Star Wars THE GALAXY AT WAR PART IV: PRISONER OF CORUSCANT

IC: Padawans Roland and Irisa, Fastern Island, Pantolomin

The clone driver of the AT-TE watched the salt water wash down the cockpit window blisters as the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer stepped pondorously from beneath the waves, and moved through the surf towards the rocky beach.

Ahead of them, clear against the line of trees and the cliff face, the parked Firespray-class patrol ship sat on the rocks, ahead and to their right. Probably about two o'clock, direction-wise.

"You got a read on the telesponder?" The driver asked, sparing a glance for his companion in the other seat.

"Yeah, coming up as the Detective Wyms. Matches the ident of the ship that snuck its way through the fleet at Imp' Centre."

The driver smiled grimly behind his armoured mask, and punched up the visual scanners. He could see twp young humans, at least one in the garb of a jedi, push each other through the hatch into the craft. "Main gunner, fire for effect."

Atop the six-legged walker, an ungainly looking blaster cannon swung towards the target and loosed a powerful bolt that ploughed into the overlap spot where the waves hit rocks, and plumed white steam and super-heated magma into the air, some splatting over the Firespray.

The walker was making slow progress, but the driver was not worried, for even now, two-man tourist wave-skimmers from the Pasarena Resort, commandeered by the Empire, were overtaking the AT-TE on either side, and streaming over the waves towards the beach.

* * * *
Inside the Detective Wyms

Irisa was glad to see her fellow padawan, having left him behind at Coruscant on Master Yoda's orders, but they had no time to catch up as Imperial Forces were closing in.

She stopped just inside the main hatch to slap the locking mechanism on the bulkhead, while the bearded Roland ran past her and dropped straight into the pilot seat.

Unlike herself, who had been with the New Jedi Order on Dagobah for several months now, Roland, with Scout and their Master Whie, had turned up in their freighter, just as the Order were being forced to evacuate the swamp planet, their camp over-run by Gnarled Wood Spiders, which was like being attacked by malevolent trees with appetites.

Roland was already flipping switches when she joined him, and dropped without argument into the co-pilot chair, even though she had flown the craft here.

"Do you know what your doing?" She asked. The small ship shuddered as something exploded outside the curved canopy. The skies were all grey, and it had been raining. Getting fired upon, in no way improved the scenery.

"Don't be cheeky." The older Roland returned. He was in his early twenties, at least seven years her senior, but life as a fugitive of the Jedi Purge, made him look far older.

"I wasn't being..., what's the plan?"

The deck under them thrummed as power was fed to the repulsors and the engines.

The older padawan ran his gaze over the multitude of controls and lights to see if he had forgotten anything. "Master Yoda is going to park Nifesta's ship over us, we somehow get as close as we can, and when she re-cloaks, we should disappear too. Oh, here we go."

Irisa followed his gaze up out of the canopy, at the materialising underside of the burgundy red Consular-class cruiser belonging to Uncle Mitch. As the vessel's slim form solidified, so it got darker inside the cockpit as the natural daylight was cut out.

Tag: No-one

 

IC: Sara Soto
Sara?s Apartment, Lower Sah?c District, Coruscant

That damn grin again. What?s with him? He thinks he can get away with lying to her? Blaming her for his troubles? If she knew he was going to be this much trouble, she would have just said, Get lost. She needed some space, she couldn?t stand here fumed, she needed air.
?You got that right.? Sara agreed hollowly. And turned towards the living room, heading on her way out of the apartment. Just before leaving the kitchen, she paused and looked over her shoulder at the kid behind her, ?I?m going out, I need new goggles. Do what you want. Mwa bunky dunko, sa do bunky dunko [My home, is your home]?
She waved her hand dismissively and began to find her blaster to leave. She hoped the kid would shut up and give her some peace.

Tag: HanSolo29

 

~OOC~This CS has been pre-approved by Pashatemur. I would like to thank Ominous for the opportunity to write together on this joint post.

Character sheet
Name: Tomaas Azzameen
--Age: 40
---Gender: Male
----Species: Human
-----Eye Colour: Green
------Hair Colour and Style: Short black hair and moustache
-------Skin Complexion: Fair skin
--------Clothing: boots, trousers, tunic, utility belt, cape.
---------Physique: Average height, medium build
----------Personality: Calm under pressure.
-----------Quirks: Family sticks together.
------------Force Sensitive: No

Personal Ship
-Name: Otana
--Class: Corellian YT-2000 light stock freighter
---Exterior Description: Saucer-shaped main hull. Cockpit centrally placed. Symmetrical design.
----Interior Description: Cockpit configuration has the pilot sitting at the front while the co-pilot sits behind. Outermost compartments of the main hull are reserved for cargo. The central compartments are for living quarters. Aft section has engine access.
-----Weapons Systems: 2 Concussion Missile Launchers (Total Capacity: 16 Missiles), 2 CEC AG-2G Quad Laser Cannons. 1 Forward Laser Cannon. 1 Forward Ion Cannon.
------Crew Compliment: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot, 7 passengers
-------Hyperspace Capability: Class 2
--------Misc Specs:
Dimensions: Length; 29.4 m, Width: 21.6 m
Defence: Shield Power - 320 SBD. Hull - 114 RU
Speed - 96 MGLT.
Cargo capacity: 115 metric tons

Biography:
Brief History: Loving father of four children: Three sons and a daughter. Tomaas is co-head of the independently owned Twin Suns Transport Services with his brother, Antan Azzameen. Struggling to keep the family business running against other competitors.
Military History: N/A
Traumatic Experiences: The loss of his wife.

---

[B]~IC~ Tomaas Azzameen[/B]
[B]Location:[/B] Toydaria

Toydaria isn't too bad; there are always far worse places to be stuck on. What made it more than uncomfortable were the continent's current climate; the heat and the high humidity. Having spent the past day negotiating with the supplier to give them the goods that was promised and paid for, Tomaas couldn't wait to get off this hot house.

Docking Bay Eighty-four and Eighty-five that were assigned to them are adjacent and connected to each other which made their lives easier to distribute the cargo between their two ships. The whirl and screech of gears and hydraulics of the loadlifter unit overcame the deafening drone of insects from outside the building. With a resonating footstep, the loadlifter unit lowered it's arms and took a step away from the cargo lift of the [I]'Sabra'[/I].

"Alright Galin, take it up." Tomaas shouted into his com over the noise, ignoring the mild discomfort of perspiration rolling down his back. "That's the last of it."

As instructed, the cargo lift rose up into the hold of the parked YT-1300 light stock freighter. At last they can get their supplies out to their client. Giving a thumbs up to the loader, Tomaas gave the [I]'Sabra'[/I] a last look over before leaving for the next docking bay.

It is a good learning experience to give Galin the role of being a partner on a job like this. A simple freight job to give him the basics on his first run without being thrown into the deep end. Tomaas reflected as he entered the Bay where his personal freighter, the [I]'Otana'[/I] was parked.

The [I]'Otana'[/I] is his pride and joy and was fortunate enough to acquire one before the line was discontinued to make way for newer models. More tougher than intended, it serves as a safe home away from home for him and his family. Boarding the freighter, Tomaas made his way to the cockpit and settled down to commence pre-flight procedures with the port authorities. While he waited, on a private channel he contacted the [I]'Sabra'[/I].

"Ralph, how is he doing?" Tomaas asked. Ralph normally handled the bulk frieghters for the Twin Suns Transport Services but on this run he was asked to be copilot for Galin.

["He’s starting to be a chip of the old block. A natural.”]

“Alright, keep an eye on him.” Tomaas was careful to not let his concern for his son to come through in his voice.

[“No worries, it be all fine.”] Ralph assured him. [“We’ll follow your lead.”]

Notification came through that their flight path has been approved and the bay doors opened above them. Warming up the repulsors, Tomaas gently eased the freighter off the deck and kept it hovering above the bay roof doors. Setting an example for his son to follow suit, he retracted the landing gear as he turned the craft around on the spot and eased the throttle. The freighter smoothly moved forward and upward, precisely following the outbound flight plan, Tomaas grinned proudly as he saw in the sensors that the 'Sabra' was mimicking his moves.

Clearing the atmosphere and the influence of Toydaria's gravity, they reached the waypoint and jumped to the rendezvous point.

*******

They arrived at the rendezvous point early and without a hitch. As a precaution the [i]’Otana’[/i]’s shields powered up and turrets ready as Tomaas halted the ship into a holding position.

"Galin, hang back a bit and keep your eyes sharp. Don't want to be a target for pirates." Tomaas watched his instruments for any sign of their contact.

["I copy, Dad. I got your back."] Galin set the [i]’Sabra’[/i] on a patrol around his father’s ship, being wary of any sign of contact.

"Remember, stay close to me and let me do the talking."


The Alliance cargo ship [i]’Maximum Overload’[/i] was a Mobquet Custom Medium Cargo Hauler. It was escorted by a heavily armed Corellian Corvette and two X-Wing fighters. Collecting supplies from non-Imperial contacts was a dangerous business and the pay grade was around the same for cargo haulers as it was for fighter pilots. Pirates and smugglers were always unpredictable and you never knew when you had to completely vaporize the dealer. Although dangerous, the job had its perks. Many cargo pilots would come back with a few things of their own to sell to Rebel personnel for a price (i.e. liquor, military supplies, or cigarettes).

