The Balmorran Civil War: A Change of Season

[Tyrel Kiterix]

The Balmorran New Year has always been a year of change.
In the future...there will be even more than just a change of leadership.
The Iron Fist will be besieged by the usurpser and he will lose his power...

Bin Prime, Balmorra...Emperor Kiterix's Chateau near the center of the government

The time was right...and he knew it. The change of seasons...summer turning to fall...turning to winter. Right now, the streets of Bin Prime were littered with snow and ice...something rare, but strangely more common in recent days than it had in the past.

But then, the man mused, time were about to change. They had been in the past year.

Through his own abilities and workings, the Inquisitors were now entrenched in the Balmorran Military, using their technology and information to feed him information on various...conspiracies against him.

The Balmorran Civil Guard, once militia, was now the main form of military and police force for the Empire. What started slowly as an alternative to the Imperial Forces was now the main form of military. And even though the commander, Admiral Sarin Vorrann, refused to put on the garb of the Civil Guard...he commanded it, with all the honor he could.

He admired the honor, but saw Vorrann as another conquered foe. He was unable to bring Millard's protegé, the illustrious Tomar, under his command so he fired him...shuffling him (under Vorrann's suggestion) to the head of logistics, a position of unimportance in the grand scheme of things.

However, what was interesting to the Balmorran Emperor was the gusto and ethusiasm Tomar threw at the job. The Millard supporter was definately displeased with the demotion, but instead of complaining he'd gone about his business as if the job was as importance as running the military. It wasn't until the charges of conspiracy to commit treason were thrown upon him was Tomar forced to leave.

And at the moment, Balmorran Forces were closing in on the disgraced Commodore on the outskirts of Rivendel, where he'd fled since the accusations. But another funny thing occured.

Tomar, in his disgrace and darkest moment, had called the Emperor of Balmorra- Tyrel Kiterix, the traitor and the one who wished to join the New Republic. If Kiterix hadn't squashed the evidence Tomar possessed...he might've been removed from office.

And Kiterix didn't want that to happen. It was against his own plans. And Kiterix didn't want those planned interupted more than they all ready had been.

General Silus Xilarian, one of the men Kiterix almost trusted, had left Balmorra. Sending an official letter of resignation, Xilarian said he wanted to seek new opportunities. Also enclosed in the letter was the former general's rankplate, with detailed instructions of where Kiterix could put it. Kiterix had taken special offense to that

So now Shadow Squadron was without a leader. But that would be remedied soon enough. Kiterix had one hand picked to take over the job. And that person should be joining the Squadron on the Draconian soon enough.

And then, when everything was beginning to a bit more problematic...Millard came back. Like a phantom in the night, the missing grand admiral returned to Balmorra, from whatever quest he'd been on. The Imperial had immediately requested to be returned to the military.

Kiterix...with a smile on his face and joy in his heart...said no.

"No, Millard," he'd stated, malice in his voice, "You are outdated and unneeded. It's time for a new order to take place on Balmorra. My order."

Millard didn't look unnerved, but his blue eyes did flare.

Kiterix continued "You see Taylor, while you were gone, you gave me the opportunity to increase my hold on Balmorra. Please remind me to thank your ex-lover s'Ilancy for her departure. It helped me so much."

If he wanted to, Kiterix could have shot Millard where he stood. In the lavish office of green and gold, Kiterix could have claimed self-defense.

But he needed more than just Millard's body. He needed a war. He needed Millard dead in prison, he needed a reason to continue his plans. And he'd all ready gone far enough in his plans, his schemes to go back.

Kiterix crossed his arms as he stared out of the tall window in his chateau.

His gaze was on the outside, but he focussed on the figure behind him.

"Millard is in his own dwelling?"

The man, his accented Basic slicing through the room like a knife, replied, "Yes, Emperor. He is in a meeting with the only supporters he has left.

"We are sending the Civil Guard to intercept him before he can flee Balmorra. They should be there within the next few minutes."

Kiterix smiled, "Good. Good."

He turned to the man behind him, "Come Morewind, let us celebrate. Shadow Squadron is out on patrol, going over the 'rebels' and I will make my speech soon.

"We will be sucessful. And we will rule the galaxy."

Another smile and Kiterix looked at the snow again.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Snow crunching beneath her boots, s'Il made her way through Bin Prime, sidestepping pedestrians and avoiding groups to continue on her way. She was here for one man - Silus Xilarian. The years hadn't been unkind to her, but they certainly had given her a degree of difficulty as she'd made her way from one planet to the next, drifting with no real direction. She missed MMU much of the time, wishing for his company - as neurotic as he was. She also missed Millard, and with her recent loose attachment with Kerr, she realized how much she longed for the Grand Admiral. Kerr himself was not the person that she thought she'd end up with; a man sent to kill her originally, he'd decided to 'keep' her instead, and she'd let him - perhaps it was that she wished to desperately cling to some form of companionship that she had complied - to be accepted by someone she had no innate instinct to kill that caused her to say yes to him. Either way, the two had shared many nights together; she'd grown accustomed to waking in his arms, curled at his side.

And now, she'd left him behind, with an understanding that he'd meet her on Balmorra to retrieve her. Hera had kindly given her a lift after Vega's wake, and s'Il had thanked the woman many times over.

They'd come in early morning, and the Faene Mistress had landed the Wolfsschanze just outside of Bin Prime to avoid having to deal with customs and the general headache that spaceports often generated. Plus, she wasn't sure how she would be recieved in the first place, so her and Hera's choice to land away from public scrutiny was made out of necessity and the need for anonimity. After all; the two women were in all respects for purposes, criminals.

And then... there was Morewind. s'Il hadn't forgotten the man with the odd accent, and she knew he was waiting for her to once more trip up - or at least put herself in a situation where she could be incriminated. She'd found out his name from Silus, when the two had spent time with eachother on Thyferra, and never forgot. Of course, it wasn't very hard given the fact that her ribs still hurt every now and then in the place where he'd kicked her. She would never forget him.

But now, walking through the streets of Bin Prime to where she knew Silus' apartment was - strangely enough, it wasn't too far from Millard's chateaux, she let out a breath of air, watching as the steam escaped from her lips. She hoped he wouldn't be mad, and pulling her duster in closer to her body to ward off the cold, shook a strand of hair that fell into her eyes.

Bin Prime was actually quite beautiful this time of year, and she'd forgotten how the snow seemed to accent the architecture of the city in its own unique way. She recognized roads walked with the Grand Admiral, and even a few of the bars she'd used to spend her time in. Nostalgia at its best. Blinking a few times, the Lupine canted her head upwards to regard the complex that Silus had called home on Balmorra, and her feet climbed the steps, bringing her to the front door.

The lobby was exactly the same as she remembered, and as she strode toward the lift, she shook the excess snow that'd accumulated on her body. Maybe before she left, she'd have a romp in the fields... just for good measure...

The lift took her to Silus' floor, and stepping out into the hall, she began the short trek to his door.

Fingers rapped against the surface, and standing back, she waited for an answer.

Unfortunately, her knowledge of Silus' recent activities was minimal; for if she had kept in closer contact, she would have known that he no longer was a part of the Balmorran military - and therefor no longer at his apartment much anymore.

If at all.

[Taylor Millard]

Chateau Millard

"Have they moved again?" Taylor Millard asked as he looked out the window of his chateau into the swirling snow of the city he lived in. Bin Prime...everything had changed, since he'd left almost two years before.

