Broken Dreams (Assault on Kashyyyk) [Archive]

General Forlon

Jun 15th, 2008, 09:58:05 PM

Mon Calamari orbit 04:00 hours

General Forlon awoke sweating and disturbed. He has had bad dreams in the past but few seemed as real as this. He turned and placed his feet on the cold surface which was the deck of the Endeavor. He had not slept since his return from Sullust. The Rebels had won but the cost of men and equipment was a toll which the Alliance sadly had to pay. Over twenty thousand men and women dead, two Cruisers, four Frigates, and several Transport vessels had been lost. Even with the price paid in blood by three corp Forlon thought of the operation as a success. No in the dark the ghosts of the dead left him sleepless and distressed. The last eighteen months had gone well for the Alliance. The loss at Endor was a blow the rebels would not recover from soon but the taste of victory had wet his lips three times since then.

The remaining forces of three corps had returned to the Daca system for some rest and much needed leave. Now almost a month since the assault corps was active he had received his orders. He longed to blame his sleeplessness on the orders he had been given but he knew that was not the case. He felt guilty somewhere deep inside and he was not one for regret and guilt. The life of war had no place for guilt or regret, not for him. He had served during the clone wars and he had witnessed the devastation of Order 66 and the civil war which fallowed. He had served aboard the vessel which the ratification of the rebellion was written. He had been on Hoth when Vader and the Imperial walkers laid siege to the base and assisted in the planning for Endor. He had not felt guilty when the rebels lost at Endor, why now?

The floor beneath his feet was cold. The old Bulwark was not the most comfortable ship to serve on but its massive size, mean troop and hanger complement was of abundance. It also had weapons only rivaled by star dreadnoughts. The Endeavor was a mobile command center more then a starship. Power had been routed from the engines to power massive system upgrades for command and communications applications. With a state of the are targeting and sensor system the Ship more then made up for its very slow speed.

Endeavor grand assembly chamber 07:00 hours

General Forlon felt refreshed after his ion shower and breakfast. he had not forgotten his night but in the haze of reports and the morning meeting it seemed like a distant memory. His staff had all rejoined the command and had worked as diligently as always preparing the general with any and all data needed so he could create a battle plan and prepare for anything to come. As the meeting began an aid stood and began speaking to the collection of admirals, captains, generals, colonels, aids and varied political representatives.

"Good morning esteem members and guests. I am Major Torete of Corp logistics and data retrieval. As you know as of zero six hundred the bulk of three corps had been recalled and all personnel are reporting to Fleet command as we speak. We have received an urgent transmission from the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk, A rebel operative has sent word that the bulk of the invading forces have left the planet after the long conquest the Imperial Army had taking the planet I and others in intel beleave this to be true. They had one hell of a fight on their hands and the Wookiees along with the Rebel Militia gave as good as they got. But the blockade and the unending flow of fresh troops to the world by the Imperials took its toll and the militia surrendered. Most of the wookiee population has fled to the deep woods and are in hiding. They await our return to continue the war against the Imperial Invaders."

The major stood silent as another aid set up the holo projector in the center of the room. As one of the largest single chambers aboard the massive Battlecruiser the hall had room to fit all four hundred and thirty five members of the upper staff and aids of three corps. Various naval and army officers sat watching as the aid began the holo projection.

The massive three dimensional image shot up ten meters into the center of the room. The image was of the round globe of Kashyyyk. Data three meters tall began scrolling down the edge of the projection. System description, orbital variance, and orbital rotation information all scrolled from top to bottom. As the majority of the collective read over the data the Major flipped the page of his report and began speaking again.

"As you can see the planet is at it furthest orbital position from Trandoshia and the Imperial force there. This gives our forces over three hours before a sizable force can be assembled and arrive from Trandosia and almost fifteen hours from the nearest Imperial held system. We will have enough time to land a full third of the Corp before we would have to worry about any outside assistance."

The display magnified and the planet grew larger. three small images began to glow red and the data scrolling changed to tactical data. The Aid flipped the page again and pointed to the glowing shapes.

"As you can see the three orbital defense platforms were disabled by the imperial fleet and as of yet the Imperials have yet to begin rebuilding and repair. All orbital defense probes were destroyed and no remnant of the Defense net remains. Our operatives report occupational troop support to be light. They seem to not be worried about the wookies. They are controlling the planet from orbit and a few tree cities which supply landing zones and are the main trading centers. The fleet guarding the planet is light and will offer no real resistance to our assault force."

The display changed again to a section of the planet and another small red glowing icon. As the image magnified the shape of a Victory Star Destroyer was apparent.

"Intel has the single Victory class ship with seven support vessels of smaller class guarding the space lanes and enforcing the continued blockade. We are told the imperials have withdrawn most of their forces for rest and regrouping. They suffered losses in excess of forty five thousand troopers in the operation against Kashyyyk. Now they seem not to be to worried about the population and consider the blockade to be adequate to continue the blockade. We also have intel which seems to be describing a massive assault on a target which we have still to uncover the targets name. So we think the bulk of the fleet is reforming and resting so to take part in this next invasion."

The collection of officers and politicians looked over the data and from one to another. small discussions began from various members of the group and one officer stood.

"How sure are we that this intel is correct?

The major smiled and turned to another page.

"I assure you that the operatives this data comes from are loyal Alliance members and would verify all data they pass on to my office. We are sure this data is correct"

General Forlon

Jun 18th, 2008, 10:38:34 PM

Kashyyyk, Temporary Imperial Holding facility...

The smell of blood and urine tainted the air which once smelled of fresh meat. A single chair sat in the center of what was once a Wookiee Kitchen. The man in the chair lay slumped over the cords which bound him to the chair. His body broken and bruised by the constant imperial questioning. The stifled air vented as the doorway to the hovel opened and a immaculate grey uniform walked into the room. Behind him two large forms walked in on stark white stormtrooper armor. They walked to the man and lifted him to his feet.

"Mister Horett, I admire your resolve. Few have managed to last as long as you. But now you are no longer needed. It seems your cohort had far less resistance to pain. He cracked fairly early on in the questioning. Of course not early enough for the wounds he suffered in the process of questioning to not be fatal. It seems internal bleeding can be very hard to ascertain without a medical examination. Anyway he sent the message to your General and it seems the assault on Kashyyyk by your rag tag fleet will meet a disastrous fate at the Hands of Grand Admiral Desaria."

The man drew on strength he no longer knew he had and lifted his head to look at the Imperial Officer. The image he saw was tinted red by blood and eclipsed by his swollen eyes. He tried to conjure saliva to spit in the mans face but his dry mouth could no longer produce fluid. His brain summoned words but his voice was weak and far too horse to translate what he wanted to say. A quiet almost muffled gargle was the most he could produce. The Imperial officer laughed and motioned to the Stormtroopers.

Horret blinked to clear the blood from his eyes and watched the wall pass by as the Stormtroopers took him out of the small hovel and onto the tree top walk way. From behind him he heard a laugh from the Imperial Officer as he closed the door to the Wookiee hut and began to walk away. As the Storm Troopers drug him away from the hutt the sound of tree creatures became louder and the sensation of swift air began passing him . As his eyes cleared the blood from them he saw the shape of the two troopers above him growing smaller and smaller until the blood filled his eyes once again and blinded him. His shattered body barely registered the swift wind from falling as it tossed the shards of clothing left on his body. He thought about his wife and boy, Val. How would they get on with out him. Would his boy know freedom from the tyrant which was the empire. Would his wife remarry. His mind wondered then abruptly stopped as the kilometer high fall ended at the base of the giant tree.

Telan Desaria

Jun 20th, 2008, 11:05:30 AM

Somewhere in the Imperial Space
A few days ago...

The guards on either side of the office doorway were able to discern approaching footfalls from those of people who passed; after all, few dared approach them or their charge behind the durasteel bulkhead. When the tone of boots on polished decking rose one pitch, the pair came to attention and gave a firm click of their heels with parade ground precision. Sure enough, Captain Horus approached amid the steady flow of bridge traffic and turned towards the guards.

The Captain placed the pad he carried in his left hand and with his right depressed the door-chime. A few seconds passed before the doors slid open to reveal a modest office into which he stepped. His jackboots tapped on the decking as he moved towards the viewport. Silhouetted against it was a large wooden desk with magnificent filagry and a hand-carved facade, doubtless crafted before any man aboard - or his father - had been born. Horus strained in the low light to see where his superior was but could not pick him out in the darkness.

" Sir?"

From the darkness near the viewport strode a man of above average height with a lean, shockball-player's build. As he stepped forward, his white tunic and breaches were illuminated by the pale glow of the desk lamp's emerald shade. He placed a book on the desk and pulled out the high-backed red-padded chair from the desk and seated himself elegantly.

" Yes Captain?"

Captain Horus knew the Grand Admiral and was not taken aback by his somewhat odd habits, but others might have been. Others might have wondered how a human could read in the dark: Horus knew it was a benefit of the cybernetic left eye the Grand Admiral now wore as a permanent reminder of his victory at Endor. Horus as his flag captain knew along with a few trusted others, but most remained ignorant of the severity of his wound, fooled by the monocle he wore as if nothing had changed since the day before the battle. Of course, the Grand Admiral's penchant for low-lighting had developed since then. He maintained all appearance of normalcy, still wearing the Imperial Cross at his neck and old-model Walther Blaster on his side.

The Captain placed the pad on the Grand Admiral's desk. " Intelligence has transmitted to us information regarding a Rebel formation. Apparently, they plan on ambushing the defense force as a means to occupying Kashyyyk. Appended is a roster of ships to be involved and their attached troop compliment."

The Grand Admiral removed his gloves from hands and placed them upon the desk. He secured the datapad and reviewed it intently for a few moments. " One can only shudder when one thinks to what lengths our vaunted Intelligence operatives went to obtain this data."

