Hayashi Nobunaga stood on the bridge of The Sunken Treasure, looking at the datapad that he had just been handed.  He had always vowed to stay out of the civil war, and never did many jobs for either the New Republic or the Empire to prevent from getting too involved in either side, but the cryptic message that General Fury of the Vast Empire sent to him interested him

"Riven," Hayashi said over the com.  "Get the ships together and head towards these coordinates that I'll be sending to you."

"Sure thing Cap'n," Riven said from The Peg Leg.  "You're going to have to call Oda in, though.  He won't listen to me."

"Yeah, I know," Hayashi said.  His little brother was what could be called an "independent spirit", and didn't like taking orders from anyone.  At times he was almost a crutch to his small fleet, but he was an excellent pilot and he knew how to use his modified YT-1300 well.  Plus, all of the men liked him and he was just smart enough to get into trouble at just the right times. 

"Oda, get your ass back here," Hayashi said to his brother in a private channel.  "We're heading out."

"Where are we headed?"  Oda replied. 

"We've got a job offer, and I'm going to go check it out."  Hayashi cleared his throat.  "Just get back here, we're heading out in twenty minutes."

Hayashi switched it back to the global channel.  "Okay, everyone check in."

"Eyepatch is armed and ready, Cap'n," Tjaden said.

"The Pearl is always ready, Cap'n," Alexander said.

"The Peg Leg is limping along just fine," Riven said.

"I can't believe you just said that you dumbass," Tjaden replied to Riven's comment.  "That joke wasn't even funny the first time we heard it."

"Okay, that's enough," Hayashi interrupted.  "He is right though, Riven.  That's a bad joke."

"Yes sir," Riven said, obviously saddened by the lack of a good response from his joke.

"The Blade is always ready, bro," Oda said in a confident voice.

"Good, everyone's here," Hayashi Nobunaga said as he sent everyone the data.  "See you all in a couple of days."  The stars stretched into lines, and then transformed into a tunnel through space.  The Astral Guard was off to get a job.

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"Nice to meet you, Captain Hayashi," General Fury said as he stretched out a hand.  "I've heard good things about you."

Hayashi took the General's hand.  "I've heard a lot about you, too, General."  He took a seat in the booth as General Fury called over the waiter.  After ordering, Fury turned to Hayashi.

"I love this place," Fury said.  "There's not many like it in the galaxy.  Sentient beings as cooks, waiters, cashiers, bartenders.  I wonder how long it's been since Coruscant had a human cook?"  Fury sipped on a water that the waiter had handed him.  "Yeah, sometimes it's nice to see a sentient face serving your food than the false smile of a droid."

Hayashi just nodded.  If Fury was going to get to his point, he was going to get to it on his own time.  It wasn't wise to rush military men, they tended to only be patient when it came to killing. 


"Osk 91," Fury said to him.  "Ever heard of it?"  Hayashi shook his head.  "I didn't think so.  Very few have.  The New Republic has no data on the place.  Hell, we didn't even purposely find it.  Anyway, it's currently held by a small military force of fairly modern proportions.  Probably using Yavin-era equipment.  We want you to liberate it."

Hayashi sipped on his caf.  "How much?"

"Five hundred thousand," Fury replied.

"I have more in my wallet," Hayashi said.  "Don't waste my time."

"I wasn't finished," Fury said with a grin.

"Then keep going," Hayashi said with an annoyed look on his face.

"You get sovereignty over Osk 91," Fury said.  "All we would ask is that you allow the Vast Empire to use it as a stopping point for trade and military operations.  Also, if you complete the mission, you are allowed access to certain items in the Imperial Center that are not normally allowed to be purchased for private use.  Also, the prospect for continuous employment by the Vast Empire.  As long as we have the jobs for you to do and the money for us to pay you, you'll have employment."  Fury took another sip of his water.