He'd received regular reports from both Tomar and Jaranda, involving the events on Balmorra, but somehow...those reports didn't give him the full scale of the destruction which had happened.

There were no Imperials on the streets at all...maybe the occasional patrol, but even then the numbers were reduced by more than half. It was as if someone took the Imperials and shipped them off to other planets or star systems. Like an evacuation.

Instead, their figures dark against the snow, were the Balmorran Civil Guard. Most of them were stormtroopers or former Imperials who decided to join under the promise of more pay, Millard was told. There was still an Imperial presence on Balmorra, but it was in space around it. Balmorra itself...was protecting itself. And Millard suspected treachery.

A treachery which was confirmed during his meeting with Emperor Tyrel Kiterix, a despot in Millard's eyes. Kiterix had told Millard what he'd all ready suspected...Kiterix was making a move on Millard, attempting to rid Balmorra of the Imperial Grand Admiral.

Through treachery and deceit, Kiterix had spun a web about Balmorra first destroying Tomar's reputation, then replacing commanders Millard trusted with his own puppet commanders. Millard had an idea where his protegé was...out on the Davidoff running towards Rivendel, where he could regroup with allies he trusted.

The red shadow next to Millard shook him out of his thoughts, "Yes they've moved again. It looks like we've got about two squads of Civil Guard."

A mechanical voice spoke next, "Orders sir?"

"We have evacuation on the way, however the ETA I got was, 'Trust me'," Millard's voice was somber but firm.

"We need to make sure we can hold off the Civil Guard until Evac gets here."

The red shadow spoke next, "I take it you don't think they're here to simply arrest us."

Millard shook his head, then hefted his Imperial Repeater Rifle, "They could be, Thomas, but I don't plan on allowing them to arrest me. Kiterix needs a scapegoat, for whatever he has planned...I think that's why he didn't kill me when we met."

His blue eyes narrowed, showing a coldness long since forgotten.

"We need to make sure we aren't captured. Thomas get a hold-"

"Sir, they're moving again!" the stormtrooper reported, pointing out the window. Dark shapes were seen moving around the closed gates of the massive chateau. Any minute now, the grounds would be flooded with the forces of Kiterix.

"Okay, go inform the other stormtroopers to get ready. Good eyes spotting it."

The stormtrooper turned away, relaying Millard's orders, then back to the Balmorran Grand Admiral.

"They're ready...reports say there's been no offensive yet...but it looks like they're going to try something soon."

Millard looked out the window again, before adjusting the grey armor he wore on his body. In the distance he saw sparks as the Civil Guard attempted to breach the gate.

"That's it...order them to FIRE!"

He saw out the window as the yard was lit up with spouts of red, as the imbedded stormtroopers fired upon the attacking Civil Guard.

There was a noise on the roof and sounds of blaster fire above the study.

The three Imperial looked upwards towards the roof, then hefted their weapons.

"Thomas, TK-632, you're with me...prepare to set up defensive positions throughout the house. Prepare for battle," Millard strode from his office, the stormtrooper and Imperial Guardsman following.

[Bette Davis]

Super class Star Destroyer, the Draconian

"And I'm telling you I don't like this one bit. Gods, Maniac, can't you stop and smell the crap that keeps getting shuffled our way? First General Xilarian leaves, or is driven away, and then they split up the squadron. Divide and conquer." Bette jabbed her finger into Tod Marr's chest, and he playfully winced.

"I think you may be reading too much into this, Shooter. Ow!" Maniac rubbed his shoulder where she'd socked him. "Anyway, we all know you miss -"

"I do not miss anyone." Bette stalked down the hall some more, and then stopped by the wall to let by a handful of stormtroopers. "And if I did it certainly wouldn't be... I mean, we're on the outs again. Or maybe we aren't. I just..." She looked into Tod's eyes as the taller pilot winked at her. "I just can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. I'm not having this conversation with you!"

Bette threw up her hands and continued down the hall, jumping over a skittery mouse droid. Tod kicked at it, and missed, as always. Frustrated, she walked faster. They were going to be very early to meet their new commander. After Silus had left, or been forced out (as was the current rumor), either she or Val Torre had been up for promotion to squadron commander. Neither had gotten it.

In fact, Val had been shipped off with Stavit, leaving Bette and their nine other wing mates on the Draconian. And now their new boss was here. Marr had done his best to keep the mood light hearted, but Bette was ready to skewer something with her eyes.

[Tod Marr]

"If I were you, not only would I stare at myself naked in the mirror all day, but I'd stop worrying about this whole thing!"

She looked ready to sock him again, but he took a step backwards to discourage her through distance. He held his hands out in protest. "Besides - we're in a win-win situation here. If the new commander's a little tike like the majority of us, he'll take to us like me to your underwear drawers. And if he's an old fart...well, I'll win him over like the son he never had."

If Bette didn't smile or at least get rid of her frown, Tod was sure she was going to freeze over wherever she was standing or lying at the time. He hated it when people were tense and uptight, like at wedding ceremonies. He prefered the after-party-type situation - booze, music, dancing, and emotional (not to mention easy) bridesmaids.

"Well the new Tops' shuttle ain't due for another hour. What d'ya say we wet our whistle's in the meantime?". Bette frowned once again. "C'mon - first five rounds are on me!!", he added, with a cheeky grin on his face.

[Bette Davis]

Ah what the frell. Bette slugged him in the arm hard enough to make him grit his teeth. "That's for the drawers comment. I'm still missing a bra, by the way." She paused in her rampage towards the shuttle bay the commander was due in. "You really think getting sauced right before the new guy comes is a good idea?"

Ah, just one wouldn't hurt. Shooter rubbed her temple in anticipation of a headache.

[Duncan Wallace]

"You really think getting sauced right before the new guy comes is a good idea?"

He chuckled at the comment. There once was a time where he'd gotten sauced before meeting a commanding officer. That meeting had set his career back a few years. Then he'd decided to join the Empire.

He hadn't been paying attention for too long, just long enough to get a grasp of the two pilots. Both were cocky and liked to have fun. Hopefully they were all business too.

His flight suit was still on and his shaved head shone just a bit in the light of the star destroyer.

"I personally don't think it's a good idea," Duncan Wallace gave a very short smile.

"I have experience at it. It's not fun."

He looked the two Shadows over.

"I'm Duncan Wallace. It's good to meet two members of my squad."

[Bette Davis]

Bette whirled around, about ready to give the eavesdropper a well thought out piece of her mind, but his next words stopped her short. "Sir!" Shooter snapped up into a textbook salute as Maniac followed suit. "Flight Commander Davis and Colonel Marr welcome you aboard the Draconian, sir."

Krasst.

[Duncan Wallace]

Wallace returned the salute.

"At ease, Commander...Colonel," he nodded to both of them.

"My orders are to take command of the squadron. I wanna know what kind of pilots I have under me.

"I've read their files, yeah," his voice was terse, "But I want to know about them. You two care to tell me?"

[Tod Marr]

"Well to be honest sir, the best way to find out what a pilot is like is to see 'em fly."

Good god. Maniac actually said something sensible. And he seemed pretty serious about it too.

"That, plus alcohol usually reveals the truth about people."

So much for being serious.

