Pegasus, Kashan Flagship, Meridan Sector

“Retribution.”

Corise shook his head. “It’s not about retribution for us, but to prevent it from happening again.

The Pro-consul shook her head. “It might not be retribution for you, or for your fleet. But it will be retribution for them.”

Christina was referring to the group of merchants that had been picked up by the Pegasus. Merchants that had been minutes away from dying by suffocation. Merchants that had been minutes away from dying by the harsh cold of vacuum. Merchants that had been minutes away from death by other injuries. Merchants who had lost ships and goods. And from looking at the merchants huddled on the warship’s flight deck, Corise felt pity. They have lost nearly everything.

“Nobody likes pity,” stated the woman, still staring down at the traders from the opaque windows of the flight control station.

The Commodore didn’t break his gaze or his tone of voice.

“How do you know I feel pity for them?”

She abruptly turned and faced him. “How could I not? You spoke slower, with more deliberation. It shows in your posture as well; you just seem sad.”

The man nodded. “Point taken. Any word from their corporations?”

She shrugged. “I’m not the communication’s specialist, but I do know we’ve contacted several of them. Apparently there was at least one member of the Commonwealth onboard one of those ships?”

The younger Lucerne finally broke his gaze to stare at his compatriot.

“The Commonwealth?” he absently stated, “I don’t think those pirates are going to have many places to hide. They struck the wrong convoy.”


“What do you mean?” questioned the diplomat.

Corise shrugged. “They struck a convoy with Coalition trading partners, with several major corporate companies involved, and even managed to nail one that had at least a Commonwealth passenger onboard?”

Corise shuddered, pulling out a com-link from his breast pocket.

“Communications, see if you can raise a channel with any nearby Commonwealth vessel and report back to me when you do. Lucerne out.”

“Well that was brief, laconic.”

“As always,” sighed the officer, reclipping it in.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Hunt some pirates…”

CWS Rapier, Hapes

The Commonwealth Third Fleet’s flagship was constantly on patrol. The Patrol began at Etti-IV. Then on to Hapes, then to Capricia, and then back to Etti-IV. All together the patrol took about three weeks, assuming there were no… distractions.

Activity on Rapier’s bridge was at its highest level at the moment. The twenty-five year old Imperator Mark II Destroyer was passing through the Transitory Mists. The ionized space that surrounded the Hapes Cluster made travel very hazardous. Sensors could give false readings and the destroyer could crash into a five-kilometer piece of iron-nickel planetoid. Vice-Admiral Wilkar had sent Commander Littan’s A-Wing squadron ahead to make sure there were no such collisions.

“Exiting Transitory Mists… now.”

The swirling gases and nebulae melted away to the inky black of space. Hapes, the crowning gem of the galaxy, shown brightly in constant night of the vacuum.

“Admiral, we’re receiving a message from the Kashan vessel, Pegasus,” said the communications officer.

“Concerning what Lieutenant?”

“Apparantly they’ve picked up some Commonwealth citizens in the Meridian Sector seconds away from being spaced by pirates. They are calling on all Commonwealth Naval ships in the area to assist them with dealing with the pirate gang that threatens our two expanding nations. Direct Quote.”

“Pirates,” cursed the Kuati man. “Always causing trouble. Recall Commander Littan’s squadron. Helm.”

“Yes, Admiral?”

“Set a new course: the Meridian Sector.”

“What about the patrol Ad—“

“Commonwealth Citizenry is in danger. The objective of the Three Points Patrol has been overridden, “ interrupted Wilkar.

The officer commanding the helm complied, and the ship’s course changed. The ship would have to make the trip back through the dangerous Transitory Mists. This would take time, but once the Rapier made it into open space, Wilkar estimated they would arrive in the Meridian Sector within the day.

“Pirates,” cursed Wilkar again, grimacing.

Pegasus, Kashan Flagship, Meridan Sector

"Information on the pirates is very incomplete," sighed the Commodore.

The Pro-Consul frowned. "We have the recordings from the freighters."

The man nodded. "True, but we don't know if that is their entire force or just a segment of it. If they are like the Invids, it will require all of this force and whatever the Commonwealth is bringing."

