Celestine Palace, Celestia

Crisp. Clean. Fresh. Tasteful.

The words themselves greatly undermined the powerful taste of fresh Corellian wine, yet Lucian flinched. The sour yet refreshing taste was foreign, and foreign ment un-Hapan. With polite respect, he carefully set the wine glass down and folded his hands in his lap. His guests all followed suit shortly after, and looked at him with eager anticipation.

"I find it to be crisp, and light... yet suprisingly dry and stale in taste."

Lucians words echoed through the room as Hapan handmaidens and servants quickly gathered up the small wine glasses and carried them away. Moments later, a small army of servants carefully placed fresh clean glasses before the guests seated around the table, and poured a new glass of wine, this time, Dathomirian. As each of the guests took a drink, Lucian observed in silence and let his index finger trace the crystalline brim of his glass. A soft melody that only he could hear echoed out of the recesses of the glass and after a moment, he lifted it to his mouth.

Crisp. Tangy. Sweet. Colorful.

Still not what he was looking for, but he was getting closer. As each of his guests finished off there fifth glass of the evening, Lucian smiled. He listened intently to the comments each of them made but still sought the diplomatic flavor that the wine would bring for his upcoming meetings. Afterall, one's last drink in this lifetime should be one to be remembered. He had tried Bespin Sparkle, Glastroan Wine, Corellian Wine, Dathomirian, and even the elegant Chimbak Wine or Alderaan. None seemed to fit his illustrious taste for good ole' fashion Hapan wine. He stood, smoothed the wrinkles out of his clothing and offered a sincere smile.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, that concludes the Royal Wine Tasteing Party. I'd like to thank you all for coming. Mister Rellings will see you out." Lucian gestured for the well dressed servant at his side to show his guests out.

"No luck?" Sevaedus' devious grin preceeded him as the Crown Prince of Relephon pushed open the double doors of the dining chamber.

"What do you think?" Lucian snapped in retort.

"I never thought you'd find something you liked, ya' picky bastard. In my opinion, if you're going to poison someone with a tasteless odorless and virtually undetectable natural entity, you have nothing to worry about."

Lucian grinned as the two men continued down the long corridor of the palace toward his personal and luxurious office. "Taste. It's all about taste, my good friend."

Sevaedus held the door to the Princes' stately office open and allowed him to pass through before closing the door behind him. "You know the drill Sevaedus, I don't have all day."

"Well sir, the newly trained men are doing quite well in the rigorous physical and mental tests that we've imposed to harden the men and women that have volunteered to serve the Relephon Moons. Unfortunately one third of thosse men and women have not fully adjusted to the lifestyle, and have been released from duty. The other two thirds have been formed into a well-trained and well equiped fighting unit over the past several months under Director Xander Griff. He has proven to be a vital asset."

Lucian nodded and kept his head down, attending to his work.

"Equipment and defense production has doubled on all of the Relephon Moons, with the exception of Astralis however the fiscal profits from Astralis alone greatly make up for the production we're lacking. As for the Space Defense Platforms, two pieces have already been assembled with further installments being shipped by the Union on a regular basis. We estimate that construction will be complete sometime in the very near future. The status of our fleet is consistant, however fleet production has fallen behind due to a lack of raw resources from the moons. Shipments from the Union are coming in constantly, but we cannot afford to wait. We've been utilizing Lady Livia's fleet and Lord Gallenios' fleet as an auxillary for the main Relephon fleet patrolling our sovereign borders."

Again, Lucian nodded his head. "I'm working on the problem with our resources, Lord Sevaedus. it will be of no further consequence."

Sevaedus nodded his head and swollowed.

"Our contacts inside of the Heritage fleet report that Lady Galney and Ducha Galney have accepted your invitation, as well as several other Nobles. We've established a small base of operations on Dreena to accomidate your meeting. The system itself has been closed by the combined fleet and is to be claimed as the sovereign territory of the Relephon Moons, your majesty. Director Griff is currently training an elite task force to undertake the assignment. I've arranged for us to meet him on the planet when we've arrived."

