Detour

During the Battle of Fury

A high pitched squeal was the only warning any of them had as the blaster fire erupted in the hangar!
"Yyyiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Festus cried as he opened fire on the two figures Han had pointed out. "FESTUS HAS YOU, SITH-SUCKERS! All clear, Han Solo!"

Han winced as Festus shouted his name. 'If that squib doesn't die in this little escapade, I'm gonna make him wish he was.' he thought as he opened fire on one of the other guards. The two traders and their animal were quick to react, drawing their weapons to take out the remaining opposition, then diving for cover.

#####

"Yyyiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Boruma's guards jumped as the shriek pierced their eardrums, then the blaster bolts began to fly.
"FESTUS HAS YOU, SITH-SUCKERS! All clear, Han Solo!"

Hawk and Nathan looked at each other quickly, mouthing the name to each other. 'Han Solo?' they seemed to say to each other.
Just then a figure dressed similar to Boruma's guards (without the helmet) jumped out of the shadows and began to fire upon one of the guards. Hawk and Nathan recognized him immediately. "Speaking of...."

"That's him all right. Wanna help him?" Nathan asked as Hawk drew his blaster and ended the life of the lisp voiced being. Nathan took that as an affirmative, as he pulled a throwing knife and embedded it into the eye slot in the helmet of the final guard.
Festus had killed one of the guards, Han had taken out another, Hawk and Nathan had each killed one, which left one more. This last one was running away. Arionis caught him quickly and ripped the life from the back of his neck.

Han stopped running and called to Hawk and Nathan. "It's all right. You can come out. I am Han.."

"We know who you are, General Solo." Hawk interrupted. "What we don't know is why you are here and why you are killing Boruma's men."

Han chuckled, then he remembered someone. "Festus? You still with me?"

"Yes Han Solo! Festus is with you!"

Han waved the squib over to him. "Good. After hollering like you did, I want the pleasure of killing you myself!"

Nathan chuckled at Han's statement. "Better be glad your partner yelled your name," he said, adding, "It's the only reason we helped you."

The Dark Lord of the Sith stepped out of the turbolift into the hangar bay that Martel's shuttle had been tractored into. He almost drew his lightsaber, then thought better of it as Martel stepped out of his shuttle.
Hatred swelled in the vast expanse of the hangar. The two Dark Masters knew only one of them would have any hope of surviving this encounter.

Martel spoke first. "I do not understand how you survived our last meeting Domino, but I know you can't possibly have the protection of Deominia here in Nerakan space."

"There is much you do not understand Martel. Unfortunately I am not here to offer you tutelage," Domino retorted as he hurled a Bolt of Hatred at Martel.
Martel reacted quickly, deflecting the energy with his lightsaber. He charged at de Devastator and swung his weapon toward Domino's mid-section. The blade traveled through Domino's body with no effort as the Dark Lord disappeared. Martel stumbled and fell as he lost his balance.

Domino stepped out of the turbolift and telekinetically wrenched Martel's lightsaber from his grip as he encased Martel in a Dark Side Web.
Martel writhed in agony as his life essence slowly drained from him. Domino could feel his own power swell within him. "It's called Doppleganger, Martel. Now you see me, now you don't." Domino was enjoying it far too much. "You never had a chance on Deominia. You only won because I needed to die."
The master of Sith magiks stepped to within inches of the most well known servant of the Nerakan Empire and stepped on his head. "Now, you will die."

Martel ceased living shortly after the Dark Lord exerted his full strength and crushed his head using the Force and his boot. It was over before it had a real chance to become anything.

'The only reason you two helped me?'
Han acted about as grateful as he could after risking his own life. "Well, now that we've established that someone helped someone else and why, is there any chance I could join you two when you leave?"

Hawk stepped onto the ramp and waved Han forward. "Don't see why not. We may have to forget about Mos Eisley, Nate."

"What?" Nathan whined. "Why?"

Placing his arm around Nathan's shoulder, Han fielded the question. "It could have something to do with the thought that not everyone is too dull-witted. They'll figure out that the squib and I are with you."

Nathan nodded. "Got it."
Grabbing Han's hand he said, "I'm Nathan Garrote, that's my partner, Hawk Castle, and the animal is Arionis. He's a valdrekel."

Han looked at the valdrekel as it licked the blood from its mouth. "Charmed." he replied. "I'm very charmed to make your acquaintance."

Minutes later, the Lumchugger blasted out of Boruma's hangar.

"Solo, I respect you. In smuggling circles you are one of the most well known names in the galaxy, and the stories of your exploits could make exciting holovids for children to view at weekend matinees," Hawk started to say, "but you are on my ship, and I do what I feel I must do."

Nathan chimed in, "What do you feel you must do, Hawk?"

Hawk glared at him. "Wiseass. I think that they are 15 minutes behind us. We're almost to Mos Eisley anyway. Let's land, grab some fresh food and maybe a touch of fuel, then rocket out of here."

Han laughed. "How about this. We blast out of her immediately, risk nothing, then get fuel and fresh supplies at Corellia?"