Units assigned to Genon had first priority, keeping the bulk of the KDF's Seraphs, including the lead ship, in orbit around the planet. However, other ships had been permanently assigned to escort the star destroyer, such as the Resolve and a trio of Amphion-class Light Frigates. They were all fast ships, as part of Corise's concept of a fast-response fleet. And as such, they should be capable of pursuing the pirates and holding them up for more powerful, and typically slower, forces.

She shook her head.

"Force means nothing if you don't know where they are."

He nodded. "But of course. That is why there S9s continually taking off the flight deck."

"They're all scouting?" questioned the brunnette.

"Yes; I have them following up leads based on the pirate's escape vectors."

His com-link blipped. "Sir, Greywind 7 and Shadowwing 3 have tracked down the pirates to Budpock."

"Very good. Have helm start plotting a course to take us to Budpock. Any news from the Commonwealth?"

"Sir, they appear to be en route now. We estimate they will be here in five standard minutes."

"Very good ensign. Request a meeting between their commander and myself. We have information and planning to do."

"Yes sir."

During the return voyage through the Transitory Mists, some kind of anomaly had fried an entire bank of the Rapier’s communication dishes. This had effectively cut the ship’s long range transmission ability in half. Thus, the Commonwealth Destroyer Rapier would be the only ship coming to the Kashan’s aid.

Other than that the voyage had been uneventful yet extremely busy. The ship’s star fighter squadrons had been refitted for heavy and extended combat instead of the usual patrol load-out. The turbolasers had been checked, then checked a second time, then checked again. Aging turbolasers had a tendency to explode catastrophically if not constantly maintained.

“Are you ready for this Commander?” asked Wilkar to the leader of the Rapier’s most elite squadron.

Startled, the pilot dropped his hydrospanner as looked up from the A-Wing’s laser cannon that he was tinkering with.

“Admiral! You gave me a fright there,” he managed to get out, saluting. “Ah… yes sir… I think Lightening Squadron will perform well in the coming engagement. As long as Black Squadron can keep all the anti-fighter frigates off us, which they will, we’ll do alright.”

“I’m going to depending on you Commander. If damn those pirates surround the Rapier, they’ll pound this old bird to scrap. You have got to keep them off of us.”

“We will sir. You have my word.”

A voice came on the ship’s intercom. “The ship is exiting hyperspace. I repeat…”

An orderly ran up to Wilkar. “Vice-Admiral Wilkar, the Kashan Commander, Commodore Lucerne wishes to meet with you, sir.”

The Vice-Admiral nodded.

“Prepare a shuttle. Tell Commodore Lucerne that I’ll be docking on the Pegasus shortly.”

Pegasus, Kashan Flagship

Brisk footsteps echoed throughout the hall,

“You didn’t recommend the air purifiers?” questioned Commander Fyre.

Corise sighed. “Is there a reason I would?”

“Because I suggested it when Mr. Stellar visited.”

“You were serious?”

“Um…yes.”

“That’s a first.”

A set of silver blast doors slid open, allowing the two men to enter the crowded hangar. The room was of the typical rectangular fashion reminiscent of those used on the larger Imperator designs. Normally, Deathsaber and Nemesis starfighters would not only have been hanging from the upper racks, but also laid on the hangar floor for maintenance. Such was not the case today. Today, in typical Kashan fashion, soldiers and crewmen had formed up in rectangles along the aisle from the shuttle to the turbolift that would take their esteemed guests to CIC of the star destroyer. Circumstance dictated that they wear dress uniforms, as shown by dress swords hanging from every officer’s belt. Many soldiers despised them in other factions, but such was not the case in the KDF, mainly because the uniforms were the same cut and basic style as their everyday cloths. The only difference was generally silver piping and award tabs. The pair continued across to the aisle to where the shuttle would land.

“There they come,” motioned the Commander, pointing out a shuttle rising into the ventral bay.

“There she is.”

“What?” asked the younger man.

“The Pro-consul.”

The commander shook his head.

“Commodore, I bet you’re more interested in her than the delegates.”

Corise narrowed his eyes. “I beg your pardon.”

“Well, you know.”

The Commodore snorted at the man's inference.

“I’m giving you a new order.”

“And that is?”

“To shut up while their delegation is here.”

The Commander smiled, prompting to sigh.