Horus nodded in agreement.

" Not the concern of military men, however. A dictate I remember from Military Philosophy at the Academy: An ambuscade, if revealed in time and properly planned against, can repay the intended miscreants with interest. Apt, wouldn't you say Captain?"

" I would indeed, Sir. I will adjust course."

Kashyyyk
Present Day

It had been three years since Lieutenant Commander Tyvirr visited Kashyyyk. He thought it a dismal world with in epic proportions: the natives were untamed but still respectable enemies given their size and strength - even the plants and trees and insects could be terrifying in their hugeness. Tyvirr never liked being the hunter one moment and the hunted the next. While Kashyyyk was loathsome enough without any assistance from other influences, Tyvirr hated it for another reason: when he had arrived last his ship, the cruiser Deprivation was assaulted by four Rebel frigates and lost. He had spent four days in an escape pod with only that hateful world in his viewport, mocking him.

Of course, that was three years ago. Now he was a Captain and he looked down at Kashyyyk through the rear-viewports with a little more pity than he thought himself capable of. Doubtless below were a few Wookiees who were hoping to spring off their jungle homeworld and fight with the Rebel Alliance. He was there to dash their hopes. Perhaps if a few dozen warheads 'accidentally' would be shot off dirt-wards, I could end their misery now rather than let them linger in suspense. I wonder what the boss would say?

" Captain, with the arrival of the Frigate ZG-514 we are in formation and ready."

Tyvirr nodded to the executive officer and followed him back onto the bridge proper. For himself, the Captain didn't mind life aboard an Interdictor Cruiser - it was certainly far from as cramped as the frigates he had served on or even his beloved Depredation. He looked around the bridge and smiled to himself. Then his thoughts caught up with him. Yes, I know exactly what the boss would say: 'Unnecessary waste of munitions.' Not that the Grand Admiral has any love for the aliens down there; he's just pure military.

" Lieutenant Exque, ordered the ZG-514 to break formation and power-down its primary reactor. She's to open her exhaust vents and extend fueling lines. Move to tender to her location but do not couple up." Sensing the confused look of some bridge crew members, Tyvirr explained himself as best he could without breaking the rules set down in his sealed orders. " We are supposed to look as if we're not expecting any guests."

" Aye sir," came the reply from the Lieutenant's station, his voice fading out amid the din of normal bridge operations. Two of the three years since Tyvirr had left Kashyyyk had been aboard the Interdictor, so the men knew him and trusted him. They obeyed, but were probably very curious.

They'll get answers soon enough. They're already wondering why we're at battle stations, but they'll find out. They've been though worse. Tyvirr couldn't speak for the other four ships around him, cruisers mostly, but if they were manned with even average Imperial crews then things should go fine. He allowed himself a smile. This time will be very different indeed. This visit, I get MY vengeance!

Reshmar

Jun 24th, 2008, 04:33:58 PM

Alliance Fleet Command
Reef City - Mon Calamari

Reshmar always enjoyed any reason he found to return to his home planet. He had not seen the crests of the waves and feel the Gentle breeze on his face since his return from Endor. Twenty eight months had passed since the fatal defeat at the hands of the Empire. He remembered the day like it was yesterday. The giant moon sized deathstar sat looming over the forest moon awaiting the Rebel fleet. The trap had been set by the Emperor and it almost succeeded. If it were not for the heroes of the rebellion who had died that day the Alliance would never have survived that day. Their memory will live on for as long as someone fought the tyranny of the Empire.

The Empire was now a different beast. Before the Emperor had decided what was to be done. He called the shots and gave the orders. In a way the Empire was predictable. Palpatine had set the entire galaxy up for one giant battle which would finish the rebellion and secure his hold on Vader and his children. Now all have passed on and only the legacy of their ideals and the power of their dreams lived on.

The fleet command meeting had lasted the better part of the day. Reshmar had tried to rush the session, he had a task force headed to Kashyyyk and they would arrive by the end of the day. The world had suffered for many years under the Empire and now was the time to free the wookies and save their race from slavery. The damp wind blowing from the ocean was refreshing. Many of the meeting halls and star ships Reshmar had inspected and visited as of late were dry and devoid of moisture. The damp atmosphere of Calamari was just what He needed to get away from his troubles for awhile. Reshmars Long Walk down the Ocean side terrace had set his mind straight again and he fleet the weight of command which had sat on his shoulder for over two years now melt away.

He had stopped to look out on a Querran settlement in the distance. The dim lights of the small city began to shine in the approaching darkness. His mind was adrift and the Kashyyyk assault was the furthest thing in his mind. He had faith in General Forlon and his forces,they would bring glory to the alliance and freedom to the World of Kashyyyk.

General Forlon

Jun 24th, 2008, 05:27:08 PM

The rumble of the deck rose in frequency and volume as the Hyperdrive motivators shot the massive four kilometer form of the Endeavor out of Hyperspace and into the star scattered darkness of deep space. The trip from the Daka System had given General Forlon time to finalize his plan and prepare the final orders before jumping to Kashyyyk. The brightest of the dim points of light in the distance was the world of kashyyyk. The Task force had dropped out of hyperspace twelve million kilometers outside the system to move into battle formation and launch all hyperspace equipped fighters. The massive Bulwark Battlecruiser sat like a waiting predator alpha male as the smaller attack ships and fighters grouped up around her and prepared for the assault.

At the aft of the battlefleet sat the twelve transports which would land most of the massive III corp as the fleet engaged the defense ships and planetary fighter wing. The larger of the Transports, three Action class transports, moved to the head of the landing line and the smaller Gallofree Transports took up random positions to the aft.

The Calamari Cruiser Repulse moved up behind the Endeavor in the battle line flanked by two of the three Dreadnought Heavy Cruisers, Talon, and Monitor, Behind that group the third Dreadnought, Master, moved into position flanked by the two Nebulon B frigates, Corsair, and Tempest. The remaining three gunships, Grogon, Rebel Blade, and Trinity, moved up into a massive fighter formation at the head of the formation.

Forlon looked over the last status reports and the messages received since they reverted from hyperspace. The twenty minutes which was set aside for the massive fleet formation shift was almost up. All of the ships had made it to their formations and the last of the fighters were launching and moving into their assigned positions now. No recall order had been received so the Assault on Kashyyyk was a go.

"All Commanders report they have reached target positions and report all they have sounded active stations. Fleet is assembled and ready to jump General." Forlons Fleet commander handed him the data pad with all the finial reports and in fleet messages as he informed him of the status of the fleet. Forlon took the pad and briefly looked over the information then stood and turned to the command crew.

"Com, open a fleet wide channel please" Forlon waited a moment until the Communications officer nodded

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we go to face a foe which is forcing a race of sentient beings to work and die as slaves. The world we go to free is more then the home of the Wookiee race. It is a message to all who would force labor and death on any being. A message to a people who would force other peoples to live under forced control. A message to the Empire who have time after time shown they look upon anyone different as less then themselves. We are all peoples of this galaxy. All equal, no one race better then another. We fight today to show the galaxy as a whole that when the people of the galaxy unite we can do anything. Not even the mighty Empire can stand before the united might of the galaxy. We go today to fight men and women who look down on us and think us alien and savage. I say it is they who are the savages for they can not look upon a different face and see that face as an equal. See our faces as people not animals. We go today to make the galaxy a place of freedom for all the races of the galaxy." Forlon finishes his speech to the growing volume of applause and banter from through out the fleet. He would carry this energy of excitement to the world of Kashyyk. The massive force which he commanded would go forth and fall upon the Imperial forces on kashyyyk like a sledge hammer. As the applause continued he looked at his Fleet commander .

"Prepare to jump Captain" With that last order the applause began to settle and the rumble of the deck of the massive battlecruiser changed tone and the Small points of light turned to stretched lines as the III Corps Assault Taskforce made its final hyperspace jump to Kashyyyk.

Telan Desaria

Jun 26th, 2008, 12:05:54 PM

Tense moments had come and gone, then they turned into hours. The waiting stretched on and on and on again. The men of the ships floating motionlessly above Kashyyyk relaxed as best they could. Each one waited for the crash of the klaxon to spring into action, but many let their guard down. Gunners stood away from their cannon and started joking, or playing cards, or resting a dirty head against a pylon or recoil support strut. Almost everyone on the ship had the4 chance to stretch, to sigh, and wait.

Almost.

The bridge was one of the few places where the word relax never made it off the turbolift. The tension was thick and it seemed as even the technicians in the crewpits turned their heads with neck-snapping speed at the unwarranted beep of a terminal or chirp of a droid.

Where the hell are they? Captain Tyvirr echoed the sentiments of his officers as he peered against the oppressive vastness of space, searching for any sign of the coming enemy. He knew they were coming, Intelligence had said so. While there might usually be a shortage of intelligence at Intelligence, the Grand Admiral only put stock in sources he himself had faith in. If he said the Rebels would come, then come they would.

" Lieutenant Detson, full scan please."

The bridge crew didn't groan, not out loud at least. Doubtless they wanted to. The Lieutenant checked his systems, pushing the active and passive scanners as far as their designs allowed, and replied with the same answer as he had every thirty minutes for the last five hours. " All scopes clear, sir."

" Very well."

* * *

The whistle sounded and alarms chimed, jarring those who had fallen asleep from the land dreams to a chaotic reality. Seven hours had passed since the call to battlestations, now the men jumped to. From bow to stern lights flashed and petty officers competed with the alarms for volume and pitch - the non coms usually won. Men snapped awake or were given a good kick by a nearby colleague - throughout the ship, eyes ravaged their surroundings for the finally arrived foe.

" Seven capital ships, three gunships, and a number of transports in the rear. They appear not to have transited in formation; they're massing now."