Nathan folded his arms. "Hmmm-mmm. No good. We aren't welcome on Corellia."

Han's eyes grew big and wide. "Everyone's welcome in Elrood Sector!"

Hawk and Nathan looked at him. "Where?" they said in unison.

Han smirked. "Elrood Sector. It's an expansion project of the Empire, but most of the corporations have not been nationalized by Imperial bureaucracy yet. Hyper to the Corellian system, then punch up the Elrood route... make it the Coyn route on the navicomp. When we get to Coyn, we'll have friendly faces and some of the best lum in the galaxy waiting for us."

"But we're out of lum now," Nathan complained.

Han chortled. "Drink water."

Hawk sighed resignation. "I'll trust you on this Solo, based on your reputation." He looked at the famous hero, "If Elrood Sector is half as nice as you say it is, we could find a new home there."

As soon as the Lumchugger broke free of Tatooine's gravitational influence, it shot off into hyperspace, leaving the pursuing Preybirds wishing they didn't have to return to face Boruma. Maybe they wouldn't.

"You gentlemen have a holochess table or some sabacc cards?" Han asked, waking up from his nap.

Nathan looked at him and chuckled. "Yeah, sure! We have cards, but no credits." He looked at Hawk and gave him a look of assurance. "We also know the story about you winning the Falcon from Calrissean with one Sithspit of a sabacc hand. I'll get the holochess table ready."

Hawk breathed a sigh of relief and went forward to the cockpit. He stepped back into the lounge just a few minutes later. "You boys have fun playin' your game. We'll be at Coyn in roughly two and a half hours."

Han looked up at him and said, "When we get there we will be expected to abide by their laws, which they call the En'Tra'Sol. That means 'King-law.' 

Hawk and Nathan stopped what they were doing to listen to them.  "What's the King-law?" they asked in unison.

Han nodded an acknowledgement of the question.  "Sure.  Well, there are basic tenets of the King-law: Cowardess and weakness are despised; if you draw a weapon it must be used to retain honor; great warriors who have shown much bravery in combat will have many kindred spirits; Do not touch a Coynite unless they grant you permission, it's a punishable crime; hollow threats, failure to defend yourself, falsely preparing your weapon for combat, deception, thievery, and dishonesty are all punishable crimes and if you commit any of these you will be labled af'harl, 'unseeable,' in Coynite society; Allowing an opponent to surrender in combat is only honorable if that opponent swears fealty to you."
Han looked at both of them. They were both considering what he had just said. "Sounds like a fun place, huh guys?"

Nathan spoke first. "This 'unseeable' classification doesn't sound so bad."

Han laughed, "Not if you don't mind losing all legal rights. Once branded af'harl, you can be enslaved, beaten, murdered, or dealt with in any way that a Coynite citizen sees fit. Generally, just try to fit in and follow my lead when we are there."

Hawk and Nathan nodded, and Hawk put in his two credits worth. "Just don't lead us astray Solo."

Han shot them a wry, devil-may-care grin and said, "Hey. Who do you think you're talking to? It's me!"

Domino stepped onto the bridge of the Deathwail and moved to his chair. Tamar fell to one knee before the Dark Lord, who appeared to be exuding a purple aura from all around him. "I can feel the strength of the servant of the Nerekan Empire flowing within me. Nelazriel shall die."
He looked out the viewport. "And what of the Nerakan Armada? Are they for us or against us?"

Tamar was pleased to point out the facts of this matter. "They are for us. They will fight against Nelazriel and die for you if they must."

"Of course they will," Domino said, confidently. "They will fight and die for me at Neraka Prime, or they will die by my hand now."

Tamar continued. "Only the senior officers of each Nerakan vessel had to be put to the sword. The remainders of the crews were dispersed throughout the entire fleet."
Tamar glanced at his datapad. "Your entire fleet now numbers at 168 capital ships, counting the ships left at Selluvius.  We have in excess of 7 complete wings of fighters."

Domino's eyes narrowed. 'The moment of triumph is close at hand. Nelazriel shall fall, then I will challenge that ancient, dead master of his, Hidukkel. That is the only part of my plan I am not certain about. I can see nothing but swirling uncertainty when I look for my destiny.' Domino looked once more out at his mighty fleet. 'Yet how can I fail?'
"General Tamar, let us take the fleet to Neraka Prime. The self-righteous Empire of Nelazriel falls this day!"

General Tamar bowed to de Devastator. "So have you spoken, my Lord. So mote it be!"

Domino smiled at his cousin, pride beaming from his gaze. "Why Darin, as much as I would wish for you to go with us to Neraka Prime to finish this campaign by my side, I asked you to join me at Deominia to become my Intelligence Liason to Imperial Center."
The Dark Lord paused to adjust his clasp that he took from Martel's dead body, then held up the clasp that Darin had placed on Domino's cloak when Martel had defeated him.
"I am sending a single TIE Defender to your ship. The pilot will stay with you on board the Pride of de Devastator. He will return this clasp, the family crest broach, to you, and a datadisk with information for you to present to Palpatine."

