Holding the Fort: Volume Three (Planets)
Posts: 4025
  • Posted On: Dec 15 2004 10:33pm
Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Tyrant, orbiting the world of Vladet....

Commodore Huey stood aboard the Imperial Battleship in charge of the defense of the Mid-Rim Protectorate capital planet, and gazed over out at some of his main charges, mainly the orbital shipyards of the planet. They had produced many fine warships during their existance, including some of the destroyers and frigates assigned to his fleet. In cruising formation behind his flagship labored the star destroyers Tyrannic, and Firestorm. All three of the ships were Mark II models, the finest model of star destroyer in the minds of many of the Imperial commanders stationed in this portion of the galaxy. Their existance was an exciting one, for all kinds of activity was aloof at Vladet, everything from mercenaries hired to hit the planet by disgruntled followers of conquered worlds, and pirates and villany and scum. Why, today's victim turned out to be a pirate ship chasing a fleeing freighter into the planetery system. The pirate ship was a modified corellian corvette, with heavy weaponry, and a small hangar bay hollowed out of his hammerhead. The corvette was firing on a bulk cruiser, and appeared to be actually winning the battle. Assisting it were four Z-95 Headhunters modified with ion cannons, and two lamdba shuttles, moving in for the capture. However, the pirate's achievements would soon be short lived. The Illustrious cruiser Indomitable cut across their paths and opening up on the corvette with it's turbolaser batteries, while dispatch a half squadron of TIE Fighters to deal with the rest of the vessels. The TIE Fighters broke up into three wingpairs, two of them targeting the headhunters, the other one going after the Lambda shuttles. This contest gave a fair chance to the pirates in numbers, but everything else was in the favour of the Imperials. Within mere seconds the Z-95s were destroyed, as was one Lambda shuttle. The other one last for a few mere more seconds due to it's crew reinforcing it's shields. By the time it was finally destroyed the pirate corvette was a mere hunk of drifting metal. The crippled freigher was then taken in tow by the cruiser with the TIE Fighters flying escort. They headed for an orbital commerce dockyard station, where a tech crew was being summoned to stand by at to repair the freighter while it was being offloaded, for Vladet was it's destination.

Commodore Huey sighed. He was getting tired of these constant raids. He sent a message to the surface requesting an audience with the Vice Admiral concerning these annoying nuances. He recieved his reply a short time later. Go right ahead and come to the surface, the message read. So fine, the Commodore would come to the surface alright, as soon as he changed into something more appropirate. He left the blueness of the bridge with the crewer techs and stormtroopers behind them and proceeded down the long corridor to his personal quarters, that, while not as luxurious as his mansion had been, suited him just fine. He immediatly stripped off his olive green capitan's uniform, and dug into the closet for his proper red commodore's uniform. He found it, although it was somewhat wrinkled. No problem, he mused, he could get it cleaned and pressed while he took a quick rinse in the refresher. The droid he summoned collected his uniform and left, leaving him naked to his shower. He turned the water to warm, the way he liked it, and making sure no one was looking, squirted in the bubble rinse. His mother had always given him bubblebaths, and he still had a secret obsession for it, although it anyone found out, he would be the laughing stock of the Imperial navy. He certainly hadn't noticed the spy cam that someone had hidden in his refresher, nor that his quarters hadn't been locked like he normally left them. Someone, at least someone, already knew about his secret, and had planted a little suprise for the Commodore that he was sure not to forget. The Commodore climbed into the bath, and let himself soak in silence for about ten minutes, while scrubbers thoroughly cleaned his body. Then, when he got out of the bath, he felt a little oily. He retrieved a towel to wipe himself down, and that's when he noticed that the towel was covered in black liquid. He looked himself in the mirror, from head to toe. A second later, four Imperial stormtroopers came running down the corridor to the quarters of the Commodore after a passerby heard a loud scream. They activate the room comm and inquired if the Commodore was alright. He said he was, and dismissed the stormtroopers. Then, with the droid having delievered his clean uniform, he walked out into the corridor, trying to hide a blush from his face as the occasional passerby tried hard as he or she could to hide a smirk or a giggle. Of course it was quite a sight to see, a man covered completley in black wearing a crimson uniform. The Commodore proceeded directly to the office of his aide, and seeing as the aide was not there, left a message. It read; Leave for all crew cancelled, and no new leave will be authroized for one hundred twenty six hours. With this little errand finished, Huey proceeded down the turbolift torwards the hangar bay, where his personal shuttle was awaiting him. He had an appointment to keep with the Vice Admiral.

