Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 504
(8/24/01 4:27:50 pm)
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Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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Reprieve
Darkness.
So soothing... darkness. Always associated with the evil side of things. But how could something so calm, so soothing, be considered evil? Especially in comparison to the blinding, despicable light, the light that scorches your eyes, burns your soul.
Daemon Hyfe's mind ached just to think of it.
It was dark now. Almost nothingness. Nothing but a strange humming that he knew to be the ship's environmental systems purifying the many-times recycled air.
High Admiral Hyfe sat in complete silence. Darkness encompassed his form, as well as all else within the ship's command chamber.
He was lost deep within the realm of his inner self, wholly recoiled from the sphere of consciousness.
Memories... regrets, all of his taunting past ran through his mind. They always came when he was at peace in his favorite setting, when he could rest, alone, in pure darkness. And then came the voices of the past, flooding through him like a feral stream of hate, envy, fear...
"... You await atonement. The greatest tragedy of all will be when it does not arrive."
"… And when your past comes to haunt you, I will merely stand and laugh, for I will know that the time of your suffering has come at last."
"... There can be no redemption for your crimes. The dead cannot forgive."
Darkness.
There was pandemonium amidst the usual serenity.
What was wrong? An irritation in the back of his mind...
And his thoughts focused in on something. A poem, long forgotten.
Do you wrestle with dreams?
Do you contend with shadows?
Do you move in a kind of sleep?
Time has slipped away.
Your life is stolen.
You tarried with trifles,
Victim of your folly.
Edited by: Daemon Hyfe at: 8/24/01 10:50:34 pm
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 505
(8/24/01 4:34:18 pm)
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Everyone needs a savior.
For some that savior comes in the form of a fatherly figure. For some that savior comes in the form of a mighty government. For some it comes in the form of a friend, a companion, or a believed enemy.
Yet for some the only savior that there can be is one's self.
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 506
(8/24/01 4:38:33 pm)
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Re: Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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The comm unit on Daemon Hyfe's desk buzzed once, then again.
The lights were now on in the High Admiral's command chamber. His black-booted feet were propped up lazily on his artificial oak desk, and his right hand clasped a tall glass of Zadarian brandy.
He stretched forward, reaching out with his right hand to set down the reddish liquor, taking care not to spill the exotic beverage.
He swiveled in his chair to the left, plopping his feet down to the floor once they had cleared the edge of the desk. He then proceeded to scoot up to the desk and press down on the red activator button on the comm unit with his index finger once it was easily within his reach.
"What is it?" he asked with distant simplicity.
The officer on the other side of the comm responded hastily, "Re-emergence from hyperspace in 10 minutes, sir. Captain Essian requests your presence on the bridge."
Admiral Hyfe finished another slow sip of his Zadarian brandy, then set it down on his desk once more. He shoved a stack of data disks up to the top of his desk as he stood from his chair. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Yes sir," came the reply in the same energetic youthful tone.
Daemon flicked off the comm unit before straightening his uniform and heading for the door.
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 508
(8/24/01 4:50:14 pm)
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Re: Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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The High Admiral continued down the corridor leading into the bridge, past the aft bridge hologram pods and the small storage closets (at least that's what he took them to be, he had never actually entered one). The corridor came to an end and Daemon found himself suddenly in the vast openness of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer's bridge.
Officers were hurrying about, giving orders and tending to their duties, and the clicks and beeps of various consoles could be heard, adding familiarity to the environment of the bridge.
Not stopping as he entered, Daemon strode towards his command chair a few meters short of the central command walkway.
"Grand Admiral on deck!" a voice shouted from off to his right, easily recognizable as Captain Essian's.
As Daemon neared his chair, he gave his usual simple hand gesture, his "at ease" signal. The crew quickly returned to their duties as he rounded his chair, noticing the Captain approaching him with hands clasped behind his back.
"Admiral," the Captain greeted as Daemon eased into his seat.
Daemon looked to the Captain and returned the greeting with a nod, with this same gesture also letting the Captain know to report.
"I've carried out your orders, sir. We will be coming out of hyperspace in Muunilinsts system shortly. I have nothing else to report.” he stated flatly, black-gloved hands still clasped behind his back.
"Good," Daemon replied. "Is there anything else?"
"Uh... no, sir."
Daemon glanced to the numbers counting down on the far wall, marking the time until reemergence. "Tend to your duties then, Captain," Daemon said in dismissal.
"Of course, sir." Essian said, and then departed for his console.
Davin Essian
Civilian
Posts: 5
(8/24/01 4:56:30 pm)
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The call came up from the aft crew pit – a helmsman announcing their imminent emergence from hyperspace.
"Acknowledged," Essian heard the Admiral remark.
Captain Essian glanced briefly to the timer, which dictated the time until the Fleet would slip back into real space: 20 seconds and counting.
He did a last once-over of the schematics scrolling across the screen of his station before him, and then observed the timer on the console to his right as the time until reemergence from hyperspace continued to count down.
00:0 0:0 4... 00:0 0:0 3... 00:0 0:0 2... 00:0 0:0 1...
The swirling void of hyperspace Davin Essian knew so well sputtered like a dying engine, and streaming starlines pierced the mottled sky, streaking back into their blue lines as the blotchy void of hyperspace faded away. The starlines shrank abruptly back into the pinpoints of stars.
The New Order's fleet had arrived at Muunilinst.
Davin Essian
Civilian
Posts: 6
(8/24/01 5:13:13 pm)
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The replies came in one at a time from the three Carrack Cruisers, each acknowledging their newest orders in the standard Imperial manner. Essian glanced once more at the fleet listing scrawling across the technical readout on his left with his questioning blue eyes.
The small TNO attack force had only been out of hyperspace for a few seconds.
The bitter aging lines at the corners of his mouth showing through the fringe of his closely shaved beard curled up in a smile of satisfaction. This attack would run perfectly, the signs were all there.
Muunilinst was a key planet in The New Orders expansion plans, as were all planets they took. Each planet taken by the New Order had geographical or historical purposes that suited their needs, and would aid them in their sweep across the galaxy, eventually bringing all firmly back under the control of the Empire.
The assault on Muunilinst was to be an intricately planned and uncannily efficient planetary takeover, of which he knew the High Admiral was quite capable - a type of demonstration to the whole galaxy how a real planetary takeover should be run. And it would display how cleanly the New Order was capable of carrying out this kind of an operation. The High Admiral had made quite clear his desire to demonstrate especially to all the New Order's rival factions just how effective the command of an efficient leader of the New Order could be.
As Essian looked to the small holographic image of the industrialized planet floating in front of the High Admiral's command chair, he knew that Muunilinst was to be the first of many worlds to witness the technological power and tactical genius the New Order continued to develop.
Yes, Essian decided to himself, this was a more important mission than most realized.
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 510
(8/24/01 11:23:59 pm)
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The New Order attack force loomed in space several hundred kilometers from Muunilinst. The small task force consisted of one fully equipped Victory-Class Star Destroyer, escorted by three Carrack-Class Cruisers, sitting in a defensive formation around their command ship.
Through the forward view port of the VSD, the planet was woven into the tapestry of space, a small swirling orb of blues, greens, and grays. Muunilinst had been the financial heart of the Empire in the years following the death of Grand Admiral Thrawn, hence the nick-name "Moneyland", as it was often referred to by Imperial officers.
The planet had no moons or natural satellites, but what it did have was two impressive Golan III defense platforms, huge monstrosities that could take more of a pounding than anyone would think possible.
The two Golan defense platforms orbiting the planet had been put up over a decade ago. When they were first put in place, they were manned by hundreds of crewers, patrolling Muunilinst's space to protect it from any attack. And boy could it do that.
