Vax flew like a man possessed. He popped flares, three of them from the small eight-flare launcher, in the hopes of foiling any missiles that had locked on; he did not wish to utilize the chaff unless absolutely necessary. He juked left, right and on more than one occasion, rolled the shuttle. His evasive maneuvers put the efforts of ace clone pilots to shame. On his own, Vax was a decent pilot at best, but immersed in the Force... he was one with the ship, with space around them.

The TIEs behind him did not concern him. Kamino, to his right, did not concern him. He had gone down, relative to the position, putting them below both of the Imperial ships as he fled closer and closer to the limit. Forty-five seconds? Maybe a tad more or less? He could not say, but they would soon be out of range and the safety of hyperspace lay just beyond.

The Fountain of Providence was not so lucky. Even with rear deflectors set to maximum, it was not agile enough to avoid the entirety of the initial barrage. Ionized lightning played over the rear of the ship, eating away at the shields as it plummeted towards Kamino, attempting the same maneuver as the smaller ship before it. The yacht, though, was by far larger and bulkier and it would be a gamble if it made it at all, let alone escaped being disabled. For now though, the shields held against the relentless blasts and its own turbolaser cannons and laser cannons opened fire in return; not at the Star Destroyer, but at the more vulnerable Interdictor.

Once the fighters were clear, thirty Ion Cannons from the Protector targetted and opened fire upon the Theta Shuttle. Upon the Minstrel being disabled, and despite the pilot's attempts he would find every system disabled upon disablement of the craft, the JumpMaster 5000, now entering the atmosphere, came under the fire of a total of thirty Ion Cannons as well. While the pilot seemed to be attempting to slingshot himself around the planet, he had a long way to go, and now entering the atmosphere, planetary long range anti-aircraft weaponry was able to target and fire upon him, which it did... every single gun available and within range. If one were to look down, they would not be able to see the planet, but the green glow of the formidable anti-air defenses of Kamino.

The Protector, while dealing with its targets, deployed three Stormtrooper Transports to head out towards each craft, expecting them to be disabled, with one heading towards the Minstrel, intent on capturing its occupant. On the bridge, Captain Nemos turned and saluted Kroenen. "The other two ships seem to be diving towards Kamino itself. It appears at least one is attempting to slingshot himself around the planet. A foolish tactic for such a small craft. We are treating the Theta as the primary target, but it is being rather difficult. Regardless, we will capture them before they escape from the gravity well of the planet," he said to him with a confidence in his voice that could only come from experience and excellent training.

Fleet Admiral Tacitus Corvus
Imperial Navy
Outer Rim Fleet

"Loyalty. Fealty. Fidelity."

"Captain, your Stormtroopers will not be enough to capture the occupants of that shuttle" he growled, gesturing out of the viewport toward the Theta-class ship, while turning to fix an eye on Nemos. "By all means, use them as a distraction, but if you have nothing stronger onboard, I'm going out there myself".

Regardless of whether the old man took his advice, Caden returned his attention to his turret display, where he could see a group of troop transports debarking the firing Star Destroyer. Two others had headed in the direction of their allies, but the third had broken off and was heading their way. "If they hit us, we're gonna have company..."

Once again focusing on the situation, he closed his eyes and extended his awareness to encompass their shuttle, and the pair of Imperial ships chasing them. It was a long-shot, but if he could pull this off...
He envisioned a bubble, spreading from his chest and expanding to enclose their shuttle. Twice his concentration lapsed, so he hoped Castor was doing a good job of evading the web of ion fire which was threatening to overwhelm them.
The third time, he unstrapped himself and, rooted to the spot with the Force, extended his hands outward and projected a Force shield which he pushed outward from himself, sweating with the strain, a vein popping in his temple. He felt the protective shield surround the shuttle entirely, but once those ion blasts started disspating against it, keeping it that way would be a strain; they had to get out of there fast, or face the consequences.

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

Due to maneuvering and the rapidly widening range that was currently growing larger between the Theta and its pursuers and largely due to the piloting skill of Vax, the ion cannons did not hit home. They continued to come closer though and Vax, deep in the Force, could feel the sting and hiss of every near miss. He was more in the Force than he had been in a long time; since before the Clone Wars and the shroud of the dark side, before even the blockade of Naboo and the beginning of the trying times that had led to the downfall. Here, in his element, he was truly at peace. For a moment, he lost his focus as Caden spoke to him and he felt a lucky shot strike a glancing blow against the Force barrier around the shuttle before he locked all things from his mind and dissolved back into the Force. If he intended for them to survive, he had to stay focused. Only a bit longer.

The ship had just made it into the gravity well when it was indeed and finally disabled. If left on its own, it would succumb to the gravitational pull within a bit of time and eventually be pulled to destruction on Kamino.

