Fiction Gallery

TITLE: New Year Bash

//DISCLAIMER: Foul language and drunken behaviour are featured in this presentation. Please know we do not endorse this behaviour in real life and to always drink responsibly. //

Aleck's Local Cantina, Eos City, Elos Vrai, Arx Arx System, Wild Space

"3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Everyone watched the holonet show the epic firework displaying throughout Eos City. Colonel Aleck Winters cheered with everyone else in the cantina, a mixture of loyalists and mercenaries out celebrating in the new year. The drinks had been flowing all night long and sadly for him it was time to stop, as had stupidly agreed to stop drinking as a new years resolution. "Happy New Year Mike," he turned to the man bartending, "I'm going to have to switch to the synthetics, bloody new years resolution starts now, so bring out what you got." He watched as the Mike the Bartender went to a dusty section of the shelves behind him and pulled out several dust-covered bottles. "Of for Force sake," Aleck muttered as the containers now before him, "I must be the only stupidest person to drink this stuff." Mike blew the dust off one of the bottles and opened it up and poured some of the substance in the glass before Aleck. Hesitantly, he picked up the glass, brought it to his lips and tried it. It was totally, and utterly, completely, shit! It tasted like absolute shit. "You have got to be messing with me, I can see why nobody drinks this crap, yeah it almost feels like whiskey, but there is no kick it." He then down the rest of the amber liquid in one go and turned to Mike, then pointed to the following bottle. "I might as well try the others." Aleck then spent the next twenty minutes trying the rest of the synthetic liquor, did wasn't anyone please with them as he was with the first one he had. "Kriff it!" Defeated, Aleck leaned over the bar's counter and placed his head flat on the surface, after a moment he looked up Mike. "I'll just have a cola." Aleck was in drinking his second cola when several drunk officers stumbled up to the bar to order more drinks. One of them, a tall, lean man named Jed, looked at Aleck. "S-So what ye drinking Frosty? WAC?". Jed was a nice enough bloke when sober, but he was a lousy drunk. "It's just cola, no whisky in it," Aleck replied. "Frosty! Did you lose your dick or something? No longer got the balls to handle the hard stuff? You pussy." The insults flowed from Jed's mouth like water over a waterfall. Mike was used to drunk soldiers running their mouths but also knew the Colonel's temper if he got rilled up. Sure, Aleck could handle his alcohol better than most, but he had been drinking for hours before the new year rolled in. He was slowly getting angry, at first, he ignored the insults knowing that Jed was drunk, but as they kept coming and growing more vulgar, his patience was breaking. The moment Jed started laughing at him, Aleck bolted from his chair and punched the man in the face, breaking his nose as blood burst out. Jed tumbled to the floor groaning and holding his face, everyone who had been watching turned and looked at the Colonel who was standing over the other man. "Mike, I'll take a whiskey, to hell with this, now I know why no one drinks that synthetic crap." Twenty minutes later, Jed and Aleck were finishing off a whiskey each when the local security officers walk in, the two men looked at the new arrivals, and both sighed. The standard protocol had all disturbances reported, and the individuals brought in, even on New Years that did not change. Both men knew this and accepted it, and it was the price of being a career military man. You were allowed to play hard as tomorrow you may die. So spending one night in lockup was not the end of the world, if they were lucky, then they would get a scolding and be sent home. Aleck was more disappointed that he had broken his New Year's resolution so soon, of course, he wasn't going to stop drinking, Aleck justed wanted to see how long he could have gone if Jed hadn't run off his mouth. Perhaps next year would be different? He chuckled to himself as that was not likely.

Sadow habitat. Intertwine upon Sepros. Become one of them.

Rage unimpeded. Sith cultivate emotion. Darkness is rising.

I will devour. The Collective will suffer. Yridia repaid.

Near the Temples of Orian Sepros Orian System

A group of ten people lay on the ridge looking at the temples in the distance, a transport shuttle that had dropped them off was lifting off behind them, two of individuals of the group were slightly ahead of the other taking stock of the Collective forces.

"Are you sure the VIP is still here Inquisitor Megos?"

Colonel Aleck Winters glanced over at the Sith Apprentice Inquisitor. He was pretty sure that Megos was not his actual real name; instead, an alias he was using for some reason, most likely to his identity a secret.

"Indeed, Colonel. My, heh, contact tells me the VIP is alive and well but in hiding from the enemy forces. It is a pity what happened to our other VIP but getting hold of that security vid was hard enough, but now we know what happened to her."

The Inquisitor's cold voice was not the causes of the shivers going down the others. Everyone present had seen that vid. They had seen how the woman was tortured, violated and executed with her body strung up and left to rot for everyone to see.

"Yeah. The bastards were making a point by what they did. A year after they took Sepros they celebrated by pouring fuel over her corpse, lighting it on fire like a new year bonfire, well bollocks to them." Winters then turned to the others behind him. "Right lads! We got a job to do so get your arses in gear.