However, after the death of Emperor Palpatine and the pivotal Battle of Endor, the defense platforms had been abandoned. They had been set on a clockwork cycle, orbiting the planet continually in opposite directions, one orbiting clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. At one point several years ago, Moff Disra had attempted to move the defense platforms to the key-Imperial world of Bastion. He failed in his attempt however, and Intelligence reports had never really proven quite why.
What is a known fact is that the two space stations were automated, and still quite fully equipped. Each alone was capable of wreaking havoc on a VSD and it’s three companions. And with the stations programmed to defend against any "unwanted" ships (as was determined by the now-independent Muunilinst government), the two Golan III’s provided for quite a predicament.
Simon Kaine
Civilian
Posts: 11
(8/27/01 3:23:26 pm)
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"Damn! Golans..." murmured a Lieutenant (group commander).
Probably Sveli, thought Simon, his attention focused elsewhere.
Colonel Simon Kaine watched as the tactical display kept him abreast of the situation. One never knew when fast action would be needed or called upon.
The Imperial Battlegroup 256th (Galactic Imperial Designation) had quickly been ordered to load onto the Admiral's Victory Star Destroyer and had spent most of the trip organizing themselves into a functioning unit.
The mixture of veterans (mostly from the Sotel Campaign) and new soldiers had to be balanced quickly, especially after dismissing a good number of new recruits upon finding out they were political appointees.
Few things hampered a unit more than a soldier who thought he might be able to pull the strings of his commander through politics.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the orbits of the two huge monstrosities and objects of his Lieutenant's complaint.
"I am no Fleet Admiral but it seems that those orbits were a mistake," he mentioned softly.
Captain Chandler moved closer to see for himself and an eyebrow raised. "Their orbits put both stations on the same side of the planet at certain times..." he noticed.
Simon gave a small smile. "Most of their weapons are "line-of-site" so the planet could protect a drop assault before one or both platforms come around again."
Lieutenant Quinn (the second group commander of the 256th) entered the conversation. "So does the Empire want the planet and the Golans or just the planet?"
The Colonel thought a minute, as he walked over to a large plexiglass window. Below was the hanger mantained and fastidiously organized by the 256th. He turned around.
"That depends on where the automation center is for the platforms. If it's on the planet, then, theoretically, we could hit it and, if we do gain control over the automation programming, we might be able to designate Muunilist's own ships as enemies thereby reducing the risk of vessels launching a counter-attack from the planet's surface."
Sveli's eyes widened in appreciation, a hand rubbing his thick mustache in contemplation. "Now, that's a damned devilish plan, Sir."
Captain Chandler nodded in agreement. "If the VCD was lost, then we have no fall back point. It would be almost do or die for the ground units."
Lieutenant Quinn turned to the Captain, "It almost already is...and with no mechanized divisions?"
Simon Kaine sighed. " That," he gestured, "... that may be the difficulty here."
Simon hated contemplating an extreme loss of personnel, even for the glorious cause of Imperial expansion.
An extreme loss here means a weaker expansion later.
Chandler spoke up, "..and if the automation center is on the platforms themselves?"
Simon looked at his Captain, his eyes smiling. "Then the Admiral will have his hands full."
Kaine turned back to watch the veterans training the new recruits, "I want the assault vehicles prepped and ready to go just in case. I don't want to get shot down by a live platform because a shuttle's thruster failed to respond correctly."
Sveli rubbed his mustache some more and mused, "Yes, Sir. It always is a shame when military officers go through hell only to slip on a tile at home and break their neck."
A shadow of a smile spread across Simon's face as he gave the order to his group commanders, "Tend to your men, gentlemen. Muunilist awaits."
Edited by: Simon Kaine at: 8/28/01 6:29:23 pm
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
The Almighty Bastard
Posts: 600
(8/29/01 11:44:42 pm)
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Re: Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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" – This is Victory-Class Star Destroyer Tsar hailing the Muunilinst government. You will lower all defenses, recall all military units to their bases, and prepare for an orderly transfer of command. Please respond. Failure to comply will result in hostilities..."
The call droned on once again. Captain Davin Essian cut off the comm for the fifth time and turned back to face High Admiral Hyfe. "Looks like their not going to acknowledge, Admiral."
Daemon Hyfe remained silent for several heartbeats, elbows propped up on the armrests of his command chair, his chin resting atop a clenched right fist. "No," Daemon replied. "No, I don't suppose they are," he finished, sitting up straight.
A moment later, Essian's voice interjected into his thoughts: "Orders, sir?"
A wing of TIE Defenders had already been launched to intercept incoming and outgoing craft. A designated section in space was even now alive with freighters and personal spacecraft, engines shut down as TIEs swarmed around them, keeping them in check. Communications had been blocked, all transmissions being intercepted, and planetary activities were now being monitored by recon craft. It was time to get under way, Daemon knew.
The High Admiral had of course had spotted the flaw in the orbital pattern of the Golans immediately - something he would be sure to fix once the planet was under Imperial control. But today they would be exploiting this flaw.
The two battle stations moved around the planet in a counterclockwise orbit, one on an inner orbit, and one on an outer, so that they passed by each other at a given point. This happened once every 14 standard hours, and to their luck, would be happening in about 75 standard minutes. At this time, the two platforms would be blindsided to the events on the far side of the planet for approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes, giving them plenty of time to launch drop ships and enter the Muunilinst atmosphere.
"Send a report to Colonel Kaine," the Admiral finally replied. "Set up a meeting with him immediately, and brief him on the situation. He's to launch in 75 standard minutes, ready or not."
"Yes sir," Essian replied. He carried out his orders immediately.
The meeting was brief. It turned out that Colonel Simon Kaine was already ahead of them. Kaine explained the plan they had formed to the Captain, who accepted it with a commendable ovation.
Twenty minutes later, Imperial ground forces were scrambling for their troop transports, and were underway.
Simon Kaine
Civilian
Posts: 13
(8/30/01 6:12:12 pm)
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"Well.. that was easy." came a voice to Simon's left as he gazed out a the planet growing ever larger.
The Colonel of the 256th turned to the Captain of his [temporarily absent] Combat Wing.
"It always is with officers in charge," he responded his mind on other matters. "They want to hear what we are going to do and so we tell them. If it ends up being what they would have 'ordered' us to do anyway, then we are commended for our progressive actions."
Chandler broke into a slight grin, "So.. you want me too..."
"..follow orders." Kaine finished for him.
Chandler moved back, grabbing onto a overhead handle as the ship banked toward the planet.
"Atmosphere in 2 minutes." informed the pilot.
"..What I get for trying to be 'progressive'.." Chandler was muttering under his breath as a joke.
Everyone seemed tense.
It's always like this before combat.., Simon mused.
He noted the rows of soldiers, some joking with one another and others off in their own little world of thoughts and knodded in admiration.
..a well oiled machine.., he thought, recalling the reference from somewhere.
He turned his attention to the planet and went forward, standing behind the pilot.
He noted the TIE squadrons flying formation on the outer perimeter of the troop transports, their focus mainly on halting the commercial shipping. They would soon be worrying about the platforms rounding the planet, but TIEs were maneuverable.
They came in handy on Sotel. He smiled at the reference.
However, his smile soon turned sour as he watched the commercial shipping vessels comply with the Imperial presence.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it until his mind suddenly realized a bigger picture.
It wasn't so much the existence of the commercial shipping and neutral vessels in orbit that surprised him but the rather large numbers of them.
