Lord Aequitas
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The Mage's TouchExplorer 1st Class Helret Goort stood aboard one of the mighty ships that the Mages had at their disposal. He himself had been a Commander in the Navy before making the switch to the Mages when it was formed. As such, he was given command of one of the patrol ships. He secretly wished that he was given a higher position but knew he had to prove his worth. He sighed as he trotted down the steps to CO's chair in the center of the bridge. He sat and relaxed as he looked around the bridge. The Grand Mage had personally hand-picked the crew. Goort had full trust in them.
He had just returned from his office after his daily talk with the High Mage. The Director of Exploration was recently dismissed for attempted blackmail. So it was the High Mage who assumed the position for the time being. Goort wanted the job but, it looked to go to one of his same rank, and a woman to boot. A staunch conservative, he felt a woman's place was at home. He was just in this mindset, reminiscing about his meeting, when a beeping went off across the bridge. He jumped up with a start. "Fourt, what the hell is that?", he shouted at the Tatooine native who was standing behind a podium. "S-sir..we have an unidentified planet." Goort sighed with relief. He should have recognised the beeping. "A new panet? You sure? It could be a moon or an asteroid." He had his doubts, but then again, this was the Empire's first visit to the area. "No sir, definately a planet, and it has a breathable atmosphere." Goort smiled. He had just found a new planet, if there was a new species there too it would mean he'd have the promotion in the bag.
He walked calmly up to the podium and nodded as he saw the streams of data come through. "Right, hold the bridge while I'm gone. I'm contacting the Grand Mage himself." He walked quickly to his office and straightned his uniform. He pressed 1 on his computer.
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Aequitas was just standing up to go home when he his screen popped up from his desk. Oh for the love of Sidious, he thought to himself, what in his name am I needed for this time. He had just finished an intense session with a disgruntled Mage who pass bypassed for a promotion. As Aequitas tried to be fair, he allowed the Mage to present his case. The Mage in question was now a cleaner. He used the force to accept the call without bothering to walk over. "Yes?", he said simply, sliding into view of the screen, "ah, Mage Goort. What's new and important that forced you to call me and not Darth Serratus? You better have found an asteroid or something." There was some silence before the shaky voice of the Corellian could be heard. "My lord, we've found a planet. Breathable. Could be habitated." Aequitas smiled. Excellent, he thought to himself. "Mage Goort, I'll send Cataloguists immediately but until then, claim the planet in the name of the Eternal Empire."
Again silence before Aequitas heard alarms. "Goort, when you contact the leader of your Order, try at least to have silence." Again silence before static was heard quite loudly and one word quite clearly. MAYDAY. The call went dead. Aequitas leaned back in his chair. They're gone, he thought to himself, Pirates? Hopefully. I don't want to be the one to report to the Emperor there's a new threat out there with enough power to destroy an SD. He stood up and got ready to leave. The Emperor would have to know. He stopped and groaned. "Marix is going to go mad", he said. He'd have to get a new SD.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Commander Fahr, a male duro, stood at the edge of the bridge of the Classic which belonged to the Restoration Project as it was being called at the moment. The group had managed to discover this planet with the help of intelligence groups in different places. Since the planet was undiscovered it was a prime location to settle and take as a home base. For a year now this had been home, returning back here and doing what was necessary for the project, the dream as it was called.
Things were normal, the fleet that guarded the planet, his fleet, was stationed away from it, a small jump away from the planet as to not be discovered upon entering the area. But for a year straight the procedure was still the same, scout ships would move around the planet in stealth while the planet remained as quiet as possible. It worked, things were done and the group had gotten quite far until today.
A message was hurried over to the Commander from the communications officer from the planet, the sith had finally discovered it. "All right everyone, seems like all our hiding ends today. We have a sith scout ship, you know the plan. We go in, take it out and reinforce the planet while everyone gets ready to leave."
"Lets make the jump on my mark: 3-2-1, jump!" the fleet disappeared into hyperspace making its small jump back to the planet. The small jump was not long, the ships exited hyperspace quickly and the interdictor immediately went into work to prevent the ship from leaving. The next step was to cancel out communications, and the third was the complete assault by all the ships present on the one ship. The surprise entrance prevented it from getting its shield up in time before the shields had been targeted and destroyed. Eventually the ships overwhelmed what remained of the ship.
"Great job guys, that was nothing compared to what is coming though, we need to group around the planet in our defensive positions and prepare for the real fleet to arrive." the crew was calm, they had all known it was coming at some point and the Commander made sure to run simulations with them to keep them on their toes. So fortunately for him he was working with a great crew and because of that, they executed the first step perfectly. Now that the ships were moving back toward the planet he moved out of the bridge and to his private quarters where he would discuss the plan for the planet below.
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High Mage Serratus
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High Mage Serratus was on the bridge of the Shadowspear. He and most of the 24th Fleet were answering the Silent Fury's mayday. Serratus had fairly good knowledge of commanding a fleet, Aequitas had given him some knowledge of the art and he had read on it during his studies, especially after discovering his father had been a Vice Admiral. And if Serratus messed up, several of the Mages below him had good command abilities and could hopefully correct the mistake. Serratus would reach the mysterious new planet within a few hours and he would no doubt have to engage whatever had hit the Silent Fury. He turned to his crew.
"Tell An Lámh In Uachtar to stay in formation, they're drifting."
Serratus chewed his cheek. Whatever had hit the Silent Fury.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Down below on the planet the crew of the hidden base were analyzing data being retrieved about the fleet above, soon they would be in range to detect the life forms and by then they would be engaging the fleet. "Commander, the ships are deploying their recon fighters, they have remained in their defensive positions though." The Commander of the base stared at the information given before relaying the details of the plan to the fleet waiting to jump. They would win, there was no other option.
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Commander Fahr looked at the information closely, his ships were preparing for the jump and he was revising the battle plan that would be important to the planet below. Finally agreeing with what he had quickly written to himself he looked at the waiting officers, "Well, what are you waiting for? Make the jump" the men all smiled and began to issue the orders for the fleet to make the small micro-jump.