" Raise shields! Guns, get solutions for all weapons and relay targets of opprtunity to battery commanders. Deploy the fighter screen but keep them within fifty kilometers; I don't want X-wings killing off the only missile defense we have. All ships, into formation - now!"

Captain Tyvirr removed the cap from his brow and tucked into his leather belt, grossly defying regulations but not caring either way. He gripped tightly one railing then another as he moved from left to right, shouting orders for both the task force under his command and his own ship as well. When his executive officer echoed his own orders he took stock of the arrivals and smiled to himself.

Their slow formation tells me our ruse has succeeded. We are scattered and unprepared thus they can dispatch us with leisure. Now to hold our own.

Tyvirr gave one more order that, when executed, was sure to confuse the hell out of his Rebel-opposite number: " When they close to weapons range, activate the globes!"

General Forlon

Jun 29th, 2008, 12:23:21 AM

Forlon sat straight up from the slight slump which he had let himself relax into during the short jump. Alarms sounded around him which was expected. What was expected were the starship he was looking at on the display. First to speak was his executive officer.

"General, force comp is far from expected. We are still trying to approximate their presence but is would seem our info was wrong."

"I can see that , now get me some tactical data and have all commanders report status Captain."

Forlons temper was flaring as he stood and approached the large tactical hale display. Standing around it were key tactical officers and advisors who examined the data and situation and gave guidance to the general. They all looked baffled by what they were looking at and General Forlon was not blind to that fact.

"You people are here because you are the best tactical minds we have. Now tell me why I have 5 Cruisers and an escort instead of one Vic?!"

The Tactical officers all looked at one another then at the data scrolling on the display. As the designation and transponder code of each ship began popping up the situation became even more dire.

"Sir, We have a total of seven capital vessels in the group. Most seem to be out of place for some reason. The formation looks sporadic like they were just put in odd positions ot they just have bad Communications or Command orders."

Forlon looked at the ships which were frantically moving into some sort of formation. Towards the front of the formation the label popped up on the lead ship. As Forlon read the tag he let out a gust of air in disgust and turned to the weapons stations. The Tactical officers were just as upset by the new target designation. The ship changed everything. Now instead of a hit and run insertion of troops the Battlegroup had to fight and destroy the Interdictor Cruiser just to escape the system.

"COmm! send to all Ships, Abort!, I repeat Abort!. Have the Transports turn and make their way out of the system and jump as soon as they exit the Interdictors range. Have all Attack fighters prepare to engage the Interdictor and target those gravity wells. Also get those gunships to flank the enemy position and engage that Interdictor Cruiser from the aft. CAG get to Fighter ops and take command personally I do not have time to deal with the fighter wing while i am working on this Interdictor problem they are at your command. See to it I do not get a squint up my behind!"

Colonel Mayers nodded and ran to the Fighter operations center just aft and above the bridge. Around him the men and women of the Endeavor's command crew frantically went about the preparations for battle. Forlons temper has subsides a bit but he was still angry he had been lied to by Intel. HE knew it was not intels fault but he trusted the people and now it had come back to bit him in the behind. He walked back to his command chair and sat. The enemy fleet had moved into a loose formation and were preparing for battle.

"Captain have the Talon and Monitor move in and engage that interdictor."

Forlon sat patiently as the two formations moved towards each other and the battle to come. He looked at the final status on the ship designations and knew the Heavy cruiser was the only ship to worry about.

"Captain have all gunners concentrate fire on the Heavy Cruiser."

He looked over the halo image once again at the ships before him. The two tenders were just fodder. as long as they didn't try to make a ramming run he had no intention on firing on them. The Carracks would be annoying is they got behind the fleet but that would not happen.

"Have the Master move to engage those Carracks. Also get our escort frigate to cover the transports as they make their way out of the system. Once they have made it have them provide anti fighter support for the Talon and Monitor"

*******

FIghter ops was just as frantic as command. Colonel Mayers had just arrived on station and took command. He looked out at the scene before him. They had the empire out numbered in fighters but the existence of the Lancer made that more or less a moot point. The Frigate was closely comparable to three squadrons of fighters in its ability to engage fighters. It had advanced fast tracing targeting and fire linked quadlaser which made scrap out of whole squadrons if they were not mindful of the ship. As the Y-wings and B- wings moved in on the Interdictor Mayers ordered 3 X-wing squadrons to move in and carefully engage the Lancer. This was a risky ordeal but using torpedoes on the edge of the Quad lasers range had worked successfully against Lancers in the past.

He looked over the display at the small tags on each image which designated it friend of foe and what type of vehicle it was. Two squadrons of A-wings attached to the Bombers were just moving into the engagement zone and range of the enemy fighters. the remaining two A-wing Squadrons were moving into a defensive position along with the last four squadrons of X-wings around the Endeavor. Everything was in place and only seconds remained before the battle begun. Mayer took this time to whisper under his breath to all his Pilots.

"My the force be with you"

Telan Desaria

Jul 1st, 2008, 11:28:32 AM

The image of the Rebel fleet forming up from its jump point played on the monitor. They wasted no time in clawing at their enemies, the larger ships bearing directly at the center of the cluster of Imperial warships while smaller craft like frigates and gunships let out their throttles and picked targets of opportunity.

Captain Tyvirr manipulated the controls at his terminal to focus on the largest ship the Rebels brought, an antiquated Bulwark-class Battlecruiser. It was a large, boxy ship, almost as tall as it was long, with fin-like esoteric rudders old designers thought would improve sub-light maneuverability. Of course, on every surface, was the Rebel Crest, an ugly red or burnt-orange symbol of anarchy. The symbolism of the coming engagement struck home, elliciting a tight smile: the free-flowing emblem of the Rebel Alliance stood for democracy and anarchy, a million voices speaking with no direction or purpose save self-service. From his monitor, Tyvirr looked at a passing warrant officer and the Imperial Crest that sat on his left shoulder: its angular and concise image conveyed strength and dedication and purpose. Instead of a million-million voices crying out for their own aims, there was guidance and purpose called out by those who knew best and the masses followed.

A trio of explosions ahead of the bridge where stray proton torpedoes illuminated the shields reminded him that rumination could wait until victory was assured. The Captain steeled himself to his task and returned to duty.

* * *

" Now, sir?"

" Patience, Captain. Let them sink their teeth in just a little farther. We will give them just enough to rope to hang themselves with." A smile crossed his face. " Then we shall pull the gallows-lever and watch their demise."

* * *

The Imperial ships appeared at a glance to be disjointed, just a jumble of craft awaiting orders and direction. To those who had arrived most recently, the picture was crystal clear that surprise had been achieved and victory was now in their grasp. That might have been the case were one fact not just the trespassers' understanding: deception was afoot.

At the center of the formation sat the Interdictor Cruiser Cyclone, a specialty weapons platform that seamed to suffering from self-deprecation since it tried in vain to look like a Star Destroyer. Running alongside a few kilometers off the port beam was a Hammer-class Heavy Cruiser, the Imperial Navy's answer to the evident gap in deseign theory between its roster of light cruisers and the mighty Battleships so present on recruiting posters and holodramas. Behind the Interdictor sat a small Lancer Frigate attended by two refueling transports while three of those very light cruisers waited in a pack off the starboard bow. Certainly not a battle-formation.

The arrival of the Rebels had sent the Imperial cluster in a flurry of activity but opposite of what one expected of an ambush: rather than run, the Imperial ships formed up. Two Carrack-class light cruisers covered the dorsal and ventral angles of attack to the two larger ships while the third covered the vulnerable starboard beam. The frigate maintained its presence aft.

The Rebel ships came on, slowing perceptibly as their thoughts of the Imperial ships changed as quickly as reactors would allow. They still came on, sure enough, but now had cause for concern. Instead of unpreparedness, the Rebel ships were met by concerted fire by batteries. Neon blasts shot away from the gundecks of Imperial warships, splattering against ships and making them glow bright blues and whites.

" Major Aist requests permission to form and attack the Rebel fighters!"

Captain Tyvirr shook his head. " Denied. That's what they want and those gunships trying to work past the Carracks pack a few too many torpedoes for my taste; they need to remain close in pick off missiles."

The Interdictor and its companion Heavy Cruiser sat in waiting as the larger Rebel ships approached. Long range fire lanced out from one to another, each shot from either single embrasures or double-gunned turrets having increasingly deadly effect as the range counted down. The closer the Rebels got, the clearer it became just where the weight of firepower rested - it was not, for once, with the soldiers of the Empire.

As the Cyclone began to rock more and more, Captain Tyvirr said his prayers and thought quickly of his wife and child. Afterwards, his thoughts turned to a different savior. If you're going to do something, the time is fast approaching.

General Forlon

Jul 2nd, 2008, 09:09:15 PM

The fur on Commander Annwa's neck rippled in anger. She has served for three years as the commander of the Corsair. Three years of decorated excellence. Top of her class at the Bothan Training Academy. Highest scores on the tactical portions of her training. She was a mover in the Alliance fleet. Her eyes were on much better commands then an escort frigate under a crazy human bent on killing himself and a whole corps in some crazy ground war. Her clan ties meant nothing to the general and threats had done nothing but bring undue reprimands from Forlon. Now she was ordered to ferry transports out of the system. A real fight was beginning behind her and that was where she should be, in the mix of battle showing her tactical excellence and proving herself to her clan and her people.

"Lieutenant, how long until the freighters escape the interdictor zone?"

