Troopers of the Vast Empire
Episode I
The Maguphan Menace

OOC:

Disclaimer:
These are not Official Stories as far as VE Continuity is concerned.  Although set in the Vast Empire's Expanded Universe the key Plot and Story Elements are not canon unless Kadann & the VE High Command choose to integrate those Elements into their ongoing plots.  NPCs depicted as being in the DJO are not official DJO characters. 

These stories are already capped for Player Characters.  Myself, Anden Beliam, Dante, Garryll Gates, Ibram Tyrol and Zolos are the PCs in these stories.  Anyone joining/posting without authorization will be deleted.

Last Word on The Force:  If PCs in this story-arc develop Force Abilities they are limited to this story-arc as the 'official' version of the PC is not in the DJO.

Viper Suadron was relaxing in the Pilots' Lounge on board the Executor-class SSD Atrus celebrating a successful mission, when an older model messenger droid floated over to their table.  Approaching Ibram Tyrol the ASN-121 courier droid withdrew a communications cylinder from it's frontal tool chuck, handing it to him; it then repeated the action with Anden Beliam before gliding away and leaving the Lounge.

Grimacing at receiving orders so soon after the last mission, the weary pilots slotted their respective communications cylinder into their personal datapad...


The Orders read:
Executor-class SSD Atrus   
SCAP : Capital Ship Captain : Fleet Admiral Japheth   
1st Vast Imperial Starfighter Wing: Phoenix Wing 
Viper Squadron (The Captain's Own)   
Flight 2 
5 : Flight Leader : Petty Officer 1st Class Anden Beliam
Flight 3   
9 : Squadron Exec Officer : Senior Chief Petty Officer Ibram Tyrol
**Effective Immediately**
For your next mission you are temporarily transfered from Viper Squadron to Alpha Flight.  At 20:00 hours the Storm Raven will dock with the Atrus and wou will transfer to that vessel at that time.  More details will be given by the Mission Leader.  Alpha Flight will be supporting Ravening Platoon.  Pack your essentials, prefered Flight Suits, droids and weapons.  Your own starfighters will be used on this mission and will be transfered to the Storm Raven prior to departure. 
END.

Ibram and Anden glanced at each other then checked their chronos; it was 18:31!

"Sithspawn!" Ibram cursed.  "Well, Anden, looks like we better get packing!" he said as they stood to leave...

A FEW HOURS LATER, ON TADATH...

Technicians are putting the finishing touches on battle droid storage racks and installing them on small transports; the massive hangar is a study in organized chaos...

Baraka 'Tank' Kodex marvelled at it all for an instant, then shifted his full focus on taxiing the Ebon Shyrack, his heavily modified Sentinel Shuttle into the hangar of the Storm Raven.  It was most impressive; the VE Army had converted an Action IV Bulk Freighter into a mobile assault platform!  Dante's YT-1300 was already in place next to a pair of DX-9 transports, so Tank just reoriented the Ebon Shyrack and set it down. 
He still couldn't believe the number of battle droids the could fit in storage mode.

That must be Garryll's ship, 'All Under Heaven', Tank thought as the Jermagium-class Light Freighter came in to touch down next to the Ebon Shyrack. Sure enough, Garryll Gates came fast down the boarding ramp; Tank saluted, "Sgt. Gates!  Looks like they got you, too?"

"That's right, Tank.  Now we're waiting on a few more Privates then we're blasting outta here.  I don't know why we have the briefing after we hit hyperspace, but I can imagine.  Ah, good; here comes Pfc. Zolos and it looks like he's got the last bunch of greenies in tow." Gates quickly returned Tank's salute and ordered the troopers to follow him deeper into the army vessel; catching up with Dante, they made their way to the Operations Center.
As they took their seats, they felt the ship take off.

A tall, severe woman with dark blonde hair and piercing green eyes, clad in black Katarn-pattern Commando Armor set her helmet on the podium/console and took another step toward the large holoprojector at the heart of the Ops Center; a dark man, more advanced in years but similarly attired, stood at attention by her side.

"Most of you don't know me; I'm First Lieutenant Vollin Imsan, TK-1300.  This," she nods to the trooper beside her "is Sergeant-Major Rukil Dopak, TK-1138.  As of now, you are all part of Ravening Platoon.  The Storm Raven will be your new home for the forseeable future.

"I know many of you are unaccustomed to having and/or using your TKIDs.  Check your Orders on your datapads.  Learn them; Know them.  Some of you prefer to use your names or callsigns.  That is allowed for ease of communication, but remember the TKID# is how the tactical computers in our vehicles & HUD tracks you."

Datapad Orders:
O/B [Order of Battle]
1st Regiment: Osiris
1st Battalion: Dragon
13th Company: Storm Beasts
Captain Katar Vosh, TK-1400, M/Human
SC1: Company's Lieutenant Brokk Dorn, TK-1301, M/Zabrak
SC2: Logistics Officer Seth Taskin, TK-1302, M/Human
SC3: Medical Officer Makal Zeddick, TK-1303, M/Human
SC4: Technical Officer Sabrina Chyllek, TK-1304, F/Human
5th Platoon: The Ravening
First Lieutenant Vollin Imsan, TK-1300, F/Human
Sergeant-Major Rukil Dopak, TK-1138, M/Human
1st Squad: Scythe
SL: Sgt. Briana Kantor, TK-400, F/Human
ASL: Cpl. Derek Saipell, TK-313, M/Human, Combat Medic
PVT, TK-000, M/Human
PVT, TK-001, M/Human
PVT, TK-002, M/Human
PVT, TK-003, M/Human
PVT, TK-004, M/Human
PVT, TK-005, M/Human
PVT, TK-006, M/Human
2nd Squad: WarHammer
SL: Senior Sergeant Edd Hock, TK-500, M/Human
ASL: Cpl. Kreealaa Luminatas, TK-300, F/Mirialan
Cpl. Mathias Cjack, TK-333, M/Human, Combat Medic
LCPL. DracoKorr, TK-007, M/Zabrak
PVT, TK-008, M/Human
PVT, TK-009, M/Human
PVT, TK-010, M/Human
PVT, TK-011, M/Human
PVT, TK-012, M/Human
3rd Squad: Sentinel
SL: Sgt. Garryll Gates, TK-401, M/Human, Heavy Weapons
ASL: CPL. Dante Asana, TK-344, M/Human, Heavy Weapons
LCPL. Baraka "Tank" Kodex, TX-47, M/Human, Vehicle Crewman
PVT, TK-013, M/Human
PVT, TK-014, M/Human
PVT, TK-015, M/Human
PFC. Amee Toraf, TK-142, F/Human
PVT, TK-016, M/Human
PVT, TK-017, M/Human
4th Squad: Tefra
SL: Sgt. Kris Kutter, TD-99, M/Human, Heavy Weapons
ASL: Cpl. Jon'Do Black, TK-301, M/Human
PVT. Becc Sylar, TK-018, M/Human
PVT. Bobb Sylar, TK-019, M/Human
PVT. Byll Sylar, TK-020, M/Human
PFC. Zolos, TK-100, M/Human
PVT, TK-021, M/Human
PVT, TK-022, M/Human
PVT, TK-023, M/Human

Air Support:  Bleach Squadron
Alpha Flight:  Senior Chief Petty Officer Ibram Tyrol in his modified Vulture fighter and 3 droid starfighters (2 Vulture and one Tri-fighter)
Beta Flight:  Petty Officer 1st Class Anden Beliam in his Clawcraft and 3 Flight Officers in TIE light duty fighters.

"What the datapad doesn't tell is mission profile.  We are going to Zonju V, a neutral world.  The archaeologists studying a vast series of ruins was previously of no interest to us, nor any of the Imperial Remnants.

