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Ekun Vagabond, a Buccaneer, a Vampire, and a thorn in the side of The Empire for far too long now. He and his pirate fleet have a base on an asteroid field, which is now Elysium-claimed territory. The asteroid field is important for navigation purposes, and thus many traders travel near it. That's why there's a pirate base on it. The pirates have been harassing traders and merchant convoys for years, even before Spindle VI was handed to The Empire. But now, by order of Rex Valhoun, a fleet has been sent to deal with the scum.
However the task is not so simple. The pirate base alone is incredibly well-defended with quadruple and even Octuple barbette turbolasers scattered around. At the central base there is an Ion cannon. The smaller asteroids surrounding the main base have hangars and point-defense lasers set up, and the fleet surrounding the base is a force to be reckoned with, utilizing ships from The Hutt Republic.
OOC: I will be Writing as Ekun Vahabond on this account for this thread.
Objective 1: Kill Ekun; Ekun Vagabond is the one thing making his buccaneers so dangerous. Without him, their coalition falls apart, until he is reborn. Kill him.
Objective 2: The Ion Cannon; The Ion Cannon must be destroyed or the attackers won't last long against the asteroid's defenses
Objective 3: The base; Marines must land on the asteroid base and wipe out the hostiles.
Ekun Vagabond sat silently in his chambers on the asteroid. It was rare that he had time to think between his unruly forces bringing arguments over who gets what, or his lieutenants disputing the next target in front of him. They were all so pathetic, but they served their purpose. For example, without them, who would man the quadruple turbolasers and the ion cannon defending the base, and who else would be stupid enough to enter his office when nobody apart from the lieutenants came back out? Indeed, it was easy to quench his everlasting thirst for blood when the idiots came right to him. But for now he had silence, and he was utilizing it. The foolish mercenary general Monkrove had handed over control of his planet to The Elysium Empire. They were more formidable than Monkrove had been, but they also brought all kinds of goodies to his doorstep when they traveled through the hyperlane just an hour or so from his asteroid base. All kinds of goodies indeed...from wookie armor to starmaps, to credits, or even the new Imperial credits.
But they were going to attack him eventually....so he was developing a plan. The odds are, he cannot beat them, they had quite the military. So he needed an escape plan. He had already dispatched orders to his lieutenants that if he were to be defeated, they were to wait to the north of here for his return. But he didn't want to "die" if he could help it. It was a rather unpleasant experience...
As for the base, there was a chance that his brilliance could lead to a victory when The Empire attacks, thus it is surrounded by a small fleet, with a significant reserve. He would certainly give unwelcomed visitors a run for their money.
Haon Hafey had only so much patience in his life, even as a droid in his new body had only so much time in the Galaxy. With the Flatwell completely cloaked, he merely watched from a nearby electrotelescope onto the outside galaxy to keep an eye on the fleet below him. They were masquerading as cargo ships, something the Metal Lord did plenty of times in other peoples services to get the jump on their enemies. Slowly as they crawled, one of them shouted out.
"Approaching the Asteroid Field!" "Steady as she goes! I want to only skim it, we are awaiting the Grand Admirals signal. We are merely bait. All starfighter pilots ready?" "Yes Sir, all according to plan." "Good, then lets hope the Admirals intelligence was correct." "Is it true though, about us facing some kind of Vampire?" "True as Exogorth Worms in Asteroid Fields...yes. Hopefully, killed in one shot by us."
A fine rank, for a fine man, Brodan thought to himself.
He was a young officer, 30 years old, and probably the best the Empire had to offer. In his opinion. He has over ten years experience in the navy, moving between assignments, and carefully choosing only the most fitting roles that fit his skill set. Some would say that he had it too easy and that his career would be nothing if not for his family’s influence, but jealousy was such an ugly thing. He just figured that he was better at using what was available to him and that others should be taking notes. So what if he got choice assignments because of his assets? That’s how the game is played.
And now, the Imperial brass had finally seen his potential for what it truly was. Some “red-eyes” Vice Admiral had the sense to give him a promotion to the glorious rank of Commodore, and given him command of some of the most seasoned ships in the fleet. His father, Omar Dobson , had shown how jealous he was of Brodan when he had conspired to demote his own son out of spite. But once again, the “Red Eyes” Vice Admiral was showing better sense than most non-humans, according to Brodan’s opinion. His rank, and assigned remained.
“Sir, our fleet is dropping out from hyperspace and we should be arriving almost immediately!”
Brodan set his shoulders, clasped his hands behind his back, and took a deep breath. He made a point to keep gazing out the viewport to keep looking confident for his new crew, “very good, ensign. Have all stations reported in for General Quarters?”