Even with their small numbers of TIE's, he felt confident the Imperial pilots could handle themselves if things got dicey, but he knew that they probably did not expect space to be so...so... crowded.
..but there was something else nagging in the back of his mind.
Something doesn't feel right.
"Pilot, where is the drop?" he suddenly asked, as the transport entered the atmosphere.
The pilot casually punched some buttons and a topographical, holographic map came up and he indicated how far they were from the designated spot.
"Standard logistics, Colonel. 'Drop troops in an area as far away from hostile military units as possible to allow for effective maneuvering'." the pilot seemed to rehearse some paragraph in a manual.
Lieutenant Sveli moved forward watching the holographic map nodding.
"The men are familiar with the area. In fact, a similar map was included in our preparation modules...it's what we used to figure deployment so the 'boys' will have no problem."
Kaine nodded but still frowned.
It seems correct.
Perhaps the pilot noticed his unconvinced stare for he added, "..it also affords us the opportunity to return to the Tsar before the fireworks start."
The pilot grinned, "Thanks to you, we are almost an hour ahead of schedule."
Schedule?
The word seemed to burn in his mind like a match to dry parchment.
He glanced down at his data pad, looking at his Intel Briefing Report on the planet below. A very same report that they had gone over with Captain Essian.
The shuttle shook from the turbulence inherent in a rapid descent
Muunilist had two Golan platforms in orbit and an adequate (though not impossible to defeat) fleet. On the surface, it seemed reasonable...
The report:
Quote:
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...enshrouded in tribal-like warfare. There is no ruling system of government – merely “guilds” or “clans” that fight amongst each other. The planet is one of great suffering - violence is a dominating force, the economy is in shambles...
...there is this one tribe that is more powerful than the others. It’s starting to become the dominating force, kind of becoming the new rulers. They are quite tyrannical, and are oppressing...
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His eyes stared at the words for a time as the pilot made a comment about the thick, gray cloud cover.
This is what we are prepared for...
His finger scrolled down the report, figures flashing by rapidly and noted the ending line:
"Presented for Imperial Intelligence"
Intriguing... not from but for..
His mind was racing..
Yet the report had a ring of truth... Muunilist... "Moneyland".
He remembered his days at the Imperial Academy, working in the Ordinance Receiving Facility, and there was a saying even then, "Ship it to the moon if it's not backed by Muunilist."
Financial backing?
There was a tiny symbol next to the Imperial Intelligence Seal and he scanned his data pad for a reference.
Interplanetary Services, Ltd. - Muunilist
He looked up sharply as the shuttle broke through the clouds.
"ABORT!! ABORT LANDING SITE!!" he shouted moving forward, "Bank... Bank off! Get the other's out of here..NOW!!"
The pilot was startled by the outburst and half turned..his face distorted in confusion.."Now wait just a minut---"
Simon had no time for replies as he pulled out his sidearm in one hand and grabbed the pilot, pulling him from his seat with the other...Lieutenant Sveli moving to aid his Colonel, not knowing what was going on but trusting his commanding officer.
Chandler came running up, through the confused soldiers still strapped in their seats, at the sound of the first shout.
The man, on reflex, fought back but Sveli held him down.
Chandler grabbed at the controls before the shuttle could actually respond to the loss of it's pilot.
Kaine's hand released the pilot and he punched the ship-to-ship coded communications channel to the rest of the transports.
"We are taking point. All shuttles follow our lead! New Orders.. Scramble!"
To Chandler he said, "..go west and keep low.."
The Combat Wing Captain looked at Muunilist's surface for the first time from the pilot's seat.
"..'a walk in the park,' they said.." he murmured.
"Tribes, my ass!" The Colonel nearly spat in disgust.
He radioed the Lieutenant Quinn's shuttle and ordered a coded call to go out to any Intelligence Operatives in the area.
We need a new set of eyes and ears and we've no time!
In 14 hours, we must have control of the platforms or have found a way to deactivate them ... or they could chew the Tsar to bits. The Admiral will have his hands full!
He looked out at the beautiful green surroundings, almost park-like in quality and the huge towers of cities in the distant background each almost covered in a dark cloud...only they weren't dark clouds.
Commercial transports... hundreds of them!!
..products of a healthy econo
Colonel Simon Kaine was beginning to see the outer fringes of an intricate web that was spun around the Imperials with precision and craft.
***
The Board of Directors met in one of the Arliss Towers. The chairman, Seamus Arliss, smiled coldly at the transmission that came in.
Quote:
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" - This is Victory-Class Star Destroyer Tsar hailing the Muunilinst government. You will lower all defenses, recall all military units to their bases, and prepare for an orderly transfer of command. Please respond. Failure to comply will result in hostilities..."
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He turned to his Public Relations head, a tall brunette woman who held herself regally.
"How is the "public" taking this.. transmission?"
She did not look at her notes, "They do not know what to make of it. We played it globally on all frequencies..."
"..costing us, I might add, 10 billion credits a minute.." interrupted a skinny man quite irritably.
"Mr. Conrad, calm yourself. Your turn will come. Continue please, Verrice."
The woman's eyes flashed daggers at the Financial Officer and continued with no waver in her voice. "The public is realizing that the Empire's conquest fleet does not seem to be discriminating. This works for us."
Arliss nodded at her report.
"Security?"
A tall alien was standing to the side, as was his preference.
"The Empire is made up of arrogant fools. They believe military power will solve all," his eyes narrowed, "hence, their first fall."
Arliss agreed.
"Even in the corporate world, a company that has gone bankrupt once is hard pressed to regain it's reputation. The Empire is also similiarly hard pressed."
The alien Security Head continued. "The officer in charge will be under stress not to fail from his superiors.."
"So he makes a foolish plea to a non-existant government?" a low rumbling voice boomed. A large black man, Head of Aquisitions spoke on, not considering the fact that he too interrupted:
"Objectivity 101 is the lesson for the day, ladies and gentlebeings. This planet is run by corporations. We are the future and everyone knows that. Because of the fierceness in our "free enterprise" system (he actually smiled at this), there IS no one ruler of the planet...yet we ALL think WE do. So ALL companies will think the threat from the Empire is directed at them. So, which company will embrace that which threatens to shut them down?", he asked to the group at large.
"They increased the number of prospective strategic alliances for us with no cost to us," the skinny Financial Officer, Mr. Conrad, stated.
Arliss looked at the others with total control.
"Let us keep it that way."
Simon Kaine
Civilian
Posts: 15
(8/31/01 5:46:37 pm)
Reply Re: Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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"Colonel.. our landing site just exploded... fire everywhere.. probably some chemical weapon ignition..." chirped his communicator, the observation from the last transport keeping an eye on their rear.
That stopped Kaine short, a small smile forming.
Timed charges. We would have read no hostiles in the vicinity and landed. Stand--.
"Damn, Standard Imperial Operating Procedure." muttered Captain Chandler as he led the rag tag groups of transports into a commercial shipping lane (one of many moving to and fro).
"They knew! They knew where we would be... how we would respond....." Chandler's voice trailed off.
"Why not." mused Simon, "They wrote our briefing report for us."
"Bloody nice of them," snorted Sveli standing up after having allowed the pilot up and watched as he moved towards the back of the transport.
The transports bobbed and weaved in and out of the lanes and around ships of varous shapes and sizes.
"We may not have brought enough men," the thick mustached Lieutenant observed.
"Air traffic control is having conniptions with my flying style." the Captain at the controls said, periodically adjusting his headset to receive the condition updates broadcasted to ships.
He turned to grin, "They can't track us."
"Ignore them." Simon ordered staring at the daunting city whose direction they were travelling in.
