A com officer walked into the Captain's lounge and briskly saluted. Dez looked up from the stack of reports on his desk and returned the salute, "Yes, what is it?" he queried.
"The Valorous reports itself battle ready Colonel, also, Lt. Carmichael reports that he has
purchased a Corellian Corvette, and several starfighters, and parts for same, in addition to enough Ion Cannons to retrofit Valorous to our current fleet standard."
Dez looked thoughtful, "Very well, instruct Carmichael to return with his cargo. I want this battle group ready, as I expect to be
receiving offers from our factor on Nar Shadaa soon."
Lt. Carmichael walked over to Tayne and said, "After we get this last shipment we have to return to the Colonel." Tayne said, "When do we get the next shipment?" "Well, it is getting loaded onto the Corvette as we speak. All it is, is a shipment of ion cannons."
The Lt. comlink beeped. "Good. They already are done. Let's get to the bridge." They walked the long way to the bridge. As soon as they walked in Lt. Carmichael walked over to the controls and laid in a hyper route. Tayne strapped in and the Lt. did to. He pulled the hyper lever and the stars became starlines.
Bismarck nodded to himself and the navigation officer. "All right... we're leaving. There's nothing more to be gleaned here. Send two Carrack Cruisers and a Victory for salvage duty. The Scythe and the Interdictor Cessation will enter hyperspace for Neraka, where our other ships are and where I have no doubt "Lemon" and his associate will be. Then, we will see what develops."
The comm officer nodded and activated the astrogation computer. "All decks, prepare for hyperspace. I repeat, prepare for hyperspace."
#####
While in hyperspace, Bismarck sat, thinking. When the comm light flickered, however, he noticed it instantly and pondered who it could be momentarily. Then, he decided to answer his question. "Patch it through," he ordered.
Bismarck wasn't surprised to see Oriola's face on the holographic imaging display. "Ah! Pallbearer! What a pleasant surprise! What news?" Oriola smiled. "I hope it is indeed pleasant, Undertaker." She checked a listing for a moment. "For your project 01-08-7392 we have located a supply convoy. 2 full wings of fighters are being shipped from here..." Oriola pointed at a position on a galactic map. "To here." She moved the pointer. "We have the optimum location for an Interdiction mission, as well as all pertinent attack data."
Bismarck smiled. "Excellent work... the only problem is, I can't be involved in this right now. I've got too many things on my agenda all ready." Oriola blinked. "But sir... this project... it's been on top priority for over a year now! And you're just giving it up?"
The Undertaker shook his head, sighing. "Pallbearer... how many times have I told you just because I cannot act on something doesn't mean it won't get done?" "Ahh... oh. Mercenaries. Of course. Our hand in things is nearly invisible, and we ourselves take minimal losses."
"Exactly. Now, here is what must be done..."
Agent 117-97-008 "Vanishing Specter" smiled. The Undertaker again. Why do I always get saddled with his assignments? And why do I always get promoted for it? He shrugged. Question it, but only so far.
Slowly, he walked up to one of the many mercenaries guilds on the planet of Nar Shaddaa. Why am I reminded of the Ord Mantell scrap yards whenever I come here? Because this is the Ord Mantell scrap yards, only on a planetary scale, he answered himself, smiling. Buildings that would be considered dilapidated in the richer parts of the galaxy were the cream of the crop here, and the citizens were the same way. He took one last look at the street before entering the building.
Which was probably a mistake, considering the stench. The place reeked of rancid aliens, oiled cybernetics, and the telltale ozone created by blaster fire. Specter pushed his way past someone heading for the contracts desk. He was almost there when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Heavy... 5 fingers... humanoid... and rusted. Cybernetic. "I think you need a lesson in manners, kid. Why don't you apologize to me for running into me, then we'll talk about letting you live."
"Here's politeness for you. Take your robot arm off me before I take it off you, please." He felt the grip tighten almost reflexively and knew that was his cue to act. Spinning, he placed one hand on the robot arm gripping his shoulder and planted one foot in the pit of the Hunter's stomach. He followed with three lightning fast kicks to the head while the figure was doubled over, then finished with a straight jab at the Hunter's neck. The Hunter promptly passed out. Specter regarded his opponent for a moment. 6'6", about 190 pounds. Heavily cybered up. Possibly deadly if you didn't know what you were doing. But Specter was used to this sort of thing.
He walked up to the desk and took a form. {Convoy capture. Capital ships required. Pay negotiable. Contact "Gregor" for more information.} it read when he was done. He casually handed the form back to the collections agent. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on this," he said, and left.
A man who chose to call himself 'Gregor' at in the dilapidated ruins of a room he had paid too much for and wondered if his leader had leapt too far too the left this time! He wondered for only a moment if this was just the sort of deviance he was supposed to report to his superiors or not. Then he remembered that the Admiral was most often correct in his thinking and had always been right until now. The light on his com unit began to blink. 'Gregor' wondered who it was. He reached for the switch and the figure of a man appeared before him, "My master wishes to discuss the terms of employment with you.... you will immediately transship for these coordinates there you will receive further direction. Do not believe that we can be fooled, we know all that can be done to hide one's origin and trace one's path. Come at once. We await your command.
#####
Meanwhile.....
Deep in the Outer Rim several ships came out of hyperspace.
Tayne
was awakened by the alarms and ran for the command deck. Once there he quickly assessed the situation and realized he was badly outnumbered.
Carmichael looked up and smiled," Colonel Fahlwan would like to see you now." he said and reached for the com switch.
Yawning, Specter sat up. Here we go again. Another one of those all-knowing all-powerful mercenary groups who can't be traced despite the fact that so many have proven otherwise. Specter shook his head. Well, time's slipping by as we speak. Best get a move on.
#####
Specter made his way down the crowded streets of Nar Shaddaa. He expertly wove his way through crowds of Twi'leks, Quarren, Aquala, and various other types of alien species. He was about to head for the docking bay, when suddenly he realized he was being followed. He had not been notified of any meetings today, as per procedure, so this was someone else's tail. Well, he thought. How about we see if he likes to follow an elite Imperial spy...
Suddenly, Specter turned to the right. Knowing Nar Shaddaa like the back of his hand came in handy, for down this street was an undercover Imperial way station for agents like himself. It was disguised as an arms store so it blended in quite well. He entered the building and walked past racks of slugthrowers, blasters, and various types of armor vests. Silently, he removed an illegal gun from a rack off to the side and took it to the burly man behind the counter, exactly the kind you'd find in a place like this. "I'm interested in this weapon. It looks like it packs a good punch. Not to mention the fact that it's good against Mon Calamarians."
