DS Day 207 – 245
Where: Shantuun & Nah’Malis
With the Asteroid and the Diplomatic team out of the way, Gorak’s next target was the Tugrah scavengers. He had experience with this scum before, and it was time he dealt with them directly. He liked the new power the New Republic gave him more and more.
The command staff formulated an attack plan quickly, and soon the Forsaken were on their way. The Farstar hailed the Tugrah cargo vessel.
“This is the New Republic Star Ship Farstar ordering you to cease and desist all salvage operations on this planet. This is not your planet, and not your space. We will meet any disobedience with stern force. Our fighters are on their way.”
“New Rrrr-epubliKK SSSSShip, this is Tugrah vessel K’ynar. You order no one. We claim planet Tugrah sssspace. It is dead world sssssoon. Leave us.”
The negotiation degraded from there. Gorak ordered the attack once he knew the Tugrah were determined. The fighters concentrated their fire one the large cargo vessel receiving the modules of cargo. Several armed-vessels from the surface came to greet the fighters. The battle waged long enough for the X-Wings to get off their first volley of proton torpedoes. The transport vessel was severed from the cargo, like a limb from it’s body, and tumbled away heavily damaged. The Farstar, taking on the smaller armed craft, devastated their opponents.
“We ask your surrender, NOW!” Gorak ordered over the comm. The Tugrah ships remaining turned tail, and ran. The majority of the stolen cargo was salvageable.
The battle wasn’t over. A few ships, sensors reading them filled with life forms packed into the cargo bay, sped off towards the edge of the system. Sensors picked up other ships there. The Farstar ordered the Forsaken to hyperspace to those coordinates, as did the Farstar.
On the edge of the system, they saw it. Several Tugrah ships, off-loading hundreds of captured humans to slave ships from the Sabiador Slave ring. This was it. Gorak’s final showdown with the Sabiador. He knew his former “business associate” was on one of the three Sabiador ships.
He dispensed with the New Republic niceties this time. “Lock weapons and attack” Thyte saw something strange in Gorak’s eyes. He began to be concerned.
Fighters engaged the smaller Tugrah ships as the Farstar cannons opened up on the slaver ships. Several other slaver ships dropped out of hyperspace, and counterattacked. Thyte realized this might be too much for their corvette to handle, but Gorak ordered them onward. Thyte was definitely concerned now.
The Farstar and her fighters were taking a beating before Samarion groaned something “Aaahh…something dropping….out of hyperspace…and it hurts!” Only one ship “hurt” the Starwolf when it dropped out of hyperspace.
The constant-beam energy weapon was the first thing they saw, as the ship slowed to normal space. The Aing Tii monks unleashed their full wrath on the slavers. The ships were shredded like paper, while the Farstar and the Forsaken fighters eased back from the battle.
When it was over, a comm came through to the Farstar. “What will you do with them?”
Thyte answered for the ship “Free them.”
As fast as they had arrived, they were gone.
The Farstar ensured that the cargo containers were safe, tractored them in and set coarse to Danoor, sublight. It would take longer to get back, but there was no way to jump into hyperspace with these cargo containers in tow.
*****
The refugees were returned, just in time to find that Moyato had taken charge of the planet, and its recovery effort. Not long after the refugees were returned, he received a comm from the surface. Moyato had been rather successful repairing their communication net, using a few probe droids as relay satellites.
It was Uluala. “…I just wanted to say good bye..” Gorak smiled as he watched the fight unfold before him. This was sweet revenge, to watch Kl’aal do what he does best, while well out of range of Uluala’s influence. After what he had been through, this was more of a reward than even he would ask for.
“Captain!! We have more visitors incoming!! They feel like Imperial hyperdrives!! Very distinctive.” Samarion announced with stern voice.
“How long?” Gorak was willing to gamble they were Imperial.
“Perhaps 1 hour” Wow, he has never given us that much warning. “Prep the mines they gave us back at Shantuun. Samarion, give us an exact point of exit, and you coordinate the laying of those mines at that point. Launch the Forsaken again, but have them loaded up with extra proton torps. Load up our launcher as well.” He knew that having a Starwolf on board would pay off some day.