The jump was a success, the ships exited hyperspace right in front of the fleet positioning themselves to hold the fleet back. The ships began to move into their position, a crescent shape that threatened to engulf the enemy ships. The small turbolasers on the ships made quick work of the recon ships, disabling them and leaving them to hang.
The crew prepared a channel so that Fahr could address the Imperial fleet, with no hesitance he would declare this planet theirs before the Imperial officers. "Imperial Fleet, you are trespassing on our grounds. We ask that you leave immediately before we open fire."
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus's brow furrowed. Whoever was in charge of the surprisingly large fleet before them had clearly recognised the Mage fleet. But who on such a remote and previously unremarked planet would have knowledge of the Empire at all? Five answers immediately sprang to mind.
The Chiss, pirates, terrorists, traitors...or Jedi.
Serratus quickly discounted the first two based on the size and design of the fleet. The other three made little more sense. How could a terrorist cell, traitors to the Empire or any of the few surviving Jedi amass such a massive fleet? Something was going on here, and Serratus was going to find out what it was.
"What claim have you to this planet? Identify yourselves or we will open our own fire."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"This planet was uninhabited until we arrived, so we have claimed it as our own. As for who we are, we are the Restorative Project, a group dedicated to the restoration of a democratic state in our galaxy. I repeat, we do not wish to fight you but we will if need be." Fahr and his crew knew one side wasn't going to leave today, he intended to make sure it wasn't them.
Down below the base was preparing for evacuation, several ships had landed to help with the process, things were being loaded into cargo bays while the fleet above bought them time. The computers were having all their information saved onto different devices of different kinds to insure that no one piece had all the information. The computers would then be destroyed if the fleet above was proving to be stronger than anticipated, though everyone below was hoping that they would win the fight so they could make it to the war.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus didn't recognise the name but it didn't narrow down who it was. Terrorists, traitors or Jedi could all have that goal.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that. You attacked and destroyed an Imperial vessel and I can offer you only two choices. Surrender and be treated as prisoners of war or do not back down and be obliterated."
As Serratus awaited his counterpart's reply, he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. He was not the best wielder of battle meditation in the Empire but if he could tip the scales in the Mages' favour in any way, he would do so.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"The ship entered our air space, violating it. We took the necessary precautions to keep ourselves save. Just as any Imperial planet would with an unidentified ship entering its air space." The people aboard the ships were very responsive, they knew they only had one chance to do things right and there was no one to come bail them out if things got sloppy. Commander Fahr had expected nothing but the best and had gotten them to respond quickly and accurately as best as they could. But because this was their first actual encounter, it would be interesting to him to see how well they did.
"So my response is very blunt, we are not surrendering but we do not wish to fight you but will if necessary." Fighters were already preparing to launch, weapons were being prepared, and shields were close to being activated. It was just waiting for the Fahr's opposite to make the move.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus's frown was starting to invade his nose's personal space.
"If an unidentified ship entered Imperial space then we would first ask for identification before opening fire. I can confirm that you did no such thing and that your attack on the Silent Fury was unprovoked. As such I have only one course of action. I am giving you a final chance to surrender before my fleet opens fire on yours. Make your choice wisely. And bare in mind that in the grand scheme of the Empire, I am dispensable. What say you?"
Serratus started reaching out with the Force, connecting with all the minds on the 24th Fleet, mentally preparing them and bracing himself for the answer that was sure to come.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr sighed, "You will do what you must and I shall do what I must. But before we continue, may I ask your name?" The unexpected question had taken the officers around the deck by surprise, they stared at Fahr questioning his display. Fahr did not move though, he stood his ground firmly as he awaited the response to his question.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus's frown flipped completely upward.
"I am High Mage Serratus of the Order of Sith Mages. Might I be so bold as to ask you yours, unattached voice?"
Serratus was almost ready for battle meditation. Conflict seemed inevitable even now.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"I am Commander Fahr, it is a pleasure to meet you High Mage Serratus, even in such a dark circumstance." The officers on the deck were uneased by the casual talk Fahr was presenting, but they did not dare rise and question their Commander as his composure revealed no weakness in his plan.
"I am ashamed to say I am not familiar with you or even your title, I assume it is a part of a new campaign of the Empire?" Fahr had stayed in the same spot, Serratus would either engage him or would honor him with their last discussion.
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Lord Aequitas
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Aequitas sighed as he sat in his chair aboard the bridge on the Winter's Throne. He had not brought the whole 8th Fleet but a sizeable portion nonetheless. He looked at the unfamillar sight of hyperspace. While in the Navy, yes, he was often in hyperspace but upon taking command of the Sith Mages he was always busy, even when travelling. The ring of the Grand Mage, a symbol of the office, given to the Grand Mage by the Emperor upon him assuming the office, glimmered slightly on his right hand. "Captain, where are we in regards to the last known co-ordinates of the ship that was...well, attacked." The captain pressed a few buttons before answering. "My Lord, we are still some distance away." Aequitas grimaced. He knew Serratus was nearer than he. He hoped he had answered the Mayday.
He hoped that the skirmish would be over quickly. He had other duties and had no hesitation in contacting the Supreme Commander. He smiled slightly. He knew Marix was itching to have a good proper space battle.
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High Mage Serratus
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"The Order of Sith Mages was created to amass knowledge about the galaxy, through exploration and cataloguing of all known and unknown planets. Which is how we stumbled upon...may I ask what you have christened the planet?"
Serratus was ready. But a bit of conversation would help clear his mind before the impending battle.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"The planet is known to us as Home but officially it is Ba'shay, according to our own research we discovered a lot of what might be a very old civilization having existed here before dying out. We have yet to uncover that truth but we are in the midst of breakthrough."
"You see High Mage, it seems that we're not so different afterall. What we've come to do and what we hope to achieve are the same to some affect. Strip away the details and our ideals are shared, and our goals related. It is only affiliations that put us on separate sides." Fahr scribbled some things down on a piece of paper and handed it to one of the officers. Perhaps the galaxy misunderstood one another, and that was what made the Empire.
