Private Economic Warfare

[Trace Xyston]

Trace growled hearing Commander Tarian's transmission, looking down at his rifle scornfully. If only he'd had the insight to bring an LO-17D to the battle instead of his usual LO-44R. Unlike the ordinary blasters of the Army, the Elghaseki's unique weapon had no option to switch to slug rounds (those would either be too loud, or too impractical for stealth operations).

The Twi'lek whirled around and gestured to the normal soldier standing behind him. "You, give me your blaster. Take mine. I need the slugs too," Trace ordered.

After a moment of hesitation, the man handed his blaster over, and took Trace's LO-44R. As both soldiers checked out their new weapons, a cry for help came.

The eastern corridor. Without further thought, Trace ran in that direction, followed by three army troops. He paused by each corner and looked back and forth between the cross-corridors cautiously. Just in case.

When he finally arrived at Gilvets's location, there was carnage. Lilaste bodies lay strewn across blood-soaked decks, and smoke flourished through the air. At the end of the hallway was a group of the pirates, still firing at the few survivors.

One of them, a man with an orange streak down the middle of his armor, looked at Trace. "Thank goodness you've arrived!" he paused to fire over his shoulder, killing an unlucky pirate. "We almost got massacred!"

Trace nodded, aimed down his borrowed weapon's sights, and fired straight into the oncoming mass of enemy shields. The slugs ripped right through them, as well as the bodies on the other side that they were supposed to protect. "I like this gun..."

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti

 

[Laphisto]

Tarian glanced at Senator Maldor Mecetti His emotions were hidden behind his armor, making his feelings a mystery. He shook his head and shrugged. "All right, Senator, do what you need to. If it helps my men, then go ahead." His voice was steady amidst the chaos.

The loud rattling sound of a LO-26R machine gun filled the air as it fired into the southern hallway. Tarian's remaining men, weary and scarred, rushed into the command center. Some were carrying their injured comrades. the hail of bullets from the LO-26R machine gun rattled the southern hallway, illuminating the dim space with a menacing glare. The bullets, incisive and unyielding, tore through the air, a dance of deadly precision, embedding themselves in the walls, and piercing through the advancing enemy with lethal accuracy.

Tarian's focus was back on the holo table, the electronic map showing the positions of their forces and the enemy. It wasn't looking good - they were being surrounded. Quickly, he gave orders for his men to pull back and gather at the eastern part of the ship. They might stand a chance if they could hold the bridge and keep the machine guns firing.

Meanwhile, Trace Xyston reached the location of Gilvets and his team. It was a grim sight; only four out of nine soldiers were still alive, and Gilvets wasn't one of them. A surviving soldier replied to Tarian's earlier command, then turned to Trace. With Gilvets gone, Trace was now in charge. The soldier looked at him, waiting for orders, ready to continue the fight.

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Maldor gave a sharp nod, steeled himself with a deep breath, and proceeded through the safest passages towards the location where Trace Xyston was reinforcing a decimated troop of soldiers.

As he progressed, he found halls lined with the dead.

He had killed before, and seen men killed before. But he had never waded through a sea of corpses. Nor had he seen men opened up and cratered by kinetic-kill weapons. A blaster seared a wound and prevented excessive bloodshed. So, too, did a light foil or saber.

Not so with these mechanized firearms which the Lilaste order seemed to enjoy using. Brutal, uncivilized weapons.

And effective.

He wondered what they would do to a Jedi or Sith. The Lilaste Order could be superb allies against either, if the savage Force conflicts of the Galactic Alliance escalated once more.

Finally, Maldor reached the position of Trace Xyston, who had been left to confront a remaining pirate force double the size of his team and the team of poor Gilvets. The enemy had momentarily paused in their advance, regrouping for a new charge. It left a lull big enough for introductions.

"I am Maldor Mecetti," he said. "Sent by the Commander to reinforce your position."

He looked over the remaining men.

"I am not a soldier by trade, so forgive my observations if they prove to be ignorant." He was confident that he was smarter than any two of these people, but pretending at humility often swayed people better than showing yourself their superior. It was a social tactic he could employ... with difficulty.

