Star Wars Rise of Black Sun [No Longer Accepting New Players]

Thank you Vigo Shadow Trooper, I'm afraid that the exact details are sketchy. But If the report is to be trusted then we can verify that a high member in the Besadii Clan is involved, possibly Arok as he is known to be a frequent Guest of the Pykes. At least three members of Kajidic Sceandoa. A lesser family to be sure, making identification difficult, but based on the colors schemes of their ships, and the models Ut-reb speculates that it is Wara, Viszu, and Quere the Hutt. All known addicts and allies of the Pykes, but this is just speculation.

The Crime families are another matter entirely. Truthfully we don't know the full extent of their contribution to the Pykes armada, but most of them seem to have set up their operations between levels 1300 and 1350 of Courscant's criminal underworld. Beyond that, our intel has uncovered nothing. We only know that much because they seem to be fond of decorating their ships with their families base locations. Foolish, but helpful to us. And i'm sure the Empire will be eager to do away with these rogue elements no matter what. When dealing with them it is best to shoot first and ask questions later.

This will certainly weaken them drastically, though we are still in for one hell of a fight, the won't give up easily.

If there are no objections, or further offers I will be sending out mission briefings to your personal communicators, if there is anything you feel you are particularly suited for, feel free to make a request.

When you complete your objective move to the next highest priority if you can.

From highest to lowest
1 Oba Diah
2 Kessel
3 Karedda
4 The Garrison Moon.

But Make No Mistake, in the terms of the over all plan ALL of these are our top priority, it is simply far easier to sort them out from most difficult to least in this manner. If one of these fails, then the whole mission is at risk of failing, do not take your job lightly.

 

ConservativeJedi321: As advisor to the Black Sun Overlord, I am ill-suited to lead any military conquest. If you allow me, I would like to have a diplomatic role in the operation. While Shadow Trooper is handling negotiations with the Hutts, I would like to deal with the Coruscanti crime families. Perhaps, there are other options available than destroying the criminal organizations on Coruscant.

Maybe, s_heffley could persuade Zeema to take charge of certain military operations. Not too long ago, she personnally oversaw the capture of the Mustafar Citadel. By doing so, she left quite an impression on the Vigo Council.

Darth Master Titus probably has some mercenaries standing by. They could be given an assignment as well.

 

ConservativeJedi321 If you have the credits, you could also post a Bounty on the Pyke's leaders. I have a strong business relationship with Cradossk and I know he would be eager to commit his hunters to your war provided the price is right. They will be of limited use against the enemy fleet of course, but I imagine they would be quite handy at eliminating individual troublesome leaders during the battle.

 

Of Course General Immodet I presumed as much, that is why I did not send you a role with the rest. Though your particular talents would indeed be better suited on Coruscant to ensure all goes smoothly. You may attempt to deal with the Crime Families if you wish, but be weary, they make their life on treachery and deceit, take any thing they say with grains of salt, and be sure to be prepared for a fight. They are unpredictable.

It will be up to s_heffley and Darth Master Titus to determine who they wish to partake in their capture of the Garrison moon and Kessel itself. I trust their decisions in that regard. But I do feel we should have someone overseeing our part of the Attack fleet, I have never worked with Admiral Screed before, the imperial database speaks highly of him, but I do not feel comfortable leaving our naval forces in the control of an unknown element. It would be best if one of ours could be up in space with him commanding our forces and keeping an eye on him. If they have someone they believe to be suited to that, I would be grateful.

On the topic of the bounty, I have not yet set up my operations to such a degree so as to have much spare change, My wookiee lieutenant Wravachar has recently came into control of some modified T-7 Ion disruptors, very rare, very dangerous, I had been considering using them in the fight to soften up the Pykes, but if we might sell them, the credits would be enough to get any Bounty Hunters to accept the offer, I will have to consider this.

 

ConservativeJedi321 I am quite wealthy from my Smuggling Operation, particularly the Spice Trafficking Branch. As eliminating the Pykes would increase the demand for Spice from both my Couriers as well our allies in the Desjillac, it would be in my interests to help pay for the Bounty. I will wire you a sum of credits to help pay for the costs of the Bounty. Another thing to keep in mind is that you only need to pay the Hunters upon successful completion of the jobs. If our troops manage to reach the targets before the Hunters, than we don't have to give them a single credit. We would still be benefiting from any losses they cause the enemy in pursuit of their quarry, so it would be essentially having free soldiers. And if they do manage to kill the targets, that would shift the battle massively in our favor as the common troops will collapse without leadership.

 

Indeed thank you Vigo Shadow Trooper. Be sure to wire it to an off planet account though, one of the difficulties of working on Alderaan is that their Anti-Corruption laws makes transferring money impossible, they watch their planets banks like a Thoat Hawk. Send it to Polis Masa instead, and the bounty will be on the Pykes faster than Hyperspace. I get the feeling we will get to them before the hunters, but putting a little extra pressure on them can't do any harm. *Smirks*

 

Coruscant

Since Black Sun had gained many enemies on Coruscant, General Immodet did not want to arrive on the planet in plain view. Instead, he chose to travel to the Galaxy's capital dressed up as a Ffib missionary. The transportation to Coruscant was crowded with all sorts of people, so the presence of a Ffib did not attract much attention. When the vessel settled down on-planet, Immodet disappeared within the dense crowd. Not too long after, he contacted a Sakiyan bodyguard called Kallas. Although Kallas now was being employed by crimelords on Coruscant, he had done jobs for Black Sun in the past.

Without including Prince Xizor, Immodet had met with several high-ranking Imperials. As part of the agreement, the Imperials would start harassing members of the Coruscanti Crime Families. Immodet told them not to fully destroy the crime families, he just wanted to see them ruined. When Immodet left the Imperial Palace, he felt eyes were watching him. Probably, Xizor had hired some spies to keep track of all activity within the Palace.

