OOC: I'll offer up one more day for TNO to get someone in here and make a response before I press on.

Or if they have any problems that they'd like to resolve without fighting, please contact me via PM.

OOC - This post will not contain anything other than pretty much what Kraken and I agreed upon via AIM, I am assuming he got busy...or something. He told me he would be the one to take over and so by following the "next logical steps" in the RP, I'll be following his said steps.




Allegiance-Class Star Destroyer Timeless


All were tense about the bridge. The fleet had to more or less cease their fire with the ground troops making their major advances now. The invasion force was not an overly large one, but it was getting the job done through ability, not numbers.

A direct orbital bombardment - though it could be said that it could be dangerous - had completely decimated Impreial territories throughout the whole of the planet, putting not only a strain, but a cut on the Empire's war machine here. Their garrisons had scrambled and been destroyed, those soldierse not killed in the process having run out into a heap of laserbolts and thermal detonators.

By and large it was considered a lost cause. With tanks and infantry entering and holding the capitol city, the Empire was pinned down in only one final bunker - though heavily defended it could not hold up against the onslaught of forces. Vice Minister Dal Egum - a Sullustan who had been forced from office when the New Order conquered the planet - had given invaluable intelligence on the last Imperial held position.

If the Empire did not offer up its surrender like Admiral Me'Vere had demanded, then Y-Wings would launch a series of bunker-buster style bombs down onto the bunker - weapons designed to dig down into the ground and destroy or cause damage to inlaid bunkers.

Of course, no one had doubts that no matter how many of those bombs they sent it simply would not get the job done. The Vice Minister had indicated that the bunker was several kilometers below the surface.

And if there was a place they were holding Joren Arden it was going to be down there.

Captain Xiler had counted down the past thirty minutes with great anguish and nervousness. All the Empire had to do was fire one shot...and the fates of hundreds of men would be sealed.

Watching the monitor he'd been standing over for the forty minutes now, he simply waited, observing the infantry and armored vehicles surrounding the building with the secret compartment leading down to the bunker.

Now they could only wait.

<hr>

Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Spartan

Wells paced back and forth with obvious discontent, the anxiety that was already obvious on his visage was only accentuated by the sweat pouring down his face. Was this the end or merely the eye of the storm?

If the latter things were about to tense up fast and that was the last thing he wanted. Civilians had, by and large, considered the attacks over and began re-entering the cities - most poignantly being the capitol around the space port where the planet derived its entire economy from.

The Empire was held down there, and if they decided to go in a final blaze of glory then who knew how many civilians would have to pay the price?

It was not an idea that appealed to the middle-aged commodore.

His hands were clasped tightly behind his back and he seemed to be counting his steps. Maybe to distract his mind from the various images it could conjure up?

Ralen simply sighed as he waited.

<hr>

Abregado-rae Spaceport City

The soldiers had come to a tense stand off. Most of the infantry were now crouching around the enormous building, ready to drop to their bellies to avoid incoming gunfire if something went wrong.

The anxiety and suspense was so thick it could have suffocated a small animal. They held tightly their weapons, watching all the possible exits to the building. There was no one inside - it was completely empty and barren except for the few desks and the entrance into the enemy bunker.

If something went wrong the tanks would unleash a full fury onto the building and simply raze it. The Imperial Star Destroyer Spartan had hastily thrown together its mobile command bunker not far from the city - about a mile out - and had given them very specific orders in the instance of an emergecy.

They would unleash everything they had, the marines would advance being closely followed by the infantry, who would then storm the bunker after the destruction of the building, and destroy the Empire therein.

No one wanted to do this. With their adrenaline pretty much having died down after the beginning of the invasion, everyone simply wanted to see Imperial hands in the air and go home.

Sweaty fingers itched against the triggers of their rifles. Ready to shoot the first white helmet they saw.

And suddenly it happened, all in a sudden moment.

There was a yell, some panic, forces started yelling back and forth, the Sovereign soldiers shouldered their weapons and got ready.

Suddenly they saw three...four, five men exitting the entrance to the building. Every one was ready to shoot, ready to unlock the fury of Hell on them.

Until they saw the palms in the air, which was shortly followed by a chorus of cheers. The marines ran forward, grabbing their prisoners and forcing them on their knees as they began to search their bodies for detail.

Major Devell as he emerged simply sighed and complied.

Abregado-rae had fallen to the Outer-Rim Sovereignty.

Joren Arden crossed his arms over his chest as he watched out the viewport of the Spartan, something he had not been allowed to do for what seemed an eternity now. It felt good now, to be free of Imperial bondage, escaped and back into the hands of Sovereign forces.

He could not deny he felt mildly embarassed at the whole scenario - needing to be shoveled out of an Imperial bunker, an entire fleet and army there fighting over him more or less. But Admiral Me'Vere had handled himself admirably, he thought.

He was in his old uniform again, and surprisingly he enjoyed the tight and restricting constraints of the fabric. It was like a second skin to him - something he was not even allowed to look at as long as he was held on the Imperial world.

