Operation: Swift Justice

The Quaestors came together, eyeing each other carefully as they entered the Consul’s office. Slightly dimmed, they still saw the green-haired man seated behind the large desk, his Proconsul standing just behind his right shoulder.

Halcyon pointed at the two empty chairs, Vladet and Hel-Pa each taking one as Chaos pushed a pad in front of each.

“We have just been attacked”, Rokir announced, shock appearing in the eyes of both men. “A large pirate force has taken over the Rybanloth system. A daily supply run found the system overrun and sent us what information it acquired before it managed to escape. Chaos will be in charge of the operation, but this will be primarily a military operation”.

Pointing at the pads, the Consul continued, “You will find specific information for each of your Houses. We have some very sensitive objects and information in the System, and have overlooked it for far too long. Battlegroup Vanguard will be charged with this Operation. Dinaari shall be based from the Compulsor while Ektrosis shall be on the Honor. Neither of you are rookies. Look over your orders, get your House together and go”.

The Quaestors quickly took their pads and left, the Exarch nodding at the Consul and followed the two other leaders out of the office.

A hard smack landed across the man’s face as his head spun with the force of the blow. Pulling his fist back the captain moved in front of the prisoner. The man could barely raise his head up, revealing numerous bruises and cuts on his face in the dim lighted room. On the other side of the viewport the summits of Dinaari, Ektrosis, and the Consul and Proconsul watched as the military officer began another series of questions. A torture droid hovered nearby with needles and probes sticking out of it filled with various drugs and stimulants to keep the man alive, in pain, and somewhat coherent. No one in the summit room spoke a word as the droid slid forward without a sound and stabbed a needle into the pirate leader’s shoulder. A small howl escaped from the man’s bruised face as the droid withdrew with a wave from the officer.

“Who hired you?” The captain asked, a small note of frustration evident in his voice.

Shaking his head the pirate leader defiantly refused answering, blood running down his mouth and nose in small rivulets.
With a sweeping kick the officer lashed his leg out and struck the captive across the head, knocking the pirate down to the ground with a loud thud. Picking the man up the captain shoved him back in his seat and motioned the droid forward. A simple beep and the torture droid began poking and prodding the captive with electric probes, shocking the man and stimulating his nervous system. The man began to scream as his nerves were set on fire, his body shaking with the pain.

“Don’t kill him yet,” a voice said from the speaker planted near the viewport.

“Yes sir,” the captain replied as he waved the droid away.

Halcyon leaned back from the comm unit and watched as the droid used a different needle to inject the pirate leader with a sedative to relax him. The summit watched and waited for the officer to continue his interrogation . Kraval, watching only with half interest, let his mind wander off to the very start when his QUA Vladet informed him of the attack.

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Sitting in his newly decorated office Kraval looked around, pleased with himself. A few choice pictures of some very attractive women, the old set of robes from when he was Master at Arms, and the typical desk of a leader completed the ensemble. A beep pinged from the Aedile’s desk, and without waiting for his acknowledgement the holo unit activated. Vladet’s face appeared, a bit wavy as if the Quaestor was on the move.

“We’ve been attacked by a group of pirates in the Rybanloth system. I want you to send out a general signal to the entire house to suit up and get ready to move out. I’ll be prepping the shuttles and equipment. Our people are to meet up on the Compulsor and from there we will head out.”

Without waiting for the Warlord Vladet signed off. Pressing a series of buttons Kraval opened a comm channel to the entire house.

“Attention all members of Dinaari, we have been attacked by an unknown group of pirates in the Rybanloth system. We will be leaving on the Compulsor in thirty minutes. Shuttles and transports are being prepared as we speak. Suit up and move out.” Kraval switched off the transmission and rose from his desk. Grabbing his simple black robes the Warlord attached his belt with his scaly lightsaber hilt around his waist. Stepping outside his office doors the Equite saw dozens of Dark Jedi scurrying about the hallways, readying themselves for the upcoming battle.

Corax was sipping an ale when the alarms went off. There were whispers of an attack as house and clanmates scrambled to get organized. His heart was pounding with excitement knowing the house would soon be mobilizing to engage the unknown enemy.