"I've got a better idea. Why don't you step into my office and we'll see if there's something more... suitable for you?" Specter nodded and walked over to the office. Carefully, so no one could see, he slipped a small keycard out from a hiding place and hung it by a small chain on the door. The dealer picked it up just as quickly, hiding the action with his body so that no one would see and the two of them entered the office.
Upon their entry into the well-lit, organized 18x10 space, Specter turned to the man and nodded, sitting in a plush velvet chair near the hardwood desk. "What's up, Specter?" the dealer asked, having seen Specter before and knowing that the swipe of the keycard in the computer sitting on his desk would bring up the usual profile. So far, only he and the dealer knew that the computer was linked to the Imperial network. The card did it's work, and in a minute or two, his computer flashed a "Clearance Granted" message. The dealer nodded and put his feet up. "So, what's up?" "I'm being tailed. Probably the people who contacted me about the merc job. Here's the info so far." He said, accessing his messages and showing the dealer the message contents.
The dealer nodded. "Standard procedure. I'll inform Intelligence, you go ahead with it. You need anything?" "Yeah... a blaster, a blaster rifle, some body armor, and 5 thermal detonators for the heavy equip. Also, a molecular stiletto, lock picker, and a shocker knuckle or two. I don't anticipate having to use them, but I want them just in case. The rest of the stuff I need is on my ship. Think I can use the underground entrance?" "Sure. Just remember: only come out where your ship is parked. Your tail might know about the main entrance. There are such things as defectors, you know."
Specter nodded and walked over to the wall. The man typed something in at the computer and two panels slid open. One revealed the weapons cabinet, the other the secret passageway. Specter took the items he needed from the weapons cabinet and slipped them into various places on his person. He slid the shocker knuckles onto his hands. Curious devices they were. The originals had been found on a dead bounty hunter by an agent. Apparently, they were Buzz Knuckles that had small holdout blaster packs in them. The packs were rechargeable, although they were only good for about 3 minutes once activated. Punching and opponent with one delivered a stunning jolt of electricity into his body. It was potentially lethal to beings with cybernetics, which was probably the reason for it's creation.
Nodding one last time to the dealer, Specter entered the dimly-lit passageway. The dealer would come up with some creative reason to explain why he never returned from the office. He always did.
#####
A small floor panel slid aside and Specter slipped into the holding bay for his ship. This was, of course, one of the Imperial bays, which was why he could sneak in and out like this. Casually, he got on the modified YT-1300, activated the engines, and waited for clearance. When he got it, he lifted off into the sky. In minutes, he was at his jump point and he entered hyperspace. He was almost expecting to be pulled out of hyper somewhere along the way by the interested party as he leaned back in his chair. He'd be there soon, and then they'd see what would happen.
The Dark Lord of the Sith paced the command deck of Deathwail, inspecting the bridge of his new ship more closely. Now that the campaign against the Nerakan Empire was over, and the threat from Nerakan space was completely defeated, Domino was slightly curious about the workings of this Eclipse Super Star Destroyer.
Admiral Frahnklyn Emago, the vessel's commander (when Domino and General Tamar were not around to run things), gave Lord de Devastator a complete tour of the systems of Deathwail. Domino felt that there was very little in the galaxy that would make him ever feel awe, but this machine of war was impressive. 'A mere blot compared to the power of the Force, but this craft has a much more intimidating appearance than many Force wielders can ever hope to manage.'
Deathwail hung in high orbit over Shuma-Ikonn, along with most of the 2nd Imperial Fleet, waiting for the arrival of the one known as the Undertaker. After touring the command deck thoroughly, Domino thanked Admiral Emago. "Admiral, your older brother, Grand Admiral Emago, served with my forces in the battle of Sullust I believe. Are you competitive with your brother?"
Admiral Emago shook his head. "Garvey and I realized when we were young boys that we each had our strengths. He excelled in tactics and outwitting, while my strengths were more focused on direct confrontation and persuasion, as well as my ability to lead. We always felt that we were a complementary team, not competitors."
Domino nodded as he pondered that. "That is admirable."
Just then the com officer, Lt. Benton, approached and bowed to the Dark Lord. "What is it Lieutenant?" Emago asked.
"A high priority communication for Lord de Devastator from Grand Vizier Graize of Deominia."
Without turning to dismiss either officer, the Dark Lord marched off to the holocom pad. "Thank you for your time Admiral. This shouldn't take long, but afterward I will be in my chambers studying the material the Emperor gave me on this 'Undertaker.' Inform me when the good admiral's fleet arrives."
Coyn, in the Elrood Sector, is considered the gateway to the galaxy for the denizens of Elrood. located in the middle of what is known as the E-D Run (also known as the Elrood-Derilyn Run), Coyn is the only true hotspot in the sector. If action is being sought, it will be found on Coyn. Han Solo knew he was about to be up to his armpits in action as he stared at the business end of two blasters being trained on him and his companions.
"Ven Delaran?" Han asked, unable to contain his grin; hoping this would make him appear confident, fearing it would betray his nervousness.
The man behind the counter raised his hand in greeting. "You don't recognize me after all these years Han? This makes me sad." Ven motioned for the armored men to lower their blasters. Han was noticeably relieved. "Han, these men are with the Elroodian resistance. They need some help, and when a hero of the Rebel Alliance of your caliber showed up on Coyn, it was too good to be true."
Han gestured to Hawk and Nathan and said, "These men are profiteers, so they may not be interested. I trust that won't be a problem."
The large of the armored figures stepped forward. "I am called Cenatose. I am a warrior of the Teltior from Merisse. General Solo, my people alone will offer a high reward if you will aid the Elroodian resistance."
Han started to shake his head as he said, "I'm not interested in your credits....."
Hawk and Nathan stepped forward and said, in unison, "We're all ears!"
Domino stood before the image of his Grand Vizier. "Skien, what is the word from Deominia?"
Domino knew that Graize had to be outside of the Deominian cloud to be able to transmit to him. That meant that Tionne was most likely looking after affairs during the approximate 12 hour time span that the Grand Vizier would be off planet.
Grand Vizier Skien Graize bowed on one knee as he addressed Domino. "My Lord and Master, the High Administrator of the Radchey system is on Deominia demanding some attention to the wishes of that system to open up some sort of trade with the outside galaxy. Tionne is meeting with Administrator Dulyx even now, trying to explain to him (without crushing his trachea) why this isn't a great idea. We need your wisdom."
Domino chuckled. "Radchey would just love to gain some economical power, wouldn't they? We should throw them a bone to chew on. What else? I can see something in your eyes."
Graize allowed his nervousness to show through so that he could report the next bit of information to his lord. "Lord de Devastator, the Deominian Purity Party staged a revolt in Domen City yesterday. They demand that Deominia refrain from any dealings with the Empire."