Already, Maniac wasn't too fond of the new Captain. He seemed somewhat of a snake - the kind who would snoop as low as he could just to get one over the squadron. Silus wasn't like that. Sure he was their leader - their authority - but at the same time he was one of them. This guy was nothing more than a new leash and a finger to tell the squadron where to fly and what to blast.

[Duncan Wallace]

Wallace nodded. His impression of the two was correct.

"Yeah, well, I don't drink that much anymore...I guess I'll just have to see 'em fly.

"Carry on, you two...I've sent the orders to have Commander Torre and Leuitenant Stavit brought back here. I'm sure we'll need 'em soon enough."

[Val Torre]

Against a perpetual canvas of black, two vessels of remote significance drifted silently, their course hadn’t changed for hours and thus far there was little sign of life onboard. Pilots Val Torre and Elessar Stavit had been left to the languid task of patrolling the lifeless region of space between Drimlock and Kyrinos, the two farthest planets in the Balmorran Empire. Their scanners worked away arduously, their efforts bearing little to no fruit; a spot of engine exhaust gasses here, a piece of scorched debris there but nothing to make a move on. Both men, belonging to the recently split Shadow Squadron were finding their mission equally monotonous however Stavit went about his business with the same passion that he put into everything he did for the Empire; he’d check the sensor readouts regularly, correct his course to perfection, make notes of anything that could help them in their mission and then report his findings back to his colleague.

Val was playing with a rubber ball. He bounced it idly against the floor from where it would bounce up, hit a small rations crate and return to his hand. Despite the grinding sound of Stavit’s voice over the comm, what sense of duty remained kept him from turning it off. He no longer replied to Shadow Four’s updates and instead concentrated on rearranging the boxes and other items in his cockpit with the hope of being able to construct a more exciting assault course for his rubber ball. And while Stavit droned on, all Val could do was continue mulling over the number of thoughts that kept resurfacing. The Empire and more specifically Shadow Squadron had become stagnant; he and his fellow Shadows had been packaged and shelved, even as his beloved starfighter, “The Fat Lady”, drifted through space he could feel himself gathering dust. He hated the feeling; had Shadow Squadron, the most elite starfighter unit in the Balmorran Navy become so expendable and worthless?

Val or Shadow Two, as he was known to the rest of the squadron, was not only angry with Shadow Squadron’s unbearable period of being overlooked time and time again but he was also bitter at the fact that he had, once again, been overlooked for promotion following the departing of their last squad leader, Silus Xilarian. As much as he’d become accustomed to being called Shadow Two, the thought of being referred to as Shadow Leader gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, not that he’d ever admit to that, of course! His anger and resentment all boiled down to one man, Tyrel Kiterix, the man who in his opinion had brought about the beginning of the end of the Balmorran Empire. He didn’t see it at first but now his eyes were open and there’s nothing worse than feeling like a puppet and the one holding the strings is an incompetent, deceitful pile of Bantha dren. Just like Morewind and the rest of the renewed hierarchy, Torre hated them all and as he drifted through space, feeling like worthless, owned property, he couldn’t help but feel cheap. Pride is a fickle friend.

[Elessar Stavit]

"Shadow Leader, this is Shadow Two," the black helmeted man said into this radio as the two TIE Advanced flew through the space.

"I think I have a visual on the missing convoy."

Frosty's mind wasn't on the boring search and rescue job set before he and his Squadron collegue. Instead it was on the happenings within the Balmorran Empire.

The disgrace of Commodore Tomar...what would cause a respected member of the Balmorran military to go traitor? Unless of course he didn't go traitor. The Inquisitors, led by Morewind, sometimes not led by Morewind had done an excellent job of weaving his way into the Balmorran military. Along with the current head of operations, Admiral Sarin Vorrann, Morewind had caused most of the military to distrust the other, causing problems and internal battles between some of the factions.

And now it appeared the internal battles would become external, as certain elements of the Empire were in a shooting war with the other. It was rumored Millard had returned to the Empire, but Stavit had yet to see him.

"Hey...Razor!" Elessar Stavit almost yelled into the comm, "Wake up! I do have a visual on our missing convoy. Let's take a look and see what we have."

The TIE Advanced shot towards the drifting and apparently desolate convoy of four freighters along with fighter escort.

"Freighter Convoy XA-427 this is the TIE Advanced marked Shadow Four...Please respond. Freighter Convoy XA-427 please respond..."

Stavit started again, "Freigher Convoy...oh my god..."

The convoy was still burning as starfighters flew up on the four freighters. Scans showed there were signs of TIE Fighters, but no survivors.

"Razor let's start doing scans of the convoy. I'm not sure we're gonna find anyone alive though."

[Val Torre]

"Well, it looks like this blue milk run has suddenly got interesting." Val said to himself as he fell back into his seat and strapped himself in. His years in the Empire had desensitised him to the sight of burning freighter debris and the like. It was a job to him these days, nothing more, his passion for the Empire he served was slipping more each day and Shadow Squadron was simply a source of income.

"Finally." He kicked down on the pedal at his feet and the engines came to life behind him, singing their familiar tune. The Fat Lady fell into formation with Frosty's ship and Val flicked the switch on his comm.

"That second freighter looks really unstable, we'll have to keep our distance from that one unless we go down with it should it go kaboom." Glancing out of the viewport, Val grunted irritably. "These visors are too damn dark. I hate relying on sensors alone. Definately picking up readings of Imperial weapon signatures. Suprise! Suprise! How about you?"

[Elessar Stavit]

"Yeah they might be Imperial signatures," Frosty replied, his scans going over the destroyed freighters, "But they're nothing I've seen before."

The readings were right...the blasts weren't strong enough to be a capitol ship, but too strong to be a fighter craft.

"I think we may have a new fighter out there, Commander. Maybe one of the other factions has decided to attack the convoys. Maybe they think the instability is enough for them to start rolling into our territory."

The TIEs rolled around the third freighter, the scanners still searching for anything which might help them in their discovery. If anything, Torre was right...the visors were a bit dark.

"Hey, boss," Stavit made an aside, "Maybe if ya went up to Vorrann, and asked him real nice-like...he might let ya redesign the suits. Maybe give us a bubble-helmet or something. Or put in stronger life support systems in here. Think he'd listen?"

[Val Torre]

"I wouldn't count on it, Frosty." Val replied nonchalantly. The casual chitchat he so often enjoyed had taken a back seat to the curious readings he was checking out. Occassionally he'd swoop low to catch a closer look at the blast points on the convoy remains. Engrossed in his work, Val's thumb played over his controls and his fingers tapped against them absent-mindedly while he studied the engmatic findings. "These blast points look pretty darn accurate to me, it's like whoever attacked this convoy knew exactly what they were doing. I wonder if--"

Suddenly a volley of green laserfire spat from The Fat Lady's dual cannons. Val jumped in his seat, then sighed having realized that it had been his finger tapping which had unleashed his impromptu outburst. "Sorry about that. Are your sensors picking anything else up? Any non-Imperial signatures or at least vessel readings not belonging to the convoy? Surely they must've taken out at least one ship from the attacking party."

[Elessar Stavit]

He checked his systems...nothing.

Nothing to even suggest the convoy's defenses might've taken out one of the attackers.

"I'm not seeing anything, Commander."

Dammit!

Stavit tried to speculate, "It could be we're running into a new type of shielding. Maybe something to do with what our little 'group' is fighting against."