“Sir, we have a contact up ahead. Shields are powered up.”

The captain of the hauler, looked out his viewport. “Roger that, make contact.”

“Unidentified pilot, maintain your position and transmit the security code clearance.”

The X-Wing pilots fanned out around the cargo hauler and Corvette. X-foils were locked into attack position. The Corellian Corvette hummed inside as weapons systems were powered up and locked in on the target ahead.


The arrival of the new vessels caused a brief second of alarm by the class of escort accompanying the cargo hauler. Maintaining his position, Tomaas watched the ships carefully for any veiled threat as instructions came over the com.

"Easy now, Galin." Tomaas muttered under his breath as he saw the [i]'Sabra'[/i] wheel about to face the new arrivals before slowing to a halt off to his starboard side.

Acknowledging the instructions, he carefully transmitted the requested clearance code. Studying the proportions on the multifunction display, he estimated the Mobquet will have plenty of room for the supplies that currently filled the cargo holds of the [i]'Otana'[/i] and [i]'Sabra'[/i]. It made sense though it was something to take his mind off the cannons that were trained on his freighters while they waited for the clearance to be processed.

There was a pause as the codes were transmitted to [i]’Maximum Overload’[/i]. Aboard the Corellian Corvette [i]’Aegis’[/i], the weapons systems began to power down some of their systems. [i]’Maximum Overload’[/i] moved up closer to the YT- 1300, opening its shields.

“Clearance has been approved [i]’Otana’[/i] and [i]’Sabra’[/i]. We are moving in to accept your cargo. Welcome to the middle of nowhere!”

[b]TAG:[/b] Alliance vessels

 

IC: various NRCs, archduke Paulus Atreides, Mother Superior Mohiam, Grand Inquisitor Fyodr Karamasoff, Primarch Ultimus, Lord General Xavius

Various locations on the planet Kaladan, Union of the Great Houses

Polyarny airbase, the Polyarny Island, west of the capitol - Kala city

It was supposed to be a tranquil day for the pilots in the Polyarny airbase. The base itself was situated on the Polyarny Island 50 kilometers of the capitol city in the cold northern Baltia sea. It was the home of the Orel Air Defense Force (ADF) or the 840th Army of the ProtivoVazdushna Otbrana (PVO) consisting of the 239th Fighter Aviation Division, 183rd Bomber Division, 172nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division, 313th Reconnaissance Air Regiment and 712th Interceptor Aviation Regiment. The Polyarny base was one of the largest on Kaladan second to the one near Murman which was the home of the 7th Air Army. Both bases were in the Kala city military district. The Polyarny base had a defensive role and the Murman Base had to ensure air and space superiority.

The day was cold, the wind was moderate, but the sky was dark probably it was going to snow?again. Captain Li Garkov, the leader of the Death Head Squadron or known as the Skulls, went out of the barracks designated for the pilots. The weather was cold and he could see the white puffs coming of his mouth when he breathed. He was wearing the dark gray officer greatcoat, the two rows of buttons glinted on the weak sun. Underneath the coat he wore the standard uniform: gray formfitting thigh-length eight-button tunic without external pockets, he wore a black belt, and a silver colored aiguillette was dangling on his left side, the trousers were black with red outer seams, the boots were also black and made out of leather. Li liked wearing it as it fitted him well and made him more presentable in front of the ladies. He checked his reflection on one of the windows to see whether everything was right. When Li was sure that his uniform seemed alright he put on his gray peaked cap and turned around and went outside. The size of the base always amazed him, there were rows upon rows of crafts ready for fighting. There were a few buildings in the base, most of them were the standard cubicles that were the barracks housing the pilots, the guards, technicians and other support staff. The rest of the buildings were the domelike hangars, service and supply depots, base of operations and a couple of control towers. It was surrounded by wire-fence with guard towers on 10 meter interval. There were no other settlements on the island, as the base used all of the territory. So the pilots and the staff could not distract themselves from their duties.

Some of the fighters and bombers were “parked” outside as there was a training session scheduled for today. There were the now older MiF-25s (Medium Interceptor Fighters) Vipers with their white and red coloring. They were medium sized fighters 15m in length, wingspan of 11m and height of 4m. The nose was long and narrow, the cockpit was in the aft section, behind it were located the three engines connected to each other, two not so long wings with a blaster cannon on each, that was close to the main body, a small tail on top of the upper turbine. It could carry six missiles (three on each wing). A couple of squadrons were on the ground and one more in the air awaiting instructions. On the far side there were the large bombers – the TuB-95 (Turbo Bomber) Marauder. Li could see four of them undergoing maintenance. They looked like long and big cigars with wings. They were 55m long each, with wingspan of 50m and height of 15m. Each Marauder was armed with a quad cannon in the front, a double-barreled heavy repeater on top and four one-barreled repeaters on each side of the main body and a two-barreled one in the tail. They called it the Flying Battlefortress. Each wing carried a couple of powerful engines. It could carry 10 Harpoon-class missiles with Holtzman charges for capitol ship busting or 15 000 kg of bombs. It was mainly used to bombard cities, enemy emplacement or large army groups. The Marauders were an essential part of the frontal aviation. In Polyarny base there were no “ship-busters” as the pilots called the TuB-160 and TuB-122 that were designed to carry heavy ordnance for destroying capitol ships and other large crafts.

There were two main runways and several smaller ones. One of the biggest was used for by the fighters and the bombers. The other one was for the large transports A-250 “Ruslan”, A-240 “Gargant” and A-120 “Monomah”. The Ruslans were a monster of a transport with its length of 100m, wingspan of 88m and height of 20m. The main body had a very fish-like image, it could carry 250 000kg of cargo, the large wings carried three engines each. They could shift the directions they are pointed at so that the craft could take off vertically or horizontally depending on where it was supposed to land. It carried the heavy equipment to the battlefield and also was used as a merchant ship while trading with the outsiders. Polyarny was a home of two such ships to ferry everything needed to establish a forward base of operations, they also had to carry the mobile AA-guns like the ZSO-34s (or Zenitno Samohodno Oradie/ Self-propelled Flak Gun) – basically a tank with quad-barreled gun mounted on top. There were hardly any other vehicles in the base, mainly there were speeders and trucks to move personnel and cargo around the island.

Li passed a group of pilots playing cards on a table outside. He wondered how could they even stay there as the weather was freezing. Some of them looked at him, a few nodded for greeting and the rest just snickered as they knew where he was headed. The captain wanted to try his chances again with sergeant Orlova from the Engineering corps. She was responsible for the maintenance of the “birds” . He sometimes wondered how such a pretty woman could end up in the army and moreover to become a mechanic. Li wished that Orlova was his girl but she stubbornly refused it and he was not sure why. The lieutenant approached the hangar where the sergeant and her men were checking the Skulls’ “birds” – SuF-37 “Golden Eagle” (Superiority Fighter). These were magnificent machines, first of their kind next generation fighters. The main body was 20m in length and the wingspan was around 15m and height of 5m. The unusual characteristics of the fighter were the forward-swept wings that improved its maneuverability. The Golden Eagle was also a heavily armed craft – with blaster cannon on each wing and could carry up to 14 missiles: 2 on the wingtip, 6-8 underwing, and 4-6 under the fuselage.

Though Li needed some more practice with it, as he was used to flying the older SuF-29. Anyway, he loved the new SuFs and he also loved the fact that Orlova was doing the maintenance. The hangar door opened as he approached it and saw that a speeder was towing one of the fighters. It was ready for flight. The Captain could hear the sole female voice shouting orders to the other engineers. Orlova was pressing them to finish their job quickly and efficiently. After all the crafts were not damaged and some even “smelled” new. Li tried to look serious, pretending that he came to inspect the fighters.

Orlova was doing the maintenance of Skull Leader’s SuF when suddenly out of nowhere, the captain appeared. She was checking the engines and her hands and face were a mess of oil stains and grease. The sergeant almost hit her head as Captain Garkov startled her by appearing behind her. She quickly jumped on her feet trying to salute. The man wore one of his stupid grins on his face, Orlova was aware of his interest in her – the whole base was aware of that as well. As she saluted him, Li managed to make a more serious expression and saluted her in return.

“I came here to check on how the maintenance is progressing. Are the birds ready for the exercise scheduled for today?”

‘More likely checking on me...’ thought Orlova. She scrubbed her arms on her dark blue jumpsuit adding some more dark spots in the collection of stains.

“Yes, comrade Captain, I just finished working on your fighter. Since they are quite new, there were few things that I could do. The Adeptus Mechanicus had done a magnificent job, it is an impressive piece of engineering.”

A slight disappointment passed through the man’s face, she intentionally started talking more about the machine showing more interest in it than towards its pilot. Not that she disliked him, but they were from different classes in the society. He was above her in the social hierarchy and she didn’t want the relationship, if one ever was formed, to end up in tears. Besides it was also against the regulations as they were both in the armed force.

“I am glad to hear that. I came here to...”

He was interrupted midsentence as the alarms started ringing.

“ALL HANDS! ALL HANDS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS!”