Darius was still quite lucky in his piloting ability, thanks in part to such a superb and well-tuned craft. When it came to surface defenses, there would be few. He did not descend near any of the rain-swept islands that were few in number (having once been mountains). Kamino being subject to severe storms and even strong enough lightning that could be seen from orbit would help his cause from below as well: even the best sensors would be hell-bent to target something high up and moving that fast. His own vessel's sensors were barely useful here and it was by the will of the Force that he navigated. It helped as well that his path did not take him near any of the major cities where massive artillery emplacements were likely to be located.

His primary obstacle was that of the Star Destroyer's ion cannons; a formidable array, but to someone empowered with the Force, it was nothing. The depth of the Force he found himself in though would be noticeable to any who were not likely quite concentrated on it themselves; a possible giveaway to the Inquisitor on the Star Destroyer.

Darius leveled out... and felt the momentum begin as his craft sped up, vibrating.

Captain Nemos turned to Kroenen, with a brief look of disbelief before his discipline kicked back in. "The Stormtrooper is the finest tool of the Imperial military, by all means feel free to head out to those ships in an effort to capture your targets. I'm afraid we don't carry anything more in our standard complement," he said to him. His craft would still be at the ready down below should he feel the need to use it. The weaponry of the Fountain of Providence did little to shake the Detainer CC-2200 Interdictor Cruiser, which continued to move after the Theta Shuttle, attempting to keep its gravity will ahead of the craft, while the Protector continued to fire continuous ion cannon fire at the Theta, and now that they had lost it on scanners, the projected pah of the JumpMaster 5000. While Force powered pilots were indeed good, they were not invincible nor perfect, and would at some point either become tired enough from using the Force in such a sudden and extreme fashion that their abilities would slowly fall or they would just show their humanity and a make a mistake. The trick to the situation, was keeping them stuck for that long.

It was at that moment that their trump card came out. In front of the Theta, another duo of an Imperial Star Destroyer, this time the Engager, and another Detainer CC-2200 Interdictor Cruiser emerged from hyperspace in front of their path. The unfortunate mistake that was made was that the enemy had chosen to meet at a world which was perhaps the most important of the time to the Imperial military, and following the Kaminoan revolt, the most highly protected. At least they hadn't attempted to land on the planet, or enter the atmosphere, yet. The planet's islands, what were left anyway, as well as the cities, bristled with anti-air weaponry. On top of that, each city had, on average, had a Stormtrooper Legion stationed within, not to mention various recruits in multiple stages of preparation. It was perhaps the embodiment of the mantra 'stuck between a rock and a hard place,' and it was with that in mind that, as the second Detainer, the Catalyst, began to deploy its own gravity well and the Engager began targetting its Ion Cannons upon the Theta Shuttle, that once more a message was broadcast from the Protector. "All unidentified craft, you have no means of escape. Surrender now and prepare to be boarded or we will begin to use lethal force," said the message. Unfortunately, due to Kroenen's orders, it was only a bluff concerning the shuttle, with the targets he gave clearance for lethal force being either already disable or lost.

Meanwhile, the Stormtrooper Transport Omicron began docking operations with the Minstrel Space Yacht, while a now full squadron of TIE Fighters began circling the disabled craft as it slowly drifted towards the atmosphere. Upon latching on, the Stormtroopers aboard began cutting their way into the hull of the Fountain of Providence, ready for any tactic the enemy might use, with the Stormtrooper Transport that was after the JumpMaster 5000 now heading into the direction of the downed Minstrel.

Fleet Admiral Tacitus Corvus
Imperial Navy
Outer Rim Fleet

"Loyalty. Fealty. Fidelity."

Bile rose to his throat as Imperial reinforcements arrived. This was starting to become quite the spectacle, and he had a gut feeling that things were bound to turn sour if he didn't move out, and fast.
"Resume your operation to the best of your judgement, Captain. I'll be in my ship. Should they manage to kill me, feel free to use whatever force necessary to stop them. Dead or alive."
With that, Kroenen swept from the bridge, his mood almost tangible and certainly lingering. He descended in the turbolift until he reached the hangar level, dismissed the waiting deckhand without so much as a glance, and boarded his shuttle.
Moments later, wings returning to their flight positions before he'd even cleared the hangar, he began pursuit of the prime target; Inquisitor Sturn.

Put us directly between the enemy capital ships.

Whether or not Vax received his nudge, he didn't know. The intention was to place them directly between the closing Star Destroyers, preventing them from firing their ion cannons for risk of hitting one another whenever they missed the shuttle. It might buy them some time to strategise... or, rather, buy Castor some time to strategise, as with a final grunt of frustration, Caden collapsed to the deck, utterly drained, leaving the shuttle open to any shots that got past Castor's expert flying.

