit to the enemy—it took him only three seconds to compensate for the spin.
He did so in a very non-trivial way.
He switched the remaining engine to reverse and moved to short, measured bursts from the maneuvering thrusters.
This had also been predicted.
Such a trick interrupts the spin but at the same time reduces speed and leaves the machine a stationary target for a short time.
Fractions of a second…
But it was enough for the Major.
Four green-white laser daggers ripped open the newest Alliance fighter's fuselage.
An internal detonation left no hint of either the pilot or his astromech.
A second "E-deck" streaked past, veering away from Avenger-Nine, confirming another of its features.
The enemy's engines, though strangely positioned, were high-performance.
They allowed for high speeds, exceeding the TIE fighter's maximum speed by ten megalights.
Which brought the enemy starfighter to a cruising speed of one hundred and twenty megalights, equaling it with the Dominion's TIE interceptors.
They also provided it with enviable maneuverability.
But it was naive to think that the flight director would have decided on such an experiment—testing the "E-deck's" capabilities under the control of enemy pilots who knew the machine—without pitting the best against them.
One hundred and forty-five megalights as the TIE Avenger's cruising speed was the advantage the enemy was unable to realize even on their new fighter.
That was why the fourth pair of Avengers easily neutralized the enemy's superiority over the familiar X-wings in maneuverability through their own acceleration.
However, the enemy had already mastered the machine to a sufficient degree.
Nine and Eight felt this for themselves when the enemy managed to strip their deflectors.
The lead of the fourth of six pairs of Avenger Squadron did not remain unanswered and shot off the enemy's energy cover.
The machine's hull withstood several bursts—something even the legendary X-wings never dreamed of.
But even increased protection didn't save the "E-deck" from destruction by the next salvo.
So, even such a brief verification test showed that the enemy's new starfighter already deprived the Dominion's line machines of their advantage due to equal speeds and maneuverability.
Consequently, a guaranteed victory over "E-decks" could only be brought by TIE Avengers and TIE Defenders due to their superiority in speed and maneuverability.
But they also cost much more.
Not a single mass-produced TIE Defender had yet appeared in the Dominion, despite the fact that its recreation was being carried out at an accelerated pace.
Interestingly, the "E-decks" were deprived by their manufacturer of Incom's signature folding S-foils, as seen on X-wings and their predecessor heavy ARC-170 fighters.
Possibly because the manufacturers—the ones who split off from Incom Corporation—did not have patent rights for such a design.
Therefore, such a decision, as well as the modular construction of the "E-deck" itself, simplified production and maintenance for them compared to X-wings.
Destroying a third enemy fighter, Kreb noted that the astromechs on the "E-decks" did not take an active part in combat.
Consequently, the fact that astrodroids still performed only auxiliary functions was confirmed: navigation, hyperdrive management, calculating coordinates for a hyperspace jump, and assisting the pilot in weapon aiming and managing scanning and recognition systems.
However, something had to be checked in this case as well.
The Major spent several minutes picking a new victim for "experiments."
Laser cannon fire pierced the "E-deck's" weakened deflector, and the next hit punched through the cockpit.
The machine with the dead pilot began to drift away, rolling uncontrollably.
And in that same second, it began to slowly level out, demonstrating the fact that the astromech had taken control.
Satisfied with the observation, Major Kreb spent another missile to destroy the damaged machine.
The commander of Avenger Squadron had no intention of wasting time to once again pierce strong deflectors.
Nor did he intend to finish off the droid and get a trophy.
The droid and pilot in the "E-deck" are positioned in tandem; the droid's socket is behind the pilot.
The droid is placed inside the machine's hull, hidden under an armored cowling.
In this way, the designers managed to reduce the droid's vulnerability to enemy fire, but they had to spend at least a square meter of internal space on it, which could well have been occupied by some valuable equipment.
There is another problem.
To get the astrodroid out of the fighter, one must not only remove the armored cowling but also dismantle part of the top cannon, which was present in addition to those located on the wings.
This is—frankly—a poor solution.
Extracting an astromech from the ship's hull when one has to disassemble part of the fighter is not the simplest approach to starfighter maintenance.
