1.12: Return to Aaris – Sterilization

DS Day 81-87

Where: Aaris

The silence of space around Aaris was broken by ships dropping out of hyperspace. Alien ships that had not visited here in millennia. The spirits of their last encountered stirred, with hopes that it will not end like the last time. If it does, they will have new company, as many new spirits will fill their realm.

A Starwolf carrier and a Mandalorian task force dropped out of hyperspace on opposite side of Aaris. Both sides went immediately to battle stations. Fighters were launched into holding patterns while each side awaited for the other to move.

The Captain of the Mandalorian ship scanned his sensor readings. One carrier. They evenly matched. With the weapons on the planet, which included several battle-pods, they could take the Starwolves out.

*****

Samarion and the Captain of the Starwolf ship surveyed their situation. They were well matched, but one more carrier would give them the advantage. That carrier was on planet, it’s self-aware computer already coming online after detecting a friendly nearby. One wrong move, and the Starwolves could lose everything.

*****

Dervious stood on the deck of his ship, and spoke to the Captain. “We can get what w e want a leave, without any trouble. I know this race, serve with one on the Farstar. They are honorable. Now is not the time to fight.”

‘Oh is it? Arm all weapons. Order all fighters into attack position…” They way the captain said that bothered Dervious. He looked at his armor, now stowed away in a corner of the bridge. It was unmoving, lifeless, as it should have been. Void of the evil spirit of Kobal. But where did it go…?

“Captain, you can’t attack them. It is not time. The great Mandalorian clans must be united. You attack the Starwolves, they will take it out on every clan, at a time when they are most weakest. Now is not the time…”

“We Mandalorians were never that great…bwaahahahahah…” It was Kobal. He was controlling the Captain. Dervious had to stop him.

*****

Dervious was not the only one worried that this was escalating too fast. The Starwolves had detected the Mandalorian weapons powering up. Samarion, concerned that this seemed all too sudden, obeyed orders given him. This seemed all to familiar to him, like the ancient carving on the planet below them. This happened here before. What is it about this place? He then felt a sudden stirring in Hyperspace, like a Jedi feeling a stir in the Force. Something big just entered hyperspace, heading towards them.

*****

Fighter were en-route to a point where the battle would begin. At the moment before they made contact, Dervious appeared on the Starwolf Carrier Main holoscreen. Sensors detected the Mandalorian weapons powering down. “Starwolf ship, stand down. The command has shifted, and I now command this fleet. We do not want conflict. We are here to recover some items and then we will be on our way. Go about your business and we will go about ours. Once finished, we part ways. Agreed? I give you my word as a warrior”

Dervious was forced to take the captain down. Kobal’s spirit was a very mobile one, apparently absorbing some of the Dark Jedi’s abilities while in the Rift. The Captain, combined with Kobal’s strength, was a formidable challenge, but by Mandalorian law, no one could interfere. It was a challenge of leadership, as far as everyone else was concerned. Once the Captain was defeated, Dervious was given command. The unconscious body of the Captain was taken to the brig. Later, there was no sign of Kobal spirit, and Dervious’s Armor had disappeared. So close…

Samarion was shocked to see his comrade aboard the Mandalorian ship. The Starwolves agreed with advice from Samarion. Recovery efforts were started on both sides, and in the end, the worked together to get them out of the underground bunkers they were buried in. The Starwolf carrier arose from it tomb, as did the thousands of metric tons of Battlepods and other weapons for the Mandalorians.

The stirring in hyperspace grew stronger and no Kalvessan Starwolf could identify it. Usually, they have a strong enough sense that they can even identify ships entering and exiting Hyperspace nearby. But this one was too alien. This worried the Kalvessan crew.

The recovery missions were drawing near to an end when something finally dropped out of hyperspace. Trev Haynor recognized the ship and knew why it was here. To sterilize… It was a Gree warship. Few have seen the Gree and their warships, and those that have, don’t live to tell the tale. They were huge. Dozens of Kilometers across, large enough to effect planetary gravimetrics. However, it wasn’t staying long. All ships sensors picked up an energy surge building up in the Gree ship. They intended on cleaning the planet of anything they left behind. The only way was to “sterilize”. They are very protective of their technology, even though much of it they have forgotten how to use.

The orders were given for all Kalvessan and all Mandalorians to return to their ships. It was time to leave. As the Gree main weapons began to devastate the surface of Aaris, turning it into a dead world, the two Fleets hyperspaced out of the system, and rendezvoused at Gandle Ott.

The Gree continued the sterilization the sector, unabated. The destroyed every church facility in the sector they could find, only selectively destroying the facilities, and not the planet. The gates the church was using was also Gree technology. A few ships from the Church fleet attempted to stop the Gree ship, but were destroyed, partially because the Church ships had Gree technology integrated into them. The Church theocratic rule over the sector was over, and the Church of the Light Prophets arose to replace them.

Once all the history was sorted out, it was discovered that the war at Aaris that wiped out the species there was caused by Kobal and his use of some mid-twisting Gree and Darkstryder technology. This technology magnified his own own innate Force abilities. Because he was Mandalorian, he was not supposed to have Force Abilities, but he was a mutant; which is why he went renegade. When the Mandalorians that were went to capture him, met up with the Starwolves also sent to capture him, he forced them to attack each other, influenced their decisions. In the fury of the war, his physical body was destroyed, as was the original race of Aaris.

The Gree’s history with Aaris pre-dates Kobal by several millennia, when they had some kind of facility on the planet. It, like much of their technology, was forgotten in time, and left to decay. Now, the Sector was sterilized off all Gree technology. However, Darkstryder technology was still out there, and the Gree were no help in solving that mystery.

The Mandalorians left Kathol, saying they had their own war to fight. The Mandalorian clans were locked in a war against each other, in a far off corner of the galaxy. Dervious vowed to return to the Mandalorians to re-unite the factions and bring them back to their original glory.

The Kalvessan, still skeptical of the fledgling New Republic said they would not interfere in this war. This New Republic had to prove itself before the Kalvessan would return as an ally. It was Samarion’s duty to report back on the New Republic so that the Great Kalvessan Command could decide.

The Farstar dry-docked at Gandle Ott, upon hearing that Sarne was starting his counterattack. While the main battle fleets of the New Republic were battling Sarne, the Farstar would go under a major refit, balancing out the one flightdeck, with another on the other side. Crew quarters and sickbay were moved to the lower weapons deck, now designated as Deck 5. A new improved Farstar would be ready for the next adventure, into the Outback.