Jarrow Rusher

Jarrow Rusher's birth occurred before 1057 BBY, and his formative years were spent during the Republic Dark Age, which constituted the final century of the New Sith Wars. During this specific period in galactic history, substantial portions of the galaxy were under the dominion of various Sith warlords, while the Galactic Republic had diminished to a fragmented state centered around the Galactic Core. Rusher's upbringing took place within one of the systems governed by the Sith Lord Mandragall. In contrast to his contemporaries, Mandragall possessed extensive knowledge of ancient Sith history, which he utilized to formulate a novel military paradigm. Drawing upon Elcho Kressh's historical precedent of augmenting armies by integrating individuals with diverse skill sets from external cultures, Mandragall established a heterogeneous army comprising pirates, mercenaries, and alien species harboring grievances against the Republic and his Sith adversaries. At the zenith of his rule, independent operators, who had escaped enslavement by other Sith Lords, constituted more than three-quarters of Mandragall's armed forces. These individuals were generally willing to serve under Mandragall's banner in exchange for autonomy and access to recruits and resources.

In 1052 BBY, the female Sith Lord Xelian—the mother of Lords Odion and Daiman—conspired against Mandragall by seducing and subsequently assassinating him. However, Mandragall's esteemed army proved to be ephemeral due to its unique composition, and none of his rivals were successful in seizing control of his armed forces. Rusher's life during the Mandragall era profoundly influenced him, particularly with respect to Mandragall's military strategies and tactics. At some juncture, Rusher became a mercenary under the command of Beld Yulan, a Tarro mercenary commander who operated from the starship Perspicacity. Beld Yulan had previously served under Mandragall's banner and was significantly influenced by his ideals. In addition to establishing a reputation as an effective commander, Yulan also became known for his attentiveness to the well-being of his men. Under Yulan's guidance, Rusher developed an interest in military history and came to regard the older man as a mentor. However, following the deaths of his children, who had succumbed to the Candorian plague on Fostin Nine, Yulan experienced a profound descent into depression. Subsequent to an encounter with a female Claimer, Yulan underwent a clandestine "religious conversion" and became an Odionite, a follower of the nihilistic Sith Lord Odion, who glorified death and destruction as a solution to the pain of existence.

Yulan's conversion resulted in his neglect of his men and their assignment to suicide missions, with an increasing number of soldiers being abandoned with each mission. Rusher departed from Yulan's mercenary group after Yulan announced that the brigade would be undertaking an assignment from Odion. For Rusher, this confirmed his suspicions that his formerly admired mentor had embraced Odion's nihilistic doctrine. Rusher subsequently established his own mercenary group, Rusher's Brigade, which would be employed by various Sith warlords in the Grumani sector. As the leader of Rusher's Brigade, Rusher held the rank of brigadier and operated from the modified troopship Diligence. The Diligence had previously been the Devaronian cruiser liner Vichary Telk, which had been converted into a troopship. It was mounted atop a superstructure that bridged two massive cargo pod clusters. Each of these modules faced outward in four directions, enabling them to accommodate several cannons. Ryland Dackett served as the shipmaster of the Diligence. By the time of the Chelloan affair in 1032 BBY, Rusher's Brigade had expanded to approximately three thousand personnel.

In 1032 BBY, Jarrow Rusher made a visit to Darkknell, the capital of the Daimanate—the fiefdom ruled by the Sith Lord Daiman. Daiman was one of the Sith warlords who rose to prominence in the Grumani sector following the death of the Sith Lord Chagras in 1040 BBY. Chagras' death marked the end of the short-lived Chagras Hegemony and triggered a series of family feuds known as the Second Charge Matrica. Vilia Calimondra, the matriarch of the Calimondra family, chose not to intervene in these conflicts between her grandchildren, instead encouraging them as a means of preserving her own power.

Daiman established an autocratic fiefdom governed by his personal philosophy. The narcissistic Sith Lord considered himself the Creator of the universe and believed that all other sentient beings were soulless automatons created to fulfill his commands. Daiman had a contentious relationship with his Sith neighbors, particularly his estranged older brother Odion, who styled himself as the Destroyer of the Universe. Throughout the Republic Dark Age, the Grumani sector remained in a constant state of warfare, with borders frequently shifting. During this period, Rusher's Brigade accepted mercenary contracts from several of these Sith warlords. Despite profiting from the Sith's endless wars, Rusher was careful to ensure that his Brigade remained independent of Sith control.

Rusher's Brigade had traveled to the planet to purchase six new hydraulic drives for the Diligence's offloading lift assemblies. These massive hydraulic accumulators were essential for enabling starships to lift off from planetary surfaces before embarking on their journeys. Rusher and his helmsman, Ryland Dackett, visited Lubboon's Plasteelworks in Xakrea, Darkknell's largest city and Daiman's capital. Lubboon's Plasteelworks was a major supplier of starship components to the Daimanate. Lubboon, a Duros administrator, was the first Duros to oversee the factory's operations.

During the meeting, Lubboon and his wife took the opportunity to recruit and train his son, Beadle Lubboon, as a mercenary. Like many Daimanites, they had grown dissatisfied with Daiman's autocratic rule and desired a better life for their son outside of his role as a laborer. Rusher offered to train the teenage Duros as either a gunner in one of his artillery units or as an administrative staff member within his headquarters unit. Rusher also claimed that his operation had no shipboard fatalities due to a policy prohibiting any Sith from boarding his troopship, the Diligence.

During the meeting, Beadle himself entered the room, having completed his work shift. To the embarrassment of his parents, Beadle leaned against a cart carrying several pails of dirty water, causing it to topple over. In the ensuing mess, Beadle ended up with a barrel stuck on his head. Rusher and Dackett were left with a poor first impression of the Duros youth's capabilities due to his clumsiness. Dackett quietly suggested to Rusher that it would be best to assign the Duros youth to the headquarters unit, which was considered an easy posting. Rusher concluded that Beadle would likely be fortunate not to accidentally discharge an entire ammo magazine. After Beadle had freed himself from the mess, Rusher explained to him that war was not a "talent show."

After receiving assurances that his son's well-being would be protected, Lubboon Senior allowed Rusher to enlist his son as a new recruit in Rusher's Brigade. Rusher then resumed his task of purchasing new hydraulic accumulator units from Lubboon Senior's plasteelworks. However, Administrator Lubboon was unable to sell the technology to Rusher, as all products from his factory were exclusively sold to Daiman. Rusher managed to negotiate their purchase by claiming that, as a mercenary, he was indeed working for Daiman. After completing the transaction, Beadle accompanied his new employers, Rusher and Dackett, back to their flagship, the Diligence, which was undergoing repairs at the city's spaceport.

Rusher's crew, including his team of engineers led by Prenda Novallo, had been working on repairing the Diligence for the past day and night since their arrival. At the spaceport, Rusher assigned Trooper Lubboon the task of fastening rigging around a hydraulic accumulator unit that was being installed onto the vessel. Despite the Duros' assurances that he was familiar with operating such machinery, Beadle failed to properly secure the heavy unit, causing one accumulator unit to break loose. After apologizing, the Duros youth went to a refresher unit to attend to his personal needs. While chatting with Dackett about the repairs to the Diligence, Brigadier Rusher received a message from a holographic statue of Lord Daiman, instructing him to attend an audience at the Sanctum Celestial, the Sith Lord's private palace in Xakrea.