Domino's eyes became dark brooding orbs. "They demand this, eh? I have a meeting with a figure of some reasonable importance within the next day. Placate High Administrator Dulyx by giving him the most royal treatment that Deominia has ever extended to a guest, then tell him I will see him within an hour of my arrival home."
Domino raised his hand to stroke his beard as he considered his next words. "As for the Deominian Purity Party, send a platoon of stormtroopers into Domen City. Augment them with two squads of Deominian Palace Guards and two squads of Julayps. Skien, I would like you to lead this operation personally, since Tamar and Stormtrooper Commander Krith are on operation."
Graize stood and nodded. "It will be my pleasure, Lord de Devastator."
Alia sat glass-eyed in the Kashyyyk med ward as one of the harried,
disinterested medics gave her a quick once over. He poked once too many times near her stomach and she finally registered a feeling- pain. "Ow."
He glanced up. "Looks like the cut got infected."
She nodded silently.
"Other than that everything seems to be fine. Healing by itself, at least. Here's salve for the infection, but other than that, you're checking out fine."
Alia nodded again, and stood slowly muttering some kind of thanks in the medic's general direction. He handed her the medication and took off in another direction. She hastily moved down the hallway to an unoccupied room, shut and locked the door and sat
tentatively on the edge of the bed. She tried to remember the last time she had slept. Those cat naps on the transport between worrying myself sick over Neb and Ibran, that's what, she reminded herself. They were fine, or at least were going to be at some point. She needed sleep, and a lot of it, maybe a mental healing trance or two for good measure. She
stretched out on the bed, trying to clear her mind. Concentrate on letting yourself go, she thought. It's gotta be....simple..... ##### Jadrek sat in one of his oversized command chairs, watching the starlines of hyperspace streak across the broad front window of his prize ship, the Froinlavian Night. It's some sort of Star Destroyer. Evan must know.
"Evan?" "Yes sir?"
"Evan, what make is this ship?"
Evan reddened. "I'm....not exactly...sure, sir."
"Not sure, Evan?"
"I...I'll ask Master K-"
"No, no," Jadrek interrupted quickly. "That won't be necessary. He'll be along shortly I'm sure, Evan." Whether we like it or not, he added to himself. ##### Alia awoke in darkness, starting from one of the dreams that kept haunting her. That was odd, she thought. What did Jadrek do to be called Lemon? She shrugged, pushing aside the dream as an effect of the medication and
immediately fell asleep again.
Tayne looked over at Lt. Carmichael quizzically. "Jump on the shuttle over to the Falwahn's Pride." Lt. Carmichael said. Lt. Carmichael led Tayne down to the hanger bay. They boarded a shuttle over to the ship.
They walked onto the bridge. Lt. Carmichael said, "Ensign where is Colonel Falwahn?" The ensign said he was in his ready room. They proceeded there. The door opened to a man that was reading a datapad.
"Mr. Keller, welcome to the Falwahn's Pride. I am Dez Falwahn, leader of Falwahn's Freefighters. Before anything else, I want to tell you thank you for acquiring the Corvette and the fighters." Dez handed him a datapad. "There is a record of the transaction to your account for your services."
Tayne and Dez along with Lt. Carmichael discussed there past journeys and the battle in which Dez and his fleet had taken the Star Destroyer. Dez said, "Well Mr. Keller, will you be leaving. I will have my techs prep your ship if you like."
Tayne thought a moment. "Sir, if I may, can I stay on for your next mission. I am a mercenary and so are you. Maybe I can learn something."
Dez Falwahn smiled and said, "Sure. Maybe you can get a little action in also."
Tayne was then escorted to quarters that the Colonel had gotten ready for him. Tayne then fell into a deep sleep.
Captain Hirokihata paced the bridge of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer Black Belt nervously. He never really liked it when the Admiral wasn't in direct command. Hirokihata knew his weaknesses and the weaknesses of others well, but his problem lay in his ability to exploit them. That, he thought, Is what the Admiral is for.
He looked out at the ships at the edge of Nerakan space. Those, of course, would be "Lemon's". He shook his head. Even if there was a Sith Lord somewhere around, he needed the Admiral, and that meant that they had the upper hand for now. At least, as long as the Admiral arrived sometime soon. Turning, Hirokihata looked out the window and blinked as he saw ships exiting hyperspace.
"All decks, prepare to exit hyperspace," the astrogation officer broadcasted. Suddenly, the starlines flickering about the Imperial Star Destroyer Scythe narrowed into pinpoints of bright light and the weapons and shields came online. The shape of the Interdictor Cessation appeared behind them as the various other ships there pulled up into formation around the Scythe. "Admiral, we've arrived."
Bismarck flipped a switch. "Thank you, officer. Communications: send a message to Captain Hirokihata informing him we've arrived and request a status report as soon as possible. Also, open a channel to whoever's monitoring the comm over there." "Yes sir!"
Pausing, the Admiral framed what he wanted to say in his thoughts, then spoke in a deliberately cold and intimidating voice. "This is a transmission to Lemon from the Undertaker. I've arrived and I will meet with this interested third party immediately. I'm a busy man, and I do not waste my time. If this message is not relayed with haste, I'm fairly sure I can persuade your third party to remove the skin from your body... and if he won't, I will."
Somewhere else in the galaxy, another ship came out of hyper, although it was about 5 clicks from the actual coordinates. Specter always came out of hyper early. It was what the prudent did.
He calmly settled in and sat at the designated point, waiting for the mercenaries he'd hired to show up. He punched up the list of the people who'd accessed his contract and cross-referenced it with the image of the man he'd seen. A profile came up. "Fahlwan's Freefighters," Specter mused. He scanned the list quickly, noting a major pertinent detail. "They're new, and what's more they haven't got much in the way of ships..."
Specter thought for a moment, then brought up the deals he was authorized to present. "This one... information on route in exchange for a share of the starfighters... The Admiral would probably choose that one." Nodding, Specter sat and waited.
A man who chose to call himself 'Gregor' was just about to leave the bride of his ship when the freighter was abruptly yanked out of hyperspace just as he had expected. He quickly glanced at his scanner screens and confirmed to himself the presence of several capitol class ships, including an Interdictor Cruiser. That last was a surprise, since most large pirate (they always called themselves mercenaries. But 'Gregor' knew that was just another word for scum.) groups would usually just tow a large asteroid into the path of their intended victim.
On the bridge of 'Fahlwan's Pride' the Officer of the day looked over to an aide and said, "Notify the Colonel that our prospective
employer is here and have that freighter brought onboard."
The aide nodded and left the bridge
rapidly.
Leia encircled her small white arm around Chewie's rather bulky, furry one, and walked quickly down the gleaming hall of the Kashyyyk Space Station to the docking bay, attempting to keep up with the Wookiees' long strides.
