Ruuvan sat, impatient for the fleet's arrival. They weren't quite at Roche yet, although they were getting there. Not a peep out of the Empire yet, nor a flicker of the communications shutout. All he could do was keep a tight formation and wait... and wait... and wait...

"Are Projectors loaded?" he asked, and the lieutenant nodded. "How about shields? Are they all ready to go?" He got another nod. "Fighters?"

"They're in their cockpits, sir. Everyone is ready to go at a moment's notice."

Ruuvan lay back, staring into the infinity of hyperspace - he had a bad feeling about this.

The Imperial fleet continued to hold its position, seemingly unwilling to fully engage the Verpine defences and see the unncessesary waste of life, or perhaps to risk their ships in the midst of the asteroid field itself.

The force flowed through Frakutsk. He became one with the force. He reached and groped around. The taint of the dark side was eminent in many places, as it always was. As he increased his synergy with the force, the detail of it grew.

And then, he noticed emotion and determination. He noticed a twist in the force that was the signiture of the forcefully willed Coalition Military. everywhere. He noticed, too, bumps and spikes, very close to the the highly-trained militist, who Frakutsk assumed to be a White Knight. As he related it to the physical world, he realized that it was coming toward him.

He had been noticed! Regrad had sent help! As Frakutsk zoomed in on the help, though, he realized that it was more than just help. An entire fleet was coming his way.

The strongest life force among the fleet was, Frakutsk thought, probably the leader. He focused fully on the White Knight, and brushed his conciousness.

Frakutsk sent images of the Imperial fleet hovering around the Roche asteroid belt. Frakutsk sent images of the Verpine's weapons. Then, Frakutsk sent focused thoughts, not words, but concepts.

The Imperials are not attacking. The Verpine will not attack.

These two short concepts might have been obvious without being thought in this way. Frakutsk didn't know. Frakutsk had not had enough experiance to know exactly what to do to contact someone through the force, though such a thing was in Frakutsk's area of expertise.

Frakutsk sent his hopes that the Imperials could be forced to leave, because they were, as far as he could tell, so out-gunned.

Frakutsk broke off from the leader and drifted back to himself. Returning to a basic Jedi meditation, something he fondly remembered learning at the academy.

"Have you taken into account the layout of the Asteroid field in our arrival plans?" said Ruuvan, anxiously, as they reached Roche. His mind swam with strange visions and words. He could barely hear the response of his lieutenant, guessing that it sounded somewhat positive. He had heard that the Minister of Peace was a wielder of the Force, and Ruuvan could only guess that that was what he was feeling. When his vision cleared, the Knight felt a moment of insecurity, before nodding.

"Change of plans - alert the fleet. I'm guessing the Minister doesn't want us to come in guns blazing, but there is a confirmed threatening Imperial presence in the area. We are to establish a perimeter and maintain a defensive position. Be vary of Verpine weaponry, not that they're set against us but because apparently they have some and we don't want to run into it."

"Sir." said his lieutenant, unsure "If we're not here to fight the Empire, what are we to do?"

Ruuvan smiled "Perhaps some agressive negotiations are in order? Sometimes the best bargaining chip is a Turbolaser battery. Prepare to exit hyperspace!"

As they approached the designated arrival area, Ruuvan hopped back into his chair. The area had been chosen to avoid accidental collision with asteroides, as well as to keep them at a safe distance from any hostile situation that might be unfolding. Arriving closer to the Verpine then the Imperials, the Coalition forces stretched into reality, a large number of battlecruisers and frigates in a tight, uncompromising position.

"All right!" Ruuvan said quickly "Establish communications with the Verpine, the Empire might be trying to jam us but I'm more then confident we've got enough signals to drown them over the airwaves, so to speak. Send the Imperial commander an immeadiet Cease and Decist order, clearly stating that this is now a recognized state of the New Coalition, and as such they are violating Verpine soverignty with their warships. Either they turn back now, or we will be forced to turn them back. All ships, beware of asteroides - the Empire got through it okay, so we should be able to as well!"

Moving tightly for now - but with each captain ready to break off into attack formations should the order come - the Coalition moved to contest the Empire's claim to Roche.

I sure as hell hope someone, somewhere has a plan said Ruuvan Right now, we may well not get out of this with our lives.

"Captain!" The voice was calm, collected - exactly what Ariel Trinity expected of her crew - and it came from beside her. She turned, giving the officer an appraising look and nodded her approval for the man to continue. "We've detected a group of ships emerging from hyperspace near the asteroid field, various designs of unknown vessels flying Coalition standards."

"A war fleet?" Trinity asked, knowing that the Coalition had no worlds that would require supply along this route. The officer nodded. Such an occurence was not unexpected, but it did complicate the situation for the Empire.

"Details?" She asked, thinking.

