Hostile Takeovers: Assault at Enton

[Dovi Jod]

<center>Continued from *Gettin' Respectable*...</center>

A lavish party was quickly assembled on the droid control ship Hoyu. The observation lounge, situated above the bridge, was populated by dignitaries and their varying lackeys. Arbiter Jod ensured that all needs were attended to, and that everyone was pleased with this groundbreaking mission. It had been nearly two generations since the Neimoidian Trade Federation had been able to field an army to protect its assets across the galaxy. Now, the time was once again at hand. This was to be merely a test run of their grand army. Lady Hera, of the Shadowfaene organization, would be a most profitable business partner if she were pleased with the results. She required a demonstration against a group of rabble pirates who she wished to be destroyed. For all in attendance, it would be a most excellent show. Five Trade Federation Battleships against a motley assortment of criminals and scum. This fight would go well.

As Jod took a glass of wine, and began to chat with varying dignitaries, the lines of white in the viewport slowly began to shrink to pinpricks of starlight. Jod raised a hand for silence, and gestured to the window.

At lahst...wee ahre at Ehnton. Pleease make yohrselves cohmfortahble.

Jod reached into his jacket, pulling out a commslip, and activated it.

Captain Mai...beegin thee ahssault!

[Space Pirates]

Jeniver had been having an unprecidented streak of good luck. Their interdictor cruiser had been pulling in some great finds lately and they had still managed to stay under the radar of most of the other larger corporations. The crew was happier then they had been in a long time and for the first time since their major run of bad luck things were looking good.

They were making some stops for some actual legitimate trade when they ran into the trade federation ships. Swearing Jeniver launched herself out of the command seat as alarms blared all over the ship. Quickly the other three ships in the convoy reported in going to battlestations.

Len was immediately by her side as stations began reporting in. "Jeniver their ships are moving to attack us"

[Mogi Mai]

At the command center of the main control ship the comm link beeped, buzzed, then activated itself.

"Captain Mai...beegin thee ahssault!"

The sound of the Arbiters voice sent a wave of enthusiasm through all the hands present on the deck. Captain Mai rushed quickly to the deployment interface - the five battleships were prepped and ready to go, the armies within set to take out their foe.

"Ahssault een mohtion."

With the simple push of a button they pressed on forward towards the enemy. The Space Pirates ships had been put onto alarm according to sensors, but it was of no consequence. The tiny ship had no hope of survival against the might of the Trade Federation.

[Space Pirates]

As quickly as possible the four ships in the convoy started backing away from the trade federation. They were horribly out gunned. Looks like luck just ran out. Jeniver's ship was probably the least defended of any of the ships in the convoy so two other ships moved forward to hopefully give them a chance to escape.

The pirate ships fired first trying to buy themselves time to get out of there. The interdictor cruiser was the farthest away trying to get out of the planets gravity well so it could jumpt to hyperspace. Their ships continued to fire as they backed away frantically.

[DarthHERA]

Hera moved forward to get a better view. She saw the pirates maneuver and gripped the control panel for emphasis as she scowled to Captain Mai.

"Dont let them escape to the planet. Our deal is for them to be destroyed. I want their meddlesome outfit removed completely from Enton!"

[Dovi Jod]

"Ohf course, Ladyee Heerah. Thee Pirates weell bee dehstroiyed aht once."

Jod conversed with the officers of the Hoyu. He had little training in the military arts, but there were capable intermediaries beneath him. And beyond that, the droids. Though incapable of brilliance, they were increasingly more competent with each generation. They were far more lethal than their pre clone war cousins had once been.

The flanks of the Trade Federation spearhead accelerated, overtaking the three defending vessels...a corvette and a pair of partially cannibalized Nebulon frigates. In their wake, no fewer than ten squadrons of Xi Char Cathedral Factories Mark II droid starfighters swooped downwards on the capital ships, overwhelming them in a pure attrition tactic. The pirate salvos took their toll on the droid fighters, but they couldn't be destroyed fast enough. The entire force of fightercraft was like an angry hornet swarm, attacking the pirates at every angle. Arbiter Jod could only smile with his lipless mouth. He wasn't a fighter, but he would make an exception if all battles were the kind that guaranteed victory. Sipping his wine, he approached the dignitaries, which included Hera, and two other interested constituents, Commander Halleerraa and Emissary Sarrtarroa, from the Cizerack Pride.

"Et ees ah clahssic method ohf deevide ahnd cohnquer."