“And no motions, gestures, and etc.”

“Not even to tell them where the refresher station is if they ask?”

“To any other person, I would say to use your common sense. Let me revise that. Do not gesture, motion, or talk unless they start the conversation with you. And then, stay on topic.”

And for once, the other man sighed.

The shuttle flight from the Rapier was as smooth as any. The flight of Starvipers from Gold squadron that escorted the Vice-Admiral’s shuttle was berthed in one of the Pegasus’ auxiliary hangers.

As the shuttle passed through the ship’s vacuum shield, Wilkar stood up to straighten his uniform. It was a regular Commonwealth military blue-gray service fatigue. On his belt, he had only a datapad and a small but powerful comlink that he could use to communicate with his ship. His service pistol was slung low around his hip.

Wilkar’s two bodyguards stood up as well. Wilkar let out a silent chuckle. They would definitely stand out among the white of Kashan shock troopers. Death Watch Black was very distinctive. They carried very little: only blaster pistols held up with a black belt with a golden Death Watch inscribed buckle.

Also along were Captain Phiso, commander of Skull Battalion on loan from the Death Watch Regiment and also Major Tice of the Rapier's compliment of Fleet Strike Troops. Commander Littan of Lightening Squadron rounded out the delegation. Hopefully he and Kashan star fighter commanders would coordinate tactics.

The shuttle ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss.

“Gentlemen…” said Wilkar as he made his way out of shuttle.

When Wilkar saw the array of Kashan forces before him, his first emotion was embarrassment. He had definitely not dressed for the occasion. Then came apathy. Feathers and ceremonial swords don’t win wars, victory comes from the barrel of a gun.

The Vice-Admiral made his way to Commodore Lucerne. Beside him was Pro-consul Thorne. Her beauty was easily equivalent to that of Scipio Arien or any of the Queen Mothers of Hapes.

“Commodore Lucerne, Pro-consul Thorne, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I understand we are having some problems within this sector?”

Corise watched the shuttle touch down along with its' StarViper escorts. He managed a side glance at the pilots of Greywind Squadron. That will be odd for them: having to fight StarVipers flown by criminals to flying alongside StarVipers against criminals. He shrugged as the door opened to recieve the Vice-Admiral with his black-clad body guards. The other man approached.

“Commodore Lucerne, Pro-consul Thorne, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I understand we are having some problems within this sector?”

The Kashan man nodded as he turned to take their guests to the CIC.

"It would appear so. I've transmitted what we do know about the raid and the pirates to the Rapier..."
---------
Combat Information Centre, Pegasus, Meridan Sector

"This is the Budpock system," stated the Commodore, pointing out a planet on the holo-projector, " Although it has been part of the Grissmath Dynasty, the Empire, and the New Republic. With the fall of the NR, it became independent and anarchist as well. It's mostly populated by pirates now and those who couldn't find a way off the system when the Republic fell."

Corise took a slight pause.

"I have starfighters in the system continually monitoring the pirate fleet. The fleet doesn't have anything special, mostly smaller gunships, albeit there are a few larger ships such as a Kaloth-class Battlecruiser. From visuals on the raid, we know that they use mostly uglies for starfighters, but Z-95s and Cloakshapes have been spotted as well. They appear to be fairly dated. I think we should be able to take them with what we have..."

Captain Phiso listened intently as the two fleet commanders talked.

“Taking care of the ships in orbit, shouldn’t be too hard, but taking the capital, Demmit Station, might pose a few problems. The whole place is swarming with pirates and not drunk and singing type either. Have any of you ever heard of the Budpock Saints?” questioned Wilkar.

No yes’s came forth.

“They’re stone cold killers. Almost as ruthless as a Sith Lord. A patrol flight of ours came to close to one of their outposts, and the poor pilot showed up in Hapes a week later in eleven very small boxes. A report I read said that they maintain a fortress in the center of the capital. If we can capture that we have the planet.”

“Vice Admiral Wilkar, would it not be possible to just bombard the fortress from space?” asked one of the Kashan naval men.

“We’re not the Empire son. It would send the people of Budpock the wrong message. We’re liberators, not conquerors. The day that Budpock Saint’s Rag is lowered and the Coalition and Commonwealth flags go up will be glorious day for planet. No more oppression from the pirates.”