“N-no sir,” the ensign sounded nervous, “the crew is very new, sir, and we are a little understaffed for this mission,”
Commodore Dobson dropped his posture and his jaw and gaped at his ensign incredulously, “this crew is new??? I thought these ships are all veterans??? What happened to the old crew?”
“S-Sir, I’m not at liberty to speculate…”
“Tell me what happened to my crews, ensign!”
The young ensign stuttered and sputtered a bit before finding his words, “sss-sir, I-I heard they were all transferred to the new f-f-fleets! These ships are being used to break in new crew and officers fresh out of the academy! Even I’m a new officer, sir!”
Brodan burried his thumb and forefinger hard into his brow, in total disbelief of what that damn Chiss admiral had just pulled on him. Brodan was a Dobson! Hell, his uncle Arken Dobson had facilitated the construction of these very ships that Brodan had been given. How dare that little blue freak pull a fast one on him…
“Ensign” he gritted through his teeth, “get my crews up to full GQ status IMMEDIATELY! And inform The Metal Lord, Haon Hafey
, that we are almost there! We are running late as it is, so step on it!”
Green crew or not, the Chiss had made a mistake giving Brodan this broken command, if his plan was to make Brodan fail. Brodan would destroy these pirates himself and then show these non-human imperial pretenders what it means to cross a Dobson…
My orders were simple, patrol the northeast sector of the planet. Any outbound ships not bearing the signature of an Elysium Empire code was to be first apprehended and all crew taken into custody, or second, if they refused my polite suggestions of surrender then blast them into millions of pieces. While we maintained our patrol, my ship was on stand-by for secondary orders. There was an ion cannon planet side which could wreck all heaps of havoc on any incoming ships; in the event we were needed, we were to engage and rain hellfire down on it. I was glad we didn't draw the initial assault on the ion cannon, because I had concerns about my squadron pilots. The Iron Wolf was a newly created addition to the naval fleet, and as such, most of my crew were recent graduates, which included my fighter pilots. I knew naval tactics well, having served in the Arkanian Defense Force for the better part of my life, before I thought I was ready for retirement. I knew in a fist fight; the advantage was against us.
Not all was grim, I had a couple of old buddies I served with that were willing to join me here in the newly formed Elysium Empire. I would recommend they be assigned to my ship, where I knew their expertise would prove beneficial to the growth of my green-behind-the-ears crew. With proper training and guidance, we would be the best ship in all the fleet.
With my hands firmly engaged together behind my back, I stared out into space through the Iron Wolf's massive viewscreen watching the first of many training exercises being conducted by the squadrons and their squadron leaders. First impressions turned my stomach sour. It was sloppy and raw, not an ounce of polish anywhere in the techniques. At times it appeared none of the pilots, squadron leaders included, had a lick of comprehension of basic naval tactics. If this was an actual naval engagement, we would be crushed and humiliated; my wife widowed. I wondered to myself if any in my squadrons possessed an ounce of skill. It became clearly apparent most of these pilots would be grounded, spending that time relearning the basics of tactics and maneuvers before being dispatched again. Hopefully, we won't be needed against that ion cannon.
"Captain! We have multiple blips on the radars, looks like a fleet!"
Of course they would attack before we can properly prepare. Not a problem.
"Get all ships in the air, except mine. I'll be there shortly."
The buccaneer rose to his feet, grabbing his custom blaster pistol, decorated with silver plating and engravings of quotes and thoughts that had stuck with him in his long life. Then he grabbed a vibroblade, sheathing it. Armed, he quickly excited the room and made his way to his ship. The ship in particular was a Karagga-Class Command Barge, a "gift" from The Hutt Republic that had served him well since the day he got it.
Once he made it to the bridge, he observed the blips on the radar. The opposing fleet was large, but the skirmish would depend on which ships it contained.
"Alright, get us up there." Ekun then switched comms, speaking to the whole fleet, "Stay within the defenses. We'll force the enemy into a bad situation. If you are in the reserves, stay there." He hated some things about dealing with pirates. One of those things was the need to dumb his words down. Having lived for over a hundred years, he had amassed quite the vocabulary, but if he used any words larger than "Strategic", the pirates either wouldn't understand him or they'd feel that he wasn't fit to be their leader. So he was stuck saying things like "Bad situation" rather than "Ambush". It was irritating but he had grown used to it, for the most part.
"Sir, we have inbound ships," one of the communication specialists said, "They are broadcasting an Elysium code. It appears they are the rest of your fleet, Admiral."