"Being uploaded to your station, Captain."

Trinity nodded, dismissed the officer and moved to her seat. The screen showed a dozen vessels, each larger in size than the Eternal, along with twice as many escorts, these ships roughly 500 meters in length. They appeared lightly armed, but Trinity's fleet was not of the usual type: the EASDs and TADs where lightly armoured, designed for fast and furious fighting, not the devestating staying power that the Imperator class of Star Destroyers were famous for.

Still, Trinity had fought the Coalition before. Though not the ships that now showed themselves on her scopes.

"Any communication?" She asked, feeling she already knew the answer.

"Yes, Captain. A general 'cease and desist' order from the Coalition government." Trinity shook her head. The nerve of these aliens! A cease and desist order to the Empire, in their space (no less)! It was not unheard of, but that made it no less ridiculous.

"Very well. Inform the commander of the aliens that this is Imperial space, and that we shall not be displaced save by order of the Empire. Tell them they had thirty minutes to withdraw their forces or we will be forced to take action."

She stopped, frowning.

"And check on the status of our reinforcements."

Now that the Coalition was within close proximity to Frakutsk, he found it far easier to communicate with them. He could use at least partly physical means to speak with their leader, instead of having to navigate the confusing vortex of the force, Frakutsk could simply use his knowledge of the force to reach out to the fleet.

The Verpine were communicating technical status of their position and weaponry to the Coalition Fleet. They seemed to be behind the Coalition, so far.

Meanwhile, Frakutsk spoke to Ruuvan through the force.

Dosa not leave. Wesa might have thisa under control. Mesa will talk to the Imperials.

Frakutsk sighed as he sought the Imperial fleet through the force. There they were, sitting coldly outside the asteroid belt. Prominent among them was an cold iron wall of a mind that Frakutsk knew was, unfortunately, their leader. Frakutsk cursed his bad luck. He did not think he could effect the mind of such a icy-willed highly-trained militarist. Frakutsk's best hope was the more grunt-like minds of the crew.

Though he never liked doing it, Frakutsk sent thoughts of hopelessness and doubt at the gunmen. Though he met with some resistance, the gun crews were far more human than the upper officials of the fleet. The main factor that worked against frakutsk was the Gunmen's fear of being afraid. They knew that punishment was in store for them if they didn't do their duties. And with the punishers still steadfast, Frakutsk didn't know what he would achieve.

Perhaps an undercurrent of uncertainty would be the difference between severe loss of life, and a painless retreat.

Ruuvan understood and accepted the orders of the Minister, feeling some comfort to be under the command of a Jedi - known, as they are, as the wisest of warriors. So, in an effort to interpret this, he sent out a transmission to his fleet - one he ended up having to play a half-dozen times for enough of it to be heard through the Imperial jamming for a message to be understood.

"All Coalition forces, arrange yourself in a defensive formation between the Asteroides and the Imperial forces - be mindful of the Verpine guns, however! Any aggressive action should be taken as a cue to attack, unless you are ordered otherwise, but for the time being hold your fire."

The Coalition's ships, uneasily aligning themselves across from the Empire, and clearly uncomfortable with this arrangement, awaited the order to fire. Instead, however, Ruuvan ordered a message on a diplomatic frequency to be sent to this Imperial commander, repeated until they let down their jamming to hear it.

"Imperial forces, this is Knight Ruuvan of the Emergency Coalition Roche Task Force. We have arrived to ensure there will be NO subverting of the will of the Verpine by Imperial forces, nor will there be any violence directed at them, least we are forced to open fire - which, I assure you, we are prepared to do. If you wish to negotiate with the Verpine and the Coalition's diplomatic representative at this time, they are reachable through your regular communications system - any further terms or business you wish to discuss should be best dealt to them."

His message finished, Ruuvan stepped back. "Fat chance they'll actually have much to say to each other. All systems on alert, I want our fighters ready to run intercept and our guns ready to take out their formation on my command or should the need arise."

Ruuvan had no love for the Empire, and could only hope they would leave - but if they didn't, he was just as prepared to fight them for the Verpine as for anyone else.

Trinity's whispered conversation with the ship's XO was interupted by the arrival of the coms officer, who saluted smartly before delivering his report, earning an approving smile from the Line-Captain.

"We're receiving a hail on a diplomatic channel from the Coalition force commander."

Trinity nodded. The Coalition had never been big on surprise - it seemed they would rather sit and talk than use the advantadge of surprise to strike at the Imperial fleet.

Which was fine with the Captain, for it only demonstrated that the commander the GC had sent to deal with Roche was weak.

"Link it to my station." She said, glancing at the screen of the XO's station. "Continue to track these vectors."

The XO nodded, and Trinity returned to her own station, looking down at the image of the Coalition commander. An alien, of course. The message was prerecorded, and already she could guess at its content.