"Slow down, Chewie!" She exclaimed, breathlessly, lugging a carry-all bag of items over her shoulder.
"Roooarrr." Chewie returned, apologetically, slowing his pace to allow Leia to catch her breath and relieving her of the baggage burden. She nodded and patted his arm thankfully, looking up to his awesome stature. She could tell Chewie was prepared for this seemingly, life-saving adventure...in more ways than one. His bowcaster was in place, as were his other weapons of choice, and his demeanor was that of fierce countenance. Although he continued on at a calmer, slower pace, she could tell anger boiled just beneath his fuzzy pelt. His life bond to Han was only the beginning. There was also his long standing friendship with Han to consider. Leia sighed and smiled up at the "big furry oaf", glad to have him on her side, and relieved that the decision to hunt for Han's whereabouts had finally been reached.
Moments later, the unlikely pair were surfing the outer atmosphere of Kashyyyk.
Leia, entrenched in the co-pilots seat, watched the stars blur into a funnel of light as the ship entered hyperspace bound for Ultair IX. Chewie was silent as well, methodical, brooding. She fancied Chewie was already envisioning the steaming corpses of those he would vanquish, if need be, in the rescue of his life-long buddy, Han. Thinking on such thoughts, kept her from the burden of fear and the trepidation she was feeling. Reaching down inside herself, she began the calming Jedi exercises: Relaaax, she scolded herself, and began focusing on a point of light in the apex of the funnel of stars. Suddenly, she could see an imagine of Han, clearly in her mind, as if he were painted on the front cockpit viewport, right before her eyes. He was being held at blaster point and fear marred his otherwise cocksure expression. She lurched forward, towards the image and exclaimed aloud,
"Han!"
Specter smiled as his YT-2400 was tractored onto the Victory Star Destroyer in front of him. Well, they have an Interdictor, so they'll probably do well on this one.
Upon docking, Specter stood and stepped out of his ship. He had on him only his easily concealed weapons. Everything else was on his YT. He watched as a group of troops approached. "You'll come with us to the bridge."
At this point, Specter knew it was time to break the rules. "On the contrary... you'll come with me to the bridge," he said and strode in the direction of the nearest lift tube. The troops followed closely behind him, unwilling to interfere, but also not flummoxed easily either.
They reached the bridge quickly. Specter was "escorted" to the ready room where the commander of the mercenaries apparently was. He went inside and looked about. Sitting behind a desk was a man in a uniform, obviously the leader of these forces. Nearby was a mercenary. This one bears looking into. He's not from this group... but he's with it.
"Greetings, 'Gregor', although that's not your real name. My name is Dez Fahlwan. I hear you have an assignment for us." "More like a deal, actually. I have information you can make use of. In return for it, my employer wants to receive a share of the spoils."
Dez paused. "Go on," he said. "Here's the deal. I happen to know of a convoy that's going from point A to point B. I supply you with the point A, the time it leaves A, and the route it's taking. You can then use your ships to capture the convoy. The convoy consists of 3 Nebulon B Frigates and an MC-80 Cruiser carrying squadrons of starfighters to a Rebel base. My employer wishes to keep a certain amount of starfighters from the convoy as well as various other equipment. In return, you may have complete salvage rights and may keep anything else you can get your hands on. Agree and you get the specifics. Don't, and I leave right now."
At this point, Specter gave Dez his most winning smile. "So..... do we have a deal?"
Han turned to regard the two rogues as they announced in unison, "We're all ears!"
The Teltior, Cenatose, turned his gaze upon them momentarily, then grinned.
"What the Elroodian Resistance needs is a pilot or two who can fly a transport from Kidron all the way to Berea, which is deep in Imperial Interdicted Space. When we say Imperial Interdicted Space, we merely mean that the Imps patrol it heavily. So far the only ships out here are two Imperial Star Destroyers some Dreadnaughts and some system patrol craft. That is in the space around Derilyn. The Imps leave the rest of Elrood Sector alone.... for now."
The Teltior was a member of one of the two species from his homeworld of Merisee, and his race was thought of as the more peaceful of the two. He licked his thin lips and continued. "At Berea the pilots will deposit the transport, the assault squad on board, and the supplies in the cargo hold. They will then take a second ship to the uncharted Kuras system. The
Kuras system is just on the edge of the Drift. The Drift is a cloud of spacedust, debris, and gas that no one has ever been brave enough to attempt to chart. Kuras is uncharted because it is too far from the rest of Elrood."
Han could sense the big clincher for the deal coming up as the warrior concluded. "On Kuras the pilots will meet with a high profile member of the Elroodian Resistance and bring her back here, to Coyn."
Han cocked his right eyebrow and smirked. "You aren't askin for much are ya?"
hawk looked from Han to Cenatose. "If Solo isn't willing to do this......"
Nathan cut him off, "Yeah! And did you say 'HER?' We're more than happy......"
Han finally stole back the floor. "I've never backed down from anything just because it promised to be a little sticky."
He thought to himself, 'The Death Star doesn't count. I went back and bailed the kid out of that one.'
He looked at Hawk and Nathan. "I will need a couple of able-bodied fellas to ride along. You two willing to help me out?"
Hawk wasn't pleased about playing second to anyone, but he began to reason with himself, 'Solo is a legend after all. I could learn something from this experience.'
Hawk and Nathan conferred briefly, then they faced the small group. Hawk looked at Han. "We'll go with you Solo," he turned to the Teltior, "but we expect a reward."
"That you shall receive. You have my word." Cenatose responded.
A site inspection of the Ubiqtorate Data Library on Yaga Minor was a rare thing. Even rarer still was an inspection by someone holding military rank. Rarer yet, that the rank in question happened to be Grand Admiral. Even so, it would be unthinkable that there would be two Grand Admirals in the same place. Commander Vasada was beside himself with apprehension and anxiety. He had never once considered that two people of such high importance would ever enter his facility, but Grand Admiral Thrawn and Grand Admiral de Devastator were here, in the building that he supervised day in and day out. "Your facility is in highest order, I am impressed with your structure and discipline for details. But your filing habits are not what we are about this fine day. We are here, Commander Vasada, because we have read reports of an Imperial Naval officer who has recently left the Empire." Thrawn concluded after the 90 minute tour Vasada had given him and de Devastator's younger cousin, Darin.
Darin took up where Thrawn left off. "After carefully studying and analyzing the facts, the Emperor himself has issued orders for security measures to be stepped up here on Yaga Minor. It is suspected that this renegade may lash out in light of his recent attempts to conceal his departure from Imperial service. When Grand Admiral Thrawn and I leave this planet, we will be leaving the small fleet we arrived with. This fleet will remain until the new defense fleet for Yaga Minor arrives next week."
Vasada cleared his throat and asked, "What will this defense fleet consist of?"