They all stood up and readied themselves for the fight of their lives, the reason it was only the ten of them was to be a simple in and out, find VIP and get him out alive. The Inquisitor Megos had arranged the mission.

"The main attack force will engage the enemy from the north. Our job is to get in fast and dirty, as long our Inquisitor's contact can confirm the VIP's location for us. We are golden!" Winters explained to the other soldiers.

The team waited for half an hour before the main attack force got into position and started the attack. Winters, his team and the Inquisitor all stealthily moved towards the Sadow Palace. Even with the main attack force occupying the enemies, there was still resistance. Aleck had to watch some of his men fall to the Collective incoming fire. Even with the Dark Sider mercilessly killing waves after waves of the enemy.

New Sadow Palace Location: Classified

The young boy huddled with the woman protecting him from the people who had invaded his home and killed his mother. Remy Dlairt had suffered much over the last few years, a lot of people had died to get him to this bolthole, it was just him and his protector. A Dlairt Security Officer named Lucy had got into here safely; she had been one of twenty people who had risked their lives and died to get the boy out of the Collective's grasp. It had been his mother, Sakura Dlairt, who had sacrificed her life to given them time to escape. They both knew something was happening, as the hidden security cameras were showing a lot of activity. Lucy hoped the message she had managed to get out had helped.

New Sadow Palace Entrance

The team breached through the Collective holding the entrance and stormed down the corridor. "Follow me," Inquisitor Megos ordered, "where we need to go is in this direction." The Iron Legion soldiers followed the man down the hall, engaging and ending lives until they reached the lower levels of the temple. The room they appeared to have entered was a wine cellar. "This can't be the location?" Winters asked and looked at the Inquisitor who was walking towards a specific section of the wall. "Fortify the entrance and hold the door."

Colonel Winters approached the Dark Sider who was running his hand along the surface of the wall, looking of something until he stopped and pressed his hand against the location it was resting. A panel read his palm, and then the wall started to hiss. It opened up to reveal a metal door. Inquisitor Megos looked at the hidden security camera in the wine cellar and said to it. "Puppet. Open the door."

Half a minute later the door opened to reveal Lucy and young Remy Dlarit. The boy was tugging on the woman's hand who was looking at the Inquisitor with a bland gaze. The Dark Sider walked up to the woman and patted her on the head. "Good work on keeping the Heir's progeny alive. I have no more use for you." Lucy nodded and pulled out her service pistol, placed it against her temple and blew her brains out. Her death startled everyone but the Inquisitor, who turned to young Remy and lowered himself onto one knee. "Young man, my name is Sith Warlord Ashura Sadow, and I know who you are. Remulus Sadow, son of Astronicus Aurelius Sadow and Sakura Haruno. I'm sorry about what happened to your mother, but we are here to get you to safety." Ashura smiled warmly at the boy, despite the warm front he was showing, the Sith felt none of it and was acting to ensure young Remy's cooperation.

It worked and despite it took some convincing to get the boy not to ask any questions until they were away and safe. Colonel Winter leading, the soldiers and two Force users made their way out of the wine cellar. By now, the rest of the Iron Legion was fighting against the Collective for control of the planet. Winters watched three of his men died and suffered a slug in the arm getting before he got the VIP out to the shuttle waiting to take the boy to safety.

"Colonel. I am tasking you to keep the boy safe if so much of a scratch appears on him after I leave. You will die." Inquisitor Megos, Aleck knew that was not his real name, turned around and walked back into the chaos. The colonel also turned around and boarded the transport.

There’s no time off for a Consular. Sure, officially they are allowed to go and have “fun” if it is allowed by the Jedi Code, but unofficially they study, meditate or train others. At least that’s what I think. Meditation can’t hurt, right? Today I’ll try to see into the past, it doesn’t hurt to know a little more about our history and besides I can train my Sensing skills. Studying in the Tython Jedi Temple is peaceful. It’s quiet, especially since the Jedi Guardians are absent during the time off we are granted by the Council. Meditation begins. Dimly lit room, locked door and meditation pose. Relaxation of the mind and of the body. Eyes closed, but I can see something. I can hear something. It’s not from the Temple. I can see myself using the holocom. It’s not happening now. It’s from the past. I’m not even sure if it’s me or another Kel Dorian. I’m in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by other Jedi. There are what appear to be Dark Jedi, running towards us. We are on Tython, being invaded by the Dark Jedi, or at least a group of their conquerors. The lightsabers are clashing everywhere, the plasma blades blinding me. I can only spectate, I don’t control the person I thought was me. My Jedi takes his lightsaber and turns it on, a green blade coming out of the hilt. He raises his lightsaber in an Ataru opening stance. He starts running towards the Dark Jedi, stabbing and slashing them. He has no feelings towards his former Jedi friends, for they had betrayed the Jedi Order and pursued a path of Darkness, a path for those that seek power and fame, not regretting killing for his own gain. He kills Dark Jedi left and right, running past their army of darkness as a shadow in the night. Light and Dark Jedi are dying every second, I can even feel it in the Force. He gets to their ship. There are lots of Dark Jedi in a small room. He kills them all, I sense no remorse in him. He kills the ship crew and he sends a message to what I assume is the leader of the conquest movement. I only hear a few words, “peace”, “violence” and “unbalanced”. My Jedi gets stabbed in the heart through the back by a Dark Jedi. I feel him falling to the ground and losing his life. The Dark Jedi says something, this time I can make a phrase out of it, “Power is not for the weak. The Darkness shall rise”. I lose my focus and return to today, the holidays of the Jedi Order, in the meditation room, dimly lit as before. The Jedi Civil War. Fascinating, before the beginning of the Sith Order. Peace could have been achieved, but instead Balance won the fight. The Dark Jedi, the most powerful of the Dark Side users, became the Sith, driven by anger, suffering, vengeance and power.