It looked like a page out of a fairy tale... of a city that shines golden in the sun. The transport's front glass darkened to offset the glare.
There were buildings of various sizes and types of construction... All radiant in appearance, all looking quite brand new... most of the architecture having the "corporate", modern look.
Hepsian City, home of Lorice Pharmaceuticals ran a script across the display board.
Chandler looked up and said dryly, "I think we've reached Hepsian City."
***
"Mr. Arliss, The Chairman of Ghant Enterprises is holding." intruded a voice from his personal secretary into Mr. Arliss' personal office. Sound seemed to be the only thing that could intrude this inner sanctum of his...and he thought to make a note to adjust that.
Seamus Arliss sat up from his chair and walked around his desk leaning against it. His suit coat was off, revealing a startlingly white shirt underneath, carefully pressed.
"Very well," he responded and the large viewscreen that faced his desk flickered on.
"Seamus, you old bastard! Trying to crowd me out of the market on space widgets?"
The portly man on screen was Mr. Vest Ghant, CEO and controlling shareholder of Ghant Enterprises. The privately owned company was one that Arliss tried every day to destroy from the ground up.
For if an attack is to be made, you attack the foundation.
Space Widgets = Imperials
"Vest," he replied in a rather good natured tone. "The opportunity was only of small benefit. Such returns did not seem to justify any minor action on your part."
Ghant smiled in response. "I hear Mannix lost some land?"
"Well, if the Imperials are going to crash into land, they might as well do it on Mannix property." Seamus countered the inquiry with a look of boredom.
Vest chuckled, "..and the VCD?"
Arliss actually smiled at this. "Mr. Conrad is at this moment drafting an invoice billing the Empire for time lost on our shipping and commercial interests being held. I think he will also add an orbiting fee for the mothership."
Vest laughed out loud at Arliss' CFO's brass tactics. "Gutsy move."
"He'd burn down a church full of Jedi if it made him 100 billion credits from a Sith."
Ghant's eyes widened. "I'd burn my children's nursery for 100 billion credits."
Arliss grinned, "..and probably sell their bones to an antiquities museum."
"No.. that would be for free. Then I'd hire someone to steal them and split the insurance with the head security. 100% for me and a shot in the head for him. More money in that."
The man on the screen paused. "Are you sure we don't need a market share?"
Arliss thought (or at least appeard to think) for a moment before shaking his head, "I think Mannix is threating to pull his business with the Imperials for their ships crashing on his land. That should be all the action we require at this time."
Vest leaned forward a bit and a feral grin appeared. "How does he plan to lay blame on the Imperials for the destruction of his land when there is no wreckage?"
Seamus' eyes blazed under his calm exterior for that could mean only one thing:
Failure!
"I have another call to take, Vest. We should meet in about five days." So I can rip your throat out.
"I will check my schedule." In your dreams.
The screen went dark...but not nearly as dark as what his mind had suddenly become.
***
The Imperial transports blended nicely with the plethora of other vessels their imperial military markings seeming no different than those surrounding corporate logos.
Suddenly, they broke from the group on the outskirts of Hespian City, Simon taking note of what looked like a shanty town of some sort.
"There!" pointed Kaine, "Take us down over there."
The vessels came in low and slowed, finding small clearings to set down in hiding the transports between very old, crumbling buildings, the hum of their thrusters frightening resting birds.
In their own day, these buildings may have been the pinnacle of Muunilist power but as the shadow of the "Golden City" fell upon the decaying structures, they fell to neglect.
The Imperial soldiers disembarked from the transports to secure the sites. Some groups were going from building to building, covering the windows with their weapons.
There are people here... I can feel it.
Kaine spoke into this communications device, "Lieutenant Quinn, keep the groups close to the ships...we won't be here long. Lieutenant Sveli, send an message on the Intel encrypted system indicating our position. We will only be here an hour, at which time we will have used up what we've paid to stay ahead of schedule... hopefully an Intel agent will respond."
"Halt!" came a soldier, blasters at the ready as screams were heard.
Colonel Kaine looked up sharply and moved quickly to the building where soldiers were already gathering getting ready to force open the door.
"Report."
"I saw someone spying on us and when I yelled, 'halt' they scampered in here. It happened so fast it was hard to get a good look but it was a woman, Sir."
Simon used his right hand to raise a weapon at the level and stepped in front of the soldiers.
He knocked once ...then twice and pushed the door open, the door's creak extremely loud.
The first thing he heard as the creaking vanished was the wimpering of frightened people.
The light from the door illuminated a small room and the wimpering grew louder..
crying?
A group of women were huddled at the far wall, as if afraid of what the Imperials would do.
Kaine stepped in slowly, noting the agitation in the room heighten.
He noticed most were gathered around one woman, her angry glare piercing ...daring...as if ready to fight tooth and nail for justice.
"Where are your..." he started, directed at that woman he correctly identified as the leader, when pandamonium broke out.
Firing was heard a block down and the soldiers raised their weapons outside.
"Ambush! Ambush!" came a shout over the comm. device.
"Casualties?" Simon snapped and Chandler came on, "None yet, but damn, if we weren't as paranoid as we are, they could have caught us really bad."
"Their positions are on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. They are moving to your direction.. my guess is they are protecting something in your direction."
Kaine glanced up at the women
He looked directly at the woman in charge and said, "Tell your men to stand down or my soldiers will protect themselves."
She looked at him in contempt, the light from the door almost blinding her. "I do not recognize your corporate logo but you will not have any more of us.." she spoke bitterly.
corporate..?
"Corporate logo?" Simon said in disgust. "Here is your logo woman." he said as he ripped a patch off his field jacket and tossed it to her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly looked up...
her hand trembling..
her eyes scared that it might all not be real..
Her voice..suddenly losing it's edge as it neared a breaking point..
"The Empire?" she whispered.
"Lieutenant Quinn, put me on the transport's speaker." he ordered.
While looking at the woman who asked the question, he picked up his communications device and spoke:
"This is Colonel Simon Kaine of the Imperial Army. You are no longer alone. We are the Empire and we have returned. Cease fire immediately and come down."
He looked at the women, his hard gaze suddenly softening, "We are not here to harm you."
He stared into the lead woman's eyes.
"We are here...to free you!"
***
The hastily called board meeting revealed much anxiety at the Imperial forces lack of demise.
Seamus Arliss looked over the reports of the explosions that theoretically should have taken out the landing force completely.
"...no possible way they could have know!" the alien Head of Security was ranting.
"The back channels through the dummy corporation did fool Imperial Intelligence." Mr. Conrad stated flatly.
"The details of why it failed are irrelevant." Arliss' voice boomed over the chattering. "The fact is, the Imperial Army is loose upon Muunilist and we do not know at the moment where they are...Correct?" he looked up at the others.
The Security Head took up the challange (a dangerous prospect at some times), "Correct, Mr. Arliss. However, I would not call it an army." He looked over his notes regarding the Imperial forces, "According to our records, a Victory Class Star Destroyer can only take about 4 transport shuttles, each shuttle carrying around 40 troops. So at most, and this is a liberal figure, there are roughly 160 troops. Considering the smaller vessels accompanying it, I shall exaggerate further and estimate their force at around 300."
"We are having this meeting because of 300 men? Great Bankruptcy Court, man! I was under the impression that we had 24 full legions missing. 300! Bah!" Mr. Conrad stated scornfully.
Arliss smiled at the outburst, feeling some relief himself. "300 soldiers will not impede us in any way. Prepare the civilians to meet the VCD ... use Nox Shipping Consortium. (he sighed) Well, if there is nothing further..."
The board ajourned and left for the evening.