When it had finished playing she found she was right. The GC commander had said nothing unexpected, and certainly nothing worthy of a response.

"Intensify jamming on all fields. I don't want anything getting out of the system." The coms officer nodded his understanding and sent his subordinants to work.

"No response, Captain?" He asked hesitantly.

"Not a word. If the Coalition is to stupid to read the Emperor's directives, then there is no reason we should help them to."

She frowned for a moment.

"Issue an invitation for the Verpine representitive to meet me aboard the Eternal at his convience. The Empire will guarantee his safety."

Ahead of them, the Coalition fleet was hanging in space, their crews no doubt on full alert, waiting.

If a waiting game it was, the Empire could play along.

"Get me a holonet connection to Yaga Minor. Urgent for Grand Moff Drayson."

There was a few moments in which nothing happened, both fleets waiting for some climax to come along and stir them from their slumber. And then the confirmation that Drayson was on the line and waiting.

Trinity made her way to the bridge's communications bubble, activating the privacy field and the holoprojector and saluting her commander.

The other woman wore a thin smile.

"Trouble, Captain?" Checking the clock, Trinity realized it was well past midnight in the capital. But then, Drayson was rarely in bed before that hour.

"Something of a situation has developed, Admiral." Trinity admitted. "The Coalition has sent a warfleet - thirty-six ships of significant size, in all."

Drayson said nothing for a moment. Then a smile crept to her lips.

"Three dozen ships, Captain? Evidently Roche has more of a value to the Coalition than we thought. They arrived after you did?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Then Roche is hardly in their hands. And the Verpine are not the type to join them so easily as that. Good.

"Captain, I want you to hold your position. Do not engage the enemy, allow them to engage you. The Verpine will yet join the Empire willingly."

And then she proceeded to inform the Line-Captain as to how, exactly, the Verpine might be convinced.

When Trinity shut down the unit and the privacy field flickered away, she found the coms officer waiting for her.

"The Verpine ambassador has accepted your invitation, Captain. His ship lifted off from one of the asteroids a moment ago."

"Very good. Commander," she turned to the XO, "prepare the Eternal to receive a guest."

Aboard the Wisdom

Three Verpine sat silently, each armed with two thin "Strike" blasters. They communicated worridly with the rest of their hive. The general consensus was that the Empire would not harm the delegates, knowing that they would gain nothing from it but angered insectoids.

The residents of the asteroid that was fired upon pointed out that the Empire did not hesitate to try to slaughter them. There wasn't a single Verpine who wasn't angered with the Empire for being to willing to kill hundreds of their kin.

The Verpine had accepted the Imperial's offer so that they could hear what the Empire had to say. Several Verpine thought that there was a chance the Empire wanted something other than control of their system and species. Though an overwhelming portion of them did not have such high hopes. Most where basically certain that the Empire wanted to try to get the Verpine to join them willingly.

Gnzz was fiddling with the citcuitry of his blaster, wondering if he could raise the Power to Firing Rate ratio even higher than it was already.

---

Frakutsk continued his meditation, and he became aware of the Verpine delgation going to see the Imperials. He tryed to focus on them but found that he could not get a perfect mental picture of the going-ons. At least, not without allowing the lower-level Imperials to regain their confidence.

It was obvious to Frakutsk that he was not skilled enough at what he was trying to do. He was already spreading himself too thin. Still, he was confident he could be of some use.

"Verpine delegates appear to be meeting the Empire." said a lieutenant to Ruuvan, who nodded.

"Fair enough, this is their system, it is their right to speak to who they want."

The lieutenant paused, and said "You don't think they want to surrender to the Empire, sir? Or join them?"

Ruuvan didn't give it much thought before saying "Unlikely. The Empire already fired on them, annexed them without just cause, and threatened them frequently. At this point, they've lost any possible image of a cooperative partner for the Verpine. The only tool left in their arsenal is fear - admittedly, potent, but it only works if they have something to fear. With us here, the enemy is outnumbered and outgunned, so that is seriously unlikely to work, and Roche is quite close to Coalition territory, so it's also unlikely to warrent much worry there either. All in all, I think this newly-minted membership looks hopeful."

"Unless there's fighting, of course." his lieutenant muttered "Then it doesn't look so good."

"I see what you're getting at." said Ruuvan "I know, they're probably stalling for reinforcements, enough to 'put us in our place', but I have some confidence, because there is one thing we have that they don't."

"Oh? What's that, sir?"

Ruuvan smiled, and waved an accusing finger in good-humour "Nice try, you cunningy spy, you. I'll be holding on to that piece of top-tier intel for the right moment, wether it be one ordered by the Minister or one forced upon us by Imperial arrogance. Don't worry, for now - we wait."