On Tarthos we won Although both sides lost many But that battle's done

On to Urias With so much to gain and lose Our foes so pious

Fear, anger fuel us Pride and farsight assure us Home is upon us

Sorrow a first step along the way of seven the home of Sadow

Through their suffering they will learn of impotence and we – dominion

But the void calls still for blood, fire, steel and stone taunting, hungering

---

Inspired by the Temples of Orian and CNS' return to the Temple of Sorrow.

Manually added by Warlord Bentre Kairn'tel Sadow

“You do realize with you being a fugitive means you greatly increase the chances of…” K-8-0 rambled, as he assisted in piloting the shuttle.

“I really don’t care. We goin’ to get this asshole, then imma get paid. Simple as that.”

If droids could raise a brow, K-8-0 certainly would have. “And you’re going down there? Dressed like that?” The droid said with a disgusted voice.

“Just fly the damn ship, ya hear?” Zodac growled, unboxing a brand new cloak, which covered his body from head to toe. Needed especially, since his armor was easy to identify.

“It’s a shuttle.” The droid said softly, and Zodac groaned.

“Cato. Shut it, before I disable you.”

Cato mimicked his voice childishly, even quieter than previously. Finally, the voice low enough to escape the ears of Zodac.

--

With their arrival on the mid-level of Coruscant, Zodac and Cato walked through the streets, both wearing large cloaks which covered most of their face and body. Cato, who looked just as silly as one could imagine, had his heavy metal steps masked by the sounds of the busy streets. Without analyzing too deeply, one could probably assume he was of a very different, tall and slender species.

“Place is littered with security, shit.” Zodac said under his breath. He looked to Cato and nodded. “You know what this guy looks like, right?” The droid nodded and his skinny fingers came out of the cloak to reveal a thumbs up.

“I can spot him from just about any distance. And if someone is following us.” He said rather confidently. “In matter of fact. Someone is following us right now. Don’t look, but they’re also hooded.”

Zodac turned around.

He, indeed, saw the hooded figures, then looked to Cato. “You’re right.”

“I know I’m right you imbecile. I just told you not to look!” Cato almost shouted, but the sounds of flying shuttles beside silenced them.

Just as they argued about what was done, a familiar face exited an alley. The Twi’lek called Manu, the person they were supposed to capture. “There!” Cato shouted and pointed, and as Manu turned to look at the suspicious looking hooded figures, blaster bolts whizzed by them. Without a second thought Zodac turned and slung his pistol out of the holster, and fired two deadly shots from the hip, killing the hooded figures that followed them. By this point Manu had already began to run, getting quite the head start on the human and the droid. “Good one, ya dumbass!” Yelled Zodac to Cato. “Ya couldn’t have been any more shy, huh!? Get his ass!” Cato obliged, and threw off the cloak. There stood an old Imperial droid, but with a great “owner” (who he hated calling owner) that maintained him well, he was seemingly brand new. The droid broke into a sprint after the Twi’lek, avoiding all the civilians with elegant side steps.

In no time at all, the KX series droid grabbed the Manu by the neck and lifted him. “Target acquired.” He said in a very robotic voice, unusually. Zodac finally caught up out of breath and he looked to the sky, hood falling off. “God dammit, why do you gotta run so damn fast? Shoulda caught him sooner, I say…” He panted.

“At least I have the asset, and now we can leave. You know, this was a lot easier than I thoug-!”

Before he can finish his sentence, lights went off just in front of them. Security had seen it all, and finally caught up to the pair.

Zodac groaned. “Had to open yer fat mouth, huh?”

Zodac threw off his cloak and grabbed his pistols, ready to fight his way out. It certainly would not be easy… But it wasn’t impossible.

“Let’s get Manu out of here. And fast.”