Using the Starwolf and hyperspace sensors, they were able to estimate where the incoming ships would drop. The Farstar, with help from the Muvon, laid out a small barrier of space mines. The X-Wing squadron took position near by. The Farstar eased back and awaited the fireworks.
Five ships dropped out of hyperspace. One Escort Carrier, two system patrol craft, one Lancer Frigate, and a Correllian Corvette, the Lance of Endor. The mines struck hard on the outer ships of the wedge. The Lance frigate too the brunt of the miens, decks upon decks erupting in flames. Before the Imperials could gather their wits, the X-wings launched a volley of torpedoes. The patrol craft were hit hard, one exploding after two hits. The Escort Carrier also took several hits, but still stayed coarse, prepping to launch its swarm of fighters.
The Farstar moved in at the same time, with cannon ablaze, as well torpedoes launching. The second patrol craft fell as easy prey, and the escort carrier took crippling hits. The TIE fighters were unable to launch, and the only craft able to return fore were the frigate and the corvette, which did.
The Farstar suffered minimal damage from the enemy volleys,while at the same time unleashed a renewed barrage at their enemies. Two well aimed torpedoes struck hard against Frigate, along with several blaster strikes. In a series of explosions, the frigate erupted in a blaze of debris, and the follow up shots pass on through the cloud of flaming debris to the ship behind it… the Lance of Endor. The Fighters finished off the carrier in only a few quick strafes.
The Lance of Endor was heavily damaged, a whole side of the ship destroyed, and escape pods launching from the surviving side.
“Finish them off!!” Gorak firmly ordered. His vehemence took Thyte off guard.
“But sir, they are crippled… we can take them prisoner without any risk.” a relatively new ensign piped up. If any had ever seen a Radians eyes flare, Thyte thought he had seen it just then.
“Kill them NOW!! Kill them all!!!” The Rodian said almost ravenously.
Thyte had to step in. “Captain Gorak, I am relieving you of duty, under the Conduct of War, New Republic statute 423.113.B6. Security, please disarm this being and secure him in his quarters!”
The Rodian protested, but no one else did. They all realized Gorak was blood-lusting. They just didn’t expect it. They all agreed that Thyte made the right move. It paid off once they were able to board the wreck of the Lance.
The New Republic had already informed them that all they needed was one Saran Dijaran Sullustan to study. Imagine their luck when the remaining Night Terrors Zero-G-walked over to the tumbling Corellian Corvette and found a single stasis pod with a Saran Dijaran Sullustan aboard. What frustrated them was that the Farstar had to take the harder route through the Rift. The pod was safely locked up in the Farstar’s hold until the New Republic arrived.
They were able to capture and handful of Imperial. Not long after they cleared the wreck, its reactor went critical and exploded.
Gorak sat in his quarters with the K4 Sec-droid outside his door. Thyte almost crossed that line, especially after making those sec-droids touch him. But they were droids, so it wasn’t as bad. He was proud of his work, despite getting command ripped out from under him. The voice of the priest back on Galtea came to mind, and made him think he might have been a little out of line. The Farstar survived three major engagements with little damage. His crew had survived.
*****
“Things are pretty hairy down here… sorry, Loffryyn… The council is all dead, there are very few political leaders here qualified to run this planet, and on top of that, we don’t know where Slave, Kl’aal and Thanis are.” Moyato said over the comlink to Thyte.
“Who’s in charge, now?” Thyte asked
“Uh, well… Actually, they put me in charge.” Moyato, a grunt, in charge of a planet?? “It’s a military situation, sir. I was their only choice.” Some election process, Thyte mused.
“The fleet will arrive soon. Prep for their arrival, and have reports ready for who they send down to replace you. We’ll be leaving soon. Reports are that the asteroid mission was successful. That beauty should be going up soon, and I want to be close to see it.”
“All in a days work, Cap. Night Terrors do right the first time.”
“Wilkes should be docking in a few hours. He’ll have his report for you. Once we get everyone aboard, we popping a Sullustan open, and into the Rift we go. Be ready.”
The Rift beckoned them and mocked them at the same time. IT swirling masses hid secrets but revealed nightmares. But Sarne was beyond it, and there lie their destiny.