Immodet's bodyguard, Kallas, had leaked information to Xizor about the Black Sun Overlord advisor's whereabouts. During the evening, the Falleen Prince decided to pay Immodet a visit. He did not mean to scare him, he just wanted to show Coruscant fell within his area of power.

Xizor: Ah, Immodet, my good friend! How are you doing? Long time no see.

Immodet: Xizor, what are you doing here! State your business!

Xizor: Don't worry, I wish you no harm. Let us be honest. Black Sun created trouble for me, I created trouble for Black Sun. Let us forget our differences and work together once more.

Immodet: Very well. Actually, I have a job for you right now. Vigo Shadow Trooper used his influence to persuade smugglers not to take on any work from the Coruscanti Crime Families. If the port officials would stop accepting bribes, then the distribution network of the Crime Families will most certainly crumble. Could you help me out on that issue?

Xizor: Yes, of course. I am most happy to help. The destruction of the Coruscanti Crime Families creates advantages for me as well. I will get to work immediately. Have a good night. Don't forget to contact me if you need something done. I am at your service.

When Prince Xizor had left the building, Immodet looked up his Sakiyan bodyguard who was standing outside the door. Kallas looked quite worried, not knowing how the meeting with Xizor had turned out.

Kallas: I still don't know why you had me leak your whereabouts to Xizor. By doing so, I cannot ensure your safety.

Immodet: You did just fine. I made Xizor think he is in control of the situation. While in fact, everything he sees is what I want him to see.

The Sakiyan grumbled something unhearable as Immodet went back inside his suite. "Quite a strange client", he thought, "he wants me to protect him by me building connections with his enemies".

 

Corellia
While General Immodet was busy neutralizing the Crime families on the Galactic Capitol, Shadow Trooper was busy enacting his part of the plan to erode Pyke support. His first meeting of the day was with his old ally, Durga the Hutt.
"It is nice to see you again Vigo!" Durga rumbled. "I see you have redecorated your office since my last visit." The Hutt glanced pointedly at a blood stain just in front of Shadow Trooper's new desk.
"Yes. I quite liked the old furniture, but I had to dump it after a dispute... with a contractor. But enough with the pleasantries. As much as I enjoy your company, I asked you here for a very specific reason."
Durga: "Of course Vigo. Your communication spoke of some pressing business. What can old Durga do for you."
Shadow Trooper: "Black Sun plans to move on our rivals in the Spice Trade, the Pyke Syndicate, in the very near future. Unfortunately for us, some of the Hutt families have been in negotiations with the Pykes and have sided with them against our forces in order to preserve their trade arrangements with the Pykes."
Durga: "Ah yes, I believe the Kadjidik Sceandoa was put in charge of that operation. They are a minor family but their dealings are backed by our Rivals the Besadii."
ST: I was wondering if you could act as a negotiator between myself and the Hutt council. Make the Besadii well aware that Black Sun will be using overwhelming force against the Pykes. Any Hutt ship that sides with them will be lost and all of their assets will be confiscated by us after the battle. If the Hutts pull out of the battle; however, Black Sun promises to honor any prior arrangement that the Pykes had with the Hutt Cartel.
Durga: This is very good for plan Besadii, but how does clan Desjillac benefit?
ST: You maintain the gratitude of Black Sun, while also having less competitor in the Spice Trade. I have heard rumors that you had your eye on expanding your organization into certain Mid Rim sectors..."
Durga: "Very good Vigo! I will bring your proposition before the Hutt Council at once."
Shadow Trooper grinned at a job well done. Provided Immodet was successful on Coruscant, the Pykes were about to see a massive loss of military strength without Black Sun having to fire a single blaster bolt.

 

Polis Masa
The meeting of the Black Sun leadership had barely ended when ConservativeJedi was contacted by Admiral Screed. He wasn't particularly old, only in his mid to late thirties, but his face was lined with the years of war he had experienced. Nonetheless he was an intimidating presence, standing just a little taller than the Vigo, broad shoulders, and strong features. But the cybernetic eye was what drew most peoples attention first. It wasn't one of the more recent models that could blend in relatively obscurely to someone's face, it was big, clunky, with jagged edges. It was no small task to avoid staring at it, but so as not to offend his imperial guest ConservativeJedi did what he could to avoid doing so. Screed held a lot of influence in the Outer Rim, some called him Palpatine's right hand man in the area. It would do no one any good to insult him.

ConservativeJedi: "Terrinald Screed, what a nice surprise. I am sure you have some good news for me?"
Screed: "Of Course... Vigo. I wish to inform you that I have rallied the Imperial ships that have been offered to your... cause. Is their a location you wish to combine our forces at?"
There was palpable distaste in his voice.
CJ: "Good, the council will be most pleased. Send them to the Halla Sector, Boz Pitty System. That is relatively close to the Kessel Sector in which we will be invading, and it is also mostly uninhabited. We will be able to prepare without being observed."
Screed: "Very well, I hope you realize this is a joint effort, We will operate together, but are still independent of each others commands."
CJ: "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Screed: "How long until your forces arrive?"
CJ: "I will leave immediately, but some of the other Vigos are busy making preparations, I will inform them to head there when they finish."
Screed: "How many troops do you have?"
CJ: "We have not yet been able to unite our force to such a degree to count, each Vigo will bring what troops they have, and we will see how much that is when they all arrive at Boz pity."
Screed: "I hope you are not attempting to scam his Imperial Majesty Vigo."
CJ:" I would never think of doing such a thing."
Screed: "Right..."
CJ: "I hope you Realize that General Immodet will not be directly partaking in the battle, security concerns, you must understand."

Screed simply nodded his head and the transmission went out. ConservaticeJedi sighed in frustration, "Imperials, should never have thrown in with their scum." And turned to leave the room.