Darin smiled at the sight of Domino's original cloak clasp. "I see you no longer have use for my substitute clasp. Does this mean...."

"Martel is dead, Darin." Domino smiled as a purple glow escaped his eyes. "I have revenged myself by one third. Now the end is near."

#####

Only two minutes later, a single TIE Defender dropped out of a hangar bay on board the Eclipse Super Star Destroyer Deathwail and shot like a lance toward the Super Star Destroyer Pride of de Devastator. Just scant minutes after that, the remainder of the 2nd Imperial Fleet leapt into hyperspace.

Nathan's tongue practically fell out of his mouth as he started to drool. "Do I ever smell that! I could eat four nerfs and a plate full of Krayt dragon steaks."

Han laughed. "You can find all of that here."

Hawk led the group, comprised of Han, Nathan, Arionis, and Festus the Squib, out of the landing bay of the spaceport and into 'Chop Licker's Row.'
"Yeah, this doesn't look so bad. Know a good place to eat, Solo?"

"Sure!" Han replied quickly. "A friend of mine owns a place just down the thoroughfare called The Ravenous Katarn Bar & Grill. You'll find the drinks and grub you're craving there. And I'll find someone who owes me a favor."
Han lost himself in thought for a minute. "Especially since we didn't want to risk someone intercepting any subspace com transmissions from the Lumchugger, now I can contact Leia and Chewie. They've gotta be wondering about me"

Festus hadn't spoken in days. It seems that space travel made him rather sick.
"Will Han Solo be discharging Festus from his service then?"

Han looked at the annoying creature and smiled. He thought of how he had met Chewbacca and how he hadn't liked the idea of another being feeling indebted to him then. He was relieved that the squib race had no traditional life debt practice.
"That's right Festus. You are in an entirely new sector, with new opportunities and new crime lords to upset."

Festus giggled, a high pitched noise that caused nausea in canine lifeforms. "Han Solo is funny. Festus will pay Han Solo for rescuing Festus."

Han shook his head. "No, I don't need payment. I just need to contact my family."

Festus shook his head this time, "Nevermind what Han Solo wants. Festus will pay Han Solo for his kindness and bravery."
The squib reached into his only pocket and retrieved a small coin. "This is Festus's token . If you should ever need Festus, contact Festus's parents on Skor II, the homeworld of Festus. Festus's parents are Fesruh and Neesvar. Fesruh is of the Fes clan. Show them the token and they will contact Festus. Thank you for everything, Han Solo."

Han took the token and shook the small creature's hand. He watched as the squib nearly disappeared into the crowd. He turned to Hawk and Nathan as they watched the squib walk away and said, "I'll be right back."

The 2nd Fleet dropped out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the Nerakan system. Only a few hundred thousand miles separated them and the Nerakan fleet, which was stationed in a practical defensive orbit over Neraka Prime. The composition of Domino's fleet was made up by the Eclipse Super Star Destroyer Deathwail, the Sovereign Super Star Destroyer Bloodsurge and 160 smaller vessels, many of which were Imperial Star Destroyers and Nerakan Warbirds, but some were smaller support craft.
The Nerakan defense fleet had an Eclipse Super Star Destroyer, and 95 smaller craft. Included among the Nerakan Warbirds and ISDs were the two prototypes of the new Accuser-class Super Star Destroyers. The Accuser SSD's were a budgeting disaster, but they were as fearful as the Eclipse SSD at only half the size.
General Tamar stood on the command deck of the Deathwail, staying aware of every possible detail with the help of several aids.

"General," his weapons senior officer said, "The superlaser has been charged to full power, and we should be able to sustain a rate of fire that will confound the Nerakan menace."

"General Tamar," the com officer reported, "Bloodsurge reports success with their superlaser charge cycle. The fleet is ready to engage."

General Tamar felt a rush of energy swell within him, as if all of his training and all of his experience had been to prepare him for this one impending battle. "Weapons, on my mark, fire at will upon your targets. Starfighter tactical, prepare to deploy fighter wings. This is a glorious day for Palpatine's Empire and his Imperial Navy."

#####

Domino sat in meditation in his chamber reaching out with the Force.
~Nelazriel, I am here for you. Will you face me willingly, or shall I hunt you down like a wounded nerf?~

Domino waited patiently for a reply, and was rewarded in the end. ~Lord de Devastator. How nice of you to visit. How foolish of you to think you can beat me. You think you can destroy me as easily as you have destroyed Martel? He was impetuous and reckless. You have gone through so much....... only to confront your own doom.~

Domino only smirked as he replied. ~So you would rather die with the knowledge that I have beaten you on every level of your Empire? Good. That is how I was hoping to do it.~
Domino spoke into his comlink. "Fire at will, General Tamar."

Han returned moments later, without Festus. "Where's the squib?" Nathan asked.

Han shook his head. "He's gone."
Hawk shook his head. "And I gave his locator beacon back to him before he left."

