To Be Honest, We're Just Greedy. [ME,BTS,GR]

[Miss Blonde]

[media] https://youtu.be/DTF8F440A6Y [/media]​

People had disrespected the Mandalorian Empire, well not people, more singular really, person. That person being [member="Sanya Val Swift"] and her company Inquisition Industries. She stole Beskar from the capital of the empire and now it was time to pay the metaphorical piper. And what you might ask would be enough to pay back such a blatant sign of disrespect and other- okay enough of the high horse bull crap. Long story short Sanya Karked up royally and now the Mandalorian Empire wanted the Libita command ship as payment for her disrespect or it was face compete and utter destruction of her company, faction, and other personal ventures. It wouldn't even be surprising if [member="Isley Verd"] went to her house just to leave a flaming bag of poop on the door before playing ding dong ditch.

The only problem was that the Libita was a ship that was "technically owned" by the Republic, so it was going to be tricky to jump through the loopholes and bureaucracy of the Republic. But the Mandalorians had an ace up their sleeves, and that was the best crew of thieves in the galaxy. Yes the Black Tie Syndicate was here to make sure that if the republic didn't want to sell Sanya up the river to avoid a war they'd get the ship anyway or make sure it was destroyed in the process.

Awaiting Just outside of Sekalus space the Stygium cloaked Red Dress was out of sensor range and sent a scrambled message to the local FleetCom that rerouted every second to keep it from being traced.

"Greetings Republic and Sekalus Fleet Command, this is a message from the Mandalorian Empire. Former war criminal and current Jedi and leader of the Mercenary Legion Sanya Val Swift has committed various crimes in Mandalorian Empire space ranging from illegal mining operations, grand theft, and a litany of other charges. She is wanted for extradition where she will sentenced for her crimes. This however can be avoided if she pays tribute to the Empire and Mand'alor by surrendering the Libita Command Ship currently under the care of Republic Shipyards and jurisdiction.." The deeply modified voice of Miss Blonde stated demands clearly all while organizing what was going to happen next.

"Make sure first and second battle groups are on the edge of the system. I want those Wangas on the Libita and the orbs primed." the woman would then pick the mic back up and turn it on.

"Failure to comply from the Republic or the local government will result in harboring a fugitive of Mandalorian law, which will be considered an act of war. You have one hour to produce results." The mic was dropped and the message was all sent, now all they had to do was wait.

"We're really not here to pick Sanya up right?" one of the Black Tie crewmen asked.

"Oh god no, no one really cares about Sanya. But that's a pretty ship. And last time the Hulk was blown to pieces, so I'm feeling lucky this time around." Blonde then turned to her crew on the ship and would start giving orders.

"Boarding parties at the ready and contact Isley and inform him we are in position. If the Republic fails to respond, we won't."

The ball was now in the Republic's court and whoever the fuck else was in charge of this back water ass planet that has gone bankrupt, hopefully they would give into the demands of the Mand'alor.

[member="Suravi Teigra"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Cody Bantam"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

[member="Miss Blonde"]

((The Libita is at Sekalus. You can go there to meet the Sekallian and Republic fleets. See you soon!))

 

[Miss Blonde]

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

((edited the post just for you, baby. Play ball ))

 

[Eugen Aker]

[member="Miss Blonde"]

((Make an OOC thread so that we can discuss force comps. You guys should have talked to us before dropping a skirmish.))

 

[Miss Blonde]

[member="Suravi Teigra"]

((this is the last time I'm going to post OOCly in an IC thread. Which you probably shouldn't have done in the first place. So here's what's gonna happen, if you want an OOC thread, you start it. Because this right here is being settled ICly. So if you want to bog down the process by complaining at people because you can't wheel and deal then that's all you. Best of luck to your side and I'll see you IC))

 

[Jorus Merrill]

OOC/ Suravi, there aren't any rules for Skirmishes. These folks weren't under any obligation to give advance notice.

