Taken from The Hand that Rocks the Cradle - New Lorrel Raiders attack on Karak

...the hand that rocks the cradle...

The ships fell out of hyperspace in near-perfect formation, the steady drone of their engines dying away as the swirling blue vortex disappeared.

"Lord Ominii, the fleet is on station." The Shadow Lord gave a simple nod. The crew already knew what to do, would already be carrying out his orders.

The three Conqueror-class Battlecruisers formed into a pyramid formation, giving them all the largest extent that their many guns could possibly have.

The modified Star Destroyers formed up between them; only two warships, travelling under cloak, their scouts launched already.

"Alert me when the Tholatins detect us. Raise the gravity wells, full forward projection."

It was done...

...

...welcome to the party...

"Lord Ominii. Jutraalian warships have entered the systme. They appear to be hostile. Gravity Wells have been raised." The Lord of the Shadow Guard gave a long sigh and nodded.
"Prepare to retreat, set exit vectors as already determined, around the planet and into hyperspace. All guns, continue to fire on the Tholatin fleet. Launch the starfighters. Targets Alpha through Delta first."

There was a long silence as the ships changed course slightly, an angle that would take them 'under' the planet instead of into it. The guns on the vessels continued to pump out their beams of deadly light, and now the starfighters and Victory-class Star Destroyer joined in.

More than four thousand streaks of fire lit the space around the fleet as missile lanced out from the Star Destroyers and Missile Gunboats, throwing themselves with an deadly fury into the Tholatin shipyards, still under construction over the world of Karak. Fires began to bloom where the blasts struck.

"Wing Commander," the cool voice spoke again. "Prepare another volley for our Jutraalian friends. And ask them if we can interest them in refreshments. I would say that the Shadow Guard can offer them far more than these..." Ominii cast a glance to the smoldering shipyards, "...Tholatins..."

...

...splashdown...

"New orders." One of the men, Ominii recognized him as a Corporate Major, said. "Command wants the LFX ships out of here. A deal has been reached with the Tholatins."

Ominii nodded. Strangely, he was not as disapointed as he would have thought. Normally, loosing his fleet would have enraged him.

"Very well. All ships to make full speed towards the exit vector, make sure the Interdictors are still up. I'm transferring to the Shadow Reaper - good luck, Major."

The Corporate officer nodded, saluted the Shadow Lord, and took charge of the vessel.

"All right, then. Communications, transmit a message to the Jutraalian forces. We are no longer under the command of Lord Ominii and will be evacuating the system with due haste. Safe passage is requested, but we will defend ourselves if neccessary. Right then. Plot us a course out of here."

The warships accelerated, dipping under the planet's bottom half, and prepared for hyperspace. And some distance away, the vessels that LFX Industrial had sold to the Tholatins were enroute...

<hr>

"We come to a full circle." He muttered, watching the fleet array itself around the world of Commenor with a practised ease. Two dozen ships of the line... Drayson was taking no chances.

And yet, the Minister of Defence was exactly the reason that the First Protectrate fleet was being deployed at all. The galaxy was going to war... it was invetiable.

The Corellian system was under blockade by the forces of the Galactic Empire, cut off from the rest of the galaxy by a fleet of warships that even the skilled Hiram Drayson would be hard pressed to stop.

And yet... Hiram was not at Corellia at all, but at Sernipidal, defending that world from another Imperial fleet. The galaxy, it seemed, was about to devour itself.

Full Circle.

Seti Ashar turned away from the viewports of the Super Star Destroyer Sentinel, frowning. War does not bode well for the Corporation. The profit to be had is considerable... but not guaranteable. I must wonder if the Empire has been most wise in this course of events...

Seti took a sip from the paper cup he held. He knew that, no matter the outcome, LFX Industrial would not sink into war. He had learned from years in control of his Corporation that war could do nothing to help him - and the fall of the Galactic Defence Initiative only strengthened his resolve.

But yet... war was a neccessary evil, in some lights.

Things were so much simpler as a kid. He entertained, for a moment, the thought of being a child on Chandrila again, where arguments were settled by the parents and the greatest worry was a good supply of iced treats in the cooler and toys a aplenty.

Now we are the parents, he though, [/i]and the toys are much more dangerous.[/i] For what was a warship but a toy for mommy and daddy?

"The most obvious course," he muttered, "is fear. Fear and power. Terrorize them, and offer them power, and they will crumple."

He crumpled the cup in his hand and tossed it into the waste bin, a smile coming to his face.
"I think it is time to pay a visit to Tholatin."

<hr>

Tholatin Space - Thirteen Days Later

The Emperor designed to Imperator Star Destroyer to inspire fear in the enemies of the Empire. A Star Destroyer in a system had always been something to fear, a hunter waiting to pounce.