The Jedi Hunter hurried back to his quarters to grab his supplies. After grabbing what he needed he saw his silver plated Bryar pistol shining in the corner of his eyes. Usually it would stay behind and a reminder of his hard work and dedication, but times have changed and the Rybanloth system is under attack and everything and anything could come in handy.

His mind raced as he made his way to the shuttle to take him to the Compulsor. He thought to himself, "Who could be so stupid as to attack Taldryan?" Taldryan….the best of the best, as it has stood for as long as he could remember. Whoever it was had better smart to be taking on the best.

Corax entered the shuttle and stowed his equipment away. He waited patiently for the rest of the members of his house to arrive on the shuttle. Soon they would aboard the Compulsor to recieve the breifing on the situation at hand. Slowly more members arrived and put away their gear and started speculating on who the mysterious enemy could be. The one thing they all knew, they had caught us off guard, a mistake Corax was sure no one in the house or clan would let happen again.

Templar Vladet Xavier sighed as his aide tightened the straps on his TIE flight suit. Normally a person in his position would be coordinating everything from the command ship but Vlad was not a typical leader by any means. A starfighter pilot with years of experience, he was far more comfortable leading a wing of fighters into battle than issuing orders through a comlink. A bit more dangerous to do it this way, I guess. But then again, if I die in combat this is a far better way to do it. The aide finished adjusting the flight suit and quietly walked out of the Quaestor's office.

Picking up his helmet on the way out, Vladet made his way towards the base's main hangar facility where shuttles were waiting to load personnel and equipment for the upcoming battle. As he walked down the various hallways various technicians, gunners, officers, and other personnel ran or walked. Vlad kept his walk brisk and determined as he made his way towards the hangar where he could already hear the whine of engines and equipment being noisily loaded.

"At ease, men." Vladet muttered as everyone in the immediate vicinity snapped to attention. "Get your equipment loaded up and make sure everything is accounted for. Shuttles depart for the Compulsor in exactly twenty-two minutes. No one is to be late or else. Dismissed." With a causal wave of his hand the assembled personnel scattered to get back to their duties. Without another word Vlad strode over to the lead transport, a modified Delta-class Escort Shuttle, and walked up the boarding ramp into the personnel bay.

Sitting down on one of the benches Vlad closed his eyes and relaxed. No point going into battle with too much stress ...

Outside the Escort Shuttle, the flow of personnel continued to increase as the House prepared for imminent battle.

ShadowHawk heard the alert - attack by unknown ships - and slipped into her flight suit. She quickly keyed the computer for a sitrep as she was getting dressed, grabbed her bag and called her lightsaber and the the printout to hand as she headed for the hangar.
She skimmed the conclusion - pirates. Pirates? What would they want in this endless jungle? She'd fought pirates off Kessel, who were there for the rich exports produced there, but here? Rare woods? Too heavy and work-intensive loads were generally ignored.
Maybe they were some kind of mercenary?
Not enough information was available. She took note of her assignment and the reference points she needed as she made her way to the transport. She dropped the printout into the recycler and strode aboard, stowing her bag away and strapping herself in.
The briefing began shortly after the shuttle launched.

"Fighter crews, here's the situation. We have a small fleet approaching and we need to take them out. Here are the assignments:..."
She made eye contact with her wingman, otherwise listening attentively.
The deployment was by the book, which meant it was subject to change about 10 seconds out the hatch, but that wasn't unusual.

She noted her target objectives and their current configuration, the location in space she would be assigned to, and entered it in her portable data pad.
The original question remained. Why were pirates HERE? Did they think the system abandoned, so they could establish a base here? Were they after some objective?
They would certainly regret their presence. They would know fear, and why the strength of the Dark Side was respected through the universe.
Her eyes seemed to glow slightly as she pondered the nastiness the pirates would soon encounter.

Vladet kept his eyes closed as the convoy of shuttles and transports made their way to the fleet in space. After the shuttles were secure in the hangar bays of the various ships, the entire fleet would enter hyperspace and arrive in the Rybanloth system three hours later. Plenty of time to grab a quick meal and rest up before the battle ...

"Sir?"

The Obelisk Templar opened his eyes and glanced at the fighter pilot sitting next to him. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering sir, uh, who attacked us in the Rybanloth system?"