Frankly incorrect.
But the manufacturer sought to keep the astromech safe and stuffed it under armor.
An incorrect compromise.
It would have been simpler to armor the droids themselves, if the manufacturer didn't like the fact that on X-wings astromechs were often destroyed by a shot to the dome-shaped "head."
There is every reason to suspect that during active combat the droid "lived and breathed" in the fighter, as its extraction was surely a very labor-intensive process.
In addition to the "E-deck's" three blaster cannons, they—like X-wings—were traditionally equipped with torpedo launchers located in the machine's lower section.
The torpedoes themselves are placed inside the hull, behind the Alliance pilot's seat.
A huge payload of torpedoes—sixteen units—allows an E-wing squadron to pose a great threat to practically any type of large enemy ship.
For reference, the New Republic's main combat starfighter, the T-65B X-wing upgrade, carried only six cumulative missiles, effective against starfighters, or the vaunted proton torpedoes, which are dangerous for larger starships as well.
Paired with the New Republic's newest bombers—K-wings—the "E-decks" posed a significant threat.
It is assumed that in their capability for attacking large ships, only B-wing fighter-bombers, the well-known slow and un-maneuverable "crutches," can compete with E-wings.
However, they have long been studied and are perfectly shot down even by young Dominion pilots.
But B-wings are much slower (only 60-70 MGLT) and not as agile.
Another problem—and a substantial one—for the Alliance and its new machines was the short range of the blaster cannons.
The reason for such a problem was strictly structural.
The Alliance has practically no stockpiles of Tibanna gas of its own, so they use low-grade artificial gas of this type.
Coupled with the imperfections of the blaster cannons on the entire "E-deck" family, this led to the fact that during firing the weapon often failed or the firing range was significantly reduced.
Effectiveness could be increased quite simply—the Guardian's technicians suggest that increasing the energy output from the ship's reactor would solve the problem with the "E-decks'" short firing range.
But at the same time, it would lead to frequent weapon overheating and overloading the onboard generator.
Judging by the fact that the enemy was closing with Imperial machines almost to "blaster-shot" range, the problem is serial and unresolved.
However, if the enemy goes the way of the solution found by the Guardian's technicians, there won't be much of a gain from it.
At best, increasing the energy output will lead to weapon failure, and at worst—to its explosion.
Either option suited the Dominion.
Kreb, finishing off his seventh "E-deck," noted that the enemy's blaster fire accuracy was also low.
According to the Guardian's technicians' estimates, the relatively primitive targeting system installed on the "E-decks" they studied significantly reduced firing effectiveness, especially against a fast, actively maneuvering target.
Avengers, countering the Alliance's newest machines, got away with only hits to their deflectors.
Not a single hull damage has been received so far, which indirectly indicates the fact that the TIE Avenger is more than suitable as a reliable means of destroying enemy "novelties."
However, one must assume that should any Alliance pilot survive the battle and reach his own, all the "E-deck's" teething troubles will be reported to command.
And a modernization will immediately follow.
Replacing a fire control system with one "slightly better" isn't as big a problem as it seems.
In general, after half an hour of battle, when Avenger Squadron finished the destruction of four E-wing squadrons at once, Major Kreb's summary regarding the Alliance's new starfighter had fully formed with all possible emphases.
On one hand, the Republican engineers had produced a very fast and maneuverable fighter, protected by sufficiently thick armor and a powerful shield and at the same time having a solid rocket-torpedo armament.
But, on the other hand, the machine suffers from numerous technical flaws.
Each of them gave the Dominion and its pilots an advantage over the enemy and led to the destruction of enemy starfighters.
Taking the opportunity, Major Kreb withdrew the squadron from the battle area for rotation and replenishment of ammunition.
Also, waiting for the replacement of expended missiles, he contacted the controller for a report.
Like all his pilots.
It took only two minutes for each of the Avenger Squadron pilots to transmit their observations to the Guardian's flight control center.
It doesn't matter how skilled the pilots are and how good their equipment is—accidents or unfavorable factors happen all the time in any battle.
Any of the "Avengers" might not return from the fight.