"From the corpses I witnessed on the way over, it seems the enemy is using duranium tower-shields. Your guns sometimes pierce them, and sometimes do not. You seem to have no shields of your own.

In a perfect world, a defensible position could be guarded in perpetuity, but I do not think this is our situation.

If the enemy thinks they are losing, they will sabotage the engines and blow the ship, escaping on their boarding pods before the explosion. Therefore, I do not think we have the luxury of sitting behind a machine-gun emplacement. But any charge against these people will incur heavy casualties.

If you concur about this being the situation, I volunteer to stand before you and act as a shield for your team as they advance."

It might have sounded like ridiculous folly. What was he volunteering to do, one might wonder. Absorb blaster-bolts with his body?

"Oh, and someone might benefit from this." He held out the rifle he'd been given on the bridge. He doubted he could use it more effectively than those in Lilaste service.

___________________________________________________________​

Meanwhile, in the space battle, One of the House Mecetti fighters was disabled by an Ion cannon from one of the Pirate Uglies. It spun and listed out of formation, its pilot frantically trying to restart systems. His wingmate paid the pirates back, however, pounding one of the Uglies with twin laser cannon until it exploded in a fireball.

The Pirate mother-ship finally managed to get its own shields back online, and resumed firing its quad Ion cannons. But the ship's engineer was not happy, "It's bypassed like a Life Day Tree down here! We can't take much more of a pounding before the shields fail again!"

"Calculate a Jump out of here," the Captain ordered. The boarding teams might have to be cut loose. They couldn't hold up against a Lilaste Warship. No Payday, however great, was worth dying over.



Laphisto
Trace Xyston
Ali Kare

 

[Ali Kare]

"Ma'am, their shields are up again!" yelled the sensors officer.

Ali scoffed. "No need for alarm. Our cannons will pound them into submission very soon. They can't take many more hits. If they wish to leave and escape destruction, then they will leave their men on the boarding pods behind. If they wait...they will be blasted to pieces. Speaking of which, add our turbolasers to the ion cannon fire. Aim for the engines.

"We can't have our valued guests leaving the party too soon," Ali finished, watching red streams of turbolaser fire pour into the corvette's aft section.

Maldor Mecetti Laphisto

 

[Trace Xyston]

Trace had just downed another pirate, and was starting to advance when Senator Mecetti showed up. The Twi'lek gritted his teeth and spun back around to cover. What was he doing here? He belonged in a nice cushy office, not the corridors of close-quarters combat! He turned to face the reckless man...and found him carrying an LO-17D. No way he knew how to aim. Sure, he could aim his words and promises, but not a blaster rifle.

It was then that the man began spouting tactical knowledge that Trace doubted some of the privates had. "Intersting proposal, Senator. May I ask how you could provide a shield? Will you ask them to stop politely? Shake your fist at them and promise to report to the Senate? Or even expose some secrets about them?" Trace asked doubtfully.

He turned back around the corner and continued shooting, tossing the LO-17D to one of his other Elghaseki to replace the non-slug-firing LO-44R.

Maldor Mecetti Laphisto

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

​

"Intersting proposal, Senator. May I ask how you could provide a shield? Will you ask them to stop politely? Shake your fist at them and promise to report to the Senate? Or even expose some secrets about them?"


Maldor closed his eyes for a moment as a spike of anger rose within him at the sarcasm.

Yes... good... that would be useful.

His mind drifted to long nights in the Mecetti Vaults. Hovering droids firing bolts at him. First one, then two, then three spheres unleashing shot after shot, varying their method, their position, their angle.

It had been difficult, but he'd ultimately mastered the art of it... against droids.

How would he fare against sentients? It would be a lie to say he wasn't concerned. But... fear could be a tool as well.

Riding the tide of his own emotions, he then proceeded to reach out with the Force. The men opposing them had something a droid lacked. They held emotional intention. They had their own anger. Their own fear. Those emotions spiked with every pull of the trigger.

He could do this. He could do this.

"No," Maldor replied to the commando, "I will ask them to stop impolitely."

