Time has a nasty habit of not meeting expectations. Sometimes it drags on much longer than desired, and sometimes, conversely, it rushes by, giving no chance to enjoy the moment. However, it is foolish to blame one of the dimensions of reality for not meeting one's subjective feelings. Especially if, in addition, there is a banal miscalculation.
The estimated response time of the Expansionary Defense Force turned out to be much shorter. It remained a mystery whether the standards for Dominion military personnel patrolling the borders had changed, or if the patrol simply happened to be not just nearby, but literally in the next system. But the fact was that three Chiss corvettes intercepted the "Marauder" just over seven minutes later, when Revan's ship had not yet reached the intended hiding place.
"I told you we should have flown to the third planet..." Radec Dune muttered grimly, quickly realizing the situation they were in.
"Three 'Jer'jo' on the starboard side. They are on an intercept course," Tyra, the ship's captain, confirmed the fears, running to the pilots and assessing the sensor readings.
"This is bad, boss?" Joe-Seto Jeff asked tensely, already ready to maneuver for evasion.
"Stay on course. Full speed," Revan ordered, silencing the captain who tried to object with just a glance and a nod.
At that moment, Radec, for some reason, suddenly realized that he could not say a word against the decisions of his strange employer. Something in his gaze... in his posture... in his entire demeanor... everything about him literally radiated confidence and made him cast aside all doubts. This man was in his place now. Dune believed at that moment that he was not facing an arrogant young rich upstart, but a truly experienced commander.
If the captain of the "Marauder" believed in the Force, he might have suspected Revan of influencing his mind... but he tried to ignore such prejudices. And, perhaps, in vain. However, at that moment, if the former Jedi was using suggestion, it was only instinctive and unconscious, as he was more focused on the three approaching corvettes.
Even before leaving the Republic's territory, Revan had learned from Tyra Nomad everything she knew about the technology and basic tactics of the Dominion's combat formations. Yes, the information might be outdated, but his own experience of encounters with the Expansionary Defense Force was even more so. Revan last encountered the Chiss fleet four thousand years ago, and even then they knew how to surprise.
Tyra shared information about the main types of ships used for patrolling distant frontiers and their armament. Three "Jer'jo" class corvettes, at close range, could pose a threat even to a full-fledged cruiser, let alone a "Marauder" class corvette. The Chiss plasma and laser weapons differed from those used in the Republic, and he did not want to test their effectiveness against the shields and armor of the new Sienar corvette.
Revan watched the markers on the sensors and ran through the information received from Tyra in his mind. So, three corvettes, armed with lasers, turbolasers, "plasma sphere" launchers, and tractor beam projectors. Some configurations were equipped with missile armament, including "Penetrator" missiles filled with acid. Their use in combination with a spectral laser was one of the main offensive combinations for Expansionary Defense Force ships.
In accordance with the intercept and inspection protocol, the corvettes would approach from three sides, trying to position themselves so as not to block each other's firing sectors. Due to the fact that most of the armament on the "Jer'jo" was located in the upper hemisphere, the corvettes would try to be below the horizontal axis of rotation of the "Marauder," and at least one of the opponents would be positioned above, but in an inverted position.
According to the protocol, demands for stopping and providing information would be made first. In case of non-compliance, a warning shot across the bow, then an attack with plasma spheres to ionize the systems and disable the ship without causing significant damage to the hull. After all, the Dominion's doctrine assumed defensive combat, and they wouldn't immediately strike to kill. And with such parameters, one could already work even in a "one against three" situation. But everything was complicated by the fact that Revan could not destroy the Chiss ships either. He was not at war with the Dominion, and besides, the "Marauder" had a Republic space identifier, and any aggressive actions would lead to a diplomatic conflict. This could create a lot of problems for Dooku and Sienar, who, with due effort, would be quickly found by investigators from the Judicial Corps, but, fortunately, the identifier was fake. However, it did not solve the diplomatic problems. "Marauder" corvettes had recognizable construction and design, and besides, only a few copies existed at the moment. If the Dominion started digging through its diplomatic channels, they would find Sienar anyway. But this was only if the Dominion leadership was "very concerned." An ordinary skirmish with pirates or smugglers would not cause much resonance, but the destruction of a patrol group by a ship from the Republic...