Hayashi lit his cigarra and sat their pensively, not giving away anything.  On one side, he had been searching for a long time for a good place for the Astral Guard to settle down at for a base of operations.  On the other, he would be thrown right in the middle of a civil war he had been trying hard to avoid. 

"I refuse to fight rebels," Hayashi said.  "I'm not going to become a part of your civil war."

"You have the option to turn down any mission you want," Fury said.  "You're not in the Vast Empire.  We're just your current employer and we're in need of your services."  Fury grinned.  "Well?"

Hayashi cursed on the inside.  "You have yourself a deal."
 
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Yargh....

I do be a pirate...

Yargh....

Hayashi's heart sank. He stood motionless before his men staring blankly into a nothingness that was reflected in his eyes. His mind was churning in a sea of disbelief and denial as all thoughts of the mission at hand faded from his concious. The seconds felt like hours and every breath that passed through his lips seemed to drain the life from his body. Suddenly he was thrust back into reality as a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Captain," said Tjaden as he grasped Hayashi's shoulder.

Hayashi turned his head towards Tjaden and life slowly began to creep back into his eyes like the sun fighting to break through the clouds after a rainstorm. He then looked at the rest of his men. They looked anxious and concerned. He knew they were waiting for his orders. He pushed the thoughts of his brother to the back of his mind. There would be time to mourn later, now he needed to worry about the mission. There was no need to compromise the lives of the rest of his men because he wasn't focussed on the objective. Then as if someone had flicked a switch Hayashi came back to life and resumed command of the operation.

"Tjaden, Riven," called Hayashi.

"Sir," the two pirates replied in unison.

"I want you two to take three squads and secure the city," ordered Hayashi. "They should know we're here by now so look alive out there. Our target is in the center of the city. That's where you should find the most resistance. Once you've done that Alexander will take his squad and secure the bunker. If all goes well Tjaden, Riven, and I will go into the bunker and clear out the remaining resistance. Is that clear?"

"Consider it done," answered Tjaden.

"Jensen, Omira, Fletcher," barked Riven. "Get your squads ready to move out."

The squads formed up and fell in. Tjaden brought them all up to speed on the mission and and the small force began to make their way to the wall of the city.

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Tjaden yawned and stretched as he woke from his slumber aboard his ship, The Eyepatch. They had been in hyperspace for a couple of days and should be reaching Osk 91 very soon. He sat up and turned on his com.

"How are we doing, Ben," questioned Tjaden?

"Just fine, sir," replied his co-pilot. "We should be there any moment now."

Tjaden decided he had better get ready. He pulled on his boots and stood up. He was dressed all in black from his boots to his short-sleeved shirt with one exception. His belt buckle was silver with two crossed blaster pistols on it. He was average height with a slim, but strong, build with short black hair and his face was scruffy with a well defined jawline that gave him a look of resolute determination. He rarely smiled.

Tjaden turned to his locker and opened it. Inside was hanging his black jacket and holsters. He took out the jacket and sat it on his bed. Then he took out his dual underarm holsters and put them on, adjusting them so that they fit snuggly. He then opened a cabinet in the bottom of his locker and took out his two Kylan-3 heavy blaster pistols. He turned them over several times and checked the magazines. Then he spun them backwards in his hands twice and put them into their holsters crossing his arms across his chest. He then pulled out a vibro blade and a small hold out blaster. He slid the vibro blade into his right boot and placed the blaster in a holster on the back of his belt. He attached some extra magazines and grenades to his belt and then pulled on his jacket to conceal the weapons. His jacket fell just below his waistline so that it covered his belt and he left the front open so that he could easily reach his blasters at any time. A few buttons could be the difference between life and death.

He made his way to the cockpit just as the warning sensor began to flash, indicating that they had reached their destination. He sat down and checked over his display. The pirate disengaged the hyper drive on the Eyepatch and the starline faded back into stars. Osk 91 sat directly in front of them while the Sunken Treasure was to the left and slightly ahead of his ship.