Stavit, as did Torre, knew something was up in the Balmorran military. The fact the Inquistors, under the direction of Morewind, could spring up so quickly just screamed of conspiracy. Stavit had first taken his beliefs to Val on the subject and had been delighted to hear his fellow Shadow agreed.

So did Bette and Mar. And Tomar and Jaranda Piett-Tomar, when they approached him. The five had created a 'conspiracy' of some sort, carefully recording information they thought worthy of safe-keeping. On every other second day, Stavit would take a walk to the mail, checking for letters from his 'sister', Chance. It was then he'd give the information he had to the mail clerk (Piett-Tomar) who would then give him orders.

It looked like this information would head to the mail soon.

The two TIE Advanced took one more loop around, searching for anything which might alert them to the information they seeked.

Nothing.

It was then the comm system lit up for both fighters, and a bald man came up on the display.

"Torre...Stavit...you're recalled to the Draconian. Please report as once. This is Captain Wallace, reporting in. We gotta meeting. All the Shadows are reporting in. I'll give you more information when you get here. Wallace out."

Stavit acknowledged the comm with a *click*, then radioed Torre.

"Looks like our new boss is here. First impressions?"

[Val Torre]

Val turned his comm off, the interior of his starfighter becoming dark once again. One word summed up his first impressions.

"Jackass." He swooped in low once again, studying the hull and exposed interior of another freighted before pulling up. The rebel inside would at least have a little satisfaction. He'd be damned before he ran home to Captain Cueball as soon as ordered. Can't people ever introduce themselves anymore? He thought, then it occured to him that perhaps this Wallace was a strictly business kind of guy and if that's the case then perhaps Val could tolerate him. Him and his waxed scalp. As long as he didn't start making a move on Shooter.

"Come on, we might as well finish our scans. We'll make a wide turn so that we can circle this last freighter then head back. How does that sound?"

[Elessar Stavit]

Stavit nodded, getting the impression Torre thought about Wallace the same he did. Which would make life even more interesting, should something...happen while he continued his investigation into what all was going on.

'Frosty' checked his scope again, as the two TIEs kept scanning the dead freighters.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Another knock. Strange. Silus was usually around, especially on a day like this - taking advantage of the cozy confines of his apartment with the most recent ladyfriend while it snowed outside.

She knocked again - nothing. Brows furrowing, the Lupine let out an exasperated sigh. She didn't even hear anything coming from inside, which was even more odd. He was usually griping and yelling about something...

One more pound, as she stood in the hallway. Still no answer.

"Silus! Open the damn door! It's me!"

Of all the times, he has to pick now to vacate the premisis.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

He actually been surprised to see the woman walk past where he sat in the speeder. It was that she looked which made him pause. Blonde...short...but the eyes of a predator.

He'd seen her maybe once before but he wasn't sure...the woman looked familiar, but he couldn't place the face.

The camera in the speeder caught her face and slowly...he started to process it through his computer.

If it turned into nothing, then he atleast had something to oogle while he sat around and did nothing.

[TK-632]

"Yes sir, Grand Admiral," the stormtrooper replied, as he followed the Imperials out of the study.

With Millard's return to Balmorra, TK-632 had been transferred back from Counter-Terrorism to the Bodyguard Division at Chateau Millard. Although Millard officially only had one bodyguard (that being Thomas) he still had a stormtrooper contingent assigned to his home. Ever since the destruction of Castle Millard, 'Jack' (as he was called by most who knew him outside of the white armor) had spent his time ensuring terrorism on Balmorran wouldn't happen again.

He was partially successful (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33127) but there was still work to be done.

The Imperial hefted his repeater rifle, knowing he needed to stick close to his charge. Whatever was going to happen would happen soon and the noises from upstairs told him something was up.

"Squad One report in."

"We're pinned down, sir," the voice screamed in his earphone, "I've lost four men all ready. The Civil Guard hit us with anti-walker units. I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out."

TK-632 grabbed Millard's arm, "We need to get you out of here, sir! Squad One just reported they've been hit hard. We need to get out of-"

The world erupted in flames as the front doors blew off of the mansion.

Blaster fire erupted from the door as the black-clad Civil Guard raced into the chateau.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Gawdammit Silus! I came all the way out here to talk to you! And you have the decency to not be home!"

Of course it did no good - the apartment was empty, and s'Il was without any sort of answer. She kicked the door in frustration, then punched the wall.

And then she began beating on the door - not in the hopes that it would be answered, but in the attempt to break it down. Fists pounding at first, the Lupine began throwing her weight into it, and soon enough was rewarded with a satisfying creak from the hinges as they started to come loose.

Now we're getting somewhere.

[Val Torre]

"Still nothing. Do you ever get the feeling you're wasting your time?" Val complained over the comm to Frosty. His jaw clenched in frustration, his cheek bones protruding a little more than usual and thumbing his control panel, he switched his engines into full throttle. "Damn it! Come on, let's go home."

Both fighters soared over the debris, Val continuing his scans and something told him that Stavit would be doing likewise, there's nothing worse than a blue milk run and now both pilots had to report in with their findings of absolutely nothing save for a few ship wrecks. Wahetevr had hit the convey, it had hit hard and fast and escaped without a trace. And yet again, with conspiracy theories running through his head, Val knew something wasn't right.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

"Interesting," the bored officer said as the face popped up on his holo-sytem.

Visual Identity indicates suspect is Loklorien Iakyn s'Ilancy wanted for smuggling, drug trafficking, and murder. Known Alias...The Metal-Eyed Butcher. Warrent issued four weeks ago by Grand Inquisitor Morewind. Suspect considered armed and very dangerous...Backup advised.

The Civil Guardsman grabbed his blaster rifle and one stun grenade. Best stun her first before taking her down.

"This is IA-3A...I've got a visual lock on Loklorien s'Ilancy. I'll need some backup but I hope to keep her surprised."

He heard a click acknowledging the order. This collar could send his career soaring.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The door crashed inwards after the seventh try, and the Lupine stumbled over it as it swung inwards, the hinges broken. Staggering into the room, s'Il took a few moments to steady herself - the place looked relatively the same, and letting out a breath, she started for the main living area.

Fingers grazing lightly over the arms of one of the couches, she headed for the small pile of datapads laying strewn across the coffee table.

If nothing else, maybe there would be information about where Silus had gone hidden within them, and lowering her frame into the leather cushions, the Lupine reached out, picking one of the pads up.

You better have a good reason for not being here, she thought grumpily.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

The Guardsman slid up the stairs, walking as silently as he booted feet would allow him.

The stairs were dimly lit by only a few glowrods on the walls. It wasn't as nice as the apartment the Civil Guardsman kept over on the other side of Bin Prime.

Who would like to live in a place like this anyway? the Guardsman forgot his own meager upbringing in Mulciber's Hammer kilometers away from Bin Prime. Now he lived in a lavish apartment, given to him by the various crime lords and bribes which had seeped their way into his pockets.

The Guardsman was pleased with his living and with his job. But he was frustrated with not being allowed into the operation over at Chateau Millard. To capture the leader of the Imperial Forces and bring him to the Emperor and possibly get the 'Balmorran Sapphire' as honor. It was a dream but he still wanted it.

Of course, grabbing Loklorien s'Ilancy might be just as profitable.