IC/ The Underground's facilities in the Kathol Outback and nearby worlds had some well-established monitoring capabilities. Getting to Sekalus without farting around in Wild Space for months more or less required going past some of those worlds, places like Karideph and Pergitor. As a certain hyperspace intercept contact passed that area, without triggering any other sensors or making landfall or communicating, it became fairly clear that something weird was in the region. It didn't seem to be an issue for Kathol Outback space specifically, though, so for the moment, nothing happened. Analysts estimated the something was heading for former Black Rose territory, always an area of interest due to the Demonsgate fiasco. The Republic was known to keep a non-negligible fleet in the area; they'd recently won a resounding victory over the One Sith at Sekalus, for example.

On the off chance this was some kind of covert Sith thing again, a handful of Underground scout ships left Kal'Shebbol. The modified light freighters headed for Sekalus, Kesh, and a few other significant locations with Sith ties.

 

[Eugen Aker]

(([member="Jorus Merrill"] I know, but it would have been the cool thing to do. Wheaton's Law and all. I had still been talking to Isley about this issue via Skype at the same time when [member="Miss Blonde"] decided to drop this. Even the OS/SA had the decency to reach out to the GR before they launched their last skirmish, and I follow the same policy as FO. Done here for now, I'll continue this in the OOC thread.))

 

[Aithne Charr]

Bridge of Skyborn
In Hyperspace - Enroute to Sekulas.

First Expeditionary fleet. 3,390m (Non-combatant unless a battle breaks out... No one start a battle.)

Spoiler

• 1x Infernus Heavy Cruiser (900m)
  5 Apollo Class Interceptors
• 12 Rendili Starfighters
• 12 Narran Wyrm Class Bombers
• 12 Umbra Class Dropships
• 2 Narran Aspect Class Gunship
• 2 Narran Drake Class Gunship
• 16 Shard Class droppods

[*]2x Hammerhead Frigates (315m each)

• 12 Rendili Starfighters (Each)
• 4 Umbra-class dropships (Each)

[*]2x Karakter Pocket Carriers (220m each)

• 24 Rendili Starfighters (12 to a side) (Each)
• 2 Kirtok Class Gunships (1 to a side) (Each)

[*]4x Dire Class Patrol Ships (100m each)

• 4 Cutlass-class gunships (Each)
• 2 Umbra-class dropships (Each)

[*]4x Preatorian Corvettes (180m each)

• 4 Rendili Starfighters (Each)
• 2 Umbra-class dropships (Each)

[*]1x Adamantine Siege Frigates (300m each)

Solan groaned as he sat at the bridge of his personal flagship, dreading that he was going to have to actually make good on the deal with Sekulas. He had assumed no one would actually ever attack it... well everyone is wrong once in a while it seemed as he followed the trace of earlier ships as well as a tip off. This was going to take some explaining to do for the Mand'alor and Alex but he was sure they wouldn't kill him... or take any of his limbs. After all he was simply acting as an honorable man upholding a pact he had with the planet long ago....

He was going to die...

Yup, death. Thats what he should be expecting when he gets back to Mandalorian space. The sweet release of death... ok maybe he was over expecting and he was acting out of personal honor so that had to count for something. Either way this whole situation was a piece of shit and he groaned as the captain stood behind his command chair. "Captain... please make sure that i slam my head agaisnt the hull after this... deal?" He glanced through his fingers at the Keshiri female, her eyes staring back at him before sighing and nodding.

She wasn't too bad to have commanding his ship, supposedly one of the best captains to be put through the naval academy on the planet. That was a bit of a refresher though she could not take a joke for the life of her. Not that this trip allowed him really any comfort with how long it had been to even get out to Sekulas. He was going to have to spray those damned cat people with a water bottle after this, being that they are causing him a headache that was like no tomorrow. "And Captain, make sure the other ships remain on course... we are going to make sure things keep simmered down... a full on battle is not what we need to get involved in if we can avoid it." The captain just nodded again before looking at him.

"Cheer up Commander, the day will be over quickly." She said in a mocking tone that didn't escape him as he lifted his head and glared at the Captain, who quickly left to make sure everything was going as planned.