"Well," Said Tjaden. "We're here."

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The small force led by Tjaden and Riven approached the main gate to the city and there didn't appear to be any resistance at the entrance. Tjaden didn't like it. They had just taken out the cities air defences and that meant that a ground assault was on the way. There should be some sort of defense at the entrance to the city. At least a few sentries. The group made their way to the main gate.

"Let's get it open," said Tjaden. "And keep your eyes peeled."

"Just gimme a sec," Riven shot back as he plugged his data-pad into the computer terminal to the main gate. He punched a few keys and grinned. "We're in business." He said as he unplugged his data-pad.

The gate slid open and Tjaden's jaw dropped. He was staring at two sand-bag E-web epmplacements on both sides of the street directly in front of him. He yelled for the men to get down as he dove to the ground and rolled to the left side of the gate. Riven dove to the ground as well rolling to the right side of the gate while the three men directly behind them were immediatly mowed down by E-web fire. The rest of the group quickly moved from in front of the gate and took cover. Tjaden's first thought was to fall back and re-group but as soon as he looked for an escape route he saw three squads of enemy troops, about sixty men in all, come from around the curve of the city wall on each side that they had been using to conceal themselves from the pirates, cutting off any retreat.

"Get those E-webs in firing position. Don't let these bastards cut us off," yelled Tjaden as he took a grenade from his belt and lobbed it through the gate of the city. It went off and the E-web on the right side of the street fell silent. He had found his mark.

"And stay away from that gate," added Riven.

Although outnumbered the pirates superior firepower and marksmanship was making short work out of the enemy troops outside of the city walls. Tjaden knew that didn't matter unless they could get through the gate once they had finished off the resistance outside, and that wasn't going to happen with that other E-web in place.

"Riven, and you two," Tjaden said raising his voice above the fray. "We need to take out that other E-web if we're going to make it through that gate."

"Easier said than done," replied Riven.

"Listen up," yelled Tjaden. "If we can get through the gate we can flank the gun emplacement easily enough."There are buildings on both sides of the street that we can use for cover and if we move fast enough we'll have that gun before they can re-position. You and Riven go right, and you and I will go left on my signal. Let's do it."

Tjaden took a flashbang grenade from his belt and hurled it through the gate. It went off in a brilliant burst of light and the E-web went silent as the gunners were blinded.

"Now," yelled Tjaden and the four men dashed through the gate and around the buildings. Tjaden drew his pistols as he circled the building to the left of the gun. He, Riven, and the two other pirates reached the gun and made short work of the three men behind it. They took over the gun and opened fire on the enemy men outside of the gate. The firefight was over in a matter of minutes and the pirate force regrouped. The ambush was over.

"How many did we lose," asked Tjaden?

"Five dead, two wounded, but they can still fight," replied Riven.

"But they'll slow us down," said Tjaden. "We'll leave the wounded and one other person to man this gun emplacement we just took. They can guard the gate and watch our backs easily enough."

"You heard him," barked Riven. "You three stay here and watch our backs. Everyone else move your asses. We've still got a city to secure."

With that the remaining force started making their way to the center of the city at a brisk jog. They reached their target and took out most of the defenders before they knew what had hit them. Defenses around the center of the city were lighter than anticipated. It seems the enemy thought that the little surprise attack at the gate would have been able to stop any attack made on the city. In all there were about fifty men guarding the city core and they were all killed in a matter of minutes. The pirates had four more dead and six wounded. That left seventeen men, only fourteen of which were in fighting condition to hold the city center until Hayashi and Alexander arrived.

"Set up a perimeter and get those E-webs into good firing positions," ordered Tjaden. "Riven, get on the com and tell Alexander he can take that bunker any time now, and the sooner the better."

"Already there," replied Riven.

Tjaden looked over the men and decided they were in decent defensive positions. All that was left now was to wait for Alexander and Hayashi.
 