Hawk and Nathan both perked up.
Hawk was incredulous. "You mean that fuzzball was...."

Han nodded. "I don't know that he was working for Boruma the whole time, or if he wanted some insurance that Boruma wouldn't kill him later for his treachery, but he was going to fink us out."
The two smugglers looked at each other, then at Han as he continued. "He had a remote activation switch for the beacon. He had planned to get about 20 or so meters away then switch it on. The beacon was too small to have any kind of strong signal, but it would have tapped into subspace transmission relays on any planet we went to. Boruma would have found me eventually."

Hawk smiled and slapped Han on the back. "How'd you figure him out so quickly."
Han chuckled. "You saw how sick he was getting on the Chugger on the way here. He wouldn't go anywhere in the galaxy just to help me, unless his life depended on it, which it most likely wouldn't." Han smiled. "I knew that 'family token' had to be something a little more diabolical."

"Did you kill him?" Hawk asked.

Han looked at the ground for several minutes, then shook his head. "I've never been able to kill in cold blood and I never will. Direct self-defense, yes. That is a different story altogether." The three men stood there, Nathan patting Arionis on the head for a few seconds, then Han spoke up again. "Now let's find The Ravenous Katarn and get me my favor and all of us some lum and food."

Domino turned to Admiral Emago. "Yes, I know." Looking out the viewport, he stated, "This is good, of course; however, I am anxious to meet with that pirate who is being delivered to me."

Admiral Delsin approached. "That would be Captain Lavaran, my Lord. Star Destroyer Blackfire has just come out of hyperspace in system and the pirate will be brought to you immediately."

The Dark Lord smirked. "Quicker, if at all possible."

Skien Graize stood on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Gloriole of Palpatine. They were approaching Lafra as something occurred to him that he hadn't considered before. "Captain Popan, we need to prepare a satellite beacon to transmit a message to Colonel Fahlwan when his fleet arrives. All of our ships must not be here as he drops out of hyperspace or he will assume this whole enterprise is a trap for him."
Graize thought for a few moments, then continued. "Yes, prepare a beacon. It must have the capacity for two-way communication. It must have sensors to know when ships are present and when they depart. Next, prepare a shuttle for my personal assistant to take down to Lafra to make arrangements for our meeting. Detail a squad of Navy regulars to go with him and the pilot."
Captain Popan nodded and turned to begin these tasks as Skien continued to speak. "Captain, I have one more item. I want another shuttle prepared for me. The best pilot you can recommend will fly it and six TIE Defenders from your best squadron will serve as escort."

Popan nodded smartly. "Yes Grand Vizier."

"So," her first officer asked, "What is this Marr wanted for anyway?"

"Have you looked at his file?" Knowing her officer must have, she continued without waiting for his reply. "Not much in the file, is there? The evidence points toward him being the same man who deserted the Mandalorian army in the Clone Wars, but logic would seem to dictate otherwise.

"As for what he's wanted for, that's anyone's guess. The new Moff of the outer rim territories is a little paranoid, and stays pretty tight lipped. From my understanding, though, it has something to do with Moff Kraykin's murdered daughter. I think that Kraykin has evidence that it was Marr who assassinated her four months ago."

She paused, "That is, of course, speculation, but it does explain why a VSD has been sent after an eighty year old man."

"So how are we going to find him?"

"Intelligence indicates that he commonly spends off time from his hunts on Nar Shadda or Corellia. Since according to rumor he just delivered Han Solo for a healthy bounty, I think it's safe to assume that we won't find him on Corellia."

"So, that leaves Nar Shadda, Sir. Won't the Hutt's be upset if we show up uninvited?"

"Yes, I suppose they would, which is why we have been staying at Tatooine. We have just come to an understanding with Boruma the Hutt, and so our arrival at Nar Shadda should be expected, though probably not appreciated. So just in case, I'd like the TIE Advanced and Defenders ready for launch when we exit hyperspace."

"Yes, sir. If I may ask, when will we be entering hyperspace?"

"As soon as navigation has plotted us a course."

"Sir, do you think we can catch him?"

"Dalon Marr is definitely a dangerous man. However, I am one of the best at what I do, as well. I'm not sure that Marr will react well when he realizes that the hunter has become the prey."

Hawk nodded and Nathan whistled.
Bol noticed the men when he heard the whistle and approached them.

"Han Solo? After all this time? Where is your Shaggy friend?"

Han clasped the outstretched arm of the Coynite as he greeted him in Coynite fashion "Sat'skars Fas'Tawws'Rattar [Swords ended in honor and friendship]"

Bol smiled and clasped Han's arm as well "Sat'skars Kabar'Rattar [Swords together, blunted in friendship]"

Han gestured to Hawk and Nathan. "Mighty Bol, my friends, Hawk Castle and Nathan Garrote."

Bol nodded to Hawk, but he clasped Nathan's arm and said "An honor to meet you, mighty Nathan."

Hawk and Nathan looked at each other as Han laughed. "Relax boys. Bol is reacting like a true Coynite. They assume that long hair means you are a valiant warrior and a fearsome opponent."