Revan's mind raced through possible scenarios, ideas, tactical examples, and memories of similar situations. Gradually, Revan entered a kind of trance, remaining partially immersed in his thoughts, but fully maintaining control over what was happening. Almost unconsciously, the former Jedi covered his face with a Mandalorian mask taken from his pouch and pulled up his hood. It seemed more familiar that way.
"We're not going to make it. They're closer to the planet. Time until interception - forty-two seconds," Kerri Moro reported from the pilot's seat.
"Give me your seat," Revan demanded, addressing the pilots.
Moro and Jeff exchanged glances and, briefly showing each other something with gestures, apparently came to some decision. Moro stood up and moved away from the control console.
Revan took her place.
"I need everyone to follow my instructions without question, without wasting time on doubts and clarifications. I will explain everything that remains unclear to you afterward. For now, you must trust me," the former Jedi said.
Not everyone was ready for such a demand, but no one dared to object aloud. Only Sirsho Nomad cursed in Mandalorian, recalling the cursed "magic" of the jetii. Dune frowned, but remained silent. The senior technician working for Sienar at the moment did not care whose orders he followed, as the management had entrusted him with the care of the ship's systems, not its captain.
"The approach protocol implies only audio contact via wideband broadcast in case the intruder ship's communication systems are damaged. If we don't respond even in this mode, the ship will be forcibly stopped and inspected," Tyra warned everyone, explaining the Chiss's method of action during intruder interception.
"If they stop us, we're unlikely to get away intact," Jeff commented on the situation.
"Trust me," Revan repeated.
"We shouldn't destroy them," Nomad reminded.
"I know," the Jedi nodded.
"But we can't surrender either..."
"I'm not planning to."
The communication console beeped.
"They're trying to contact us," Moro explained, temporarily taking the position of communications and alert systems operator.
"Broadcast static and continue moving," Revan ordered.
"They'll shoot us down..." Jeff objected.
"Not immediately. Our task is to get as close to the planet as possible. More precisely, to its partially destroyed moon."
"What?" Moro asked again, trying to understand what their strange employer was talking about.
The second planet in the system did indeed have a moon, but its condition was not displayed on the sensors. Only as they approached the planet did it become clear what was being discussed. The moon was split into several large parts, between which, under the influence of gravitational forces, debris and dust clouds constantly moved, somehow remaining in a single field, not scattering too far from each other and continuing to move in a stable orbit around the planet.
"They're preparing weapons," Sirsho Nomad warned.
"Prepare to stop," Revan ordered.
A series of charges from a laser turret flashed past the ship.
"Let's drift. Establish contact via wideband broadcast. We're simulating equipment problems," the former Jedi instructed.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Dune said quietly, helping Moro with the console.
Revan did not answer, only nodded. However, he felt that everything was going as it should.
"Ready," Moro reported on the preparation for establishing communication.
"Don't shoot. We're a research vessel! 'Curiosity'!" Revan said loudly, giving Kerri a signal.
The former Jedi spoke in Galactic Basic, which, although not as common in the Dominion, was still part of the Expansionary Defense Force pilots' training program in case they found themselves in Republic space.
The response came a few seconds later.
"You have entered Dominion space. Stop your movement, identify yourselves, and state the reason for the border violation," someone from the patrol officers said in clear Basic.
By this time, the "Marauder," drifting, had approached the planet to a distance sufficient for Revan's plan, so the former Jedi gave the second pilot an order to smoothly slow down and stop the ship.
"Don't shoot. We are the research vessel 'Curiosity' from the planet Seti-Dar 4. We are on a mission to explore the far frontier and map remote systems under contract with the Transport Guild," Revan said, injecting more fear into his voice.