The human XO looked at the panel at which he had sat to wait out the boring trip to the system edge. He did not dislike aliens but bothans seemed to have a grudge against every one not bothan. They seemed elitist and prejudice against him and the other non bothan members of the crew. Annwa had moved bothan officers into her crew only by accessing the influence her Clan had with the alliance leaders. Various bothan clans had assisted the rebellion in the early days of the war and were best know as the race who got the plans for the death star to the alliance. That was all fine and dandy but it he can not seem to remember a single bothan who assisted in the battle to destroy it. The race had long been know for their spy's and political leaders. Annwa was a little out of place as a ship commander. This seemed to be a new and growing occupation for the bothans.

before he could finish looking over the data Annwa had grown impatient and moved to his station.

"Lieutenant I ask you a question!"

"Maam, we are currently heading out of the system at 9 MGLT. At this rate we will be out of the interdictor range in twenty three minutes."

Content with her answer she scowled at the human and walked back to her command podium. Time seemed to stand still she longed for blood and she would see to it she has it before the end of this battle.

**********

All around the engagement zone fighters began to swap licks. The bombers moving in on the interdictor had just hit the fighter screen and already a Y-wing and 2 B-wing's had been destroyed. He listened as the flight squadron commanders and flight officers interacted over the flight operations com. channel.

"Red seven watch you tail,.....Red Seven. A sudden spurt of static and one of the small icons representing one of the A-wings escorting the bombers on the tactical board disappeared.

"Gold leader all birds in formation were starting our run." The B-wings had reached the beginning of their designated bombing run and were moving in on the interdictor. All around green bolts shot out from the heavy cruiser and interdictor at the approaching battlecruiser. these made sitting in a stationary line of a bombing run difficult. The pilots of the bombers were among the best in the galaxy. each was a veteran of more then a hand full of battles and all had learned the skills needed to fly straight in a straight line and evade oncoming fire at the same time. What was causing more of a problem were the red bolts coming at them from the Endeavor and Repulse to their aft. The massive Battlecruisers had far more weapons mounts and the red beams seemed to be a continuous volley from some never ending source. These were more difficult to miss since they were coming from behind them. The gunners on the ship tried not to hit the fighters but in evading oncoming fire from both the heavy cruiser and interdictor and trying not to get shot down bit tie fighters more then one fighter or bomber had mover into friendly fire.

Mayers had witnessed this happen before but each time it seemed so wrong and wasteful. already a X-wing had been hit and damaged by a turbolaser glance from the Endeavor. He did his best to co-ordinate the Fighter operations out of the guns of the Endeavor but once they had reached the head of their run they had no choice but to get closer to the enemy ships. All around icons disappeared from the board. but far more enemy blips had been destroyed then Friendly. The Rebel pilots were giving far better then they were getting.

**********

General Forlon watched the battle begin to unfold out on the tactical display. The Frigates were half way out of the interdictors field and on there way to safety. He could recall them once the battle was over. The Endeavor had more then enough power to take on the Heavy Cruiser and interdictor and the two dreadnaughts moving in from the port flank on the interdictor would assist in shutting down the Field Projectors in short order.

To the Starboard flank the Master had its hands full moving around the Heavy Cruiser to engage the Light cruisers sitting there sniping fighters and taking pot shots at the dreadnaughts and approaching gunships. The battle was won but there was still the task of disabling the ships and securing them to serve in the Alliance navy. Forlon would see to it he trophy interdictor was assigned to his Force once it had been repaired and re commissioned. He had no doubt the Hammer should not make in to the battles end in any shape for capture. It was the primary target of both the Bulwark and the Calamari cruiser. The shields were a constant ripple of turbolaser hits. like water the blue/white ripples spread along the shields as the shields attempted to dissipate the power from volley after volley from the two larger ships.

The same effect was apparent on the interdictor but was not near as wide in its coverage and repetition. The interdictor had more problems with the torpedoes from the Gunships which were moving around form behind her to unload their torpedo tubes then move back into the blind spots of the heavy cruiser and interdictor. Only the carrack's had opportunity to fire on the gunships and they had been persistent in doing so. seven minutes into the engagement one of the gunships had already taken a fatal volley from the heavy turbolasers of the carrack's. She was attempting to limp out of the battle but seemed to only present herself to Imperial Bombers. Her shield failing and with a large portion of her hull simple not there Forlon knew it would not be long till he had to order recovery shuttles out to pick up survivors.

The Master had just cleared the main arch of the Hammer cruiser and began it move on the carrack's when a squadron of Bombers hit her from no-where. They must have been holding position behind the larger ships awaiting orders to attack the Alliance fleet. The massive torpedo barrage lit up the shields of the Dreadnaught cruiser and washed over the entire hull. Shield holding, but nearly depleted, the Dreadnaught continued to move in on the carrack's.

The two remaining Gunships moved from behind the Heavy cruiser and lobbed another volley at the interdictor. as they moved to take cover behind the interdictor once again the Aft gun crews on the Heavy Cruiser had prepared and fires not directly at the gunships but laid down a wide barrage which caught one of the gunships just as her shields had been depleted from laser fire from the interdictor ripping her in half. The aft of the ship shot off towards open space behind the interdictor in a straight almost assigned path. The forward half however spun around and impacted the shields of the interdictor just forward of the engines igniting and causing fire and debris to ripple the shielding as it impacted over the aft of the cruiser.

Two gunships down Forlon orders the other out of the main engagement and into position as an anti fighter escort for the Endeavor to move in and finish the heavy cruiser and capture the interdictor. Just as the gunship reached the starboard flank of the massive battlecruiser warning klaxons sounded and a new icon appeared on the tactical display on the right on top of the Frigates and Freighters, designation Unknown. Mass guess had her labeled as the only thing registering in its mass class.
A Super Star Destroyer.

**********

Commander Annwa's mood suddenly saddened and the fur on her body all feel flaccid. Space before her lit up as the massive demon which was the Intimidator appeared from out of hyperspace. She watched in silence, shocked and confused as the giant leviathan of death opened fire on the Transports. One by one they began to pop open like bugs under a mag glass. Her mind wondered to he mate. She had failed her clan and by no act of her own. She knew what was to come and all she could do is prepare and try to do as much damage if any she could. Her Xo had shot up at the sight of the ship and was much less shocked he had already ordered gun crews to target the massive ship. Little good it would do. The powerful ship began its slow path to engage the ships in system and save the bewildered. Imperial Group which just moments before seemed beaten.

Telan Desaria

Jul 5th, 2008, 12:33:37 PM

Where there had been only blackness a moment ago there was now a fifteen-thousand meter long mountain of steel and armor, bristling with guns and missiles and dotted with the light of fifty thousand viewports. Against the backdrop of space it was a terrifying sight, massive even in the endlessness of space itself, made all the more so by the puniness of the ships nearby.

For a long second, the titanic warship sat there, viewing the battlefield like a bug caught in some spider's web. Then, after realization had set in, that bug, drawn from its flight into an Interdictor's web, unfurled its wings. Space lit up as two hundred guns thundered into the void, sending blast after blast of fiery energy at so many targets.

The Intimidator had knifed into the system at an angle that put it between the main body of Alliance ships and those transports carrying the invasion force they had hoped to land in the forested wastes of Kashyyyk. Gunners on both sides of the dagger-shaped behemoth picked targets and fired by battery. One transport was vaporized, its shields overwhelmed by the concentrated fire of so many guns that its armor boiled and the ship morphed into a slowly expanding morass of tiny, sparkling fragments. One at the extreme edge of the group turned to port and collided with another transport, both of which suffered a withering cannonade, destroying the pair.

The starboard gunners fired as if at a training speed, their targets unable or unwilling to fire back. The port gunners, however, faced the aft-hulls of Rebel warships who up till then had been trying with all their might to kill their comrades of Task Force 726. They aimed and fired as well, but their tempo outpaced their opposite numbers. Shields washed white and blue as salvo upon salvo was heaped upon the Bulwark Battlecruiser and its supporting craft. Here and there, as testament to the lethality of a Super Star Destroyer scorned, Rebel fighters exploded as the concentration of so many shots smashed shield and the space around.

The bridge of the Imperial battleship was suprisingly quiet as waves of neon energy washed away from each flank. The crew was used to such displays and went about their work with ext-book precision and perhaps, just perhaps, a bit of well-deserved arrogance. " Targets T1 through T5 destroyed, T6 and T8 heavily damaged...the Bulwark's shields are dropping in several places but they're rolling the ship to compensate...Fighters requesting permission to launch..."

Grand Admiral Desaria, the architect of the unfolding victory, smiled to himself. Things were going well. " Captain, the Interdictor is to widen the cone of its gravity well; we'll dispatch the transports. I don't want any of those warships getting away."

" As ordered, Grand Admiral."

Desaria remembered his military philosophy class from the Academy as he sat on the bridge, watching through port viewports as his gunners improved and adjusted the range of their fire. 'Tis a sweet and seemly thing to die for one's state. The Baron tightened his smile. " What a sweet day for the Rebellion!"

General Forlon

Jul 6th, 2008, 10:19:31 PM

Forlon shouted orders as Icon after ion disappeared from the tactical halo image. Forlon was Livid, thousands of men were dying and he could do nothing to stop it. The massive form of the Intimidator was now beginning to appear in the forward view port as the Endeavor turned to move in and engage it. During the maneuver the Repulse began moving between into the fire directed at the Endeavor gave the battered shielding a break. Not so lucky for the Repulse which was now taking the brunt of a Super star destroyer broadside. As the shielding began rippling on the Cruiser as volley after volley ate at the powerful Calamari shielding it began returning fire concentrating it fire in small pin point areas to try and penetrate the unbelievable shielding of the Star Dreadnaught.

