Ambush in the Arkanis Sector (18 BBY)

"We shattered their forces, Lord Vader. The masters may have escaped but they have nothing to fight with now."

- Lorth Needa

The Ambush in the Arkanis Sector was a battle fought between the Jedi remnant under Masters Robert MacTavish and Ram Kota and the Galactic Empire under Darth Vader.

For a time after Order 66, Rahm Kota and Robert MacTavish used their connections to rally a small but formidable resistance against the Empire, based around a small group of two dozen Jedi Padawans. Their raids were successful, and their hit and run nature kept them well concealed and capable of minimizing casualties. An angered Darth Vader set out to squash the minor threat to the Empire before it became a serious problem.

Using a tracking beacon put onto a Consular class corvette during a raid over Kamino, Vader tracked down the Jedi Masters to the space within the Arkanis Sector. A large Imperial fleet overpowered the small resistance, effectively killing all Jedi save for the masters. Robert’s wit and ability to function under stress allowed him to form a screen to protect what little he could personally save. While the Imperials were victorious in crushing Kota’s forces, the modified Venator Liberation still escaped with a handful of ships and crew.

Background
Order 66 was still a fresh occurrence when Robert MacTavish was approached by his old friend from the Clone Wars, Rahm Kota. The younger Jedi had spent his days on Dagobah, helping to build Yoda’s home, and on Tatooine to aid Kenobi in his transition to life in the Jundland Wastes. When Kota contacted Robert, he still experienced a great deal of survivors guilt, and the elder Jedi provided for him a means of avenging the fallen.

Kota has gathered what remained of his militia. The fleet he led was sizable; a grouping of Venators, Dreadnaughts and Consulars which together formed a formidable task force. Robert was impressed and ready to get to work upon arrival. For the next few weeks Robert and Kota gathered several Jedi survivors, and afterward, began running raids against the Empire.

Most of the raids were successes; fuel and cargo convoys were sacked and on one occasion an old Republic base was ransacked. However, Robert let himself go tactically, resorting to more callous offensives that cost men and vessels. He had little time to lament for his later failures, however, as just after a swift victory was won over Kamino, the Empire bore down on the small rebellion.

Utilizing a tracker put on a shuttle during the battle, Darth Vader followed the Rebel fleet to a secluded area of space within the Arkanis sector. For the hunt, Vader prepared himself with fifteen Republic Venators along with his personal chariot, the Imperial-class'' Devastator. ''Just as Robert and Kota christened a large mission involving all their sophomore Jedi, the hunt concluded.

The battle
As the hopeful MacTavish dispatched the Consulars to their respective jumping points, the Imperial flotilla jumped in. The Devastator tore a Consular in half while ripping into the other four. The Jedi looked on in terror as their only force-sensitive allies were crushed in one fell swoop. Collecting himself and putting his rage and sorrow aside, Robert was seconds away from delivering orders when Rahm began to choke. It was Darth Vader, gripping the old man’s throat from kilometers away. Robert ran over, preventing his ally from falling to the floor and using the Force to sever the connection Vader established with Kota. While Rahm recovered from his near-death experience, Robert ran to the command console of the Liberation and began to dish out commands for the entire fleet. As he did so, both of the fleets fighters engaged in heavy combat while the Imperial Venators encroached upon the resisting fleet.



Robert knew full well the rag-tag fleet could not withstand the firepower of the Imperial flotilla ahead. Robert figured he'd be able to save at least some of the fleet by generating a sacrificial stand. Robert ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from the front line dreadnaughts as they formed a large, heavy screen with which to protect the retreat of the designated ships. By now, a Venator of the insurgents had already been lost. Robert was determined, however, to save as many lives as he could. Once the dreadnaughts were in position, Robert ordered their immediate evacuation, having T2-M8 remotely command their systems via slave circuitry. Vader, seeing Robert's plan in action, moved the Venators to pincer the defensive line. Both sides slugged lasers at each other as several ships pulled away. Six of the remaining ten Consular classes would make their stand against the waves of TIE and V-Wing fighters. Meanwhile, dreadnaughts were pelted away while attempting to hold the front line. When four Venators threatened to destroy the right flank, Robert deemed it necessary to have two Dreadnaughts retreat with all the personnel they collected.

After twenty minutes of intense fighting, Robert's orders were finally completed, and several Consular classes, along with another Venator, made a break for the rendezvous point. The last remaining Venator besides the Liberation then put up a last stand with two dreadnaughts and a Consular, attempting to distract the Devastator and allow the Liberation to make it out. The intense hail of fire depleted the shields of the young Devastator, with several well-placed dual turbolasers ripping up several of her quadruple batteries. At last, however, it became clear that the defensive would eventually crumble. Winded and shaken, Robert guided the Liberation to her safety at the rendezvous point as the remaining insurgent ships were silenced. It took a full hour for all the remaining ships to gather again, and even longer for Robert to recuperate before he could dish out orders in lieu of General Kota. However, Robert swallowed his sorrow when Kota awoke again, declaring that it'd be necessary they parted ways. While Robert was motivated by his being utterly distraught and in melancholy, he also wished to permit Kota to rebuild his forces. Regardless, Robert at the end of the battle was flourishing with anger. Once the survivors were all assessed and rallied however, Robert took his leave to find purpose elsewhere as he attempted to treat his recurring broken soul.

Aftermath
The ambush crippled the capacity for the Jedi masters to wage the war they had hoped to wage against the Empire. Kota lost most of his fleet, being left with two of his five capital ships and a handful of screening vessels. However, Robert’s efforts to save lives resulted in a far more contained loss of life.

While Kota stood strong and willing to continue his efforts, Robert’s mental state was far worse. He lost the sense of grounding and direction he gained through the small insurrection, and the loss of Jedi life caused him to have consecutive nightmares of Order 66. While he put on the masque of determination that he usually held and sought off on the grounds that he’d build his own movement, Robert imposed a harsh self-exile which took him across the Outer Rim for the next seven and a half years. Only after a raid on his adopted village on Dantooine was Robert inclined to pick up where he left off and quit hitting the bottle in depression. However, when Robert found his call to action, he did so remembering the horrible crimes Vader committed and would vow to avenge the fallen; a vow he would break momentarily when the two foes were forced to confront the resurgent Darth Nihilus.