"Im going to kill Sanya for this one... or atleast throw her in an ocean."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay frowned as the message was forwarded to her. She listened to it over and over again. It was like Roche all over again. Similar, yet different circumstances. She had given all of her assets and saved salary to the Mandalorians to prevent an invasion, only to have it happen anyways soon after she was fired from the Senate. She had not been in the Republic government ever since, as she was barred by the Supreme Chancellor. She hopped from job to job until finding her way back to Commenor again. Her planet was on the very edge of Sith space and as of yet, she had not been able to get the Republic to take them under their wing. But she was working on it. She had to win the election to become the Madam President first.

The message drudged up bad memories. Kay had avoided most Mandalorians ever since. People just didn't uphold their word or their honour anymore, it seemed. But there could still be some out there that do. Maybe reason could still prevail.

She cleared her throat a bit before she patched a message through to it's original sender. "Greetings. I am Lady Kay from Commenor. I may not be in the Republic, but I do have ties with them and others. If you would permit me, I'd be honoured to try to have this dispute resolved peacefully and fairly to both [member="Sanya Val Swift"] and the Mandalorian Empire. So I request a meeting in neutral territory so that we may see eachother face to face and discuss this. I await your reply.."

Now to wait. The worst that could happen is that she was declined. And if she was told no, then at least she tried.

[member="Isley Verd"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Suravi Teigra"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Cody Bantam"] [member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

Kesh had a pretty decent little navy, all things considered. It had shown up, royal flagship in the lead, during the Underground's liberation of the Kathol Outback. To find a large chunk of it gone, then, was interesting to the scout ship. As no Sith fleet was shredding Kesh and no massive mystery ships were insystem, however, the scout ship commed back to the Underground networks for orders. In short order, General Merrill responded personally. The scout ship left the Kesh system and began examining nearby systems, in case the Keshiri Royal Navy had gone to intercept the unknown quantity. Meanwhile, elsewhere, the other scout ships continued their search for anything out of the ordinary. And between the blank hyperspace intercept and the Keshiri navy's absence, something was most definitely wonky just now.

A small flotilla, mainly Peregrine-class armed freighters, began coming together in Kal'Shebbol orbit in case it was needed.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai1VzPwJmFA​

​

Location: Beyond Sekalus Outer System, approximately 1 Light Year
Objective: Observe and Report

Rach Vizla sat aboard the Devil Eye's, a might smaller than the Kandosii-type he normally commanded from. The elder Fleet commander had remained with a token force in the Kathol Outback while the Underground built up fleet support as an advisor, and in order to report should they be attacked. In order to prepare for possible attack, the Rimma Trade Route. Only the Galactic Alliance was close enough to circumvent using that lane to some degree. Anyone else moving on the Out Back would be adding days or weeks to an already very long trip. And the Rimma while guarded and with check points from the Galactic Alliance, wasn't unusable.

Contacts, no hails, turned right at Kel'shebbol instead of into the Outback. Couldn't mean much other than a build up at Sekalus. Already basically a Republic Fortress world, further fleet build up on the planet basically assured that there was hostile intentions from the planet's ruler to the Underground who had routed her off Demon's Gate. No one sent a large fleet to a far off outer rim world like that so far away from the rapidly collapsing Republic for protection. The cost would be astronomical, especially when the Battlecruiser and a handful of escorts would normally work fine.

Rach sat aboard the ship as it slowly reverted from Hyperspace just over a lightyear from the planet, their speed reduced in an attempt to limit cronau radiation released and mask their arrival. Not that it needed to be heavily masked at this range, or at all.

"Alright, ears on. Lets start listening in on the conversation and figure out what is going happening." The old Mandalorian commander smiled to himself, considering the opportunity to lead an attack on Republic Forces this far out. With proper scouting he could have days to attack the planet before any more Republic forces could arrive, but that was plans for the future.

As communications from the arriving forces began sounding on the sensor board, the Warden and Ulur'uur, two of the better detectors and communication snooping ships, could tell there was at least one more group on the outer system, and the group inside the system had hostile intentions based on the garbled messages they were able to pick up at this range.

"Hmm..." The Mandalorian commander considered possible actions. "Push us forward at quiet one. Bring us to extended sensor range. Then swap to quiet two."