"I don't really know. Probably just some brigands who stumbled into the system and thought it was ripe for plundering. Shouldn't be too difficult to drive them out." He closed his eyes again. Come on, let's get to the damn ship.

"But who would dare attack us, sir? We're Taldryan!"

This grabbed his interest. Opening his eyes again, he turned to look the other pilot in the eye. "We're not invincible, kid. We might be the best Clan in the Brotherhood but that doesn't mean anything. Sure we have the advantage through the Force, but look where that got us with the Vong." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Besides, just because I'm flying into the thick of it with you doesn't mean you'll survive." Satisfied, he closed his eyes again as the other pilots in the shuttle began to mutter various things which he quickly tuned out.

Fifteen minutes later the shuttle convoy arrived at the fleet which was ready to head out to the Rybanloth system. As soon as the boarding ramp lowered to the deck Vladet immediately got off and turned back around to the other pilots coming down the ship's ramp. "We'll be entering hyperspace any minute now. The ship's captain will alert all personnel one hour before our arrival in-system which is when you should start getting ready." The Quaestor glanced across the hangar where the other shuttles were unloading personnel; their respective leaders were no doubt telling their men the same thing. "Be in your fighters thirty minutes before reversion to realspace ... we launch twenty seconds after arrival. Standard roles for everyone." Turning around he started walking towards the nearest turbolift.

"Get yourselves fed and rested. I expect perfect results, gentlemen."

Corax was in the lounge of the Compulsor, grabbing a bite to eat and mulling over the fact that soon he’d be on his way battle, GLORIOUS battle. He longed for the chance to prove himself on the battlefield to his house and clan leaders. He felt the fire burning inside him and wanted to unleash his anger on the pitiful group, whoever they were, that decided to be so foolish as to attack the Rybanloth System.

After finishing his meal, Corax gathered his things and decided to walk the halls of the Compulsor and make his way back to the hangar. It was imminent, soon they would be exiting hyperspace and entering battle. Reaching the hangar bay, Corax stepped inside and saw the rest of his house-mates. He could feel the anxiety from some and the eagerness of others.

The rumors were running wild as to who their enemy was, some house members saying a Republic fleet, while others thought the Vong were coming back for another assault, as foolish as it would seem for them. The time would soon come for the members of House Dinaari to finally learn who this enemy was and what they were capable of.

Corax needed to meditate, and make himself one with the force before battle. He had to clear his mind of the battle to come, for thinking too far ahead could only lead to mistakes which could cause injury or death to not only himself but others. Corax would soon be ready, and soon his enemies would feel his power.

The tunnel of hyperspace always remained the same bright white that made space seem like some religious version of heaven. Crews on the bridge of the Compulsor checked and re-checked their systems as they prepared for battle. A ping on the bridge’s comm. system announced the five minute warning reversion to normal space. Kraval stood at the viewport staring out into hyperspace and almost missed the warning entirely, had not the bridge crew’s reaction in the Force not been so dramatic. Turning around the Warlord moved towards the center of the command deck and stood next to the captain who was seated in her usual chair.

“We’ll be coming to normal space in a few moments sir,” the military uniformed woman said. “Everything is ready?” Kraval asked absent minded. “Of course,” was her curt reply as she tapped a few buttons into the datapad she held in her hand. With a soft tug the Majestic Cruiser emerged back into the typical blackness of space dotted with stars from far off systems. Below the capital ship the planet Sarmus hung quietly like a blue gem in space. Warning alarms sounded off as the ships’ sensors detected the pirate fleet emerging over the horizon of the planet. The female captain didn’t have to shout orders for her crew to activate the shields and open the fighter bay doors.

Within seconds the energy field surrounded the ship and turrets and missile launchers began targeting the enemy fleet as fighters began to pour out of the bay. The Cotelin class Destroyer Justice moved towards the Bothan Cruisers as even more fighters poured out of its bays. Soon space was teeming with the smaller craft as initial barrages of turbolaser fire streaked out from the pirate and Taldryan capital ships. Waves of blue energy shimmered and held against the laser fire as star fighters engaged in combat between the two fleets. The Lancer Frigates dove straight into the fighters screen, blasting and shredding through enemy fighters with ease as the pirate Majestic Cruiser moved in and began firing on both Lancers.