Bol looked from Nathan to Han and asked, "Is this man not honorable?"

Han clapped the bouncer on the back and laughed. "He is indeed honorable, but I fear he is far more hungry than anything at the moment."
The two old acquaintances talked for several more minutes, then the Coynite bouncer left them after another firm grasping of hands with Han, and a human female came to take their orders. Minutes later, the three men were alone again. "Would you mind telling me what that exchange of words was when you grabbed Bol's arm?" Hawk asked Han.

"Oh, that. I simply said to him 'Swords ended in honor and friendship.' His reply to me was 'Swords together, blunted in friendship.' You see," Han paused, "Bol and I had a disagreement at one time, but I proved myself honorable before he could have me declared af'harl." Han said nothing more, then the waitress returned with the first of their orders.

After Han had consumed two drinks and a modest plateful of food, he stood up and left Hawk and Nathan to their meals. "I would love to continue to eat and chat with you two, but I have a call home I need to make."

'Ah... it is so much easier to be confident of the battle's outcome when your men allow themselves to be subjected to your will.' Domino wasn't subjecting them to Battle Meditation, though that would have had a greater affect. He was using a lesser power, that required less concentration to use, known as Enhanced Coordination. With this power his forces moved as one unit instead of separate vessels. The Nerakan Empire would fall this day.

#####

Nelazriel was in a complete rage by this time. Many of his advisors had been disposed of, and the self-proclaimed Ruler of the Force had decided to initiate the use of the Force to direct his will in the imminent battle. As he reached out to touch the minds of Domino's men to confuse them, he felt Domino's influence over them already, and realized that he wouldn't be able to foil them that way.
He reached out to his men and touched them all, boosting their confidence and giving them a better outlook and attitude about the situation.
The Nerakan Defense Fleet began to lurch forward from their formation to confront the 2nd Fleet, and the Battle of Neraka Prime began.

"Hello Bayly." Han said as he entered the back room of The Ravenous Katarn, led by Bol, the Coynite bouncer.
Bayly Pannan was a member of a near human race called the Evrishi (pronounced ehv'rish'ie). He looked about 35 standard years old, well-muscled and fit, with very long hair. Evrishi are quite tall and elfin in appearance.

"Han Solo? What brings you to Rood?" *slang for Elrood Sector* Pannan stood to his full height of 2.2 meters as Han approached, stretching out his hand.

Han smiled his well-known grin and said, "Oh, you know me. There's always a bounty hunter after me somewhere."

The tall man crossed his arms. "So you're luring the bounty hunters from all over the galaxy to my restaurant. How genuinely uncaring of you."

The smuggler lost his confident facade in the blink of an eye and looked at the elfin entrepreneur very seriously. "Bayly, I need to contact Leia or Chewbacca. They need to know that I am alive and well, and where I am."

Bayly nodded several times and smiled. "All right then, old friend. You and your friends will eat what you like, on the house, and stay with me for the night."

The two friends embraced, an atmosphere of hard won respect turned to something more like brotherhood. "You are far too kind," Han finally said. "I figured that after all we went through and us not talking for as long as it has been...."

"That I'd be unhappy to see you? Han, you saved not only the lives of my children and myself, but you risked all in an attempt to rescue my wife as well."
Pannan allowed his posture to visibly sink after he mentioned his long dead wife. Han indeed tried to save her, but the fire that destroyed the building was too hot for Han to remain inside after pulling Bayly from the flames. "You did all you were able to do Han. I've never forgotten that, and I can never repay you for your bravery. Call your family. Let them know you are okay. Then let me enable you to travel home as soon as you wish."

"Hawk, pass the silfline sauce. I can't get enough of these gildrog loins!"

Hawk and Nathan were still gorging themselves on food and drink when Han rejoined them at the table. Bayly was with him, and he introduced the proprietor of the restaurant. Bayly waved the human waitress over to the table and asked that all drinks at the table be refilled. The conversation fell toward stories of sabacc hands that should have won the game and impossibly daring smuggler tales. The four men were having a great time.........
Then Arionis growled.

Bayly looked at the door and saw three known Elroodian bounty hunters walk in the door. "Han, you see those three tracers?" Han nodded. "Any reason to believe they are after you?"

Han shook his head. "Not unless Boruma the Hutt is more powerful than I've ever heard about. I'd say they were after Crane Vilardi or another well known Rood smuggler, but I know that Vilardi has finally made his fortune." *This means that he died!*

"Well, you better get to the back room. Bol and I will run interference on these scum."