He gestured to the tactical readout hologram, set to the side of the command deck. Five blue blips represented Trade Federation droid control battleships, while four blips registered as Pirate vessels. To the side, a white sphere denoted the planet Enton. One Pirate ship was veering away at its maximum sublight capacity from Enton's gravity well, while the other three formed up in a standoff formation, intended to harass the enemy's forward progress. The classic battle wedge of the Trade Federation formation broke up immediately...its left flank veering wide of Enton, and accelerating around the Pirate flank at top speed, apparently joining the chase of the fleeing vessel as fast as possible. The right flank diverged, approaching Enton's orbital entry lanes. Multiple blips registered afterwards, denoting first, the Hoyu's attacking fighter compliments, and then from the warships on the right flank, numerous craft debarked, entering immediately into orbital patterns. There were a half dozen starfighter squadrons, but three times as many Haor Chall landing barges, all descending to the surface. Meanwhile, the Hoyu continued to charge directly into the path of the three resisting pirate vessels...

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Sarrtarroa separated himself from the other distinguished members of the invited entourage, focusing his attention squarely on the tactical readouts. His ears perked, an obvious tell of his interest. Sarrtarroa had lived a life of unimaginable privilege as the Pride Mother's concubine, and one of the limitless gifts he possessed was a tactical mind. He had been sent years before, to learn at the Imperial Naval Academy on Carida...which was an adventure in its own right. What he now saw was that despite the overwhelming Trade Federation numbers, the Neimoidian wasn't fighting as a heavy-handed blunderbuss. Instead, he was playing the field with admitted intellect. The Emissary said nothing, but smiled wryly, as he watched the starboard-positioned battleship of the Trade Federation's left flank. It slowly began to lose ground, and was overtaken by the farthest warship.

"jI beljieve the terrrm jyou ssseek jisss rrroundjing the flank and prrressssssjing the sssaljient, but jyesss..."

Sarrtarroa looked up from the holo.

"jIt wjill have the desssjirrred effect."

[DarthHERA]

As the battle (such as it was with such outnumbered odds against the pirates) unfolded before her eyes, Hera felt a rush of adrenilin course through her body.

Sure, it wasnt the same as the 1-1 combat that was her own forte' but it had a certain evil satisfaction that came from destroying an enemy - or in this case, watching an enemy be destroyed.

The Nemoidians were proving to be just the ones to get the job done. Their capabilities and tactics left little doubt as to the outcome of this present conflict. Even the Cizerack Emissary, Sarrtarroa, seemed impressed.

Hera was conscious of Halleerraa's presence hovering in the background behind her and hoped the feliniod was taking note. This was the future of those who's activities hindered the Sith's progress in any fashion.

Hera moved to stand next to Jod. "Tell your forces to take care not to destroy the docking spaceport on the north end of the planet. I will be needing that."


ooc: Thankyou!

[Nasseeri Haalleerraa]

Silently she stood and watched the proceedings with the proper attentiveness. But the truth was, Nasseeri was bored. What was happening outside in the darkness of space and on the holoboard was pathetic and to her own hunters sense, without honor.

Such was the way of politics. The Cizerack Pride, the Nemoidians and the Shadowfaene group all wanted a piece of the same pie and this poor rag-tag bunch of pirates were going to pay the price for thier alliance.

Nass had accompanied the Faene mistress to the demonstration since she was the official liason between DrenKast and the Pride. Always in the past Nasseeri had reported all ShadowFaene transactions directly to Assaurreei Cassarreessa, who also happened to be her immediate superior.

But Keerrourri Sarrtarroa was present and Nass had been itching to talk privately with him, away from Hera's prying eyes and superb hearing. Whether it had been an honest oversight or a deliberate attempt to pocket a few extra credits, one of the last deliveries that ShadowFaene had made to a client had not been reported . Nasseeri had learned of the discrepancy late one night as DrenKast and her part-time lover Cyrus Haman had spent a loud and rowdy hour together in the owner's office.

Hera was also Nasseeri's rival for Haman's attention and with Sarrtarroa this close, there was no way that Nasseeri Haalleerraa was going to let this juicy morsel lie untouched.

From the corner of one eye, Nass could see the 'Faene mistress cut her gaze over to the Pride liason but with uncustomary control, Nasseeri ignored the look and contented herself watching the one-sided battle rage on.

[Space Pirates]

The other ships returned fire as best they could while the interdictor cruiser made its getaway. There were people planetside that they didn't have time to retrieve and Jenvier knew that this time it was not going to end well. When the interdictor made it into hyperspace her flagship started making a run for it while the other two ships continued to return fire. They had a designated rendevous point in the eventuality of emergency and that is where they would all go.

The other ships were in worse shape. The smaller of the two was losing hull stability. Jeniver watched in horror as her ship made the jump to hyperspace. With her fingers crossed she prayed that the other two would somehow manage to follow.

[DarthHERA]

Her eyes hardened cruelly as she watched the lone pirate ship make the jump into hyperspace, escaping the main force.

"Send someone after them! Quickly!"

She strode forward to the view port, as if somehow she herself could catch them.

Her fists clenched tightly by her sides as she swung her head about to glare at the Nemoidians.

"Hurry, they are escaping!"