 

Coruscant

While the other Vigos were preparing for war, General Immodet had arranged a meeting with the Coruscanti Crime Families. For the last couple of weeks, the criminal organizations on Coruscant were targetted on multiple fronts. Shadow Trooper and Xizor made sure no product could be delivered on-planet. Although the Crime Families had tried to compensate by increasing the production of death sticks, multiple factories owned by the criminal enterprises were closed by the Imperials. During the raid on the factories, several high-ranking members of the Crime Families had been arrested as well. So, when Immodet contacted the leaders of the criminal organizations, most of them were on the brink of losing all their power.

Immodet: Gentlemen, please be seated! How nice to finally meet one another.

Crime Family leader: Let's cut the crap, Black Sun scum! We all know why you demanded this meeting. You cannot impress us with your fancy talking.

Immodet: You are right. I might not be able to impress you by talking fancy, but I sure attracted your attention another way, didn't I? If you want your organization to survive, you must listen very carefully to what I have to say.

Although the Crime Family leaders did not cooperate at first, they didn't have much of a choice. In order for them to survive, they were forced to accept Immodet's proposal which included withdrawing all support from the Pyke Syndicate. Apart from that, the proposal also stated the Coruscanti Crime Families would become a part of Black Sun, creating more profit for both criminal factions.

Immodet: Very well, then our business is done. Have you anything more to say?

Crime Family leader: Yes, I have. Within a few days, the Crime Families will be meeting with Toral Pyke. We would like to hand him over to Black Sun as a gift.

Immodet: Alright, let me know when the meeting takes place. Goodbye.

Escorted by the Sakiyan bodyguard Kallas, Immodet left the building through one of the many backdoors. After making sure no one was following them, they returned to the apartment where Immodet was staying.

Kallas: You shouldn't trust the Crime Family leaders. On the street, people say they are planning to betray Black Sun. Instead of turning you over to Toral Pyke, they will do the opposite.

Immodet: Don't worry. I expected as much.

 

Before he left ConservativeJedi had the difficult task of explaining to Otsisa Frerwalka why he had no intention of bringing her to the battle. He made up an excuse that someone had to watch over the Alderaan operation while they were away, but she was not satisfied. "Your taking the big carpet but not me?" She exclaimed. "He won't even kill anything! Face it, you don't trust me, you think I am a spy for the Pykes or something!" The Vigo couldn't help but cringe, this was awfully close to the truth. He tried to explain it better but she just stampeded away.

Now all this time latter He and Wravachar were aboard The Shade of the Shine II on their way to Boz Pity. They stopped by Nar Shada to pick up a band of mercenaries loyal to the Black Sun, and headed to the rendezvous. Boz Pity was mostly a deserted planet so the three large Imperial ships in orbit really stuck out compared to the brown surface. They boarded the massive Imperial class Starfighter called The Ransacker. They were greeted by a small storm trooper detachment and a deck officer. ConservativeJedi scowled for a brief second, Admiral Screed thought so little of them he didn't even bother meeting them in person. But he swiftly put on a grin of goodwill as he stepped off the ramp onto the hard surface of the hanger. "Admiral Screed is here? Correct?" The Deck officer, a young lad strait out of the academy it seemed eyed the moitly band up and down with disgust before responding. "Yes... he is on the bridge, this way."

Once again he felt as if he were being imprisoned as the dozen or so Storm Troopers surrounded him and escorted him to the bridge. When they arrived the guards opened up just enough to let him see the Admiral. The Deck officer whispered something in his ear, glanced at the Vigo, then the Admiral gave some sort of signal and he left with the troopers. "Not a very cordial welcome Admiral." He too looked the Vigo up and down and grimaced slightly, before putting on a very false looking smile, that must have been a mirror image of the less than believable one on ConservativeJedi's own face. "Oh that is the Empires way of greating respected guests." He said. "You would know if we intended to be rude, I assure you." For the first time in a long time ConservativeJedi actually noticed his own stance, which was at a very military like attention, a left over from his soldiering days. He visably relaxed himself, and addressed the Admiral as an equal. "I'm sure I would. But lets not dwell on what ifs, we are allies now, and allies we should stay." He moved his arm out, expecting to shake the Admirals hand, but he just looked at it without moving himself. "I hope you brought more troops than what came with you." He stated. "The Empire will not be risking this fleet for a hopeless endeavor." Shaking his head ConservativeJedi responded coldly. "No, more are coming. I have spent days coordinating with the Black Sun Leadership and its allies. Just about every Vigo is bringing a sizable force of their own, but our navy will be mostly composed of Vigo Scholomancer's pirate fleet under the Zabrak Jula Vez. Though unfortunately Vigo Scholomancer himself will be unable to partake in the battle, a crisis has erupted on Ord Mantell that he must attend to personally." shuffling his feet he continued. "Also several of our other allies have offered support, both navel, and ground. They should be here in the coming days."

The Admiral nodded his head and said. "Very well, I do hope we might get this over with soon, there are other important things this fleet must do after all." Then he turned to talk with gunnery officer. Just then ConservativeJedi's communicator buzzed. He stepped off the bridge to take the call.
"Yes, this is ConservativeJedi." It was Ut-Reb.
"Vigo, mesa not know whaty yousa dide but several Hutten ships havey lefted orbitte, theysa leaven theirsas allies cold." This was a spot of good new after a rather rough day.
"Good, seems Vigo Shadow Trooper found a way to convince the hutts to withdraw."
"All datis left essa da shipses with Waras colorses."
"Well she has always been a loose canon, never really gotten along with the Hutt council, still that is a massive load off our backs. Anything on the Crime Families ships yet?"
"Eh strangen deysa acten, not yetten retreaten butten dey strayen farthere awayes fromma da rest of da fleet. Notten sure what theysa up too yette."
"That is odd, I hope General Immodet is alright, those crooks can be tricky. Thank you Ut-Reb, stay where you are for now, when the rest of the Vigos arrive I will contact you to withdraw back here."
"Gotten ete Boss."

s_heffley Darth Master Titus

 

It was good to see Errai still in one piece again. Their past was rough, but afters years of being his lead mercenary for the Black Sun, the two grew to like each other. They were friends now. "I see you survived the underbelly of Coruscant. I think you've outdone me!" The two men laughed as Errai pulled up a chair for his boss. "Yes, it was wild down there. And then what happened to Kaird..Xizor had to have got to him..you know you stole my kill, you know" Errai jested.