In the fighter operations command center Colonel Mayers looked on in disbelief as twenty thousand men and women died. It took less then seven minutes for the super star destroyer to destroy or disable all twelve of the transports. The two escort frigate were engaging at point blank range attempting, with little luck, to make lucky sniping hits. The small Nebulon B frigates were giving everything they could but it just wasn't enough. The Fighters which had escorted the transports out had engaged the Massive behemoth and did nothing but annoy the gunners as the drew fire from the larger targets. Concussion missiles and proton torpedoes struck out at the shielding of the Intimidator with little effect. What little damage done by the frigate and fighters only assisted the main body of the fleet by forcing the giant to have to split ifs fire and only engage with one broadside arch rather then the heavier brunt of the combined forward fire arch.

With the Endeavor, Repulse and Master turning to engage the massive new target the hammer cruiser was now taking the initiative and moving on the Talon. Three Carracks had already pounded on the Talon and weakened her shielding. As the Master moved off to support the Repulse and Endeavor, bomber run disabled Talon's shielding leaving no protection from the heavy guns of the Hammer. After a short round of turbolaser volleys from the four imperial cruiser nothing but a burning hulk was leftof the dreadnaught cruiser. With the fighters turning to move to assist against the Intimidator the carracks were now free to assist the hammer in assaulting the Talon and Monitor.

All around Commander Annwa men and women died. Two massive ion hits had shorted out most of the targeting and communications stations. The Corsair had managed to penetrate the shielding once and burn the hull plating of the massive ship. this was the only positive action carried out by her and her crew in this its finest hour. She only hoped the tales of her and her crew reached her clan and the bothan people. She would die proud knowing she died for her peoples freedom. As the screams of her executive officer pierced her ears she turned to see the ball of fire expanding towards her. Her last thoughts were of her lover and family as her body was engulfed and incinerated by boiling plasma from the turbolaser beam as it cut through the bridge of the frigate.

From the bridge of the Tempest Commander Jor Boan watched as his companion ships forward section exploded and the hulk of metal which was once the Corsair began to list and float towards the Intimidator. The Tempest had fared better then her sister ship and had successfully hit penetrated the shields on four occasions. This however did little against the hull plating of the super star destroyer other then leave blistered indents and burn surface. Her shields had held so far and she was using her fighter on good effect. This how ever changed. As he watched the remains of the Corsair impact the shielding of the Intimidator as volley of ion energy struck at the Tempests shields. The ion energy moved over and around the shield bubble and weakened it just enough for a gunner on the Intimidator to take the advantage and have a group of batteries concentrate on the ships thin connection between its command and engineering sections. As the massive volley of multiple beams struck the weakened shielding they opened them and struck the ship just aft of the command section. The Tempest was severed in half as green energy lanced in one side and out the other.

Forlon watched as the Tempest and Corsair disappeared from the board. Fire shot out like rain from the giant vessel. Everywhere there was green energy beams of light lashing out at the Master, Repulse and Endeavor. To make matters worse the fighters and bombers were far to the aft and had yet to make a loop to move towards the super star destroyer. They had their hands full evading fighters and point defense from the carracks and the lancer. The Interdictor had focused it beam extending the range and locking any attempt for surviving fighters and hyperspace equipped escape pods from the frigates and freighters from escaping. The Repulse had now moved out from between the Battlecruiser and the super star destroyer allowing the constant pounding from the batteries to once again chew away at her shielding. Repulse opened up with all her port batteries as she moved into a defensive position and brought is starboard broadside to engage the Monster ship. Her shielding rippling like a calm pond in a rain storm, she returned fire and concentrated her shielding to absorbed the oncoming fire. MAster moved to a position just above Repulse and gave her weapons in support to a cause which was slowly growing more and more futile.

"Admiral, the Master and Repulse are in position. We are ready to move in." Forlon said little as he looked on and scowled at the view.

"All Ahead full! Keep us out of the Master and Repulse's firing solution and move us in to point blank range. Her long guns are killing us. Have all batteries concentrate on the starboard side. Bring us up along her side,if we are to die today I want to see the eyes of my killer." The crew carried out his orders and the massive bulk of the battlecruiser began to pop and squeak from stress as she moved to speeds which she had not ben meant to reach.

Mayers had now began to shout himself. He was a normally not the blatantly loud commander. He used positive reinforcement and controlled calm punishment to gain the respect of his men. Forlon had a more aggressive type of command and having Mayers around as a check for his temper often kept Forlon from making bad decisions. He how ever had reached his breaking point.
"Get those fighters back here. Have them move in on that destroyer and engage with everything they have. How much longer before the blastboats are ready to launch?" Assistants looked over the scrolling data and talked with the Chief in the main hanger. the flight of blastboats had been kept in reserve and not prepped for the battle. Now fighter ops was throwing everything it had at the Intimidator. Even the three armed freighters which were on board had been launched to assist. a flash of light and a deafening explosion threw Mayers against the far bulkhead. A lucky Turbolaser hit the ship along the command section just over the fighter operations deck. The explosion shook the deck and destroyed all the fighter command systems in the process. Mayers looked down at where his leg once was. Blood shot out in three distinct streams as his heart pumped his life out onto the deck. from behind he barley made out the muffled voice of someone screaming for medic. He looked up and around him two men and a woman bent down to inspect him. He made out muffled voices but could not make out anything intelligible. He closed his eyes and drifted slow off to sleep as the medics administered sedatives and began working on his leg.

General Forlon was thrown to the deck as the fighter operations command deck above was hit. The concussion from the explosion had temperately deafened everyone on the command deck. All around officers screamed orders but the quiet sound of silence had taken over for a brief moment and thwarted any attempt at communications. As Forlons hearing slowly returned he began pointing to officers and giving orders. He knew they could not hear him with the temporary loss of hearing over the constant sound of weapons fire thudding on the shields and hull. From behind the battlecruiser the Repulse's rate of fire had slowed but it was still giving the Intimidator everything it had. The batteries of the Endeavor were pounding on the Super star Destroyer now with constant and precise effect. Shot after shot found weak points as the shielding let part of the energy through. The shields of the massive Destroyer were formidable but not impenetrable. The problem was what little fire reached the ship found the massive armor of the Intimidator just as formidable as its shielding. In retrospect the armor of the bulwark, though strong, and against any other vessel would been more then enough, was far less of a problem for the Intimidators guns. Deck after deck began reporting damage. At this rate the ship would not last long. Forlon had run out of options. Only one thing was left for him and his fleet in space. That was death.

Telan Desaria

Jul 7th, 2008, 12:07:18 AM

The Alliance ships were caught in a vice whose grip was quickly tightening. Every second that passed another salvo was loosed from a battery of guns, every second a few more lives winked from existence into death's eternal embrace.

The engagement had taken on a strange appearance on the tactical display, reminding the Grand Admiral of a layered Fondorian cake. In orbit of Kashyyyk were the battered remains of the initial task force, set upon by Rebel interlopers who themselves were attacked by a Super Star Destroyer which separated the Rebel's main body from their transports and the would-be invasion force tucked neatly in the holds. That had been the case, at least, until the chief gunnery officer made his report, a cocksure grin from ear to ear painted on his boyish face: " Our gunners have exhausted all starboard target options, Admiral."

Of course the Grand Admiral could not smile in return, his regal presence had to be maintained at all costs. He simply nodded in the direction of the eager Commander, thinking for a moment just how much the man reminded him of....himself.

" Situation on the port-side, Captain?"

Short and stocky, Captain Horus turned from his station in the crew-pit, looking more like the perfect Sergeant-Major than the flagship commander to a Grand Admiral. " Unknown number of fighters destroyed but they do seem to be keeping their distance. The Bulwark and the larger Calamari ship are closing range and have commenced counter-battery fire. They are supported by a Dreadnaught. The remainder of their force has moved as close as they can get to the Interdictor; we're unable to target them for fear of hitting our own ships."

" Prudent. Guns will target the Calamari Cruiser and the nearest Dreadnaught. Let the Bulwark take our concerted ion barrage - I want that ship in tact."

" And the other two, Sir?"

The Grand Admiral waved a black-gloved hand. " Let the gunners have their fun."

Tactical data could not lie. The Rebel ships approached cautiously against a hail of fire they could not hope to match. Shields glowed with constant impacts until the litany of hits was too much and the shields were gone. With the protective cocoon of directed particle manipulation no longer able to ward off the blasts, shot after shot careened into armor plating. Small scarring grew from white-washed hulls as the first few shots hit home; successive blasts wore deep furrows into the hull plating until fuel lines and plasma conduits were ruptured. Fires raged in the vacuum, greedily sucking oxygen from the lungs of beings whose dying gasps could not compete with the horrid thirst of flame.

The Mon Calamari Cruiser lost its shields first, but refused to die. Most had been built as civilian craft; they were tough, sturdy, and hard to eliminate. This one proved no different. There could have been no greater tribute paid to her captain, her crew, or her designer, than the volley which put the final nail in her coffin: every gun the blazed from the starboard side of Imperial battleship, some two hundred emplacements, thundered in tandem at the curved, graceful craft. Even as she lost attitude control, she spun from formation with a slow list that brought a touch of beauty for such a horrible spectre.

In death the Calamari cruiser was not alone. Impetuous perhaps, but resolute all the same, the Dreadnaught that had been her companion as they passed the slower Bulwark speed up ever so slightly as if to charge the Imperial warship. Any crewman aboard who was not firing a gun or bringing up fresh power-cells or extinguishing a fire had to stare in simple awe as she got closer and closer to a ship twenty times her length. Her batteries fired in defiance of the Emperor's will and for a moment the shields on the great craft went down. In that moment her shots impacted armor, tearing sensors from their mounts and liquefying steel plating. Gunners who loaded their charges and pulled home the triggers did not see their end approach, they barely felt the heat as the battery was filled with smoke and flame.

The Dreadnaught did die, but it refused to die alone. When the Intimidator's gunners had finished with her, she was but a mound of unrecognizable steel with bits and pieces breaking off as inertia carried her under and away from the prow of the Destroyer.

