Faction Bruised but not Broken

[Kadann]

Bridge of the ISD Paragon, deep space

The wheel kept turning. Empires rose and were betrayed from within by the Sith. The sith turned on one another. The Jedi uprising swept the fractured sith away and the cycle continued.

It was easy to feel that it would never stop.

Kadann stood on the bridge of the Paragon. The Imperious class star destroyer had seen better days. She had been painted in bright white, with red stripes across the prow. It was more dark scorch mark than white now.

The Seventh Fleet needed repairs and fuel. They needed a safe harbour. Instead they needed to prepare to fight.

"Can you confirm the source of the signal?" Kadann asked.

"It is the Emperor's signature. It is him or..." called one of the technical offers from the pit.

"Or Caius Fel has been taken and it is a trap," Kadann reasoned. "Send a probe and signal a summons. Call them to the Command Centre."


OOC: The Fleet is on the run but our Emperor, Caius Fel has sent a distress signal. The Empire in Exile must mount a daring rescue from territory overrun by Yuuzhan Vong. Send your character to the Command Centre of the ISD Paragon to plan and execute the mission.

 

[Adrienne Halver Fel]

BRUISED BUT NOT BROKEN

Adrienne stood quietly near Kadann , her glassy gaze fixed on the viewport ahead.

If it were anyone else -- almost literally, anyone else -- Adrienne would have advised Kadann to cut bait. Paragon would not likely survive a full-on battle, which is what would almost certainly be the consequence if Caius Fel was indeed in enemy hands and his signal was being used as bait. But it wasn't just anyone else. It was a Fel. Her late husband's cousin. The custodian of the name that Adrienne had spent a life protecting.

And aside from all that, the Emperor. The man whose death placed Adrienne's own granddaughter one step closer to the throne. For that reason alone, Adrienne could not be seen to be anything but fully supportive, even if it meant placing the rest of the Tarkin Initiative and Fel Empire at risk. So she nodded solemnly, as if to herself.

"If there is a way to do this quietly, that should be our primary objective," Adrienne said, finally turning to Kadann. Her bobbed hair, frosted with silver, swayed slightly with the movement. "I don't like our chances slugging it out with anyone with the Paragon in this state, let alone the Yuuzhan Vong." She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at Kadann, eyebrows furrowing thoughtfully as her mind ran through differing scenarios with what assets she knew were on hand.

It all painted rather a grim picture.

TAGS: Kadann | Tydeus of Tion​

 

[Kadann]

Bridge of the ISD Paragon, deep space
Adrienne Halver Fel Tydeus of Tion

"It is the Emperor," Kadann said firmly to Adrienne.

He took a moment before that veneer of control cracked. In the command room there were less weapons officers and technical teams to overhear him.

"But we are limited on resources. We don't have a cloaked ship and I don't even know if such a thing works on Yuuzhan Vong technology."

One of the bridge officers moved to the holotable.

"The probe just arrived in system."

The planet resolved in a holographic image. A few red dots appeared.

"That's a destroyer class Yuuzhan Vong ship."

"Any escorts?" Kadann asked.

"Not that we can see."

"The emergency signal?"

A faint blip appeared on the surface of the planet.

"Send a challenge," Kadann said.

"Code received. It's them or..."

"Or the Emperor has been captured and compromised," Kadann surmised. "How long could the Paragon go toe to toe with that destroyer?"

"In our current state? I'll run the numbers but we could probably get our air wings prepped and buy half an hour."

"Get that probe close enough to see the situation on the ground," Kadann said. He glanced at Adrienne. "We need a viable plan."

 

[Adrienne Halver Fel]

Adrienne's back stiffened and she regarded Kadann with an impassive mask laid over her features. "You don't need to remind me," she said coolly. She approached the command table and placed her hands on the table, leaning over as the data readings cycled through. Her fingers tapped gently against the metal edge as her eyes took it all in.

"This is the Emperor," she reiterated. "For that reason, I still say we do it quietly. Send down a scout if we can't get a clear picture from our scanners. Then, drop a lander -- two, if we can spare it -- with our best men. Keep the Paragon in reserve. And, if needs be, we can use Paragon as a distraction and cover for the Emperor's retrieval."

She used the nearby control panel to type in the scenario, and the ghosts of ships began to carry out her hypothetical commands.

"I would put the Paragon against the Yuuzhan Vong only as a last resort, only if required to save the Emperor." She directed the Paragon on the strategic display against the Yuuzhan Vong's silhouetted ship. Accelerating time, she saw that the officer's half-hour estimation was optimistic. Adrienne nodded at the map table and then shook her head. "We will not serve His Majesty well by turning this almost-wreck of a Star Destroyer into an actual wreck of a Star Destroyer."

Kadann | Tydeus of Tion​