Finally, some good news. The rest of my fleet had stayed back in port, some of the ships were undergoing some renovations and minor repairs. Out here in the unknown, I felt it wise to keep them back until they were ready to join us. No matter how powerful a warcraft was, if wasn't operating at one-hundred capacity, it was a liability in a fight.
"Send a dispatch to each of the commanding officers. I want everyone here within the hour for a meeting,"I ordered. The entire sector was starting to heat up. So far, we've only experienced silence, and I knew it was only a matter of time before that little peace and quiet would be disturbed. I wanted my fleet, regardless how poorly this new batch of starfighters operated, to be ready. I knew the other pilots on the other ships were suffering the same similarities as my command ship; but together we could pose a show of force to prevent anyone or anything acting the fool.
And still, there was that ion cannon below to deal with. The reports coming through the correspondences was disturbing. The cannon was wreaking havoc on our ships, and yet, the ground forces have been unable to disable it. It was only a matter of time before we might have to engage the beast.
The geonosian stood among three other Katitik Hive Elites equipped with a Beam Cannon, Personal Energy Shield, and Armorweave protection. Additionally, Cruk and one of the others were armed with a Beastwarden's shield and a Static Pike which were carried in hand while the beam cannons were kept ready to be swapped for the shields should the fight get closer range. Though, given the length of the weapons the group was carrying, such was not a particularly likely situation. All of them were additionally equipped with Breath masks should they be deemed necessary.
They had come aboard the cloaked Flatwell under Haon Hafey
and his fleet. Waiting in the shuttle bay for their chance. They were waiting for the opportune moment to drop out, essentially, the instant the fighting started they'd take the ship straight down in an attempt to take out the target, Ekun, directly. A small but deadly force. Failing that there were other options, locations to be attacked or overtaken. But they were effective there to assassinate if they got the chance.
"Sir, a Communication from Commodore Brodan Dobson
, they will be arriving shortly." "Excellent, but our men are growing impatient and they are just dancing near the asteroids. I suppose we can annoy the birds while we wait." "Sir?" "Inform our men on the Balleens to load the following: Fifty Firefly Assault Concussion Missiles, Twenty Seismic Missiles with Fifteen M31 Heavy Proton Rockets with Fifteen regular Proton Rockets. It is time to do an honest testing ground, no hidden strings. What missiles...will do the most. Relay that message to the Baleens, should be a total of two hundred missiles loaded by the end of it." "Yes Sir, informing fleet frigates. They are requesting a target!" "Second Paranoda, I want this to be an example of our power. Wipe it with extreme prejustice. Inform the Commodore that the battle will start around the time he arrives. Inform all ships to prepare to launch all starfighters, all support craft to be ready to be defended. I want to see their face for their counter-attack backfire. We will use our starfighters to cloak our landing assault!"
On the Baleens, each one was having scrambled mixture of droids and organics as they were loading the missile launcher. Each "Container" was nothing more than an oversized missile launchers. They scrambled in suits made for zero-gravity and for oxygenless environments as the loud noises of missiles being shoved in can be heard from either ship. The containers would then raise up, like old missile launchers before firing off a total of two hundred missiles.
A Hundred Firefly Assault Concussion Missiles, Forty Seismic Missiles, Thirty M31 Heavy Proton Rockets, and Thirty regular Proton Rockets. All of those flew straight towards the second Paranoda in the Pirates Fleet. Some were faster, like the Concussion Missiles, others were slower like the Proton Rockets. A quarter of these could destroy a frigate, it was up to them to figure out what they wanted to do. Secretly though, Haon wished they would fire on some of the missiles, as some were Seismic and it would still set it off. Nothing more satisfying then letting the asteroids do the work for them, by letting the Seismic Payload throw pieces of asteroids at them! Or even push them into asteroids!
"It is not the promise of a good life that drives us, but our enemies. Their way of life is inferior to ours. That is why they will fail against us. These....pirates....are but primative scum that must not be allowed to continue to fester in our part of the Galaxy."
Omar looked at each men in his unit sternly as he spoke. His eyes carried a deadly focus that easily unnerved the naive and the untrained. Each man in his unit was specifically picked by him for this mission. While his son Brodan Dobson
, Haon Hafey
and others distracted the majority of the pirate fleets, this particular unit was tasked with securing the pirate's base on the asteroid.
A small transport carried them on the far side of the asteroid. It was disguised to look like a rock formation and moved slowly towards the base over days. Special forces units like the ones that Omar commanded were often sent well ahead of the main forces and this one was no different. More often than not he preferred to undergo these missions on a planet instead of somewhere lacking an atmosphere. But in truth it had been some time since he had been able to perform anything but drills. So when this opportunity arose, he did not turn it down.
