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PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
With Valery Noble back at the Jedi Temple, Jasper felt far more comfortable returning to his work with the Shield Core. Ultimately, given recent events, he felt that it was probably for the best that he spent more time out in the field away from it all. Besides, there were still plenty of worlds recoiling from the ravenous campaign of the Maw. In light of recent fundraising by Ord Providence's senator for the Corridor, he felt there was no better time to push deeper into the brotherhood's former holdings. His intentions were to begin bringing aid to Fhost and The Redoubt, perhaps further. For now, however, it would be a good stepping stone, especially after the success they had seen at Ool.
"Sir," the voice of the Dawnbreaker's AI custodian began, interrupting his train of thought. "It seems you have some messages. It looks like one is from your brother. Shall I read them to you?"
"No thank you," Jasper insisted. "Transfer them to the captain's terminal in my chambers. I'll read through them in my spare time."
"Understood," Iota's holographic model nodded. "I'll be waiting for you on the bridge. There are some bizarre readings that require your attention."
Bizarre readings was certainly a cryptic enough note to drive Jasper from his meditation. The Sentinel of Harmony was quick to exit the Dawnbreaker's gardens and make way for the bridge, taking a moment to give a bow of respect to the grave marker of his friend Calix. Before long, the knight was ascending the central elevator, still in a rather tired state. It was not long since he had woken, and the haze of the morning had yet to fully fade. He didn't show it, of course. Jasper's grey eyes remained sharp as ever, his posture composed in a manner fitting for a leader. The elevator reached the top of the vessel, and Knight Kai'el strutted out onto the bridge's deck. Hyperspace swirled ahead of them, cold and strange as ever, but he did hear the beep of of their holocommunication interceptor. It seemed that, from somewhere or another, the Dawnbreaker was attempting to pick up a signal.
"A transmission?" he asked. "Where's it coming from?"
"Unclear, sir," Iota responded. "We've been unable to triangulate it, or properly listen to the transmission for that matter. It's ahead of us, but not. I... apologize. My strategic matrix hasn't encountered a scenario like this before."
"No worries, just keep cracking at it for me-"
Suddenly, the vessel shuddered. Alarms rang out, filling the bridge with a red ambient glow.
"Ion generator down, sir," the AI relayed. "Shields dropped for 2.57931 seconds. Internal damage sustained by primary and secondary hyperdrive."
"Go sublight," the knight ordered. "I don't want a sudden drop to tear us to shreds."
"Not enough time, sir!" one of the bridge crew's engineers called out. "They've both gone offline."
A sweat broke on Jasper's forehead, but he remained firm, clenching his mechanical fist.
"Brace yourselves!" he shouted. "Iota, send an emergency transmission back to Coruscant!"
In a matter of seconds the Dawnbreaker was ripped out of place. Real space lay in silence, hyperspace was empty. Suffering an Ion Shield generator malfunction of 2.57931 seconds, the capital ship of the New Jedi Order's relief unit was now nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was the echoes of their distress signal.
"Sir," the voice of the Dawnbreaker's AI custodian began, interrupting his train of thought. "It seems you have some messages. It looks like one is from your brother. Shall I read them to you?"
"No thank you," Jasper insisted. "Transfer them to the captain's terminal in my chambers. I'll read through them in my spare time."
"Understood," Iota's holographic model nodded. "I'll be waiting for you on the bridge. There are some bizarre readings that require your attention."
Bizarre readings was certainly a cryptic enough note to drive Jasper from his meditation. The Sentinel of Harmony was quick to exit the Dawnbreaker's gardens and make way for the bridge, taking a moment to give a bow of respect to the grave marker of his friend Calix. Before long, the knight was ascending the central elevator, still in a rather tired state. It was not long since he had woken, and the haze of the morning had yet to fully fade. He didn't show it, of course. Jasper's grey eyes remained sharp as ever, his posture composed in a manner fitting for a leader. The elevator reached the top of the vessel, and Knight Kai'el strutted out onto the bridge's deck. Hyperspace swirled ahead of them, cold and strange as ever, but he did hear the beep of of their holocommunication interceptor. It seemed that, from somewhere or another, the Dawnbreaker was attempting to pick up a signal.
"A transmission?" he asked. "Where's it coming from?"
"Unclear, sir," Iota responded. "We've been unable to triangulate it, or properly listen to the transmission for that matter. It's ahead of us, but not. I... apologize. My strategic matrix hasn't encountered a scenario like this before."
"No worries, just keep cracking at it for me-"
Suddenly, the vessel shuddered. Alarms rang out, filling the bridge with a red ambient glow.
"Ion generator down, sir," the AI relayed. "Shields dropped for 2.57931 seconds. Internal damage sustained by primary and secondary hyperdrive."
"Go sublight," the knight ordered. "I don't want a sudden drop to tear us to shreds."
"Not enough time, sir!" one of the bridge crew's engineers called out. "They've both gone offline."
A sweat broke on Jasper's forehead, but he remained firm, clenching his mechanical fist.
"Brace yourselves!" he shouted. "Iota, send an emergency transmission back to Coruscant!"
In a matter of seconds the Dawnbreaker was ripped out of place. Real space lay in silence, hyperspace was empty. Suffering an Ion Shield generator malfunction of 2.57931 seconds, the capital ship of the New Jedi Order's relief unit was now nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was the echoes of their distress signal.