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High Mage Serratus
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"Oh really? Explain how a group that wishes to create a democratic government and a group who wish to expand the domains of a monarchy are similar."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr smiled, "You wish to see the glory of your Empire and I wish to see the rise of democracy. We both fight to save what we see is the only way, we have both come here for different reasons and I anticipate that destiny did not mislead either of us from this day."
"As a Mage, you must be curious about this planet and we are curious to know more about our discoveries. Perhaps before this all ends as it inevitably will, you would like to see the planet? No matter how it ends either in our favor or yours, we should not deny either the opportunity to learn and discover something new. I would not like to deny you this opportunity and I would hope you'd at least satisfy my curious mind."
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus was getting curious as to Fahr's motives. In the increasingly inevitable battle, the planet would surely be badly damaged...
"In the interest of the Mages, I would be glad to visit the planet. But I must warn that if anything happens to me, my fleet will open fire straight away."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"Well then High Mage Serratus, if you would like to meet below then say the word and I will let them know that we will be coming." Fahr waited for the Mage's response.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus mulled Fahr's offer. It would be most important to see what the planet had to offer before it was seriously damaged.
"I accept. How and when will we descend?"
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"If you wish we can both descent on different ships, you may bring your personal selection of guards of course and your ship cannot be any larger than a freighter." There had to be limitations, a large ship descending from the sky would mean the end of the base below.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus inclined his head.
"That is reasonable. I will be departing from my ship momentarily in a Sith Infiltrator with two accompanying guards, Darths Dorian and Tao."
Serratus arose and Tao and Dorian emerged from the wings, following him to the hangar bay. As they descended, they got many looks of distrust and confusion but Serratus ignored them completely and together the three Sith Masters entered the designated Infiltrator. Serratus assumed the pilot's seat and the other two started arming themselves. Together they left the Shadowspear and started flying towards Ba'shay.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr had never left the bridge, he had scribbled a note down to the officers on his bridge telling them what he was planning. To keep Serratus with the plan he had a shuttle launched from the ship, Serratus would have to pass near the capital ships on his descent to the planet below. It pained him to have to be so deceiving but victory had to be achieved at any cost.
When Serratus' ship was too close to the shuttle launched as a decoy, Fahr ordered his capital ship to open fire. With no delay or hesitation the guns on the ship roared to life and every gun that would reach him began to fire volleys of lasers and missiles. The shuttle that was used as a decoy veared quickly away from the path of fire.
"Begin assault on those capital ship, let these crucial moments be our reason for victory!" Fahr's command was echoed throughout the fleet, each ship's engines lighting up with power and pushed them through space. The ships then began to unleash heavy volleys on the main ship as fighters had been quickly deployed and were already closing the gap between them and their targets.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus smirked as he saw the lasers fly from Fahr's fleet. He had prepared for such subterfuge. He sent a quick transmission to Explorer 1st Class Amadeus who was now in charge of the Shadowspear.
"Return fire, we're going to hit Fahr where it hurts."
Serratus changed course and started heading towards Fahr's flagship, dodging laserfire all the while.
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Darth Amadeus nodded solemnly in response to Serratu's transmission. He sent out the orders to all ships, though most of them were already firing anyway.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr was happy, the ships were moving in fast behind the fighters looking to remove the possibly of letting them get through, the formation that Fahr had his ships was still holding. The crescent shape allowed the ships to focus fire upon the fleet in the center without sacrificing space and mobility. The fighters were preparing to engage their counterparts while the bombers were preparing to do their bombing runs upon the main command ship.
"Send a message to the planet below to continue preparing to evacuate, I don't want any last minute changes to be the end of us." the communications officer nodded and walked off to complete the task.
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Lord Aequitas
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Aequitas sighed a breath of relief when they excited hyperspace. He bored easily if he wasn't let do things. Being restricted on a ship made him restless. However, about five minutes after leaving hyperspace, Aequitas rose to get out of the bridge. He decided to go for a nap. Immediately, he heard a beeping. "Lieutenant, what is that?" The soldier swung around on his chair, "Sir, it's a message from the Shadowspear. They're asking all available Imperal ships who pick ths up to come to their co-ordinates."
Aequitas ran back to his chair with a grin. "Respond with the affirmative. The 8th Fleet is on it's way. I hope Serratus is doing ok."
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus hit the accelerator, reaching the Infiltrator's top speed. He had Tao and Dorian on watch duty, using the Force to detect incoming laserfire so he could dodge it. He was approaching the bridge of the Classic at a sharp angle. At the last second, he pulled up, hovering in front of the giant class window. If Serratus didn't know any better, he could swear the Duro staring at him in shock was Fahr. Serratus pulled away again but swooped around to land hits on the shield protecting the Classic's bridge. Just as the blasts hit the shield, Serratus pulled away again, avoiding more laserfire from the turrets. He repeated this manouevre twice before two Dragon-class Heavy Cruisers came swooping from behind the Classic.
Serratus shot off back towards the Mage fleet with the two Cruisers in hot pursuit. He dodged several shots from their lasers but one clipped the side of the Infiltrator, causing the whole craft to jump forward. Serratus turned to Tao and Dorian.
"Hold on."
The two Sith grabbed their chairs tightly. Serratus hit the maximum speed once again and did a tight loopedy-loop, placing himself just behind the two Cruisers. He opened fire on them and at such close range, it wasn't hard to hit their fuselages, sending them both spiraling off to one side before exploding in a burst of brilliant light. Serratus turned sharply and started heading back towards the Classic, only to be intercepted by a pair of Vigilance interceptors. Serratus turned sharply once again to avoid their laserfire but three of their blasts struck one side of the Infiltrator, sending it spinning and sending Serratus out of his seat and him and his two subordinates to the back of the ship.