Lucian grinned as he looked up. "Good. I've been looking forward to meeting this.... Director."

Battle Dragon - Steel Resolve (Dreena orbit)



I hope those fucking Hapans enjoy their wine.



It's a good thingh Griff was standing in front of a line of his newly minted special forces, or he would have spat the words out as if they were poison.

Or perhaps it really was?

The way Griff really felt about Hapans, and their overly pampered society was not exactly unknown. Ever since the Sovereignty had fallen, he had become a very bitter man.

Bitter, but absolutely and utterly driven.

Major defeats had trained him in ways to prevent them, and he made up for his defeats by his unwavering drive torward whatever goal he had at the time.

And right now, his goal was this army, hell this military.

They were his creation, complete, and perfect. Months and months consisting of twenty three hour days had been necessary in turning these rich aristocrats into a fearsome fighting force. They performed just below perfect on all their field and tactical manuvers. But as was know, those were no substitute for the real thing.

He turned to his left slightly, "General Thrace."

A man in a crisp uniform instantly stepped forward, "Director?" He said gravely.

Griff supressed a grin. General Mako Thrace was only perhaps twenty three years of age, and six months ago had been a lowly little insect like the rest of this army. But early on, Griff had recognized his leadership qualities and unwavering devotion to his men. It had earned him a very singular honor of commanding General of the newly minted Relephon Moons 1st Army.

Griff knew he was highly resented in the political and royal cirlces of the new force that was being put together by Lucian D'alaetos. He had come in, abolished the bloated command structure of Relephon's old armed forces, and set up his own system.

The old army and navy of Relephon was comprised of nintey-nine percent idiot. The old way, which the Hapans had been doing for thousands of years, was promote people based sorely on their status, or ties to the Royal line, completely disregarding actual merit. Griff, disgusted with such a concept, dismissed an entire command structure in a single day and brought in his own people to train the ones who would replace them.

But still, the old way still insinuated it's way into Griff's organization like a silent, deadly snake. Wherever he saw it, he stamped it out. He even had to make a few covert assassinations of former top military personel to keep them out of his way. Already, no less than eight former generals and admirals had "retired".

Now, Griff could not help but swell with pride as he observed his creation. They were easily on par with any enemy that could be thrown at them, but they still had alot of learning to do.

Now, he spoke to the General, "We have received word that there is a small encampment on the landmass in the southern hemisphere. We believe them to be foreign, with no legitimate business in the Hapes Cluster. Please go evict them."

"Right away."

Command Bridge, Relephon Battle Dragon Borealis

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The Ensign shook his head competantly and clenched his jaw. It had been no secret that the Captain standing red faced before him was promoted to his position strictly by noble bloodline. The less wealthy Hapans of the Relephon Moons had warmly welcomed the change in command structure. Those of noble lineage, unfortunately did not.

"That mother fucker expects me to resign my comission of this vessel to you? Get the fuck out of my site, Ensign."

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir."

Two guards drew there blaster rifles and stepped to the Ensign's side.

"Captain Jonathon Wells, you're under martial arrest."

The fat red-faced Captain growled as the two guards took hold of his arms.

"On what charge! This is an outrage!"

"Insubordination, failier to relinquish command to a senior officer, attempted mutiny, and the crime of treason against his Royal Majesty, Crown Prince Lucian D'alaetos."

The Captain remained dumbfounded as the former Ensign handed him a small piece of parchment. "However, Captain should you... say... resign your comission, you could live a happy and peaceful life in retirement anywhere you see fit. However," the Ensign roughly stuffed the paper into the Captains bulbus stomach "if you do not resign before you are formally charged, you will spend the rest of your short life in the mines of Solaris."

The Captain looked up and clenched his jaw so tightly that the veins in his face struggled and protruded the skin to keep up with the pressure. "Fine damn it! I'll sign it! Just let go of my arms!"