"This is a base, gentlemen. A military base. There are no women and children here. The pirate scum would give us no quarter, and we must do the same. Kill your enemy dead, lest he rise up strong in spite."
That last sentence was Omar's signiature statement. Instead of a hoorah or a move out to end his speech and signal that it was time to deploy, he used that particular statement. His men were trained with the philosophy of the words. If you don't kill your enemies, they will only return to kill you. This unit wasn't here to make friends, to make peace or to take prisoners. They were to clear it of hostiles. Every. Single. One.
Omar slipped on the helmet of his suit, activating the H.U.D. which made the visible parts of his skin glow blue. It also gave his piercing gaze an even colder look. The fourteen men in his unit followed suit in unison and readied their weapons. In minutes the transport doors were going to open and it would be time for them to enact their battle plan and engage their enemy.
"Send the message files to my chair, ensign" Brodan told the young comms officer. He listens to his orders from both Metal Lord Haon Hafey
and Fleet Admiral A. Athantras and a smile spread across his clean-shaven face, "All chiefs and no sand people…" he muttered to himself.
Both orders had contradicted themselves. The Metal Lord, @Haon , had ordered an immediate attack, while the @Fleet Admiral had ordered a meeting upon arrival. This would indicate that no command structure had been properly established. Which meant that Commodore Dobson didn't have to technically answer to anyone.
Technically, if he were to follow proper protocol, he would follow up on the confusion and help the two leading officers establish who was in charge from his position in the middle. But Brodan had different ideas. Because no real command structure had been established in advance meant that any of the blame for mistakes or deviations from the "plan" would fall to whoever was above both the admiral and the metal lord. That meant the king would take the blame. That could only benefit his family. So, by technicality, Brodan had the capacity to do whatever he wanted, however he wanted to do it. He started to feel giddy. The glory could be all his today…
"Flight control, the moment we exit hyperspace, do as the Metal Lord has commanded and launch all our fighters as instructed. Comms, once our fighters are launched, inform the Fleet Admiral that we are unable to comply with his request for a meeting as the engagement will be starting immediately.
"Flight control, once we have launched all our fighters, begin a charge against the enemy position. We don't have time to get into formation before the charge begins so we'll have to do it on the go. I want to hit them hard and fast and catch them off guard. While we are charging, form three columns with our Star Destroyers. Each of our three Deliverance class star destroyers will lead each column, protecting the star destroyers behind them with their massive shields. The Patrons will follow next, then the Majesties, then the Unities will bring up the rear. All our fighters will rush the enemy defenses as quickly as possible to keep the enemy off balance while we make our approach! Keep our Freestars in reserve until we get close enough to do some serious damage! Let's hit them hard and fast, people!"
Brodan stood from his command chair and folded his hands behind his back. He watched the hyperspace tunnel begin to resolve into streaking stars as the fleet began to leave hyperspace. His day of glory was about to begin. Glory for the Dobson family… Glory for himself…
Brodan notices that command structure is poorly established and decides to use this opportunity to steal all the glory for himself
Launches his fighters (as ordered) and sends them to charge the enemy position (without any orders to do so). He hopes to knock the enemy off balance
Orders his entire fleet of star destroyers to charge the enemy fleet, slap-dashing a three column formation as they go.
Each column is lead by one Deliverance class star destroyer, which uses their massive shield generators to protect the ships behind them.
When the last of my commanders took their seats, I slammed my fist down hard upon the meeting table, my eyes scanning across their collective faces. My anger was justified and the tone in which I spoke collaborated that. "We are the least prepared fleet in the Empire! I just observed a few of this ship's starfighter squadrons conduct maneuvers, ranging from simple patrol formations to mock battles, and there is no word in the Galactic Basic language to describe what I saw. To say I'm thoroughly disappointed is a gross understatement! Gentleman, we need to get our act together yesterday."
The room began to fill with an invisible sense of fading comfort for the other ship commanders in the fleet. I wanted them to feel uneasy. I wanted them to reciprocate my feelings about our fleet. I want them to feel a sense of pride in this fleet when everything comes to perfection. But before we could reach perfection, we need to go through the growing pains. "Gentleman, I do not hold you personally responsible for the state of this fleet. We are a newly commissioned fleet, and most of our crew are greenbacks. We, as officers, are to shoulder the blame. We, as officers, are responsible for making the necessary changes. We, as officers, must teach rather than command at this point. We, as officers, must listen to each and every crew member under our command. Only through this, shall we prosper."