K-Wing pirate bombers made runs against the Compulsor as TIE Interceptors flew around the capital ship, trying to avoid the friendly fire coming from the cruiser as they tried to pick off the bombers. Colored dots filled the tactical screen as the two forces moved in and traded fire. Both Bothan Cruisers focused themselves on the Cotelin Destroyer, trying to overwhelm its shields and damage the hull. The Honor dove straight in to help protect the prized Taldryan vessel as the Warlord watched the engagement through the view screen.

“All fighters have cleared their bays, troop transports are ready to be deployed.” The flight officer read the screen. “Deploy them when the enemy fighter screen has been cleaned up a bit,” the female captain replied. Pressing more keys on the arm of her command chair the woman relayed orders and the ship moved around towards the outer edge of the engagement zone, heading for the enemy Interdictor that hung back and launched missiles towards the Taldryan ships.

“I want you on one of those transports Warlord,” Chaos’s voice spoke into the command room. The sound had a slight static quality to it as the Justice focused more of its energy into the shields. “We’ve analyzed the communication from the ships and most of the traffic seems to be coming from the Bothan Cruiser on our right. We assume that’s where the pirate leader is and we want you to go and retrieve him.” “Alright,” Kraval replied as he knew there was no room for argument. Heading to the lift the Sith took a quick detour to the ships’ armory. Grabbing a simple pistol, a few power packs, and five grenades the Warlord made his way down to the transport deck.

No one questioned the presence of the Dark Jedi as he boarded one of the assault transports. Moving to the front of the ship Kraval opened the pilot’s door and spoke to both men as they readied the shuttle. “You’re under my command now. We’ll be heading for this Bothan Crusier to take a captive,” Kraval said as he punched in the specs of the ship the pirate leader was believed to be on. “Sir we have orders from the captain that we’re to assist in the re-taking of the planet,” the co-pilot said as he looked over the schematic of the Bothan ship. “I’m superseding those orders, pilot.” The Warlord’s tone left no room for argument as he hefted his scaly lightsaber hilt. With a nod both men kept their mouths shut as the bay’s lights dimmed.

Doors opened into the black void of space. “Transports, prepare to launch on my mark.” The captain’s voice sounded calm over the speaker system. Fighters and lasers streaked past the open bay door as the ship made a turn to present the bay towards the sapphire blue planet below. “Launch!” With that the transports lifted off the cold metal deck and flew into space as the main battle raged on above them. Diverting from their originally planned path the troop transport aimed its nose towards the designated Bothan Cruiser. Ahead of the armored craft fighters still rolled and maneuvered around one another, trying to gain the upper hand as capital ships poured turbo laser energy into shields and armored hull.

Fire lessened on one of the Bothan Cruisers as other transports from the Justice and the Honor moved towards the pirate leaders’ ship. A direct blaster hit from an Agave picket ship rocked the transport as the shields absorbed the energy of the strike. The pilot threw the ship into a climb as a trio of A9 Interceptors flew in towards the assault craft, firing wildly in an effort to kill the troops inside. Panic gripped the co-pilot as he switched on the comm. unit and yelled “This is the assault shuttle B990 we’re under attack from enemy fighters!!”

“This is the assault shuttle B990 we’re under attack from enemy fighters!”

Vladet Xavier pulled back on his ship's flight yoke and switched over to his warhead launcher. Despite being under fire from a pair of enemy TIE Interceptors he kept his crosshairs fixed on the K-Wing bomber that was attempting to unload a payload of proton torpedoes on the Justice. His crosshairs blinked for a few seconds before a steady tone sounded in his cockpit. Pulling the yoke's trigger, he launched a pair of advanced concussion missiles which streaked towards his target. Seconds later the enemy K-Wing erupted into a fireball briefly before the void of space extinguished the flames.

Applying rudder and switching over to lasers, he swung his TIE Defender around and without thinking squeezed the trigger. A quad burst from his laser cannons clipped one of the TIE Interceptors that had been firing on him, shredding the port wing off at the pylon. The other Interceptor tried to flee but it was too late; a few seconds later Vlad's faster and more maneuverable fight lined the Interceptor up in his sights and snagged a clean kill with one blast.