***
To Be Continued...
TNO Admiral
Posts: 504
(8/24/01 4:27:50 pm)
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Reprieve (TNO takeover of Muunilinst)
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Reprieve
Darkness.
So soothing... darkness. Always associated with the evil side of things. But how could something so calm, so soothing, be considered evil? Especially in comparison to the blinding, despicable light, the light that scorches your eyes, burns your soul.
Daemon Hyfe's mind ached just to think of it.
It was dark now. Almost nothingness. Nothing but a strange humming that he knew to be the ship's environmental systems purifying the many-times recycled air.
High Admiral Hyfe sat in complete silence. Darkness encompassed his form, as well as all else within the ship's command chamber.
He was lost deep within the realm of his inner self, wholly recoiled from the sphere of consciousness.
Memories... regrets, all of his taunting past ran through his mind. They always came when he was at peace in his favorite setting, when he could rest, alone, in pure darkness. And then came the voices of the past, flooding through him like a feral stream of hate, envy, fear...
"... You await atonement. The greatest tragedy of all will be when it does not arrive."
"… And when your past comes to haunt you, I will merely stand and laugh, for I will know that the time of your suffering has come at last."
"... There can be no redemption for your crimes. The dead cannot forgive."
Darkness.
There was pandemonium amidst the usual serenity.
What was wrong? An irritation in the back of his mind...
And his thoughts focused in on something. A poem, long forgotten.
Do you wrestle with dreams?
Do you contend with shadows?
Do you move in a kind of sleep?
Time has slipped away.
Your life is stolen.
You tarried with trifles,
Victim of your folly.
Edited by: Daemon Hyfe at: 8/24/01 10:50:34 pm
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
Posts: 505
(8/24/01 4:34:18 pm)
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Everyone needs a savior.
For some that savior comes in the form of a fatherly figure. For some that savior comes in the form of a mighty government. For some it comes in the form of a friend, a companion, or a believed enemy.
Yet for some the only savior that there can be is one's self.
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
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(8/24/01 4:38:33 pm)
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The comm unit on Daemon Hyfe's desk buzzed once, then again.
The lights were now on in the High Admiral's command chamber. His black-booted feet were propped up lazily on his artificial oak desk, and his right hand clasped a tall glass of Zadarian brandy.
He stretched forward, reaching out with his right hand to set down the reddish liquor, taking care not to spill the exotic beverage.
He swiveled in his chair to the left, plopping his feet down to the floor once they had cleared the edge of the desk. He then proceeded to scoot up to the desk and press down on the red activator button on the comm unit with his index finger once it was easily within his reach.
"What is it?" he asked with distant simplicity.
The officer on the other side of the comm responded hastily, "Re-emergence from hyperspace in 10 minutes, sir. Captain Essian requests your presence on the bridge."
Admiral Hyfe finished another slow sip of his Zadarian brandy, then set it down on his desk once more. He shoved a stack of data disks up to the top of his desk as he stood from his chair. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Yes sir," came the reply in the same energetic youthful tone.
Daemon flicked off the comm unit before straightening his uniform and heading for the door.
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
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(8/24/01 4:50:14 pm)
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The High Admiral continued down the corridor leading into the bridge, past the aft bridge hologram pods and the small storage closets (at least that's what he took them to be, he had never actually entered one). The corridor came to an end and Daemon found himself suddenly in the vast openness of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer's bridge.
Officers were hurrying about, giving orders and tending to their duties, and the clicks and beeps of various consoles could be heard, adding familiarity to the environment of the bridge.
Not stopping as he entered, Daemon strode towards his command chair a few meters short of the central command walkway.
"Grand Admiral on deck!" a voice shouted from off to his right, easily recognizable as Captain Essian's.
As Daemon neared his chair, he gave his usual simple hand gesture, his "at ease" signal. The crew quickly returned to their duties as he rounded his chair, noticing the Captain approaching him with hands clasped behind his back.
"Admiral," the Captain greeted as Daemon eased into his seat.
Daemon looked to the Captain and returned the greeting with a nod, with this same gesture also letting the Captain know to report.
"I've carried out your orders, sir. We will be coming out of hyperspace in Muunilinsts system shortly. I have nothing else to report.” he stated flatly, black-gloved hands still clasped behind his back.
"Good," Daemon replied. "Is there anything else?"
"Uh... no, sir."
Daemon glanced to the numbers counting down on the far wall, marking the time until reemergence. "Tend to your duties then, Captain," Daemon said in dismissal.
"Of course, sir." Essian said, and then departed for his console.
Davin Essian
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(8/24/01 4:56:30 pm)
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The call came up from the aft crew pit – a helmsman announcing their imminent emergence from hyperspace.
"Acknowledged," Essian heard the Admiral remark.
Captain Essian glanced briefly to the timer, which dictated the time until the Fleet would slip back into real space: 20 seconds and counting.
He did a last once-over of the schematics scrolling across the screen of his station before him, and then observed the timer on the console to his right as the time until reemergence from hyperspace continued to count down.
00:0 0:0 4... 00:0 0:0 3... 00:0 0:0 2... 00:0 0:0 1...
The swirling void of hyperspace Davin Essian knew so well sputtered like a dying engine, and streaming starlines pierced the mottled sky, streaking back into their blue lines as the blotchy void of hyperspace faded away. The starlines shrank abruptly back into the pinpoints of stars.
The New Order's fleet had arrived at Muunilinst.
Davin Essian
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(8/24/01 5:13:13 pm)
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The replies came in one at a time from the three Carrack Cruisers, each acknowledging their newest orders in the standard Imperial manner. Essian glanced once more at the fleet listing scrawling across the technical readout on his left with his questioning blue eyes.
The small TNO attack force had only been out of hyperspace for a few seconds.
The bitter aging lines at the corners of his mouth showing through the fringe of his closely shaved beard curled up in a smile of satisfaction. This attack would run perfectly, the signs were all there.
Muunilinst was a key planet in The New Orders expansion plans, as were all planets they took. Each planet taken by the New Order had geographical or historical purposes that suited their needs, and would aid them in their sweep across the galaxy, eventually bringing all firmly back under the control of the Empire.
The assault on Muunilinst was to be an intricately planned and uncannily efficient planetary takeover, of which he knew the High Admiral was quite capable - a type of demonstration to the whole galaxy how a real planetary takeover should be run. And it would display how cleanly the New Order was capable of carrying out this kind of an operation. The High Admiral had made quite clear his desire to demonstrate especially to all the New Order's rival factions just how effective the command of an efficient leader of the New Order could be.
As Essian looked to the small holographic image of the industrialized planet floating in front of the High Admiral's command chair, he knew that Muunilinst was to be the first of many worlds to witness the technological power and tactical genius the New Order continued to develop.
Yes, Essian decided to himself, this was a more important mission than most realized.
Daemon Hyfe
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(8/24/01 11:23:59 pm)
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The New Order attack force loomed in space several hundred kilometers from Muunilinst. The small task force consisted of one fully equipped Victory-Class Star Destroyer, escorted by three Carrack-Class Cruisers, sitting in a defensive formation around their command ship.
Through the forward view port of the VSD, the planet was woven into the tapestry of space, a small swirling orb of blues, greens, and grays. Muunilinst had been the financial heart of the Empire in the years following the death of Grand Admiral Thrawn, hence the nick-name "Moneyland", as it was often referred to by Imperial officers.
The planet had no moons or natural satellites, but what it did have was two impressive Golan III defense platforms, huge monstrosities that could take more of a pounding than anyone would think possible.