By accepting Daiman's errand, Jarrow Rusher would become deeply involved in the Sith Lord's ambitious schemes. In 1032 BBY, Daiman's researchers had been developing a new prototype warship known as the Convergence at the Black Fang research facility in Xakrea, the main city on Darkknell, the Daimanate's capital world. However, Daiman's adversaries—his estranged older brother and Sith Lord Odion, along with the lone Jedi Knight Kerra Holt—obtained intelligence on the Convergence project and sought to sabotage it. Odion dispatched the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane to acquire its military secrets and destroy the complex.

Following the destruction of the Black Fang, Daiman's Correctors captured the Bothan spy Narsk. Despite Narsk's denials, Daiman correctly suspected that Odion was involved in the bombing and devised a plan to lure Odion into another trap on Gazzari. Daiman approached Ayanos Bactra, the Quermian Sith Lord of the Bactranate, with an offer to purchase an arxeum—a mobile university dedicated to war research—from Industrial Heuristics. In exchange, Daiman offered to provide the students for the university, who would be transported to the planet on four transports provided by the company.

Previously, Daiman had permitted one of Bactra's corporations, Industrial Heuristics, to recruit students from Darkknell and other areas within his territory, known as the Daimanate, in exchange for the benefits of the students' research. To finalize the agreement, Daiman granted Bactra safe passage through the Daimanate to attack Vellas Pavo, a planet rich in gadolinium. Bactra agreed to deliver the arxeum and the students to Gazzari, a volcanic world on the frontier of Daiman's border with the Odionate—Odion's territory. During the meeting, Daiman arranged for Narsk to eavesdrop on the meeting at irregular intervals. He then orchestrated Narsk's escape so that he could lure Odion into the Gazzari trap.

Having set the first stage of the trap, Daiman then summoned several militia leaders to the Sanctum Celestial. He wanted them to provide fire support on Gazzari to minimize casualties among his own forces. Besides Rusher, other militia leaders summoned to this briefing included Mak Medagazy, Kr'saang the Togorian, and an unidentified Nosaurian mercenary. Due to the nature of their work, many of these mercenaries had fought against each other at different times. While Daiman was still meeting with Bactra, the militia leaders waited in the palace's lobby. While waiting for Daiman, the mercenaries discussed Daiman's rivalry with Odion and his decision to employ their services rather than engaging Odion's forces directly. Rusher also observed Narsk being wheeled out on his torture wheel, but initially showed no interest as he felt it did not concern him.

During his second meeting, Daiman outlined his plans to trap Odion on Gazzari. As part of the plan, the mercenary battalions would depart Darkknell at sunset, each making hyperspace jumps to different destinations. In four standard days, they would regroup on Gazzari. On Gazzari, the mercenaries would assemble their forces, including several large artillery cannons, around a massive caldera and await Odion's arrival. As planned, Bactra's arxeum and the student transports would land within the caldera. Odion's forces would then invade Gazzari, and the mercenaries would use their firepower to hold them at bay until Daiman's regular forces arrived from hyperspace. Daiman then intended to trap Odion's forces on Gazzari and eliminate his estranged older brother once and for all. Daiman's battle plan was met with controversy among the mercenaries, and at least two individuals voiced their objections.

The first dissenter was the Togorian Kr'saang, who insisted that his men only participate in direct confrontations rather than ambushes. Daiman was unmoved by the Togorian's defiance and personally killed Kr'saang with his lightsaber. He then ordered his aide, Uleeta, to send several Correctors to seize Kr'saang's shock troopers and his ship, the Dar'oosh, incorporating them into his slave army. Rusher was the second dissenting voice, objecting to Daiman's use of the young students on ethical grounds. When Daiman demanded to know his identity, Rusher complied but also reiterated that he was an independent operator. Enraged, Daiman began Force-choking the brigadier. However, Rusher managed to save his life by claiming that he was merely trying to serve his Creator's will.

After Daiman released his Force grip, Rusher managed to convince Daiman that he was an 'autonomous force' who was still carrying out Daiman's will, albeit in a unique way. Rusher also explained that only 'autonomous forces' like himself understood the complexities of operating an artillery brigade, adding that the complexities of Daiman's galaxy meant that it was difficult for lesser beings to cope. Satisfied with Rusher's explanation that each of his creations had a specific function, Daiman agreed to provide the mercenaries with payments of ordnance and fuel before dismissing them. Unable to change Daiman's mind, Rusher reluctantly agreed to participate in the Gazzari operation.

Jarrow Rusher would come to deeply rue his choice to be a mercenary under Daiman's command as the situation on Gazzari played out. After arriving on Gazzari, Rusher's Brigade's vessel, the Diligence, touched down close to an enormous, bowl-shaped depression that stretched for several kilometers. Concurrently, Daiman's Era Daimanos landed, but he kept the rest of his fleet outside the Gazzari system. Once they had disembarked, Rusher's eight battalions—Coyn'skar, Dematoil, Flechette, Rantok, Ripper, Sat'skar, Serraknife, and Zhaboka—positioned their Kelligdyd laser cannons along the eastern edge of the crater. At the same time, the Nosaurian mercenary set up his Brock-Eight cannons on the northern rim, while Medagazy's battle droids took positions within the crater's crevices.

The constant ash and rainfall had transformed the crater floor into a thick, tarry substance, making it nearly impossible to land a starship or construct any permanent structure there. However, Daiman and his hired soldiers erected several temporary structures to give enemy vessels the illusion of the opposite. Hidden from orbit by the thick clouds of volcanic ash, Daiman's forces lined the entire perimeter of the crater, setting the stage for the trap they had prepared for Odion. Daiman also set up a command center on the battlefield.

Before the battle commenced, the Bactranate fleet entered the Gazzari system, escorting the arxeum and four Industrial Heuristics transports carrying the student refugees. As Daiman had anticipated, Narsk managed to contact Odion and inform his master about Daiman's planned meeting with Bactra. Despite Narsk's warnings that Gazzari might be a trap, Odion, driven by his thirst for violence and destruction, fell for the deception. Odion's battle force included a quarter of his home defense fleet and his most formidable weapon, a massive siege tower known as the Death Spiral. Odion also brought along his Givin navigator Jelcho and the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane. Unbeknownst to Odion, Narsk was secretly in the employ of Vilia, the matriarch of the Calimondra family, who held significant power in Sith politics within the Grumani sector.

As planned, the arxeum and the Industrial Heuristics transports, carrying the students, landed within the crater. Meanwhile, the Bactranate fleet that escorted them remained in orbit to watch the impending conflict. Shortly after, Odion's flotilla warped into the Gazzari system and established an orbital blockade around the planet, disregarding the Bactranate fleet. The Death Spiral then emerged from hyperspace and landed inside the crater, where Daiman's forces and mercenaries had prepared their ambush.

The Death Spiral was a crucial asset in Odion's arsenal, serving as both a mobile artillery platform and a troop carrier. During the Battle of Gazzari, it deployed a large number of ground troops, including speeder bikes, airspeeders, and three-legged armored walkers. The Death Spiral touched down in the crater, positioning itself directly between the Industrial Heuristics transports and the arxeum, effectively isolating the students from their intended destination. After deploying its ground forces, it unleashed its firepower on the arxeum, obliterating the mega-structure within minutes. The Death Spiral also activated a powerful energy shield that disrupted communications across the battlefield.

In response, Rusher's artillery units and the Nosaurian mercenary's cannons revealed their hidden positions and began to bombard the Death Spiral with laserfire. Before the ambush, Rusher had cautioned his troops against firing at the arxeum children, threatening severe punishment for anyone who did. He also reiterated that their primary target was Odion's forces, especially the Death Spiral. Despite their combined efforts, the Death Spiral continued its advance and relentless barrage. As the battle raged, Rusher requested a damage assessment from his spotter, Sergeant Wenna'lah.