The prototype corvette's identifier had indeed been replaced with a signal from a research vessel from a backwater planet. However, the Chiss knew about the Transport Guild, as they sometimes managed to secure rare orders in Dominion territory within the framework of diplomatic interaction between the capital worlds.
"Your arrival is not authorized. Prepare to receive a boarding party for inspection."
The Chiss ships, meanwhile, had lined up around the "Marauder" exactly as Revan had predicted from Tyra's stories.
"Jeff, start the engines," Revan ordered, interrupting the communication.
"They'll notice..."
"Execute," the former Jedi sharply cut off the pilot.
Joe-Seto, shrugging, supplied power to the engines, which the patrol ships could not fail to notice.
"'Curiosity,' immediately stop your engines and prepare for inspection. This is your final warning," the voice of the Chiss commander echoed through the bridge.
"We're targeted," Nomad warned.
"Prepare weapons. Target corvette number three, aft on the port side. Fire on command."
Time slowed down sharply for Revan. He allowed the Force to flow freely through him, allowing him to sense the space around him far beyond the ship. His hands instinctively went to the ship's controls and slightly changed the "Marauder's" position relative to the Chiss corvettes. Revan did not possess full combat meditation, but Bastila had taught him something. Sensing the presence of sentient beings on the surrounding ships was even easier than the former Jedi had expected. The Dominion soldiers were calm and acted according to familiar instructions. Hints of fear and suspicion... but all this is natural for living beings. There were no Force-sensitives among the patrol... which meant they wouldn't notice any influence. A gentle push through the Force, not physical, but rather on the level of an emotional impulse, caused the launcher operator's hand to miss the target.
"They're firing!" Nomad reported.
But Revan had already begun the maneuver, turning the "Marauder" in such a way that the plasma sphere fired from the Dominion corvette's side passed only a meter from the edge of its target's shield and hit an allied ship.
"Fire!" Revan commanded, directing the "Marauder" at the damaged corvette.
The Sienar corvette's weapons swept across the bow shields of one of the patrol ships, causing it to begin an evasion maneuver, while the second reacted much faster and began pursuit almost simultaneously with the "Marauder's" movement.
A wave of alarm and fear flashed through the Force, as well as anger from the Chiss on the patrol ships... But among them, excitement and curiosity still flashed very clearly...
The "Marauder" ducked under the damaged corvette, using it as cover from the pursuer's fire and, at the same time, escaping the firing sector of the damaged ship itself, whose weapons were located in the upper hemisphere.
"Jeff, all available reserves to maneuvering. I need maximum freedom," Revan ordered the second pilot, concentrating on controlling the ship and evading most of the pursuers' projectiles.
Meanwhile.
Expansionary Defense Force. Fifth Patrol Unit.
Corvette "Fearless".
The young captain stood on the bridge, arms crossed, staring intently at the surveillance console. His face remained impassive, but inside he was almost exultant. Finally! After months of monotonous and boring patrol duty, during which Mitt'Ra'u'Nuuruodo began to feel something inside him withering and dying, and his body was shackled by Dominion doctrines, suppressing his talent. He did not consider himself vain, but he could not help but notice his advantage over the captains he met daily in service. He saw their mistakes, saw their lack of flexibility in their thinking... a lack of creativity in planning... a lack of "vision." And now! A routine mission brings him into contact with something interesting! With someone interesting!
From the moment they exited hyperspace, something struck the young Chiss. The strangeness in the violator's behavior. According to the beacon's readings, it was closer to the third planet of the system, but it stubbornly headed for the second, even though it knew, judging by its trajectory and behavior, that a patrol was supposed to appear for it. The trick with static on the air to buy time had long been known and used by smugglers, so Mitt'Ra'u'Nuuruodo was not even surprised when the violator used this trick. Alas, the "Approach Protocol" prescribed a certain order of actions for detention and inspection, so nothing could be done in this situation.
