Hex L-49 \\ FIV Concordia
Faction: First Order \\ Enemy: Galactic Alliance | [member="Cathul Thuku"] | [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] \\ Status: Firing at Alliance Targets
In Vicinity: [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Jaius Sovv"]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fODKFlhmidU
"Ought we to bring President Sovv to the bridge?" asked Carrak with a smirk. "You have to wonder how good their intelligence services are if they can't piece together the fact that they're shooting at the ship containing one of their most important statesmen. Yet they latched onto the
Executioner like it was printed across their bow in 800 point font." Carrak examined the table, but was distracted when a brilliant flash erupted from the viewport. Every eye on the bridge of the
Concordia turned to the forward viewport, where the Alliance flagship had been moments ago. Carrak absorbed what was happening a beat before the others on the bridge and immediately went into action. "Double-front deflector shields! Starfighter coordination, increase starfighter screens to the rear!"
Guided by [member="Samka Derith"]'s battle meditation, the starfighters and small craft proved an efficient defense, allowing the deflector shields doubled to the front to largely deflect and absorb the attacks of [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] -- who seemed to appear out of nowhere, despite the fact that the interdiction was still up. "Get a scan of that ship, see if you can figure out how they got in range so quickly!" Carrak ordered.
Meanwhile, [member="Cathul Thuku"] had doubled down on her failing strategy.
Concordia was the flagship of Battlegroup Nebula and of the Grand Moff herself. The deranged twi'lek seemed to think she had a chance to crack this particular nut. A moment after the shields redoubled to the front, a wave of debris from the Itsususk rushed towards them. "Get me readings on that debris!" Carrak ordered. "Use the tractors to redirect anything damaging, preferably towards that new ship," he ordered. "Point defenses, clear out what you can. Heavy weapons -- get me firing solutions. Remarkable that the the commanders aboard the Itsususk will do more damage to us dead than [member="Cathul Thuku"] will ever manage to while living. Nevertheless, if that fool Thuku wants to play, we'll play." He turned towards turbolaser control. "You may fire at will, Lieutenant."
While the computers did their work, computing firing solutions that took into account numerous variables, including motion, shielding, and vulnerable systems, calculating to do maximum damage. Hundreds of batteries swiveled, some aiming towards [member="Cathul Thuku"] and some aiming towards [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"], and then opened fir. The
Concordia was so named because it was initially devised as a tool of diplomacy -- a show of restrained force, painted with red diplomatic markings. As the Grand Moff's ship, its power and destructive force was not obvious to the naked eye or a casual scan. The turbolasers were empowered with Kyber crystals, giving the normally-reserved Great Crimson Lady of the First Order fleet sharp teeth. [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"] would likely come to regret rushing into the
Concordia's maw.
* * * * *
Something niggled in the back of Natasi's mind as she studied the board. "I think it would," said Natasi grimly. "As neither of us has ready access to a spacesuit. If I knew you were in such a rush to escape my company -- " Natasi's voice fell silent as the room went white as the Itsususk erupted in explosion. She turned, her eyes widening in surprise and barely-contained horror. "By the
Balance," she whispered, instinctively clutching at her Cosmic Balance pendant. "Jaius," she murmured, turning back to the aged Sullustan, her dark eyes glossy and shining the the dim light of the observation lounge. "I'm so -- "
Natasi again fell silent when alarm klaxons began to blare elsewhere on the ship.
Proximity alarms, Natasi recognized, and turned again towards the window in time to see bits of the Alliance flagship hurtling through space towards First Order positions. The deckplates of
Concordia were a symphony of vibrations, as a steady growl of the engines was punctuated by the
thrum-thrum-thrum as the relentless turbolaser batteries spat death and destruction at the Alliance targets. The Grand Moff shivered internally as she watched the battle, now infinitely more chaotic. First Order TIE fighters swirled around the aft section of the ship, defending against Alliance fighters and screening for debris, but as disciplined and coordinated as they were, the TIE fighters couldn't be everywhere at once.
All it took was one slip. A section of the Itsususk collided with the largest viewport of the observation lounge. Natasi took a half-step back, bumping into the chair she had been sitting in. The transparisteel spiderwebbed -- but held. Natasi stared at it for a few moments more before resuming her seat. She studied the board, then looked up to President Sovv for a moment. Something was off; either she had fundamentally miscalculated, or --
no, Natasi thought to herself.
He wouldn't. It's not in his character. She furrowed her brows, examining the board with mounting frustration. Where had she gone wrong?
The doors slid open, and an out-of-breath junior officer entered with a squad of stormtroopers. "Your Excellency," he panted, "Please pardon in intrusion. I have orders from Captain Carrak to evacuate you from this deck. There has been a breach in the observation lounge."
Natasi raised an eyebrow, glancing sidelong at the viewport, then stood and took a few steps closer. Then she heard it; the hissssss of a leak. "Very well, Lieutenant. Mr. President, if you'll come with me. It's not safe here."
"Ma'am, my orders are to evacuate
you from the deck." The Lieutenant's words were polite but firm, and Natasi could feel the edge behind them. But he didn't seem to know who he was dealing with.
"President Sovv will relocate with me," Natasi said firmly.
"Grand Moff, please, there isn't much time."
Natasi drew herself up to her full height and walked up to the Lieutenant. "I am personally responsible for Mr. Sovv's safety and to that end I am countermanding your orders. If Captain Carrak doesn't like it, he knows where to find me. Mr. President, please come this way." The Lieutenant and the stormtroopers formed a perimeter around Natasi and Sovv as they exited the room and boarded the turbolift. "We'll go back to my quarters," Natasi said.
As the two dignitaries entered the sitting room of Natasi's quarters, the Grand Moff immediately opened the viewport so she could continue to view the battle. Decks below, the viewport in the observation lounge finally gave, venting the lounge. Luxurious furnishings, bottles and glasses, and chess pieces vented into the vacuum. The deck glowed red on the small heads-up display near the window.
"If that's not a metaphor for life, I don't know what is," Natasi told [member="Jaius Sovv"], pointing at the display. "All the thought and work put into our endgame, and what did it do for us? The pieces are out there now, somewhere. Nobody wins. Nobody loses. I suppose we both take a different lesson from this." She turned and set to work making tea; suddenly cocktails didn't seem quite the thing. "My lesson: you can do everything right, make the correct decisions, sacrifice the right pawns to protect the right pieces, and circumstances may still prevent a victory." She poured boiling water into the simple unbreakable teapot and dropped in the tea. "And for you? I suppose the lesson is that you can cheat and still lose."
She allowed a beat before looking over to the Sullustan, searching for identifiable facial cues. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
FIV
Concordia Status:
Shields 65% | Hull 75% | Firing batteries at Excubitor [member="Cathul Thuku"] and Obulette [member="Ivlyn Mecetti"]