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"Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.~Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.

Alexander collapsed wearily into one of the fold-out chairs scattered across the camp. The mission was going was well as could be expected, but...
Oda. He slammed his fist down. "Dammit."
He had not been very close to the captain's younger brother, but that did not mean he wasn't affected by the loss. He could still see the burning wreckage of The Blade... whether his eyes were open or closed.
He waved a hand in front of his eyes, trying to clear away the picture. No luck. He sighed.
Alexander looked over at the captain. Hayashi was doing a good job of holding his emotions in... as usual. Alexander was much the same. He had known Nobunaga for a long time. But, recently...
"Dammit." He felt like he was to blame for the younger brother's loss. There was no logic behind that statement, but the feeling was still there. I was up in the air, too. I should've been able to do something.
Hayashi glanced over and their eyes met. There was a brief exchange... Alexander saying, "I'm sorry"... the captain replying, "I know."
Alexander hung his head. Why couldn't have been me instead? Oda had had so much to live for. I, on the other hand...
One of his crew members approached. The men and women of The Pearl were a good bunch. Strong, smart fighters. They were reserved, though, and the whole company tended to keep their distance from the rest of the Astral Guard. There were no real problems or anything, just...

"Are you ready?"

Kris was a tall, dark-haired young man from Averam. He was one of the more experienced members of the group, and liked to act like he ranked higher than he actually did.
Alexander rose, adjusting his belt as he did. He stroked the scabbard at his right side. He rarely resorted to using the sword in battle, but if necessary... he was very deadly. Years of training do that to a man.
Of course, he was deadly with more conventional weapons, too. He checked the charge on his blaster rifle.

"Yeah, Kris. I'm ready," he replied.

Kris nodded and led the way to the gathering point. It was going to be time for one final push. If this didn't work, the Astral Guard didn't really have the manpower for another assault. Alexander wondered how many casualties they would incur this time. So far no one from his crew had been killed, but he knew that time was running out.

"Where's Jaclyn?" he asked.

"She was just here..." Kris answered, scanning the area.

"Don't worry about it," Alexander said as he walked away. "I'll find her."

"Don't be too long, pal. We're going to need you."

Alexander waved his hand for a response. He would be ready to fight when the time came. But he wanted to be sure of something first.

Tjaden's gaze followed Alexander and his men as they trotted off towards the bunker. Alexander seemed more detached than usual as if something was laying heavily on his mind. Tjaden looked back to Hayashi and spoke.

"Alexander seem a little off to you, Captain," Tjaden asked?

"You mean more so than usual," Hayashi shot back?

"You know what I mean," replied Tjaden.

"I know," the captain said as he looked towards the bunker, Alexander, and his men. "He's got a lot on his mind right now. He was the only one of us up there, you know?" A haze covered Hayashi's eyes as he became lost in his thoughts. He stood there pensively for a few moments and then he spoke, more to himself than anyone around. "He can tell me how it happened......what it looked like.......how he was kil...." His voice trailed off.

Tjaden placed his hand on Hayashi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him a little. He then looked around the small, makeshift camp and began sizing up the mission thus far. They had taken heavy casualties and were barely above half strength. Not including the Alexanders men, that had just gone off to secure the entrance to the bunker, there were under thirty men left in fighting condition. That was all they had left to finish off the remaning one hundred or more men in the bunker. Those were the odds they were used to though.

"So what do you think, Captain," questioned Tjaden?

"I think it's time we finished this," said Hayashi.
 
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"Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.~Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.

Alexander's eyes scanned the camp. Nowhere. He'd been searching for fifteen minutes and still no sign of her. Where could she be?
Asten and Rusil approached, loading their blaster rifles with charges as they did. They were two of his men, and damned good ones at that.

"What's going on?" Asten asked.

"Have you seen Jaclyn anywhere?"

The shorter man shook his head. "No, not since before we started out for the mission."