Major Hector Ricmore Clan Vizsla Coruscant Space

CVS Centurion, a Star Courier class vessel, dropped out of hyperspace and began moving towards Coruscant. The ship entered the Coruscant atmosphere without incident, the contacts Clan Vizsla possessed within numerous bounty guilds having paid the planetary tax in advance and notifying CorSec when the ship would be arriving.

Hector Ricmore guided the ship through the atmosphere, maneuvering the vessel towards his designated landing pad. Neon lights blared from the immensely massive buildings which filled the skyline.

The Zygerian frowned puzzledly; he was not sure what to think about Coruscant. Having been raised on a series of ships with a migrant fleet Hector has always preferred living aboard a spaceship. He had found a wide variety of vegetation and wildlife found on planets to be a bit off settling at times, and even downright creepy on some planets. Coruscant was not like most of these planets. The planet has experienced centuries of construction, with one absolutely breathtaking city covering the majority of the planet. This city is split into a nearly unfathomable amount of levels, the most opulent denizens on the upper levels, and the more shadier individuals inhabiting the lower floors.

Hector landed the ship smoothly at his designated landing zone. Turning off the engine he let the ship appear to be abandoned while he headed towards the Electronic Warfare Suite. To allow for more covert operations this series of illegal communications monitoring and slicing equipment has been hooked up to Hector’s Fusion Furnace, a portable generator that provides a respectable amount of power in the field. Booting up the equipment Hector began the process of slicing into CorSec comm channels. For such a widespread security force their communication systems were not heavily encrypted. After less than 30 minutes of effort Hector had managed to breach the encryption without alerting CorSec to his presence.

“It truly is a disappointment to see what CorSec has to offer. I was looking forward to recording them as a worthy adversary, something that could help polish my own tales. I suppose that I am expecting too much; Coruscant has never recovered from centuries of Corruption and 2 violent regime changes.”

Despite his laments Hector knew better than to antagonize CorSec; He prided himself as the greatest Zygerrian pilot to ever live and a competitor for the greatest pilot in the Unknown regions. The Collective have taught him all too well the dangers of numbers, and if he drew CorSec’s attention, Hector would need to leave immediately if he wanted a chance at survival.

A smile stretched across his face as he found what he had sliced into CorSec for, the location of Collective Information Broker Manu Maurfai. The Twi’lek had built a reputation as a skilled slicer, capable of accessing information the public could only dream of knowing. Thankfully it was not Maurfai’s security that Hector had to overcome, but the corrupt and weakened CorSec that his men had no doubt paid off.

Powering off the systems, Hector grabbed his blaster sniper rifle and left his ship, walking towards the landspeeder that had been left on the platform, courtesy of Clan Vizsla’s contacts. He spent a few minutes to ensure that no sabotage had occurred; a newly formed habit after a sabotaged hyperdrive had led Hector into a bounty hunter ambush. Satisfied with the condition of the speeder Hector boarded and began flying to the lower levels of Coruscant.

Hector landed the speeder on one of Courscants many rooftops. Setting his blaster sniper to stun, he laid prone and watched the doorway of the building where Maurfai would be completing an information sale. The other members of the meeting were of no concern to Hector, who let the meeting progress until the sale was made and both parties left through separate exits. He gave the Twi’lek a false sense of security, allowing him and his two guards to exit and walk a hundred feet closer to their transport.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

Hector’s blaster rang out three times, stunning the three targets. Hector smiled to himself and went to collect his bounty.

Hilgrif looked at target info on Manu Maurfai while sitting inside his ship the Favus 1 the clan has sent him to capture the target so they could get some info to lead them to their missing ship admire of the clan Hilgrif then command his droid pilot to land somewhere and be ready to bring the ship to leave once he grabs the target Hilgrif then pulled out the tracker the clan had given him while letting his droid keep watch for trouble. a little bit later Hilgrif then look at the info feed on his date pad the tracker had led him to this small marked and according to the info he found on the holenet their was only 3 exits to this market hilgrif then sent out his scout droids to locate the target without him finding out he was on his trail after a few minutes he found the fat Twi'lek standing in a proud stance intimidating what look like a black market weapon merchant. Hilgrif then command his droid to look around and see if he could spot any of collective or Coruscant Security Forces. After a few minutes the droid could not spot any Coruscant Security Forces bet they did find a person that looked like someone trying to blend in hiding in a corner of an alleyway to keep an eye on Manu Maurfai so Hilgrif sent his droid to slowly fly behind him and while his droid was doing that Hilgrif looked at the map on his date pad and found the other side of the alleyway and went their and after a min his droid was in place so he had it knockout the watcher with it electro-shock prods after the watcher fell down Hilgrif had his droid make sure no one saw and after no one showing no sign of see it hilgrif command his droid to go back and watch the Twi'lek for when he leaves and then Hilgrif came and dragged the body of the watcher deeper into the alleyway. After moving the body Hilgrif looked at the feed from his droid and saw the Twi'lek smiling and proudly walking away from the merchant Hilgrif then order his droid to stay out of site but still to follow him . Hilgrif slowly followed even further behind the Twi'lek and his droid after a few mins the Twi'lek went into an alleyway that was a shortcut to the casinos Hilgrif quickly sent his droid to hide in the alleyway ready to jump out and hit it with its electro-shock prods after 30 secs the Twi'lek was about to past the droid when it jumped and was able to get one of the probs to hit and that stopped Manu Maurfai long enough for the droid to hit it with the second prob and knock out the Twi’lek Hilgrif then quickly caught up and order his ship to come so they could load up the target for the clan to have their way with him