The two Golan defense platforms orbiting the planet had been put up over a decade ago. When they were first put in place, they were manned by hundreds of crewers, patrolling Muunilinst's space to protect it from any attack. And boy could it do that.
However, after the death of Emperor Palpatine and the pivotal Battle of Endor, the defense platforms had been abandoned. They had been set on a clockwork cycle, orbiting the planet continually in opposite directions, one orbiting clockwise, the other counter-clockwise. At one point several years ago, Moff Disra had attempted to move the defense platforms to the key-Imperial world of Bastion. He failed in his attempt however, and Intelligence reports had never really proven quite why.
What is a known fact is that the two space stations were automated, and still quite fully equipped. Each alone was capable of wreaking havoc on a VSD and it’s three companions. And with the stations programmed to defend against any "unwanted" ships (as was determined by the now-independent Muunilinst government), the two Golan III’s provided for quite a predicament.
Simon Kaine
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(8/27/01 3:23:26 pm)
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"Damn! Golans..." murmured a Lieutenant (group commander).
Probably Sveli, thought Simon, his attention focused elsewhere.
Colonel Simon Kaine watched as the tactical display kept him abreast of the situation. One never knew when fast action would be needed or called upon.
The Imperial Battlegroup 256th (Galactic Imperial Designation) had quickly been ordered to load onto the Admiral's Victory Star Destroyer and had spent most of the trip organizing themselves into a functioning unit.
The mixture of veterans (mostly from the Sotel Campaign) and new soldiers had to be balanced quickly, especially after dismissing a good number of new recruits upon finding out they were political appointees.
Few things hampered a unit more than a soldier who thought he might be able to pull the strings of his commander through politics.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the orbits of the two huge monstrosities and objects of his Lieutenant's complaint.
"I am no Fleet Admiral but it seems that those orbits were a mistake," he mentioned softly.
Captain Chandler moved closer to see for himself and an eyebrow raised. "Their orbits put both stations on the same side of the planet at certain times..." he noticed.
Simon gave a small smile. "Most of their weapons are "line-of-site" so the planet could protect a drop assault before one or both platforms come around again."
Lieutenant Quinn (the second group commander of the 256th) entered the conversation. "So does the Empire want the planet and the Golans or just the planet?"
The Colonel thought a minute, as he walked over to a large plexiglass window. Below was the hanger mantained and fastidiously organized by the 256th. He turned around.
"That depends on where the automation center is for the platforms. If it's on the planet, then, theoretically, we could hit it and, if we do gain control over the automation programming, we might be able to designate Muunilist's own ships as enemies thereby reducing the risk of vessels launching a counter-attack from the planet's surface."
Sveli's eyes widened in appreciation, a hand rubbing his thick mustache in contemplation. "Now, that's a damned devilish plan, Sir."
Captain Chandler nodded in agreement. "If the VCD was lost, then we have no fall back point. It would be almost do or die for the ground units."
Lieutenant Quinn turned to the Captain, "It almost already is...and with no mechanized divisions?"
Simon Kaine sighed. " That," he gestured, "... that may be the difficulty here."
Simon hated contemplating an extreme loss of personnel, even for the glorious cause of Imperial expansion.
An extreme loss here means a weaker expansion later.
Chandler spoke up, "..and if the automation center is on the platforms themselves?"
Simon looked at his Captain, his eyes smiling. "Then the Admiral will have his hands full."
Kaine turned back to watch the veterans training the new recruits, "I want the assault vehicles prepped and ready to go just in case. I don't want to get shot down by a live platform because a shuttle's thruster failed to respond correctly."
Sveli rubbed his mustache some more and mused, "Yes, Sir. It always is a shame when military officers go through hell only to slip on a tile at home and break their neck."
A shadow of a smile spread across Simon's face as he gave the order to his group commanders, "Tend to your men, gentlemen. Muunilist awaits."
Edited by: Simon Kaine at: 8/28/01 6:29:23 pm
Daemon Hyfe
TNO Admiral
The Almighty Bastard
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(8/29/01 11:44:42 pm)
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" – This is Victory-Class Star Destroyer Tsar hailing the Muunilinst government. You will lower all defenses, recall all military units to their bases, and prepare for an orderly transfer of command. Please respond. Failure to comply will result in hostilities..."
The call droned on once again. Captain Davin Essian cut off the comm for the fifth time and turned back to face High Admiral Hyfe. "Looks like their not going to acknowledge, Admiral."
Daemon Hyfe remained silent for several heartbeats, elbows propped up on the armrests of his command chair, his chin resting atop a clenched right fist. "No," Daemon replied. "No, I don't suppose they are," he finished, sitting up straight.
A moment later, Essian's voice interjected into his thoughts: "Orders, sir?"
A wing of TIE Defenders had already been launched to intercept incoming and outgoing craft. A designated section in space was even now alive with freighters and personal spacecraft, engines shut down as TIEs swarmed around them, keeping them in check. Communications had been blocked, all transmissions being intercepted, and planetary activities were now being monitored by recon craft. It was time to get under way, Daemon knew.
The High Admiral had of course had spotted the flaw in the orbital pattern of the Golans immediately - something he would be sure to fix once the planet was under Imperial control. But today they would be exploiting this flaw.
The two battle stations moved around the planet in a counterclockwise orbit, one on an inner orbit, and one on an outer, so that they passed by each other at a given point. This happened once every 14 standard hours, and to their luck, would be happening in about 75 standard minutes. At this time, the two platforms would be blindsided to the events on the far side of the planet for approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes, giving them plenty of time to launch drop ships and enter the Muunilinst atmosphere.
"Send a report to Colonel Kaine," the Admiral finally replied. "Set up a meeting with him immediately, and brief him on the situation. He's to launch in 75 standard minutes, ready or not."
"Yes sir," Essian replied. He carried out his orders immediately.
The meeting was brief. It turned out that Colonel Simon Kaine was already ahead of them. Kaine explained the plan they had formed to the Captain, who accepted it with a commendable ovation.
Twenty minutes later, Imperial ground forces were scrambling for their troop transports, and were underway.
Simon Kaine
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(8/30/01 6:12:12 pm)
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"Well.. that was easy." came a voice to Simon's left as he gazed out a the planet growing ever larger.
The Colonel of the 256th turned to the Captain of his [temporarily absent] Combat Wing.
"It always is with officers in charge," he responded his mind on other matters. "They want to hear what we are going to do and so we tell them. If it ends up being what they would have 'ordered' us to do anyway, then we are commended for our progressive actions."
Chandler broke into a slight grin, "So.. you want me too..."
"..follow orders." Kaine finished for him.
Chandler moved back, grabbing onto a overhead handle as the ship banked toward the planet.
"Atmosphere in 2 minutes." informed the pilot.
"..What I get for trying to be 'progressive'.." Chandler was muttering under his breath as a joke.
Everyone seemed tense.
It's always like this before combat.., Simon mused.
He noted the rows of soldiers, some joking with one another and others off in their own little world of thoughts and knodded in admiration.
..a well oiled machine.., he thought, recalling the reference from somewhere.
He turned his attention to the planet and went forward, standing behind the pilot.
He noted the TIE squadrons flying formation on the outer perimeter of the troop transports, their focus mainly on halting the commercial shipping. They would soon be worrying about the platforms rounding the planet, but TIEs were maneuverable.
They came in handy on Sotel. He smiled at the reference.
However, his smile soon turned sour as he watched the commercial shipping vessels comply with the Imperial presence.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it until his mind suddenly realized a bigger picture.
It wasn't so much the existence of the commercial shipping and neutral vessels in orbit that surprised him but the rather large numbers of them.