Thrawn answered, "The defense fleet will be comprised of one Torpedo Sphere, One Super Star Destroyer, Three Imperial Star Destroyers, Three Golan III Defense platforms, The current defense fleet that already exists here in orbit, and two full wings of TIE starfighters."
Vasada was clearly surprised by this added protection. "Who will be commanding this defense force?"
Grand Admiral de Devastator replied, "A fine commander, Admiral Armon, will be in command. Be assured Commander, you have no authority over the defense force. They are a Navy operation."
Commander Vasada only nodded. "Understood."
The Grand Admirals turned to leave the room. Vasada couldn't contain himself. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."
Grand Admiral Darin de Devastator and Grand Admiral Thrawn stopped in their tracks, acknowledged Vasada, regarded each other, then continued out the door.
Upon hearing Leia's alarm, Chewie bolted straight up and turned in a panic to her,
"Raaaaghhhrr!" He bellowed, trying to concentrate on piloting the ship and answer Leia's cry of dismay, simultaneously.
Leila, realizing Han's image was only a vision through the force, relaxed back into the co-pilot's seat with a sigh of dismay and turned to Chewie,
"It's okay, Chewie. I.....just...it's okay." She relinquished, and sunk even deeper into her seat and deeper into the growing feeling of impending doom. Chewbacca, somewhat annoyed at Leia's sudden outburst, grumbled at her in his native tongue before returning his attention back to the business at hand, namely piloting them safely through hyperspace to Ultair IX.
"Perhaps if I...." Leia's thoughts trailed off, as she scrambled for something to relieve the growing uneasiness, something to focus on that would not call up images of her beloved Han in danger. She began rummaging through the carry-all she had lugged through the Space Port, finally extracting a datapad. Inside this particularly fine piece of data retrieval, were stored countless bits of information on just about every planet and system in the known galaxy. She punched up some options and entered the Ultair IX database, perusing the available files on the climate, political systems, religious structures, docking procedures, landing restrictions, major cities, and anything else that she felt might help in the search for Han.
"Chewie," She said, "Doesn't this seem familiar to you?" Chewie looked at her quizzically.
"Wroaaar?" He inquired, not understanding her reference.
"I don't know...it's like Jabba, all over again." Leila frowned and punched at a few more buttons on the datapad. "At least this time there's a good chance I won't be stuffed in a metal outfit and chained to a Slug!" She mumbled under her breath. Chewie pondered her comment, thinking back on those days, his time in Jabba's underground prison, and his relief on finding Han in the damp, dreary cell.
"Arrrhggr." He responded in agreement with Leia's assessment of the situation.
Each of them, sat silently for awhile: Leila gathering data, Chewie manning the helm, and both lost in thought.
Finally, data on Ultair IX flowed into the small device, as Leila tried to comprehend it all through her haze and the image she had seen of Han's handsome features being twisted into a mask of apprehension...a look she recognized all too well. Panic gripped her once more and the urgency rose to her throat,
"Hurry, Chewie."
The helmet fell away onto the floor revealing...
'The most handsome face I've ever seen!' Karin
thought. This was not the face of an eighty year old man, but that of a man in his mid twenties!
She prodded at the face for the tell-tale signs of makeup and
prosthetics. She stared down in confusion. 'This man assassinated all those people . . . twenty years ago? It just wasn't possible.'
"Yep, this is the real me," Marr said, without any trace of an accent.
DeLumar stumbled back off of his chest in shock, not expecting the complete change in voice on top of the unexpected face. Under the mask, Marr's voice was a mellow tenor. Underneath, there was a rich, deep,
baritone.
Karin looked down on Marr from the chair that she had found to support herself, and leveled a blaster she had found at Marr. "Okay, explain yourself. And believe me, this had better be good, or I won't give the Moff the pleasure of a trial."
Colonel Fahlwan sat reading the latest status reports on his new ships when a nervous looking junior officer entered his office. Dez looked up and said, "Yes, what is it?" The young officer replied, "The envoy of our proposed employer has arrived. Shall I show him in directly?"
Dez nodded, "Yes, have the galley send up refreshments as well. If we choose to accept employment it would do well to stay in the good graces of our employer, don't you think?"
The officer saluted and left.
#####
The man who called himself 'Gregor' finished shutting down the systems aboard his ship, checking to insure that the ultra
sensitive tracking devices were functioning properly, then grabbed a hold-out blaster and secreting it in his sleeve headed down the boarding ramp.
A single officer awaited his arrival. 'Not much of a greeting party for a potential employer' ,thought 'Gregor'.
The officer stepped forward and offered his hand, "We
apologize for this scanty greeting but most of our complement are occupied with repairs and
modifications to our fleet and could not be spared just now. If you'll follow me, I'll take you directly to Colonel Fahlwan, our esteemed leader."
Inside his Office Dez was looking over the proposal and considering the odds when 'Gregor' was shown in, "Have a seat agent ('Gregor'
briefly wondered how this 'Colonel' new he was an agent) I have decided to accept your employer's offer, wait, say nothing, I am well aware of your employer's position, being as well
supplied with intelligence as he is, this may be more than we can chew, but I have confidence in my men and
their abilities. Inform your employer that should we succeed with this endeavor I will deliver to him exactly 48 starfighters. All others will be the property of this company." 'Gregor' started to object, Dez held up his hand, "No don't tell me of objections and conditions, I have thoroughly reviewed the estimations of enemy strength and
their commanders, for anyone other than myself this mission would be sheerest folly, as it is, I'm taking a tremendous risk, and I expect an equally tremendous gain from it." Dez looked thoughtful, then looked intently at the man across from him, shrugged then said, "Take some time and contact your employer, inquire if this is
satisfactory, and bring his reply to me. Meanwhile take your leave of this ship, inquire of my men, and return with the good will and desires of your employer. You may go now." With that Colonel Fahlwan turned back to his datapad and 'Gregor' walked out to go find the desire of his 'employer'.
Tayne walked the decks of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Falwahn's Pride. He had met with a lot of different people while walking around.
Tayne walked into a room filled with pilots playing sabacc and holochess. Tayne waited until one of the men left and joined in on a game of sabacc. None of the men talked. They were all business.
Not a very good business. Tayne won 4 of 5 games against the guys and won a hefty amount of credits. He left the room to go to the hanger bay.
When he got to the hanger bay, a pilot was standing by his freighter. The man had an insignia that made Tayne assume he was the leader of something.
"You got a nice ship here. It's got some good mods. Nice engines." Tayne thanked the pilot and went into his ship. Tayne fell asleep on his good ole cot in the Deathtoll.
Meanwhile, Specter sat on the communications array on his ship. Quick transmission... heavy encrypt. Ought to be quick. Let's try a pulse burst. That should prevent them from picking it up.