The Civil Guardsman paused outside the doorway. A quick peek and the stun grenade flew towards the lupine.

[Taylor Millard]

"Everyone to your positions and fire!" Millard yelled as the Civil Guardsmen swept into his chateau. He'd been able to set up multiple defenses around the home, traps in various rooms and other surprises awaited Kiterix's forces as they invaded.

Millard fired a burst from his repeater rifle, downing a Guardsman while blaster fire bounced off of the wooden staircases. The part of Millard's mind which cared about the artwork hanging on the walls and the busts of various figures positioned in the rooms felt pain as he saw various pieces destroyed by blaster fire. Memories of paintings he'd put up while he was younger came into his mind as they were burned by blaster fire.

They would have a field day if they were in the castle, he thought ruefully as he shot another two Guardsmen.

With Thomas by his side, Millard ran towards an entrenched blaster rifle, taking over from the stormtrooper who earlier manned it. With them guarding him, Millard started blasting towards the doorway, his shield igniting with blaster fire.

"Continue firing! Keep them from taking the chateau!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

So engrossed in her reading was she that s'Il didn't even hear the man outside the door. She had no idea he was there.

That is, until something thwacked her in the back of her head, and out of instinct she stood, whirling around before flinging the datapad she'd been reading at the open door - and the head that was peeking around the corner.

Eyes wandering the floor, searching for the thing that'd hit her head, the Lupine caught sight of it. Her metallic eyes widened then, and she bolted...

... just as the grenade went of.

The shock ran through her system, and s'Il staggered to her knees, fighting desperately to stay conscious - thankfully her metabolism was helping, and the effects of the grenade were slow in working. Coughing, the Lupine went down to hands and knees, her limbs shaking and her body starting to slowly lose its sense of balance.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

The Civil Guardsman raced forward, setting his blaster rifle on stun. The stun grenade hadn't caused to much damage to the apartment almost, the guardsman thought, giving it a better look than it had before. He smiled as he stood in front of the lupine.

"My...you're prettier than a thought. Pity."

Then he shot her with the high-powered stun blast.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A growl was the only thing s'Il was able to get out before the business end of a stun blaster was pointed at her. His words were infuriating, and she glared metallc daggers up at him, and she watched as the muscles of his trigger finger tensed on the firing stud.

As the bolt shot from the barrel of the blaster, the Lupine rolled, doing her best to get out of the way - but it wasn't good enough, as the bolt hit the top of her hand. She yelped, rolling to her back and cradling her now numbed appendage to her chest while cursing at the man.

Of course it did no good as she craned her neck back to look up at him, and once more found the barrel angled down at her.

"... fark off... "

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

He smirked.

"I'll be sure to tell that to the director."

Then he turned and dropped another stun grenade on her...a smaller one, more of a compressed charge. It went off in s'Il's face and knocked her up and into the desk which had the datapads.

The Civil Guardsman smiled again.

"Central, is my backup here yet?"

"Just getting there now."

"Gooooood. I have a prisoner. Get the stun cuffs."

[TK-632]

"Get to the outside, we don't have a lot of room to move!" the stormtrooper ordered as blaster bolts intersected each other in the chateau. Although it was technically a mansion, Millard's forces were pinned down due to the sheer numbers in the Balmorran Civil Guard.

"I need some sort of back up, whether it be Dark Troopers or Battle Droids...just something!"

TK-632 was in charge of six troopers battling it out with about 20 Civil Guardsmen. While the difference in numbers was by far both annoying and a problem, the skill of the stormtroopers might save them. With Millard manning one of the heavy blaster rifles 'Jack' worked towards the other one, dodging blaster fire as he did.

One of the attackers hurled something, 'causing the stormtrooper to stop.

"Detonator! Get away...Get awa-!" he was drowned out as a part of the wall exploded outward, scattering stormtroopers like pins.

'Jack' threw his own detonator, smiling at the resonating explosion in the doorway. He looked back towards the entrenched rifle and cursed under his breath. The stormtrooper who manned the rifle looked more like a destroyed statue than a man. And 'Jack' knew he wasn't getting up.

He cursed again under his breath and slowly rose to his feet. He had to stop the Civil Guard from taking over the chateau.

[Taylor Millard]

Millard was almost cursing under his breath, although his demeanor kept himself from showing too much emotion. A look of calm determination spread across his face as he fired at Civil Guardsmen upon Civil Guardsman, ending as many lives as he could. The controlled chaos of the situation made him almost wish he were Wargrave, his Force Alias, so he could swoop down upon the black-clad invaders like a phantom...paralyze some with fear and destroy others with rage. But because of his status and his position, Millard couldn't attack, he couldn't let loose like some would. Not this time.

Thomas continued to fire upon the men soldiers too as they stormed into the chateau. Even as the dust cleared from the two thermal detonator explosions, the entrance to the chateau was still open for attack by the Civil Guard. And their numbers were starting to overrun the Imperials.

Millard's red-clad bodyguard pulled on his arm, "We need to go. Get out of the hallway. It's too crowded here."

The grand admiral turned to almost disagree but then the energy shield protecting him failed, causing him to fall back away from the energy blasts from the Civil Guardsmen.

Millard nodded, sighing, "Let's go. We do need to fall back.

"All Imperials...let's go!"

He started retreating from the hallway, for the safety of the interior rooms of the chateau the Imperials hot on his heels.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She groaned, rolling painfully to her side atop scattered datapads, their edges gouging into the muscles of her back, and the Lupine wondered briefly what exactly had happened. And then she remembered - but despite her mind tell her body to rise, she couldn't move but a few inches. The stun shot had done too much to her nervous system, and the only thing that was helping her now was her metabolism.

"... what... what are you doing... " she managed to growl, rolling from the table to crash to the floor in a pile of datapads and yelps of pain as overstrained muscles made themselves known.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

"Getting rewarded for my patience," the Civil Guardsman muttered as he took the stun cuffs from the back up which finally arrived at the apartment.

He slapped them on s'Il's wrists, not comfortably and pressed a button to send a charge through her body.

"And we're taking you into our holding base. After all, you're wanted 'Butcher'," he pulled her up to her feet.

"I think Director Morewind might have a few words about you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As she was hauled up, still shaking from the discharge of electricity being sent through her body, the Lupine threw her arms up, letting out a growl which turned into an animal snarl - a snarl that had no business coming from a human.

Arching her back, s'Il let herself change, let the anger at what was happening overrun her senses as the bones in her body shifted, dislocating and reforming a new structure as muscles moved to accomodate the new frame. From bipedal to quadruped. The change was swift and smooth, and as her hands thickened into massive paws, her shoulders bunched, and spreading her arms, broke the stun cuffs in half.

Shrugging her clothes from her now silver-pelted frame, the vornskr glared at the guards with wild, tawny eyes. Whiplike tail lashing back and forth, the beast sent a growl at the men, who had stumbled back at her transformation. She took this new advantage to bolt for the door, and barrelling through the damaged opening, headed for the stairs that would take her upwards. No doubt there were more guards outside waiting, so she opted for the high road, and so, clearing the steps four at a time, the beast made her way upwards.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

"She's going upwards! LEt's go!" the Civil Guardsman screamed and hurled himself up the stairs, three at a time. His blaster was no longer set to stun as he fired blaster bolts towards the fleeing vornskr.