"Oh my frickin'-"
Serratus stood up, holding his head. He'd taken a bash to the skull. He stumbled forward a couple of steps before stopping and gulping as his vision came back into focus. The two interceptors were heading straight for the Infiltrator. Serratus started running as fast as he could back to the driver seat but tripped over himself as he ran. Crashing to the ground once more, he reached out with his hand and Force-pushed the accelerator, sending the Infiltrator crashing into the interceptors. Like a Vrakolian spin-blade being thrown at two eggs, the Infiltrator flew straight through the interceptors, smashing them to pieces and damaging its wings in the process. Serratus stood up and resumed the helm. Just as Dorian and Tao were about to stand up, he floored it again and headed back towards the Classic, which had come under fire in his absence. Taking careful aim, he started firing blast after blast at the shields. He would need to time this very carefully, he would have only a brief moment before the shields would be online again. He sent a radio signal out to all nearby craft.
"Concentrate fire on the flagship."
Four ships in close proximity, the Shimmering Salvation, the Twilight, the Fire Within and the Will of the Force changed course and opened fire on the Classic. Serratus reached out with the Force and used it to augment the Infiltrator, causing it to speed up above its maximum speed, all the while firing Force-enhanced blasts at the Classic. As he got closer to the bridge, Serratus braced himself. The shields flickered. Serratus laughed in triumph as the nose of the Infiltrator crashed through into the bridge but his laugh was cut short as the Infiltrator was cut in half by the reactivated shields. For one brief second the two seperate pieces hovered before the engine, which had been sliced right in two, exploded, hurtling Tao and Dorian backwards into open space with no air to breathe and Serratus forward to the front window of the Infiltrator and into the chaos that was unfolding on the bridge of the Classic.
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Back on the Shadowspear, Darth Amadeus looked on in horror as he saw the High Mage's Infiltrator crash into the bridge of the Classic. He turned to one of the communications officers.
"Send An Lámh In Úachtar[i] and [i]Bane of Ignorance to investigate."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr was issuing commands from his personal saloon once he realized there was danger standing in the bridge. He had a constant communication with the bridge officers while him and his tactical advisers sat around a holographic image of space. Fahr heard screaming and explosions and finally the noise was cut silent as connection had been lost.
"The bridge has been taken out sir," one of the advisers was quick to respond as the saloon seemed to show no sign coming from the bridge. Fahr rubbed his chin, as long as he lived and was still able to issue orders then they could win. Still having communications open with the other ships he issued his order, "All ships move forward past the Classic, focus fire on their command ship and continue bombing runs."
Fahr sighed, "What's the damage looking like?" One of the men turned to look at Fahr, his face told him everything. "We're reporting a ship colliding with the bridge sir," this was not the most expected of tactics but the Sith were always willing to sacrifice the lives of others for their victories. "Any survivors?"
"We have reason to believe there might be some life left, the bridge still had enough power and response to close the holes off before everyone was sucked into the vacuum." The man said reporting what was being told to him.
"Good, send in a team to get those people out, redirect all those that are injured to the sick bay and reroute control of the ship to this saloon." Fahr was looking back at the tactical display a smile on his face.
The ships were still moving forward, all ships were close enough that their most powerful barrage of weapons were hitting the command ship with unending strikes. Fahr's orders were to find the biggest anamoly on the command ship and to then focus fire upon it. Missile after missile struck around the same area as lasers poured heavily upon the ship waiting for the ships shields to faulter and the overload on the shield generators to cause them to crash.
Down below the first of the transport ships was filled completely before finally lifting off from the planet. Important personnel had been taken first as well as important supplies, the ship picked up speed as its engines roared to life and pushed it through the atmosphere and defied the planet's gravity. Fighters surrounded the transport as well as a large freighter, the escorts were meant to prevent any fighters and any other ships from firing on the transport before it could enter hyperspace. Luckily Fahr's fleet had taken the offensive and moved forward allowing the transports a lot of room to take off into hyperspace without too much harrassment from the opposite fleet.
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Lord Aequitas
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Aequitas groaned as he approached the co-ordinates. “Lieutenant, is that a space battle I see?” He hoped not. Perhaps they were having a friendly conversation, over tea or something. “Affirmative my Lord, hailing the Shadowspear now”, the Lieutenant replied. He was such an efficient young man. “Sir, I have Darth Amadeus.” Aequitas nodded. “Darth Amadeus, this is the Grand Mage, Lord Aequitas. Give me a quick summary and transfer your logs to my ship immediately.” He sighed; he did not want to have to get in a fight.
There was a slight silence before an answer was returned, “My Lord, the logs are on their way. Well, one of our ships issued a Mayday, Darth Serratus replied and we did too. Darth Serratus and the commander of the opposing fleet, who calls himself Fuhr, had a brief conversation before Fuhr attempted to trick Darth Serratus into falling for a trap. However, the High Mage had a feeling this would happen and prepared himself. His ship attempted a collision with Fuhr’s ship however, it failed. I am afraid we think the High Mage is dead, sir.”
Aequitas shook his head. “He is not dead, Darth, I can still sense him.” He turned to the Lieutenant. “Can we pick him up?” He shook his head. “Sir, it would be too dangerous to go anywhere near the area.” Aequitas sighed. “Send a shuttle out. Now. I doubt he has much more air left. Darth Amadeus, thank you. Over and Out.”
He looked at a Commander on the bridge. “Commander, contact the rest of the fleet. Give the order to begin firing. Only when we have a clear shot.”
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus groaned as he pulled himself free of the wall into which the exploding engine of the Infiltrator had so forcefully thrown him. His back was killing him but he stood up nonetheless, only to find himself the target for several blaster-wielding soldiers. One of them stepped forward.
"Put your hands up."
Serratus complied, but only briefly, for once his hands were in the air he unleashed a powerful Force push, sending all the men flying. He quickly drew his lightsaber and with pinpoint accuracy killed each man with a stab through the heart. Serratus turned swiftly as he heard the approach of a large group. He shot Force lightning at all the doors, welding them shut. The group of incompetent soldiers had been no problem but no doubt these men had been sent by Fahr himself and would be aptly equipped to deal with Serratus. Serrautus started manipulating the wreckage of the Infiltrator, welding it over the sealed doors, essentially barricading himself into the bridge of a ship that was almost certainly doomed to destruction.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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"Sir, we're reporting that the ship that crashed into the bridge released a sith. Guards said they were going to attempt to capture him but he barricaded himself in the bridge." The man in charge of the ships security team gave him the report, fahr blinked twice trying to figure out why the Sith would lock himself in the bridge.