"That changed when the researchers moved to a section of the ruins that had been a Battlefront in multiple skirmishes during both the Clone Wars and the galactic Civil War.  An extremely advanced computer system is believed to have been hidden in the ruins prior to the first battle.  All indications are that this supercomuter has never been recovered.

"The entire valley is a no-fly-zone to protect the ruins.  The forested area south of the valley is the closest we can land undetected.  It is a dense forest; we'll have to clear an area for landing and set down quickly.  We'll be using the five ships already loaded with battle droids, with just enough room for us.

"Once the ships are landed we'll establish a secure Command Post in which the fighters will land and standby for when we need them.  As the Command Post is being established our probe droids will conduct recon.  We should expect unwanted company; our enemies want this supercomputer too. 
Corporal Dante's Seraph Droid Company, as well as additional Droid Units will supplement or forces in the field.

"We can't use speeders so we'll be marching to our target destination.  Make sure all your gear is good to go.

"We arrive in three hours; I want to meet with Squad Leaders in two!  Dismissed!"

Tank activated his personal comlink "Sergeant Gates; Tank here!  I wanted to let you know the Armory has a Workbench we can use to mod our armor & weapons.  They also have Mark V Armor Upgrades."

"That's great, Tank!  How come they didn't mention it at the Briefing?"

"Probably the tight timetable we're on.  Sgt. Hock told me as we cleared out.  Since we have to sneak thru the woods to reach the valley I'm adding the Armorply Overlay.  The valley itself won't offer much cover; what little there is are ruins that only offer partial cover, from their describtion."

"So unless the enemy ambushes us in the woods (slim), close quarters fighting is unlikely; unless they have overwhelming numbers and/or our aim sucks."

"That's about what I figured too, Sarge.  I'd go with the Strengthening Underlay if I was expecting a lot of melee combat, but since we can expect stiff resistance from multiple factions, I'm going with the Biorestorative Underlay."

"Hmn, that sounds like a good combo.  I'll think about it as I finish getting my droids ready.  Check in in thirty.  Gates out."

"Roger that."

This gave him plenty to think about.  For armor & weapon upgrades that are illegal in most systems to be authorized for this mission, shows both the importance of the mission and the danger they should expect to face.

There's also his knowledge, mainly second-hand, that Ravening Platoon has a terribly high casualty rate.  Hopefully packing as many veterans from squads with lower turnover will help to change that.  We'll have to watch out for the greenies; not let them play hero.  Not let them get themselves or others killed.

****************On the Jermagium-class Light Freighter All Under Heaven*******
Garryll's R5 starts beeping and booping frantically;  twirling around and extending his third leg he rushed to the droid interface linking Gates' other droids to the ship's computer and jacks in...

****************In the Vulture-class starfighter Bleach***********************
The HK unit named House activates; "Warning!  Malicious Code Detected!"

****************On the Sentinel-class shuttle Ebon Shyrack********************
HK-X47 'Hex'  activates "Warning!  Malicious Code Detected!".  At the same time Ammo Droid WEG-6D6 'Weg' and the two Astromech Repair Droids, R5-X7 'Rex' and T3X-M47 'Tex' start a frenetic cacophony...


*******************************Throughout the Storm Raven**********************
***RED ALERT!***RED ALERT!***ALL HANDS TO OPS!***RED ALERT!***ALL HANDS TO OPS!***RED ALERT!***

"Damn!" cursed Gates as he was about to gather his Squad; grumbling about emergencies in Hyperspace, he heads to the ops center doubletime...

******************************************

The tension in the ops center was palpable; the next thing Zolos and Tank noticed was the presence of extra security.  Looking to Sgt. Gates and Cpl. Dante, then the navy pilots Tyrol and Beliam, confirmed this was bad.  Draco couldn't help but notice the two HK assassin droids; one stood with Tank, the other with fighter pilot Ibram.

Lt. Imsan addressed the troops, "A slice-virus attacked all droids on the Storm Raven.  We were unable to trace the source, but Security is now conducting a thorough search of the ship.  Untill the search is completed I must order all of you to remain here.  Each of you will be scanned.

"If no device is found then that means the slice-virus was seeded in the computers on Tadath or the Atrus.  We shall send a coded burst back to command when we exit hyperspace.

"Scrubbing the mission is not an option.  The droids assigned to the Storm Raven were hit even thogh they aren't part of the platoon's deployment; they have since been mindwiped.  Cpl. Asana, your Battle Droids are our main support unit on the ground; what is their status?"

"Still dormant in storage.  I ran a full systems check and defrag; they're clean and ready for duty!"

"Sgt. Gates, were your droid squads affected?"

"They were targeted but my R5 was able to stop it, unfortunately the act of destroying this virus also destroyed any clues as to its source or the overall intent."

Lcpl. Kodex, were your droid squads affected?"

"They were targeted as well, Lt.  Fortunately I had been tweaking their operating systems and firewalls as well as their hardware, so they're good to go.  Unfortunately, they were unable to trace the source either."

"SCPO Tyrol, are the droid starfighters operational?"

"House stopped the virus before it could do too much damage to the fighters; I still had to defrag their memory though.  They should be online and fully operational by the time we reach Zonju V."

"Statement: I am most eager to apprehend the meatbag responsible; and terminate it!"

********************************TWENTY MINUTES LATER**************************

With the searches completed and no device found, the Squad Leaders were ordered to gather their squads and finalize their preparations.  That gives about an hour and twenty before Lieutenant Imsan's meeting with the SLs.

Gates looked towards his ship. "Sentinal, meet me in the armory; bring any battle droids still functioning, and your armor and main weapon."

Gates then followed his own order, grabbing his DC-15, shock trooper armor, and his Battle Droids.

The smal prosecsion jogged down the hallways, finally reaching the large armory. There were a half-dozen workbenches, and components all over.

Gates walked to one of them, and carefully removed his helmet, setting it down on the bench; he took a 'fargazer'-class visual enhancher and fiddled around inside the helmet until it was in the correct position.

He grinned; the small object would increase his line-of-sight by a few hundred meters.

He removed the torso as several other of the Sentinal men walked in. He took out a bio-restorative underlay (Mark V) out of the workbench and installed it on the inside panel of his suit.

He then put the armor back on and grabbed his DC. He set it down, and then placed a component of his own making; a swivel-scope.

It works by putting the thing in place of the scope. Once installed, you could attach up to four different range sniper scopes. He selected a 2x, 5x, 10x and 20x for it and slotted the scopes onto his rifle. He also added a second grip, a bipod, removed the stock and put one that could fold up, and extended the barrel slightly.

Dante's first thought was that it was impossible for two things to go so badly wrong in such a short period of time. His second was that they obviously had. Alarms wailed and echoed through the ship's corridors, and smoke began filtering through the overhead vents. There was a crackle of static, followed by a high pitched whine from the speaker mounted into the wall. Dante listened intently, hoping to hear orders, but heard nothing. Moments later, thick clouds of black smoke and sparks gushed from the audio device, dashing any hope of guidance.
"Sithspawn."
Drawing his sidearm, the Corporal advanced down the smoke-filled corridor. Commands and requests for data echoed through the deserterd corridors and rooms, and crumpled droids, and pieces of droids, lay everywhere.
"How could this happen?" Dante heard a crewman shout over the com.
How indeed?
Dante was suddenly distracted from his speculation as the entire deck of the Storm Raven tilted. The trooper was thrown backwards, into a wall. Dimly, he felt his armour crack under the impact and heard the thunk of metal on metal as his deece flew from his suddenly nerveless hand and into a nearby bulkhead. The world seemed to fade for a moment, then rushed back as Dante shook his head and forced himself to keep moving. Using wall mounted handholds and the vibroknucklers built into his palm gaunlets, he crawled up the slope, retrieving his pistol as he did so. The captain's voice, slow but with a note of panic, echoed from a nearby wall mounted datapad.
"All personnel to battle stations. We are under attack. Repeat, we are under attack. Bleach and Seraph Squadrons, get to your fighters and form a screen around the Raven. Repeat, we are under attack. All personnel to battle stations."