The outcome had been obvious from the start, as the 2nd Fleet charged in as one entity, plunging death into the hearts of the Nerakan vessels with turbolaser fire. A large contingent of Domino's fleet had broken off to engage the Nerakan Eclipse Star Destroyer.
meanwhile, that same Nerakan Eclipse Star Destroyer had unleashed the punishment of it's superlaser upon the Bloodsurge, and the Sovereign Star Destroyer shook from the damage. The Nerakan Accuser-class Star Destroyers followed that strike in on the Bloodsurge.
The Deathwail was the first to strike out on the Nerakan Eclipse, and the Bloodsurge added it's superlaser to the damage against Nelazriel's pride and joy. The damage became colossal as Imperial Star Destroyers added their turbolasers to the secondary weapons of Deathwail and Bloodsurge.
Before the engagement had really begun, two ships began to pulse, expand, throb, and convulse with energy, as their shields buckled and reactors became unstable.
The Nerakan Eclipse and Bloodsurge became brilliant balls of light and energy at very nearly the same time.

Domino nodded approvingly. 'Acceptable losses,' he thought.
Turning to General Tamar, he voiced this opinion. "Acceptable losses, wouldn't you say so?"

Tamar simply stood with a dumb expression on his face for a long time, then he turned to the Dark Lord and said, "Over 730,000 men. 75 AT-AT walkers. All those support craft inside her....gone in a ball of fire....for the glory....." he paused, "of the Empire?"

Domino grabbed Tamar on each shoulder. "Indeed! For the glory of the Empire! The Nerakans are a menace! Their race is to be enslaved by those who would prove to be their superiors!
Domino cocked his head, a motion that was nearly painful for Tamar to witness, and certainly too abrupt to be a human motion. The Dark Lord smiled.
"Oh Nelazriel, you won't get away so easily." Domino turned to his capable General. "Tamar, An interdictor cruiser and three Victory Star Destroyers should move to the far side of Neraka Prime immediately. See to it personally. Nelazriel is boarding a shuttle that will help him escape. We will stop him."

Tamar almost stopped himself from asking, "How do you know this? Have you read the mind of a pilot on Neraka Prime?"

Domino considered saying yes to that question, but instead he smiled and said, "Rayla and Marquis are set up in an observation post in hopes that they could get a clear shot at assassinating Nelazriel. The opportunity never presented itself, but they have proven to be capable spies for me. Their communications gear relays to the Deathwail, and I pick it up through this ear-piece receiver." Domino removed a tiny speaker from his right earlobe, showed it to Tamar, then replaced it. Now that he knew where it was, he couldn't believe that Domino had been able to conceal it like that. Of course, he knew where to look for it now.

Tamar nodded at his com officer and reported to Domino. "The interdictor cruiser is under way my Lord. The Nerakan ruler will not escape."

Somewhere in Outer Rim,  Intrepid a Corellian Corvette, Valourous an Interdictor Cruiser, and Valiant, a Victory Class Star Destroyer, engaged in a celebration of freedom. Messages went pulsing out from the Victory class SD. "To the mercenaries guild, The free company Fahlwan's Freefighters offers their services to the highest bidder. Capitol Ships and support Staff are available for interdiction and suppression duties. Respond to Fahlwan's Pride.  On board the newly named Fahlwan's Pride her master Colonel Dez Fahlwan looked out at the bridge and the men staffing it and knew this was the start of a long and prosperous career.
"Captain Thorne!" 

"Sir?" 

"Prepare a Covert Ops team. See to it that they have our best code slicers. They will be required to infiltrate Imperial Center and remove the registrations and personnel listings for our task force. This will be an incredibly difficult operation, successful completion will be rewarded with a bonus to all surviving team members." Colonel Fahlwan looked thoughtful, "Send a second team to secure a temporary supply chain as well. In the meantime I want the crews to begin preparations for the conversion of this fleet to our chosen colors. That is all Captain." 

"yes Sir!"

#####

Later... a group of fifteen non-descript men sat in a briefing chamber on board the Constrainer.  Captain Thorne spoke, "Do you understand the mission parameters gentlemen?"

"Of course Sir, you can be assured of our success." The men stood and filed out of the room.

#####

Slowly the once shining hulls of the three ships grew dark until all that could be seen of them was the softly blinking running lights... Deep in the hangars of the Fahlwan's Pride, twenty-four captured X-wing fighters took on the fearsome appearance of mythical beasts, dark blue with blood red stripes, gapping tooth studded mouths, and slanted bloodshot eyes.

Two weeks later...

"Sir! A report from the Imperial Center team has just arrived." Colonel Dez held out his hand for the print out.

"Good, soon the Emperor will forget that we ever existed if he even knew it in the first place." Dez frowned slightly. "Captain, instruct the Imperial Center team to also go to the shipyards and be certain that no records exist there as well." 

"Yes Sir!" 

"What word from the supply team Captain?" 

"None as yet sir, but we should be receiving their report soon." 

"Very good Thorne you may return to your duties." 

"Sir?" 

"Yes Captain?" Thorne looked reluctant, "you have something you wish to say Captain?" 

"Yes sir, the crew is restless, I think it would be prudent to engage in some sort of exercises." 

It was Dez's turn to look thoughtful, "Hmmm, perhaps it is time to exercise our new found freedom and confiscate what we need from some pirates or perhaps those rebels we've heard so much about....  Very well.  Have ops identify some likely targets. Notify me when all is in readiness." 