"I am approachable, gentleman," I said letting my anger to simmer, "And as such, I am open to suggestions and ideas on how to weld close the imperfections of our fleet. And gentleman, though I am the Fleet Admiral, this is our fleet...officers and crew alike."
The Second Paranoda didn't stand a chance. By the time Ekun's ship was in the air, the Paranoda was reduced to nothing more than space debris, destroyed by the...cargo ships? Clearly these were no cargo ships, and they were now a high priority to Ekun. Meanwhile a three-columned formation of ships Ekun had never seen before in his long life was...charging? He dismissed them as a threat. TO charge into a heavily defended base was foolish, even a battlecruiser would struggle to maintain its' shields against the barrage of turbolaser fire that would rain down upon them any second now.
Then there was another formation, at least ten ships had exited hyperspace, but they appeared to be holding back for now.
Ekun thought for a moment. His forces were now outnumbered and evidently outgunned. The "charging" formation wasn't a threat, and the holding formation was not the priority. But the cargo ships that had missiles were a threat.
"Alright boys, I see the party has begun sooner than I thought. I want our Oggurobb Enforcement barges spearheading an assault on those missile ships and their escort. Two Paranoda Assault frigates and one Boonta Enforcer Frigate are to pull off and support that assault. From our reserves, I want two Oggurobb-Class Enforcement Barges to join the assault. Jump to the coordinates I sent. That will put you at the enemy's right flank. Once you are all in firing range, focus on the cargo ships.
Go ahead and launch all your fighters and bombers. I want the bombers to disable all unnecessary systems and follow the fighters as closely as they can. Once they're in bombing distance, they will active those systems and move full speed, breaking off from the formation and launching their payload at the cargo ships. "
Satisfied with this order, Ekun then moved his attention to the fleet that was holding back.
"The rest of you, turn to face those ships that are holding position. We don't need them flanking us.
Assessed the situation
Sent the following to engage Haon Hafey
, focusing on the missile ships
Cruk Tuk and his crew analyzed the situation. While certainly a warrior first, Cruk's position made understanding the battlefield very important. So even with his desire to test himself against Ekun he recognized they had more value by assisting those already on the ground such as Omar Dobson and his forces. They quickly left in their transport weaving their way carefully. Cruk at the controls. His awareness in the force was not something that some masters had gained, but that and his familiarity with battle helped to ensure he knew what he was doing. The geonosian intentionally had the transport apparently damaged and feigned a crash. Naturally, someone might still come for them. But the repairs were negligible.
Once grounded, if there were available communications to be had with Omar Dobson, Cruk would attempt to patch them in and use a vocoder to speak with him. He would speak quickly and as clearly as he could with their language. "This is the Geonosian Hive's Alpha, Cruk Tuk with a small professional crew. If you desire additional ranged cover or infiltration forces, we can assist. I'm personally ready to improve my battlefield prowess but aiding allied forces seems more important than pursuing the primary target immediately."
They would ensure the transports safety before they began to prepare themselves. Thanks to their wings, getting around was going to be even easier. There were few of them, and they were well equipped for long distance combat with their powerful Beam Cannons. Or, they could attempt to approach stealthily and turn things into more close range warfare. If their assistance was ignored, unavailable, or refused. Then they'd instead get back to the transport and wait for an opportunity to redirect their attention to the Ion cannon. Cruk wanted a good fight, but a strategic one would be more valuable for the Elysium Empire. And thus, for the Hive.
It wasn't long after his helmet was on that Omar received the transmission from Cruk Tuk
. It was a welcomed addition to the men that he already had with him. They served as the perfect decoy. "Message recieved Hive Alpha. Proceed with discretion. Target any and all anti-aircraft weaponry. Those are your orders."
With a click Omar cut the transmission and turned his focus back to his mission at hand. While the Geonosians were sure to draw the pirate's attention away, Omar and his men could infiltrate the base on the other side and wipe out those pirates within, satisfying their bloodlust.
With a steady gaze, the team moved out in single file. They were sure to reach the base in due course. Rushing would only attract the attention that they wanted focused elsewhere. And it wasn't going to be until the firefight started that they'd move in.
Brodan had led his forces right past Haon Hafey
's and Fleet Admiral A. Athantras ‘s groups with total ease. Haon Hafey
had begun his bombardment and was drawing attention away from Brodan's fleet, and Fleet Admiral A. Athantras seemed to be waiting for some kind of opportunity to strike, and was somehow drawing off more enemy warships to his position. Brodan was about to capitalize on both their hesitations.