Wenna'lah reported that the Death Spiral had sustained no damage, prompting Rusher to order Ripper and Sat'skar Battalions to focus their projectile attacks on the siege tower. He also directed his energy weapons crews to target Odion's vehicles and personnel, who were spreading out across the valley towards the arxeum and the Industrial Heuristics transports. Once Odion's forces had landed, Daiman's fleet jumped to Gazzari from hyperspace, hoping to trap Odion's forces within the system. On the ground, Odion's Thunder Guard, many mounted on speeder bikes, clashed with Medagazy's battle droids, who were advancing into the valley from the east.

Meanwhile, the Death Spiral continued to unleash its destructive firepower on Daiman's forces, disabling many of Rusher's Kelligdyd cannons. Rusher ordered Tun-Badon, the commander of Serraknife Battalion, to retrieve the Gweith Brothers concussion missile launchers from the Diligence. However, the relentless fire from the Death Spiral had rendered Serraknife, Flechette, and Sat'skar Battalions combat ineffective. As Rusher searched for a safe route to withdraw his battalions to the Diligence, Ryland Dackett, the Diligence's captain, led a recovery team to Serraknife's position, hoping to recover equipment and rescue any survivors from the battalion.

Although Dackett had planned to remain on the ship, the presence of Odion was, unbeknownst to most, influencing the troops on the battlefield to act recklessly, even suicidally. Dackett was injured before reaching Serraknife, but he was rescued by the clumsy Duros recruit Beadle Lubboon, who pulled him to safety using a cargo crawler and a makeshift stretcher. Having suffered significant losses, Rusher ordered a general retreat, using the battalions on either side of the Diligence to protect the ship and the forces retreating towards it.

Neither Rusher nor Daiman were aware that the Jedi Knight Kerra Holt had secretly boarded Daiman's flagship, the Era Daimanos, with the intention of assassinating the Sith Lord. However, she was unable to locate Daiman on the ship during its journey to Gazzari. Upon arriving at Gazzari, Kerra Holt disembarked from the Era Daimanos and headed towards Daiman's command dome, planning to use baradium nitrate in a bandolier to assassinate the Sith Lord. However, she abandoned her assassination attempt after witnessing the arrival of several Industrial Heuristic transports carrying children. Realizing that they were being used as bait, she decided to save their lives.

Kerra eventually reached the arxeum students and persuaded them to follow her, promising to lead them to safety. On multiple occasions, the Jedi woman fought off Odionate troopers who were determined to kill the children to satisfy their master's nihilistic bloodlust. Kerra also encountered Odion's Givin navigator, Jelcho, who was riding a speeder bike. She incapacitated him and tied him to his speeder bike, which she then loaded with explosives and sent on a one-way trip to the Death Spiral's speeder bays. Once the explosives were inside the speeder bays, Holt detonated them remotely, destroying the siege tower. She then led the arxeum students eastward, where the Death Spiral's laser fire had created a path to the top of the ridge.

Following the destruction of the Death Spiral, Rusher ordered the surviving members of his brigade to withdraw from the battle. His men began loading their weapons back onto the Diligence. During the fighting, Rusher's forces had suffered heavy casualties, losing five-sixths of their strength, including the entire Dematoil, Sat'skar, and Serraknife Battalions. However, the Coyn'skar and Zhaboka battalions survived and managed to return to the Diligence with most of their weapons. Meanwhile, Team Ripper was returning from the northernmost part of the ridge, which Beadle had just returned from. Despite the destruction of the Death Spiral, Odion's ground forces remained on the battlefield. Rusher considered the battle on Gazzari a catastrophic disaster, with his three thousand-strong force reduced to barely a thousand personnel. His shipmaster, Dackett, was also severely wounded during the fighting and would later have his arm amputated.

While gazing into the distance, Rusher spotted the remnants of Team Ripper, led by Zeller, dragging their eight Kelligdyd artillery cannons up the ridge. They were immediately followed by the arxeum students, led by a lightsaber-wielding young Human woman riding a speeder bike, who turned out to be Kerra. The children and youths, representing a diverse mix of species, quickly surged up the hill into the Diligence's eight cargo-loading ramps. Rusher decided against ordering his troops to turn back the student refugees, as they were heavily outnumbered. Accompanied by Zeller and three troopers, Rusher confronted the young woman, asking about her identity and her intentions. He also introduced himself as Brigadier Jarrow Rusher, the commander of the ship.

After the young woman identified herself as Kerra Holt, she attempted to commandeer the Diligence to evacuate the refugees and escape the fighting on Gazzari. Rusher initially resisted, arguing that the Diligence was a military vessel on a mission and suggesting that it might not have enough space for all the refugees. However, Kerra countered by pointing out that the Diligence was a modified spaceliner. Rusher then inquired if Kerra was a Sith, citing a long-standing rule that no Sith were allowed on his ship. Kerra convinced the brigadier that she was a genuine Jedi Knight by displaying her green lightsaber. In return, Kerra confronted him about his past collaboration with Daiman as a mercenary, reminding him that she had seen him at Sanctum Celestial.

She further stated that Daiman had brought the student refugees to Gazzari and reiterated her demand that he evacuate them before they were killed by Daiman and Odion's forces. While sympathetic to their plight, Rusher was unwilling to take the younglings and teenagers aboard the Diligence, explaining that his contract with Daiman was solely for providing fire support against Odion, which did not include evacuating civilians from a conflict zone. Kerra then pointed out that Rusher and his men did not appear to be providing fire support but were, in fact, preparing to leave the planet. Finally, Kerra made eye contact with the Brigadier and emphasized that he had always known that Daiman intended to use the children as bait. Rusher then realized that Kerra had been present during his initial meeting with Daiman and had witnessed his opposition to Daiman's plans to use children as living bait in a trap against Odion.

Accepting Kerra's arguments, Rusher finally agreed to evacuate the student refugees aboard the Diligence. He instructed his engineer, Prenda Novallo, to start the engines and ordered Zeller to escort the refugees to the barracks. Seeing Kerra kneeling beside the Sullustan Tan, assuring her that the Brigadier would evacuate them, he reiterated his promise that he would get them out safely. He also told his men to abandon the remaining artillery pieces and focus on getting the remaining stragglers aboard. By that point in the battle, the Bothan spy Narsk had received a transmission from his true employer, Vilia, ordering him to send a message to her grandsons, Odion and Daiman. In this transmission, she instructed the two Sith Lords to cease fighting and turn against Bactra, as the Quermian Sith had outlived his usefulness to the Calimondra family.

Odion and Daiman's forces obeyed this new command and attacked Bactra's fleet, destroying six warships and forcing the rest to retreat. The Sith Lords then ordered a joint invasion of the Bactranate. As they departed Gazzari's atmosphere, Rusher and Kerra witnessed this battle unfolding from the bridge of the Diligence. Unaware of the complex dynamics of the Calimondra dynasty, they were confused by this sudden development, as there had been no previous instances of military cooperation between Odion and Daiman. They were also attacked by Odionate starships, which mistakenly believed they were still working for Daiman, and Daimanate warships, which mistook them for one of Odion's warships, as they had not anticipated one of his mercenaries withdrawing from the battle.

Jarrow Rusher successfully piloted the Diligence out of the space battle, along with his surviving crew and the student refugees, whom Kerra had compelled him to take aboard. By then, his helmsman, Dackett, had returned to the command deck after completing a headcount of Kerra's student refugees and the crew, totaling 1,717 individuals. Meanwhile, only 560 of Rusher's original crew of three thousand had survived. This figure included the remnants of the Ripper, Coyn'skar, and Zhaboka battalions, as well as those whose duties had kept them aboard the Diligence while on Gazzari. After Daiman transmitted new orders to his irregular forces via hologram to regroup for an assault on the Bactranate's capital, Jutrand, Rusher initially attempted to comply with his employer's instructions and ordered his crew to set course for the Bactranate, stating that they had been hired to fight a battle for Daiman and that it was not yet over.

However, Kerra challenged Rusher's orders, arguing that half of his mercenary crew had already perished and that it would be a waste to attack the Bactranate. She ordered the navigator to disregard Rusher's original order. This led to a heated argument between Rusher and his Jedi guest. In a fit of anger, Rusher threatened to abandon Kerra and her students back on the ridge in Gazzari while the remnants of Rusher's Brigade departed offworld. He reiterated that despite their losses, he and his men were still professionals and remained committed to Daiman. Rusher added that Daiman might still be in the system. However, Kerra stood her ground and interjected that Odion and Daiman had already left for Jutrand on the cruisers that had come to pick them up. She added that she could sense through the Force that they were no longer on Gazzari.

At that point, Rusher realized that Kerra was indeed a Jedi but viewed her as some kind of "knight errant" who traveled through Sith Space rescuing students. Kerra agreed but added that she usually saved entire planets. Rusher personally believed that Kerra's remarks confirmed his initial suspicions that she was insane. Seeing the logic in Kerra's stance, Rusher complied with her wishes and ordered the navigator to ignore Daiman's orders and plot a course out of the Gazzari system. Lacking access to reliable hyperspace routes due to the disruption of hyperspace relays throughout much of the galaxy, they were forced to travel to the nearest terrestrial planet: Byllura. They needed to find another location where the Diligence could undergo repairs and replenish its ammunition and munitions stocks. Due to the heavy losses on Gazzari, Rusher also needed to recruit more mercenaries. Following the battle, Vilia arranged for a bequest and assigned Narsk to work for another one of her grandchildren: the female Sith Lord Arkadia Calimondra. She was aware of Kerra's movements because Narsk's stolen stealth suit automatically connected to her information system whenever it was disconnected.

The voyage to Byllura would take several days and would be remembered by Rusher as the most stressful and hectic experience of his career. To cope with the increased stress, Rusher began drinking lum ale, an alcoholic beverage. The large number of student refugees aboard the Diligence created a severe overcrowding problem, as there were insufficient facilities and beds to accommodate everyone. Rusher was too exhausted from the battle to address these issues and fell asleep, leaving Kerra and the Duros recruit Beadle Lubboon to manage the situation. Most of the crew were hostile or indifferent to the newcomers. Meanwhile, the severely wounded shipmaster Dackett underwent surgery to remove his infected left arm and replace it with prosthetics. Consequently, Kerra was forced to recruit some of the older students to help care for the younger refugees' needs. Kerra's problems were compounded by the lack of adequate numbers of refreshers, as the former liner had been designed for male Devaronians. The diverse interspecies mix of the student body also proved volatile due to the significant physiological and cultural differences between certain species.

After recovering from his earlier battle experiences, Rusher began compiling an inventory of the casualties that Rusher's Brigade had sustained during the Gazzari trap. After assessing the damage, Rusher reorganized his forces into two battalion-sized units—Team Ripper and Team Zhaboka—which had to be augmented by survivors from other units. The laser-equipped Team Ripper was re-equipped and re-staffed with personnel from Coyn'skar, while Team Zhaboka would serve as the missile battalion. This marked a historic precedent, as Rusher had never commanded such a small force throughout his career. Ripper and Zhaboka each had one side of the ship's two main extension cargo ramps to themselves. Rusher was concerned that the depleted numbers of Rusher's Brigade would make his independent operation vulnerable to being forcibly enslaved by the regional Sith Lords, who were known for enslaving independent mercenary operators for their own war efforts.

During the journey, Kerra approached the shipmaster Ryland Dackett at the solarium with a list of demands for the refugees. The shipmaster listened and then offered to enter Rusher's cabin and pave the way for her. During Dackett's private meeting with Rusher, the two men discussed the acute shortage of beds caused by the refugee problem. While the Diligence still had enough food stocks, supplies were dwindling, and Dackett stressed that even rationing would not suffice due to the large number of refugees. Unlike other mercenaries, the students had nothing to offer to supplement the existing supplies on the ship. Both men agreed that they needed to find a place to get rid of the refugees, with Rusher considering the possibility of releasing them through the airlock or poisoning them. Dackett also expressed his resentment towards the new Duros recruit, Lubboon, for accidentally crushing his foot during the rescue attempt on Gazzari. Rusher defended the Duros, emphasizing that he had saved Dackett's life. As shipmaster, Dackett then highlighted the growing tensions between the members of Rusher's Brigade and the newcomers. Finally, he reiterated that they needed to find more recruits to replenish their numbers.

At that point, Kerra entered Rusher's cabin and repeated her demands and concerns to Rusher himself. Annoyed by the Jedi's requests, Rusher excused himself to the refresher in the adjacent room, claiming that he needed to relieve himself. However, the refresher was actually a service access-way leading to a ladder, which eventually led to a wardroom. For the next three hours, Rusher entertained his own men by retelling a story about an old battle. When Kerra discovered his ruse, she confronted him while wielding his walking stick. During a walk in the corridors, Rusher asked her about her business in Sith Space, and she discussed her work under her Jedi Master, Vannar Treece. As Kerra explained her Jedi work in Sith Space, Rusher became more sympathetic to her cause. In return, he shared more details about his the Diligence.

Returning to business, the two discussed the refugee problem. She criticized his willingness to dispose of the passengers and expressed her distrust of someone who had worked for the Sith. Rusher retorted that he had no one to work for since the Republic had closed all their branch offices in the Outer Rim. Rusher also revealed that the Diligence had made six hyperspace jumps since their departure from Gazzari but had yet to find a suitable port. Kerra also expressed her concern that Daiman had wanted the children for his "military-industrial brain trust" and that he would still be searching for them. In response, Rusher replied that Daiman was too busy fighting Odion to be concerned with the children.

An exasperated Kerra asked if they could simply go to the Republic. Rusher then asked his Mon Calamari navigator, Ishel, about traveling to the Republic. While there was a lane to Daiman's transport center near Chelloa, Kerra dismissed that option as she wanted to avoid Sith Space at all costs. Since the Republic had shut down all subspace communications relays in Sith Space, there was a lack of reliable information on safe hyperspace routes throughout much of the galaxy. After reviewing a list of hyperspace routes displayed on a holographic screen, Rusher found one leading to Byllura, a purportedly unaligned planet. Kerra initially resisted the idea, as Byllura was situated farther from the Republic than Gazzari. However, Rusher responded that they had little choice.

While concrete details concerning Byllura's politics were scarce, rumors circulated that it was a Sith domain governed by children, with a regent administering the realm in their stead. One of Rusher's acquaintances, having visited the planet, claimed this arrangement had persisted for at least half a decade. These rumors, as it turned out, were accurate. Byllura served as the primary territory of the Dyarchy, a Sith territory that was the residence of Quillan and Dromika, the youthful offspring of the deceased Chagras, the previous leader of the Chagras Hegemony. These Sith twins possessed a remarkable connection to the Force; Quillan exhibited potent precognitive abilities, while Dromika wielded the power to issue compelling hypnotic commands that forced other beings to obey. Under the tutelage of their Regent, Saaj Calician, the twins employed their Force powers and a network of enslaved Celegians to directly control the inhabitants of the Dyarchy, transforming their subjects into puppets.

As the Diligence descended into the atmosphere above Byllura's capital city, Hestobyll, Kerra and Jarrow experienced relief at the absence of any opposition. Jarrow received landing authorization through the commset from an anonymous entity identified as "Deep Voice," who was, in reality, the Celegian "One." Upon reaching their designated hangar platform, they were taken aback by the lack of a welcoming committee. Jarrow, optimistically believing Byllura to be a safe haven devoid of Sith influence, instructed the crew to lower the cargo ramps, allowing the refugees to disembark. As Jarrow attempted to guide the refugees off the ship, Kerra intervened, emphasizing the necessity of thoroughly scouting the area first, insisting on a comprehensive reconnaissance mission of the surrounding city rather than a mere observation of the platform itself.

This disagreement ignited an argument between the young Jedi Knight and the mercenary leader. Jarrow, referencing a datapad entry about Byllura, asserted that Hestobyll offered ample shelter for the refugees and showed no signs of danger. Kerra countered by pointing out the limited information they possessed regarding Byllura's true rulers, and angrily accused Jarrow of indifference towards the refugees' well-being. Jarrow retorted that the refugees were an unwelcome burden. Ultimately, they reached a compromise: Kerra secured one hour to conduct a proper reconnaissance of Hestobyll in exchange for ensuring the refugees' return to the Diligence.

However, the enslaved Celegian "One" detected these developments and relayed the information back to Calician. While Calician was aware of the captain's intention to disembark his passengers on Byllura, the re-boarding of the refugees (prompted by an unidentified individual, later revealed to be Kerra) aroused his suspicion of a potential threat to the Dyarchy. Calician, suspecting a Daimanate ploy, swiftly dispatched a contingent of Unifiers to investigate the Diligence under direct orders from Dromika, who, in turn, was under the telepathic control of her twin brother Quillan. Nevertheless, Calician viewed the arrival of the Diligence as an opportunity to accelerate his plans for galactic dominance, beginning with several of Daiman's undefended systems.

As Kerra carried out her reconnaissance of Hestobyll, Rusher remained aboard the ship. Simultaneously, he assigned thirty-two of his crew members, including the shipmaster Dackett and Prenda Novallo, to the landing platform to perform repairs on the Diligence. Despite Rusher's instructions for the passengers to remain on board, the Sullustan girl Tan, driven by her admiration for Kerra, secretly left the ship to follow her. Rusher responded by sending the Duros Lubboon to retrieve her. Rusher had considered abandoning Lubboon and Kerra, deeming them both liabilities. An hour later, the Diligence received another transmission from "Deep Voice" via the commset, informing them that the Byllurans had noticed the refugees on the platform and were dispatching assistance. According to "Deep Voice," the refugees would be "directed to a center for assigning quarters." Seeing this as a chance to rid himself of the refugees, Rusher contacted Kerra, who expressed her distrust of the local authorities.

Given her knowledge of Sith relocation tactics, Kerra was surprised that the local authorities had become aware of their situation and cautioned Jarrow to exercise caution in the unfamiliar environment. Kerra's suspicions regarding Byllura's Sith presence were confirmed when Tan and Lubboon were captured by several red-clad Force-sensitive enforcers known as Unifiers, whom she dubbed "Scarlet Riders". She also discovered that the populace was being mentally controlled by Force-users. Kerra also observed that Celegians in floating platforms, strategically positioned throughout the city, formed a telepathic network that relayed these commands. Kerra engaged the "Scarlet Riders" and pursued them across the city. This chase culminated at the Loft, a grand palace situated on a mountain opposite the harbor, which served as the residence of the Dyarchy's twin rulers.

Before her confrontation with the Unifiers, Kerra managed to warn Rusher about the dangers on Byllura. Moments later, a group of Unifiers and their airspeeders arrived at the Diligence's platform hangar. Led by a Trandoshan, these Unifiers ordered Jarrow to open the vessel and report for assignment. They had also captured several of his crew members who had been on the landing platform repairing the Diligence. In response, Jarrow dropped an anchor on the Trandoshan, initiating a fierce battle in the spaceport. As Rusher attempted to lift the Diligence off the ground, the Unifiers attacked by attempting to board the vessel and slash at its hull with their lightsaber-batons. Rusher then instructed his Khil helmswoman Zussh to elevate the ship and spin it, dislodging the Sith climbers. Rusher then ordered Zussh to deactivate the thrusters, causing the ship to crash into the platform before reactivating them.

The scarlet Unifiers then launched a second assault, ramming their airspeeders into the upper decks in an attempt to breach the windows. Although the Diligence possessed limited operational weaponry to counter these attackers, Rusher devised the ingenious tactic of slamming the non-functional gun emplacements on the Diligence into the swarming speeders, effortlessly destroying them. After eliminating the Sith opposition, Rusher successfully rescued all the crew members on the landing platform, including Dackett, Novallo, and the thirty other stranded crew members. The Trandoshan commander was also killed by Dackett, who personally beat him to death with his regenerated arm. With the Dyarchy's fleet ascending into space from their underwater hangar bays beneath Hestobyll's reflection pools, Rusher ordered the Diligence to head out to sea, away from the chaos.

Rusher then piloted the Diligence to the Loft to retrieve Beadle Lubboon and Tan Tengo. Amidst the ongoing battle upstairs, Tan and Lubboon were dispatched to the hangar under One's instructions, who had been ordered to do so by Kerra. Lubboon managed to start one of the airspeeders and was hovering outside the hangar bay. However, his limited piloting skills restricted his movement to forward and stop. Meanwhile, the Sullustan girl Tan sat on the ledge of the hangar's landing port. Brigadier Rusher, positioned in the cargo deck of the Diligence, observed Tan and Lubboon outside the hangar bay via the monitor. Rusher activated the switch to lower the cargo deck's hangar bay and contacted Lubboon. When Rusher questioned Lubboon about rescuing Tan but leaving Kerra behind, the Duros explained that he had started the speeder before she could escape the palace and that he only knew how to make the speeder move forward and stop. Rusher was about to reprimand the Duros trooper for losing his headset when Lubboon revealed that the Brigadier had already lent it to Kerra for her reconnaissance mission.

When Rusher inquired if Lubboon and Tan had killed the Scarlet Riders lying on the hangar floor, Tan responded that Kerra had attacked the Loft after their arrival. Simultaneously, two of Rusher's soldiers leaped from the cargo deck into Lubboon's airspeeder to assist him in controlling the aircraft. Given the impossibility of landing the massive Diligence on the Loft's hangar bay without its stowed cannon barrels colliding with the cliff wall, he instructed the Sullustan girl to wait while his men maneuvered the airspeeder backward so she could board. He instructed Tan to hop into the airspeeder when they reached her. However, Tan refused to leave without Rusher's promise to rescue Kerra as well. She explained to Rusher that Kerra was inside the Loft and urged him to go after her. Rusher was initially hesitant to storm the Loft and rescue Kerra. However, he changed his mind upon witnessing several droids being ejected from the penthouse window. Tan and Rusher then realized that Kerra was at the penthouse above the Loft.

After rescuing both Lubboon and Tan, the Diligence flew to the top of the Loft's penthouse. At that point, Kerra had broken free from Calician and the twins and was fighting for her life. Rusher again employed his tactic of slamming the heavy frontal gun emplacement, this time into the penthouse windows, providing Kerra with a distraction and a means of escape. Amidst the ensuing chaos, Kerra kidnapped Quillan and brought him aboard the Diligence, fleeing an enraged Dromika, who had by then seized one of Calician's lightsabers. When she tackled Quillan and brought him aboard, Rusher was furious since Kerra had violated his cardinal rule of never allowing a Sith aboard his ship. His fury was short-lived, however, as the Diligence reached orbit and all aboard witnessed the arrival of Sith Lord Arkadia Calimondra's fleet. At another Sith's mercy, Rusher had no choice but to surrender his ship to her forces.