The message began to repeat, then cut off abruptly as the ceiling partially collapsed. Whatever the threat was, it was more than a match for the Storm Raven There were a series of impacts, the force of which echoed through the hull, the Raven shook like a thing possessed, and pieces of debris flew across the corridor.

Dante double-checked his helmet seals before moving out, his pistol slightly lowered. It seemed like there hadn't been an atmosphere breach, but it never hurt to be on the safe side. His fingers tapped lightly on the datapad as he called up a deck plan for the Raven. He was two levels below the command deck, but if gravity had cut out, it was certain that the turbolifts would have too.

Looks like I'll have to improvise.

With that in mind, Dante made his way through the ship's access corridors to the primary turbolift. Several times, sealed blast doors or partially collapsed passahes forced him to take the long way around, adding to the time it took for him to reach his destination.

In a few minutes, the Corporal had made it to the turbolift and had called the transportation device to his level. The panel chimed, but the sensors showed that the lift had been stopped by structural damage. His fears confirmed, Dante scowled. It seemed that improvisation was going to be necessary. He activated the manual override for the lift doors, and the warning lights flashing on and off faded away. Even with the pressurization gone, the heavy metal portals would not be easy to part.

Stepping back, Dante considered the situation. He could try to find a stairwell. He could wait and hope the situation went away. Or he could do something himself. The ship shuddered again, and he could hear missiles impacting on the vessel's shields.

Out of time, out of options.

Gritting his teeth, Dante gauged the metal doors, then pulled his right arm back. Metal shrieked as his clenched metal right hand slammed into the durasteel surface, deforming it and leaving a large dent in the metal. He swung again, and was rewarded with a groan as the doors were bent inwards. Grunting from the exertion, Dante grabbed the right door with his mechanical limb and pushed it back far enough for him to slip through.

If things had been normal, he would have been standing less than an inch away from a very nasty fall. Due to the malfunctioning gravity, however, Dante was instead standing on a 45 degree slope. Mentally reviewed the plans relative to the hanger bay, he eyed a pair of lights in the gloom above. Once he made it up there, he would only be a few meters away from the hanger bay.

Getting there, though, was the trick. Scanning left and right with his helmet-mounted light, Dante spotted a gleaming protustion in the darkness. A cluster of pipes had given way during the attack and now hung at a crooked angle. Far from ideal,but they would have to do as a support. Unless the gravity came back again at a less than ideal time, they would have to do. Fitting a slim, cylinderical attachment to his DC-17, Dante sighted through the rifle's scope and fired. The clawed grappling dart shot through the air in the low gravity and embedded itself deep into the pipe. Dante gave the rope a firm tug and, satisfied, rappelled up the steeply-angled slope. At the top, the doorseal gave way with a shriek of sparks, and the Corporal climbed up into the corridor. In the low gravity, he skimmed through the hallways and emerged into the spacious hanger. Several of his squadmates's starfighters were already gone, dogfighting around the Raven.

The trooper sprinted across the hanger and threw himself into the Scarlet Seraph's cockpit. His astromech tootled what sounded like an inquiry, and text scrolled across a panel on his extensively redesigned control interface.

What should I do.

"Take us out, Artoo. We won't need the life support, so divert that power to the engines."

More beeps sounded in Dante's helmet.

"Yes Artoo, of course I'm sure."

The Actis interceptor's engines roared to life and the slender craft began to rise off the hanger floor. Unsecured equipment and loose debris flew in all directions, blown away by the engines, as the Scarlet Seraph made it's way towards the ray-shields keeping the atmosphere. A trio of A-Wings flew through the void mere meters away from the hanger bay, and Dante's hands gripped the throttles very tight. He was a ground-pounder, damn it not some suicidal throttle-jockey.

"Where're the flyboys when you need them?" he muttered to himself.

G7 whistled an inquiry.

"Nothing, Artoo. Scan for targets."

The results weren't pretty. There were a pair of New Republic frigates hanging several hundred meters away, and their barrage was stripping away the Raven's shield at an alarming rate. To make things worse, they had deployed their fighters and, although the dozen or so gunners on board the capital ship were putting up a valiant fight, it was clear that the Raven was in serious trouble.

"Why..."  Dante began, then paused as a passing Republic figter opened fire. He sent the fighter in a roll, then turned and returned fire. Green energy lanced from the Seraph's main laser cannons and flickered on the hostile A-Wing's shield. The pilot began evasive maneuvers, but the blasts chewed through it's shields and tore it's left engine to pieces. The craft spun out of control and into deep space, leaving a trail of melted metal and debris in its wake.

"Why would anyone ever consider flying fun?"

OOC:

Just a re-telling of what already happened.

It was supposed to be a routine pre-mission flight. The orders were still fresh in his mind.

You will take the frigate In Amber Clad to rally point PROMETHEUS for final modifications and preparation for Operation Trojan. You are to avoid contact with New Republic forces if possible. If the frigate's cover is rendered useless, you are to destroy all hostile forces if possible, and otherwise broadcast a priority Aleph distress call. The In Amber Clad's cover must not be compromised. Operation Trojan relies on it.

Looking at the asteroid field, Captain Tsu of the In Amber Clad sighed under his breath.

"Status?"

"We were pulled out of hyperspace by a gravitational field of some kind, sir. No planetary bodies of sufficient mass within several light-years..One moment sir." There was a pause, and the bridge was lit by the spectacular explosion of an A-Wing several hundred meters from the frigate.

"Sir, as I was saying, there is a sizable gravity field preventing hyperspace entries in the vicinity of the Imperial craft. One of the Republic frigates, a Bothan frigate, appears to have been heavily modified. It is equipped with a interdiction field generator."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Ensign, have the Republic frigates noticed our arrival?"

"Yes, Captain. They've requested that we take position directly behind them to prevent the Imperial snubfighters from escaping."

He paused.

"Awaiting coordinates."

Captain Tsu stood there, staring out at the battle raging just outside the viewport. At this point he had two options. He could help the besiged transport and flank the enemy in an attempt to take them out. However the imperial craft, the Storm Raven, had been badly damaged during the fight. Scans showed its superstructure had taken heavy damage and he could see the craft's engines flickering on and off as it sluggishly tried to avoid the enemy fire. Even if the transport could help, he was still outgunned. His other option was to simply sit back, bluff his way past the frigates and head to the rally point. The thought of sitting back and watching the men and women of the transport be slaughtered sickened him, both because they had put up a damn good fight and because he had, until recently, been an Imperial himself. It didn't look like he had much of a choice, however. The queries from the frigates had turned from curious to suspicious and slightly hostile.

"Pride of Hast, acknowledge. Do you read me, Pride of Hast?"

The Captain turned to the crewman manning the communications station.

"Send a transmission stating that we are having trouble receiving their orders. Partially garble the message to make it seem genuine."

"Transmitting now, sir. They acknowledged your reply sir, and request that you take a position directly behind their current station in order to prevent the Imperial snubfighters from escaping."

Which is just where I want to go.

"Do it."

Captain Tsu turned.

"Ensign Gregovitch, divert 20 percent power from the shields to our SPHAT cannon and forward turbolasers."

"Making it happen, sir!"

The Captain sighed. Gregovitch was competent enough, but his overblown enthusiasm was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"Get me a firing solution for that interdictor frigate."

"Targeting computer online, solution ready. Permission to fire, sir?"

"Wait, Lieutanant. We'll only get one good shot in and I want to make it count."

The frigate turned slightly, presenting it's glowing engines directly to the Clad's primary armament.