The holodisplay flared as one of the Paranodas winked out of existence. Brodan felt as though he had been robbed of a perfectly good kill. Anything that the Metal Lord killed from this range was stolen glory from Brodan's own reputation. But there was nothing for it. Let him have his little victories. It makes my own victory all the sweeter for it…
His…junior flight control officer spoke up, "Sir, the fighters are almost to the enemy asteroid base, but the wing commander in charge of the assault says that some of our small troopships and transports were seen landing on the asteroid base on long range scans. He believes that we may have troops in there. He recommends that we hold off on the bombing run until he can get a better look at the ships that moored there."
Rage quickly built in Brodan's chest and he hammered his fist into his command chair. He was willing to bet that those troops had been sent by Haon Hafey
or Fleet Admiral A. Athantras and no one told him about it. Perhaps he should have stopped and confirmed things with the other commanders before commencing his charge? No. This was still an opportunity for him. He would not be deterred. Since no one had established command of this operation, he could say that any mistakes were someone else's fault and he could still take all the glory. He needed to be quick and agressive to do that though.
He cleared the rage from his mind and began to think as quickly as he could. His capital ships were beginning to enter the effective range of the station's weapons, while the other two fleets were drawing off the enemy's fleet defenses. Clearly, the enemy commander was overwhelmed by Brodan's aggressive strategy by the fact that they hadn't fired on his star destroyers yet. But his own weapons still needed a little less distance to be in their own effective range. This gave him something of a plan.
"Ok, ok. Let's change plans a little bit here. Send a coded message to the foot soldiers on the station that they need to be quick and do whatever they are doing before we begin our bombardment. Have the fighters focus on the station's weapons systems for now to strip their ability to counter attack our capital ships. I want a clean win today. Keep advancing our columns until we are in our effective range and then spread out our ships into lines for the barrage. That should give our troops time to get off the damn station."
"Sir!" An older man spoke up from the turbo lift banks at the back of the bridge. The sound of the man's booming voice shook the bridge space and startled Brodan Dobson. He turned to look at the man and he was average built and height, dressed in a standard enlisted crew uniform, wearing a chief's hat. He was standing at attention, while he spoke loudly, "please let me advise you otherwise, sir!"
Rage boiled in Brodan's chest again, but he kept his voice calm, "and who are you supposed to be?"
The man's voice was unshaking and confident, "Chief Petty Officer First Class Alro Doreen. Some of the hands call me Chief Bubba? Anyways, I was sent here as an observer for Admiral Burtch for the duration of the mission. He said that if I felt like your actions would cost too many lives that I was to use this to give me credentials as I advise you on tactical decision making" he lifted a data pad in his right hand, and on the screen was a document that was too far away for Brodan to read properly from his little chair. Irritated, he gestured for "Chief Bubba" to come closer. When he did, Brodan nearly ripped the device out of the older man's hands and quickly scanned it with his eyes. The document was legitimate and signed by Admiral Burtch.
Brodan was suddenly filled with outrage, "this is unacceptable! I will not have my battle ruined by some pet of the Chiss Brothers! You are allowed to observe, as this document permits, but I don't have to accept your advice!"
Chief Bubba glared at Commodore Dobson, "Sir! Those fighters are flying right into a tra-"
"SILENCE!"Brodan was on the verge of hyperventilating, his face was dark red, but he began addressing his other officers, "Transmit our warning to the foot troops immediately, and move our forces as I have commanded! Chief Petty Officer Doreen, you are free to OBSERVE but you will keep to yourself at the back of the command bridge and keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you!"
Chief Bubba didn't back down, "THESE STAR DESTROYERS ARE GONNA BE SITTING…"
He was interrupted when Commodore Brodan stood up rapidly and began staring up at the man. Brodan was shorter than the Chief, but his eyes were wild, and his breathing was heavy and labored. They stared at each other for a moment before Brodan's rage finally flared up, "MARINES! ARREST HIM! SEND HIM TO THE BRIG! HE WILL STAND TRIAL FOR INSUBORDINATION!"
Chief Bubba just scoffed at the little man. He himself was furious, but he could tell that he had done all he could here already. He did have previous experience handling Dorthea Dobson
from the HMS Shii-Cho, but he hadn't guessed that this Dobson could possibly be any worse. "You don't have any legitimate grounds to make me stand trial, but I can keep my trap shut and stand in the corner." He noticed the big armored forms in his peripheral vision but they were hanging back just to see what happened first.
Brodan Dobson was practically shaking at this point, but he managed to take a breath before speaking again, "then go sit in your little corner. I have a battle to win!"