After the Ensign nodded his approval, the two guards released the former Captain. Jonathon Wells grasped the smooth metallic pen in his hand and quickly signed his name. After a thorough inspection by the Ensign, the parchment was carefully folded and tucked safely into his pocket.

"Captain Jonathon Wells, by order of his Sovereign Majesty Crown Prince Lucian D'alaetos, and Director Xander Griff, I accept your immediate and formal resignation of your position. As you may have read, the resignation of your commission promotes me to Captain of this vessel. Gentlemen," the former Ensign-turned-Captain gestured to the two guards. "Escort this civilian off of my bridge."

"Yes sir."

As the guards forcibly removed there squeeling former commanding officer, the Ensign folded his hands behinf his back and looked out of the Transparisteel Viewing ports at the crisp blue planet of Dreena. He breathed a deep, relaxing breath of the pre-manufactured air of the warship, and took a seat in the command chair. Pressing a small communications button, he opened a channel to a private line to Director Xander Griff and the Steel Resolve.

"Director Griff, it is with a great deal of sadness that I announce the formal and immediate resignation of Captain Jonathon Wells of the Battle Dragon Borealis."

The newly promoted Captain Tanis Thalis grinned.

Republic-class Star Destroyer Astralis

"I hate space."

Lucian took another deep breath of the manufactured air and let out a cough as his lungs became accustomed to the change.

"And I hate this ship."

The ship itself was a remarkable piece of work dispite the Crown Princes' dislikes. For starters, it was so brand new that the fresh coats of paint were still drying on some corridors throughout the ship. Created and generously "donated" by the Rothana Heavy Engineering Corporation, it had become a monolithic starship compared to the smaller Hapan Battle Dragons and Nova Cruisers that dominated the mainstay of the Relephon Fleet.

"It's a nice ship, your majesty. Top of the line."

Lucian glaired at Sevaedus and gestured for him to take a few steps back. "Get away from me. I can't breathe on this fucking ship. What the hell are you doing in my quarters anyway?"


"I just found it necessary to tell you that Lord Jonathon Wells, Captain of the Borealis has resigned his commission." Sevaedus' stare remained blank as he took a few more steps back toward the metallic airlocked doors.

"That bastard." Lucian shot a look at Sevaedus. "Some glorious asset you've aquired for yourself. That's how many this week? Four?"

Sevaedus nodded his head.

Lucian pushed a small button and regained some of his professional composure as a static-blue holographic projection of himself appeared before him and connected to Director Xander Griff.

"Thank you Sevaedus, now get the hell out of my site." Lucian flicked his hand gesturing for him to leave. Just as the hissing airlocked doors closed behind the Lord Protector, Xander Griff's staticy image appeared on the desk before Lucian.

"Mister Griff..." Lucian started and grinned devilishly, intentionlly robbing the man of his own title "... I presume." Before the man could answer, Lucian raised his hand and began to speak. "Spare me the pleasantries. I hired you to do a job, and so far all you have to show me is a few snot nosed children dressed up in uniforms prancing around the cluster thinking that they are bad asses, and countless professional officers with years of experience and schooling under there belts who have apparently resigned there positions in favor of younger officers trained under your hand. I don't know what kind of bullshit you're trying to pull here, but this is my fleet and my army. I pay your salary, you bald-headed mother fucking bastard. You'll remember that the next time one of your fucking brats decides to run one of my officers out of a job! I expect that it won't happen again...."

Griff stared at the lifesize holo who now glared at him with a mixture of annoyance and rage. The 'Crown Prince' was very angry, but like most things these days, Griff predicted it.

He stared at Lucian like a curious child would observe an ant, right before he incinerated it with a magnifying glass.

He held his hand to forestall any further ranting from the Prince, "Please. First, I would remind you that you do not pay my salary, the Union does. Secondly, I have dissmissed your entire command structure because it was bloated and incompetent. Your generals and admirals were only promoted based solely on their status and ties with your family. In a real military, this does not work."