As expected, after the warning shot, the violator shut down its engines... but did not stop the ship. Only after a repeated demand to stop and completely halt the ship did the unknown comply.
The identifier provided by the violator was clearly a fake. "Research" ships had appeared in this system more than once, but alas, this legend had never been confirmed by checking with diplomats at the capital. So, the next course of action should have been quite ordinary... but something went wrong.
A standard formation, in which the "Fearless" took up a position on the starboard stern of the violator. The flagship of the formation, the "Steadfast," stopped in front of the unknown vessel's bow slightly above the axis, turning its corvette with the upper hemisphere towards the potential enemy. The "Swift" came in from the left. All three Chiss ships were ready to open fire on command from the flagship. Such a formation rarely failed, as the corvettes were positioned so as not to interfere with each other, but at the same time to be able to flood the enemy with plasma at the first sign of disobedience. But there were also ways to break out of an encirclement. And the first thing that came to the smugglers' minds was to break through towards the ship that was "upside down." This way, it would shift below the firing sector of the other two ships' guns and would be under fire from only one corvette. But this option had been calculated, and the violator would invariably find itself under fire from plasma sphere launchers, which were capable of inflicting enormous damage to the ship's internal systems with a single hit.
The captains of the patrol group expected approximately such a development of events. Even Thrawn, as those who were allowed to not use his full name called him, primarily assumed precisely such a maneuver. However, along with this, he had also thought through an option that he himself would have used, knowing the vulnerabilities of the "Jer'jho"-class corvettes. One should move towards one of the stern corvettes, thereby provoking a shot from the lead ship, and then move off the projectile's trajectory, exposing an ally to the shot. But this required changing one's initial position to force the second corvette into the line of fire. But they would try to prevent this, this is what pilots were taught... unless they were distracted...
And how surprised Thrawn was when he noticed the violator shifting sideways using the low thrust of its maneuvering thrusters. Then the sensors registered an increase in the power level of the main engines, which indicated that the enemy was preparing to escape.
Mitt'Rau'Nuuruodo immediately informed the flagship of his findings, but the captain seemed to have ignored the "young upstart's" conclusions and took no action. Moreover, he forbade opening fire or taking any action without his explicit order. And the captain of the "Swift" obeyed the order.
Unlike Mitt'Rau'Nuuruodo.
The young captain gave the order to turn and prepare the weapons just as the violator began its maneuver. The enemy did not respond to the group commander's calls, which was followed by a plasma sphere shot, to which the opponent reacted almost before the projectile left the launcher. As if he had foreseen such a turn of events! The sphere hit the "Swift," leaving it without engines and most of its weaponry. At the same time, a salvo was fired from the violator at the flagship, which forced the group commander to begin a turn. This gave the violator a few seconds to break away from its pursuers under the cover of the damaged "Swift," under whose hull it dived. Or rather, it would have given it those seconds if Thrawn had not figured out the maneuver and started the pursuit a few moments earlier.
"What precision of action... What a grasp of the situation! This is not mere luck... The violator is aware of our technology and our tactics... Is there a Chiss on board? Someone connected to the Defense and Expansion Forces and well acquainted with our doctrines... An exile?" Mitt'Rau'Nuuruodo mentally went through the options while his subordinates brought the "Fearless" onto an intercept course.
Alas, the violator's speed turned out to be comparable to that of a "Jer'jho"-class corvette, which meant catching up would be problematic.
"But it is known where you were so eager to go, right? The second planet? Or... the Moon! A gravitational anomaly in the system, nicknamed the 'Labyrinth of Madness.' Is the violator planning to break away from its pursuers there? Suicide... however, one must not underestimate not only the talent of the probable opponent but also his stupidity. Just as one cannot dismiss options where madness has a precise calculation," the young captain mused.
After thinking everything over again, Mitt'Rau'Nuuruodo ordered to establish communication with the corvette "Steadfast."
"Captain Gas'Mor'Aru, I have a hypothesis about where the violator is heading. It's the 'Labyrinth of Madness'," he informed the commander of the formation.