"Aye, boss." The helmsman's mechanically altered voice sounded. Beginning going over the controls and starting their forward progress.

<It seems the attackers are supporting the Mandalorian Empire by what little from their comms we've manage to pick up at this distance. Too bad. We don't have signature or identifiers for them yet.> That was likely the older Mandalorian's only regret, otherwise he could ensure this event happened without incident.

Spoiler

UMC S1, Devil Eyes
Warden-class Sentinel Frigate, Equipped with MSUP

UMC S2, Witch Sight
Ulur'uur-class Frigate, Equipped with MSUP

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Draco Vereen"](Applies to your scout ships too.)

The Scout ship would not have to look too hard, the remnants of the more than noticeable path that had been taken by Solan's ships was still there and aimed for only one charted planet's direction. It would be clear as day in which direction the small expeditionary fleet was heading, and even more clear this fleet was few in physical numbers, and fewer in size if the scout ships could determine that from the records kept involving the composition of Kesh's fleet as a whole. It was meant to protect after all, not to invade, thus signalling something was going on in the direction of Sekulas itself that wasn't fully in development yet. Nor would it be for a while.

(Short and sweet little post for ya Jorus..)

 

[Miss Blonde]

The Red Dress still completely cloaked to sensors and the naked eye continued to sit back right outside of Sekulas space and await communication from the local government or the republic, which wasn't going all that well. But wait, there was hope. A transmission came out on all frequencies and the Red Dress intercepted it and could hear the voice of....

[member="Lady Kay"] the disowned senator that the republic sold up the river. Joy. And by her logic she was a person who wasn't affiliated with either party wanting to resolve this situation peacefully. It made blonde laugh a little, and hey that was cool mad props to her for wanting this to be resolved without bloodshed. But there were two things Blonde didn't do and that was believe in fairytale endings and deal in half measures. And right about now she was recommending both.

So a message would be shot back to her in a very swift and efficient manner. The message would be of a single image. They would just have to wait for someone with actual authority.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked at the message and frowned. Well, so much for that. She got her answer. It seemed that honour had left the Galaxy a long time ago. Only a lust for bloodshed prevailed. Strip away their weapons and ships and they would have nothing to hold onto. There was more to life than looking for an excuse to start a war. She put down her datapad and prepared herself for a summit. She had an election to try to win.

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

Scout ship reports indicated that [member="Solan Charr"]'s flagship and its flotilla were heading for Sekalus, well within the probable destinations of the unknown hyperspace intercept contact that corresponded to no other sensor contacts. Strike Force Rallrajow ('sea of stars' in Shyriwook) finished gathering over Kal'Shebbol and headed for the Sekalus system. Rallrajow, commanded by General Beyyr, consisted of Peregrine-class armed freighters, designated TKO-1 through TKO-5. Each moved like a much smaller ship. Each carried two squadrons of interceptors, two squadrons of starfighters, four Niathal-class shuttles, and a handful of ragtag freighters. Also, [member="Julius Sedaire"] had been contacted; if he arrived, he'd likely do so with his personal ship.

The Underground flotilla exited hyperspace over Sekalus, perhaps around the same time as the Keshiri force -- earlier or later. Immediately, TKO-3 began transmitting.

"RRarrrhrhghr."

A translation droid jumped into the transmission. "Task Force Rallrajow, commanded by the estimable General Beyyr of the Underground, presents the compliments of the Kathol Outback."

"Hurrfhurfhurf."

"The General suggests that recent and ongoing developments in regional security may require a multilateral parlay and continued vigilance."

[member="Reshmar"]

 

[Willam Forlon]

"Damn them" Supreme Commander Forlon swore as he stepped off the shuttle. The massive hanger of the Libita was poised for battle and all around him the crews readied attack craft. This was not what he had in mind with he had left Denon for Sekalus. The fleet assembled here had been done so without his authorization and as such had been an illegal formation and engagement of the Republic's forces. There was nothing he could do now about this. He could only fix the mistake made and try to extinguish the inferno now blazing over the world.