With that, he reached under his cloak, retrieving the only weapon of his own that he'd brought to this conflict.

The Light Foil was a known weapon of the Tapani nobles. The youth of the Tapani sector, known as Saber Rakes, enjoyed duels with the weapons. They were among the few non Force users to employ such devices. Their dueling skills were legendary, but they were no Jedi.

Merely fencers replacing vibro-swords with brighter blades.

But the Light Foil had come to the Tapani Sector by way of the Sith. In ancient times, there had been an alliance between the Tapani Sector and Sith forces. The Sith had left behind several foils when they were defeated. These became part of Tapani sector culture.

They'd also left behind other artifacts. Like the holocrons Maldor had studied in the deep vaults of the palace.

Holocrons which only someone sensitive to the force could hope to open and understand.

He stood, now. Activating his blade, he came into the open corridor to receive enemy fire.

His foil's crimson ray danced in anticipation of a blaster bolt that came milliseconds after the maneuver intended to block it. Like a prescient fire, it burned brightly in the air where the blaster bolt would have passed, had the lightfoil blade not been placed there to stop it.

Then it happened again.

And again.

Maldor was right in his guess. This was easier than the droids.

He could feel the anger, the fear, the confusion. It radiated off of the pirates like waves of energy.

He placed one foot in front of the other.

Maldor Mecetti, Senator of Obulette, bagan to march down a hallway filled with deadly bolts of energy. They came en masse. Sweat beaded on his brow as he advanced, his hand and arm moving the blade with almost unnatural alacrity to block the fusillade from the foe. He did not have the skill to redirect the bolts back to their origin. He could not kill the foe by doing this.

But he could shield those behind him...

...knowing that they would bring forth the retribution that this enemy so richly deserved.

__________________________________​

In the battle among the stars, the House Mecetti Tie/mg craft were pulling ahead of their pirate 'ugly' rivals. The remaining pirate fighters were soon blasted to oblivion, with only one Mecetti Tie disabled by the 'uglies' Ion cannons. Those turreted cannons made the pirate fighters versatile, but it didn't improve their swiftness or maneuverability, which were essential to dogfighting contests.

The pirate Capital ship was faring even worse.

The key to surviving a trap was either to avoid it, or to go in with your eyes open. But this snare had been a trap within a trap. The 'pirate' forces had known the Q-ship held secret dangers. They had come prepared for that. But they had not been informed that the Lilaste order had an additional ship ready to jump in and engage.

Now, the pirate ship's shields failed a second time. Their engines were perforated by turbolaser fire.

The ship listed, seemingly helpless.

Carrion ready to be picked...


Trace Xyston
Ali Kare
Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Amidst the chaos and dwindling hope, Commander Tarian stood resolute in the makeshift FOB. the situation grew increasingly dire. His men, bruised and battle-worn, were pinned down, their defenses crumbling under the relentless enemy assault. The holo table before him flickered with the grim reality of their predicament - they were outnumbered, outflanked, and their options rapidly dwindled.

The piercing sound of enemy fire echoed through the corridors, a constant reminder of their peril. Tarian's face, though etched with the strain of command, betrayed no hint of surrender. He scanned the map, seeking any sliver of tactical advantage, but the red markers signifying enemy troops seemed to close in like a tightening noose.

"Listen up," Tarian's voice cut through the din, steeling the resolve of his weary men. "We're in a tough spot, but we're not done yet. We need to reinforce our barricades and secure the choke points. Focus fire on the main corridors and keep them from advancing. We hold them off as long as we can!"

His orders were met with a mixture of grim nods and determined glares. Despite the fatigue etched on their faces, there was a burning resolve in the eyes of his soldiers - the kind forged in the crucible of battle, unyielding even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Tarian turned his attention to Viscera and Kimura huddled around a flickering screen. "We need an evacuation plan, and we need it now. Map out a route to the secondary docks. It's our only chance to extract if this position falls."

The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of blood. Tarian knew that every order he gave could mean the difference between life and death for his men. His heart was heavy with the burden of command, but his duty was clear - protect his people and fight to the last.