Thorne saluted "Aye Sir!"

The office bustled with the busied atmosphere of an insect hive. Many sat at their terminals in the Ubiqtorate facility on Yaga Minor, busily tapping away their lives at their keyboards to earn their pay. The Ubiqtorate being the governing body over all of the Imperial Intelligence organization, this facility held all original copies of files of any kind of importance within the Empire.

The young woman looked up from her screen and called for the attention of her supervisor. "Commander Vasada, I have some strange file activity coming from a small batch of military files. The files being accessed are stored on Imperial Center."

Commander Vasada approached the terminal and looked at the screen.
"Mmm hmm. Well done, Miss," he paused to look at her name tag, "Torina Kelsey."
He studied her screen for a few moments more, then he gave her some orders to follow up on what she had discovered.
"What we have here is a group of men who have either defected or have otherwise gone AWAL from the Imperial Navy. Reroute this information to military intelligence. This is now in their jurisdiction, but make sure they know we at Ubiqtorate want full updates and details, as per standard procedure."

"Thank you commander, it will be my pleasure." Torina Kelsey replied.

Far from the outer fringes of the Coruscant system a small intelligence ferret lay silent. On board two officers sat monitoring several communications boards. A series of lights began to blink. One of the officers took notice and began decrypting the coded message she was intercepting. When the contents became clear she reached for two switches, one to introduce a virus to the message so it would be unreadable when decoded at its destination, the other to summon her commander to the com stations. Captain Leordan entered the com room, "What is it Lieutenant?" The com officer looked up, "We just intercepted a message from Yaga Minor sir, they've detected our efforts to erase our records. Sir, I've already sent the message on with our virus. Shall I send a receipt confirmation to the Ubiqtorate?" 

"Hmm Yes, be sure to intercept any inquiries from Imperial Center though. I'll contact team leader and inform him of these events. Good work Lieutenant." 

#####

Soon after, a message reached the team leader on Imperial Center. "Damn!" He cursed. "Why didn't I think of that!" 
'Well,' he thought, 'I'll just have to see what can be done about this.' 
"Sergeant Harroway, Have Captain Leordan contact that smuggler group and hire their code slicers. We require immediate action to eliminate the hazard from Yaga Minor. Also see if we can get someone there to silence any lips that might remember too much." 'There, that should contain this problem,' he thought. The leader turned his thoughts to Imperial Center, wondering how the shipyard mission was going.

#####

In the offices of Rendili Star Drives, a clerk sat before a console and rapidly typed instructions. One by one, purchase orders disappeared from the central computers, with a final tap of the keys the clerk stood and began making his way to the exit. Alarms began to sound throughout the building and the clerk walked faster. Ahead, the clerk could see several Stormtroopers interrogating employees and knew this was the end of the run for him. Stepping quietly into an alcove, the clerk quickly assembled a small but powerful transmitter and pushed a coded sequence into the keypad. Just as he finished a mechanical voice said "What are you doing? Report to the Central Lobby immediately!" 

The clerk looked up and said, "I don't think so, pal" and rapidly shot the transmitter then himself.

#####

Elsewhere on the planet the message had been received. "That blows it guys.  Lets get out of here! I hope Mored got the job done. We can decode his message later when we hit hyperspace." The operatives quickly assembled their equipment and made their way to the spaceport. News of the break in at Rendili had not yet made it that far and the men had no trouble getting clearance to leave and were soon in hyperspace on course to a rendezvous with their ferret outside of Coruscant System.

"Commander Vasada, you should enjoy this." Torina Kelsey mused.

The Imperial Intelligence Commander stepped up to her terminal for the second time that day and looked at the screen.
"What do you have this time, Miss Kelsey? Ah! Yes, a confirmation message. Standard procedure, isn't it?"

"Yes, Commander, it is standard procedure. But not in keeping with our standard practices for the month. They replied too soon, and the confirmation was not encoded properly. Imperial Center still does not know they have been tampered with."

Vasada rubbed his bare chin for a few moments. "Good work, Kelsey. You're about due for a promotion, don't you think? Burn a copy of the files of those ships and troops for my datapad. I want to take a look at who is erasing themselves from the Empire."

In his office, Commander Vasada looked at his datapad as he sipped his Sevareen Brandy. He was not familiar with any of the more prominent names on the list, though he knew of the mission profile for such a small taskforce -- interdiction and capture of pirates and rebels. 'A mission of glory for the Empire. Who would think to leave that behind?'

Vasada studied the manifest of forces stationed at Yaga Minor. 'Three Imperial Star Destroyers, with their full fighter compliments, as well as 20 support vessels. The Ubiqtorate offices are staffed with a full regiment of stormtroopers, not to mention the security clearance required to set foot even inside the gate to enter this facility is so high Lord Vader himself once had trouble being admitted.'

Commander Vasada pressed the button on his comlink. "Captain Leshidi?"

Seconds later, the answer came back from the Captain of the orbital defenses. ~This is Leshidi. How may I serve you, Commander?~

"Captain, any ships that enter the system will be asked to turn away. If they do not, they will be asked to stand down all shields to be boarded. If they do not, they will be destroyed. Is that clear?"