"Well, all power and control has been redirected here so I don't have any fears about him trying to take control, he's just setting himself up to die. Override the ship's security measures and have the blast doors that sealed in the bridge open up, lets flush him out the easy way." Fahr had no pity for the stupidity of the High Mage, he'd challenge him in every way.
Before Fahr could recollect himself new sirens were going off, looking to his tactical display he saw a new set of ships that were definitely not his. "Get me information on that new fleet, immediately!" There was a sense of panic in his voice, if this was an enemy then the chances of winning had just been changed against him.
"Sir, their transponders check out as Imperial ships, what is your command?" The tactical adviser stated as he looked between Fahr and the display.
"Pull all our ships back into a defensive position, let Commander Hoshi know to abandon the planet immediately. We are now on borrowed time, adn we can't risk the men's lives for valuables." His other adviser was about to start issuing the commands but Fahr stopped him, "Also, have this ship evacuated immediately. Tell the guards to stay near the bridge until I say they can evacuate too." The man looked at Fahr, "Please carry out this command, this ship is going to give the sith a show."
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus was now sitting cross-legged in the bridge of the Classic. If he was going to die, he was going to die a hero. He now held both fleets inside his Force presence, his battle mediation was underway. He was already singling out everyone loyal to Fahr and filling them with negativity, demoralising them, filling them with distrust of each other to break down co-operation and making them more prone to stupid decisions, while filling those loyal to him and the Empire with passion and strength, clearing their minds and making brothers of them, making them co-operate better. He was also slowly working on seperating the bridge from the rest of the ship, though it was more than likely that he would be killed before this happened. Just as that thought entered his mind, the blast doors opened and Serratus was pulled towards the window. However, he used the Force to stop himself and reseal the blast doors, this time bending them out of shape to keep them closed. The only adverse effect of this was his sudden collision with them. He slammed into the metal, hard, then crashed to the ground again. He quickly regained his composure and struggled not to vomit as the barriers keeping out the emotions of all the Mages and soldiers flickered for a moment, allowing them to flood in before he was able to reseal them. He once again resumed his seated position.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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(Since you are using battle meditation, you just did a whole not in one post so I am going to assume that once you moved over to increasing your own men's moral that you stoppped working on fahr's. So after the first couple posts I am going taking into account the lack of the battle meditation against fahr's men.)
The effect hit the fleet quickly, people were beginning to question the victory or whether they would even make it out. Their reactions were slow, fighters blew up left and right as they gave up to the inevitable fate. In particular, a soldier looked down at the planet from his viewport, he was tasked with a difficult task and one that made him uneasy. In his hand was the end of the planet, Commander Fahr had issued a command to nuke the planet after the ships had all gotten off leaving nothing behind for the sith to recover. But the dread of loss, his death, they swam around in his thoughts mixing with his feelings and actions. His palms were sweaty, he began to shake, there was so much happening and it threatened to swallow him whole. That was when it happened, his finger slipped, hitting the trigger button for the launch the launcher installed outside of the ship activated, a warning siren flared throughout the ship before a barrage of the first wave of missiles shot out toward the planet.
The missiles had already had a specific area to target so each missile flew down toward the planet with no interference. The last of the transports were rising from the planet as the missiles penetrated the atmosphere, with only a few moments to themselves before their lives were taken the soldiers braced for the impact of the blast. The fourth wave of missiles had already been launched as one by one the missiles extinguished whatever life remained on the planet. Transport ships that were too low were engulfed in the blasts, ripped apart and every life within them extinguished instantly.
Fahr stood out in one of the corridors of the ships, he watched in horror as the planet was taken by explosions that wiped it clean of visible life. His heart felt heavy, his face grew pale and he held onto the window with the feeling of exhaustion taking toll. Placing his forehead against the window he watched as the planet below died with every hit, every blast, and with every dropping ship that did not make it off.
"Sir..." the voice was still distant, Fahr wasn't sure who was talking to him or if it was some distant memory. "Sir, the fleet is waiting."
Regaining conscious thought Fahr turned to see one of the remaining officers on the ship before him, "Sorry, I..."
"It's okay, no one blames you for what happened. But the remaining lives in your hands need you to issue a command. Chaos has spread through the fleet, people's morale have been shot."
Fahr sighed, he moved back into his saloon to see both fleets pushing toward his. "Are most of the people evacuated from this ship?" Fahr stopped himself from speaking to the rest of the ships before knowing, "The final remnants of people are being evacuated on the shuttles from other ships, soon we'll be all that's left."
Fahr nodded, finally having a channel opened between the fleet he spoke, "This is Commander Fahr speaking, I need--we need to get through this. We have all just witnessed a terrible thing, but we cannot lose sight of our goal or our hope. Let those lives not be in vain, let us not be struck down today. Fight with purpose, fight with whatever we have at our disposal. With every missile, every turret, every fighter, every shuttle, down to our bare hands we will do what we must to get ourselves out alive! All ships need to prepare for hyperspace, once all personnel here have evacuated you will be notified to jump. Remember that what we lost today is insignificant to the lives lost and will be lost by the Empire." When he finished he closed connection, the ships knew to prepare and so it was up to the captains of the ships to coordinate.
"You should get out of here, this ship's not coming with us." Fahr said to the last remaining officer in his saloon.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus was making progress on the bridge. Once he knew that the group sent to capture him were outside, he'd devoted more of his extremely limited focus to cutting the bridge away from the rest of the ship. He still needed time but hopefully the 8th fleet would be able to postpone Fahr's destruction of the Classic. He had briefly lowered his mental barriers, and these were the two most prominent thoughts that flooded his senses. Now that he was once again sealed away, both literally and figuratively, he could only hope that he had the bridge cut away before Fahr destroyed the flagship.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr's ships had taken an arrow head formation, the strongest ship was the point and once Fahr's flagship had been evacuated fully besides himself and a fighter for his escape the ships began to move. Fighters that could hyperspace out alone were clearing out the path of any fighters and small ships. Fahr's speech had revitalized peoples hopes, like an unseen force the hope washed over the fleet. Each individual was more aware, willing to do what needed to be done with no hesitation. Words some times were a much more powerful asset, even against the force.
