It was a world that was known to many. Years ago, before the galaxy got so caught up in their selfish civil war, it was the planet that made Lando Calrissian famous.

Taanab.

“Officer on deck!” Hiram Drayson, Admiral of the Galactic Defence Initiative and commander of Task Force Saber, stepped onto the bridge of the Imperator Star Destroyer Arda, a frown upon his face.
“At ease,” he ordered, striding quickly to the forward viewports. “Captain Joda: status?” He asked, not turning.
“The fleet is ready, Admiral.” Drayson smiled slightly. This would be a day long remembered. Already GDI forces would be smashing Rogue Imperial resistance at Charubah. Now it was time to make them pay for the their other crimes.
“Captain, engage the hyperdrive. Order the other ships to do likewise.”
“As ordered, Captain.” Slowly, the mammoth Star Destroyer came around and pointed its arrowhead bow towards the distant speck that was Falleen. Then it was gone, replaced with the swirling vortex of hyperspace. Drayson turned away from the viewport with a sigh.
“Captain, make sure the fleet is ready to begin as soon as we emerge from hyperspace.”
“Aye, Admiral!”

Laser batteries were charged and primed, warhead launchers were loaded. On the flight deck, pilots and techs did last minutes checks on the fightercraft, preparing them for the coming fight.

If all went according to plan, it would be a short fight. But in war, things rarely went according to plan…

OOC:

Task Force Sabre
Imperator Mark III Star Destroyer Arda
Imperator Mark III Star Destroyer Vigilance
Imperator Mark III Star Destroyer Freedom’s Chance
Torpedo Sphere Impenetrable
*Full starfighter compliment

Task Force Trident
Contents undisclosed
Out of system scanner range

The ships emerged from hyperspace on the edge of the system, out of range of any Abolishers that might, conviently, be waiting with their wells powered up.

Better safe than sorry.

It was a tricky thing, flying formation hyperspace, but the Galactic Defence Initiative had proved time and time agin that tricky things were their specialty.

They immediatly set themselves in a defensive stance, crusing towards the planet with a silent grace. Stretching between them and their allies was a communications line. Any breach in that encypted line would alert their reserves to the trouble, causing an immediate rally.

"Threat assesment?" Hiram Drayson asked, straining to see anything in the distance. Against the background of Taanab, that was nearly impossible.

"Negative, sir. Nothing deteced yet... wait. Yes. I have one Imperator-class Star Destroyer and one Carrack-class Light Cruiser. Standard Rogue Imperial systems defence force."

"Surprise likelihood?"

"They've probably seen us, but our formation prevents them from being able to tell what type and how many ships are present until we're significantly closer. Reserve fleet is still out of sensor range."

"Excellent. Make sure the fleet is ready to fight. Order Impenetrable to get into firing position. Ready all starfighters for immediate launch."

The bridge was a hive of activty as the orders were carried our. Wihin moments the small task force was prepared to take on the enemy, and a glorious day it would be.

"Liberty is at hand, people. Let's make the Supreme Commander proud."

It's funny, really. That in order to attain power, people are willing to go to such lengths. I guess it's true what they say. People are selfish.

And its that selfishness, those few bastards who desire power over all else, that have to ruin it for the rest of us.

The fact that people would rebuild the Death Star, the murderer of Alderaan, and then have the gall to call it a 'Diplomatic Meeting Ground' truly speaks of the idiocy that surrounds the human race.

It's impossible, I guess, to fathom the mind of a human. But then, they say that Fearsons is half Chiss. They also said that Emperor Palpatine was a good guy and that he died destroying a Rebel Death Star.

Whatever the hell he is, he sure isn't the nice-guy liberator with a heart of gold that he likes to think he is. You'd think that, after a while, he'd get used to the fact that no one saw him in that light.

Ten creds says that even the Viscount del Forza thinks he's a power-hungry bastard. Of course, I'm sure the Viscount would take the reigns of power in a heartbeat if the Emperor failed in his duties. More so than he already has, I mean.

Maybe it's not the Emperor. Maybe it's the system. Maybe the whole damn system is so fucked up that everything and anything Fearsons does makes him look bad.

Of course, his idiocy and blatant disregard for all life hasn't helped much, either. It's really to bad that humans are so bloody stupid.

So, what has all this gained us? Emperor Fearsons resurrects the Death Star so that he can rule the galaxy with an iron fist. Only he's so damned incompitent that the thing blows up of its own accord (without even any help from a farm boy in an antiqued fighter). He also makes sure to invoke the wrath of the most powerful man in the galaxy by launching an attack on one of the true Empire's worlds, then denies responsibility.