After punching buttons and flipping switches on the sophisticated communications panel in front of him, Specter sent a message off to Yaga Minor informing them of his progress. They would relay it to the Undertaker and he would, in turn, relay his desires back to Specter. Although Specter was quite sure he hadn't overstepped in this case. But that wasn't his decision. That was the Admiral's.
#####
At Yaga Minor, Oriola Pavon picked up the message from Agent "Vanishing Specter." She printed out a hard copy while sending the message on to the Undertaker. Picking up the hard copy, she went to see her supervisor, Commander Vasada. She handed it to him, noting the somewhat numb look on his face as he accepted it. "Something wrong, Commander?" "No... no... nothing. Just been in a meeting is all."
Oriola smiled. "Don't worry, sir. Meeting two Grand Admirals at once would rattle just about anyone." She chuckled, turned, and went back to her station while Vasada stared after her, not entirely realizing that he held a relatively important paper in his hands.
The man who called himself 'Gregor' strode rapidly to his ship. Once inside he made a routine check of the ship's systems, and found all to be as it should. 'Gregor reached for the com controls and input the sequence to contact his employer. Within moments he was connected, this surprised him as he thought it would take much longer to find an Imperial transmitter. "This is Specter reporting, the mercs will agree to do the job. The leader tried to impress me with how tough he was, but I can tell that he's greedy for those ships. I'll be staying on here to observe this group and their leader, so if you have further work for me use our normal channels and as usual I'll obey." That done 'Gregor' settled in and waited to take his employer's "reply" to the mercenary.
Han, Hawk, and Nathan sat on the bridge of the Freedom Dream, the transport they would fly to Berea along the E-D Run. The bridge of this Sienar Fleet systems 344 Light Cruiser seated four comfortably, and they knew that one member of the Elroodian Resistance would be coming with them, so the fourth seat would be occupied in a short while. As they waited,
Han and Hawk looked over the flight systems while Nathan became intimate with the gunnery systems. The 344 Cruiser had four laser cannons capable of dealing a great deal of death to whoever got in the way, while the powerful sublight engines could outrun most starfighters the Empire had. To round out the vessel, the hull was as solid as a Corellians love of sabacc.
In short, Han and his new comrades were satisfied that this ship would do them no wrong.
They were just finishing a preflight check when a lone figure entered the bridge. They turned to acknowledge a feline looking figure.
'Looks like a Teltior with wrinkly skin,' Han thought. "You must be Rhadlikk," the smuggler stated.
"And you must be Han Solo," the alien replied. "It is an honor to meet such a one as you. Tales of your exploits are legendary even here in Elrood Sector, and this Meris was raised believing Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot were akin to the gods."
"Hey, hero worship is fine, but we've got a job to do and credits to earn," Hawk interjected. Then he looked confused. "Wait a second. You said 'Meris?' Are you not a Teltior?"
Rhadlikk smirked, shaking his head so that the folds of flesh on his neck wobbled back and forth. "No sir. I am a Meris, from Merisee. The Meris and Teltior are sibling races from our homeworld. The Teltior lack these folds of skin under their neck, and unlike the Meris top knot of hair they grow hair at the back of their head."
Nathan nodded. "Well alright then. I've learned my quota of new alien facts for the day. What do you do, Rhadlikk?"
The Meris warrior looked at the mercenary-minded human and smiled. "I'm a proficient shot with these laser cannons for one thing. I am also well-versed in knowledge of the E-D Run that will get us to Berea; rumor is that I'm one of the few beings still alive who has been to Berea in the last five years. Unfortunately, I cannot fly a transport, and the Elroodian Resistance doesn't have anyone experienced enough that they trust for this mission."
Han fired up the smooth engines of the Freedom Dream and the transport slowly lifted off from its landing pad.
#####
As the Freedom Dream left Coyn's atmosphere, Han sent a prepared, encrypted message directly to Kashyyyk on a tight beam transmission. He had hope that it would reach Leila or Chewie before anyone got too concerned, but he had his doubts.
Some seven hours after Leia had seen Han's image through the force, she emerged from the sleeping area and headed for the refresher, groggily rubbing at her sleepy eyes. Many hours of lying awake, staring at the ceiling of the sleeping chamber, is not my idea of rest. She grumbled to herself. She wondered where Han was at that moment: Whether he was hurt; if he had slept well himself. As she passed the closets, she extracted what she considered to be the closest thing to appropriate attire for their visit to Ultair IX and vanished into the refresher.
Meanwhile, Chewie who had spent the passing hours at the helm, was grateful to hear the sound of Leia's awakening. Although, Wookiees required little sleep, they did find great enjoyment in relaxation. Chewie stretched his long torso and bumped his furry kneecaps into the underside of the comm panel with a groan. Just as he was about to say a few choice colorful metaphors in his native tongue, Leia's head popped into the cabin.
"How's it going, Chewie?" Leia inquired, raising an eyebrow at the expression on the Wookiee's face.
"ROOAaar." He returned, massaging his kneecaps.
"That bad, huh?" She said, and stood by the pilot's seat, awaiting her stint at the helm. Chewie rose from the seat and stepped to the side, allowing Leia to take his place... gratefully.
"Wurarrrhhh." He replied and disappeared down the hallway, gladly retiring to the lounge compartment for some much needed recreation.
Leia punched at the comm panel, taking a quick assessment of the ships' systems, their current position in hyperspace, nearest asteroid fields, closest planets. Her mind strayed to the information she had learned about Ultair IX. It was a relatively remote planet, nothing spectacular.
Before her life as diplomat and leader of the Rebel Alliance, she had lived on one of the most spectacular planets in the known galaxy, Alderaan: boasting superb art, education, architecture, gardens, and technology. What planet could have been more glorious? She reminisced, thinking about her homeworld and its people, now nothing more than a memory in the minds of those who had once enjoyed its splendor, suddenly reduced into just so much space dust by Tarkin's Superlaser.
However, she had learned to adapt to new places, new environments. Ultair IX, was not unlike many other blasé planets she had visited in her career since her life on Alderaan. There was one thing and one thing only, that made this trip to Ultair IX exciting.......finding Han.
Leia hadn't informed Jaina, Jacen, or Anakin, about their father's disappearance and now wondered if any of them had sensed his trouble through their individual connections to the force. After her own experience of seeing Han's image, she was certain he was, or had been, in trouble of some kind.
She was suddenly shook from her thoughts by a flashing signal on the comm, alerting their proximity to the system wherein Ultair IX was located.
Leia scrambled to prepare the craft to exit hyperspace just outside the atmosphere of the planet, itself.
~We're coming, Han.~ She sent a message to him through the force.