It was no secret, they were going to kill him after they'd gotten their necessary information. But Admiral Me'Vere's swift strike had ensured that the Empire would not be able to get much out of the Supreme Commander.

So now he stood there, watching with more than a little satisfaction as the stars whizzed by the bridge. Shooting past in a glory he'd never known before.

No one could know without being held against their will in an Imperial facility.

The clicking sound of black boots against the thick durasteel deck alerted the admiral that someone was approaching, and he turned to see the welcomed sight of Admiral Me'Vere taking a step up next to him. They shared a moment of silence - a moment that said more than words ever could as the two commanders simply watched the stars, seeing them through eyes a civilian man never could.

Joren could not begin to fathome the debt he felt he owed the admiral. He had come about and caused a resounding military victory, taking Abregado-rae within a day's time without causing severe damage to the civilian structures.

The populace was still getting adjusted, but they appreciated the Outer-Rim forces. Though the admiral had made a promise he would leave the system, the vice minister confirmed that the people were practically begging him to stay.

The Empire would be back. And when they were, they needed someone to defend them. Who knew what the next Imperial moff would do to the people for abandoning the "Imperial ideal"?

That fight had not been a regular one, there was something...wrong about it. Though Major Devell was considered an appropriate and legitimate prisoner of war, Ralen had half a thought about him to send him back to Bakura to face investigation on war crimes.

That would certainly depend on how much intelligence he offered up on Imperial bases and the like.

Though Ralen did not truly believe that he had ordered the unconventional shielding tactics. Someone else had been pulling his strings the entire time - or had given him very specific orders with which he had no choice but to obey.

Perhaps it was Bhindi Drayson, confident in an Outer-Rim counter strike?

Whatever the case it was over now. Devell was being held in one of Me'Vere's personal holding cells for officers. It was a luxourious and spacious room with velvet and silk furniture, alcohol and food. He was allowed his own selection of HoloDramas and books.

However he had eight days' worth of food. It would not be re-stocked until he gave information over to Sovereign Intelligence.

That kind of interrogation always worked with maybe two exceptions. Both of which had however eventually sang like canaries when they were transported to Endor for interrogation.

Joren Arden finally looked up at the admiral, whose face was still firmly planted din the direction of the stars. What most did not realize was this was not simply observing little pale dots that were in fact burning balls of gaseos combustion that continued to incinerate billions of miles into the distance.

This was a chance for the commander to relax, observe, and consider. There was nowhere more peaceful - and yet also nowhere more cruel - than outer space. Therefore, they took in the serenity of it and allowed themselves a release, the only release they would have.

"I...thank you," Joren finally managed to say, turning back to gaze out the viewport.

At first Ralen made no motions to respond, to which the other supreme commander simply nodded.

Finally though, he spoke up.

"You have no need to mention it Admiral, I was doing my duty," he responded modestly.

"It was a...remarkable victory," Joren stated, trying to get this man, his savior, to speak at least a little so that he could at the very least figure out what kind of man he was.

Ralen this time turned to Joren. "We got lucky."

"Did you get the final figures?"

Joren had been infinitely curious as to just how many had died in this conflict - one wrought simply for him it seemed. The fighting had sounded intense from the ground.

Ralen nodded this time before staring back out the viewport.

"Seven hundred Sovereign troops dead, a thousand wounded. One of our tanks got knocked around but...it survived and is currently undergoing repairs."

"And civilians?"

To this Ralen Me'Vere sighed visibly. "Eight hundred confirmed dead, two thousand wounded. Far less than we had thought were going to occur, but far more than I wanted."

Joren bowed his head. "A necessity of war..."

"Yes..."

"And Imperial soldiers?" Joren quickly inquired to get the admiral off this somber note.

"With or without the militia?" Ralen countered quickly.

"Both."

"Twenty-seven thousand without, two hundred thousand with, but we don't think it was a real militia."

Joren cocked an eyebrow curiously. Not a real militia?

Ralen turned to face him again.

"We believe the Empire sent down special forces posed as civilians as a propaganda stunt. They would pose as civilian militia, other civilians would flock to the call, and if they died the Empire could use their deaths over the HoloNet." Joren was obviously taken back, and this time Ralen turned to go take a seat in his command chair again. "We don't know though, Devell will tell us," he said as he eased into the chair.

Joren had gotten the figures for the captured himself, nine hundred, only a very small portion of which were stormtroopers. Unless one counted the militia in which case they had taken over six thousand prisoners.

Perhaps the thing that had caught Joren the most of guard was how they captured the bunker in tact, with nothing deleted or destroyed. The destruction of their ability to communicate had caused them to be blind and deaf to the invasion above. When finally they knew what was going on - they were being ordered to surrender, in which case they had hardly the time to delete their files. Priceless intelligence had been captured here.

The Empire had the superior numbers, but the Sovereignty had the superior ground and firepower.

And the Sovereignty had the superior cause.

Joren turned back to the viewport once more, content to be lost in the feeling of the stars.