The Imperial shuttle Fydris lifted out of the bay of the Imperial Star Destroyer and proceeded to the surface of the planet without delay. As they passed by one of the massive orbital shipyards, Huey looked out the window at the shipyards, now producing gunships and fast attack cruisers in order to continue the campaign against the planets of the Elrood Sector. The Vice Admiral was surely bit by bit annexing the entire sector, although thus far most of them had to be taken by force. But lately the Vice Admiral has been wanting to change his tatics, and open up strong negotiations with the goverments before any decisive action was taken. Imperial planners had next planned to occupy the Meris system, which included six habitable planets that would be used for new colonies, and citizenry, as well as economic growth. The Imperial Army and Navy also had plans for at least one base each there, including a new medium sized stormtrooper and naval officer trianing facility and a local naval base with maybe one or two shipyards there in the future, provided the planets joined the Empire. Moving on past the shipyard, the next sight was a cordon of traffic proceeding through the designated minefield and past the planetery shield, which was kept on standby nowadays in order to ward off pirate attacks from the surface, as well as sudden terroist attacks. Commodore Huey had to grunt at that, for although there were still hotspots, no terroist activity to speak of was heard of lately. It seems these retrobates had settled down some, if not had been annihilated by the Imperial counterattack on some of their homeworlds. As a matter of fact, Acatal and Akana had hosted pirates that had suspected terroist ties, and these worlds had been swiftly conquered by Imperial retribution led by Commodore Carson, a colleague of Commodore Huey. Then they were on past the shield, and descending through the rough atmosphere into the tropical forests of Vladet where resided an old dormant volcano, into which was built the Imperial base. Surronding the base were part of individual networks, four planetery ion cannons resided, each one able to disable a gunship or corvette with a single shot. The shuttle approached it's designated landing pad, currently occupied by eight Imperial TIE Defenders painted crimson and black, the sign of the Imperial Majesty's guard, a now disbaned elite group of Imperial fighters formed from the Imperial 276th Fighter wing. This particular group of pilots had fought alongside Capitan Pelleaon during his campaign against the New Republic around the time of the Doornik-319 crisis. As such they held a special place in Kraken's heart, for his father had served and died with Pelleaon in that campiagn of battles.

The shuttle extend it's skids, and set down on the pad with the ease of an hawkbat. Huey stood up and straightened his uniform, silently fuming that he was about to meet Kraken as a black person in a red uniform. Well, maybe Kraken would transfer him to another command with a less talented crew. Not talented in skill, but in sense of humor of course. Debarking from the shuttles ramp, he was met by two capitans, one of them a senior aide to Kraken, and a line of some twenty Imperial stromtroopers, Rachuk brand, the best there was in the corps. Waiting across from the shuttle were three Chaiot Light Assault Vehicles, around them sitting six Ultra Light Assault Vehicles. Kraken was obviously taking no chances with security facing all of the recent attacks. The vehicles lifted off and headed torwards the Imperial mansion, where Kraken now resided with his wife, Melena. Melena had given birth to twins, and Kraken now mostly resided at home, leaving the details of the Navy to his aides. Imperial security was evident in other manners, as Scout Walkers patrolled the forests and other spaceports, and small squads of stormtroopers were in evidence as well. As well as Imperial presence, the economy was on the rise as well, with more and more companies moving to Vladet to make their presence known to the stock market, as well as new companies popping up as retiring Imperial Naval Officers made their living in the dense, beautiful jungles of Vladet, and poured some of their money as investments into companies, hoping to make a little more money as their lives wear on. As a matter of fact, Captian Avery of the Imperial Illustrious cruiser Invincible had just retired. He had previously served on the Reign class Star Destroyer Glorious, which had been destroyed in the battle of Af'El by elements of the Outer-Rim Sovereignty, a notorious crime syndicate which the Empire had been battling against during that time period, and had since then, defeated. Suprisingly enough, the crime syndicate had been absorbed by the Galatic Coalition, forming a new Galatic Coalition, one made up of peace loving citizens and villany and scum at the same time, forming a somewhat truly unified diversity of aliens and humans. Some Industries recently created that were doing well for themselves included war making industries of course, factories that specialized in turbolaser component manufacuting, such as Taim and Baik, which had established a subsidary corporation on this planet which operated four large manufacturing and production assembly facilities on the planet which employed some twenty thousand Imperial citizens. And with the more companies establishing themselves, the more people were moving to Vladet and calling it home. The population of the planet had multiplied by more than ten times since Admiral Kraken had ousted the warlord in charge, and had made himself the ruler of at the time the Empire's newest planet. But finally the hoverspeeders reached the mansion, where Kraken himself and his planners now awaited the presence of the Commodore. Bracing himself, Huey prepared to meet his master as the ramp began to descend.....
Posts: 4025
  • Posted On: Jan 10 2005 10:03pm
In the Imperial Mansion...

Park Alexei Kraken walked from the mansion's courtyard where his children played and froliced to his private study where his guest was told to be awaiting. He had sent for him five days previously, wanting to talk to him about a joint venture in the Elrood Sector. Previously he had not been interested, until Park had added to that that his men could use some valuable experience. They had seen defeat too often lately, and his troops and morale needed to be whipped into shape. And no one could do any bitter whipping than this old rogue. Arriving at the double doors to his private sanctum, he took a deep breath before turning the door knobs, and entering the room. Seated at a far seat near the bookshelf full of books on the art of war sat his guest, in his usual full regalia of wardrobe. Clacking his polished black leather boots together, stragthening in his olive green uniform to his full height, his rank and award bars displayed proudly, he raised his hand in salute, and said, "Baron-Admiral Desaria, glad you could make it, sir."