Garkov and Orlova immediately forgot about their conversation. The captain ran towards the barracks to change his uniform with the pilot jumpsuit. The sergeant went to supervise the loading the crafts with ordnance. Something was going on…

10 minutes later

Li was sitting in the cockpit of his Eagle, still annoyed by his bad luck. He was about to invite Orlova for a date when they were rotated back to the mainland. Instead the captain had to run to the barracks to wear the jumpsuit and hear a short briefing about what is going on. It seemed that the Outsiders had set up a blockade around the Union for no apparent reason. They must believe that they were weakened by the recent incursion of the cowardly Confederacy several years ago. So every Air Defense Unit was scrambled to patrol the Kaladan skies to prevent any possible attack by the Outsiders.
Five minutes later he was inside the cockpit of his fighter. While the briefing has been conducted the engineers had prepared the crafts for immediate take off. Li was annoyed - the outsiders chose this day to make a blockade. He hoped that the situation will be resolved quickly as he had only a couple of days before he could get back home...and Orlova as well. The Captain moved the fighter towards the runway. For some strange and unexplained reason they had to take off the old-fashioned way – to speed up on the runway and just before the end to fly away. The fighter had the capabilities to make a vertical takeoff or landing. Garkov shrugged, he could not argue with the regulations no matter how absurd they are.

The lights at the middle of the runway flashed green as he was given a “a good-to-go” signal from the control tower. The rest of the squadron was supposed to launch after him in pairs. The engines roared, even in the cockpit where the outside sounds were muffled he could feel the power of the noise produced. He didn’t want to find out how it all sounded from the outside. Then the sudden acceleration followed. Li could feel his body sinking in the seat due to the high speed. The base became blurred as he stormed forwards. Approaching the end of the runway the Captain pulled the control stick back and the fighter glided gracefully increasing the altitude.

This was going to be a very long day…

Volkovo base; near the capitol Kala City

The weather was miserable after all it was the cold part of the year. The weather forecast was bleak as well. The dark clouds were visible even from Volkovo. It was going to snow and the blasted Outsiders decided to threaten the Union on this day. This area was the home base of 2nd Iron Fist Tank Division. It was an elite force that was supposed to be the first line of defense of the capitol – Kala City. So everyone in the base was mobilized quickly and efficiently. It didn’t take them very long to be ready, after all they were trained for this kind of situations.

The highway was jammed by the tank column moving towards Kala City. They were supposed to provide protection of Castle Kaladan. The column was not the main bulk of the Iron Fists, the rest of the forces were to be located in different places to provide maximum coverage of the areas where the enemy could make a ground assault. The Motor Rifle Divisions will be moving mostly in the downtown area, as the streets did not permit for much maneuvering of the bigger tanks. For this purpose the APC-80s (Armored Personnel Carrier) and the IFV-30s (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) were perfect in an urban setting.

The column, that was headed towards the Castle Kaladan, consisted of 50 LR- 90 Main Battle Tanks, 100 APC-80s, 70 IFV-30s, 10 MLR-40 (Multiple Rocket Launcher). It was commanded by Colonel Arcturus, a middle-aged man, completely devoted to the Union cause. The men under his command feared but respected him. He was in the leading LR-90 with a call sign “Vanquisher”. The 90s were the newest addition to the Union ground forces. It was introduced twenty years ago. The tank was 12 meters long, 4 meters wide and 3 meters high. The crew consisted of three people: a driver, gunner and a commander. The armor was hard enough to sustain several direct hits by blaster, laser or other beam technology and explosive shells or rockets. It had active sensors and countermeasures against guided missiles and the armor was covered with explosive reactive armor to decrease of the damage upon impact of a charge. The driver's compartment is on the centre line at the front, the two man turret is in the centre with gunner on the left and commander on the right, and the engine is rear mounted. The main gun could fire proton shells, similar to those that the CIS used for their Proton Cannon droids, but with less power. The main gun is fed by an automatic loader. This holds up to 28 rounds of two-part ammunition in a carousel located under the turret floor. Additional ammunition is stored within the turret. Some of the tanks carried fragmentation projectiles against incoming enemy infantry. The turret is dome shaped with a an almost flat top, it was covered with the ERA boxes and at the front part flanking from both sides the gun 6 grenade launchers containing smoke grenades. On top there was also a heavy repeater laser that could be operated from inside the turret or from the outside. Som LR-90s were equipped with additional lighter cannons on both sides of the dome as a form of anti-air protection against lower flying aircrafts. The APCs were 8 meters long, 3 meters wide and 2.50 meters high vehicles with 8 large wheels (4 on each side). Their armor was thinner than the one of the main battle tanks, the main body had a cigar shape with a small dome-like turret with a heavy repeater. The gun was mostly used against enemy infantry and light-armored vehicles. It had a crew of 3 and could carry 10 troopers. It was a fast transport that could easily pass through cross-country terrain and also had amphibious capabilities. The troopers inside could fire from four hatches in the main body and could either exit from the back door or from two others (one on each side). The IFV-30 was a smaller version of the main battle tank, 6 meters long, 2 meters high and 3 meters wide. It had a crew of 3 and could carry up to 8 soldiers. The dome of the turret was in the back side of the main body, it had a smaller laser cannon suited against light armor and infantry. It also had a missile launcher against medium and some of the medium armored vehicles. It was a tracked vehicle that was effective in almost any kind of terrains and had limited amphibious capabilities. The MLR-40s were mostly regular trucks that carried a large rectangular pod with tubes inside carrying 40 122mm rockets and could fire with 2 rounds per second.

The column was commanded by Colonel Arcturus, a middle aged man, an officer of the so called “old guard”. During his years in the academy he was considered highly unorthodox but efficient, that was why he never made it further up the ladder and become a General. The situation was not improved by the fact that he didn’t see eye to eye with his superior officers. He was satisfied with the position as the Colonel wanted to be with his men not just give orders from a safe distance. He wanted to be where the action is and do his duty for the glory of the Union. The outsiders might give him this opportunity if they launch an attack. The last time he was in battle he had been fighting the droid forces of the CIS heroically defending his position until the reinforcements came.

He checked the outside conditions and saw the darkening sky above Kala City as they approached it on the highway. The regular traffic had moved to the sides to let the military vehicles pass, afterwards some of the civilians will get to the shelters, others will have to take up arms to form the militia.

“Winter is coming…”

Meanwhile in Eagle Nest Base

“Fyodr, the situation is getting even more difficult to handle.” Started the Mother Superior when she and the Grand Inquisitor Karamasoff finally found a secluded place where they could discuss matters of the Ecclesiarchy.

They did a sweep of the area for listening devices, one can never be too sure with the Committee for State Security. They needed to make a private conversation, that if recorded could come back to haunt them. The old man seemed impatient and nervous, after all it took only one informant to ruin their lives.

“Yes, I know Helen, but there are few things that we can do. Besides you know the instructions given by her.”

“Her” was the enigmatic leader of the secret society known as the Enlightened. It was a secret cabal of people, very influential individuals. Both the Mother Superior and the Grand Inquisitor were members of this society for some time. They hardly knew the identities of the other members as everyone was supposed to wear masks and cover features that could reveal their identities. Only one had the full list of names but few have met the holder or even knew his identity. They referred to him as the Librarian. In the past few years the society was led by an enigmatic and brilliant young lady (at least they presumed she was young) who called herself – the Masked Lady. No one had actually seen her true face or heard her true voice. They only knew that she hated the Atreides and the current status-quo. It was unknown how she rose to the position to be the leader, but her plans seemed to work – even the most questionable ones. If they didn’t know the results that were pursued in these plans they might have thought she was an agent of the duchess. The Mother Superior was sure of the girl’s dedication to the cause of the Enlightened so there was no place for concern. But the Masked Lady’s plans were not that perfect, due to her lack of experience, so the more senior (in age) members have to step in from time to time. This was one of these moments when they had to interfere.

“I made sure that the plans will be set in motion. We got lucky that the duchess is with the outsiders. By starting an armed conflict they will most likely hold her hostage. We must ensure that she won’t return.”

Fyodr grinned under his bushy beard. Everything was going according to plan.

“Unless, of course, the CSS intervenes...”

Command center; Eagle Nest Base

Lord General Xavius and Primarch Ultimus entered the command center of the base. There three senior officers were already waiting for them: Lieutenant General Maximus, Commodore Sayena, and Brigadier General Schwarz. As the Supreme Commanders of the Union’s Ground Forces and the Royal Guards were at the door the trio jumped on feet and saluted. Then Xavius and Ultimus swiftly replied to the salute.

“Commodore, give me a SitRep!” started Xavius as there were little time for courtesies.

Sayena was currently the highest ranking officer in the Atreides navy as Lord Admiral James Xavier and Admiral Helena Xavier (the active Supreme Commander of the whole Navis Nobilite – the combined Union navies) and the newly appointed Admiral Erast Fandorin were unavailable at the moment. The situation was made difficult by not only the fact that the three superior officers were probably in enemy hands but that the other Houses had Admirals of their own and practically outrank the commanding officer of the ruling house.