Even with their small numbers of TIE's, he felt confident the Imperial pilots could handle themselves if things got dicey, but he knew that they probably did not expect space to be so...so... crowded.
..but there was something else nagging in the back of his mind.
Something doesn't feel right.
"Pilot, where is the drop?" he suddenly asked, as the transport entered the atmosphere.
The pilot casually punched some buttons and a topographical, holographic map came up and he indicated how far they were from the designated spot.
"Standard logistics, Colonel. 'Drop troops in an area as far away from hostile military units as possible to allow for effective maneuvering'." the pilot seemed to rehearse some paragraph in a manual.
Lieutenant Sveli moved forward watching the holographic map nodding.
"The men are familiar with the area. In fact, a similar map was included in our preparation modules...it's what we used to figure deployment so the 'boys' will have no problem."
Kaine nodded but still frowned.
It seems correct.
Perhaps the pilot noticed his unconvinced stare for he added, "..it also affords us the opportunity to return to the Tsar before the fireworks start."
The pilot grinned, "Thanks to you, we are almost an hour ahead of schedule."
Schedule?
The word seemed to burn in his mind like a match to dry parchment.
He glanced down at his data pad, looking at his Intel Briefing Report on the planet below. A very same report that they had gone over with Captain Essian.
The shuttle shook from the turbulence inherent in a rapid descent
Muunilist had two Golan platforms in orbit and an adequate (though not impossible to defeat) fleet. On the surface, it seemed reasonable...
The report:
Quote:
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...enshrouded in tribal-like warfare. There is no ruling system of government – merely “guilds” or “clans” that fight amongst each other. The planet is one of great suffering - violence is a dominating force, the economy is in shambles...
...there is this one tribe that is more powerful than the others. It’s starting to become the dominating force, kind of becoming the new rulers. They are quite tyrannical, and are oppressing...
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His eyes stared at the words for a time as the pilot made a comment about the thick, gray cloud cover.
This is what we are prepared for...
His finger scrolled down the report, figures flashing by rapidly and noted the ending line:
"Presented for Imperial Intelligence"
Intriguing... not from but for..
His mind was racing..
Yet the report had a ring of truth... Muunilist... "Moneyland".
He remembered his days at the Imperial Academy, working in the Ordinance Receiving Facility, and there was a saying even then, "Ship it to the moon if it's not backed by Muunilist."
Financial backing?
There was a tiny symbol next to the Imperial Intelligence Seal and he scanned his data pad for a reference.
Interplanetary Services, Ltd. - Muunilist
He looked up sharply as the shuttle broke through the clouds.
"ABORT!! ABORT LANDING SITE!!" he shouted moving forward, "Bank... Bank off! Get the other's out of here..NOW!!"
The pilot was startled by the outburst and half turned..his face distorted in confusion.."Now wait just a minut---"
Simon had no time for replies as he pulled out his sidearm in one hand and grabbed the pilot, pulling him from his seat with the other...Lieutenant Sveli moving to aid his Colonel, not knowing what was going on but trusting his commanding officer.
Chandler came running up, through the confused soldiers still strapped in their seats, at the sound of the first shout.
The man, on reflex, fought back but Sveli held him down.
Chandler grabbed at the controls before the shuttle could actually respond to the loss of it's pilot.
Kaine's hand released the pilot and he punched the ship-to-ship coded communications channel to the rest of the transports.
"We are taking point. All shuttles follow our lead! New Orders.. Scramble!"
To Chandler he said, "..go west and keep low.."
The Combat Wing Captain looked at Muunilist's surface for the first time from the pilot's seat.
"..'a walk in the park,' they said.." he murmured.
"Tribes, my ass!" The Colonel nearly spat in disgust.
He radioed the Lieutenant Quinn's shuttle and ordered a coded call to go out to any Intelligence Operatives in the area.
We need a new set of eyes and ears and we've no time!
In 14 hours, we must have control of the platforms or have found a way to deactivate them ... or they could chew the Tsar to bits. The Admiral will have his hands full!
He looked out at the beautiful green surroundings, almost park-like in quality and the huge towers of cities in the distant background each almost covered in a dark cloud...only they weren't dark clouds.
Commercial transports... hundreds of them!!
..products of a healthy econo
Colonel Simon Kaine was beginning to see the outer fringes of an intricate web that was spun around the Imperials with precision and craft.
***
The Board of Directors met in one of the Arliss Towers. The chairman, Seamus Arliss, smiled coldly at the transmission that came in.
Quote:
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" - This is Victory-Class Star Destroyer Tsar hailing the Muunilinst government. You will lower all defenses, recall all military units to their bases, and prepare for an orderly transfer of command. Please respond. Failure to comply will result in hostilities..."
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He turned to his Public Relations head, a tall brunette woman who held herself regally.
"How is the "public" taking this.. transmission?"
She did not look at her notes, "They do not know what to make of it. We played it globally on all frequencies..."
"..costing us, I might add, 10 billion credits a minute.." interrupted a skinny man quite irritably.
"Mr. Conrad, calm yourself. Your turn will come. Continue please, Verrice."
The woman's eyes flashed daggers at the Financial Officer and continued with no waver in her voice. "The public is realizing that the Empire's conquest fleet does not seem to be discriminating. This works for us."
Arliss nodded at her report.
"Security?"
A tall alien was standing to the side, as was his preference.
"The Empire is made up of arrogant fools. They believe military power will solve all," his eyes narrowed, "hence, their first fall."
Arliss agreed.
"Even in the corporate world, a company that has gone bankrupt once is hard pressed to regain it's reputation. The Empire is also similiarly hard pressed."
The alien Security Head continued. "The officer in charge will be under stress not to fail from his superiors.."
"So he makes a foolish plea to a non-existant government?" a low rumbling voice boomed. A large black man, Head of Aquisitions spoke on, not considering the fact that he too interrupted:
"Objectivity 101 is the lesson for the day, ladies and gentlebeings. This planet is run by corporations. We are the future and everyone knows that. Because of the fierceness in our "free enterprise" system (he actually smiled at this), there IS no one ruler of the planet...yet we ALL think WE do. So ALL companies will think the threat from the Empire is directed at them. So, which company will embrace that which threatens to shut them down?", he asked to the group at large.
"They increased the number of prospective strategic alliances for us with no cost to us," the skinny Financial Officer, Mr. Conrad, stated.
Arliss looked at the others with total control.
"Let us keep it that way."
Simon Kaine
Civilian
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(8/31/01 5:46:37 pm)
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"Colonel.. our landing site just exploded... fire everywhere.. probably some chemical weapon ignition..." chirped his communicator, the observation from the last transport keeping an eye on their rear.
That stopped Kaine short, a small smile forming.
Timed charges. We would have read no hostiles in the vicinity and landed. Stand--.
"Damn, Standard Imperial Operating Procedure." muttered Captain Chandler as he led the rag tag groups of transports into a commercial shipping lane (one of many moving to and fro).
"They knew! They knew where we would be... how we would respond....." Chandler's voice trailed off.
"Why not." mused Simon, "They wrote our briefing report for us."
"Bloody nice of them," snorted Sveli standing up after having allowed the pilot up and watched as he moved towards the back of the transport.
The transports bobbed and weaved in and out of the lanes and around ships of varous shapes and sizes.
"We may not have brought enough men," the thick mustached Lieutenant observed.
"Air traffic control is having conniptions with my flying style." the Captain at the controls said, periodically adjusting his headset to receive the condition updates broadcasted to ships.
He turned to grin, "They can't track us."
"Ignore them." Simon ordered staring at the daunting city whose direction they were travelling in.