As the enemy pressed closer, the FOB became a nexus of desperate resistance. Each corridor, each bulkhead became a line in the sand, defended with the ferocity of those with everything to lose. In the heat of battle, Tarian's voice continued to echo, a beacon of resilience amidst the storm of war.

Maldor Mecetti Trace Xyston Ali Kare

 

[Ali Kare]

"Ma'am, they're weak! Engines down!" reported the sensors officer.

This had been a true waste of time. The High Admiral had been called to deal with this pathetic threat? Then again, perhaps she would have to prove herself here to move on to more difficult prey. Now, to decide whether to destroy the no-gooders, or spare them for Lilaste interrogation chambers...

Surely Commander Tarian would take a prisoner or two from the pirate boarding forces. "Open fire with all starboard turbolasers. Vaporize them!" Ali ordered. The flashing lights intensified, with all of the warship's batteries pounding into the simple pirate corvette. Soon, it would succumb to the superior firepower of the Equalizer, and take its crew along with it.

Ali loved delivering justice.

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti

 

[Trace Xyston]

Trace would never underestimate a Senator again. At least not for a month or so. He stared in awe as Mecetti marched down the hallway, waving around a crimson laser sword, deflecting each and every one of the pirate attacks. But he would not allow this moment to escape him.

"Open fire!" he ordered to the remaining soldiers.

Loud bangs filled the air as the Army soldiers began firing their slugs down the corridor at the oncoming horde. Now, with less fire coming their way, the Lilaste troops could deal a pounding to the enemy. Trace began to fire his own weapon, tearing into a Nikto's chest and dropping him, blood pooling around his body. Soon, that pool became larger...then Trace's vision of the macabre soup was blocked by another, heavier corpse.

War was terrifying, Trace admitted. But the soldier's job was to look past that horror, to become desensitized to it, and to continue killing anyway. The Elghaseki began to wonder if that was dehumanizing him...death was supposed to be a tragic occurence, but here he was, taking dozens of lives each week.

Aana Xyston and Kostodu Xyston , his little siblings, should never see what he had become. Especially not Kostodu. The boy was so innocent as a Jedi Padawan...and he was the one carrying a laser sword. Funny.

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Fear intermingled with elation.

Even as the emotions swept through him, Maldor harnessed them, knowing they were useful.

So, too, were the emotions of the victims. Surprise, terror, pain. The latter was being caused by the Commando team, taking advantage of the cover and distraction to gun down the pirates.

All of it was a tool Maldor used to improve his performance. His training had been in the Sith arts, and passions were the catalyst for his communion with the force.

He had never done this 'for real.' Not with blasters. Makashi wasn't designed for blaster defense, so Maldor lacked the skills to reflect these bolts back at the enemy. But he could feel where they would land, and intervene with his blade. That was enough.

Finally, the pirates began to surrender.

They'd lasted longer than he'd believed likely. They were no mere interstellar rabble. They were mercenaries. Retired veterans from military forces, fighting for profit. This mission wasn't meant to cost them too dearly.

Now, the mission looked unlikely to pay them anything at all.

But they could still have their lives, if they surrendered. For some, that was enough. Only a few resisted unto certain death, even after the defenders seemed certain to win.

In short order, Maldor stood victorious with the Lilaste commandos.

He turned, smiling at them, relishing the victory. He had more joy on his face than any of the Commandos, who seemed to have grim determination and devotion to duty, rather than any relish in the victory or triumph in their kills.

Then Maldor stumbled, and looked down in surprise to find that he had a wound on his left side, just above his waist.

Apparently, one blaster had made it through his defense, burning through his silk robes and into the flesh beneath. His robes were not merely cosmetic. They were made of the strongest silk in the known galaxy, and served as a kind of armor. But they weren't as effective as a blast vest. They'd possibly saved him from instant death, but not from injury.

Maldor coughed. The realization of injury seemed to bring the pain of it, and the pain brought weakness. Maldor slumped beside one of the dying enemy soldiers.

Well... the Sith had a remedy for this, too, didn't they?

He reached out with a hand, as though in a gesture of comfort or commiseration to the fallen figure...