“In the past few hours there seems to be no movement from the outsiders towards the territory of the Union. There is no indication of an impending attack whatsoever. We have only a limited number of ships observing them as you instructed. Most of the Navis Nobilite is concentrated within our territory beyond their scanner range. We are loading the TuB-122s and the TuB-160s with Harpoon missiles and they are ready for immediate take off. They await your command. We are currently trying to tap into their communications network, but for now we have little success. ”

The woman paused for a second, probably to catch her breath. Xavius could see that she is nervous judging from the subtle hints in her facial expressions. Her ice blue eyes were staring at him and the blonde hair tied underneath her cap. Commodore Sayena tried to, and was mostly successful, to conceal her nervousness. The Lord General nodded for her to proceed.

“We will be diverting some of the spy satellites towards the enemy ships and to start decoding their transmissions, but for now our early warning system is effective, though we cannot predict the exact vectors of thrust inside our territory. We have to rely on internal communication which we assume might get jammed, if the enemy had found our frequencies.”

Xavius did not like what he heard, it meant that they were depending on a probability. If the outsiders have figured out the frequencies they were using, the defense forces will be blind and deaf for almost half an hour until they find out which planet was under attack. Presumably the Imperials will be attacking on all fronts, but they could not base their defenses of an assumption. The Union’s electronic warfare capabilities were lagging behind very dangerously, Xavius took a mental note to speak about that with the duchess...if she comes back.

“I want fast and small ships around every system to act as couriers in case the outsiders launch an invasion. It is not enough but it will be better if the counter-jamming technology was ready. Anyway, General Maximus what is the situation with the Air Defenses?”

The middle-aged man fixed him with his grey eyes. The Lord General could read only confidence in him. He only hoped that this confidence is not recklessness.

“The PVO units are fully mobilized on Kaladan, we are getting similar reports from all over the Union. We are readying the forces for defense of the planet. General Gorshkov informed me that the silos and the mobile launchers of the Holtzman missiles are being prepared as we speak. We will be reaching our maximum capacity in 4 hours...”

“We don’t have that much time General! The outsiders might launch their attack any moment now!”

At last the man’s overconfidence was fading a bit.

“But Lord General the missiles were not in high state of alertness for some time now we need to prepare them for launch and this, as you well know is time consuming!” the man protested.

Xavius nodded in agreement, he had forgotten that they had reduced the state of alert of the rocket forces so they will need more time.

“The submarines carrying Holtzman missiles are in position so there will be at least some defense against the enemy ships. Also the base on Luna is on full alert and the defense satellites as well.”

At least some defense was better than no defense. The Luna base and the satellites were the first line of defense of Kaladan. The planet’s moon was a home to one of the biggest defense emplacements in the Union. The fact that there was no atmosphere and the gravity was weaker made it perfect for launching the Holtzman missiles.

Then he turned towards the Brigadier General.

“What about the other ground forces?”

“Kala City’s forces are in position, also the other major cities are almost ready in an hour the whole planet defense forces should be prepared to defend their positions from any outsider incursion. The reports from the other planets are indicating that they are also preparing themselves. ”

The Lord General wanted to share his optimism. Given the fact that they were almost fully humiliated by the automaton forces of the CIS, of course there were improvements but still the Union was not the formidable force it claimed to be.

TAG: To be continued

 

~OOC~ Special thanks goes out to Jerjerrod-Lennox for this joint post, a pleasure as always . Also thanks to TheAdmiral for his insight on the Union culture.

~IC~ Rowan Halcyon and Feye Solkrest
A long long time ago...
Location: An ancient world far from 'civilised' space


Listening to the ideas and thinking them over in my mind, the soldiers that will be sent would possibly be kill if things go ill. We also have families among us and I cannot bring myself to put them in unnecessary danger. Moistening my lips before I spoke, feeling the weight of my decision.

"We will evacuate.. dismantle the camp and take them south..." Rubbing my eyes as I look to Kaylee's finger on the map. "Though I am still unsure of sending others up there... too many lives have been lost from my presence. I don't want to give them up needlessly."

~~~

I nodded my head in respect "I agree in part, however to evacuate safely and to distract them from stumbling onto the camp and facing thousands being slaughtered, then you must do this. I suggest you not only evacuate from this place, but the planet"

~~~

My eyes widen as I looked to Feye. "No! They must not know the truth. Outside interference is the cause for this situation. If I had trusted my instincts then and left sooner, my presence would not have brought the hunters here and..." I caught myself, taking a breath, I glanced down and shook my head. "I'm sorry.. I..shouldn't... I shouldn't have acted like that."

~~~

I had to get through to him it was too dangerous here. I narrowed my eyes. "The truth will be known whatever happens, you cannot hide from it. Are you just going to keep running aroung hoping they will be safe from these hunters? Because eventually they will find you and kill you and all of your comrades." My voice turned sterner. "I suggest you bring them to Corellia, they will be safer there"

~~~

"The hunter threat is over.. as far as I know." Looking to Kaylee. "The price on my head had been lifted... right?"

Kaylee nodded, her eyes searching mine. "Brentalla has assured us that it had been taken care of."

"But you are right, Feye. The longer I am here, the sooner the truth will come out. I have to put an end to this somehow and fast."

~~~

I considered this for a moment, tapping my chin with my finger to help me concentrate. "The distraction would be good enough, try and make it as convincing as you can. I can fit several of your people on board my ship as well so do not fret about cramming them all on. Once they are distracted we can possibly pick them up if you wish"

~~~

"If things become dire... we might have to call in our ships. Knowing Kal, he would probably want to bombard them and have me explain to the people that it was an 'act of god'." I frown as I look to the map. "We still don't know the reason behind this movement"

~~~

I came forward to look as well "It seems they possibly have a reason to come this way, my thinking is that they are possibly coming for you"

~~~

"If they were bringing that large force just for me... it would be overkill. I still need visuals or first hand report on the formations. But how to act after that?" Looking up to Feye and then to Kaylee. "If they are coming for me... then I will have to be the distraction."

Pursing her lips, concern in her eyes, Kaylee shook her head. "No." she whispered.

~~~

I had caught that little bit of concern from Kaylee but I let it slide. "No you are not, I will not allow that. You need to help with the evacuation, and we will need you to provide the aerial bombardment to pick up those troopers who will provide your distraction"

~~~

That suggestion troubled me as it goes against my ethics. "To use turbolasers against a race whose technology is reliant on gunpowder is overkill. It would be a slaughter and to me it would be dishonourable. If I ride out... I might be able to find an alternate solution and buy us some time. This way only one life is at risk"

~~~

This was troubling me somewhat that Rowan would do this. He seemed headstrong and unwilling to give up. I couldn't give away his royal heritage for fear of alienating his men. "However it would eliminate those who wish to slaughter, you, your men and innocent. It is thier lives against yours, make your choice"

~~~

Sighing, I took a step back from the map. Feeling the weight on my shoulders. I could put an end to this in one fell swoop but at what cost? All my life... and through the wars... I took great care to preserve life... If I bombard them, then I would compromise my honour and myself. If I face them alone... my life might be forfeit.

"I still have time to decide..." my mouth felt dry. "... there's still time."

~~~

"All war is sadly about taking lives, but of course we do what we can to preserve life. But sadly no life is ever safe in war. Whatever you decide, it is your choice and your choice alone and we will go along with it whether we disagree or agree" I smiled with warmth " I will be proud of you whatever you do"

~~~

"Thank you." Feye's words and warmth brought a smile to my face, I bow my head to her. My gaze went to Kaylee.

"Rowan…" She took a step closer. I can see in her eyes that she is trying to mask her concern. "...talk before you make your final decision. You are not alone."

"I will." I promised, catching her underlying tone. "I guess all we can do is wait for the time being."

~~~

I nodded in response, knowing that Rowan had done all he could. Now was the time to act. "I can instruct my bodyguards to go and get the ship prepped ready for when you choose to evacuate. I will stay with you to be your wing so to speak."

~~~

"Thank you. We will hold for the moment, let everyone enjoy their midday meal without worries first." I put on a brave smile. "Then we'll see how things are afterwards. Who knows what can happen in an hour."

Here I am with two people I can trust and it feels good to know that I am not facing this alone. Things are different this time and maybe... maybe things will turn out for the best.

Kaylee inclined her head to Feye as her eyes locked on mine. "It goes without saying but you can count on me too."

~~~

I nodded with respect to Kaylee, this woman definitely had a lot of concern for Rowan, would have to ask him about this connection later. "Thank you, Rowan will need all of us to help him during this difficult time. And we need to make sure he doesn't get stabbed in the back"

~~~

"Ah." The phrase of 'stabbed in the back' brought up some unpleasant memories from a few years ago. double blinking, I shook my head to rid of the thoughts. "No.. I appreciate all of this. Thank you... Thank you both. Every bit helps."

*******

0.6 deca-cycles before the incident at Coruscant
Location: Island Villa, Kaladan

"I am alone…"

Leaning against the window frame, I stared out to the treetops swaying in the wind. I was alone, an outsider to this strange world. The servants do what they were instructed to do but other than that they keep their distance. Because I am not one of them, there is a certain degree of paranoia. Safe to say that no one be willing to assist nor understand my concerns and part of me has begun to question the nature of their hospitality. 'I am a guest... but am I a captive? What do they hope to achieve by keeping me here?'