The more fluid, graceful lines of the Liberty-class Frontline Destroyer did none of these things. By all accounts, she was merely another warship, a cheap imitation of the Star Destroyer.

An imitation, perhaps, but the nearly 2.5 kilometre LFD could shatter the Empire's lineship. And this vessel was built exclusively by LFX Industrial.

Though, if all went according to plan, that would soon change.

"Sir?" A voice rang from the intercom. "We're being hailed, Mr. Ashar." The businessman smiled.

"I'll be right up, Colonel. Ask the Tholatins kindly to hold on a moment."

A simple excursion turned into an oppurtunity for the forces that wished for the downfall of the Tholatin Drive Yards. Kamon had been occupied with taking over the planet of Zonama Sekot while Karkak was under assault by the Shadow Guard.

When finished with the takeover, he had returned to Tholatin only to find the planet in disarray. He was informed of the attack on Karkak and that assistance had been provided by TJE and ASE. Both of which were factions that TDY normally did not affiliate with.

However, they did answer the distress hail that Admiral Radon Mont had sent out. That meant that they either despised the Shadow Guard, or they despised Lupercus Darksword. His ship had been seen in the system.

The Shadow Guards had been routed and the planet had been saved. Kamon had breathed a sigh of relief. Then he found out who set the Shadow Guard on his faction.

None other than LFX Industrial. They were a technological ooponent in the game for control of the galaxy's trading. TDY must be getting on their nerves in order to warrant an attack.

No matter. He didn't have the forces to retaliate. He stayed at Tholatin filling out forms for the repair of the ships that were damaged in the battle. He also had to reply to complaints of not getting ore shipments. The battle had disrupted TDY's supply ships. He was very busy.

------------------------------------------------------------

THIRTEEN DAYS LATER

A singel ship jumped out of hyperspace in the Tholatin system. According to its transponder it was an LFX Industrial ship.

Kamon hopped into a shuttle almost immediately and made his way up to his command ship the Starfire. He hailed the incoming vessel.

"This is Prince Kamon Vondiranach calling the LFX Industrial ship that has entered TDY airspace. Halt all forward motion or we will presume you are hostile. Let me speak to your commanding officer."

He shut it down and waited for a reply from the LFX ship. He was unhappy. He didn't want to see another LFX ship for a very long time. He despised LFX now. Whatever their reason for being here, it had better be a very good one.

"...Halt all forward motion or we will presume you are hostile. Let me speak to your commanding officer..."

He gave a slight smile, and with a curt nod to the Executive Officer of the starship (the first of her class, the Liberty herself, indeed!), turned to the holographic presentation of Prince Kamon Vondiranach. He bowed sligtly as a show of respect, before offering the man a salute.

"Prince Vondiranach, I am Seti Ashar, CEO of LFX Industrial. As you are aware, some weeks ago a Shadow Guard fleet invaded the Karak system and caused massive disruption to the Tholatin Drive Yards production and distrubution services.

"I am sad to say that LFX Industrial played more than a small part in the assault, as it was our warships that paticipated under the command of Lord Ominii.

"I have come to warn you of the growing dangers... and to offer you something that will benefit us both greatly."

He paused, then said: "Perhaps we should speak in person?"

Kamon snarled. He was upset deeply with the LFX attack on Karkak.

"Perhaps i should speak to your dead body. You killed civilians by destroying my halfway completed yards. Those were civilian volunteers building it."

He pondered the staement put before him. It was interesting. His faction, one that possed no threat to any other faction, always seem to be the target of assault. H wandered who was threatening to attack now.

"Fine. I'll bring the Hope directly between my fleet and your ships. You will fly a vessel over and dock with it. No one else is to come with you."

He shut off the comm and left the bridge. He headed for the docking bay and climbed into the Hope. He pwoered up and shot out of the ghangar bay.

He shot toward the LFX ship and stopped halfway to it. He sat back and waited.

The CEO's hands held gently at the small of his back, in the manner of a thousand Commander of wafleets in times long since passed. And times to come, he considered. He watched the hologram in front of him closely, anaylizing the movement and mannerism of this man.

The self-proclaimed Prince of Tholatin, this... Kamon Vondiranach, was an interesting fellow, to be sure. A member of Tholatin Royalty, he had led the Tholatin Republic to its death in a bitter war against every faction the galaxy knew.

Tholatin had fallen under assault by the Empire, the Galactic Defence Initiative, IDTech, the Jutraalians, the Chiss, and, of course, most recently, the Shadow Guard and the New Lorrel Raiders.