Baron Desaria stood from his chair and moved with deliberate steps to the viewports where he witnessed the action with his own eye.

" Captain, deploy four Squadrons of Interceptors. I can only imagine what punishment their fighters are giving our comrades."

General Forlon

Jul 9th, 2008, 10:25:38 PM

All around him Forlon watched as the crew of the Endeavor fell apart. They had fought hard and no commander could have asked more from a crew then what he had seen this day. Forlon and every other man and woman on the command deck watched in horror as the Repulse fell apart under the guns of the Intimidator. Everyone knew this was it. III Corps had fought in battle after battle and time and time again they had won. It seems this day they pay the price for the battle record they so honorably achieved.

Forlon had not given up. It just was not something he could do. He had to find some way out of the mess he was in. Just as he turn to look at the tactical display the last of his fleet was gone. The Gunship which had so bravely stood at the Endeavors side took the brunt of a massive missile barrage from the Intimidator and exploded in a ball of fire which then struck the Endeavors shielding and weakened it enough for Ion cannons to penetrate the shielding and strike the hull. All around the ship a massive flash of ionic energy spread like a glove over a hand warping every system in the ship and disabling half the shield generators. As the shields came back online they offered little protection from the massive ion barrage the Intimidator now unloaded upon her.

"General, The Destroyer had switched to only ions; our shields won’t last long under this punishment." The Xo has managed to clear the wounded from the ante-command chamber and finished rescue operations in the flight control areas and returned just in time to watch the repulse explode. Forlon had stopped paying attention to damage reports and now concentrated on what to do next.

"Captain, Cut power to all non essential levels. Have all personnel prepare for boarding. The imperials seem to want us alive."

As the two giant ships did battle in the distance the fighter wings of the fleet has fared far better. They had been more then a match for the defending forces and the Intimidator had withheld her fighters for most of the battle so far. Only now are the fighters form the Super star destroyer moving in to engage the alliance groups. The A-wing squadrons had proven their worth out flanking tie squadrons and eliminating all the Bombers leaving the X-wings to freely engage the Interceptors. Twenty B-wings still roamed the battlefield working on runs when a safe route was opened. One such route had just opened when the massive explosion of the Repulse distracted many of the pilots. Only fourteen made it in before the window closed and tie fighters closed in behind them. As they neared the top most carrack in the group they let lose a full volley of torps. The battle weakened light cruiser could not withstand the power of the attack and a massive explosion cracked her in half. Fire expanded all around the light cruiser engulfing tie fighters and x-wings alike. The forward section of the ship began drifting and listed right into the Interdictor cruiser. The explosion finished off what remained of the Carrack and brought down the shields on the Cruiser.

Seeing the opening the last five Y-wings moved in and fired on the cruiser. Small sections of the ship charred and burned then gave way as ion shots and torpedoes struck its hull. The Interdictor field dropped and for a moment a sigh of relief spread through the pilots who had witnessed it. The was a short lived celebration, only moments after the shields came back up and once again the interdictor filed was engaged. The battle over Kashyyyk seemed as if it would never end.

Aboard the Endeavor marines set up rally points down the deck and made make shift defensible positions to repeal the oncoming boarders. General Forlon looked once more at the giant star destroyer and turned to his command crew.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we most likely will not make it through this. I want each and every one of you to know I have never served with a better crew. Our ship is all but disabled, weapons are down and with in minutes imperial storm troopers and marines will be flooding onto this ship to finish what they have started. I will not stand here and watch as my last men fight these scum. I will take the battle to them. I hereby order all no combat personnel to abandon ship. Make for Kashyyyk and try to avoid the Imperials. Get to ground level and hide. When it cools down look for our resistance elements. They will take care of you." Forlon walked to the communications station as men and women began to fumble and prepare to abandon the giant battlecruiser. Lieutenant, Set up a hyper burst transmission. Code it Priority sigma one. Transmit the word Taun taun. Then close the channel and get to an escape pod." Forlon did not wait to watch the man carry out his orders. He walked to a wall locker and pulled out a blaster rifle. As he neared the turbolift access he turned to look at the bridge of the Endeavor one last time. The last seven years of his life had been spent here fighting the very empire he once served. He would miss her but he some how doubted he would miss her for long.

Telan Desaria

Jul 12th, 2008, 09:35:49 PM

Lieutenant F. V. Prevada looked around the compartment as the small craft bounced around from left to right like a bottle on a heavy-winded Mon Calamari morning. Everything from decking to flesh had taken on an eerie blue glow, lasting for a whole minute; it was beautiful and frightful all in the same instant, but it gave the men a moment not to consider their plight. Indeed, they were inside a box with wings, forty-nine men of the Imperial Fleet Assault Corps, bringing up the extreme left in a mass of like-boxes juking through space towards a vessel so old it was more suited to a museum than a battlefield.

Damn if it doesn't know its place, the young Lieutenant thought before his helmeted head smacked the bulkhead behind him. He and everyone inside the box was being thrown around in their harnesses as the inertial compensators worked as best the pilot and his attendant droids could manage. Though he left like a bubble in a shaken beverage container, he knew his lot to better than his enemies.' The origin of the blue hue that had so elegantly bathed the compartment through small and dirty windows was a salvo of ion fire from their launching platform, the Intimidator.

" One minute." The droid's voice sounded sterile and plain as it counted down above the increasing racket of shifting cargo and explosive flak rounds the Rebels had been kind enough to send up as a sort of perverse welcome. Lieutenant Prevada clenched his teeth and put his natural dislike for automated beings aside. Seeking adventure, he had left the ranks of the Imperial Army to escape the boredom of garrison life; for whatever reasons, Fate had granted his request. Now he was aboard a BV-K Incom Grappler Shuttle, in command of a platoon of FAC Troopers, about to participate in a live boarding action on the flagship of a nearly defeated Alliance task force. In his ears, above the noise, echoed the cynical if not precise words of his elder brother - be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.

" Ten...nine...eight...seven..."

The time counted down and the jostling of the small, boxy craft finally stopped. There came a strong jolt as the Grappler's three landing arms touched down and latched themselves to the hull of a Bulwark-class Battlecruiser. While the noise of explosions outside the thin armored hull had stopped, a dull whine had started up, faint at first, then louder and louder as it filled the cabin. He had briefed on what to expect and had trained countless times, but Lieutenant Prevada knew from his Army experience that the real thing was far more unnerving than simulators ever are. As a pair of droids operated laser drills on the other side of the bulkhead, he unlocked his harness, bidding his men - and women - to do the same. One by one, the sound of their boots hitting deck plating almost drowned out the noise. Almost.

" Heavy weapons teams, Gear-up. If we are at our assigned location" - several veteran troopers groaned just noticeably under the face-masks - " we will enter the corridor and join the rest of the company for the drive to the bridge. Expect heavy resistance. Gloria Imperium."

A crashing noise came from outside and for a second the ship rocked. Then the bulkhead parted at the rear parted exposing the laser-drill droids and the vacuum seal they had locked in place around a tidy, circular breach in the cruiser's thick but brittle hull.

Prevada heaved up his chest and for good measure slammed a new power cell into his blaster rifle, putting the new one he had replaced in a tidy black pouch on his belt. An Officer's duty was to lead from the front, and he would do that duty - or die trying. He passed his men and jumped towards the droids, feeling his legs go from under him, to behind him, then behind him again. In spite of his discipline, and against his best efforts, he screamed like a girl confronted by a gundark.

With a thud, he landed on decking that was a horrid cream colour, quite un-Imperial in the extreme. Despite the danger, Prevada stood, and dusted off his breeches which were now covered in dirt and metal shavings. The move from one gravity field to another was certainly not pretty and definitely not fun and gave him just one more reason to miss quite dinners with other junior lieutenants in small but friendly bistros outside Imperial fortresses on pacified worlds. Having made a complete spectacle of himself, Prevada moved out but turned to watch the members of his platoon land with grace and ease. Only one stumbled, and then just barely, even managing to make the error look as it had been planned all along.

I am definitely going back to the Army.

The troopers fanned out on either side of the breach and, as per doctrine, seven remained behind to guard the shuttle. The rest pushed off - bridge bound.

General Forlon

Jul 19th, 2008, 07:04:47 PM

Telan Desaria

Jul 22nd, 2008, 05:10:39 PM

Each corner was an ending. True, it was but a bend in the road, but what that bend obscured was the knowledge of Gods and enemies alone. Some halls had merged into broad corridors where deactivated droids lined the walls and the spilled contents of knocked over crates littered the ground; others, looking seemingly innocuous in the infuriatingly plain cream color the Alliance favored, actually held a well-deployed squad of Rebel marines, ready to die and take as many as Imperials as they could with them to the next world.

When he arrived so ingloriously, Lieutenant Prevada had likened the battlecruiser to an alien world for a soldier such as himself, going into a battle the simulators had failed to ready him for. Now, covered in the ash of successive engagements every few dozen meters, he was an element he remembered - the cruiser was not at all dissimilar from fighting in a city. Clearing businesses, factories, and houses, each one fortified by resolute defenders was no different in space than on the ground. For a moment, a brief moment, as he trudged along a narrow accessway, then twenty-four surviving members of his platoon around him, he realized he mastered his fear.

The Lieutenant held up a black gloved hand, balling his fingers into a fist. His men halted and instinctively, quietly, fanned out to form a quick perimeter. A few men advanced tweny meters or so with an E-Web 7 while the rearguard found excellent spots to spoil any flanking attack. Four more troopers pushed open a set of slider doors nearby and entered, clearing what the wallsign said was an officer's mess hall. Prevada knelt down next to the wall and removed the comm-link from its clip on webgear. " Point seven-six reached. Holding."