He paused, and let his words sink in, "You have two choices, dissmiss me now, and I would happily take my leave, uproot my men and leave you to be annihilated when the battle really comes, or you shut the fuck up and let me do my job."

He waited.

After a long moment, Lucian seemed to scowl. But Griff knew he had utterly no real choice in the matter. If Griff left, like he threatened, there would be no Relepon military force capable of standing up to their enemies. If Lucian dissmissed him now, Griff could easily pull some strings and have the Union backing of Relephon either recinded or diminished.

And that would serve no real goal.

"Do as you must. But be aware that I am watching you."

The hologram winked out.

Griff smiled.

Republic-class Star Destroyer Astralis

Lucian sat back in his chair, stareing at the computer enhanced image of the Director. The man's distaste for the Hapan people and way of life was no secret, and was obviously evident in his words. The Crown Prince listened to the mans words patiently and intently with a solid and blank stare in his eyes.

"Please. First, I would remind you that you do not pay my salary, the Union does. Secondly, I have dissmissed your entire command structure because it was bloated and incompetent. Your generals and admirals were only promoted based solely on their status and ties with your family. In a real military, this does not work."

Lucian sat up in his chair, the furious anger returning to his voice.

"Let me remind you that the Union is currently funded by my own personal pocket. Billions of credits have been spent on these projects, Mister Griff. I don't expect a man of your calibur to understand the fiscal responsibilities of our governments. Especially a Hapan government."

"You have two choices, dissmiss me now, and I would happily take my leave, uproot my men and leave you to be annihilated when the battle really comes, or you shut the fuck up and let me do my job."

Lucian paused. His face grew so red with frusteration that he was sure his head would explode. He slammed his fist down on the cold metallic frame of his desk and glaired lifelessly at the figure before him.

"Do as you must. But be aware that I am watching you." Lucian snapped and cut off the transmission.

Command Bridge, Hours Later

"Attention on Deck!"

The hiss of the airlocked doors announced his arrival as each and every officer on the temporary flagship of the Relephon fleet snapped to attention. It was a rare occasion for the Crown Prince to leave the Relephon Moons, let alone personally command a Star Destroyer on a top secret mission to the Dreena system. The Crown Prince wore a formal white Naval uniform crisply ironed and neatly cut to fit his slender form. A large collection of metals and patches decorated his chest.

For a moment, the Crown Prince stood in position, surveying the command bridge of the ship and the crew that stood at a brisk salute. No one moved, and for a moment, it seemed like none of them breathed. Two elite guards, trained by the very man that he had discredited hours earlier stood at his side as toy soldiers. Casually, with his arms folded behind his back, Lucian walked up and down the men carefully looking them up and down in a series of inspections before he took up a position at the command chair of the bridge. Smoothing out his uniform, he took a seat and observed the planet Dreena in the distance surrounded by a collection of ships from three fleets. Lady Livia's esteemed and well trained fleet, Ducha Gallenios' personal fleet, which had a hisstory of being one of the most powerful in the Hapan Royal Navy, and his own personal Relephon fleet which comprised mainly of a collection of newly purchased Union warships, and the remnants of the House Algray fleet made famous for it's position in the Heritage Fleet.

"Commander," Lucian started and pointed out the viewing ports at what he knew to be the Steel Resolve. "Inform Director Griff that our diplomatic teams will depart for the surface once his sweep of the system and the surface has been cleared."

"Yes your Majesty." The Commander bowed and hurried about his orders as the bridge returned to life.

"We have every right to be here!" The Hapan shouted indignantly.

"No you do not." General Thrace repeated for the thousandth time, "You are tresspassing on a world that is under the protection of the Relephon Moons Defense Force."

"Since when?" The Hapan asked.

"As of today. We have annexed Dreena. Leave now with your ship and belongings and you will not be harmed or interdicted. But your mining operation on Dreena is illegal by order of the Crown Prince Lucian D'alaetos, and we have been sent to evict you. I adise that you take my suggestion."