But each of their observations is important so that the enemy's new fighters do not become "superweapons."
They performed their task.
The "E-decks" were studied and theories became axioms.
Having finished replenishing ammunition, Major Kreb led his machine and the eleven pilots following him out to continue the combat patrol for enemy starfighters.
Nothing personal—just a job.
***
"That bitch abandoned us!" Namman Cha said with disgust, striking the decorative cladding of a corridor filled with Republican soldier corpses.
The few Syndicate strike group soldiers standing behind him tried to pretend they were furniture, knowing full well what their enraged commander was capable of.
"You know she wouldn't have been able to do that without the Dominion's help," Kairissa replied with a serpentine hiss.
Namman struck the corridor wall twice more, shattering the thin snow-white durasteel plate.
Which was capable of withstanding a decompression shock.
"She betrayed us," the Inquisitor stated. "In the most blatant way."
"I can't say I'm surprised," the Dathomiri witch echoed him. "Betraying allies isn't a first for her."
"That means we have to get out of here," Cha said resolutely, looking into the corridor, beyond which were numerous decks.
They would have to cross them all, killing the ship's defenders, to capture it.
But what was the point if the main forces had left the battlefield?
Relying on pirates was more than an unwise act.
They would surrender as soon as they realized they were threatened with destruction at the hands of the Alliance or the Dominion.
And that meant only that both Inquisitors might find themselves squeezed from two sides.
Capture was not an option.
They know too much.
Their mission is too valuable.
"The best option would be to agree with the Alliance to join forces and break the Dominion," Kairissa said meaningfully. "Then we'll have a chance to break through. If they at least destroy the nearest Interdictor."
"Don't talk nonsense," Cha snapped. "The Rebels won't negotiate with those they consider weak. It's easier for them to finish off the pirates together with the Dominion, and hand us over as prisoners. We'll get out on our own. Contact the pirates—let them attack the Interdictor. I don't care how many of them die. We must survive and get out of here."
He turned with a jerk and strode toward the hangars, where several combat-ready ships still remained after their landing.
The Dathomiri witch looked at the boarders who scattered at Cha's approach, coward-like pressing into the walls.
Then she took out her comlink…
***
The hangar of the Alliance Star Cruiser looked as if a hurricane had passed through it.
Bodies hacked to pieces and charred by Force Lightning, damaged aircraft, traces of battle…
And dozens of enemy militants.
Fourth special unit of storm-commandos began acting as soon as the landing ramp touched the floor covering, mangled by blaster hits.
Sergeant THX-0333 rolled out of the line of fire, distracting enemy shooters, and took a position behind the half-destroyed hull of an X-wing whose landing gear had been clipped.
And the cockpit had been slashed (along with the pilot).
For some time, this cover would do.
The enemy fighters fired at him, but as soon as the other paratroopers poured from the other hatches, the pirates had no time for him.
With a loud metallic click and the sound of rolling, droidekas spread through the hangar.
Three other storm-commandos conducted aimed fire, picking off enemy shooters.
The guards went straight ahead, striking the pirates with accurate, economical blaster shots.
The pressure of the soldiers in black-blue armor proved so overwhelming that the clash had already turned into hand-to-hand combat.
THX-0333, realizing he was no longer under fire, looked out from behind cover, assessing the situation with his own eyes, not relying on data from his fighters' visual detection systems.
And he was right to do so.
Right from behind the X-wing's fusion engine nozzles, a Rodian with a heavy repeater leaped out at him.
Both opponents began aiming weapons at each other.
A purple energy blade cut the Rodian's weapon along with his forearms.
THX-0333's blaster carbine put an extra and non-physiologically provided hole in his skull.
Thrawn's Hand moved forward lightning-fast, deflecting blaster shots fired at her and periodically answering with her own blaster, reducing the number of opponents.
The sergeant's suppressive fire forced two enemies to take cover behind a transport container's hull.
After which, jumping onto it with a running start, he deprived both of their lives with two accurate shots.
Jumping off and taking cover, he activated a thermal detonator and threw it toward another opponent's cover.
Thus forcing them to take cover.
