Chapter 1: Collision Course

  The bridge of the "Enlightened Justice" shuddered violently as another volley of turbolaser fire impacted against the deteriorating shields. Kalden Nyros was thrown against the tactical display, his vision blurring momentarily as pain shot through his ribcage. He pushed himself up, ignoring the warm trickle of blood from his forehead.

  "Shields at thirteen percent, sir!" The operations officer's voice cracked with exhaustion and fear. "We can't take another direct hit to the portside generators!"

  Kalden steadied himself, closing his eyes for a brief moment. The Force flowed through him, connecting him to every living being on the ship - every officer, every engineer, every fighter pilot currently engaged in the desperate ballet of death outside the viewports. Their fear, determination, and trust flooded his consciousness. He could feel them all, guide them all.

  "Divert auxiliary power to the portside shields," he ordered, his voice calm despite the chaos erupting around him. "Evacuate sections fourteen through twenty-two. They're targeting our weapons array next."

  "How could you possibly know th-" The tactical officer's question died in his throat as the enemy ship's targeting systems locked onto exactly those sections.

  The "Unwavering Decree" loomed in the viewscreen, its Imperial markings barely visible beneath scorched hull plating and battle damage. Once a sister ship serving the Republic, now it had become their executioner. Their last transmission had been clear: surrender the Jedi or be destroyed. There would be no prisoners today.

  "Fighter squadrons regrouping at sector six," reported the communications officer. "We've lost Gold Leader and half of Blue Squadron."

  Kalden felt each death like a small flame being extinguished in his consciousness. He gritted his teeth, pushing away the grief. There would be time for mourning later - if they survived.

  "Have Red Squadron provide covering fire for the remaining fighters," he ordered, reaching out through the Force to steady the pilots' nerves. His unique battle meditation ability - the talent that had once made him valuable to the Republic - now served only to delay the inevitable.

  Another hit rocked the ship, throwing several officers from their stations. A support beam crashed down, narrowly missing the navigation console. Smoke began filling the bridge as emergency systems failed one by one.

  "We need to evacuate, sir!" The first officer grabbed Kalden's arm. "The structural integrity of the command deck is compromised!"

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  Kalden shook his head, his eyes fixed on the Imperial vessel. "Not yet."

  A shadow passed overhead - sleek, black, distinctive. Kalden's blood ran cold as he recognized the fighter configuration through the viewport. An Inquisitor's personal ship, docking with the "Unwavering Decree." He'd seen it before, in a previous encounter that had nearly cost him his life.

  "The Eighth Brother," he whispered, feeling the dark presence even across the void of space.

  The Force rippled with malice, seeking him out. Trying to pierce the mental shields he'd maintained for years. For a moment, Kalden stood frozen, memories threatening to overwhelm him - the Temple in flames, younglings scattered, his former brothers and sisters turned against each other. The day the Republic died and the Empire was born.

  "Sir! Engine core temperature critical! We're losing stabilizers!"

  The warning snapped Kalden back to the present. He scanned the bridge, taking in the faces of those who had followed him, trusted him. Those who would die for him if he asked. The weight of that responsibility pressed down on him like a physical force.

  A sudden flash of pain lanced through his mind - not his own, but familiar, beloved. Lyra.

  The vision came without warning: Lyra in danger, clutching her swollen belly, surrounded by stormtroopers. Their unborn child, a brilliant presence in the Force, threatened by darkness. The Empire taking what he loved most, as they had taken everything else.

  "No," he whispered, his hands clenching into fists.

  In that moment, Kalden knew the battle was lost - had perhaps been lost from the beginning. They couldn't outrun the Empire forever. But maybe, just maybe, they could create a chance for those who mattered most.

  His eyes snapped open, decision made. "Set course directly for the 'Unwavering Decree.'"

  Confusion rippled through the bridge crew. The navigation officer turned, disbelief etched on his face. "Sir?"

  "You heard me. Full power to the forward shields and engines. We're going to ram them."

  "That's suicide!" protested the first officer.

  Kalden's gaze was steady, resolved. "Not for everyone. Not for those who matter most." He turned to his communications officer. "Send encrypted instructions to shuttlebay three. Priority clearance, security protocol Aurek-Seven."

  The officer's eyes widened in understanding. "The evacuation plan, sir?"

  Kalden nodded once. "Tell them they have twenty minutes. I'll buy them as much time as I can."

  As the officer hurried to comply, Kalden turned back to the viewport, watching as the "Unwavering Decree" grew larger. Somewhere aboard that vessel, the Eighth Brother was preparing to hunt him down. The dark side user who had tracked him relentlessly since that first encounter on Corellia.

  "The Force is testing us today," Kalden murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "And I will not be found wanting."

  Another blast rocked the ship, throwing crewmembers to the deck. Emergency klaxons blared as system after system failed. The ship was dying around them.

  Kalden closed his eyes again, reaching out to Lyra through their bond. Feeling her fear, her determination, the fierce protective love for their unborn child. And beneath it all, her unwavering faith in him.

  "I love you," he whispered into the void. "Both of you."

  He took a deep breath, centering himself in the Force as he had been taught long ago in the Temple. Peace. Serenity. Purpose.

  When he opened his eyes, they reflected the determination of a Jedi who had found something worth dying for.

  "Set collision course," he ordered. "And may the Force be with us all."