When making the E-D Run, it was uncommon not to stop at several worlds before pressing on to Derilyn. Therefore, the Freedom Dream would make several stops to engage in bogus trading so that they would raise no suspicions.
From Coyn it was 2 hours to the Bodrin system, but Han elected to bypass that stop because it was winter for that planet's inhabited hemisphere. Bodrin pretty much closed up in the winter.
The next stop was Kidron, which was going to be their starting point for the mission, but they needed to actually start the run of the sector from Elrood itself to look legitimate. The trip from Coyn to Elrood should have taken the Freedom Dream close to 15 hours, but Han's experience and astrogation knowledge shaved that time down to 11 hours with ease.
"Well, here we are; the Elrood system," Han declared as he threw back the switch that disengaged the hyperdrive. "We'll be picking up the assault squad on Kidron, right Rhadlikk?"
The Meris nodded. "That is correct. On Elrood we grab some medical supplies and some foodstuffs. At Kidron we unload the foodstuffs and take on a charter of eleven people; the assault crew, but they will appear to be chartering the vessel. Then we will bypass Coyn, heading straight for Merisee for further supplies. Then we will drop out of hyperspace and stay in the Torina system for two days."
Han shook his head, "I'm sorry. What good is all this smoke 'n' mirrors going to do if we sit in Torina for a couple of days to wait to be picked up?"
"Forgive me, General Solo," Rhadlikk replied. "It's been a long time since you've operated in Elrood Sector, hasn't it?"
Han said nothing, though his eyes stared vibroknives into the Meris's skull.
"After the two day wait in the Torina system, we hit the 'Extreme.'"
"The 'Extreme?'" Hawk, Nathan, and Han asked in perfect harmony.
Rhadlikk answered, "The last leg of the E-D Run before Derilyn. If all of your permits that you received in Torina check out once you reach the Derilyn system, then you are permitted to land. That is why we wait at Torina, General Solo."
The Meris chuckled. "When we reach the Derilyn system, we will need to be ready for Imperial boarding and questioning. We will not want to allow a boarding if we can help it. If our permits do not assuage suspicion, we must have a jump already programmed for the Tifnyl system, which is Imperial as well, but only with a token garrison. Hopefully we will not be trifled with and we can wait for an opportunity to blast off for Berea."
Han smirked and shook his head again. "I still don't like it. You're using too many of the Imperial regulations; we stand a high chance of being boarded, shot up, or otherwise taken care of. Hawk and I are the pilots, and if I may speak for him..." Han paused to glance at Hawk who was nodding for Han to continue, "we fly this bucket to our stopping points to pick up our needed supplies, then we make a mad dash for Berea. That is how you shoot a route like the E-D Run."
Hawk nodded as Nathan chimed in with his two decicreds, "I couldn't agree more."
The Meris only shook his head. "I can see you all don't like the plan the Resistance has come up with, so I'll just sit here and hope we all don't get destroyed or captured. Incidentally, if we are captured, would one of you mind killing me? I have no plans of taking up mining for the Empire and his Imperial Travesty."
Han chuckled. "We're not getting caught, trust me."
Jadrek Lemyn stood on the bridge of Froinlavian Night and stared out across
space at the huge ship across from him. It dwarfed the Night, making him feel
small, insecure, relatively a small speck in the grand scheme of things. I arranged
this, he thought bitterly As much as he would deny it, he owes me if all goes
according to plan.
"Jadrek." The older man spun around at the mention of his
name. "How many times must I tell you never stand with your back to the door? It leaves
you such an open target for passing enemies."
Jadrek frowned. "Like yourself?"
"No, more like Evan." Evan stepped around the taller, darker man and presented
himself to Jadrek, the black of his uniform setting off his ice blue eyes, making him
appear the younger, more reckless twin of the Sith Lord he stood to guard.
"Charming, Evan. The Admiral said you and I, not Evan or any one else."
"Evan is
coming with us, Jadrek, even if we are forced to leave you here."
Evan leaned over
to his benefactor. "That wouldn't do us any harm, Master."
"Shush Evan." Jadrek
glared at him, knowing full well what had been said. "The shuttle is waiting for us,
Jadrek. Shall we meet your friend?"
#####
Jadrek stepped off of the
shuttle first, straightening his jacket as much as his thick stomach would allow. He was
greeted with an imposing figure, easily taller than he was, probably a bit taller than the
'Miniature Emperor' as well. Jadrek tried to recover his composure at the imposing
figure and opened his mouth, hoping desperately his voice wouldn't crack. "The
Undertaker, I presume?"
The figure inclined his head, "I am. 'Lemon?'"
"Sadly enough, yes." Jadrek reddened and turned to face the man behind him. Oh,
he's going to pay for that.
Bismarck raised his eyebrows. "The infamous
associate?" The Sith Lord nodded. "Welcome. I am Admiral Rigel Bismarck."
The
Sith Lord nodded in greeting. "My associates, Evan Mynoram and, of course, Jadrek
Lemyn. I am Kethren Trynyty and Jadrek tells me you needed assistance."
Admiral
Bismarck smiled chillingly. "This way, please. I would thank you to accompany me to
my personal audience chamber." ##### "So, that is your proposal,
Admiral?"
"It is, Master Trynyty. I have my battle plans drawn up according to my
own experience which I will have your input on if you agree to assist me."
"You
sound well-educated, Admiral. I am duly impressed, with what you have shown me
today."
"My main objective is the destruction of the Rebellion, Trynyty. Your
associate," he inclined his head toward the uncomfortable Jadrek, "had said that you have
no quarrel with the Rebels. To assist me with the intensity I intend to pursue them, I
would suggest you develop a personal vendetta with them as soon as possible. We will
show no mercy."
"Mercy is the sign of a weak mind. I assure you that you will not
be displeased with my military and Force powers. My objective is the destruction of the
Jedi Order, which I know will not fall before the Rebellion and that is something the
universe has been tainted with long enough. I am here to assist you in slaughtering as
many inferiors, traitors, and assorted rabble as possible."
Bismarck stood as his
guards came back to attention. Evan tightened in response. "It is settled, then."
Kethren looked up at him. "Hardly, comrade. There is something in the matter of
payment..."
Bismarck looked skeptical. "Payment?" Jadrek reddened again and
whispered furiously in Kethren's ear.
"Payment. I am not asking much. Mainly
support for as many underlings as a chose to bring with me on this excursion. Jadrek,
Evan, maybe several others. 15 at the most."
"Done, will there be anything else,
Master?"
"One other thing, a token, merely a trifle of good faith. I need a bounty.
Extremely high, no disintegration; I want this prey alive."
"May I ask?"
"A girl,
child is more like it, hiding somewhere among the Jedi. She is to blame for more than
one misfortune that I have suffered in the past and it is of major priority that I have this
girl in my possession." Bismarck indicated one of his guards to record the information.