"I've come to ask for your help once again. Newly appointed Vigo ConservativeJedi321 has asked for my assistance in securing the Spice Mines of Kessel..are you up for it?" Errai shifted in his seat, possibly pondering his answer. Titus began to doubt he'd be up for the task so soon. "Of course. Are we all needed?" Back when Titus first sought out the mercs help, that was when the Black Sun were dealing wit the Ralquesh Guild. At the time, Errai and his team were about a hand-full. Throughout the years, he had been recruiting more mercenaries that he knew, and trusted, from his home planet Ord Mantell. His team grew from about 4 people to now 40.

Losing his base on Mygeeto proved to be crucial financially. Titus lost a fortune. Luckily for him he had multiple sources of residual income that he obtained through years of work. He was a wealthy man, so he could afford all of these mercenaries. "I'll need to find a bigger ship. I have about 19 other mercenaries that I have hired. I'll keep your groups separated," Titus said with a smirk. "Okay, ConservativeJedi is awaiting our arrival at the checkpoint of Boz Pity. Everyone should be battle ready. We have a tough task, but I know you'll be prepared. We depart in an hour."

Within the hour they debarked for Boz Pity from Manaan, 60 mercenaries deep. While the number wasn't too impressive compared to what they might face against the Pykes, all 59 mercenaries accompanying Titus were elite. They could easily take down 20 enemies for every one of themselves.

Hours later they approached the planet. Kessel looked more like a fusion of an asteroid and a planet rather than just a planet or rock. It looked as if it was transforming into an asteroid. But that was besides the point. They arrived at the checkpoint with 60 men, and 3 gunships. As much as the mercenaries wanted to arrive on Kessel in Dreadnoughts and Super Star Destroyers, they were completely impractical to their mission. First of all, to man all three Dreadnoughts and S.S.D.s, they would need nearly 50,000 people to operate the ships. Plus they couldn't make much use of them on the surface. From the ground, the battle would be up close and personal.

They arrived at the checkpoint.."ConservativeJedi, we've arrived. What's next on the list?"

 

Coruscant

At one evening, General Immodet asked Xizor to accompany him on a trip. Although the Falleen Prince wasn't concerned at first, he became more and more worried. Instead of staying in the upper regions, the shuttle headed for the lower levels of the city. Then, Immodet's bodyguard escorted the two Black Sun members towards a cheap, broken-down hotel. Inside the building, the Coruscanti Crime Families were waiting for the arrival of the Black Sun delegation. Xizor's heart began pounding faster and faster as he saw Toral Pyke sitting in the corner. The Falleen Prince tried to turn around, mumbling some excuse, but Immodet's bodyguard grabbed him by the neck. "You are staying", Kallas whispered. Then, everyone got seated and negotiations began.

The Coruscanti Crime Families had informed Toral Pyke about their intention to turn over the Black Sun delegation. Yet, all parties involved decided to keep up appearances at first. Toral Pyke and Immodet discussed ending the war, but both of them seemed unwilling to make any concessions. A Twi'lek servant entered the room, filling up all glasses with wine. One member of the Coruscanti Crime Families didn't wait and began drinking immediately. Not too long after, the Coruscanti crimelord fell down dead on the table. Suddenly, all bodyguards present were pointing their guns at one another.

Crime leader: What is the meaning of this? Immodet, did you try to poison us? How dare you, scumbag!

Immodet: I have no idea what you are talking about.

Crime leader: Prove it! Drink up your wine!

Immodet: Are you mad? I will not risk getting myself killed. If you want proof, then let the servant drink it!

One of the bodyguards picked up the Twi'lek servant, dragging her towards the table. Everyone present was holding his breath, unknowing what would happen next. As the glass was put next to her mouth, the Twi'lek started screaming: 'Please, I don't want to die! The Pykes hired me! The Pykes hired me!'.

Crime leader: Is this true, Toral Pyke?

Toral Pyke: Of course, it isn't! Don't try to insult me. If you insult me, you insult all my ancestors as well.

Crime leader: Let's see for ourselves. Let the girl drink the wine!

The Twi'lek servant somehow got away, running towards the exit. A couple of bodyguards came chasing after her, eventually catching up with her. Back inside the room, the woman was forced to drink Immodet's glass of wine. The poison did not take long to work, making the Twi'lek's body collapse. Everyone watched Toral Pyke, who still did not seem to grasp what had just happened.

Crime leader: Toral Pyke, your head belongs to me! Wait untill I get near ya! I will --

Immodet: Gentlemen, please relax. Toral Pyke's betrayal most certainly touched you all, I understand. Let's not get things out of hand. If you would allow me, now is the perfect time for you hand to over your gift. I assure Toral Pyke will suffer for his treacherous behaviour. But first, he will hand over all information. Black Sun will forever be grateful of your cooperation. You are the ones who helped Black Sun destroy the Pyke Syndicate once and for all. Thank you.

Carefully, Immodet's bodyguard helped Toral Pyke stand up. Since all people present wanted to kill him, Toral did offer no resistance. Back inside the shuttle, Prince Xizor looked at Immodet, wondering how much of the events had been planned.

The Falleen Prince couldn't have been closer to the truth. When Immodet found out the Coruscanti Crime Families were planning to betray him, he put a plan into motion. While using the Pyke Syndicate's name, one of his agents had hired the Twi'lek servant to poison everyone inside the room except for Toral Pyke. By making it seem like the Pykes were trying to kill them, all Coruscanti Crime Families would soon turn on their previous ally. 'Contact the Vigo Council, ConservativeJedi321, Shadow Trooper, Darth Master Titus, s_heffley, tell them I have captured Toral Pyke', Immodet ordered Kallas.