Fahr was still in his saloon, alone, he was going to set the ship on a crash course with the new flagship of the fleet that entered. Word was that it belonged to the Mage's leader, if he was going to lose they would lose too. Finalizing his command the ship's engines roared to life, all power in the ship was being redirected to the shields and engines, all override authority had been removed. There was no stopping this ship, Fahr concluded that the sith would try to destroy it. He had come prepared for that, having a droid reconstruct a sentence using the High Mage's voice he was going to throw them off. The ship was already angling toward the new flagship, engines pushing it through space.
The rest of the fleet was piercing through Serratus' fleet, shields were priority so the fleet didn't spend time fighting back, they were too busy calculating their jump which happened soon after they had cleared their way through the mage's fleet. in an instant, almost a pop, the fleet disappeared leaving only fahr's. With the ship's engines roaring pushing it too far away from Serratus' fleet but much closer to the new one.
Opening one final channel to the new fleet Fahr played the message, the voice was ideally as close to the High Mage as a droid could get it and it worked. "This is High Mage Serratus, do not shoot this ship down. I am still in it and I am attempting to stop it. I repeat" soon there was a breakup, fahr created it to seem as if the high mage lost communication. Hopefully this would buy the ship time to make its collision before someone realized it was lie. When everything was as he planned, Fahr ran out of the saloon and toward the nearest hangar where his ship awaited.
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Lord Aequitas
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The Lieutenant swung round, "My lord, that ship is on a crash course with us, shall I take evasive manouvers?" Aequitas was about to reply with the affirmative when a message was picked up. "Sir, it's the High Mage".
"This is High Mage Serratus, do not shoot this ship down. I am still in it and I am attempting to stop it. I repeat...", then static. "Lord Aequitas, what do we do."
Aequitas grinned. "Get my ship out of the way. And fire on that ship." The Lieutenant looked puzzled "but sir, the High Mage..", he started. "The High Mage would never say something like that. He'd easily sacrifice his life for the greater good. Plus, he would not order me about. So fire on that ship, Lieutenant. Either that wasn't Serratus or he has taken to insanity, well, he's become more insane. So get my ship out of that one's course."
The Lieutenant nodded.
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus, however, was indeed in the ship, though not for long. With the departure of Fahr's fleet, he had given up on battle meditation and focused on seperating the bridge of the Classic from the rest of it. He was bending metal all over the place, here a crack, there a crack, everywhere a crack crack. Ripping a girder in one corner, crushing a corridor in another, his hands wizzing left, right, right, left, up, down, all around, frantically trying to seperate the bridge from the rest of the ship before it collided with the 8th Fleet or, more likely, Aequitas had the ship obliterated. Serratus was perfectly ready to give his life for the Empire but he'd still rather live. Serratus sighed with relief as he finished. The bridge started floating forward, ahead of the Classic but Serratus stopped it, causing the Classic to collide with it at an angle which sent him flying upwards, above the 8th Fleet at a suprising speed. The speed as which he was moving wasn't the only thing worrying the High Mage though. The star that he was flying towards kind of bothered him too.
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Lord Aequitas
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Aequitas sat back in his chair. “Fire when you have locked on, Lieutenant.” The Lieutenant nodded. “Lieutenant, what is your name?” He swung around, “I am Lieutenant Aderaph Goryta. May I ask why, sir?” Aequitas cleared his throat. “Concentrate on keeping me alive, Lieutenant.” Goryta nodded. Just then, however, Aequitas noticed something. “Lieutenant, did that ship just break?” Goryta peered out. “Affirmative sir. It appears that the bridge has been separated from the rest of the ship.” There were a few buttons pressed before further information popped up on the screen beside the Lieutenant, which then transferred to the screen beside the Grand Mage. “As you can see sir, there is a single life force on the bridge piece.” Aequitas looked at the screen and closed his eyes. “Serratus”, he said aloud. “Lieutenant, contact the Silent Witness. Get them to get Serratus. Or something.”
He sighed before nodding at the Lieutenant. “Concentrate on blowing that ship outta here.” Goryta smiled, “With pleasure sir.”
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus was attempting to slow down the bridge with little success. With nothing nearby to use as an anchor for his powers, he had taken to jumping into the air and slamming against the side of the room. There were some signs of the bridge slowing down but Serratus was getting battered and he was almost certain he'd broken a rib. As he got closer and closer to the star, he realised that there was only one hope left. He drew his lightsaber and cut a hole in the side of the bridge. As one would expect, he was sucked into the vast, cold, lifeless vacuum of space.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Fahr reached the hangar, looking at a mini display on his datapad using information that the ship was transferring to him he could see the ship moving out of his way. Apparently they didn't consider what he said, it also got worse when a piece of the bridge had apparently broken off, that wasn't good. He hoped Serratus was still in it at least, hopefully he'd die out there.
The ship had reached top speed so even if the mage maneuvered away the chances of him being able to blow the ship up before it collided with any ship in his fleet would be impossible. Hopping into the last remaining fighter he checked everything, stopping he took one look at the hangar, his ship. Taking a mental shot of what remained he sat down comfortably in his fighter. Looking down at his datapad he took note of the position of the ship, the Classic shook violently as the bombardment of lasers and missiles took place. Beams broke through the ceiling of the hangar, the ship shook even more as the fire began to lick the shields, power flickered on and off. The environmental shield fizzled on and off, with one last attempt to hit the sith with something, Fahr redirected the power that was being fed to the engines to the shields, whatever was left of this ship had picked up enough momentum to sail through space at the speed it reached and collide with one of Aequitas' ships. Turning the repulsors on the fighter floated up, hovering above the hangar's floors.