He himself leaped out of cover, waited for the explosion, and rushed toward the chosen opponent.
The first one who appeared from behind the container barricade, he killed with a shot to the head.
The second—he struck with an elbow to the face, knocking him to the floor and finishing him with a couple of shots.
A salvo was immediately fired at him, from which he took cover behind a stack.
The special unit soldiers signaled that more and more enemy units were arriving in the hangar.
The Delta supported the Dominion paratroopers with its cannon fire, but at one point the ship simply exploded, showering the attacking ranks with a rain of fire and shrapnel.
The indicators of two of his unit's fighters went out on his visor, meaning their death.
THX-0333 only had time to blink when the indication of Sniper, his last fighter, also disappeared.
Peering out from behind the crates, he noted that besides the Syndicate infantry, two beings—a man and a woman—with crimson lightsabers in their hands appeared in the hangar.
The Inquisitors who were to be captured.
They entered into a fight with three guards, behind the back of one of whom was a cage with a ysalamiri.
The crimson blades went out after attempts to strike the elite soldiers with lightsaber weapons.
But at the same time, the pale-faced woman with Dathomiri tattoos on her face used her vibro-ax as a primary weapon, piercing one of the guards' chests.
And lightning-fast killed the lizard, obviously understanding what threat it posed to the Inquisitors.
Her partner immediately hit the two other guards with Force Lightning, throwing them back.
Following that, with the help of the Force, several nearby droidekas were lifted into the air and smashed against the walls.
The initiative had shifted to the enemy's side.
THX-0333, not thinking long, activated a second thermal detonator and threw it toward the pair.
Simultaneously, the nearest droideka opened fire on them with its cannons.
The woman intercepted the ordnance in the air and threw it at the battle droid, but the projectile only bounced off the protective field.
For such an operation, a low speed of penetration under the energy barrier is necessary.
THX-0333 noticed the purple blade and its owner rush toward the Inquisitors.
The sergeant immediately assessed the possible threat to the Hand from simple enemy fighters.
The sergeant killed a Nautolan who tried to shoot the woman in the back with a well-aimed shot to the temple.
Next—he shot a grenadier with a short burst.
The carbine beeped, signaling a drained energy cell.
The sergeant threw the weapon aside, and drew blaster pistols from twin thigh holsters.
Suppressing the chosen target with fire, he rushed toward a new cover with a short run.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the moment the male Inquisitor crushed several guards who decided to attack him with the wreckage of the X-wing behind which the storm-commando had recently hidden.
His brain automatically noted the fact that the Inquisitor was more dangerous than expected.
He knows perfectly well that the guards are vulnerable to Force attacks, but judging by the fact that he began to retreat as soon as Lieutenant Colonel Tierce attacked him with a cortosis blade, he is aware of their deadly danger in close combat.
Grenades whistling overhead caught several droidekas at the moment they were moving in a wheel-like state.
The fragments led to the death of another guard, blowing off his skull.
THX-0333 did not leave this unanswered.
He left cover and, firing from both hands, destroyed both grenadiers, shooting one of their weapons.
The explosion led to the death of both operators and several fighters standing near them.
THX-0333 set about destroying the enemy infantry.
He remembered perfectly his experience of confronting a Force-sensitive on Mustafar, and accepted the fact of his uselessness in this fight.
And so he did what he knew how to do best.
He destroyed the enemy that was within his power.
***
Mara felt a searing cold as she ran past the Force suppression zone emanating from one of the guards running to Tierce's aid.
With a quick glance, she found four other destroyed cages and dead guards.
If not for the large size of the lizards themselves and the cages for them, there would have been an opportunity to equip all the guards with them.
But as it was, they were useless in a fight.
The last ysalamiri bearer dropped the cage behind one of the mangled crates and rushed to help the Lieutenant Colonel.
A logically correct decision—in battle, the guards must be mobile to confront an Inquisitor.
But the fact that they would have to exert effort to keep Namman Cha in the small ysalamiri effect zone…
That was already a problem.
She sincerely wished the guards luck.
She herself switched to the witch, who was looking directly at her with a haughty smirk.