_____________________________________________​

Their Ion cannons were having no effect on the enemy.

Their engines were disabled.

This fight was done. Their million-credit payday, lost.

They had brought more than they'd needed, but it still wasn't enough. The trap had held a trap within, a reinforcing vessel of such power they could not contend with it.

There were only two choices now. Die, or...

"Signal Our Surrender," the Captain ordered, "Order all forces to stand down."

Even if some of them escaped the freighter and blew it up behind them... there was nowhere to go.

In another age, the Captain would have followed their surrender order by opening their guts and having the First Officer behead them.

In a corner of the Captain's mind, they longed for such an end.

The blow to ego and honor... and the uncertainty of imprisonment by either House Mecetti or the Lilaste Order...

It was a prospect potentially worse than death...

But perhaps death still waited for them, a dark rescue. The Lilaste vessel was still pummeling them with turbolasers. The Captain looked up, watching the incoming blasts.

Dishonor might be a short-lived shame, after all...




Trace Xyston
Ali Kare
Laphisto

 

[Ali Kare]

Ali's eyes lit up with each volley of cannonfire; and the blinding flashes and explosions on the corvette's hull. They had no escape. Their lives were in the admiral's hands now. "Ma'am, they are surrendering. All weapons have been powered down!"

Excitement flowed through her veins. It felt amazing to have such power, especially one over dozens, possibly even hundreds of other lives. She inhaled deeply, savoring this moment of complete control. But she had to think ahead. While she may feel satisfaction now, think of all the power and recognition she'd hold after this entire threat was defeated! If of course this wasn't just a random attack. As she suspected.

Ali let go of that breath. "Accept their surrender. We will leave them drifting until support can arrive. Signal one of my cruisers. Have the captain take in all the other shuttles in the fleet. Inform him I expect a quick and organized transfer," she said, folding her arms over her chest.

Now to see if she was wise to take prisoners instead of blasting the corvette to pieces.

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti

 

[Laphisto]

Commander Tarian's focus snapped to the comm unit as the signal buzzed with an unexpected transmission. The tension in the air seemed to pause, a brief respite as the words came through, clear amidst the static of conflict. one of the Forward squadrons broke through the silence of the radio chatter

"Pirate forces are signaling their surrender. All weapons have been powered down," the voice on the other end was almost incredulous as if the reality of the situation had not fully set in.

Tarian's eyes narrowed for a moment, the news processing. The gears of strategy shifted in his mind, recalibrating to this new development. The hard line of his mouth softened, just slightly, with a sense of cautious relief. But the wariness in his stance remained—surrenders could be as much a tactic as an actual forfeit.

"Confirm the surrender," he responded, his voice a steady command. "But keep defenses ready until we've verified. No chances. If this is genuine, it could give us the breathing room we need."

He turned to his men, the embodiment of composed leadership amidst turmoil. "The enemy is waving the white flag. Stay alert, hold positions until we confirm. This could be our chance to evacuate without further bloodshed. Maintain readiness to move on my signal."

His gaze flicked back to the holographic map, to the blinking lights representing his troops and the now quiet enemy. "This could be the turn we've been waiting for. But remember, a cornered beast is often most dangerous. We don't celebrate until we're clear and away."

Tarian took a breath, the weight of the countless decisions he had made and the ones still hanging in the balance pressing upon him. Yet, in this fleeting second, there was a flicker of hope that they might just survive this harrowing ordeal after all.

Ali Kare Maldor Mecetti Trace Xyston

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

In short order, Maldor Mecetti rose up, moving now as though he'd never been injured at all.

The pirate he'd deigned to check on did not fare so well. His injuries had, apparently, led him to expire.

Operations were ongoing throughout the ship, now, and in the starscape outside.

Here and there, individual pirates seemed to balk at the prospect of surrender. But the vast majority went peacefully when it was clear that resistance was futile. They hadn't come prepared for the power that the Lilaste had brought to this engagement. To counter such a threat, they'd have needed another ship, perhaps two more, and armed with much more than ion cannons.