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

One advantage to this situation was simple: the CC-2200 was an older model, very lightly armed, and designed to serve primarily as little more than a platform for a gravity well projector. As such, it was the weak link in the chain. Vax and Caden had just cleared the gravity well from the initial CC-2200 and had been seconds away from making the jump to hyperspace when the newest gravity well came into play. For now, pinned as they were from the rear and the front, Vax had few options. True, he could follow Caden's suggestion about taking them between the ships, but between the CC-2200 and the ISD was not an option. Instead, he flew straight for the CC-2200, angling just to its left as he faced it, putting the ISD to his right side as he faced the pair of vessels. It was true, yes, that a Jedi would grow tired from continued use in the Force, but this deep, the Force was less of a drain than a rejuvenation, refreshing him even as it aided him. What happened when he came out the other side though... that remained to be seen. For now, his planning held and he aimed to shoot past the CC-2200.

Darius worried little that the Star Destroyer was firing along his estimated projected path; he had changed course just enough so that their blind firing was off to his right and quite harmless. Any emplacements on the ground would be suffering the same problem... and then the maneuver was complete and he was in the clear. Kamino was behind him and his hyperdrive, already charged and ready, would carry him into hyperspace in just a few more seconds.

Meanwhile, in taking the Minstrel, it made absolutely no sense to use a rocket launcher in space, let alone on such a small craft. Perhaps on a vessel such as a Star Destroyer, but not on a Yacht, and the hit would knock back and injure two of the Stormtroopers, who were all prepped for vaccuum operations and unaffected by the now the gaping hole in both craft. The Omicron detached and pulled away, deeming it too costly at this point to take the vessel. It would return to the Protector, which now shifted its movement to keep in range of the Minstrel. The Stormtrooper Transport Upsilon would, however move in, but keep itself on the underside of the hull of the ship. It was now a waiting game as a battery of the Protector's Ion Cannons shifted their targetting solutions to rain a steady and precise stream of fire upon the Minstrel to keep it disabled and make any repair effort futile. They would instead monitor the life signs aboard the vessel, and wait until the life support of their suits ran out, and proceed to board and capture the unconcsious crew, who would then in turn be revived in Medical aboard the Protector and then thrown into the brig.

Fleet Admiral Tacitus Corvus
Imperial Navy
Outer Rim Fleet

"Loyalty. Fealty. Fidelity."

Finally gaining on the enemy shuttle, and with the TIE/gt squadron in pursuit, he reached through the Force to gauge his opponent; for he was certain he'd felt Sturn's presence almost blot out moments ago, his aura faintly pulsing in the corner of Kroenen's mind.
"The Force is strong with this one..." he murmered, sensing another Force sensitive at the helm. Barrel-rolling his shuttle to starboard, he targeted just ahead of the enemy ship, barely infront of its nose, and instructed the astromech to fire with their medium laser cannons.
Lances of blue energy spat forth, their firing arc intended to graze the Theta's starboard shields near the cockpit, and continue into the flight-path of the shuttle; effectively, they'd be flying into his laserfire, unless they were able to shift their course quickly enough.

He tried to get to his feet, but his limbs didn't seem to want to respond. Neither, for that matter, did his ears, for everything on the shuttle was silent. Silent except for the beating of his own heart, which he could feel vibrating up to his fingertips through the floor.
He finally managed to raise his head, and found himself peering through darkness to the docking ring beyond; its edges had begun to glow, dripping molten, and as he stared in horror, a tongue of fire spat through the metal and began lapping it away as easily as a knife spreads through butter. In seconds, the hatch was laying smoking on the shuttle deck, and mortified, Caden pushed himself to his knees to face his fears. Tall and lithe, bloody tattoos spreading from his eyes, which themselves seemed to swallow all light but for the pinpricks of crimson at their center... Kroenen.
"Brave attempt, but this little quest is over" the tall man hissed, his eyes flaring with pending bloodshed.
"I don't think so..." someone said. Caden was aware of Castor's presence, as the older man vaulted over him and charged the High Inquisitor, golden fire flashing to life in his right hand.
The old man never landed on his feet, instead caught in mid-jump by the High Inquisitor and smashed, head-first against the ceiling, dealing a spine-impacting blow, before being swatted sideward into the bulkhead.

Caden yelled in rage, and suddenly found the strength to jump to his feet, Force Lightning blowing apart his palms and fingertips and lashing at Kroenen with all of his uncontained fury...
And still it was not enough. The blue forks of energy were countered by Kroenen, his own electric-red outburst beating back Caden's lightning attack until he felt himself writing in agony, enveloped by it, his nerves on fire and his skin burning...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
He jumped to his feet, and immediately stumbled, his head exploding with pain. The shuttle wasn't dark, there was no lightsaber burning through the docking ring, and he could certainly hear and feel the battle around him. He slumped into the gunners seat, casting a glance at the display; there, amid the advancing TIE's, was Kroenen's shuttle.
"Incoming Inquisitor..." he drawled, deadpan, to Castor. If that had been a vision, then the Force wasn't supplying him with much time to avert it... if, infact, it was meant to be averted.

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot