Darth Malthael's V-19 Torrent light fighter was indeed vastly inferior in performance to Master Yoda's Eta-2. His attempt to break through to the opposing flagship had failed after all, and Master Yoda had forced him back.
But Master Yoda could not stop Darth Malthael from using the opportunity to veer his fighter in another direction!
Master Yoda was old. In terms of the Force's raw power alone, he was absolutely no match for Darth Malthael now. Being able to protect the flagship was already impressive enough; protecting a second warship was nearly impossible.
Because protecting one more warship meant that Darth Malthael would have more than twice as much room to maneuver, as well as many more options for action. This placed enormous pressure on Master Yoda's Force precognition.
Darth Malthael's fighter abruptly turned and flew toward another Knight-class Star Destroyer. Without slowing in the slightest, it slammed straight into it!
The fighter was instantly smashed apart by the Star Destroyer's Deflector Shield, exploding into a ball of fire.
But one second earlier, Darth Malthael had already leaped out of the cockpit. He seized the Star Destroyer's hull with the Force and pulled himself over.
Deflector Shields all had a speed threshold. Anything exceeding that threshold would trigger the shield, causing it to bounce the object away and destroy it. But anything moving below that speed would not trigger the shield at all.
Clearly, Darth Malthael had controlled the speed at which he pulled himself over perfectly. The warship's Deflector Shield did not stop him, and he landed directly on the Star Destroyer's hull!
Standing atop the enormous 1,600-meter-long Star Destroyer felt even more insignificant than standing in a stadium. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but steel, stretching endlessly into the distance.
The Knight-class Star