He'd been surprised by s'Ilancy's change from human to beast, unsure at what to do but decided he needed to pursue her.

The file never mentioned that... he thought as he made it towards the roof.

"Split up! We need to find the beast and find it now," he panted as he reached the top of the roof looking around for s'Ilancy.

"Where the hell are you, you beast!" he snarled as he stepped around the roof.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

And from above, like a wraith, a shadow blotted out the light before descending downwards with a terrifying snarl. As the guard turned, he was met with a truely terrible sight, as a toothy maw was all that he saw, and before he could even react, his body was driven down by massive paws driving into both shoulders. He hit the snowcovered roof solidly, no doubt knocking the wind from his lungs - not that it would have mattered.

His neck had been significantly reduced to less than half of its mass before the man could even get a noise out. And in one fluid motion the vornskr had moved on, sprinting for the edge of the apartment building, and reaching the overhang, launched herself into the air to land effortlessly on the second rooftop.

Surging ahead, the Lupine lowered her head as she ran, lips curling back to expose bloodied fangs.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

At the sound of the snarl, the civil guards ran up to where their overzealous collegue lay. They saw the gray shape, almost camoflauged against the snow.

Staring at each other, the black-clothed men almost shrugged as if they had no other choice but to follow. This wasn't supposed to be like this...the lupine was supposed to've been restrained by now. It should have been easy not like this.

The two started to follow the lupine across the rooftops, not firing until they got a clear shot.

"We really need back up now. The 'Butcher' just killed one of our men."

[Morewind]

His face twisted into a quiet scowl as he heard the news about s'Ilancy avoiding custody. He wasn't surprised by it, but he thought the Civil Guard was trained better than that.

Excusing himself from Kiterix's side, Morewind made his way from the Emperor's study and towards the roof where a shuttle waited for him.

It was time for him to find Loklorien s'Ilancy. And take her into custody himself.

[TK-632]

TK-632, along with the remaining of his squad, fell back into the hallways of the chateau. It wasn't the best move, after all it meant the Imperials had to walk two by two, which wasn't how they wanted to move.

With the Civil Guard still pursuing, TK-632 spent most of his time firing his repeater rifle back at Guardsmen while trying to keep up with the other Imperials. The stormtrooper armor wasn't allowing him to run too fast, but 'Jack' knew it was necessary for the moment. When he would get the chance, he'd ditch the armor and find something else. If he didn't get off planet.

He continued firing as he came to a staircase. He wasn't sure if Millard went up or down, so he went down towards the ground floor. If he could get out the back, he might be able to escape and form some sort of resistance with the rest of the Imperials still on planet.

He just had to get to their compound near the nearly completed Castle Millard.

[Taylor Millard]

Millard, Thomas, and a few stormtroopers went up towards the third level of the chateau, hoping the Civil Guard had yet to make their way to the level. While Millard and Thomas were relatively unharmed, although the rest of the Imperials weren't much better. The thermal detonator had taken out most of the stormtroopers and those who were left were running out of ammunition and armor.

"I think," Thomas mused, as he opened a nondescript door which led into a back hallway, "It might be time to activate more of the defenses."

Millard agreed, "It's a pity we do not have the defenses the castle will have. However, I think we have enough to keep them distracted while we make our escape."

Behind his red helmet, Thomas raised an eyebrow, "We're going?"

The grand admiral nodded, "We have to. If we're going to stop Kiterix we need to make sure we will be alive long enough to mount a defense. With Tomar out with parts of the fleet, we need to meet with him or find allies which can meet with him.

"But it is important we escape Balmorra. And we need to do it now."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The beast traversed the rooftops easily, her form moving like a shadow in the falling snow, her movements graceful and fluid as she leapt from one building to another.

It was strange - she recognized this part of town, and as the Lupine cleared a small stck of crates, she skidded to a halt, snow stacking around her legs as her tawny gaze focused on the house to the right - no - no, this was no house. She recognized it, and she even let out a whine at the sight of countless numbers of Balmorran Civil Guard storming the place.

Moving her body effortlessly, s'Il sidled up to another stack of crates, shielding her body from the driving snow as she continued to watch what was happening at the place she had once called home...

[Morewind]

The shuttle came over the apartment complex where Silus Xilarian used to live, hovering a bit, as Morewind put on infrared macrobinoculars and scanned the rooftops.

The wind from the shuttle was starting to blow snow over wherever tracks might be, frustrating the Inquisitor. As he was getting ready to give the order to land, his eyes caught something: four tracks, heading in the direction of Chateau Millard.

Interesting...

"Head towards Millard's home. We might find 'The Butcher' there."

The shuttle rose in the air heading towards the beseiged home of Taylor Millard.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The vornskr huddled beside the crates, keeping her body low to the rooftop as the snow continued to fall. Making sure not to move, s'Il held perfectly still, allowing the snow to build around her motionless frame as she contiued to watch from the safety of her vantage point. Yellow eyes peirced the distance, taking in everything that happened down below.

Breathing shallow to minimize her body's motions, the Lupine allowed the snow to collect around her, providing as much camouflage as was available.

[Morewind]

Morewind hovered over the buildings around Chateau Millard, his macrobinoculars scanning for signs of life other than the fire at the house.

"It's taking too long for the Civil Guard to do their job. Send in more troops and have the X-9s fire upon the home. Just once.

"And take us down. We're doing our search by foot."

The shuttle lowered to the ground and Morewind exitted, his warm breath freezing in the air. The hunt was on.

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

"We've been given the order to allow the X-9s to fire," the commander yelled to the wardroid technicians.

"One salvo. Let's shake the house to its foundations."

The technicians nodded and started the preparations to fire. The commander gave a grim smile, remembering the stories he'd been told about Grand Admiral Millard. He was far from pleased at having to fire upon his son's hero. But...times were changing and so was the atmosphere on Balmorra.

And he was only doing his job.

The X-9s fired...

[Taylor Millard]

Inside the mansion, the Imperials continued their battle against the Civil Guard. The ten Stormtroopers left hurled both thermal detonators and concussion grenades at the attackers, before most of their ammunition was empty.

It was then the chateau's security systems kicked on (finally).

The cannons which emerged from the walls began to mow down the Guardsmen, forcing them out of the hallway and into another room, where they were met by two rather large wardroids. The noise which followed gave Millard a smile.

He looked at Thomas, only to be hurled to the ground as the chateau shook from the blast from the wardroids outside. A beam from the ceiling fell towards the ground, seperating Millard and Thomas from each other only for a moment.

"I think Kiterix might be getting frustrated at our elusiveness," Millard mused, rising to his feet.

"Let's go. I hope our ride's here by now."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was starting to get cold, and despite her thick pelt, s'Il was having a hard time staying warm. And so, standing, she shook the snow from her massive frame before heading to the edge of the rooftop to once more get a good look at the chateau - and looking to the left, started off at a jog, the direction she was traveling would take her around the chateau, and as she jumped from the roof, landing easily atop another building, the beast kept an eye on all that was happening.

She could hear cries and yells from the men below, and she couldnt help but allow her eyes to search the broken and shattered windows for any sight of whoever might be inside...

[Morewind]

"There you are," he breathed as he saw the movement from the roof. He saw the lupine jump and Morewind quickly ran to the edge of the roof to watch her.

He motioned to the Civil Guardmen standing with him to find a way to the other roof without making too much noise. He hoped, the noise of the battle would also keep s'Ilancy distracted while they moved upon her.