"Blow them to Chaos, Lieutenant. Fire the SPHAT cannon and finish them with the heavy turbolasers.

"Firing!"

A focused beam of blue light charged near the Clad's bow for a fraction of second before lancing out through space. The beam impacted on the frigate's shields, which glowed a pale blue, shimmering under the continuous beam of energy. At almost the same time, the Raven's forward laser cannons and its remaining turbolaser batteries opened up, speqing energy beams at the massive craft. It went up like a thermal detonator, with its engines violently erupting in gouts of flame which consumed the vessel's bridge, it's main hanger, and the several dozen starfighters unfortunate enough to be flying patrol around the frigate.

There was a chime from the panel, and an icon flickered to green.

"Hyperdrive online again, Captain. Permission to make the jump."

"Negative, Lieutenant. We have to finish off every damn Republic ship before we go anywhere."

The sudden silence was broken by a crisp clear voice over the com. A grainy image flickered to life, and a man in a standard Imperial captain's uniform became visible.

"Unknown frigate, this is Lieutenant Commander Qerry Leood of the Storm Raven. Acknowledge."

"Storm Raven, this is Captain Tsu, commander of the RDA frigate In Amber Clad. Request that you move the Raven to position Aleph Karn while we take down their shields."

"Acknowledged."

The Storm Raven moved, it's turbolasers peppering the frigate. A moment later, the In Amber Clad sent a full broadside into the Republic vessel. Its already damaged shields flickered, then vanished altogether.

"Tear them apart!"

OOC:

Spark Notes version: Tsu gets shouted at by a superior and is ordered to escort the Clad. He persuades Leood to let him do so and the ships jump to their destination after retreiving assets from the slagged frigates and destroying the rest of the spare weapons.

Captain's Quarters, In Amber Clad. 00:04 after the Battle of ZZ Sector Alpha.

Most captain's quarters were luxuriously furnished, with some of the chambers on the larger cruisers taking up almost as much room as the vessel's bridge. The room on the Clad was as far from this standard as possible. It was spartan, with most of the room taken up by the large holoprojector that stood in its centre. It was this device that Captain Tsu was standing at attention before now. The being he was communicating with was light years away, and the transmission was less than perfect due to jamming and the distance between them, but his fury was evident.

"Captain Tsu. I thought my instructions were simple enough for even you to understand."

"Yes, Chief Bandaar. I followed your instructions to the letter."

The azure figure scowled, and it brushed one of its lekku over its shoulder. It paused, glaring at the Alliance captain with more than a hint of anger in its sunken eyes. When it spoke again, its voice was dripping with honeyed sarcasm.

"Our faithful Captain Tsu 'followed our instructions to the letter.' How noble."

It stopped, then shouted at the top of its lungs.

"Then kindly inform me why the Clad was not at the PROMETHEUS rally point!"

Resisting the urge to wipe away the beads of sweat making their way down his forehead, Captain Tsu spoke as confidently and calmly as he could.

"We were pulled out of hyperspace by a pair of New Republic frigates, one of which was equipped with a gravity projector. That vessel was another Bothan frigate. "

Tsu's eyes watered, but he steadfastly refused to blink. He couldn't afford to show any weakness at this stage; not when the intel he was providing might be enough to halt his master's anger and prevent punishment. Normally, the information that the Republic had managed to repair one of their supposedly destroyed heavy frigates, not to mention their desperation in pressing frigates into ambush roles, would have resulted in a substantial reward. Under present circumstances, Tsu would settle for keeping his post, or at least his head. The Dragon Order's leaders were not known for their mercy.

"As per your instructions, I maintained our cover as the Hast, and was contacted by the Republic vessels."

The Twil'ek's tone was thoughtful now, and he was twirling one of his brain-tails around his finger.

"Go on..."

"However, a routine scan showed that their target, the...Storm Raven, was a Vast Imperial vessel. The Vast Empire is an ally of the Alliance, and we have recruited several of our operatives for their ranks. In addition, Operative ICO-3 was stationed on board."

Heir Darron's golden eyes were suddenly fully open, and he was leaning towards the holoprojector in his luxurious cabin, on a crusier halfway across the galaxy from the Raven. Tsu now had the crime lord's full attention, for better or for worse. The alien replied quickly, his tone sharp.

"You are quite sure of this?

"Yes, my lord. The Operative's personal fighter was identified as a participant, and we were able to obtain a lock on his tag. Would you like the sensor data?"

"No." the Heir snapped. "What did you do next?"

"Following the secondary instructions, and our standard protocol for such incidents, I commenced an attack on the hostile frigates, taking care to knock out their communications. With the help of the Remnant transport, I was able to destroy them both, as well as their fighters. Captured crew and pilots were either imprisoned in the holding cells or liquidated."

The RDA leader sat back and mulled this over. For several seconds, the secure room was silent except for the hum of the ships systems and Tsu's own breathing.

"Make sure that all enemy sensor scans of the Clad are destroyed. Operation Trojan depends on it."

I know what Operation Trojan depends on, you pompous old fool.

"Several EVA teams and Phoenix Squad have already been deployed to retrieve computer systems from the wrecked vessels, my lord."

"Good. Escort the Raven to its destination, and ensure that Operative 03 comes to no harm on Zonju V.

Captain Tsu bit back the question that came to his lips. He was in shock. He had been planning to tell the crime lord about the Raven's destination himself, but it seemed that he had other sources. The RDA leader saw his bafflement and grinned, showing pointed teeth.

"Suprised, Captain?"

"No, my lord." he stammered.

"You never were a good liar, Tsu." The Twi'lek's bonhommie vanished, and he was suddenly all business.

"Your primary objectives still stand. I trust you understand them.

Captain Tsu was already backing away when Bandaar spoke again.

"Oh, and Captain?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Do be sure to do something right and get the Imps out of Sector Alpha before more Republic forces arrive. It would be most unfortunate if they were to capture you." He paused for effect, then continued. "I would hate to see you on trial for piracy."

The hologram faded away, and Tsu let out a long breath. He shook his head, then returned to the bridge. Seconds after he arrived, the Imp officer opened a channel and began babbling about retrieving weapons. Forcing a smile onto his face, Tsu spoke.

"Thank you, Captain Leood! That is most gracious of you. I think once I have those on board I'll take the tractor beam projectors from the Corona's carcas, if that's alright with you?"

"Quite alright; help yourself to the turbolasers and laser cannons too! We wouldn't want the rebels to recover them now, would we?"

"Indeed we wouldn't, Captain. Thank you."

"Good hunting, Captain Tsu."

Good hunting, my foot.

Tsu waited for the hologram to fade before removing the sloppy grin from his face, Turning to a nearby crewman, he barked orders.

"You heard him! Order retrieval crews Aleph through Sarlaac out to police those assets. Tag what can't be taken for destruction.'

"Yes sir!" the man replied before running off the bridge.

Sighing, Captain Tsu reopened another channel and composed himself for what would be a delicate job. Captain Leood reappeared on the main screen. She looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, Captain? What can I do for you?"

Tsu breathed in, then started.

"Captain Leood, your vessel was severely damaged during the battle. Many of its weapons systems are offline, and the same is true of many other of its assets."

"There's no need to tell me what I already know, Tsu." Leood replied."What do you want?"

"Would I be correct in assuming the Raven was bound outwards on a mission, and not acting as an escort or returing to base?"

It had been obvious. The fully armed and pristine fighters had been a giveaway as had the fact that it was alone.

"Perhaps. Why?"

Captain Tsu paused. He had Leood interested, and it was time to lay out the bait.

"I have been in contact with my...superiors and they have authorized me to act as an escort for your vessel. The Vast Empire is an ally of our Order, after all. In return, all we request is a small fee and limited repairs in the event of combat damage.