 

Corellia
Having handled the business with the Hutts in a satisfactory manner, Vigo Shadow Trooper turned his attention towards dealing with Cradossk. The old Trandoshan was another old partner of his, dating back to when he had first ascended to Vigo following the death of Overlord Alexi Garyn.
"Cradossk, My comrades on the Vigo Council have posted a Bounty on the leaders of the Pyke Syndicate. Our informants have told us that these leaders will be on a variety of Spice Worlds like Oba Diah, and Kessel. Send your best bounty hunters... or you might force me to contact Fett instead."
It was hard for the Corellian to read Reptilian facial expressions, but he was quite certain that Cradossk was not amused by the mention of his rival. Boba Fett was a relatively new Bounty Hunter, but he had already created quite the Reputation as the most proficient Bounty Hunter around. He was also a freelancer, and thus a major annoyance for Cradossk's organization.
Cradossk: "There is no need to hire outside the Guild. Freelancers are notoriously unreliable, meanwhile I personally make sure all of my Bounty Hunters are of the highest quality. However since you seem so concerned, I will send you 10 of my best hunters, led by mine own son Bossk."
ST: "That will be suitable. Remember that I pay only on confirmed captures or kills."
Cradossk: "Of course Vigo. Do you have a preference on the state of the captive."
ST: Just do whatever it takes to remove them from the battle."

Once Cradossk was dismissed, Shadow Trooper turned his attention to Vigo General Immodet's report about the operation with the Crime families. He was quite excited when he learned that the Vigo had manipulated the situation so that he could both break the alliance of the Coruscanti while also capturing the Pyke's representative. The Smuggler was eager to learn what information General Immodet would glean from his interrogation of their captive.

 

Boz Pity
Vigo Scholomancer's fleet came out of hyperspace at about mid day. ConservativeJedi was eager to see the two fleets merge into one. He immediately took The Shade of the Shine II to the Capital ship nicknamed The Racketeer He met up with Jula Vez on the bridge. She was a Zabrak female, about thirty five years of age, but she had seen more than her fair share of conflict during The Clone Wars. She hadn't been the leader of the fleet for long but she carried her command well.

Her greeting was certainly far more welcoming then the Imperial Delegations. She met him with a booming laugh and shook his hand with great enthusiasm. "So your the rising star from Alderaan, good to meet you at last." He returned her greeting with a genuine smile. "Well its good to meet you too, Admiral Vez, Vigo Scholomancer speaks very highly of you." "Well i'm honored." "What forces do you have?" ConservativeJedi asked. "Oh we got a few Vengeance class frigates, several Keldabe-Class battleships, and a whole bunch of Crusader-Class corvettes. Ha, sorry Vigo, been a long time since I counted. But surely more than enough to stand toe-to-toe with whatever them Pykes got. And those Imperials will certainly put us over the top." "Good, but don't underestimate them they are dangerous." "Ok, I won't, so when is the battle beginning" "Well, if our Imperial friends had their say it would have already have begun, and we might all be dead from his impatience. But we need to wait, Vigo s_heffley isn't here yet, and Vigo Shadow Trooper still is busy dealing with necessary arrangements to ensure the battle goes smoothly. When their forces both get here we may go. And General Immodet is also apparently in some rather important... "negotiations" that could change the tide of this war. I'd like to see how his attempt to pacify the Pykes goes, before we start slaughtering them." Alright, but don't wait to long, I might get bored or something." She smirked.

He immediately went to the ships communications station, to inform Vigo Darth Master Titus to hold his position until he gave the word. If everything does not go down at the same time, we risk them committing to a counterstrike. He thought. When everyone is ready, we attack, and will cripple their force before they can react.

 

Coruscant

Right after the Black Sun delegation had left the meeting, reports came in about sudden eruptions of violence. Apparently, the Coruscanti Crime Families were starting a war with each other, killing many of their men in the process. Prince Xizor looked at Immodet who was quickly reading through the reports.

Immodet: Apparently, the meeting caused several Crime Families to turn on each other. After the crime organizations on Coruscant have been cleansed, you should contact them again. Remind them of the treaty their leaders established with us. Let's now turn our attention towars our prisonner.

Immodet and Xizor entered the room where Toral Pyke was being held captive. The leader of the Pyke Syndicate had been under constant watch by Immodet's bodyguard, ever since the meeting with Coruscanti Crime Families ended.

Toral Pyke: Please, treat me with the respect my family deserves. Don't lower yourself to the status of those lowlifes.

Immodet: Like you treated ConservativeJedi321, you mean?

Toral Pyke: Thash Krim ordered him being locked up, I didn't.

Immodet: But you are in command of the Pykes, aren't you? So, all responsibility falls back upon your shoulders.

The Pyke leader watched Immodet in disgust, but kept his mouth shut nonetheless. Meanwhile, Immodet's bodyguard brought in equipment which allowed for hologram communication. Then, a communication line was set up with the Pyke Syndicate's headquarters on Oba Diah. Immodet told Toral Pyke he would be released if the Pyke leader could convince his forces to stand down. Since Toral Pyke appreciated his own life above all, he did not offer any resistance. When the Pyke leader contacted the Oba Diah headquarters, he discovered Thash Krim had assumed command. The majordomo did not value Toral Pyke's life high enough for him to call off all military forces. As a result, Toral Pyke and Thash Krim started arguing with each other. Ultimately, the communication was cut off by the Oba Diah headquarters, leaving Toral Pyke's fate depending upon Black Sun.
Shadow Trooper, Darth Master Titus, s_heffley

 

Zeema knew they were running late. It wasn't that Kashyyyk was far from Boz Pity, it could not be closer. It was, however, the long fly from Mustafar that took so long. The team currently aboard the ship Edge 2 consisted of her as the pilot, and Drox as the co-pilot. Faya was also present, acting as the leader of the some 30 men in the ship and the 30 more in the other Correlian freighter accompanying them. S_heffley had wished for Ben to be the co-pilot, but he was currently stuck in an infirmary on Coruscant. Even though Drox was trusted, his full use on the mission didn't seem to extend much beyond being the co-pilot. The soldiers that accompanied them were a mix of guards from back at the base and mercenaries. One of the mercenaries was a Mandalorian who had once been a friend of Ram Ordo, who Zeema hoped would carry on his legacy.