The lift doors slide open and Forlon and his escorts boarded it to another curse from the General. "fek this ship, If I have to shoot someone up here on the bridge you better have my back" he said to the six men around him. the lift accelerated as it moved deck by deck up to the command level. The massive vessel was unimaginably big and the lift moved upwards for what seemed like for ever as it moved through the hundreds of decks between the hanger and bridge. The wine of the lift began to lower in pitch as the small box slowed near the top of the vessel. A soft wish was heard and then the sound of the doors sliding open gave way to an explosion of noise. All around the bridge of the massive vessel people were frantically shouting orders and reading for a battle to come.

An officer ran past Forlon then shuttered to a stop as he registered what he had just seen. He turned and dropped the data pad and saluted with a resounding "Supreme Commander on the bridge!" It took a moment as the shuffling busywork, the men and women of the command crew had been working was not as important as it had been a second ago. With a chaotic, ripple like effect, the crew of the monstrous ship came to attention and saluted.

"At ease" said Forlon ad he walked into the center of the command deck. He could not help but notice every eye on him. It was a disconcerting experience that hs had never liked or gotten used to. He walked with a steady but relaxed pace to the man he knew was in charge.

"General Haring, It is good to see you again." Said Willam as he neared the man. The General was the one man on the ship who did not salute Forlon. His rank excused him of such pomp and the man reached out to shake his hand. Forlon leaned in and whispered into the mans ear. "Nothing personal Taneas, just damage control." he leaned back and spoke louder. "General, I am hereby taking over command of the Libita and all escorting republic assets. I am also requesting all Sekalus forces stand down and let the diplomatic corps do their job." said Forlon as he relesed the now angered mans hand. A man spoke to Forlons left suggesting there was a transmission which needed someones attention.

"I will take it on this console sailor" said Forlon to the man looking at him with confused stress. a moment later the console in front of Willam came to life with the echoed speech of Wookiee in the background. Forlon knew General Beyyr only by reputation. He has ready many reports and briefings on the creature and he paused for a moment to think of everything he had read and learned about the general.

"General, This is Supreme Commander Willam Forlon. I welcome you and your kin and am honored to have a warrior of your repute standing beside me. I am taking command of the Republic forces here and requiest that your force move into formation and hold any hostile actions. I will be attempting to have a diplomatic team negotiate the demands and work to find some common and agreeable terms for both parties." Forlon said as his mean moved away from him now as it was clear no one was going to dispute his commands.

[member="General Beyyr"][member="Lady Kay"][member="Miss Blonde"][member="Solan Charr"][member="Draco Vereen"][member="Suravi Teigra"][member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Willam Forlon"]

"Grrwarrr."

"Understood, Supreme Commander Forlon. The General is ordering Task Force Rallrajow to take up a defensive formation in high orbit." The formation would group the Peregrines together loosely, surrounded by fighter and interceptor patrols.

"Hurrrrgh."

"Whatever information you can provide on your opposition would be appreciated. As of now, we have little knowledge of the nature of the threat."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Location: Outside Sekalus, 1 Lightyear from Central Star
Objective: Begrudgingly Support [member="General Beyyr"]

Rach frowned, but he understood. He was deployed as an assistant to the Underground within the Kathol Outback and they were pulling up defenses around the planet according to the communications. "Prep for jump in system. Call up the Sovereign from Kel'shebbol to support and have it prepped to receive me. Open communications with the good General."

A few moments ticked by before long range communication could be established and Fleet Commander Rach Vizla did not like exposing his hand fully in any regards. A single ship with a pair of lightly armed detector and sensor frigates was not what he wanted to bring to a battle.

"Good afternoon [member="General Beyyr"] , this is Rach Vizla, United Mandalorian Clans, still attached to Underground chain of command. I have been loosely monitoring the situation and am preparing to jump in system at your call. I have limited forces and am sitting three Light years from central system star." Rach glanced around the room. They were much closer than that, but the size of the Sovereign, even with its sensor mask would be hard to hide if anyone knew where to look. Two light years wasn't a big difference in this arena, but it bought him some cover. Misinformation was often the best way to throw off the scent.