"The red-haired traitress is alive," the Dathomiri's voice was laced with contempt and anticipation of battle.
"Jealousy looks bad on you," Mara countered, beginning the attack.
The witch rushed forward, attacking simultaneously with a vibro-ax and a lightsaber, which threw the girl off.
Rolling to the side at the last second, she parried a slashing blow to the neck as her opponent's lightsaber plowed a deep furrow in the spot where she had just stood.
So her weapon had recovered after the collision with cortosis.
Unpleasant, but a fact.
Mara counterattacked, slashing from below at the Dathomiri's legs.
She parried the blow, their blades meeting with sparks and a hum.
Almost without realizing what was happening, Mara performed a backflip, avoiding a vibro-ax blow to her body.
And at the same time, with joy, she slammed her foot into her opponent's face.
The swift flurry forced her to retreat.
Mara performed a distracting maneuver, about to attack, and took a step back, creating enough free space between them.
Her rival, with a bleeding nose and split lips, looked threatening.
There was just enough time to reach out in the direction of an unsuspecting pirate who intended to shoot Thrawn's Hand in the back.
Picking him up with the Force, she threw him at her opponent with such force that she, not expecting such a thing, flew several meters back, crashing into a dented transport container, deforming it even more.
With a growl, the Dathomiri began to rise.
The stunned pirate—also.
But before he could stand, the Inquisitor-ess slashed him across the neck with a backhand, ending the Weequay's life.
Mara had barely caught his death as her rival was already upon her, showering her with a hail of blows.
For a moment Mara felt that she was weaker than her, but at that same moment a wave of rage emanating from the Dathomiri almost knocked her off her feet.
She had to perform acrobatic stunts again.
For which she paid with a vibro-ax wound to her thigh.
Landing on her feet, Jade used telekinesis to throw the nearest debris under her opponent's feet, which she jumped over, pushing high off the hangar floor covering.
"Take flight, you painted bitch!" Mara passed the Force through her hands, sending the villainess flying with a heart-warming furious scream.
At the same time, she felt the life of another guard end and rushed to help.
"Clones!" the Inquisitor roared, kicking away the body of a decapitated warrior. "I hate clones! You're all dust under my feet! I'll destroy you all!"
She knew this one.
Namman Cha.
A dark Jedi who believed he could become a Sith Lord.
For this reason, even as he performed his allotted role as a conduit for the Emperor's will, he was still suspected by the latter of seeking and pocketing ancient Jedi relics.
In the past, Mara had prepared for the possibility that she might be assigned to eliminate him.
But it didn't happen.
Ruthless, merciless, wielding besides his main standard weapon, also a shoto—a short-bladed lightsaber.
Looking at the ease with which Cha destroyed the guards, who, mind you, are clones of Tierce and therefore trained to guard the Emperor, the girl didn't regret at all that she hadn't met this killer face-to-face in Palpatine's service before.
"And here I am!" Mara shouted, distracting Cha, who had raised his blade over another guard whose arm he had cut off.
The dark Jedi reacted to her appearance, turned—and received a kick from a frail girl weighing a little over fifty kilograms, who had accelerated to a high speed.
It was like jumping into an empty pool feet first.
With the exception that she didn't break anything, fell to the floor, and the giant staggered.
And immediately slashed at her with his blades.
Mara managed to put her sword in the way, blocking it.
And at that same moment Lieutenant Colonel Tierce drove a cortosis sword into the dark Jedi's thigh, breaking his bones.
Cha roared like an enraged rancor.
He tried to strike Tierce with an elbow to the face but only earned a manual lock around his neck.
Crimson blades shot into the air.
As did an obsidian dagger in the wounded guard's hand…
The black super-strong glass immediately opened the armor on the forearms and cut the muscles.
Both lightsabers fell uselessly to the floor.
The second blow landed in the other thigh, after which the one-armed guard struck Cha in the body with a fist.
Forced to his knees and with horrific wounds, Cha knocked the one-armed guard to the floor with a blow from his hands, and threw Tierce over himself.
Mara felt that rage had filled him with strength enough to overcome pain and discomfort.