My wounds were almost healed, though I can't remember how exactly I got them. It felt like a part of my memory is locked to me and I have to find the right triggers to unlock it. I tried remembering back to when Feye came. 'She needed my help. There was danger... Ships... Fire…' There was a fleeting form at the edge of my thoughts, no matter how I try to uncover who it is, it disappears out of reach. 'Was it Feye? My concerns are of her, my family... Was it my connection to her that brought about this? It doesn't add up. Was it The Duchess? Is she somehow involved. Is she responsible for me being here? What is her story and what did she mean by what she had said?'

Bracing my hand on the window sill, I wasn't going to get any answers by staying inside all day. Maybe the fresh air outside and stretch my legs would do me good.

Fresh clothes were laid out on the bed for me. Picking them up, I looked at the set they had provided; Creamy... tanned coloured shorts and a short sleeve white shirt. Grimacing slightly as it wasn’t quite what I am used to but it would do, definitely better than some of the places I have unintentionally wound up as a guest in. Deciding to change into just the shorts, I left the room out to the hallway.

One of the maids caught me in the foyer. The look of surprise crossed her face before hesitation. I excused myself and told her I needed to stretch my legs. It looked as though she was unsettled and didn't know what to do with me. It probably be best to stay out of the way.

The scorching sun beaming down had heated up the surface of the path from the villa making it too hot to walk on with my bare feet. The smell of the ocean filled the air mingling with the moist smell of the foliage as I left the path to the direction of the beach. The sound of the waves breaking and crashing beyond the shrubbery was getting louder. Disturbing a flock of birds seeking shelter from the late morning sun, they cried loudly as they fluttered overhead.

Coming out onto the sands, I sat down close to the edge, letting the water to wash up to my feet. Squinting my eyes from the glare bouncing off the ocean making it sparkle with the motion of the waves. I guess it is peaceful if not for the turmoil I feel. Feeling the ring on my finger, the weight of the band distinct to me. I have commitments not easily pushed aside...

A distinct small yelp cried out from behind me. Looking over my shoulder to the rustling bushes, I got up slowly to investigate. A spotted coat of golden- brown pounced over a fallen branch and into view. A small cub, I couldnt believe it.

"Ets se valle, Estel?"

Picking up the cub, its paw swiped in the air at some insect as I cradle it in my arms. Looking down at its brow, the mottled brown on its tawny fur matched that of Estel. 'How did the cub get here? He was suppose to be…' My eyes dart about for any more signs. 'Are there others? Am I alone?'

TAG: Feye Solkrest, Se'Iva, Kaladan Villa Staff (if they desire)

 

OOC:



A blockade of the Union, eh? I have a feeling that that involves me, but I really don't remember that much about it, apart from maybe one star destroyer that might have been headed that way!

 

IC: Captain Trawl, POF Logan (NRC)
Location: Toydaria
Covered in nutrient-rich muck-lakes, which supported clouds of bugs and mats of algae, Toydaria was not the ideal vacation spot for galactic travelers, or for that matter, smugglers. Most smuggling ports were free societies, where pirates could escape the iron fist of the Empire and conduct their illegal transactions, gamble, drink and occasionally murder a fellow pirate.

That said, it was still dangerous for the Alliance to accept cargo from Rebel sympathizers in places like Anchorhead or Mos Eisleys. So far, everything about the Otana and Sabra, yet the X-Wings still patrolled the perimeter of the transaction.

Capt. Trawl kept his blaster close to his side but out of view. There was no need to give away his tactical advantage to people he didn?t know. Logan, a young petty officer, first class, was built like a brick ****house and had a strong jaw line. The kid was big and sometimes had difficulty making his way through the bulkheads of the ship. He was perfect for carrying the heavier shipments into the cargo holds. He followed behind Trawl, who affectionately called him Deuce.

The airlock between both ships was secure. Trawl and Logan stood by the airlock awaiting their visitors.

?Keep your paws free Deuce. I may need you in a tight spot if things go south.?

?Aye that Cap?n.? The deep voice of Logan reverberated through the ship.

TAG: Tomaas Azzameen

 

OOC: This is based on memories and available records. Apologies for any mistakes, and if it makes the Empire look anything less than super efficient.

IC: Commodore Jill Valentine, Captain Aurora G?Oh, Imperial Star Destroyer, Sealed with a Loving Kiss
Location: Outside Union borders

The Commodore was far from happy. She had been ordered to oversee an emergency blockade of Union Space, and to bring the Interdictor Incarcerator with her from Bestine, to prevent Union vessels from jumping to hyperspace, which, after all, was the point of a blockade.

However, the Incarcerator captain had refused point-blank to come along, and while she could sympathise with his position, coming off the back of an unexpected firefight with Separatist capital ships, that did not mean that she fancied explaining her failure to the Admiralty back on Imperial Centre.

Her Star Destroyer had popped into realspace at the edge of Union Space, to find just the one other ISD, the Figeura II, already there ahead of them, and even then, its captain wasn?t even aboard yet, but enroute from Centre.

She sat in her ready room, whilst Captain G'Oh stayed on the bridge.

G'Oh's own vessel, the Neb-B frigate Aysberg, had been too badly damaged at Bestine, rescuing the VicStar Ullyses and the Incarcerator, from a Separatist convoy that the interdictor had accidentally pulled from hyperspace, to come here, so had gone for drydock repairs, while the two commanders had been picked up by the Kiss.

A six-inch translucent blue holograph of a young woman in Naval uniform, appeared on the desk surface in front of her - the young Captain-Supervisor from the monitoring station. Denon, was it?

"Captain-Supervisor?" Jill acknowledged her planet-based colleague, after checking that the audio element was being encrypted at Bronze level.

The monitoring station had picked up Union "chatter" discussing reprisals against "targets". So soon after the Derra blockade, where Imperial ships had intercepted Union warships jumping to Naboo, it was natural to assume the targets to be Imperial.

In any case, other luminaries could sort the matter out; Valentine's job was to contain the assumed threat.

"Commodore. I really pulled your choob out of the fire, this time."

Valentine adopted a cold tone. "Remember with whom you speak, Captain-Supervisor. Continue."

"Yes, Ma'am. Apologies. The Interdictor Star Destroyer, Aeon Flux is heading your way now, and should be onsite in a few hours."

Valentine raised eyebrows. She had responded to an alert relating to a missing KDY Eclipse Star Destroyer and pirates, not long ago.
"Isn't she involved in that Arrissa Field thing?"

"Oh, that has been resolved, Commodore. With extreme prejudice."

Valentine chuckled. Arrissa was at the edge of Chommel Sector, and she knew which Grand Admiral was responsible for the area. "Thrawn."

"Thrawn."

"Thank you, Captain-Supervisor. I just hope that we have a few hours."

As the holograph dissipated, Valentine eased herself up off the chair, and hobbled out of the room. She did not like the chair much, cut off the circulation to the back of her thighs. Maybe she could swap with Aurora.

Stepping out onto the command deck, she paused to gase through the strip of triangular forward ports showing the Kaladin star system laid out before them, and in the very far distance, the tiny spot of cold light that was the system primary.

"Have they seen us yet?" She asked, without looking away from the view, her gaze drawn momentarily to a pair of patrolling TIEs.

"Some primitive sats and probes have painted us, Commodore. Nothing substantial. But yes, they do know we are here." G?Oh reported from the command chair, long, slender legs crossed.

The brown-skinned Selonian was much taller than the Commodore, who leaned towards the short side, though both could turn heads without trouble. The captain was attached to the Lok taskforce, while Valentine was responsible for the ISD, VSD, and Neb-B frigates that comprised the group.

“Well, keep an eye out. According to the Derra Blockade, this Union can field some pretty heavy capital ships.”

“As ordered, Commodore.”

Tag: The Admiral, anyone involved

 

OOC: This is a re-post. More records on my assets showed I had my ship commanders confused. Thanks go to Corellian Outrider for his help on the situation.

IC: Commodore Jill Valentine, Commander Carlos Olivera, Imperial Star Destroyer, Sealed with a Loving Kiss
Location: Outside Union borders

The Commodore was far from happy. She had been ordered to oversee an emergency blockade of Union Space, and to bring the Interdictor Incarcerator with her from Bestine, to prevent Union vessels from jumping to hyperspace, which, after all, was the point of a blockade.

However, the Incarcerator captain had refused point-blank to come along, and while she could sympathise with his position, coming off the back of an unexpected firefight with Separatist capital ships, that did not mean that she fancied explaining her failure to the Admiralty back on Imperial Centre.

Her Star Destroyer had popped into realspace at the edge of Union Space, to find just the one other ISD within proximity, the Figuera, already there ahead of them, and even then, its captain wasn?t even aboard yet, but enroute from Centre.

She sat in her ready room, this being her own vessel, whereas at Bestine, she had been the 'guest' aboard Captain G'Oh's Nebulon-B frigate.

That ship, the Aysberg, had been too badly damaged there, rescuing the VicStar Ullyses and the Incarcerator, from a Separatist convoy that the interdictor had accidentally pulled from hyperspace, to come here, so had gone for drydock repairs, whilst Valentine had been re-united with the Kiss.