Arkadia directed the ship to follow them to her capital planet, Syned, where Kerra and Rusher encountered the Sith Lord face to face on the icy surface outside her capital, Calimondretta. Arkadia initially displayed warmth and hospitality towards her guests, claiming that "she was here to help them". She also intended to showcase her "enlightened" Sith regime. Arkadia impressed Rusher with her efficient society, historical knowledge, and striking appearance. She also informed Kerra and Rusher that she was the older sibling of Quillan and took the adolescent Sith Lord into her care, openly expressing concern for his well-being and needs. Ultimately, she convinced the Brigadier that she could provide a secure home for the young refugees, who would then become valuable and contributing members of the Arkadianate. However, Arkadia declined to enlist the services of Rusher and his mercenaries, citing their alleged narrow-mindedness and inflexibility. Nevertheless, she promised to allow Rusher and his crew to depart Syned after delivering the children. Rusher approved of her offer and agreed to assist in transporting them to the city. Arkadia further impressed Rusher by providing a substantial supply of food to feed his crew and passengers, who were running low.

During his audience with Arkadia, he encountered the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane, who had served various Sith Lords but was, in fact, an agent of Vilia Calimondra, Arkadia's grandmother and the matriarch of the Calimondra family. Narsk demanded the return of his prized Cyricept Mark IV stealth suit, which Kerra had stolen during a mission to Darkknell. Initially, Rusher was uncooperative in assisting the Bothan in retrieving his stolen property, but he confirmed that the stealth suit was aboard the Diligence in the room of Tan Tengo, the teenage Sullustan student whom Kerra had met during an earlier mission on Darkknell. However, the Bothan persisted in pestering the Brigadier for the return of his stealth suit.

While Rusher was completely captivated by Arkadia's seemingly warm reception, Kerra refused to trust her, as she was a Sith, whom the Jedi did not consider trustworthy. She criticized Rusher's plans to leave the student refugees on Syned, leading to a heated argument between the two. Rusher accused Kerra of being unreasonable, asserting that the Diligence was his ship and that they were guests on Arkadia's planet. He also argued that they lacked sufficient knowledge of safe hyperspace routes back to the Galactic Republic. In response, Kerra criticized Rusher for his willingness to work as a mercenary for different Sith Lords and suggested that he dedicate his efforts to serving the people instead. Rusher countered that he had more pressing concerns, such as providing for his 560-member crew and 1,700 passengers. Their argument was interrupted by the arrival of one of Arkadia's Citizen Guards, who invited her to Arkadia's museum for a private meeting with the Sith Lord.

Brigadier Rusher was instructed to wait outside after discussing transportation arrangements for the student passengers with the Arkadianate engineers. Kerra's meeting with Arkadia turned out to be an attempt by the Sith Lord to recruit Kerra as an assassin to kill her grandmother, Vilia. During the initial part of the meeting, Arkadia allowed Kerra to view her family bequest, where the young Jedi woman discovered that all the Sith Lords in the Grumani Sector were members of the Calimondra family, a powerful Sith clan fractured by internal rivalries. Vilia held a managerial position among the sector's Sith warlords and used the Bequests to dispense patronage among her grandchildren. Arkadia attempted to justify killing her grandmother by claiming that she was responsible for the death of her father, Chagras, and for the internecine conflicts destabilizing much of the Outer Rim. Kerra refused the offer, adhering to her principle of not working with the Sith. In retaliation, an enraged Arkadia had Kerra taken into custody and imprisoned.

Meanwhile, Narsk attempted to persuade Rusher to return his stolen stealth suit, but the latter was uncooperative, suggesting they wait until the refugees were being transported to Calimondretta on the icecrawler. Rusher and Narsk witnessed Kerra being escorted away by Arkadia's Citizen Guards as a prisoner. Arkadia then demanded that the refugee passengers aboard the Diligence be brought to Calimondretta immediately. A large icecrawler awaited them outside the large atrium known as Patriot Hall to transport Rusher back to the Diligence. She also reiterated her promise that Rusher and his mercenaries could leave Syned after completing their task. She provided him with a set of coordinates on a datapad, purportedly leading to the Galactic Republic. In reality, she intended to kill them by sending them on a one-way journey to the Nakrikal Singularity, a black hole.

When Rusher inquired about Kerra and offered to take the Jedi offworld, Arkadia replied that she would be imprisoned and then executed. The Sith Lord was unwilling to allow an enemy Jedi to wreak havoc in her domain, as she had done previously in the former Dyarchy. Arkadia intended to interrogate the Jedi woman for any intelligence on the Republic and other Sith warlords before personally executing her. She also recruited Narsk to courier her younger brother Quillan to Vilia and then assassinate the matriarch, completely unaware of his true loyalties. In return for his services, Narsk persuaded Arkadia to order Rusher to return his stolen stealth suit. Rusher had no choice but to comply with Arkadia's command. Through unknown means, Vilia discovered her granddaughter's plot and sent a transmission to Narsk's implant, ordering the Bothan spy to turn against his "current" employer Arkadia by launching her own "counter-plot".

Aware of his new orders, Narsk approached Brigadier Rusher, who felt uneasy about Kerra's fate. However, the Brigadier was unwilling to risk the lives of a thousand student refugees for the sake of one person. Still, Rusher attempted to reassure himself by dismissing his anxieties as not being part of his job. Narsk convinced the Brigadier that following Arkadia's orders would endanger his crew, citing the events that transpired during the Bequest. The Bothan added that they could use explosives to damage the tractor beam emitters within Syned's atmosphere, allowing the Diligence to escape the Arkadianate. However, the success of this escape attempt depended on the full support of Rusher and his mercenaries.

Rusher agreed to cooperate with the Bothan spy's plans and arranged for one of his mercenaries, Beadle Lubboon, to transport Narsk's stealth suit and Kerra's lightsaber to Calimondretta. For his plan to succeed, Narsk also needed Kerra's support to provide a second diversion for Arkadia's forces. Narsk modified the settings on Rusher's comlinks, enabling him to relay instructions to Lubboon while evading detection from Arkadia's sensors. In exchange for Rusher's cooperation, Narsk provided him with half of the coordinates leading to a safe hyperspace lane that terminated at a jump-point in neutral space leading to the Galactic Republic. Narsk also presumably explained to Rusher that the coordinates Arkadia had presented earlier were actually a one-way death trip ending in a black hole. Finally, he promised to give the second half of the coordinates to Kerra on the condition that she helped create a distraction that would allow both parties to escape the Arkadinate.

Jarrow Rusher was able to uphold his end of the bargain. First, he dispatched Beadle Lubboon to deliver Narsk's stealth suit and Kerra's lightsaber to the Bothan. Lubboon managed to evade Arkadianate security by concealing the suit in a pouch and the lightsaber in his left arm, feigning a broken arm from a fall. While Narsk was being briefed by Arkadia on the details of his mission to assassinate Vilia at Embarkation Station 7, which involved using a modified shuttle and a hoverchair fitted with the neurotoxin Chagras's Blood, Lubboon entered the hangar and returned Narsk's stealth suit. He then departed for the infirmary, claiming to have broken his left arm. Shortly thereafter, Narsk joined Lubboon at the infirmary, where the Duros was waiting with the lightsaber. Following the meeting, Narsk departed early, claiming that his Bothan physiology was allergic to the nerve toxin that was to be deployed against Vilia and Quillan during the assassination attempt. Chagras's Blood was a nerve toxin extracted from Synedian algae which had been developed for Arkadia's war effort.