Morewind pulled a whistle from his pocket, placing it into his mouth, and blew into it.

The noise wouldn't be heard by any human...but s'Ilancy should hear the piercing noise just fine. Morewind smiled as he blew in it again.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She cringed, the high-pitched whistle piercing her eardums and driving into her brain almost like an ice pick. Her whole body jumped slightly, and the beast turned to look in the direction that the noise had come from. She froze.

She knew that uniform - even through the heavy overcoat and thick gloves the man wore, it was easy to see who he was. He was an Inquisitor.

The sound of the whistle made her freeze - she knew she had to get back to Hera - to run. But she was frozen in place, shock overtaking her for the moment as she stared at the Inquisitor.

[Morewind]

"Hello s'Ilancy," Morewind smiled as he stared down at her from the roof. The Civil Guardsmen started walking towards her, their blasters at the ready.

"It's time you returned to me 'Butcher'. You're not exactly too popular here."

He smiled, crossing his arms.

"Capturing both you and Millard will be such a pleasure."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The voice! The one with the odd accent! s'Il let out a growl then, the fur on her shoulders prickling up at the sight of the man who'd spoken. The man with the accented Basic.

Her eyes then went to the closing circle, and the beast whirled around, her tail lashing dangerously back and forth as she looked for an escape - any at all.

Eyes catching sight of a glass overhang that the guards hadn't quite reached yet, she bounded forward, and bunching her muscles, the vornskr jumped, crashing through the glass and falling into the building...

[Morewind]

Morewind gave a glare as the lupine escaped again.

"Pull six Civil Guard Members from the battle at Millard's to this building. If she tries to flee to the ground, we will keep her in the building. And I want her alive, but if we have to take her injured...I won't be too displeased."

Morewind jumped, falling towards the building where s'Il had just disappeared into. He rolled when he hit, the soft snow cushioning his landing. Rising the his feet, The head Inquisitor walked softly to the roof door, entering the building, and turned on a glowrod. He kept the whistle near his lips and started walking down the stairs to the top floor.

He blew the whistle again, checking to see if he could illicit a reaction from the fleeing lupine.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She fell - for what seemed like ages she dropped , and when she finally hit the top floor, she let out a slight yelp as her body seemingly bounced. With the wind knocked from her lungs, the vornskr struggled to rise - the task not an easy one as her body did its best to compensate for the fall.

And then the whistle. Again. That lancing. shrill, sound that pierced her ears and drove into her brain. And yet, she remained silent, still struggling to her feet before starting off at a shaky gait. She'd fallen into some sort of hotel, and it was easy to see that it was one of the more upscale ones, as well.

The whistle sounded again, and with a quiet, pained whurrffle, the Lupine began making her way down - keeping as far ahead of the Inquisitor as she could.

[Morewind]

"Gotcha," Morewind smiled as he continued to walk forward, hearing the whurrffle from somewhere on the top floor.

He would catch her and he knew he could. The question was simply if she would be concious when he found her or not.

"Director," his radio crackled in his ear, "I was able to move ten Civil Guard Members to the building you're in. They're still outfitted for the battle against Millard so they have heavier weaponry. Is the use of deadly force allowed?"

Morewind gave a slight nod, "I still want s'Ilancy alive, but as I said earlier, what state of living she's in is not my business. Continue on."

He walked down the hallway, his boots *clunking* on the wooden floor. It would warn s'Ilancy he was here, but also force her to run to where the Civil Guard waited for her. And that wouldn't be pretty.

[Taylor Millard]

Millard and Thomas continued to make their way towards the roof of the chateau, firing upon Civil Guard members as they attempted to stop them.

"Get to the roof and seal it off! If we can keep the Civil Guard off of the roof we can get out of here."

They ran up the stairs towards the roof, the stormtroopers following them hot on their heels. Two of the white-armoured troopers fell to blaster fire though, as they were shot by pursuers. Thomas shut the dura-steel door to the roof behind him and the Imperials ran for cover while they waited for their ride off of Balmorra.

"Interesting," Millard noted as he stared at the Civil Guard positions, "They've got a heavy concetration of troopers entering the Conservatory Building. I wonder what they have going on."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

And then the vornskr went completely silent, all motions and movements ceasing as she froze in her place, and moving ever so slowly, the beast backed up just a little bit, the muscles of her shoulders tensing and bunching. And then she moved. Surging forward in a burst of speed, the Lupine sprinted for the staircase at the end of the hall - straight for the sound of boots hitting the floor.

Rearing up, her chest collided with the crashbar, causing the door to fly open - and right in front of the Inquisitor. She didn't stop however, and with only a swipe of her paw across his shins, the beast headed upwards - she was sure that the ground was not the place to be as there were enough guardsmen so close - laying siege to millard's chateau.

Launching herself up the steps, she turned each corner at a dizzying pace, heading upwards still - the door to the roof not far off...

[Morewind]

Morewind fell, slightly surprised by s'Ilancy's attack. He'd been attacked by her before, during her brief stay at Ragnarok, the Balmorran prison (http://meras.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8193) but it had been with more ferocity and anger than this one was. This one was out of fear...of being scared for her life. s'Ilancy was afraid and Morewind knew it.

He smiled as he started walking a bit faster towards where s'Il had disappeared to. The hall was dark and his leg felt wet from where she'd swiped him, but Morewind could've cared less.

'The Butcher' would be his soon and his alone. For study, for viewing, and to make her his. It wasn't often when Morewind was allow to study and interrogate someone of such interest as Lokloriend s'Ilancy. And even if she were able to escape his clutches now...he would catch her again and use her against Millard. Time after time after time.

Morewind made it to the roof and called out, "I know you're here Lokloriend s'Ilancy I can feel it. You might as well surrender now. There is no hope."

Then he blew the whistle again in three sharp blasts.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was running across the rooftop when the sound of his voice reached her ears - then the whistle. It's noise caused her to stumble, and she staggered a little before slowing.

In fear she looked back toward the chateau...

... and saw him.

She saw him standing tall on the roof... saw him next to the red-robed monolith. And she took a step towards the edge of the roof - only to reel back as a blaster bolt clipped the edge of the roof. The guardsmen down below must have seen her, and as she slid backwards, the snow providing little traction, the Lupine wheeled around once more, fleeing.

She had to get back to Hera - she had to leave Balmorra.

Another sharp sound of the whistle pierced the air, and she let out a pained howl, staggering a little as her stride broke...

[Morewind]

Morewind pulled his own blaster and fired at s'Ilancy, grazing her on the left shoulder. He ran forward and fired again, the snow melting from the blaster bolt.

He was only ten feet away from her now and he blew this whistle again, causing the lupine to cringe.

"Freeze," he said, softly, "You're under arrest."

Then he fired again.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She had no where to go, and the Lupine turned to look at the Inquisitor, her ears ringing in pain from the whistle, her shoulder numbed from the bolt. With a limping step, she lowered her head, backing away from the man as he fired off another shot - this one striking her other shoulder - and she faultered, the cold working against her and these new wounds.

Freeze - that's cute...

She wanted more than anything to run, to escape, but she was surrounded - no where to run. With a look back across the distance to where Millard and Thomas stood on the roof of the chateau, the vornskr let out a hurff, letting her body sink to the snow all the while keeping her eyes on the Inquisitor.