* * *

Somewhere forward of the Lieutenant's location, a grim and grizzled Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fleet Assault Corps watched the progress of his battalion via a compact three-dimensional holo-display. Above a small box hovered a representation of a Bulwark-class battlecruiser, its blue bow dotted with red specs that seemed to be expanding at a deliberate, but unstoppable pace. He listened intently as several young Sergeants monitored communications between individually-deployed platoons and their company commanders. He squeezed his cigara just a little tighter when he heard one platoon advance farther than the rest. The bridge was only a hundred meters beyond them.

" Sergeant, send the rest of that company to point seven-six. Whatever support they need, have whoever you have to redeploy come to their aide. When we take the bridge, we take the ship." The Colonel turned to another Sergeant, one who was a little overweight but working hard all the same. " Report to Intimidator: bridge capture imminent. Releasing transports now; 2nd and 3rd battalions to make all speed debark in the forward launch bay."

* * *

" Push forward. Reinforcements in-bound. Reconnoiter into the direction of the bridge, cautiously. Vac-traps expected. Good luck."

Prevada was unsure of what to make of that last remark. In the Army, a sense of brotherhood tended to pervade all aspects of military life; there, it would have been taken at face value. Life in the Fleet seemed a bit different, a bit more...political. Thus, he didn't know if his handler was being genuine or patronizing.

**** him. The Lieutenant slammed a new cartridge into his blaster rifle and motioned for his men to be ready. The E-web 7 had already started chattering at the end of the hall as a few curious Marines enquired after a now-dispatched sentry. Resistance was stiffening - the bridge was close.

" Here we go!" Lieutenant Prevada yelled and ran towards the E-Web 7, turning the corner as he did.

The Rebels were waiting....

General Forlon

Jul 26th, 2008, 12:30:15 PM

In the distance, battle rang out through the corridors like a thunderstorm. Flashes of light fallowed by deafening concussion pressure as thermal detonators and Frag grenades explodesions. War was never meant to be fought in starships. The sheer physics of war worked against the limited physics of a starship. At any moment a stray explosion could open the ship up to space and the battle would be over for both the Alliance and Empire. The small slim corridors made for horrible defensive positions and worse offensively.

With no room to maneuver men were spent like credits at a Rothian Pleasure Palace. The thought of all the men and women who gave their lives out in the distance sickened Forlon. Why do we sell ourselves for this ideal of freedom? Why do men and women look to a future where they can do as they please without the Empire interdicting their lives? As the thoughts pass he knew why. It was for this very reason. The Empire could enslave a race without provocation and without remorse. This was a reason. Below in the distance an entire people lived as slaves. Gathered and sold to wealthy imperial citizens and companies as slaves and menial workers. A sentient being reduced to the stature of a beast of Burdon. This was why the men and women under his command gave so freely their very souls to the cause.

"General the Imperials have broken through our main line and will be on us in minutes."

A lieutenant had run up from the main defensive position to warn them. As he finished his words a bolt impacted him reducing his head to a spray of blood, flesh and matter. His body stood motionless for a moment. It was as if time had stopped. The men and women looked at the headless body in silence. Aw and shock had gripped them as the reality of the situation was made very apparent. The body finally fell to the deck with a resounding thud. A thud which many would never forget. Forlon looked past his body as it fell to see the last defensive position explode. The Imperials were now forty meters away and all that were left to fight were this small collection of security personnel, Forlon’s own personnel Platoon, a few Starship personnel, which had stayed to assist rather then escape, and Forlon himself.

Forlon crouched down behind an overturn durasteel table and looked down the sights of his blaster rifle. HE saw the Imperial marine emerge from the dust and debris of the now destroyed defensive position. He took a second and positioned the man in his sights. As the tactical scoop magnified the image and the crosshairs were on the man Forlon squeezed the trigger genteelly and watched as the bolt shot out and cut the man down.

Forlon had killed before. HE had been a young man when war engulfed the galaxy. Times were different then. The Republic was not perfect but it was not evil. Only the manipulations of evil made it so. He had fought along side Clones against droids and any other creature who opposed the Republic. He had killed many men in his actions Against the Separatists. He had watched as creatures died at his hands. He thought of the separatists as evil at the time. Now he looked upon them as only pawns. Then creatures he had killed were not evil. Only misguided and manipulated into fighting for a cause which never really existed. It was all a part of the game the Emperor had played and lost.

Now he was much older. He had not killed a man since the clone wars. His career with the New Order was one of leadership. He seldom made it to a Battle zone himself, and when he did it was only in a secured area. He was much too important to put in direct fire. Since his defection from the Empire to the Alliance he had also been cushioned from the main conflict by his roll as a leader. Many generals fought beside their men. He had always wanted to be one of those men but his controllers had other plans. He commanded the largest Rebel assault force ever created. Nothing like III Corps had ever been possible in the early days of the rebellion. It was only after Yavin when men and women and alien alike flocked to the cause that the numbers were right to create such a massive fighting force. A force which was no gone.

As he squeezed the trigger a second time he looked around at the men and women around him. The were all scared and battle shocked from the events of the last minute. HE knew he had to rally them if they were to survive this day. He stood and jumped over the barricade. He turned and shouted to his collected defenders as loud as possible. His image was skewed by blaster fire and smoke but his voice was clear as the twin suns of Tatooine.

"Give them hell!"

His words boomed in the narrow corridors and the man and women of his command joined him in the final charge of III Corp. The mass of bodies charged the imperials and meet them in melee combat where the blasters of the enemy were useless. Close quarters fighting was the only chance Forlon and his men had. The deadly weapons of the Imperial Marines were too powerful and hand to hand were the only choice for Forlon.

As the battle was meet Forlon continued his rally banter. He knew this was the end but he would see to it the people of his command knew he was there and he was fighting.

Telan Desaria

Jul 30th, 2008, 04:13:10 PM

Fifteen minutes later...

Acrid smoke hung in the air, blocking every single light fixture that dared rage against the darkness. Men and women alike coughed as they fought, most crawling into combat, victims of their own success - a party of the Fleet Assault Corps had broke into the engine room and shut down the reactor. Auxiliary life support remained but it would not last more than an hour. Ventilation was down, communications were down - the Bulwark Cruiser was property of the Galactic Empire now.

Unfortunately, its previous owners refused to acknowledge the change of ownership. They fought on.

In every corridor where blaster packs had even a partial charge, the Rebels fought with fanatical bravery. In many locations, ammunitions was no concern. When plasma and energy was exhausted, blunt objects and the butt of rifles were used to claw ways to the very freedom which slipped away ever so quickly. In every corridor where the Rebels fought, the Imperials dared to challenge their defense.

Lieutenant Prevada dropped back against a wall, his charred white cuirass crunching as he let the bulkhead bear his weight. With a gloved hand, he swept the sweat from his brow and pushed off his helmet. The other hand let his blaster rifle slide from between clenched fingers, the weapon dangling at his side on its woven lanyard. The battle had been hard, it had been fierce. Now it was over.

The Lieutenant looked around him. Around him officers and men of the Fleet Assault Corps piled weapons and tended to the wounded. Here and there, gaggles of troopers herded captured prisoners - those who could walk - out of the bridge area and down to launch bays where they could corralled. Names would be taken, ranks listed, and the surviving Alliance officers would get the chance to take stock of what, and whom, they had lost. Many of those captured would say their good-byes to one another, knowing full-well that while un-aligned beings who served would be treated as soldiers, ex-Imperials would be executed summarily.

" Lieutenant. Sir!"

Prevada looked up. His helmet off, he had to shield his eyes against the light of newly activated computer consoles and glow-panels. Before him stood the youngest member of his platoon, a female from far off Bakura whose long black hair matched the dust-covered glossy black of her boots and helmet.

" Sir - we've taken the Rebel Commander! The Colonel's giving US credit for his capture!"

Prevada leaned slightly to his left, past the lithe physique of the appealling female trooper. Sure enough, there was a Rebel flag officer seated before the barrel-chested commander of the 739th FAC Regiment. The former looked dejected, more so as the ventilation system sucked out more and more smoke, while the latter stood with all the haughty pride permitted a victor. The Lieutenant let his head fall back against the bulkhead, closing his eyes as he did. Before he drifetd off to sleep, his brain smiled as well. Captain Prevada...

* * *

The battle had drawn to a close around the Super Star Destroyer. Gunners could check their charges, making reports of broken springs and loose mounts; TIE Pilots returned their small sheild-less craft to long racks where they piled together; officers slapped their men for congratulations or chided them for perceived failures.

One Grand Admiral, for his part, still stood, watching the panorama above Kashyyyk. Chunks of debris from both Imperial ships and Rebel vessels drifted to and fro, united in the harsh vacuum in Death. Baron Desaria gritted his teeth. Victory was complete, and losses had been acceptable. Still, something gnawed at him.

" Excellency, report from the landing parties. They are lopping up isolated pockets of resistance but have taken the bridge. They also report the enemy commander has been taken alive."

Desaria did not react. His gaze danced back and forth across the battlefield, focusing on individual ships and even fighters as they wiggled their wings upon returning. Something was missing...

" Very well, Captain. Have the prisoners brought aboard. I will speak with the Rebel commander. And Captain? Signal Coruscant of our victory."

General Forlon

Jul 30th, 2008, 06:54:37 PM

Forlon was spent, he had given everything he had fighting the Imperials and now he sat quietly aboard a transport bound for the massive Super Star Destroyer Intimidator. His only surviving aid had been given the chance to take a quick summery of the men and women who had been massed in the hanger. He had reported loses were close to ninety four percent just before he had been taken off to a different transport then Forlon.