The armored marines stepped down and Chief Bubba strode back to the turbolifts. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He wondered what Burtch had been thinking, giving this overgrown child command of a whole fleet. He suspected that Imperial Politics were at play and it was a puzzle that was far too complex for a man of his own standing to be privy to. But he trusted the Chiss Brothers. They always had a plan…
Brodan receives intel that Cruk Tuk
and Omar Dobson are landed on the asteroid base, even if he doesn’t know who they are.
Brodan decides to have his fighters strafe the enemy weapons systems so that his star destroyers can get into position for a bombardment.
Brodan transmits a warning to Cruk Tuk
and Omar Dobson , saying to hurry up because his bombardment will commence fairly soon
Brodan orders his fleet to continue advancing until they are within their effective range, and then the fleet will spread from columns into battle lines before the order is given to open fire.
Chief Petty Officer Alro “Bubba” Doreen arrives on the bridge to warn Brodan that his fighters and his star destroyers are flying into a trap, but Brodan refuses to listen.
The Metal Lord had remained quiet throughout this, more starfighters approaching as he merely let everyone launch. As things were starting to caculated, he started to see the potential error of this fight. The trap was being sprung...and the Star Destroyers were heading into it. The main fleet was heading straight towards them...given the calculation of time, he knew there was very little to be done. His forces...were not large enough to take them all on. Getting on communication, he gave orders that chilled his processor.
"This is Metal Lord Hafey. I want both Missile Frigates to fire everything they got into the first of them enforcement barges. They are coming around but we have no choice, the Star Destroyers are passing us by. All starfighters and bombers, assist in defense of our fleet and bomb any that get to close, when they reach three kilometers, engage hyperdrive systems to section six behind the second moon. If you are left behind, you will be left behind. As for the Flatwell...I am issuing a direct order. All hands, abandon ship. You have five minutes, relay to Fleet Admiral A. Athantras that it has been an honor. On record, Brodan, I will personally kill you."
There was a shock among the bridge before people started to run, Haon Hafey going over the main command console and started to override many commands. If he was not the creator of this starship, it probably be way harder to reroute the entire subsystems into doing what was being presented. People were shooting out escape pods, most of them trying to jump the moment it occurred as the Flatwell would feel a surge in power system adjustments as the cloaking device was online and Haon stared out into the void before dumping all power to engines...heading straight towards the second Enforcement Barge. If there was any detection, it would come up as a large blip and it was going to make all attempts, to ram into it!
The two pirates walked slowly to the tubrolift, blaster rifles in hand. They didn't know why they were doing this, it was stupid. The base was being assaulted and they were being sent to 'check on something'. Those two swore up and down, they were the butt of every joke on this rock.
"So what did they say again, Something was going on in the trash chute?" The skinny man asked his friend, uncertainty in his eyes.
"Yeah- it's stupid. I mean, would these guys really send troopers in through the trash?" His burly friend said.
They both laughed, walking along. "Yeah, wouldn't it be funny if they did?"
"Trash Troopers." The burly man said in a dramatic voice.
Skinny chuckled. "Yeah."
When they finally reached the tubrolift door, the burly man walked over to press the button, calling the tubrolift up. But before he could, the door slid open, the two men stepped back surprised.
"What the?"
Standing in the lift was a robed figure, aside from the robe, all they could notice was the light-weight EVA suit with its face-covering helmet. Before the men could think about doing anything, the figure quickly raised one hand, making a gesture. The burly pirate hit the wall, going unconscious immediately.
Not even noticing it, the skinny pirate brought up his blaster rifle and fired. With a flick of wrist, the figure summoned a concealed hilt to his hand. The wintery-white blade that followed deflected the two shots, hitting this and that wall. With another quick gesture from his free hand, a slight pulling motion, the skinny pirate's blaster was torn from his hands. Moving the plasma blade in front of him, the figure cut through the blaster with little to no effort. The figure deactivated the lightsaber, taking a step toward the pirate.
Shocked and thoroughly terrified, the man scrambled back, eyes wide, mouth agape. He turned to run but as soon as he did, Martin made one more gesture at him. The pirate fell flat on his face, becoming unconscious like his friend.
Breathing heavily, Martin removed the helmet from his head. Shoving his hand into the helmet, he tore out the comlink. "Why did I have to wear this again?" He took long and drawn breaths.
"Because you wouldn't be able to breathe in space without it." said the calm, feminine voice through the comlink. She was younger than him, early 30s, with blonde hair that already seemed to be graying already.