The fighter's engines shot the fighter out of the hangar right as columns began to fall, debris stacking on where the fighter used to be. Fahr took the fighter right out of the Classic's hangar, turning around he could see lasers hitting it, the shields were already giving out and so all that was left was the hard shell of what was his ship to endure long enough. The ship sailed past the flagship and what Fahr was was a collision course with another large ship which he hoped would also crashed with its neighbors.
Fahr took the fighter away from the fight, looking at the detached bridge that belonged to the Classic, taking the fighter toward what remained of the bridge, Fahr locked his missiles on it. "If you're still in there, you won't be for long."
Releasing two torpedoes, Fahr then banked left heading away from the planet. The bridge had nothing to move it other than its own momentum and Fahr took that into consideration when he launched the missiles. With no time to look back to see his victory over the High Mage, Fahr began to calculate his jump, fighters were already in front and behind him, lasers jutting out. Rolling the ship out of the way he went back to his efforts, one mistake in his calculations could land him in a star. The fighter was beginning to take hits, the shields were not able to hold and he felt them give out and lasers began to hit it hard. Trusting he made the right calculation Fahr made the jump right as a missile had flew past what was his position. his heart's beat finally returning to a normal rhythm with the realization he just made it out.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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(Double posting, i am finishing this rp for fahr, you are free to do so with reactions and such after the battle)
Fahr's fighter finally exited hyperspace, what was laid before him was his beaten flotilla of ships. It was hard to see something you worked very hard to make take such a beating, and what made it worse was the loss of his own Command ship. Sitting still he looked at the ships, at least 2/3rds of the transports had made it out of the battle and were able to make the jump. He planned to sit here as long as possible before he had to face the reality of their losses.
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12 Hours after the Battle
Fahr stood in what was his temporary room on a temporary command ship. Washing up and changing clothes felt refreshing, even if none of it was really his to begin with. He had called for the captains of all the ships to meet with him in the hangar where he would be addressing them all. While the captains and other officers assembled, Fahr had gone through their options and their losses. Fahr had lost Hoshi, who shared his power in the fleet as well as a say in their happenings.
Standing up from the bed Fahr went over to the mirror, fixing his tags, straightening his uniform he walked out of the room where two soldiers were waiting to escort him to the hangar. They were young, had probably gotten mixed into the fleet through some messy ordeal but it didn't worry him as he could feel their energy. It was lively.
Reaching the hangar he could see all those that he had sent for, gathered before him awaiting his call, his guidance and report. Everyone in the room stood up when he appeared at the door, salutes and erect figures as they all eyed him walk over to the podium that was setup. When they all sat, when the whispers and discussions had died down he moved closer to the podium, hands resting upon the edges of the wooden stand grasping at it for some form of strength to keep him up.
Eyes scanning the room, the eerie silence that had settled made it difficult to address them as they all were expecting his strength. And it hit him, he needed to be strong so that they could keep doing what it was they did. Clearing his throat he began, "It is with sadness that we must review our current situation, to have lost what we worked for and to see the lives of many taken so instantly. But we must not see these events as wasted, nor shall we let it affect our resolve. When we formed this group, this fleet, when we established our goal, we understood that possiblity that we could lose some battles, but we all agreed the war was the most important thing.
Our losses were higher than expected, there were still many on the planet when the missiles were launched pre-maturely. Still, we have a chance to win, perhaps not the way expected but I have determined that we can still aid others achieve our same goals." Fahr could see the confusion settling in, but it was a decision he had concluded was their best option.
"I understand that some of you don't understand, but months ago an offer had been made to join a resistance group, much larger and with more resources than ours. It is working tirelessly to achieve our same goal, topping the empire. After much thought, i have decided that our only chance to survive and continue our goal is to join this resistance group." Fahr lifted a hand to settle everyone, "Before we join, we'd still retain our freedom and I will not settle for anything less than being your Commander always. Though if we are to see the Empire fall, we must join the efforts of many and slowly but surely win back our homes from the Emperor and his self-interested moffs."
"Still I understand that you all have hesitations, and as such I leave you all with the opportunity to leave at any given moment. I will embark on a short leave to establish our ties and when I return whoever has chosen to leave will be escorted back to the Mid-Rim, we cannot insure that we can return you home though. For those of you who wish to leave, I shall share this wisdom with you first: the strength of your goal is only as strong as the courage you have in your heart to achieve it."
Fahr stepped away from the podium, he had a lot to prepare for and a lot to leave for people before he too took a short absence to gain his fleet welcome into this new resistance group.
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Lord Aequitas
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Aboard the Winter's Throne, 8 hours after the battle
"....and as such, we have captured the planet and are claiming it for the Empire", Serratus finished. Aequitas nodded and looked the holograms of both the Supreme Commander and the Emperor. "Supreme Commander, we have one ship in bad needs of repair and we need two new ones. Serratus will forward the details in due course." With that the two holograms faded away.
"Well Serratus, we almost lost you, but we gained a new planet. Hurrah."
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High Mage Serratus
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Serratus smiled slightly.
"We'll also discovered a new threat to the Empire. A considerable threat. Fahr was willing to destroy the flagship of his fleet, he's not too worried about being scarce of resources. Whoever Fahr serves must be either rich enough or powerful enough to produce him more ships and men. This is either the work of resurgent Jedi or someone within the Empire attempting to gain control and I'm not just leaving this to the Inquisitorius. Fahr has interfered with our work and he's going to pay."
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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Two standard days after the Battle
Fahr's transport ship popped out into the coordinates he had been given, it was not easy to track down those that had offered him a place amongst their group, but he had done it and he had finally arrived. Checking everything to make sure it was all good he was pleased with the jump. Finally he looked up before him, what he could see was a large assortment of ships gathered around a large structure that appeared to be reaching the final stages of its completion.
Fahr was in awe, he was snapped back to reality though by the beeping noise his fighter was giving him, he had been targeted and fighters were buzzing around him. He was being hailed, "Unknown vessel, you have trespassed on our territory, name yourself or be fired upon."
