Imperial Skirmish

[Telan Desaria]

NOTE: the Sovereignty tread is completed, and takes place after the Imperial Fragmentation. This is present day.

Gertein City, Duchy of Taafe.

The Empire had a policy of ruling through the fear of force instead of force itself, a doctrine brought to life by the genius Grand Moff Tarkin and personnified through his Death Star. Since then, with this doctrine in mind, nearly every day throughout the expanse of the Empire, there were non-combat displays of Imperial Might and Splendor.

It did not happen every day, but the practics of the Empire were not forgotten in the Sovereignty.

As such, Gertein City, the largest metropolis on the Agen Coast, was the place for the current Military Parade, in honor of the Tenth Thyferran Liberation, when Admiral Ysanne Isard decided to defend the world, increasing its population and productivity to where it should have been.

It was thus that Grand Admiral Desaria stood on the balcony of the regional governor's mansion reviewing a procession of Imperial troops. The grey armor of Sovereign stromtroopers and the white of the old Imperials glistened in the dusk sun. Their blaster rifles were polished and plates pristine. The black uniformed officers who marched along side them hld their heads high. Rows upon rows of them, forming companies and battalions marched in perfect order and unified step along the broad boulevard of Madder Strasse.

The Grand Admiral looked down and marveled at their precision. Some had not been out of training more than a few weeks. He as well knew that marching before him were dozens of Vratix, their uniforms modified for their humanoid physiology. Net the Grand Admiral stood th higest ranking Vratix officer, Coonel Kamorn, commander of the 4th Sovereign Army Regiment. He was one of ten thousand Vratix put into uniform after extensive training in a pilot programme to boost loyalty, morale, and manpower.

Many of the old Imperials had allhad near anyuerisms at the thought of aliens donning Imperial uniforms, but the logisitics of it were plain. Despite the throngs of people moving into the Sovereignty, not enough non-natives were volunteering for service. After research, however, it was found that the Vrtix were eager to join.

" A pleasurebale sight, yes?" asked the Vratix.

" Indeed."

The Regimental band came into range, the strings of the Imperial March barely audible due to distance and the thunder of the thousands of jackboots colliding with the stone paved road. The troops were executing the Sovereign review marching style, with lgs and backs ramrod staight. Watching it, it did not appear that their appendages bent, except where the blasters were held.

" It is indeed..."

[Sovereign Officer]

Imperial Customs corvettes were not assigned official names only numbers. They were given titles, known by crew, and command if their exploits were meritable. Such as the 197-4, knwn throughout the Fleet as the War Monger. Duing an engagement with a Carrack-owning pirate, the War Monger halted the light cruiser with missiles, speed,and a rain of light turbolaser fire. When the Carrck veered of to avoid the little nuiscance, the tiny ship kept at it, constantly blocking their exit vector with debris, dumped garbage, or itself. For thirty minutes, the fast craft held the Carrack in realspace until the arrival of a Fleet Fire-class Frigate and four Customs corvette. The cruiser was slagged an the bantered knickname held.

The exploits of the 235-1 were known to none outside her 75 meter hull, save the reports filed in the cavernous Customs records vault, first below Coruscant, then on a clandestine skyhook on Bespin.

She was known as the Sabacc 5, for her five-time Fleet sabacc champion exectuive officer, who had taken more credits from his Custom's flotilla than the combined salary of the twenty ships' crews.

Her captain was an Ensign, Liarr Lervup. He had no sense of humor, or personality to speak of. His men loved him for his fairness, andran jokes by him. The first man to make him smile won a thousand credits.

The reason for his complete lack of emotions was his career. He had hoped to battle with pirates and smugglers. Instead, he was guarding cvoys of materials from Thyferra to their galaxy-wid dstination. In his four years in command, he had never raised shields.

" Captain. We'e coming onto the turn for the third leg of or trip."

" Execute reversion on planned mark. Realign the convoy, and jump again."

" Aye sir."

Two customs corvetes - between them only four light turbolasers, four quad lasers, and a pair of concussion missile tubes - six bacta tankers came out of lightspeed in the improper order. The tanker Star of Gerion emeged firs, followed by a Supertanker, than the first corvette, two more freightors, and the other three ships at the same time. That was supposed to be the entire convoy, not the end.

" Tell me why that happened."

" Scanners report Star's and Ammra's engines calbrated ahead."

" Chastise them for me, would you?"

The xo nodded, raising his oral-audio interface.

" Oh well. What's the worst that could happen."

Apatheticaly, the engisn replied. " Don't ever say that."

" Why?"

" Because then it would."

" Too late," quipped the chief engineer, who spent his fre time on the bridge-which was no larger the command corridor on a Star Destroyer-and pointed.

Above the fleet, a Carrack Cruiser and four pickets had emeged from hyperspace.

And their IFF signals were not Sovereign.

This was reinforced by a hail of ion fire that washed over the convoy.