The Hapan was a carbon-copy of just about every other one Thrace had met, including himself. His immaculately well-kept body was a testament to the entire Cluster's superiority over regular humans. It even pained Thrace just a little to be evicting fellow Hapans, and he even privatly wondered why this was all happening.

Nevertheless, his intense training over the past month seemed to rise up and squash all of his personal qualms, and drove him to do his duty. he served the Relephon Moons, and the Crown Prince, and if these Hapans were standing in the way, he would remove them without hesitation.

The Hapan man scowled, and passed a look back to his compatriots, who numbered about twenty in number. They were all armed, and only because they were Hapans, did Thrace allow them to continue carrying their weapons. But his men had surrounded the encampment, and if these Hapan males even so much as twitched in an incorrect way, they would be dropped within seconds. Thrace doubted even the most well trained of operatives could possibly get a shot off before they died.

We have been trained well.

The thought rose up in the young General's kind, and he had to supress a smile that would have glowed with pride. Ever since he had entered the military five years ago, he had dreamed of the moment that Relephon would be strong. But suffocated under incompetent leadership had led him, and thousands of others to doubt wether Relephon would ever become significant in the grand scheme and politics of the Consortium.

His mind and heart burned with the thought of Dakkon Darksword kneeling before his masters in the Corperate Sector. Hapes had always been fiercely independant, and now, they were being crushed under the heel of some distant tycoon, and maybe even the Empire.

The thought of being under Imperial lordship caused Thrace to grimace, followed by a clentched fist. He would never allow something like that to happen to him, or even Relephon. He would die defending his homeworld, as would every single one of his troopers.

They were nearing their readiness point. The General shuddered in anticipation of the moment in which he would lead the armies to victory.

Atlas-class Shuttle Arrakis

"Shuttle Arrakis, you are clear for takeoff. Royal escort is in position."

"Confirmed."

The pilot nervously wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and took hold of the controls, maneuvering the Atlas-class shuttle cafrefully through the Astralis' docking bay and out into open space. Quickly flicking his fingers over a few command controls, the pilot gracefully listed the ship to the port side forming up in a tight V-shaped formation as it eased closer to the planet Dreena.

Escorted gracefully by a full squadron of Miy'Til starfighters, the temporarily "Royal" shuttle transport Arrakis maneuvered carefully into position in the atmosphere over the lush green surface of Dreena.

"Royal shuttle Arrakis in position, initiating landing procedures."

The trembling hands of the pilot gently eased the joysticks of the shuttle forward, carefully maneivering the shuttle into position to land. Outside, a large contingent of troops stood in perfect unison, with young General Thrace standing at full attention before them. As the Crown Prince looked out of a small viewing port, he thought he recognized the figure of Director Griff, a man he had seen only hours earlier via holographic projection. Clenching his jaw, Lucian squinted his eyes in anxious anticipation, and nervous preception. Everything had been pre-arranged by the Union, and the operation was supposed to go over as slick and smooth as Gamorrean snot.

"Your majesty," a voice interrupted over the internal speakers of the shuttle. A slight jolt and the dwindling roar of the sublight engines could only mean that the ship had safely come to rest on the planets soft surface. "Welcome to Dreena. Captain Thalis of the Borealis has informed us that Lady Galney and her fleet has arrived from Terephon. Several other nobles from throughout the cluster have also announced that they will be arriving shortly."

Lucian nodded and grinned as he stared out the viewing port at Director Griff and, to no one in perticular responded with a sinister "Good. Standing as the docking ramp slowly lowered to the surface, Lucian waited patiently for the long procession of honor guards to file out and form into two perfect lines of twelve on each side of the ramp. Lucian wore his most formal attire and a stately crown that shimmered atop his head, an heirloom from the now deceased Lady Algray of the Relephon Moons. The newly proclaimed Crown Prince stood with pride, and was an devistatingly handsome man, even by Hapan standards. At a prominent 6'2", the Crown Prince stood slightly higher than most of the men standing before him. He walked with brisk pride, and immediately strode to the newly ascended General Thrace, extending a hand with a wide diplomatic smile.