A six-inch translucent blue holograph of a young woman in Naval uniform, appeared on the desk surface in front of her - the young Captain-Supervisor from the monitoring station. Denon, was it?

"Captain-Supervisor?" Jill acknowledged her planet-based colleague, after checking that the audio element was being encrypted at Bronze level.

The monitoring station had picked up Union "chatter" discussing reprisals against "targets". So soon after the Derra blockade, where Imperial ships had intercepted Union warships jumping to Naboo, it was natural to assume the targets to be Imperial.

In any case, other luminaries could sort the matter out; Valentine's job was to contain the assumed threat.

"Commodore. I really pulled your choob out of the fire, this time."

Valentine adopted a cold tone. "Remember with whom you speak, Captain-Supervisor. Continue."

"Yes, Ma'am. Apologies. The Interdictor Star Destroyer, Aeon Flux is heading your way now, and should be onsite in a few hours."

Valentine raised eyebrows. She had responded to an alert relating to a missing KDY Eclipse Star Destroyer and pirates, not long ago.
"Isn't she involved in that Arrissa Field thing?"

"Oh, that has been resolved, Commodore. With extreme prejudice."

Valentine chuckled. Arrissa was at the edge of Chommel Sector, and she knew which Grand Admiral was responsible for the area. "Thrawn."

"Thrawn."

"Thank you, Captain-Supervisor. I just hope that we have a few hours."

As the holograph dissipated, Valentine eased herself up off the chair, and ambled out of the room..

Stepping out onto the command deck, she paused to gase through the strip of triangular forward ports showing the Kaladin star system laid out before them, and in the very far distance, the tiny spot of cold light that was the system primary.

"Have they seen us yet?" She asked, without looking away from the view, her gaze drawn momentarily to a pair of patrolling TIEs.

"Some primitive sats and probes have painted us, Commodore. Nothing substantial. But yes, they do know we are here." Olivera reported from the command chair, swarthy chin cradled between thumb and forefinger as he leaned forwards in the chair.

The commander was was Valentine's second-in-command for the Star Destroyer, while she was responsible for the ISD, VSD, and Neb-B frigates that comprised the group.

"Take us around the blockade, I want line-of-sight on all the vessels we have here, so that at least momentarily, the others do not feel they are holding the line, solo. According to the Derra Blockade, this Union can field some pretty heavy capital ships.”

“As ordered, Commodore.”

Tag: The Admiral, anyone involved

 

IC: Sara Soto
Sara?s Apartment, Lower Sah?c District, Coruscant

Sara grabbed her blaster. Now though she couldn?t leave because the person behind her wasn?t letting go. Why was he always choosing one option, then going for another? He was constantly changing his mind. Damn. I wish I told him to leave instead. She regretted, He?s a lot more trouble than I first thought.

Nothing she could do about that now though. She heard him. Dimly. Then felt his hand wrap around her bicep. "I'm not into that whole suicide thing, so I'm coming with you...just to make sure."

?It?s safer for me in the dark. It?ll be harder for Jinn to see me. Vykk. If I can even call you that.? She hissed. She let her suspicions slip out and had to follow through now. Ripping her arm from his grip. ?I. Am. Not. Stupid. I know an alias when I hear it.? She flung her finger towards the trash receptacle, close to shouting now.
?Vykk?s Corellian Dishes? Draygo Spices? Sound familiar? You don?t think I can spot a coincidence, or a lie? I?ve been on the streets for years. Shaddaa. Tatooine. Carratos. Every scum hole you could think of I?ve been there. If anything--Grah!? She shouted. Unholstering her blaster, she shoved the man in her apartment away from her, a good few feet. She watched him stumble and regain his stance, watching his movements closely.

Pointing her 434 blaster at him, she asked. ?Tell me the truth, what?s your name? Now. And don?t say it?s Vykk Draygo, or you?re getting a blaster bolt through your head. I know you?ve been lying to me about everything. That man who was chasing us? That story of him getting upset over not getting a tip from one person out of an entire diner? It doesn?t fit at all.?

Sara was tired of being played with. For all she knew she could have just harbored a serial killer. A runner from the Empire. A Rebel Agent. Who knows? Maybe he?s just a bounty hunter looking to collect on her head. If the latter were true, this would be one too many she had fallen for. In any case, she was getting his name and the truth. Then it hit her. She lowered her blaster just a bit, still keeping it trained on him. Sar took a deep breath, exhaled and asked softly. ?Why would you pick an alias? You?re in the same situation as me aren?t you? Hunted??

She didn?t know how else to pin it, at all else, he could be hunted by a criminal or the Empire. Maybe even the Rebels if he was once apart of them. The serial killer option was still open too, and she would find out.

Tag: HanSolo29

 

IC: Jula Selmur, the Haven Interdictor.

Waking up, and realising that she had embarked on a new chapter to her life, seemed amazing to the former ship?s captain.

Accepting Master Yoda?s offer of becoming a jedi student! Her own decision boggled her mind, but here she was, on a huge ship among people who cared about her.

She lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, getting everything straight in her head.

Okay. Now what?

Jula swept back the covers and got out of bed, swinging her legs down over the side.
The cabin had a fresher, so she used the facilities to freshen up, then got dressed. Hopefully, they would outfit her in the loose jedi tunics and trousers soon. The sooner she looked the part, the better.

Tag: no-one

 

~OOC~

I apologise for the delay in posting. This week has been a bit chaotic with a clash between work and studies. I hope to respond to tags and have some posts posted this weekend.

I thank you for your patience.

 

~IC~ Tomaas Azzameen, Galin Azzameen, Ralph Goodman
Location: Toydaria


"Thank you, ?Maximum Overload?." Tomaas acknowledged. "We'll commence docking operations."

He felt concern for his son as he saw that the 'Sabra' will be docking first. He didn't know his client well enough and there was always a possibility that they can turn hostile. That is always a threat when hauling cargo for independent parties and today is no difference.

Watching the 'Sabra' had initiated their docking sequence with the Mobquet and soon it will be his turn to do the same. 'Galin is a strong kid' Tomaas assured himself, 'and Ralph is there to handle any situation that may arise.'

When Tomaas was younger and starting out cargo transporting, transfers like these used to make him feel anxious and excited. The adrenaline from the anticipation of facing the unknown, meeting new people and possible future contacts. There?s a good chance Galin was going through those stages but for him it was another job and the same old routine.


Onboard the 'Sabra', Ralph and Galin awaited the airlock to complete it's cycle.

Noticing the teenager fidgeting, Ralph placed a hand on his shoulder to assure Galin before handing him a datapad."Take it easy kid, no need to get nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Galin grumbled as he took the datapad and shook the arm from his shoulder. "I've done this before a few times with Dad."

"Yeah but your father is not here this time so pay attention." Ralph pointed to the datapad. ?Don?t forget about the invoice for the cargo.?

Before Galin could respond, the airlock hissed and opened. Two men waited for them on the other side. There was a few seconds of silence before Ralph subtly prodded Galin forward with his elbow to get him to speak.

?Uh..? Galin took a deep breath, thinking what his father might do. He has seen him do it plenty of times but at this moment his mind went blank. Looking to the older man of the two, Galin stuck his hand out to shake the man's hand.

?Hello... I am Captain Azzameen of the ?Sabra?, this is..." Gesturing with his other hand behind him. "...my associate, Ralph Goodman. I believe we have a delivery for you.?

Ralph nodded and rocked back slightly on his heels as he eyed the men, they seem okay so far but too soon to tell. As he watched, he waited to show them to the cargo hold.

TAG: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels

 

IC: Capt. Trawl and POF Logan
Location: Toydarian space

As the outer doors opened up, the Captain was surprised to see a young kid at the other end. He hesitated for a moment which to Logan seemed like an awfully long time and finally smiled.

?Well, I would offer you some Corellian whiskey Captain, but I don?t think you?re old enough.? He stepped forward through the airlock and extended out his hand, chuckling slightly. ?I am Captain Trawl. This gorilla behind me is Logan.?

Logan nodded to the strangers.

?Do you have the manifests?? Logan stepped closer as Logan stayed inside the ship. The Captain?s body language was open and friendly.

TAG: Captain Azzameen

 

IC: Union Blockade reinforcements
Location: Borders of Union Space

There was a visible blur of pseudo-motion, which saw the stars in a patch of space shift slightly to the left, and then four ships of varying sizes appeared, reverting to realspace.

The largest of all, the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, was not an Imperial vessel at all, but a part of the Kuat Sector security fleet, dis-honoured by coming off worst in a brief exchange with an Imperial Gamma-class assault shuttle, and working with the Empire to regain some of its pride.

The warship, the Aeon Flux, was flanked by two Nebulon-B escort frigates of the Lok Taskforce that Commodore Valentine oversaw, and lastly, much smaller than even the frigates, a Lancer-class anti-starfighter vessel, the Favourite Daughter.

She was also a KDY Sector vessel, but was in Imperial territory on assignment, to represent Kuat in the hunt for their rogue Eclipse SD.
She was temporarily between orders.

Marcin Kalendo, captain of the ?Flux, contacted the person in charge.

?Aeon Flux calling the ?Kiss. We are onsite, and are awaiting orders.?