The dim lights of the Imperial Assault Shuttle lit the passenger compartment like some ghostly red aurora. The lights seemed dim and bright at the same time as they shown men and women in a dark red hue which casts shadows of deep blackness over most of the passengers’ faces. Forlon could make out the man across from him but the rest were cloaked in the dark red shadows. He looked up from the deck at the man who had now closed his eyes and leaned back against the Shuttles Bulkhead. He was fit and looked as if he had been rolling in the ash left from battle. As rough as he looked he still presented himself with that Imperial Bravado which so many misguided men and women shared. They fought for the wrong side but they fought with dignity and pomp which no Rebel solider could ever match.

The shuttle rocked and shuttered as it landed on the deck of the command hanger aboard the Intimidator. Immediately the figure across from his stood and began issuing orders. The men and women of his command jumped and began shuffling down the now lowering ramp. He turned to Forlon and smiled.

"General we have been ordered to escort you to a holding cell where you will be held until the Grand Admiral can see you."

Forlon stood without a word and nodded to the Imperial Lieutenant. Two bulky men grabbed his arms and walked him down the ramp. Once on the deck of the Intimidator the world changed. The bright lights of the hanger were in contrast to the illumination which Forlon had grown accustom in the last twenty of so hours. He looked up to curse the lights but found them invisible amoung the seamless ceiling of the hanger. It had been over seven years since he had been aboard a Super Star Destroyer and his memory had failed him in the massively endless space of on of the Empires Command ships. So few now existed and the ones which did were held in high guard by the Empire often kept in uncharted deep space as to hide them from attack. He was escorted to a holding cell some two hundred meters from the Hanger and given water and some rations. He sat in the cell and closed his eyes. The battle ran again and again in his head. Had he made a mistake somewhere down the line? Could he have done something different? The answers eluded him as he slipped into an exhaustion induced sleep.

He was awoken three hours later and once again walked down the maze of never ending corridors of the massive ship. A door slide open and the guard removed his restraints and motioned him into the room. He nodded to the man and walked into a room which was much more comfortably lit and much more pleasant in décor then the bare, bright corridors. As he entered two men stood at attention on either side of the doorway. They were motionless as he entered but then turned and walked out of the room before it closed leaving him alone with the single figure sitting behind the desk. Forlon walked to a table in the center of the room. The table was made of some exotic wood Forlon had never seen before and carved in a fashion and to a level of detail that very few beings in the galaxy could manage. The dark red wood seemed black from certain angles while yellow from others. Two chairs sat on one side of the table and one on the other,which was occupied by the GRand Admiral.. He looked to the two chairs and thought of his pain stricken legs. He wanted to sit but would not unless invited. As of yet no one else seemed to be in the room but he knew better.

He had never served under Admiral Desaria during his tenure in the Imperial Army but the mans name was known by each and every man woman and alien' which were very few in number and race' serving in the Imperial Armed Forces. He knew of the man and everything he had heard told him the man was watching him and had been from the moment he had walked down the ramp of the Shuttle. He decided to stand and wait out the Grand Admirals curiosity.

Telan Desaria

Jul 30th, 2008, 10:27:53 PM

The Grand Admiral drummed the fingers of his left hand on the wooden top of the conference table. Each tap echoed in the small room, each tap the only sound for several long moments which seemed to draw out for an eternity. Sounds bounced from one wall to another, thundering in the tiny space; that the room was in the bowels of the battleship and lacked windows certainly did nothing to make it comfortable or cosy. There was a green and red-leafed plant on either side of the doors, obviously the pet project of some bored yeoman or petty officer.

Forlorn...Forlorn...

Try as he might, the Grand Admiral could not recall the name. It was of no consequence, however; a data pad provided by Intelligence illustrated the man's career. He had begun like the children of many wealthy families, being sent into the Academy and being commissioned a Lieutenant in the Imperial Army. He then rose through the ranks until he attained command of the 308th Assault Brigade, a mobile formation mostly of light armored vehicles. One day he received orders from Command to destroy an outpost harboring Rebel agents and even Jedi and after completing the mission, disappeared.

Interesting. The Grand Admiral skimmed over the pad once more, then averted his gaze from the scrolling lines of text to the ragged man standing before him, across the broad, dark-stained table. What a contrast between them - the Rebel, while a flag officer, wore a uniform now scarred by battle and encrusted with all the dirt one would expect from the fight against a boarding party. The Imperial on the other hand sat in a pristine white uniform with gold braided epaulets and the silver-trimmed black Imperial Cross dangling from the front of the tunic's high collar.

" Please General, sit down."

The General and the Grand Admiral were close in age, the former having perhaps half a decade on his aristocrat-host. Both were men of refined upbringing; it did not surprise Desaria in the least when Forlorn made every move of taking his seat deliberate and not just a bit haughty.

" What will happen to my men?"

Forlorn wasted no time, and the Grand Admiral was willing to oblige. After all, when speaking to a doomed man, it cost nothing to be polite. " The rules of war have been amended since you left the Emperor's service. All of your men who enlisted and never claimed citizenship in the Empire will be treated as enemy combatants and housed until such time as they can repatriated or the war ends. Those who have acted in open defiance of the Empire and were once Imperial citizens themselves will be branded as Traitors and executed."

The General did not react when the Baron summarized the rules, rules which Desaria himself had changed against the wishes of many other officers. They wanted Rebels shot out of hand without difference to original allegiance. For the nobleman, that seemed far too...un-military.

" Those who acted in open defiance..." Forlorn repeated, trailing off. He raised his head and met the Grand Admiral's glower. " Men like me."

" Men like you."

Forlorn steeled himself for the killing blow. " You brought me here to kill me yourself?"

Desaria barked a laugh, thoroughly astounding the General and catching him off guard. " Hardly, General. I am a soldier, not a murderer. My duty is to kill the enemy only when he is fighting. That will be done by an Executioner at the sector capital. Something I changed when I got this new uniform - I do not like the line blurred between good soldiers and butchers. No, the men on this ship fight, we do not kill out of hand.

" You fought well but you overstepped your bounds. You became blinded by the success of your campaign over these past weeks and allowed me to bait a trap for you. You struck what was reported to you as an understrength world. The reality of the matter is Kashyyyk only has two medium cruisers on station at any time. Besides providing slave-labor for the Ministry of the Interior, Kashyyyk has no strategic significance. Had you not been on the prowl, I would not have moved that squadron into orbit to give you a run for your money. Imperial Intelligence sought out and then replaced your operatives, feeding you the information I wanted you to have. It brought you here, and the rest we just witnessed."

Forlorn felt his stomach fall. He had not only been beaten, he had been tricked. He wanted to lash out against Desaria, say something to interject, but he knew it to be useless. He wanted to call the Grand Admiral a liar on every point, but there too he knew it would he that lied. Desaria had a reputation for cold, calculating efficiency, and while he may have been ruthless in battle, not one slaughter of unarmed civilians or prisoners could be laid at his feet. In some sick way, he probably saw his amendments to the POW system as justice where there was none before.

" My time here has ended, General. I wanted to meet you, and get a read on why you chose to leave us. I'm afraid that answer eludes me. I suppose it will die with you."

The Grand Admiral hit a button at a console built into the table and a pair of stormtroopers entered the conference room. As Forlorn was escorted out, Desaria rose and bowed his head ever-so slightly. One traitor dispatched, how many millions to go?

* * *

In a flash of pseudomotion, the Super Star Destroyer Intimidator broke the surly bonds that held it in-system and rocketed away into hyperspace. Behind, it left the remains of a Rebel task force and the Imperial squadron it had fought. One by one, the Imperial vessels escorted the Rebel ships to the jump-point, wished the prize-crews good luck, and watched them vanish as well for near-by Zolan, the administrative capital of the sector.

Eventually, one a pair of Imperial warships and two long, boxy transports remained. One vanished, bound for Trohas, a temperate world where Rebel prisoners were given the chance to live in peace until the war ended. The other awaited an escort, for its final destination was the final destination of its unlucky cargo of treasonous prisoners. They would arrive at Zolan and never again depart, man for man marching into a dark building where the Executioner awaited. First among them would be the highest ranking prisoner taken at the Battle of Kashyyyk, General A. G. Forlorn.

Reshmar

Jul 31st, 2008, 11:08:49 PM

Reshmar awoke from a bad dream. Bad dreams seemed to be going around these days. The success of the Fleet had been a boost for the Alliance and the days of easy victories were over. The empire now knew the Rebels were back in full force and were ready. A churp sounded from his com receiver on the desk across the room. He shock the sleep from his eyes and stood on his flipper like feet. The red indicator light was blinking indicating he had received a priority message during the night. HE assumed it was word from Kashyyk and General Forlon. The mission should have went smoothly and it had been almost a day since it had begun. More then enough time to secure the planet.

Reshmar sat and turned to face the table and the view screen of his transponder. A beam shot out and scanned his eye as he opened up the communications display.

Transmission 001128345
Priority omega epsilon
Sender deep space relay 0234001

Received, emergency burst transmission via Com drone
sender Spec Ops deep operative Dorthas Terin
Urgent
Target Fleet command Daka System

Admiral Reshmar, III Corp has been engaged by superior forces and are trapped. Intel has been breached be advised Intel has been breached.
Fleet destroyed. all hands lost or captured. estimated 90 or more percent losses. Command group captured and sent for execution. Will escort under cover. Kshayyyk suppressed and in Imperial Hands. Will transmit location of eagle one upon landing. Operative Cantras Lista remained in location and will report at normal designated scheduled time. Be advised all Intel should be scrutinized and considered tampered.

Dorthas Terin

Reshmar sat motionless and in shock for what seemed like forever. 50,000 men and women were gone or captured. The main offensive force of the Alliance was gone. It was a nightmare, a blow which the alliance could not take in this its infancy. As he thought of all the men and women of III corps a buzz sounded from the door. The Alliance was awake tonight and the nightmares had just begun.