Wilkar paused to look at map of Demmit Station.

“If it’s alright with you Commodore Lucerne, I would like to hold your Shock Troopers in reserve. I’m worried that their uniforms might draw too much attention. If my Commonwealth troops can secure the fortress’s outer defenses quickly and quietly, we’ll gain a huge advantage. Once they are secured, your Shock Troopers can assist us with neutralizing any threats within the fortress.”

“What are your thoughts about the naval aspects of this operation….”



Later…

“Captain Phiso, a word?”

The commander of Skull Company turned around to see his counterpart from the Commonwealth Fleet Strike forces, the pompous Major Tice.

“First of all, I’d like to tell you that I’m not all together thrilled to be working together with your Death Watch troops. I think you’re company along with the rest of the Death Watch Regiment is one of the biggest mistakes the Commonwealth military has ever made.

That brings me to a second point. Skull Battalion will not be joining us for the assault on Demmit Station. Vice-Admiral Wilkar may command the ship, but the infantry is mine. I want you and your troops to stay with the Kashans. They won’t be joining the assault either. Tomorrow will be Commonwealth victory. I don’t care if you have to flank that Kashan son of a bitch. They will not come within five kilometers of the fortress. Is that clear Tiso?”

“First of all Major, you can go fuck yourself. The Death Watch doesn’t take this kind of shit from scum like you, especially the kind of scum that jeopardizes missions. My Company will be following Vice-Admiral Wilkar’s orders to the letter.”

“I’ll have your court-martialed order on my desk when this over—“

“And I’ll have your discharge. The Death Watch protects its own.”

Corise shrugged. "No specifics yet, as intelligence is continuing to be gathered by the S9s on recon duty."

The commodore tapped a few buttons on the holo-projector remote, changing the projection to a composite view of the planet as seen currently by the S9s scouting the system. Another click of the remote zoomed in on the larger criminal ships orbiting the planet.

"Here," pointed out the Kashan man, "we can see their largest capital ships, as they are generally unable to enter the atmosphere. The largest ship there is a Lucrehulk Pocket Battleship, apparently a relic from the Clone Wars. The other three ships around it are Kaloth-class Battlecruisers, which are actually more equivalent to a medium frigate in actual strength. They are all very slow ships and are rather undergunned; I bet your Star Destroyer alone could take on that force.

Nonetheless, we'll all probably enter the system en masse and engage the capital ships. That will be the easy part. But by the looks of it, most of the pirate's strength appears to be in starfighters, whcih might present something of a problem. I've managed to pull in a few planet-based squadrons for the operation. Currently, the wing commander of the Pegasus' starfighter crews is advocating for an advance raid, with starfighters and/or commandoes, to destroy the enemy bases and thereby eliminate that threat.

it is my hope for a total victory, that is the neutralization of all enemy units. I know that sounds unrealistic, it would make an example of them to prevent any other undesirables from attacking our ships. It would be even better if we could capture the ships, which we could then use to guard the planet and so we can try their crewmembers in our respective courts."

The Kashan man paused for a second.

"That's all that I can think off. Oh, and perhaps it might be advantegeous that the shock troopers would draw too much attention. Perhaps we could use them to lure out some of the forces guarding the station, thereby allowing the infiltration and capture of the station easier for your troops. Besides, my men generally prefer open combat rather in-building fighting; they like their tanks..."

“Astral idea Commodore. The enemy seems to have their defenses concentrated to the south. Your forces could swing around the eastand draw them out. Once they are out in the open, neutralize them, and then engage from the north. We can meet in the middle.”

Perhaps Commander Littan and his A-Wings could accompany your advance force. They could do some serious damage to unsupported group of star fighters. Wilkar turned to the squadron commander. “It is imperative that you don’t stop and fight. Do as much damage as you can on the move. If you get bogged down, those cruisers will tear you’re A-Wings to pieces.”

The pilot nodded, “yes sir.”

Wilkar pushed up his sleeve to check his chronometer. “It will take a while to get everything on Rapier in optimal battle condition. Destroyers older than your engineers can be a real pain, am I right? But I suggest we begin the assault at oh seven hundred hours. That will give your troops the sun to their backs, and enemy a nice glare.”