Seti Ashar cringed at that. Certainly, the death count in that battle had been low, by any standards, and very profitable (for, he believed, all those involved), but it was not something he looked lightly towards.

The shipyards won from that deal had cost LFX Industrial greatly, and the repairs they were forced to undertake... He shook his head to clear it.

The material was inconsiquential. Lives had been wasted that day... thrown about as if rag dolls caught in an updraft. Hundreds... thousands, even. Nothing could replace those individuals.

But then, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it was for the better. Prince Kamon Vondiranach certainly did not know the grand scheme of things... and if he did, well then perhaps he would accept that the best course of action had indeed been taken.

But there was still some measure of responsibility on the hands of LFX Industrial, that was true without a doubt. Bloodied hands of Karak, he thought briefly, closing his eyes for a moment.

The Prince was still speaking, and Seti snapped back to reality in order to hear his last words.
"...Fine. I'll bring the Hope directly between my fleet and your ships. You will fly a vessel over and dock with it. No one else is to come with you..."

He smiled slightly, and gave a nod.
"As you wish, Prince. I shall arrive briefly." The transmission cut out, and Seti Ashar prepared to meet with a man that, in all probability, wanted to kill him.

Because the fate and future of the galaxy was hanging in the balance.

Kamon indeed want to kill him. However, he could do no such thing when he was aboard the Hope. It was a vessel of peace. There would never be fighting on it.

Kamon watched as a shuttle departed from the LFX ship. It unfolded its wings and headed for the Hope. He moved toward the cofferdam and drew his lightsaber. He didn't particularly trust Ashar, and he wanted to be ready.

However when the ships connected via cofferdam, he realized that Ashar was the only one onboard. The hatch's opened and Ashar walked down the Cofferdam.

Kamon extended his hand and spoke.

"Mr. Ashar. As long as you are on this ship nothing ill will befall you."

The shuttle sweapt in towards the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Hope, her Y-wing configuration folding upwards to rest flush with her gleaming blue/gray hull as she passed through the invisible field that marked the landing zone assigned to the LFX ship.

With a grace bred of months of training and years of practise, the pilot brought the vessel to rest alongside the kilometre-plus warship, and hovered there, like a hummingbird drinking nector from her flower.

The cofferdam extended smoothly from the sleak Mon Calamari warship, and conected with a clank to the shuttle. And Seti Ashar, dressed in the pure white variation of the Imperial Grand Admiral's uniform, stepping lightly into the airlock.

The pressure equalized, and within moments he entered the reception area of the Star Cruiser. Armed guards stood in a circle around him, and in the center, Prince Kamon Vondiranach.

[/i]"..."Mr. Ashar. As long as you are on this ship nothing ill will befall you..."[/i]

He gave a low bow in return, and nodded. A Prince took precedence over even a Jedi Master, so he said, "Prince Vondiranach, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. We have much to dicuss..."

Kamon nodded.

"Indeed we do. For instance. What are your reasons for attacking Karkak. I'd very much like to know. But first, follow me."

Kamon lead Ashar to the small room he had set up as a council chamber. It was cramped and held only two chairs but it would serve the purpose.

"Star talking."

The interior of the ship was clean and smooth, distinctly alien. Seti was shocked momentarily as he realized that the vessel was not a Mon Calamari ship, as he thought, but that it was actually alive.

But it did not have the strange, rough apperance of the Yuuzhan Vong's yorik coral vessels. It seemed instead to be smooth and moist, almost like leaves...

He cleared his head quickly and followed the Prince to the cramped briefing room, sitting down and frowning. This, he suspected, would not be pleasent. But few things were anymore.

"Let me tell you again that you have our deepest sympathies for the actions Lord Ominii took against you. We never intended for him to control us as he did, but the truth is, we were afraid.

"The Shadow Guard has been developing in secret a terror weapon, a biological warhead that they call Silent Night. They threatened to use it against our worlds unless we submitted to their demands... the Lord Ominii has set a personal vendetta against you, Prince, and only the presence of the Jutraalian Empire drove him away.

"I daresy he will return, but we are under his protection. I come to apoligize, and to warn you. Danger may come yet, and we wish to protect your interests as well as our own.

"The galaxy is troubled, and we must rely on ourselves to keep it from falling."

Kamon thought long and hard. This was something he was concerned about. Ominii must be dealt with the next time.

"Next time he comes he won't be so lucky. He'll find I am no easy man to defeat. His forces no matter the size will break under my strength."

He pondered the other statement. Something was nagging at the back of his mind.

"This, Silent Night, reminds me of a weapon the Reincarnated Emperor built. Is it anything like that? Has there been any movement to take it out?"

He sat back in his chair and stroked the walls of the ship. He could feel the ship tremble with pleasure.