Keeping to his side of the bargain, Narsk was able to free Kerra from her prison cell in the Impound before she could be exposed to Chagras's Blood, which Arkadia had planned to deploy as part of a planned irredentist military campaign following her grandmother's death. Narsk secured Kerra's cooperation by explaining that Rusher was collaborating with their escape attempt from the Arkadianate and that he needed her support to escape to the Republic. The Bothan also gave Kerra the second half of the hyperspace coordinates leading to the safe jump point. The second stage of Rusher's plan involved hijacking Arkadia's icecrawler and using it to transport an artillery cannon into Calimondretta to launch an attack with the aim of creating a diversion that would keep Arkadia's forces preoccupied, which would allow Narsk to escape offworld with Quillan.

As part of the escape plan, Rusher worked with the Arkadianate Citizen Guards to drive the icecrawler to the Diligence. To transport the student refugees, Arkadia's staff had suspended several levels of metal scaffolds at the rear of the icecrawler. The Arkadianate driver was a male Nazzar, who had been promoted from a rumble car driver to being the icecrawler's driver. Rusher's crew had removed the cannon barrels on one side of the Diligence to enable the icecrawler to connect with the liner by extending its bushing towards the liner's entrance hatch. However, Rusher had secretly made arrangements with his crew to hijack the icecrawler. On the other side of the tunnel, Team Ripper led by Zeller was waiting to launch an attack on the Citizen Guards. After the door opened, Rusher's crew attacked the Arkadianates, quickly wiping out all resistance. Meanwhile, Rusher personally killed the Nazzar driver by breaking his neck.

By the time the pressure between the two vessels had equalized, Rusher's mercenaries had seized control of the icecrawler. Rusher and his crew then removed the metal decking and loaded the icecrawler with two artillery cannons including Bitsy. Rusher's hijacked icecrawler, Crawler One, then traveled through Calimondretta Control without encountering any difficulties. They proceeded towards Patriot Hall, where several Citizen Guards were waiting to receive the "passengers." Rusher also ordered his mercenaries aboard the cargo hauler to prepare for a ground assault. During the first stage of the attack, Crawler One was greeted by a chubby depot manager who demanded that its crew open its frontal hatch. When the ramp lowered to disembark the "refugees", Rusher's troops had the cannon "Bitsy" ready to fire deep inside Calimondretta, killing several staff and causing significant interior damage to Patriot Hall. After deploying "Bitsy", Team Zhaboka fanned out to damage the atrium's interior with their missile launchers and deploy anchor bolts into the icy floor in order to stay afoot. Meanwhile, Team Ripper led by Zeller pushed the Brigade's remaining Kelligdyd 5000 cannon. Since this attack was a lightning raid for a diversionary escape, the cannons would be left behind following the attack.

As part of the second stage of the attack, Team Zhaboka's missile launchers destroyed the screen protecting Patriot Hall from Syned's arctic climate, causing the atrium's warm temperatures to melt the transparent roof, which had been composed from metallic power. As planned, this caused Calimondretta's automatic durasteel doors to close in order to prevent a loss of heat and oxygen. Several Citizen Guards trapped outside Patriot Hall clamored on the barriers to be let in. Rusher then ordered his gunners to breach the durasteel barriers, leaving the underground city exposed to the frigid climate. While the remaining Citizen Guards retreated into Calimondretta, Rusher ordered Ryland Dackett, who was captaining the Diligence to launch the third stage of the attack. Rusher was also away that Kerra was still inside the city. For the Brigadier, the Siege of Calimondretta was a milestone in his career as a mercenary since it marked the first time that he had assaulted a fortress from within.

To facilitate Narsk's escape with Quillan aboard the customized shuttle, Rusher's offensive served as a sufficient distraction. Furthermore, by replacing the nerve toxin-laden red hoverchair with a safe brown one, he prevented Arkadia from assassinating both Quillan and Vilia. During the hangar escape, Narsk triggered the nerve toxin, eliminating the ground crew before they could prevent the shuttle's departure. Staying true to her agreement, Kerra initiated another diversion by battling several of Arkadia's Citizen Guards within Reflection Prospect, a sizable public corridor adjacent to Patriot Hall. Unlike soldiers employed by other Sith factions, the Arkadianate's Citizen Guards were not aspiring Sith, but rather ordinary beings either dedicated to or trapped within the Sith Lord's military-industrial complex. After Arkadia's Citizen Guards sealed off Patriot Hall's exits using detonated thermal detonators, Kerra was compelled to retreat into Arkadia's museum. It was there that she encountered the Sith Lord Arkadia, leading to a lightsaber duel between the two.

During the third phase of the Calimondretta assault, Rusher's shipmaster, Dackett, piloted the Diligence toward the now-breached Patriot Hall. Dackett spotted the towering conical observation tower, which housed the tractor beam emitter, to the city's north. The tower's personnel, upon seeing the Diligence approach, promptly activated their tractor beam. This beam pulled the modified liner, along with its attached cargo assembly pods, toward the parking area. This area was filled with Arkadinate warships prepared to launch rapid incursions against the Arkadianate's neighbors, should Vilia Calimondra be assassinated. Arkadia intended to capitalize on such a crisis to advance her own expansionist ambitions of dominating the Grumani Sector, and eventually the entire galaxy. These vessels also contained shells filled with Chagras's Blood, a nerve toxin extracted from Synedian algae.

As the Diligence fought against the tractor beam's pull, Rusher instructed his crew to jettison one of its massive twin cargo assembly pods. These incredibly heavy components plummeted onto Arkadia's parked military fleet and the tractor beam emitter, causing a massive destructive explosion. This effectively thwarted the second stage of Arkadia's scheme, temporarily halting her expansionist aims. The destruction of the tractor beam emitter would now enable the Diligence to break free from Syned's orbit and enter hyperspace. Satisfied with the outcome, Rusher then utilized his encrypted comlink to issue Arkadia an ultimatum: release the Jedi Kerra, or face the destruction of her and her city.

Having accomplished their objective of aiding Narsk's escape from Syned with Quillan, Rusher directed his attention towards locating Kerra. He ordered his troops, including Team Zhaboka, to cease operations and board the Diligence. He also reunited with Beadle Lubboon, who informed Rusher that he had successfully delivered the lightsaber to the Bothan spy. However, he had not seen Kerra, whom Rusher needed because she possessed the other half of the hyperspace coordinates. They could not reach Arkadia's museum in Calimondretta's southern sector because the explosion caused by Arkadia's thermal detonators had damaged the passageways. The Diligence then took off and headed for Arkadia's museum. By ramming the second cargo assembly into it, they also disabled Arkadia's second tractor beam emitter, eliminating unnecessary weight.

After successfully assisting Narsk in fleeing Syned with Quillan, Rusher shifted his focus to finding Kerra. Using a tag he had placed on her lightsaber, Rusher tracked her signal to Arkadia's museum, located near the planet's surface. He then directed the Diligence to fly over the museum to confirm that it was situated atop a deep and enormous dome. With assistance from Lubboon and members of Team Ripper, Rusher carefully positioned the cannon "Bitsy" onto a cargo sled behind a derelict trundle car. They then fired a precise shot at the museum's dome-shaped roof, creating an opening. This blast prevented Kerra from being killed by Arkadia, who was about to launch a final attack with her double-bladed lightsaber. After seizing Arkadia's lightsaber, Kerra managed to escape to Syned's surface but lost consciousness due to exhaustion and the atmosphere's low oxygen levels.