The air was hot that day, the winds blowing between the mountain peaks of either side of the arena. Its stands were lines with hundreds of Genosians and other members of the audience. Most notably the Archduke, a bulbous freak in gilded attire and an entourage establishing his presence. His seat was much higher than any other in the audience, near the top of the arena, as he looked down at everyone. The sandstone dust was kicked up into the air as everyone began to cheer, signalling the beginning of the gladiatorial event. A single Genosian flew to the center of the arena, having come from an opening in the walls of the stage. The actual fighting ring was set deeper than the stands above. "Welcome! Friends and Newcomers to our Festival! Now as many of you may know we have a special event planned today, one of blood, daring, and Mayhem. We've set three rounds for our challenger from the Ascendant fleet we all have to thank for our lives." It said in an ever-cheery voice. At this time a large feline-like beast entered, flanked by struggling keepers and with an introduction. "First of these rounds will be met by a Nexu! A ferocious and terrifying creature, its maw of endless teeth and its legs of speed greater than the winds themselves. Few can best this housepet from your worst nightmares." The Introducer said. The Nexu snarled and yipped, its wide smile snapping at its captors. continuing its round through the arena. At the cheers and screams of the audience it sat in one corner of the arena and strained as it was chained to the walls. The handlers were visibly relieved, sighing and wiping their' brows, once they had returned to the entry way. Soon a large bull-like beast entered, puffing air through the ring in its nostril. "Next we have the powerful Reek! Its thick hide and size making it a veritable tank, paired with those huge horns we know that things are going to get brutal with this one." The Introducer finished. The Reek was almost immediately brought to the opposite side of the ring and bound facing the Nexu, both pointed to the center of the arena. "Our final round is a mystery, one that will be earned once weve seen what our Plagueian can do. Speaking of which its time we introduce our Gladiator, Ahsik Warren of House Tyrannus!" The Introducer boomed, his voice echoing through the entire pass it had seemed. Ahsik entered the ring, his staff whole and hanging in his right hand, a million thoughts racing through his head. The Zabrak bravely faced each beast and strode to stand at the center of the arena, alongside the Introducer. "Now that we have our competitors its time for the Archduke to decide the first beast to face our champion, and to bestow his blessing." The Introducer explained. The Archduke seemed indifferent to the entire affair, waving his hands for flair and resting a pointed finger on the Reek. "And so it shall begin, Ahsik will face the towering Reek first!" The voice of the Introducer was drowned in the cheers of the people. The Introducer promptly flew up and into the Archduke's booth, shaking and speeding like a slug from a slugthrower. "huh" Ahsik said, facing the Reek and igniting his electrostaff in both hands. The left end low and his wieght shifted to his back right leg, like a puma ready to pounce. The Reek's chains soon dropped around it, its bulging muscles strained as it let out a ground quaking roar, its bloodshot eyes locking unto the little red opponent before it. Starting into a charge, the sight of the Reek made Ahsik realize a few things about his situation. Firstly, that this beast was drugged and enraged long before finding and enemy naturally sporting an aggravating color, and secondly, ohboy that thing is big. As the creature approached Ahsik held his focused much like his staff and patiently waited until it was within a striking distance. As the Reek dipped its head down to impale the poor fighter, the Gladiator leaped high and over its wicked lance, coming down with equal force on the base of its neck with the shocking pole. The stunned creature stumbled, its front feet seized and tripped over its own curled toes. The resounding crash kicked up dust all through the air of the arena, the Zabrak landed and began to cough through the dust, sure that his enemy had not yet fallen. The head of the Reek began to shake off the effects of the Sith's unorthodox weapon, grunting and beginning another charge. This time Ahsik only raised his left wrist, firing 3 shots into the eyes of the beast, its pained shouts and failed charging giving way to an opening. Promptly the warrior ran up and leaped unto the face of the beast, one arm around its top horn and feet planted on each of its downward horns. The beast began to cry out and opened its mouth in an attempt to begin shaking off this passenger, however it was cut short as the end of the electrostaff was shoved in, causing