"The moon of the second planet in the system? But the violator's course is towards the system's border. It plans to escape!" the captain of the "Steadfast" objected.
"It's a feint."
"I disagree."
"I assume that there is an 'exile' on board the violator who is aware of our tactics. In such a situation, the standard protocol will be ineffective. I recommend calling for reinforcements from station 'Bissen'."
"Calling for help when pursuing with three corvettes for just one? Are you in your right mind, Captain? Perhaps it's your lack of experience speaking, so I will ignore your cowardly advice. Keep your assumptions to yourself and follow orders. Continue the pursuit and await our arrival," Gas'Mor'Aru ordered and broke off the conversation.
"So, pursue or wait, Captain?" Thrawn asked into the void, closing his eyes, in a half-whisper.
"Captain?" his senior assistant, not having heard his commander's words.
"We continue the pursuit of the violator. Reserve power to the maneuvering thrusters, prepare for a sharp course change."
"Aye, sir."
"Well, let's play," the young captain smiled slightly to himself.
***
"Marauder"
"Well, someone is finally using their head as intended," Tira remarked, checking the sensor readings.
The ship under Revan's control had just activated several seismic charges, dropped from the cargo bay a few moments earlier. The pursuers should not have detected their release as combat projectiles, and therefore might have ignored them. Under the cover of ionized shock waves, which temporarily disabled the sensors, the "Marauder" was supposed to change course and head back towards the second planet, leaving the pursuers behind.
The maneuver was successful, but only one of the pursuers was left behind, while the second went to intercept and opened fire. Only thanks to the not-yet-fully-recovered guidance system sensors, and Revan's intuition, did the corvette avoid serious damage. But the fact remained – a third patrol ship was hanging on its tail, like a leash.
"You're leading us towards the gravitational anomaly," Radek Dune warned Revan.
"Yes," the former Jedi replied curtly.
"It would be suicide to venture into such a region in an unverified ship."
"We won't go in."
"Glad to hear it," Dune exhaled with slight relief.
"Only I will go," Revan added.
"What?"
"I'll fly the 'Eagle.' The object I need is in the very heart of that anomaly, surrounded by gravitational disturbances caused by the concentration of the Dark Side of the Force."
"Are you out of your mind?" Dune calmly clarified, gradually getting used to his employer's eccentricities...
"I've encountered this before and I know what to expect. I'll manage," Revan assured him.
"And what should we do in that case? We can't keep running from three corvettes forever. The third will likely join soon. Especially considering the fact that we are moving towards it again," the captain of the "Marauder" noted.
"After dropping the 'Eagle,' you will pass along the outer edge of the anomaly, using the clouds of dust and debris for cover. Sensors will be useless here, so Tira will be your navigator."
"Me?" the Mandalorian woman asked.
"Yes, you. You have something that will help you detect threats in advance," Revan hinted at Bastila.
Nomad nodded grimly, but she understood the hint. Revan felt Bastila's urge to object and join her beloved on his dangerous mission, but Tira managed to hold her back.
"We'll manage," the mercenary replied.
"Try to shake off the pursuers at the anomaly's border. Then head for low orbit of the second planet. The ionization of the hull from the friction of the shields against the atmosphere will allow you to fool the patrol sensors for some time. Then pick me up."
"Cool!" Jeff exclaimed emotionally.
"And how long are we going to play chase here?" Dune inquired, not sharing the pilot's enthusiasm.
"As long as you can. I'll need about an hour... at best. If I don't show up within that time, leave the system for the backup rendezvous point. I'll get out myself," Revan assured him.
"Really?"
"Yes," the former Jedi confirmed.
"As you wish. We're getting ready," Dune ordered.
Revan handed over control to Moro and Jeff, then rushed to the hangar to the "Eagle."
In the debris of the moon, the Rakatan artifact awaited its hour, in which Revan clearly felt a connection to the Forge. Perhaps it was the first undamaged star map he had encountered? Or something else...