This is why I fight in fighters - everyone else is too caught up in their own thing to escort some shuttles. Glancing at his sensor screen, Vlad switched back to his warhead launchers and set them for single fire. "This is Dagger One responding to your distress call, B990. Be there soon."

"Acknowledged, Dagger lead."

The assault shuttle was six klicks away so Vlad fed his remaining laser energy back into his engines while studying his sensors. Three A9 Interceptors were currently blasting away at the big target while the assault shuttle fired back ineffectively. Shaking his head he brought his targeting recticle over the closest A9 and waited for a lock. The targeted A9 immediately began to weave and evade, making Vlad realize that the A9s probably had missile lock warning systems. Still won't be enough. The Templar concentrated on the A9's pilot and brushed his mind with the Force, trying to calm the pilot. It was enough to leave the A9 flying just a tad too straight as Vladet launched a concussion missile. The A9 tried to evade but it was no use - the red dart smashed into the rear of the A9, collapsing the shields and scorching the hull with the remaining energy. Vlad quickly switched to lasers and pumped a handful of quad laser bursts towards the enemy starfighter, connecting with two sets.

With that A9 drifting dead in space Vlad focused on the remaining two A9s which were still swarming the assault shuttle, which thankfully had most of its shield power intact. Rookies ... if they were smart they'd attack the escort. Their lasers aren't going to get through that shuttle's shields anytime soon. Shrugging, he crept up behind one of the A9s and opened fire. By the time the A9's pilot realized he was under fire it was too late as Vlad managed to pierce the shields and attack the hull directly. Three seconds later the A9 started to trail flames shortly before it was consumed in a giant fireball which extinguished just seconds later. One more to go ...

Unfortunately the final A9 pilot had come to his senses and was already lining up to take a few shots on Vlad's Defender. Knowing he couldn't get out of the way, Vlad shunted all power to his forward shields and switched to his warhead launchers, linking them to dual-fire. The A9 began firing, nibbling away at his shields until he was just a half kilometer away. Just as the two ships were about to collide Vlad fired off a pair of concussion missiles which slammed right into the A9's cockpit just before the other pilot could pull away. The A9 exploded causing a small shockwave which disoriented the Quaestor's Defender, but thankfully the shields held up.

Feeding laser energy back into his shields, Vlad scanned his sensors. Most of the enemy K-Wings were destroyed and the pirate fleet was starting to sustain moderate damage to their heavy cruisers. The battle was drawing to a close so the only thing left for the Taldryan forces to do was capture their target and destroy everything else.

"You're clear, B990, good luck."

"Thanks, Dagger Lead."

Switching back to lasers, Vlad began to search for his next target.

ShadowHawk was finishing her checklist as the warning sounded “Exit hyperspace in one minute.” She took a deep breath, aligning her Force sense to the local area, linking to her clanmates, and seeking the enemy. It would be several seconds too late to orient herself after launch. She wanted to be on target before launch, if possible.
She keyed the display for target priorities, which had been fed in from the Compulsor's battle computer. For what it was worth. Wasn't the first law of battle that no plan survives contact with the enemy?

The pressure of launch drove the air from her lungs for a moment, then she focused on the first target. A spray of fighters was headed for the Compulsor, but the Queen's Ransom was no frail butterfly. She dodged and spun, helping to clear a path to the Bothan Cruiser. No point in keeping count, the score was going home alive or not.

A proximity alarm sounded – a missile was tracking her! She punched the chaff launcher – misfire. She dropped shields, hit afterburners, and headed for the nearest enemy. She dropped speed to zero next to it, spun a quick turn, and punched the engine. Either the missile would reacquire or...

A flash of light and fighter parts showered the Ransom. That probably had used up her luck for this battle. She'd have to be careful!

She spun back to fly cover for the troop transport, knocking out a few small fighters. The worst was yet to come...the cruiser itself.