The trip to Boz Pity seemed like nothing compared to the long flight from Mustafar, Zeema realized as the planet loomed before them. The two freighters reached the rendezvous. "This is Zeema, sent by Vigo S_heffley. We have arrived."

ConservativeJedi321

 

ConservativeJedi was in a rather intense discussion with Admiral Screed when he received The Edge 2's incoming beacon. The impatient Admiral felt that delaying the attack any longer would be foolhardy, was determined that the Empire was being used by the Black Sun, and he wanted better compensation.
Screed: "I'm onto you Vigo, the Empire has better things to do than wait here while the Pykes consolidate their men! We could have wiped the floor with them, and been back to Coruscant by now!"
ConservativeJedi: "If I didn't know better I would think you don't trust us Admiral, and if you don't trust us that means you do not trust his Imperial Majesty to make a good deal. He will be most displeased to hear that."
The look of fear on the mans face was almost comical
Screed: "Never, But we most certainly deserve better compensation for our time.
CJ:" You're already getting Kessel, all its surrounding territory, AND your fair share of the Spice."
Screed: "'Fair Share' is pushing it, we deserve at least sixty percent of the output considering what we are putting on the line."
CJ: "What does the Empire want with Spice anyways? The Black sun is bearing the greatest burden here, risking three ships won't even put a dent in the Empires war machine."
Screed: "Nonetheless they are valuable ships, if we are to commit, we need to get more out of it."
CJ: "Emperor Palpatine disagrees, his delegation came to this compromise, the slave labor you get out of this is your fair share."
Just then the beacon went off
*This is Zeema, sent by Vigo S_heffley. We have arrived.*
Activating the consoles communicator ConservativeJedi responded cheerfully
"Good to see you Zeema, don't worry your right on time, the Imperial delegation may be impatient, but I realize the value in delaying our attack. Our plan has greatly improved by taking a little extra time to analyze the enemy terrain. And Vigo Shadow Trooper's men haven't arrived yet anyways. Feel free to board the Racketter and stretch your legs, the battle will be rough, so enjoy this peace while it lasts."
Letting the button go he looked back at the hologram of Screed.
"We will discuss this latter, but we still have much to do before the fight begins. Take this as a chance to improve your strategy too. This won't be easy.

 

Bossk was greatly angered when he learned the news of Toral Pyke's capture. He had greatly anticipated collecting the reward for the leader of the Pyke Syndicate. With the largest target out of the way, Bossk and his team turned their attention to the next highest bounty, the Pyke's Fleet Commander, the Quarren Atchuthe. While the bounty posted him on by Black Sun was not nearly as large as any of the actual members of the Pyke family, Atchuthe was wanted by a diverse variety of other customers for his actions as a pirate. Because the Quarren was acting as one of the main military commanders of the Pyke's fleet, Bossk figured his team's best bet at finding him would be to join the upcoming battle with the forces of Vigo ConservativeJedi321.

 

Coruscant

Since Thash Krim did not want to back off, Toral Pyke's fate depended upon Black Sun's decision. General Immodet contacted the Vigo Council, informing its members about the recent turn of events. Many Vigos seemed to share another view on what should happen to Toral Pyke. Debates went on for hours, untill the meeting was interrupted by Immodet's bodyguard Kallas.

Kallas: Sir, Thash Krim has posted a considerable bounty on Toral Pyke's head. Whatever you are planning to do, please be hurry. Eventually, some bounty hunter will find out where we are staying.

The hologram communication with the Vigo Council was abruptly ended. Immodet wondered what decision he should take. Still doubting, the Overlord's advisor walked outside the room. Prince Xizor, who had stayed around, approached Immodet with a proposal.

Xizor: Maybe, you should consider handing over Toral Pyke to the Imperials. The leader of the Pyke Syndicate would make a good present for the Emperor.

Immodet: You are right. Yet, some members of the Vigo Council might not agree with us. I don't want any Vigo to hold a grudge against me.

Xizor: At least, then you would know how I feel like.

Although delivering Toral Pyke seemed the best option, Immodet refused to take anything Xizor said for granted. Unfortunately, he did not have much of a choice. Bounty hunters could be closing in on his location every minute now. Whatever he decided, he needed to act fast.

 

Corellia
Message to Vigo General Immodet
Re. Toral Pyke
I agree with your proposal to turn Pyke over to the Imps. While I am reluctant to trust Xizor, surrendering custody of Toral Pyke is the safer alternative to fighting the Bounty Hunters. Cradossk tells me some of his guild hunters were disappointed that you got Pyke before they could, as I had posted quite the reward for him. I fear that they might join the freelancers in trying to steal your prize. Although I am certain that you could easily defeat the Bounty Hunters, I am not so sure that a captive and helpless Toral Pyke would survive such a conflict. If any of the Bounty Hunters manage to kill him, than all our chances at getting his information are lost. On the other hand giving him to Palpatine means we could always get his data from the Imperials once they are finished with him.
- Vigo Shadow Trooper

Message to Vigo ConservativeJedi321
Re: Reinforcements
While I am a little bit short on manpower at the present time, I was able to send you a shipload of some of my expert enforcers. Many of them have served in Spice Mines before and they are all masters of CQC. Unfortunately their vessel is inadequate for naval combat, so they will rely on your ships to deliver them to the objective. I would recommend using them for ship to ship boarding action, or for use in attacking any spice producing facility. These are just suggestions of course, ultimate command of the military operation still rests with you. Deploy them as you see fit.
Regard, Vigo Shadow Trooper

 

Message to Vigo General Immodet
Re: Toral Pyke
Whatever the fate of Toral Pyke may be, his suffering is music to my ears. I'm sure the imperials would love to have a little "chat" with him too. He may not have ordered my capture, but he is responsible for the Pirate attacks on imperial citizens in surrounding sectors, they will be sure to treat him how he deserves. My target is Thash Krim, that slimy Pyke will suffer for all his crimes, and only by my hand will he die.

