The hyperspace lanes were supposed to be safe. For the crew of the Vanguard’s Burden, a Golem-class Heavy Freighter owned by Dai Star Shipping, this was supposed to be a simple job : head to the target destination, deliver their cargo and then return home to collect their paychecks. However, as the heavy freighter cruised through the ink-black void of deep space, its crew remained completely unaware of the trap waiting for them in the dark.
Captain Jace Miller took a sip of lukewarm caf and stared out the main viewport at the distant, unblinking stars. "How much longer until our next hyperspace jump, Corin?"
"About three minutes, Cap," the Twi'lek navigator replied, her lekku twitching slightly. "Check the nav-computer now to ensure the lane is clear."
Before Miller could reply, the ship shuddered violently. Sensor alarms suddenly blared a deafening rhythm across the bridge as three massive triangular silhouettes materialized out of the shadows of deep space. At the flanks were two Star Destroyers, their gray hulls bristling with weaponry. But it was the vessel in the center that made Miller’s blood run cold. It was a massive, heavily armoured Imperial Battlecruiser, a titanic scar across the stars.
The bridge crew froze, waiting for the inevitable. They waited for the screech of incoming TIE Fighters, or the blinding flash of an opening turbolaser barrage. Nothing happened. The Imperial fleet just hovered there, silent, predatory, and deadly.
"They aren't firing," the comms officer noted, trembling. "They haven't even raised their shields."
"I don't care what they're doing, get us out of here!" Miller yelled, the sudden panic piercing through his composure. "Activate the hyperdrive! Punch it!"
The Vanguard’s Burden groaned as its massive sublight engines flared to life. The hyperdrive whined, sparking a desperate hope across the bridge as the stars began to elongate into the familiar lines of hyperspace. Then, reality tore. A localized gravity well, projected from the underbelly of the massive Battlecruiser, gripped the freighter like an insect in amber. The Vanguard's Burden was brutally yanked back into realspace. The sheer kinetic feedback rippled through the hull, blowing out the primary power grid and overloading the hyperdrive core in a cascade of violently exploding consoles.
"Engines are dead!" Corin screamed over the blaring klaxons. "We are completely dead in space!"
On the bridge of the INV Sularen’s Revenge, the atmosphere was one of rigid, chilling discipline.
Supreme Commander Marlon Sularen stood at the apex of the command walkway, his hands clasped behind his back. The stark, white light of the bridge caught the sharp angles of his face and the immaculate tailoring of his crimson red Imperial uniform. He stared down at the drifting, smoking heavy freighter through the viewport.
"Status?" Sularen asked.
"The target's engines are disabled, Supreme Commander," a sensor officer reported. "They are entirely defenceless. No shields, no weapons."
"Excellent," Sularen murmured. He didn't look at the officer. "And their communications array?"
"Still intact, sir. They are currently broadcasting a high-frequency distress signal on all open frequencies. It's a localized loop."
A cold, humourless smirk touched Sularen’s lips. This ambush wasn't about the freighter. This was theatre, and he had a very specific audience of one in mind. Let her hear it, Sularen thought, his mind drifting to Jedi Master Jonyna Si, who had been a thorn on his side for quite a while with her Wild Space Rebellion going as far as placing a large assassination bounty on his head. Let her hear the screams of the helpless. Let her know the consequences of defying my will across the stars. He allowed the distress signal to broadcast for another thirty seconds, long enough to ensure Dai Star Shipping’s relays would capture the exact coordinates of the tragedy.
"That will do," Sularen said softly. "Order the fleet to open fire. Leave nothing but dust."
On the bridge of the Vanguard's Burden, Captain Miller watched the turbolaser batteries of the Sularen's Revenge and its escorting Star Destroyers light up simultaneously.
"May the Force—"
The sentence was never finished as an overwhelming volley of heavy turbolaser fire rained down upon the defenceless freighter. The first strike tore through the bridge, vaporizing it instantly. The subsequent barrages ripped through the vessel's hull, triggering a cataclysmic chain reaction. In a matter of seconds, the massive heavy freighter was reduced to a blooming fireball, which quickly dissipated into an expanding cloud of frozen debris and ash.
On the bridge of the Imperial Battlecruiser, the bright glow of destruction faded from Sularen's face.
"Re-engage the hyperdrives," Sularen commanded calmly, stepping back to his command chair. "Return us to Cholganna. Our message has been sent."
With synchronized precision, the INV Sularen’s Revenge and its two escort Star Destroyers turned around, accelerated, and vanished into the blue blur of hyperspace, leaving behind nothing but a silent graveyard in the dark.