He called his lightsabers to his hands, attacking Tierce with a series of brutal and desperate blows.
Completely forgetting that the guards were wearing cortosis armor.
His blades went out.
Mara, who had ended up on her feet, jumped, striking the broad chin with a foot, breaking his jaw.
After which, landing on Tierce's breastplate, she spun and landed a side kick.
Cha caught her leg and easily threw her aside like a tiny animal.
From the impact against the wall, sparks and tears burst from Mara's eyes, and the air from her lungs said goodbye to her.
It was as if someone had rung a bell in her head, which didn't stop her from moving away from the lightsaber thrown at her.
Rolling, the girl activated her own weapon, watching as Cha, on whom Grodin and the wounded guard hung, breaking his arms with a joint lock, slowly rose from his knees.
With a cortosis sword and an obsidian blade in his thighs.
"For heaven's sake," Mara squeezed through her teeth, rushing to the attack. "Are you even human?!"
"Kairissa!!! Help!!!" Cha screamed.
And at the last moment she was forced to flatten herself on the floor to avoid a collision with a piece of an X-wing engine thrown at her.
Rising, she crossed blades with the suddenly appeared Kairissa, who unleashed a series of powerful blows on the red-haired vixen.
Staggering back, Mara got too distracted and didn't notice in time as Namman hit her with a discharge of crackling blue Lightning.
At the last second she twisted out of Kairissa's block of blows, stepped back and caught the potentially fatal discharge with the lightsaber blade, absorbing its energy.
It was more of an instinct, a last resort, making her vulnerable to one of Kairissa's swift lunges.
A lightsaber blade scorched her left shoulder, and her arm went numb almost immediately.
Howling in pain, Mara parried a lightsaber blow and dodged a vibro-ax lunge.
"I'll bring the Emperor your head on a platter!" the Dathomiri witch hissed in her face. "But first I'll eat your brains!"
"Get yourself a nutritionist, you eyesore!" Mara threw, unceremoniously hitting the witch with Force Lightning.
She repeated her maneuver, but that was exactly what Jade was after.
She dove under the witch's feet, turned as soon as she was behind her and performed a sweep.
Seeing Kairissa fall, Jade leaped to her feet.
The one-armed guard lay on the floor with a torn throat.
Cha worked with his slashed limbs as deftly as if he hadn't received any wounds at all.
Grodin seized his fallen comrade's cortosis blade and attacked the Inquisitor.
Both blades went out, after which Tierce rewarded him with two cuts on the chest and slashed his left arm.
With his right, Cha caught the vibro-ax Kairissa threw to him and continued to attack with it.
Tierce moved to defense.
And Mara, seizing the moment, pushed Cha into the Force suppression zone. Created by the last ysalamiri.
And almost immediately Tierce began leading in the fight, inflicting even more wounds on Cha.
Mara would have watched this further, but the Dathomiri witch's lightsaber distracted her.
Warding it off, Jade struck the head with a foot in a favorite move, but she didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe there was nothing to damage there.
The witch was accumulating the Force in herself and simply went straight ahead, unleashing one blow after another on the red-haired vixen.
Mara completely switched to defense, inwardly wishing that the remaining guards and droidekas behind her back were keeping the pirates busy enough that a blaster bolt wouldn't hit her in the back of the head.
The girl backed away, starting to circle the hangar, every now and then throwing some debris at the witch.
She, like a droid, moved forward, not looking where she was going.
At some point Mara realized that it was indeed so.
The Dathomiri witch had completely focused her attention on her.
For her, the world around no longer existed.
Which meant…
"Tunnel vision is for idiots," Jade said mockingly, stepping back instead of attacking, breaking the distance between them by a couple of meters.
The witch, who didn't expect this, mechanically reflected the blaster bolt sent by Mara from her portable blaster.
Then another.
Another.
Another.
Kairissa began to retreat under a hail of shots.
She parried them to the sides, not even trying to reflect them back at Jade.
She simply didn't know how to do it at such a close distance.
Mara didn't let her come to her senses and think through tactics.
And after another shot she hit her with Force Lightning.