"General Thrace, I presume."

The man nodded, feeling a great sence of pride. It wasn't every day that one got to meet the Crown Prince of Relephon, let alone shake his hand.

"Yes your majesty. It is an honor to meet you. Welcome to Dreena."

"Congratulations on your promotion, General. I look forward to seeing you live up to your full potential on the battlefield." Lucian nodded and retracted his hand, continuing down the line as he fixed his gaze on Director Xander Griff. Clenching his jaw tightly, Lucian extended a diplomatic hand.

"Director Xander Griff, I appreciate you taking the time to be here in person."

Though Xander accepted, the exchange was kept brief.

"Are the men in position?"

Xander nodded his head and folded his hands neatly behind his back. "Yes Prince D'alaetos. Everything is in order."

Again the same sadistic grin appeared on Lucian's face, and he again uttered the same word...

"Good...."

Location: Classified, Southern Continent of Dreena

Everything was in perfect order. Almost too perfect. Crisp, expensive wine flowed from bottles as if it were tap water. Laughter and diplomatic pleasantries sang out like a bittersweet tune against the smooth metallic walls of the prefabricated structure that had been chosen for the meeting. Several infamous Royal households, that comprised a large portion of the Heritage Council, such as House Galney of Terephon, House Talaria of Vega, and House Gallenios of Serephus, Lucian's own House D'alaetos (formerly House AlGray), and the insectoid Hive of Tu'dar of the planet Thrakia.

After glancing down at his watch once again, Lucian arose and gently tapped his crystalline wine glass with the back of his eating fork. As servants paused and folded there hands as they stepped back against the walls, a few of the Ducha's and Ladies stared hard as it trying to keep focus on the Crown Prince. Lucian grimaced slightly as he looked upon the slipping mandibals of the Thrakian representatives.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Heritage Council. Today is the dawn of a new age within the Hapes Cluster. The vile and insolent tyranny that the crown has committed by selling our cluster to the corporate wolves of the Commonwealth well come to an end. Not at my hand, but at the hands of the common citizens that have lived in relative peace and harmony under our esteemed leadership. It is the Nobles of this cluster that have maintained the peace and solidarity amongst our people and that peace will prevail under the knowledgeable leadership of this council." Several of the lords began to sway in there chairs and became increasingly nervous as the Crown Prince continued.

"Unfortunately, all of you are about to die at the hands of the very Commonwealth that Dakkon Darksword has sold our lands and titles to...."

Lady Livia of House Talaria and Ducha Gallenios of House Gallenios arose from there seats and drew there sporting blasters, each conveniently located on either side of Lucian. As they did, screams of horror flled the room as a Thrakian insectoid overturned the dining table and snapped his mandibals, releasing his paper-like wings from the thick outer shell of his insectoid body and hovering as high as he could manage.

Lucian raised an eyebrow and smiled as he took two steps back behind Lady Livia and Lord Gallenios.

"Director Griff," Lucian gestured to the flying Thrakian hovering in the distance "I believe Lord Ssif'Rrzik Tu'Dar wants to have a word with you..."

As the other Nobles of the once proud and powerful Heritage council fell paralized to the cold metallic floors (an effect of the poison slowly introduced throughout the evening), Lucian brushed at an invisible dust on his clothing, as if riding himself of a vile filth that had invaded him. He casually exited the chamber as the Honor Guards of the Nobles and Lucian's own special forces engaged one another in what would be a short and pointless battle.

"Cut and dry, Director... Don't let anyone get away."

The metallic door sealed behind him as the Crown Prince exited and walked toward his shuttle.

Bridge, Manticore System Patrol Craft HMS Rocinante


“Sensor sweep is coming in now, sir.”

He nodded curtly to the crewman, patiently awaiting the results.