Tag: The Admiral

 

OOC: A post once again brought to you by myself and Corellian_Outrider

~IC~ Feye Solkrest and Rowan Halcyon

A long long time ago...

Location: An ancient world far from 'civilised' space

I bowed my head and smiled at him, he definitely had good qualities in him, and some qualities I definitely recognised from my side of the family. It is weird how a war can bring some families together. "Now Rowan you should prepare your distraction, get your soldiers ready and have the civilians prepare for evacuation. Time to get the ball rolling as they say"

~~~

Sighing, I nodded my head to Feye. "I'll wait one more hour, if our scouts have not returned by then, then I'll give the evacuation instructions and prepare for them."

~~~

I nodded. "That should give us enough time to prepare for evacuation. I advise you give your people the evacuation order just to be safe. Then it wouldn't take too long to get everybody on board the ships"

~~~

Turning my head, I refrained from grimacing at the mention of ships. The last thing I want is to compromise the culture here any further by exposing them to advance technology. I would seem like magic to their eyes and then that is where unpredictability gets in the way. Either panic, or be condemned as a 'sorcerer' and be burnt at the stake.

"The ships.." I started but paused. "I got it all wrong. Instead of ours, what of their's?" My hand waved to the direction of the entrance of the tent. "Something to cross the lake?"

~~~

I raised an eye brow at that "It could help, however we need to get these people off planet as quickly as possible. It could help but it could be too slow"

~~~

"I won't use our ships unless we have exhausted all other options." I shook my head.

"What of a raft?" Kaylee interupted. "We can cut down trees easily enough and we have rope to bind it."

~~~

I stroked my chin with my fingers deep in thought. Rowan definitely did not want to get off this planet but I had to try to get him off. Father's homeworld or not it wasn't safe and an heir to the throne of Corellia would make it even more dangerous for him. "Kaylee has a point, it could be done but I still say we need to evacuate fully. It isn't safe for you here and everyone would be much safer back on Corellia, I can gurantee that"

~~~

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a brief second. "Forgive me, I am not used to having anyone concerned for my safety. I am learning but there are times where... it bewilders me and sometimes unsure how to handle it."

~~~

I smiled at that and put an arm around him. "My dear cousin, soon you will learn that people care for you so much. You are not alone in this universe and beleive me when I say this. Whatever I say is for you and the safety of your people"

~~~

Focusing my gaze on her eyes as I felt her words and warmth are sincere. "Our people..." I murmured and flashed a smile. "If it was like a river that flows swiftly... we could divert with a dam. There be no need for me to remain her and I can return home with ease."

~~~

"I like your thinking Rowan" I said "It could help you a hell of a lot. And it could give you a lot more time"

~~~

"Hmmm... what element would make a good barrier from them and us..." Averting my eyes from hers to the crackling hearth at the centre of the tent. "Fire, earth or water?"

~~~

Again I stroked my chin in thought. "Fire is too dangerous as is water. Earth is the best way, you can create a barrier that can stand firm for years to come"

~~~

"Earth." Kaylee nodded. "We have had some earthmoving experience back during the Campaign. We could get Kal to free up tons of material and transport it to block their path at a choke point, they would have to back track and go around." She paused and shook her head. "I don't think we have the time to do it in a way that would go undetected."

~~~

I considered perhaps something I had heard about, it was only myth, but perhaps…"Do any of you have Force powers? It could help"

TAG: Rowan and Kaylee

 

~IC~ Tomaas Azzameen, Galin Azzameen and Ralph Goodman
Location: Toydaria

"I'll be old enough soon enough...in... certain parts of the galaxy." Galin grinned as he shook Captain Trawl's hand, nodding to Logan to greet him. Releasing the Captain's hand, Galin lifted up his other holding the datapad Ralph had given him.

"I do have the manifest. If you have a datapad handy I can transfer a copy to you. However...? Galin gave an apologetic look. ?...it only covers the cargo that we have on board this ship. The other set is on the 'Otana'"

Looking briefly to Ralph, while searching his memory for what type of cargo they were carrying, the labels on the containers had similar branding on them: Food Supplies. Directing his attention back to the Captain, holding the datapad ready to give him a copy of the manifest.

Ralph stepped back and gestured to the corridor behind him that leads to one of the main cargo holds on the ship. "When you are ready, let's step this way and unload."

* * * * * * * *

Tomaas leaned back in the pilot's seat, running a quick diagnostic on his freighter's systems. Keeping an eye on their client and their surroundings, everything appears to be going smoothly from the outside but that is no reason to get comfortable. Anything could happen between now and when they'll get back home.

Being in independent space, such as this Hutt controlled region, makes it less likely for an Imperial patrol to come across them. Pirates, on the other hand, have been known to attempt hijacks on freight vessels while in mid transfer. He trusted that the pilots patrolling the space around them will be vigilant with their fighters when the time comes. With the safety of his son on his mind... Galin in the midst of a transfer, there wouldn?t be fast way to stop and disconnect both vessels if such a situation arises. If it comes to it, he will be ready to help buy time to make sure they all escape.

TAG:Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels

 

~OOC~ A joint post between Jerjerrod-Lennox and myself

~IC~ Rowan Halcyon, Feye Solkrest and Kaylee
A long long time ago...
Location: An ancient world far from 'civilised' space

Double blinking, narrowing my eyes slightly and exchanged a glance with Kaylee. She is one of few who knew how I felt about my past and training. "'Powers', as in the ability to draw upon the Force..." Reluctantly, I admitted. "I am capable of such things."


I smiled "Excellent, because maybe perhaps, this is only just a rumour I have heard that people who use the Force can project images into people's minds and bend their minds to thier will. Perhpas you could cousin, project an illusion?"


"There are individuals that are capable of such feats, some are more attuned than others-" I caught myself about to protest to her suggestion. Hesitating for a moment to allow it to sink in, it does have merit. "An illusion to hide our camp would be taxing if we are forced to maintain it for an extended period of time...." glancing to the hearth again. "...unless we use fire... and some help..."


I had another brainwave. "Perhaps you could create the illusion of the barrier there, whilst your friend up above then comes down and creates it, or just build up the illusion of a barrier there in order to trick them"


"We need more than Kal..." My thoughts went to a certain individual. "We may be able to pull it off but with a little help. To sell the illusion we need to deceive the other senses; smell and taste. If we could get a few others to volunteer to light some controlled fires... that would enhance the projection."


"And you'd better make sure those fires are controlled" I warned pointing my finger at Rowan "One small slip could reduce the illusion to nothing and cause damage"


Chuckling, I grinned at her. "Don't worry, I am not so flammable. It'll be under control."


I smirked at that remark. "You want to test that theory out?" I winked and turned to Kaylee. "Get as many people as you can to create this illusion, we need it to look as real and feel as real as it can. We are running out of time"


Folding her arms in front of her chest, Kaylee nodded in agreement. "We'll need to have the smoke before they are near. After lunch I'll round up some people... Rowan, you better speak to Kal and don't wait till last minute."

"Last minute or not, Kal won't want to miss being part of the action anyway. I won't be able to keep something this big from him."


"Excellent, then it's settled. Make your arrangements. I'll have my bodyguards provide what assistance they can and have my ship prepped and on standby just in case you need more orbital assistance. Let's get cracking "

TAG: Feye

 

IC: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels
Location: Toydaria

"I'll be old enough soon enough...in... certain parts of the galaxy." Galin grinned as he shook Captain Trawl's hand, nodding to Logan to greet him. Releasing the Captain's hand, Galin lifted up his other holding the datapad Ralph had given him.

"I do have the manifest. If you have a datapad handy I can transfer a copy to you. However...? Galin gave an apologetic look. ?...it only covers the cargo that we have on board this ship. The other set is on the 'Otana'"

The moved out of the way and allowed all the cargo to be brought aboard to the Alliance cargo ships. The X-Wings continued their defensive patterns around the ships but expanded it to include the other cargo ships around their own personnel.
Logan watched with a defensive posture but maintained his cool while cargo past between him and the hull. Captain Trawl was looking through the manifest to make sure all goods were accounted for in the hold. 30 minutes had passed without any problems.

?Well Azzameen. I think we cleaned you out here. Let?s have the other ship dock with us and finish this up. The more time we spend up here the juicier the target becomes for pirates.?


TAG: Tomaas Azzameen, Galin Azzameen and Ralph Goodman

 

OOC: First of all I want to apologize to Jerjerrod-Lennox for keeping her for so long and not responding to her tag and for the short reply that I make now... I want to thank her for her patience.

Also want to add that I will post the characters' CSs when Pasha is available so that I can still post as my other characters.

IC: ARC Commander Alpha, Lord Admiral James Xavier
On-board VenSD ?Roadblock?

Alpha opened his eyes slowly, the artificial lightning on the ceiling pierced his head with its intensity. The vision was still blurred and there were colorful dots flying around so the clone closed his eyes to rest a bit more. He wanted to groan but could not make a sound, his mouth was dry. His body was hurting as if it was thrashed by a reek...several times. His head was pounding heavily and for a moment Alpha believed that he might have been drunk and was suffering the aftereffects. There were no recollections of spending the night in the ship’s cantina. The ARC moved his tongue around to spread the little saliva left to moisturize it. He could feel a strange metallic taste, quite familiar one...was that blood? Something was wrong, ‘Did I get in a fight? I have to speak with General Torian...’ then the image inside his mind changed... An ice cave and... a MagnaGuard?