the beast to tense up and collapse under its power. Still pressing its end unto the roof of the beasts mouth, it laid there convulsing for another 4 minutes before Ahisk took it out and laid a hand against the creature's neck. The blood that had pooled from the wound then made by the hidden dagger in Ahsik's bracer confirmed that he had succeeded in slaying the beast. "Are you not entertained?!" Ahsik cried to the cheering and roaring masses above. With the sound of the Nexu that awaited him, Ahsik heard the Archduke himself speak, "Well done Gladiator, now it is time for you to slay the other, only then can you see the end of these trails." The news sank in Ahsik's heart, sparking an annoyance as Ahsik split the staff and prepared for the next beast. The Nexu was more than eager when the chains gave way, its dazziling speed caught Ahsik off guard as it raced to him. Ahsik threw up a visage of himself charging the beast, its resuklting confusion had bought the man some time to consider this nightmarish beast. It turned to snarl at Ahsik, who reformed his staff and grabbed a detonation grenade from his belt as he charged the beast. A brief moment before the beast followed as well, leaving him with a brief moment to toss the grenade and leap off his staff, both propelling him high into the air. The Nexu emerged from the blast bloodied but more enraged than before. Its tail whipped back and forth as its eyes closed in on the falling Zabrak. Ready for its approach, Ahsik threw his Staff, coupled with the illusion of 7 more. The feline monster stopped again and was unable to decide the real threats from the mirages and was struck by the falling lightning bolt that was the weapon. Its cry was brief as the staff bounced off its head, but the Zabrak followed his weapon, planting both feet against its skull and grabbing his weapon again in the process. The attack was weaker than intended as the creature had reaction enough to grab Ahsik in its maw, locking around his left leg. It thrashed its prey about, ripping into its opponent's thigh and causing it to bleed profusely. Turning and planting both hands against the skull of the beast, Ahsik drove his hidden blade into the eye of the Nexu and emptied the magazine of his wrist lazer into its other. His hatred pushed the Nexu's sensation of such damage to such extremes that it instantly was killed, dropping its corpse on top of the Plagueian. The arena was dead silent, all breaths were held in favor of the search for some signal of life, some hope that the warrior had bested his prey. Then a single hand emerged from the beast, followed by the struggling figure of the limping, bloodied, but still very much alive Zabrak. "Well done warrior, well done. Now its time for me to introduce my personal pet. I hope you can manage with your injuries because its unlike youd survive against my Acklay!" The Archduke cheered to himself almost. "Are you Freaking kidding me?!?" Ahsik was exhausted. Promptly falling to his knees and drawing on the force, in the time it took for the handlers to fetch the huge mantis-like beast, Ahsik had mangaed to alter his blood flow and restore his energy before rising and splitting his staff once more. "Okay, Lets Go!" The shouted as he began a battleroar, rushing to this massive beast. The only thing that Ahsik would meet would be the barbed claw of the creature as it swiped him aside, and into the corpse of the Reek he had defeated. The pain flashed along his ribs, with only a moment to avoid the sharp leg of the Acklay attempting to spear him, accomplishing only to stick the corpse of another. Ahsik threw his left staff like a javelin and held the remaining end with both hands. The flying shock stick struck the Acklay along its main body, the shock managing to inflict only a small crack in its exoskeleton. Ahsik charged and struck its closest leg with all his might, breaking the joint and causing the beast to lose its balance a moment. Ahsik unfurled his Baton in his other hand and entred a stae of pure, wild hatred. Swinging with each weapon and his voice breaking under the endless growling roar that followed his every move, the poor Acklay soon cried and crumbled under the assault, its sticky body fluid covering Ahsik and his weapons. Standing over the nody of the beaten creatures Ahsik once again raised his staff over his head and let out one final cry before promptly passing out. "And so ends the Combat event of the Evening folks! We will have something for you to see once again tomorrow but for today, our new champion is Ahsik Warren. And Once he recovers from this battle you can all have a meet and greet later on" The Introducer said to finish out the night. The Archduke's eyes narrowed and thought.... maybe he shouldnt be allowed to survive this.... hes too dangerous.... "nurseman, may i have a word before you go treat that boy?".....