Likewise, the armor they'd brought for their troops had proven incapable of reliably stopping Lilaste arms. Maldor didn't know what sorts of weapons the Lilaste used, exactly, but he recognized their potency. There would be a report to Obulette at the end of this, warning them about the danger of this rising power in the galaxy.

The Lilaste were good trading partners today. Tomorrow, they might be knocking in the back door of Galactic Alliance space.

For now, though, Maldor was pleased. He gave his regards to the Commando team leader, "You fought very well, Commander."

And when he returned to the operational control area, he extended a hand to the Lilaste leader, "Your men fought admirably well, Sir. You are to be commended."

Everything was wrapped in a neat bow. Even the data core of the pirate ship had been recovered, and would doubtless reveal that these 'pirates' weren't pirates at all. It all seemed plain, now. Capturing the heir of House Mecetti had been the true goal all along.

But that was over. Once the rival House guilty of this subterfuge was identified, Maldor would be able to exact a terrible price upon them for this-

"Hyperspace Signature - a large ship just dropped into realspace. It's a Venator Class Star Destroyer! Markings show it belongs to House Melantha!"

Someone shouted the information as it came through on sensors or communications.

Maldor's eyes went wide.

So... House Melantha. One of the primary rival houses of Mecetti. The datacore from the pirate ship was now scarcely required.
It was now clear who had been behind these faux pirate raids. With the failure of their hired mercenaries, Melantha had decided to make a personal appearance. They did not want to let the heir of House Mecetti escape. Indeed, capturing him was likely the first step in a bid to change the balance of power in the Tapani sector.

Maldor looked to the Lilaste Chief, shaking his head, "House Melantha has had a pair of such vessels in its inventory for centuries. We should evacuate ourselves to your Admiral's ship quickly, and withdraw.

The Venator is a beast of a ship. Never mind her Turbolaser batteries, Laser Turrets, and missile launchers.

She can easily hold two-hundred fighter craft aboard. Many of them armed with proton torpedo launchers. I do not think we have the forces to withstand such an assault.

But now that they have revealed themselves, I can call on a response from the Mecetti fleet. We may flee here today, but House Melantha will be crushed before the end of the month. Believe it."

Laphisto
Ali Kare
Trace Xyston

 

[Ali Kare]

Hyperspace Signature - a large ship just dropped into realspace. It's a Venator Class Star Destroyer! Markings show it belongs to House Melantha!"

House Melantha? It didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that there was a massive battlecruiser sitting right outside the viewport, ready to unleash firepower on the Q-ship. The ship where Commander Tarian and dozens of Lilaste troops were located.

"Quickly! Draw its fire!" Ali ordered, pointing at the Venator. "All batteries, aim for their hangar. If they can't deploy starfighters, they are completely outclassed!"

As she listened to Senator Mecetti, the more grimace showed. Unfortunately, the Equalizer, having been built for missile slinging from long distances, and stealthily approaching the enemy, had no hangar bays for the Lilaste troops and their allies to land in. "Senator, bad news. My ship has no hangars for you to land on. You could try to attach to the hull, but I don't know how that will work. But I assure you, if this Venator stays to fight, it will lose," she said confidently.

Ali's eyes flickered with new lights as the turbolasers began to fire at the newcoming enemy ship. This was a great chance to show what she was made of.

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti

 

[Laphisto]

Tarian looked to Maldor Mecetti with a small chuckle holding his weapon in front of him. it wasn't often he got commended by an outsider but he didn't need the praise, he knew he did a good job leading by the amount of troops he still had standing at the end of the mission. of the 54 men he brought with him he still had 42. only losing twelve soldiers. it felt like a high number but considering there were more than three times the amount of 'Pirates' it was a well earned victory in his eyes.

by the time The senator and Trace returned what enemies remained were already being detained and gathered in the center thier helmets and weapons and armor stripped from them, should they try and make an escape they would be vulnerable and easy prey to be slaughtered. he was making the final preparations for the surrender of thier foe when Maldor gave his warning of the ship that awaited them. while tarians face was hidden he was most certainly giving the senator a small smirk. the warrior's pride etching through his otherwise caring and calm demeanor " A venator? that ship is well over several hundred years old it will be a shame to see it destroyed, that thing is almost a relic, probably worth a lot of money. I assure you though the Equalizer and her commander have the situation covered. she is a great strategist. otherwise, she never would have excelled to the rank of High admiral"