"Her name is Siona Trynyty, probably going by the Choska word for freedom- Alia. I
need the her on the top priority of all bounty hunters in the galaxy."
"I understand. I
shall meet with you again, I take it, before anything of importance should occur?"
"Of course. Come Lemon, Evan, the good Admiral knows what we will expect."
" I
do, Master Trynyty. I do indeed."
Ultair IX provided very little in the way of useful information for Leia and Chewbacca, but they did learn that Han had not cried out, that whoever abducted him was stealthy and careful enough to take Han down without making much noise. "Raaarraaooooo wrroo huurnnnn?"
"I agree Chewie," Leia replied. Everything seems to point to a professional job; a bounty hunter, maybe even someone with a grudge. Dengar perhaps?"
The Wookiee shook his head. "[I haven't heard any reports of Dengar's activities in years. He may be dead. We should check the bounty lists.]"
Leia and Chewbacca walked through the small base on Ultair IX toward the communication/computer room to check the galactic database for such things.
Leia was uncertain if they would be able to access such information, and if she knew that Chewbacca was almost certain he would be unable to get that kind of information, she wouldn't have bothered going through the trouble.
Still, something about getting to the comm center on Ultair IX seemed vital to her. 'Well,' she thought, 'if there is a reason for me to be in the comm center, I'll know soon enough.'
#####
After a day of flying from the center of Elrood Sector to the beginning of the E-D Run, then back to the other end of the run to wait in the Torina system, Han and Hawk had traded off the pilot duties twice already. Not that either of them needed to trade off the duties, for they both had the endurance for making long hauls, but it was a nice change of pace for the two pilots to be able to do such a thing.
"Say, Hawk?"
Yeah Nate?"
"Is this Torina?" the tired smuggler asked.
Hawk looked up from the instruments then back down at them. "I think so. Hey Solo, is this Torina?"
Han entered the cockpit after the short period of time it took to walk from the lounge. He glanced out the viewport and nodded. "That's it. Beyond that is Rhadlikk's 'Extreme.' Sounds almost as spooky as some of that Jedi lore I used to poke fun at."
The two younger smugglers chuckled at Han's comments as they settled in to wait for the next step. Rhadlikk wasn't long in directing them. "Soon, the Torina System Authority will contact you." he said. "Transmit the transponder information and they will direct us to our docking port in the orbital station. There we will wait for our permits for the final leg of the E-D Run; racing the 'Extreme' to Derilyn."
"There! Right there!" Nathan hollered. "He's doing it again! Ha ha ha!!!" Nathan was nearly doubled over from laughing. "Solo's right, Rhadlikk. You do sound spooky when you say, 'the Extreme.' You make it sound like it is the abode of demons."
The Meris nodded. "As dangerous as the Extreme has been, you would all do well to pay that name the reverence I give it. Even with permits the Imperials have been known to stop ships and board them, seizing their cargo and impounding the freighters. We must be....."
Han cut him off. "Look, I've already told ya, we're not getting caught. I've gone over this ship with my boys Hawk and Nathan here. This crate does .85 beyond lightspeed. Not as fast as my Falcon, but a strong runner no matter how you slice it." Han looked at all three of them. "Now I've been on this run a time or two. It's probably changed in the last 27 years, but not by much. The only thing different is a few Imperial cruisers. We'll get by them."
#####
The Nerakan Sector was a quiet field of stars now that the Deominian campaign against it had been over for a few weeks. Domino sat in the command seat on the bridge of Deathwail admiring what his ambition had brought into Palpatine's Empire. 'And as the Emperor gains more power, he needs to relinquish more to his faithful lieutenants' Domino brooded.
'Ah, friend Palpatine, maybe just now you are beginning to realize you never controlled me. Perhaps it is a good thing for you that I do not require your lofty position to feel powerful or I might have done away with you long ago. Unlike Vader, who could not keep you from intruding in his thoughts, I have become your superior, and yet I....'
"My Lord, the Sith Lord Barsidius and the Lady Marina Durron are here as you requested." Domino was nearly startled as the man reported his information, and he nearly cut off the officer's heartbeat as a reaction. He stopped short when he realized the captain was faithfully following orders.
The Dark Lord smiled. "Good, Captain Kempin. Show them in." Domino added as the officer turned to carry out his orders, "Oh, Captain Kempin?"
"Yes, Lord de Devastator?"
"Perhaps next time you shouldn't be so anxious to interrupt me....maybe wait for me to acknowledge you." Domino stretched out his left arm and balled up his fist for a few short seconds, as the officer's knees buckled slightly.
Slightly breathless with perspiration just beginning to form, the captain only nodded, then caught his breath and walked to carry out his orders.
Several minutes later, the captain returned with the Sith Lord Barsidius and Marina Durron. Vell Barsidius was one of Domino's prize students and he had great faith in him to carry out tasks. In fact, Domino believed it was very important to keep Vell busy, or he would find other tasks to carry out, and those tasks might not be as beneficial to Domino as he might prefer.
The Dark Lord stood from his seat and approached the two Sith acolytes. "Vell, my faithful student, thank you for coming."
"All thanks is mine for being beckoned by your Lordship, mighty Dark One. Hail the eternal House de Devastator."
'Well spoken, Vell,' Domino thought. 'He behaves as if he is a native son of Deominia.'
Domino smiled and returned Vell's salute. "I wanted you to come to me to report on Marina's progress. Since I began the campaign against the Nerakan Empire, I was unwilling to train her myself."
Vell gestured to the woman once known as Dawn Marina Skywalker Durron and Rachel O'Conner, she bowed her head to Domino. Sith Lord Barsidius began to praise her progress. "She has learned much under my diligent tutelage, not the least of which is the ability to throw a convincing Force Wind at an opponent and project her will into another being to have them do her bidding. She is far more powerful than I initially thought my Lord."
Domino nodded and smiled slightly. "Marina, I am pleased with your progress. It pleases me to see how you have accepted the Dark Side."
Turning so that both of them knew they were being addressed, he said "Vell, Marina, I ask that you both travel to Neraka Prime and oversee the excavation of the ruins I left there. You will aid and command the Sith Archeologists I have dispatched to that region. They look for any living beings and place them in captivity for my assessment. They take any unbroken artifacts and handle them with great care, placing them in protective crates so that I may examine them at my convenience. I want you two to oversee this project, and for you, Vell, to continue Marina's training at the pace I have set for her.
A full garrison has been established on Neraka prime, and three squads of Julayps are there to provide added strength."
Vell Barsidius and Marina Durron bowed to the Dark Lord of the Sith, Domino de Devastator. Marina spoke the words that would end this meeting, "Your will is our pleasure, Lord de Devastator, and we live by your will."
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