While surveying the battlefield, Rusher discovered an unconscious Kerra and personally carried her to the Diligence, placing her in the medical bay. Joining the Diligence's mercenary crew and passengers were approximately five hundred Arkadianite laborers seeking to defect to the Republic. Among these refugees was the Twi'lek Warmalo, the supply clerk who had previously assisted Rusher in replenishing the Diligence's food supplies before being promoted to a metallurgist. However, Warmalo did not view this as a promotion. He and the other refugees resented Arkadia's policy of constantly rotating her subjects through different jobs to maintain her control.

After Kerra regained consciousness, Rusher explained that she had taken an extended walk without her spacesuit. He then detailed how he had destroyed Arkadia's museum with a precision shot to facilitate Kerra's escape. Rusher then recounted the details of their escape from Calimondretta including how he had used a hijacked icecrawler as a trojan horse. For Rusher, the assault on Calimondretta marked the first time that his forces had ever been deployed inside a building. He also explained that the attack had been used to coerce Arkadia into giving up Kerra or enabling her to escape. Rusher then recounted how he had personally carried Kerra back to his ship, adding the comment that she was heavier than she looked due to her muscular frame. Due to his bad leg, Rusher had to use Arkadia's stolen twin-bladed lightsaber as a makeshift walking stick in order to maintain a perfect lurch ratio for that mission. During an earlier argument, Kerra had broken his original walking stick.

Jarrow Rusher also informed Kerra that her student refugees had been joined by several hundred Arkadianate defectors. Rusher also related how their attack had destroyed part of Arkadia's neurotoxin operation, sabotaging her efforts to launch an expansionist campaign in the event that her grandmother was assassinated. Since Rusher's Brigade had used up all their ammunition and left behind their cannons, there was now enough space to accommodate approximately 2,200 refugees. Since Rusher had shed the cargo pod clusters, the Diligence was back to being a spaceliner again for the moment. While Rusher's engineer was unhappy with damage wrought on the starship during the fighting, Rusher was happy that they had managed to escape with the rest of the ship still intact.

Finally, Rusher revealed that they were now using hyperspace coordinates given to them by Narsk to travel back to the Galactic Republic. Earlier, the Bothan spy had scrawled half of these coordinates on Rusher's arm and the other half on Kerra's arm. Unlike Arkadia's coordinates, Narsk's ones led to a jump-point in neutral space which led to a hyperspace route which led directly to the Republic. Upon reaching the Republic, Rusher planned to disembark the refugees who would then be resettled in "greener pastures." Rusher also planned to embark on a spending spree in the Republic in order to upgrade the ship's systems and to recruit more mercenaries and materiel in order to rebuild his mercenary operation. In return, Kerra shared with Rusher the top-secret information she had learned from Arkadia about the Calimondra family and the Second Charge Matrica. Kerra got Rusher to provide her with a recorder in return for using her connections to arrange for the Brigadier to have an audience with Supreme Chancellor Genarra.

Rusher also joked that he hoped that he could barter the information for enough funds to refit the Diligence with four new cargo clusters instead of two. The mood among the refugees had cheered after news of their final journey to the Republic was announced. Kerra reported that the Sullustan Tan was so excited that she had been unable to sleep. Rusher also shared with Kerra that the Duros recruit Lubboon along with several of the former student refugees were keen to remain aboard the Diligence as members of Rusher's Brigade. Many wanted to join the mercenary force as a means of liberating their families from Sith rule in the future. Kerra also shared with Rusher on how she had evacuated 63,000 refugees during the Chelloan affair. As a gesture of goodwill, Rusher finally offered to drop Kerra off on Tramanos on their way to the Republic so that she could continue her mission. He also remarked that should the Jedi woman ever choose to hire the Diligence, he might cut her a reduced rate.

For Lord Arkadia, Rusher's attack on Calimondretta had dealt a death blow to her ambitions of killing her grandmother and exploiting the crisis to further her own ambitions. Due to the extensive damage to her capital city, Arkadia had also been forced to recall significant forces from Byllura to rebuild and garrison Calimondretta. As a final insult, the Sith Lord had also lost her prized double-bladed lightsaber. Meanwhile, Narsk made it back safely to Vilia's planet where he received treatment for his ears which had been damaged by the acceleration of the shuttle's engines. The failure of Arkadia's assassination conspiracy preserved the status quo in the Grumani Sector with Vilia remaining in her managerial role as the Sith family matriarch. Vilia also assumed custody of both Quillan and Dromika, with the latter being spirited away from Byllura by two of Vilia's other agents.

Jarrow Rusher possessed a strong sense of independence and did not have any real loyalty to any of the major powers during the Republic Dark Age. As brigadier, he was an effective commander who was well respected by his crew. Despite his willingness to work for any party, Rusher also adhered to some basic moral standards. He objected to the Sith Lord Daiman using children as bait during the Battle of Gazzari. During the fighting, he warned his mercenaries not to target the children on pain of death. Despite these positive traits, Rusher had a fierce temper and was also prone to alcoholism in times of stress.

Throughout his career as a mercenary, Rusher saw himself as an independent military operator. While he worked for several Sith warlords in the Grumani sector, Rusher did not see himself as a Sith. In fact, Rusher personally detested any Sith due to their volatile and aggressive nature. While Rusher was willing to work for the Sith in return for being paid, he was unwilling to allow any Sith adepts on his troopship Diligence in order to protect the safety of his crew. He was a firm adherent of Telettoh's maxim, an ancient Republic Navy protocol dating back to the Jedi Civil War which prohibited any Republic naval personnel from carrying Sith passengers aboard their vessels.

Initially, Rusher also disliked the Jedi for their idealism and dualistic worldview which clashed with his relativist outlook. Rusher had a difficult and volatile relationship with the Jedi Knight Kerra Holt, and the two often argued on several different occasions. Rusher initially resented Kerra for bringing a thousand student refugees aboard his ship which created a serious logistical problem for his crew. Rusher was also annoyed by Kerra's demands that the student refugees be evacuated to the Republic due to the difficulties of navigating through Sith Space. Rusher and Kerra also disagreed on the former's decision to accept the "enlightened" Sith Lord Arkadia's offer to shelter the student refugees. Despite Rusher's dislike of the Sith, he did not share the Jedi view that all Sith were malevolent and destructive.

Despite his initial animosity towards Kerra, Rusher came to grudgingly respect the Jedi woman for her perseverance and uncompromising dedication to her cause and values. When Kerra was imprisoned by Arkadia, he was concerned enough to help the Bothan spy Narsk Ka'hane break her out of prison. His decision to cooperate with Ka'hane and turn against Arkadia ultimately saved the lives of both Rusher and his crew since Arkadia had provided them with rogue hyperspace coordinates leading to a black hole. This action also allowed Rusher and Kerra to obtain access to a safe hyperspace route leading to neutral space.

As a mercenary, Jarrow Rusher was proficient in the arts of combat. He was also an effective leader who was also well respected by his men. He was skilled in melee combat and also knew how to operate artillery cannons. Rusher was also a proficient tactician and knew how to allocate his manpower and resources to maximize efficiency in combat. Due to an injury, Rusher had damaged one of his legs and needed a walking stick to support himself when walking.

Jarrow Rusher first appeared as a supporting viewpoint character in John Jackson Miller's novel Knight Errant, which was first released on January 25, 2011. While this was Miller's first published novel, he also developed the script for the Star Wars: Knight Errant comic series, which is closely tied to the novel. To date, Rusher has not appeared in any of these comics. However, he was briefly mentioned in the Knight Errant entry in The Essential Reader's Companion which was released in October 2, 2012.