"Ah, I could have used the force." coughed Martin.
"Used the force to breathe in space?" She asked.
"... Fair point." Martin shrugged. "The guy I'm supposed to rendezvous with, what was was his name?"
"Omar Dobson." She picked a piece of hair off her uniform, frowning eternally.
"Okay, can you connect him to me?"
"Of course." "Thanks, Vid." Martin said in a hushed tone.
"Vidcoy."she corrected.
"Okay... Vidcoy."
After a few moments of patiently waiting, the comlink finally connected. "Omar Dobson?" Martin addressed him fully, "My name is Martin Dux, I'm one of Burtch's... specialists. I was supposed to meet with you, I'm on the left side of the asteroid, near their trash chute. I'll be making way to you."
Omar recieved the message from Martin Dux and narrowed his eyes slightly. Still proceeding at the head of his unit, the man would have rolled his eyes if he was the type to display a variety of emotions. But he was not. Even his children couldn't remember a time where the man had ever cracked a smile.
The very message annoyed him, even more so because it came from an order apparently made by Grand Shepherd Burtch
. Did the Chiss not have any faith in his abilities to handle loathsome pirates? Words could not express the anger boiling within him. Yet he was not going to allow it to cloud his judgement for this mission. Instead he was going to put it to use.....
~Understood Blue Special. Time for radio silence. Omar out.~
Too much chatter could give them all away. It was elementary knowledge, yet the Chiss's specialist didn't seem to have much training. How typical.
Omar spotted an opportunity for entry. Cruk Tuk
's distraction appeared to be working as a docking bay door opened. Enclosed speeders raced out of them, heading for the Geonosian convy. Quickly Omar and his men opened fire on the door's mechanisms, disabling the door and keeping it open. Moments later they were all inside, wrecking havoc on those that they encountered with both blasters and blades. Holes in flesh were burned, throats were slit, and bodies riddled the floors as they advanced through the base.
Kill your enemies dead....Omar was always the type to practice what he preached.
Burtch's fleet was on standby in reserve. Amongst his ships, and there were many, was the Striking Serpent Battlegroup, and a couple other newly formed units consisting of some of the newer additions to the navy. His fleet was stationed just half a parsec away from the battle taking place and he knew that there was a chance he'd be needed to run in and save imperial lives.
He had given Brodan Dobson
enough forces that even a total moron could handle these pirates, and on top of that, Fleet Admiral A. Athantras and Haon Hafey
were there with additional units. Surely this would be a simple operation.
He had expected Brodan to make mistakes of course. Him and Keatoch
had decided a while ago that the Dobson family influence needed to be reduced in the navy. Brodan, it seemed, was the weakest link in the Dobson chain, according to Keatoch
. The man was arrogant, entitled, and lazy. It only made sense then that if they gave him enough rope to hang himself, that he'd give them a case to reduce the influence of the Dobson family in the navy.
Unfortunately, the plan seemed to be working too well. Way too well…
Thankfully, the pirates had failed to begin jamming the Empire's sensors and Comms. Burtch, and his ship's advanced sensors had a full view of the battlefield, while his interdictor provided him with a protective gravitational field to keep potential ambushes at bay. What he could see was not pleasant.
Brodan had seemingly decided that there wasn't a proper command structure and was defying orders from both Haon Hafey
and Fleet Admiral A. Athantras and was cutting ahead of everyone. Technically, Fleet Admiral A. Athantras was in command, but Brodan was trying to exploit a technicality. The result was that he had left the two other commanders hanging and cut off their ability to defend themselves from counter attack. Haon Hafey
had lost his flagship and his formation seemed to be falling apart, and Fleet Admiral A. Athantras was so tied up with enemy attacks that he couldn't respond to anything else.
Burtch swore to himself that he would have Brodan Courtmartialed, but the promise felt empty. While this would harm the Dobsons standing in the Navy, the Dobsons still had incredible influence and would protect Brodan's career. And people would look for someone new to blame. Burtch promised himself that he wouldn't let Fleet Admiral A. Athantras or Haon Hafey
take the brunt of this.
No matter. Right now, Burtch's goal was clear. He had to scrape the enemy off of the imperial fleet and begin rescue ops. The enemy pirates would most likely get away and run to a fallback location, but they could be found on a later date.
Burtch began shouting orders, "Have our interdictor drop the gravity well and have all ships jump to the battle. Begin rescue ops on the Metal Lords ships first and then we'll get the enemy off the fleet admirals group next. We'll strike hard and fast, but we won't be assaulting the enemy base. I'm willing to bet that they won't be staying long anyways."
