Adventures 11 & 12

The time finally arrived to attack Freedom Station when the Empire took the Hydian Way and opened up an avenue of attack on either Mandalore or Yavin. With Freedom Station being more dangerous, they decided to leave the Mandalorians alone to strike the so-called “Death Star” and its heavy orbital defenses. The attack was planned and executed by Grand Admiral Thrawn, using the full might of the Imperial Navy in an all-or-nothing gambit: if the fleet was destroyed, the Empire would be unable to defend half the galaxy. They would launch simultaneous assaults on three of the eight orbital platforms and shut down their shield generators to give the fleet an opening for fighters to assault Freedom Station itself. The 25 Star Destroyers would engage the platforms and Rebel fleet itself to provide the opening once the shields were down: an extra squadron of fighters would exit hyperspace in a highly unorthodox move at great risk to itself and both fleets, utilizing the opportunity to strike a blow and then re-enter hyperspace.

The party, along with Kyle Katarn, Pakron Ajanos, and a hundred other Kinsei and thousands of Imperial Marines, were chosen to storm the central orbital defense platform. Katarn and Ajanos were to escort R2-D2 into the central core of the station and shut down its computers. In the assault on the platform, the party successfully fight off dozens of Rebels and destroy several vehicles and ships.

Along with Katarn and Ajanos, plus several Imperial Marines, they move into the central core. IG-203 successfully prevents a number of proximity mines from activating. The pair of Kinsei Honor Guards stopped to confront a pair of Jedi Masters who appear to stop them, commanding the party to finish the mission while they hold off the Jedi. They made it with R2-D2 to the central computer of the platform and shut its shields down, holding off any Rebel soldiers who arrived.

However, just as they made it out to look for their commanders, they felt the entire station move beneath them. Someone was using the Force to pull it down to the surface of the moon. The surviving Kinsei resisted the pull together, slowing its descent to a survivable fall. However, the strain of the drop and crash knocked almost the entirety of the survivors unconscious.

IG-203 rebooted a while later to find a pair of cloaked men dragging away the Prodigy and Maliss; when they attacked it with red lightsabers, it responded with its guns and fists and killed both of the cultists. When it awakened the two Kinsei, they discovered that all the other Kinsei are missing from the wreckage. Reaching out to find them through the Force, they were nearly overwhelmed by the dark energy of a temple a few kilometers out into the jungle. When they reached out further to find Katarn specifically, they discovered his presence in that same direction. After administering first aid to the other still-unconscious survivors of the crash, they moved out to investigate.

Trekking towards it, they noticed that the foliage and animals disappeared as they get closer. When they arrived, they first searched for an outer door, but were forced to climb to the top, where they discovered a terrifying scene. Forty surviving Kinsei were held along the ledges of the temple’s top, while nine were on an altar, surrounded by eight cultists; a ninth and final cultist leaned over Pakron Ajanos in the center of the circular altar. None seemed to be able to move or resist, although they seemed conscious and aware.

After a brief, hushed discussion, Maliss attacked first, trying to take out the nearest cultist; however, the ninth cultist spun and caught him with the Force, revealing himself to be Diospholos. He easily deflected the launched rocket of IG-203 and the Force thrust of the Prodigy, knocking the droid back off the temple. As he did so, he said, "Inferior beings won't be allowed here!" As the Prodigy circled around, he asked the Rebel what was going on. "Wait and find out. You can't stop it," he said. He moved the Dashade, who was frothing with rage, next to the Prodigy on the other side of the temple.

Darkness fell across the temple when Freedom Station moved overhead to block the sun, causing Diospholos to conduct his ritual. With blasts of Force lightning, he killed six of the eight Kinsei other than Pakron Ajanos; Kyle Katarn and a Jawa Kinsei were spared when the Prodigy threw a light side amulet crafted by the Jedi Army of Light that Emperor Skywalker had given him. It lit up brightly and absorbed the lightning, but Diospholos had gained enough energy.

He drained the Force out of the dead Kinsei and into Pakron Ajanos, who howled in terrible pain. His life force was snuffed out as the spirit of Exar Kun, trapped in the temple for thousands of years, was transferred into Ajanos'. As Kun, now in the body of their commander's partner, sat up, Diospholos brought out a double-bladed lightsaber and gave it to him. "I am Darth Sidious," he said, "and I dub you Darth Draconis. The Sith are reborn with the sacrifice of these imposters. Arise, my new apprentice, and test this new vessel."

It was two Sith Lords and eight Sith cultists against two Kinsei and a droid. With the power of the ritual finished, the Dashade could move again. He scrambled to kill Draconis, who had destroyed his homeworld many thousands of years ago. With a shout, he swore that he would eat his heart in revenge for his people and rushed to the reborn Sith Lord. The Prodigy picked up one of the cultists with the Force and threw it at Kun, who simply cut the cultist in half with his lightsaber, deflecting it, while simultaneously deflecting the enraged attacks of the Dashade.

Meanwhile, the droid reappeared on the side of the temple. It fired a rocket at Palpatine's new vessel, which Sidious again caught with the Force. "Idiot," he sneered. "Don't you ever -" He was cut off when the rocket exploded a meter from him, burning his face badly. The droid had jury-rigged the rocket to explode on a timer instead of normal impact. Shouting in pain, Darth Sidious leapt towards the droid in a rage, launching terrible amounts of Force Lightning at it.

On the other side of the temple, Maliss was overwhelmed by cultists, who he tore into pieces with his lightsaber. Darth Draconis engaged the Prodigy with his lightsaber, making a long horizontal strike at his neck. When the young Kinsei brought up his lightsaber to block it with a downward parry, the Sith moved the lightsaber ever-so-slightly. The result was devastating for the Prodigy: it not only cleanly destroyed his lightsaber, the edge of Kun's blade slashed him across the eyes, blinding him instantly. He collapsed to the floor.

The droid, with Darth Sidious delivering Force lightning into it, decided to make a final quip. "The problem with you organics is that you only get the one body. Learn to back up," it said as it brought the Sith Lord's hands closer to its internal compartment and the contained 50 kilograms of detonite. The explosion nearly destroyed half the temple, incinerating any trace of the droid except for the Mandalorian helmet it wore. Just as the droid sacrificed itself, Freedom Station exploded overhead. The threat of the Death Star was no more.

When the smoke cleared, both Sith were gone. 18 Kinsei of that group had survived the day. In the following days, the Sith Lords reappeared, declaring that the Third Sith Empire had begun; the Empire and the other part of the Rebellion quickly made peace and allied against the Sith.

The party, including the droid’s new body and programming, were honored in a ceremony at the Imperial Palace for saving the lives of over a dozen Kinsei. In addition, the pilot who fired the deadly shot against Freedom Station was honored: Han Solo.