As if a tiny faction with a twentieth the Empire's might would dare to attack them. Of course, that just makes the New Order madder, and when Fearsons screws up yet again, by refusing to surrender, the Empire just says 'All right, fuck it. We gave you a chance, now it's time for you to die.'

And we come back to the Emperor's disregard for life. He's been throwing his troops, farm boys and criminals, no doubt, against the New Order without a second thought. And their being cut down like ragdolls.

And in between all this we get one man who, on one hand despises the Empire for everything they've done in the past, and on the others despises Emperor Fearsons for all the reasons above.

And with the Empire in charge, it means that we do what we can to aide them.

And so here we are, pitched in the middle of a battle that, by all accounts, we shouldn't be in, fighting for an Empire that most of us aren't very fond of, and all the while furthering the goals of that Empire.

Like I said, ironic. That's the system for you, though. So fucked up that you can't even see you way through your own home without wondering what's going to happen today.

"We are negative for enemy response. Initiating Phase Two."

"Admiral, we await your word." Hiram Drayson looked out at the duo of warships hovering in front of the Arda. With a curt nod, he turned to the Colonel who had spoked.

"Phase Two confirmed. Authorization Code Omega Six-Six-Nine. Go now."

These orders were swiftly relayed to the massive Torpedo Sphere Inpenatreble. In a matter of seconds, the specialized sensors aboard the siege weapon had located the weak spot in the shields of the enemy Star Destroyer, directly below the bridge and to the left.

"Target aquired. Firing." And with a thousand bright flashes the mamoth vessel let loose with a salvo of proton torpedos, a seemingly unending stream.

The first hundred warheads crushed the Star Destroyer's shields, sending skittering pink light across them. The next group slammed into hull, tearing massive holes in the ship and, in a matter of seconds, penetrating the massive enemy ship.

At the same time, the turbolasers on the Sphere opened fire and sent hard green light into the bridge of the enemy ship, opening it up to the hard vacume outside.

"Target eliminated."

"Ask the Corvette again for a surrendur, and fire if they do not do so."

"As ordered, Admiral."

"What the frell are they doing?" Hiram Drayson breathed, looking out at the still-burning Star Destroyer and the motionless corvette.

"Nothing, sir." The Captain said, obviously confused, also looking at the two ships. Drayson glanced at him.

"That," he said coldly, "is obvious. Why aren't they doing anything?" The captain gulped and shook his head hopelessly.

"I don't know, Admiral." Hiram sighed and brushed a hand across his forhead.

"This was to easy. Even if this is the extent of their defences, we shouldn't have had such an easy time with them. Why haven't they done anything?" The captain started to answer, but was cut off by Hiram. "Don't answer that, Captain, it was a rhetorical question." The man closed his mouth.

"It would almost seem as if this world is being given up freely. As if they do not care what happens here..."

He slammed his fist against a computer console.

"A sacrafice? But why?" Out in front of the ship, the corvette was still silent, waiting. Almost as if it were a ghost.

"Maybe they are decoys, sir. Unmanned, just sent out here to die." Drayson nodded.

"The question is why? Why sacrafice an Imperator Star Destroyer and a Corvette with no purpose? I'd call it a trap, but that doesn't work because we haven't been attacked yet. I'd call it dumb luck, but that makes even less sense." The other man was silent for a moment.

"Perhaps it was a trap, sir. Perhaps they intended to ambush us here, but something made them change their minds and they forgot about these decoys."

"Yes. That makes sense, Captain. Perhaps the true Empire, or the Mon Calamari Republic, has distracted them."

"Whatever happened, it works for the best to our cause." Drayson smiled.

"Indeed it does, Captain. Indeed it dos." He paused for a moment, then turned away. "All right. Communications, connect me with the Supreme Commander. Put it on a Delta One-One-Seven encyption and relay it through the second pyramid. I won't have it traced."

There was a moment of tense silence as the link was brought up, confirmed, and encypted, and then it was ready.

Hiram Drayson rose as the hologram of Supreme Commander Dxun Isstal appeared and saluted.

"Sir, Admiral Hiram Drayson reporting."
"At ease, Admiral." The Supreme Commander smiled. "You have a report, I assume?"
"I do, sir. The situation at Tanaab is quite... odd." Dxun Isstal's eyes widened and he nodded knowingly.
"The fleet was dead when you arrived and has not yet acknowledged your presence?" If Hiram Drayson knew any surprise, he did not show it.
"That's it exactly, sir."
"We have the same situation at Charubah. Continue transmitting to the planet, and make sure to stay in contact with your reserves. If something happens, I want to know immediatly."
"As ordered, sir."
"Excellent. Isstal out." The hologram vanished.

"All right, you heard him! Let's do it, people!" Hiram Drayson collapsed into his command chair and let out a sigh.

It was an odd day, to be sure.