"I don't get it," Alexander replied. "She was supposed to be here." His voice trailed off toward the end and his eyes stared out into the distance. There was silence for a moment.

Rusil laid a hand on his shoulder. "You don't think... that..."

"I don't know," Alexander whispered.

Asten gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she wasn't one of the casualties."

"But everyone was supposed to gather here!"

The two riflemen exchanged glances. They knew Alexander had been in an unstable mood lately. Oda's death would be hard enough to take in, but if Jaclyn had been killed...

"Why don't you ask Hayashi?" Rusil suggested. "If anyone would know where she was, he would."

Alexander sighed. "I'm not sure I can talk to him right now."

"Oda?" He nodded.

"No one's going to blame you," Asten said.

"I'll blame myself, then."

Jensen was running by, but he slowed down as he came to the three men. "Guys, we need to get a move on. Round up your squad and get in formation." Rusil waved him off and he continued on his way.

"Pal, are you ready?" Asten questioned.

Alexander grinned, a desparate attempt to save face and reassure his comrades. "I'm sure that she's fine. If no one has seen her, then maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

Rusil patted him on the back. "Come on. There are bigger things to focus on now."

"Right." Alexander readjusted his rifle and headed off to collect his troops. Where are you?

Alexander checked the charge on his riot gun again. It was a nervous habit. Not a bad habit, just a nervous one. Still at 500. You haven't fired your gun yet, moron. He shook his head. He was worried about Jaclyn, and it was really affecting his concentration.
Riven's voice came up over the comlink. "You there yet, Alex?"
"We're securing the entrance as I speak. Prepare to move out."
"Roger that. Just let us know."
"Will do. Sorry for the holdup."
There was no response. None was needed - the conversation had been over before Alexander's last comment. He tended to apologize needlessly. Another nervous habit, I guess.
He looked across the way to see Kris and Rusil armed and ready. He glanced back over his shoulder and Asten gave him a "go" sign. I suppose it's now or never.
He waved the two men across from him forward. Rusil moved first, with Kris right on his tail. As they moved out from under cover, shots rang out.
Dammit. I was hoping that they had pulled back the defenses. Obviously not.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a fight," Asten said.
"It appears so." Better now than later, I suppose.
Kris and Rusil had reached another sheltered area and were setting up to return fire. Alexander couldn't see their opponents, but from the different angles of fire there were at least four other shooters.
He turned around to the rest of his crew and waved them off. He didn't want to put too many of them in danger. Not yet.
He touched his comlink, activating it, and said, "Riven, we've run into some resistance."
"That wasn't unexpected."
"No. Asten and I are moving to help put it down. I'll be right back in touch with you."
"Do you need assistance?"
"Not yet. Hold for now."
"Hurry it up, Alex." That was Tjaden's voice. "We can't wait all day."
Alexander turned around and grinned at Asten and then broke for Rusil and Kris's position. Shots rang out as he exposed himself to open air; he had to fall into a roll to avoid one. As he came back up to a running stride, Asten fell into step beside him.
"Get under cover - now!" he barked. The shorter man nodded and ran harder. They leapt behind the sheltered area that Kris and Rusil had found just as a grenade went off behind them."
"Shit," Kris said. "That's not good."
Rusil frowned. "We can't stay here or we'll get fragged."
"Undoubtedly."
"What's the plan, oh glorious leader?" Asten questioned.
"Do you have any idea where the fire is coming from?" Alex asked Kris.
"A decent one."
"Okay. On the count of three, you and Rusil start shooting at where you think the enemies are. Asten and I will cover you."
"That's not much of a plan," Asten muttered.
"Do you have any bright ideas?" A grenade went off even closer to them. Asten shook his head. "Be careful."
Kris nodded. Alexander counted to three and then they rolled out from behind cover and started firing like crazy.
 
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All men are brothers, like the seas throughout the world; so why do winds and waves clash so fiercely everywhere?