Tarian seemed calm almost as if he wasn't worried about the ship they were on being blasted to pieces with them still on board" If this house.. Melantha was it? wants to spark conflict with the lilaste order then, by all means, let them, give my men and the space jockeys of the Lilaste order a true fight to go up against. hell after my report I'm sure there will be a fleet just itching to be deployed to take on the house. though I'm sure that is something you will need to work out with the High commander"

Ali Kare Trace Xyston

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

​

Whatever surety or confidence the Lilaste officers felt on this matter, House Melantha's Venator seemed unaffected by it. Perhaps they had no knowledge of how formidable the Lilaste Order was. Or perhaps they had some plans of their own to level the playing field.

The Venator began a slow roll, turning its vulnerable hangar bays away from the Equalizer. This allowed it to begin to disgorge its massive complement of starfighters without risking the hangar to assault. There were hundreds of well-armed starfighters aboard the ship. Dozens now began to pour forth, already changing the dynamic of the battlefield. The Venator's shields absorbed an impressive degree of fire from the Lilaste warship as it protected its precious and deadly cargo.

Meanwhile, Maldor observed these events in dismay.

"The last time we engaged House Melantha in a fight," Maldor said, "we used three of our star destroyers to every one of theirs, and still got a pasting before victory was declared."

That had been a very long time ago, before Maldor was born. Nowadays, House Mecetti preferred to use corvettes in war, while leaving their destroyers in reserve to dissuade attacks on their systems.

He sighed, "But I will have to trust you know your art. House Mecetti's Tie fighters remain at your disposal, for whatever good we can do against such numbers.."

The full eight Ties had now been deployed. The one that had been disabled by Ion cannon fire was back online. It was a small squadron against such foes, but if it could be of any aid, he was happy to put it under the direction of these Lilaste tacticians.

"At least they aren't firing at this freighter. Yet."

Beyond the viewport, starfighters poured out of the Venator like flies startled from a bloated corpse.

​

Maldor had a bad feeling about this.


Laphisto
Ali Kare

 

[Ali Kare]

"Thank you for your trust, Senator Mecetti," Ali said, already advancing on the enemy Venator. But before she could vaporize their shields, the other House's ship started a slow rotation, trying to face its hangar bay away from the Equalizer.

A Marg Sabl. Funny to see that people still used this tactic around the galaxy. It was so exposing, especially for a Venator. But she had to give them credit; they probably didn't know that Ali's ship was made of amazingly strong metals. "Helm, full speed ahead. Aim straight for that exposed belly. And if we aren't at full speed, I will know. When we near within, say...a kilometer of them, accelerate to flank speed," she ordered. "Keep our anti-starfighter turrets at battle-readiness. Inform the allied TIES to form up with us."

She turned to press a button on her command chair. "Senator Mecetti, can your ship still fly? If so, please stay close to my hull. I have a plan."

Still though, she couldn't take on two hundred fighters by herself.

"Comms, request reinforcements. A cruiser and a few corvettes will do," Ali said.

"Yes ma'am. Reinforcements incoming."

Now the question was: Could they last until the allied forces arrived?

Maldor Mecetti Laphisto

 

[Maldor Mecetti]

Maldor glanced at the Lilaste officers who were gathered at the command center of the freighter.

"This ship seems to have recovered from the ion blasts that initially disabled it, so we should be able to move as you direct, Admiral."

Surely, the Lilaste personnel manning the stations would do whatever the Admiral required.

Then the Admiral mentioned a call for reinforcements... and Maldor's eyes widened.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful- especially as this is going to save my skin- but just how many warships did the Lilaste Order bring into the Tapani Sector?"

If it became known that House Mecetti invited a foreign warfleet into Mecetti province to settle an internal security matter, there might be repercussions. Still, whatever political firestorm followed, it was better than eating proton torpedoes.

And speaking of torpedoes, things began to look bleak on sensors.