They were in deep space, as far out in the Relephon system as one could be; far beyond the range of any patrol craft. Most vessels would have problems scanning this far out, but then; these tasks were what the Rocinante was designed for. Every three hours, the Patrol Craft scanned the system using its covert equipment, monitoring the Relephon navy’s movements. The interval prevented detection.

The Rocinante was not a normal Manticore. It had been stripped of most of its military ordinance and replaced it with every known piece of stealth and intelligence-gathering technology the Commonwealth had possession of, and many pieces that they didn’t. The Rocinante was one of the few hidden prides of the Hapan Navy.

To sensors, the Patrol Craft showed up as a standard Hapan Manticore the HMS Rook, a Commonwealth frigate the CWS Pawn, a merchant vessel purportedly under the service of the Vinda Corporation the Last Haul, or the unidentified vessel M’karos depending on what the situation called for. Right now, the Rocinante wasn't showing up at all.

As the HMS Rook, they were an official vessel in the Hapan Navy. As the CWS Pawn, the same went for the Commonwealth Navy. As the Last Haul, they were officially licensed to transport almost all goods that the Vinda Corporation had a hand in buying or selling (although for the life of him he couldn’t think of a scenario in which that could come in handy), and as the M’karos…well, they were unknown, which was always good in their line of work.

The HMS Rocinante was a gem in the ocean. And it was crewed entirely by Watchers.

But then, as Cygnus surveyed the bridge, there were Watchers and then there were Watchers.

“Sir, the scans,” the crewman saluted and proffered a datpad. Cygnus nodded and took it.

He was known to them only as sir. He had no official rank, and didn’t need one. All they had to know was that he was a superior. And he was.

Interesting, he mused to himself.

They had been dispatched to monitor the Relephon system shortly after the terrorist bombing of the Commonwealth vessel Contractor Seven and Relephon's...unfriendly response to the Commonwealth investigation. The official Commonwealth response had been to decertify Relephon citizens in Commonwealth space. One of their unofficial responses had been to dispatch the Rocinante to watch.

That was what Watchers were good at.

“Captain, come and take a look at this,” Cygnus waved the commanding officer of the Rocinante over. Their relationship with regards to the chain of command was slightly strained, as was to be expected. Captains did not like having people ordering them around in their own ship, even the most humble ones. But the captain was a Watcher, and he knew his place.

“Yes, sir?” the salute was given and the nod was returned. Cygnus did not salute.

“Take a look at these readings and tell me what you think,” he let the captain take the datapad, and waited as the man scanned its contents.

“Very peculiar, sir,” the man murmered.

“What is?” Cygnus asked.

“Their fleet buildup…its increasing at a rate at least three times as rapid as would be expected,” the captain replied, narrowing his eyes at the information before him, “And this…right here. Defense platforms. There are too many.”

“Too many?” Cygnus asked, raising his brow.

“Too many for Relephon to be able to properly construct and man so quickly,” the captain answered, looking up at the superior, “The numbers are there, sir, but they don’t add up.”

“Unless…” Cygnus began, eyeing the man before him.

“Unless…” the captain echoed, a look of concentration upon his face, “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know. Unless what?”

Cygnus smiled grimly.

“Unless they’re getting help,” he said.

“From another Hapan planet?” the man asked, raising his brow, “I was aware that Relephon was beginning talks, but I hadn’t been aware any other planet had allied with them. Do you think they have a secret alliance with another Hapan planet, sir?”

“It is entirely possible,” Cygnus conceded, “There is also the possibility that they’re receiving aid from a planet…outside the Consortium.”

“Outside the Consortium?”

“All angles must be taken into careful consideration,” Cygnus said in a slightly chiding tone, “In our business, we cannot afford to jump to any conclusions.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Set a course for Hapes,” Cygnus ordered, “I must submit my report to the World Council and the Crown Prince. After that, I have business to attend to elsewhere. But look forward to returning here once more, gentlemen. I have a feeling things at Relephon are not as they appear.”

Five minutes later, the Rocinante jumped.