Message to Vigo Shadow Trooper
Re: Reinforcements.
Not to worry, any help is good, and your enforcers are of legendary skill. The planet Karedda is well fortified but I am sure they are more than capable have dealing with the untrained mercs that are guarding it.


Boz Pity
When Shadow troopers men arrived all was prepared. All forces were ready to attack, and ConservativeJedi's heart was racing a million parsec's a second. He recalled Ut-Reb and met him in the hanger of The Racketeer while the engines were being prepped for Hyperspace. As the lanky Gungan disembarked the uncomfortably small freightor that had been his home for the last several weeks, ConservativeJedi and Wravachar were waiting for him.

CJ: "Good to see you alive old friend." Consevative Jedi patted him on the shoulder.
Ut-Reb: "And yousa too boss. A muy bombad warrior you musten be to surviven da toture de Pykeses diden give yousa."
CJ: "I've been through worse than that. The battle is about to begin. Since Wravachar isn't exactly a warrior I have assigned him to engine room duty. His job will be to keep this rust bucket flying. You however will join me in capturing Ob Diah. We have about Five hundred mercenaries joining us, and the empire has offered about three hundred Storm Troopers. That may not be much by the Military standards you are use too, but that is quiet the force we have rallied considering our trade. And anyways, we don't have to win right away, we just have to keep them occupied until the Vigos forces can finish their objective, and reinforce us.... Ut-Reb, are you even listening?"
The Gungan seemed distant, not even looking at the human.
Ut-Reb: "Wha? Sorriese boss, messa concerned aboute something...."
CJ: "What? Spit it out!"
Ut-Reb: "Whenen da most a da crime families withdrewed dey wente different directioness"
CJ: "Most likely to prep for their own war, last General Immodet said they were fighting each other now."
Ut-Reb: "Yessa, but da Pyke forces react theysa dide not, nosa scatteren, nor changen tactics. Justen siten dare dey did..."
CJ: "As if they were... expecting it?"
Ut-Reb: "Yessa, same wen da Hutt forces lefte, Desa plannen something mesa tink, muy muy equipment dey brought, but notin mesa could see, close enough getten I could not. Tink much of it at da time I dide not, butten now..."
ConservativeJedi slapped his forhead. "Kark, kark, kark it all to Hell!" He grabbed his communicator to delay the attack some more but just then he felt the ships jerk, and they were all in hyperspace a moment latter. "NO!" He screamed into the communicator. "Jula Vez, pull out now! They are expecting us!" He ran all the way to the bridge. "What, why, how?" The confused Admiral stated, bewildered. "Stop he yelled again as he speedily arrived at the bridge deck. But it was too late. It wasn't a long jump, that is why they choose Boz Pity as their staging site, it was very close to Kessel. But they regretted it now.

The Blue star line of Hyperspace turned Red, and they were dragged out of the tunnel, back into real space. "What How!?!" She asked again. "A Gravity well Generator, larger than any I have ever seen!" "Where the hell did they get it!" "Must have been one of their rich benefactors. Evasive action's Everyone!" The ship rocked as it was bombarded by enemy fire power, and ConservativeJedi Fell to the floor. "Admiral, we have lost our primary shields!" An officer yelled. "Activate the backup! We are already here, lets turn some Jogans into Jogan Juice. Release the Starfighters immediately! Target that Gravity well! Its not to late, to turn this into a victory but if we do need to retreat it would be best if that thing is star dust by then." She resumed command seamlessly. Meanwhile ConservativeJedi was swearing in every dialect he knew. But he quickly relclaimed his composure, she was right, the Pykes may have caught us off guard but we can still win. He reactivated his communicator.

"All troops, get to your Transports. THE BATTLE HAS BEGUN!!"

s_heffley Darth Master Titus Shadow Trooper General Immodet

 

Coruscant

When Immodet's bodyguard put Toral Pyke in the backseat of the airspeeder, the Pyke leader looked quite worried. Wherever Black Sun was taking him, his fate would be decided upon reaching the destination. Since Immodet valued Toral Pyke's safety above all else, he ordered his bodyguard to take the seat next to the Pyke leader. The Black Sun advisor himself got seated next to Prince Xizor, who would be piloting the airspeeder. Soon after, the airspeeder took off headed for the Imperial Palace.

The airspeeder reached the Imperial Palace safely, although Kallas kept watching the perimeter for trouble. Suddenly, two Imperial speeder bikes appeared next to them. One Imperial soldier exclaimed: 'So, this is the infamous Toral Pyke. Thash Krim says hello'. Then, the two Imperials drew their guns pointing them at the Black Sun assembly. Immodet's bodyguard, Kallas, who was providing cover for Toral Pyke, took two bullets in the chest. At the same time, the Sakiyan bodyguard managed to take out one Imperial soldier by firing a concealed gun. Prince Xizor began returning fire as well, hitting the remaining Imperial soldier's speeder bike. As a result, the speeder bike started spinning around, causing the Imperial pilot to be thrown off. The firefight had attracted attention from the Imperials, who sent Stormtroopers to investigate. As Immodet, Xizor and Toral were taken inside the Palace, the corrupt Imperial soldier was arrested by his own people.