~Your orders have been logged Commander. They shall be followed to the letter.~

"Sir, a report from Imperial Center Team has just arrived." 

Colonel Fahlwan looked up from the report Tactical Ops had just delivered. "Yes Captain what is it?" 

"Sir, team leader reports that success is not possible unless we can infiltrate or destroy the Ubiqtorate base on Yaga Minor. Team leader further reports that infiltration attempts so far have met with disaster. No operatives were captured, but he's lost six of his men at Yaga Minor and another at Rendili. The smugglers are loathe to attempt Yaga Minor and refuse at any price. The team leader recommends that we concentrate on firming up our position and perhaps assaulting Yaga Minor when we have grown strong enough."

 Colonel Fahlwan nodded, "I thought something like this might result, I was rash to send those men so early." Captain Thorne looked shocked. Fahlwan smiled, "The days of your commander hiding his mistakes and blaming scapegoats are over captain, I am well aware of my shortcomings Thorne. Recall the Imperial Center team, instruct them to leave an auto-intercept in place, it will keep them busy and confused until they find and destroy it."
Fahlwan turned his attention to his battle display, "In the meantime I have given some thought to where we can acquire some supplies and re-enforcements." He activated the display, "Here is where we'll strike captain. The Victory Class SD Virulence is escorting a convoy of ten bulk freighters to the outpost on Zaldan III. We will set the ambush here," Fahlwan pointed to the screen, "just beyond the Corimar Nebula.  The Nebula and our jamming will prevent any distress signals from escaping. We'll have two hours until they're due on Zaldan III, So we'll have to act quickly to capture the Virulence and her convoy." 

"What is your plan sir?" Thorne asked. 

"I know Virulence's commander from the academy and several tours out here on the Rim. When Vorhees finds himself pulled from hyperspace he'll launch TIEs in accordance with standard procedure, probably one squadron with the other held back as a reserve. Our X-wings will be in position to launch proton torpedoes as soon as the Virulence appears in real space. The barrage of torpedoes should bring down her shields, a following barrage of ion cannons from the Pride and Constrainer should knock out all her systems. Boarding parties will be standing by to take her at that point. Intrepid, followed shortly by the X-wings will concentrate on the freighters." 

"Sir, the Intrepid can't take those freighters on her own." 

"Of course she can't. the Constrainer will break off from Virulence and commence operations against the freighters as soon as Virulence is down. Manticore Squadron will remain nearby to screen against any TIEs that may have been launched. With luck Vorhees won't have had time to scramble the fighters. Pride will remain near Virulence to ensure she stays captured, once she's fully under our control we'll see about the freighters. Any we can't take we'll just have to destroy. I expect to have the mission complete within three hours of commencement. To that end captain, brief the crews. I want us under way and in position within twenty-four hours." 

Captain Thorne saluted, "Yes Sir!" Thorne's enthusiasm was infectious and Dez smiled broadly as he returned the salute.

Speeding, dodging freighters franticly entered and left the atmosphere of "Nar Shadaa," the smuggler's moon. A small unremarkable craft joined the frenzied chaos of ships and slipped down into atmosphere. 

#####

Deep within the smoky confines of a seedy cantina three men approached a corner booth. The leader spoke to the man sitting there, "Are you Tayne Keller?" 

Tayne's eyes widened, "Who wants to know?" he asked with an edge to his voice. 

"We represent a large mercenary unit. Are you currently employed?" The leader already knew Tayne had no cargo contracts and had had none for some time. He also knew the mercenary would be able to find many of the items he needed. "Nooo... I'm free to engage in new contracts at the moment. If the price is right...?" Keller lifted his eyebrow slightly, "Won't you gentlemen have a seat?" 

The leader motioned to the other two who then melted into the shadows taking protective positions and scanning for eavesdroppers. "My employer has need of some difficult to acquire hardware. Military hardware. Are you interested?" 

Tayne leaned back, "Well that depends... What sort of hardware? And it's gonna cost you a ton of credits." 

The leader frowned, "I think it would be best if we went somewhere less public to discuss the particular details of our contract. Don't you agree?"  

Keller shrugged, "Lets move then."

#####

Later, on board the small Intelligence ferret Lieutenant Carmichael explained what was needed. Tayne looked doubtful, "Some of that hardware is exceedingly rare, I'll need cash up front to even get near the stuff." 

Carmichael merely nodded and slid a small case across the table, "This will be enough for half of what we need. The rest will be paid when you deliver the goods." Carmichael handed Tayne a datadisk, "Go to these coordinates and broadcast on the given channel and you will be escorted to our employer shortly. Are these arrangements satisfactory, Keller?" 

Tayne shrugged, "You're paying the freight buddy." 

"Very well we'll be hearing from you soon then." Tayne Keller rose, "Yeah...I'll be in contact."

MOVE ON TO PART III
RETURN TO THE ARCHIVES

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