The communication cut off and the General spoke to the bridge. "I dislike aligning myself alongside the Republic, but I am sworn to assist the Underground in its operations. With the possibility of Mando'ade being present on the opposite side, I am aware of the situation and the laws of the clan. Mando'ade do not spill the blood of their brothers and sisters for pay. We are required by our honor to assist the Underground, but that does not mean we are required to use lethal force." Rach was first and foremost a Mandalorian, mercenary second. Any man that would accept money for the blood of his brethren would be labeled Dar'manda if it ever came to light, and would be soulless regardless.

"We will make our intentions known if we must, and if our brothers and sisters would still fire on us for honoring our word, I will announce them for what they are." From there things would get interesting.

It would be a few moments before the Sovereign arrived at the frigates, then he would have to move ships and move his flag staff. One shuttle was enough but it took a moment to launch and be secured aboard the Star Destroyer, and a moment longer before they could jump in system.

 

[Miss Blonde]

Everything was in place, everyone was about to move in as the deadline was approaching. However there was one large problem and his name was Saverock, the dumbass renegade mando that needed to be dealt with. Reports were coming in that he was attacking Mandalore and he was claiming it under the banner of the Mandalorian Empire, which was of course not true.

As a non Mandalorian, Miss Blonde could honestly care less about their sacred homeland where they lift weights and ask each other how their pecks look. But Isley was her friend and she needed to get there because this was an all hands on deck situation despite the fact it was on United Clans turf, it was their responsibility.

"It would seem that the Mand'alor has requested a pause on this. There seems to an incident elsewhere that needs our full attention. As it stands the creator of the croa virus and war criminal you seem to love will be marked as a wanted criminal in Mandalorian Empire space and will be shot on sight until reparations are fully paid in the total sum of five hundred million credits. Expect us to return, and when we do we will not ask nicely again." And that was that.

The Red Dress still cloaked activated it's hyperdrive and left the system on a trip straight to Mand'alor.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Solan Charr"] [member="Willam Forlon"] [member="General Beyyr"]

 

[Gael bar Ammon]

Sekalus Orbit

Sekalus. A system riddled with a notorious people, yet somehow maintained strategic importance to the Galactic Republic, important enough to station the Libita there. Gael knew that Sekalus was a popular target of the One Sith among others, but still failed to see what warranted such a presence. Phrik possibly, but did the cost offset the amount of assets there to protect it? That wasn't his task though.

Gael was one of, if not the only Mandalorian to work amongst the Galactic Republic. Some supported his endeavors, others shunned him, but he never looked back. He'd gained a wealth of macrogovernance and interpersonal communications skills, as well as learned a bit about quid-pro-quo. Now, despite serving the Mandalorian Empire, Gael still sought a peaceful resolution to the conflict about to break out. He knew how the Republic operated, and he knew who operated in it. Frankly, the Republic was lucky it was Gael who would be treating with them. He knew the Republic had many powerful enemies, and while the Mandalorian Empire wasn't in bed with any of them, they'd leap at the chance to catch the Republic while they were occupied elsewhere. Many of his Mando brethren probably would prefer blood be spilled, but the pragmatist in him told him that bloodshed was costly. There was an easier way, one more favorable for both parties.

Gael jumped into hyperspace in a small personal craft, a Shadow-class drop shuttle. It wasn't imposing in the slightest, nor was it armed, but it did it's job and it was capable of evading a great deal.

"Republic command, this is Gael bar Ammon of the Mandalorian Empire. We will be docking aboard the Libita momentarily.", Gael spoke through the comms channel. He didn't request permission. He knew he was going to get it. Even though the Red Dress jumped away from the battle and Gael was outnumbered and outmatched immensely, the Mandalorian Empire commanded a vast wealth of assets and weren't bogged down by the same bureaucracy or concern for collateral damage as their opponents. They didn't need to be present for the Republic to know it. The Red Dress's initial presence could have been enough to give goosebumps.



He had a mental checklist of everything he wanted to accomplish there. Failing to complete even one part of it meant failure. The Mand'alor would have his desires met.

[member="Solan Charr"] | [member="Draco Vereen"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Suravi Teigra"] | [member="Willam Forlon"] | [member="General Beyyr"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]