Strafing runs to try to take out guns was her absolute least favorite fighter exercise. Forward shields, low, match speed....somebody had to do it. She swung into position for the first run. “Calm, calm,” she reminded herself. Letting the cruisers fire unnerve her was likely to be fatal! The first target was in her sights, so she squeezed off a shot. Hit? Close, but not destroyed. She had a breath of time to fire again.
Her wingmate had gotten tangled up with a small flight of Interceptors; he'd be along shortly. She queried him with the Force. “Is all well?” His affirmative removed another excuse from the project at hand. The next gun came in sight as the cruiser shifted position. Not close enough to collide, but too close for it to fire without hitting its own projections. It was the razor's edge to fly assault on a capital ship, but duty called.

The next gun went in a very satisfying geyser of light and debris. “Here I am,” her wingmate called as he dropped in beside her.”Sorry for the delay.”
“We have to clear the path for the troop transport – soon!”
“I know, and you'd rather be mixing it up with a dozen fighters than one cap!”
“You laugh, but we all have our gifts.”
“Here we go!”

Vlad grinned as he squeezed the trigger of his flight yoke, sending green laser bolts into the rear of the enemy K-Wing in front of him. The first few bolts were soaked up by the bomber's shields, but the final few sets destroyed the engines, consuming the entire ship in flames. As the burnt out K-Wing started drifting dead in space, Vladet selected the next closest target and fed some extra shield power back into his laser cannons.

"They're making a run for it! Disable the Conquest and destroy the rest!"

Looking outside his cockpit, Vlad saw the enemy Interdictor Cruiser come under a barrage of proton torpedoes. The shields immediately collapsed, letting dozens of warheads through the protective barrier. Explosions ripped across the entire hull as escape pods were launched and turbolasers ceased firing. Well there's one problem solved ...

Taldryan's fleet of bombers continued to launch warheads at the enemy fleet which was attempting to turn around and flee. The enemy starfighters didn't know what to do - half of them tried getting back to their own ships to dock lest they be left behind while the others tried to fight. Vlad could only smirk as he saw the entire pirate group fall into sheer confusion and panic.

"Their ranks are splitting - mop up the fighters, disable the Conquest, and finish off whatever enemy cap ships you can."

Vladet saw the lead Bothan Assault Cruiser come under a barrage of heavy warheads while his own fleet continued to close the gap. Their own capital ships would be able to switch to ion cannons to disable the enemy flagship, but it would be a close call. "Dagger, switch to ions and give the Conquest everything you have!"

Ignoring the acknowledgments coming over the comlink, Vlad switched to his ion cannons and linked them to dual fire. Within a few minutes he was able to catch up to the fleeing heavy cruiser and dance around its weak return fire. Turbolasers posed little danger to quick starfighters like his TIE Defender, but it only took one lucky blast to completely dissolve his fighter.

Blue bursts of energy erupted from all around the Bothan Assault Cruiser as the rest of Vlad's squadron opened fire with their own ion cannons. Realizing that the Taldryan forces were wanting to disable their ship, the Conquest's gunners immediately turned their entire attention on trying to pick off the TIE Defenders who were trying to stop their ship.

"Keep dancing, Dagger. No excuses to get yourself killed on this one," Vlad said into his comlink, while dodging return fire from the cruiser. As he pulled off a quick Segnor's loop, a handful of torpedoes smashed into the cruiser's shields, collapsing them.

"Focus fire!" he yelled, turning his ship around and unleashing everything he could into the cruiser's hull. The blue energy sizzled across the surface of the hull as turbolasers began to shutdown and the engines began to slow. "Come on, almost there! Give it eve-" Vlad was cutoff as he saw one of his wingmates dissolve into a fiery explosion as a turbolaser blast completely washed over the Defender.

"Stop being sloppy!" he snarled, firing off a few more blasts of ion cannon fire into the enemy hull. The Taldryan bombers released their remaining payload into the other enemy cruisers, utterly overwhelming them. Countless blasts lit up space as explosions ripped apart the other Bothan Assault Cruiser and completely consumed the Majestic Heavy Cruiser.

Pulling up sharply on his flight yoke, Vlad dodged an incoming turbolaser blast and resumed firing at the Conquest. Seconds later all fire ceased as blue electricity consumed the entire hull. "It's disabled!"

As the remaining enemy starfighters were being mopped up, four shuttles, led by assault shuttle B990, pulled into the Conquest's hangar to begin boarding operations.

