It felt strange, for Commodore Xivex Jiren, to be on board a Jutraalian craft. Or any the size of the one he was on, for that matter; he was used to fighting aboard warships very much unlike the ones he now commanded. Previous to the dissolution of the Ossan Parliamentary Fleet, he'd been a Captain of the Zeus-Class Vlyx warship Alpha Cross, among the finest craft ever designed. But after said dissolution, his life had turned to the command of a Marauder Corvette as part of the Ossan police force.

But Gash Jiren had selected him specifically for this mission. The vessels were funded (for now) by the Ossan Parliament, but belonged to the Jutraalian Empire -- but Emperor Fearsons had agreed to allow an Ossan agent to command them. And it was for that reason that he felt utterly at ease, despite the shock of being thrown back into combat. He trusted the Sovereign-Elect's judgement.

Speed? He asked, or thought he asked. To his suprise, he'd only thought it. "Speed?"

"As you'd ordered, sir. We're about to revert from hyperspace, now."

The twisting blue vortex of hyperspace became the starlines of acceleration, which became the stars of normal spaceflight. Xivex Jiren nodded slowly. "Accelerate to fifty-percent velocity. Angle us for Bespin."


<hr>Manifest:
Imperial-Class Star Destroyer True Empire*
Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Dark Flame*
Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Protectorate*
Carrack-Class Light Cruiser Social
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Black Viper
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Sorrowsong
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Black Viper
Lancer-Class Anti-Fighter Frigate Monstrous Two
Grappler-Class Interdictor Heavy Cruiser Diligence*
Harbinger-Class Battle Cruiser Twilight*
Aegis-Class II Star Cruiser Amstrof*
Aegis-Class II Star Cruiser Coralev*

NOTE: All vessels belong to TJE. This is just being commanded
by an Ossan. RJO remains non-fleet.

*NOTE: Xilen brought the Dark Flame to Varonat some time ago, while he was still a TJE Admiral. Since the RP never went on, it is assumed the ship was still there.

Sith Battle Cruiser Katana, Varonat System

The Jutraalian Task Force that had been patrolling this sector seemed dead to the outside world. The Star Destroyer Darkflame had entered Varonat space some days prior, followed closely by the Night Hammer Group, three dozen Sith Battle Cruisers. Naturally, technology had been upgraded aboard the ships since their introduction to the galaxy some millenia ago, and they remained effective fighting platforms.

"Anything new, Captain?" Commodore Tacha asked, looking out to the bridge viewports of the enemy craft.

"Negative, just regular Jutraalian comics."

The Commodore nodded. Since assuming command of this fleet, they had been waiting with the Jutraalians in close formation, preparing, it seemed for an offesnive against Bespin.

Or just an offensive. He thought briefly.

"Sir! Jutraalian ships entering the system! Dark Flame is breaking formation! Jutraalian craft entering the system!"

Tacha rose from her seat, watching the lumbering Star Destroyer manouver towards the incoming Jutraalians.

"Any transmissions?"

"They're encypted, sir."

"I meant towards us."

"Oh... negative, Commodore."

"Right. Jump us to Bespin with all due haste."

The ships swivelled and, still in formation, accelerated to make the jump.

<hr>

Bespin

"What's the status of those new units we got in from Commenor?" Arial Tonnon walked briskly down the interior hallways of Bespin's Nimbus I, a small array of aides and other officers trailing behind.

"They're still being unpacked, sir. They've had some trouble getting them suited for the altitude up here."

"That shouldn't be an issue. We've never had that trouble before."

"No, sir, but-"

They were interuped by the booming of a siren somewhere close by, which was quickly interupted with the words, Jutraalian warships have entered the system. Repeat, Jutraalian warships have entered the system.

"Fuck. Can't that damned Fearsons keep his finger off the big red button for one God Damned month? The New Order, the Tholatin Republic, IDTech, the GDI, the Hapans... You'd almost think he was developing an addiction."

"Yes, sir."

The two men were already running, and skidded into the control centre. Officers were already at their stations, directing civilian craft to get under the cover of the city. Hopefully the Jutraalians wouldn't just blast Nimbus I out of the sky.

Hopefully.

Arial sighed.

"Overwhelming force. Has TJE thought of a a real stategy in the last decade?"

"It seems not, sir."

"Prepare the fleet. Shields up, weapons online. Dispatch the fighters. And make sure the Gunships are ready... cloaks up."

"Aye, sir."

<hr>

OOC: Fleet Manifest

Imperator Mk. II Class Star Destroyer Iron Fist
Imperator Mk. II Class Star Destroyer Imperator
Eternal Class Star Destroyer Kirov
Eternal Class Star Destroyer Korolev
Aegis Class Star Carrier Xaphania
Aegis Class Star Carrier Archammer
24 Twilight Class Stealth Gunship

*Full Starfighter Compliment

"We've got their attention, sir. The enemy response craft are coming into range now."

Xivex nodded, as the LFX Industrial vessels came into his range of visibility. And with that, he ordered, "Holoprojections down," and thus ended the ruse which had put the occupiers of Bespin so on alert. As if by some sort of magic, or some wild Force trick, several ships -- in fact, the majority of the Jutraalian fleet -- simply disappeared, first becoming grainy, like a picture from a holoprojector that was a few years too old, and then evaporating altogether.

The trick had been fairly simple to plot; the holoprojections had been cast by the tractor beams of the Jutraalian fleet, with those beams refigured to hold photons instead of matter, much like a holoprojector. "All stop, full retreat! Bring the Interdiction fields online, and scramble all transmissions."

The officers on the bridge did as they were told, scrambling to relay and carry out their orders.

Perhaps it was by a stroke of cosmic fate, or perhaps it was merely random luck, that scarcely one minute before, an LFX Industrial officer had uttered the words, "Overwhelming force. Has TJE thought of a a real stategy in the last decade?"

<hr>
OOC: A few things. First, the staff was notified and provided their affirmation for this tactic beforehand, so don't bother starting a thread bitching about it. You'll note that the asterisked ships from the first post are now gone.

Revised fleet manifest:
Carrack-Class Light Cruiser Social
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Black Viper
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Sorrowsong
Interdictor-Class Immobilizer Cruiser Black Viper