In the seedier sections of Bonadan, they say stop snitching, but snitches are really a fact of life. Without them, the intelligence community would dry up and wither away like an Endor fern in the Dune Sea. As a matter of fact, they are the sole reason that a team of crack Commonwealth Special Forces had been pulled off assignment and ordered to board coffin-like, meteor shaped entry capsules and covertly dropped onto the southern continent of Dreena by a Commonwealth Navy stealth ship. This was due solely to the fact that an unnamed Commonwealth snitch had heard that Crown Prince Lucian D'alaetos would be meeting with other dissenters within the Cluster.

Considering that D’alaetos’ “Regency” was exploding innocent freighters and building up large military forces along with spreading dissent throughout the cluster, the surveillance Prince’s activities had become a top priority.

So now… Master Sergeant Cortrian Oxenstierna did not move. Clutching his rifle tightly, he did not even breathe. His team’s position on the hill above the once deserted clearing had nearly been compromised as the contingent of Relephon Moons Defense Force troopers had arrived to prepare for the meeting of Hapan nobility. Patrol after patrol had combed through the hills surrounding the camp. Now a member of one those patrols stood less than five feet from Oxenstierna.

The team’s fatigues, adorned with native flora, blended in perfectly with the vegetation atop the hill. A layer of synthetic material within the uniforms masked their heat signatures. None of this protected Oxenstierna from the Mark I Eye Ball of a soldier who was now less than a yard away.

The sergeant’s arm, now wielding a vibroblade, swung out from his side like an attacking predator and into the neck of the soldier of Relephon. Grabbing his blood squirting neck, the unlucky Hapan crumpled into the ground. This impromptu signal alerted the rest of the fifteen man team to dispatch the rest of the enemy patrol. A member of the team armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher took it upon himself to destroy the Relephon strong point in front of the prefabricated building housing the meeting.

Oxenstierna’s mission was to observe and capture the Prince or any others if the opportunity presented itself. This was definitely an opportunity. The ball was in play, and Oxenstierna’s team was making their way down the hill with guns blazing.

A man had left the building and was approaching the troop transport that he had arrived in earlier. Oxenstierna’s mind raced back to the pre-mission briefing.

D’alaetos…concluded the sergeant. He raised his rifle to his shoulder, peering down the sight, the prince in his cross hairs. It was a perfect shot, but then he hesitated. He could end his conflict right here with an inglorious, unmitigated shot straight through the Prince’s spinal cord. Then military discipline took over. Orders mandated capture, not the execution this perfect shot would giver Oxenstierna. Alternative means were necessary.

“Don’t allow that shuttle to take off!” he ordered, keying his squad communications frequency.

The Commonwealth Special Forces trooper with the rocket propelled grenade launcher was step ahead of the sergeant and already taking aim.

Dreena System

Republic-class Star Destroyer Astralis

"Confirmation from the surface," the younger officer offered a slight nod with his words and awaited his next order. The combined Relephon fleet had taken up positions not only in orbit of the planet, but also throughout the entire system, making ambush impossible. Divided into four main out-system fleets, and one main fleet in orbit with the other Noble's fleets that were present, the perfectly synchronized fleets had constant communication and maintained a perfect balance of power between them.

"On my mark Ensign," the Captain ordered. "Mark."

Following the Captains orders, the young Ensign began sending an encrypted message to each of the four out-system fleets stationed in the system. Each fleet was comprised of a newly purchased Interdictor-class Battlecruiser, a vast number of Hapan Battledragons, Pulsar Battlecruisers, and Nova cruisers as well as several foreign vessels either recently purchased or 'on-loan' from the Union.


Interdictor-class Battlecruisers Carrion, Venatici, Corvinus, and Lacerta

Upon confirmation of the orders, each of the four Interdictor cruisers powered up there gravity wells in perfect unison creating an immense bubble around the entire Dreena system. Operation Black Widow, as it was called during the planning stages, had been set in motion to ensure that not only could no one get into the Dreena system, no one could get out.