With a pop-hiss the hatch from the shuttle zipped open, letting the strike team pour out of the transport. The other shuttles landed and troopers disbursed, rifles already aiming and firing at the pirate soldiers at the other end of the bay. Blaster fire lit up the entire hangar as Kraval activated his lightsaber and stepped out into the fray, waving his energy blade to bat away shots that would have struck and killed a normal man. With a gesture the Warlord shoved a group of pirate troops as the Taldryan soldiers pressed forward towards the exit of the hangar. Corpses scattered around the bay made progress to the exit a little slower than normal as Kraval rushed ahead of the group, his lightsaber humming with different tones as he waved it in front of him to protect himself.

Pirate soldiers backed away through the door, firing as they went along through the enclosing at anything that was moving in the bay. Taldryan troops hit the deck as a spherical object flew out from the doorway and smacked hard on the metal flooring. A moment later a loud boom echoed throughout the hangar as the explosive went off, incinerating everything inside its blast range. Still standing Kraval let go of the corpse he had used as a shield and moved forward, bypassing the wounded to leave them for the medical team. Finding the door sealed already didn’t surprise the Warlord as he plunged his lightsaber into the metal barrier. Molten red and yellow globs began dripping down as Kraval moved his saber to cut the doorway open.

With a mental shove the Dark Jedi sent the freed door in towards the hallway as more blaster fire rained out towards the opening. Using the momentary protection and distraction the door provided Kraval rushed forward, swinging his lightsaber to cut the door into smaller pieces which he hurled at the pirate troops. Screams and howls came from the soldiers as the heated metal chunks slammed into their bodies. Not wasting a second Kraval moved into their midst and began cutting and slicing with his lightsaber, lobbing off arms and heads and slicing through torsos. Taldryan soldiers moved in the hall and began picking off other pirate troops as they rushed down the hallway, trying to aid their comrades as Kraval cut them up.
Moving forward towards the bridge the Warlord and his team encountered the same resistance along the way. Troops hiding in rooms, popping out to throw grenades or panels in the ceiling coming down to reveal hidden turrets or traps. Guiding his people through Kraval managed to reach the bridge with most of his team alive. Feeling the readiness of the creatures behind the bridge door Kraval let his troops ring the doorway with explosives while the others prepared flash bang grenades. As the door charges blasted the door to the metal deck the other troops thumbed their flash bangs and hurled them in the doorway as blaster fire poured out from the bridge.

Covering their ears the Taldryan troops were ready for the effects of the grenades as they went off. Bright white light sprang out of the bridge as bodies began falling down, knocked unconscious from the explosives. As the commotion died down Kraval rushed into the bridge, scanning the groups of bodies looking for his target. There, in a command chair, slumped the form of Admiral Jesec Dirium in his white and not so pristine uniform. Collapsed around him were other uniformed personnel that either were bridge command crew or personal body guards. All of them were armed with pistols and power packs, including the Admiral himself. Motioning two men over Kraval had the soldiers pick the man up and carry him between them. The other troops took formation behind and in front of the Admiral as Kraval took the lead and made their way back to the hangar.

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Jesec Dirium sat hunched over in the interrogation room, his face a mess of bruises and welts inflicted by the interrogating captain and the droid that hovered nearby. Still, the pirate had managed to keep his mouth shut about those who had hired and ordered the attack on Taldryan. The house and clan leaders grew tired of waiting to get answers out of the Admiral. Halcyon stood from his seat and exited the observation room as the other leaders watched the captain kick Jesec in the chest. Falling backwards the pirate leader slammed into the floor hard as the interrogation officer moved forward to pick the captive up.

Behind him the door opened and the Dark Jedi Master stepped inside the room. Motioning the captain away Halcyon moved forward, raising his hand and using the Force to pull the Admiral upright. “Leave us,” the Consul said in a flat tone. Nodding the captain moved to the doorway, the droid hovering in his wake as both left the room. Simply staring down at the man Halcyon said “Now Admiral, I have some questions for you.” Without saying another word the Dark Jedi Master began invading the pirate’s mind, searching for the answers he needed as Jesec tried to struggle. In the observation room the Proconsul and the house leaders watched as Halcyon pried the Admiral’s mind.