Clan Vizsla 3rd Strike Group Immobilizer Class Heavy Cruiser Zsoldos

Hector Ricmore stood upon the bridge of the Immobilizer class capital ship, gazing intently at the surface of Zsoldos. After years of a migratory lifestyle it felt good to have a planet to call home, even if he preferred his boots on the deck of a spacefaring vessel. Zsoldos may be a hive of scum and villainy comparable to places like Nar Shadda or Tatooine, but it was his hive of scum and villainy. Hector’s musings were interrupted by the beeping of his com link.

“This is Hector.”

“Sir you have an incoming transmission in the com room from Appius Wight, says its urgent.”

“I should be sure to receive it then, thank you for informing me Captain.”

The Zygerrian turned away from the viewport and walked into the adjacent room which housed the ships holoprojector. The projector displayed a tall humanoid with short hair, typically brown, which appeared a shade of monochromatic blue with the rest of his figure due to the projection.

“Appius! It’s good to see you my friend. Got an adventure planned for the newly formed Battleteam Deathwatch?”

The figure chuckled. “Enthusiastic as ever I see. I do suppose that you could consider my news an adventure. Collective forces managed to infiltrate the clan vaults and make off with a significant portion of our clans valuables, escaping without a trace. Thankfully we do seem to have a lead from...a rather odd source.”

“Oh? What kind of odd source?”

“A Jedi of all things if you can believe it. He came to Zsoldos bearing information he claimed he saw through force visions.”

Hector blinked, visibly taken aback. “Uh Appius? I’m all for a grand adventure but I don’t know if rushing out into space on the words of a prophet will help us recover what was stolen.”

The human nodded. “The clan happens to share your sentiment, for that reason the strike groups will be acting independently. You are to take the 3rd strike group and investigate the Jedi’s visions while our other forces focus on other possible leads. I am sending you two people to help with your search; the Jedi will be present so you can hear about his visions first hand, and I am sending the newest member of our Battleteam Kano Tor Tydex.”

The Zygerrian made a sound of affirmation. “I’ve never worked with Tydex before, what can you tell me about him?”

“He is a professional first and foremost; expensive but almost always delivers. He can be a bit standoffish but he is not a terrible person when you really get to know him.”

“Hmm doesn’t sound that bad”

“At least that's what I’ve heard, he seems like kind of a Shab.”

Hector paused. “Well that’s reassuring” he muttered sarcastically

“The pair should be arriving shortly. May the Force be with you.”

The hologram disappeared as the communication ended.

Beep beep beep. Hector activated his com link.

“There are two visitors requesting to see you sir.”

“Let me guess, a Jedi and a Mandalorian?”

“Yes sir”

“Send them up please.”

It was not long before the bridge doors opened admitting two figures into the room.

Hector turned to address the newcomers. “I’ve been expecting the two of you. My name is Hector Ricmore, Major in the Iron Legion, and the best pilot the unknown regions has ever seen.”

The Zygerrian moved to address the armored figure. “Kano Tydex I presume? I look forward to working with a man of your skill, you have quite a reputation after all.” He held out his hand for Kano to shake.

The mandalorian ignored the hand instead leaning backwards on the wall. While the figure had a relatively slouched posture he gave off a predatory vibe, a loth cat coiled and ready to leap at its prey.

“Appius has already briefed me on the job and taken care of payment. What needs to be done?”

Hector nodded. “That’s one less thing to do then. First we have to check with our Jedi friend, Mr?”

“Caldorous Syr. You may call me Cal.”

“Cal it is then. Appius told me that you had a vision or some hallucination?”

“A Force vision is no mere hallucination major. It is a prediction of what may occur, or a retelling of something long past. The Force grants us the ability to view events like the reflections on a river; distorted and muddled but visible nonetheless.”

“If these visions are distorted then how can they possibly be of any help?”

“They would not be, not to me at least. But I am certain that a pilot of your skill will find this information useful.”

The miraluka pulled out a datapad from his robe, giving it to Hector.

The Major read over the data before smiling. “You’ve given us their fleet composition, 4 strike class cruisers, as well as a set of hyperspace coordinates. Let’s see...that puts us in the Orian system. Brotherhood records state that this is the Dentavii Asteroid belt...an abandoned refueling facility for the Dlarit Special Operations group? Yes I am certain they are there.”

Hector continued to mutter to himself as he walked into the communications room. Flipping on the holoprojector a model of the Dentavii asteroid belt appeared, surrounded by the 4 strike class cruisers.

“The ships themselves are more than a match for our strike group. They heavily outgun our Raider class vessels and only the Immobilizer can compete when it comes to turbolasers. To make matters worse each one of these ships can carry two squadrons of starfighters. While our Tie SF’s can take on a squadron of B wings and plow through their Z-95 headhunters there is no way we can manage another 6 squadrons of fighters.”

Cal chose that moment to interrupt. “So don’t bother fighting them.”

“What do you mean don’t bother fighting them? We can’t allow them to get away with Clan Vizsla’s resources and not deploying fighters is suicidal at best!”

“You are hearing the words that I am saying but you are not truly listening. If you are truly a great pilot prevent the enemy ships from ever taking off.”

“Oh...that might work. The strike class cruisers are quick to produce but have a modular design, the separate pieces have weak points where they connect. If we split our bombers with fighter escort into 2 groups we can take out half their fighters before they can launch, even more if we risk an in system jump to place the Immobilizer right next to the enemy fleet.”

“HA HA! Thank you for the suggestion Cal, this may be winnable after all.”

The jedi nodded his head in acknowledgement

“Kano, you are in charge of ground operations. Handpick a strike team from one of the special missions company and take control of the facility. The asteroid is not huge but I’ll send a titan dropship with an AT-M6 in case you need the fire power to enter the base.”

“Understood, consider the facility secured.”

“Alright people, we’ve got stolen goods to recover. Captain set course for the asteroid belt and give me access to the nav computer so I can plot the micro jump.”