After handing over the Pyke leader to the Imperials, Immodet decided to leave Coruscant. On his trip back to Lorahns, the Black Sun advisor was informed about Toral Pyke's willingness to cooperate. Apparently, the assassination attempt by the two corrupt Imperial soldier had caused him to turn on his former allies. The capture of Toral Pyke wasn't only a success for Black Sun, but for the Empire as well.

Prince Xizor was glad about how the events had turned out. The act of turning over Toral Pyke to the Imperials, would show the Emperor he still had much value. His allegiance towards Black Sun alse had been reaffirmed, probably gaining Palpatine's approval.

 

The Garrison Moon

As a largely neglected part of Kessel, the name seemed to be quite a misnomer. Zeema had heard that at one point, under control of the old Sith Empire, the moon had been used to hold many Sith soldiers and even a Sith training school. The remnants of those times seemed mostly washed away, but just under the possibility of invasion they had kept one of the forts. It was hard to understand why this fort was still needed, but Zeema understood that if they took it, then the enemy would have no place to fall back on. The fort seemed small, but using the intelligence by Black Sun spies Zeema had revived blueprints on the fort. There was a main entrance down into the base through a small dome on the surface, which was actually the only visible part of the base. Well, besides the rocks that had been laid to cover the four secret exits from the corridors. With the odd 100 soldiers under her control currently, she would send 20 men to each exit. Then she would put Faya along with Ram's friend Gleem in charge of a group of 20 more and send them into the dome. Their job would be the hardest of all; don't die while you distract the enemy forces and allow for the flank.

Zeema laid out the plans the combatants, and then went back aboard the Edge 2 to receive updated from them as the battle began.


Gleem had been one of the few to help Ram blow up the mercenary base on Concordia. He had been very excited that day, because he got to work with one of his favorite things: bombs. He really wished Ram would have let him come on more missions. He also wished he would have contacted Black Sun sooner, he seemed to have missed out on a literally explosive event on Mustafar. Nonetheless, he was here now. Sadly he was not blowing up bombs, but disarming them. Zeema promised to let him keep any mines or other explosives that he managed to disarm, which filled him with glee.

All 22 men climbed down the ladder into the compound. It was dark. The garrisoned enemy soldiers must have retreated towards the center of the compound. Gleem turned on the night vision setting on his green helmet, and the 20 soldiers put on the glasses lent to them by the imperials if this exact situation were to occur. Faya, however, seemed highly unaffected by the lack of light. Gleem also turned on his heat sensors, and slowly approached a mine that had been laid out on the floor. He quickly disarmed it, and pocketed it for later.

Up ahead was a t junction, leading form the entrance room into a set of office rooms. Peaking around the corner, Gleem saw no danger on his heat sensors. Before he could step forward, Faya held up a hand to stop him.

"Look," she said, pointing to the floor right in front of them. It was an old fashioned pressure plate. Stepping on it would release a whole barrage of who knows what onto the stepper. It was very large, and impossible to sneak around.

"What should we do?" Gleem asked.

"The only thing we can." Faya responded and stepped out onto the pressure plate. Instantly the doors closed on all sides of the junction, but nothing else seemed to happen. Gesturing everyone to step to the side, Gleem shot at the control panel, opening to door and reveling Faya holding up a huge wave of water with the force.

"GO! I CAN'T HOLD IT UP MUCH LONGER!" Faya yelled.

Gleem and the others quickly ran off to the left, shooting at the control panel to open the door. After disarming a cleverly placed landmine, they rushed into the room. Faya dived in after them, her arm still raised. After once again shooting the control panel, the door closed and Faya collapsed form exhaustion.

Gleem rushed over and scooped her up. He was wondering if she would be okay when she said "I can walk myself, thank you very much."

After many more close calls, all 22 men made it unscathed into the center of the compound. The center was a complex series of corridors, and troubled lurked around every corner. After giving the update to the forces waiting at the exits to begin their attack, it was a free for all. Gleem, of course, threw grenades and Faya killed countless waves of enemies with her lightsaber. When Gleem came face to face with a friendly stormtrooper from one of the squads he knew they had accomplished their goal.

They regrouped above the surface and discovered that about 70 of the men were present. The other 30 were either killed or M.I.A. When they boarded the Edge 2, Gleem mentioned to Faya that they made a good team.

"You don't want to get to attached. The last time that happened S_heffley had to end up killing his best friend." Faya responded, and they set off to Karedda to reinforce.

ConservativeJedi321 Darth Master Titus Shadow Trooper General Immodet

 

Outer Space The Kessel System
The Campaign was massive, they had already lost three corvettes and two battleships. But Jula Vez was determined to push on. They managed to damage the Gravity Well beyond repair, but the fighting was still anything but decided. They didn't even seem to have a formation, this wasn't a battle, it was anarchy. But the enemy force surprised everyone when it retreated back into the direction of Oba Diah, and the Black Sun navel forces followed them, contrary to ConservativeJedi's recommendation. It was obviously a trap, but he was no navel commander, and for once both Screed and Vez agreed on something, that they're best choice was to spring the trap. Though reluctant, the Vigo didn't overrule them, they both had more experience than him in this regard. He had only spent a few months on a Republic cruiser during the war, and he was never in command, so he didn't presume to know better than them.

The skirmish continued and they came upon a mine field, another Corvette and a couple frigates were obliterated by getting to close, but the rest hovered just out of range. Oba Diah was in site. The larger ships couldn't get through, but the Starfighters could. While the capital ships offered what cover fire they could, it would be the difficult task of the more mobile fighters to escort the transports to the surface of the planet. ConservativeJedi joined his squad in the hanger as they boarded the transports. He was worried, but pushed those feelings aside as the doors of the shuttle closed and they took off heading to the fight

Darth Master Titus Shadow Trooper