Leood halted. It was almost too good to be true. She would have to authorize this with the High Command. Quickly, she left the bridge and opened up a transmission to her immediate superior explaining the situation and the request. There was a waiting period as the powerful com suite on board the Raven fought through the jamming that was the hallmark of a galaxy-wide war, then an image flickered to life, and the Lieutenant Commander made her request. The reply was quick and very short. The Imperial Captain returned to the bridge and reopened the channel.

"My superiors authorized this action. Glad to have you with us, Captain Tsu."

"The pleasure is mine." He kept his tone light, but he was euphoric inside. He had succeeded!

"Sending coordinates now. We'll jump as soon as we retrieve our personel and the patrol snubfighters."

"Understood, Lieutenant Commander."

Success. Now for the hard part.

OOC:

Several thousand miles outside the Zonju system, a patch of space distorted, then was abruptly replaced by the nebulous blue white of hyperspace. Through this tear in the void came first the nose then the body of the RDA frigate In Amber Clad.

On the bridge, the various officers tapped keys, adjusted instruments, and ran equipment checks. In less than a unit, they would be in combat and Tsu had left them with explicit orders to ensure that his ship was combat ready by the time the Raven arrived.

That gave them more time than one might expect. The Clad's class of warship had already been top-of-the-line in most respects, including hyperdrive speed, and the modifications made at the secret Seragon shipyards had only increased this superiority. The Clad was the first of an entirely new type of ship: a small and agile vessel capable of matching the endurance and damage dealing ability of much larger vessels.

In contrast, the Raven was, by RDA standards, a virtual antique; the damage it had suffered in the Sector Alpha skirmish hadn't helped either. The last scan of the troop transport had showed up to 30% of its systems were non-operational, but Tsu suspected that was just another ploy by the wily Lieutenant Commander. She had shown herself to be anything but a fool, although Tsu felt he could handle her. If the worst came to the worst, he could simply jump outsystem.

With that comforting thought in mind, he strode boldy onto the bridge. Lieutenant Driton, the crewman he had left in charge while he retired to his chambers, saluted, then left the bridge. Tsu glanced at the various dispalys, nodding to himself. The Clad was at 100% operational capacity, the turbolasers were fully charged, and all three main reactors were humming smoothly. That, plus several newly developed weapons systems, gave him confidence.

The com station began to chatter, and the grey-suited crewman manning the display began to decrypt the message. It chattered twice more, leaving a grand total of three transmissions to the Clad. A second before the com officer spoke, Captain Janus Tsu felt a sense of foreboding.

"Sir. We're recieved a Priority Aleph transmission. Encryption is Nova, and it's been sent to every RDA ship in hailing distance." He paused, shaking his head, then continued. "The Seragon shipyards, sir...They've come under attack!"

"That can't be right, Ensign. Send the transmission to my personal datapad."

"Yes, sir."

Tsu frowned as he pulled out the device and activated the screen. To his shock, he saw that the Ensign was right.

Priority Alpha, Encryption Scheme Nova
Fleet Transmission FGHD:458

Enemy forces detected outside Seragon system. Shipyard defenses activated. All ships within the Sector are to RV at RP-56. Operations TROJAN and MANTICORE are now cancelled. Command Vessels Karn through Zorn are to continue with their current operations. Command vessels within Sectors F through J are to RV at RP-67 and then jump to RP-56.

Tsu couldn't believe it. If the Shipyards were truly gone, then the RDA was in serious danger of losing its naval superiority. For a moment, he considered giving the order to jump to the Seragon facility, then stopped. By the time, they arrived the battle would have already been lost or won.

Tsu was almost relieved when the Raven arrived and distracted him from his thoughts. The troop carrier emerged less than a hundred meters away from the much larger frigate, its engines glowing a bright orange. Tsu was unsurprised and somewhat amused to see the sensor scan showed the turbolaser cannons were operation again: the ruse had been painfully obvious to the veteran captain. He didn't have the heart to tell the Imperial Lieutenant Commander that the Clad was more than capable of tearing the vessel apart, armed or not.

As he had expected, the Lieutenant Commander opened a com channel and began gabbling. What he hadn't forseen was what she said.

"I'm sending Corporal Dante over as official VE liason for this mission, and to keep an eye on things."

Tsu had nodded, and sure enough, a shuttle landed in the Clad side hanger, deposited its passenger, then took off again. Two other ships, piloted by droids, landed moments later.

The Captain savored the irony for a moment, then gave the Raven the signal to jump. As the ship vanished from sight, he depressed a button on his command console. Dozens of large, bulbous projectiles streaked from launchers in the Clad's bow, leaving white trails in their wake, then...vanished. They would navigate their way through the ever changing nothingness that was hyperspace, then emerge with pin-point accuracy at targets determined by an earlier launched stealth drone. Each missile was topped by a baradium charge, giving the three volleys enough power to slag an unshielded Star Destroyer.

When the joint Alliance-Imperial task force emerged, it would find an opposition that was at worst crippled, at best destroyed.

Tsu grinned, showing yellowed teeth, then gave the order to jump to lightspeed.

OOC:

And...finis!

On the Strike-class Medium Cruiser Hunter

The pair of mercenaries masquerading as Imperial Stormtroopers lunge at the Senior Sergeant as the Lieutenant-Junior Grade sidestepped, efficiently removing himself from the lounge.  Saphira's catlike reflexes allow her to drop and kick one of her assailants as she rolls away from the attack, giving her more room to maneuver and stun one of her adversaries for a moment.  Drawing her Twi'lek Spinning Blades from their twin scabbards, Saphira is more than ready to get serious.  The recorded battles playing on the lounge's monitors isn't distracting Saphira in the slightest; instead it stokes the fiery rage withing her soul to a fever-pitch!

The merc with the taser-staff attacks and Saphira ducks and rolls around his torso, their bodies almost touching as she moves, and fluidly rakes a Spinning Blade across his back, savagely severing his his spine.  As the corpse of the first merc falls, the larger one rushues her.  She had thought a man that brutishly huge could move that fast, and that mistake allowed him to deliver a flurry of swift yet devastatingly powerful blows, dazing her as he knocked the weapons from her hands and proceeded to pummel her.

The Rage building withing her exploded; recovering so fast the assassin had no chance to notice Saphira batted his fists aside and and unleashed a forceful flurry of her own, striking each his limbs multiple times.  Every blow she connected broke one of his bones.  Saphira paused a moment in her assault to savor the expressions of shock and horror etched on his face.  However, without the force of Saphira's strikes pushing him back, gravity took over and he crumpled to his broken knees.  He refused to cry out, not for pain nor to beg for mercy; yet the tears moistening his face were all the testimony to his pain Saphira needed.  She smiled.  She leaned over and held his head in her hands, his ruined arms hung limp and impotent from his broken shoulders.  She gently cradled his head, looking into his eyes as she might a lover's.  With a sharp twist his neck made an audible report and his head faced the wrong way.

Letting go the corpse of the muscled brute slowly fell to the floor.  All the monitors and speakers fell silent, punctuated by the steady applause of a person in fuul armor as Saphira's Rage disspated.  Her boosted strength had left her and she felt extraordinarily weak, even dizzy.  With effort Spahira was able to turn and face the person approaching her.  A Falleen in BARC Trooper armor with a custom Femtrooper breastplate strode toward her with strength and purpose.

"Well done Sergeant Striker; I knew you would.  Do not worry, you will recover in time."  As she said this the Lieutenant-Junior Grade entered the lounge towing a repulsorcart.  Saphira felt like collapsing but refused to, forcing herself to remain standing as the LT.j.g. removed a mouse droid from the 'cart and set it on the floor near the growing pool of blood from her first kill.  The Falleen woman spoke again "I am Captain Praxis Vyzrr, TK-999.  I sensed the Force in you."  As those words sunk in, LT.j.g. Jossef Wheelon hauled the big merc's corpse onto the 'cart as the MSE-6 cleaned up the blood from the first merc.