“Of course sir.” the Captain replied

Course set, the Immobilizer jumped into hyperspace; followed by the rest of the strike group.

Some time later

Hector Ricmore watched the last of the pilots enter the hangar. All the pre flight checks on the Tie bombers and Tie SF starfighters were completed; they were ready for action.

Calenhad had taken the time to double check and fix Hector’s calculations, the microjump would be a risky maneuver, but it should work, emphasis on the should.

Hector’s commlink chirped. “Sir, we are coming out of hyperspace now and are prepared to make an immediate in system jump.”

“Thank you for Captain, all fighters are ready to launch.”

Hector switched his commlink frequency to one being used by the pilots. “Alright everyone, we are seconds away from dropping out of hyperspace and right into the action. Stick to the plan and watch the backs of your squad mates, as we will watch your back in turn. Stay alert, fly well and we will all get through this.”

Hector activated his life support, sealing the breath mask against his face. Climbing on top of a Tie SF he dropped down into the cockpit of the ship. Turning around he addressed the gunner of his vessel. “What’s your name kid?”

“I umm Wilson. My name is Wilson Smith sir.” The jittery human stated.

“Well Wilson, today you get to fly with the best pilot in the unknown regions, I give you my word we’ll make it out alive.”

Wilson gulped nervously. “If you say so sir.”

Beep beep beep. Hector activated his commlink. “Major Ricmore, the microjump was successful, no casualties but the hyperdrive is leaking and our engine has received extensive damage. Emergency thrusters have power but we will not be moving anywhere fast.”

“Excellent work Captain, don’t worry about the damages, I don’t intend for this battle to last long enough for it to matter.”

Switching his comm back to the pilots channel Hector called out “It’s time to move people, all fighters and bombers launch now!”

The ships flew out in 3 groups: the first was formed of transports carrying Kano Tydex and the ground forces. The other two groups were made up of Tie SF and Bombers, evenly split to hit separate targets. The ships flew in formation, taking advantage of the microjump that had placed them behind the enemy fleet. The 2 groups delivered their payloads, obliterating the hangars of the 2 closest Strike cruisers.

The Clan Vizsla forces had performed exemplary but battles were not won that easily.

“All Tie’s regroup on me, we’re going to rush that cruiser with everything we have left.”

The 2 groups reformed and advanced towards the cruiser. The time spent hitting the other targets gave the ship time to turn, which it used to promptly open fire on the advancing ships. The turbolasers took down 8 bombers and 4 fighters, with the rest of the vessels reaching the ship and once again destroying the hangar. Low on numbers and out of explosives the ships returned to the Immobilizer.

The last Strike cruiser released its B wings and Z 95 headhunters in pursuit. Hector and the 3rd strike group had planned for this. Instead of moving to engage the Strike class cruisers the Raider II class corvettes of the Vizsla 3rd Strike group had moved closer to the enemy fleet and angled themselves to intercept any fighters that escaped. The pursuing B wing and Z 95 squadron were shredded by the onslaught of turbolaser and blaster fire upon entering the kill zone.

The Raiders then proceeded to engage the Strike Class cruisers alongside the Immobilizer, which was finally able to face the enemy given their reduced state and reliance on thrusters. Given time to repair and rearm the Tie SF and Bombers were able to exploit the pressure on the Strike Class from their capital ships, and destroy them in subsequent bombing runs.

Ever a professional, Kano Tor Tydex secured the asteroid. Leading from the front, Kano lead a lightning fast assault utilizing Vizsla forces outfitted with Jetpacks. Breaching the enemy stronghold with the turbolaser present on the AT-M6, Kano managed a miraculous attack with zero casualties, likely owed to the speed of the assault and the terror inspired by an AT-M6 looming over the Collective forces.

‘All in all things went well’ Hector Ricmore reflected. There were funerals to plan, condolences to send and repairs to make; but Clan Vizsla had managed to recover their riches from a foe with surperior forces, with surprisingly few casualties.

Hector put down his pen and gathered his flimsiplast, having finished writing down the tale of the encounter. He placed the flimsiplast into a container, locking it for safekeeping. The Zygerrian could not keep the grin off of his face as he walked into the communications room. Booting up the holoprojector it was not long before the figure of Appius Wight appeared before him.

“We’ve done it Appius, mission accomplished.”

The coldness surrounds as we leave our warm ship, While clouds and wind and ice overwhelm. Our bodies are chilled at each elbow, knee, hip. But alas we return to our old beloved realm.

The longing most feel, even those of us new, Explodes with adrenaline to warm up our veins. The icy cold entrance is not quite as shrewd When we finally realize that our homelessness wanes.

Sadowans of Ragnos pour into the belly Of the ancient cathedral more sacred than known. If everyone understood what she could tell ye The attack sprung this day would be more profound.

To our enemies we go as our rage fires up, For tonight we take Tarthos, we shall ne'er give up!