[TK-632]

When the X-9's barrage hit Chateau Millard, it'd thrown TK-632 down the staircase he was currently trying to get down. His body clattered to the ground floor of Millard's house, the repeater rifle flying out of his hands.

He lay there still, as Civil Guardsmen leaped over him racing up the stairs towards where Millard's forces were. 'Jack' was no coward but he knew he needed to lay still or else he'd be captured. And he had a feeling he didn't want to be captured.

[Morewind]

"Do it."

Four heavily armoured Civil Guardsman walked forward towards the lupine with a net in their hands. They threw the net towards s'Ilancy, capturing her before she could escape.

Morewind walked forward, pulling out a hypodermic needle, and stabbing it into s'Il's back.

"Good night," were his words as the drugs slipped into her system.

[Thomas]

The Imperial Guardsman stared at Millard as they watched the troops converge on the rooftop across the way. It was too far for them to see exactly what was going on, only that it attracted enough attention. It wasn't until a blaster bolt banked off of the tile near Millard's foot, did Thomas usher his charge away from the rooftop.

"We must be careful, Grand Admiral. If Kiterix wishes to take you alive - which I suspect he does- we must make sure you do not fall to your death."

Beneath his helmet he gave a smile, "We must make sure you remain elusive."

Millard nodded in agreement then looked to the heavens. Their ride would soon arrive and bear them away from Balmorra. And to safety, he hoped.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Sir, a light freighter just emerged from hyperspace requesting passage through the blockade."

The Tor Station Command Station operator was just as perplexed as his XO at the situation. A few minutes before, the ship had dropped into real space just inside of Balmorra Space broadcasting a friendly beacon to signal its benign intentions.

"They have all the correct clearance codes. They claim to be delivering a batch of raw materials to Balmorra Labs."

Frelling scientists. The commander thought... Dont they know we have a war goin on here? "Let them through Operator, Balmorra Labs has already got this cleared."

"Yes Sir."

The Station operator gave the freighter the signal that it was clear to pass. The ship went on through and flew down to Balmorra labs. The ship eased down on the landing pad and everything began...

Had the authorities been watching a little more closely, they would have gotten suspicious at the fact that supplies were being loaded onto this delivery shuttle, rather than being unloaded.

Silus who had secretly been piloting the ship, stood at the edge of the landing pad. De'Shann had granted him a huge favor in getting the ship into the planet's atmosphere, and before Silus could complete his little mission, he had to repay that favor.

The last of the equipment were small instruments and were carried by lab technicians themselves. After the entire building was evacuated, with everything they could carry out, Vincent De'Shann and Silus walked side by side to the ship...

"Are you sure you can pull this off?" De'Shann questioned... "Trust Me.." was the simple reply he recieved.

A few more minutes, and the ship was ready to take back off..

Next stop...Millard's Chateau.

[Taylor Millard]

The door to the roof blew outwards as the remote mine went off. It scattered the roof with debris and forced Millard, Thomas, and the few stormtroopers left to take cover as Civil Guard started pouring onto the roof.

Their entrance though was one by one and it gave the Imperials enough time to mow several down as they came into the snow and ice. Millard withdrew his lightsaber (normally hidden in his office, now in his gloved hand) and activated it. He might not 'officially' be a Jedi, but he could certainly fight like one.

With Thomas on his heels, he waded into the rush of Civil Guard and started hacking away.

[Silus Xilarian]

The fight on the roof looked pretty intense from the air, and even more so when the freighter landed. When the loading ramp landed, Silus' first little surprise came marching out. Five wardroids came storming out, assualt cannons blazing on the civil guard. The droids were modified versions of Balmorran Wardroids, taken before Silus had left Balmorra to serve as guards on his ship, the Dragon. He'd never asked Millard for permission to have them, but what could the Grand Admiral do about it now? Fire him?

[Taylor Millard]

Millard disengaged his lightsaber, falling back towards the freighter. Snow crunched on his feet as he ran, almost pulling Thomas with him. A Civil Guardsman stepped in front of him only to be skewered by Thomas' Force Pike. Millard stepped over the body, his feet hitting the metal boarding ramp of Silus' freighter.

"Let's go! We need to get out of here!"

The Imperials ran but not all made it to the freighter. Blaster fire from the Civil Guardsman (although beginning to cease as the wardroids continued their assault) left half of the stormtroopers dead and others wounded.

Millard made it to the cockpit.

"General...I must say it is good to see you. Let's go."

[Silus Xilarian]

"We're gonna be a little sluggish til we hit space, we're carrying a pretty big load."

Usually Silus would have made some kind of wise remark, but this was one of the rare events that kept him serious.

"I highly doubt we'll be able to make it to hyperspace..."

[Taylor Millard]

Millard gave a curt nod.

"Were things not so...tense right now I would say rely on Shadow Squadron...but I'm afraid they are in no position to help at the moment."

He took a seat in the co-pilot's chair and began punching buttons.

"It is up to you and I to ensure we live through this. Let's try not to disappoint, shall we?"

[Silus Xilarian]

"Well, I've got another trick or two up my sleeve..."

Reaching above his head, Silus yanked his headset down.

"TC-10, are we still on schedule........What do you mean ahead?......You're screwing up the - nevermind.....Just be ready for us...."

Silus ended the transmission with his droid and turned his attention back to the barricade....

"So how's life been treating you?"

[Balmorran Civil Guard]

The Civil Guard raced towards the boarding ramp as it started to close. Their efforts were for not however, as the freighter made it away from Bin Prime safely.

Their captain, a black clothed, stoney-eyed man with a scar on his face raised his comlink to his face.

"I need four squadrons of fighters launched now. Millard has gotten away. Repeat...Millard has gotten away."

[Morewind]

Morewind's face fell slightly at the reports of Millard's escape. But a part of him wasn't surprised. The Imperial was formidable and quite elusive. Morewind's own attempts to track Millard during his absence had failed, causing the Inquisitor to even wonder if Millard was still alive. But then the reports from Coruscant and Arkania sprang up...about an old man and a droid (a rather psychotic droid) searching for a woman sprang up. Morewind knew it was Millard...and knew he would return to Balmorra soon enough.

When the time came for Millard's return, Morewind and Kiterix were ready. Through their own workings the military was a sham of its previous glory, with the Civil Guard having more power than the Imperial Army. The Navy was still Imperial, but filled with sycophants of Kiterix...from the top on down.

Morewind let the cold bring him back to reality and the woman laying in front of him.

"Let Millard go...give pursuit and make an attempt to capture him. But if he escapes then allow him too. The Empire is not as strong as it once was...Millard's only choice is to fight and I am not sure he will take that option."

He gestured to the unconcious lupine, "Take her to a holding cell. I will 'talk' with her later. And get me Emperor Kiterix. I believe he has a plan."

[Taylor Millard]

Millard almost chuckled at Silus' question.

"Had you asked me two years ago if I thought Balmorra would become a dangerous place for us, I would have said you were mad. But now....now I cannot believe this happened."

His eyes narrowed, "I knew Kiterix was ambitious but not like this. I suppose I will need to solve this once and for all...Unfortunately our allies are spread out."

He gave Silus a glance, "And I cannot use the Hand in this. Their power is gone. It must be something I handle.

"When we get into space, set course for Rivendel. I have allies there."