"I have been watching you for some time, Saphira."  With a wave of her hand Praxis banished the fatigue and dizziness Saph had felt.  "Though we must remain cautious; though I can teach you the ways of the True Sith, the Vast Empire is controlled by a sect of Dark Jedi.  The agents on the Dark Jedi Order are capable and many, but they are false Sith.  They cannot help you to reach your full potential, as I can."

"This demon inside me..."

"Is but a part of your true self; it is the Dark Side of the Force.  You are strong, and while the teachings of others can make you stronger, their teachings are flawed.  You will never be allowed to become too powerful, lest you wrest it from those that have it, for they wish you to live and die their servant, and nothing more.  I was trained by Lord Vader, as a disciple and hand of a true Dark Lord of the Sith.  You have the makings of a Dark Guardian within you.  Join me, and there shall be no limit to your power..."

LT.j.g. Wheelon deposited the other merc on the 'cart and retrieved the mouse droid and the taser-staff....

*******************************************************************************
Standing orders for all RDA units:
In hostile engagements with CZA forces, Capture their best assets for our use.  Destroy or sell-off anything else.
*******************************************************************************
Seragon System.  Dozens of capital ships are burning.  Some are gutted wrecks, others are drifting hulks with holes in them big enough for medium transports to fly through...

OOC:

This Battle is subject to revision, pending Dante's input.

The MC90 Star Cruiser Pearl of Dac had nearly destroyed the RDA Flagship and was now assalting the rest of the defense fleet's capital ships as the Lancer-class Frigates started pelting away the turreted satellites between them and the minefield.  The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Qurransit had mercilessly decimated the handful of other RDA command ships, its X-wing fighter wings and Y-wing fighter wings were making short work of the Uglies and antiquated Z95 Headhunters; none of the CloakShape fighters remained.

The ISD Qurransit was suddenly hit by Ionized Plasma, ripping away the shields as it punched a hole through the vessel's hull.  The second shot ate it's way to the Qurransit's massive reacter core, causing the ship to explode.  The Lancer-class Frigates started evaive maneuvers but they were far too slow; jagged chunks of the Qurransit collided with the frigates, tearing them apart.  The exploding frigates consume the satellites and mines caught in their blossoming fireballs, begining a path into the minefield.

On the bridge of the Pearl of Dac the young Lieutenant at the ComScan reported nineteen new contacts; all Czarkhan Zhukal Autocracy Navy capital ships.  And they were launching a plague of starfighters.  As a bolt of Ionized Plasma savaged their shields turbolasers and missiles tattooed their hull.  New Republic reinforcements came to the rescue, making a short jump in-system.  The MC90 Star Cruiser Alderaan's Memory made an attack run on the command ship with three Assault Gunboat squadrons following them.

Inflicting negligable damage upon the CZA ships, heavy return fire from the battleship and its escorts perforates the hull of Alderaan's Memory before the backup shields can kick in, and sixteen Assault Gunboats are blown from the sky.  Gunboats and starfighters run interference so the badly battered MC90s can limp to hyperspace, then the fighters follow.

Thirteen Braha'tok-class Gunships advanved through the opening in the minefield, recently cleared by swarms of StarViper and Rihkxyrk starfighters now engaging the Firesprays of Seragon Shipyard.  Following the Guships was the Aggressor-class Destroyer Adamantium Claw, a Keldabe-class Battleship, Vengeance-class Frigate, Crusader-class Corvette, an Interceptor IV Frigate and a Sabaoth Destroyer.

Numerous armed freighters and assault gunships had dropped from hyperspace to harass the CZA fleet, but were doing minimal damage at best.  A Gozanti cruiser, YV-664, YV-666 and a VCX-350 grouped together to assault the Vengeance Frigate from behind.  Combining fire on the capital ship's engines they succeeded in inflicting sufficient damage to cripple the vessel.  As the now impotent Vengeance Frigate drifted out of formationand powerless to fight, the Crusader Corvette rtaliated with heavy fire, destroying the YV-666 and badly damaging the Gozanti cruiser.

As some RDA captains were contemplating retreat to save their own ships, a new group of RDA capital ships drops from hypersace behind the CZA fleet and opens fire with Ion Cannons!  Saturating the CZA fleet with the Ion barrage the Providence-class Destroyer Darkstar launches all 240 starfighters in two minutes flat, the Scyk and Ixiyen interceptors persuing the StarViper and Rihkxyrk fighters.  As the CZA command ships drift dormant, the Darkstar deploys over a hundred assault gunships and boarding craft to capture the CZA vessels, falling upon them like ravenous mynocks.

The Spyder, a modified VCX-350, is the first to breach the Adamantium Claw's hangar.  Immediately upon landing it lowers the boarding ramp and and RDA Troopers march down shooting, storming the hangar as more craft land to disgorge ever more troops.  Calmly Sarafyna Agen strides down the Spyder's ramp, followed by R7-DA4, her advanced astromech.  An illegally modified DL-44XT heavy blaster pistol in each hand, she leads her Elite Squad to the bridge with other squads running interference; cutting down all opposition.
***
Captain Sal Sleezbaggano was having a bad day.  RDA reinforcements that shouldn't exist came out of nowhere and crippled his mighty fleet.  As soon as emergency lights came on his senior officers turned on him.  He surveyed the Bridge, senior officers' smoking corpses, once his friends.  Low ranking crew cowering in fear.  Bad knews from the hangar, then none at all.  Can't reach engineering.
***
Approaching the Bridge, Sarafyna holstered her blasters and drew her Zabrak Vibrosword and her Adumari Blastsword.  Elite Squad sliced the lock controls on the blast door.  As the doors opened Elite Squad lay suppression fire, then stood ready for fire support as Sarafyna marched onto the Bridge.  The crewers that were standing were hit and lay wounded on the floor.  Captain Sal made  impotent jestures as his Czerka 411 refused to fire; no more ammo.  Seeing Sarafyna, Sal threw the hold-out blaster at her and reached for his oddly-decorated Massassi Battlestaff.

Sarafyna effortlessly batted the pistol away with her Zabrak Vibrosword.  Sal lunged at her, wildly swinging the Massassi Battlestaff.  She twisted and turned, dodging with ease; he was all brutish and clumsy, a total opposite of her athletic grace.  Although he was unable to even so much as graze her Electromesh Armor, he was able to parry her feints and attacks.

As Sarafyna dueled Sal across the Bridge, R7-DA4 maneuvered around consoles to reach the main computer console, zapping slow crewers away with his arc-welder.  Finally at the console he needed he extended his SCOMP-link interface.  Only 0:03:52.391 before the ship's autodestruct.  R7 began slicing in earnest to ovverride.

Sal hardly counted as exercise.  Sarafyna sharply kicked his groin; momentarily stunned Sarafyna simply tapped his forehead with the tip of her Blastsword.  The energy discharge vaporized his brain instantly.  A moment later his lifeless corpse slumped to the floor.  "How's it coming R7?"

"Beewoop!  Wip-wip-wip-wooo!"  Autodestruct was cancelled, and she now had full control of the Adamantium Claw. 

****

RDA starfighters and armed freighters are decimating the CZA fighters.

Captain Hal Rhommel stood on the Bridge of the Darkstar "Status Report?"

"Boarding actions going well; the CZA fleet is ours!

Fynn will kill me, even if Sarafyna doesn't get herself killed...

"Sir!  The Shipyards' autodestruct has been activated!"

"DAMN!  Fifty-Five!  Plug into the comm and override the destruct sequence!"