Alpha forced himself to open his eyes. The blurred image slowly resolved into the infirmary of a Venator-class Star Destroyer. It was not a nightmare after all, he had betrayed the ARR. The Commander groaned, he wished the past months were not real, he wished to be in the loving embrace of Dennii. He shouldn’t have followed his stupid instincts and try to ally himself with Grievous. If he hadn’t done that, probably he would have had a real family and would have fought the Empire...not help it. There was nothing he could do at the moment though, there was no going back to the ARR, the CIS were destroyed, maybe the Mandos will take him back... No, he could not go to them, not with a loved one who is a Jedi. ‘Maybe I should take my time and strike when I can do the most damage...For now I will play along...’

Then the shoulder reminded of itself, a sharp pain stabbed him. Still there was no recollection of how exactly got this, not that it was the first time he had been injured. ‘I hope it won’t become a habit...’ he wanted to laugh, but there was no strength or will to do it. Alpha doubted that he will be able to laugh again, his life finally shattered, all he had fought for – undone. ‘I am becoming a mindless automaton...Maybe that is the point, the blasted Kaminoans, they have cursed me with the more independence. How simple life would have been if I were like the regular grunts...’. No, no, there was no time, nor use for such thoughts. It was his mind that had kept him alive, his mind and conviction. “I have to survive as long as I can to carry my revenge...’’

Only then he realized that he was not alone, there was one of his ner’vods – a Clone, sitting in a chair with a half-smile on his face.

“I wondered when you will notice.”

“Yeah, sorry for that ner’vod...”

“No prob...ner’vod...You seem to use Mando’a a lot. You, feelin OK?”

“Yeah, I’ve been through worse. What happened?”

“To make a long story short, you had a nasty encounter with a MagnaGuard...”

“Well, this is reckless even for me...Though I tried to take on Grievous on Boz Pity. Who won?”

“You did, though the clanker managed to hit your shoulder...”

“Yeah, I figured as much... How long have I been out?”

“Not long, maybe a day or two. By the way I am CT-1357, but you can call me Sparks. I don’t know whether you remember me, but I have been serving under you in several campaigns. The last, before Mygeeto, was on Boz Pity.”

Alpha, smiled, a familiar face, not that he remembered the man. He had encountered quite a lot of ner’vods to remember them all. But still, they had been in same campaigns several times. Probably the man could be trusted. He knew that some clones did not like the new order...but there was nothing they could do, not with the short life spans. He remembered something, Kal Skirata, the old chakaar was doing some digging on this issue, even volunteered him for an experiment that was actually successful, well several years passed for the effects to appear, but it was a success. That happened when they found him after Boz Pity and Ventress stealing the medical shuttle. He was unable to do anything because of Grievous who had damaged his spinal cord and got him paralyzed. Thanks to Skirata and the Nulls, they managed to bring him to a medical facility where he got some transplants and prosthesis. It took some time though to start walking again...But all that was in the past, there was no time for that. The most important thing was that Skirata is somewhere and he knew how to stop the accelerated ageing. Probably there will be some time to find him and tell him that the experiment was successful. There might be a chance to distribute the cure to the rest of his brothers. Then to take up arms against the Empire, he chased the thought away, this was wishful thinking that would not bring anything good. But still...

“Before I leave you to rest I want to say that we know what happened that night and afterwards. We understand, at least some of us.”

Alpha remained silent, Sparks was referring to his denial to execute Order 66 and his subsequent flight to the ARR. What an irony, to run from the Empire so that he would end up back in its ranks. Maybe this was his fate after all, what Dennii called it – the will of the Force. Either way, the ARR were too good for him to stay...too idealistic. There was no going back for him...

Elsewhere in “Roadblock”

James was sitting in one of the chairs sipping from his flask his favorite spirits drink. It had been a long day and he needed some rest. He was not that young anymore and the thought that he would have to write a lot of reports on what he had witnessed made him feel even more tired. The last few days made him feel confused about the outsiders’ strength and the Union’s deficiencies to defend themselves. There will be a lot of things to be written and analyzed, the good thing was that the duchess will be willing to listen and take action to prevent the catastrophe. Though the Imperials were not prone to take extreme action to accomplish victory, this could be of an advantage for the Union.

The Lord Admiral knew there will be a lot of work to be done to improve the situation before it was too late. He took another sip from the flask, the amber colored liquid burned his throat. It helped him to fall asleep, after so many years of serving in the armed forces, a couple of civil wars and the incursion of the CIS in the Union territory took its toll. He then opened his journal to take some notes, as he opened some of the pages he noted the quotes he liked to use. “Heresy grows from idleness.” “The meaning of victory is not the defeat of your enemy but his utter destruction, to eradicate him from living memory, leaving no remnant of his endeavours, crushing utterly his every achievement and removing from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the true meaning of victory.”

He turned another page and a small picture fell from it. James was an old- fashioned man so he liked to carry printed pictures of people he cared for. The one that fell on his lap was of Commodore Sayena, his dear friend and occasionally lover. After the death of Lilian, so many years ago, he found a bit comfort with her. Though a lot younger than him she shared these feelings too. The Lord Admiral was considering a retirement to finally create a family, after all House Xavier must not disappear in such a disgraceful manner. The Atreides will surely need their services in the future. After all he was entitled for a retirement, he had served in the Union military for far too long. Probably will remain as a teacher in the military academy and will be called for opinions on different issues, but he will live with that. Luckily he had a lot more years ahead as his privileged status of a head of a house brought him a prolongation of his life with three to four decades if he led a healthy life. Enough time to have a child or two. His relationship with the Commodore was kept a secret that no-one knew about, even his sister Helena, especially her. The good thing was that Sayena comes from a well respected family so there won’t be big political consequences. But this was for the future, he should concentrate on the present.

The Lord Admiral leaned backwards to rest his head. Then sleep came to him...finally.

TAG: Dr. Rufus, anyone else on-board Roadblock

 

~IC~ Tomaas Azzameen and Galin Azzameen
Location: Toydarian space

?Thank you Captain Trawl, I... best be on my way then.? Galin nodded in agreement. ?It?s a pleasure meeting you.?

With the transfer wrapped up, Galin returned to the cockpit as the airlock sealed shut. Directing power to start up the engines, the ?Sabra? uncoupled from the ?Maximum Overload?. Gracefully performing a slow roll on its axis away from the Mobquet, blue light flared out from the engine exhaust as the sublights kicked in to propel the small freighter forward in the vacuum of space.

Watching from his vantage point, Tomaas let out a sigh of relief as he saw the ?Sabra? had finished with it?s docking operation. Shaking his head as he saw the move Galin pulled with the Corellian vessel. It is a freighter, not a snubfigther, something he will have to remind his son about. Outside, the YT-1300 freighter slowed to a holding position a couple of a hundred metres away from them and now is Tomaas? turn to dock with the hauler and unload the cargo.

He easing on the controls, he brought the ?Otana? along side the Mobquet. Having carefully manoeuvred his ship into position, there was a small jolt as the freighters docking rings connected. Tomaas got up from the pilot?s chair, sealed the access to the cockpit behind him as he left for the main hold.

This shouldn?t take as long as it did with the ?Sabra?. With the ?Sabra?s interior compartment configuration done in a way to maximise the freight capacity that they can store, the ?Otana?s layout balances between being living spaces for his family and cargo capacity. Waiting outside the airlock for the atmosphere to pressurise between the two vessels, he adjusted his utility belt, his datapad stored snug inside the pouch. As the hatch doors opened, he smiled as he stepped forward to greet his client.

"Greetings, welcome to the ?Otana?.? Tomass introduced himself. ?I am Captain Tomaas Azzameen.?

TAG: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels

 

IC: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels
Location: Toydarian space

"Greetings, welcome to the ?Otana?.? Tomass introduced himself. ?I am Captain Tomaas Azzameen.?

Trawl extended his hand to Tomaas. ?Pleasure Captain.? He looked over the man?s shoulder, ?What have you brought us??
He turned to POF Logan, ?And how soon can we unload your cargo and high-tail it out of this place??

TAG: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels

 

~IC~ Tomaas Azzameen
Location: Toydarian space

Trawl extended his hand to Tomaas. ?Pleasure Captain.? He looked over the man?s shoulder, ?What have you brought us??

He turned to POF Logan, ?And how soon can we unload your cargo and high-tail it out of this place??


Tomaas felt mutual about the need to leave, their ships have been in this region for some time now. The longer it took, the higher the chances of complications.

Tomaas shook the man's hand. "I've brought assorted supplies... medical related." Reaching for his pouch, he took out his datapad and gave him a copy of the manifest.

"It shouldn't take long, roughly....." Tomaas' eyes narrowed briefly as he did the calculations in his head. "Twelve to eighteen minutes. Depends on how fast we are and how many hands helping."

With a sweep of his arm to his right, he guided them down the corridor to the main cargo hold. The access way opened with the containers ready to be transferred.

TAG: Captain Trawl, POF Logan and Alliance Vessels.