It looked like a page out of a fairy tale... of a city that shines golden in the sun. The transport's front glass darkened to offset the glare.
There were buildings of various sizes and types of construction... All radiant in appearance, all looking quite brand new... most of the architecture having the "corporate", modern look.
Hepsian City, home of Lorice Pharmaceuticals ran a script across the display board.
Chandler looked up and said dryly, "I think we've reached Hepsian City."
***
"Mr. Arliss, The Chairman of Ghant Enterprises is holding." intruded a voice from his personal secretary into Mr. Arliss' personal office. Sound seemed to be the only thing that could intrude this inner sanctum of his...and he thought to make a note to adjust that.
Seamus Arliss sat up from his chair and walked around his desk leaning against it. His suit coat was off, revealing a startlingly white shirt underneath, carefully pressed.
"Very well," he responded and the large viewscreen that faced his desk flickered on.
"Seamus, you old bastard! Trying to crowd me out of the market on space widgets?"
The portly man on screen was Mr. Vest Ghant, CEO and controlling shareholder of Ghant Enterprises. The privately owned company was one that Arliss tried every day to destroy from the ground up.
For if an attack is to be made, you attack the foundation.
Space Widgets = Imperials
"Vest," he replied in a rather good natured tone. "The opportunity was only of small benefit. Such returns did not seem to justify any minor action on your part."
Ghant smiled in response. "I hear Mannix lost some land?"
"Well, if the Imperials are going to crash into land, they might as well do it on Mannix property." Seamus countered the inquiry with a look of boredom.
Vest chuckled, "..and the VCD?"
Arliss actually smiled at this. "Mr. Conrad is at this moment drafting an invoice billing the Empire for time lost on our shipping and commercial interests being held. I think he will also add an orbiting fee for the mothership."
Vest laughed out loud at Arliss' CFO's brass tactics. "Gutsy move."
"He'd burn down a church full of Jedi if it made him 100 billion credits from a Sith."
Ghant's eyes widened. "I'd burn my children's nursery for 100 billion credits."
Arliss grinned, "..and probably sell their bones to an antiquities museum."
"No.. that would be for free. Then I'd hire someone to steal them and split the insurance with the head security. 100% for me and a shot in the head for him. More money in that."
The man on the screen paused. "Are you sure we don't need a market share?"
Arliss thought (or at least appeard to think) for a moment before shaking his head, "I think Mannix is threating to pull his business with the Imperials for their ships crashing on his land. That should be all the action we require at this time."
Vest leaned forward a bit and a feral grin appeared. "How does he plan to lay blame on the Imperials for the destruction of his land when there is no wreckage?"
Seamus' eyes blazed under his calm exterior for that could mean only one thing:
Failure!
"I have another call to take, Vest. We should meet in about five days." So I can rip your throat out.
"I will check my schedule." In your dreams.
The screen went dark...but not nearly as dark as what his mind had suddenly become.
***
The Imperial transports blended nicely with the plethora of other vessels their imperial military markings seeming no different than those surrounding corporate logos.
Suddenly, they broke from the group on the outskirts of Hespian City, Simon taking note of what looked like a shanty town of some sort.
"There!" pointed Kaine, "Take us down over there."
The vessels came in low and slowed, finding small clearings to set down in hiding the transports between very old, crumbling buildings, the hum of their thrusters frightening resting birds.
In their own day, these buildings may have been the pinnacle of Muunilist power but as the shadow of the "Golden City" fell upon the decaying structures, they fell to neglect.
The Imperial soldiers disembarked from the transports to secure the sites. Some groups were going from building to building, covering the windows with their weapons.
There are people here... I can feel it.
Kaine spoke into this communications device, "Lieutenant Quinn, keep the groups close to the ships...we won't be here long. Lieutenant Sveli, send an message on the Intel encrypted system indicating our position. We will only be here an hour, at which time we will have used up what we've paid to stay ahead of schedule... hopefully an Intel agent will respond."
"Halt!" came a soldier, blasters at the ready as screams were heard.
Colonel Kaine looked up sharply and moved quickly to the building where soldiers were already gathering getting ready to force open the door.
"Report."
"I saw someone spying on us and when I yelled, 'halt' they scampered in here. It happened so fast it was hard to get a good look but it was a woman, Sir."
Simon used his right hand to raise a weapon at the level and stepped in front of the soldiers.
He knocked once ...then twice and pushed the door open, the door's creak extremely loud.
The first thing he heard as the creaking vanished was the wimpering of frightened people.
The light from the door illuminated a small room and the wimpering grew louder..
crying?
A group of women were huddled at the far wall, as if afraid of what the Imperials would do.
Kaine stepped in slowly, noting the agitation in the room heighten.
He noticed most were gathered around one woman, her angry glare piercing ...daring...as if ready to fight tooth and nail for justice.
"Where are your..." he started, directed at that woman he correctly identified as the leader, when pandamonium broke out.
Firing was heard a block down and the soldiers raised their weapons outside.
"Ambush! Ambush!" came a shout over the comm. device.
"Casualties?" Simon snapped and Chandler came on, "None yet, but damn, if we weren't as paranoid as we are, they could have caught us really bad."
"Their positions are on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. They are moving to your direction.. my guess is they are protecting something in your direction."
Kaine glanced up at the women
He looked directly at the woman in charge and said, "Tell your men to stand down or my soldiers will protect themselves."
She looked at him in contempt, the light from the door almost blinding her. "I do not recognize your corporate logo but you will not have any more of us.." she spoke bitterly.
corporate..?
"Corporate logo?" Simon said in disgust. "Here is your logo woman." he said as he ripped a patch off his field jacket and tossed it to her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly looked up...
her hand trembling..
her eyes scared that it might all not be real..
Her voice..suddenly losing it's edge as it neared a breaking point..
"The Empire?" she whispered.
"Lieutenant Quinn, put me on the transport's speaker." he ordered.
While looking at the woman who asked the question, he picked up his communications device and spoke:
"This is Colonel Simon Kaine of the Imperial Army. You are no longer alone. We are the Empire and we have returned. Cease fire immediately and come down."
He looked at the women, his hard gaze suddenly softening, "We are not here to harm you."
He stared into the lead woman's eyes.
"We are here...to free you!"
***
The hastily called board meeting revealed much anxiety at the Imperial forces lack of demise.
Seamus Arliss looked over the reports of the explosions that theoretically should have taken out the landing force completely.
"...no possible way they could have know!" the alien Head of Security was ranting.
"The back channels through the dummy corporation did fool Imperial Intelligence." Mr. Conrad stated flatly.
"The details of why it failed are irrelevant." Arliss' voice boomed over the chattering. "The fact is, the Imperial Army is loose upon Muunilist and we do not know at the moment where they are...Correct?" he looked up at the others.
The Security Head took up the challange (a dangerous prospect at some times), "Correct, Mr. Arliss. However, I would not call it an army." He looked over his notes regarding the Imperial forces, "According to our records, a Victory Class Star Destroyer can only take about 4 transport shuttles, each shuttle carrying around 40 troops. So at most, and this is a liberal figure, there are roughly 160 troops. Considering the smaller vessels accompanying it, I shall exaggerate further and estimate their force at around 300."
"We are having this meeting because of 300 men? Great Bankruptcy Court, man! I was under the impression that we had 24 full legions missing. 300! Bah!" Mr. Conrad stated scornfully.
Arliss smiled at the outburst, feeling some relief himself. "300 soldiers will not impede us in any way. Prepare the civilians to meet the VCD ... use Nox Shipping Consortium. (he sighed) Well, if there is nothing further..."
The board ajourned and left for the evening.
***
To Be Continued...