R2-RDA55 beep acknowledgement of the Captain's orders as he rolled up to ComScan and jacked in his SCOMP-link.  Using RDA-exclusive encryption protocols, 55 transmitted the bypass command codes. 

As the astromech struggled to get the shipyard's computer to acknowledge the codes, more CZA ships dropped from hyperspace practically on top of the shipyards.  Hal counted at least three Aggressor-class Destroyers; then the shipyards exploded, taking out the newly arrived CZA fleet.

RDA55 bleeted mournfully.  The New Republic had retreated and the remaing CZA ships were now under RDA control.  The Lieutenant killed the transmission and opened a new channel to the Phantasm.  The screen split to show two beings on different Bridges; the human was Tor Carrack of the Phantasm.  Hal wasn't expecting that, nor did he know the Gran on the other ship.

Captain Carrack made the introductions "Ah, Captain Rommel, this is Captain Buundar Guld of the Grenadier.  The worst-damaged ships are being evacuated even as escape pods are being rounded up.  In addition to the CR90 Corvette there are three Corellian Gunships, six modified CE-2 transports, 23 YZ-775 transports, 51 transports and assorted smaller craft.  The Bothan Assault Frigates under construct suffered no damage, so if a supply line is maintained they can be finished on schedule or with assistance ahead of schedule."

"What?!  That's all of the First Fleet!?!"

"I'm sorry to report," stated Guld, "the New Republic strikeforce had either crippled or destroyed most of our command ships before the CZA fleet arrived.  Heir Bandaar is dead."

******************************************************************************
High Orbit, Zonju V

The CZA Heavy Munitions Cruiser Eye of Terror lay in wait to ambush the Storm Raven with the Missile Frigates Addaddon and Cerberus as its escorts.  Without warning swarms of missiles dropped out of hyperspace, slamming into Terror's hull.  Raven and In Amber Clad revert to realspace in time to witness the Eye of Terror explode, sending scores of its unfired missiles into its companion frigates. Addaddon explodes spectacularly as Cerberus is slowly ripped to shreads by secondary explosions.

The Storm Raven fires probe droids into the planet's atmosphere, saturating the target area.  With no other vessels in range Raven and Clad deploy transports. Raven launches Silver Blade, All Under Heaven,  Ebon Shyrack and two more DX-9 Stormtrooper transports.  In Amber Clad launches TK-433's (Dante Asana's) YT-1300 and a pair of Grek-class troop shuttles.  The transports dive into the planet's atmosphere hard and fast. 

Clouds rushed by as the transports descended.  Soon terrain became visible; shallow, dusty, scrubby, sparsely-foliaged canyons and gorges.  A tiny strip of green rapidly filled the pilots' view; one of the few true forests on Zonju V, it flanked one of the largest canyons on the planet.  decellerating, the transports circled their respective Landing Zones, lasers blasting trees into clearings.

The shuttles set gown swiftly and disgorged troopers.  Verifying the areas are secure, the ships opened their cargo holds and racks slid out, unfolding as they set battle droids on the ground.  Wasting no time, the troopers set about establishing their respective command posts.

The canyon runs from Northwest to Southeast with ruins along the bottom.  The sides of the canyon are forested, extending up to nearly a kilometer away.  The Command Posts are sixty meters southwest of the canron, fifty meters apart.  The target area of the ruins lay about seventy meters due east from CP2.

CP2 is roughly SE of CP1; at CP2 Dante inspects the platoon of RDA Troopers and his platoon of Droid Snipers.  RDA Engineers set up blaster turrets of both the manned and unmanned varieties.  The Engineering Squad can hold the CP; perhaps with some extra droids.  RDA has an FX6 medical droid and an R5 ammo droid.

At CP1 datafeeds start coming in from the probe droids.  Fifty-five meters NE of the canyon are Dressellian Commandos of the New Republic with Nautolan soldiers, Utapaun soldiers with force-pikes and shields, a medical droid, X-1 Viper Droid, a Yuzzem, a squad of Wookie Berserkers, Human and Deveronian New Republic Troopers, a Rodian and his pet Vornskr, taking point are a pair of robed figures confering with a Gotal commando.

Forty-eight meters east of the target are an entire platoon of Raptor Commandos

Eighty meters north of the canyon two cyborgs, a male Zabrak and a female Zeltron, lead platoon of Super Battle Droids and a squad of IG-100 MagnaGuards.  Nearly seventy-five meters south of the taget area are RDA troops, not from the In Amber Clad, supplemented with mercs.  Lt. Imsan confers with Captain Tsu; those RDA troops aren't supposed to be here...

Lt. Imsan calls an airstrike on the Viper Droid; the rebels will scatter, but advance more cautiously without the droid's big guns and artillery...

*******************************************************************************
Hunter and the Adz-class Patrol Destroyers Dark Lance and Shadow exit hyperspace from the Corellian Trade Spine to adjust course to follow the Hydian Way to Zonju V

This was all a test..

Saphira's mind roared. She had fought and someone had seen her use this...demon. That power that she had slowly awoken over the past few years. She had done her best to hide it. To control it. Yet, each time it was released, it was in anger. The feel of being strong and in control to tear the enemy was wonderfull. Yet, it wasn't her.


"I have been watching you for some time, Saphira."  With a wave of her hand Praxis banished the fatigue and dizziness Saph had felt.  "Though we must remain cautious; though I can teach you the ways of the True Sith, the Vast Empire is controlled by a sect of Dark Jedi.  The agents on the Dark Jedi Order are capable and many, but they are false Sith.  They cannot help you to reach your full potential, as I can."


Her lek'ku Twitched as her strength returned. Eyes watching her like the hunter she was.


"This demon inside me..."

"Is but a part of your true self; it is the Dark Side of the Force.  You are strong, and while the teachings of others can make you stronger, their teachings are flawed.  You will never be allowed to become too powerful, lest you wrest it from those that have it, for they wish you to live and die their servant, and nothing more.  I was trained by Lord Vader, as a disciple and hand of a true Dark Lord of the Sith.  You have the makings of a Dark Guardian within you.  Join me, and there shall be no limit to your power..."



What the hell was she talking about? Joining her? It wasn't right. She was a fightr.. not someo kind of magic weilder.


"You must be mistaken.. All I did was use my training -"


"That wasn't training.. but raw power. I have seen you struggle. o keep it hidden all these years.. I am suprised one with your..potential hasn't been found long before..."


Pursing her lips saphira felt the anger burn. The Falleen picking it up right away.


"I can feel it.. Your anger.. "


"Don't give me that  crap.. I fight to survive. This life is all I know. I have done it for years..."

She coudl feel the Falleen piercing her soul.  Just as the rest of the bodies were taken out it was just them there now. The look of two  wild animals speculating, testing. Wanting to know the limits and equality.


"You've been living the life of a slave girl.. I can free you from that and give you the freedom you desire..."

Now that stung. She served the Army because she wanted to. Not because of anything else. SHe had re-inlisted twice and  had the choice.. But was it true? Did she have no choice? It wasn't  much. But it was all she knew.


"Why should I trust you?"


The Falleen women gave her a smile. Knowing she had her.

"Because you desire carnage and power. As do I.. If I wanted to kill you I would have.."



She walked towards her. Saph flashed her silver eyes to her. Growing darker by the minute as she flung  the thoughts of anything.


"And what do  you plan to do?"  Saph asked. It was as much a yes as it was going to be...

On board the Hunter...
"We are Warriors, you and I.  We both chose to serve in the Vast Empire over other Imperial Remnants because it is the most true to the ideals of the New Order.  The Force is guiding us to Zonju V.  The coming battles shall forge your Destiny, Saphira Striker.  There will be Jedi and Dark Jedi you will face; if you are victorious you will be stronger for it!"  The Falleen know she had her now...