About a hundred starfighters had now been disgorged by the Venator, with more to come. The vulnerable belly of the ship was taking a terrible beating, and surely the shields there would collapse soon... but would it be fast enough? With only one vector facing the enemy, the Venator was able to shunt all of its shield power from the dorsal area, extending its life.

Meanwhile, the starfighters split into groups of four, and soared towards the Lilaste warship. Deadly combinations of Ion torpedoes and Proton torpedoes were fired- Ion torpedoes to disrupt the shields, and proton torpedoes to tear into the hull and blast the Lilaste warship to death.

A dense screen of defensive fire thinned the encroaching starfighters, and even shot down some of the inbound missiles.... but an uncomfortable number of them were still on target...



Laphisto
Ali Kare

 

[Laphisto]

Commander Tarian raised a brow at the mention of reinforcements. It seems even he was unaware of just how many ships Ali Kare brought into the sector though that wasn't uncommon. From what he had heard about the admiral, she was unorthodox in her strategy and preparation, a feature he believed helped elevate her to the position of High admiral of the Lilaste order. then again, the supplies that the Lilaste order was getting from House Mecetti were akin to lifeblood for the order. Without the metals, the growth of the order would halt. so this attack on the supply lines could be seen as a direct attack on the order its self.

turning to Maldor Mecetti , Tarian would be on the bridge of the ship overseeing the orders that were given and making sure the prisoners were 'comfortable' seeing the concern on the senator's face Tarian tried to be diplomatic in his reasoning. feature that he was far from an expert in " while i can see your concern the order seems to have deemed this attack on our supply lines personal. something that we do not take lightly to" While initially surprised about the possibility of reinforcements tarian was glad of it he never really liked being in space combat, to many variables with boots on the ground at the very least you knew which was was up and down

 

[Ali Kare]

Ali chuckled at the Senator's alarm. "Do not worry, Senator Mecetti, about our warships. As Commander Tarian told you, the Lilaste Order has taken this as a personal attack, and we will respond...proportionally. And please tell your pilot that once we near 50 kilometers of the enemy Venator, your frigate may leave the battlefield. I have no doubt that you and Tarian's men need rest from all that stress of the boarding operation. Being near my flagship during our attack will not help," she said.

The High Admiral took a deep, steadying breath as she gazed outside, towards the massive horde of starfighters screaming towards her. A blanket of AA fire shot down dozens of enemies, but many more swarmed to take their places. This would not be easy. But all Ali needed to do was take out the capital ship, wait for reinforcements, and hope that the Lilaste building materials used on her ship were up to standard.

As she gained more information on the battlefield, she decided to cancel her last plan. "Helm, forget what I said about ramming the enemy vessel. For now. I have formulated a new plan," she said. Ah, the power of improvisation. An excellent commander always has room for improvisation in their plan.

And now they were sixty kilometers out. "Weapons, launch a LO-CSK through the middle of the enemy fighter screen, towards the Venator," she ordered. They had walked straight into one of her many trick cards. Just from seeing how the Venator launched great numbers of starfighters, Ali had deduced that they liked to swarm their enemies. Easy. And it just so happened to be that Ali carried missiles like the LO-CSK aboard her ship. The idea was that the fighters would attack this new target with ferocity, and (although it was made of strong metals) it would be blasted apart in no time. The High Admiral was counting on this to make her attack work. The LO-CSK would explode with great force, hopefully wiping out a massive chunk of the enemy swarm.

That, or the fighters would see the High Admiral's ruse, and let it pass through the formation. Straight towards the Venator's exposed belly. A win-win situation. And if that one missile wasn't enough to cripple the Venator, Ali could always launch more.

Now, to take away the fighter's other possible target. The frigate was probably long gone by now, and the Equalizer was the only thing available for the swarm. "Helm, cloak us and take evasive maneuvers, preferably in the direction of the frigate, just in case."

The flagship disappeared on all scanners, and visually it shimmered away, like a dream just out of reach of memory. Now it was time to see how Ali gained the mantle of High Admiral. Damn...she should have popped some popcorn before this event.

Laphisto Maldor Mecetti