Seasoning it with a telekinetic push.
The first, as she had predicted, Kairissa reflected with a lightsaber.
But the second threw her back.
The crimson lightsaber blade shot into the air, dissolving with a hiss.
Reaching the high point of its flight, it changed the fall trajectory and lay in Mara's other hand.
The girl winced for a moment, sensing the stench of the Dark Side permeating the crystals inside the trophy.
Her left arm barely obeyed and hurt intolerably.
Mara directed the Force into it to drown out the maddening sensations and not faint.
But she didn't retreat from her plan.
She rushed to her opponent, who had only just risen to her feet.
Two streaks each of crimson and purple blades—and clean cuts of muscles appeared on Kairissa's legs and arms.
With a curse she fell to the floor, unable to move or even rise.
Mara, biting her lower lip until it bled, rushed to Cha and Tierce fighting a dozen meters from her.
The giant had already killed the ysalamiri but still hadn't restored the functionality of his blades, wielding a vibro-ax.
Tierce, in dented armor and with a dozen wounds, continued to fight but was obviously already flagging.
The triumph of the upcoming kill was splashing in Cha's eyes.
He was as confident in himself as every dark Jedi…
And Mara was sure that every Force adept who had made a cult of his life couldn't imagine a kill without a lightsaber.
"Cha! Catch!" five meters from the Inquisitor, Mara threw him Kairissa's sword, with as much strength as her wounded left arm could manage. "Spread your legs, Tierce!"
The hilt flew crookedly, to the side and the Inquisitor was distracted for a second to establish visual contact with the object…
This was enough for Mara to dive between Tierce's legs and strike with her own lightsaber.
Namman Cha's arms, cut off at the elbow, holding the vibro-ax, fell to the floor.
The girl leaped to her feet behind the back of the maimed dark Jedi, who was looking at his stumps in shock.
"That's for the guards, you scum!" with undisguised pleasure she kicked the Inquisitor in the kidneys with all her might.
At this very moment Namman's scream rang out.
A second scream would have followed the first (he has two kidneys, after all), but Tierce knocked him unconscious with an elbow to the jaw and drove a dose of tranquilizer into his neck with a pneumatic spike.
And only then did the guard collapse onto his knees in exhaustion.
"Tierce, Tierce," Mara, noting that the droidekas and guards had pushed the enemy back to the hangar passages and taken up defense there, caught the commander of the guards. "Don't you dare die, you jerk!"
The helmet flew aside and the girl slapped the Lieutenant Colonel, whose eyes were starting to roll back, on the cheeks, bringing him to his senses.
"Don't sleep, soldier!" she barked in his face. "Three holes in the chest are no reason to die!"
A chuckle escaped the Lieutenant Colonel's lips, which was incredibly heartening but at the same time puzzled Mara.
"Hand…" he wheezed. "It only just hit me, the true purpose of the Imperial Guard."
"Protecting Palpatine," Mara answered automatically, looking around at the battlefield. "No offense, Lieutenant Colonel, but you're kind of letting us down in matters of fighting Force-sensitive opponents… If the Jedi knew that by attacking Palpatine in your presence they could wipe you out… The Empire would have fallen much earlier."
Grodin looked at her with a merry gaze.
Mara felt uneasy.
"So we wouldn't have stood a chance anyway," he said. "We weren't trained to protect and eliminate Jedi threats… We were prepared to die in Palpatine's place to give him time to escape… And I, a fool, thought we were actually a force against the gifted…"
With those words the Lieutenant Colonel lost consciousness.
Mara, having assessed what Tierce had said, shuddered.
He's right, after all…
Palpatine didn't need protection from the Jedi—he had other tools to eliminate them.
And he himself is no pushover…
He simply surrounded himself with suicide squads whom he convinced were worth something against his real enemies.
Her soul felt дико rotten.
Because she was also convinced she was worth something.
And then Winter had thrashed her in the Imperial Palace library.
"You wrinkled ass, you fooled everyone by the same script," Jade threw angrily, carefully laying the unconscious Lieutenant Colonel on the hangar floor and taking out her comlink. "Well, Palpatine, you b…"