"With the power you can gain from my teaching, you will never be a slave, ever.  You will be the Demon that strikes terror into the hearts of her enemies.  I ask this not for myself, but for the Empire: The Maguphan Mainframe must belong to the Vast Empire at all costs!  Sure the Dark Jedi Order will keep it's secrets for themselves, but they will use the knowledge gained to serve the vast Empire."

Saphira thought about it; she's not being asked to btray the Vast Empire, but to serve it better with powers, Dark powers she must keep hidden..."I accept your training, Captain."

"Good; you have much to learn before we reach Zonju V..."
*******************************************************************************
On Zonju V...

First Lieutenant Imsan scrutinized the data displayed on the tactical holotank.  "when our fighters take out the Viper droid, the New Republic troops will scatter; hopefully some will stummble into the Cyborgs and their battle droids.  Sgt. Gates, with Cpl. Kodex as your ASL, take Sentinel Squad and hit the New Republic soldiers head on; Tefra will flank them and support you.  Take a platoon of battle droids to back yourselves up.  Ten droid squads will hold the Command Post.  I'm taking 1st Squad and a droid platoon to harry the cyborgs; we should make short work of them.  Cpl. Dante, prioritze and eliminate the CZA & Rogue RDA forces; I'm sending the platoon of assisn droid sharpshooters to assist you.  Imsan out."

*******************************************************************************
At CP2...

Dante confers via comlink with Captain Tsu "I agree Captain, take out their boss and the rest should submit to our command."

"I'll see if I can find a command ship the troops deployed from; have fun 'prioritizing' targets.  Tsu out."

*******************************************************************************
The New Republic Platoon...

The Jedi stiffened, a moment later the fearsome howl of TIE fighters split the quiet of the forest.  "Get down!" the commander bellowed and dropped to the ground.  The X-1 Viper Droid aimed at the incoming fighters but was too slow; Imperial fighters poured green laser into the droid's body.  The explosion rained shrapnel on the commandos and mercs, chinking off their armor.  Droid starfighters followed and straffed the area and left. 

As the commander assessed the casualties and wounded, Sallisse Tahasee (the elder Jedi) addressed the commander "Dark Jedi are headed this way from the north; I'll take Kedji with me and intercept them.  Keep the platoon moving; we'll rejoin you as soon as we can."

"Take care you don't get yourselves killed; I've already had my fill of casualties." The Dressellian warned, hoping there would be a later; and maybe the pretty Jedi would accept his advances...
*******************************************************************************
On board the Hunter...

Twi'lek and Falleen; both with eyes of Lava.  Shaphira struck the target with Force Lightning.  "Very good my apprentice, you have done well.  Now, be mindfull I am using my power to mask us both, and soon you must mask yourself as I have shown you.  Now, reach out and Sense the Force throughout this vessel."

"General Torqmada; he's a Dark Jedi, isn't he?" Saphira demanded.

"Your instincts serve you well, Saphira.  The time for training is over; we must rejoin Striker Platoon and prepare for planetfall.  Remember; address me as Sergeant, not Captain or my name."

"As you wish..."

On board the Storm Raven

Praxis considered Saphira's question carefully; the passion and vigor of her hate was astounding.  Sensing Saphira's intent only urged Praxis to dig a little deeper; there was no direct act of the General's that aroused her hate but a festering hate toward men of power.  In that they were in agreement.  So very similar was their reasoning.

"I appreciate your initiative, however, General Torqmada and the other Dark Jedi of Kadann's Order are of more use to us alive than dead.  If he learns the truth of our abilities, I will know immediately and I will deal with him.  You should watch for other Force-users among the troops; it wouldn't hurt to have some pawns of our own..." she finished with a wicked smile playing upon her lips.

With that said Praxis donned her armor's helmet and left to rejoin her squad as 'Sergeant Cyx Talia'....

From orbit, the planet Zonju V appeared to be peaceful, at least to the naked eye. The only sign that anything was amiss on the planet's surface was the occasion flash of light or glint from the plains below. At ground level, things appeared very different.

Artillery guns roared and seemed to jerk back as they fired their mass drivers, filling the air with graceful emerald and azure arcs. Seconds later, dull thumps announced their impacts. Entire platoons were consumed by the superheated projectiles as the tribarreled launchers methodically turned the dust plains into a glassy wasteland, square meter by square meter. Squads and troopers fought inches away from each other, and the battle turned savage.

In the center of the battle, leading the Republic formation closest to the enemy's main line, was Jedi Knight Seranee Ferdin. She'd fought in conflicts ranging from Wild Space to the Core before Master Skywalker had taken her to Yavin, and had gained considerable combat experience in the process. After her tuteage under Skywalker, her combat efficiency had exponentially increased. She'd trained for this countless times until her skills were perfect, and she would not fall today. If the Force wills.

Ferdin swung her blade in a circle around her, and the trio of assassin droids that had been trying to engage her fell to the ground in twisted heaps. A pair of black armoured troopers immediately turned in her direction and opened fire. Seranee deflected the bolts, her blade spinning as more fire came pouring in. The shower of energy bolts didn't stop, and the Knight felt herself getting tired, her movements slowing. She shook off her weariness, dimly aware of her subordinate's platoon rushing up to engage the enemy, and opened herself up to the Force.

Instantly, her mind was filled with  flickers of life and thought from every being on the battlefield. The artillery crews who were inflicting so much damage on the Republic forces were jagged clusters of determination and fury, their minds focused on calculations. The infantry troops entrenched for miles around her were a chaotic mixture of fear, pain, and anger that seemed to ooze like some foul creature. The combat droids methodically manning turrets that mowed down sentients by the dozens were flickers of light and electricity, all cool logic and metal.

Her force-sense expanded until in encompassed all this, then contracted until it was a sphere that covered only the Jedi and the troopers trying to execute her. The living Force guided her arms and blade as she sensed their every move, what they were about to do, what they had already done. The brilliant blue-silver blade swung, and arms fell from torsos. Pain and fear blossomed in the force like some twisted flower, only to vanish abruptly as she swung the blade back half a meter higher. Armoured helmets rolled on the dusty plains as their owners fell like rag dolls.

The last echoes of their final fear had not yet faded from the Force when Seranee's alarm sense flared and she felt sentients directly behind her. She swung blindly, but wasn't fast enough to block all of the blast bolts aimed at her body. Shots slammed into her neck, back, and arms as she spun, and the Knight fell gracelessly to the ground in a twisted heap.

She tried to move her hand, reach out for the lightsaber, but her limbs wouldn't respond. Both her biomonitor and the Force told her how bad her wounds really were, and she realised that this was it. Boots thumped inches away, and she saw another black suited figure approaching.

She tried to muster rage, indignation, but they quickly vanished and were replaced by the semi-conscious weariness that is the body's way of keep the dying calm. With a growing sense of detachment, she watched through her quickly decreasing field of vision as the figure picked up her fallen blade, looking at it and then at her. She didn't even really mind when it came closer, not even when it put the butt against her forehead and its thumb came closer to the ignition switch. Then the world was replaced by a pure blue-white light and Seranee Ferdin knew no more.

Dante hit the switch again, and the blade vanished. The Jedi lay where she'd fallen, her eyes half-open and mouth in an expression that could have been either a smile or a grimace. Dante thought there was no reason it couldn't have been both. One of his remaining subordinates approached him from behind.

"Sir, all troopers accounted for."

All surviving trooper that is.

"Get their tags, and scavenge whatever ammo you can. We're going after those guns."

"Yes, sir."

Normally, going through enemy lines and penetrating the defenses of weapons capable of taking out platoons with single shots would be suicide. Dante, however, had something in mind.

Clipping the fallen Republic officer's lightsaber to his own belt, a random thought popped into his head.

If their Knights are this hard to take down, what are their superiors like?

OOC:

Let me finish this please. Everything else set after this will be non-canon.