Fahr quickly responded, "This is Commander Immer Fahr, I am submitting my authorization codes to further identify myself." He transmitted the codes and waited for their approval, they were undoubtedly contacting the Commander or even Admiral in charge for final verification.
"Welcome Commander Fahr, you will be escorted to the Base-Station where you will be given instructions for landing." The fighters turned around and waited for him to follow. The ships were formed in a defense around the large 'Base-Station' as it was referred to as. He received his landing permission and hangar, the small shuttle was nothing compared to the size of the station, the resources this group had were beyond those that he had imagined.
Fahr's shuttle had finally landed, the ramp lowered before his new escorts. Men dressed in uniform with the resistance's insignia etched into the left shoulder. "Commander Fahr, if you will follow us please," the man turned around on his heel and Fahr followed him.
The station was large from the inside, he wasn't sure if he could even map out the place in a reasonable amount of time. But after a series of corridors and elevators they arrived, a room guarded by two guards. The doors opened and Fahr walked in with his escorts one of which turned to face him. "Commander Fahr, the Admiral will be here shortly." The man then left the room, the door closing tightlyt behind him.
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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The sounds of drumming fingers rang in Fahr's ears, he had managed to pick up a rhythm that reminded him of the drumming rain during a stormy night. He looked down at his chrono, an hour had elapsed since he arrived and his life had not been threatened nor had he received any word of the Admiral he was here to see. It made him more uncomfortable knowing he wasn't sure if he was going to die from waiting, die from another source, or the man he was here to meet was busy even after freeing up time to see Fahr.
Hiss, the sound of the blast doors parting and fresh air spilling in sounded over the small drumming in his ear. A man in his uniform of white with the flap over his chest a black fading into white. Fahr took note of the interesting choice, he would perhaps ask him after the conversations reached a more casual tone. Standing up Fahr stood in an erect position, the Admiral waved the escorts out and the door shut behind him.
Reaching out for Fahr's hand, he grasped Fahr's right hand with a firm grip, "Commander Fahr, I am Admiral Tarik. It is a pleasure to meet you, I have heard much about you. Please, have a seat." Rounding the table, Tarik sat at the opposite end.
"So I heard about your unfortunate losses, I send my condolences as well as those of all those here. While I apologize how this will come off, but everything that happened there was a larger victory for us in the end." Tarik kept a graceful appearance while Fahr had obviously took the comment personal.
"How does the loss of so many lives mean victory?" Fahr had to watch his tone, but the subject had still proven to be touchy.
Tarik frowned, "I apologize, perhaps the meaning was mistaken. The victory in a sense is a greater picture. For one, look at what we have, you are now here. And also, the Mages who patrol all these areas are now distracted by something and as such we will be putting up a small force to go in and distract them some more. I know that you took a heavy hit but now, more than ever, our sources tell us we can either give them an even bigger hit or we can keep them at bay. I personally want them at bay until the time is right."
"I understand, but I haven't joined you yet," Fahr had considered the offer not taken it yet.
"Of course, we're not here to force you either but we do hope you consider the idea because as you can see there is much we can offer you and your group."
"I don't want to lose command over my people, we have been together for years and i am not about to hand over the reigns to some stranger." That was a first condition, it was one of the things that had to be accepted before anything could continue.
Tarik nodded, "We have no intention of separating you from your forces, you're familiar with how they work and you all work together as one single force. That's what we need, we do hope to add onto your numbers, your experience and work makes you a great choice for future missions."
"It seems you've already prepared plans for me," Fahr was starting to see that the Admiral was almost sure Fahr was taking it. The offer was too good, his ships needed upgrades, supplies were low and his men needed more hope. This new step could provide those things, perhaps it could revitalize his own fire that he would need in the coming months.
There was no sign of change in Tarik, "We did kind of expect you to join as the gears are in motion and soon we'll be moving out against the Empire. I don't want to alarm you but it's coming, the storm is present and once it all starts we have one shot and one shot only."
"Then how do you know we can win this? I mean, this all looks great but what happens when the Empire comes down upon you with the full might of its Navy. How do you counter those numbers?"
Like most of his answers, Tarik's came out as if it had all been thought out. "This is not all we have, there's more and more will come once the initial move has been made. I know it's hard to believe that fact, but we have inside men. This Empire will fall."
Tarik's response surprised Fahr, people on the inside working to destabilize the Empire. Fahr hadn't known the Emperor personally but he heard the stories and they said he was more powerful than his Sith that plagued the galaxy. So the idea of someone underneath the Emperor's nose was startling yet it gave him a new sense of purpose. If someone could do that, then the Emperor had truly disconnected himself from everything which meant that when it all happened it would be too late for him to amount the power to hold his Empire together.
"Is there anything more you can tell me?" Fahr asked unsure, there were bound to be secrets to be kept but perhaps he could get more that would comfort him.
Tarik stood up, "How about I show you instead."
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Lord Aequitas
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[[I was unaware that this RP was not finished.
However, since I am giving my Order no permission to continue this, I would politely ask you to take this elsewhere.]]
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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[ Your request has been taken and denied. There's no reason to start another RP for this small aftermath post. I gave you the option to finish, you chose to not let them finish it. There's no issue and it's not changing the outcome.]
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Lord Aequitas
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[[As topic starter, I reserve the right the tell you to get out of my topic.
If not, I'll just tell a MOD it has no relevance and that the RP should be locked]]
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Grand Inquisitor Prognie
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[ I am sorry, your rp? you posted a total of seven times to my 20, i think you reserve no right over a Rp you took hardly any part in. If I recall, you just let Serratus do everything.
Plus the posts have EVERYTHING to do with the RP, it's the aftermath of the battle for Fahr and his group and the decisions he is going to make that will be affecting the storyline. As i told serratus, Fahr isn't done in this RP. Stop trying to walk around with a tough style, it's not your best look. Any of your responses will be taken as just spamming or baiting.]
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Lord Aequitas
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[[okey doke]]
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